Ward Two in Somerville in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Country Town or Gritty City?
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A Little Eden
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
1. Country Town or Gritty City? Marker
Country Town or Gritty City?
By 1845, Somerville managed to combine the energy and promise of a burgeoning industrial center with a delightful country atmosphere. Fed up with the dust, noise and congestion of "big city" Boston, many prosperous families chose to escape to the light, air, spacious yards and houses, and bucolic feel of the nearby Somerville hills.
( photo caption )
View of Winter Hill from Highland and Central Street, looking north. A pear orchard is in the foreground; Broadway is at the topof the picture. Photograph circa 1869, courtesy of the Somerville Museum.
A Little Eden "The houses (in the 1860s) were simple, but (big), and almost every family had a good piece of land for vegetables and flowers, and especially pear trees, which flourished on these sunny hills, so free from early and late frosts." Martha Perry Lowe, from Memories of Early Days, 1898.
( photo captions )
Eddie Bonello, a leading chef, in his family garden at 45 Derby Street, Somerville, about 1960 Photo courtesy of Marie Marchi Bonello
Women in orchard circa 1890s Photo courtesy of Somerville Public Library
Erected by The Bostonian Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed
this page online
Location. 42° 23.005′ N, 71° 6.487′ W. Marker is in Somerville, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. It is in Ward Two. It is at the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Bleachery Court, on the right when traveling east on Somerville Avenue. Located in Conway Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 550 Somerville Ave, Somerville MA 02143, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Historic Boston and specifically in Greater Boston. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Revolutionary Hero, Much Revered (here, next to this marker); A Librarian To Somerville, A Friend To Man (a few steps from this marker); A Handful, a Pinch, and a Dash of Perfection / Peanut Butter Gets a New Best Friend (a few steps from this marker); How Do You Say "Gutter Ball" In German / Assembling Cars At Assembly Square (a few steps from this marker); A Lasting Memory, a Growing Park: George Frederik Conway / A Hero to the Nation and the World (a few steps from this marker); When Trolleys Ran On Hay / Changing Uses, Changing Names (a few steps from this marker); Picture Perfect / The Price of Liberty
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
2. A Little Eden Marker
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
3. Country Town or Gritty City? Marker
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
4. A Little Eden Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 190 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 27, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
