Street Naming of 1899
Street Naming of 1899
| Type | Street naming |
| Date | 1896 to 1899 |
| Streets named | 57 listed |
The street naming of 1899 gave Billerica's roads their first official names. On March 27, 1899 the annual town meeting accepted a list of 57 streets and roads, each with its course from one landmark to another, prepared by the Billerica Historical Society from the work of a town committee chosen three years before. Until then most ways were known by where they led or by the families who lived along them.
The work began at the annual town meeting of March 1896, when Martin Conway moved "that a committee of three be appointed by the chair to name the streets and place boards showing the names given." The chair appointed Martin E. Conway, John E. Rowell and Coburn S. Smith. Their list, printed in the town report of 1897, named 55 streets, beginning with "Main street, from Chelmsford line, running south to Burlington line." Many of its names were those of families along the way, such as Ham, Corliss, Patten, Merriam, Knowles, Hannaford and White, and others were the common names of the day, such as School, Washington, Winter and King.
The committee's list was not adopted. A meeting of citizens at the room of the Historical Society on March 23, 1898 proposed changes, and at the annual meeting that month, on the motion of C. H. Kohlrausch, the town referred the whole report to the Historical Society, organized in 1894 and incorporated in 1896, to be reported upon at the next annual town meeting.
The Society printed its list in the town report of 1899 and presented a revised list, through its president Frederic A. Morey, at the annual meeting of March 27, 1899. It kept most of the committee's descriptions but changed about half the names, giving the old highways the names of the towns they led to and calling them roads: Boston Road, Salem Road, Andover Road, Concord Road, Lexington Road, Nashua Road and Chelmsford Road. Older names of places came back as Treble Cove Road, Rangeway Road, Charnstaffe Lane and Whipple Road, and the village ways of North Billerica kept their street names. The meeting made one change, voting on the motion of E. F. Dickinson that the street the list called Common street (number 36) be named Cummings street, and then accepted the report.
Most of the names of 1899 are still in use. Some changed later: Union Hall street became Carleton Street and then Station Street, Railroad street became Ruggles Street, Russell street became part of High Street, and in the Street Renaming of 1988-1991 Elm street became Old Elm Street and Canal street Harvard Road. The table below gives each street of the 1899 list with the name the committee of 1896 had proposed for it.
Streets named
| Name | Proposed in 1896 | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Road | Main Street | from Chelmsford line running south to Burlington line | |
| Lowell Street | from Boston road running easterly to Elm street, No. Billerica | ||
| Sprague Street | Ham Street | from Boston road running easterly to Treble Cove road, No. Billerica | |
| Treble Cove Road | Corliss Street | from Fordway bridge running southeast to Carlisle line | |
| Colson Street | from Lowell street running south to Treble Cove road, No. Billerica | ||
| Wilson Street | from Elm street running southeast to Fordway bridge, No. Billerica | ||
| Talbot Avenue | from Elm street running south to Fordway bridge, No. Billerica | ||
| Faulkner Street | from Elm street running easterly to junction near railroad bridge, No. Billerica | ||
| Pollard Street | from Fordway bridge running south to Boston road, No. Billerica | ||
| Union Hall Street | School Street | from Faulkner street running east to railroad station, No. Billerica | Later Carleton Street, now Station Street. |
| Railroad Street | from railroad station running south to Mt. Pleasant street, No. Billerica | Now Ruggles Street. | |
| Mt. Pleasant Street | from Rogers street running east to High street, No. Billerica | ||
| Billerica Avenue | from Mt. Pleasant street to South Lowell line, No. Billerica | ||
| High Street | from Tewksbury line running south to railroad bridge, thence southwest to Pollard street, No. Billerica | ||
| Russell Street | a continuation of street 14 [High street] | Now part of High Street. | |
| Call Street | from Pollard street running east to Rogers street, No. Billerica | ||
| Elm Street | from Colson street running east to Faulkner street, No. Billerica | Renamed Old Elm Street in the street renaming of 1988 to 1991. | |
| Sheldon Street | from High street running east to Tewksbury line, No. Billerica | ||
| Oak Street | Frost Street | from Sheldon street running southeast to Tewksbury line, No. Billerica | |
| Salem Road | Salem Street | from Boston road at corner bridge running southeast to Wilmington line | |
| Floyd Street | from junction of Pollard and Boston road running east to Salem road, Billerica | ||
| Pond Street | from Andover road running southeasterly to Mud pond, Tewksbury line, Billerica | ||
