Chadwick Street

Chadwick Street is a short street in North Billerica running northeast from Pollard Street near its junction with Boston Road. It is a twentieth-century street: it is not on the town maps of 1831, 1853 or 1875, it was not named in the town's street lists of 1896 and 1899, and the directory of 1912 does not list it. The first record found is a warrant article of 1914 asking for $450 "for the extension of the water mains on Chadwick Street"; a main 750 feet long was laid in 1915, and in 1916 the directory describes it as running "from Pollard byd High northeasterly."

The name probably comes from the Chadwick family of North Billerica. Lizzie, Harry and Nat Chadwick were pupils of the North Billerica schools in 1890 to 1892, and Elizabeth Alice Chadwick and Ada Chadwick of Billerica were married in 1899 and 1902. No deed or plan has yet been found that ties the family to the land on which the street was opened, so the origin is not proven.

The annual town meeting of 1917 voted to accept Chadwick Street "as a Town way if the Street is in condition to be accepted," and the selectmen reported that year that "Pine and Chadwick Streets have been accepted as Town ways." A gravel sidewalk 400 feet long was built on it in 1918. The question came up again in 1922, when the town meeting voted on February 11, 1922 "that the Town accept Chadwick Street as a Town Way," the date given for it in the town's later index of accepted streets.

References

1. 1914 warrant, Article 25: $450 to extend the water mains on Chadwick Street
2. 1917 town meeting, Article 37: accept Chadwick Street as a town way if in condition to be accepted
3. 1917 selectmen's report: Pine and Chadwick Streets accepted as town ways
4. 1918 report: 400 feet of gravelled sidewalk built on Chadwick Street
5. 1922 town meeting, Article 13: voted to accept Chadwick Street as a town way
6. 1956 report: index of accepted streets, Chadwick St. 2-11-22