History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

of Lexington, near the line of Waltliam, on the
farm of Alden Jameson, Esq. j and is about three
miles distant from the centre of each of the towns.
It is a copious spring, and is so protected by a
granite curb as to secure it from all surface water ;
the flow being free from the source. The water is
highly recommended by those who have used it, as
being valuable in a variety of complaints. Pro-
fessor Hayes, after an analysis of the water, classes
it favorably with the Poland, AUandale, and Vienna
waters, which have a high reputation. He
adds, " It is naturally aerated or charged with car-
bonic acid, oxygen, and nitrogen gases. It is
alkaline, and free from any appreciable organic
matter. It is a remarkably pure water." It is
highly recommended in cases of dyspepsia, diabe-
tes, stone, gravel, and the whole class of kidney and
bowel complaints. Many who have used it speak
strongly of the curative properties of the water.
The village of Lexington is pleasantly situated
on land comparatively level ; and though it is ele-
vated more than two hundred feet above tide
water, being surrounded by hills more or less dis-
tant, and having meadows on either hand, it has
the appearance of being rather low. In the centre
of the village is the Common, a triangular plot of
ground, situated at the junction, and lying between
the roads leading to Concord and Bedford. It
contains about two acres, and is nearly level, with
the exception of a gentle swell, rising some five or
six feet on the southerly side, on which is the
monument erected to the memory of the first
Revolutionary martyrs. The diagram on page 10
will show the premises as they were in 1775,
and will illustrate the history of that day. The
borders of the Common are skirted by rows of elm,
ash, and other ornamental trees ; some of them
having braved the blasts of more than a hundred
winters, while others are glorying in youthful
beauty. There is one young tree on the Common
which merits notice, as it is designed for posterity.
In 1875, wdien President Grant was in Lexington,
at our Centennial, he at our recpiest planted a
young elm upon this consecrated ground, that
those who came after us might mark the succession
of.years, and recall the events which have made the
spot memorable. This green is consecrated by the
first blood of the Revolution ; and the sacred asso-
ciations which surround the spot render it a place
of considerable resort, and many a passer-by pauses
to contemplate the scene which renders it classic.
The population of Lexington in 1876 was
LEXINGTON.
2,510, which may be distributed through the town
as follows : 1,100 in the centre village, 750 in the
east village, while the remaining population is
scattered over the rest of the township.
U
Both villages, the centre and the east, are situ-
ated on the Main Street, a road leading to Boston
and the line of separation between them must be
somewhat arbitrary, as the settlement on the Main
Street is almost continuous and uninterrupted.
Both villages are embowered in ornamental trees,
which give a rural appearance to the place; and
the large, spreading elms have ever attracted the
passers-by. "While the roads in Lexington are far
from being hilly, there are in diflerent parts of the
town swells of laud rising from a hundred to a
hundred and twenty-five feet above the ordinary
level of the surrounding country, giving an exten-
sive view of tlie regions around. There is a range
of high lands on the southerly side of the main or
Boston road, commencing a little southerly of the
centre of the town, wliich, though interrupted by
one local depression, extends into Arhngton. The
swell above the old Munroe Tavern is considerably
elevated, and overlooks the main village and a
large portion of the town. It was on the north-
ern declivity of this hill that Lord Percy placed
one of his field-pieces on the 19th of April, 1775.
The elevated portion of this range, southwesterly
of the village hall in East Lexington, commands
a prospect of great extent and rare beauty. Not
only the northeasterly portion of the town, but the
village of Medford, with its numerous dwellings
and public buildings, are displayed to view. Nor
does the prospect end liere ; the more distant city
of Lynn, and the dark-blue ocean beyond, whitened
by the sails of her hardy fishermen and her enter-
prising merchants, give variety and grandeur to
the scene.
Mount Independence, near the East village, rises
about one hundred and thirty feet above the main
street. This is but a continuation of the range of
which we have spoken. It is nearly opposite the
church, and commands a full view of the village
and the high lands on the opposite side of the
broad meadows which spread out on each side of
Mill Brook. But while Main Street, on which are
situated the principal houses in the village, lies at
the foot of this eminence, and the eye of the beholder
on the summit can observe every movement
in the village, a more distant prospect attracts at-
tention, and in the openings among the lulls in
Arlington the growing village of Jledford rises
;