Lynnfield, Massachusetts

40 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1988. It stands in Lynnfield town. It lies in ZIP code area 01940. It stands on Beaverdam Brook. The Survey maps it on the Reading quadrangle.

Lynnfield within Essex County

Then and now

1886 to 1988

The same ground, surveyed 102 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Lynnfield, surveyed 1988

Topographic sheet of Lynnfield, surveyed 1886

On record in Lynnfield

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 3 records

Hart Houselisted 1990
Henfield Houselisted 1991
Meetinghouse Common Districtlisted 1976

Topographic sheets covering this place

18 surveys from 40 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

1886 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:62500
1888 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:62500
1893 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:62500, 10 printings
1918 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
1943 USGS Lowell quadrangle1:125000
1944 USGS Reading quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1951 USGS Reading quadrangle1:24000
1951 USGS Reading quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1966 USGS Reading quadrangle1:25000
1966 USGS Reading quadrangle1:24000
1977 USGS Reading quadrangle1:25000
1984 USGS Lowell quadrangle1:100000
1987 USGS Reading quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
1988 USGS Lowell quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings

In the county-history sources

11,216 words on this township

History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888 names this settlement in its chapter on Lynnfield Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

The early history of Lynnfield is, of course, interwoven with that of Lynn, and their natural features are in a large degree similar. Its woody hills form a part of the extensive range that sweeps up from old Plymouth County, varying in height, but never reaching an altitude that entitles them to the name of mountains. They present irregularities of shape, diversities of soil and modifications of geological construction, and follow the line of the coast at dis- tances varying from half a mile to eight miles from the shore, in many places bearing strong evidence of having once been the boundary of the tide. Anciently, for the whole extent they were well wooded ; but as population increased, the axe in many places laid them bare, and orchards and arable fields began to appear. At intervals the chain now seems much broken, as most portions likely for the present to repay the expense have been reclaimed. Some sections, however, still retain much of their primeval aspect, - a fact eminently true of several of the remoter parts of Lynnfield.

Passage source: History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888.

But Lynnfield possesses many attractions for the lover of nature, in her lonely glens and pleasant heights, in her lakelets and busy streams. She has good highways and romantic byways, green meadows and sunny plains. But she has not the ocean views that so charm, and the ocean breezes that so invigorate. Many, however, come hither for temporary homes during the vacation season, and in the quiet enjoyment of rural sights and rural sounds, in the breathing of uncontaminated airs, in the use of fresh and simple food, and in freedom from the restraints of fashionable life, find a medicine that revivifies their jaded energies, and enables them to return to their homes again to enter with zest the accustomed routine.

Passage source: History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888.

The geology of Lynnfield is not very dissimilar to that of Lynn, excepting that granite to a considerable extent takes the place of porphyry and greenstone. Quarries of the former have been long profitably worked. Some years ago a quarry of serpentine was opened. In various sections, in former years, peat meadows yielded an abundance of fuel, it being in some cases found fifteen feet in depth; but of late it has not been so much used, partly, no doubt, on account of the increased expense of labor in the preparation, and partly on account of the greater convenience of other kinds of fuel better adapted to the modern modes of heating.

Passage source: History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Lynnfield Town - it names this place 40 more 40 times.

Fires near this place

107 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 107 fires within 5 miles of Lynnfield between 2003 and 2020, burning about 144 acres in total. None started naturally. 5 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Recreation and ceremony	27
Smoking	21
Debris and open burning	18
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	16
Misuse of fire by a minor	7
Equipment and vehicle use	6
Arson/incendiarism	5
Fireworks	4
Power generation/transmission/distribution	2
Other causes	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
7 September 2007	Recreation and ceremony	1.0 acres	Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
6 September 2007	Recreation and ceremony	1.0 acres	Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
28 September 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
25 September 2015	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	SAUGUS
23 September 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
21 September 2020	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
21 September 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
15 September 2016	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	LYNNFIELD

