Special Public Program

Living in the Edmund Fowle House
A talk by Paul Brennan

Saturday, October 28, 2023
1:00 PM
Edmund Fowle House
28 Marshall Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Please note that attendance is limited to 20 and registration is required (see below).

To commemorate the 251st year of the Edmund Fowle House and in conjunction with the Historical Society's current 250 Years of the Edmund Fowle House exhibit, Paul Brennan will present a talk describing what it was like to live in this historic home.

A history lover since his youth, Mr. Brennan grew up in Watertown and became President of the Historical Society of Watertown in 1987, when he was still in his 20s.  He lived in the Edmund Fowle House as caretaker from 1988 to 1992.  Of his time there, Paul said, "I was always poking around the house from top to bottom and even around the grounds.  I think the first or second issue of The Town Crier published the finding of an underground well/cistern ... It was in my nature to be curious and still is."  He will recount his experiences in the house, the upgrades made to the structure and the initiatives he enacted while he was President.

Following the talk, the 250 Years of the Edmund Fowle House exhibit will be available for viewing from 2:00 - 4:00 PM.

This program is free and open to the public, but attendance is limited to 20 and registration is required.
For more information or to register, contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 781-899-7239.

September Public Program

Ruth Bader Ginsberg: I Dissent
A live performance by Sheryl Faye

Sunday, September 24, 2023
2:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

The Historical Society of Watertown in partnership with Watertown Free Public Library presents Sheryl Faye in this one-woman performance that brings Justice Ginsberg to life.  Ginsburg was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in September, 2020.  She objected to different expectations for men and women and prejudice against minority groups.  She stands out for her willingness to dissent, disapprove and disagree with conditions of unfairness and inequality.  This show is the inspiring story of how she changed her life--and ours.

Ms. Faye attended Emerson College, where she received a BFA in acting.  She is currently touring ten one-woman shows to schools, libraries, historical societies and senior centers throughout the United States.  Sheryl writes and performs with StageCoach Improv and keeps busy working in films, television and theater in Boston and New York.

This event is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Treaty Day: a Commemoration of the Declaration of Independence and Treaty of Watertown

Tuesday, July 18, 2023
5:00 - 6:30 PM
Watertown Senior Center
31 Marshall Street
Watertown, MA 02472

This annual event returns in a new, in-person format for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.  Join the HSW at the air-conditioned Senior Center for a slideshow presentation on the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to the citizens of Watertown and the signing of the Treaty of Watertown on July 18 and 19, 1776, respectively.  The treaty was the first signed by the newly-formed United States with a foreign power, namely the St. John's (aka Maliseet) and Mi'kmaq Tribes of Nova Scotia.  The significance of both documents and the role played by the Edmund Fowle House during this period of American history will be discussed.

A basket for donations of non-perishable food items to the Watertown Food Pantry will be available.

The HSW appreciates the assistance of the Watertown Senior Center in hosting this event.

This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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

Destination Watertown: The Armenians of Hood Rubber
Screening and discussion of a documentary film by Roger Hagopian

Sunday, May 7, 2023
2:00 PM
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472

This 65-minute documentary recounts the timeless and universal story of immigrants escaping genocide and persevering through the hard life of factory work in America in the early decades of the 20th century.  Interviews with stories and reflections of former employees of Armenian descent and East Watertown residents are interspersed with personal and historic photographs, maps, documents, artifacts and images of remnants of the old factory, once the largest of its kind in the world.

A history lover since his youth, Mr. Hagopian is a graduate of the University of Massachuestts Boston, where he received a degree in music.  Roger has presented his films at high schools, universities, libraries, community centers and in private homes.  He has created numerous family history documentaries and filmed lectures and events in the Armenian community.  He writes, "For me, video is a way of telling history that is educational, multidimensional and compelling."

This meeting and program are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Joyce at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..