September Public Program

Stories of the Boston Harbor Islands
A virtual slideshow lecture by Marguerite Krup

Thursday, September 23, 2021
7:00 PM
access via Zoom

Storyteller Marguerite Krup will tell tales of the Boston Harbor Islands and guide attendees on a visual and historical tour of some of the 34 islands and peninsulas that make up the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, a treasure at our doorstep.

Ms. Krupp has been a Boston Harbor Islands volunteer for the past 30 years.  As such, she helps visitors explore the islands and discover the many things they have to offer.  She is also a writer, editor and photographer, as well as a retired Northeastern University instructor.  She is an active member of the Norwood Historical Society whose father worked at the Watertown Arsenal for many years.

All HSW meetings and events are free and open to the public, but registration is required for this lecture.  RSVP using the HSW Contact form and enter Krup lecture as the subject line to receive a Zoom link approximately 24 hours before the event.

Special Event

Exploring Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery
An in-person tour led by William A. McEvoy, Jr.

Saturday, September 18, 2021
10:00 AM
Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery
64 Cottage Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Walk among the graves of the people who shaped Watertown's local history in many ways and hear about them through the eyes of local cemetery expert William A. McEvoy, Jr.  This walking tour will leave from 64 Cottage Street.  The cemetery gates, located at the end of Cottage Street, will be open to receive tour guests at 10:00 AM.

Mr. McEvoy, a veteran and a resident of Newton, is a graduate of Bentley College, has an MBA from Suffolk College and an MA in Political Science from Boston College.

All HSW meetings and events are free and open to the public, but registration is required for this in-person tour.  RSVP using the HSW Contact form and enter CMAC tour as the subject line to receive a registration link.  For more information, contact Joyce at 781-899-7239 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Special Public Program

Our Heritage in Catholic Mount Auburn
A slideshow lecture by William A. McEvoy, Jr.

Sponsored by:
The Historical Society of Watertown
Watertown Free Public Library

Wednesday September 15, 2021
7:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Local cemetery historian and Mount Auburn Cemetery volunteer researcher William A. McEvoy, Jr., will discuss Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery, which is located at the end of Cottage Street.  Learn about Bill's four-year study of the approximately 23,000 mostly Irish immigrants who were buried in the cemetery sometimes referred to as Sand Banks from 1854 to 1920.

Mr. McEvoy, a veteran and a resident of Newton, is a graduate of Bentley College, has an MBA from Suffolk College and an MA in Political Science from Boston College.

All HSW events are free and open to the public.  No registration is required for this in-person lecture.
For more information, contact Joyce at 781-899-7239 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Special Public Program

Wartime Fashion
A virtual slideshow lecture by Karen Antonowicz

Wednesday, July 14, 2021
7:00 PM
access via Zoom

Have you ever wondered what changes in fashion occurred during WWI and WWII?  Despite wartime shortages and restrictions, men and women managed to dress in style.  How did they accomplish this?  Discover what these wartime shortages were and how they were overcome by determined people of this era.  The clothing and accessories worn during both of these war periods will be explored with a focus on some of the innovative ways in which fashion was followed.

Karen (Ren) Antonowicz received her Master's Degree in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design with a concentration in Historic Costume and Textiles from the University of Rhode Island.  She taught History of Fashion and other courses full time at the college level for 13 years, then taught part time in the Continuing Education Program at the Rhode Island School of Design.  Ren continues to follow her passion for historic costume by conducting fashion era presentations at libraries, senior centers, schools, historical societies and historic homes.

All HSW meetings and events are free and open to the public.  If you are interested in attending this lecture and did not receive a Zoom link directly from the HSW, please RSVP using the Contact form and enter Antonowicz lecture as the subject line.  For more information, contact Joyce at 781-899-7239 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Special Public Program

Gender Roles in Revolutionary and Colonial Times
A virtual slideshow lecture by Michael Bronski

Tuesday, June 22, 2021
6:30 PM
access via Zoom

In celebration of Pride Month and women’s influence in America, the HSW presents a lecture by Michael Bronski on colonial and revolutionary era attitudes toward gender roles and homosexuality and their significance in shaping modern American culture.  Bronski will touch on such topics as cross-dressing women who took part in the Revolutionary War and the non-binary evangelist Public Universal Friend who, in the early 1800s, refused to use pronouns and challenged gender roles.  The evolution of how we think about sexual identity and the words we use, the relaxed attitude colonial America had toward homosocial relationships and the way early LGBTQ pioneers, such as Watertown’s own Harriet Hosmer, helped change the image of the all-American male will also be discussed.

Mr. Bronski is a Professor of the Practice in Media and Activism in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University.  He has been involved with LGBT politics since 1969 as an activist, organizer, writer, publisher, editor and independent scholar.  He is best known for his 2011 book, A Queer History of the United States.

All HSW meetings and events are free and open to the public, but registration is required for this lecture.  RSVP using the HSW Contact form and enter Bronski lecture as the subject line to receive a Zoom link approximately 24 hours before the event.

Special Event

Shick House
A virtual slideshow lecture by Marilynne K. Roach

Monday, January 11, 2021
2:00 PM
access via Zoom (see below)

Tucked into a corner of Watertown’s East End, the Shick House, whose past owners have raised prize horses, run a market garden and operated a kosher dairy, now has an uncertain future.  Although the area is no longer agricultural and the architecture is altered, the house retains many elements of its high-style Italianate design.  Discover the history of the house and the people who lived and worked there, including the immigrant family of Jacob and Maete Shick.  The Shicks were one of the first Jewish families in Watertown and built the successful Watertown Dairy.  Join Historical Society of Watertown President Marilynne K. Roach for an exploration of a chapter of Watertown’s hidden history presented by the Watertown Senior Center.

Ms. Roach is a lifelong resident of Watertown, free-lance writer, illustrator and historian.  She has authored numerous books, including Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials and the definitive The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege.

This program is free, but registration is required.  RSVP to the Watertown Senior Center at 617-972-6490 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive a Zoom link and password for this event.