Matthew Road

Matthew Road is a residential street of Orchard Manor, north of Wyman Road in South Billerica. It runs north from Susan Drive to the Lindsay Road Extension, and Elizabeth Road and Jeffrey Road end on it; the directory of 1957 describes it "From opp 3 Susan dr to 38 Lindsay rd extn." It was laid out on "Orchard Manor, Plan of Land in Billerica, Mass.," dated June 16, 1953 and drawn by Dana F. Perkins and Sons, Inc., civil engineers and surveyors, of Reading, approved by the Planning Board on August 10, 1953 subject to a statement of conditions, and recorded on August 14, 1953 (Plan Book 83, Plan 49). Billerica Homes, Inc., in care of Dreyfus Properties, 50 Federal Street, Boston, was owner and developer; it had bought the 132-acre farm of Harry Dunlap Brown on July 29, 1953, and the land was also registered in the Land Court on a plan of August 1, 1953 (case 24522). Elizabeth, Jeffrey, Matthew and Susan, the given names chosen for the four new streets of the plan, have not been traced to any person; their origin has not been found. The assessors date most of the original houses on Matthew Road to 1954.

In the 1950s the development was known as "Billerica Gardens"; the directory of 1957 describes "Billerica Gardens, Section off Wyman rd including Matthew rd, Lindsay rd extn, Susan dr, Elizabeth rd and Jeffrey rd." In 1954 the Board of Health reported that the "largest of the drainage problems" in town was "the presently existing one in the Billerica Gardens project on Wyman Road." The annual town meeting of 1956 was asked to accept Matthew Road as a town way and to spend $900 to improve it, with like articles for the other streets, but none was adopted, and an article of 1957 to accept the streets once "Billerica Homes, an agency of the Federal Housing Administration" agreed to pay up to $7,000 for "a complete patch job and a complete armor coat" has no recorded result.

By 1960 the Federal Housing Administration had taken over the project and contracted with George Brox Company "to reconstruct storm drains and improve streets." At the annual town meeting of March 19, 1960, after officers of the Administration explained the work, the town accepted the development's sewage treatment plant lot and the dedicated land, and accepted as public town ways, "located in Billerica Homes subdivision off Wyman Road," Elizabeth Road, Jeffrey Road, Lindsay Road, Matthew Road and Susan Drive. Matthew Road was accepted under Article 72.

The Billerica Homes sewage treatment plant on Wyman Road served about 150 houses in 1970 and was closed and dismantled in August 1978. The streets of the development were overlaid under the town's paving contract 01-R01 in 2001.

References

1. Billerica report 1954: Board of Health, drainage problem in the Billerica Gardens project on Wyman Road
2. Billerica report 1955: warrant articles to accept and improve Matthew Road and the other Billerica Gardens streets
3. Billerica report 1955: warrant Article 50, dedication of land in the Billerica Gardens housing development
4. Billerica report 1956: warrant Article 72, conditional acceptance of the Billerica Homes streets
5. Billerica report 1959: warrant for 1960, acceptance of Matthew Road in Billerica Homes subdivision
6. Billerica report 1960: March 19, 1960 town meeting, FHA explains Billerica Homes project; streets accepted, Arts. 68-74
7. Billerica report 1970: Billerica Homes Sewerage Treatment Plant, Wyman Road, 150 residences
8. Billerica report 1978: Billerica Homes Wastewater Treatment Plant closed and disassembled
9. Billerica report 2001: Engineering, Contract 01-R01 roads overlaid, incl. the Orchard Manor streets

Deed References Expand all

Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted.