North Billerica, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
North Billerica is a unincorporated village
of the town of Billerica
, Massachusetts
, United States
, one of the nine sections (hamlets) that make up the Town of Billerica. It is the home to Faulkner and Talbot mills and the North Billerica Train Depot. The Middlesex Canal
was built through the village in 1783 and the Boston and Lowell Railroad
was put through in the 1840s.
North Billerica has its own zip code and post office (01862) which also takes in the village of West Billerica and parts of River Pines.
The North Billerica
Depot is on the National Registrar of Historic Places and was completely renovated in 1998. It served as a flag stop on the Boston and Lowell Railroad's main line and was the starting point for the old narrow gauge Billerica and Bedford Railroad. It still serves commuters today as a regular stop on the MBTA's Lowell Line
.
In the early years of the 20th century, the Boston and Maine Railroad
(B&M) built its repair yards in North Billerica off High Street. This complex expanded into a large industrial park that is still called Iron Horse Park. Pan Am Railways
still have their main offices in the park, but the old B&M repair yards and buildings are no longer in operation, although the railroad tracks remain in use as there are a couple of rail customers in the park area. Occasionally, a small freight train will run down the old Billerica and Bedford track from the depot to the Salem Road Crossing and switch onto the parks spur line to deliver and pick up cars from customers, including the Boston Globe's distribution plant, and exit the park onto the main Lowell Line and return to Boston. Iron Horse Park is the dividing line between North Billerica and East Billerica.
The employees of the Billerica Repair Shops (as Iron Horse Park was referred to by the B&M) built a small neighborhood behind the old Faulkner Mills along the railroad line, adjacent to the depot, starting in 1904. This neighborhood became known as Garden City because of the large flower gardens the residents would have in their yards. Based on the Garden suburbs in England
, Garden City can be considered one of America's oldest suburb
s, according to the October 2, 2005 edition of the Lowell Sun
. Today, only a few houses still have these gardens, but the old name still remains. Some of the streets in the neighborhood were built on the old track beds of the Billerica and Bedford Railroad where it ran spur lines between the depot, round house, and the loading dock of the old mills.
flows through North Billerica, and by the old Talbot and Faulkner Mills is the Mill Pond and Dam marking the area where the old Middlesex Canal crossed over the river - and provided the majority of the water to carry the canal from Lowell to Charlestown. The Middlesex Canal Museum is located inside the old Faulkner Mills and plans are underway to build a Middlesex Canal Park along the Mill Pond from the Dam around to Canal bridge on Rogers Street. The Billerica Mills Historic District
lies entirely within the village's unofficial boundaries.
North Billerica is also home to the oldest remaining homestead in Billerica, the Manning Manse
, built in 1696. The Manse is located on Chelmsford Road (MA Rte 129) about a quarter mile east of US Route 3
and the Chelmsford
Town Line. It is the place where Minutemen
from New Hampshire
stayed before and after the Battles of Lexington and Concord
in April 1775. It was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1994. Today this tavern is rented by a private business operating a restaurant and lounge.
North Billerica also has the Forum Ice Rink on Rte 129 at the Chelmsford Town Line that is actually owned by the Town of Chelmsford. It was privately owned when first built in the 1960s and was owned by the University of Lowell
from the late 1970s to the early 1990s when the school changed venues to the new Tsongas Arena
in Lowell
. The school played its hockey games at the rink while still allowing high school and youth hockey teams to use the facilities. It was sold to Chelmsford after the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed a bill to allow a city or town to own land in another city or town.
Village (United States)
In the United States, the meaning of "village" varies by geographic area and legal jurisdiction. In many areas, "village" is a term, sometimes informal, for a type of administrative division at the local government level...
of the town of Billerica
Billerica, Massachusetts
Billerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,243 at the 2010 census. It is the only town named Billerica in the United States and borrows its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, one of the nine sections (hamlets) that make up the Town of Billerica. It is the home to Faulkner and Talbot mills and the North Billerica Train Depot. The Middlesex Canal
Middlesex Canal
The Middlesex Canal was a 27-mile barge canal connecting the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. When operational it was 30 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, with 20 locks, each 80 feet long and between 10 and 11 feet wide...
was built through the village in 1783 and the Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
was put through in the 1840s.
North Billerica has its own zip code and post office (01862) which also takes in the village of West Billerica and parts of River Pines.
