Maynard Historical Commission

06/03/2019

Lake Boon was a popular summer spot towards the end of the 1800s. It was easily accessible because of two railroad lines that ran by it. These railroad lines came out of Boston, which made the lake a great summer spot for city dwellers. At this time Lake Boon had a hotel, many clubs, two post offices, churches, and local stores.

In order to get from the railroad stops to the lake's hot spots, a ferry service was put into action. The steamship Cleo created a ferry line around 1900 that went from two points: Whitman’s Crossing near the Sudbury Rd bridge in Stow, and the Ordway Station in Hudson.

The ferry ran until 1914 until the business dissolved.

05/07/2019

Maynard Historical Commission's cover photo

05/07/2019

Kirby Williams and her son have been digging in the back yard and finding all sorts of treasures. If you've found anything cool in your back yard or know what any of these objects are, share it with us!

04/16/2019

Check out some of the great pictures taken by
Brion Berghaus at the Glenwood Cemetary Tour.

03/31/2019

You've seen the watering troughs around town - but do you know the history?

Check out this link from our friends at Maynard Historical Society.

https://web.maynard.ma.us/history/mhist6.htm

03/20/2019

Join us on Sunday April 7th at 2pm for a free Glenwood Cemetery tour hosted by resident historian Paul Boothroyd.

02/18/2019

Maynard Historical Society | News and stories from the Maynard Historical Society in Maynard, Massachusetts

Wanna know where we get all these cool pix? I'll tell you - courtesy of Paul and Dave in the Historical Society, you can look up anything you want via this link:

http://maynardhistory.org/ select collection

02/11/2019

Working group floats options for Maynard's Coolidge School

https://maynard.wickedlocal.com/news/20190206/working-group-floats-options-for-maynards-coolidge-school

After considering multiple ways to re-purpose the Coolidge School, Linda Ghere, chairman of the Coolidge School Working Group, said the group’s

02/04/2019

Wanna be this happy? Get a plaque for your home. Natalie and Matilda love theirs - go see it at 48 Summer Street (Thomas Brooks House)

01/26/2019

Back to the Future: Maynard Continues to Look Forward | MassTLC

https://www.masstlc.org/back-to-the-future-maynard-continues-to-look-forward/

Drive twenty-five miles northwest of Boston down Route 2 into Middlesex County, and one will pass apple orchards, vineyards, and some of Massachusetts’

01/25/2019

Maynard Historical Commission's cover photo

01/24/2019

Historic New England

Did you know that the Maynard Historical Commission donates a subscription to the library of Historic New England? This allows all our residents free admission to dozens of New England’s most fascinating historic properties. All memberships also include Historic New England magazine, free or discounted tickets to events, newsletter and calendar, and more.

Come by the library and check it out!

https://www.historicnewengland.org/

Explore the authentic New England experience from the seventeenth century to today. Visit Historic New England properties, browse collections, and more.

01/14/2019

Here's a little trivia for you all - Does anyone know where the 30 Rod Highway is?

01/07/2019

What would you like to know about Maynard? Accepting topics to research for 2019.

12/05/2018

Maynard Public Library

Local History Resources Seminar
Tues, Dec 18 at 7pm

Interested in Maynard history and want to learn more about what’s in our Local History Collection and where to find more?

Come to our 1 hour workshop and we’ll get you started and show you the best places to start your research and learn more about the great history of Maynard!

Please sign up by clicking on the signup link below or call the Reference Desk at 978-897-1010 x103.
http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekform.cfm?curOrg=MAYNARD&curName=2018/12/18_Local_History_Workshop

12/05/2018

Did you know that Maynard used to have a cricket club? It started with the English immigrants who came to work in the mill. The games would last for days and were played at the official Cricket field where the Green Meadow School Playground is today. The team dissolved in 1925 when baseball and soccer had taken over the interest of the American public.

