The Historical Society of Watertown will host a talk about a historical true crime, and host its annual meeting on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 2 p.m. at the Watertown Library. See more information provided by the Historical Society, below.
Annual Members Meeting with Election of Board Members Immediately following slide show and talk by historian Marie Daly: “Incident at Rock Meadow — True Crime Story of Ruth Sawtell & Thomas Loveran.”
Location: Watertown Free Public Library
Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room
123 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
In 17th century Watertown, Zachariah Smith fled charges of unlawful relations with neighbor Ruth Sawtell. The ensuing repercussions of his subsequent murder contributed to the outbreak of King Philip’s War. Three years later, an assignation with another neighbor made Ruth Sawtell a repeat offender, and the scene of their crime was the “Great Rock” in Rock Meadow. Rock Meadow was originally part of Watertown, later part of Waltham, and then Belmont. Marie will tell the story of these illicit colonial trysts gleaned from online court records, and reveal the location of an important, but unrecognized, landmark in Rock Meadow.
Marie Daly is a longtime director of the Waltham Historical Society, is a founder of the Waltham Land Trust, is retired from the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and is known for uncovering the stories hidden in deeds, maps, and town records — tracing how our landscape evolved from colonial farms to modern neighborhoods. Her illustrated talks bring the past to life. In this program she turns her lens to one of the area’s more curious chapters: The Incident at Rock Meadow. What happened there, and why does it still echo today?
All meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, please go to our website or contact Joyce at joycekel@aol.com.
NOTE: This program is intended for mature audiences due to the subject matter containing reference to extra-marital relations, an-out-of-wedlock birth & the violence associated with King Philips War (1675-1678). Parking is free on Sundays in the parking lot behind the library