History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

548 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
Mr. H. N. Hastings started a small sheets in con-
nection with his jjrinting-office, which he called The
JFolant Budget. It was enlarged in 1858, and
again in 1859, when John L. Parker became asso-
ciated with Mr. Hastings, and T/ie Budget continued
an active and spirited paper until December, 1863.
It was then suspended by the second entrance of
Mr. Parker upon service in the army. Being dis-
abled from such duty, he returned to Woburn, and
started The W'o/mrn Townsman in February, 1864 ;
but enlisting again in the following September,
the paper was merged in The W'oLunt Journal,
then conducted by E. Marchant. In January,
1871, Mark Allen began the publication of The
IFubiirn Advertiser, which has continued in his
hands to the present time. All of the above
papers were, or are, issued weekly. In addition.
The Weekly Independent was published by P. L.
Richardson from January to August, 1878. In
187-2 two young men, H. B. and E. A. Dow,
started an amateur paper called The Yonng Inde-
pendent, printed monthly. At the close of the
tenth issue it was suspended. Our Paper was the
title of a monthly publication begun by E«v. Mr.
Barnes, pastor of the Unitarian Parish, in the in-
terest of that society, and was continued for two
years (1875 to 1877). A paper of similar char-
acter was issued for a short time by the Baptist
Society in 1875.
The business of Woburn naturally connects
itself with the Branch Railroad. It may seem
scarcely credible to the present generation to be
told thit when the directors of the Boston and
Lowell Railroad established their line of road between
these terminal points, in 1883, they made
a special effort to avoid all the villages lying on
the route. Hence Medford, Woburn, Wilmington,
Billerica, and Tewksbury were ])assed by on one or
the other side. But the increasing travel between
Woburn and Boston, and especially the heavy
freights from the bark regions of the north, led to
negotiations for a branch to this tnun. A charter
was (jbiaincd by citizens of Wobnrn, whicii was
iiMii>r(ir((i 1(1 the Boston and Lowell Corporation,
an, I the r.iiid was built by that e