Julie Cohen’s recent article about the cow sculpture Bill Joyce is displaying in his Newtonville yard (to
support the Jimmy Fund) reminded me of a few more “cow facts” Newton residents might not know but
that are well-documented in the collections held by Historic Newton:
Farming, including dairy farming, survived on the north side of Newton well into the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Years ago, I especially enjoyed a circa 1885 ad for Laudholm Farm on Cabot Street, displayed in a Historic Newton exhibit organized by Susan Abele. The ad says “Milk from one cow furnished when desired.” That’s really knowing where your food comes from!
The Wauwinet Dairy operated near Commonwealth Avenue and Valentine Street from the 1890s until it was sold and subdivided in the 1920s. At one point its herd numbered 500 cows. Wauwinet Road off Commonwealth Avenue is named after the dairy.
Much of Newton’s land south of Boylston Street (Route 9) was farmed well into the twentieth century. Historic Newton’s collections include a photo of cows grazing below Baldpate Hill, probably in the 1920s.
And of course, the Angino family actively farmed their parcel on Nahanton Street until the City acquired it in 2005 using Community Preservation Act funds. The community-supported agriculture and educational programs that the nonprofit Newton Community Farm, Inc. has run on this site since 2008 receive no City operating funds.
Thanks to Historic Newton and Susan Abele for allowing me to cite and share these images.
Alice Ingerson
Waban