11/21/2018

Did you know that Bughouse was the name of a small eating and drinking place at the corner of Waltham and Parker Streets (where today stands a brick apartment building)? That neighborhood was always referred to as "Papermill Corner". The men who spent their time there were called the Bughouse Clan. This all happened before WW2 - many of them never returned from the war.

10/20/2018

Plans in progress for Maynard's 150th birthday

Plans in progress for Maynard's 150th birthday

Maynard selectmen agreed to give the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee $25,000 in seed money from the Downtown Enhancements account, at the Oct. 16

10/15/2018

Mill & Main

100th Anniversary Plaque located at the entrance to the Clock Tower

09/26/2018

If you checked Maynard weather back in the day, you would have been getting the reading from the yard of Three First Street in Maynard. For 42 years, Gerry D'Errico's hobby was being a cooperative weather observer, and he was affiliated with the National Weather Service for 35 years, reporting daily the current weather in the Maynard area. The weather station was located on the corner of the property and a wire ran underground to inside the home to provide all the readings.

08/01/2018

Hayes Street - Most of these houses look exactly the same. Although with less trees and less "toilets in the cellars"

07/14/2018

Maynard Public Library

You certainly wouldn't know it to look at her, but
the building formerly known for many years as the Roosevelt Elementary School, turns 100 years old this year! It has only been the home of the Maynard Public Library since 2006, but we are happy to carry on this building's tradition of providing educational and cultural enrichment in the community.

Check out our display of photos and history of the building in the display case next to the Reference Desk the next time you're in!

07/05/2018

maynard.wickedlocal.com

Come to the library to see the history of trees in Maynard. Thank you to Lee and Kate for keeping our town beautiful.

http://maynard.wickedlocal.com/news/20180629/maynard-women-seek-to-add-more-trees-to-maynards-main-streets

06/28/2018

Looking at Arthur Street today. Do you live in one of these houses? Auction book courtesy of Maynard Historical Society.

05/30/2018

Sesquicentennial Steering Committee | Town of Maynard, Massachusetts

Be a part of Maynard's 150 Anniversary celebration by submitting an idea for the slogan for the festivities.

http://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/gov/committees/maynard150/

Sesquicentennial Steering Committee Maynard’s 50th Anniversary in 1921The Sesquicentennial Steering Committee is an ad-hoc committee formed by the Town Administrator for the purposes of planning the 150th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Town of Maynard in 2021. This is a newly formed commi...

05/01/2018

What do you know about the Maynard Alumni Field and Track House?

The Great Depression and the New Deal had a large impact on Maynard’s Alumni Field house. In 1933 the Civil Works Administration surfaced the running track, built a concrete foundation for bleachers, graded a field next to the road and surfaced tennis courts.The Federal Emergency Relief Administration constructed the field house, bleachers and a hockey rink on site the next two years. Work was continued by the Works Progress Administration.

04/20/2018

Happy 147th Birthday Maynard!

04/10/2018

Come check out our display in the library which explains our Historical Marker and Plaque programs. Does your house deserve a plaque? We think so. Send us a note to get started.

04/09/2018

Do you have experience in marketing, finance or event planning? The Maynard sesquicentennial committee is looking for volunteers to help with some planning. Send a PM to us at Historical Commission if you'd like to help!

03/21/2018

What should we do with the Coolidge School? Read a bit of the history below.

"BANCROFT STREET SCHOOL"
(Coolidge School)

On May 16, 1905, the Town of Maynard voted to appropriate money to purchase build a four-room brick school building. In September 1906, this school, known as the Bancroft Street School was occupied having been built at a cost of $20,841.38. On June 2, 1909, the Town voted to add another story to this building at a cost of 12,000. On March 14, 1932, the town voted to name this school the "Calvin Coolidge School".

Classes at Coolidge ceased in 1981. It has since been used for a variety of uses, including artists' studios, offices, SACC, and storage.

