Bedford, Massachusetts

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Bedford, Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°29′26″N 71°16′36″W / 42.49056, -71.27667
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Middlesex
Settled 1640
Incorporated 1729
Government
 - Type Open town meeting
 - Town Administrator Richard Reed
Area
 - Total 13.9 sq mi (35.9 km²)
 - Land 13.7 sq mi (35.6 km²)
 - Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
Elevation 135 ft (41 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 12,595
 - Density 916.7/sq mi (353.9/km²)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01730
Area code(s) 339 / 781
FIPS code 25-04615
GNIS feature ID 0619395
Website: www.town.bedford.ma.us

Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, some 15 miles north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 12,595 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] History

The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information from Abram English Brown’s History of the Town of Bedford (1891), as well as other sources such as The Bedford Sampler Bicentennial Edition containing Daisy Pickman Oakley’s articles, Bedford Vital Records, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Town Directories, and other publications from the Bedford Historical Society.:

Bedford was first settled in 1640 and was taken mostly from Billerica with some land added from Concord and Lexington when officially incorporated in 1729.

In 1630 came the arrival of John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley of the Massachusetts Bay Company. Aboard the Arabella from Yarmouth, England, Winthrop and Dudley sailed, and after a difficult ten week voyage, they landed on the shores of the New World, with Salem and Boston Harbor being the Arabella's earliest destinations. In 1637, the General Court of Massachusetts granted some 2,200 acres (9 km²) of land, including Huckins Farmland to the first residential Governor Winthrop and Deputy Governor Dudley. The following year, the two men agreed to divide the land so that the parcel south of the two large boulders by the Concord River (Brothers Rocks) belonged to Governor Winthrop and north of the Rocks was to belong to Deputy Governor Dudley. Later, Dudley became governor. Dudley’s son Rev. Samuel Dudley and Winthrop’s daughter Mary were married, thus Brothers Rocks were so named because of this marriage of families.

Governor Winthrop’s grandson, Fitz John Winthrop, in 1664, sold 1,200 acres (5 km²) of this land (including what is present day Huckins Farm) to Job Lane, a skilled artisan and house builder. Upon his death, he passed much of this land to his son, Col. John Lane in the 1690s. The land later passed to his son, Capt. John Lane, in 1714. John Lane and his wife, Catherine (Whiting), lived on the site, and after she died, he married Hannah Abbott. Upon his death in 1763, their son, Samuel Lane, inherited the land we know as Huckins Farm. Some time after Samuel Lane died in 1802, the house was removed and Peter Farmer built the present farmhouse in the 1840s. We know that Peter and Dorcas Farmer had two children in the late 1820s and 1830s. Later, Banfield succeeded Farmer as the owner.

Samuel W. Huckins, born in 1817, settled on the land about 1870. Huckins was respected for his good judgment and was honored with various offices in town. Maps circa 1875 indicate that what we know as Dudley Road was called Huckins Street. Samuel Huckins lived there until his death in 1892. He had a son, Henry, who was born in 1849, and was living in Bedford in 1910.

In the late 1800s, Dudley Leavitt Pickman and his wife, Ellen, fell in love with the land and bought a substantial parcel (mostly Winthrop’s land and a portion of Dudley’s grant). Included in this purchase was Huckins Farm. Pickman, a direct descendant of Winthrop and Dudley, bought the land without knowledge of the Winthrop-Dudley grant. He found out much later that he had purchased his ancestor’s land. The land was used as a dairy farm and apple orchard, in addition to the fields, pasture land, bog garden, and ponds. Chestnut trees lined the old road between the fields. Dudley Road had been named Chestnut Avenue around that time.

A large portion of the Pickman land, Huckins Farm, was sold to a developer for condominium development in 1987, and other parcels including the large Pickman house (Stearns Farm) were sold to private parties.

Due to its proximity to the intersections of Routes 128 and 3, Bedford, in recent decades, has seen an influx of high-technology companies, particularly along the Burlington border.

[edit] Historical Sites

Bedford Flag - First Battle Flag (1775).
Bedford Flag - First Battle Flag (1775).
Exterior, Unitarian Meeting House (1816).
Exterior, Unitarian Meeting House (1816).
Interior, Unitarian Meeting House.
Interior, Unitarian Meeting House.

The Bedford Flag

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April's breeze unfurled - here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot hear round the world." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Bedford flag on display at the Bedford Free Public Library is the oldest known surviving intact flag in the United States. It is celebrated for having been the first U.S. flag flown during the American Revolutionary War, as it is believed to have been carried by Nathaniel Page's outfit of Minutemen to the Old North Bridge in Concord for the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775.

The Latin motto on the flag, "Vince Aut Morire", means "Conquer or Die."

