On May 4, 2023 His Majesty's 10th Regiment of Foot in America, a Historically Re-created Infantry Unit formed to portray the service of the British Army during the American War for Independence, will honor the Burlington Historical Society with their presence. Three elite soldiers will be performing at our public program at 61 Center Street in Burlington! All are Welcome! |
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LAHEY CLINIC AND THE STORY OF IT COMING TO BURLINGTON WAS TOLD BY AUTHOR, ALAN R. EARLS, TO THE SOCIETY AND MANY LOCAL GUESTS ON MARCH 2. 2023 LAHEY IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF BURLINGTON'S HISTORY. NEARLY A CENTURY AGO, A YOUNG SURGEON, NAMED DR. FRANK LAHEY, WHO HAD SERVED IN WW1, BEGAN A CLINIC IN BOSTON. THIS SMALL START IN 1923 BECAME A LEVEL-ONE TRAUMA CENTER TODAY, SERVING THE GROWING SUBURBAN AREAS. LAHEY MOVED ALL ITS CLINICS TO BURLINGTON IN 1980. IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT LAHEY HOSPITAL HELPED PUT BURLINGTON MASSACHUSETTS ON THE MAP.
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TOWN OF BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS WAS INCORPORATED ON FEBRUARY 28, 1799. WE WERE FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE 2ND PARISH OF WOBURN. ON FEBRUARY 28, 2024 BURLINGTON WILL BE CELEBRATING THIS MAJOR EVENT ALL YEAR. IT WILL BE
BURLINGTON'S 225TH BIRTHDAY.
2023 MEETING
Thursday, April 6, 2023 will present Matthew E. Henry, an educator, and an award-winning poet. Matthew earned his MFA from Seattle Pacific University, his MA in Theology, and a PHD in Education. He is the author of "The Colored Page", "Teaching While Black", and "Dust and Ashes". We will hear prose and poetry about his life journey from a black/kid teacher in the city to doctoral studies...from student to teacher/professor.
Matthew has won many awards for his talent in poetry. His presentation will include poems drawn from
US History.
We meet at the Human Resource Building, 61 Center Street, Burlington MA 01803. We are handicap
accessible and all are welcome!
The Meetings are held at the Human Services Building, 61 Center Street...next to Grandview Farm. Doors open at 6:30 on March 3rd and the program begins at 7:00 pm. Refreshments will be served and ALL ARE WELCOME. We are handicap accessible.
PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING THE BURLINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY...ALL ARE WELCOME. STAY IN TOUCH WITH HISTORY!!!
Our MUSEUM is now equipped with an elevator thanks to the town of Burlington. |
2022 MEETING SCHEDULE
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AUTHOR OF BURLINGTON RETRO WEBSITE, ROBERT FAHEY, SPOKE AT HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING ON NOVEMBER 3, 2021
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AUTHOR, MICHAEL TOUGIAS, OCTOBER 7, 2021
ABOVE AND BEYOND, John F. Kennedy and America's most dangerous Cold War Spy Mission. Flying 13 miles above the earth, U-2 spy plane pilots had a weighty task before them: find and photograph Russian missile sites scattered across the island of Cuba.
AUTHOR, JACK WILSON, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
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JACK WILSON CO-AUTHORED WITH JOSEPH PEREIRA, A BOOK ABOUT A WORLD WAR 2 BATTLE AND THE SEARCH FOR A LOST U.S. BATTALION. IT ALL HAPPENED ON "ALL SOULS DAY" NOVEMBER 2, 1944. A BRIEF BUT HORRIFIC BATTLE ENSUED, AND AMERICANS WERE FORCED TO RETREAT, LEAVING BEHIND THEIR DEAD AND WOUNDED.
Author, Jack Wilson, served in the US Army and earned a B.S. from Boston College and and MBA from Boston University. He has worked for major multinational corporations, leading international business development in Europe and Asia. Because of Wilson's extensive research for missing soldiers in the Hurtgen Forest Battle. He has been invited to the Pentagon to propose additional strategies to search for many more still-missing American soldiers. Meeting Location: 61 Center St. Burlington, MA Doors open at 7:00 pm |
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COVID -19 CAME TO AMERICA IN 2020.
WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FEATURE OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS. WE HAVE MISSED SO MUCH SINCE THE COVID - 19 OUTBREAK.
