Moseley Street

Moseley Street, spelled Mosley Street on its plan and in many town records, is a street in the western part of The Pines, the neighborhood laid out in 1912 between Cook Street and the Shawsheen River in the Pinehurst section. It runs northwest from beyond Topliff Street toward Sachem Street and the river, crossed by McGinness Way. It was first laid out on "The Pines, Billerica, Mass., owned by Frank W. Coughlin," drawn in June 1912 by H. A. Millhouse, civil engineer, of Boston and recorded on July 19, 1912 in Plan Book 30, Plan 13, after Frank W. Coughlin of Brookline had bought the seventy acres of woodland in May 1912. On the plan "Mosley St." runs southeast from Sachem Street across Sunset, Montrose and Topliff Streets, lined with narrow cottage lots, and a second piece of the same name runs east toward Pines Road near Knoll Street. There was no road on this line before 1912. The plan does not explain the name, which belongs with its other British names such as Edgbaston, Radnor and Kenilworth; no record ties it to anyone in Billerica.

The 1931 directory describes Topliff Street as running "from Argyle to byd Mosley (The Pines)." Pipe for a water main in "Mosely St." was bought in 1956, and the main was laid in "Mosley Street (Pines)" in 1957. The street was graded, graveled, penetrated and sealed in 1968. When the town accepted part of Sunset Street on April 12, 1973 it was described as running "from Moseley St. 260' Southwest to Sachem Street."

An article of the fall town meeting of 1980, which opened on October 7, 1980, proposed to accept Mosley Street from Montrose Street to Sachem Street, about 645 feet. The motion to accept it "as a public way ... a street 40' wide and 735' long" was lost after the Street Acceptance Committee said it had no plan, that some of the street was gravel and that it did not meet the minimum standards for acceptance. The street was finally accepted at the annual spring town meeting of May 13, 2004, which under Article 31 accepted "Mosley Street, McGinness Way to 180' east of Topliff Street," about 540 feet, together with Topliff Street, Horton Lane, Knoll Street and Tom Grace Way in the same neighborhood. The town's lists now use the spelling Moseley Street, under which it was crack sealed in 2018. It was not among the roads of the 1831 town map accepted in 2016.

References

1. Billerica town report 1956: water pipe and hydrants purchased for Mosely Street and other streets
2. Billerica town report 1957: new water mains installed in 1957, including Mosley Street (Pines)
3. Billerica town report 1968: streets graded, graveled, penetrated and sealed, including Mosley Street
4. Billerica town report 1973: Sunset Street accepted April 12, 1973 from Moseley Street southwest to Sachem Street
5. Billerica town report 1980: fall town meeting motion to accept Mosley Street lost
6. Billerica town report 2004: Article 31 accepts Mosley Street, McGinness Way to 180 feet east of Topliff Street (540 ft.)

Deed References Expand all

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