USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Genealogical history of the town of Reading, Mass., including the present towns of Wakefield, Reading, and North Reading, with chronological and historical sketches, from 1639 to 1874 > Part 48
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At the annual town-meeting this year (1856), held March 3d, it was voted that it was expedient to establish a public library for the use of the inhabitants, and the sum of $500 was raised and appropriated for that purpose, with the expectation that the books from the former libraries of the town, owned by individual subscribers, would be donated to this library, as also contributions were anticipated from associations and individuals. At that meeting seven persons were elected as trustees.
At this stage of the history of libraries, we see nearly all those pre- viously mentioned now converging to a point.
500
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
As a large river is fed by many little streams, so nearly all the libraries that previously existed in town became tributaries to our pres- ent free library.
These tributaries were not large, but proportionate to the body that received them.
As nearly as can be ascertained, the present library in its start re- ceived donations as follows : volumes from the "Social," "Franklin," " Phrenological," and "Prescott" library associations, 259 ; from Mechanics' Association, 130 ; from pupils of the high school, from exhi- bitions, 121 ; other individuals, 217 ; total, 727; being about the same number of volumes that were furnished by the town the first year. During the second year, the scholars of the high school, and citizens in various capacities, contributed upwards of $200 in addition to the town appropriation.
This library has met with constant favor from the people since its commencement. The town has made some appropriations for it every year, and individuals have borne testimony to their interest in its wel- fare. In 1867, Lucius Beebe, Esq., presented it with five hundred dollars, to be spent in the purchase of books, to which generous gift he has since added several hundred volumes, selected expressly for this library. In 1872, another liberal-minded, public-spirited individual, Mrs. Harriet N. Flint, donated to the town the sum of one thousand dollars, the income of which is to appropriated to the purposes of the Beebe Town Library.
Trustees in 1873. - Edward Mansfield, chairman ; Lucius Beebe ; M. J. Hill, secretary ; Chester W. Eaton, treasurer ; D. H. Darling, J. O. Burdett, Cyrus Wakefield (died in October).
In 1860, Mr. John Reynolds, from Concord, Mass., establisher of agricultural libraries, procured twenty-one subscribers in this town to an association called the South Reading Agricultural Library. Certifi- cates were issued at five dollars each, and were dated Jan. 31, 1860. Although this organization was designed to advance the interests of agriculture, it must not be supposed that only farmers were members of the club. The various interests of the town were represented, being composed of five merchants, four farmers, three carpenters, two manu- facturers, two physicians, and one each of five other occupations.
In 1861, the members of this association transferred their several shares in said library to the South Reading Horticultural Society, on condition that said Horticultural Society should raise fifty dollars in aid of the library, and consider the members of the Library Association as members of the Horticultural Society, entitled to all its privileges, which included an equal right to the use of the library.
501
OF THE TOWN OF READING.
This collection consisted of some 150 or more valuable books , which for several years were sought after and read with a great deal of profit by the various classes in the community, as the improved state of our gardens, fields, etc., will bear unmistakable testimony. This library is still in existence, in good condition, and open to its members. Though the books are not so much drawn out for reading as formerly, they are consulted as works of reference.
POPULATION AND VALUATION.
READING.
SOUTH READING.
NORTH READING.
A. D.
No. .
A. D.
No.
A. D.
No.
1765,
1530
1776,
1984
1790,
1802
1 800,
2025
1810,
2228
1812,
Incorporated.
1820,
*2797
1820 (Estimate),
1000
1830,
1806
1830,
13II
1840,
2193
1840,
1517
1850,
3108
1850,
2407
1853,
Incorporated.
1855,
2522
1855,
2758
1855,
1050
1860,
2662
I 860,
3207
1860,
1193
1865,
Fe. 1278 5
2436
1865,
S Ma. 1494 Fe. 1750
3244
1865,
§ Ma. 488 ) Fe. 499 S
987
A. D.
POLLS.
VALU.
A. D. POLLS.
VALU.
A. D. POLLS.
VALU.
1791,
462
3,225 17 I
1802,
496
$17,468 00
1812,
596
19,772 00
1821,
425
14,747 43
1821,
293
$9,263 51
1831,
5II
385,501 00
1831,
412
247,084 00.
