Landscapes 24 items

78 View down Main Street from Cambridge St. ca. 1900 1 postcard : b&w.

Main St. is now known as Center St. The Wood Tavern (later the Caldwell house) is the first building on the left. The Wood Tavern was built prior to the American Revolution by Capt. John Wood, Jr. (1740-1809), a Revolutionary War captain under the command of Col. Loammi Baldwin.

The Wood Tavern was a community meeting place; the upper hall was celebrated as the place where the new town toasted incorporation in 1799. For a copy of the toast, see Martha Elizabeth Sewall Curtis' account in the Woburn News, "Burlington Centennial," March 25, 1899, also on the Burlington Archives web site.

Later owners included John Center, Caldwell, Charles (Charlie) Dearborn, and Hrinchuk (Fogelberg, p. 202); see Historic homes and farms: item 51 for more detail. The town bought the property in 1957 and tore the building down; the new fire station was opened May 1959.

Silas Cutler's general store stood next to the Caldwell house, where the town hall annex is now located; the town pump was across the road. For more information on Silas Cutler and the general store that operated at this location, see the historical notes for Silas Cutler's general store photographs.

The next building is the Blodgett house and in the far distance is the new Union School, which was constructed in 1898.

79 View of Main Street from Cambridge St. 1920 1 photograph : b&w.

Laying on the grass is Marion Welch Braley, the wife of Loring Braley (Dunham/Zahora, p. 133); see People: item 270 for more information.

The Wood Tavern (later the Caldwell house) is the first building on the left; it was built prior to the American Revolution by Capt. John Wood, Jr. (1740-1809). Capt. John Wood served as a Revolutionary War captain under the command of Col. Loammi Baldwin. Later owners included John Center, Caldwell, Charles (Charlie) Dearborn, and Hrinchuk (Fogelberg, p. 202); for more information, see Historic homes and farms: item 51. The town bought the property in 1957 and tore the building down; the new fire station was opened May 1959.

Built in 1915, the second town hall stood where the annex stands now; prior to that, this was the site of the Silas Cutler's store, and ca. 1969, the site of the Burlington Police Dept.

The second building is the second town hall, built in 1915. The second town hall stood where the annex stands now. When the 1915 town hall was built, Silas Cutler's general store and post office was moved a hundred yards to the east; this is the third building in the photo. For more information on Silas Cutler and the general store that operated at this location, see the historical notes for Silas Cutler's general store photographs. The Blodgett house is beyond the trees to the right (Fogelberg, p. 124Q).

The electric poles must have been added ca. 1910-1911, which is when Burlington received electricity. The December 10, 1910 Woburn News reports that a special town meeting voted to sign a ten-year contract with Edison Electric Illuminating Company for lighting streets and town offices. The article reports that the lines will be extended for "commercial and power business so that Burlington people can now have modern illuninating. They have never had anything but old fashioned lights." Burlington was the 25th municipality to acquire Edison service.

200 Center St. in front of current location of fire station ca. 1930s 1 photograph : b&w.

Trees possibly uprooted by the hurricane of 1938 or the storm of ca. 1953; must research. [Catalog record in progress.]

201 Center St. in front of the Henrietta "Nettie" Richardson Foster house ca. 1930s 1 photograph : b&w.

Trees possibly uprooted by the hurricane of 1938 or the storm of ca. 1953; must research.

HRF was born October 8, 1859 in Billerica, Mass., the daughter of Joseph Warren Richardson (1827-1902) and Sarah Elizabeth Manley (1837-1911). She married Charles Henry Foster (1852-1933) of Lexington, Mass. The Fosters had a house and two acres in the center of town, and raised two children, Edith Irene Foster (b. 1876) and Everett Clarence Foster (1883-1968).

HRF served as town librarian from 1922-1939, and was known as Aunt Nettie. HRF died March 12, 1951 in Stoneham, Mass. (Fogelberg, p. 202 and genealogy file accessed May 2000).

202 Center St. in front of the Congregational Church of Christ Church parsonage ca. 1930s 1 photograph : b&w.

Trees possibly uprooted by the hurricane of 1938 or the storm of ca. 1953; must research. The Church of Christ parsonage was built by Richard J. Alley in 1860. The Simonds Trust acquired the property and owned it between 1944-1957; the Trust was going to relocate the house, but it was destroyed during the move in 1957 (Fogelberg and Dunham/Zahora, p. 135).

203 Bedford Street near Florence Symmes' house (attrib.) ca. 1930s 1 photograph : b&w.

Photograph notes read: may have been on Bedford St. near Florence Symmes' home. Trees possibly uprooted by the hurricane of 1938 or storm of ca. 1953; must research.

