Whittemore Park is adjacent to the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum, which is located in the historic Jefferson Cutter House. The park honors Captain Samuel Whittemore, Jr., the oldest known colonial combatant in the American Revolutionary War. A farmer born in nearby Charlestown in 1696, he later settled in Menotomy (now Arlington). Whittemore was an experienced soldier who had fought under the British command in King George’s War (1744–48). He may have also fought in the French and Indian War (1754-63) while in his sixties.
On April 19, 1775, British forces who were returning to Boston after the Battles of Lexington and Concord passed Whittemore’s fields near where the Cutter House now stands. Whittemore, by then 78 years old, saw them, loaded his musket, and ambushed the British grenadiers from behind a stone wall, killing one soldier. With dueling pistols, he killed a second grenadier, and mortally wounded a third. By then he was beset by British grenadiers, but he drew his sword and attacked them. They in turn bayonetted him at least six times, clubbed him in the head with their rifle butts, and shot him in the face with a 69-caliber bullet before leaving him for dead.
When he was discovered in a pool of blood, Whittemore was attended to by prominent physician and statesman Cotton Tufts. Dr. Tufts saw little hope for Whittemore’s survival but dressed his patient’s many wounds. The old soldier rallied, and when asked whether he regretted his actions, Whittemore said that if he had the chance to do it over, “I should do just so again.” Captain Samuel Whittemore, Jr., lived another 18 years, dying at the age of 96.
Samuel Whittemore is buried in Arlington’s Old Burying Ground; near him lie local patriots and British soldiers who died on April 19, 1775.
Samuel Whittemore is buried a short walk from the park in Arlington’s Old Burying Ground on Pleasant Street. He is also memorialized with an engraved stone tablet in Whittemore Park (though it overstates his age by two years). In 2005, the Massachusetts State Senate proclaimed Captain Whittemore the official hero of the Commonwealth. Before Whittemore Park became a space for rest and recreation, a railroad ran over this land. It continued through the nearby area now known as the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway. After the railroad left this site, some track was abandoned here. A short section of the old railroad is preserved in the park.
Take a Free Self-Guided Tour of Arlington’s Cultural District
Whittemore Park and the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum are in the heart of Arlington’s Cultural District. Visitors to town are invited to enjoy historian Ed Gordon’s self-guided Cultural District Audio Tour, which provides an engaging narrative illuminating Arlington’s history.
Article written by Laura Grey
