Swampscott Mourns Loss Of 'History Buff' Lou Gallo

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Swampscott lost one its most important pieces of history on Saturday when the town lost the man who shared that history with so many through the decades.

Louis Gallo, 78, was killed along with his sister, Rosemarie Naples, 80, when a fire broke out in their Saugus home. Both were originally from Swampscott.

While Gallo moved from Swampscott nearly 20 years ago, he was still a "go-to person" for information on the town's past.

"Lou Gallo led the History Buffs every month here at the library," the Swampscott Public Library posted in a tribute on Tuesday. "When we were stumped by a local history question, our first thought was of Lou. He wasn't just a patron, he was our friend."

The library posted a recent "Learning Series" podcast that Gallo had recorded on the Swampscott Fish House.

"Lou was also a great help to the Children's Room over the years with his artwork," Beth Coughlin, a former Swampscott Public Library employee, added in response to the tribute. "He created the Disney figures out of wood that are so popular with the children.

The fire broke out around 6 a.m. Saturday morning on Richard Street in Saugus. Neighbors reported a loud noise before flames quickly overcame the building.

Firefighters from Melrose and Everett responded to help put out the flames and cover other parts of Saugus. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

A former commercial artist, Gallo also worked for Swampscott Public Schools and the Swampscott Public Libary, where he was part of the group called the Swampscott History Buffs that held discussions at the library each month open to the public.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)