John McPadden

SOC 320- Professor Hauserman

23 October, 2013
Waltham History Timeline
Part One
1629- Waltham is found by English immigrants searching for religious freedom. John Winthrop led
expeditions west of Salem. The Native American culture is shared with the immigrants and they learn
how to hunt, forage, and cohabitate and live in this vastly different world.
1788- A paper mill is built on the Charles River dam; this becomes the Boston Manufacturing Company
textile mill, which is a site for many immigrants to be employed within the next century.
1794- The first Methodist services are held at the home of a local settler.
1831- St. Marys Church is established by Irish immigrants. In 1840, an influx of Irish Catholics arrives
in Waltham to work in the textile and chemical mills (Newton Chemical Company produced sulfuric acid
and dyes). By 1850, as Waltham had become a significant industrial center, Irish Catholics make up
roughly 25% of Walthams population.
1880- A great influx of French Canadians came to settle in Waltham. The pull factor that enticed as many
as 900,000 French Canadians (1870-1930) was the presence of a great economic boom in industry that
America had occurring during this period. In Quebec, an agricultural plague and structural problems with
the economy pushed a great number of young men to wish to immigrate to America. Quebecs
agricultural market had been under stress since 1840, when they received 400% of the population looking
for work.
1910- A great number of Italian immigrants come to America. They are in fierce competition with Irish
workers for unskilled laborer/ factory jobs. From 1900-1910, around two million Italians came into

Boston, especially the North End. These immigrants were pushed from the agrarian Southern Italy, where
conditions were so harsh, any young person had to leave to save any hopes of a profitable and happy life.
1910-1980- Waltham experiences steady growth in industrial and cultural aspects. The small industrial
town becomes more intellectually driven, with two universities (Bentley , and Brandeis) accepting
students who wish to gain college educations. The natives accept the immigrants and quickly incorporate
them into the work force for laborious jobs. Entrepreneurs emerge and create stores that suit a variety of
needs. One in particular is Woolworths, a clothing company that had its first chain store set up on Moody
Street. Started by Irish Frank Winfield Woolworth, the company soon flourished into a very trendy
clothing and retail store and has still sense been the model for modern day retail.
2005-09- Little Kampala is the term used to describe the current immigration state of Waltham. Several
Ugandans (approximately 1500) have immigrated to Waltham in pursuit of economic wealth and
prosperity. The culture and entrepreneurship is alive and well, as seen in primary examples such as Karibu
(a Ugandan restaurant that caters to serving traditional food) and Sisters ( a hair salon that caters to the
Ugandan community living in Waltham.) The obvious pull factors were economic growth and an existing
culture of Ugandans living together. An example of the preservation of culture is how St. Peters Anglican
Church of Uganda says a mass in Lugandan (a widely spoken language of Ugandans), in the Christ
Church on Main Street. Another pull factor is the affordability of Waltham compared to the steep rent
prices of Cambridge, Brookline and Brighton. A large push factor that caused many Ugandans to settle in
the Greater Boston area was Idi Amins dictatorship in the 1970s, where many Ugandans fled the country
for their lives. The enclaves set up by these refugees made way for a welcoming environment for modernday Ugandan immigrants.

Part Two
Waltham has a rich immigrant community comprised of historically very cultural nations. From
the Irish Catholics that once were 25% of the population to the modern-day Ugandans, Walthams
immigrants always held close their identities and forged the culture of the city. Walthams industrial past
and factory-based economy was a pull factor for many immigrants from all around the world. Similarly,
my hometown, Ansonia, Ct is industrial based and for the same reasons, was an area of great immigration
in earlier centuries for those exact reasons. The main contrast is the type of immigrants that have come to
Waltham compared to Ansonia. In Waltham, immigrants from Ireland to Italy to Canada to Uganda have
all come to call Waltham home. In Ansonia, a large amount of immigrants were almost exclusively of
Polish background.
A large majority of immigrants in Waltham are of European decent but as mentioned, the current
migratory trend stems from Uganda. Waltham is however well equipped to educate the offspring of the
immigrants with the languages of their ancestors. Including English, there are five different language
courses (Spanish, French, Latin, and Italian) and multiple opportunities for ESL classes. Back home, my
school offered English, French and Latin classes. The differences of classes allow for immigrants in
Waltham to get a broader understanding of the material covered in class because not only does it offer
Italian, but it also offers ESL, which has been shown to be a huge help for immigrants trying to learn the
language.
Aside from ESL in the local high school, Waltham is a provider of a host of assimilation services
created with the intention to offer help to immigrants and to make the transition easier. Waltham
specifically offers help to Jewish immigrants and refugees by reuniting family members and offering
social, vocational and economic assistance. In the Greater Boston area, there exists a great community of
services and organizations whose purpose is to make life for immigrants and refugees a bit easier.