Historical Society of Watertown, Watertown MA

12/21/2022

The Historical Society of Watertown MA

Dear Friends,

The Historical Society of Watertown has a new page, due to a change in the manager of the site. We no longer post on our old page. Please click the link and follow our new postings.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086621741869

The Historical Society of Watertown has also launched an Instagram page: historical_society_watertown. If you are an Instagram user please like and follow us.

If you’d like to download Instagram you can do so via your mobile devices App Store, or from your computer go to
https://www.instagram.com/. Follow the prompts to create an account and then search for “historical_society_watertown”

And as always, thank you for your continued interest and support.

The Historical Society of Watertown Board

HSW encourages and assists people of all backgrounds and interests to learn more about Watertown.

12/21/2022

The Historical Society of Watertown MA

Dear Friends,

The Historical Society of Watertown has a new page, due to a change in the manager of the site. We no longer post on our old page. Please click the link and follow our new postings.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086621741869

The Historical Society of Watertown has also launched an Instagram page: historical_society_watertown. If you are an Instagram user please like and follow us.

If you’d like to download Instagram you can do so via your mobile devices App Store, or from your computer go to
https://www.instagram.com/. Follow the prompts to create an account and then search for “historical_society_watertown”

And as always, thank you for your continued interest and support.

The Historical Society of Watertown Board

HSW encourages and assists people of all backgrounds and interests to learn more about Watertown.

09/05/2022

The First Labor Day
A sketch shows a large crowd gathered to watch a parade. The image is labeled September 5, 1882, New York City. The First Labor Day Parade.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday.

09/05/2022

Photos from Historical Society of Watertown, Watertown MA's post

07/04/2022

Watertown Celebrating 2 Historic Events During Virtual Event

We wish everyone a very happy and safe 4th of July!

The Historical Society of Watertown announced that the 2022 Treaty Day celebrations will be held virtually. The event marks not just one, but two events of historic significance in the local, state, and the national history. In the past, the event has been held at the Edmund Fowle House on Marshall....

07/03/2022

06/20/2022

Boston Tea Party Participant from Watertown Honored with Special Grave Marker

Boston Tea Party Participant from Watertown Honored with Special Grave Marker

The following information was provided by the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum: The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, in partnership with the Historical Society of Watertown; the City of Watertown, MA, and Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations working together to commemorate the 250th annivers...

06/19/2022

Today we commemorate Juneteenth, a national holiday recognizing the end of Slavery in the United States. While June 19th celebrates word of emancipation reaching Galveston, Texas in 1865, the act of memorializing emancipation and the struggle for freedom has a long history in the United States.

Before the Civil War, people of African descent and Anti-Slavery advocates often celebrated “Emancipation Day,” a holiday commemorating the abolition of Slavery across the British Empire on August 1, 1834. During the mid-19th Century, the citizens of Concord, Massachusetts celebrated Emancipation Day with special events and speeches advocating for the freedom of millions who suffered under slavery.

On August 1, 1844 the famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke at the Concord Ladies Antislavery society anniversary celebration. Over the next few decades, many other Concordians challenged the institution of American Slavery head on. From the Alcott family harboring freedom seekers at the Wayside to George Dugan enlisting in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment during the Civil War.

Today, we honor all of those who have fought to end the institution of slavery and its legacy of racism.

Image Description: For centuries, Emancipation Day and other anti-slavery celebrations have come in many forms and fashions. This Illustration shows the First South Carolina Volunteers' color guard addressing a joyful crowd of African Americans after the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

Credit: "Emancipation Day in South Carolina" - the Color-Sergeant of the 1st South Carolina Colored Volunteers addressing the regiment, after having been presented with the Stars and Stripes, at Smith's plantation, Port Royal Island, January 1 / From a sketch by our special artist. South Carolina United States Port Royal, 1863. [New York: Frank Leslie] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/99614128/.

