Prior 2003/2004 Season Events
Lecture Series
All lectures are held at the Smith Museum, adjacent to the
Jason Russell House. Admission is free and seating
is unreserved. The lectures take place at 8:00 p.m. with doors
open at 7:30. Wheelchair access at Jason Terrace entrance.
Directions.
The Boston Post Roads
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Paul Hogman
There is important intriguing history in the 17th, 18th and 19th century
to be discovered, regarding this fascinating by-way. Where do these roads go
and what is their significance? We will go back in time with researcher Paul
Hogman, vice-president of the Arlington Historical Society, to see how these
roads have interacted with the mode of transportation on our New England area.
More information.
Quabbin: A History and Explorer's Guide.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Michael Tougias
Author Michael Tougias offers a narrated slide presentation based on his book
about the western Massachusetts reservoir, which supplies Arlington and other
eastern Massachusetts communities. This program features the demise of the "lost
towns" flooded to create the Quabbin, the construction of the massive reservoir,
and how the Quabbin works today. Mr. Tougias has been hiking and researching the
Quabbin for over 30 years, and he will also take us on a natural history tour of
the Quabbin and surrounding areas, with suggestions for day trips.
More information.
Historical Viewpoints
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
A. Michael Ruderman
Arlington resident Michael Ruderman, an active member in the Arlington
Historical Commission, offers a slide show highlighting historic preservation
and important Arlington architecture. Some selections will surprise you! As
the speaker talks about his own personal involvement with the Commission, he
will help us to understand the nature and goals of this Arlington organization,
and to reveal how it serves, and helps to preserve, Arlington's past, present
and future.
More information.
Ladies of the Club
February 24, 2004
Doreen Stevens
Founded in 1911, the Kensington Park Study Club met for over 60 years. The women
gathered monthly to give papers on topics as varied as "The Panama Canal" and
"Bacteriology in the Home." A select group, the Kensington Park Study Group
limited its members to eighteen women who gave papers, played classical music,
answered the monthly roll call with a selection from Chaucer, and always ended each
meeting with food. The "Ladies of the Club" shining star, Winnifred Rugg,
also founded the Arlington Friends of the Drama and was a local author of note.
Their story spans a century of change for American women.
More information.
Cyrus E. Dallin: American Sculptor
March 30, 2004
James P. McGough
Trustee, The Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum
Come and expect to be enlightened by a visual presentation honoring this
notable Arlington sculptor. Two of Dallin's most famous works are the Paul
Revere statue by the Old North Church in Boston, and Appeal to the Great
Spirit, which stands proudly before the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Cyrus E. Dallin is also the creator of Menotomy Indian Hunter which graces
the Robbins Memorial Garden in Arlington.
More information.
Arlington's Great Meadows: A Photographer's View
April 27, 2004
Harvey Cote
For over 25 years, Arlington resident and photographer Harvey Cote
has been admiring and capturing the ambiance, seasonal changes and ecology
of this natural open space situated in Lexington but owned by the Town
of Arlington. Mr. Cote says he will continue to photograph his favorite place
"until I get it right." He will share his own experiences, observations
and knowledge by offering a narration illustrated with large photographs from the
early 1970's to the present.
More information.
William Wilkins Warren: Of West Cambridge and the World
May 25, 2004
Richard Duffy
William Wilkins Warren rose from childhood
adversity to a colorful life that was rich in
achievement. This beautifully illustrated
lecture will offer a little taste of everything: biography,
genealogy, art, architecture, horticulture, politics,
commerce and world travel.
This presentation will be held at the Pleasant Street Congregational Church
starting at 8 p.m. More information.
Other Events
Historical Walk
Sunday, October 26, 2003.
Led by Richard Duffy
Walking in Arlington is delighted to sponsor a historical
walking tour of East Arlington's "Hendersonville" neighborhood
led by noted local historian Richard A. Duffy,
author of Images of Arlington
and Twentieth Century Reflections.
The tour will encompass Henderson and Teel
Streets, the Alewife Brook reservation area and Saint Paul's
Cemetery.
More information.
Jason Russell House and Museum Opens for Season
The Jason Russell House will be open on April 18
following the 2 pm re-enactment there
of the April 19, 1775 battle.
Tours are available from after the re-enactment until 5 pm.
On Monday, April 19, the House and Museum are open following the Grand Parade
from 12 noon to 5 pm.
Regular hours resume for the season and are 1 pm to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
More information.
Members of the Arlington Historical Society have been extended an invitation
by the Lexington Historical Society, to attend as special guests:
Col. Jeremiah Lee of Marblehead:
His architectural showplaces,
his international operations (covert and otherwise),
and his role in the events leading up to April 19th, 1775
Judy Anderson
Sunday, May 16, 2004. 2:00 p.m.
