Park Pharmacy’s 1948 nifty new soda fountain

Interior photographs of Arlington businesses are quite rare, so when this one appeared recently on eBay it was purchased by a donor as a gift to the Society. This inside view of Park Pharmacy is published for the first time here. Park Pharmacy was located in Arlington Heights on the northeast corner of Park Avenue, … Continue reading Park Pharmacy’s 1948 nifty new soda fountain

1964: Views of Arlington Center west of Mystic Street

  A recent post to the Arlington List (a local “listserv” subscription mailing list) seeking to know the name of a long-gone sandwich shop where today’s Not Your Average Joe’s restaurant is located drew the correct response by me that it was Dewey’s Luncheonette.  This was followed by an informative and entertaining series of posts … Continue reading 1964: Views of Arlington Center west of Mystic Street

60 years ago: “Stop & Shop” building opens

In 1956, many housewives in Arlington were enjoying their first Thanksgiving shopping experience in the “ultra-modern” Publix supermarket that had opened to great fanfare just six months earlier at 905 Massachusetts Ave., home today to an expanded Stop & Shop store. With “extra wide aisles, cheerful coloring, ample check-out stations [eight of them], and no-tip … Continue reading 60 years ago: “Stop & Shop” building opens

Kimball Farmer House

This fall the Kimball Farmer House at 1173 Massachusetts Avenue, recently renovated to create three affordable-housing units by the Housing Corporation of Arlington, welcomed all of its tenants to their new homes. This event provides a welcome opportunity to broadly share the history of the house and the Farmer family, featuring photographs from the Society’s … Continue reading Kimball Farmer House

On the piazza . . .

Recent entries from Nina Winn’s 1916 diary include descriptions of her having lunch or reading “on the piazza.”  Nowadays, to American-English speakers, the word “piazza” typically conjures thoughts of the open public spaces that are characteristic of cities in Italy.  But in Nina Winn’s time, piazza was a popular term in the United States for … Continue reading On the piazza . . .

A summer Sunday in Arlington, circa 1905

Longtime Society member Bill Mahoney, who recently donated this previously unpublished image to our collection, would often remark “If only the photographer would have directed his lens just a little bit more . . .” towards a particular direction, we’d have a vastly easier time zeroing-in on a date for many historical photographs. Such is … Continue reading A summer Sunday in Arlington, circa 1905

Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Part 6

Crazy quilts in the Victorian era in America were popular for home furnishings in the United States from the 1870’s through the early 1900’s.  The American desire for bright, bold asymmetrical designs in silk and velvet drew from English Victorian styles, and from Japanese styles and goods that were increasingly imported to England and the United States … Continue reading Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Part 6

Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Part 5

Fashion trends for clothing and home décor come and go today just as they did in the 19th Century. Hexagon based patterns were popular in the 1830s, the 1920s, and again in the 2010s. In quilting, sewing, knitting and crochet these patterns are often called Hexagons, Beekeeper, Honeycomb or Grandmother’s Flower Garden. Patterns were published, … Continue reading Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Part 5

Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Part 4

Elizabeth Russell Rourke donated this quilt to the Arlington Historical society 150 after her great grandfather Jason Russell was killed at his home by British troops on April 19th, 1775 in Arlington. Jason Russell’s grandson (also named Jason Russell) moved his family to Stafford, Connecticut following the American Revolution. This line of the family stayed in … Continue reading Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Part 4