History
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a building on Station Street, next to the depot, that served as the North Fire Station, Town Hall Annex, and Post Office. The building was called Union Hall. It served North Billerica as the local Social Club with dances and shows being held on the second floor. It closed down in the 1930s after the Fire Station was relocated a mile away to Lowell Street and the Town Hall Annex was closed. The Post Office was moved to the intersection of Old Elm Street, Lowell Street, and Talbot Avenue at the North Billerica Common. This intersection is still referred to as 'Post Office Square' by the town's older residents. The Union Hall was torn down and the land is now part of the train station parking lot.The North Billerica
North Billerica (MBTA station)
North Billerica is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Lowell Line, located in North Billerica, Massachusetts and serves close to 300,000 commuters.-History:...
Depot is on the National Registrar of Historic Places and was completely renovated in 1998. It served as a flag stop on the Boston and Lowell Railroad's main line and was the starting point for the old narrow gauge Billerica and Bedford Railroad. It still serves commuters today as a regular stop on the MBTA's Lowell Line
Lowell Line
The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in...
.
In the early years of the 20th century, the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
(B&M) built its repair yards in North Billerica off High Street. This complex expanded into a large industrial park that is still called Iron Horse Park. Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
still have their main offices in the park, but the old B&M repair yards and buildings are no longer in operation, although the railroad tracks remain in use as there are a couple of rail customers in the park area. Occasionally, a small freight train will run down the old Billerica and Bedford track from the depot to the Salem Road Crossing and switch onto the parks spur line to deliver and pick up cars from customers, including the Boston Globe's distribution plant, and exit the park onto the main Lowell Line and return to Boston. Iron Horse Park is the dividing line between North Billerica and East Billerica.
The employees of the Billerica Repair Shops (as Iron Horse Park was referred to by the B&M) built a small neighborhood behind the old Faulkner Mills along the railroad line, adjacent to the depot, starting in 1904. This neighborhood became known as Garden City because of the large flower gardens the residents would have in their yards. Based on the Garden suburbs in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Garden City can be considered one of America's oldest suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s, according to the October 2, 2005 edition of the Lowell Sun
Lowell Sun
The Sun is a daily newspaper based in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, serving towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the Greater Lowell area and beyond. Its circulation is about 50,000...
. Today, only a few houses still have these gardens, but the old name still remains. Some of the streets in the neighborhood were built on the old track beds of the Billerica and Bedford Railroad where it ran spur lines between the depot, round house, and the loading dock of the old mills.
North Billerica Today
The Concord RiverConcord River
The Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
flows through North Billerica, and by the old Talbot and Faulkner Mills is the Mill Pond and Dam marking the area where the old Middlesex Canal crossed over the river - and provided the majority of the water to carry the canal from Lowell to Charlestown. The Middlesex Canal Museum is located inside the old Faulkner Mills and plans are underway to build a Middlesex Canal Park along the Mill Pond from the Dam around to Canal bridge on Rogers Street. The Billerica Mills Historic District
Billerica Mills Historic District
Billerica Mills Historic District is a historic district between the Concord River, Treble Cove Terrace, Kohlrausch Avenue, Indian Road, Holt Ruggles, and Rogers Streets in the village of North Billerica, Massachusetts ....
lies entirely within the village's unofficial boundaries.
North Billerica is also home to the oldest remaining homestead in Billerica, the Manning Manse
Manning Manse
Manning Manse, built in 1696, is a historic house at 56 Chelmsford Road in North Billerica, Massachusetts.It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982....
, built in 1696. The Manse is located on Chelmsford Road (MA Rte 129) about a quarter mile east of US Route 3
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
and the Chelmsford
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
Town Line. It is the place where Minutemen
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name.The minutemen were among the first...
from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
stayed before and after the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
in April 1775. It was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1994. Today this tavern is rented by a private business operating a restaurant and lounge.
North Billerica also has the Forum Ice Rink on Rte 129 at the Chelmsford Town Line that is actually owned by the Town of Chelmsford. It was privately owned when first built in the 1960s and was owned by the University of Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
from the late 1970s to the early 1990s when the school changed venues to the new Tsongas Arena
Tsongas Arena
Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell is a multi-purpose facility, on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Arena was opened and dedicated to the memory of prominent local and national politician Paul Tsongas on January 27, 1998...
in Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. The school played its hockey games at the rink while still allowing high school and youth hockey teams to use the facilities. It was sold to Chelmsford after the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed a bill to allow a city or town to own land in another city or town.