Arlington History
THE TOWN OF ARLINGTON HISTORY
Arlington, founded over 350 years ago, remaians proud of its history, even as it has grown into a thoroughly modern community. The birthplace of Uncle Sam, the location of the first public children’s library, the site of most of the fighting when the British marched through it returning from the Old North Bridge at the start of the Revolutionary War. Arlington has preserved many of its historical buildings and even recreated it town common. Once a thriving agricultural and mill town, Arlington’s excellent access to metropolitan Bost has made it a very desirable place to live.
History Highlights of Arlington
The town of Arlington was originally settled in 1635 as a village under the Name Monotoy in 1807, the town and a section of what is now Belmont were set off from Cambridge and incorporated as West Cambridge. In 1867, the name was changed to Arlington in honor of the heroes buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va.
Squaw Sachem: When the first settlers made an agreement in 1635 with Squaw Sachem, she reserved the right to maintain some land near the Mystic Lakes for her use and required as part payment, a new English (woolen ) coat every year for as long as she lived. This area was called Menotmy , an Algonquian word.
Captain Cooke: Two years later, Captain George Cooke took advantage of the Swift running water in Mill Brook by building the first mill in this area. Farmers from Cambridge, Woburn, Watertowwn, and Medford brough their grain to the mill to be ground into flour.
The First School: In 1688 Menotomy’s taxpayers petitioned for the right to build a school. An unusual request because they did not have as yet a meetinghouse. The school located at what is now the cemetery on Pleasant St was completed in 1693 and stood there for more than 100 years.
Battle of Menotomy ( Patriot’s Day): Arlington ( then called Menotomy ) played a prominent role on the first day of the American Revolution -April 19, 1775. Minutemen from surrounding towns converged on Menotomy tto ambush the British on their retreat from Concord and Lexington. More than half of that fateful day’s Casualties were suffered in the short distance from the foot of Foot of the Rocks ( at the intersection of Lowell Street and Massachusetts Avenue) to Spy Pond.
Uncle Sam: Uncle Sam was born in Menotomy. Samuel Wilson was Almost nine years old when the Battle of Menotomy took place. He started a meat-packing business in Troy NY where he became known as Uncle Sam. People say that the U.S. stamped on boxes of meat for the U. S. Army during the War of 1812 stood for Uncle Sam.
Libraries: Through a gift of $100 from Dr Ebenezer Learned in 1835, and an additional appropriation of $30 from the town in 1837, the first free public library in Massachusetts was established in Arlington. (then known as Cambridge)
Prince Hall: Mystic Cemetery on Garner St in East Arlington there is a monument in a small park on the site of that only Black Masonic Cemetery in the United States. The cemetery dedicated in 1864, held members of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge F & AM, formed in 1776. Through much of the cemetery has since been developed, a geophysical survey of the site in 1988 found remains of the original gate and an obelisk.
Industry and Agriculture: Arlington now is a town of homes with little or no industry or agriculture, But at one time seven mills operated along Mill Brook when it was a mightier stream than it is today. An ice industry thrived on Spy Pond. Ice harvested there was transported to Boston for shipment to the South and even India. Arlington’s market gardens and greenhouses were famous for their produce, especially Arlington lettuce that was shipped all along the East Coast. California put the farms out of business when refrigerated trains came into use.
Moxie: The connection between Moxie and Arlington is the legacy that Arlington reside100 sent Francis Thompson as president of the Moxie Co ( from 1904 to his death in 1939) and his wife left to the town. The money finances scholarships for Arlington High School graduates as every year, and more than 100 seniors receive Thompson Scholarships ranging from $200 to $2000.
The Thompson School is a token of our town’s appreciation for this generous act Mr Thompson’s father, Dr Augustin Thompson, developed in 1876, a syrup he called Moxie Nerve Food and marketed it as a tonic to aid digestion. In 1884, he changed Moxie to a carbonated soft drink that at first was also marketed as a tonic with extravagant claims thit it would cure all sorts of ailments. A few years later Moxie was marketed exclusively as a delicious and refreshing drink in the U. S. In fact, it became so popular that the word moxie became part of our language meaning energy courage or guts. Moxie is still enjoyed by many people anld can be obtained in local supermarkets.
Cyrus Dallin: Born in a log cabin in Utah and where as a boy he played with Indians. Cyrus Dallin showed talent at a your age in art and model making. A Boston businessman who financed the 19 year old’s education in Boston recognized his talent. Later Cyrus studied in Paris. Cyrus Dallin Spent his adult life in Arlington, his children and grandchildren grew up here. He is especially known for the heroic size bronze of Paul Revere near the Old North Church, which reminds of our national heritage.
Also, he is famous for his Indian statues, the most famous being The Appeal of the Great Spirit that stands in front of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Ohers are Massasoit in Plymouth as well as American equestrian statues in Chicago, Kansas City, and Philadelphia. Arlington’s most famous Dallin work, the Menotomy Indian Hunter, was commissioned by the Robbins family to honor Winfield Robbins. This work, which portrays one of the community’s first inhavitants, stands in a beautiful wooded setting in the garden between the Robbins Memorial Town Hall and the Robbins Library.
Menotomy Minuteman Trail
The 4-mile trail follows a loop the begins and ends at the Jefferson Cutter house in Arlington Center. It is designed for self guided walking tours for anyone interested in American history, including families, school groups, and Boy Scout and Girl Scout unit.
