Fighting fires, fanning history...By: David J. Craig
Ask Bob "Monty" Doherty anything about the evolution of fire trucks and he'll give you all the details. After all, the Arlington resident has been a Somerville firefighter for 25 years. More incredible is that Doherty, 52, can tell you how former Somerville fire chiefs contributed to inventions such as the first combination ladder-hose truck and the modern fire helmet, exactly where they lived, and the manes of famous people they were associated with. That's because Doherty, in addition to being a firefighter, is a bona fide Somerville history junky. "I love Somerville history," says Doherty. "I've been interested in it ever since I came to the department. I started out giving talks about the history of firefighting, and things sort of took off from there." Doherty may be a history buff, but a dilettante he's not. If you think you know a lot about this city, prepare to be humbled. In the blink of an eye, Doherty can tell you what Temple University, the Somerville Journal and root beer have in common -- Russell Conwell, their founder; why Prospect Hill used to be taller -- its earth was used to turn what once was Miller's River into Union Square; and the name of the most daring boxer ever to come out of Somerville -- Jake Kilrain, who lasted 75 bare-fisted rounds with heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan in an illegal Mississippi bout in 1889. Moreover, Doherty puts his knowledge to good use. In addition to entertaining fellow firefighters during down time at the station, Doherty regularly gives history talks to groups of students and senior citizens, always in his uniquely impassioned style -- singing original songs and reciting poems he says were inspired by this city. "What turns me on about this place is that for such a small area, so much has happened here," Doherty explains. "It just dazzles me. If people knew the things I've stumbled across, Somerville wouldn't have to tip its hat to any city in the country. Other cities in the U.S. are historically deprived compared to Somerville" What he means is this: Bette Davis, comedian Fred Allen and former professional football player Howie Long all lived in Somerville as children. Not impressed? Nathan Hale spent his last year -- 1776 -- in Winter Hill, where he was a member of a wrestling team whose archrivals were toughs from Prospect Hill. And you know the ship on the Old Spice deodorant logo? It was named the Grand Turk and owned by Elias Haskell Derby, a millionaire who lived in Ten Hills in the 19th century. Doherty's fixation with Somerville history was sparked by a chance encounter with local historian Isabelle Chaney in 1978. "She came to the fire house and was asking if anyone knew enough about pre-20th century firefighting to give a talk on it for the [Somerville Historical] Society," Doherty says. "No one did, and she was walking away disappointed, so I told her that if she would give me some books I'd bone up on it." Four weeks later, Doherty, who says he harbored only a casual interest in U.S. history before then, was standing in front of a group of 40 strangers. He was expected to speak like an expert for 20 minutes. "I was terrified," he says. "I'd rather have been on top of an aerial ladder. But once I got talking, I couldn't stop. After about an hour and 20 minutes someone finally pulled the plug on me. But no one left, and everybody was asking questions. It was exciting. That was it. The fire was lit." Doherty made a successful showing, he thinks, because of the colorful facts that sprinkled his presentation. "I inserted all sorts of things about Somerville to make it personable, and my interest just evolved from there," he says. "Every tidbit I learned about firefighting, I come across 20 more tidbits about Somerville. That opened up the floodgate to Somerville history for me." It took Doherty, who is a lifelong Arlington resident, a while to come around to his full-time profession. "When I was young, firefighting was all I heard about because my father and three of his brothers were firefighters," says Doherty, who spent eight years in the Army National Guard before finally following in his father's footsteps. "I didn't want to have anything to do with [firefighting] at first." But being a Somerville firefighter now is rewarding for the same reason as digging through history books, he says. "Because Somerville's such a dense city, [firefighting] is always a challenge," Doherty say. "The housed are right next to each other....that makes its history unique, too. There's so many people that any event, from precolonial days to the 20th century, is bound to have someone from this city in it." Doherty says his love of history and the incessant storytelling that results gets a mixed response at the Reilly-Brickley fire house on Broadway in East Somerville, where he is stationed. "I get some teasing," he says. "Guys will say, 'Monty, I'm tired and I just had a cup of coffee. Why don't you tell me a story so I can get to sleep.'" But Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher thinks Doherty's personality is appreciated throughout the department. "You can be riding with Bob absolutely anywhere in the city and he'll spot something like a park, and old factory sign, even a hill, and he'll tell you the entire history of the thing," says Kelleher. "He'll start telling you about different people involved and everything....He's a very humble guy, too. Very well-liked." Indeed, strolling along any street in the city, Doherty has a field day. "I look at any plot of land where most people just walk by and see a house, bit if you know history there is so much more there," says Doherty, who volunteers as an instructor for the Fire Department's student awareness fire education program as well as leading tours of the city for Somerville fifth-graders every spring. Doherty's passionate approach to his talks reels listeners in, educators say. "[Doherty] was chaperoning a group that included my wife's class and she said he really mesmerized the kids with little stories," says principal Chris Johanson, who helped coordinate the annual tours Doherty leads nine years ago. "He had a nice style with them and a lot of knowledge." Doherty, who admits many people advise him to become a teacher, promises to keep educating for years to come, although he says he enjoys firefighting too much to change careers now. "The best part of all the history is talking to people, and the exchange," he says. "I love the 'wow' I get when someone else gets excited by this stuff, too. And when I give talks to old folks, they end up teaching me as much as I tech them"
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