Our new "Untold Stories" exhibition explores the perspectives of often-overlooked communities involved and examines how the people of the Commonwealth commemorated, memorialized, and celebrated the important anniversaries of the first battle of the American Revolutionary War.
Back by popular demand! The bloody events that unfolded in Menotomy (now Arlington) on the first day of the American Revolution have often been recounted in detail. But what happened after the British troops withdrew? How did this rural precinct of Cambridge recover from the violence of April 19, 1775, and carry on while war … Continue reading Life in Menotomy: Aftermath of April 19, 1775
Board games at the Arlington Historical Society. Stop by anytime, play what you like, meet new friends and neighbors! Drop-in, family-friendly game night at the Arlington Historical Society, 7 Jason Street, on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 6 to 9 PM. Board games, snacks, and neighbors. We’re setting up tables of board games in our … Continue reading Games & Glory
Prince Hall was a Freemason, patriot, abolitionist, and prominent leader of Boston’s Black community during the American Revolution. He repeatedly petitioned the Massachusetts legislature to abolish slavery, protect the rights of Black Americans, and provide educational opportunities for Black children. Join former Arlington Historical Society President Howard Winkler as he explores Prince Hall’s remarkable life, … Continue reading Prince Hall: The Legend & The Man
Join historian and archaeologist Joel Bohy for a closer look at the research behind Bullet Strikes From the First Day of the American Revolution. In 2013, Bohy began collaborating with conflict archaeologist Dr. Douglas Scott to better understand ammunition found during archaeological investigations of former battlegrounds. Their work soon expanded into live-fire research and the … Continue reading Bullet Strikes: First Day of the American Revolution
Much of Harvard’s Revolutionary-era landscape remains visible amid the modern campus. At the outbreak of war with England, Harvard was still a modest “College in a Yard.” From the Old Burying Ground, then on the outskirts of town, to President Samuel Langdon’s home, where George Washington resided, and the dormitories damaged by his troops, these … Continue reading Harvard in War & Exile
Arlington’s natural landscape has never been static. Over centuries, it has been shaped by both natural processes and human activity. From Indigenous land management practices to colonial agriculture and the clearing of woodlands, people repeatedly transformed the extent and composition of local forests. This lecture will trace these changes through shifts in dominant tree species, … Continue reading Arlington’s Living Landscape
On April 19, 1775, the opening day of the American Revolution, colonial provincial militia and ministerial British forces clashed in bloody, vicious combat through Menotomy. As hundreds of red-coated soldiers and humbly attired provincials surged down Battle Road—known today as Massachusetts Avenue—the relentless fighting left roughly 150 men dead or wounded along a three-mile stretch … Continue reading The Road and the Land: Menotomy, April 19, 1775
For generations, folklore and children’s tales have painted a gentle picture of Johnny Appleseed—a whimsical wanderer drifting barefoot across the American frontier, scattering apple seeds wherever his travels took him. Yet beneath this cozy folk tale lies a far more intriguing historical reality. The real figure behind the legend was John Chapman: a crafty, deeply … Continue reading Johnny Appleseed: Myth and Reality
This colorful, illustrated lecture on the Fessenden water-powered spice mill—which operated on Arlington's Mill Brook in the mid-1800s—delivers surprising insights into the products, processes, and people of this long-forgotten enterprise. Arlington Historian Richard A. Duffy will present examples of both medicinal and culinary botanicals to anchor this business history, engaging the audience with aspects ranging … Continue reading Fessenden’s Spice Mill: A Pioneer in Boston’s Victorian Botanical Medicine Renown