USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Tewksbury > Ye towne book : two hundredth anniversary, August 25,26,27, 1934, Tewksbury, Massachusetts > Part 6
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NOVEMBER 5, 1861. Voted that the Lowell Gas Company be permitted to lay their pipes in Andover Street from the Lowell line to the dwelling house of D. S. Wood on Andover Street, provided the said street is not rendered dangerous thereby.
MARCH 3, 1862. Choose a committee to lay out into lots the unoccupied land enclosed in the South Burying Ground and affix prices.
Committee on South Burying Ground reports mak- ing the repairs needed.
JULY 28, 1862. Call for 15,000 volunteers from Massachusetts by Proclamation of the Governor. Eleven men are assigned as the quota of Tewksbury. Voted a bounty of $125. to each of said eleven men who shall enter said service from this town, to be paid to them when mustered in.
AUGUST 25, 1862. Call for 19,080 volunteers for Massachusetts. (Quota not stated). Voted to pay the new levy of recruits for nine months service $100. when mustered in.
NOVEMBER 4, 1862. Voted that the town pay to each person the fee charged by the Examining Phy- sician who is appointed by the Governor to examine
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all persons claiming exemption from draft for physi- cal disability who shall appear before them.
MARCH 2, 1863. Voted to increase the School Committee from three to six members (several votes required ). Voted that the School Committee appoint a superintendent. Voted the Superintendent's sala- ry be fixed at $50. Tax collector paid 2% for col- lecting taxes. Voted not to abolish the school dis- trict.
NOVEMBER, 1862. Voted to drain the surface water that collects in front of the Town Hall.
APRIL 6, 1863. Proclamation by the President of the United States-set apart Thursday the thirtieth day of April 1863 as a day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer.
NOVEMBER 3, 1863. Voted that the Town pay a bounty of $200 to each volunteer soldier on being mustered into the U. S. Service, also that the Town choose a committee to make an assessment on each individual of his proportion necessary to be raised for this purpose.
MAY 30, 1864. Voted that the Town do pay $125. to each enlisted man that shall be mustered into the Military Service of the U. S. from the Town the en- sning year.
NOVEMBER 3, 1868. Page 228-230 inclusive, pro- testing against accepting a petition from certain in- dividuals for a separation of part of Tewksbury to be annexed to Lowell.
MARCH 8, 1869. Voted to abolish the present' School District System.
APRIL 1, 1869. Voted to raise $3000 to repair the several school houses and build a new one. Voted the Selectmen a committee to locate the new school. Voted to enlarge by adding the School Committee.
APRIL 13, 1874. Article-To see if the Town will appropriate a sum of money to be expended under the direction of R. G. Crowell, treasurer of the G.A.R. organization of this Town in celebrating Decoration Day in an appropriate manner. Voted $75.00.
JUNE, 1874. Page 373-County Commissioners decision as to grade crossings of the Lowell and An- dover Railroad Company in Tewksbury.
MARCH 1, 1875. Voted the tax collector's com- mission be 7/8 of one per cent. Voted a committee be appointed to report "if advisable for the Town to repair the present Town Hall, remove the same or build a new one".
MARCH 29, 1875. Voted to move the school house in District No. 7 to some suitable spot near the center of said district. Voted $200 to defray ex- pense of moving.
Voted that a new Town Hall be constructed of one story, 33 x 60 posts 16 feet with proper stone foundation. Voted that a fireproof vault be con- structed at a cost not to exceed $700. Voted that the new Town Hall be located on the site of the present Town Hall, as near as practicable. Voted to sell the old Town Hall.
NOVEMBER 2, 1875. Page 410-Report of the Committee as to deed of property of the New Town Hall, noted that (given by John Spaulding to the Town of Tewksbury bearing date November 27, 1822) New Town Hall cost $4139.70. Old Town Hall sold for $100.
NOVEMBER 7, 1876. Voted the sum of $500 be appropriated for the purpose of improving the com- mon, highways and setting out trees around the center of the Town.
