Abington

Book excerpt: Throughout Abington's history, its central location between Boston and Plymouth has been a vantage point that has been reflected in both work and play. It is Abington that provided the white-oak planks for the USS Constitution, and the town's Island Grove Park had national significance during the abolitionist movement. Abington was founded and built around the mills and then grew with the times to become a focal point for the thriving shoe industry. Many wealthy industrialists and capitalists have left their mark with brick and mortar. Their mansions still line the streets, and their lives shaped Abington forever. Abington presents an illustrated portrait of what it was like to live and work in the town during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It presents vivid images of the townsfolk, the shoe factories, and the old roads through Abington. The book includes images of John L. Sullivan, heavyweight boxing champion, and of the Buffum automobile, built on Centre Avenue. With photographs from the Abington Historical Commission, the Dyer Memorial Library, the Historical Society of Old Abington, and personal collections, Abington is sure to evoke memories of a bygone era.