On Tuesday, April 24, 1917, Nina Winn wrote about attending a Historical Society event in which “Aunt Sue read a poem & Elizabeth Smith wore the ball dress she wrote of – made by Hannah Hall [later Mrs. Cyrus Cutter] & given by Mrs. Sterling & Mrs. Bates. Then the ‘[Old] Peabody Pew’ was presented and … Continue reading Ballad of the War of 1812
Tag Archives: 19th century
Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Introduction
Bedding and quilts in particular are an interesting way to imagine the everyday or perhaps rather “everynight” lives of people in our past. We all have blankets, bedding, quilts, comforters and afghans for all seasons for all of our beds. Usually only our closest family and friends come into our bedrooms or use our blankets. Peering … Continue reading Highlights of the AHS Quilt Collection – Introduction
Tornadoes In Arlington
On Tuesday, June 24, 2015 Arlington residents were under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. Luckily the time passed without incident. There were at least two destructive tornadoes in 19th century Arlington; one in 1851 and another in 1871. Both tornadoes happened on hot August days. The 1851 tornado is described as more severe, and … Continue reading Tornadoes In Arlington
Clay Pipes from the Jason Russell House Archaeological Dig: March 1985
Pipe stems and bowls such as these are very common among finds at digs in the northeastern United States, given how common they were during the 17th, 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. They were made of kaolin, a type of clay that was pressed into a mold and sometimes stamped or decorated before being … Continue reading Clay Pipes from the Jason Russell House Archaeological Dig: March 1985
Archaeology at the Jason Russell House
October is Massachusetts Archaeology Month! The Arlington Historical Society is celebrating in this space by revisiting the Jason Russell House’s own experience with archaeological excavations. Visitors often ask if any archaeological digs have taken place at the Jason Russell House. The answer is yes! Nearly thirty years ago, in March 1985, a team of archaeologists … Continue reading Archaeology at the Jason Russell House
Centennial Celebration of Arlington Town Hall
These are selected images from the 2013 Centennial Celebration of Arlington Town Hall display at Robbins Library, and the “Picture Postcard Perfect!” display installed in the lobby of Town Hall. The complete storyboards, displayed throughout May 2013, were designed and written by Richard A. Duffy. Images are from the collections of the Arlington Historical Society … Continue reading Centennial Celebration of Arlington Town Hall
Knowing Susanna Adams Winn
[box]This is the third installment of three on the Winn Family Silhouette Album. The prior installments are here: The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA; Types, Techniques and Analysis of Silhouettes[/box] In the collection of Winn diaries there were only five diaries for the decade spanning 1870 to 1880, two of which were … Continue reading Knowing Susanna Adams Winn
Types, Techniques and Analysis of Silhouettes
[box]This is the second installment of three on the Winn Family Silhouette Album. The first is here: The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA[/box] There are three basic types of silhouettes: painted, hollow-cut or cut-out. Painted silhouettes were most frequently created using black ink or paint to apply the likeness to a base, … Continue reading Types, Techniques and Analysis of Silhouettes
The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA
[box]This is part one of a three part series on the Winn silhouette album[/box] In 1999, the Arlington Historical Society (Arlington, MA) received a collection of artifacts, images and documents that belonged to the family of Albert and Sarah (Prentiss) Winn who settled in the town of West Cambridge (now Arlington) in 1835. Among the … Continue reading The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA
Vintage photos of the Jason Russell House
This page contains five selected images related to the Jason Russell House. Click on any of them to launch the slide show. [hr] For more images of Arlington as it appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, see Richard Duffy’s new series ‘Images of History’ on Wicked Local, Arlington.