06/17/2022

For more information please visit: https://www.watertownmanews.com/2020/11/14/life-of-charles-lenox-black-man-from-watertown-who-served-in-civil-war-detailed-by-historical-society/

06/14/2022

What Is Flag Day?
When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, the colonists weren’t fighting united under a single flag. Instead, most regiments participating in the war for independence against the British fought under their own flags. In June of 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to create the Continental Army—a unified colonial fighting force—with the hopes of a more organized battle against its colonial oppressors. This led to the creation of what was, essentially, the first “American” flag, the Continental Colors.
For some, this flag, which was comprised of 13 red and white alternating stripes and a Union Jack in the corner, was too similar to that of the British. George Washington soon realized that flying a flag that was even remotely close to the British flag was not a great confidence-builder for the revolutionary effort, so he turned his efforts towards creating a new symbol of freedom for the soon-to-be fledgling nation.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress took a break from writing the Articles of Confederation and passed a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white,” and that “the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
Over 100 years later, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson marked the anniversary of that decree by officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day.
Facts About the U.S. Flag
1. Bernard Cigrand, a small-town Wisconsin teacher, originated the idea for an annual flag day, to be celebrated across the country every June 14, in 1885. That year, he led his school in the first formal observance of the holiday. Cigrand, who later changed careers and practiced dentistry in Illinois, continued to promote his concept and advocate respect for the flag throughout his life.
2. It is widely believed that Betsy Ross, who assisted the Revolutionary War effort by repairing uniforms and sewing tents, made the first American flag. However, there is no historical evidence that she contributed to Old Glory’s creation. It was not until her grandson William Canby held an 1870 press conference to recount the story that the American public learned of her possible role. It has since been confirmed that Francis Hopkinson, a delegate from New Jersey who signed the Declaration of Independence, designed the American flag.
3. The lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” America’s national anthem since 1931, are taken from a patriotic poem written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the Battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. His words were set to the tune of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular British drinking song.
4. In the 1950s, when it seemed certain that Alaska would be admitted to the Union, designers began retooling the American flag to add a 49th star to the existing 48. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old Ohio student named Bob Heft borrowed his mother’s sewing machine, disassembled his family’s 48-star flag and stitched on 50 stars in a proportional pattern. He handed in his creation to his history teacher for a class project, explaining that he expected Hawaii would soon achieve statehood as well.
Heft also sent the flag to his congressman, Walter Moeller, who presented it to President Eisenhower after both new states joined the Union. Eisenhower selected Heft’s design, and on July 4, 1960, the president and the high school student stood together as the 50-star flag was raised for the first time. Heft’s teacher promptly changed his grade from a B- to an A.
5. Unlike setting an intact flag on fire, flying one upside-down is not always intended as an act of protest. According to the Flag Code, it can also be an official distress signal.
6. The Flag Code stipulates that the Stars and Stripes should not be used as apparel, bedding or drapery.
7. The practice of draping coffins in the American flag is not reserved for military veterans and government officials. On the contrary, any burial may incorporate this tradition.
8. Etiquette calls for American flags to be illuminated by sunlight or another light source while on display.
9. During the Vietnam War era, some demonstrators burned American flags as an act of protest. The Flag Protection Act of 1968 was enacted in response, making it illegal to burn or otherwise deface the Stars and Stripes. In two landmark decisions 20 years later, the Supreme Court ruled that the government couldn’t curb individuals’ First Amendment rights by prohibiting desecration of the U.S. flag. Respectful burning of damaged flags according to established protocol has always been acceptable.
10. When flags are taken down from their poles, care must be taken to keep them from touching the ground. In fact, the American flag should always be kept aloft, meaning that rugs and carpets featuring the Stars and Stripes are barred by the Flag Code.
History.com

06/13/2022

Timeline photos

In recognition of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a historical figure will be one of many Tea Party participants to be commemorated with a plaque in the coming months. Below is a press release about an upcoming ceremony happening at the Common St. Cemetery in Watertown on June 18th.
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The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, in partnership with the Historical Society of Watertown, the City of Watertown, MA, and Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations working together to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of the events that led to American Revolution, will place a commemorative marker at the gravesite of known Boston Tea Party participant, Samuel Barnard, in the Common Street Cemetery on June 18, 2022.

