Historical

At issue was consolidating an undesignated historic property at 221 Morrison Avenue (near Davis Square) with two previously designated properties on Morrison (222 and 197) to form the Morrison Avenue Historic District. The two owners of 221 Morrison Ave. were present to testify in favor. Passed after discussion. Question addressed of why designate single buildings? Answer: easier to execute than a whole street.

[ July 6, 2010; 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This meeting is important because historic districts on the one hand preserve historic properties for later generations, and on the other hand can prove expensive and inconvenient for property owners in the district.

[ June 9, 2010; 8:00 pm; ] This meeting is important because Somerville Historic Districts are important to maintaining the city’s character and to controlling development.

[ May 23, 2010; 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. ] The 9th annual Historic Bike Tour will once again be sponsored in collaboration with the Somerville Bike Committee.  The theme this year will be the “Lost Theatres of Somerville.”  The guided ride, accompanied by the Somerville Police, will begin at City Hall at 1:00 pm and end at the Somerville Museum around 4:00 pm, with [...]

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick spoke in the inaccessible Somerville High School auditorium this past Monday March 8, 2010, celebrating the fact that Somerville, MA was named one of the 10 All America Cities, 2009, by the National League of Cities.
A week later, the Somerville Arts Council- which enjoys American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding, [...]

Having only lived in Somerville for about three and a half years, I have much to learn about the city’s past. Here are some historical articles that may be of wider interest. I hope others will share other stories that can inform the newer residents of what life was like in the good/bad old days.

Somerville [...]

[ January 1, 2010; 11:30 am; ] Last year’s flag raising event at Prospect Hill was kind of thrilling.  We’d had one of our many snowstorms of last winter and the day, the first day of the year, was clear and bright as a bell.  The Prospect Hill Tower was open to the public and I dashed up for a look-see.  They [...]

[ October 29, 2009; 8:00 pm; October 30, 2009; 8:00 pm; October 31, 2009; 2:00 pm; 8:00 pm; ] The Post-Meridian Radio
Players (PMRP) are pleased to announce the launch of the Web site and
ticket sales for “The Big Broadcast of October 30th, 1938″ – the
latest iteration of their annual Halloween tribute to the Golden Age
of Radio.

[ October 17, 2009; 4:00 pm; ] The Ghosts of Somerville will rise again next Saturday, October 17th from 4:00 p.m. to dusk, at the Milk Row Cemetery, at 400 Somerville Avenue, next to DeMoulas Market Basket.  Historic Somerville, Inc. is producing the event, with help from the Somerville Museum and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC).  Ghosts of Somerville is a [...]

[ September 27, 2009; 2:00 pm; ] From Powder House Pickles to the Brick Yards of Ball Square –West Somerville’s Explosive Growth at the Turn of the Century

Ed Gordon, President of the New England Chapter of the Victorian Society will lead a tour exploring the architecturally rich and historic neighborhood between the Tufts campus/Powder House Square and Ball Square, currently known as [...]

[ June 14, 2009; 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. ] Historic Preservation Event: A Walking Tour entitled, “West Somerville- From Powderhouse Pickles to Ball Square Brickyards”, has been rescheduled to its rain date on Sun. June 14th rain date. The tour goes from 10:30 – 12:30 pm and starts at the Powderhouse Field House. See here for more information: http://www.somervillema.gov/alert.cfm?alert_id=203

[ May 31, 2009; 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] Join the Somerville Bicycle Committee and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission for a bike tour featuring Somerville’s many historic houses of worship.

We’ll meet at Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, at 2 pm on Sunday, May 31. We’ll take about three hours to ride about nine miles, stopping along the way to see various churches [...]

[ April 20, 2009; 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. ] Celebrate Patriots’ Day the Colonial way! Period dress encouraged.