Newton Upper Falls

Newton Upper Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The area is home to the Hemlock Gorge and Echo Bridge, a large aqueduct turned pedestrian walkway over the Charles River. It is said to be the only village that has retained its original name from when the area was founded in the 17th century. A 60-acre (24 ha) area, including much of the area between Route 9 and Elliot Street, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The village is served partially by Eliot "T" station, part of the Green Line D branch of the MBTA, with rapid light rail service inbound into downtown Boston and outbound to Riverside. Major roads that serve the village are Route 128, and Route 9 (Boylston Street), which provides a direct, 6 mile commute into downtownBoston. By 1850 the village had 1300 inhabitants which was 25% of the entire population of Newton. In 1909, a Roman Catholic church called Mary Immaculate of Lourdes opened in Upper Falls. It has over 150 homes on the historic register despite its small area. A famous pothole is a geological anomaly where a boulder that was originally pushed down the cliff by a now extinct waterfall got caught and became round. The boulder spun around in its place carving a shaft over thousands of years. Since then half the shaft collapsed and now all that can be seen is half of a cylindrical shaft through the cliff.