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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 118 MARRETT ROAD
<br /> MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
<br /> 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125
<br /> 2245
<br /> HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
<br /> Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state)history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s)the
<br /> owners/occupants played within the community.
<br /> Originally known as Middle Street, Marrett Road is an important cross-highway though Lexington that dates to the early 18th
<br /> century. Scattered development occurred along the street through the 19th and turn of the 20th centuries: Only five houses were
<br /> located between Mass. Ave. and Waltham Street in 1853, and ten in 1875 and through 1906. By 1922, there were 32
<br /> households along the whole of Middle Street, which extended westward to Lincoln Street. Early to late 20th century residential
<br /> infill on relatively large lots (especially along the southern side of the road) contributes to the current, heterogeneous
<br /> streetscape.
<br /> Ambiguous historic maps and a changed street numbering system make the history of 118 Marrett Road difficult to trace for
<br /> purposes of this project. The three houses along the street at 114, 118, and 122 Marrett Road appear to be subdivided from the
<br /> larger Dailey Farm property, which abuts these residential buildings on the south and east. The Dailey Farm is said to have
<br /> been established in 1861. The flanking buildings at 114 and 122 Marrett Road are Dutch Colonial Revival houses (built ca.
<br /> 1920-30), and#118 may originally have been constructed at the same time. (The present front wing may stand on an early 20tH
<br /> century foundation.)
<br /> The first known occupant specifically identified at#118 is Mary E. Dailey, widow of John P. Dailey, in 1935. In that year, William
<br /> C. Dailey, who raised and sold livestock (possibly Mary's son), lived next door at#114 with his wife Sarah and two young
<br /> children. Dr. Thomas K. Norton, a dentist, lived with his wife Catherine at#122. The 1930 census enumerated Mary E. L.
<br /> Dailey, widow, living alone at an unnumbered house on Marrett Road. Her husband John P. Dailey, commonly described as a
<br /> farmer, is identified at this part of Middle Street as early as 1894, when his occupation was listed as milk dealer.
<br /> Later residents of 118 Marrett Road included Horace G. Dearborn, a painter, his wife Helen C., and Helen's father, Murray T.
<br /> Tooker, retired (1945; see also building inventory form for 8 Locust Ave.). They were followed by George A. Clemow, an
<br /> engineer, and his wife Cherry(1955); and William H. Bowen, a manager, and his wife Barbara A. (1965).
<br /> Further research is recommended to establish the history of the house at 118 Marrett Road, its early appearance, and the
<br /> property's associations with the Dailey Farm.
<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: 1894, 1899, 1902, 1908-09, 1913, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1930, 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: 1920, 1930, 1940.
<br /> Continuation sheet 2
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