The Milton Historical Society

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The Milton Historical Society

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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.

10/18/2026

Milton’s Mary Crowd Chappelle

Last week, we shared an unidentified image thought to show Mary Crowd Chappelle, daughter of Mary Emeline and George Crowd.

Today’s photograph, taken around 1900 by Milton photographer Margaret Sutermeister, identifies Mary Crowd Chappelle posing at the Crowd family home at Canton Avenue and Harland Street in Milton, Massachusetts.

Mary’s grandfather, Daniel Crowd, was a Canton farmer and member of the Ponkapoag, a Massachusetts Native American tribe. Her parents moved to Milton around 1870 and lived in the Canton Avenue house shown here.

After Mary’s father died in 1879, her mother, Mary Emeline, remained in Milton with their three children: Sarah, Alfred, and Mary. To earn money, the widow boarded young orphans and occasionally substituted when a local family’s governess took time off. Children reportedly enjoyed her songs and likely delighted in her stories of “old times when the Indians roamed from Ponkapoag [Canton] to Neponset.”

In 1896, Mary married for the first time at age 34. Her husband, George Chappelle, was a carpenter from Prince Edward Island. A skilled dressmaker, Mary may have made the dress she wore in this photograph. The couple lived in the Canton Avenue house.

By 1910, however, George was gone and disappeared from the records. In later official documents, Mary was variously listed as widowed, married, and divorced. She never remarried and had no children.

Mary was the last member of the Crowd family to live in the Milton house. She died in 1933 and was buried with family members on Lilac Path in Milton Cemetery.

Follow our page for more photographs from the Milton Historical Society Collection. This image belongs to the Milton (MA) Historical Society. To request permission to use it, please contact the Society.

10/13/2026

Another "slice of life" from the Milton Historical Society. . .

This photograph is part of the Society’s extensive collection of images by Margaret Sutermeister, a Milton photographer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She documented many fascinating local people and places, though some photographs, including this one, remain unidentified.

Our research suggests that those pictured may be members of Milton resident Mary Emeline Crowd’s household.

Mary Emeline’s father, Daniel Crowd, was a member of the Ponkapoag, a Native American tribe in Massachusetts. He farmed in Canton and married Betsey Diggins, an African American woman. Mary was one of the couple’s ten children.

In 1859, she married George Crowd, who was probably her cousin. About ten years later, they moved to the corner of Canton Avenue and Harland Street in Milton, possibly because George worked as a stonemason at the nearby quarry. After George’s death in 1879, Mary Emeline stayed in Milton with their three children, Sarah, Alfred, and Mary.

Her children were much older than those pictured by the time Sutermeister began taking photographs. However, to support herself as a widow, Mary boarded young orphans and eventually adopted two or three of the boys. Although the identification remains speculative, the photograph may show Mary’s young boarders.

The seated older woman may be Mary’s daughter, also named Mary, who lived with her mother and is identified as appearing in another Sutermeister photograph. She was the last member of the Crowd family to live in the Milton house. She died in 1933 and was buried with relatives on Lilac Path in Milton Cemetery.

Watch our page for more “slice of life” images from the Society collections. This image is property of the Milton (MA) Historical Society. For permission to use, please contact the Society.

10/05/2026

With Milton Village Day coming this Saturday, 10/10, we're sharing again one of our favorite historic images of Milton village-- turn of the century Milton Landing as a busy commercial center.

(For details about Milton Village Day, visit the Milton Preservation Trust on Facebook.)

Today, stand on the Riverwalk in front of 88 Wharf Street and look downriver towards Dorchester Bay. To your right is the Town Landing, now home to a public park and pleasure boats.

This early 1900s photo taken from the same spot reveals a very different waterfront dominated by the O. S. Godfrey Company, a coal and wood dealer.

The Grafton is docked, delivering a load of lumber, likely from Maine or Nova Scotia. Early in the 20th century, it was a common site to see such ships delivering or picking up goods at Milton.

In fact, Milton Landing had long been what historian Albert Teele called “a scene of great business life and activity.” Back in the 1770’s, in Milton “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.”

During 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.