Massachusetts Patriot Samuel Barnard was born in Watertown, MA on June 19, 1737 and lived in Watertown his entire life. He was a blacksmith and a farmer and married Elizabeth (née Bond) in Watertown, on March 4, 1773 with whom he had five children. After his involvement in the infamous Boston Tea Party, Barnard went on to serve in the American Revolutionary War. As Captain of a company in Col. Thomas Gardner’s regiment, he marched to Concord, MA on April 19, 1775 and fought in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagements of the war. He was also part of the militia fortifying Dorchester Heights in March of 1776, an event that precipitated the end of the siege of Boston and the withdrawal of British troops. Barnard lived in Watertown until his death in 1782.

A total of 89 commemorative markers have been placed at graves of known Boston Tea Party participants buried within some of Massachusetts’ oldest burying grounds throughout Massachusetts.

In the time leading up to the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, (December 16, 2023), additional markers will be placed at the graves of ALL 125 known Boston Tea Party participants buried throughout New England and the United States.

06/07/2022

Timeline photos

The Shick House, which was the first Jewish-Owned dairy farm in the state, will be commemorated with a historical marker during a ceremony on Sunday, June 26th at 1pm. The house, which was located at 183 grove St. in , was torn down earlier this year.

Below is the press release provided by the Historical Society of Watertown.
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On Sunday, June 26, 2022 the Historical Society of Watertown will hold a public unveiling of an interpretive marker adjacent to the site of the Shick Farm at 183 Grove St. in Watertown. Jacob and Mary Shick purchased this farm in 1914 and operated a dairy here and grew the business until their 200 cows required larger acreage in Wayland.

“They were the archetypical immigrant success story,” says Historical Society board member Bob Bloomberg, “backbreakingly hard workers, with a fierce determination to succeed, and a willingness to take chances. Members of the family continued to live in the Italianate mansion on the site until 2002. The family was an integral part of the ethnic and religious diversity of the town.”

The marker, generously donated by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, summarizes the story of the house, and also includes vintage photos of the Shicks, as well as of their 1850s Italianate house in its glory days.

“Originally a country estate stocked with prize-winning horses,” says Historical Society president Marilynne Roach, “the land was originally a market garden, but for the greater part of its history the farm was the thriving Shick Dairy."

The public is welcome to attend the unveiling of the marker at 1 o’clock, Sunday, June 26, 2022 at the edge of Filippello Park on Grove St. in Watertown, MA. next to the site of the former Shick House. For more information contact Bob Bloomberg at [email protected].

06/03/2022

Reminder for this coming Sunday, June 27, 2022, 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

06/03/2022

05/28/2022

History of Memorial Day
Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars, including World War II, The Vietnam War, The Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date General Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. The change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
History.com

04/19/2022

Home

Taken from http://historicalsocietyofwatertownma.org/HSW/

"The Continental Army, under the command of Lt. Gen. George Washington, conducted the siege from June 1775 to March 1776, and were reinforced by militia regiments. Capt. Phineas Stearns, former lieutenant of minutemen, commanded the Watertown company called up for five days service in March 1776. The battalion commander was Maj. Samuel Barnard the former minute company commander.
During the Revolutionary War, the Watertown militia was tasked to provide men for the Continental Army and for provisional active duty militia regiments. Militiamen enlisted in the Continental Army for varying lengths of time while militiamen were called up for several days or several months of active duty. Watertown's Military History states that 138 Watertown men served on active duty during the war (Isaac B. Patten, 1907).
Watertown militiamen served in campaigns in New York in 1776 and 1777, in Rhode Island in 1777 and again in New York in 1778. In 1777 nine Watertown militiamen guarded British POWs, who had surrendered at Saratoga, in Somerville. Sgt. Nathaniel Bemis and other Watertown men served on active duty in Capt. John Walton’s Company, Col. Brook’s regiment of guards from 2 February to 3 April 1778.

Home of The Historical Society of Watertown, Massachusetts

04/15/2022

Patriots Day Schedule 2022 - Reenactments, Parades, Events - Boston Discovery Guide

https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/patriots-day-schedule.html

Use our comprehensive Patriots Day schedule to find 60+ stirring reenactments, parades, and events in Boston's big commemoration of the beginning of the American Revolution.

