Special Public Program

Watertown During the Revolution
A Walking Tour led by Lynne O'Connell and Beth Houston

Sunday, May 24, 2026
10:00 AM
tour departs from Zussman Memorial Park adjacent to the 66 Galen Street building
66 Galen Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Join HSW tour leaders Lynne O'Connell and Beth Houston for a 90-minute walking tour to learn about the important role that Watertown played during the American Revolution.  After the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the Provincial Congress assembled in the town's Meeting House, making Watertown the seat of the Massachusetts government for 18 months.  As a result, many prominent Revolutionary War figures boarded in town, including Paul Revere and Joseph Warren.

Sites visited will include important dwellings (many of which are no longer standing), public spaces, monuments and plaques as the tour moves toward a final destination of the 1772 Edmund Fowle House, where the Executive Council of the Provincial Congress met.  Participants will be invited to enter the Fowle House and view the current exhibit that celebrates the 250th anniversary of both the Fowle House and the fight for American independence.

There will be a $10 fee (cash or check only) for the tour.  This program is open to the public, but registration is requested.  For more information or to register, please contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Note that this tour will be canceled in case of inclement weather, but is also being offered on June 7, 2026.

Annual Members Meeting with Election of Board Members and May Public Program

Incident at Rock Meadow - The True Crime Story of Ruth Sawtell and Thomas Loveran

A slideshow lecture by Marie Daly

Sunday, May 3, 2026
2:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

In 17th century Watertown, Zacharia Smith fled charges of unlawful relations with neighbor Ruth Sawtell.  The ensuing repercussions of his subsequent murder contributed to the outbreak of King Phillip's War.  Three years later, an assignation with another neighbor made Ruth Sawtell a repeat offender, and the scene of their crime was the "Great Rock" in Rock Meadow.  Rock Meadow was originally part of Watertown and later part of Waltham, then Belmont.  Ms. Daly will tell the story of these illicit colonial trysts gleaned from online court records and reveal the location of an important but unrecognized landmark in Rock Meadow.

Marie Daly is a longtime director of the Waltham Historical Society and a founder of the Waltham Land Trust.  She is retired from the New England Historic Genealogical Society and is known for uncovering the stories hidden in deeds, maps and town records, tracing how our landscape evolved from colonial farms to modern neighborhoods.  Her illustrated talks bring the past to life.  In this program, she turns her lens to one of the area's more curious chapters that still echoes today.

This event is free and open to the public.  Parking is free in the library lot on Sundays.  For more information, please contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Special Public Program

Watertown During the Revolution
A Walking Tour led by Lynne O'Connell and Beth Houston

Sunday, April 26, 2026
10:00 AM
tour departs from Zussman Memorial Park adjacent to the 66 Galen Street building
66 Galen Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Join HSW tour leaders Lynne O'Connell and Beth Houston for a 90-minute walking tour to learn about the important role that Watertown played during the American Revolution.  After the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the Provincial Congress assembled in the town's Meeting House, making Watertown the seat of the Massachusetts government for 18 months.  As a result, many prominent Revolutionary War figures boarded in town, including Paul Revere and Joseph Warren.

Sites visited will include important dwellings (many of which are no longer standing), public spaces, monuments and plaques as the tour moves toward a final destination of the 1772 Edmund Fowle House, where the Executive Council of the Provincial Congress met.  Participants will be invited to enter the Fowle House and view the current exhibit that celebrates the 250th anniversary of both the Fowle House and the fight for American independence.

There will be a $10 fee (cash or check only) for the tour.  This program is open to the public, but registration is requested.  For more information or to register, please contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Note that this tour will be canceled in case of inclement weather, but is also being offered on May 24 and June 7, 2026.

Special Public Program

Unveiling of the Lafayette Trail Revolutionary War marker

Sunday, April 19, 2026
10:00 AM
on the green space triangle adjacent to the walking path next to The Halfway Cafe
394 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

On October 15, 1784, General Lafayette was feted in Watertown by fellow Revolutionary War officers as he traveled from Hartford to Boston.  After enjoying a meal and much camaraderie with his hosts, Lafayette resumed his journey east.

