Massachusetts

Massachusetts

President: Howard Taft

Date(s) and Start Point: December 6, 2008 — Attleboro

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk 'n Mass

Website for Event Information: http://www.ava.org/gen3/data/event_details.asp?eventid=80827

History Lesson: President Taft spoke to the people at the railroad station. The walk route passes this location.

President: William Howard Taft

Start Point: Beverly - 10km Walk (YR1656) Jan 12-Dec 29

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0573, Two Town Walking Club

History Lesson: Trail includes Lynch park, which was the site of President William Howard Taft's Summer White House during the summers of 1909-1910.
"In later years, Boston's elite looked to the North Shore's Gold Coast to build their vast summer homes. Woodbury's Point eventually became Burgess Point which came to be controlled by the Evans family. The Evans' transformed the estate into one of the finest on the North Shore. Beverly reached its heyday during the Taft administration. In the summers of 1909 and 1910, President Taft leased the Stetson cottage which stood on today's Rose Garden from the Evans'. He made the cottage his summer White House. Beverly basked in the world's spotlight, as important leaders from around the world came to "Beverly Massachusetts, the Garden City and Summer Capitol of the United States". Taft signed the so-called, "Treaty of Beverly" here, which laid the foundation for future U.S. tariff policies.

After the summer of 1910, President Taft was informed by Mrs. Evans that his summer White House would no longer be available to him, as she was planning to construct an Italian Rose Garden in its place. Rumor has it that Mrs. Evans was annoyed with the bustle that accompanied her esteemed tenant. The Secret Service constantly stopped, questioned and badgered her guests, while souvenir seekers dug up her garden, climbed her trees and even ripped off pieces of her house. The President moved to Corning Street and the cottage was moved by barge to Peache's Point in Marblehead, where it can still be seen today.

Mrs. Evans then built, within the foundation of the cottage, the sunken Italian Rose Garden we see today. Rare plants and shrubs were imported from around the world."

President: Calvin Coolidge

Start Point: Boston - 11km Walk (YR0730) Jan 1-Dec 31

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk'n Mass Volkssport Club

History Lesson: Freedom Trail is on downtown city streets and walkways; passing the State Capitol and exploring a plethora of historic sites, monuments, museums and landmarks. Calvin Coolidge was Governor of Massacusetts (1919-1920)

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Start Point: Concord - 10km Walk (YR0223) Apr 1-Dec 31

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk'n Mass Volkssport Club

History Lesson: The trail passes Concord's Colonial Inn which has a long and distinguished history and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original structure was built in 1716, and the property been operating as a hotel since 1889. Situated on Concord's town common, now known as Monument Square, the Inn is surrounded by many landmarks of our nation's literary and revolutionary history. The Colonial Inn has been a gracious host to many guests through the years, including such notables as Franklin D. Roosevelt.

President: William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge

Start Point: Danvers - 11km Walk (YRXXXX) Jan 1 - Dec 31

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0573, Two Town Walking Club

History Lesson: Presidents have spent time in Danvers as guests of prominent local citizens. For example, in 1910 President William Howard Taft was guest of honor at a banquet given by Francis Endicott, Secretary of War under Grover Cleveland, at his estate, Glen Magna. The trail goes through the grounds. We also have the Fellows Masury House near the end of the walk where Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Calvin Coolidge were also dinner guests. — The only president from Danvers was Samuel Holten, who was president under the Articles of Confederation. His house is on the trail route. Although he participated in deliberating on the U. S. Constitution the highest office that he held after it was ratified was as congressman.

President: James Polk, Millard Fillmore, Ulysses Grant, William Howard Taft, Franklin D Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Bill Clinton

Start Point: Fall River - 10km Walk (YR0730) Apr 28 - Nov 3

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk'n Mass Volkssport Club

History Lesson: Of all these Presidential visits, probably the most notable are Franklin Roosevelt, "who paid a final tribute to Colonel Louis McHenry Howe, a close friend and political adviser, laid to rest in Oak Grove Cemetery. He later spoke to a crowd of 22,000 at South Park." The second President is Bill Clinton, who gave a speech during his campaign at Kennedy Park located on the walk route where he spoke in Portuguese to the locals, and later visited Nick's, and enjoyed a delicious Coney Island hot dog. There is an autographed picture of President Clinton hanging in Nick's, who has the best tasting hot dogs you could ever imagine!! The walk route passes Nick's.

President: John F. Kennedy

Start Point: Hyannis - 10km Walk (YR1519) Jan 3-Dec 31

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk'n Mass Volkssport Club

History Lesson: The route passes the "Kennedy Compound" of white, gabled Dutch Colonial houses where Kennedy family members still vacation; the Cape Code Melody Tent, a playhouse; the JFK and Korean War Memorials located on Veterans' Beach; old and new beautiful homes; and the harbor area.

President: John Adams, John Quincy Adams

Start Point: Quincy - 10km Walk (YR1903) Apr 19-Nov 10

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk'n Mass Volkssport Club

History Lesson: Quincy, the "City of Presidents", was the home of our second and sixth Presidents, John and John Quincy Adams. The walk route encompasses the Adams historic sites, Quincy's coastline, Mount Wollaston Cemetery, plus the downtown area where a variety of refreshments are available.

President: William Howard Taft

Start Point: Wellesley - 10km Walk (YR1903) Apr 19-Nov 10

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk'n Mass Volkssport Club

President: William Howard Taft

Start Point: Wellesley - 10km Walk (YR0722) Apr 2-Dec 1

Sponsoring Club: AVA-0269, Walk'n Mass Volkssport Club

History Lesson: The walk route encompasses Wellesley College's beautiful campus where William Howard Taft was the commencement speaker in 1915.

Updated September 28, 2008