An address at the Prince Hall Cemetery Memorial Day 1997 delivered by
Richard Erickson

Dignitaries all and brothers and sisters, it is indeed a pleasure to speak to you on this glorious Memorial Day 1997. We of the Arlington Historical Society are celebrating our 100 anniversary this autumn, and along with this celebration we are looking back in our town’s history to find those things which have made the community what it is today. We have opened a new display at the Smith Museum which gives the visitor a complete pictorial history of the area from its beginning 45,000 years ago, with our mastodon tusk retrieved from Spy Pond, right up to the modern day. Our problem with this display was the last section, 1950 to the present day. 

Artifacts from this period seem to the average person, to be rather worthless, just junk. People seem to forget that what we do here today will become history within the hour each day’s activities become history almost immediately. 

When we look back at the history of this immediate area we find some very startling facts. West Medford just about one mile from here was settled in the early 1800s by people from the estate of Isaac Royall, wealthy planter owning almost all of what is now Medford. After the American Revolution when the Royall estate was broken up by the new government, a portion of land was given to each of his thirty-some workers as their own. Some of the families I had the pleasure of doing business with when I owned a flower shop in Arlington still bore the last name Royall, with two Ls. This is a testament to the treatment of the workers by the administrator of Mr. Royall’s estate by Dr. Tufts. That’s right the same family that that created Tufts University. What does all of this prove? One thing it proves is that we are a community that is willing to give the underdog a chance, a chance to realize their dreams, their ambitions and to make steps toward that undeniable right to happiness. 

Perhaps if these people interred here, in this sacred ground could speak they would concur that Arlington really is a caring community and continues on to that end. Remember those who do not study history are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past----to that end we should all be avid students of history. 

We welcome any member of the Prince Hall Masonic groups and their friends to visit us at the Jason Russell Farmhouse and the Smith Museum. We’re open Tuesday thru Saturday 1pm to 5pm. Come and visit us, and at any time if anyone needs help with genealogy please call us, and we will be more than willing to help. 

Thank you and may God shine his blessings on you, one and all.