"Dorchester's golden age is in the past." -Rev. Eugene R. Shippen, First Church of Dorchester, June 25, 1904

The sentiments of Rev. Eugene R. Shippen, the presiding cleric at the first Dorchester Day observance in 1904, sound strangely familiar, don't they? How many times have we suffered through the guilt-ridden contrition of Dorchester expatriates who must justify their own migrations by attesting to the downward spiral of city life, particularly in their old 'hood? And, truthfully, we've all heard similar tones from even the most loyal Dawchestah stalwarts, who in their weaker moments, have been known to cast doubts on the future of neighborhood life.

The observation of the good Rev. Shippen, pastor of the First Church of Dorchester, was actually more innocent than it may seem taken out of context. In fact, the reverend was referring to the earliest days and years of olde, Puritan Dorchester, when it was "the greatest town in New England, Boston being but a suburb." The limitations of Dorchester's shallow bay doomed the settlement's prospects for further greatness, however, and soon it was the suburb destined to become a neighborhood of the truly great port city which rose from the peninsula called Boston.

But Dorchester maintained its own identity through the passage of decades and then centuries, even after it was annexed to Boston in 1870. In 1904, Dorchester Historical Society vice-president James R. Stark made a momentous proposition to his fellow members. As part of a continuing lobbying effort to convince the city of Boston to buy land in Savin Hill to create a park marking the settlement of Dorchester in 1630, Stark suggested the society sponsor a "field day" at Savin Hill to mark the Puritan's landing site with "proper observances." With little more than a tent, a podium, and a brass band, Stark and company pulled off the first Dorchester Day at the crest of Savin Hill on June 25, 1904 at the staggering cost of $135. Civic activists in modern day Dorchester will appreciate Mr. Stark's savvy grasp of the political process, which paid great dividends through the success of the first Dot Day: Among the 200 spectators at Savin Hill in 1904 was Dorchester's newest resident, one John F. Fitzgerald, grandfather of our 35th president. Upon his election as mayor in 1906, HoneyFitz delivered on a promise he made on the first Dorchester Day - and Savin Hill got its park, which remains a treasure today.

Today, it is all too easy to sit back from our present vantage point and look with wonder at the accomplishments of our Dorchester Day predecessors who set the precedent 100 years ago this month. Imagine, yacht races on the bay, cannons and church bells booming across the neighborhood, and fireworks over the parks!

But, isn't it comforting that they too looked back with wonder and admiration at ancestors and wondered aloud if they could ever live up to their bold accomplishments. Today, we're blessed to have a strong contingent of folks who've picked up the standard of the Dorchester Day observances and continue to keep the flame of 1904 burning brightly. We salute them this week and join them in properly honoring our men in women in uniform, to whom we are so greatly indebted.

-Bill Forry