Since our last meeting, I have gathered together a little data which may be of interest to some of you members who have not always lived in Waltham.
Waltham was at one time a part of Watertown which was settled in 1630 and was called the West Precinct. Waltham was the 145th town incorporated in the State. The total area of Waltham at the time of its incorporation was 8,891 acres exclusive of the 700 acres from Newton taken later.
In tillage, 996 acres
English and Upland mowing, 1,830 acres
Meadow, 464 acres
Pasturage, 2,664 acres
Woodland, 2,039 acres
Roads, 246 acres
Water (Hardy’s Pond) 500 acres
In 1849, Waltham received an accession of between 600 and 700 acres on the south side of the Charles River by annexation of a part of Newton. Nearly all of this tract belonged to the ancient Fuller Farm and included about two thirds of it. At the time of annexation there were 35 buildings and 170 inhabitants. Waltham paid to Newton $1,000 and taxes for the year to the town of Waltham.
On January 15, 1738, Waltham was incorporated.
On January 3, 1738, Deacon William Brown by virtue of the authority voted him by the General Court, notified the qualified voters in said town of Waltham to appear at the public meeting house on Wednesday, the 18th day of June, to elect and appoint town officers and the following were chosen.
Moderator, Deacon Thomas Livermore.
Selectmen, William Brown, Thomas Livermore, Daniel Benjamin, Joseph Pierce, and Thomas Bigelow.
Town Clerk and Treasurer, Samuel Livermore (who served for many years).
Constable, Joseph Hastings.
Assessors, George Lawrence, John Cutting, John Chadwick.
Sealer of the Leather, Joseph Stratton.
Fence Viewers, John Bald, Jr., Joseph Hager.
Surveyors of Highways, John Ball, John Viels.
Tything Men, Isaac Pierce, Theophilus Mansfield.
Hogreves, Josiah Harrington, E. Mansfield.
First Representative of Town, Thomas Bigelow, who served until 1745 when Captain Samuel Livermore was elected who served until 1763.
Churches
The first meeting house was erected in 1720 north of the entrance gate on Lyman Street and some two rods east of the wall of the Nathaniel Livermore Estate, now the Lyman Estate. This was the first church edifice erected in Waltham about seventeen years before the incorporation of the town.
First Minister
Reverent Warham Williams, a graduate of Harvard College in 1719, was ordained June 11, 1723, as pastor of the First Church that had its meeting house within the limits of Waltham. This church stood until 1841 when it was taken down.
Waltham Free Press was issued November 25, 1863.
Churches Built
Congregational Church, September 28, 1820, present church built 1870.
First Parish, January 31, 1839.
Christ Church, February 9, 1849.
Methodist Church, 1837, church on Common.
Baptist Church, November 4, 1852.
Reverend Father Strain was the first resident pastor of a Catholic Church in Waltham in 1849. The erection of the present church was begun in 1859.
Universalist Society formed in 1836.
New Church School, Piety Corner, 1860.
Streets Existing in 1739
Mill Street, part of North Street or Trapelo Road.
Pigeon Hill Road, part of old Forrrest Street, Quince Street, Beaver Street, Winter Street, Lincoln Street and Weston main street.
Main Street, the country road, the road over Prospect Hill.
Bacon Street or Skunk Lane, Pleasant, Grove and Warren Streets.
The Northern portion of the town had nearly doubled the population of the southern portion. Trapelo Road and Beaver Street were the most thickly settled portions of the town. In 1800, there were but 36 dwelling houses on Main Street, 20 on the north side and 16 on the south. Number of dwelling houses April 1, 1926, 7,748.
Christopher Gore, who in 1809 was elected Governor and who built and lived in this house we are in tonight, was received a citizen of the town by vote April 1, 1793, upon his request. He was a noble specimen of a gentlemen of the old school.
Wages
March 10, 1739, sixpence was established for rate of pay for day’s work on the roads and one shilling for man and team.
First School in 1738
The first school was a moving school and three divisions were made of the territory. The squadron was east of the church and included Beaver Street and all north of it. The second embraced Beaver Street west of the church and all north of it including Pond End and the third, all south of Beaver Street and included the Plains. The first school built was near the junction of Bacon and Lexington Streets and 80 pounds were voted to sustain it for the year. Today we have 19 schools, 2 of them parochial, and 6, 927 pupils.
Cost per year for 1926, $463,400.
First school was on Trapelo Road, 1772, and cost 24 pounds 18 shillings and one farthing.
Bunker Hill
42 men formed a company for Bunker Hill. Between 600 and 700 men were in the Army and Navy in 1861, 54 of whom never returned.
(more on our next post)