Tinker Street. What’s in a name? Well, that might be a good place to start before looking more closely at the Tinker Street that existed over a half-century ago. More than likely, the actual answer to the origin of the street’s name lies mainly in fact — though fiction might also play a role.
What was Woodstock like in the years before we lent our name to a generation? What, for this purpose, might Mill Hill Road have presented to the passerby before the world “found” us in the years prior to a certain festival? (Even though we were doing quite well, thank you.)
For 19th century Woodstockers, Grant’s visit to their mountain was a seminal moment of recognition. His stay may have been brief but here was validation and birth as Woodstock began the transition from industries that took from the land — such as quarrying and tanning — to an economy and lifestyle based on what others saw in the land.
When Kathy Anderson and her late husband Walt arrived in Woodstock almost 50 years ago, they had a choice — they could live quietly within the community, raise their children and let Woodstock move on without them. Or, they could dive head first into their new hometown and try to make a difference. Fortunately, for Woodstock, they chose the latter.
Through times of war, economic turmoil, and periods of political and social upheaval, December 24 has continued to serve as an integral part of Woodstock’s foundation.
“No parent of a gifted child could have done more to develop and spread its fame than she did for her beloved Woodstock. Marion’s was the brain and the heart that led every forward step the town took. She crusaded, she cajoled, scolded and exposed until she won for the town what she thought was necessary for its welfare and its growth.”
In the true spirit of everyday history comes a new book by Wallace Sife, Tales from the Sea Horse. The
Today, when most people think of fashion in relation to Woodstock, tie-dyed everything and perhaps the image of a Granny dress might spring to mind. And yet, long before Woodstock gave its name to an entire generation, Augusta Allen began crafting a dress that a different generation of Woodstock women would embrace as a representation of their own time.
The naming of Woodstock’s most recognized street has been steeped in both myth and conjecture over the years.
Some days, you just don’t know where or how the past will make itself known. At times it can be