Walking Through West Newton -- 100 Years Ago

A peek at what one street corner looked like in Newton in the early 1900s.

A Blast From the Past in Newton

A West Newton resident recently received a postcard from Florida that was delivered 60-100 years late.

How Cleveland Circle Came to Be

Boston.com looks through its archives to give us a glimpse of the neighborhood's past.

You may not be able to hop in a time machine to see what parts of Newton, Brookline and Boston looked like decades ago, but surviving photos can give you a decent idea of the changes in a neighborhood like Cleveland Circle. What was once a pumping station for the nearby Chestnut Hill reservoir recently reopened as the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, and food trucks have moved into the area with the approval of both Boston and Brookline officials. Cleveland Circle will see more changes soon, as developers have filed plans for a building containing a hotel, apartments and restaurant in the site of the Circle Cinema, which closed in 2008.  In a recent photo gallery posted on the Boston Globe, the site explores some of the history behind …

• Photos (5)

Nomination Period Open for 2012 Newton Preservation Awards

Nominations are due by Friday, Sept. 21, 2012.

Do you know a person, park or property that has successfully preserved part Newton's history?  According to a press release issued this week, Historic Newton and the Newton Historical Society have officially opened the nomination period for the fifth annual Newton Preservation Awards.  You can submit a nominations for the Preservation Awards online. Nominations for are due by Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. According to the press release, projects that are eligible for an award include: In addition, nominations can be made for the Thelma Fleishman Personal Achievement Award, which honors an individual who is dedicated to preserving Newton's history.  Last year's award winners included homes on Waverley Avenue and Sumner Street as well as the …

• Photos (2)

A Look at the History of Route 9

Boston Globe's YourTown presents a photo slideshow of Route 9's history.

Whether you call it Boylston Street, Worcester-Boston Turnpike, Ted Williams Highway, United Spanish War Veterans Highway or simply Route 9, the highway that divides part of Newton and Chestnut Hill is more than 200 years old.  The Boston Globe recently pulled together a slideshow depicting some of the history of the road, from Brookline Village in 1915, through the disappearance of Framingham's Shopper's World and growth of the Natick Collection, to the former Omni Foods site in Newton. According to Westborough Patch Blogger Glenn R. Parker, Route 9 follows the 19th century Boston-Worcester Turnpike, which was used for agriculture and dairy farms.  Wikipedia tells us that Route 9 or part of it, is named for Red Sox Hall-of-Famer Ted …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (4)

Film Festival Features Documentaries With Newton Ties

The True North Documentary Film Series will feature screenings at Olin College in Needham and Andover Newton Theological School in Newton.

A local film festival slated for this week will feature two Newton-related documentaries, including films on Norumbega Park and Myrtle Baptist Church. The True North Documentary Film Series, which will run April 9-10, will consist of six documentaries spotlighting local issues. The films cover history in the local area including Newton, Needham and Boston. One of the featured films, Return to Norumbega, takes viewers on a tour through the former recreation site and amusement park in Newton.  Another Newton-related film slated for the festival is Myrtle Baptist Church: Pilar of the Community, a documentary that profiles the West Newton institution that has played an important role in both American and Newton history.  A screening of Return …

• Photos (3)

Then & Now

A Look Back on 125 Years at Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Newton boasts a world-class hospital with a long history of quality care.

Boston is known throughout the world for its top-notch medical facilities. With Harvard, Tufts, and other major medical schools in the area, the city has tremendous intellectual capital that attracts the best doctors to this part of the world. But just west of Boston, Newton-Wellesley Hospital serves the metrowest area with the same high-quality medical care. The history of this fine institution is a story worth telling. The Newton Cottage Hospital was incorporated in January of 1881; however the hospital did not open its doors until June 5, 1886. According to Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s website, the fledgling Newton Cottage Hospital had nine beds and three employees who ran the facility—“a matron, who served as an administrator and nurse…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (4)

Rachel Kagno

10:51 am on Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Thanks for the shout-out Allison!   more ›

Then & Now

My City, 'Tis of Thee: Newton's Ties to Patriotic Songwriters

Did you know that the writers of "America the Beautiful" and "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" both lived on Centre Street in Newton?

This Fourth of July, people around the United States will celebrate the birth of our nation. Fireworks, barbecues, and parades are all part of the national tradition, but so is song. Two major songs in our patriotic songbook, “America the Beautiful” and “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, have ties to Newton. Katharine Lee Bates wrote the first draft of lyrics for “America the Beautiful” on a hiking trip in Colorado in the summer of 1893. Reaching the summit of Pike’s Peak, Bates was struck by the beauty of the landscape before her. Quickly, she jotted down the first draft of four stanzas of poetry that Americans still sing today.  Bates was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts on August 12, 1859. Her father died when she was an infant, but her family …

• Photos (4)

Then & Now

Spring Has Sprung in Newton

There are so many natural areas buzzing with plants and animals in Newton this spring.

Lilacs, daffodils, and tulips! Robins, warblers, and mourning doves! Spring is in full bloom in Newton, and the Garden City is basking in the glory of its natural beauty. Newtonians have long been proud of their flora and fauna, and the tradition continues today. Throughout the late 1800s, Ellen Jackson, who lived all her life at the Jackson Homestead, drew and painted beautiful flowers she observed in nature. Over the years, she filled several books with her flowers, some from her own backyard and others from far afield. Today at the Jackson Homestead, we are graced with the presence of a cute little mourning dove that lives above the main entrance. Each year she returns in March to lay her eggs, and she usually has four or five broods …

• Photos (4)

Then & Now

Remembering Newton's Civil War Heroes

The Civil War Memorial in Newton Cemetery is one reminder of the loss of life our city experienced during the Civil War.

This year marks the 150-year anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. Over the course of the next four years, commemorative ceremonies and events will help Americans today remember the history of our nation’s struggle to end slavery and the people who gave their lives in a war that remains the bloodiest in American history. A war fought on our own soil against our own people, the Civil War truly hit home for Americans who lived during the four years it ravaged our nation. Newton was no exception. Today, a monument stands in the Newton Cemetery in dedication to the soldiers from Newton who perished in the war. Truly a community effort, the monument was erected in 1864 thanks to funding from the citizens of Newton; according to King’s …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (3)