Charles L. Hanson, Jr. Papers, 1951-2000 (Bulk 1951-1971)

Concord Fire Deptartment Auxiliary training, [195-]. Photo by Charles L. Hanson, Jr.

Vault A45 Hanson Unit 1

EXTENT: 2 linear feet in three boxes, plus 1 slide box, 1 boxed t-shirt, 12 map tubes and 1 oversized folder.

ORGANIZATION AND ARRANGEMENT: Five series: I. Hanson residence and personal papers, 1951-1992; II. Conantum, [1951]-1996; III. Concord Fire Department, [1953-1970s]; IV. Concord government and civic life, [1950s]-2000; V. Maps of Concord, 1947-1973.

BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY: Charles L. Hanson, Jr. (1917-2000) and his wife Barbara B. Hanson (d. 1998) moved to Concord, Massachusetts, in 1951, and were among the earliest residents of Concord’s first major real estate development, Conantum.  Conantum, also known as Kalmia Woods, was the largest Modernist development in Massachusetts at the time of its construction.  The homes in Conantum were designed by architect Carl Koch, who went on to create the Techbuilt modular home based on his experience designing the Conantum homes.  Conantum was developed and promoted by Koch and MIT professor W. Rupert Maclaurin, and attracted young couples and families, particularly from MIT and Harvard.  Conantum evolved into a closely-knit neighborhood with numerous clubs and frequent social events.
            Hanson was an industrial photographer who worked for Arthur D. Little and later the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, both in Cambridge.  For much of the 1950s through the 1970s, he was an auxiliary member of the Concord Fire Department (CFD), and during that time took many photos of CFD activities, both as an official photographer and for his personal collection.  Hanson was a member and officer of Industrial Photographers of New England, and an avid photographer of events in Conantum and Concord.  In later years, he maintained and beautified common property throughout Concord, creating plantings and helping to clear intersections of obstructing plant growth.  Barbara Hanson was a homemaker who volunteered extensively with area organizations, including among others Emerson Hospital, the Concord Council on Aging, and the Conantum Garden Club.

SCOPE AND CONTENT:  Series I (Hanson residence and personal papers, 1951-1992) contains correspondence, bills, and other documents relating to the Hanson’s purchase of Lot 56 in Conantum, and the construction and maintenance of their home. 
            Series II (Conantum, [1951]-1996) contains extensive photographs, negatives, and slides showing the early years of the Conantum development.  These images include numerous views of construction occurring throughout Conantum, views of many Conantum homes shortly after their completion, and candid shots of Conantum residents (including images of early neighborhood celebrations).  The slides in Series II are indexed separately in the Appendix to this finding aid.  Also in Series II are several iterations of Conantum-related documents created by the Hansons, including maps, telephone lists, and address directories.  Additionally, Series II includes publications of the Kalmia Woods Corporation, articles about Conantum from various newspapers, publications about Conantum by residents, and other documents relating to the administrative and social life of the neighborhood.
            Series III (Concord Fire Department, [1953-1970s]) consists primarily of photographs and negatives of Concord Fire Department equipment and facilities, social events, training exercises, and disaster response during the 1950s and 1960s.  Some of these photographs also show equipment and personnel of the Acton Fire Department.  Also included in Series III are different versions of the Concord Fire Department alarm box directory showing the locations of alarm boxes throughout the town.
            Series IV [Concord government and civic life, [1950s]-2000) includes a variety of photographs of civic life in Concord; these include images of parades and other celebrations, town meetings, high school athletic events, Boy and Girl Scout troop activities, and buildings and landscapes around the town.  Series IV also includes publications issued by the Concord town government, the Concord Chamber of Commerce, and Concord residents. 
            Series V (Maps of Concord, 1947-1973) contains commercially produced maps of Concord, including commemorative maps about Thoreau and colonial Concord, and general maps of the town.  Several USGS maps are included in this series.

SOURCE OF ACQUISITION: Gift of Robert Hanson (son of Charles L. Hanson, Jr.), February 11, 2009.

NOTES/COMMENTS: Accessioned April 30, 2009; AMC 172.  Unless specified below, photos in this collection are not captioned or otherwise identified.

ASSOCIATED MATERIALS: Records of Conantum Garden Club, 1953-<1997>; Records of Kalmia Woods Corporation, 1951-<1996>; Kalmia Woods Water District Records, 1953-1983.

PROCESSED BY: Andrew Rabkin, finding aid prepared April 2009.

 

CONTAINER LIST

Series I: Hanson residence and personal papers, 1951-1992

Box 1, Folder 1:
Notes on house and lot, 1951-1952.

Box 1, Folder 2:
Surveyor's plan, lot 56 (Hanson residence), 1952.

Box 1, Folder 3:
Correspondence and documents relating to purchase of lot and house (alphabetically by correspondent), 1952.

Box 1, Folder 4:
Correspondence and bills from Carl Koch Showroom, 1952.

Box 1, Folder 5:
Invoices, correspondence, and other documents relating to utilities and household maintenance, [1952]-1958.

Box 1, Folder 6:
Real estate tax bills, 1952-1958 (incomplete).

Box 1, Folder 7:
Correspondence relating to gifts received by Hanson from his father, 1957.

Box 1, Folder 8:
Correspondence and documents relating to 1964 remodeling.

Box 1, Folder 9:
Window installation instructions, [no date].

Box 1, Folder 10:
Correspondence relating to removal of dead pine tree, 1992.

Box 1, Folder 11:
Photos, portrait of Robert Hanson, [1950s].

Box 1, Folder 12:
Photos, comet.  Likely either Comet Bennett (1970) or Comet Ikeya-Seki (1965).

Box 1, Folder 13:
Negatives, Sunken Bridge Acres House, December 19, 1953.

Box 1, Folder 14:
Photos, historic documents and views of Acton, Massachusetts (reproductions), [no date].

Series II: Conantum, 1952-1996

Aschaffenburg House, Conantum, Feb. 1, 1955. Photo by Charles L. Hanson, Jr.

Box 1, Folder 15:
Newspaper ad & article about Conantum, 1952.

Box 1, Folder 16:
Early letters to all Conantum property owners, 1952-1953.

Box 1, Folder 17:
Negatives, Lot 56 (Hanson Residence), Conantum, July 30, 1952.

Box 1, Folder 18:
Photos, Conantum homes, construction, and Carl Koch showroom, [1951-1952].  Captioned by Hanson.

Box 1, Folder 19:
Photos, Conantum homes, streets, and residents, [1951-1952].  Captioned by Hanson.

Box 1, Folder 20:
Photos, Conantum model home, [1951-1952].

Box 1, Folder 21:
Photos, Conantum roads and construction, March 30, 1952.

Box 1, Folder 22:
Negatives, Kalmia, with Bert Kaplan, February 16, 1952.

Box 1, Folder 23:
Negatives, Earl & Aileen Harvey's house, Lot 38 at Conantum [no date, likely 1952].

Box 1, Folder 24:
Negatives, miscellaneous Conantum views, August 1952 (two sets).

Box 1, Folder 25:
Negatives, intersection of Garfield and Sudbury Roads, Conantum, September 12, 1953.

Box 1, Folder 26:
Photos, Conantum road intersections, 1953.

Box 1, Folder 27:
Photos, Independence Day parade, Conantum, [1950s].

Box 1, Folder 28:
Photos, celebration at Conantum "gravel pit," [1960s].

Box 1, Folder 29:
Negatives, Kalmia fire trailer, November 1, 1953.

Box 1, Folder 30:
Negatives, Conantum flood pictures, August 1955.

Box 1, Folder 31:
Kalmia Woods (Conantum) maps, [1952]-1984, plus undated.  Two oversized maps located in Oversized Folder 1.

Oversized Folder 1:
Two Kalmia Woods (Conantum) maps, 1972 and 1984.

Box 1, Folder 32:
Kalmia Woods address directory, including draft copies and revisions, 1953-1958.

Box 1, Folder 33:
Kalmia Woods telephone number directory, including draft copies and revisions, 1952-1955.

Box 1, Folder 34:
Conantum child population data and map, [1953].

Box 1, Folder 35:
Conantum open house flyer [1956 or after].

Box 1, Folder 36:
Advertisement for sale of house by Al Smith, 1967.

Box 1, Folder 37:
Documents relating to sale of utility trailer from Kalmia Woods Corporation to Hanson, 1954-1971.

Box 1, Folder 38:
Publications of the Kalmia Woods Corporation, 1967-1968.

Box 1, Folder 39:
Publications of the Kalmia Woods Corporation, 1969.

Box 1, Folder 40:
Publications of the Kalmia Woods Corporation, 1970-1971.

Box 1, Folder 41:
Photos, Conantum street scenes and trees, March 2, 1975.

Box 1, Folder 42:
KWC Forest Management Program permit applications, [1981]-1983.

Box 1, Folder 43:
Photos, Kalmia Woods Water District pump house prior to demolishing, [no date].

Box 2 (slide box):
Slides shown by Hanson at Conantum 40th Anniversary Celebration, in the order they were shown by Hanson.  These slides contain many images of Conantum’s early years.  For an index to these slides, see the Appendix to this finding aid.

