It all started as minor mystery that compelled me to look further into the history of our home—and town. While our home was listed as being built in 1897, the accompanying historical document had a term of 1893. What was the real date…and how would I find out? And while I was at it, how did Newton come about anyway?

It turns out we have a great resource—the Newton Historical
Society. There, I met up with the director, Susan Abele, in a room
tucked away at the back of a rambling, historical home full of books,
directories and maps, and began my journey to the past.

In 1631, when Boston and nearby towns determined that there was a
need for greater shield, a "new-town" was built on the north side of
Charles River, the present location of Harvard Square. When Harvard
College was established in 1638, the city of Cambridge was formally
organized. And when the south side of the Charles River (present-day
Newton) was first settled in 1639, it was actually part of Cambridge.

Forty years later, in 1679 the town of "New Cambridge" established
independence from Cambridge, and was renamed "New Town" a dozen years
later, reflecting its heritage. There it stood until 1766, when a town
clerk—without vote or public opinion—made the contraction to
"Newton" in the public records…a name that has stuck since!

Fast forward 130 years to the moment our home was built, according to
the records in 1897, by a wealthy furrier named Jarvis
Lamson. Apparently, Mr. Lamson purchased  the property in 1893, which
included a home that dated to the 1870s. When he decided to build a
larger home in 1897, he simply moved the existing home across the
street…where it still stands today! So our home, indeed, was built in
1897.

We found that out through both the Newton Historical Society…and our next door neighbor! It turns out that the house next door was
built by Mr. Lamson’s daughter in the 1950s, something we found out
when we talked to our neighbor. The history passed down from his
daughter to subsequent owners helped fill in the gaps.

It’s been an adventure learning about both our town and home, which
has been enhanced by the humans who’ve helped along the way. And, after
living in the area for by 10 years—during which I came to accept the names
of villages and streets as words on a map or signpost—I have begun to
think more about the heritage of our town.

For example, one of Newton’s villages, Waban, was named after an
Indian chief; Quinobequin road—which runs next to a river—well, is
an Indian word that means "river"; and Second Church in Newton was a
break from the First Church in Cambridge, and sowed the seeds for
eventual independence. Many streets and schools are named after
original settlers and town leaders.

As for the home itself, as we pulled away walls we could see the
outlines of the original kitchen, pantry, servers area, outdoor porches
and bedrooms, we could envision the functional layout of the home from
by a hundred years ago.

The biggest treat of all was a picture of our home we found in a
1907 town directory. There you can see the original shutters, open rear
porches, original side staircase, and what appears to be brown-stained
wood shingles. We are hoping that our improvements—while updating our
home for today—reach back across the years and evoke the character of
that great home and its times!