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Advocate Archives
This week’s visit to the Advocate Archives takes us to 1939 and the first known appearance of purple finches; to 1966 for a sports car rally; and to 1976 for a rare home birth in Truro.
March 30, 1939
Rare Birds Call on Mrs. Higgins
Purple Finches First Ever Seen at Provincetown
For the past three weeks, Mrs. T.A. Higgins of Johnson Street has been hostess morning, noon and night to 15 members of a bird family never before noted in Provincetown — the purple finch.
“Though why ‘purple,’ I don’t know,” Mrs. Higgins declared, “for the birds are of a reddish tint, with coppery red crowns, throats and red stripes on their backs.
“Until Sunday, they dropped in on me every day at meal time since they first appeared. Purple finches are rarely found anywhere except in the north, and no one I know ever saw any in Provincetown before.
“What did the finches sound like? Well, they chirped — although Alice Ball in ‘American Land Birds’ says they sing beautifully later in the season. My finches were about the size of English sparrows, with females a little smaller.
“They were friendly little birds and seemed to like the scalded raisins and currants I put out for them. They disappeared Sunday and I miss them a good deal. But that’s not the worst of it — I sent away for some bird seed to feed them, and the seed didn’t arrive till after the birds were flown!”
March 31, 1966
Sports Car Rally Here This Weekend
Opening the Provincetown Inn will be sports car enthusiasts from all parts of New England when they begin moving in here tomorrow for the annual Spring gymkana of the New England Division of the Sports Car Club of America, to be held Saturday at the parking area of the Inn. A highlight of the weekend activities will be the judging Saturday of performance in a wide variety of classes.
From 100 to 150 sports car owners are expected for the event. Most of the competing owners and drivers will remain at the Inn until Sunday. Provincetown has been chosen annually for the gymkana for at least the last five years.
The event is expected to bring many new models to compete for the awards in driving and car performance. Among the enthusiasts is an increasing number of women, many of whom have given a good account of themselves in both racing and general performance.
April 1, 1976
Truro baby delivered at home without doctor
Ian Wallace Kahn was born early Friday evening in front of a cozy fire in his home on South Pamet Road in Truro. Although a number of people witnessed the birth, none was a doctor.
The parents, Judy Esther Wallace and Hamilton Rice Kahn, spent half the period of labor alone. The labor lasted 17 hours.
Tony and Judy had planned to have their doctor in attendance, but he was unexpectedly called out of town for the weekend. The baby, according to the parents, came earlier than expected.
Early Monday morning, Tony went to Town Hall to ask Tom Kane for a birth certificate. Kane said it had been so long since anyone had asked him for such a document he didn’t know where to look. Birth at home in Truro is so rare that in the certificate Kane found, Kevin White is listed as Secretary of the Commonwealth.
The event, described intermittently as an ordeal and a beautiful event, was witnessed by a number of friends, many of whom had just come by for a visit.
Tony was with Judy the entire time of delivery. About half of the time they were the only people in the house. It was an experience he would not have had if they had chosen to have the birth in a hospital.
Judy described Tony’s role as that of organizer. “He was always ordering people to get boiling water or to keep down the noise,” she said.
Having visitors was both a help and a hindrance. Some of them had delivered their own children at home and were extremely helpful. Others stayed just to watch. Ten people were there to witness the birth. “The only time I got mad,” said Tony, “was when people moved into front row seats and didn’t lend a hand.”
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Mar 27th, 2008