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Essex County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 9,823 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 9,823 specimens collected within 10 miles of Lynnfield between 1800 and 1975: 4,701 Plantae, 3,346 Animalia, 890 Fungi, 471 Chromista, 273 Bacteria, 125 Unrecorded, 17 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A B. Proper, A E Preble, A. A. Eaton and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Species	Year	Collected by	Where, as recorded
Corylus americana Walter	1900	E. F. Williams
Populus grandidentata Michx.	1900	E. F. Williams
Rhodocollybia prolixa var. distorta (Fr.) Antonín, Halling & Noordel.	1800	R. B. Mackintosh	Peabody
Erysiphaceae	1803	A. B. Seymour
Hamamelis L.	1816	Boott, J.	Andover Turnpike [=Northern Expressway?], 6 miles from Boston.
Viola labradorica Schrank	1816	not recorded	Andover Turnpike, 6 miles from Boston U.S.A.
Brasenia schreberi J.F.Gmel.	1821	not recorded	Pleasant Pond, Wenham, Mass.
Amaranthus cannabinus (L.) Sauer	1822	not recorded
Diphyscium foliosum (Hedw.) D.Mohr	1822	ALCOTT
Arcyria oerstedii Rostaf., 1875	1826	F. A. Gilbert
Potentilla argentea L.	1830	A. P. Bhute
Carex rosea Willd.	1833	W. Boott

All 9,823 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 15 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 15 workings within 5 miles of Lynnfield: 8 past producers, 5 producers, 1 occurrence, 1 plant. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Iron, Silica. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Ferro Ceramic Grinding--Wakefield	Silica	Plant
Saugus Deposit	Iron	Occurrence
Camillieri Corp Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Donald Innis Inc	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Drinkwater Quarry	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Kay Locke Inc Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
New England Crushing Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Philip Drinkwater	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Danvers Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Essex Bituminous Concrete Products	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer	Sedimentary

Every working recorded in Essex County

Storms near this place

13 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lynnfield in 13 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 6 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 2 lightning, 2 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 1998	Flash Flood	Lynnfield	$570,000	Pillings Pond
July 2008	Lightning	South Lynnfield	$100,000	An apartment copmlex on Dearborn Road caught fire after being struck by lightning. A firefighter fighting the fire suffered minor injuries (indirect) after a ceiling collapsed on him.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Lynnfield	$15,000	Trees were downed by thunderstorm winds destroying a shed on Timberhill Lane.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Lynnfield	$10,000	Trees on Main Street, Conant Street, and Wang Road were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Lynnfield	$5,000	At 133 PM EST, power lines were reported down on Orchard Lane in Lynnfield.
March 2020	Lightning	Lynnfield	$1,000	At approximately 8 PM EST in Wakefield, MA a Lakeview Avenue home was struck by lightning. One small area of vinyl siding and some insulation were burned. Quick action by the homeowner, neighbors, and the Fire Department prevented more serious damage.
June 2017	Flood	Lynnfield	$1,000	At 445 PM EST, rain flooded Main Street near Wing Road in Lynnfield. The water reached a depth of six to twelve inches.
May 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Lynnfield	$1,000	A four inch diameter tree limb on Salem Street was downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2023	Flash Flood	Lynnfield	-	In Lynnfield, Durham Dr near Grey Ln had a car stuck in street flooding.
June 2012	Flood	South Lynnfield	-	The Lynnfield tunnel on Route 1 was closed due to flooding.
July 2012	Hail	Lynnfield	-	no account filed
May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Lynnfield	-	no account filed
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Lynnfield	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Essex County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
South Middleton	2.4 miles	40
South Lynnfield	2.9 miles	40
West Peabody	2.9 miles	42
North Saugus	3.3 miles	46
Brigadoon Village	3.6 miles	40
Burleys Corner	4.1 miles	42
Middleton	4.2 miles	40
Merrimac Terrace	4.6 miles	46

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 612772. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.