| Andover Road | Andover Street | from Boston road running easterly to Tewksbury line, Billerica | |
| Gray Street | from Andover road running north to Tewksbury line, Billerica | ||
| Canal Street | King Street | from Andover road running easterly to Salem road, E. Billerica | Named for the old canal it follows; renamed Harvard Road in the street renaming of 1988 to 1991. |
| Whipple Road | Patten Street | from Salem road running easterly to Tewksbury line | |
| Rangeway Road | Carlisle Street | from Boston road running westerly to Carlisle line, No. Billerica | |
| Chelmsford Road | Washington Street | from Boston road running westerly to Chelmsford line, No. Billerica | |
| Bridge Street | Winning Street | from corner Bridge to Treble Cove road | The committee of 1896 had the first part of its Winning street here. |
| Parker Street | from River street running south to Richardson street, Billerica | ||
| Richardson Street | from Parker street running east to Whiting street, Billerica | ||
| Concord Road | Bedford Street | running from the junction of River street and Boston road southerly to Bedford line | The committee of 1896 did not list it separately but called it Bedford street in its descriptions. |
| Whiting Street | from Richardson street running south to Concord road, Billerica | ||
| Tufts Lane | Tufts Street | from Boston road running easterly to Jone's Farm, Billerica | |
| Charnstaffe Lane | Winter Street | from Boston road running westerly to Concord road, Billerica | |
| Lexington Road | Lexington Street | from Boston road running south to Bedford line, Billerica | |
| Cummings Street | Common Street | from Boston road running west to Concord road, Billerica | The Society's list had Common street; the town meeting changed it to Cummings street on E. F. Dickinson's motion. |
| Wyman Road | Merriam Street | from Boston road running south to Bedford line | |
| School Lane | Knowles Street | from Wyman road running southwest to Lexington road, Billerica | Now School House Lane. |
| Nashua Road | Chelmsford Street | from Chelmsford line running south to Bedford line, W. Billerica | |
| River Street | from Boston road running westerly to Treble Cove road, Billerica | ||
| Winning Street | Woods Street | from Treble Cove road running westerly to Rangeway road, W. Billerica | Now Winning Road. |
| Duren Street | from Treble Cove road running westerly to Rangeway | ||
| Sullivan Street | from Nashua street running northerly to Chelmsford line near Wiley's house, W. Billerica | Now Sullivan Road. | |
| West Street | Hayes Street | from Treble Cove running westerly to Carlisle line, W. Billerica | |
| Dudley Road | Hill Street | from Concord road running westerly to Bedford line, So. Billerica | |
| Middlesex Turnpike | Turnpike Street | from Concord road to Lexington road running south | |
| Stewart Street | running westerly from Turnpike No. 4 to Stewart's house, So. Billerica | ||
| French Street | Hannaford Street | from Concord road running southwest to Turnpike, So. Billerica | |
| Manning Road | Manning Street | from Lexington road running westerly to Spring street, So. Billerica | |
| Webb Brook Road | White Street | from Boston road running easterly to Allen street, S. E. Billerica | |
| Allen Road | Allen Street | from Boston road northeasterly to Andover road, E. Billerica | |
| Cook Street | from Boston road running northeasterly to Wilmington line, S. E. Billerica | ||
| Burlington Road | Burlington Street | from Cook street running easterly to Burlington line, E. Billerica | |
| Alexander Street | from Cook street to Wilmington line running northeasterly | Now Alexander Road. | |
| Baldwin Street | Bauldwin Street | from Allen street running easterly to Salem road, E. Billerica | Now Baldwin Road. |
| Spring Street | from Concord road running southeasterly to Bedford line, So. Billerica | Not on the 1896 list. Now Springs Road. |
People
- Martin E. Conway: Moved the vote of March 1896 for a committee to name the streets; member of the committee
- John E. Rowell: Member of the street naming committee of 1896
- Coburn S. Smith: Member of the street naming committee of 1896
- Charles H. Kohlrausch: Moved in March 1898 to refer the committee report to the Billerica Historical Society
- Frederic A. Morey: President of the Billerica Historical Society; presented its list in March 1899
- E F. Dickinson: Moved in March 1899 to name Common street Cummings street
References
- Annual Report 1896: the Billerica Historical Society, organized in 1894 and incorporated in 1896
- Annual Report 1897: town meeting of March 1896 votes a committee of three to name the streets (Conway, Rowell, Smith)
- Annual Report 1897: the committee's Names of Streets in Town of Billerica
- Annual Report 1899: town meeting of March 1898, the citizens' changes and the report referred to the Billerica Historical Society
- Annual Report 1899: the Billerica Historical Society's List of Streets
- Annual Report 1900: town meeting of March 27, 1899, Report of the Committee on Naming Streets
- Annual Report 1900: Common street changed to Cummings street, and the report accepted