LETTER: What the Delta Saw: A (slightly) Irreverent and Rambling History of Watertown Square (Part 9)

The Old Bridge, Galen Street Bridge 1906 before its demolition (Photo courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library)

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Part 9: There’s a New Bridge in Town

According to Maud Hodges, in Crossroads on the Charles: “The new bridge was designed by Wilbur Learned, the Town engineer, and it combined strength, utility and beauty. The new structure was a broad, wide arch of concrete with a ninety-foot span …. The bridge was faced with granite blocks cut in Deer Isle, Maine. The road bed was 80 feet wide, spreading out at both ends to provide access for vehicles. Mt.

Celebrate Grandparents Day at Brigham House, Make a Keepsake

The Brigham House assisted living community is housed in Watertown’s former East Junior High School. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Families Together:

The relationship between a grandparent and child is indeed special. Again this year we will celebrate Grandparent Day on Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. at Brigham House Assisted Living Residence, 341 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown.

LETTER: What the Delta Saw: A (slightly) Irreverent and Rambling History of Watertown Square (Part 7 & 8)

Watertown Baptist Church Members over the age of 50 (Photo courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library)

Part 7: What We’ve Got Here is a Failure to Communicate! More of the 1800’s

The 1800’s were more than just an industrial revolution in Watertown. Many national and localissues were being played out locally to great drama and effect. For instance, the Temperance Movement was in full bloom. In a few words, women had had enough of family beatings and earnings all going to the local tavern and not to feed their children.

LETTER: What the Delta Saw: A (slightly) Irreverent and Rambling History of Watertown Square (Part 5 & 6)

Coolidge Tavern (Photo courtesy of Watertown Free Public Library)

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Part 5: The Roaring 1700’s

By the 1700’s, Watertown was hopping. There were stage coach lines coming through town and a lively lumber business floating up and down the Charles. Besides the mills, there were hotels, stables, blacksmiths, and horse boarding establishments. (Burke)

Situated right in the middle of Watertown Square, Galen Street was proving to be kind of a problem. At this point in time, which was surprising, because Watertown was still mostly a farming community, this square was a lively place, and not always in a good way.

Marshall Home Fund Seeks Applications for Fund Administrator

The Marshall Home Fund sent out the following job description:

Fund Administrator for Watertown Non-profit Foundation

The Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is a private, non-profit charity that provides annual program grants to Watertown organizations that serve older adults, as well as modest individual grants to persons 55 and older experiencing financial need. We support a wide variety of efforts to build and maintain an age-friendly community for older adults. The key functions of the administrator are:

Soliciting, assessing, and supporting grant recipients;

Supporting board members and committee chairs;

✓ Serving as liaison between MHF and grantees;

✓ Performing MHF administrative tasks as needed. Job description:

The Fund is currently seeking a part-time Administrator (we estimate 8 hours per week on average), who will:

Provide administrative and communication support to the Fund’s Board of Directors;

Support program and individual grant application processes and facilitate communication between grant recipients and the Board;

Receive and respond to correspondence;

Maintain files/records, database, and office equipment;

Work closely with the Treasurer, Bookkeeper, and others to ensure timely payment of bills and grants, and track financial transactions;

Generate reports and board minutes in a timely and accurate manner;

Attend Board and committee meetings, either in person or virtually, as needed;

Support MHF committees and help to promote the Fund’s activities within the town, sometimes representing the Fund in the larger community;

Keep the Fund’s website up-to-date;

Gather and compile information from board members and grant recipients to produce a quarterly newsletter on Mailchimp;

​Qualifications:

The successful candidate will:

Be self-directed, comfortable working independently, and able to prioritize tasks;

Possess excellent organizational and interpersonal skills;

Demonstrate a high level of maturity as well as discretion, tact, and diplomacy in communicating with grantees, board members and the wider community, verbally and in writing;

Be proficient in Microsoft Office applications including Excel, as well as Zoom meeting technology;

Be knowledgeable in general office procedures and able to take accurate meeting minutes. At least two years of college, with a minimum of three years experience in administrative, human service, or similar work is desired.

Watertown Cultural Council Seeks Grant Proposals for 2023-24

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Cultural Council:

The Watertown Cultural Council (WCC) seeks new grant proposals from organizations, schools, and individuals who wish to provide arts, humanities and interpretive science programs for the Watertown community in 2023-24. Proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and interpretive science projects are due October 17, 2023 at 11:59 EST. Application forms and more information are available online beginning September 1 st at www.massculturalcouncil.org. For additional WCC guidelines, priorities and complete information on past Watertown Cultural Council grantees, contact the WCC or go to Grants at our website, http://www.watertownculturalcouncil.org/. Questions?

Live Well Watertown Hosting Walk N Talk Along River, Qigong Classes

Live Well Watertown, a program of the City of Watertown, will host several activities to get out and about this fall, including a Walk along with River with the man who wants to start a shuttle on the Charles River, and Qigong classes at the Library. The following information was provided by Live Well Watertown:

Community Walk -n- Talk Series 

Charles River Water Shuttle  ~ in partnership with the Watertown Business CoalitionDATE: Thursday, September 14, 2023, 1:00 – 2:00 PMLOCATION: Watertown Square Dock, just east of the Galen St. BridgeJoin us for a walk along the Charles River with Drew Rollert, founder of Wada Hoppah! Drew’s company is designing a specialty-built electric water shuttle to transport people from Watertown to Boston. Learn more about Watertown’s history, the water industry, and plans in development for this new service. The WALK N’ TALKS are designed to get outside and walk while learning a bit more about our city! Bring a friend or meet someone new. Find the full series flyer below.REGISTER HERE

3 Body Qigong for Health & Healing Tuesdays, September 12 – October 17, 20231:00 – 2:00pm

Watertown Savings Bank Room, Watertown Public LibraryNO Registration Required.

Colorful New Benches Popping Up Around Watertown are Made from Recycled Bottle Caps

One of the benches around Watertown made from recycled plastic bottle caps. (Courtesy of City of Watertown)

Scattered across different parts of Watertown are colorful benches with a surprising element to them, they are made out of recycled plastic bottle caps. The Watertown Department of Public Works (DPW) has been working with Plastic Recycled for over a year when they started making eco bricks. “They were making eco bricks which are the things where you stuff lots of non-recyclable single use plastic into a bottle and they use it for construction,” said Recycling Coordinator, Anya Pforzheimer. The company had asked the DPW if it could be a drop off center for the plastic.