By Bob “Monty” Doherty

In my job with the Somerville Fire Department I often find myself in the streets of Somerville in the early morning hours. Sometimes I feel like all the city’s stories and spirits are talking to me. If the snow is falling, the sky is dark and all I can see are the outlines of the buildings, I start to think about all the history that is here. And there’s a lot: from before the Revolutionary War until today, Somerville has had a role in everything from government (Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s secretary lived on Orchard Street) to literature (Walt Whitman was a frequent visitor to Prospect Hill) to facial hair (Willie Nickerson, a Magoun Square resident, teamed up with a man named Gillette to create some of the first safety razor blades used in shaving. The blades, an improvement over dangerous straight edged razors led to more men shaving their beards).

And now a new book is here to document many of these stories and give Somerville its deserved place in history. In ‚ÄúSomerville: A Brief History‚Äù Dee Morris and Dora St. Martin clearly and concisely tell our city’s history. The 158-page book works as a perfect introduction for a Somerville novice but is still an enjoyable and informative read for someone like me – a member of the historic society always on the lookout for new Somerville tidbits.

But the real achievement of ‚ÄúSomerville: A Brief History‚Äù is its inclusion of the important role women have played in our city’s history. The two female authors of the book have highlighted the famous women of Somerville who have previously not received their rightful recognition.

Starting in Davis Square, we can go a quarter mile in every direction and find famous women who have influenced Somerville (and sometimes the world). Marguerite ‚ÄúMissy‚Äù LeHand, an Orchard Street resident who graduated from Somerville High School in 1917, traveled with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt everywhere he went as his secretary and introduced Roosevelt to a young Tip O’Neill. Amelia Earhart lived right over the border in Medford and Somerville’s tallest memorial is dedicated to her memory.

And singers Tracy Chapman and Bonnie Raitt lived in Davis Square as young artists. Bette Davis lived on College Avenue as a child. The list of prominent women who have touched Somerville goes on and this book captures many of their stories.

Investigating Somerville history is my passion but I still learned a few things from this book and I can recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the city they live in.

Somerville is a small city with a huge population. Add to that the 20 percent residential turnover the city sees every year and you’re talking about millions of people who have touched Somerville. All that change adds up to a lot of good stories. ‚ÄúSomerville: A Brief History‚Äù is perfect for anyone who wants to learn a few of those stories and brag about their city’s spot in history the next time they meet someone from Cambridge.