Wayside Farm

Wayside Farm
Wayside Farm
Jun 23, 1909 - Boston Evening Transcript
Also Known As Imperial Fur & Breeding Company
Address 466 Boston Rd
Built 1851
Demolished 1953
Other Lot Structures St. Theresa's Catholic Church (Built 1959)
St. Theresa's Parish Hall (Built 1986)


Wayside Farm was a farmhouse on the east side of Boston Road near the Billerica Center, standing on the land between the John H. Parker Store (464 Boston Road) and Alley's Blacksmith Shop (474 Boston Road). The house is gone; its site and the land behind it are now the grounds of St. Theresa's Catholic Church (built 1959) and St. Theresa's Parish Hall (built 1986).

The land was part of the 24-acre lot of the late Capt. Jonathan Bowers, which his widow Dorcas and son Alexander Bowers sold in 1810 to John Parker, Esq. (Middlesex South Book 188 Page 333). Parker held it until his death, and in 1834 his executor, Marshall Preston, sold it under license to David Parker, reserving "the dwelling house thereon belonging to the said David" (S.362/386). David Parker passed it to John H. Parker in 1840 and took it back in 1843; he sold off the store acre at the north end in 1845 and two acres at the south end, the later blacksmith shop lot, in 1846.

On the remaining 18 acres, "opposite my dwelling house," stood a "small dwelling house." David Parker sold the 18 acres "with the small dwelling house thereon" to George Proctor, a clerk, in 1851 for $2,000 (S.615/386, Billerica town book 19/126), taking back a $1,400 mortgage that was discharged in 1853. By then the place had become Proctor's "Homestead," and he sold it with "all the buildings" to John M. Eastman for $4,000 in 1853 (S.657/59). The farm changed hands quickly over the next decades: Eastman sold to John T. Jordan in 1855 (Middlesex North Book 2 Page 141), Jordan to Alonzo Ordway of Lowell in 1859 (N.21/52), and Ordway, by then living in Marshalltown, Iowa, to Philander D. Howe in 1879 for $4,000 (N.136/343), subject to a $3,000 mortgage to John A. Richardson that Richardson released in 1882 (N.153/326).

Howe sold the "Homestead Farm" in 1885 to Calvin P. Sawyer (N.177/492), who kept it until his death; under his will, allowed in 1892, his widow Lucy M. Sawyer sold it in 1900 to Guy P. Walton (N.322/147, 149). Walton sold to Elizabeth Hodge in 1901, and she to Henrietta Fraser the same year (N.332/229, N.336/479). How the farm passed from Fraser to Clarence A. Backer is not recorded under her name in the indexes, but by 1912 Backer owned it. In these years Mrs. M. H. Hubbard kept a boarding house here under the name "Wayside Farm," advertised in Billerica magazine in 1912 and 1913.

Backer had the farm registered in the Land Court in 1916 (case 6093, Certificate 864), with a frontage of 249.59 feet on Boston Road. He had already bought, in 1913, Lot B of the neighboring Sexton land (Certificate 432), the old Blaney Abbott House and Crosby farm that Clara E. Sexton had registered in 1912, so the farm now ran far back from the road. Small house lots were cut off the frontage in 1922 and 1924. In 1926 Backer's executors sold the property to Isabel Porter for $16,000 (N.736/589, Certificate 3083). The $15,000 mortgage given at that sale was foreclosed in 1934, and the land passed by mortgagee's deed to James Shannon and Robert J., Herbert F. and James W. Shannon of Woburn (Certificate 4690). The Shannon family held it until 1958; in the mid-1950s Town Meeting considered buying or taking part of the Shannon land for a fire station.

In 1958 the Shannons sold the land to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston (Certificate 10676), and St. Theresa's church was built on it the next year. In 1967 a Land Court order struck the never-built Grace Avenue from the plans. In 2010 the Archdiocese leased 3.6 acres of the parcel for 75 years to Rose Hill Manor Corporation, which built Rose Hill Manor, and in 2016 the Town took temporary easements along the frontage for the reconstruction of Boston Road. The Archbishop is still the registered owner. The farmhouse, recorded as demolished in 1953, does not appear in the later records.



