Once Upon an Island
ONCE UPON AN ISLAND ISBN 0-9700476-5-7 Matilda Silvia recently passed away after sharing so many wonderful memories and photographs. She had maintained her family's home on Peddock's until 2001, at which time it was sold to the Metropolitan District Commission. Her daughter, Leslie Silvia, having the same love for Peddock's Island as her mother, worked closely with the publisher to finish her mother's memoirs, and is available for interviews. Leslie resides on the South Shore of Massachusetts. |
EXPERIENCE LIFE ON AN ISLAND IN BOSTON HARBOR
Matilda Silvia has written a touching memoir that celebrates the Boston Harbor Islands , while commemorating New England military history and the strong binds of family and community.
Once Upon an Island is sure to embrace anyone with a love for nature, history, and storytelling. Matilda Silvia covers a century of her family's presence on Peddock's Island in Boston Harbor from 1904 to 2001. Over 100 photographs illustrate each story, each bit of nature, and each event in history.
Her father, a non-commissioned tailor for the army, arrived with the military in 1904, when the Island 's military fort, Fort Andrews , was being constructed. The heirs of the Andrews' estate had sold off the East Head of Peddock's to the government, displacing the Island 's Portuguese settlers to the west side of the island. Although there were clear demarcation lines and stringent rules of access, it would not be uncommon during Prohibition, or on a good day of lobstering, for the two factions to intermingle. Military maneuvers, ferry rides to the mainland for school, and winter activities also brought the diverse ends of the island together.
In Once Upon an Island, Matilda Silvia writes like a grandmother sharing her century old stories to a group of listening ears. Events such as Calvin Coolidge's grand visit and Matilda's run-in with Italian Prisoner's of War on the Island make this story unique by the way in which Silvia interlaces the natural beauty with the politics and history of this once strong island community. In 1970, Peddock's Island was sold to the Metropolitan District Commission, an event that brought much change to the Island and its residents.
PRAISE FOR ONCE UPON AN ISLAND
"Once Upon an Island paints an absorbing portrait of island living in Massachusetts , evoking nostalgia of youth and place. The combination of prose and exquisite turn-of-the-century photography illustrate the unique experience of Boston Harbor Island life."
— Senator John Kerry, D-Massachusetts