Union Square (Somerville)

Coordinates: 42°22′47″N 71°05′47″W / 42.3797°N 71.0964°W / 42.3797; -71.0964

The Prospect Hill Monument flying the Grand Union Flag, overlooking Union Square in Somerville, Massachusetts

Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts located in the southeastern part of the city about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. It is located at the intersection of Washington Street, Bow Street and Somerville Avenue.

The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site for the Union Army in the American Civil War. A plaque commemorating the mustering site sits at the southwest corner of the square between Somerville Avenue and Washington Street. Union Square is now the commercial center of a primarily residential neighborhood with many restaurants, bars and neighborhood stores.

As the oldest and largest commercial area in the city,^[1] Union Square is home to a number of community institutions, including the headquarters of the Somerville police. The Prospect Hill Monument, Union Square Post Office, Somerville Community Access Television (SCATV), and BostonFreeRadio.com are all in Union Square.

History

Union Square was Somerville’s earliest commercial district to develop when it was still a part of Charlestown. Early trade routes passed through the Square and a tavern was built there as early as 1770. Originally called "Sand Pit Square," the area's sandy, clay pit-dotted pastures yielded a fine grade of silica used in glass and brick-making. Then from 1853–61, the name was changed to Liberty Pole Square, in honor of the liberty pole erected there by anti-slavery firemen.

It was during the American Revolution, however, that Union Square took center stage.

Historic Prospect Hill's castle and park overlook Union Square and points south and west and provide outstanding panoramic views. Because of its location and height, Prospect Hill, dominating the road from Charlestown, had great strategic importance in the Revolutionary War and became known as the "Citadel".^[2] The castle, dedicated in 1903,^[3] is a monument commemorating the fortifications atop the hill during that war. A tablet inside reads: "This tablet is erected in memory of the soldiers of the Revolution and of the Civil War who encamped on Prospect Hill and of the banners under which they valiantly fought."^[4] It is said by some that George Washington first raised an early version of the U.S. Flag, called the Grand Union Flag, on Prospect Hill, on January 1, 1776.^[5] Others claim evidence the flag was flown earlier. Somerville is one of several locales claiming to have hosted the flag's first raising.^[6] However, some scholars dispute these traditional accounts, concluding that the flag raised at Prospect Hill was probably a British Union Flag.^[7]

In its early years, Somerville was an agricultural suburb, supplying the growing urban area surrounding Boston. Union Square became a major commercial center due to its location at an important crossroads in eastern Somerville during the early 19th century. After the Revolution, the Warren Bridge opened, linking Charlestown and Boston. This caused a considerable increase in traffic along Washington Street and Charlestown Lane. In the 1800s, rail access through Boynton Yards and the Union Square passenger stop served the meat packing and manufacturing district, which included a slaughterhouse, brickyard, and glass shop. Later the rail yards became an industrial area.^[1]

Members of the Sikh community gathering in Union Square

A large influx of immigrant populations has been recognized in recent years by the ArtsUnion program, which has celebrated the Brazilian, Punjabi, and Sikh cultures of the area, among others.^[8][9]

Commerce and gentrification

360 Degree Panorama from Union Square in Somerville, Massachusetts

Union Square's location at the juncture of working-class East Somerville and the city's tonier western sections have made it the focal point of changing demographics. While Union Square still offered ten dollar Brazilian haircuts as of 2005, more upscale cafes and restaurants have opened since the 1990s, bringing gentrification deeper into Somerville and nourishing pedestrian street life, though with a highbrow twist.

Union Square is a hub for bars, although this feature, too, is fast changing. Current establishments include Bull McCabe's (formerly Tir na nÓg), P.A.'s Lounge, The Independent, Brass Union (formerly the Precinct), Sally O'Briens and Cantina La Mexicana (formerly Irish Eyes). Local restaurants include Journeyman, India Palace, The Neighborhood Restaurant, Sweet Ginger, Taquería la Mexicana, Bloc 11, Macchu Pichu, Union Square Donuts, El Potro, Ebi Sushi, Casa B, and Mama Gina's.

Many markets in the area are run by and cater to the various ethnic groups that live in and around Union Square. International Market is a Salvadoran store, Solução and Pão de Açucar sell Brazilian foods, Little India and New Bombay Market are Indian grocery stores, Capone's is an Italian grocery, and Reliable Market features Asian ingredients, primarily Korean. The area is also becoming known for food production, with Culinary Cruisers, Taza Chocolate, Fiore Di Nonno, Bantam Cider Company,^[10] and others producing everything from popsicles to string cheese in the square.