THE FIRST US DEATH OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 6, 2020. LAST YEAR WAS THE DEADLIEST YEAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY WITH TOTAL DEATHS OVER 500,000. (3 MILLION IN THE WORLD). THANK YOU TO MODERNA AND PFIZER LABS, VACCINES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AND PERFECTED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ALL AMERICANS...SLOWLY BUT SURELY. JOHNSON AND JOHNSON HAS MORE RECENTLY FOLLOWED WITH THEIR VACCINE. AS WE ENTER 2021, THERE IS HOPE FOR THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
IF THE TOWN OF BURLINGTON IS COVID SAFE, AND REOPENS IN APRIL, WE WILL FEATURE AUTHOR AND SPEAKER, MICHAEL TOUGIAS. WE WILL HEAR THE TRUE STORY OF U-2 SPY PLANES FLYING 13 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH WITH A WEIGHTY TASK BEFORE THEM...TO FIND AND PHOTOGRAPH RUSSIAN MISSILE SITES SCATTERED ACROSS THE ISLAND OF CUBA. FOR TWO HARROWING WEEKS THE WORLD WAS ON EDGE. "ABOVE AND BEYOND" WILL BE DISCUSSED.
WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FEATURE OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS. WE HAVE MISSED SO MUCH SINCE THE COVID - 19 OUTBREAK.
THE FIRST US DEATH OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 6, 2020. LAST YEAR WAS THE DEADLIEST YEAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY WITH TOTAL DEATHS OVER 500,000. (3 MILLION IN THE WORLD). THANK YOU TO MODERNA AND PFIZER LABS, VACCINES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AND PERFECTED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ALL AMERICANS...SLOWLY BUT SURELY. JOHNSON AND JOHNSON HAS MORE RECENTLY FOLLOWED WITH THEIR VACCINE. AS WE ENTER 2021, THERE IS HOPE FOR THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
IF THE TOWN OF BURLINGTON IS COVID SAFE, AND REOPENS IN APRIL, WE WILL FEATURE AUTHOR AND SPEAKER, MICHAEL TOUGIAS. WE WILL HEAR THE TRUE STORY OF U-2 SPY PLANES FLYING 13 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH WITH A WEIGHTY TASK BEFORE THEM...TO FIND AND PHOTOGRAPH RUSSIAN MISSILE SITES SCATTERED ACROSS THE ISLAND OF CUBA. FOR TWO HARROWING WEEKS THE WORLD WAS ON EDGE. "ABOVE AND BEYOND" WILL BE DISCUSSED.
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THIS IS DAN LECLERC..
You may remember that Dan did a tremendous program of WW! We are looking forward to MAY 5, 2020, at the Human Resource Building, 61 Center Street in Burlington. We are on the first floor and Handicap Accessible. Doors open at 6:30 and the program begins at 7:00 p.m. |
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MAY 2 WILL PRESENT DICK AND KATHY KNOWLES with a presentation on graves and graveyards and the secrets of the past that they might hold. We look forward to seeing you on May 2 at the Human Resource Building at 61 Center St.,Burlington. We are handicap accessible and hope to see you there. All are welcome and there is no charge. |
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A REVOLUTION OF HER OWN...JUDITH KALAORA PLAYS A WOMAN DISGUISED AS A MALE SOLDIER IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR.You wont want to miss this APRIL 4 EVENT. Judith portrays Deborah Sampson, the first woman to enlist, fight, and to be honorably discharged from the American military. Deborah knew her options were limited...breaking the rules were necessary to accomplish her greater goal in life.
Judith Kalaora is the most talented impersonator that I have ever met. Judith can be found on the web at HISTORY AT PLAY. |
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BURLINGTON RETRO
ROBERT FAHEY, author of the on-line feature, BURLINGTON RETRO, will be our guest speaker at the March 7th meeting of the Burlington Historical Society. Robert will field questions from the audience as he shares the photos that he has assembled from days gone by. Photos that you may have in a "special" box in your attic are welcome. Nostalgia reigns as sights of our past spark a memory.
What a great and innovative way to preserve Burlington's culture and history.
THANK YOU, ROBERT FAHEY!