1840,
691
463,024 61
1 840,
449
279,409 00
1850,
906
1,071,042 00
1850,
630
755,019 00
1860,
732
1,269,570 00
1860,
868
1,861,319 00
1863,
1,299,648 00
1863
1,803,903 00
1860, 1863,
325
$527,890 00 552,565 00
WAKEFIELD. TOWN VALUATION, 1873.
Real Estate
$3,146,235
Personal
.
898,227
Total
·
$4,044,462
5 Ma. 1158 ]
s. d.
* This number includes the population of South Reading, which was not taken separately.
502
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
AMOUNT OF ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS.
For town charges
$71,275 00
State tax
.
.
.
.
.
5,152 50
" County tax .
.
-
2,935 26
Total
$79,362 76
RATE OF TAXATION, $18.50 ON $1,000.
Number of polls
1,960
66 dwelling-houses
·
.
.
.
94I
Acres of land taxed
3,913
ASSETS AND LIABILITIES OF THE TOWN, MAY 1, 1873.
School-houses
$91,000
Other public buildings
113,200
Public grounds and parks
40,000
Other real estate
3,000
Cemetery
1,000
Public library
4,200
Fire apparatus
7,000
Trust fund
1,100
Other assets
4,200
Total assets
$264,700
Town debt
$139,467 63
NUMBER OF INHABITANTS, 6,041.
Males
2,922
Females
3,119
Under five years of age
678
Over five and under fifteen years
1,06I
Fifteen and upwards
.
4,302
·
THE OLD BUILDINGS OF WAKEFIELD.
The march of improvement, very rapid and noticeable recently, is fast removing the ancient landmarks from our midst ; and a few years hence the visitor will search in vain for the traces even of their former existence.
To give space for the erection of the new High School Building, the
.
.
503
OF THE TOWN OF READING.
"Old Prentiss House" was removed from the site it had so long occupied ; and in view of its removal, the following lines seem emi- nently appropriate, and worthy of preservation :-
" Farewell to the house where my father was born, I shall never behold it again ; Its roof and its walls will soon fall to the ground, Thro' the interposition of men.
""T would be foolish to weep o'er this wreck of a home, Which was once of South Reading the pride ;
The 'parsonage house' of an earlier day, Where a past generation have died.
" These walls once resounded with innocent mirth, When children ran over the floor ; Wit, culture, and beauty were found by its hearth, And piety guarded its door.
" Death came to its chambers and took in his prime, The pastor, the father, the guide ;
And the grave-yard adjacent will tell how his sons And daughters lay down by his side.
" The children remaining were scattered abroad, From Kentucky to picturesque Maine ; And around the warm hearth, once so cheerful and bright, They never collected again.
"These walls now so desolate, aged, and lone, My affection and interest claim ;
For thro' every mutation and stage of decay, They have borne the family name.
"Farewell to the house where my father was born ; May its timbers and boards help to make Some beautiful place, which descendants may love, As do I, for the ancestor's sake !"
THE "OLD HART HOUSE"
Was removed from its ancient site in 1857, and at that time, the author of this history wrote, with reference to it, as follows :-
" The history and traditions connected with this venerable old man- sion, long owned and occupied by the late Hon. John Hart, M. D., so far as we have been able to obtain them from a hasty inquiry, are as follows : -
" It was erected about one hundred and fifty years ago, by the Smith family. It appears that among the early settlers of Reading was a
504
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
John Smith, with his sons John and Francis, who purchased of the Indians, for a jack-knife, and some other articles of cutlery, a consider- able tract of land in the southeasterly part of what is now South Reading, extending from the northerly shore of 'Smith's Pond,' long so called (now 'Crystal Lake'), into that part of the town called 'Little World.' The first house erected by this family stood very near the spot now occupied by the station of the South Reading Branch Railroad.
"Francis Smith succeeded his father at the old homestead ; married Ruth, daughter of Elias Maverick, of Charlestown ; had six sons and three daughters ; was selectman, innholder, and authorized by the General Court 'to draw wine for travellers'; was a deacon, and died in 1744, aged 85 years.
