PEMBROKE MA

PEMBROKE MA

Harry M. Woods Memorial Bandstand

Pembroke Center Green

Built - 1986

The earliest settlers of Pembroke were Robert Barker and Dolor Davis who settled in the vicinity of Herring Brook in 1650. Originally the area was known as "Mattakeesett" meaning "place of much fish" by the Native Americans who lived in the area because of the annual springtime run of herring in the local rivers.

The area was originally part of Duxbury before incorporating as a separate town in 1712 and soon renamed Pembroke for the town of Pembroke, Wales. Residents of Pembroke served with honor in the French and Indian War and later the Revolutionary War. Shipbuilding was among the area's industries with the most famous vessel built in the area being the "Beaver" which was made famous for its role in the Boston Tea Party. The town also produced products from its mills which sprung up along the river and the town's ponds and streams provided the water for cranberry bogs. Pembroke's natural beauty provided recreation and vacation spots for city dwellers due to the coming of rail service from Brockton. Today Pembroke is mostly a suburban community with many of its residents working in the Greater Boston area and is still a very affluent and desirable place to live.

Pembroke's Harry M. Woods Bandstand was built for the town so that its residents could enjoy concert performances on their spacious downtown comon area and to celebrate the town's 275th annviersarty that year. The bandstand was built with longevity in mind and features a concrete broom finished slab on a grade that is set into the gentle slobe of the center green and blends in with the natural topography of the land. All materials and labor for the structure was donated with it costing $25,000 total. It was designed by Otis Hathon, Architect. The building style is known as Richardsonian-Norman and the bandstand is the town's first one. The construction on the structure was done by Roland Leary Construction Company.

The bandstand is quite "user friendly" with the floor wheelchair accessible from the sides and rear and is flush with the adjoining lawn. The building has no raised platform so the structure does not "upstage" the surrounding features of the Pembroke Center Green. The bandstand is not only used for concerts but also for town meetings and other casual events. The building has been sturdily built and needs low maintenance being built for endurance.

The dedication ceremony took place during the summer of 1986 with much fanfare - music, key note speakers and fun for all. The bandstand has been dedicated in the name and memory of Harry M. Woods of Pembroke, who was a world-renowned composer whose long list of songs includes "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along - his most famous composition.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY:

Otis E. Hathon, Architect