Railroads and trucks ended shipping on the Neponset in the twentieth century. After a 1999 fire that destroyed the Hood Company frozen-food warehouse at the landing, the Town rezoned the site from commercial to mixed use. Completed in 2004, the 88 Wharf Street condominiums marked Milton Landing’s shift from commercial to residential and recreational use.

Image Credit: Milton Historical Society, Martin Collection, digitized by Jeffrey Erikson. Property of the Milton Historical society. Permission is required to use this image.

10/04/2026

Perhaps an autumn day in the early 1900s?

From our archives, three unidentified young ladies play jump rope on a Milton street. Please let us know if you recognize the house in the background.

The Milton Historical Society collections include many images like this one—photographs that mattered to someone in their time but now often lack names, dates, or context. Even so, they offer a compelling glimpse into everyday life around the turn of the century: a slice of life from an earlier era.

This image comes from our Martin Collection of 37 images, likely taken by a local photographer (and member of the Martin family). The photos depict homes, businesses, and people of early twentieth century Milton. We thank Jeffrey Erikson, who digitized the collection.

Watch this page for more “slices of life” from the Society archives.
This image is property of the Milton (MA) Historical Society. For permission to use, please contact the Society.

10/01/2026

Reminder. . . For Sale ... Saturday, October 3, 10 am – 1 pm (Closing earlier if all sells out)

Antique furniture and objects: chairs including rockers and Shaker; tables, bench, stool, old sea chest; lanterns, Derby & Ball scythe; hay fork, milk can, torches.

Photos are a sample of what’s on sale. Many are perfect; some need TLC, repair or refinishing. Everything priced to sell. Quantities limited.

Location: Milton Historical Society/Suffolk Resolves House, 1370 Canton Avenue, Milton. All proceeds support the Milton Historical Society.

09/27/2026

Baseball at Milton Academy: Another "slice of life" from our archives:

These unidentified young men are at a Milton Academy baseball practice sometime in the early 1900s. We especially love the umpire in a three-piece suit and the sharply dressed young spectators.

The Milton Historical Society collections include many images like this one—photographs that mattered to someone in their time but now often lack names, dates, or context. Even so, they offer a compelling glimpse into everyday life around the turn of the century: a slice of life from an earlier era.

This image comes from our Martin Collection of 37 images, likely taken by a local photographer (and member of the Martin family). The photos depict homes, businesses, and people of early twentieth century Milton. We thank Jeffrey Erikson, who digitized the collection.

Watch this page for more “slices of life” from the Society archives.
This image is property of the Milton (MA) Historical Society. For permission to use, please contact the Society.

09/22/2026

Time to clean out the barn.

For Sale:

Antique furniture and objects: chairs including rockers and Shaker; tables, bench, stool, old sea chest; lanterns, Derby & Ball scythe; hay fork, milk can, torches.

Many are perfect; some need TLC, repair or refinishing. Everything priced to sell. Quantities limited.

Milton Historical Society/Suffolk Resolves House, 1370 Canton Avenue, Milton
Saturday, October 3, 10 am – 1 pm (Closing earlier if all sells out)

09/21/2026

While summer still lingers, consider tea in your garden. These unidentified Milton ladies are enjoying their garden c. 1900--a “slice of life” from our archive.

The Milton Historical Society collections include many images like this one—photographs that mattered to someone in their time but now often lack names, dates, or context. Even so, they offer a compelling glimpse into everyday life around the turn of the century: a slice of life from an earlier era.

This image comes from our Martin Collection of 37 images, likely taken by a local photographer (and member of the Martin family). The photos depict homes, businesses, and people of early twentieth century Milton. We thank Jeffrey Erikson, who digitized the collection.

Watch our page for more “slices of life” from the Society archives.

This image is property of the Milton (MA) Historical Society. For permission to use, please contact the Society.

09/17/2026

One week to go---Milton Cemetery, Milton Historical Society, and the Northen Spy join "MA 250 Culinary Chronicles of New England" to present "Milton Men of the Revolution" - a talk followed by a three-course meal based on what they were eating in 1775! Reserve your tickets at https://www.northernspycanton.com/upcoming-events

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.

Address

1370 Canton Avenue
Milton, MA
02186

Telephone

+16173339700

Website

http://www.miltonhistoricalsociety.org/

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