North Reading Massachusetts, 1890
North Reading occupies a northeastern extremity of Middlesex County, and is 23 miles north of Boston. It is intersected by the Lowell and Salem Railroad, which follows the line of Martin's Brook and Ipswich River, the two principal water-courses of the town. It is bounded on the north by Andover and North Andover, east by Middleton, south by Lynnfield and Reading, and west by Wilmington. Its extreme size is about four miles east and west, and the same north and south. The assessed area is 7,605 acres.
The chief rock is sienite and calcareous gneiss. Martin's Pond, of 136 acres, in the northwest, and Swan Pond, of 86 acres, in the northeast section, are beautiful as well as valuable sheets of water. The town is agreeably diversified with hills and valleys, and has a good soil, returning handsome crops of corn, hay, vegetables, apples, cranberries and strawberries. The forests, occupying 4,616 acres, consist principally of oak and pine. The town contains 163 farms, 199 dwelling-houses and 878 inhabitants, including 254 legal voters. The aggregate value of the farm products in 1885 was $103,269, and of manufactures, $105,977. The latter consisted of boots and shoes, made in three factories employing 91 persons, and valued at $17,675; also boxes and lumber, carriages, food preparations, furniture and metallic work. There is one large box factory and sawmill, and one or two grain mills.
The valuation in 1888 was $499,658, with a tax-rate of $14 on $1,000. The post-office is North Reading (village); the other villages being Back Row, Lower End, Neck and Point. There is a good public hall, and 6 school buildings valued at $6,000. The schools include a high and primaries. The Flint Library is free, and contains nearly 3,000 volumes. The church edifices are one each of the Methodists, Baptists and Congregationalists.
This town was incorporated March 22, 1853, The boundary line with Lynnfield was changed May 27, 1857. North Reading furnished 140 men for the Union armies in the late war, of whom 16 were killed or died from the effects of the service.
pp. 518-519 in Nason and Varney's Massachusetts Gazetteer, 1890