Arlington Center - Massachusetts Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

A summary of what the sign says (there's a lot of text):

"The Arlington Town hall, the Robbins Library, and the Whittemore-Robbins house form a group of historical and architectural interest on Massachusetts Avenue. The Whittemore-Robbins House (built by William Whittemore in the late 18th century and moved from its original site to make room for the Library's construction in 1892) now stands on the site of the Whittemore card factory (built in 1799 for the manufacture of wool cards). The wool cards were manufactured by means of an ingenious machine developed by Amos Whittemore, a Menotomy native and Yankee inventor of first rank.

The Robbins Library is the direct descendant of Arlington's first library, which was established in the Jonathan Dexter Homestead (formerly at 606 Massachusetts Avenue). Funded by town approriation in 1837, it was one of the first free public libraries in Massachusetts and the first library in the United States to offer continuous service to children. The Robbins Memorial Town Hall was built in 1913...The Town Hall, the Robbins Library, and the Whittemore-Robbins house are within a district listed in the National Register of Historic Places, together with the neighboring First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, Old Burying Groud, and adjacent private and Town properties....

"Attracted by an abundance of natural resources, members of the Massachusetts tribe established themselves in the greater Boston -- Arlington area. They hunted, fished, and cultivated the soil in Arlington. Before the introduction of European diseases in the early 17th century by French, English, and Spanish explorers, it is estimated that the non-European population of New England was approximately 75,000 people. Arlington was part of a dense population area.

"The Squaw Sachem (i.e. woman chief) of the Massachusetts tribe held control over a large section of what is now Middlesex County...In 1639, the Squaw Sachem traded all her lands, excepting her homestead, to the English Puritan settlers of Cambridge for ten pounds in cash and a new coat every winter she lived...

"During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted the Federal Art Project within the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This project put unemployed artists to work and introduced art into the daily lives of all Americans...The mural appeared in public places such as post offices, schools, and railway stations. 'Purchase and Use of the Soil' in the Arlington Post Office is typical of the WPA murals in its focus on the inception of the Town of Arlington and the positive depiction of its citizens as captable and worthy individuals who brought the Town into its solid present.

"The First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church stands at the site of the original Arlington Meeting House, where a British supply train was captured on April 19, 1775. The Meeting House was dedicated in 1735; the fourth church constructed on the site was built in 1856. A fire destroyed that church and steeple on March 7, 1975. Behind the new church lies the old Burying Ground, established by the Cambridge church in 1730...Across Massachusetts Avenue from the church stands a statue of Samuel Wlson, born near the site on September 13, 1766. Wilson was meatppacker to the Untied States Army during the war of 1812, and his mark "U.S." on casks of beef destined for the troops earned him immortality as "Uncle Sam".

"The Lexington & West Cambridge Rail Road built one of its early stations near this site in 1846...The Minuteman Bikeway marker at Brattle Street, about a mile to the west, shows the original West Cambridge Center Station...

"Gift of RCN, 2000."

Text was provided by the Arlington Historical Society and Arlington Historical Commission.

There are images and a map on the sign, and the text, above, left out some of the details. Visit the location to find out more!

Agency Responsible for Placement: Other (Place below) Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): RCN Year Placed: 2000 County: Middlesex City/Town Name: Arlington Relevant Web Site: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
When logging a Massachusetts Historic Marker, we ask that you not only describe your visit, but to upload a picture from it. The picture does not have to be of the marker - one picture of the marker is enough. But a photo of you standing next to the marker or a photograph the subject of the marker - those are examples of possible photographs to upload.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.