The Jason Russell House was the site of the bloodiest fighting during the first day of the Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775. Today it and the adjoining Smith Museum hold collections of the Arlington Historical Society.
Jason Russell House and Museum Opens for SeasonFriday, April 13, 2003The Jason Russell House opens for the 2003 season on April 13 following the 2 pm reenactment of the April 19, 1775 Jason Russell House Battle. Tours are available from after the reenactment until 4pm. The following week, Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 18-20, the Jason Russell House and Smith Museum will be open from 1-5pm. On Monday, April 21, the House is open following the Grand Parade. Visitor information. Located at Mass. Ave. and Jason St, the 1740 Farmhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Members of the Arlington Historical Society are volunteer guides. Most of the fighting on the first day of the American Revolution April 19, took place in Arlington, then known as Menotomy. Jason Russell and 11 minute men were killed in the house that bears his name by British troops during their retreat from Concord and Lexington. Musket ball holes can still be seen in the house. Currently on exhibit in the attached Smith Museum is "Centuries of Change--the Arlington Story". A colorful and informative time-line leads visitors though seven artifact-filled display cases that highlight Arlington's development from prehistoric days to the present. A notable artifact: a large 4,000-year-old mastodon tusk retrieved from Spy Pond. (Photo by John Graham) |