Malden High vs. Medford High is the 2nd oldest Thanksgiving football rivalry in the country-celebrating 125th game this year!

Is considered the brithplace of the American Revolutionon from Britain. Our declaration came weeks before the 'official' declaration.

The first marriage of a same-sex couple occurred in Malden, MA at 9:15 AM on May 17, 2004. (from the wikipedia page)

JBU was the originator of the Pledge of Allegiance was from Malden and is buried in Forestdale Cemetrary. James Bailey Upham, was admitted as a junior partner in the firm of Perry Mason Co. Upham is responsible for the Pledge in at least three ways. Between 1888 and 1892 he successfully introduced the Flag into the school and the classroom. In 1891 and 1892 he arranged for the National Public Schools Celebration for Columbus to be built around the public schools and a flag ceremony with the as yet unwritten flag salute. In 1892 he described to Francis Bellamy what kind of Pledge he wanted and supervised his writing of it.

In 1893 Upham introduced adults to their present practice of reciting the Pledge at the National Liberty Pole and Flag Raising Ceremony, held at the Highlands of Navesink on the New Jersey coast. In a letter to William McDowell, who was the initiator of this ceremony, Upham wrote, "While it is true that I suggested and marked out the campaigns for the patriotic work which The Companion has inaugurated, yet I recognize the fact that personally I could have done nothing without the backing of The Companion..."

In short, Upham is responsible for placing the Flag in front of the school house, placing the Flag in the classroom, conceiving the idea of a "pledge of allegiance" for a flag salute and promoting its adoption in the public school system and in adult patriotic ceremonies.

Earl Stanley Gardner the creator of the "Perry Mason" character was from Malden. He took the name from the "Youth Companion" magazine company that James Bailey Upham had worked for decades earlier.

What happened to Frank Converse?

Malden is one of the oldest cities in the country

Malden Hospital was the best suburban hospital in MA

Malden women were among the first in the country (in 17th century) to voice their opinion

Many Malden women played significant role in the state and country life

Most of Malden parks were designed by F.L.Olmsted & his sons

Malden considered one of the most prosperous and fast growing cities in MA in the 2nd half of 19th century

2 internationally known rubber shoe factories (Boston RSC & Converse RSC) founded by distant cousins worked in Malden

Malden was the birth place of me, 72 years ago. :)

The first Iron Lung was created here!

And home of the Boston Strangler!

The Malden Library was a gift to the city by Elisha & Mary Converse in memory of their son Frank who was killed in the first bank robbery/ murder in North America.

I believe the lethal injection device used for executions was developed by a Malden man.

Perry Mason's secretary Della Street was named for Dell Street in Malden.
Jingle Bells is about a Sleigh Race from Medford to Malden

The house on the corner of Highland Court and West Street with the stone wall was used to treat the wounded from the Battle of Bunker Hill. The doctor that lived there took a barge down the stream that comes from across the Immaculate to the Malden River to the Neck. Oh, if you go to the house. You'll be up to your ears in ghosts!

The ole Brother Gilbert Stadium was originaly used to make munitions and cannons for the Civil War.

Ghosts, thats a good one with Halloween coming up. If you search on "haunted places in MA" you will find just so many places in Malden, and all of other towns, where you can see ghosts, supposedly.

"Day of Doom" Reverund Michael Wigglesworth. Malden First Best Seller in America known by most all the way from the its publishing in 1662 until the Revolution.

"For there the Saints are perfect Saints,
and holy ones indeed,
From all the sin that dwelt within
their mortal bodies freed:
Made Kings and Priests to God through
Christs
dear loves transcendency,
There to remain, and there to reign
with him Eternally."

Just one verse. Wiggleworth has street named after him and is buried in Malden at Bell Rock

The grandfather from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Norman Greenbaum!

How about the Boston Strangler? Anyone have info on Albert DeSalvo living on or near Summer St/Malden District Court?

Malden is home to Mr & Mrs Joe Freni who had 18 children that played sports in Malden and attended Malden schools. 10 of the 14 boys play for MHS Football. The other 4 played for MC Football. They are a great family and I am proud to call them my friends.

I'll tell Peter Levine about that for Malden Musings!

. Pinebanks The area was once inhabited by the Wampanoag Native American tribe. It was later the home of the Lynde family in the early 1700's and then became the public park that it is today.

Malden Mills was the original inventor of Polartecfleece. The company originated in Malden in 1906 and remained there until moving to Lawrence in 1956. The old mill building is now apartments on Eastern Ave. The Feuerstein Family lived in Malden and Aaron Feuerstein was the 3rd generation owner of the company. I am not sure when the family moved out of Malden.

We have a great Fun Facts and History section at http://www.cityofmalden.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.faq&faqTypeID=22 that can be added to this conversation.

Does anyone know if the All-Star sneaker was developed (or manufactured) in Malden or had Converse already moved out of the city by that point?

MacDonald Stadium was orginally named Pearl St. Stadium and I'm guessing from around 1900 to 1976 there stood, Twin Column Guided gas towers almost exactly where the softball infield is now. The towers moved up and down inside the ground as I assume they distributed pressurized gas throughout the city to customers. As an eye-sore on a 1 to 10 scale they were an 11. They were about a 100 ft. from the goal posts. When big games were being played you would see a few crazy bastards sitting high off the ground on some sort of scaffolding attached to the towers. They had to be approx. 100 ft. in diameter and maybe that high fully extended. I betting they were the ugliest landmarks in Malden History. As kids my pals and I would explore around the base of the towers until we got kicked out. There was flowing surface water going or coming from the Malden River filling shallow pools of oily iridescent water, where we would grab tadpols and frogs. The chemical smell was putrid and today would be designated a highly toxic environment full of carcinogens. Yet, Malden HIgh Teams and many kids played there unaware. I never read if any of those kinds of structures ever exploded, but if they ever did it would have taken out 10 city blocks or more and would have created a high death toll. There must me photos of these monsters at the public library, if you want to be able to say, you at least saw some photos of the ugliest land marks in Malden History, and probably the most dangerous.

So when did Converse HQ leave the city? Did manufacturing stay on after or did they leave at the same time?

I remember back in the seventies there were ghost sitings at the Bellrock Cemetary which brought many people from all over.Anyone remember this?

The lame walked. The blind could see. Lepers were healed. These are some of the miracles attributed to the intercession of Father Patrick Power. In November 1929, a million people flocked to his grave in Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts, to seek one thing, a miracle. Despite the fact that Power had been dead for nearly six decades, many insisted that they had been miraculously cured by him. This is the story of the mysterious life, and afterlife, of this enigmatic, Irish-born, Boston priest who never made it a day past the age of 25. Using previously unpublished interviews, and archival documents, Supernatural Power examines the historical record surrounding all of the known miracles attributed to Father Power, during his life, and after his death. Supernatural Power also objectively examines the complex events of autumn, 1929, when Power's grave seemed to turn into a "wonder shrine."

I could use a few miracles like that, did he leave any relatives behind still in the business?

Converse made the All Star back in the 1930's and the power lines of Pearl Street were decorated with the discarded ones. Brandano's across the street was a gold mine and Richie Cremone invented "Skiffy Skaf" there. Best Half Time bar food in Malden.

You're right david, Brandano's was a great place to eat, very friendly place.

Norm Greenbaum, "spirit in the sky". Hey Mokal sing us a verse