Clark Hall at the Hancock United Church of Christ
1912 Massachusetts Avenue at Lexington Green
This slide talk will present a look at the obscure but intriguing
Jeremiah Lee of Marblehead, who rose to become one of the leading
citizens of this dynamic and flourishing trade center and,
by 1771, the wealthiest man in Massachusetts.
More information.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Walking In Arlington and the Arlington Historical Society are
sponsoring a historical walking tour around East Arlington's
"Hendersonville" neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, May 23.
Richard A. Duffy, Arlington historian and author, has
volunteered again to lead this tour, which sold out immediately last
October. The walk will explore both the natural and built environments
of the area along the Alewife River, highlighting its major
geographic changes, the variety of late-Victorian architecture,
and the beauty of St. Paul's Cemetery. Distribution of vintage
images will enhance the feeling of taking a "walk back in time."
The 2-1/2 hour walk is mildly strenuous (no hills, but some
unpaved surfaces), and is not suitable for baby strollers or pets.
The walk will be held rain or shine; an alternate date will be set
in the case of very harsh weather. Pre-registration is required
by May 19 and the walk is limited to 30 people.
The cost is $10 for payment received prior to the date of the walk
and $15 on the day of the walk. All proceeds benefit Walking in Arlington
and the Arlington Historical Society.
To register by mail, make checks out to "Walking In Arlington"
and postal mail to:
Walking In Arlington
107 George Street
Arlington, MA, 02476
To register and obtain further information, including the exact time
of the walk, e-mail Walking In Arlington
at refdesk@world.std.com
or call 781-648-4477 (from 9 a.m.
to 9 p.m. only). In case of questionable weather, please call on the
morning of the walk.
Bagpipe Concert on the Jason Russell House Lawn
Thursday, May 27th, 7:00 p.m.
The sweet sounds of traditional bagpipe music will be the order of the
evening, when the Aleppo Temple Shrine bagpipers host a
free concert on the lawn of the Jason Russell House.
Cosponsored with local Masonic Lodges, the concert will begin at 7 p.m.
Following the concert, attendees are invited to mingle with the pipers
and have refreshments at the nearby Arlington Masonic Hall at 19
Academy Street. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be
held in the Lodge Hall.
Prince Hall Cemetery Memorial
Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 12:00 noon
There will be a memorial ceremony for the dead who lie buried in the
Prince Hall Cemetery on Gardner Street. Members of the Prince Hall Grand
Lodge in Dorchester will officiate, and there will be brief addresses
by the Grand Master of the Lodge and by the President of the
Arlington Historical Society. The public is invited.
This cemetery is steeped in American history. The Masonic Lodge
was founded by Prince Hall in Boston in 1776. In 1864, Grand Master
William B. Kendall of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge deeded the Gardner
Street parcel to his lodge's Masonic Order. Black Americans needed a place
to bury their loved ones. The property was to be put in trust to be used
exclusively as a Masonic burial ground to be known as Prince Hall Cemetery.
Records indicate that it was in use until about 1897 when for unknown
reasons it fell into disuse, and as time passed it was forgotten.
In 1987, the Arlington Historical Society learned of the existence of
the cemetery and immediately recognized its historical importance. The
Prince Hall Grand Lodge and the Arlington Historical Society subsequently
formed a joint organization named the Prince Hall Mystic Arlington
Cemetery Association, which is responsible for its upkeep. The cemetery
was restored through donations from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge and by
the generosity of the Town of Arlington by the town's sharing its
Community Development Block Grant funds. In 1998, the cemetery was
added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The cemetery on Gardner Street is near the intersection with Norcross Street.
Following the ceremony, members of the Lodge will proceed to the
Copps Hill Burying Ground in Boston where Prince Hall is buried.
The Boston Post Roads
Paul Hogman
Sunday, June 6, 2004, 3:00 p.m.
Sudbury Historical Society
322 Concord Road
Concord, MA
For those of you who have missed this time trip into the past
along the legendary Boston Post Roads or want to experience it again, Historical
Researcher Paul Hogman will take you along as he
explores with maps, slides and tales the intriguing history of these 17th, 18th
and 19th century highways and byways.
The Arlington Historical Society Yard Sale
held in conjunction with
The Arlington Garden Club Flea Market
Saturday, June 12, 2004. 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Rain Date - June 19, 2004.
Decorative home accessories, Bric-a-brac, Pictures and picture frames,
Collectibles, Clocks, Lamps, Vases, Dishes, cups, glasses, Rugs, Books, Toys,
Fashion accessories, Costume jewelry.
More information.
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