The Milton Historical Society

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The Milton Historical Society

The Milton Historical Society page is a place to share stories, photographs, and history of the Town of Milton, MA.

Milton is a town rich in 400 years of history. In it's earliest days, Milton was a capital industrial center. It has been home to 5 Massachusetts governors and is the birthplace of a US president. Milton housed the headquarters and track bed for the nation's first commercial railroad. It is also home to the Suffolk Resolves, which became the colonies' first collective statement against the British

government, a precursor to the Declaration of Independence. It's important to preserve our rich legacy and pass it along to generations to come. We do this through tours, exhibits, lectures, and publications. We sponsor an educational program for Milton 5th graders every spring that is interesting, interactive and fun- teaching the kids that taking ownership of our shared history brings us together and strengthens our community.

09/02/2026

Paul Revere Returns for Suffolk Resolves Day

On Sunday, September 13, Paul Revere (portrayed by Michael LePage) returns to the Suffolk Resolves House to commemorate the 1774 Suffolk County Resolves, the revolutionary document adopted there by the Suffolk County Convention.

Months before his more famous ride on April 19, 1775, Revere made a record-setting ride to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to deliver the Resolves, a bold protest against British rule. Stop by anytime between 1 and 3 p.m. to speak with Paul Revere

The Milton Historical Society invites you to meet Revere, learn about the Resolves, and view the Suffolk Resolves House at 1370 Canton Avenue in Milton. The event runs from 1 to 3 p.m. and admission is free.

Pictured: Michael LePage portraying Paul Revere while speaking with visitors in the parlor, alongside a sketch depicting Dr. Joseph Warren presenting the Resolves to convention delegates at the Suffolk Resolves House on September 9, 1774.

08/04/2026

Our doors will open this Sunday. . .

The Milton Historical Society invites you to an Open House at the Suffolk Resolves House, Sunday, August 9, from 1 – 3 pm. Free Admission. The site of the 1774 Suffolk Resolves Convention, this colonial-era house is filled with historical items representing Milton history. Arrive at any time between 1 and 3 pm to see the house. We’ll also offer air conditioning and a cool glass of lemonade. 1370 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA.

07/10/2026

The Milton Historical Society invites you to an Open House at the Suffolk Resolves House, Sunday, July 12, at 1370 Canton Avenue. Drop in any time between 1 and 3 pm. Free Admission.

Site of the 1774 Suffolk Resolves Convention, this colonial-era house is filled with historical items representing Milton history. View the house and enjoy air conditioning and a cool glass of lemonade.

Pictured: John and Rosalie Godfrey, donors of this Revolutionary War-era cuttoe or sword, now displayed in the parlor of the Suffolk Resolves House. The sword belonged to Daniel Vose, the house’s original owner, and is very similar to one carried by Geroge Washington in the early years of the war.

07/04/2026

From The Suffolk Resolves House

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

06/18/2026

“Milton and the Soldiers of the Revolution”

Join Milton Cemetery and Milton Historical Society for an early evening stroll on Wednesday June 24th at 5:30 pm. (rain date Thurs June 25)

We will be touring the old burying grounds at Milton Cemetery and featuring the headstones and graves of some of Milton’s own Revolutionary War Soldiers.

Come view the Historic 18th century headstones and listen to what we have uncovered so far about these men who bravely answered the call to arms against the British.

Celebrate the Soldiers from Milton who were there at the start of the Revolution 250 years ago.

Suggested donation $10
Meet at the side gate at Cemetery Office @ 5:30 pm

06/04/2026

The Milton Historical Society invites you to an Open House at the Suffolk Resolves House, Sunday, June 14, at 1370 Canton Avenue.

Drop in any time between 1 and 3 pm. Free Admission.

Site of the 1774 Suffolk Resolves Convention, this colonial-era house is filled with historical items representing Milton history.

We’ll be highlighting objects that reflect life in early America and offering air conditioning and a cool glass of lemonade.

Photo: The Counting Room at the Suffolk Resolves House

05/25/2026

On Memorial Day. . . We honor all those who have died serving in the U. S. military

Lt. Huntington Frothingham Wolcott-One man lost in the Civil War

“Dear Mama, you must let me go.” These were the words that Huntington Frothingham Wolcott wrote to his stepmother when he asked to join the Union Army. Although his family may have tried to dissuade him, Wolcott enlisted in 1865 at age nineteen and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry.

Born in 1846 to J. Huntington Wolcott and Cornelia Frothingham, he split his childhood between Boston and Milton, living at the family’s city home and country estate near the Blue Hills. His father had made a fortune in Massachusetts textile mills, and many noted the contrast between Wolcott’s privileged background and the soldier’s life he chose.

