BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

North Village, Massachusetts

46 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Newton City. It lies in ZIP code area 02458. It stands on Laundry Brook (historical). The Survey maps it on the Newton quadrangle.

North Village within Middlesex County

Then and now

1893 to 1989

The same ground, surveyed 96 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of North Village, surveyed 1989
Topographic sheet of North Village, surveyed 1893

Topographic sheets covering this place

46 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.

What happened here

An account from the chapter on Newton city, The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.

From History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880 - Newton City

Newton

JbIj^ 1700, M. 63. Capt. Noab, of Newton, an Officer in the Expedition against Canada. Killed in battle with the Freoch and Indians July C, 1C90. M. 50, leaving t son Thomas. Ebeneser, oC Newton, died June 21, 1691. .fi. 45. ... . . J. B. Jepson, Newton Comer, rereals many gravestones whose inscriptions are no longer l^ble, and others, recalling the names which filled a laige place in the early history of the town, and Belonged to the founders of its institutions and the authors of its prosperity.

Read the rest of this passage

In the county-history sources

124,955 words on this township

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880 names this settlement in its chapter on Newton City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

The Common at Newton Centre was given to the town as a training-field probably as early as 1700. There is no formal record of the donation, but. tradition ascribes the gift nniinly to Jonathan Ihd,', Sr., \^ho di.'.l in 1 7 1 I . at lli'e ripe age of eiuhly-Uve years. Mr. .laekson thinks he may luue'.rivcn'nearlv two thirds of it, and that iiion' than one third was given by Elder Wisxvall or his sons. In 1703 Mr. Hyde also gave to the selectmen of Newton in trust iialf an acre of land near Oak Hill, for the benefit of the school in the south part of the town. This half-acre of land was sold after many years, and a small fund accumulated from the proceeds, which was divided among the inhabitants of the south school-district by vote of the town, pro rata, according to the taxes which each one paid. This Jonathan Hyde had twentythree children, to whom he distributed his property by deeds of gift a few years previous to his decease. Various records show by incidental testimony that the Common was regarded and used for many years as tlie property of the town ; besides which, the existence of bound-marks and fencing and undisputed possession for a hundred and seventy years seem to indicate a sufficiently secure title. '

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

The growth of the North Village of Newton dates back to a period of more than a century ago, when David Bemis purchased thirty-nine acres of land on the Watertown side of Charles River, and subsequently twenty-five more, - embracing all the land now covered by the buildings on that side of the river. In 1778 David Bemis, with Dr. Enos Sumner, who then owned the land on the Newton side of the river, constructed the dam across the river, where it now stands. A papermill was erected here in 1779, and the business of manufacturing paper was carried on successfully more than forty years. Many of the workmen and much of the machinery requisite were imported from Europe. So important was tlie enterprise considered in a public ])oint nf view, that when the establislnnent was burned iIomii, tlie legislature of Massachusetts made a special grant to enable the owners of the mill to rebiiild. The process of paper-making was then slow and tedious, requiring as many montiis as it, now rc(|iiii-i's days. Each sheet was made singly by dipping the mould into the i)iil|i, and tlicii liirinng it over iipcu a woollen felt, to which the pulp adhered. Upon this another felt was laid for the reception of another sheet, and thus the process was continued. Mr. Jacob Mead, an ingenious citizen of Waltham, subsequently invented a macliine for weaving copper wire for the construction of paper-moulds, which proved a great convenience to the public, and highly remunerative to the inventor.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

