MSI 2/23/22

1658 John Fuller bought 750 acres of land in Newton from Joseph Cook in 1658, including this lot, along with most of what later became the part of Newton annexed to Waltham in 1849 known as the Southside (MLR 2/180). According to Francis Jackson's 1854 history of Newton, John Fuller came to Cambridge (and Newton, which was part of Cambridge at the time) from England in 1644. For about the next 150 years, this area was farmed by the descendents of John Fuller, and known as the "Fuller Farm".

The origin of the name "Newton" is rather interesting. Today's Newton was originally part of colonial Cambridge in the 1630s, but by 1654 it was being referred to as "Cambridge Village". In 1679, Cambridge Village became a separate town from Cambridge, and between 1679 and 1691, it was referred to as either "Cambridge Village" or "New Cambridge". In 1691, the colony's General Court officially renamed it "New Town". Then, in 1766 it was arbitrarily changed to "Newton" by the current town clerk, Judge Fuller (according to Jackson's 1854 history of Newton, p. 6).

c1800 In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Dr. Marshall Spring purchased much of the land in this part of what used to be Newton (see MLR 145/35, 152/133, 176/183 and 181/505). These were farm lands, pasture lands, and woodlots on the original Fuller Farm of 1658. Doctor Marshall Spring, who lived in Watertown, was a loyalist before the Revolutionary War, but rushed to Lexington during the Battle of Lexington and Concord to treat the wounded patriots. He was so much respected that his loyalist leanings were later forgiven (from Bond and Nelson). The Spring family goes back to the beginning of Newton as a colonial town, but the connection of Dr. Spring with this branch of the family is not clear.

1844 In 1844, William Minot and the other trustees of the assets of Nancy Wharton sold two large lots in the part of Newton that would become Waltham to Frances C. Lowell (MLR 459/65 and 68). This Francis C. Lowell was the son of the Francis Cabot Lowell, who had founded the Boston Manufacturing Company. One parcel, a woodlot of 115 acres, appears to have been near the Newton Chymical (Chemical) Company, but south of today's High Street. The other parcel, consisting of 60 acres of woodlot and pasture called the "Brush Pasture", stretched east from today's Newton Street about 2,000 feet (to about Flood Street) and south from the river about 1,600 feet (to about Clinton Street). Nancy Wharton was the daughter of Marshall B. Spring, who was the son of Dr. Marshall Spring. Before her wedding to William Wharton, Nancy W. Spring owned a large amount of land, which was described in their prenuptial agreement (MLR 444/7 and 13). Nancy Spring later became the mother-in-law of Edith Wharton, the author.

1846 In 1846, Lowell sold most of the north east corner of the "Brush Pasture" to Horatio Moore (MLR 495/98). Moore was the manager of the Newton Chymical Company, associated with the Boston Manufacturing Company, at the time. The lot, containing a bit over 10 acres, stretched from east to west from today's house lots on the east of Flood Street to those on the west of Moore Street, and from north to south from today's house lots on the south side of today's Calvary Street to those on the south of today's John Street.

1849 In 1849, Waltham annexed the Southside from Newton, including all of what formerly had been the "Brush Pasture".

1871 In 1871, Horatio Moore sold a lot on the south side of today's John Street to Martin Mulvahill (also spelled Mulvihill) for $350 (MLR 1151/159). The lot measured 150 feet along John Street, and about 100 feet south from the street at the western end and 80 feet at the eastern end next to "Mount Calvary Cemetery". Originally, John Street was named High Street, and then Friend Street, and, finally, John Street. The same year, Mulvihill took out a mortgage with the Waltham Savings Bank for $700 (MLR 1164/67), and in that deed, the eastern abutter is referred to as just "Calvary Cemetery". Martin's wife, Ann, also signed the mortgage deed. In the 1871 town directory, Martin Mulvihill was listed as working in the chemistry yard and living at the "foot of John". Therefore, there was probably a house built at No. 39 John Street for the Mulvihills in 1871. In the 1886 directory, Martin Mulvihill was listed as a "contractor" with house on "John, head of Flood"; in the 1901 directory, he was listed as living at 39 John Street; and, in the 1910 directory, Ann was listed as widow of Martin and living at 39 John.

1872 In 1872, Horatio Moore sold a lot on the northeast corner of today's Flood and John Streets to Julia Fahey for $300 (MLR 1231/562). The lot measured 90 feet along Flood Street and 142 feet along John Street. However, on all maps from 1875 to 1956 the lot sat empty, or had buildings on it with footprints and positions completely different from today's.

1918 In 1918, Ann Mulvihill and the other heirs of Martin Mulvihill sold the house to Agnes C. Mulvihill (MLR 4148/225). In other deeds it is clarified that Agnes C. (or K.) Mulvihill was the same person as Catherine A. Mulvihill, a daughter of Martin and Ann's. In the 1921 directory, Ann and Agnes were still at 39 John Street, and William J. Mulvihill was listed, with his wife, Anastatia, at 18 Townsend Street. William was a son of Martin and Ann's, and he was listed as the superintendent of Calvary Cemetery. William did not appear in earlier directories.

