Spring Hill in Somerville in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
From Golden Glass to Silver Screen
⎯⎯⎯
Whatever Happened to Baby Bette?
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
1. From Golden Glass to Silver Screen side of marker
From Golden Glass to Silver Screen. Union Square, 1854. Brothers Amory and Francis Houghton founded Union Glass Works. For 20 years the biggest industrial employer in town, it produced exquisite ornamental glass, sometimes blended with gold. Both men grew rich, and Amory eventually had a glittering granddaughter: legendary movie actress Katherine Hepburn. The glass works was later run by Julian DeCordova. The self-educated son of a Jamaican merchant, he made a tremendous fortune in trade. His castle-like mansion in Lincoln, Massachusetts serves today as the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park. in 1924, Union Glass Company merged with Corning Glass.
Whatever Happened to Baby Bette? 1908. As a baby, Bette Davis lived in a small West Somerville home on College Avenue once her father finished Harvard Law School. Before she turned 10, her father walked out. Though money was scarce, Davis attended boarding school, studied drama - and became a Hollywood legion. In a career spanning 60 years, four marriages, two Oscars and 100 movies, she was famed for playing strong, independent women. By 1942, Davis was the highest paid woman in America.
Erected by City of Somerville.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music
this page online
Location. 42° 23.01′ N, 71° 6.48′ W. Marker is in Somerville, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. It is in Spring Hill. It is on Somerville Avenue just west of Park Street. This marker stands in Conway Park between intersections with Park Street and Bleachery Court. 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: Picture Perfect / The Price of Liberty (here, next to this marker); When Trolleys Ran On Hay / Changing Uses, Changing Names (here, next to this marker); A City of Immigrants (here, next to this marker); A Librarian To Somerville, A Friend To Man (here, next to 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); Country Town or Gritty City? / A Little Eden (a few steps from this marker); A Revolutionary Hero, Much Revered (a few steps from this marker); How Do You Say "Gutter Ball" In German / Assembling Cars At Assembly Square
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
2. Whatever Happened to Baby Bette? side of marker
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
3. From Golden Glass to Silver Screen side of marker
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 3, 2024
4. Whatever Happened to Baby Bette? side of marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 230 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 27, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
