A Street

A Street is a short street in Pinehurst running north from Sheridan Street, the former Shawsheen Street, a little west of Boston Road, toward Grove Street. It is the first of the lettered streets of the Pinehurst Annex, laid out on the "Pinehurst Annex, Plan of Land in Billerica belonging to E. E. Varnum," surveyed in September 1902 by O. F. Osgood and recorded on February 2, 1903 (Plan Book 19, Plan 42). On that plan Shawsheen Street runs from Boston Road toward the Shawsheen River, and A, B, C, D, E and F Streets open from it in order, A Street being the nearest to Boston Road, beside the McFarlin lot. The letters were simply the surveyor's way of naming the cross streets and refer to no one.

The land between A Street, Grove Street and Boston Road became the site of the Pinehurst School, which town meeting voted in 1935 to name the Thomas Ditson School. In 1949 the town voted $3,500 to take, by purchase or eminent domain, more land for the school "as shown on plan of Pinehurst School lot and Josiah Hardwick Estate ... June 21, 1930," including lots on Shawsheen Street and "A Street, Pinehurst Annex, Lots 270 to 272 inclusive." The old school lot is now Old Ditson Park, bounded by Grove Street, Boston Road, Sheridan Street and A Street.

In 1948 the town voted to extend the water main 550 feet on "A Street, Pinehurst," and 425 feet of main were laid in 1949. At the annual meeting of March 13, 1954 the town accepted the laying out of "A" Street, about 500 feet, as a town way and voted $650 to improve it. It was hot topped with bituminous concrete in 1975. A Street was not on the official town map of 1831 and was not among the roads accepted in 2016.

References

1. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1948: town votes to extend the water main on A Street, Pinehurst, 550 feet
2. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1949: water main extended 425 feet on A Street
3. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1949: land on Shawsheen Street, A Street and Grove Street taken for the Pinehurst School lot
4. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1954 warrant: articles to accept the laying out of "A" Street, about 500 feet, and to improve it
5. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1954: appropriation of $650 for A Street under Article 88
6. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1956: list of accepted streets, A Street 500 feet accepted March 13, 1954
7. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1975: A Street hot topped with bituminous concrete