Historical Society of Watertown
The Edmund Fowle House on Marshall Street will be the location for the reading of the Declaration of Independence and celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Watertown.
Two of Watertown’s historical claims is that it was the first place in Massachusetts that the Declaration of Independence was read, and it was the site of the signing of the first treat made by the new United States of America. These events will be reenacted by the Historical Society of Watertown.
On Saturday, July 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Declaration of Independence and Treaty of Watertown Commemoration will take place at the Edmund Fowle House, 28 Marshall St., Watertown.
This annual event marks the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to the citizens of our new nation in Watertown on July 18, 1776. Also, the signing of the first treaty negotiated by our new nation with a foreign power, namely the St. John’s (a.k.a. Maliseet) and Mi’kmaq Tribes of Nova Scotia, at the Edmund Fowle House on July 19, 1776, will also be celebrated.
The Nugumij (Grandmother) Drum from the United Native American Cultural Center in Devens, will be present and drummers and singers will perform several songs to mark the occasion. Center members and guests, dressed in their native regalia, and colonial re-enactors will be present to share their stories.
The Edmund Fowle House will be open for free tours. Visitors will also be able to view two ongoing exhibits: Watertown and the Civil War and A Mi’Kmaw Woman’s Award Winning Legacy.
This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, call Audrey Jones Childs at 617-926-2577.