Newton, MA
Newton traces its origins to 1630, when settlers from nearby Cambridge began farming the fertile lands along the Charles River. Over time a series of small village centers developed across the landscape, each serving the surrounding farms and mills. By the nineteenth century, improved transportation and rail connections transformed Newton into an attractive residential community for those working in Boston. In 1873 the town adopted a city form of government, becoming the City of Newton. Known as the “Garden City,” Newton still reflects its early pattern of village neighborhoods that grew from those original seventeenth-century settlements.
Recent Posts
“Young at Heart”
At the intersection of Commonwealth and Walnut Street in Newton, stands a statue representing a man who has inspired more runners in the last century. Entitled “Young at Heart“, this monument honors Johnny Kelley. The statue captures Kelley twice, once as a 27-year-old crossing the finish line as a winner of the Boston Marathon, and again at age 84, […]
9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial in Newton, Massachusetts, is one of the most personal and thought-provoking memorials dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001. Located beside Newton Fire Headquarters, the memorial was created not only to honor those who were lost, but also to acknowledge the city’s direct and unsettling connection to that day. Here in the Boston […]
Mary Baker Eddy’s Home
I have written about Mary Baker Eddy and her life in the Concord, New Hampshire posts, where the founder of Christian Science built the church headquarters that would become the center of a worldwide movement. But this house in Newton tells the final chapter of her story. Located at 400 Beacon Street in Chestnut Hill, the Mary […]
Echo Bridge Reflection Plaza
Along the banks of the Charles River in Newton is a quiet place known as Echo Bridge Reflection Plaza, a small overlook designed to encourage visitors to pause and appreciate the engineering history of the area. The plaza faces the calm waters near Hemlock Gorge Reservation, where the Charles River narrows before passing beneath the famous […]
Jackson Homestead
We have visited the Jackson Homestead in Newton many times over the years. Along with its rich local history, the house holds an important place in the story of the Underground Railroad. When I first visited it with my children, I remember seeing the iron shackles that had once been used on enslaved people. Seeing […]
