Jesse Peaslee Pattee (1804-1863) was both a Master of the Hiram Lodge and it’s landlord, for Hiram Lodge met in Menotomy Hall, the second story of Mr. Pattee’s own bake shop A large room, fifteen by forty feet with an oval ceiling, Menotomy Hall was a fitting home for the lodge’s fifty members—especially in winter … Continue reading Worshipful Master and Grand Baker, Jesse P. Pattee
In 1906, Menotomy Hall was demolished to make room for Arlington’s grand new Town Hall, realized in 1913. The humble Menotomy Hall housed much Arlington history with its ground floor bakery churning out bread and rolls for nearly one-hundred years while its upper story helped raise congregation after congregation for area churches. The large meeting … Continue reading Menotomy Hall and The Eureka
In 1868 in newly minted Arlington, Massachusetts—the vote to change the name of the town from “West Cambridge” to “Arlington” had just occurred—the high school graduated 13 students, 7 people died from consumption, 107 dog licenses were issued, Nathan Robbins was the richest man in town, and the age of the oldest person to be … Continue reading Admit the Bearer
Nina Louise Winn was born in 1877, the youngest child of George Prentiss Winn and Melissa Sarah Bacon, who died when Nina was only nine. Two other siblings, Edith Lily and Arthur, died young, leaving Nina and her big brother George living with their father George Prentiss Winn near the corner of Summer and Mystic … Continue reading Nina Louise Winn
As a youngster, Edith Winn, Nina’s cousin, attended Arlington Center’s Russell School. The red brick Russell School, serving as the bottom portion of Arlington Catholic High School, still shelters area students in the twenty-first century.