01940 Winter 2020

36 | 01940
Uncovering the history of
Pillings Pond
BY DANIEL KANE
The history of Pillings Pond is long in
Lynnfield and its roots run deep — but
it is still capable of surprising even longtime
residents.
Kirk Mansfield's family history
and the pond go hand in hand but
uncovering that shared legacy didn't
occur to him until recently.
"Helen Breen (town amateur
historian) does a lot of great pieces about
the town and its history," Mansfield said.
"She came to talk to me about my family.
I thought I knew everything about the
pond but I realized I couldn't answer a
lot of the in-depth questions she asked."
Mansfield knew that his great
grandfather moved to Lynnfield about
100 years ago looking for a rural lifestyle
on the water. That's where Pillings Pond
was the perfect fit. He bought several
cottages around the water and renamed
the street he lived on, which Kirk still
lives on today, to Ryan Road. But still
several of the stories about the area
Mansfield thought were fact weren't
included in the history of the pond's
Bellevue Island.
"I was always told when I was little
Homes line the water of Pillings Pond in Lynnfield.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK