Health & Fitness
Woburn - Entering the Wu
Horn Pond and the Woburn Public Library were included in The List. So, Harold and I set out to find the answer to the question, who is that statue of in front of the library?
Woburn, MA. Home to the Tanners and to America's oldest active gun club. In the late 1800s, the town was one of the biggest producers of leather in the New England area. It was also the sight of a very public legal battle over water contamination that resulted in the almost forgotten John Travolta movie A Civil Action. Woburn was also the birthplace of David Robinson, the drummer for 80s band The Cars. Thus making it a stop on The List.
There were only two sights in Woburn, the Public Library and Horn Pond, making it a short but nice visit during the week.
Woburn Public Library, aka the Winn Memorial Library, was built in 1879. The Winn family generously paid for the construction of the library and specifically requested to not have the library named after them. I guess they hated books. Anyways, it is known as the Winn Memorial Library mainly through architectural circles but is commonly referred to as the Woburn Public Library. Its a grande looking library on the outside. I've never been one to comment or be impressed with architecture but this one had me impressed.
In the front lawn stands the statue of Benjamin Thompson, famed scientist and native Woburnian who did a lot of impressive studies in thermodynamics, or as its commonly called, heat. After researching Benjamin Thompson, I wondered why they would even have a statue of him. Yes, he was born in the town in 1753, but he was a Loyalist during the Revolutionary War, which means (for all those non-historians out there) he sided with Britain giving them information on the rebel armies. He eventually wound up moving to England where he was given a knighthood by King George III. The statue is actually a copy of the original which is in Munich, Germany. (don't ask me why its in Munich)
The inside of the library was nice in appearance but there is only one floor that was accessible to the public. The second floor you have to get assistance from a librarian. I would've loved to have walked on those little walkways around the book shelves. For some reason it reminds me of the library in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Our second stop in Woburn was Horn Pond which, I feel, is the town's gem. It used to be a ski mountain way back in the day. Now, its just a great place to walk, jog, or sit and admire. Luckily, I got there at sunset which made it a little more enjoyable I think. Take a glance at some of the photos I snapped.
As a conclusion to this post, I would also like to add that Woburn has some of the most gorgeous Victorian houses I've ever seen. I should've snapped a few photos of them but I didn't. Everytime I drive down near the center of Woburn I can't get enough of these homes. They look like model homes, with porches that I would just die to kick back and relax on while watching the traffic pass by on a very warm and clear summer day.
