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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 39 FARMCREST AVENUE
<br /> MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
<br /> 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125
<br /> 2219
<br /> (1854-1912)was married to Frances Aline Webber McGinness (b. 1868) of Missouri. Valley Field Farm occupied the entire area
<br /> bounded by Marrett and Stedman roads on the north and east and Allen and Waltham streets on the south and west.
<br /> New transportation systems established in the early 20th century opened up large areas of rural land in Lexington for residential
<br /> and commercial development. Street railway service began in Lexington in 1900, replaced by bus lines in 1924). Two state
<br /> roadways were designated in the town, including Marrett and Middle streets as the Route 2A bypass in the 1920s, and parts of
<br /> Mass. Ave., Woburn Street, and Waltham Street as components of an early Route 128 in the 1920s and 30s. By 1921, 35 new
<br /> residential subdivisions were being developed in Lexington. Small commercial centers were established to service the
<br /> expanding population at various cross roads, including what was known as Grape Vine Corner at the intersection of Waltham
<br /> Street and Marrett Road, near the western end of Farmcrest Avenue.
<br /> Known as "Farmhurst,"the subdivision encompassing Farmcrest Avenue was developed by Neil McIntosh, a Lexington resident
<br /> who was active in Lexington,Wellesley, and Arlington. McIntosh's properties comprised more than 500 acres throughout
<br /> Lexington, including Farmhurst, Fair Oaks (just to the north across Marrett Road), the Cary estate, and the Prospect Hill Road
<br /> area.
<br /> In the 1930 federal census, the first to represent Farmcrest Avenue, residents of the street worked in a diverse array of
<br /> occupations: in addition to Mr. Sleeper at#39, there were a college professor, coal dealer, owner of a radio service business,
<br /> plumber, landscaper on a farm, and several salesmen (for furniture, automobiles, printing office supplies, and tea). Reflecting
<br /> the rapid popularity of the automobile, in 1927, of the approximately 37 parcels laid out on Farmcrest Avenue, 23 were occupied
<br /> by new houses and more than half of them (13) also had garages.
<br /> BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
<br /> Historic maps and atlases: Walling 1853; Beers 1875; Walker 1889; Stadly 1898; Walker 1906; Sanborn 1908, 1918, 1927,
<br /> 1935, 1935/1950.
<br /> Lexington Comprehensive Cultural Resources Survey, Period and Area Summaries.
<br /> http://historicsurveV.Iexingtonma.gov/index.htm Accessed Jul 23, 2015.
<br /> Lexington Directories: 1899, 1908-09, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1934, 1936.
<br /> Lexington List of Persons: 1935, 1945, 1955, 1965.
<br /> Massachusetts Historical Commission. "MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Lexington." 1980.
<br /> U.S. Census: 1930, 1940.
<br /> Continuation sheet 2
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