Structure · Built 1881 · Demolished 1981

Mill Worker Housing (Station Street)

Mill Worker Housing
Mill Worker Housing
Circa 1973, Massachusetts Historical Commission
Address 6 Station St
MACRIS ID BIL.281
Built 1881
Demolished 1981
Other Lot Structures Residence (Built 1982)


Mill Worker Housing was a large two-family house on the north side of Carleton Street at the corner of Letchworth Avenue in North Billerica, a short walk from the Faulkner Mills and the North Billerica depot. It appears on the Walling map of 1853, labelled "J. R. Faulkner", and stood until it burned in 1980-81. A two-family ranch house built in 1982 now occupies the lot, which the town assessor lists as 6 Station Street.

The land was part of the homestead farm of Thomas Rogers, who died in 1784. His executor sold "chief of the Homestead farm", about fifty acres, to Samuel Danforth in 1786, and Danforth sold it to Thomas Richardson in 1788. Richardson deeded twenty acres of it, "formerly owned by Thomas Rogers", to his daughter Elizabeth in 1822, and she sold them in 1831 to William E. Faulkner, son of the mill owner Francis Faulkner. The Boston and Lowell Railroad was cut through this land in 1833, and in 1847 Faulkner sold eighty square rods "near the Billerica Mills Depot" to Charles P. Talbot and Thomas Talbot; that depot-side lot appears to be the Town of Billerica land that later bounded the house lot on the east.

William E. Faulkner died intestate on September 1, 1861, and his heirs released his land to his brother James R. Faulkner, including "six acres, more or less" running back from the road along the railroad "to the road leading to the depot", the present Carleton Street. The house lot lay in the southeast corner of those six acres. The Walling map's "J. R. Faulkner" label therefore names the family rather than the owner of record in 1853, which was William E. Faulkner. After James R. Faulkner's death in 1877 his executor, Charles Faulkner, conveyed the land in 1880 as part of lot 1 of the Faulkner Manufacturing Company, and the company kept its houses near the mill for the next thirty-four years.

On June 30, 1914 the Faulkner Manufacturing Company sold its back land of twenty-six acres to Charles H. Williams, who laid it out as the Billerica Garden Suburb, and on the same day sold Lot 2 on the Smith and Brooks plan, "with the buildings thereon", 20,244 square feet on Carleton Street, to his wife Louisa A. Williams. In 1915 she also received the small registered Lot C behind it, fronting on Mason and Letchworth Avenues, from the Garden Suburb's Land Court certificate. The Williams family kept the house for nearly half a century. After the estates of Louisa A. and Charles H. Williams were settled, their son Charles S. Williams of Tucson released his half to his sister Mary L. Williams in 1960, and she sold the house in 1961.

In 1962 the house was sold to Douglas F. and Helen M. McClellan, who lived at 6 Carleton Street. Douglas McClellan died on July 25, 1975. The house burned in 1980-81, and after Helen McClellan's death her heirs conveyed the lot in 1981 to two members of the family, who built the present two-family house in 1982. It has since changed hands privately in 1985, 2006 and 2019.



Mill Worker Housing
1887 - L.R. Burleigh
Mill Worker Housing
Faulkner Manufacturing Company, 1880 (Plan 3/122)
Mill Worker Housing
Garden Suburb, 1914 (Plan 31/82)
Mill Worker Housing
Land Court Plan 4992-G: Lots C and D, Mason and Letchworth Avenues, North Billerica (Smith and Brooks, May 5, 1915), 1915 (LC Plan 4992-G)


References

  1. MACRIS BIL.281
  2. Billerica assessor, parcel 10-47-0 (6 Station St): 0.465 acre, Billerica Garden Suburbs Lot 2, Plan Book 31 Plan 82, two-family house built 1982


