William Symmes House
William Symmes House
| Also Known As | Peple Brothers / Everett Livington House |
| Address | 82 Gray St |
| MACRIS ID | BIL.139 |
| Built | 1860 |
| Demolished | 2007 |
The so-called Symmes House was built by John O. Richardson in 1860 but no member of the Richardson family ever lived there. It was first rented by the Peple Brothers, Belgian immigrants who ran a soap factory in Mill Lane near the site of the early saw mill.
The house was then sold to Everett Livingston who built a ran a cider mill in the back yard. In 1891, Livingston sold the property back to John O. Richardson and built another cider mill at Billerica center.
When the water table dropped and the water-powered Mill Lane was no longer userful (about 1900), William Symmes, John O. RIchardson's partner, rented the house and operated a power-driven saw mill in the back yard until 1919. There were several out-buildings, all of which were destroyed by the 1930s. After John O. died, his son John A. inherited the property. When William Symmes built a new house, this Symmes House was rented for many years until bought by Thomas Knight in 1929.