Structure · Built 1885 · Demolished 1960

South Billerica Station

South Billerica Station
Address 3 Springs Rd
Built 1885
Demolished 1960


The South Billerica Station stood on the east side of the railroad where it crosses Spring Street (now Springs Road), a short way east of Concord Road. The ground was part of the corner farm that Rhoda Kemp built on about 1830, which came in 1881 to Charles H. Hill as a homestead of "five acres more or less" bounded by the county road to Bedford, the town road and the Spaulding land.

The narrow gauge Billerica and Bedford Railroad of 1877 passed this way but built no station houses, and its property was sold off in 1878. When the Boston and Lowell Railroad laid a standard gauge branch over the old line, Charles H. Hill granted it "the right of way across all my land ... included within the location of the Bedford and Billerica branch", two rods wide, in two deeds of September 24 and November 3, 1884. Both were void unless the railroad would "construct and operate over my said land a standard gauge railroad" within a year, and the first provided that the land "shall revert" to him if the road were ever discontinued.

On July 20, 1885 Hill sold the railroad, for one dollar, a further strip "in that part thereof called South Billerica", beginning on "the southerly line of the Bedford Springs Road" and running about 406 feet south along the east side of the track, "sixteen and one half feet distant easterly from the centre line", to a stone wall: 15,361 square feet. This was the station lot. Town reports of the 1890s place guide boards "at South Billerica Depot", directories of 1901 to 1919 describe Spring Street as running "from Concord rd. n. So. Billerica R. R. station to Bedford line", and in 1923 the town voted $1,300 to extend the fire alarm system "to the South Billerica Station on Concord Road". The Boston and Lowell was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1887 and merged into it in 1919, and the line became its Lexington Branch.

On December 5, 1952 the Boston and Maine sold the old station lot, about 14,731 square feet, to a couple from Boston, who also bought the Lakemann homestead next door. The buyers released all claims arising from "the elimination of the existing grade crossing at said Spring Street", and the deed names no building on the lot. In 1954 they sold it with the rest of their land to William Mikulsky, and after his sale in 1966 the station strip and the land east of it were laid out in 1967 as Lots A and B on a plan by Walter E. Sampson and Associates. The Countryside Construction Trust bought both lots in August 1967 and built the present house on Lot A, which it sold "with the buildings thereon" in January 1968. The lot, 3 Springs Road, is still bounded on the west "by land of Boston and Maine Railroad"; it has been in private hands since.



South Billerica Station
Land in Billerica, Mass., Boston and Maine Railroad to John and Eileen Beausang, J. P. Cronin, Eng'r of Design, June 1952 (Plan 110A: the South Billerica station lot), 1952 (Plan 82/110)
South Billerica Station
Plan of Land, Billerica, Mass., March 2, 1967, Walter E. Sampson & Assoc. (Lots A and B on Spring Street beside the Boston and Maine Lexington Branch), 1967 (Plan 105/30)


References

  1. Billerica assessor, 3 Springs Rd (parcel 95-116-0): Lot A, Plan 105-30, 0.793 acres


Title References

Date Type Grantor Grantee Summary Recorded
1744 Administration Estate of Timothy Farley of Billerica, intestate Timothy Farley, his son, administrator; the widow Abigail Probate #7172
February 6, 1786 Deed Abraham Jaquith of Billerica, yeoman (by his mark) His son Timothy Jaquith of Billerica, husbandman 93/276 (South)
February 14, 1815 Warranty Deed Timothy Jaquith of Billerica, yeoman Elijah Hill of Bedford, "a minor son of Josiah Hill of Bedford" 212/34 (South)
July 1, 1830 Warranty Deed Elijah B. Hill of Billerica, yeoman (wife Lucy releasing dower) Rhoda Kemp of Billerica, singlewoman 299/5 (South)
June 22, 1840 Warranty Deed Rhoda Kemp of Boston, singlewoman Andrew Carney of Boston, merchant 394/142 (South)
October 16, 1857 Quitclaim Deed Andrew Carney of Boston, gentleman (wife Pamelia joining) George Bacon of Billerica 12/145
April 13, 1858 Quitclaim Deed George Bacon of Billerica, yeoman (wife Septimia releasing dower) Thomas G. Crawford of Lowell, yeoman 14/104
April 26, 1862 Deed Thomas G. Crawford of Billerica (wife Caroline releasing) David Gove 30/585
April 26, 1862 Deed David Gove Caroline Crawford, wife of Thomas G. Crawford, of Billerica 30/586
April 15, 1874 Warranty Deed Caroline Crawford of Billerica, widow George W. Hill of Billerica 101/29
July 22, 1879 Deed George W. Hill of Somerville (wife Annie M. Hill releasing) John K. Abbott of Cambridge 134/563
July 22, 1879 Quitclaim Deed John K. Abbott of Cambridge (wife Isabella J. releasing) Anna M. Hill, wife of George W. Hill, of Somerville 134/564
March 24, 1881 Warranty Deed Anna M. Hill of Lynn, in her own right, and George W. Hill her husband Charles H. Hill of Billerica 144/231
November 6, 1884 Right of Way Charles H. Hill of Billerica (Sophia C. Hill releasing dower and homestead) The Boston and Lowell Railroad Corporation 170/330
May 2, 1885 Right of Way Charles H. Hill of Billerica (his wife releasing dower and homestead) The Boston and Lowell Railroad Corporation 173/409
July 22, 1885 Warranty Deed C. H. [Charles H.] Hill of Billerica (his wife releasing dower and homestead) The Boston and Lowell Railroad Corporation 175/509
June 3, 1892 Warranty Deed Charles H. Hill of Billerica (wife releasing dower and homestead) A. W. Albert Lakemann of Boston and Anna M. Miller Lakemann, his wife, tenants by the entirety 233/407
December 31, 1952 Deed Boston and Maine Railroad (by R. M. Tedgar, Vice President) A private couple of Boston, as tenants by the entirety 1214/65
December 31, 1954 Quitclaim Deed A private couple of Boston William Mikulsky of Billerica 1276/351
August 17, 1967 Quitclaim Deed A private couple of Billerica (owners on Plan 105-30) Thomas Waters, Trustee of Countryside Construction Trust (declaration of November 24, 1965, Book 1809, Page 160) 1809/162
January 26, 1968 Quitclaim Deed Thomas Waters, Trustee of Countryside Construction Trust A private couple of Spring Street, Billerica, as tenants by the entirety 1832/24

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.