ANNUAL TOWN REPORT 1975 "Let the children guard what the sires hove won" CKECCDSTO'R'D Only 33 years after the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, a few hardy pioneers settled along the western frontier in what would be Chelmsford. By November 22, 1654 enough families had arrived to call the first public meeting at William Fletcher's house located near the end of the present Crosby Lane. Six months later (May, 1655) the Town of Chelmsford was incorporated along with the neighboring towns of Billerica and Groton, The Rev. John Fiske of Wenhatn accepted an invitation to come here with several members of his congregation and, on November 13, 1655, the first church in Chelmsford - now the First Parish Church - was organized. In 1820, the sixth minister, the Rev. Wilkes Allen, published the first "History of Chelmsford" which is reputed to be "the first town history of the dignity of a volume to be printed in this country." The original grant was much larger than the land area included within the present town boundaries but, in 1729, the "West Precinct" became the Town of Westford and, in 1826, the Town of Lowell was made out of East Chelmsford. Middlesex Village was annexed to Lowell in 1874. Chelmsford also gave smaller parcels of land to Tyngsboro, Carlisle, and Littleton. In the events leading up to American independence, the citizens of Chelmsford were active participants. Chelmsford had its Committee of Correspondence and sent representatives to the Middlesex Convention in Concord in August, 1774. One of these delegates, Jonathan Williams Austin, is credited with writing the famous Middlesex Resolves. When the alarm was sounded on the morning of April 19, 1775, more than 100 Chelmsford men answered the call to arms. One of these minutemen was Benjamin Pierce who later became governor of New Hampshire and whose son. Franklin, was the 14th President of the United States. Chelmsford has been the home of many other famous men and women. To mention only a few, Elizabeth (Clarke) Hancock, grandmother of John Hancock, was the daughter of our second minister; David Henry Thoreau lived here as a child and Ralph Waldo Emerson taught at the Chelmsford Classical School. America's first professor i»- of physiology, who later served as president of Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, was Drf John Call Dalton after whose family Dalton Road was named. Dr. Willard Parker was a world famous surgeon who reputedly was the first in America to successfully operate on an abscessed appendix. (Incidently, his great uncle was Lt. Col. Moses Parker for whom the Junior High School has been named.) A famous professor of Anatomy at Harvard and the first curator of the Peabody Museum was a Chelmsford man. Dr. Jeffries Wyman. His father. Dr. Rufus Wyman, gave up his practice here to become the first superintendent of McLean Asylum (now McLean Hospital.) In the field of education, Chelmsford had the first school for the deaf in which pure oral method was taught and one of the pupils was Mabel Hubbard, who later married Alexander Graham Bell. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Chelmsford was predominately a farming community. Early industries were operated mainly to meet the needs of the inhabitants. However, there were exceptions. Ezekiel Byam was the first to manufacture lucifer matches in this country at his factory in South Chelmsford. Local quarries supplied "Chelmsford Granite" for the construction of public buildings in Boston, New York, and New Orleans as well as a in J church Savannah, Georgia. Lime from Chelmsford quarries was used in building many of the early Lowell mills. With the incorporation of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company in East Chelmsford in 1822 began the development of one of the great textile manufacturing centers of the world. Also worthy of note are the scythe factory in West Chelmsford (which became a sword factory and later produced files), the foundry, machine shops, and textile mills in North Chelmsford, as well as the Chelmsford Ginger Ale Company in the Center. "Chelmsford Glass", on exhibit at the Barrett-Byam House, was made at the Glass Works in Middlesex Village. Public transportation before the advent of the railroads was by stagecoach between Boston and Concord, N. H. over the Middlesex Turnpike (Turnpike Road) and the Middlesex Canal that connected Chelmsford (Middlesex Village) with Boston. Canal Street was the tow path. Cover design by Charles Marderosian, 10 Buckman Drive, Chelmsford ANNUAL REPORT or the Town of Chelmsford FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1975 Printed By.... cfMnmuiiinilkm GENERAL INFORMATION Incorporated: May, 1655 Type of Government: Town Meeting Location: Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Lowell and Tyngsborough on the North, Billerica on the East, Carlisle on the South, and West- ford on the West. It is 24 miles from Boston, 40 miles from Worcester, and 225 miles from New York City. County: Middlesex Land Area: 22.54 Square Miles Population, 1970: 31,032 Density, 1970: 1.394 