Category Archives: Blog

Glass Artifacts from the Jason Russell House Dig, March 1985

Many, many fragments of glass were found at the Jason Russell House dig, in all excavation locations. Glass doesn’t break down in soil easily, so it is among the most common kind of artifact found at archaeological digs in the northeast. The dig at the Jason Russell House yielded glass from window panes, beverage bottles, … Continue reading Glass Artifacts from the Jason Russell House Dig, March 1985

What do we know about the construction of the Jason Russell House?

Robert Nylander published a report in 1964 that suggested that Jason Russell built the house in two stages: one part in 1740 and an addition around 1750, around the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Winship. Jason’s grandfather, also called Jason Russell, had built a house on the property too, coinciding approximately with his marriage … Continue reading What do we know about the construction of the Jason Russell House?

Old Town Hall

Centennial Celebration of Arlington Town Hall

These are selected images from the 2013 Centennial Celebration of Arlington Town Hall display at Robbins Library, and the “Picture Postcard Perfect!” display installed in the lobby of Town Hall. The complete storyboards, displayed throughout May 2013, were designed and written by Richard A. Duffy. Images are from the collections of the Arlington Historical Society … Continue reading Centennial Celebration of Arlington Town Hall

Knowing Susanna Adams Winn

[box]This is the third installment of three on the Winn Family Silhouette Album. The prior installments are here: The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA; Types, Techniques and Analysis of Silhouettes[/box] In the collection of Winn diaries there were only five diaries for the decade spanning 1870 to 1880, two of which were … Continue reading Knowing Susanna Adams Winn

Winn Silhouttes page 43

Types, Techniques and Analysis of Silhouettes

[box]This is the second installment of three on the Winn Family Silhouette Album. The first is here: The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA[/box] There are three basic types of silhouettes: painted, hollow-cut or cut-out. Painted silhouettes were most frequently created using black ink or paint to apply the likeness to a base, … Continue reading Types, Techniques and Analysis of Silhouettes

Winn silhouette Album

The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA

[box]This is part one of a three part series on the Winn silhouette album[/box] In 1999, the Arlington Historical Society (Arlington, MA) received a collection of artifacts, images and documents that belonged to the family of Albert and Sarah (Prentiss) Winn who settled in the town of West Cambridge (now Arlington) in 1835. Among the … Continue reading The Winn Silhouette Album — Roots in Arlington, MA

Jason Russell House1885

Vintage photos of the Jason Russell House

This page contains five selected images related to the Jason Russell House. Click on any of them to launch the slide show. [hr] For more images of Arlington as it appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, see Richard Duffy’s new series ‘Images of History’ on Wicked Local, Arlington.

Ed Program in the Smith Museum

Our Youngest Audience — Arlington Third Graders

This past October and November, the Arlington Historical Society has been visited by members of our youngest audience — local third graders on their annual field trips! We had a wonderful time hosting 113 students from two Arlington Elementary schools. Staff, Education Assistants, and Guides worked together to present a fun and educational experience for … Continue reading Our Youngest Audience — Arlington Third Graders