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I. General History.
The history of
Cambridge has been concisely presented by
Rev. Dr. Paige in his invaluable volume.
The State Records preserve the action of the Council on a ‘Petition of Cambridge Northwest Inhabitants,’ under date of June 30, 1732, namely a petition of
James Cutler and others, a committee for the inhabitants of the
Northwest Part of the town of
Cambridge,—showing that on their application to said town to be set off a separate precinct, they were pleased to vote that they should be set off by certain bounds in the said vote particularly described, with a reservation of the ministerial lands to the old parish, together with all their gifts and grants made to the church at
Cambridge; and praying that they may be set off a distinct precinct without that reservation, and that the ministry lot lying within their bounds may be assigned to the petitioners, which is not their full proportion of the ministerial estate.
The order thereon was, that the petitioners serve the town of
Cambridge with a copy of this petition, that they show cause at a time stated why the prayer thereof should not be granted.
On Nov. 3, 1732, the petition of
James Cutler and others, in behalf of the inhabitants of the
Northwest Part of
Cambridge, praying as entered June 30, 1732, being in Council read again, together with the answer of the town of
Cambridge, and the petition of
William Russell and others, and the same being fully considered, the question was put whether the prayer of the petition be granted, and it passed in the negative and was therefore dismissed.
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Paige states that as early as May 10, 1725, the people on the westerly side of Menotomy River desired better accommodation for public worship, and petitioned the town to consent that they might become a separate precinct.
The town withheld its consent, on the ground that near one-half of said inhabitants had not signed the petition.
The request was renewed in 1728.
A second petition of
James Cutler and others, a committee for the
Northwest inhabitants of
Cambridge, praying they be set off a separate and distinct precinct, by such boundaries as are set forth in their petition, was disposed of as follows: order thereon; petitioners serve town of
Cambridge with copy of their petition, that they show cause, if any they have, on Wednesday, the 6th of December following, why the prayer thereof should not be granted.
Ebenezer Burrill, Esq., for the committee of both houses on the petition above, reported that said committee, appointed to take under consideration said petition, having repaired to the lands petitioned for by, and notified the petitioners and the agents for the town of Cambridge,1 with other petitioners, and having carefully viewed the place and heard the parties, are humbly of opinion that the lands in the Northwest Part of said town petitioned for, be set off a distinct precinct by the following boundaries:
On Menotomy River from Charlestown till it comes to Spy Pond Brook, then on said brook till it comes to a watercourse or ditch in Whiting's meadow, so called; the ditch to be the boundary till it comes to Hamblet's Brook, following the course of said brook to the Bridge, thence on a straight line to the northwest corner of Mr. Isaac Holden's orchard, and continuing the same course to Watertown line.
And that the inhabitants of the said precinct be vested with all the powers, privileges and immunities that other precincts within this Province do, or by law ought to enjoy.
The above report was accepted, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 1732, and the order of the General Court for a new precinct in
Cambridge was that the lands above-mentioned be set off a distinct precinct accordingly.—Mass.
Prov. Records, vol.
XV.
On June 9, 1762, the inhabitants of the said Second Parish
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in
Cambridge, together with certain petitioners then.
inhabitants of the town of
Charlestown, were incorporated into a District, generally called
Menotomy, since it included all the territory in the two towns on the westerly side of
Menotomy River, now
Alewife Brook, the stream flowing from the
Spy-Pond Brook into the
Mystic River.
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On Feb. 27, 1807, an act was passed to divide the town of
Cambridge, and to incorporate the Westerly Parish therein as a separate town, by the name of
West Cambridge.
All that part of the town of Cambridge, heretofore known as the Second Parish, and as described within the following bounds:
Beginning at Charlestown line where the little river intersects the same, and running on a line in the middle of said little river until it strikes Fresh Pond; thence west ten degrees south until it intersects the line of the town of Watertown; thence on Watertown and Waltham line, till it strikes Lexington line; thence on Lexington line till it strikes Woburn line; thence on Woburn and Charlestown line to the little river first mentioned.
This act contains the proviso that nothing therein shall be so construed as to impair the right or privilege of the
Congregational minister of the town of
West Cambridge, which he now holds in Harvard College.
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The inhabitants were vested with all the powers and privileges, and subject to all the duties other corporate towns were subject to in this commonwealth.
They were to hold a proportion of property owned in common—to pay arrears of taxes, to support their proportion of poor, to support their proportion of the old bridge over Charles River between the First and Third Parishes of Cambridge,4 to pay state and county taxes.
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The act had force June 1, 1807.
A justice was to issue a warrant directed to some freeholder of said town of
West Cambridge, notifying and warning the inhabitants thereof to meet at such time and place as appointed in said warrant, for choice of town officers.—
Mass.
Special Laws, IV. 88.
Part of
Charlestown was annexed to
West Cambridge, Feb. 25, 1842.
Namely, ‘all that part of
Charlestown which lies northwesterly of the thread of “little river,” so called.’
Part of
West Cambridge was annexed to
Winchester, April 30, 1850.
Namely, the extreme northerly portion of
West Cambridge, to a point in the
Lexington and
West Cambridge boundary line, one hundred and twelve and one half rods southwest from the junction of said line with Woburn, Lexington and West Cambridge lines.
Part of
West Cambridge was annexed to
Belmont, March 18, 1859.
Namely, the extreme southerly portion of the town.
For specification of boundary line between the towns of
West Cambridge and
Belmont, see the act to incorporate the town of
Belmont.
The name of the town of
West Cambridge was changed to
Arlington, by act of legislature, April 13, 1867.