The Two Brothers

When Governor Winthrop and his Deputy Thomas Dudley viewed their lands in early 1638, they decided to use two great stones on the site to divide the property. Winthrop claimed the land to one side of one rock; Dudley claimed the land on the other side of the other rock. They named the rocks "The Two Brothers." Over the years, the two men had many differences; however they learned to work together and even considered themselves "brothers" by their children's marriage. The rocks have come to symbolize the men's sprit of cooperation and democracy. The two brothers can still be seen near the banks of the Concord River in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

The early settlers called this area along the Concord River, "Great River Meadow" because they could harvest hay along the grass banks when the water retreated each summer. Today, this 12 mile stretch of freshwater wetlands is a sanctuary for migratory birds and wildlife. There are deer, cottontail rabbit, fox, raccoon, muskrat, beaver, weasel and over 200 species of birds seen here.

Job Lane House

This traditional saltbox-style home dates back to the early 1700s and was built by one of Bedford's earliest settlers, Job Lane. A master carpenter, Lane was also a town officer and a Minuteman. He was wounded in the battle of Lexington and Concord. The house and grounds adjacent to Huckins Farm was recently restored and is open to the public.

Fitch Tavern

Early on the morning of April 19, 1775, an alarm sounded warning the people of Bedford that British soldiers were marching from Boston to Concord. Their captain, Jonathan Willson, told them, "It is a cold breakfast boys, but we'll give them a hot dinner." The Fitch Tavern is located in Bedford center, a little over a mile from Huckins Farm.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.9 square miles (35.9 km²), of which, 13.7 square miles (35.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.94%) is water. Bedford is approximately 15 miles (24 km) away from the coast.

Bedford is a relatively circular town. Its neighbors, clockwise, starting from 12 o'clock, are: Billerica, Burlington, Lexington, Lincoln, Concord, and Carlisle.

In addition to the Concord River which forms part of the town's borders, the Shawsheen River flows through town.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 12,595 people, 4,621 households, and 3,419 families residing in the town. The population density was 916.7 people per square mile (353.9/km²). There were 4,708 housing units at an average density of 342.7/sq mi (132.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.19% White, 1.65% African American, 0.22% Native American, 5.40% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population.

There were 4,621 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

The median income for a family was $104,081, similar to its surrounding towns. Males had a median income of $65,697 versus $45,181 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,212. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The town still uses an open town meeting as its legislature. The executive branch consists of a Board of Selectmen who oversee a town Administrator.

Bedford is the home of a Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). It is part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the United States.

[edit] Education

Bedford's school system consists of four buildings: Lt. Eleazer Davis Elementary (K–2), Lt. Job Lane Elementary (3–5), John Glenn Middle School (6–8), and Bedford High School (9–12). Some students from Hanscom Air Force Base, which is partially located in Bedford, join Bedford residents at Bedford High for 9th grade and beyond, or they go to Shawsheen Valley Technical High School which is in nearby Billerica.

The former Center School was deactivated in the 1980s. Center School is today the Town Center building. Page School was similarly deactivated in the 1980s and today is a retirement village. John Glenn Middle School (originally called Bedford Junior High School) is named for John Glenn, formerly the Superintendent of Schools in Bedford, not for the U.S. Senator and astronaut. The Davis and Lane (and former Page) schools are named for local officers who took part in the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775.

The high school mascot is the Buccaneer and the team colors are blue, white and black. Bedford's school sports teams compete in the Dual County League. In 2005–06, the boys' basketball team won the DCL behind the strong play of DCL MVP Gerry Cohen. In 2006–07, the Bucs made the MIAA Division III North Sectional Final but lost to eventual state champion Watertown, 63–58.

[edit] Transportation

Bedford Depot Park at the end of the Minuteman Bikeway
Bedford Depot Park at the end of the Minuteman Bikeway

Bedford is located slightly northwest of the intersection of I-95 (also known as MA-128) and MA-4/MA-225 (which actually cross in Lexington). Important roadways through town include US-3 (an expressway) and MA-62. It is serviced by the 62 and 62/76 lines of the MBTA's bus service. Bedford is also served by Hanscom Field (IATA: BED, ICAO: KBED), a civilian airport, which is located adjacent to Hanscom Air Force Base.

A snowstorm on January 10, 1977, prompted the end of passenger service on the Lexington Branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad (see additional notes under Boston and Lowell Railroad). The line was embargoed four years later. In 1991, the branch was railbanked by the Interstate Commerce Commission. It is now used for the Minuteman Bikeway. In the early 1900s, the Middlesex & Boston Street Railway line ran generally down Great Road (Route 62), with lines from as far west as Hudson running into Lexington and beyond.

Other historic transportation systems through Bedford included the narrow-gauge Billerica and Bedford Railroad and the Middlesex Turnpike.

[edit] References

  1. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Billerica Burlington
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North Great Barford,Lexington
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Carlisle. Boston
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Municipalities and communities of
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
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