The Symmes house was located on the common at the corner of Bedford St. and Cambridge St., where the marquis is now located. where the marquis is now located. The house was built by Florence Symmes' grandfather, Horace Richardson Pearson (ca. 1827-1864) ca. 1860. HRP died of typhoid fever at Fort McHenry (Baltimore, Maryland) in 1864. It is possible that his wife, Sarah Rebekah Tebbetts Pearsons, continued to live in the house after HRP's death. HRP and SRTP's son, Horace Wilmot Pearsons (1853-1894), was the father of Roscoe Elmer Pearsons (1877-1972), whose house and/or barn was moved from the Commons to 10 Sears St. (see Goff's survey form for 10 Sears St. for more detail).

REP and his wife, Hattie Mabel Withers Pearsons (ca. 1874-1944) raised at least four children in the house: Wilmot Leonard (b. 1895); Edward Maitland (b. 1900); Calvin Elmer (b. 1911); and Harriet (b. 1913). Other names associated with the house include Lizzie Pearsons, Lizzie Pearsons' granddaughter, Betty Symmes, and Roscoe E. Pearson's great-grandson, Jeffrey Pearsons (Dunham/Zahora, p. 130, John Goff's Historic Resources survey form for 10 Sears St., and genealogy resource file accessed July 2000) [Catalog record in progress]

205 Cambridge Street looking toward Center Street ca. 1930 2 photographs : b&w.

Photograph shows from left to right: house of Charles Henry Foster (1852-1933) and Henrietta "Nettie" Richardson Foster (1859-1951), Dearborn's store, Charles Dearborn house, Statler Tissues billboard, Wood Tavern, and the second town hall.

Charles Dearborn (1866-1938) was born in Woburn in 1866, the son of Andrew and Anne Delaney Dearborn; records show that CD would have been a twin had the second child born to the couple at that time survived. CD had at least one brother, Arthur Grant (b. 1870).

CD attended Woburn schools and worked for a number of years as a veteran paint contractor. CD married Annie N. Billingsley Dearborn (d. 1938) in 1900, and the couple had four children, Anna Dearborn Marsden, Ethel Dearborn Pond, Charles Dearborn, and Franklin Dearborn. The family moved to Burlington in 1910 and CD bought the store that once belonged to John Snow from Charles B. Caldwell. CD built the Dearborn house between the store and Wood Tavern, and operated the local telephone exchange, which brought him into contact with the local citizens. The local switchboard was operated manually by CD or one of the Dearborn family members. In 1938, CD acquired a victuallers license and a license to operate a pool room in the center of town. CD also served as the building inspector from 1934-1936.

For more information on the Fosters, see the photograph description for People: item 105. For another view, see Aerial: item 422 (Fogelberg, Woburn Daily Times Chronicle, Woburn edition, September 4, 1985).

206 Cattle at watering hole off Cambridge Street ca. early 20th century 1 photograph of drawing: b&w.

The watering hold was located off Cambridge Street, behind William E. Carter's heel shop and stable; the heel shop was later the location of White Construction, now 135 Cambridge St.. The cattle were owned by Walter Sweetser McIntire (1872-1929), the son of Charles McIntire (1835-1908) and Helena Augusta Skelton (1844-1922) and the grandson of Daniel McIntire (1790-1852).

Charles McIntire acquired the Marion/Grandview farm by 1870, redeveloping it as a showplace home and a dairy farm. Following CM's death, WSM inherited the farm. WSM married Claribel Cobb (1870-1922) on November 25, 1896 in Burlington, Mass. The had five children: Helen Wilburta; Marion; Clarence Julius; Mary Bernice; and Kenneth Sweetser.

207 Cattle at unknown watering hole ca. late 20th century 1 photograph : color.

[Catalog record in progress.]

283 Mill Pond reservoir at twilight [ca. 1980s?] 1 photograph : b&w.

In 1970, the engineering and architecture firm, Whitman and Howard, began redesigning the 500 million gallon reservoir; construction began in June 1971. The reservoir was to cover approximately 65 acres at an estimated cost of 4.2 million dollars. Prior to the creation of the Dept. of Public Works in 1967, the Water and Sewer District managed Burlington's water resources from 1949-1967. The district was voted out of existence at the March 1967 town meeting and the Water and Sewer District became part of the newly organized Dept. of Public Works (Burlington annual report, 1970, p. 63 and 1971, p. 85).

284 Bedford Street [possibly east from the intersection of Francis Wyman Road?] ca. early 20th century 1 photograph : b&w.

[Catalog record in progress].

