Grove Street

Grove Street runs west from Boston Road in Pinehurst, just north of Sheridan Street and the old Ditson School lot, toward the Shawsheen River. It is the southernmost street of Riverbank Acres, a development of small house lots between Boston Road and the river. The plan, "Riverbank Acres, Billerica, Mass., June 1911," drawn by C. A. Thayer, engineer, at a scale of 80 feet to an inch, was recorded on August 16, 1912 (Plan Book 30, Plan 19). It shows Grove Street leaving "Main Street," as Boston Road is labeled, with Greenville Street, Laurel Street, Pinegrove Avenue, Autumn Street, Summer Street, Spring Street and Pineview Avenue following in order to the north and Orchard Road crossing them. No developer's name appears on the plan. Thayer also drew the Pinedale Park Addition across Boston Road in April 1911.

Like its neighbors the street was given a pleasant country name, here a grove of trees, rather than a family or place name, and the plan's other names follow the same pattern of trees, seasons and views. No earlier road ran on this line. The 1919 directory lists "GROVE from Boston rd n Pinehurst ave westerly." When the town enlarged the Pinehurst School grounds in 1949 and 1950 it bought lots "on Grove Street, Riverbank Acres," and in 1953 the Pinehurst Grange held land between Grove and Greenville Streets.

In 1931 the town voted to extend the water main 1,200 feet on Grove Street, and at the annual meeting of February 10, 1934, on a motion of Mr. Murphy against Mr. Lowe's motion to dismiss, it voted to accept Grove Street. In 1938 the street was "gravelled and subgraded for a 30 foot travelway, and shoulders raised to 5 feet," in 1939 it was scraped, rolled and oiled, and in 1940 it was scraped, rolled and tarred. An asphalt armor coat with pea gravel was applied for its entire length in 1943, and it was sealed in 1949 and hot topped with bituminous concrete in 1978. Grove Street was not on the official town map of 1831 and was not among the roads accepted in 2016; the name has not changed since 1911.

References

1. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1931: town votes to extend the water main on Grove Street 1,200 feet
2. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1934: town meeting votes to accept Grove Street
3. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1938: Grove Street graveled and subgraded for a 30 foot travelway
4. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1940: Grove Street scraped, rolled and tarred
5. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1943: asphalt armor coat with pea gravel applied to Grove Street, entire length
6. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1949: Riverbank Acres lots on Grove Street taken for the Pinehurst School lot
7. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1956: list of accepted streets, Grove Street accepted Feb. 10, 1934
8. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1978: Grove Street hot topped with bituminous concrete