Robert McLaughlin with a lantern from the park's Hawke's Point lighthouse.
(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)
He reclaimed park's history, but the whale still eludes him
Robert McLaughlin with a lantern from the park's Hawke's Point lighthouse.
(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)
June 25, 2009
- |
When Robert McLaughlin picked up nine vintage postcards at a church fair in Wakefield nine years ago, he never knew the simple purchase would be a life-changer. Now the cards are framed and hang on a wall in the living room of his home, an ever-present reminder of his new title: author, and of the slice of overlooked history he found in the town where he lives.
McLaughlin, 59, a self-employed electrician, asked residents if they had recollections about Pleasure Island, where many of them worked as teenagers and young adults or knew someone who did. But his questions drew a lot of blanks and foggy memories.
“I felt that Pleasure Island was going into the history dumpster and that it was a story worth saving,’’ he said.
With the help of resident Kory Hellmer, he posted copies of the cards on bulletin boards around Lake Quannapo witt. They also created a Pleasure Island link on Hellmer’s town-related website.
On weekends, McLaughlin photographed and shot video of the park site, finding remnants of a boat ramp, the parking lot, and concrete supports. He spent hundreds of hours at the Beebe Library scrolling through microfilm of the Wakefield Daily Item.
Now, McLaughlin heads the Friends of Pleasure Island, a group of devotees whose purpose is to keep the park’s history alive.
With the 50th anniversary approaching, he decided to write a book, despite his lack of writing experience. He hand-printed his drafts, and his 16-year old granddaughter, Danielle Resha, typed the manuscript. His wife, Terry, helped him edit. “Pleasure Island’’ was published June 8 by Arcadia Publishing.
Most who came to Pleasure Island recall the signature attraction, Moby Dick, the 3-ton, 70-foot long fiberglass-and-steel whale that breached cove waters and spouted plumes of steam, to the delight - and fright - of visitors.
After four decades, the question, “Where’s Moby Dick?’’ still dogs McLaughlin. In 2000, he searched the pond for traces of the faux leviathan but came up empty-handed.
After an appearance on a radio talk show, he received an offer from a dive team to hunt for the whale, but was prohibited by management of the office park now on the site.
Skeptical of its whereabouts, McLaughlin said, “Moby Dick is probably a bunch of rubble now. There is no whale down there.’’
ROBERT PUSHKAR
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
