Local History & Genealogy

The Local History Room is open to the public. If you need research assistance, appointments are available upon request Wednesday through Friday between 9:30 and 5:00. To schedule an appointment during these hours, please email clittlewood@watertown-ma.gov. To make an appointment outside of these hours, please call the Reference Desk at 617-972-6436.

Let us help you discover local history or your family’s roots!

The Local History Room, located on the second floor of the library, holds our extensive collection of local history and genealogy resources. It contains published and original materials that document Watertown people, places, organizations, and activities, past and present.

The collection includes books, periodicals, directories, family genealogies, reports, maps, photographs, paintings, audiovisual media, town records, vertical files, manuscripts, and other archival materials. Search our online catalog or view our research guides and finding aids to learn more.

Materials may be used within the building, but not checked out. 

Can’t make it to the library? Start exploring our digitized materials by selecting a topic below, or view our contributions to the statewide Digital Commonwealth collection. You can also find answers to common questions and links to other resources.