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Waltham Watch Co. Donations

Ronald T. Lyman was born in Waltham in 1880 as part of a well-known family that lived at 500 Beaver Street. One of his hobbies was to raise and race homing pigeons. In 1932 he won the Greater Boston Homing Pigeon Club Award with the fastest pigeon that traveled 1280.54 yds/min. That same year he won the International Federation of American Pigeons Award with a speed of 1334.41 yds/min. On July 8, 1939, he won the Boston Central Combine Race with a speed of 1144.34 yds/min., in 1947 he won the Greater Boston Homing Pigeon Concourse Race with a speed of 1016.89 yds/min., and in 1950 he won the best average speed award from the Watch City Racing Pigeon Club with a speed of 1377.36 yds/min.  His crowning achievement occurred in 1944, 1945, and 1947 when he won the Duncan Brothers 600 mile cup for permanent possession. Recently Jon D. Hillingsworth, of Bradford Antiques on 487 Moody Street, donated the Duncan Brothers cup plus the other awards Lyman won.             Also donated by Bradford Antiques was a Waltham High School megaphone used by the cheerleaders of the football team around 1930. The names on the megaphone are Stinky, Tony, Clink, Seth, Johnny, Red, Bing, Knuckles, Mal, Dick, Goldie, Butch, Splinter, Cliff, Jimmie, Butsy, Howie, Stuffy, Gator, Austin, Ted, Nick, and G. Freeman Murphy. Please call the museum if you can pinpoint this team.         Also included in the donation were eight pictures:

1. The 1932 Waltham town baseball team managed by Nipper Maher.

2. The 1934 Miller Oil football team.

3. The 1908 Waltham High School football team coached by Nate Tufts.

4. The 1909 Waltham High School football team (this still has to be verified).

5. An outing of about 50 men, 13 of which have band instruments. Currently believed to be a 1910 outing of the Bleachery.

6. An unknown baseball team at an outing. Could be from one of the factories in Waltham.

7. The horse and wagon of the Grand Union Tea Co. on 91 Moody Street around 1915 with its owner Samuel S. Taylor and later Lloyd B. Lynch shown.

8. The 1931 Nipper Maher town team. (Sep-Nov 95)

Father Murphy, of St. Charles Church, assisted by Ward 9 Councillor Logan donated ten sports trophies won by St. Charles High School and others connected to the church. (Sep-Nov 95)

Lorne MacArthur of Waltham, a newly elected Councillor-at-Large in Waltham, donated three silver trophy cups won by Ged Mosher for tandem canoeing in the 1930's. (Mar-May 94)

Cy Sullivan of Waltham donated a City of Waltham plaque with the original purchase order for Bicycle Park in 1902. The Bicycle Racing Track was opened in 1893 by a private organization. In 1902 when interest in bicycle racing was waning the private group sold it to the city for $14,800. Waltham High School played their football games here from 1902 to 1906, then they moved to Central Park. In 1911 the football team move to its present location. (Mar-May 97)

Lorne MacArthur of Waltham donated a Waltham High School football helmet of the 1930's. Lorne, who played hockey for Waltham High School in 1947, also donated his first pair of ice skates which he used at around eight years old. (May-Jly 94)

Michael Bowlby of Walpole donated three 1951 baseball cards of Norman Roy who pitched for the old Boston Braves, also two Paul Cacciatore baseball cards (he almost made the New York Mets team), four Angelo Mosca football cards of the Canadian Football League and three Fred Smerlas cards of the National Football League, all Waltham men.

Also donated was a photograph of Nathaniel P. Bank of Waltham when he was Speaker of House of Representatives after the Civil War. An 1846 letter from 23 year old Ephraim B. Sherman of Waltham to Andrew Patch of Littleton, MA. On March 5, 1846, Sherman married Elizabeth B. Whitman in Waltham. The letter was written on August 27, 1846. Finally a Waltham Trust Co. deposit coin and a picture of Rudy Fuderson a Brandeis Basketball player completed this donation. (Sep-Nov 99)