NOVEMBER 7, 1877. Voted to establish a Public Library.
MARCH 4, 1878. Voted to grant the use of the Town Hall free for religious meetings.
MARCH 3, 1879. Voted and appropriated $100 to the Town Library. Voted the money arising from the licensing of dogs, to the Public Library.
Valuation of the Town $1,034,054.00 Rate of taxation, 6.50 on $1000.
JULY 17, 1882. Voted to erect a new school honse in District No. 7 not to exceed $3000.
MARCH 3, 1884. Voted that $250 be appropriated for drainage at the center of the town. MARCH 1, 1886. Book 1885-1896. Voted that the South Cemetery be fully enclosed with a wall and steps to pass in and out.
MARCH 7, 1887. Appropriated $150 to complete the drainage at the Common.
MARCH 5, 1888. Appropriated $300 to build a sidewalk from the Town Farm to the Baptist Church and thence to meet the sidewalk from Lowell. Voted to build a school in Gilmanville.
MARCH 3, 1890. Appropriated $4000 to build a dwelling house at the Town Farm. Appropriated $1000 to macadamize the road leading from Lowell to North Tewksbury.
MARCH 2, 1891. Voted that the sum of $200 be appropriated for lighting and care of lights at the center of the town, now cared for by the Village Im- provement Association. Voted $150 to build a Band Stand. Voted $400 towards the salary of a Super- intendent of Schools. Voted the town would unite with Dracut, No. Reading, Tyngsboro, Bedford, Bil- lerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Lincoln, Wilmington or with anyone or some of them to employ a Super- intendent of Schools.
MARCH 6, 1893. Appropriated $8000 to build a new school house at the center of the town. Ap- propriated $75 for Decoration Day to be expended by the School Committee. Appropriated $2000 more to assist in building the new school. Page 468 the copy of the franchise of the Lowell & Reading Street Railway Co., commencing at the dividing line be- tween Billerica and Tewksbury to Lowell.
MARCH 5, 1894. Voted to build an iron bridge across the Shawsheen River on the Boston Road near the South School House. Voted $535.
JUNE 18, 1894. Voted that the name of the new school at the center be called the Foster School and the hall in the same building be called Pickering Hall.
MARCH 4, 1895. Page 557. Betsey R. Lang will left $3000 in trust, the income to apply toward the support of the High School. Voted and approved four projects for lighting in various parts of the Town. Voted $1500 for a stone crusher and engine. Recommended that four years be devoted to High School studies instead of three at present.
APRIL 22, 1895. Voted that the town petition the State Road Commissioners to build a state road in Tewksbury from the Lowell line to the Wilming- ton line.
OCTOBER 24, 1895. Petition from the New Eng- land Telephone and Telegraph Company to erect poles and maintain wires in the town.
Petition of the Lowell & Suburban Street Rail- way Company to grant locations, Andover Street through North Tewksbury to the Town of Andover, from Rogers Street to Tewksbury Center. Franchise granted Dec. 19, 1895.
JANUARY 18, 1902. Voted to investigate the cost to the Town of some modern and efficient means for protecting property in the Town against fire and furnish a water supply to any sections when it may be available.
JUNE 27, 1902. Town accepts new method of electing Town Officers.
MARCH 3, 1902. Report presented relative to fire protection and water supply in the Town. Voted $700 for surveys, water tests and estimates of cost of snch
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Two Hundredth Anniversary
1934
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Ye Towne Book
1934
CONGRATULATIONS, TEWKSBURY On Your 200th Anniversary
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Two Hundredth Anniversary
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water supply and fire protection. Voted to pay the City of Lowell for services at any fires to which they may be called.
MAY 12, 1902. Voted"$200 for the purpose of cele- brating "Old Home Week". On pages 227 to 237 inclusive, data relative to the proposed reservoir on Prospect Hill showing tables and maps. Several votes were taken and doubted, on the last vote the citizens decided against petitioning the : Legislature for a permit for a water supply.
