The public had two chances to take the Historical Society’s Watertown During the Revolution walking tour, and the Historical Society is also hosting an event with the Watertown Library with a live reading of American Calliope: Mercy Otis Warren & the Writings of a Revolutionary. See the announcements from the Historical Society below.
Historic Tours
The Historical Society of Watertown invites you to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the fight for American Independence by taking a walking tour of “Watertown During the Revolution.”
Dates: Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 10 a.m. and Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 10 a.m.
Meeting Place: Zussman Memorial Park beside 66 Galen St.
(The tour will be cancelled for rain.)
Join Historical Society of Watertown walking tour leaders Lynne O’Connell and Beth Houston for a 90-minute walking tour to learn about the important role that the town played during the American Revolution.
After the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the Provincial Congress assembled in the town’s Meeting House, making Watertown the seat of the Massachusetts government for 18 months. As a result, many prominent Revolutionary War figures boarded in town, including Paul Revere and Dr. Joseph Warren.
On the tour, we’ll visit the sites of important dwellings (many of which are no longer standing), public spaces, monuments and plaques as we make our way to the 1772 Edmund Fowle House, where the Executive Council of the Provincial Congress met. Participants will be invited to enter the house and view the current exhibit that celebrates the 250 th anniversary of both the Fowle House and the fight for American independence. The tour ends here at the Edmund Fowle House.
The tour price is $10.00 (cash or check only) and is open to the public. Please register by emailing Joyce at joycekel@aol.com
For more information, go to www.HistoricalSocietyOfWatertownMA.org
Live Reading
The Historical Society of Watertown & The Watertown Free Public Library Present: “American Calliope: Mercy Otis Warren & the Writings of a Revolutionary” live performance by Michele Gabrielson.
Sunday, September 7, 2025, 2 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown MA 02472 in the Watertown Savings Bank Room Step back in time and converse with a founding mother, Mercy Otis Warren! Often described as the “muse of the revolution,” Mercy brilliantly used her passion for poetry and prose to persuade others to join in the revolutionary cause. This program will introduce visitors to Mercy Otis Warren in a setting where they can converse with Mercy as she tells the story of how she rejected the conventional expectations of women in the 18th century and became the first historian of the American Revolution.
Michele Gabrielson is a 17-year public school history teacher and historic interpreter of the 18th century. Michele leads historic tours in Boston and gives lectures on 18th century printing. She serves on the historic clothing standards committee for Minute Man National Historical Park and serves as Secretary for the Mercy Otis Warren Society. She has been named the Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution’s Outstanding History Teacher of the Year for 2025, and the 2025 recipient of the Fred Graham Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati.
All meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit our website or contact Joyce at joycekel@aol.com
This Program is funded by a 2025 grant from the Watertown Community Foundation.