Join Medford’s Cemetery Board

February 12, 2018March 12, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

Support Medford’s historic cemeteries and serve on the city’s Cemetery Board of Trustees. The mayor is looking for new board members, more info via the Transcript.

Medford’s two remaining cemeteries – the Oak Grove Cemetery and the Salem Street Burying Ground – offer contemporary Medford residents insight into our “civic ancestors,” as local historian and cemetery trustee Dee Morris (pictured below) puts it. Salem Street holds colonial families in the heart of Medford Square, while Oak Grove owes its rugged beauty to the Victorian “garden cemetery” movement that inspired the Mt. Auburn and Forest Hills cemeteries. Both of Medford’s cemeteries provide all of us – families visiting graves, history buffs, genealogists, nature lovers, neighbors, and visitors seeking quiet recreation – with beautiful spaces of contemplation.

Dee Morris and “Charity,” photo via WBUR.

Meet Your Commissioners-Benjamin Johnson

January 31, 2018June 18, 2021 / medfordhistoricalcommission

[Updated – Benjamin Johnson has resigned his commission, effective Jan 2020. Thanks for your service, Ben!]

We’d like to share a little more about each of us – the members of the Medford Historical Commission – and our interest in Medford history. Look out for biographical updates in the coming year. Commissioner Benjamin Johnson offered this:

I moved to Medford in 2009 being drawn by the historical assets the city has to offer. During the day, I am an archivist at Harvard Business School Special Collections. I enjoy canoeing on the Mystic River, gardening, cooking, and fermenting things.

Photo postcard of “the little stream that feeds Mystic Lake at West Medford” c. 1910 and courtesy of ebay.

Hustle-Bustle of the (Application) Season

November 19, 2017March 11, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

Here’s a link to the Medford Community Preservation Committee’s brand-new Community Preservation Plan. It’s a fascinating read whether or not you can make the next meeting – on Monday, Nov 27, 7-9 PM, at the South Medford Fire House.

If you or a group you know is working on a CPC application that is related to historic preservation here in Medford, and you’d like support from the Historical Commission, drop us a line. We’re busy brainstorming and drafting applications right now too!

Ye Olde Tech Park

November 17, 2017March 12, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

Before it gets too cold to hike . . . check out “The Lost Mill Village of Middlesex Fells” by Douglas L. Heath and Alison C. Simcox, and take a walk in the woods to reflect on the intimate relationships of nature and technology – the dramatic landscape of the Fells and the early and contentious history of its hydro-power.

Tips from a Medford Genealogist

October 11, 2017March 11, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

Pamela Cooper, a local genealogist, recently wrote to us with a recommendation for online research that she’d like to share.

I was always very curious about my family tree, particularly my dad’s side of the family, who I really didn’t know. Information like this is often freely available, but you have to go from website to website to accumulate all of that information. I found it a tedious process!
But then I found www.FreeAncestrySearch.org and it was like a dream come true. Suddenly there was one resource that could connect me to all of the various government offices and could help me dig up information about my father’s family. I found it pretty easy to find what I needed and I didn’t have to pay anything. I figured it could help visitors to your site if you added it as a resource.
Just thought I’d share!

It looks like a good tool for family research in the US and we’ve added it to our Links & References page. We’re always interested to know what research tools and tricks you’ve used lately – for researching family, architecture, local history and beyond.

Drop us a line!

Love the Brooks Estate?

September 26, 2017March 12, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

[Update, both of these positions are currently filled.]

If you love this local architectural gem and natural area, you might want to serve as our Brooks Estate Land Trust representative and liaison. Details are here.

The Historical Commission is also looking for a regular member now too.

Join Us!

September 25, 2017March 11, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

(Updated November 2017: This search is closed. We have appointed a new commissioner – welcome Edward Wiest! – and our commission is fully staffed at present. However, we are always looking for alternates. Please be in touch if you’d like learn more about that.)

The Medford Historical Commission seeks letters of interest from qualified individuals within the Medford community to serve on our board. Together with the Medford Historic District Commission, we share the common goals of preserving and protecting the City’s historic character and heritage.

The Medford Historical Commission was established under Section 8d of Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws and Chapter 48 of the Medford Municipal Ordinances. The Commission is the official City body charged with the identification of properties and sites in the City of historical significance and is the principal advisor to the City on matters relating to historic preservation. The Commission is further charged with reviewing all requests for demolition of buildings 75 years or older, or are listed on the National and Massachusetts Registers of Historic Places, in accordance with the City’s demolition delay ordinance.

Applicants should have interest, knowledge and experience in any fields related to historic preservation, law, archaeology, architectural history and/or Medford history. Interested applicants may contact the Commission for further information. Please include your name and contact information, as well as any supporting material. Candidates may be contacted by the commission for an interview. The commission shall then present a list of nominees to the Mayor for final selection and appointment. Those selected to serve on the board generally serve three years.

Please submit letters & materials to:
Ryan D. Hayward
Commission Chairman

Email (preferred): Rhayw12345@aol.com

Regular Mail:
Medford Historical Commission
Ryan D. Hayward, Chairman
c/o Office of Planning and Community Development
Medford City Hall
85 George P. Hassett Drive
Medford, MA 02155

And we’re still looking for a Brooks Estate Rep/Liaison, if that’s where your heart lies . . .

Milk Street, Medford

July 17, 2017March 12, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

Boston’s celebrity chef Christopher Kimball sings the praises of one of Medford’s famous local ladies – Fannie Farmer – with WGBH.

Is Our Project Allowable?

July 5, 2017March 11, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

We’ll all be learning more about the CPA and Medford’s new Community Preservation Commission in the coming months. But the big takeaway from the orientation given by the state-wide Community Preservation Coalition to Medford city commissioners and staff?

Right here in pdf form, or below.

Sad News

June 28, 2017March 12, 2020 / medfordhistoricalcommission

The Commission is sad to share the news that our most senior member, Dan Menezes, passed away last week. His Boston Globe obituary is here. The commission – and all of Medford – benefited from his deep knowledge of local history, and his passionate energy for preserving it. We will miss him.

Medford Historical Commission

The official historic preservation board of the City of Medford, Massachusetts

Author: medfordhistoricalcommission