A version of this article appeared in the Newton (Mass.) TAB newspaper
Mention Norumbega Park to a Greater Boston resident of a certain age and you’ll likely evoke a flood of fond memories — dancing at the Totem Pole Ballroom, canoeing on the moonlit Charles River, the fun of exciting rides and amusements. Now, a new book by two Historic Newton authors conjures up the Norumbega magic once again.
The book is called Norumbega Park and Totem Pole Ballroom, and it’s written by Clara Silverstein and Sara Leavitt Goldberg of Historic Newton. Silverstein is a historian and author, and Goldberg is archivist and curator of photographs and manuscripts at Historic Newton. They’ve put their talents to good use authoring a comprehensive history of the storied recreation haven on the Charles River in Newton, Mass., which closed in 1963.
The new book is part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series, which celebrates the history of towns and neighborhoods across the country. The emphasis is on the images.
The book is divided into seven chapters tracing the park’s history in such themes as “Amusements for All” and “The Show Must Go on.” Full of engaging anecdotes, it offers a nostalgic walk down memory lane for older adults who visited the park, and a fascinating read for anyone interested in learning about this important piece of Greater Boston history.
Norumbega Park certainly deserves its place in that history. The park was one of many “trolley parks” opened around the country in the late 19th century by streetcar companies to encourage ridership. Norumbega began operation in 1897 at the end of the Commonwealth Avenue Street Railway line in the Auburndale neighborhood of Newton. It was an immediate success among area pleasure-seekers looking for enjoyment, thrills and an escape from the cares of the world.
The park offered family-friendly entertainments such as canoeing, amusement rides, vaudeville shows and a zoo, all in a beautifully landscaped setting. Beginning in 1930, it was home to the Totem Pole Ballroom, called “America’s Most Beautiful Ballroom.” The Totem Pole featured nationally known bands led by such renowned musicians as Guy Lombardo, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman.
The Totem Pole has a special place in the hearts of people who danced there. Its strict dress code and no-alcohol policy only elevated its reputation as one of the Boston area’s classiest dance venues.
“Every boy understood that there was no more enticing offer he could make, and every girl understood the zeal of pursuit represented by the invitation,” wrote Paul Benzaquin of the Totem Pole in the Boston Herald in on November 18, 1964, as quoted in the book.
Many couples went on their first date at the Totem Pole. Local resident Jerry Proulx reminisced about taking his future wife to hear house band leader Bob Bachelder and the Totem Pole Orchestra serenade the dance crowd on a “beautiful night” in 1955. “It was a wonderful, safe place to bring a date,” he said, as quoted in the book.
The images in the book come from Historic Newton’s archives. Some of the images — such as white performers appearing in blackface as part of minstrel shows in the 1920s — illustrate that the park participated in the racial and cultural stereotyping that was common at the time. Historic Newton makes sure to emphasize that it does not condone the stereotyping evident in pictures included for historical background.
The history of the park described in the book is based largely on the work of Bob Pollock, the inexhaustible source for all things Norumbega, whose papers were donated to Historic Newton.
Pollock, who grew up in Auburndale and worked at the park as a teenager, spent the last fifteen years of his life collecting photos and memorabilia of the park. He passed away in 2005, but not before completing an (unpublished) history of the park and narrating a documentary of its history, Return to Norumbega. The video is available as a DVD at Historic Newton’s Jackson Homestead headquarters in Newton and online.
As Pollock once said of the park and the thousands upon thousands who flocked there over its 66-year existence looking for recreation and romance: “Norumbega never disappointed.” Readers of Norumbega Park and Totem Pole Ballroom won’t be disappointed either.
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