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Somerville, Massachusetts One Place Study

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Location: Somerville, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United Statesmap
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies Massachusetts United_States
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Somerville, Massachusetts One Place Study

This profile is part of the Somerville, Massachusetts One Place Study.
{{One Place Study|place=Somerville, Massachusetts|category=Somerville, Massachusetts One Place Study}}

Name

Geography

Continent: North America
Country: United States of America
State/Province: Massachusetts
County: Middlesex
GPS Coordinates: 42.3875, -71.1
Elevation: 31.8 m or 104.3 feet

History

  • The territory that later became Somerville was first settled as a part of Charlestown about 1630.
  • John Winthrop, the first governor of the colony of Massachusetts, was granted 600 acres of land in 1631, in what is now parts of Somerville and Medford. He called his land Ten Hill Farm.
  • During the Revolutionary War, Somerville's Powder House was used to store gunpowder for the soldiers.
  • Paul Revere's famous midnight ride in 1775 from Boston to Lexington and Concord also brought him through Somerville
  • On January 1, 1776, General George Washington ordered the Grand Union Flag to be raised over Prospect Hill, the first time the American flag was raised.
  • Somerville was incorporated as a town in 1842, having been set off from Charlestown by an act of legislature. By 1872, Somerville had grown so rapidly that it was incorporated as a city.

Notable Places

  • Milk Row Cemetery - The oldest cemetery within the boundaries of Somerville is Milk Row Cemetery. It opened in 1804 on land donated by Samuel Tufts, and several notable local residents are buried inside, as well as about 1800 burials of town paupers whose names are lost to history. Also called the Old Cemetery, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. See also: Milk Row Cemetery, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Genealogy and History
  • Civil War Memorial - This monument was erected in 1863 and said to be one of the first memorials to this war in the nation. It's located at the Milk Row Cemetery. The sides of the monument are engraved with the names of 68 Somerville men who died in the war, though the list is incomplete.
  • Round House - Located in the Spring Hill neighborhood of Somerville, this unique structure was built in 1856 by Enoch Robinson, a hardware manufacturer.
  • Trum Field - Originally turned into a park in 1903, it was officially dedicated in memory of Corp. Richard J. Trum in 1923. Located in the Magoun Square neighborhood of Somerville, it features memorials to local veterans of both World Wars.
  • Powder House - The oldest stone building in the state of Massachusetts, Powder House was built about 1703. It originally functioned as a windmill, but by 1774, on the eve of the American Revolution, it was a gunpowder storage facility. The structure and surrounding land was sold to the city of Somerville in 1892 for $1.

Notables

Sources





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