Haverhill Heritage Series

Haverhill’s Former Chicken Farmer Drove Robert Frost to Poetry

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By David Goudsward
Special to Wavelengths

When veterinarian Charlemagne C. Bricault died Jan. 10, 1949 at age 82, the obituary in the Haverhill Evening Gazette noted Dr. Bricault’s successful animal practice and his quarter century of work with the city’s health department—first as the inspector of dairies, then as health inspector and finally as a member of the board itself. While Bricault’s prominence as a breeder of Boston terriers was undoubtedly of interest to readers in 1949, the obit did not mention that the good doctor was also a nationally recognized poultryman in his younger days. In fact, Bricault and his chickens almost single-handedly forced Robert Frost onto the path of becoming an internationally recognized poet. By the time Bricault moved to Haverhill in 1910, he and Robert Frost had already crossed paths, and each had taken a road less traveled.

Haverhill Heritage Series

Part 3: WHAV’s Historic and Rocky Road to FM

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With the Federal Communications Commission’s tentative selection of WHAV to receive a new FM license, the Haverhill Heritage Series reviews the difficult path FM has had to circumnavigate in Haverhill. Third in a Series
Click for part 1. Click for part 2. By Tim Coco
President & General Manager

The first incarnation of WHAV-FM was dead, along with its most zealous advocate, John T. “Jack” Russ. WHAV-FM lasted just under four years—1948 to 1952, but the fight for FM would also bring other casualties.

Haverhill Heritage Series

Part 2: WHAV’s Historic and Rocky Road to FM

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The Haverhill Heritage Series reviews the difficult path FM has had to circumnavigate in Haverhill.  WHAV Prepares Residents for FM
Second in a Series

Click for part 1. Click for part 3.  By Tim Coco
President & General Manager

The Haverhill public knew very little about frequency modulation (FM) in 1947. Its high fidelity sound and static free presentation were advantages Haverhill Gazette Publisher John T. “Jack” Russ sought to exhort.

Archive

King Davis Reflects on His Locally Famous Radio Jingle

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Kingsbury “King” Davis had a surprise for WHAV listeners when he appeared on the Open Mike Show last season. One of the most memorable and popular of WHAV’s commercials of years gone by was a singing jingle for the King Davis Agency. Davis has generously provided original recordings of those commercials and they were heard again for the first time in 30 years over WHAV. “For 30-odd years, I drove a station wagon with my name on the side of it…I would drive that car around the community and, where there might be a cluster of children, they would start singing the jingle when they saw the car. Of course, it woke up most of the community at 7 o’clock every morning with the news.

Haverhill Heritage Series

WHAV’s Historic and Rocky Road to FM

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First in a Series

Click for part 2. Click for part 3. By Tim Coco
President & General Manager

WHAV AM 1490 had been on the air a little more than a year in 1948. Although it was an achievement for Haverhill Gazette Publisher John T. “Jack” Russ, it was only a consolation prize. Russ never intended to build a “standard” broadcast AM radio station.

Haverhill Heritage Series

Stained Glass Artist Ruocco Gets Even

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By Tim Coco
President & General Manager

Francesco “Frank” Ruocco lost his famed stained glass studio to the construction of Ginty Boulevard during the 1960s Pentucket Urban Renewal Project. While the Haverhill Heritage Series often focuses on businesses and homes lost to the city’s ill-fated urban renewal projects of the 1960s and 1970s, Ruocco’s battles with his former mentor, and later competitor, is far more interesting. Francesco Ruocco Studio operated for 30 years at 123 Kent Street, about where a newer Green Street extension rubs up against Ginty Boulevard today, and 23 Water St., now the site of an apartment complex. In the studio, Ruocco designed ornate stained glass windows, which still adorn churches across the nation. Works were glazed by his son Richard Ruocco and largely painted by his son-in-law William Bryant.

Haverhill Heritage Series

Haverhill’s Transformation by I-495 with Conflicts, Politics for Good Measure

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Haverhill faced substantial man-made demolition during the 1960s as urban renewal swept through its downtown, but more of its citizens were disrupted by construction of Interstate 495. In both cases, entire streets disappeared, others were rerouted and citizens were widely scattered. Urban renewal is considered a total failure while few can imagine life without I-495. Oddly, however, there is a connection between the two projects as will be seen below. A recent WHAV Open Mike Show explored the River Street to Gile Street portion—a segment of 23,550 feet.

Haverhill Heritage Series

Haverhill’s Dr. Lahey Took FDR Secret to the Grave; Likely Influenced VP Pick

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By Tim Coco
WHAV President & General Manager (volunteer)

Haverhill native Frank Howard Lahey (1880-1953) took a dark secret to his grave. He knew in 1944 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not survive a fourth term and feared being criticized for not making his findings public. The Open Mike Show took time March 4—the 80th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inauguration—to dig into Lahey’s secret. Roosevelt indeed died three months into his fourth term. The renowned suregon was conflicted between his confidential duty to a patient and his obligation as a citizen.