The Lafayette Trail is proud to partner with the Historical Society of Watertown and the City of Watertown to lead a public commemoration celebrating Lafayette's multiple connections to Watertown.  The dedication ceremony for this new marker will take place as part of a Lafayette250 function honoring Lafayette's contributions to American freedom as the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  Lafayette250 is the first nationwide effort celebrating the semiquincentennial of Lafayette's historic participation in the American Revolution.

The ceremony is expected to last up to 30 minutes and include remarks from all stakeholders involved in the preparation of the marker, the formal unveiling of the new sign, and photo opportunities for attendees.  Local dignitaries, as well as the leadership of the Historical Society of Watertown, will be in attendance.

This new marker was donated to the City of Watertown by The Lafayette Trail, Inc., with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

This event is free and open to the public.  Metered parking in Watertown is free on Sundays.  For more information, please contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

March Public Program

Abigail Adams
A live performance by Sheryl Faye

Sunday, March 29, 2026
2:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

This one-woman show features Ms. Faye's portrayal of Abigail Adams, the first Second Lady and second First Lady of the United States, who is sometimes considered a founding mother of the country alongside Mercy Otis Warren.  Abigail's is one of the most documented of the first ladies' lives.  She is well remembered for the many letters she wrote to her husband, John, while he served as a delegate representing Massachusetts to the First and Second Continental Congresses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  These letters serve as an eyewitness account of the American Revolutionary War home front.  Abigail also corresponded with Mercy Otis Warren, revealing important aspects of their lives and the times.

Sheryl Faye attended Emerson College, where she received a BFA in acting.  She is currently touring eleven one-woman shows throughout the country, performing for a variety of audiences.  She has received numerous awards for her work on stage and in film.

This event is free and open to the public.  Parking is free in the library lot on Sundays.  For more information, please contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This program is funded by a 2025 grant from the Watertown Community Foundation.

Special Event:  Exhibit Opening

Opening Reception for Watertown Dairies HSW exhibit at Watertown Police Department

Monday, November 10, 2025
6:00 - 7:00 PM
Watertown Police Department
552 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

The Watertown Police Department recently reached out to the HSW to inquire about partnering on the creation of a new exhibit to be displayed in a case located in the police station lobby.  After mulling over several ideas, a decision was made to base the exhibit on photos and advertisements related to several dairies that operated in Watertown over the years, including Andrews Milk Co., Green Meadows, Shick/Watertown Dairy, Speedwell Farms and Woodland Dairy.  The exhibit, slated to be on display for several months, will also include many milk bottles used by these dairies that are part of the HSW's collection at the Edmund Fowle House.

Light refreshments will be served.

This event and exhibit are free and open to the public.  Free parking is available in the Police Department's front lot located on the left as you pull into the driveway.  For more information, please contact Joyce at 781-899-7239 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

November Public Program

Dr. Benjamin Church
A slideshow lecture by J. L. Bell

Sunday, November 9, 2025
2:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Dr. Benjamin Church was a patriot activist who was exposed as a spy for British Major General Thomas Gage.  The Massachusetts General Court held an inquiry into his activities from October to November 1775.  November 2025 will mark the 250th anniversary of the legislature's decisions.  New details regarding Church's spying activities will be revealed.  Attendees will also learn where the Massachusetts General Court held the Church inquiry.

J. L Bell is a writer who specializes in the start of the American Revolution in New England and is the proprietor of the popular Boston 1775 website.  A Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society and elected member of the American Antiquarian Society and Colonial Society of Massachusetts, he authored the book The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War as well as a National Park Service study of George Washington’s work in Cambridge.  He has written many articles, delivered papers to the Massachusetts Historical Society and appeared on a panel of the Organization of American Historians.  Some of his lectures have been broadcast on the C-Span Networks and he has spoken at many historic sites around greater Boston and beyond.

This event is free and open to the public.  Parking is free in the library lot on Sundays.  For more information, please contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This program is funded by a 2025 grant from the Watertown Community Foundation.