Wayside Farm
May 22, 1913 - Boston Evening Transcript
Wayside Farm
Land Court Plan 3956-A, land in Billerica of Clara E. Sexton, O. M. Snell, July 1912 (filed with Certificate 341), 1912 (LC Plan 3956-A)
Wayside Farm
Land Court Plan 6093-A, land in Billerica of Clarence A. Backer, F. W. Huntington and Co., July 1915 (filed with Certificate 864), 1916 (LC Plan 6093-A)
Wayside Farm
Subdivision of Lot B and Land Shown on Plans Filed with Certificates of Title No. 341 and 864, Land in Billerica, 1922 (LC Plan 6093-B)
Wayside Farm
Land Court Plan 6093-D, subdivision of part of Grace Ave. shown on Plan 6093-B, Emmons and Fleming, Apr. 20, 1965, 1967 (LC Plan 6093-D)


References

  1. Billerica assessor, parcel 61-103-4 (476 Boston Rd, formerly 1 Grace Ave): 14.942 acres, registered land, Certificate 10676


Title References

Date Type Grantor Grantee Summary Recorded
1810 Warranty Deed Alexander Bowers of Charlestown, merchant (Mary Bowers releasing dower), and Dorcas Bowers of Boston, widow John Parker of Billerica, gentleman 188/333 (South)
May 23, 1837 Executor's Deed Marshall Preston of Billerica, Esq., executor of the will of John Parker late of Billerica, Esq. David Parker of Billerica, gentleman 362/386 (South)
May 23, 1840 Warranty Deed David Parker of Billerica His son John H. Parker of Billerica, yeoman 392/476 (South)
1843 Warranty Deed John H. Parker of Boston, yeoman His father David Parker of Billerica, gentleman 483/151 (South)
August 22, 1851 Warranty Deed David Parker of Billerica, yeoman (Achsah Parker releasing dower) George Proctor of Billerica, clerk 615/386 (South)
August 22, 1851 Mortgage George Proctor of Billerica, clerk David Parker of Billerica 615/387 (South)
1853 Warranty Deed George Proctor of Billerica, clerk John M. Eastman of Billerica, yeoman 657/59 (South)
August 21, 1855 Will Estate of Blaney Abbot of Billerica, yeoman His nieces Lydia Wilson and Betsy W. Wilson of Marblehead Probate #26034
August 21, 1855 Warranty Deed John M. Eastman of Billerica, yeoman John T. Jordan of Billerica, yeoman 2/141
September 9, 1859 Mortgage Alonzo Ordway of Lowell (Lucretia Ordway releasing dower) John T. Jordan of Billerica 21/34
September 12, 1859 Warranty Deed John T. Jordan of Billerica, yeoman (Mary E. Jordan releasing dower and homestead) Alonzo Ordway of Lowell 21/52
1863 Mortgage Alonzo Ordway of Billerica (Lucretia Ordway releasing dower and homestead) Elizabeth Pierce of Providence, R.I., wife of Elbridge Pierce 35/482
April 28, 1866 Deed E. W. Wilson of Swampscott, Essex County Mary H. Crosby of Billerica (wife of Harvey Crosby), to her sole and separate use 48/339
June 30, 1873 Mortgage Henry Crosby of Billerica Mary H. Crosby of Billerica, widow 94/586
July 7, 1873 Deed Mary H. Crosby of Billerica, widow Henry Crosby of Billerica 95/83
1879 Mortgage Alonzo Ordway of Marshalltown, Marshall County, Iowa (Lucretia C. Ordway releasing dower and homestead) John A. Richardson of Billerica 132/592
October 24, 1879 Warranty Deed Alonzo Ordway of Union, Hardin County, Iowa (Lucretia C. Ordway releasing dower and homestead) Philander D. Howe of Billerica 136/343
June 27, 1882 Release of Mortgage John A. Richardson of Billerica Philander D. Howe of Billerica 153/326
November 11, 1885 Warranty Deed Philander D. Howe of Billerica (Rozina Howe releasing dower and homestead) Calvin P. Sawyer of Billerica 177/492
