Today I begin my two-mile stroll at the Main Street Mobil station in Watertown and end a little past the two-mile mark at Wilson's Diner at 507 Main St in Waltham.
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| Main Street Mobil to Wilson's Diner |
Along the way, I pass some National Historic sites. The first is the Browne House, at 562 Main Street in Watertown. Browne House was built around 1698 and restored in the 1920s.
Here is what the
Browne House website has to say about this historic building and museum:
"Built between 1694 and 1701 for a farming family, Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features from the late 1600s. In a near ruinous state when it was acquired by Historic New England founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented "restoration in America."
As I continue my walk along US-20, I enter the town of Waltham and soon encounter another National Historic site, Grove Hill Cemetery. Below is how
Wikipedia describes this historic graveyard.
"The Grove Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery at 290 Main Street in Waltham, Massachusetts. Established in 1703, the cemetery was Waltham's only cemetery until 1857, when Mount Feake Cemetery opened. It was authorized in 1703, but its initial 2.3-acre (0.93 ha) parcel of land was not purchased until 1704. The first documented burial, however, took place in November 1703. The northwest section of the cemetery is its oldest portion, and includes a number of unmarked gravesites. The cemetery continues in active use today, and contains a representative sample of funerary art spanning 300 years. It now covers more than 9 acres (3.6 ha), extending between Main and Grove Streets. Its main entrance features posts with an Egyptian Revival theme, a style continued with the presence of obelisks dispersed on the grounds.[2]"
Moving along past the cemetery (making sure to whistle), I come to my two-mile point at the corner of Main and Harris Streets, but since that's a bank (with no bathrooms, presumably), I decide to travel just a bit further down the street to the Senior Center on the left and on the right, another National Historic site, Wilson's Diner.
Wikipedia gives a brief description of the place:
"Wilson's Diner is a historic diner at 507 Main Street (US Route 20) in Waltham, Massachusetts.
The diner was built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company as #819, and was delivered to this site by the company in March 1949. It is a well-preserved example of the company's post-World War II craftsmanship. The diner is ten bays wide and three deep, and sits on a brick foundation. A kitchen wing, built of concrete blocks, connects the diner to the house at 507 Main Street. The entrances to the diner are at either end, with original stainless steel doors bearing sunburst motifs. Inside the diner is a full-length marble counter with center staff access, with 18 counter stools, and wooden booths lining the front wall.[2] The diner was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999."
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Inside Wilson's Diner
from Yelp |
Not only is it historic, but it is apparently a popular restaurant with good food and service.
Wilson's Diner seems like the ideal place to stop for a meal, so here's where I'll end my journey for today.
Tomorrow's agenda: Another two miles and another two hours of practice. Wonder where that will take me?
