Belmont

In 1859, a spirited community carved out of sections of Watertown, Waltham, and West Cambridge united to form the town of Belmont. Belmont quickly earned a reputation. It wasn’t for its bustling industry or towering monuments. Belmont became known as “The Town of Homes.” Today, we stand in the heart of this charming town, a place whose history is woven into the very fabric of its residential streets. Belmont’s story begins much earlier than its official incorporation. Settlement in this area dates back to 1630. Sir Richard Saltonstall and around 40 families journeyed inland from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, seeking to establish an agricultural community. The land, originally called Pequosette after the local Native American tribe, was purchased fairly from the Pequosette Indians in 1638. The settlement flourished, eventually encompassing land that would become Watertown, Waltham, Weston, Lincoln, and portions of Cambridge and Belmont. A key moment in Belmont’s development arrived with the construction of the railroad around 1843. Initially intended to transport ice from Fresh Pond to Charlestown, the railroad’s extension to Waltham opened up the area to wealthy Bostonians seeking a suburban retreat. Villages sprouted up around the train stations, Wellington Station (now Belmont Center), Waverley Station, and Hill’s Crossing Station. However, governing these growing villages proved complicated. Residents had to travel to neighboring towns for town meetings and voting. This sparked a movement for independence in the 1850s. John Perkins Cushing, a prominent figure and the largest taxpayer in the proposed town, played a crucial role. He generously supported the incorporation efforts, with the stipulation that the new town be named after his estate, “Bellmont.” Despite resistance from the surrounding towns, Belmont officially became a town on March 18, 1859. The new town, spanning five square miles, was initially a collection of fruit farms and market gardens, their produce gracing the stalls of Faneuil Hall Market. The name “Belmont” even became synonymous with quality and size in agricultural circles. A curious incident involving a slaughterhouse on the banks of Fresh Pond, which supplied Cambridge with drinking water, led to a dispute and the annexation of a portion of Belmont by Cambridge in 1880. In the 20th century, Belmont transformed again. Artists, authors, educators, and scientists flocked to the town, doubling its population and shifting its identity from a farming community to the primarily residential “Town of Homes” we see today.