Ethan Allen Greenwood was an itinerant portrait painter when he completed these likenesses of the Whittemore family. His records note that he painted over twenty portraits of members of various branches of the Whittemore family – Amos and his brothers. Four of the paintings are in our collection, those of Helen Weston Whittemore and Amos … Continue reading Ethan Allen Greenwood Portraits →

Doris Birmingham Needlework samplers, employed as an educational tool and a measure of female accomplishment, make their first appearance in England in the early 16th Century. Thus, English Colonists in America must have imported the skills to keep the craft alive in their new home. However, given the rigors of daily life in those early … Continue reading The Samplers of West Cambridge →

Walk by the Jason Russell House and you’ll find that drilling for our geothermal heating and cooling system has begun! The rig shown will be drilling a series of wells about 400 feet deep. This is a depth that is a constant temperature of about 55 degrees for cooling and dehumidification during the summer, and … Continue reading CPA 2021 Geothermal Project →

We are so pleased to announce that we have been awarded $39,236 from the Institute of Museum & Library Services “Inspire! Grants for Small Museums” to digitize and rehouse 1,352 objects in our collection. This project includes complete removal, inventory, installation, and rehousing of high density rolling shelving. This project is a small subset of … Continue reading IMLS “Inspire!” Grant Awarded →

In preparation for digging of wells for an upcoming geothermal heating and cooling system in the Jason Russell House, the Arlington Historical Societyhas contracted to have Archaeological fieldwork done on the affected portion of the grounds. The Public Archaeology Laboratory of Pawtucket, RI has been hired to conduct a one day excavation of an area … Continue reading Archaeological Dig at Jason Russell House →

In Memoriam: Sally Rogers & John SweeneyIn the Winter 2021 issue of Menotomy Minutes, the quarterly newsletter of the Society, the lives of two special volunteers and leaders, Sally Rogers and John Sweeney, were honored following their recent passings. Each led such interesting lives of varied accomplishment, but we could only include a small part of … Continue reading In Memoriam: Sally Rogers & John Sweeney →

New and exciting work is being done at the Jason Russell House thanks to a dedicated group of scholars and professionals. We would like to share what has transpired so far, and alert you to ongoing research. It’s truly hard to believe that there is still information to be found in a 270+ year old … Continue reading Ongoing Studies at the Jason Russell House →

While everything is shut down due to the pandemic, we’re still hard at work keeping the Jason Russell House preserved for future generations. Our current Community Preservation Act supported project includes sundry projects such as: framing inspection and insect treatment of the south and east wall sills, painting of one elevation, repair and reglaze of … Continue reading CPA Project 2020 →

In Nina Winn’s diary entry for May 7, 1922, she wrote of visiting Mount Pleasant Cemetery and viewing the grave of her close friend since childhood, Vida Damon, where a marker had been installed recently.  Nina wrote:  “Saw Vida’s stone—very severe and simple & beautiful.” Vida Damon was about six months older than Nina Winn, … Continue reading In Memory of Vida Damon →

MAY 1, 1955:  DIAL TELEPHONES DEBUT IN ARLINGTON If self-dial telephone service in Arlington were a person, it would just now be eligible for Medicare.  Today is the 65th anniversary of dial technology coming to the homes and businesses of the town.  This automation coincided with the loss of the readily identifiable ARlington 5 telephone … Continue reading MAY 1, 1955: DIAL TELEPHONES DEBUT IN ARLINGTON →