Box 1, Folder 44:
Conantum 40th anniversary participation certificate for the Hansons, 1991.

Box 1, Folder 45:
Conantum Profiles, 1992.

Box 1, Folder 46:
The Conantum Saga, including draft and published copy, 1995.

Box 1, Folder 47:
Newspaper articles about Conantum's history, 1995-1996.

Box 3 (flat box):
T-shirt, Conantum, Semper Inusitatum, [no date].

Series III: Concord Fire Department, [1953-1970s]

Box 1, Folder 48:
Photos, CFD training, [1950s].

Box 1, Folder 49:
Photos, CFD training, [1954].

Box 1, Folder 50:
Photos, CFD auxiliary training, [1950s].

Box 1, Folder 51:
Photos, CFD auxiliary training, May 3, 1955.

Box 1, Folder 52:
Negatives, CFD auxiliary training, June 1, 1954 and June 7, 1955.

Box 1, Folder 53:
Photos, CFD Engine 1 crew training, June 1965.

Box 1, Folder 54:
Photos, CFD training lecture, [1960 or later].

Box 1, Folder 55:
Photos, McCulloch pump testing, [1953].

Box 1, Folder 56:
Photos, CFD Chief Thomas Tombeno in Chief's car, [1960].

Box 1, Folder 57:
Photos, CFD Ladder 1 truck and crew, [1960].

Box 1, Folder 58:
Photos, CFD vehicles and personnel, [1961].

Box 1, Folder 59:
Photos, CFD vehicles and personnel, [1964].

Box 1, Folder 60:
Photos, CFD Platform 1 truck and crew, [1960s-1970s].

Box 1, Folder 61:
Photos, CFD responding to train wreck, [1950s].

Box 1, Folder 62:
Photos, CFD responding to Colonial Inn fire, [1950s-1960s].

Box 1, Folder 63:
Photos, CFD responding to Howard Johnson's restaurant fire, [1950s-1960s].

Box 1, Folder 64:
Photos, Concord Insurance Agency building after fire, [1961].

Box 1, Folder 65:
Photos, CFD firehouse at 16 Walden Street, [April 1953].

Box 1, Folder 66:
Photos, CFD West Concord firehouse, [no date].

Box 1, Folder 67:
Photos, unidentified firehouse and construction materials, [no date].

Box 1, Folder 68:
Photos, CFD open house, [1960 or later].

Box 1, Folder 69:
Photos, presentation of check from Concord Firemen's Relief Association to Emerson Hospital for purchase of new stretcher.  Includes caption by Hanson. [1959 or earlier].

Box 1, Folder 70:
Photos, CFD Chief Thomas Tombeno and unidentified man in wheelchair, [1959 or later].

Box 1, Folder 71:
Photos, presentation of portable generator from Concord Lions Club to CFD.  Includes captions by Hanson. [1959 or later].

Box 1, Folder 72:
Photos, presentation of portable resuscitator from Concord Rotary Club to CFD.  Includes caption by Hanson. [1959 or later].

Box 1, Folder 73:
Photos, Firemen's Ball, [1959 or later].

Box 1, Folder 74:
Photos, CFD banquet and dance, [1959 or later].

Box 1, Folder 75:
Photos, CFD banquet at firehouse, [1960 or later].

Box 1, Folder 76:
Photos, unidentified banquet with CFD personnel, [1950s-1960s].

Box 1, Folder 77:
Photos, CFD group portrait and processions, [no date].

Box 1, Folder 78:
CFD platoon schedule, 1959.

Box 1, Folder 79:
Concord fire alarm box location cards, [no date].  One oversized card located in Oversized Folder 1.

Oversized Folder 1:
Concord fire alarm box location card, [no date].

Box 1, Folder 80:
Negatives, Concord fire alarm box location card, 1963.

Box 1, Folder 81:
Negatives, Concord fire alarm box transmitter, March 31, 1953.

Box 1, Folder 82:
Lincoln fire alarm box location card, [no date].

Box 1, Folder 83:
Photo, Acton Fire Department fire truck, [1953, probably April].

Box 1, Folder 84:
Photos, Acton Fire Department vehicles and personnel, [no date].

Series IV: Concord government and civic life, [1950s]-2000

Box 4, Folder 1:
Photos, basketball games, [1950s-1960s], (six sets in envelopes).

Box 4, Folder 2:
Photos and negatives, football games, [1950s-1960s], (eight sets, seven in envelopes).

Box 4, Folder 3:
Photos, (Memorial Day or Veterans' Day) parades and commemorations, [1950s].

