Charles Logue, who was born in 1858, left Derry in the early 1880s to begin a new life in the United States. After being in America for a few years, he created one of the top building firms in Boston and became a major contractor in the Irish community, building the Boston College campus as well as churches and schools for the city’s Archdiocese. More famously, Charles was the man behind one of the city’s most premier construction project - Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Jim Logue says he’s very protective of his great grandfather’s legacy.

Jim says his family has always recollected stories about their famous ancestor and these have been passed down from generation to generation. Both Charles and his wife, Josephine, were active players in Boston’s Irish community. “Though Charles and Josephine never returned to Ireland, his Irish roots were clearly passed down to their children and my father’s family,” says Jim.

According to Jim Logue, Charles’ legacy has, in recent years, taken on a life of its own. “Most of Charles Logue’s legacy has been kept pretty much within the family,” he says. “Six years ago, however, we decided to use Charles’ image and his links to Fenway Park on the homepage of our company website. It wasn’t long before the Boston Irish Tourism group picked up on this which then led to several magazine articles and a stop on Boston’s official Irish Heritage Trail. Interest has continued and peaked this year on the 100th anniversary of the opening of Fenway Park with newspaper articles and TV coverage. It seems everybody now knows who Charles Logue is.”

Fenway Park has become Charles Logue’s enduring landmark. Ground was broken for the park in September 1911 and the stadium was finished the following spring.

Charles remained president of his company until his death in 1919. His son, A. Emmett Logue, and grandson, A. Emmet Logue Jnr., ran the company until 1972. Great grandson Jim Logue started Logue Engineering in 1975 and his son, Kevin, is now the fifth generation of Logues in the family business.

Charles Logue died suddenly while inspecting repair work on a Boston building. At his funeral, the father of thirteen was described as a man “faithful to his highest impulses and loyal to his fine ideals”.

Jim says keeping his great grandfather’s name alive has been “quite a pleasure for me. When I was a kid, people would say, ‘So your great-grandfather built Fenway Park?’ And I’d say, Yes, he did’. I’m immensely proud of Charles Logue. I think Derry should be, too.”

Source: Derry Journal