BURLINGTON CELEBRATES 220 YEARS. On February 28, 1799, Burlington was incorporated as a town. Prior to that, Burlington was the 2nd Parish of Woburn. The time had come to be on our own. After many attempts to separate from Woburn, 534 residents and 7,418 acres were approved as a separate town by the Massachusetts General Court. And Burlington has come a long way....!
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ROBERT COSTA, A LOCAL HISTORY BUFF WILL SPEAK ON OCTOBER 4.Rob Costa, noted author, and long-time history teacher at Burlington High School from 1974 to 2012. Rob moved to Burlington in 1962 and authored two Pictorial Histories of Burlington: "Images of America-Burlington" in 2001 and "Burlington Through Time" in 2014.
The members and guests saw on a slide preview all the interesting and old historical homes in Burlington. The audience was captivated with all the information given. Rob Costa also spoke about The Jonathon Simonds House and the Community Preservation Act. |
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BEN FRANKLIN IS COMING ON SEPTEMBER 6 TO BURLINGTON.Well, actually, it is Phil Gallagher coming to tell us all about Benjamin Franklin.
Phil is well known in Burlington and has a fascination with Ben Franklin...also a man of many interests and great intellectual curiosity. Phil has been fascinated with "Ben" for many years and has collected about 130 volumes on his life. You have probably seen Phil as the BNEWS anchor. He has served 20 years in public access programming covering issues of local, state and national interest. We look forward to seeing Phil on Thursday, September 6, at the Human Services Building, 61 Center Street, on the first floor, Murray/Kelly Wing. We are handicap accessible...and don't forget to stay for coffee! |
Phil Gallagher
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Jonathon Simonds HouseThis home, as it currently survives, is one of Burlington's finest 18th century residences and is an example of 20th century Colonial Revival restoration.
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The Jonathon Simonds House at 121 Lexington Street will be lost soon. However, it will not be forgotten. There will be a memorial placed on a wall to be seen from Lexington Street. Yes, it is a small consolation, but from all bad sometimes comes good! A local group is working to incorporate the Community Preservation Act which will have to be approved by Town Meeting and voted on by Burlington voters. When this is approved, the town will be able to use a small percentage of tax dollars to accrue and be used to preserve and protect our historical assets. As of today, October 24, the house is still standing. Meetings at the Planning Board continue. Larry Cohen of the Burlington Conservation Commission has formed a committee of town people and members from each town board to finalize plans for the Community Preservation Act. |
MAY 3 MEETING WITH ROBERT FAHEY, AUTHOR OF RETRO BURLINGTON! MANY FAMILIAR SIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF BURLINGTON. EXCITING TO SEE PICTURES OF THE 40'S, 50'S, 60'S, 70'S AND ON. WE WILL BE MEETING AT GRANDVIEW FARMS AND DOORS OPEN AT 6:30. ALL ARE WELCOME. BRING PICTURES YOU MAY HAVE...THEY WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU.
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JOYCE WILL RETURN AT OUR MAY 3 MEETING!
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HOW 4 STOLEN CANNON IGNITED THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR...ON APRIL 5, JOHN BELL, THE AUTHOR OF "ON THE ROAD TO CONCORD". THE AUTHOR TRACED THE SPARK OF THE FIRST BATTLE. ENJOYED BY ALL. |
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HOLLYWOOD AND THE EARLY YEARS OF FILM WILL BE THE PRESENTATION AT THE BURLINGTON HISTORICAL PROGRAM ON THURSDAY, MAY 4 AT 7 P.M. ANNE BARRETT WILL TAKE US THROUGH THE EARLY WEST TO THE GLITTERING MOVIE MECCA FULL OF GLAMOROUS STARS AND SCANDALOUS BEHAVIOR WITH FILM CLIPS THAT GIVE YOU A FRONT ROW SEAT TO THE DAWN OF THE MOVIE INDUSTRY.
ALL ARE WELCOME. WE ARE HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE.
March 2 Meeting...It is named "Operation Home Ties". A mission by home town portrait artist, Gina Johnson. All of our fallen servicemen and women with ties to Massachusetts will be remembered by sharing their images on a Traveling Tribute Wall called "Faces of Remembrance". This will touch your heart!
Our meeting is on Thursday, March 2 at the Human Service Center, 61 Center Street (next to Grandview Farm). Doors open at 6:30 and the program begins at 7 p.m. We are on the first floor and handicap accessible. All are welcome...there is no charge.
