September 10th - September 16th

September 15, 1841

September 15, 1841 - Lyceum of the Town of Brookline

September 14, 1862 - Dr. Edward Wild wounded in Civil War

September 13, 2009 - Marking the graves of enslaved African-Americans

September 15, 2013 - Teen Center official opening

September 15, 1841
Lyceum of the Town of Brookline

A new corporation called the Lyceum of the Town of Brookline formally took over ownership of the recently constructed Lyceum Hall in Brookline Village. The hall, which stood for nearly a century, hosted lectures, concerts, meetings, and other public events.

The building, shown above, stood where the Dana Farber Cancer Institute administrative offices (10 Brookline Place) are today. It had businesses on the first floor with the hall above. 

A 1912 fire left Lyceum Hall in ruins. Initial reports said the then 71-year old building would be torn down, but it was restored and continued to house businesses and a lecture hall. (Click image for a larger view)

Lyceum Hall was torn down 25 years later, in 1937, to make way for the town's second movie theater.

September 14, 1862
Dr. Edward Wild wounded in Civil War

Dr. Edward Wild of Brookline was badly wounded at the Battle of South Mountain in Maryland. Two days later his left arm was amputated, ending his medical career but not his role in the Civil War.

Civil War photograph of Edward Wild. The empty left sleeve indicates this was taken after the loss of his arm.

Wild, who grew up in a house, still standing, on what is now Weybridge Road, went on to recruit and lead troops of formerly enslaved African Americans in a unit informally called Wild's African Brigade. He was hated in the South for his harsh treatment of Confederate prisoners in retaliation for the ways captured Black troops under his command had been treated.

After the war, Wild was involved in mining in the West and in South America. He died in Medellin, Columbia, in 1891 and was buried there.

September 13, 2009
Marking the graves of enslaved African Americans
A stone honoring the memories of enslaved men and women buried in Brookline's Old Burying Ground was officially dedicated in ceremonies at the Walnut Street graveyard.

The effort to place the marker was led by the Hidden Brookline Committee, formed in 2006 to bring to light the history of enslaved people of African descent who lived and worked in Brookline, and to educate the public as to the involvement that Brookline residents had with regard to slavery and the abolitionist movement. 

State representative Byron Rushing was the main speaker at the event. A video recording of his speech is available on the Hidden Brookline website.

September 15, 2013
Teen Center official opening
The Brookline Teen Center was officially opened in an old auto garage at 40 Aspinwall Avenue. When opened, it included a recording studio, a bowling alley, a gym, a tutoring space, a computer room, an eating area, a small stage, and a court that could be used for basketball or volleyball or as an auditorium.

Brookline Teen Center

The multi-year effort to create the Teen Center was initiated by Brookline High School social worker Paul Epstein and his wife, Saskia. The Epstein's, reported the Brookline TAB, "noticed there was a real need for a place where teens could hang out, interact with their peers and be themselves."

"This place is a Youth Center, but it's a Youth Center with a heart," Epstein told a local news program when the center marked its 10th anniversary this past February. "It's a Youth Center with a mission to help every kid. Whether it's a kid that comes from the richest family or the poorest -- and anywhere in between. We are here and there's something here for them to enrich their lives."