337 Pierson [Pearson] corner with William Henry Walker and Crawford Bennet standing in road 1915 1 photograph : b&w.

William Henry Walker (b. 1898) was the son of Fred Freeland Walker (b. 1868) and Bertha Lillian Wood Walker (b. 1871).

The house on the right is the Pearsons-Symmes house, which was located on the common at the corner of Bedford St. and Cambridge St. (as of 2000, the current location of the town marquis). The house was built by Florence Symmes' grandfather, Horace Richardson Pearson (ca. 1827-1864) ca. 1860. HRP died of typhoid fever at Fort McHenry (Baltimore, Maryland) in 1864. It is possible that his wife, Sarah Rebekah Tebbetts Pearsons, continued to live in the house after HRP's death. HRP and SRTP's son, Horace Wilmot Pearsons (1853-1894), was the father of Roscoe Elmer Pearsons (1877-1972), whose house and/or barn was moved from the Commons to 10 Sears St. (see Goff's survey form for 10 Sears St. for more detail).

367 Looking toward Murray's Real Estate down Cambridge St. ca. 1950s 1 photograph : b&w.

Murray's Real Estate was located at 27 Cambridge St., near the intersection of Skilton Lane. [Catalog record in progress.]

368 Terrace Hall Ave. during flooding ca. 1950s 1 photograph : b&w.

The trees at the left are where the current water treatment plant is located.

369 Terrace Hall Ave. during flooding ca. 1950s 1 photograph : b&w.

370 Terrace Hall Ave. during flooding ca. 1950s 1 photograph : b&w.

371 Terrace Hall Ave. during flooding ca. 1950s 1 photograph : b&w.

372 Distant view of the Acme Sand and Gravel Company ca. 1950s 1 photograph : b&w.

The Acme Sand and Gravel Company was located on the site of the Capt. James Reed farm. For more information, see photograph description for Historic homes and farms: item 64. The Burlington Mall was built on or near this site in 1968.

373 Trees near the Crawford farm driveway looking toward Rt. 128 ca. 1953 1 photograph : b&w.

For more information, see photograph description for Crawford farm entries. The Crawford farmhouse is currently the location of the Beacon Village apartments.

374 View of the Crawford farm driveway looking toward Rt. 128 after the storm ca. 1953 1 photograph : b&w.

For more information, see photograph description for Crawford farm entries. The Crawford farmhouse is currently the location of the Beacon Village apartments.

431 View of State Road [Cambridge St.] ca. 1915 1 photograph : b&w.

View looking north on Cambridge St. from a point just north of Bedford St.

The three elm trees stood at the triangle of Cambridge St., Center St., and Olympia Way near the common; the triangle held the town scales, which were used for weighing agriculture products. The elm tree on the left shelters the Gleason-Bennett farmhouse on the left side of the street. When Cambridge St. was straightened in 1920, the tree was cut down and the house was split in two and moved as two separate houses; the area west of the Gleason-Bennett house is now Simonds Park. For more information on the Gleason-Bennett house, see Historic homes and farms: item 52 and John Goff's historic resources survey form for 2 Mill St. A corner of the Wood Tavern is visible on the right; for more information, see photograph description for Historic houses and farms: item 51.

505 Town pump and highway [Cambridge St.] leading to the schoolhouse ca. 1906 1 photograph : b&w.

The well or town pump stood across from Silas Cutler's general store, when the town hall annex is currently located. For more information, see photograph description for Buildings: item 149.

517 Corner of Cambridge Street and Bedford Street, looking east on Bedford Street ca. 1906 1 photograph : b&w.

Photograph shows the Center School; when this photograph was taken, the building would have been used as the town's library. For more information, see the photograph description for Buildings: item 5. The building on the far right appears to be the rear of the William Edward Carter heel shop, ca. 1900; for more information, see Buildings: item 47. The other photographs in this series appear to be ca. 1905-1906; this image appears to be a little later, since it shows electric poles and electricity was not installed in Burlington until 1910-1911; it is possible that the poles were for the one public telephone, which existed in 1905, according to Landscapes: item 518.

518 Burlington's first sidewalk ca. 1906 1 photograph : b&w.

The town's first sidewalk ran from the streetcar stop at Sears Street and Winn Street; see Transportation: item 139 for an image of the streetcar stop. The sidewalk was installed ca. 1906; that same year the town voted to buy land for a road 40 feet wide with a good gravel sidewalk seven feet wide, so that people could walk or be driven to the streetcar line.

The printed source next to one of the other images in this series reads:

The Centre a Lone Place at Night

"The Centre" seems more and more of a misnomer as one looks all around and sees but a few buildings, a few lights, and in the distance, foggy hills with trees silhouetted against them. The crazy dog still chases the fox, pump grids out its doleful music, the screech is at it again, and maybe a cheery whistle of a little solace.