THE SOUND OF A TICKING CLOCK AS TIME GOES BY!
Bob Frishman was a very popular speaker at our last meeting. Bob Frishman has restored, repaired and sold antique clocks for more than 33 years. In 1992 he founded Bell-Time Clocks. Bob has restored clocks for Brown University, Andover Historical Society, Museum on National Heritage, Phillips Academy, and Gibson House Museum.
Bob has repaired more than 7,000 clocks, sold more than 1,400, and has never been without clocks awaiting his attention.
The Bell-Time Clocks office is on 53 Poor Street, Andover, MA 01810
bell-time@comcast.net www.bell-time.com
Bob is available to do an appraisal for you.
4th of july 2016 parade awards to Garden Club, MamaBear and Pumpkin Patch.
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David Kaiser...a historian..."How did we get where we are"
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Gravestone Girls...they explored our Burlington cemeteries.
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Photos from our events and meetings:
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/ Below is our meeting/lecture series calendar. All meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month. The Burlington Historical Society is proudly celebrating our 58th year. From 1964 to 2021, dedicated people have joined together to do our best to preserve and celebrate Burlington, Massachusetts' history. New members are always welcomed. Annual Dues are only $15. We meet monthly on the first Thursday of each month at the Human Resource Building at 61 Center Street...next to Grandview. An opportunity to enjoy Burlington History as well as all History. Efforts to save the Old Havenville School (now known as the West School) from demolition was the catalyst to preserve a bit of Burlington's history. Our history must be continually preserved for the benefit and use of present and future generations of the residents of Burlington. OUR 2021 SCHEDULE WAS ON HOLD DUE TO COVID OUR 2021 SCHEDULE December 1, 2021 - Historical Society Members will enjoy our annual Christmas Dinner. Our next meeting will be our Annual Meeting in March 2022 with election of officers. Annual dues become due in March 2022. November 3, 2021 - Robert Fahey, a lifelong Burlington resident, and the author of BURLINGTON RETRO WEBSITE, will tell the story of the KENT COTTAGE. His website was created to preserve Burlington history before it is lost or "tossed". October 7, 2021 - Author Michael Tougias is a prolific writer of action packed and unusual happenings. One of his newest titles is ABOVE AND BEYOND...the true story of U-2 spy plane pilots photographing Russian misile sites scattered across the island of Cuba. September 2, 2021 - Author, Jack Wilson, will speak at the Burlington Historical Society's first meeting in 2021. Jack Wilson will speak about his book which he co-authored with Joseph Pereira. A true story of the HURTGEN FOREST BATTLE on the Belgium-German border. It all happened on ALL SOULS DAY, November 2, 1944. A brief but horrific battle ensued, and Americans were forced to retreat, leaving behind their dead and wounded. You will want to hear the story of how Jack Wilson completed his mission to bring Americans home! March 5, 2020 - "All That Jazz" Dan Leclerc will trace the history of swing, share stories about various artists and play energetic historic video recordings. OUR 2019 SCHEDULE March 7 - Robert Fahey, a long -time Burlington resident is the author of BURLINGTON RETRO...THE WEBSITE THAT FORGETS TO FORGET. Robert will field questions from the audience as he shares photos from the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and on. What a great way to preserve Burlington's culture and history. April 4 - HISTORY AT PLAY FEATURING "A REVOLUTION OF HER OWN" - A true story of Deborah Sampson, the first woman to enlist, to fight, and to be honorably discharged from the American military in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army. The presentation by Judith Kalaora is superb! May 2 - LET THE STONES SPEAK. Dick and Kathy Knowles will give a presentation on graves, gravestones and graveyards and the history of the past that they may hold. Also discussed will be cleaning and repair of old tombstones. September 5 - African-American History from Revolutionary years to the Civil War. The History of the Underground Railroad will be discussed. October 3 - SO CLOSE TO HOME - A true story of a very brave and daring young family on an ocean trip from South America to home during WW11. They were bombed by a German sub in American waters. November 7 - Belva Lockwood in 1884 on the campaign trail. She was the first woman admitted to the Supreme Court Bar. OUR 2016/ 2018 SCHEDULE