History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

" Know all men by these present that I Thomas
Nickels of Eeding In the County of middlesex
gentilmau for and in Consideration of the sum of
thirty three pounds six shillings and Eight pence
lawfull mony of New England to me in hand paid
by piniash Spraigue Jun of JIalden in the same
County above s" Cordwinder whereof I do hereby
acknowledge tlie Receipt and my selfe therewith fuly
and entirely satisfied have bargened sold set over
and Deliverd and by these present in plain and
open markit acording to the due fourm of law in
that ease mad and provided do bargain set over
and Deliver unto the said phinas Spraigue Jun a
negro woman namd pidge with one negro boy to
have and to hold to his proper use and behoofe of
him the said phinas Spraigue his heirs, executors
administrators and assigns for ever and I Thomas
nickles for my self my heirs executors administra-
tors and asigns ganst all in all manner of person I
shall warrant and for ever Defend by these present.
In witness whereof with the Deliver of the bar-
gained persons I have set to my iiand and seal the
twenty five Day of april in the 17 fifty three year
of y' Raign of oure Souerign lord gorg the Second
ouer grate Britton.
"Thomas Nichols [seal]
"Signed and our Seal 1753 and Delever in the
present of us
"Jon-* Kidder
"Edward Lambert."
In 1869 the three towns of Maiden, Medford,
and Melrose unitedly purchased the franchise of
the Spot Pond Water Company, which was char-
tered by the legislature in 1867. Several pro-
tracted to^Ti-meetings were held, and strong oppo-
sition was made, before Melrose voted to join her
neighbors in the introduction of this water; but
now that it is running through sixteen miles of
our streets, supplying houses, fire-hydrants, manu-
factories, and public buildings, so great a blessino-
has it proved, that no consideration would induce
the inhabitants to part with it. Situated as Spot
Pond is, it being a natural reservoir one hundred
feet above the general level of the town, fed wholly
by springs, it is not only a ciiarming sheet of wate"r
surrounded by beautiful scenery, but forms one of
the best supphes of pure, soft water to be found
in the state. The water-works were finished and
the water introduced August 26, 1870. The cost
to the town has been $174,551.44. There are
over nine hundred water-takers. The present
MELROSE. 181
water commissioners are Joseph D. Wilde, W. I.
Ellis, and Joseph R. Simonds.
At the annual town-meeting held March 27,
1871, the Melrose Public Library was organized
by the passage of the following vote, whicii was
offered by David Fairbanks, Esq. : " That the
money now in the treasury, refunded to the town
by the county treasurer, pursuant to Chapter 250
of the acts of the legislature in 1869, and all
that shall hereafter accrue to the town under said
act, be appropriated for a public library and read-
ing-room." This refers to what is known as the
dog-tax. At this same meeting Frederic Kidder,
Elbridge H. Goss, and Charles C. Barry were
elected trustees, and the library was opened the
following November, with 1,400 volumes. It has
been since sustained by a small annual aj^propria-
tion in addition to the above sum. Its circulation
lias increased each year, and the library now has
4,000 volumes. Miss Carrie M. Worthen is the
librarian, and the trustees remain the same, with
the exception that in 1873 Miss Hamiah Lynde
and Miss Addie A. Nichols were added to the
board. The town has, besides tlie public library,
one circulating and eight Sabbath-school libra-
ries.
April 15, 1872, the tomi voted to build a town-
hall on Its lot of land corner of Mani and Essex
streets. It was finished and dedicated June 17,
1874, and the address was delivered by Mr. George
F. Stone. It is a fine brick structure, costing
$65,000. It has a bell weighing two thousand
pounds in its tower, and the clock was a gift to
the town by the Hon. Daniel Russell, the present
state senator.
Melrose is the home of several authors. Samuel
Adams Drake has written several standard historical
works : Old Landmarks and Historic Person-
ages of Boston, Historic Fields and Mansions of
Middlesex, Nooh and Corners of the Neiv England
Coast, besides other historical publications.
Mr. Drake has also been a contributor to the lead-
ing magazines, and to the revised edition of the
Encj/clopcedia Britannica} His most recent work.
Captain Nelson, a romance of the Revolution of
1689, is pronounced a successful revival of Amer-
ican historical fiction.
At the breaking out of tiie Civil War Mr. Drake
was a resident of Kansas, which then had no or-
ganized militia or public arms, while her eastern
' The articles Sebastian Cabot, Florida, and Georgia are the
priocipal oaes.