August 15, 1887 Quitclaim Frances E. Crosby of Malden, unmarried Mary H. Crosby of Billerica 190/563
September 7, 1900 Warranty Deed Lucy M. Sawyer of Billerica, widow (of Calvin P. Sawyer) Guy P. Walton of Everett 322/147
September 7, 1900 Trustee's Deed Lucy M. Sawyer of Billerica, trustee under the will of Calvin P. Sawyer (allowed Nov. 1, 1892) Guy P. Walton of Everett 322/149
July 20, 1901 Warranty Deed Guy P. Walton of Everett Elizabeth Hodge of Newton, wife of Stephen D. Hodge, in her own right 332/229
November 8, 1901 Warranty Deed Stephen D. Hodge and Elizabeth Hodge, in her own right Henrietta Fraser of Boston 336/479
November 8, 1912 Land Court Decree Land Court decree, case 3956 (petition of Clara E. Sexton) Clara E. Sexton of Billerica, married to William H. Sexton Ctf 341
August 5, 1912 Notice of Land Court Petition Land Court, case 3956 (petition of Clara E. Sexton of Billerica) Clara E. Sexton of Billerica 490/24
February 7, 1913 Certificate of Title Clara E. Sexton (from Original Certificate 341) William H. Sexton of Billerica, married to Clara E. Sexton Ctf 385
June 10, 1913 Certificate of Title William H. Sexton (from certificate 385) Clara E. Sexton of Billerica, married to William H. Sexton Ctf 424
1913 Certificate of Title Transfer from the Sexton title (Lot B of plan 3956-A) Clarence A. Backer of Billerica, married to Grace Lilian Backer Ctf 432
1916 Certificate of Title Land Court decree, case 6093 (petition of Clarence A. Backer) Clarence A. Backer of Billerica, married to Grace L. Backer Ctf 864
June 4, 1926 Certificate of Title Clarence A. Backer, by his executors (from certificates 432 and 864) Isabel Porter of Lincoln, married to Fred A. Porter Ctf 3083
June 4, 1926 Executor's Deed Thomas W. Fernald and Reginald B. Fonda, executors of the will of Clarence A. Backer, late of Damascus, Virginia, formerly of Billerica Isabel Porter, wife of Fred A. Porter, of Lincoln 736/589
December 3, 1934 Certificate of Title James Shannon and others, mortgagees of Isabel Porter (mortgagee's deed, document 11143) James Shannon (married to Ellen), Robert J. Shannon, Herbert F. Shannon and James W. Shannon of Woburn, one quarter each Ctf 4690
April 13, 1948 Certificate of Title The Shannon owners (from certificate 4690) Robert J. Shannon 5/16, James W. Shannon 5/16, Alice Shannon 2/16, and Robert J. and James W. Shannon, trustees under the will of James Shannon, 4/16 Ctf 7559
April 13, 1948 Certificate of Title Alice Shannon (from certificate 7559) James W. Shannon and Robert J. Shannon 6/16 each, and Robert J. and James W. Shannon, trustees under the will of James Shannon, 4/16 Ctf 7560
April 13, 1948 Certificate of Title Robert J. and James W. Shannon, trustees under the will of James Shannon (from certificate 7560) James W. Shannon 6/16, Robert J. Shannon 6/16 and Elinor M. Shannon 4/16 Ctf 7561
April 13, 1948 Certificate of Title Elinor M. Shannon (from certificate 7561) James W. Shannon and Robert J. Shannon, joint tenants Ctf 7562
September 19, 1958 Certificate of Title James W. Shannon and Robert J. Shannon of Woburn (document 30337) Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, a corporation sole Ctf 10676

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.