Title References

Date Type Grantor Grantee Summary Recorded
1784 Will Estate of Thomas Rogers of Billerica, yeoman Widow Martha Rogers for life; then Timothy Crosby, Abigail wife of Shemuel Griffin, and Cato Probate #19490
August 26, 1786 Executor's Deed Shemuel Griffin of Andover, executor of the will of Thomas Rogers late of Billerica Samuel Danforth of Billerica, yeoman 94/202 (South)
March 31, 1794 Deed Samuel Danforth of Billerica, yeoman (wife Mary releasing dower) Thomas Richardson of Billerica, gentleman 115/276 (South)
September 18, 1826 Deed Thomas Richardson of Billerica, gentleman His daughter Elizabeth Richardson of Billerica, singlewoman 269/449 (South)
March 25, 1831 Deed Elizabeth Richardson of Boston, singlewoman William E. Faulkner (William Emerson Faulkner) of Billerica 303/157 (South)
April 14, 1847 Deed William E. Faulkner of Billerica, gentleman Charles P. Talbot of Lowell and Thomas Talbot of Billerica, dye stuff manufacturers 506/80 (South)
October 8, 1861 Administration Estate of William E. Faulkner of Billerica, trader (died September 1, 1861, intestate) His brother James R. Faulkner, administrator Probate #31573
March 25, 1862 Quitclaim Deed The heirs at law of William E. Faulkner (Dwight F., Lois R., Lydia H., Charles, George, Winthrop and Luther W. Faulkner, Calvin and Ann F. Rogers, and the Keene and Sioux City heirs) James R. Faulkner of Billerica, "the only other heir at law" 30/386
December 2, 1880 Deed Charles Faulkner of Boston (wife Annie S. Faulkner releasing dower) The Faulkner Manufacturing Company 143/22
December 2, 1880 Executor's Deed Charles Faulkner of Boston, executor of and trustee under the will of James R. Faulkner The Faulkner Manufacturing Company 143/23
September 8, 1914 Certificate of Title Land Court decree, case 4992 (petition of Charles H. Williams) Charles H. Williams of Billerica Ctf 558
September 28, 1914 Certificate of Title Charles H. Williams (Original Certificates 520 and 558) The Billerica Garden Suburb, Inc. Ctf 568
July 7, 1914 Quitclaim Deed The Faulkner Manufacturing Company, by George M. Preston, president and treasurer Charles H. Williams of Billerica 523/301
July 7, 1914 Quitclaim Deed The Faulkner Manufacturing Company, by George M. Preston, president and treasurer Louisa A. Williams of Billerica (wife of Charles H. Williams) 523/316
May 28, 1915 Certificate of Title The Billerica Garden Suburb, Inc. (partial transfer from Certificate 568) Louisa A. Williams of Billerica, married to Charles H. Williams Ctf 662
October 28, 1960 Quitclaim Deed Charles S. Williams (Charles Spurgeon Williams) of Tucson, Arizona, son and heir of Louisa A. and Charles H. Williams (wife Grace H. Williams releasing) His sister Mary L. Williams of Billerica 1494/533
May 19, 1961 Quitclaim Deed Mary L. Williams of Billerica, unmarried A private couple of Billerica, husband and wife, tenants by the entirety 1514/6
May 19, 1961 Mortgage The private buyers of Book 1514 Page 6 The City Institution for Savings, Lowell 1514/7
June 5, 1962 Certificate of Title The private couple of Certificate 11926 (registered May 19, 1961) Douglas F. McClellan and Helen M. McClellan of Billerica, tenants by the entirety Ctf 12492
June 5, 1962 Warranty Deed The private couple of Book 1514 Page 6, then of Danvers Douglas F. McClellan and Helen M. McClellan of Billerica, husband and wife, tenants by the entirety 1558/300
September 17, 1982 Quitclaim Deed The eleven heirs of Helen M. McClellan (private, not named) Two members of the McClellan family (private, not named) 2557/530
September 17, 1982 Certificate of Title Estate of Helen M. McClellan (widow of Douglas F. McClellan, died July 25, 1975) Her eleven heirs, each an undivided one-eleventh interest (private, not named) Ctf 24862
September 17, 1982 Certificate of Title The eleven McClellan heirs of Certificate 24862 (private) The two family members of Book 2557 Page 530 (private, not named) Ctf 24863

Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted; Probate # is a Middlesex probate case, Ctf a Land Court certificate of title.