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The 2010 Reenactment of Signing of Treaty of Watertown at the Edmund Fowle House. (Courtesy of Historical Society. of Watertown)
In the days after the former 13 colonies declared their independence from Britain 250 years ago, Watertown had a moment. The town outside Boston became the center of government in Massachusetts, and two historic firsts took place right near Watertown Square. However, these occasions got lost in the ether somewhere between George Washington and George H.W. Bush.
Work on the Mt. Auburn Project during the week of July 6-10, 2026, includes sidewalk, plus drainage and tree trench work. Sidewalk work will take place on the south side of Mt. Auburn Street in from Elton Avenue to Adams Street. Businesses in the area will be open but may require using alternate entries.
State Rep. Steve Owens. State Rep. Steve Owens will host a pair of office hours in Watertown this month, and another in Cambridge. See more in the announcement from Owens’ office, below. Please come visit me at my next office hours:
Friday, July 10 from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Intelligentsia (810 Mt Auburn St., Watertown, MA 02472)
Thursday, July 16 from 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. at Triangle Coffee in Cambridge, formerly Kendall Kitchen on the Quad (10 Wilson Road, Cambridge, MA 02138)
Monday, July 20 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Watertown Senior Center (31 Marshall St., Watertown, MA 02472)
The Statehouse is open to the public and my legislative office is in suite 167. The office phone number is 617-722-2230.
With a collection of tens of thousands of historic post cards, Watertown’s Kathryn Alpert had a wealth of choices for her new book “Lost & Found: Historic Boston in Post Cards.” Watertown News spoke with Alpert about the creation of her book. Alpert worked in public relations for years, and was able to get a piece about one of her biggest clients, Tweeter, on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in the 1990s. Then she started a greeting card company in the early 2000s. She is also a member of the Ephemera Society, which focuses on historic items, mostly paper items.
Her 206-page softcover book contains more than two-hundred colorful vintage postcards of historic Boston.
Fireworks
Boston will have plenty to do to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence, and buses, subways, and the commuter rail will operate on altered schedules. The MBTA released information about the schedule changes. Watertown hosted a light show on July 1, and the big 250th event will take place on July 18. The celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Watertown, the first treaty signed by the newly independent United States will take place at the at the Mosesian Center for the Arts from 2-5 p.m. Members or the Massachusett, Mi’kmaq, Maliseet tribes will join the celebration, with drumming, indigenous crafts, a documentary, artwork, military salutes and a reading from the Treaty. See more by clicking here.
(UPDATED July 2, 8:55 a.m.: The library will be open until 7 p.m. Friday.)
With temperatures forecast to reach 100 degrees this week, the City of Watertown has compiled a list of places to keep cool during the heatwave. The National Weather Center has issued an Extreme Heat Warning from July 1 at 10 a.m. to July 4 at 8 p.m. As of Tuesday at 11 a.m., the forecast highs are 95 degrees on Wednesday, 100 degrees on Thursday and Friday, and 95 degrees on Saturday, which is Independence Day. With high humidity expected, the high “feels like” temperature will be over 100 degrees from Wednesday to Friday, topping out at 109 degrees on Thursday. The City of Watertown put together information during the heatwave at watertown-ma.gov/warm-weather-updates. The City provided the following information:
Watertown is expecting very hot temperatures this week with high humidity.
Watertown Senior CenterThe Watertown Senior Center. In-person programs at the Watertown Senior Center will be postponed while the parking lot is under construction from July 7-10, 2026. Virtual and off-site programs will still be held. See more details in the announcement from the Department of Senior Services, below. The Watertown Senior Center and the parking lot at 31 Marshall St.
Watertown’s Eileen Ryan was nominated as a Commonwealth Heroine by State Sen. Will Brownsberger. (Courtesy of Will Brownsberger’s office)
Watertown’s Eileen Ryan was one of 147 women from across Massachusetts to be nominated for the Commonwealth Heroine Award. She was nominated by State Sen. Will Brownsberger. See more information in the announcement about Ryan, and nominees from Watertown’s State Representatives in the announcements from the legislators’ offices, below. On Wednesday, June 24, 147 women from across the state gathered to be honored at the Class of 2026 Massachusetts Commonwealth Heroine Awards Ceremony.
Registration is open for Grace Chapel Watertown’s Kidsweek, which will take place from June 20-24, 2026. See more information in the announcement from Grace Chapel, below. Kids will enjoy 3 fun-filled hours each morning playing games; interacting with music, drama & art projects, all while making friends and having a blast as they discover the incredible truth about God and His amazing plan for them. Cost for the Kids Week program is $30 per child, $60 max. per family.