Newton Water- Works. - Prior to the year 1871 two or three private aqueducts had been constructed in Newton, which yielded a limited domestic supply; but there was no public provision adequate to the necessities of the town. In April, 1871, a resolve was passed by the citizens in town-meeting assembled, appointing a committee of three gentlemen "to investigate the best method of supplying the town with water, and to report at a subsequent town-meeting." At a town-meeting held November 13, 1871, this committee reported in favor of taking water from Charles Eiver. The report of this committee, which was thorough and of considerable extent, took into view a careful consideration of sources of supply, cost of works, mode of distribution, water damages, and other points important to a full understanding of the subject, and closed their report by recommending that a committee be chosen to apply to the legislature for an act giving the town full power to carry the report into effect, and report at a subsequent meeting. In order to obtain an expression of the popular opinion concerning the introduction of water, the citizens were called upon in 1871 to vote " Yes" or " No " on the question, " Shall the city of Newton be supplied with water for fire and domestic purposes, at an expense not exceeding §600,000, in accordance with the special Act of the Legislature of 1872, chapter 311, authorizing the same?" The vote was taken by ballot Deceinber 1, 1874", and resulted in yeas 928, nays 443. On the 9tli of Deceiuber a board of three water commissioners was apjjointod, who in May, 1875, made their report to the city council, recommending as a source " a well at a point on Charles River above Pettee's works at the Upper Falls " ; advising the use of a reservoir for distribution, and estimating the cost at not over § 800,000.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

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 Newton City - it names this place 1 more 1 time.

Fires near this place

68 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 68 fires within 5 miles of North Village between 2015 and 2020, burning about 32 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 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 ceremony28
Missing data/not specified/undetermined23
Debris and open burning8
Smoking3
Arson/incendiarism3
Equipment and vehicle use1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Misuse of fire by a minor1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlNEEDHAM
3 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
3 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlNEEDHAM
23 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlWELLESLEY
21 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlNEEDHAM
2 September 2018Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBROOKLINE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Middlesex County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 2,415 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 2,415 specimens collected within 10 miles of North Village between 1898 and 1975: 1,222 Animalia, 655 Plantae, 469 Fungi, 29 Protozoa, 17 Bacteria, 14 Chromista, 9 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by ?, A B Seymour, A. B. Seymour 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.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 18221900not recordedWayland
Specimen of Trientalis borealis Raf.Trientalis borealis Raf.1900A. P. Chute
Aglaospora profusa (Fr.) De Not.1898Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Antennaria howellii, not of this specimenAntennaria howellii subsp. canadensis (Greene) R.J.Bayer1898Williams, E.F.
A photograph of the species Antennaria parlinii, not of this specimenAntennaria parlinii subsp. fallax (Greene) R.J.Bayer & Stebbins1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Antennaria plantaginifolia, not of this specimenAntennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Hook.1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Aquilegia canadensis, not of this specimenAquilegia canadensis L.1898M. I. GunnNatick
A photograph of the species Acanthis flammea, not of this specimenAcanthis flammea flammea (Linnaeus, 1758)1900ZAPPEY, W RROSLINDALE
A photograph of the species Acer carpinifolium, not of this specimenAcer carpinifolium Siebold & Zucc.1900A. K. HarrisonHarvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge.
A photograph of the species Acer palmatum, not of this specimenAcer palmatum var. dissectum (Thunb.) Miq.1900A. K. HarrisonHarvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge.
A photograph of the species Agaricus brunnescens, not of this specimenAgaricus brunnescens Peck1900Morris, G. E.Waltham
A photograph of the species Alnus incana, not of this specimenAlnus incana subsp. rugosa (Du Roi) R.T.Clausen1900J. Murdoch, Jr.Roxbury

All 2,415 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

9 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of North Village: 4 past producers, 4 plants, 1 producer. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Iron, Lead. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
(Facility) Cambridge Smelter CoLeadPlant
Nrc Inc--Newton, Ma.Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium)Plant
Industrial Serv. Centers--CambridgeIronPlant
Massachusetts Broken Stone CoStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Weston MineStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Wheelock-Lovejoy--Cambridge, Ma.IronPlant
Burton PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Town of WellesleySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Town of WellesleySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Middlesex 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.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Newton Corner0.3 miles46
Nonantum0.3 miles46
Bemis0.4 miles46
Watertown0.9 miles46
Newtonville1.1 miles46
Clematis Brook Station1.3 miles46
Beaver Brook Station1.6 miles46
Waverley1.7 miles46

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 606463. 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.