Belmont 150th - The Rocky Road to Incorporation

The Rocky Road to Incorporation

The railroad reached Fresh Pond in 1843, three years after John Perkins Cushing's estate Bellmont was completed. The line was subsequently extended to Waltham. Three stops along the line, Hill's Crossing, Wellington Hill Station and Waverley Station, became village centers. At the time, the villages were part of Watertown, Waltham and West Cambridge (now Arlington).

About a thousand people, those who lived in and around the village centers, joined together in the early 1850's and announced their desire to form a separate town, one in which their dissatisfaction with the various local municipalities would be addressed. Thus began the move to incorporate a new town, Belmont.

An official committee was chosen to represent the "separatists". It consisted of Samuel O. Mead, Jacob Hittinger, Edward B. Grant and Jonas B. Chenery. All of the men were staunch supporters of the cause and resourceful.

In 1854 the "separatists" presented their first petition for incorporation to the Great and General Court. The three towns that would potentially loose land, population and taxes opposed the petition. Both sides hired lawyers and the exchange of opinions escalated. Opponents charged that the proposed town had "no church, public hall or even a blacksmith shop." "Separatists" responded by organizing the Belmont Congregational Society in 1856 and the following year the first church was built on Concord Avenue, in the area where the post office is today.

A second petition for incorporation was submitted. Again it met with counter claims. The arguments went back and forth but finally the new Town of Belmont was born. It consisted of 5 1/2 square miles and high spirits. On March 18, 1859 the bell in the new church was the first to ring out the good news. Commuters descending from the four o'clock train from Boston at Wellington Hill Station were swept up in the celebration that continued through the next day.

There was singing, cheering and shouting. Bonfires lit on Belmont Hill could be seen for miles around. The following day was declared a local holiday. Impromptu parades, cannon fire and fireworks added to the celebration of the incorporation of Belmont. The separatists had won. After the celebration the future of the new town would unfold.



The Rocky Road to Incorporation The railroad reached Fresh Pond in 1843, three years after John Perkins Cushing's estate Bellmont was completed. The line was subsequently extended to Waltham. Three stops along the line, Hill's Crossing, Wellington Hill Station and Waverley Station, became village centers. At the time, the villages were part of Watertown, Waltham and West Cambridge (now Arlington). About a thousand people, those who lived in and around the village centers, joined together in the early 1850's and announced their desire to form a separate town, one in which their dissatisfaction with the various local municipalities would be addressed. Thus began the move to incorporate a new town, Belmont. An official committee was chosen to represent the "separatists". It consisted of Samuel O. Mead, Jacob Hittinger, Edward B. Grant and Jonas B. Chenery. All of the men were staunch supporters of the cause and resourceful. In 1854 the "separatists" presented their first petition for incorporation to the Great and General Court. The three towns that would potentially loose land, population and taxes opposed the petition. Both sides hired lawyers and the exchange of opinions escalated. Opponents charged that the proposed town had "no church, public hall or even a blacksmith shop." "Separatists" responded by organizing the Belmont Congregational Society in 1856 and the following year the first church was built on Concord Avenue, in the area where the post office is today. A second petition for incorporation was submitted. Again it met with counter claims. The arguments went back and forth but finally the new Town of Belmont was born. It consisted of 5 1/2 square miles and high spirits. On March 18, 1859 the bell in the new church was the first to ring out the good news. Commuters descending from the four o'clock train from Boston at Wellington Hill Station were swept up in the celebration that continued through the next day. There was singing, cheering and shouting. Bonfires lit on Belmont Hill could be seen for miles around. The following day was declared a local holiday. Impromptu parades, cannon fire and fireworks added to the celebration of the incorporation of Belmont. The separatists had won. After the celebration the future of the new town would unfold. Town of Belmont \| Belmont Historical Society