04/08/2022

04/01/2022

Did you know? April Fools Day!

Celebrated on April 1 each year—has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. April Fools’ Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools’ Day prank. While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools’ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life.
Origins of April Fools' Day
Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.
People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
Hilaria in Ancient Rome
Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele. It involved people dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens and even magistrates and was said to be inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris and Seth.
Vernal Equinox and April Fools'
There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.
History of April Fools’ Day
April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.
April Fools’ Day Pranks
In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations and websites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences.
History.com

03/13/2022

Why Do We Have Daylight Saving Time?

Many think that daylight saving time was conceived to give farmers an extra hour of sunlight to till their fields, but this is a common misconception. In fact, farmers have long been opposed to springing forward and falling back, since it throws off their usual harvesting schedule.

The real reasons for daylight saving are based around energy conservation and a desire to match daylight hours to the times when most people are awake. The idea dates back to 1895, when entomologist George Vernon Hudson unsuccessfully proposed an annual two-hour time shift to the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Ten years later, the British construction magnate William Willett picked up where Hudson left off when he argued that the United Kingdom should adjust their clocks by 80 minutes each spring and fall to give people more time to enjoy daytime recreation. Willett was a tireless advocate of what he called “Summer Time,” but his idea never made it through Parliament.

The first real experiments with daylight saving time began during World War I. On April 30, 1916, Germany and Austria implemented a one-hour clock shift as a way of conserving electricity needed for the war effort. The United Kingdom and several other European nations adopted daylight saving shortly thereafter, and the United States followed suit in 1918. (While Germany and Austria were the first countries to implement daylight savings, the first towns to implement a seasonal time-shift were Port Arthur and Fort William, Canada in 1908.)

Most Americans only saw the time adjustment as a wartime act, and it was later repealed in 1919. Standard time ruled until 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt re-instituted daylight saving during World War II. This time, more states continued using daylight saving after the conflict ended, but for decades there was little consistency with regard to its schedule. Finally, in 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized daylight saving across the country and established its start and end times in April and October (later changed to March and November in 2007).

Today, daylight saving time is used in dozens of countries across the globe, but it remains a controversial practice. Most studies show that its energy savings are only negligible, and some have even found that costs are higher since people in hot climates are more apt to use air conditioners in the daytime. Meanwhile, Hawaii and Arizona have opted out of daylight saving altogether and remain on standard time year-round.

The idea dates back to 1895–and has been controversial ever since.
History.com

03/04/2022

A small piece of history...

April 19th History Coalition
75 in ’75 Patriots’ Day Countdown – #46
From
Thomas Gage worshiped from this pew at the Old North Church while serving as Royal Governor of Massachusetts. Gage commanded the 4,000+ British soldiers sent to occupy the city after the Boston Tea Party.

Image description: Wooden white boxed pew number 62
Image Credit: The Old North Church & Historic Site



Minute Man National Historical Park
Concord Museum
Massachusetts Historical Society
Revolution250
Arlington Historical Society & Jason Russell House
Lexington Historical Society
Friends of Minute Man National Park
Bedford Historical Society, Bedford Ma

02/25/2022

Photos from Historic New England's post

02/21/2022

HAPPY PRESIDENT’S DAY!
Did You know?

Presidents' Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February; Presidents' Day 2022 will occur on Monday, February 21. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents' Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other figures, Presidents' Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

Washington's Birthday
The story of Presidents' Day date begins in 1800. Following the death of George Washington in 1799, his February 22 birthday became a perennial day of remembrance.
At the time, Washington was venerated as the most important figure in American history, and events like the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration.

While Washington’s Birthday was an unofficial observance for most of the 1800s, it was not until the late 1870s that it became a federal holiday. Senator Stephen Wallace Dorsey of Arkansas was the first to propose the measure, and in 1879 President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law.

The holiday initially only applied to the District of Columbia, but in 1885 it was expanded to the whole country. At the time, Washington’s Birthday joined four other nationally recognized federal bank holidays—Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving—and was the first to celebrate the life of an individual American. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, signed into law in 1983, was the second.

