Not too long ago I wrote a blog about visiting historical societies and museums. I started with the Concord Museum, highlighting a few of the fantastic artifacts from their collection. This week I am going to talk a little about the Arlington Historical Society in Arlington, Massachusetts, and a house that is an Important historical object in its own right.
At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Arlington was then the westerly part of Cambridge, and that section of town was called Mentomy. British Regulars marched through the town on their expedition to Concord in the early morning hours of April 19, 1775 and returned that afternoon, although their return was under a galling musket fire. Some of the heaviest fighting of the day took place in Menotomy/Arlington and many of the homes along the route received a lot of battle damage.
The Jason Russell House was one of these homes and the last survivor in that area that wasn’t razed during the 19th century. Twelve Provincials died in and around the house and it is not known how many British Regulars were killed there. It is owned by the Arlington Historical Society and with an attached building, the Smith Museum, houses their collection of wonderful town history. Inside the Russell House the battle damage can still be seen. Holes from musket balls are scattered through the walls and paneling of the structure. In January 2020, I went there to do a ballistics study of the ball strikes with Christopher Fox, Douglas Scott, and a few other conflict archaeologists. We worked from attic to cellar and recorded all the ball strikes we found. Using ballistics rods and lasers, we found more holes and calculated what caliber ball struck and where the shooter was standing. Hopefully soon there will also be a live fire segment to the study where we shoot at reconstructed house sections to see if we can replicate the damage. All this data when completed will be given to the historical society for their records and interpretation to their visitors.
There are a few other bullet-struck houses and objects that survive and we have been compiling the information on those for a much larger study down the road. All of the information will be helpful to firearms historians, collectors, and historians alike. For those that own or study the weaponry of the period, the Jason Russell House is an important survivor of an important event and an opportunity to learn more about the ballistics of the weaponry of the period.
Because of concerns relating to coronavirus, the Arlington Historical Society is temporarily closed. When things open again, make a trip to go see the Jason Russell House and their wonderful museum!