02/21/2018

House of the Month: 4 Grant Street

The mill tenement house at 4 Grant Street was purchased at auction by Cecilia O’Toole, a mender at the woolen mill in 1930. Cecilia was born in 1885 in New Jersey and moved with her family to Clinton by 1900. Her father John, a laborer, had three sons and seven daughters at his death in 1904. His widow Bridget left Clinton with their three youngest daughters, settling on Grant Street in Maynard by 1910 where they found employment as sewers in the mill. Cecilia, single, and her widowed sister Jane O’Toole Lees bought the house in September 1934 with the help of a company-held $880 mortgage. Their mortgage was discharged three years later on July 28, 1937. Cecilia never married and at her death in 1973, the O’Toole residence was bought by investors who refurbished the home and later sold to the Principe family in 1976.

Peg Brown, current owner of 4 Grant Street, came into possession of the house in 1979 and made several changes over the years, including new siding and windows, some skylights, a second bathroom, and a large addition at the rear of the house.

"I am a temporary but conscious custodian of this house, maintaining the physical structure and also safekeeping its heritage. With diligence, persistence, and labor, I hope to preserve this little piece of Maynard history for perhaps another hundred years."

02/12/2018

Do you live in the Presidentials? If so, your home may have been purchased at auction from the American Woolen Company in 1934 at auction.

01/24/2018

MAYNARD HISTORICAL COMMISSION RECEIVES DONATION FROM MAYNARD RESIDENT ELLEN DUGGAN

Maynard, Mass (January 24, 2018) – The Maynard Historical Commission is pleased to announce it has received a generous grant from Ellen Duggan, lifelong Maynard resident. These funds will be used to expand the work of the organization by celebrating historically relevant properties throughout the town.

“I doubt my family would have survived without Maynard. Illness in their hometown in Newfoundland had already claimed many family members. So my great grandparents, Robert and Ann O'Neill Duggan and their four remaining children, came to Maynard on the ship Halifax in December of 1892. They settled in Maynard and we have been here ever since.“ said Duggan. “I would like to support the mission of the MHC by recognizing some of the properties throughout town which had significance to my family. I know my ancestors would be proud to be recognized.”

The historical marker program was created in 2012 to highlight important buildings and landmarks with permanent historical markers. The goal of this program is to bring attention to visitors and residents alike of the historical significance of many parts of Maynard. Markers throughout town include the Pleasant Cafe, the Union Congregational Church and the Amory Maynard House. Residents throughout the town can also contact the MHC to have a thorough history review done on their own private property and celebrate their home with a plaque.

The town of Maynard is currently planning to celebrate their 150th anniversary of the town with celebrations throughout the year 2020. The planning committee is currently looking for funding sources from private donations as well as business support

Jack MacKeen, Chairman of the MHC, commented that “Ellen’s generosity will help us to continue our mission of preserving the history of Maynard. We were surprised and honored by her benevolent gift and hope other members of the community will see her generosity as an inspiration to give back to the town in some way.”

12/18/2017

Metrowest Boston Small Towns With ALL the Charm

https://www.kotlarzrealtygroup.com/2017/11/28/nostalgia-classic-beauty-metrowest-boston-small-towns-with-all-the-charm/

12/18/2017

Metrowest Boston Small Towns With ALL the Charm

https://www.kotlarzrealtygroup.com/2017/11/28/nostalgia-classic-beauty-metrowest-boston-small-towns-with-all-the-charm/

10/04/2017

Maynard Historical Commission's cover photo

10/04/2017

Did you know that the area between 1st and 3rd Street used to be a park? Find out the secrets behind your property - contact us to learn more!

09/20/2016

Do you know the history of your historic Maynard home? We'll do the work for you. To find out, contact us.

06/22/2016

Join us at the Public Hearing on Demolition Delay Bylaw – Thursday, June 23rd at 7pm, Maynard Public Library.

The Historical Commission is planning to bring a Demolition Delay Bylaw to Town Meeting (Fall 2016) for approval by the town. The bylaw is for the purpose of preserving significant buildings in Maynard which reflect distinctive features of the architectural, cultural, economic, political or social history of the Town.

06/22/2016

Maynard Historical Commission