" He gave to each of his six sons a farm out of his own. Their names were John, Isaac, Abraham, James, Benjamin, and Elias. One lived on the place now the town farm; one on the place now owned by Mr. Lowell Emerson ; one on the place now owned by Dea. Ezekiel Oliver ; one on the 'Walton farm,' near Dea. Oliver's ; one, probably Isaac, occupied the house which is the subject of this article ; and one, Benjamin, succeeded his father on the homestead. We say that Isaac probably lived in the house now being removed, because of the fact we are not certain, and because we find from an old map of South Read- ing, made about one hundred years ago, that this house was then occu- pied by Isaac Hart ; and as we learn that the Smith and Hart families were related, we infer that this Isaac Hart may have been the succes- sor, perhaps the namesake and relative, of said Isaac Smith. Dr. Hart purchased the place about the year 1783, and occupied it until his decease in 1836. After the death of his widow in 1838, the house and a portion of the farm were sold to strangers; since then it has been rented to various and changing tenants, and now at last it has rolled away. Venerable old edifice ! that has long been a land- mark in geography, as the old maps of the county will testify ; that was esteemed almost as fixed and permanent as old Cedar Mountain, at whose base it stood ; that was once among the most spacious and respectable dwelling-houses of the town ; that stood among the highest in the assessors' valuation ; distinguished as the abode of wealth, gen- tility, and professional power ; the home of wisdom, refinement, and hospitality, and the nursing-place of beauty and literature, -O ! how lost and fallen from its ancient standing and renown ! Change has now come over it ; the auctioneer has seized it, the shambles have encom- passed it ; and after having been for a while a medium of barter and
505
OF THE TOWN OF READING.
exchange, it has at last become currency, and has been passed off. It has gone - the place that so long knew it will know it no more. 'Thus passeth the glory of the world away.' How suited is this event to
RESIDENCE OF THE LATE CYRUS WAKEFIELD.
RUSSELL-RICHARDSON-SO
64
1
506
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
remind us all that the 'houses we live in ' will soon fall, and to suggest the importance of securing a title to that house 'not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.'"
If it were within our power and province to reproduce from the dusty archives of the vanished years the traditionary records connected with ALL these ancient dwellings (now so rapidly disappearing from their former sites), such records would furnish, we presume, very many en- tertaining reminiscences ; but the limits assigned us forbid such an attempt, and we proceed to a brief inspection of
THE NEW BUILDINGS OF WAKEFIELD.
Descriptions of the Town Hall, and of the High School Building, appear elsewhere in these pages ; and among other new and imposing public and private structures, we select a description of the new Baptist Church edifice, of which a correct illustration has been furnished.
THE NEW BAPTIST CHURCH.
Our citizens have watched with general pride and interest the gradual but steady growth of the beautiful house of worship which the Baptist Society have been rearing in a most commanding and eligible location at the corner of Main and Lafayette Streets.
In the spring of 1871, the capacity of their former edifice having become inadequate, the society determined upon the erection of a new one, and secured for that purpose the large area now occupied by them as above mentioned. Having secured this territory, building opera- tions were speedily commenced, and work upon the foundation was in progress, when on the night of the 21st of June, 1871, their old edifice nearly opposite, at the corner of Main and Crescent Streets, was destroyed by fire. Since the fire, the erection of the present completed structure has been pushed with zeal, but not with that haste that would necessitate lack of care or workmanship. The beautiful building, as it stands in its completeness, prominent among the adorning features of our main avenue, is as nearly perfect in all its details as it is well possible for the work of man to be, and compels more than denomina- tional pride and gratification. Ground was broken for the new edifice early in June of 1871, and the building had received the principal external finish before winter closed in. The final internal touches have been completed, and a general survey of this elegant ornament and honor to our town will not be without interest to our readers.
NA DEARBORN:
BAPTIST CHURCH, WAKEFIELD.
507
OF THE TOWN OF READING.
The building is of wood, and of the Romanesque order, which has the past few years become quite the favorite with church-builders ; and the style in this structure has been nearly maintained in its purity, com- bining the sharply pitched roof, the bastioned tower, the minaret and pinnacles, and the lofty spire incident to this order of architecture.