That little solace is needed if one chanced continue the walk down past the cemetery, the shadows of the stone wall made all the... [discontinued]

Burlington's Centre and Most Congested Section

No doctor except a veterinary, no clergyman save a Congregational minister who rides over from Bedford every Sunday, no lawyer barring one summer resident, no shop except a blacksmith shop and a bit of a grocery in a remote spot, no postoffice, no sidewalks other than the one elevated side of one brand new road, no police department save for the first and the second constable--the first of whom is also tax collector--no fire department, not a foot of a poor farm, not a cent of town debt, one church, one schoolhouse, one public telephone, two cemeteries, one trust funds of a few thousands and another of $75,000 [left to the Town of Burlington by Marshall Simonds in 1905], and an hours ride from Boston, is all that and even more.

Moreover, Burlington took up her hair and let down her skirts many, many years ago. As the town seal, with its cordon of rope and its two spreading elms over the Sewall house, puts it:

"Woburn--1642--Woburn precinct, 1730, Burlington, Mass., incorporated Feb. 28, 1799."

"Time was," as one Burlingtonian phrases it, "When we had a postoffice and a grocery store and a shoe material shop, and I have seen nights when you could not walk through the street at 8 or 9 o'clock without running into two or three pairs of the young folks, and there were as many as 60 people working in the shop."

And he heaved a reminiscent sigh.

The Lowell, Woburn, Bedford, and Billerica folk, the street cart conductors, and even one or two Burlingtonians who merely live there, working elsewhere, say that Burlington is "an awful slow place, not much like it was before the [first] town hall was burned [in 1902]"--the catastrophe was recorded two or three years ago--but the Burlingtonian, in the loyal spirit of one proud of his native heath, may add, "There's a lot of foxes around here, though, and you couldn't find a quieter place or a finer place for a hospital."

Nearly everybody in Burlington seems contented, and if crops are good and the animals aren't ailing and it's easy to get good "hands" at a moderate price and there isn't much sickness and taxes are not altogether too high, the whole town might well be included in Happyville. Then again, one can get a street cart every half hour and it's only 10 cents to Boston.

Outsiders Sarcastic at Town's Expense

The sarcasm begins to pour on as soon as one alights from the Lowell car that runs from Woburn.

"Burlington? You mean Burlington Centre?" queries the conductor, holding his hand on the wooden knob preparatory to giving two bells for full speed ahead. "You take that sidewalk there and follow it till you come to the Centre. You can't miss it if you keep on that sidewalk."

"And say," he may add with juvenalian satire as the car starts off again. "Give my regards to the commandant of the Burlington Navy Yard."

The visible signs of civilization when one leaves the car just this side of a fare zone are only the street railway equipment, cultivated fields, a sign and the roadway famous thereabouts for having a sidewalk. The sidewalk-embroidered road begins at a clump of trees and inclines upward. The sidewalk is there surely enough, but it looks like the consequence of neglect to cut it down to the level of the road when the roadway was built, rather than like the result of cold deliberation.

Strolling on the improved road as the sidewalk leads, there are few more signs of the haunts of men for some distance. At night, there is hardly a sound but the infrequent shrilling of a screed owl, the baying of a dog which has probably run away from home to chase a red fox, the faint whistling of a locomotive back in Woburn, the distant clatter of wheels which do not run well on uneven track, the clickety-clack, clackety-click of a pump and the creaking of a windmill somewhere. The silence soon becomes so inclusive that one starts when there is a rustle in the bushes by the side of the road and where an awakened bird scolds some scouting little animal scampering away.

A turn or two in the road and there are lights to be seen. You pass one or two houses, make out a field or two of cabbages, and arrive at cross-roads, the pump which you knew by its voice, a wooden schoolhouse with some pretensions to architectural eminence, a long building which in spite of a little cupola on top, is given away by wheels resting against it, and lights from at least half a dozen houses. A man comes along swinging a lantern and you ask him where is Burlington Centre.

"That's where you are," he replied. "Looking for somebody?"

"Where shall I find Selectman Skelton?"

"Skelton?" Oh he lives down toward that way, about two miles," and he points a finger toward the hills. If you ask for the other two selectmen you are likely to find that they also live a number of miles away.

"But isn't there a store where they are likely to come? Or where is the postoffice?"

"There's no store in Burlington... [page discontinued]

(Reproduced from newsprint attached to copy photograph of the images. It is probable that the piece originally appeared in a 1906 issue of the Ladies' Home Journal; Fogelberg notes in "The First Sidewalk" (Daily Times Chronicle, Burlington edition, October 27, 1992) that the article appeared in a Boston newspaper).

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