Belmont 150th - Town Seal

Town Seal

You may know about Bruno, the orphaned bear cub, who came to Belmont with photographer Lyman Underwood in 1903. You may know that the present Belmont Dramatic Club was founded at a meeting in the home of landscape designer Loring Underwood that same year. And you may also know that Underwood deviled ham, with its distinctive red devil trademark, has a Belmont connection. Perhaps you don't know how significant the contributions of the Underwood family have been to the community over the years.

William Underwood, having some knowledge about preserving food, arrived in this country from London in 1817. He landed in New Orleans, but it was not to his liking. He started out on foot to find a spot in which to establish himself all the while mulling over plans for a new business. In 1819, after visiting every state then in the union, he arrived in Boston, having walked almost the entire distance.

It is not known for sure when he began his business in Boston, but in 1821 he was shipping goods to South America. The Underwood Company holds the oldest registered food trademark in the country. Mr. Underwood married Betsy Hale from New Hampshire and the family settled in Watertown. Belmont was not yet incorporated.

The company began as a condiment manufacturer and preserved foods such as mustard and berries. The largest growth in the family enterprise was during the Civil War, when the company supplied the Union Army with canned goods. Deviled ham was added to the product line at this time. Again, during the Spanish American War, the United States Government supplied troops with Underwood products.

William's son, William James Underwood, married Esther Crafts Mead, the daughter of Samuel O. Mead and Maria (Wellington) Mead. William J. Underwood served on the town hall building committee, as the first chairman of the trustees of the Belmont Public Library, as an assessor, a water commissioner and a member of the Belmont School Committee.

The eldest son of Wm. J. was Henry Oliver Underwood who served as president of the family owned business from 1880 until his death in 1921. He married Jennie Cushing in 1884 and their house, a Hartwell and Richardson creation, was retained and divided into six units when the Commons was built on the grounds of the Underwood Estate in 1980.

The Underwood Library on Pleasant Street was a gift to the town of Belmont from Henry O. in memory of his parents. It was constructed on the site of the Roger Wellington homestead which dated from 1636. The library was relocated there in 1902 from quarters in the town hall that it had enjoyed since 1882.

The town hall library stacks, some 15,000 volumes, had been housed in what subsequently became the personnel board office. The reading room, complete with fireplace, was contained in space later occupied by the selectmen's room and included an alcove in the circular tower.

The new library was "the very latest in design", with a capacity to house 50,000 volumes. It also contained a basement room for bicycle parking and a room for smoking, which could be monitored by the librarian through a series of mirrors.

Upon completion of the Memorial Library in 1964, the Underwood Library was turned over to the Belmont public schools for use as an administration building.

The Memorial Library, stands on the site of a pond down the slope from one of the houses occupied by the Underwood family. The pond, created by damming Wellington Brook, was a beautiful spot, transformed seasonally into a popular skating rink. The family fought, unsuccessfully, in the courts to prevent the town from seizing the land by eminent domain in the early 1960's. A sorry thank you to a family who placed a high value on community which had been demonstrated repeatedly over the years.

The pool and playground next door to the Memorial Library is also an Underwood legacy. In May, 1911, Henry O. Underwood offered to exchange 139,452 square feet of his land between School Street and Concord Avenue for 19,312 square feet of town-owned land on School Street that would even off his property line. In addition to the land swap, Mr. Underwood offered to construct a playground, bathhouse and swimming pool on the Concord Avenue lot for the use of the children of the town.

Belmont voted to give the old high school lot on School Street to H. O. in exchange for his property between School Street and Concord Avenue and the development of a playground, bathhouse and pool. The pool/playground complex was designed by H. O.'s brother Loring. The original bathhouse was designed by H. Thaxter Underwood, a nephew to H. O., who also designed a six-room addition to the Payson Park School in 1920. During the town meeting of 1912 it was unanimously voted to name the playground "the Underwood Playground."

There are many other examples of community spirit and civic betterment associated with the Underwood family. Henry O. Underwood was a member of a trust responsible for the construction of the Tudor-style block of stores that once enhanced the appearance Leonard Street.

Both H. O. and William J. Underwood, together with Edwin Atkins and Edward Whitney, contributed the necessary funds to cover the shortfall for the price of land on which the Roger Wellington School was built. Later, in 1915, Atkins and Underwood donated land on Orchard Street, behind the Wellington School, on which to build a new high school and playground.

Thanks to the intervention of H. O. Underwood and Edwin F. Atkins the railroad bridge in Belmont Center is an attractive stone arch structure rather than the steel girder bridge originally proposed for the spot.

During the period of time when no regulations were in place for the development of Belmont, the Underwoods and other farsighted civic minded businessmen set a precedent of responsible administration of land use. They enriched the town with green spaces, woodlots, schools, municipal buildings, homes and public amenities of which it could be proud.