MARCH 2, 1903. Voted to give up the High School in town and provide High School training at the Lowell High School. (Note-the Betsey Lang Fund for the Tewksbury High School then reverted to the Congregational Church).
JULY 29, 1903. About nine o'clock a.m., the Town of Tewksbury received the most serious internal di- saster in its history. Two brick magazines contain- ing powder and other high explosives, the property of the U. S. Cartridge Co., blew up, causing a loss of twenty-two lives, injury to seventy others and dam- aging property to the value of half a million dollars, part within our Town and partly in the City of Low- ell.
Seventy members of the Lowell Police force vo- lunteered for duty, assisted by the local police, later augmented to twenty-two. The Lowell Fire Depart- ment immediately responded and saved many homes nearby. The serious situation became apparent to the authorities and three Companies of the Massa- chusetts Militia, located in Lowell, were ordered to the scene of the disaster and established a military cordon around the scene of the explosion.
The Board of Selectmen were continuously on duty, the local Fire Wards and eighteen men from the State District Police.
The Agent of the Board of Health, in his later report states, on duty five days and part of several others, no epidemic or a single case of contagious disease.
A fund was raised by the Lowell Courier-Citizen to care for the sufferers. Food was distributed over a period of ten days. The homeless were provided with shelter with kindly neighbors and clothing pro- vided for the needy.
A complete report of the Riverside Park Explo- sion was printed and issued by the Town of Tewks- bury.
OCTOBER 19, 1903. Voted that a committee be appointed to investigate some system to light the streets in the Town.
MARCH 7, 1904. Voted a new School House in Wigginville, appropriating money for first payments on site and for construction.
APRIL 25, 1904. Appropriated $1300 for gas lamps and posts.
MARCH 10, 1906. Voted that the School Commit- tee be instructed to place the bell now on the Library Building in the cupola of the Foster School.
Committee appointed to represent the Town of Tewksbury favoring the annexation of certain sec- tions of the Town to the City of Lowell.
Report of committee appointed to ascertain area, valuation, etc., of area annexed. Report 1200 acres of land, 1491 population, valuation $865,400, and legal voters numbering 252.
MAY 16, 1908. Voted to purchase a small hand fire engine to be located in North Tewksbury and a larger engine to be located at the Center.
OCTOBER 26, 1909. Appropriated $700 for suit- able drainage of surface water from the Center, Pleasant. Main and East Streets.
MARCH 7, 1910. Appropriated $250. for forest fire-fighting equipment.
MARCH 3, 1913. Appropriated $8000 for the erection of a suitable school building in the South part of the Town near Foster's Corner.
MARCH 2, 1914. Voted to hold annual Town meetings the first Monday in February instead of the first Monday in March.
Voted $1500 for organizing, equipping and main- taining a Fire Department.
JULY 25, 1916. Appropriated $2500 to purchase of Motor Fire Apparatus, $1000 to be for care and maintainance.
OCTOBER 1, 1917. Voted to accept gift accord- ing to the will of Deacon Enoch Foster.
OCTOBER 15, 1917. Voted that the Town Treas- urer be directed to make an offer of $8000 for lots A and D Foster Plan, with buildings thereon, same to be accepted on or before December 1, 1917.
FEBRUARY 4, 1918. Voted to appoint a perma- nent man to drive and care for the fire truck and $1200 appropriated.
JUNE 24, 1918. Voted to sell the Town Farm.
OCTOBER 13, 1918. Tewksbury Congregational Church burned to the ground.
Town Hall gutted. All valuable law reports saved. Safe opened and contents found in good con- dition. Vault opened and contents found in fine con- dition. Credit should be given to the Billerica Fire Department in saving adjoining buildings.
Temporary offices for the town officers opened in the residence of the late Enoch Foster.
FEBRUARY 3, 1919. Town meeting held in
Pickering Hall of the Foster School.
Voted a committee of seven to secure site for a new Town Hall. Voted a committee to investigate records and Memorial to those persons who have been in service during the World War.
Voted to sell the Town Farm, all land, buildings and personal property.
MARCH 17, 1919. Voted to construct a new Town Hall.