George Washington: A Timeline of his Life
Uniform Monday Holiday Act
The shift from Washington’s Birthday to Presidents' Day began in the late 1960s when Congress proposed a measure known as the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Championed by Senator Robert McClory of Illinois, this law sought to shift the celebration of several federal holidays from specific dates to a series of predetermined Mondays.

The proposed change was seen by many as a novel way to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers, and it was believed that ensuring holidays always fell on the same weekday would reduce employee absenteeism. While some argued that shifting holidays from their original dates would cheapen their meaning, the bill also had widespread support from both the private sector and labor unions and was seen as a surefire way to bolster retail sales.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act also included a provision to combine the celebration of Washington’s birthday with that of Abraham Lincoln, which fell on February 12. Lincoln’s Birthday had long been a state holiday in places like Illinois, and many supported joining the two days as a way of giving equal recognition to two of America’s most famous statesmen.

McClory was among the measure’s major proponents, and he even floated the idea of renaming the holiday Presidents' Day. This proved to be a point of contention for lawmakers from George Washington’s home state of Virginia, and the proposal was eventually dropped.

Nevertheless, the main piece of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in 1968 and officially took effect in 1971 following an executive order from President Richard M. Nixon. Washington’s Birthday was then shifted from the fixed date of February 22 to the third Monday of February. Columbus Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day were also moved from their traditionally designated dates. (As a result of widespread criticism, in 1978 Veterans Day was returned to its original November 11 date.)

Did you know? Presidents' Day never falls on the actual birthday of any American president. Four chief executives—George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan—were born in February, but their birthdays all come either too early or late to coincide with Presidents' Day, which is always celebrated on the third Monday of the month.

What Presidents Do We Celebrate on Presidents' Day?
While Nixon’s order plainly called the newly placed holiday Washington’s Birthday, it was not long before the shift to Presidents' Day began.

The move away from February 22 led many to believe that the new date was intended to honor both Washington and Lincoln, as it now fell between their two birthdays. Marketers soon jumped at the opportunity to play up the three-day weekend with sales, and “Presidents' Day” bargains were advertised at stores around the country.

By the mid-1980s, Washington’s Birthday was known to many Americans as Presidents' Day. This shift had solidified in the early 2000s, by which time as many as half the 50 states had changed the holiday’s name to Presidents' Day on their calendars.

Some states have even chosen to customize the holiday by adding new figures to the celebration. Arkansas, for instance, celebrates Washington as well as civil rights activist Daisy Gatson Bates. Alabama, meanwhile, uses Presidents' Day to commemorate Washington and Thomas Jefferson (who was born in April).
Washington and Lincoln still remain the two most recognized leaders, but Presidents' Day is now popularly seen as a day to recognize the lives and achievements of all of America’s chief executives. Some lawmakers have objected to this view, arguing that grouping George Washington and Abraham Lincoln together with less successful presidents minimizes their legacies.

Congressional measures to restore Washington and Lincoln’s individual birthdays were proposed during the early 2000s, but all failed to gain much attention. For its part, the federal government has held fast to the original incarnation of the holiday as a celebration of the country’s first president. The third Monday in February is still listed on official calendars as Washington’s Birthday.

Presidents' Day Celebrations and Traditions
Like Independence Day, Presidents' Day is traditionally viewed as a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance. In its original incarnation as Washington’s Birthday, the holiday gained special meaning during the difficulties of the Great Depression, when portraits of George Washington often graced the front pages of newspapers and magazines every February 22.

In 1932, the date was used to reinstate the Purple Heart, a military decoration originally created by George Washington to honor soldiers killed or wounded while serving in the armed forces. Patriotic groups and the Boy Scouts of America also held celebrations on the day, and in 1938 some 5,000 people attended mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in honor of Washington.

In its modern form, Presidents' Day is used by many patriotic and historical groups as a date for staging celebrations, reenactments, and other events. A number of states also require that their public schools spend days leading up to Presidents' Day teaching students about the accomplishments of the presidents.
History.com