March 2- Local Historian and Author, Robert Costa, will discuss his new book, "Burlington Through Time". Our town has a rich history that dates to 1642. Apri1 7 - The Gravestone Girls. Lecture on the art, history and symbolism of gravestones. The program is tailored to our town. Their work aims to entertain and educate on the historical perspective of old cemeteries. May 7 - David Kaiser is a respected historian whose published works have covered a wide range of topics, from European Warfare to American League Baseball. He has a PhD in History from Harvard. June 5 - Pot Luck dinner for all members. We will welcome in summer and be back in the fall. July – Aug – Vacation Break September 1 - HELPIS ... Burlington originated charity which continues to support Burlington and surrounding communities. JOYCE DELIYIANNIS is the founder and champion of a greatly needed aid to people, and a new concept in giving back! October 6 - Friends of the Burlington Forest and Mary Cummings Park Committee will bring us up to date on all the improvements and family-friendly events that are in the works. NOTE...AT JAN 2017 TOWN MEETING, THIS FOREST WILL BE REGISTERED AS "OPEN LAND" ... November 3 - Bob Frishman has repaired, restored and sold antique clocks for more than 33 years. In 1992 he founded Bell-Time Clocks. Bob graduated George Washington University in 1973. He worked in U.S House of Representatives and in his family business. But it was antique timekeepers that took Bob to a new level of passion. Bob Frishman has repaired more than 7,000 clocks. YOU ARE WELCOME TO BRING YOUR CLOCKS TO OUR MEETING FOR A FREE APPRAISAL. March 2- 2017 - Gina Johnson, a local portrait artist, will honor the memories of our fallen servicemen and women. Gina does a detailed pencil Memory Portrait, presenting the original portrait to their family and sharing the images on a Traveling Portrait Wall called "Faces of Remembrance" as a grateful reminder that we remain land of the free because of our brave. April 6- 2017 - Jane Blair of ART MATTERS will bring us back to a special time in our nation's history of "The Great American West". May 4 - 2017- Anne Barrett, a history columnist, will speak on HOLLYWOOD: WILD WEST TO MOVIE MECCA See how Hollywood evolved! September 7 - 2017 - Sing-A-Long with MEL SIMONDS. Music and singing is good for the soul and we had a happy time together. Mel will return in March 2018 to join with us in celebration of St. Patrick. October 5 - 2017 - A Clutter Control Expert came to the Burlington Historical meeting and showed members and many townspeople how to "get rid of junk". He agreed that it is not a very easy thing to do sometimes. November 2 - 2017 - The Burlington Heritage Trail was discussed by our own member, Kathi Horton. The "trail" includes Historical Museum, United Congregational Church, Second Parish Burial Ground, the West School and Marion Tavern at Grandview Farm...all part of our Burlington heritage. The Francis Wyman House is not owned by our town, but is certainly an important structure in our history. December 7 - 2017 - The Historical Society Christmas Party. Our programs will begin in March 2018. We already have March booked. In April there will be a wonderful and informative lecture on "HOW 4 STOLEN CANNONS" IGNITED THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. March 2018 - An Irish Sing-A-Long April 2018 - "Road to Concord" - Author, Lecturer, Historian J. Bell MAY 2018 - BURLINGTON RETRO WITH AUTHOR ROBERT FAHEY. And a visit with Joyce Deliyiannis of HELPIS September 6 - 2018 - Our Own Phil Gallagher to perform a reenactment of Benjamin Franklin. October 4 - 2018 - Another Home-Town professional lecturing the Historical Society and guests on the 100-year old House Survey, the Community Preservation Act and the Jonathon Simonds House. And who better to discuss these issues than Robert Costa, noted author of two pictorial history books, and long time history teacher at Burlington High. November 1 - 2018 - Anthony Sammarco, an award-winning historian and author of over 70 books. This presentation will concentrate on Boston and the first department store, Jordan Marsh. Committee MembersEarly American Pottery
Rick Hamelin has been potting since 1976 and became committed to learning about the historical redware potters after learning of the Colonial and Early American industries that existed in his native Central Massachusetts. "A colonial potter from a small town" will give his presentation in Burlington on October 1 at the Human Services Center.for the Historical Society members and guests.
Here is a picture displaying the artwork performed by Pied Potter Hamelin. |
All meetings held at:
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