Meet our own Bob Doherty, seen here with The Somerville Times Editor David Smith. Bob is the guy to go to for historical facts that are hard to find here in Somerville. Bob retired after many years as a Somerville firefighter, during which he served the city with honor and distinction. His historical knowledge of Somerville has no equal; we love to quiz him and ask him stuff. And even though, we can’t remember when we ever stumped him, we keep trying.

Bob is a nice guy, and we are proud that he writes for us. He can also be seen around the city, especially at historical events such as the first flag raising or Paul Revere’s re-enactment.  If you want to get something straight on what is what, we suggest you call Bob first, you’d be as surprised as we are every week when he comes into the office with his The Somerville Times Historical Fact of the Week column. We laugh and ask how large that spare room is where he has all those artifacts and special effects. Congratulations to Best Somerville Historian Bob Doherty for being voted “Best of Somerville 2013”!