The following announcement was provided by Historic New England and the Historical Society of Watertown:
Join Historic New England and local cultural organizations for an afternoon of history, culture, and connection. Explore the Browne House, enjoy family-friendly activities and lawn games, browse books at the mobile library, and meet your neighbors as we celebrate Watertown’s rich heritage.
Participating organizations include:
Watertown Free Public Library
Historical Society of Watertown
Watertown Public Arts & Culture
The Pigsgusset Initiative
Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation
Gore Place
Friends of Mount Auburn
WHEN: Saturday, May 2, 10:00 a.m.– 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Browne House, 562 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
● Parking in the Police Station lot next door or on Main Street is encouraged. There is no parking on site for this event.
● There are steps to enter the house, and the site is not equipped with ramps, elevators, or lifts. And there is no public restroom.
Schedule:
10:10 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., Browne House 101
Enjoy a mini-tour of this historic site. The museum remains open with staff on hand throughout the day.
11:00 a.m., Preservation Talk
Omri Nassau, Director of Preservation Trades at Historic New England, discusses how the late 1600s building has held up over time, literally.
11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Ice Cream
Frosty Ice Cream truck serves treats for purchase.
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m., Live Music
The New Grown-Ups take the stage in the early afternoon, bringing a modern twist to American Roots music. Their sound blends traditional folk, country, blues, Celtic, old-time, bluegrass, pop, and original songs into a lively contemporary acoustic performance.
This program is funded in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Coming Soon: Tour the 2 Oldest Houses in Watertown on the Same Day Sunday, June 15, 2025
The Browne House (c. 1698) at 562 Main Street, Watertown. Tours at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon (Free for Watertown Residents)
The Edmund Fowle House (1772) at 28 Marshall St, Watertown Tours at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. (Free That Day for Watertown Residents)
ABOUT THE BROWNE HOUSE
Built around 1698, Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features and shows how an early Watertown farming family lived. In 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented restoration in America. It then operated as a tearoom serving treats, gifts, and nostalgia for colonial America. The house is open for visitors to tour on the first and second Saturdays of each month, May through October.
ABOUT HISTORIC NEW ENGLAND
Historic New England welcomes the public to thirty-eight exceptional museums and landscapes, operates a major collections and archives center, and protects 125 privately owned historic properties in the region through a preservation easement program. HistoricNewEngland.org