One picture of a blue house.

Is all we really accomplished today.

As we both happened to be on the North Shore this weekend, my mother and I decided to take a quick trip to Jamaica Plain to see what we could see.

And see we did! Cuban restaurants, Spanish grocery stores, the Jamaicaway....and a blue house! Fourteen Sheridan Street, Jamaica Plain, MA:

Proof of our impromptu search party: an iPhone photo through a rainy car windshield, which belies the incredible grade of the hill we were parked on as well as the brilliant color of the house, with its Color Theory-approved accents. Many houses we drove past had similar funny little details, like off-white shutters with concentric boxes of blue and green paint, centered around a raised golden diamond. But this beautiful, big blue house has kept the detailing to the large wraparound porch, the same porch where Marie Anna is so often pictured with children and in-laws. These will be featured soon, I'm sure (no access to scanners In The Field).

Other proof that we have lots to learn as family historians: as far as we can tell, Jamaica Plain Historical Society has no brick-and-mortar component. We searched and searched the website, trying to figure out where the address was hidden...and drove up and down Centre Street trying to find where the building might be hidden....and then put nil and nil together. Some planning might have saved us a few touristy laps of downtown Jamaica Plain, but we just wouldn't have guessed. I was so looking forward to getting recommendations on where to begin my book research and talking to their volunteers. But we'll just have to go back for a walking tour or two!

Between Marblehead and Jamaica Plain, we decided to stop on Water Street, in the heart of Boston, where at some point Jacob's brother, Adam, owned a beer hall! This case is still open, since our beer hall is definitely at number 124, and the street now stops somewhere around 122. Were the streets changed? The numbers changed? And/or facades changed?

Here it is in 1901 (courtesy of Ken Scheyder), with a memorial to President McKinley in the window:

Mmm, Celebrated Malt Wine. On modern Water Street, there were many similar facades, but none the same. Perhaps that's to be expected. I think this mystery involves further investigation, maps from 1901 and a trip to Massachusetts Historical (twist my arm).

Fun fact for family: the spirit of the Mock family remains, although seemingly through a 120-year-old mispelling sieve...Ari's something-or-other is around the corner, and "Sam and Anne's Deli" is across the street!

Not all was lost: we did end up at my favorite restaurant in Boston, Deep Ellum, and had a lovely dinner and a Mayflower Summer Rye. Too perfect--best wurst. In honor of our German, beerhall-owning ancestors, right?

It was a lovely day, but hopefully tomorrow I can read up on Jamaica Plain at the Public Library, and sneak in a trip to the Mass Historical Society on Monday before I have to take the bus back to New York City. No costume exhibits at the MFA, but perhaps the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit would be apropos? Who knows what a Sunday in Boston will bring.

Wish me luck! I'll report back, of course.