The building is of the stone tint, popularly known as French gray, and the prevailing tone forms a pleasing contrast with the green of its surroundings, and the brighter colors of its illuminated windows. The dimensions of the building are 105 feet on the north side, from the front of the tower, which projects two feet on either angle from the main structure to the rear end ; 103 feet on the south side, 71 feet across the front end to the point of the tower, and 69 feet to the rear end. The distance to the eaves is 41 feet, and to the ridge of the roof 75 feet. The height of the tower and spire to the point of the vane is 180 feet, making it the loftiest spire in this region. The height of the minaret is 100 feet, and to the tip of the pinnacle is 75 feet. The front of the building and the tower are finished in narrow sheathing, furred out from the building and thoroughly laid, forming a plain but elegant finish, admirably calculated to give the full effect of the capitals, corbels, dentels, etc., with which it is richly relieved. The front façade, which faces east, is additionally relieved by heavy pilasters ; by an exceed- ingly tasteful portico (strongly brought out by the unusually fine char- acter of its ornamentation, the dentel work of its pediment, the carvings of its pinnacles, and the capitals of its columns being both unique and beautiful); by a grouped arrangement of the windows, and by the salient angles of the tower (which is by far the finest we remem- ber to have seen) ; by mosaic belts, which are brought in with fine effect both on it and on the spire and upon the minaret, and by the heavy mullioned windows of the tower, which are unusually fine. The sides and rear end of the building are finished with clapboards having an ogee edge, and both side elevations are relieved by sheathed but- tresses, nine on each side, capped with metal and tastefully headed. The southern façade is further relieved by a convenient portico in har- mony with the general order of the building, and of similar ornament, opening upon the wide concrete driveway leading to the carriage sheds in the rear of the church. A doorway at the rear angle also relieves this façade, making three entrances to the building. The architraves of the windows, their circular heads, and the coving finish, are all especially fine.
Ascending the easy slope from the broad sidewalk by a wide path of concrete, we pass through the main entrance. On either hand, as we
508
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
enter, are doors leading to the cellar, the stairways thereto being amply lighted. Directly in front are two pairs of doors, giving entrance to the main vestry, and at the extreme of the main hall at each end a flight of stairs ascends to the hall of the main audience room. The floor of the hall is of hard pine, the large door-mats being let into the same. The wall finish is a delightful combination of ash and black walnut. The stairways have hard pine treads and risers, with ash and black walnut stringers, and highly wrought black-walnut balustrades of unique pat- terns. The wall is of smooth finish, the ceiling being tinted a French gray, with lines of blue, red, and Bismarck brown, the walls being of a light tint shading upon buff. Three gas-burners, of three lights each, light the lower hall, which also receives light from the semicircular ornamental window over the doors and the stairways, and lighted by the windows on either side set with stained glass, the windows of the lower story being filled with flecked glass. Ascending the stair- way, we reach the upper hall, which is similar in most respects to the lower, but having a heavy black-walnut balustrade about the large aperture which opens in the floor, giving light, air, and roomy appear- ance to the lower hall. From this hall four pairs of doors opening out- ward give entrance to the main auditorium. A stairway at either end gives access to the balcony, the finish-trimmings of the walls and wood- work being the same as below stairs, as are also the gas-fixtures.
The doors throughout the interior of the building are of ash, with black-walnut mouldings, except the inside of the doors of the main audience room, which are solid black walnut.
Entering the principal chamber of worship, than which few can be more beautiful, one is charmed with the simple elegance of the entire whole. The lofty ceiling divided into two planes by the longitudinal ribs, and by a difference of a few feet of elevation, and subdivided by trans- verse beams, presents a fine harmony of colors, the panels of the upper plane being tinted cerulean-blue, picked with gold and shaded by pan- nellings of delicate brown ; the lower plane furnishing a combination of flesh tint, blue, buff, and bistre, the flesh tint prevailing, and serving as a ground for the blue fret-work openings for ventilation.
Across the front of the church a wide, low balcony extends, its front finished in the arcade pattern, and supporting two imposts with Roman chaptrels, from which springs an arch having in its reveal the illumined group of windows of the centre of the church front, the centre one bearing the representation of the cross and the crown. Over this arch appears the inscription in illuminated text, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." The pulpit platform, the front of which is finished
509
OF THE TOWN OF READING.
richly in arcade of black walnut, as is also the desk itself, supports also two imposts, with Roman chaptrels supporting an arch some 26 feet in diameter, beneath which is the pulpit alcove, divided by a heavy walnut balustrade into areas for the choir and for the preacher. Beneath that occupied by the preacher, the large baptistery is located, capable of holding some eighteen hundred gallons, and supplied with heating facilities, and the most complete arrangements for use. On the north side of the alcove is located the organ-box, and on the south two doors, one affording entrance and exit to the choir, and the other passage to and from the rear vestry entrance, the lower rear hall, the pastor's study, etc. The wall faces at either hand of the alcove are heavily mullioned, that on the north embracing the richly figured organ pipes, and that on the south containing in its three divisions under the cap- tions, Worship, Salvation, and Service, selections of Scripture in illumi- nation, while over the pulpit arch there appears, in old English, the text, "To you is the word of His Salvation sent."
