Virtual Collections

Annual Reports

View Annual Reports from the Town of Billerica.

Billerica By The Book

A collection of books on Billerica history available through Google Books and other resources. Access full online text here.

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Billerica Garden Suburb

The Garden Suburb was incorporated in 1914 and built in response to a housing shortage created by B&M machine shops coming to Billerica. Designed by Warren Manning with playgrounds, gardens and cottage style houses, this was a first in affordable housing opportunities

North Billerica Garden Suburb by Patricia Henry, a Master’s Thesis

“Forgotten Utopias” by Robert Campbell

Billerica's  Great Deed

The first grants in the Shawshin wilderness were issued to Governor Winthrop and Lt Governor Dudley in 1638. Several other large grants to important proprietors of Cambridge followed making the Shawshin wilderness (Billerica) part of Cambridge. As more and more families settled on these grants, the need to self-govern became apparent. After a series of petitions to the court and other negotiations the Town of Billerica was established in 1655. As a final acquisition of approximately 8000 acres was agreed upon the resulting document, “Billerica: Deed of Their Town from Cambridge Proprietors” was created. It is commonly referred to as “The Great Deed”. This is the most important document in Billerica’s history.

In the spring of 2019, Community Preservation Committee funds were approved to preserve this important historic document.

Cemeteries

Digital catalogs and photographs of Billerica’s cemeteries. Indexes and catalogs are available through the link below.

Historic Districts & Homes

The Historic Districts Commission was established under the provisions of the Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40C to oversee development with the Town of Billerica’s historic districts. The four districts are known as the Center District, the North Billerica Mills District, the Corner District, and the Richardson’s Mill District.

Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System – Massachusetts Historical Commission

MACRIS data are compiled from a variety of records and files maintained by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC), including but not limited to, the Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth, National Register of Historic Places nominations, State Register of Historic Places listings, and local historic district study reports.

Maps

Military Monuments

Mitchell Boys School

Mitchell Military Boys School was opened in 1879 by Moses C. Mitchell. A fire in January 1888 destroyed the original school located on Andover Road and Boston Road. The school reopened in October 1888 at its new location on Concord Road. The school remained open until 1943.

People

Photographs

These images were taken by Natt Hutchins, a photographer from North Billerica, with the assistance of H. W. Sheldon. These images, created from glass plate negatives, capture life in Billerica at the turn of the 20th century.

Vital Records

Births, Deaths & Marriages from 1600s to 1950

Witchcraft in Billerica

The Salem witchcraft events began in late February 1692 and lasted through April, 1693. Over 160 people were accused of witchcraft, at least twenty-five people died: nineteen were executed by hanging, one was tortured to death, and at least five died in jail due to harsh conditions. Many of those involved were from, or had ties to, Billerica.

Yearbooks

Available full text, Billerica Yearbooks beginning with the 1937 Howe High School through the 2020 BMHS Warrior. Also included, the 1880 and 1897 Catalogues of the Howe School. Digitized by Boston Public Library funded through an LSTA grant and hosted by archive.org.

View Yearbooks

Howe High School Torch, literary magazine. Torch