Initial Publication Date: October 17, 2007

Images of Woburn

Welcome to Woburn

Images from th 1922 Pollution Survey of the Aberjona River

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, Westboro, Massachusetts

This report contains 170 photographs from the 1921-1922 field surveys documenting pollution of the Aberjona River
Field team begins winter survey 7107
Black, tarry, sediment lining many tributary streambeds 7108
Debris and other wastes choke streams 7109
Debris and other wastes choke streams 7110

Shoe manufacturing in New England

Shoe factory. 7111
Vintage shoe advertisement. 7112
Photo of worker operating shoe manufacturing equipment. 7113
Photo of worker operating shoe manufacturing equipment. 7114
Photo of worker operating shoe manufacturing equipment. 7115
A crowd of workers assembled outside a shoe factory. 7116
Vintage shoe advertisement. 7117
Workers box shoes at a factory. 7118

Piggeries in Woburn along floodplain of the Aberjona River

(photographs from Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife report, 1922)

Photo of piggery near Aberjona River. 7119
Pigs on an Aberjona piggery. 7120
Runoff from an Aberjona piggery. 7121

Algonquin Tannery in North Woburn

(photographs from Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife report, 1922)

Exterior of the Algonquin Tannery near the Aberjona River. 7122
Covered flume at Algonquin Tannery. 7123
Outfall drains to Willow Brook at Algonquin Tannery. 7124
Wooden flumes at Algonquin Tannery. 7125

Buckman Tannery in North Woburn

(photographs from Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife report, 1922)

Exterior of Buckman Tannery. 7126
Beam house at Buckman Tannery. 7127
Outfall drains at Buckman Tannery. 7128
Settling basin at Buckman Tannery. 7129

Hide Preparations

Flaying. 7130
Salting. 7131
Transport. 7132
Washing. 7133
Soaking. 7134
Fleshing. 7135
Liming. 7136
Hair removal. 7137
Scudding. 7138
Puering and bating. 7139

Leather Tanning

Vegetable tanning. 7140
Vegetable tanning. 7141
Chrome tanning. 7142
Chrome tanning. 7143

Drying & Finishing

Drying. 7144
Staking. 7145
Tacking. 7146
Graining. 7147
Coating. 7148

John J. Riley Leather Co.

Wildwood Street
Woburn

Chrome tanning preparation at the Riley Tannery. (Thorstensen, 1969) 7149
Toggling leather at the Riley Tannery. (Thorstensen, 1969) 7150
According to Thorstensen (1969), flow coating machines were used to apply solvents to leather as a means of treatment. 7151

Fred DeFeo photo of barrels near an Aberjona tributary. 7152

Woburn dump

Old Woburn dump (1965). 7153
New improved Woburn dump (1971). 7154

Merrimac Chemical Company

(photographs from Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife report, 1922)

Rear view of main building with area of tarry sludge in foreground. 7155
Liquid waste settling pond from hydrochloric acid production. 7156
Refuse choked tributary to Aberjona River immediately below Merrimac Chemical Company. 7157

NOVA Images

Aerial view of Merrimac Chemical Company, circa 1900. (NOVA, Toxic Trials, 1986) 7158
The Cryovac plant on Washington Street was operated by W.R. Grace manufactured food processing equipment. (NOVA, Toxic Trials, 1986) 7159

Excavated drums buried behind the Cryovac Plant (1983 photo by Steve Maslansky) 7160
Woburn mystery industry. 7161
Woburn mystery industry. 7162

Stop #4

Dave Johnson (this one) and Julio Olimpio (other one) of the U.S. Geological Survey helped performed a seismic study to delineate the top of bedrock in the area around wells G & H. (1985 photos by Chuck Myette) 7163
Dave Johnson (other one) and Julio Olimpio (this one) of the U.S. Geological Survey helped performed a seismic study to delineate the top of bedrock in the area around wells G & H. (1985 photos by Chuck Myette) 7164
Well S40 was constructed on the 15-acre woodland owned by the John J. Riley Tannery Company in 19__ to supply water to the tannery. The well is __-feet in diameter and has a__-foot long screen __-feet below land surface. (1999 photo by Scott Bair) 7166
Measuring water level in well H prior to the commencement of pumping on December 4, 1985. (1985 photo by Chuck Myette) 7167
Setting up discharge line and flowmeter at well H. (1985 photo by Chuck Myette)







Stop #8

Decaying debris piles and isolated drums on Riley's 15-acre woodland. (1983 photos by John Drobinski) 7169
Decaying debris piles and isolated drums on Riley's 15-acre woodland. (1983 photos by John Drobinski) 7170
Decaying debris piles and isolated drums on Riley's 15-acre woodland. (1983 photos by John Drobinski) 7171
Decaying debris piles and isolated drums on Riley's 15-acre woodland. (1983 photos by John Drobinski) 7172
Debris pile on Riley's 15-acre woodland containing decaying 55-gallon drums. (U.S. EPA collection) 7173
Another debris pile on Riley's 15-acre woodland containing decaying drums. (U.S. EPA collection) 7174
Debris pile on Hemingway Trucking property, just noth of Riley's 15-acre woodland, containing discarded and decaying 55-gallon drums. (1982 photo by Steve Maslansky) 7175
Drum storage area at Whitney Barrel Company, just south of the Riley 15-acre woodland (1982 photo by Steve Maslansky) 7176