Around Town

Find Out About Applying for Grants to Help Watertown Residents Age 55+

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The following announcement was provided by the Marshall Home Fund:

The Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is a community-based charitable foundation dedicated toserving Watertown residents aged 55 and older. We annually award modest program grants to public agencies, private non-profits, and town departments serving Watertown’s older adultpopulation. MHF also provides financial assistance grants to older residents in urgent need. MHF funds innovative projects and core services to support Watertown’s efforts to be an Age-Friendly Community — a place where older adults can live, thrive and contribute. Since itsinception in 2005, MHF has awarded over $1,000,000 in grants! Some of our recent grantrecipients include The Mosesian Center for the Arts, Metro West Collaborative Development,the Watertown Recreation Department, Perkins School for the Blind, Project Literacy, theSenior Center, and many others. 

The Marshall Home Fund would like to invite community members representing non-profit agencies and town departments to join us for a virtual Grant Information Session on Thursday, February 9th at 3:00 p.m. to hear about our 2023-2024 grant opportunities.

Around Town

City Encourages Residents to Return Census, Not Doing So Could Impact Voting Status

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The following announcement came from the City of Watertown:

The annual City Census will be arriving in your mailbox soon! Be sure to complete, sign and return your Census as soon as you receive it! 

Here is why your Census is so important:

Only a census form can update your census year.  If you do not return your annual census, your census year will not be current. Each June, any voter without a current census year will be classified as an “Inactive Voter,” regardless of whether they voted in a recent election. INACTIVE VOTERS ARE STILL VOTERS AND REMAIN ON THE VOTING LIST!!! What this means at the polls:

If a voter is inactive on Election Day, they must provide ID showing their Watertown address and sign an affidavit of continuous residence, swearing that they still live in the city.

Around Town

Tour One of Watertown’s Oldest Houses with the Historical Society

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Edmund Fowle House, home of the Historical Society of Watertown. The following information was provided by the Historical Society of Watertown:

The Historical Society of Watertown will be giving Open House tours at the Edmund Fowle House on Feb. 19. The house was built in 1771 and is one of the oldest remaining in Watertown. In 1775 it became the seat of government for the Provincial Congress, and was the location of the first treaty signing after the United States gained Independence.

Around Town

Our History: One of Watertown’s Oldest Houses Now Home to Law Office

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134 Main Street, photo taken in March 2004 (Courtesy of Joyce Kelly)

This article is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Joyce Kelly, Board member of the Historical Society of Watertown. Joyce writes articles for the newsletter and is the newsletter editor. This was published in our April 2004 newsletter, “The Town Crier”. 134 Main Street

Although many of the old houses of Watertown have been demolished to make way for “progress,” a few of these treasures have been saved by caring individuals with a soft spot for days gone by and an interest in what happened in the past.

Around Town

Gore Place’s New Home for Sheep Being Built With Historic Method

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Charlie BreitroseA new barn is going up at Gore Place for the estate’s herd of sheep. It is being built using a historic method. A new building going up at the farm at Gore Place will provide a new home for the flock of sheep at the historic estate, but it will also embody the architecture of the 19th Century, when the home and farm were built.

The beam and post method is being used to build the barn, where pieces are cut to fit together and are held together with wooden pegs. During construction, workers use only hand tools, besides the crane that lowered the beams into place when the frame went up in mid-December. The building is a reproduction of an English-style threshing barn which would have been used for threshing wheat, housing animals, and other purposes, said Thom Roach director of interpretation at Gore Place.

Around Town

Watertown Recycling Center Closed During Cold Spell

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Watertown’s Recycling Center will be closed this weekend due to the frigid temperatures, according to the announcement from the Department of Public Works. See info below. Due to inclement weather, the Recycle Center will be closing today, Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1pm and will remain closed all of Saturday, February 4, 2023. The Recycle Center will reopen Tuesday, February 7, 2023. Thank you and stay warm.