History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

fELEOSE was incorporated May 3,
1 "^ jO, and is one of the youngest
lit the towns in old Middlesex.
It IS situated seven miles from
-ton, directly north, on the
hue of the Boston and Maine
Eailroad, on which it has three
depots, — Wyoming, Jlelrose,
and the Highlands, or Stoneham ;
from the last of which a horse-
s with the town of Stoneham, two
Previous to its incorporation most
of the territory now Melrose was known as North
Maiden; a small portion, now forming tiie north-
western corner of the town, being set otf from the
eastern part of Stoneham, March 15, 1853. It
was named after Melrose, Scotland, at the sugges-
tion of Mr. William Bogle, havnig, it is said, great
similarity in its natural features with the renowned
seat of Melrose Abbey.
Melrose contains a superficial area of about
2,900 square acres, 2,7;iO of which are taxable.
It is two and one eighth miles in length, and has an
average width of two miles. It is bounded on the
north by Wakefield, on the east by Saugus, on the
south by Maiden, and on the west by Stoneham
and a corner of Medford. It has four villages
Wyoming, at the south part of the town ; tiie Cen-
tre ; the Highlands, at the north ; and Norrisville,
:
MELROSE. 175
MELROSE.
,BUIDGE H. G05
in the northeastern part. Its surface is charmhigly Charles Town bounds shall run eight myles into the
diversified with hill, valley, pond, and stream.
From the summits of a number of its elevations —
country from their meeting-howse, if noe other
bounds intercept"; and the Charlestown records
particularly Boston Rock in the south, Barrett's
Mount in the centre, and West Rock, or Vinton
Hill, in the north — extensive views of the sur-
rounding country and of the ocean may be had.
L Pond, situated in the centre of the town, so
named from its shape, contains about thirty acres,
and upon its borders are many of the finest resi-
dences. This pond received its name as early as
1638, nine years after the settlement of Charles-
town, in whose records it is then mentioned ; and
it was so called in manv other earlv documents.
It is often spelled "Ell," an undoubted misap-
prehension from its sound. It has recently been
stocked with black bass and alewives by a fishing
association under the protection of state law. Long
Pond, in the eastern portion of the town, part of
which is in Melrose and part in Saugus, is the
source of the Saugus River. This and Swain's
Pond, in the southeastern part of the town, were
named as early as 1660, being then referred to
in the Charlestown records. Dix, formerly Little,
Pond, near the centre, is small, but it is the legen-
dary pond of Melrose, rumor giving it a fathomless
bottom from time immemorial.
L Pond and Spot Pond brooks, outlets of tiieir
respective ponds, are the only streams, and both
unite a little below Wyoming, and run into tlie
Maiden River, an affluent of the Mystic.
Melrose was once a part of Charlestown. Early
differences concerning boundaries were settled by
the General Court, which passed several orders re-
lating to the domain now Maiden and Melrose.
July 2, 1633, Mystic Side, now ilalden, was granted
to Charlestown, wiien it was ordered that the
"grounde lyeing betwixte the North Ryv'^ and
thecreeke on the north side of M' Mauacks (Mave-
rick's) and soe vpp into tiie country, shall belong
to the inhabitants of Ciiarleton." " Up into the
country'^ not proving sufficiently definite, anotlier
" That
order was passed, March 3, 1636, as follows :
of 1638 say that, "the Gen" Court had setled
theire Bounds, by granting eight miles from the
old Meeting-house into the Contry Northwest
Northrly." At about this time some of the in-
habitants of Charlestown crossed over aud settled
on the north side of the Mystic River, and Thomas
Coitmore had built a mill near Jlount Prospect,
or Waite's Mount, as early as 1640. May 11,
1649, Mystic Side -was set off from Charlestown
by the Geueral Court, with this brief act of incor-
1 Sometimes called " Three Jlyle Breoke."