Historic Somerville

• January 1st, 2012,  The 236^th Flag Raising Ceremony.  Come in your warmest, Colonial best if you like. Meet at 12:00 noon at Prospect Hill park.  Contact the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission to receive a loan of period clothing at bwilson@ci.somerville.ma.us or 617-625-6600 (ask for Brandon Wilson)
• Sunday, March 11^th, 2:00-3:30PM, Alan Hoffman, Lafayette and the Farewell Tour: Odyssey of an American Idol.    This event is a talk and book signing by the author.  Mr. Hoffman is the President of the American Friends of Lafayette and President of the Massachusetts Lafayette Society.  Lafayette came to Charlestown (later Somerville) during his tour of America in 1824 to lay the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill monument.
• Monday, April 16^th, 10:00-11:30 AM, Patriot’s Day Fair at Foss Park! Great fun for children. Greet Paul Revere as he makes his way through Somerville onto Lexington and Concord.  Play historic games and win a prize: Come in your 1775 costume if you like or we’ll provide you with one! Contact admin@historicsomerville.org; no raindate
• Thursday, May 3^rd, 8:00-9:00PM, Stuart Brorson, The “Menace” of the Triple-Decker.  Mr. Brorson will discuss the five different architectural features of the triple-decker and the era this style represents.  He will also talk about the social concerns that grew up around this architecture in the late 1800s.

• Sunday, May 28th:  Memorial Day Parade – join us as part of the Historic Somerville contingent! Contact us for more information.
• Sunday, June 10^th, 2:00-3:30PM, Michael Bonislawski, Adjutant Lieutanant, Charlestown Militia Company, Gardner’s Regiment;  Militia Versus Regulars: Somerville’s Role in America’s War of Independence.  Bonislawski will discuss his research into the men who fought as part of Gardner’s Regiment at the Battle of Bunker Hill and beyond.

• Sunday, October 7, 2-3PM, Dee Morris, Something Brand New: Somerville’s Original Thinkers and Inventors, Tufts professor Amos Dolbear (1837-1910) invented a telephone and tangled with A.G. Bell. Dan Stillson (1826-1900) made an adjustable wrench, thus creating the modern tool that bears his name. Enoch Robinson (1801-1888) experimented with novel hardware designs in addition to building his famous round house. Once the city’s largest employer, the Union Glass Works produced unique art glass pieces. Within its four square miles, Somerville has always found room for brand new ideas.
• Sunday, October 21^st, no raindate, 12:00-4:00 PM. The Ghosts of Somerville Open Cemetery: A unique experience of Somerville’s 1804 Milk Row Cemetery; auditions for cast members will begin in September. Contact admin@historicsomerville.org if you would like to be placed on the audition list.
• Monday, Veteran’s Day, November 12^th, 2:00-3:30PM:  Professor Daniel Breen will deliver a lecture entitled From Prospect Hill to Laurel Hill: the Struggles of Company E of the 39th Massachusetts to be followed by a short ceremonial wreath laying at the 1863 Milk Row Cemetery Monument to the Fallen. Professor Brown will follow the history of the Somerville Guards from their 1862 enlistments to their participation in the terrible engagement at Laurel Hill (at Spotsylvania) in May of 1864, using the primary documents including those of the Somerville Museum.  The purpose is to depict the rigors of the war experience from the point of view of one company of particular local interest. 
• Friday, December 7^th, 7:00-9:00 PM, Winter Holiday Party, Live Music, Refreshments, Good Cheer.  Suggested donation: $25/person; free for members, supporters, and volunteers. Those donating $25 will receive a yearly membership to Historic Somerville.  (Click here to join Historic Somerville and begin receiving your benefits.  You can now pay online.)

• Date TBD, Vilma Sullivan, Dyan Blewett and Rita Edmond, Somerville: the Agrarian Age and Local Farms, Master Gardeners, The Somerville Garden Club.

                   
All events, except where noted are held at the Somerville Museum

One Westwood Road, Somerville, MA 02143