nersons oer square mile Assessed Valuation, 1975: $256,084,1 15 (Real Estate) $9,776,300 (Personal Property) Tax Rate: $41.00 United States Senators in Congress: Edward W. Brooke, Newton Edward M. Kennedy, Boston Representatives in Congress: 5th Congressional District Paul T. Tsongas, Lowell State Senator: 7th Middlesex District Ronald C. McKenzie, Burlington Representative in General Court: 43rd Middlesex District Bruce N. Freeman, Chelmsford - Precincts 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 45th Middlesex District Philip L. Shea, Lowell - Precincts 2 & 7 47th Middlesex District Edward Le Lacheur, Lowell- Precincts 4 & 11 Accounting Department Monday thru Friday 30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Assessors Office Monday thru Friday 30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. (except Monday Evenings 00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. (except June, July & August) Building Inspector Monday thru Friday :30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Thursday 5::00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Board of Health Monday thru Friday 8: 30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Highway Department Office Monday thru Friday 8: 30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Garage : Monday thru Friday 8: 30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Public Libraries Adams Library Monday thru Friday 10 00 a.m. -9:00 p.m. Saturdays 10 00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. MacKay Library Monday thru Friday 2 30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. Saturdays 2 30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. School Superintendent Monday thru Friday 8 00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Selectmen's Office Monday thru Friday 8 30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Town Clerk Monday thru Friday 8 30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Monday Evenings 7 00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. (except June, July & August) Tax Collector & Treasurer Monday thru Friday 30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Monday Evenings 7: 00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. (except June, July & August) Veterans Agent Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m. MEETINGS Annual Election First Monday in April 12 Precincts Annual Town Meeting First Monday in May New High School Selectmen Monday -7:30 P.M. Town Hall School Committee Tuesday -8:00 P.M. High School Planning Board 7:30 P.M., 2nd & 4th Wed. every month Town Hall Appeals Board 7:30 P.M., 4th Thurs. every month Town Hall Conservation Commission 8:00 P.M., 1st & 3rd Tues. every month Town Hall Board of Health 7:30 P.M., 2nd Tues. every month Town Hall Housing Authority 7:30 P.M., 1st Tues. every month 1 Smith Street ELECTED TOWN OFFICIALS Sinking Fund Commissioners Francis J . Goode Term expires 1976 Kenton P. Wells Term expires 1977 Moderator Eustace B.Fiske Term expires 1978 DanielJ. Coughlin, Jr. (Term expires 1978) Sewer Commissioners Town Clerk Matthew J. Doyle Jr. Term expires 1976 Mary E.St. Hilaire Joseph M. Gutwein Term expires 1977 (Term expires 1978) Theodore J. Rapallo Term expires 1978 Board of Selectmen Gerald J. Lannan Term expired 1975 Trustees of Public Libraries expires 1976 Arnold J. Lovering Term James M. Harrington Term expires 1976 expires 1976 William R. Murphy Term Roger P. Welch Term expires 1976 expires 1977 Paul C.Hart Term Jean R. Mansfield Term expires 1977 Jr. Term expires 1977 Thomas A. Palmer, Audrey A. Carragher Term expires 1977 expires 1978 Philip L. Currier Term Elizabeth A. McCarthy Term expires 1978 Thomas C. Thorstensen ( Resigned) Term expires 1978 Treasurer & Tax Collector Dr. Howard K. Moore Term expires 1978 Philip J. McCormack (Term expires 1978) Constable William E.Spence Term expires 1977 Board of Assessors Claude A. Harvey Term expires 1976 Tree Warden Richard L. Monahan Term expires 1977 Myles Hogan Term expires 1978 Janet Lombard Term expires 1978 Varney Playground Commissioners Cemetery Commissioners Elected at Town Meeting Arne R. Olson Term expires 1976 Robert C. McManimon Term expires 1976 Gerald L. Hardy Term expires 1977 Henry J. Tucker, Jr. Term expires 1977 Arthur J. Colmer Term expires 1978 Harry J. Ayotte Term expires 1978 Chelmsford Housing Authority Richard L. Monahan Term expires 1976 Roger W. Boyd Term expires 1977 APPOINTED TOWN OFFICIALS Robert L. Hughes Term expires 1978 Claude A. Harvey Term expires 1978 Town Accountant Arnaud R. Blackadar Term expired 1975 Ruth K . Delaney Term expires 1980 Ernest F. Day Term expires 1976 Board of Health Paul F. McCarthy Term expires 1976 Board of Selectmen, Administrative Assistant Paul J. Canniff Term expires 1977 Evelyn M. Haines Term expires 1976 Peter Dulchinos Term expires 1978 Town Counsel Nashoba Valley Technical Clement McCarthy Term expires 1976 Vocational School District Louis E.Kelly Term expires 1976 James M. Harrington Term expires 1977 Chief of Police Fire Chief Jay M.Knox Term expires 1977 Robert E.