History in the unmaking

This morning's Telegram piece by George Barnes, Landmark furniture factory meets the wrecking ball, about the demolition of the Nichols and Stone building in Gardner comes with, as is true with most deaths, sadness but not surprise.
I was born in Gardner and grew up nearby. My grandparents raised my father and uncle in a three-decker on Pine Street, within walking distance of his job in the Kelly Brothers factory.
After high school, I worked for a short time at Gem Crib and Cradle. I was and am no carpenter, finish/Finnish or otherwise; I worked in the shipping department. Even there, my skills were limited. I walked off the edge of a loading dock and needed a dozen stitches in the back of my leg.
I had and have pride in Gardner. For quite a while, I had the annoying habit of turning wooden chairs over to see where they were made, noting with excitement when the chair came from a Gardner company.
There's plenty to be said about Gardner in particular and industrial cities and towns of New England in general. Friend Connie has written her personal history of the city in Chair City of the World. In addition, Mount Wachusett Community College offers the Greater Gardner Furniture History Documentary Project.
When we read history, we make our way through facts such as dates, descriptions of events, maybe a photo or several. History is really, though, about tracing the many paths that got us here.

We have a Nichols and Stone chair in our study, a surprise gift from Sandra and sneakily delivered by my father. It's a college chair. My alma mater has hundreds of them on campus. Most people look at the chair and see the college insignia. I look at the chair and see where it and I came from.