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Re: Getting rid of land line?



 >> > Who also fought a major battle at Dorchester Heights. 

which is now called South Boston 

>> > interesting that Brookline is in Norfolk County, and does not border 
>> > any other town in that county. Boston is Suffolk and Newton is 
>> > Middlesex. 

>> Could this county curiosity be another fine example that Massachusetts 
>> tradition of "gerry"mandering (originally applied to Essex County IIRC)? 

Not precisely. Most of Boston was in Norfolk, albeit south of Suffolk, 
originally. As Dorchester Heights, Dorchester, Roxbury Highlands, Hyde 
Park, and West Roxbury were sequentially merged into Boston, they 
moved from Norfolk Co to Suffolk Co.  New Towne er Newton (which once 
included Cambridge and Watertown) is of course Middlesex. 

Norfolk Co is the only 3-part county separated by other civic units 
not water in the country. Hull and Hingham are in Plymouth Co now, 
which leaves the one coastal town of Norfolk Co also a civic "island". 
Hull & Hingham had formerly been Suffolk Co, but were told they were 
not urban enough even though they shared the harbor so chose to join 
Plymouth not Norfolk to share districts with other maritime voters. 

> Elbidge Gerry was governor of Massachusetts at the time (1812). He 
> signed the Declaration of Independence, and was also a Vice President. 
> But, I think it would have been better if he had removed Essex 
> altogether :-) 

Pronounced Gary not Jerry, by the way, though Gerrymander is usually 
renderd as if Jerrymander.  Hence his descendant Congressman Gerry 
Studds spelling. Who was reelected in a maritime district in spited of 
scandal because he was on the fisheries committee -- vindicating Hull 
& Hingham's decision to not join a farmers county. 

The usual jocular riddle to follow this is 
Q. which governor had 4 towns named for him? 
A. Endicott Peabody, since we also have Marblehead and Athol. 
[He would be scion of the families namesake for the first two named 
towns, and it's a broad calumny to invoke the other two, but fun. Then 
there's Gov. Dummer Academy in Essex Co ...  great brand.] 

-- 
Bill 
[hidden email] [hidden email] 

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