Burlington

Robert J. Costa

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2001
• Print ISBN: 9780738509020
• eBook ISBN: 9781439611258
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Drawing upon the John Fogelberg collection, the Burlington Historical Commission collection, and the Crawford collection of photographs, this book presents a vision of Burlington that few will recognize. Known as Shawshin by the Native Americans who originally inhabited the region, the town of Burlington has a rich history dating to Colonial and Revolutionary War days. In Burlington, you will see the people, places, and events that are known today only as legends or place-names. Meet Marshall Simonds, whose generous gift in 1905 gave the town a beautiful park and Burlington Common, as well as its first high school. Experience how townspeople used to celebrate the Fourth of July with a large bonfire on the hill at Simonds Park. Learn of mysteries and disasters, such as the collapse of the parsonage building on the town common after a move in 1956. Explore the historic homes and the buildings and early businesses, which feature scenes from the Reed Ham Works to aerial views of the emerging Burlington Industrial Park. See the images of the Walker, Crawford, and Skelton farms, which showcase the town's fast-disappearing agricultural history.

Seven

HISTORIC BURLINGTON HOUSES

Once considered the finest mansion in Burlington, the Dr. Nathaniel L. Frothingham house still stands (although much altered) at 6 Spruce Hill Road. The house was built for one of Burlington’s and Boston’s leading citizens of the mid-19th century, Rev. Dr. Nathaniel L. Frothingham. Frothingham was best known as the pastor of the First Church, Boston. He and his wife, Ann Gorham Brooks, fell in love with Burlington’s natural beauty. Their son Ward is credited with acquiring the land and having the house built in 1853.

(Courtesy of the Burlington Archives, No. 167.)

The Winn family were some of the earliest settlers of the Woburn-Burlington area. Edward Winn began the family line in America when he landed in 1640 and helped establish the town of Woburn in 1642. Several generations later, Timothy Winn built this house in 1732 on the corner of today’s Winn Street and Newbridge Avenue. This photograph shows the farm in its original location in the 1930s before it was dismantled and moved to Wellesley, where it stands today.

(Courtesy of the Burlington Archives, No. 57.)

Timothy Winn (1712–1800)—town father, state representative, and notable Burlington citizen of the 18th century—built this house in 1732 on the corner of what is today Winn Street and Newbridge Avenue. The house remained in the Winn family until World War I, when it was sold and made into a multifamily unit with the addition of an ell. It was then purchased, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed in Wellesley in 1938. The house is now one of 61properties that make up the Hunnewell Estates Historic District at Washington Street and Pond Road in Wellesley and Natick.

(Courtesy of the Burlington Archives, No. 176.)

The Lt. Reuben Kimball homestead (also known as the Bell-Foster house), located at 28Bedford Street, was probably built c. 1785 and was once part of a 95-acre farm. Reuben Kimball served in the Revolutionary War and was active in Burlington school affairs in the 1790s. The Bell family owned the property through much of the 19th century, and the hill was sometimes referred to as “Bell’s Hill.”

(Courtesy of the Burlington Archives, No. 480.)

This imposing structure, currently located at 67 Center Street, was built by Hugh Stewart and was completed sometime in 1899. Hugh Stewart and his wife, Elizabeth, were born in Ireland. They moved from Cambridge to Burlington in the 1890s. Stewart became an active citizen and was on the first board of park commissioners. In 1909, this commission laid out the first baseball diamond at Simonds Park. Today, the Fellowship Bible Church uses this house as its parsonage.

(Courtesy of the Burlington Archives, No. 516.)

Timothy Winn—the grandson of Edward Winn, one of the founders of the town of Woburn—built in 1732 the largest and most beautiful farmhouse ever constructed in Burlington. This measured drawing was produced by Henry J. Welsh for the Works Progress Administration’s Historical American Buildings Survey during the Great Depression. This drawing shows the classic design of the entrance hall, known for its fine Georgian-style paneling.

(Courtesy of the Burlington Archives, No. 513.)

Once considered one of the finest Colonial-style buildings in Burlington, the William Winn mansion now proudly stands in Wellesley. This measured drawing shows the fireplace wall of one of the upstairs bedrooms. The house was well known for it beautiful wood paneling. The study was done during the Great Depression as part of the WPA program called the Historical American Buildings Survey.

(Courtesy of the Burlington Archives, No. 60.)

The John Winn house, at 13 Wyman Street, is one of Burlington’s oldest and most remarkable historic struct...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• INTRODUCTION
• One - CELEBRATIONS AND DISASTERS
• Two - APRIL 19, 1775: REVOLUTION
• Three - SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES
• Four - LANDSCAPES
• Five - PORTRAIT GALLERY
• Six - FARMS, FARMHOUSES, AND BARNS
• Seven - HISTORIC BURLINGTON HOUSES