1930 William J. Mulvihill, as the administrator of Agnes' estate and in his own right, sold the house at 39 John Street to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston in 1930 (MLR 5488/280). The same year, he was listed in the city directory as still the superintendent of Calvary Cemetery, and that the cemetery office was now at No. 39 John Street. According to directories, William continued to be the superintendent of Calvary Cemetery, with the office at 39 John Street, until about 1948. He died between 1950 and 1952. A history of the development of Calvary Cemetery is appended below.

1956 The street cards (building card on file at the Waltham Building Department) for both 39 John Street and 34 Flood Street note that the house at 39 John Street was moved to 34 Flood Street in 1956, and a service building for the cemetery built in its place. City directories showed no 34 Flood Street or 36 John Street prior to 1958. In 1958, there first appeared a listing for 36 John Street, east of Flood Street, and it was listed there through 1962. In 1964, no listing for 36 John Street appeared, but there first appeared a listing for 34 Flood Street. Therefore, it appears likely that the original, 1871, Martin Mulvihill house, later used as the office for Calvary Cemetery, was moved in 1956 across the street and first numbered 36 John Street and then 34 Flood Street. Further major alterations were made in 1970 and 1976, so it's appearance has been quite changed.

Development of Calvary Cemetery

MSI 2/22/22

1866 Calvary Cemetery in Waltham was begun by Father Bernard Flood in 1866. In that year, the Boston Manufacturing Company (BMC) sold the initial part of today's cemetery to John Joseph Williams, the "Bishop of Boston" (MLR 982/442). The initial cemetery (called "Mount Calvary Cemetery" in at least two deeds from 1871) stretched about 600 feet along Calvary Street (the street having recently been completed and accepted by the town at that time). It was just a little less than the length of the cemetery that borders right on Calvary street, today. It also stretched 618 feet south from Calvary Street along its west side (just east of today's Flood Street to just past today's John Street) and 843 feet south from Calvary Street along its east side. This was the southern part of the land belonging to the BMC on the south side of the river, opposite its bleachery complex on the north side of the river. The BMC continued to own a strip of land between the river and Calvary Street, just north of this, and, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were some buildings belonging to the bleachery on it, as well as a bridge across the river connecting it to the bleachery.

This initial part of the cemetery contained an interesting hill formation called "Indian Hollow". It was shown on a map of Waltham as the area stood in 1738, as drawn by Edmund L. Sanderson in the 1930s, and mentioned in an article that appeared in the Waltham Sentinel in 1861. At that time it was covered by a grove of imposing Cedar trees, and the 1861 article mentioned that native Americans still camped there at times in the summer. Whether or not there is a connection, there was a village of native Americans a little down river at Nonantum, in Newton, where John Elliot first had success preaching to them, in 1646.

Also in this section of the cemetery are the grave stones and remains from the original Catholic cemetery in Waltham. The original Catholic church in Waltham, a small wooden one, was built in 1830-1831 on Church Street, between the street and today's McDevitt Middle School. A cemetery was established adjacent to the church. However, even though the church burned down in 1848, the cemetery continued to be used. A replacement Catholic church was not built in Waltham until 1863, when St. Mary's first opened on School Street. In 1947, the City of Waltham had the gravestones and remains moved from the Church Street cemetery to this section of Calvary Cemetery in order to make room for a new technical high school on Church Street. The stones were not remounted vertically, but laid on the ground horizontally, and, over the years, had become covered by sod. In 2015, a successful volunteer effort was mounted to reveal the headstones.

During the period from 1848-1863, in which there was no Catholic church in Waltham, Waltham Catholics had to go to St. Patrick's Church in Watertown for mass. The closeness of this part of the Southside to Watertown may have been one of the reasons that it was so attractive for Irish settlement. It was also centrally located for work in the bleachery and the chemical company, large employers of recent Irish immigrants.

1879 According to Waltham Rediscovered, the next addition to the cemetery was made in 1879, under the guidance of Father Timothy J. Brosnahan, when 17 acres were added. This was the section south and west of the initial part, and bounded by the Newton line, High Street, Cedar Street, and John Street. In 1876, this land had been sold by Joel H. Fuller to Charles D. Elliott (MLR 1384/14). The land had previously been undeveloped, but, in 1873, Fuller had submitted a subdivision plan for streets and house lots (Plan Book 23, Plan 33). At the time the land was sold to Elliott, there was a mortgage on it by Eliza J. Fuller with the Newton Savings Bank (MLR 1272/417). Charles Elliott died soon after the sale, and the bank foreclosed on the property. The bank then sold the property to John Lamb in 1879 (MLR 1515/296), who quickly resold it to John Joseph Williams, the Archbishop of Boston (MLR 1521/95).

1903 The final 25 acres were added to the cemetery in 1903. In that year, Henry Breck sold a portion of his farm to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston (MLR 3020/212). This enlarged the cemetery east along Calvary Street to North Street (in Newton), and south into Newton. There is a large portion of the cemetery lying in Newton that appears to be wooded wetlands. On the 1900 map of Newton, this area – the Breck farm – appears to have been ditched to drain the wetlands. Breck had acquired the farm from James C. Kent in 1869 (MLR 1095/434), and Kent had owned it by 1850, at which time he signed an agreement with the BMC, related to the Charles River.