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| Clarinda Morin, 11 yrs old, and brother Frank, Winchendon, Mass, Sept. 3, 1911. Photo by Lewis Hine. |
Clerinda Norrin, said 11 years old and helps sister spin in Glenallen
Mill. Winchendon, Mass. September 3, 1911, Lewis Hine.
On my first trip to Winchendon, on September 24, 2008, I brought along
my camera and a binder with all 40 of Hine's photos and captions. This photo was especially intriguing to me. I wondered if
the house was still there. I drove into town early in the morning and camped out at the town clerk's office, checking birth,
marriage and death records. I figured out that the girl identified by Hine as Clerinda Norrin was actually Clarinda Morin.
I showed Clarinda's photo to the town clerk, and she told me the house might be the one in Winchendon Springs directly across
from the Springs Mill. I drove over there. It looked like a
good guess. At the corner of Glenallen St. and Maple St., the white house had pillars and a similar porch. I knocked on the
door, and a man answered. He was interested as soon as I showed him the photo; but as we walked around, we concluded it was
not the right house. He couldn't suggest any other houses. I
walked over to the mill, camera in hand, and an older man out in his yard asked what I was looking for. I showed him the photo,
and he said, "Oh, that house is down on Maple Street, about a half-mile towards town." Five minutes later, I headed in that direction and spotted it on the left side of the road. I was sure I had a match.
There was a car in the driveway, so I parked and knocked on the door. A lady came out, and when I showed her the photo, she
said, "Oh my goodness, that's my house. It's been in my family for three generations."
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| House on Maple Street where Hine photo was taken in 1911. My photo taken September 24, 2008 |
She identified herself as Dawn Turski, and told me it was the last
mill house built by the Whites, the family who owned the Springs Mill and the Glenallan Mill. We found the spot where Hine
had taken the photo, exactly 97 years and 21 days before. I placed the photo on the ground, looked down at it, adjusted my
camera and took the photo again. It was a weird experience, especially since the house hadn't changed all that much. Later that day, I noticed another photo of Clarinda. This time, she was standing
by a road. I found the spot, also on Maple Street, and repeated the process of taking a new picture (see both photos on next
page).
More photos and information, including interview with Clarinda's son
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