Old Elm Street

Old Elm Street runs west from Faulkner Street at the Concord River bridge, past the Talbot Mills and their housing, across Colson Street, to the west end of Franklin Street. The eastern part, from the river to Colson Street, is old: the 1983 National Register nomination for the Billerica Mills district counts it with Rogers, Faulkner and Colson Streets as one "18th century road," and it runs along the neck of land west of the river that the town granted to Christopher Osgood in 1708 for his mill "at the falls." The Middlesex Canal crossed it near the mill by Lund's bridge after about 1802, and the Capt. Joel Dix house of 1815, the Mears Tavern of about 1815, kept by the canal's lock tender, and the Canal Block of about 1835 still stand near its east end. No laying out of the road is recorded.

It was known as Elm Street from at least 1890, when the highway surveyor "Graveled on Elm Street, 180 feet long," and at first the name ran across the river as well, for the 1895 warrant spoke of "Elm Street, on the East side," past the Faulkner mills. The street naming committee limited it to the west bank, "Elm street, running east from Colson street to Faulkner street," and the Historical Society's revised list, accepted at the annual town meeting of March 27, 1899, repeated those words. On March 24, 1902 the town voted "to define Elm Street as running from Colson Street to the southern bank of the Middlesex canal," and the directory of 1912 has it "from Faulkner at Concord river bridge to Colson n. Lowell." Where the name came from is not recorded.

The part west of Colson Street is newer. Warren H. Manning's plan of Colson Heights, drawn in 1914 for the heirs of George F. Colson, carried Elm Street west from Colson Street through the new house lots, and by 1919 the directory had Elm Street running "to byd Holt." This piece was called Elm Street Extension. A special town meeting of August 21, 1922 voted to "accept as a Town way Elm street from Colson street in a westerly direction to Brown street, a distance of seven hundred (700) feet," and in 1928 the town accepted "Elm Street Extension 200 feet westerly."

In 1988 the selectmen changed more than sixty street names that were repeated or sounded alike in different parts of Billerica, and by their vote of September 12, 1988, effective November 15, "Elm Street / Elm Street Extension" became Old Elm Street, "From westerly end of Franklin Street across Colson Street to Faulkner St." An Elm Road near Nutting Lake and another Elm Street near the Bedford line were renamed at the same time.

The street had curbing and sidewalks in 1895 and was treated with Tarvia in 1914; an article to macadamize it to Colson Street was dismissed in 1925, and in 1943 it was resurfaced with tar and pea gravel from Lowell Street to Faulkner Street, 700 feet. Besides the acceptances of 1922 and 1928, the eastern part was formally accepted at the Fall Town Meeting of October 2016, which voted, 124 to 19, under Chapter 82, sections 21 to 24, of the General Laws, to accept the 57 old roads "the layout of which is shown on the official Town of Billerica Map of 1831." That list gives "Old Elm" from Faulkner Street to Colson Street.

Historic Buildings

Name	Alternate	Address	Built	Moved	Demolished
Mears Tavern		12 Old Elm St	1814
Captain Joel Dix House		2 Elm St	1815		1996
John Mixer House		11 Old Elm St	1826		1978
Isaiah Bussey House		22 Old Elm St	1827
Anna Mears Wood's "Red House"	C. P. Talbot Textile Mill Housing	18-20 Old Elm St	1830
The Canal Block	Wooden Housing Row	1-7 Elm St	1835		1984
John McCurdy House		9 Old Elm St	1847		1978
Daniel Wilson House	North Billerica Baptist Parish House	38 Old Elm St	1848
Talbot Textile Mill Worker Housing at 35 Old Elm St		35 Old Elm St	1850
Talbot Mills		1 Old Elm St	1857
C. P. Talbot Mill Worker Housing at 19 21 Old Elm St		19 21 Old Elm St	1860
Talbot Textile Mills Worker Housing at 27-29 Old Elm St		27-29 Old Elm St	1860
Small House		24 Old Elm St	1868
North Billerica Baptist Church		39 Old Elm St	1869
Jones & Foster Store	Elwood's Market	14 Old Elm St	1870		1964
C. P. Talbot Mill Worker Housing at 23-25 Old Elm St		23-25 Old Elm St	1875
Alma A. Wilson House		35-37 Old Elm St	1885
Talbot Mill Worker Housing		31-33 Old Elm St	1890
Talbot Mills - Storehouse No. 2		2 Old Elm St	1890
Talbot Textile Mill Worker Housing at 34-36 Old Elm St		34-36 Old Elm St	1892
Republican Club House	North Billerica Social Club	13 Old Elm St	1894		1965

References

1. Hazen, History of Billerica (1883): grant of Oct. 4, 1708 to Christopher Osgood of the neck of land west of Concord River, with the stream at the falls
2. 1890 Annual Report, highway surveyor: "Graveled on Elm Street, 180 feet long, 10 feet wide"
3. 1895 warrant, Art. 18: straighten and widen "Elm Street, on the East side," past the Faulkner Manufacturing Company's house
4. 1897 Annual Report, street naming committee: "Elm street, running east from Colson street to Faulkner street"
5. 1899 Annual Report, Historical Society's revised list, no. 17: Elm street, from Colson street running east to Faulkner street
6. 1900 Annual Report: street list accepted at the annual town meeting of March 27, 1899
7. 1903 Annual Report: vote of March 24, 1902 defining Elm Street from Colson Street to the southern bank of the Middlesex canal
8. 1915 Annual Report, highway surveyor: Wilson, Elm and Faulkner Streets covered with Tarvia B
9. Special town meeting of Aug. 21, 1922: Elm Street accepted as a town way from Colson Street westerly to Brown Street, 700 feet
10. 1928 town meeting: Elm Street Extension accepted as a town way 200 feet westerly
11. 1943 Street Department report: Elm Street resurfaced with tar and pea gravel from Lowell Street to Faulkner Street, 700 feet
12. 1988 Annual Report: street name changes voted by the selectmen Sept. 12, 1988, Elm Street and Elm Street Extension become Old Elm Street
13. Annual Report 2017: warrant for Article 36, the 1831 list of roads, "Old Elm, Faulkner Street, Colson Street"
14. Annual Report 2017: Fall Town Meeting, October 2016, Article 36 accepts as public ways the roads on the official 1831 map (124 to 19)