TOWN HISTORIAN
Requests for historical information continue to come to the attention of your Town Historian. While each and every telephone call or request would take too much space in an annual report, I have listed some of the more interesting ones here.
The year started with a call from Sherry Bates the owner of the house at 112 Waverley Street asking for any information on the history of her home. Research showed that it was originally owned by Henry S. Harris, who in 1904 developed Central Park which was the area between Beech and Waverley streets and Trapelo and Creeley roads. The house later was the home of the Waverley Club, then in 1923 owned by the Knights of Columbus. In 1949, the then owner subdivided the rear of the estate into Waverley Terrace with eight small house lots.
At the request of the Watertown/Belmont Chamber of Commerce, by memory, I was able to give them a list and names of the stores in Cushing Square, Belmont Center and Waverley Square during the 1940’s.
A history of the Reverend Daniel Butler was given to the Principal of the Butler School for use in their 100th anniversary celebration.
The Public Archaeology Laboratory, conducting an intensive archaeological survey of the Belmont Uplands, so called, requested any historical information about the site, especially the claim of possible filled in cellar holes. I was able to supply them with the history of the Heustis pig and strawberry farm that was on that site from 1845 to 1948 including photographs and locations of the two original Heustis houses.
A letter from Charles M. Sullivan, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, doing research on Henry M. Clarke of Cambridge found that Clarke also had a large estate in Belmont and may have been responsible for introducing the first Brown Swiss cow in the country in 1869. He was looking for any information as to where that estate was. My research showed that in 1864, Clarke owned Holliday Farm, a 34 acre estate between upper Concord Avenue and Somerset Street. The property included a farm house, a milk house, a cow barn listed as “the costliest barn of its time in New England” and a stable “considered to be the most elaborate of its time.” In 1876, the property was assessed at $100,000. The Brown Swiss Association credits Mr. Clarke of Belmont with importing the first Brown
Swiss in the United States. Another first for Belmont.
The Board of Selectmen was supplied with the history of the Brighton Street, B Street and Woodfall Road parcels as to how the Town came into the ownership of them.
George Krusen of Boxboro, Massachusetts called saying that longtime Belmont resident Paul Dudley White used to walk through Harvard, Massachusetts in the 1950’s taking photographs of the scenery. He is looking for those photographs and wondered if our Historical Society might have them. After a search, he was notified that the Historical Society does not have any information on those photos.
Your Town Historian met with several residents of the homes between Preble Gardens Road and Townsend Road whose rear common property line is the 10 foot high former Cushing Estate brick wall. They were looking for advice to obtain funds to help in the restoration of the wall. They were given several possible contacts for such funds.
Provided a resident of Moore Street with an in-depth history of that street as well as information on Mr. Moore himself.
Provided the new owner of 26 Centre Avenue with a history of Simon D. Hatch whose name was found painted on a wall during renovations. It turned out that he was the original builder of the house.
While not being able to supply information on every one of the requests received this year, it was satisfying to have been able to offer history on most of them. The above highlights, along with the many phone calls and inquiries on local historical subjects, make this position so interesting. I am honored to serve as your Town Historian.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard B. Betts, Town Historian
| 
