It was Twentyfive years ago...
November 28, 2006 12:25 PM Subscribe
City in Flames Twenty Five years ago the City of Lynn Massachusetts experienced its second great fire. Devastating several downtown industrial buildings dating to the rise of the Shoe industry. All of which were undergoing redevelopment. While nowhere near as big as the Great Boston Fire of 1872, or the various Chelsea fires, the tragedy of the story is the empty wasteland that still sits after all these years. Today the Boston Globe dug up several articles from their pre Web vaults. The Lynn Museum has an exhibit, and the Lynn Library will have a slideshow.
Here in the area we say "Lynn, Lynn, the City of Sin." I didn't know it's gotten smited so often. At least they didn't have it as bad as Port Royal, Jamaica.
posted by XMLicious at 12:49 PM on November 28, 2006
posted by XMLicious at 12:49 PM on November 28, 2006
I believe the full rhyme is
Lynn, Lynn, city of sin
You never come out the way you went in
Ask for water, they give you gin
it's the darndest city I ever been in.
posted by bobobox at 12:55 PM on November 28, 2006
Lynn, Lynn, city of sin
You never come out the way you went in
Ask for water, they give you gin
it's the darndest city I ever been in.
posted by bobobox at 12:55 PM on November 28, 2006
Can someone expand on the "empty wasteland"? Has the burned area not been redeveloped after all this time?
posted by schoolgirl report at 1:20 PM on November 28, 2006
posted by schoolgirl report at 1:20 PM on November 28, 2006
Bobo, that's the rhyme. I like that one...so true. One of my best friends is from that town, and I learned that rhyme as a kid.
posted by orchidthief at 1:40 PM on November 28, 2006
posted by orchidthief at 1:40 PM on November 28, 2006
Schoolgirl, The sat view shows the North Shore community college which was planned to use some of the burned buildings. Now a concrete mess of a sprawling school surrounded by parking lots and vacant lots. As you can see this is adjacent to prime waterfront. The building in the upper left is a huge public garage that is mostly empty due to the number of break-ins and stolen cars.
posted by Gungho at 2:03 PM on November 28, 2006
posted by Gungho at 2:03 PM on November 28, 2006
Also: Trot trot to Boston. Trot trot to Lynn. Watch out little boy you don't fall in.
Which is usually chanted by a grandfather bouncing a little one on his knee and feigning to drop him on the floor on the last verse.
posted by Gungho at 2:05 PM on November 28, 2006
Which is usually chanted by a grandfather bouncing a little one on his knee and feigning to drop him on the floor on the last verse.
posted by Gungho at 2:05 PM on November 28, 2006
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posted by Gungho at 12:29 PM on November 28, 2006