September Public Program

Abijah White's Orchard House
A slideshow lecture by Marilynne Roach, Historical Society President; David Russo, Chairperson of the Watertown Historical Commission; and Joyce Kelly, Historical Society Collections Manager

Tuesday, September 23, 2014
7:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Orchard House, a large and graceful Greek Revival home, was constructed circa 1832.  It was situated on what was originally a potato farm, but was developed into a cattle farm by one of Watertown's most prominent citizens, Abijah White.  The home has rich historical ties to notable people associated with the Revolution, Abolition and Temperance movements, art, literature and education.  The home was converted for use as a school for girls in the early 20th century and was purchased in 2006 by the Walker Home and School as part of its Beacon High School.

Orchard House, located at 917 Belmont Street, Watertown, is unoccipied at this time.  Despite overwhelming community support, orchard House faces an uncertain future.

This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, call Joyce at 781-899-7239.

Special Event:  Ringing of the Bells

Boston Charter Day

Sunday, September 7, 2014
4:30 PM
Church of the Good Shepherd
Redeemer Fellowship Church
Watertown, MA 02472

About Boston Charter Day:  Each year, the Partnership of the Historic Bostons commemorates the naming of Boston, Dorchester and Watertown that occurred on September 7, 1630, and holds a series of events to teach the public about the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Participating historic sites and churches include:
• First Church in Boston
• King's Chapel, Boston
• Old South Meeting House, Boston
• Park Street Church, Boston
• First Baptist Church in Dorchester
• First Parish Dorchester
• St. Gregory Parish, Dorchester
• Church of the Good Shepherd, Watertown
• Redeemer Fellowship Church, Watertown

On September 7th at 4:30 PM, bells will ring in Watertown at Church of the Good Shepherd and Redeemer Fellowship Church.

The Historical Society of Watertown is a member of the Partnership of the Historic Bostons and is grateful to all of the participants celebrating this event.

The Reading of the Declaration of Independence and Celebration of the Treaty of Watertown

Saturday, July 19, 2014
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Edmund Fowle House
28 Marshall Street
Watertown, MA 02472

This annual event marks the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to the citizens of Watertown on July 18, 1776.  The signing of the first treaty negotiated by the new nation with a foreign power, namely the St. John's (aka Maliseet) and Mi'kmaq Tribes of Nova Scotia, at the Fowle House on July 19, 1776, will also be celebrated.  Nugumij (Grandmother) Drum from the United Native American Cultural Center in Devens, MA, will be present and drummers and singers will perform several songs to mark the occasion.  Tribe and Center members wearing their native regalia and colonial reenactors will be present to share their stories.

Donations of non-perishable food items for the Watertown Food Pantry would be most welcome.

This event is partially funded by a Watertown Community Foundation Block Party Grant.

This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, call Audrey Jones Childs at 617-926-2577.

Special Public Program

Through the Heartland on U.S. 20
A slideshow lecture by Bill and Mary Lewis

Thursday, May 22, 2014
7:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Have you ever driven across the country on a two-lane highway and attempted to recapture the romance from half a century ago?  No?  Well, meet two authors who have!  Join us in welcoming Bill and Mary Lewis, authors of Through the Heartland on U.S. 20: Massachusetts: A Historical Travel Guide.  They will share info on the development of the road, various towns' historic events, people of renown who lived there, things to do and see and the best restaurants.

Presented jointly by the Historical Society of Watertown and The Watertown Free Public Library.

This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, call Joyce at 781-899-7239.

Annual Members Meeting with Election of Officers and May Public Program

The Hub's Metropolis: Greater Boston's Development from Railroad Suburbs to Smart Growth
A slideshow lecture by author James C. O'Connell based on his book of the same title

Thursday, May 8, 2014
7:00 PM Annual Members Meeting
7:15 PM May Public Program
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

The Hub's Metropolis is the first comprehensive historical overview of Boston's suburban development, from the earliest country estates to suburban sprawl and the smart growth movement.  This book provides historical context for understanding the region's contemporary planning efforts that are addressing the challenges of low-density sprawl, climate change and the global information age economy.  It explains how each era of suburbanization produced a distrinctive land use development pattern and describes how Boston has been a national pace-setter in this area.

Jim O'Connell is a planner for the Boston Regional Office of the National Park Service.  He earned a B.A. from Bates College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Urban History from the University of Chicago.  He has written five books and many articles on planning and New England history.  His books include Becoming Cape Cod, Creating a Seaside Resort and The Pioneer Valley Reader.  Jim served as Economic Development Officer of the Cape Cod Commission and worked on urban redevelopment in Springfield, MA.  He is chair of the Massachusetts Zoning Reform Working Group and has taught Smart Growth Planning in the Sustainable Design Program of the Boston Architectural College.

This meeting and program are free and open to the public.
For more information, call Joyce at 781-899-7239.

March Public Program

Arthur Buckminster Fuller: Watertown's Civil War Martyr
An illustrated talk by Mark S. Harris

Tuesday, March 25, 2014
7:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Arthur Fuller was the brother of America's first feminist, Margaret Fuller.  Fuller was a Unitarian minister who served churches in Manchester, NH and Boston, then Watertown's First Parish, from which he resigned to become a chaplain in the 6th Massachusetts Regiment.  He was killed at the battle of Fredericksburg in 1862.

Mark S. Harris is Minister at First Parish of Watertown and Adjunct Professor at Andover Newton Theological School.

This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, call Joyce at 781-899-7239.