MARCH 25, 1919. Voted $8000 to purchase the Foster Estate for a new Town Hall.
JULY 15, 1919. Voted $3900 to install an elec- tric light plant in the Town Hall.
Voted to appropriate $1000 for a World War Memorial.
MAY 19, 1920. Dedication of the new Town Hall. Total cost of buildings and site $80,663.72.
MAY 31, 1920. Welcome Home Exercises to the men who served in the World War.
Presentation of tablet dedicated to the men who served in the World War.
FEBRUARY 7, 1921. Voted $21,100 for additional installation of electric lights. (For some years cer- tain sections had previously secured electric lights. but this was the first general effort of installing lighting over a large area of the town).
FEBRUARY 4. 1924. Appropriated $4500 for a new fire engine. Appropriated $1200 for the purchase of hose. Appropriated $600 for a fire alarm siren.
FEBRUARY 6, 1926. Appropriated $5000 to pur- chase a five-ton tractor and snow plow.
MARCH 16, 1926. Voted to discontinue certain streets if the Boston & Maine Railroad should locate the proposed new freight yards. (The proposed site for the freight yards was abandoned).
FEBRUARY 7, 1927. Voted $1500 for the pur- chase of land of Mary Lynch for an enlargement of the Foster School Lot.
FEBRUARY 1. 1928. Appropriated $1600 for two Ford Dump Trucks for the Highway Department.
(The first motor equipped trucks for the Town).
Voted to sell all horses and horse-drawn equip- ment.
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JUNE 4, 1928. Appropriated $2000 for two trucks for the Highway Department.
FEBRUARY 2, 1929. Committee appointed to consider the advisability .of a water system for the town. (Later report accepted and committee dis- charged).
JULY 24, 1933. Appropriated $5000 for the De- partment of Public Welfare.
'DECEMBER 27, 1933. Appropriated $5000 to se- cure a site for a High School Building.
Elected a committee of five to enter into con- tracts to erect a High School. Appropriated $80,000
for the construction of, equipping and furnishing a High School.
FEBRUARY 7, 1934. Appropriated $1000 for the observance of the 200th Anniversary of the Incor- poration of the Town of Tewksbury. Committee, Harold J. Patten, Mark Roper and John J. Sullivan.
MAY 2, 1934. Voted that the committee appoint- ed to construct the High School make application for a Grant from the Federal Government under the National Recovery Act.
July 16, 1934. Appropriated $500 as an additional amount for the proper observance of the Incorpora- tion of the Town.
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Two Hundredth Anniversary
1934
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Ye Towne Book
1934
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1934
Two Hundredth Anniversary
1734
Ye District School
M R. PRIDE tells us that on December 10, 1740, Mr. Stephen Osgood was appointed by the town to serve as school master for the remainder of the year. Three years later it was voted to have a writing and reading school in town. Mr. Franklin Kittridge and Capt. Peter Hunt were chosen as our first school committee. For some twenty years the usual three months' school seems to have been kept.
In 1771 the town was divided into squadrons. The next year Lucy Needham, the first female teacher, was employed. In 1774, money was appropriated to build school houses in the several squadrons.
School No. 1 at the South District. Streets. Probably Mr. Calvin Shedd and Deacon Parker Foster were among those attending this school. Later there was a school at the corner of Main and Hill Streets, near the old blacksmith shop. Here over one hun- dred years ago Nancy Bridges gave the reward of merit which is on exhibition, to a little girl from School No. 2. Her parents boarded her in the South Dis- trict because of the longer term there. We are told by a grown-up boy that girls as well as boys came to this school barefooted. A teacher tells of the work and worry caused by those same little feet venturing on the thin ice of the Shawsheen River.
The old school stood at the corner of South and Hill
The new school still stands across the river on the opposite side of the road. Here children continued labor- YE DISTRICT SCHOOL ing over the A B C's and algebra. Among the early teachers none are more lovingly remembercd than Miss Letitia Clark.