Community amenities

Union Square Main Streets, a local development group, began running a Saturday morning farmers' market in 2005 as one of its first visible efforts in the square.^[11][12] A landscaped community garden,^[13] with regularly scheduled concerts and artistic events, sits just outside Union Square at the site of an old school, at 22 Vinal Avenue. Marshmallow Fluff was invented in Union Square in 1917. Every September, Union Square Main Streets holds the "What the Fluff?" festival to honor this invention and Union Square's part in marshmallow history.^[14]

Transportation

Union Square is a minor hub for MBTA Bus service, with 5 routes passing through:

• 85 Spring Hill to Kendall/M.I.T. Station via Summer Street & Union Square
• 86 Sullivan Station - Reservoir (Cleveland Circle) via Harvard/Johnston Gate
• 87 Arlington Center or Clarendon Hill - Lechmere Station via Somerville Avenue
• 91 Sullivan Square Station - Central Square via Washington Street
• CT2 Sullivan Station - Ruggles Station via Kendall/MIT

Green Line Extension

As part of the Green Line Extension project, Union Square station is being built just south of the square. In September 2013, the state secured funding and signed a 51-month $393 million contract that will allow Union Square station, along with the new Washington Street station and relocated Lechmere station, to open in 2017.^[15]

References

External links

• Union Square Main Streets
• Prospect Hill History & Photos
• Union Square Historic Photos & Maps
• Gordon, Edward W. (September 2008). "Union Square Revisited: From Sand Pit to Melting Pot (self-guided tour)" (PDF). Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 28 December 2013. 

Municipalities and communities of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States County seats: Cambridge and Lowell Cities Cambridge Everett Lowell Malden Marlborough Medford Melrose Newton Somerville Waltham Watertown Woburn Towns Acton Arlington Ashby Ashland Ayer Bedford Belmont Billerica Boxborough Burlington Carlisle Chelmsford Concord Dracut Dunstable Framingham Groton Holliston Hopkinton Hudson Lexington Lincoln Littleton Maynard Natick North Reading Pepperell Reading Sherborn Shirley Stoneham Stow Sudbury Tewksbury Townsend Tyngsborough Wakefield Wayland Westford Weston Wilmington Winchester CDPs Ayer (CDP) Cochituate Devens East Pepperell Groton (CDP) Hopkinton (CDP) Hudson (CDP) Littleton Common Pepperell (CDP) Pinehurst Shirley (CDP) Townsend (CDP) West Concord Other villages Auburndale Chestnut Hill East Lexington Felchville Forge Village Gleasondale Graniteville Nabnasset Newton Centre Newton Highlands Newton Lower Falls Newton Upper Falls Newtonville Nobscot Nonantum North Billerica North Chelmsford Pingryville Saxonville Thompsonville Waban West Newton

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Boston (capital) Topics Index Administrative divisions Congressional districts Elections Geography Geology Government History Images Law Music People State symbols Transportation Villages Visitor attractions Windmills Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Sports Regions The Berkshires Blackstone Valley Cape Ann Cape Cod Central Massachusetts Greater Boston The Islands Merrimack Valley MetroWest Montachusett-North County North Shore Pioneer Valley Quabbin-Swift River Valley Southeastern Massachusetts South Coast South County South Shore Western Massachusetts Counties Barnstable Berkshire Bristol Dukes Essex Franklin Hampden Hampshire Middlesex Nantucket Norfolk Plymouth Suffolk Worcester Cities Agawam Amesbury Attleboro Barnstable Beverly Boston Braintree Bridgewater Brockton Cambridge Chelsea Chicopee Easthampton Everett Fall River Fitchburg Franklin Gardner Gloucester Greenfield Haverhill Holyoke Lawrence Leominster Lowell Lynn Malden Marlborough Medford Melrose Methuen New Bedford Newburyport Newton North Adams Northampton Palmer Peabody Pittsfield Quincy Randolph Revere Salem Somerville Southbridge Springfield Taunton Waltham Watertown Westfield West Springfield Weymouth Winthrop Woburn Worcester Note: Municipalities not listed have a town meeting form of government (see all municipalities)