All Roads Lead to Needham

Saving the Emery Grover

School may be out for summer in Needham, but the administrative staff will be working hard to prepare for September. Fortunately, they have a modern, cool space in which to perform those duties. But that was not always so. The home for Needham Public Schools is the Emery Grover Building, the oldest public building still in existence in the Town. It was always a bit of a grand, odd duck, out of character for a small, New England town. It was also, for a long while, out-dated, severely lacking, and somewhat dangerous. In this episode, we remember the town's efforts to bring it back from the brink, and track its evolution to the 21st century with one of the people most responsible for breathing new life into the site, Needham's Director of Building Design and Construction, Hank Haff.

Wet and Wild

You could say that Nature is what happens when humans stop imposing their will on their surroundings. Judging by the fact that we've been around only for a relatively short period of time, our environment has a pretty strong mind of its own....and that is a good thing. As our New England spring continues to bring renewal to the natural world, our minds are cast to a couple of companions that we have enjoyed in town during our colorful past. Horticulturally, we have a mystery to solve: why do we have landmarks that refer to Rosemary, when it isn't native to the area? Is it possibly a red herring? Speaking of which, will our fishy friends ever make a real comeback in this area? We will speak with the Needham Conservation Specialist Tim Puopolo joins us as we talk rivers, marshes, woods, and habitats. It will certainly be a wild time!

Minding Our Own Business...Since 1711

In just over a week, representatives from every neighborhood will descend on the Town Hall, and Needham will tend to the business of being Needham. Budgets will be finalized, rules will be set and changed, and the big issues that face the community will have their moment to be raised, contemplated, and resolved as best they can. Welcome to Town Meeting, one of the hallmarks of Needham life for 315 years, and all over New England for close to four centuries. Loved by some, ignored by others, this is where your voice can be heard, and town plans are made, altered, advanced and deferred. Executive Director of the Needham History Center and Museum, Gloria Greis walks you through the history of this remarkable institution, and then is joined by the person charged with safeguarding it for Needham, Town Moderator Michael Fee. So let the meeting come to order, and may all in favor say "Aye"...

April 2026 Schedule Change

For those who regularly to our monthly podcast stream, we wanted to share a quick update. Due to a scheduling conflict, we will be delaying our new episode by a week or so. We will also be changing the intended topic from our intended discussion of Nehoiden. Gloria Greis shares the latest details on what is to come in this brief announcement. If you have not yet, please check out our last episode, which details Needham's involvement in the events of April 1775. It is a great way to remind ourselves about how Patriot's Day came to be. See you soon!

The Road to Revolution

For this episode, our "All Roads" title can be taken fairly literally! This year, the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It's a big deal in Massachusetts, and for the town of Needham especially. However, the events of 1776 didn't spring up out of nowhere, and it certainly didn't happen overnight. There was a long road leading up to it, and one particular day a year earlier that had a deep impact on our community. Join us as we recount the details of the day, and explain how the Needham History Center and Museum has grown the tradition of remembering them. This time our guest is Kevin Keane, a member of the town's Select Board and the history center's board of directors. His passion for Needham's early history and its role in the Revolutionary War has led to an epic--and fun-- walk to Arlington.