By early March, his regiment was engaged in heavy fighting with General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry in Virginia, helping force Confederate troops from Petersburg and Richmond, pursuing Robert E. Lee, and witnessing the Confederate surrender at Appomattox.

In May, Wolcott, his regiment, and 80,000 Union soldiers marched in Washington, DC, in the Grand Parade before cheering crowds, knowing they would soon be discharged and returned home. The next day, Wolcott fell ill with malarial fever, likely contracted while fighting in Virginia’s tidewater swamps. He was taken home to Milton, where he died on June 9, 1865.

Wolcott was one of many Union soldiers—and of many others throughout our history—whose fate is summed up by the words on his gravestone at Mount Auburn Cemetery: “He died for his country.”

Image: Lt. Huntington Frothingham Wolcott by William Morris Hunt, 1867
Image Credit: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

04/29/2026

Do you recognize Milton's Town Landing circa 1900?

Milton Historical Society archives contain thousands of photographs of the town and its people, taken in the 1800s and 1900s. One of our favorites is this view of Milton Landing as a busy commercial center at the turn of the century.

Standing today on the Riverwalk in front of 88 Wharf Street, looking down river towards Dorchester Bay, you’ll see the Town Landing to your right, with its public park and pleasure boats.

Taken from the same spot, this early 1900s photo shows a different scene: at the waterfront, Osgood’s Lumber and Coal Company dominates the area. The ship Grafton is docked, delivering a load of lumber, likely coming in from Maine or Nova Scotia. Ships traveling up the Neponset to deliver or pick up goods at Milton was a common site in the early 1900s.

In fact, Milton Landing had long been what historian Albert Teele called “a scene of great business life and activity.” In the 1770’s, “the center of trade was the immense wholesale and retail store of Daniel Vose located along Adams Street and the wharves. He sent baggage teams inland to trade with rural farmers, and using his own ships, he bought and sold goods in coastal towns across New England.”

In 1833, seventy-four vessels delivered freight to Milton by way of the river. By the end of the century, lumber and coal were the major products coming in. Other businesses at the Landing included Strangman and Company, an extensive wood manufacturing business that made a well-known line of carriages.

In the twentieth century, railroads and trucking eliminated shipping on the Neponset. In 1999, a major fire speeded the area’s transition from commercial to residential and recreational use. That year, a seven-alarm fire destroyed a Hood Company frozen food warehouse located at the landing. Debates about what to rebuild on the property led the Town to rezone the area, from commercial to mixed use. The 88 Wharf Street condominiums, completed in 2004, marked a significant transition from commercial to residential and recreational uses of Milton Landing.

Image Credit: Milton Historical Society, Martin Collection, digitized by Jeffrey Erikson

04/19/2026

Milton-The day after April 19th

As the day closed on April 19, great numbers of militia who had marched from across Massachusetts and beyond were gathering in Cambridge. Food and shelter for so many was going to be a challenge. The next day, Milton merchant and militia captain Daniel Vose rode into the patriot camp and invited a regiment to dinner—perhaps 300 or more men.

Back in Milton, Vose had the baker, Mr. Davenport, make enough bread to feed the crowd. He sent riders across town to ask farmers to bring in mutton. Kettles of hot chocolate were mixed. All prepared in Vose’s huge fireplace at his large store and warehouse located near Adams St. That night townspeople found places for all these men to sleep during their well-deserved weekend of rest in Milton.

His large fireplace, reportedly big enough to hold eight-foot logs, may have looked like the fireplace in this image--or even larger. (from Colonial Times Fireplace)

04/16/2026

A reminder... Coming Sunday, April 19...Paul Revere at the Suffolk Resolves House

Meet Mr. Revere in the parlor of the Suffolk Resolves House. from 1 – 3 pm, 1370 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA. Free admission.

Drop by anytime between 1 and 3 pm to chat with Mr. Revere, portrayed by reenactor Michael LePage. Ask him about life as a Patriot in Boston, his associate Dr. Joseph Warren, his famous midnight ride in April of 1775, and more.

View the Suffolk Resolves House where representatives from nineteen Suffolk County towns signed the Resolves in 1774, a statement of complaint about their treatment by the British parliament. Paul Revere can tell you about his ride to deliver the Resolves to John Adams at the Continental Congress.
We hope to see you Sunday, April 19.

Address

1370 Canton Avenue
Milton, MA
02186

Telephone

+16173339700

Website

http://www.miltonhistoricalsociety.org/

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