Town Seal You may know about Bruno, the orphaned bear cub, who came to Belmont with photographer Lyman Underwood in 1903. You may know that the present Belmont Dramatic Club was founded at a meeting in the home of landscape designer Loring Underwood that same year. And you may also know that Underwood deviled ham, with its distinctive red devil trademark, has a Belmont connection. Perhaps you don't know how significant the contributions of the Underwood family have been to the community over the years. William Underwood, having some knowledge about preserving food, arrived in this country from London in 1817. He landed in New Orleans, but it was not to his liking. He started out on foot to find a spot in which to establish himself all the while mulling over plans for a new business. In 1819, after visiting every state then in the union, he arrived in Boston, having walked almost the entire distance. It is not known for sure when he began his business in Boston, but in 1821 he was shipping goods to South America. The Underwood Company holds the oldest registered food trademark in the country. Mr. Underwood married Betsy Hale from New Hampshire and the family settled in Watertown. Belmont was not yet incorporated. The company began as a condiment manufacturer and preserved foods such as mustard and berries. The largest growth in the family enterprise was during the Civil War, when the company supplied the Union Army with canned goods. Deviled ham was added to the product line at this time. Again, during the Spanish American War, the United States Government supplied troops with Underwood products. William's son, William James Underwood, married Esther Crafts Mead, the daughter of Samuel O. Mead and Maria (Wellington) Mead. William J. Underwood served on the town hall building committee, as the first chairman of the trustees of the Belmont Public Library, as an assessor, a water commissioner and a member of the Belmont School Committee. The eldest son of Wm. J. was Henry Oliver Underwood who served as president of the family owned business from 1880 until his death in 1921. He married Jennie Cushing in 1884 and their house, a Hartwell and Richardson creation, was retained and divided into six units when the Commons was built on the grounds of the Underwood Estate in 1980. The Underwood Library on Pleasant Street was a gift to the town of Belmont from Henry O. in memory of his parents. It was constructed on the site of the Roger Wellington homestead which dated from 1636. The library was relocated there in 1902 from quarters in the town hall that it had enjoyed since 1882. The town hall library stacks, some 15,000 volumes, had been housed in what subsequently became the personnel board office. The reading room, complete with fireplace, was contained in space later occupied by the selectmen's room and included an alcove in the circular tower. The new library was "the very latest in design", with a capacity to house 50,000 volumes. It also contained a basement room for bicycle parking and a room for smoking, which could be monitored by the librarian through a series of mirrors. Upon completion of the Memorial Library in 1964, the Underwood Library was turned over to the Belmont public schools for use as an administration building. The Memorial Library, stands on the site of a pond down the slope from one of the houses occupied by the Underwood family. The pond, created by damming Wellington Brook, was a beautiful spot, transformed seasonally into a popular skating rink. The family fought, unsuccessfully, in the courts to prevent the town from seizing the land by eminent domain in the early 1960's. A sorry thank you to a family who placed a high value on community which had been demonstrated repeatedly over the years. The pool and playground next door to the Memorial Library is also an Underwood legacy. In May, 1911, Henry O. Underwood offered to exchange 139,452 square feet of his land between School Street and Concord Avenue for 19,312 square feet of town-owned land on School Street that would even off his property line. In addition to the land swap, Mr. Underwood offered to construct a playground, bathhouse and swimming pool on the Concord Avenue lot for the use of the children of the town. Belmont voted to give the old high school lot on School Street to H. O. in exchange for his property between School Street and Concord Avenue and the development of a playground, bathhouse and pool. The pool/playground complex was designed by H. O.'s brother Loring. The original bathhouse was designed by H. Thaxter Underwood, a nephew to H. O., who also designed a six-room addition to the Payson Park School in 1920. During the town meeting of 1912 it was unanimously voted to name the playground "the Underwood Playground." There are many other examples of community spirit and civic betterment associated with the Underwood family. Henry O. Underwood was a member of a trust responsible for the construction of the Tudor-style block of stores that once enhanced the appearance Leonard Street. Both H. O. and William J. Underwood, together with Edwin Atkins and Edward Whitney, contributed the necessary funds to cover the shortfall for the price of land on which the Roger Wellington School was built. Later, in 1915, Atkins and Underwood donated land on Orchard Street, behind the Wellington School, on which to build a new high school and playground. Thanks to the intervention of H. O. Underwood and Edwin F. Atkins the railroad bridge in Belmont Center is an attractive stone arch structure rather than the steel girder bridge originally proposed for the spot. During the period of time when no regulations were in place for the development of Belmont, the Underwoods and other farsighted civic minded businessmen set a precedent of responsible administration of land use. They enriched the town with green spaces, woodlots, schools, municipal buildings, homes and public amenities of which it could be proud. Town of Belmont \| Belmont Historical Society