The fresco upon the rear wall of the pulpit alcove presents corre- sponding columns of Roman design to those supporting the arch, and in the centre panel an open Bible, the whole being well executed, while the Rose window is the finest in the building.
There is a notable absence of stucco about the interior ; the mould- ings, dentels, drops, brackets, corbels, consoles, all being of carved wood, and of the most enduring class, and highest style of art. The walls are of a general neutral tint, finely relieved by their pickings of color and the Persian belt that sweeps the heads of the windows, and encircles the house.
The whole building is provided with extraordinary facilities for light- ing, and the pendants from the ceiling of the main auditorum are spe- cially tasteful in their color (blue) and their design. The lighting arrangements are such that the whole house can be lighted and fed from a small overflow pipe, until such time as it may be desirable to turn on the main. The most ample and sensible arrangements for ventilation both from the floor and ceiling are perfect, there being twelve ceiling and four floor ventilators, with extra opportunities of cold air supply to furnaces from within and without.
The auditorum is 67 feet by 78 feet long, exclusive of the pulpit and gallery alcoves, and is intended to seat, with the gallery, one thousand persons. The pews are of a new pattern, are of black walnut, highly ornamented and finished, and are more pleasing in their general effect than any we know of. The carpets are a pleasant combination of red and black, in two-ply, and are uniform throughout the house.
5IO
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
The elegant marble Howard clock upon the face of the balcony was the gift of the children of the late Lilley Eaton, Esq., father of the late Hon. Lilley Eaton. Descending to the lower front hall, we open one of the double doors, descend a few steps, and are in the main vestry, finished like the rest of the building in ash and black walnut, and divided by a sash and wood partition (capable of being raised and so uniting all) from the adjoining subordinate rooms.
Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon the wonderfully substan- tial, skilful, and elegant character of the construction of this edifice. Few buildings in any section of the country can boast of more consci- entious and efficient care in their arrangements for stability, strength, and convenience, and the result is alike creditable, in a high degree, to the architect and builders.
RAILROADS.
The railroad facilities now enjoyed by the inhabitants of Wakefield are so ample and important as to merit a brief description.
The extension of the Boston and Maine Railroad (opened in 1845) from Wilmington to Boston, thus placing this town on its main line, furnished easy and frequent communication with Boston, as also with the northern sections of the State and of New England, and contributed largely to the growth of the town.
The later construction of the Danvers Railroad (nine miles to Dan- vers) and of the Newburyport Railroad (from Danvers, twenty-one miles to Newburyport), both of which are leased and operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad, opened avenues to another portion of the State ; while the South Reading Branch Railroad (eight miles to Peabody), operated by the Eastern Railroad, placed the means of reaching Salem by rail within reach of our inhabitants.
Thus, by successive developments, the present town of Wakefield has become an important railroad centre ; being very nearly equi- distant from the cities of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea, Lynn, Salem, Lawrence, and Lowell, with the immediate prospect of a closer connection with the latter city by means of the Andover and Lowell Railroad (now being constructed), and enjoying means of easy communication with other flourishing cities and towns, not distant from those above named.
As might be expected, possessing so desirable a location and offer- ing so many attractive situations, the recent growth of our town in population and resources has been alike noticeable and rapid.
€
1
WAKEFIELD HALL.
n
1, of d y it
d
1
)
S
5II
OF THE TOWN OF READING.
In this sketch we have space for but few statistics, and we insert the following figures, that the curious in such matters may clearly note the changes of the recent years.
On the completion of this portion of the Boston and Maine Railroad, in 1845, it was predicted that the present town of Wakefield would furnish that road with thirty daily passengers.
We have no record for that year ; but in 1848, the whole number of passengers during the year, for all points, was 45,574, or an average of 146 daily passengers.
In 1873, the number of Boston passengers alone was 320,172, or an average of 1,025 daily passengers.
In 1848, the whole amount of passenger and freight receipts at South Reading was $12,532.00.
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