Box 4, Folder 4:
Photos, (Memorial Day or Independence Day) parade, Concord center, [1950s-1960s].

Box 4, Folder 5:
Photos, Concord Minuteman reenactors and CFD vehicles, [1962-1963].

Box 4, Folder 6:
Photos, Girl Scouts raising flag in Concord center, [no date].

Box 4, Folder 7:
Photos and documents regarding Boy Scouts exhibition at Hanscom AFB and Boy Scouts 50th Anniversary banquet, [1960].

Box 4, Folder 8:
Photos, unidentified adult chorus concert, [no date].

Box 4, Folder 9:
Photos, First Parish Church choir, and correspondence regarding same, 1964.

Box 4, Folder 10:
Photo, Lowell Road Bridge construction, [1960s].

Box 4, Folder 11:
Photos, Heath's Bridge Road bridge construction, [1967].

Box 4, Folder 12:
Photo, road crew clearing fallen tree, Concord center, [1950s].

Box 4, Folder 13:
Photos, Concord High School construction, [1960].

Box 4, Folder 14:
Photos, Emerson Hospital, construction of Wheeler Wing, [1969].

Box 4, Folder 15:
Photos, Everett Gardens (Concord Housing Authority), [no date].

Box 4, Folder 16:
Photos, unidentified construction site, [1968].

Box 4, Folder 17:
Photos, boat race at Old North Bridge, [1968].

Box 4, Folder 18:
Photos, outdoor concert with rock band, Concord center, [1960s].

Box 4, Folder 19:
Photos, outdoor concert at Concord Free Public Library, [1968].

Box 4, Folder 20:
Photos, UN Day celebrations in Concord, [1969].

Box 4, Folder 21:
Photos, UN Day celebrations in Concord, [late 1960s-1970s].

Box 4, Folder 22:
Our Schools Are Growing, 1954.

Box 5, Folder 1:
Early Town Records, Concord, Mass., 1956.

Box 5, Folder 2:
Concord Chamber of Commerce publications, [1958 and prior to 1967].

Box 5, Folder 3:
Summary Report, Long-Range Plan for Concord, Massachusetts, January 1959.

Box 5, Folder 4:
Concord Town Meeting Warrants and related documents, with Hanson's notes, 1958, 1960, and 1961.

Box 5, Folder 5:
Photos used in 1966 Town Report, and correspondence regarding same. (Photos are duplicates of others in this collection.)

Box 5, Folder 6:
Photos not used in 1966 Town Report, and correspondence regarding same. (Photos are duplicates of others in this collection.)

Box 5, Folder 7:
Photos, Finance Committee hearing on warrant for 1967 town meeting, January 23, 1967.

Box 5, Folder 8:
Photos submitted for use in 1967 Concord Town Report, 1967.

Box 5, Folder 9:
Photos submitted for use in 1994 Concord Town Report, 1994. With captions by Hanson and others.

Box 5, Folder 10:
Photos submitted for use in 1995 Concord Town Report, 1995.  With captions by Hanson and others.

Box 5, Folder 11:
Photos submitted for use in 1996 Concord Town Report, 1996.  With captions by Hanson and others.

Box 5, Folder 12:
Town of Concord by-laws, 1957, 1959, and 1994.

Box 5, Folder 13:
A Resource Guide for the Spirit, January 2000.

Series V: Maps of Concord, 1947-1973.

Box 6 (map tube):
Map, Town of Concord in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 1952.

Box 7 (map tube):
Map, Zoning Map of Concord, Massachusetts, 1960.

Box 8 (map tube):
Map, Town of Concord, Massachusetts, November 1960.

Box 5, Folder 14:
Map, Town of Concord, Massachusetts, November 1967.

Box 9 (map tube):
Map, Town of Concord, November 1967.

Box 10 (large map tube):
Map, Town of Concord Massachusetts, 1972.

Box 5, Folder 15:
Photocopy, detail of topographic map of Concord, [no date].

Box 11 (map tube):
Map, The Rides of Dr. Samuel Prescott and John Robbins, January 18, 1963.

Box 12 (map tube):
Map, reproduction, Plan of the town of Concord, Mass., 1830.

Box 13 (map tube):
Map, Thoreau's Easterbrook Country, 1970.

Box 14 (map tube):
Map, Thoreau's Rivers, 1973.

Box 15 (map tube):
Gleason map reproduction, Map of Concord, Mass., Showing Localities Mentioned by Thoreau in His Journals, [no date].

Box 5, Folder 16:
Map, USGS, 7.5-minute series, Concord Quadrangle, 1947.

Box 16 (map tube):
Map, USGS, 7.5-minute series, Concord Quadrangle, 1958.

