Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/aroundtown/)
The Burnham-Manning Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1105 will Celebrate its Centennial Anniversary on May 24. The Post provided the following information. History of Burnham-Manning VFW Post 1105
The sign out of the former location of VFW Post 1105. The Watertown, Massachusetts faction of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Burnham-Manning Post No. 1105, was instituted on May 14, 1924.
We often talk about “The Good Old Days” and the nostalgia of how things were better in the past. While Watertown’s past had great things, “The Good Old Days” had the same issues we face today. For instance, The Historical Society of Watertown has a fantastic resource: Watertown Newspaper Headlines from 1880-1941. Below is a sampling of 20 headlines along with the dates they appeared:
7/14/1880 “Galen St Dangerous for ladies after dark”
11/8/1882 “What Watertown Needs Most – housing for rent”
10/21/1892 George E. Priest said he had heard that the Newton & Waltham Street Railway desires to extend its Watertown-Waltham line to Mount Auburn
8/1/1893 “controversy between horse drawn vehicles and electric cars between Cambridge and Watertown”
1/6/1893 “Plans for electric railway cars from Watertown to Newton up Galen Street”
11/1/1901 “Cyclists warned not to ride between streetcar tracks, dangerous”
7/4/1902 “Horse and buggy accident between Mr. & Mrs. James Milmore and 2 men on horseback – Fred Rankins and Frank Haynes”
9/26/1902 “Another suggestion for improving the center (illustration and map of a proposed new Watertown Square)”
12/9/1904 “Save the trees”
3/17/1905 “Arsenal streetcar route extended to Scollay Square”
12/15/1905 “New Plans for Galen Street Bridge and Delta”
7/19/1907 “Watertown murder case: Charles Reed shot by Antonio Zeccolo”
7/30/1909 “10,000 riot at band concert near Watertown Square”
1/20/1911 “ Progress Being Made on High School Building (East Jr.)”
2/7/1924 “Common Street Widening meets great protest”
12/24/1933 “Town votes $135,000 for addition to High School, $35,000 for Main Library”
11/8/1934 “Subway tunnel proposed for Watertown Square (to relieve traffic!)”
12/26/1935 “Arsenal Street most dangerous piece of road in town”
9/4/1941 “ Watertown Starts to Abolish Worst Traffic Bottleneck (widening Watertown St. at Galen”
6/29/1945 “Mt.
When I think of all the ways that Watertown has shaped my life and family, I think about how fortunate my son is to have lived his entire life here. And for as long as we’ve called Watertown our home, the Square has been a cornerstone of our lives. From weekly trips to sing and dance with friends and neighbors at the library to long walks (and scooterings) around the Charles River, I’ve spent endless hours in the square.
I have also been fortunate to be able to attend every one of the public presentations on the Watertown Square redesign, and I am deeply optimistic for the proposed changes. I’m encouraged by the passion with which the city staff are working to make Watertown’s beating heart stronger and healthier for the next generation. The decisions we make in the coming months will determine what sort of city my son will inherit.
Cunniff Elementary School will hold the second annual Family Formal on Saturday, May 11 from 6-8 p.m.
The school provided the following information:
The event is for students in kindergarten through fifth grade at the Cunniff Elementary School. Use the Gym entrance. This is not a drop off event. COST: $10 per adult, $5 per student, Family Cap $30. Includes a DJ and photo booth.
On Saturday, May 11, U.S. Postal Service mail carriers will be collecting food during the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. The following information about the food collection came from the National Association of Letter Carriers’ website:
Each year, letter carriers across the country head out on their routes on the second Saturday in May to collect donations of non-perishable food items to benefit local food pantries. Since launching in 1993, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive, helping to fill the shelves of food banks in cities and towns throughout the United States. The need is great, but you can help. We invite you to join letter carriers and our partner organizations in the fight to end hunger in our communities by participating in the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
Wikimedia Commons / ChensiyuanMassachusetts State House. Watertown Faces Climate Change will host a discussion called “Beyond Gas: The Future of Clean Heat.” The group provided the information, below. Learn how this important Massachusetts bill will pivot us towards a future beyond gas and how to advocate for this critical change. Following the presentation, lead co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Steve Owens will share his goals and perspective.
George Proakis, ManagerCity of Watertown149 Main StreetWatertown, Massachusetts 02472
Dear Mr. Proakis:
I am writing after seeing Ms. Maloney’s article in Charles Breitrose’s On Line Newspaper expressing several concerns surrounding Arsenal Yards; especially the Brothel that operated from a property located in Arsenal Yards. She brings to our attention the bronze portrait of Mark Sideris which reads “without Mark Sideris Arsenal Yards and All that surrounds it may not have been realized.” Given the portrait and the citation, I surmise that is why she says, given Mark’s importance, he should know about everything that is happening on the property. I do not see any reason why Mark would know or anticipate all of the businesses Boylston Properties had already arranged leases with, nor those who would later sign leases. Until Ms. Maloney’s letter I had not seen anything written or in print about the bronze portrait of Mark on the property. And, even though I had serious concerns about singling out the Council President from the other Councilors, I remained quiet.
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
Let’s go back to April 25, 2024, when I visited the April Watertown Democratic Town Committee Meeting. The Watertown Democratic Town Committee Meeting:
One of my public meeting stops was the Watertown Democratic Town Committee (WDTC) Meeting to see what they had on their minds. I noticed that Dan Pritchard, one of the four founders of Housing for All Watertown (HAW) was going to be speaking. I was interested. I want to thank the WDTC for being so welcoming to this “Independent” voter.
There is a VERY IMPORTANT meeting of the Planning Board tonight, May 8, at 7 p.m. regarding the 10-30 Manley Way proposed development. This is the site of the former Launch Trampoline Park and the Boston Rhythmic Dance Studio, which has been vacant for some time. There was a community meeting on September 5, 2023 that almost never happened. It was found out that our city rules needed to be amended so that a conversion of a 95,000 building required a community meeting for any type of change in such a building, not in just a newly planned one. About 70 plus residents attended this meeting via Zoom and the myriad of questions raised was quite impressive.
