Selected articles from the Society Newsletter are posted on our website. Articles currently available are listed below.

The Art of Ruth Linnell Berry

In early 1974, Ruth Berry won a Commission competition held by The Arlington Historical Society. It was to paint a large painting depicting the Battle at the Jason Russell House. She was chosen for her skill, experience, and her “New Englander’s” appreciation and understanding of the 19th of April 1775. The Article.

The Old Burying Ground

Early Puritan settlers had been living and working in the village of Menotomy for almost 100 years before a burying place was designated in 1724. The earliest mention of a burying ground in Menotomy can be found in the Proprietors’ Records for the town of Cambridge, when, in 1724, it was voted that “the road leading to Watertown was removed from the northerly side to the southerly side of the land reserved for a burying place.” The Article.

 

Buried Secrets of Menotomy’s Slaves

“There have been many negroes in former times in the Precinct. Some were
slaves.” — Benjamin and William R. Cutter
Driving around present day Arlington I like to imagine what life was like in rural Menotomy in the 1700s. The corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Prentiss Road, today, gives no hint of what it looked like many years ago. The old Cutler Tavern (first called The Great Tavern and later the Tufts Tavern) occupied that space in former times and was a prominent gathering spot for many years. It is a bit easier to imagine life in the 18th century by visiting the Jason Russell House at 7 Jason Street. This house was built in 1740-50 by Jason Russell for his bride, Elizabeth Winship, and their subsequent children. Many Arlington residents know this place as the site of the bloodiest battle on the first day of the American Revolution (April 19, 1775). The oldest house in Arlington stands at 64 Old Mystic Street. It was built in 1706 and has been occupied ever since. Why am I so interested in life in our town back in the days when it was called Menotomy? It all began a few years back when I discovered Kate, Rose, and Flora.  Read more by downloading the article here.