Box 17 (map tube):
Maps, oversized rolled, USGS 7.5 minute series, various locations around Concord.

 

Appendix: Index of Slides in Box 2

From Series II: Conantum
40th Anniversary Celebration Slideshow
(in order as originally shown; captioned by C. Hanson)

Order		Description	Date
1		Boat landing.
2		Ice hockey game.	Jan 2, 1967
3		Boat landing.
4		Ice hockey game.	Jan 2, 1967
5		Unidentified landscape.
6		Unidentified landscape.
7		Ice hockey game.	Jan 2, 1967
8		Unidentified landscape.
9		Fairhaven Bay from Martha's Point	Jul 1, 1954
10		Conantum July 4th celebration, 1958.	Jul 4, 1958
11		Unidentified landscape.
12-21		Unidentified landscape (black and white).
22		Skating pond (black and white).
23-29		Unidentified landscape (black and white).
30-41		Unidentified landscape.
42		Unidentified landscape with house.
43-49		Unidentified landscape.
50		Unidentified man and child.
51-61		Unidentified landscape.
62		Unidentified house.
63-65		Unidentified landscape.
66		Unidentified road.
67		Ice hockey game.	Jan. 2, 1967
68		Ice hockey game.	Jan. 2, 1967
69		Independence Day celebration, 1957.	Jul. 4, 1957
70		Ice hockey game.	Jan. 2, 1967
71		Blackmer property.
72		Blackmer property.
73		Unidentified road.
74		King Lane.
75		Unidentified house.
76		Possibly Hnlicka farm.
77		Unidentified house.
78		Beede's house.
79		Right of way between Techbilt and Beede's land.	Feb. 1, 1955
80		Prigge's driveway (old access road to Conantum area).	Feb. 1, 1955
81		Erecting mailboxes.
82		Bill Bond's daughter / common land toward Van Voorhis'.	Mar. 25, 1952
83		Pumphouse Rd. toward Fitzmorris'.	Jan. 1, 1952
84		Unidentified landscape.	Jan. 1, 1952
85		"Derby Lane" Road.	Feb. 1, 1955
86		Seven Star Lane towards Techbilt.	Feb. 1, 1955
87		Techbilt on old Derby land.	Feb. 1, 1955
88		Two Techbilt houses on the plateau.	Feb. 1, 1955
89		Prigge's house.	Feb. 1, 1955
90		Unidentified landscape.
91		Unidentified road.
92		Spring of 1952.	Jan. 1, 1952
93		Unidentified road, c. 1952.
94		Unidentified road, c. 1952.
95		Unidentified road.
96		Valley Road at Heath's Bridge Road.	Feb. 1, 1955
97		Unidentified man at water tower.
98		Sudbury Road at Seven Star Lane.	Feb. 1, 1955
99		Unknown location [road].	Jan. 1, 1952
100		Unidentified house.
101		Lot 38 Conantum.	Mar. 1, 1952
102		Koch house under construction.
103		Koch's house.
104		Bill Pease's house.	May 16, 1954
105		Barbara Hanson visiting Dick Laurie's house.	May 16, 1954
106		Barbara Hanson visiting Duncan Hay's house.	May 16, 1954
107		Paul Crandall's House.	May 16, 1954
108		Model house kitchen, Conantum.	Mar. 1, 1952
109		Model house, Conantum.
110		White / Villers house.	May 16, 1954
*		[See end of list.]
112		Prigge's house (now Price).	Feb. 1, 1955
113		Aschaffenburg's [house].	May 16, 1954
114		Bobby on Kalmia Pump House Road.
115		Kingman Place off Sudbury Road.	Feb. 1, 1955
116		Ball field area from Sudbury Road.	Feb. 1, 1955
117		Sudbury Road at Heath's Bridge Road.	Feb. 1, 1955
118		Ball field area from Sudbury Road.
119		Lots 1, 2, 3 and Charles Francis Adams estate.	Feb. 1, 1955
120		Heath's Bridge.	Jul. 4, 1958
121		Independence Day celebration, 1958.	Jul. 4, 1957
122		Children at Independence Day celebration, 1957.	Jan. 1, 1967
123		Enlargement of Kalmia Woods map showing common land.	Jan. 1, 1967
124		Kalmia Woods map.
125		Bobby at entrance to gravel pit.
n/a		[Slides 126-132 are absent.]
133		30th Anniversary party, Concord C. C.
n/a		Unidentified group at intersection of The Valley Road and unknown road. [Number in order unknown.]
*		Carl Koch's "barn." [Unknown order, possibly slide 111.]	Jan. 2, 1967

 

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Mounted 6th May 2009.    rcwh.