Shawsheen Valley Technical High School

Order of Taking adopted Feb. 28, 1966 by the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners of the Burlington Water and Sewer District: easements "for the collecting, storing, purifying, preserving and conveying of water and for the building of a dam and reservoir," and one parcel in fee, on the Shawsheen in Billerica, shown on a September 1965 plan. Two parcels were taken from the owner of the old College Farm, who was awarded $1,000 and $2,000; other parcels belonged to the Town of Billerica, New England Power Company and neighbors.

• June 9, 1890 Quitclaim: Trustees of Phillips Academy (by Alpheus H. Hardy, Treasurer) to Herbert B. Richardson and Frank H. Richardson of Woburn (216/30) (water taking from the family's land)

Order of Taking adopted by the Regional School District Committee at Burlington Feb. 14, 1967: "taken in fee by the exercise of the power of eminent domain ... certain land in the Town of Billerica ... including the trees and structures thereon, situated on Cook Street and Alexander Road," bounded by Cook Street 680 and 1,200 feet, Alexander Road 1,400 feet, Lots 1 to 68 of Shawsheen Pines, the Shawsheen River, and lots of The Pines and the end of Montrose Street, "for constructing thereon a school building and conducting a regional vocational/technical high school." Damages of $50,000 were awarded to the supposed owners, the heirs of Florence B. Shinquin, and their mortgagee. Secretary Wallace B. Haigh. This is the land north of Cook Street on which the farmhouse stood.

• June 9, 1890 Quitclaim: Trustees of Phillips Academy (by Alpheus H. Hardy, Treasurer) to Herbert B. Richardson and Frank H. Richardson of Woburn (216/30) (taking from the Richardson heirs' successors)

• December 12, 1968 Confirmatory Deed of Taking: The owners of record (private) to Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical School District (1870/212) (confirms the 1967 taking)

Confirmatory quitclaim of "a certain parcel of land in the Town of Billerica," bounded southerly by Cook Street 680 feet, southeasterly by Cook Street 1,200 feet, by Alexander Road 1,400 feet, by Lots 1 to 68 of the Shawsheen Pines plan of 1927 (Plan Book 50 Plan 61) 1,780 feet, by the Shawsheen River, by lots of The Pines plan of 1912 (Plan Book 30 Plan 13), and by the end of Montrose Street, "being the same property described in the Order of Taking adopted by the Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational/Technical School District Committee on February 14, 1967 and recorded ... on March 8, 1967 in Book 1787, Page 345," subject to power line, oil pipeline and Burlington water district easements. "This deed is given to confirm the aforesaid taking." Acknowledged Nov. 26, recorded Dec. 12, 1968. The owners were relatives of the Richardson family, who had owned the farm since about 1890; the farmhouse was moved across Cook Street to its present site and the school opened in 1970.

• March 8, 1967 Taking: The supposed owners of record (private) and Woburn Cooperative Bank, mortgagee to Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical School District (1787/345) (confirms the 1967 taking)

• 1841 Quitclaim: Josiah B. Gleason of Billerica to William S. Gleason of Billerica (417/325) (Gleason farm 1841; chain 1859-1967 now in college_farm_completion.sql)