School No. 2 at the Centre-The corner stone of the old building that stood near the gate- way of the cemetery was recently discovered when a grave was being dug. Tradition gives us a story from this school. "The President, Andrew Jackson, is on his way to Lowell to look over the mills. The children of the school are promised a treat if they are orderly. They assemble under a big tree on the corner of Main and Lee Streets and await the procession which comes at last and goes on for a gala day in Lowell."
Of those living who enjoy telling stories of the school at the corner of Main and James Streets, one says that "Mary Ann was very smart in her studies. She sometimes amused herself in those leisure moments by removing the screws from the rear seats." All remember the pain- staking work of their teachers, Miss Wilder among others. (The third school house was after- wards a part of the Spaulding School).
School No. 3 at the North District. Not far from the old school on the present site stood the older building at the corner of Andover and North Streets. In both these schools mental arith- metic was stressed. Misses Sarah Richardson and Kate Huntress were among those who helped develop the minds of the boys and girls.
School No. 4 at the Northwest District. The old red schoolhouse near Stafford Road was burned. A new school house was built on Andover Road but when the land was sold to Mr. Pickering, the school was moved to Ridge Hill. In the old school Lawyer Davis taught during the winter. He was very strict in discipline but so thorough was his teaching that several pupils came over from a neighboring district for instruction. Other teachers were Mr. Whitcomb, who became a missionary to the Sandwich Islands; Dr. Gage, afterwards pastor of a Hartford church, and Jacob Clark.
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REWARD OF MERIT. Granted to Mais I. E. Saques for diligence and attention to study, and good behaviour in school. N. B.
Minister Tolman, a member of the school com- mittee, solemnly impressed the children that each boy should prepare himself to become president of the United States and each girl should fit herself to take up the duties of the wife of the president.
"Men of ye several districts, there is a little lady who attended your schools who remembers studying your beloved Colburn's Mental Arithmetic but her book was stained with tears."
In the new school Miss Alice Marshall gave her faithful service fitting many a pupil for Lowell High School.
School No. 5 at the West District. The old school was on the site where the Charles French house now stands, not far from the senior David Rogers' home where the children got their drinking water. Mrs. Rhoda Parkhurst Davis, who attended this school over ninety years ago, tells us that the benches at the rear of the room each seated three pupils, those at the front two. There was a clearly defined boys' and girls' side but alas mischievous "Rhody" with the curls enjoyed occasionally bridge- ing the distance with a sly whisper, making the very quiet Joel laugh.
--
Miss Fidelia Rogers was one of the early teach- Awarded to Miss M. Esther Marshall's mother 104 years ago. ers. In the winter, Joshua French taught. The chil- dren enjoyed the visits of his brother Ebenezer, who often recited for them their favorite poem, which never failed to make them laugh. Well liked also was the kindly Deacon Pillsbury who asked them questions on examination day.
The day began with the reading by each pupil of a passage from the Bible. The children gathered about their teacher and sang as she played their favorite songs. The three R's were well taught. Mr. French called Rhoda his best writer.
School No. 6 at the East District. The old red school house on East Street was on the op- posite side of the track from the new school house now owned by the state. Many children walked long distances to this school, some coming from near the Ballardvale line. The same story might be told of the faithful work of teachers here. Often mentioned is the name of Miss Fannie Spauding who also taught in other districts of the town.
School No. 7 at Wamesit. The old school was in the Belvidere section which was annexed to Lowell. The school house was then moved to a site opposite the Blaisdel house, but as Ather- ton Mills brought in a larger population, this was replaced by a two-room building which served until the schools were consolidated.
The Private Schools. In 1830 the town voted that Dr. Henry Kitteridge and others have liberty to keep a private school in the Town Hall. In the house now occupied by Mr. Walter Pillsbury a private school was held in the kitchen where there was an open well on which the teacher was accustomed to rap for order. To the great amusement of the children that thimble at the time of a very energetic rap fell into the well. There were several other private schools. College Road, now Trull Street, was the road over which youths walked to the home of Minister Coggin to be fitted for College.
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