A short history of Medford, Mass.

Medford was settled in 1630 as part of Charlestown, making it one of America's oldest settlements. In 1634, representatives of Matthew Cradock, a London merchant and the former governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, staked out a large chunk of land north of the Mystic River, including most of modern Medford, as Cradock's private plantation, though there is no evidence Craddock himself ever set foot there. The area was originally known as "Mistick", but Craddock renamed it "Meadford", possibly from a description of the "meadow by the ford" in the Mystic River, or from one of two English locations that Cradock may have been familiar with, Metford in Staffordshire or the parish of Medford (now Towcester) in Northamptonshire). The plantation flourished as Cradock's men engaged in farming, fishing, and shipbuilding.

In 1637, the first bridge across the Mystic River was built at the site of the present-day Cradock Bridge, near Medford Square. For 150 years it was the only bridge across the Mystic River (though ferries and fords were also used). As such, it became a major route for traffic coming into and out of Boston from the north, and since it was a toll bridge it became a major source of income.

After Cradock's death in 1641, the land passed to his heirs. They had no interest in living in the new world either, and sold the plantation to Edward Collins in 1652. In 1656, Collins began to sell off pieces of the plantation and Medford began to develop as a town. By 1674 there were enough settlers not living on the plantation to elect a Board of Selectmen and take the first steps toward self-government. Although Medford was never formally incorporated as a town, in 1684 the Legislature granted it the powers of one, including the ability to raise money through taxes. Beginning in 1689, Medford sent a representative to the colonial Legislature. The first representative was Peter Tufts, whose house still exists and is thought to be the oldest all-brick building in New England. The town got its own religious meeting room in 1690, and a secular meeting house in 1696.

In 1754 the land south of the Mystic River, known as "Mistick Field", was transferred from Charlestown to Medford. This grant also included the "Charlestown Wood Lots" (the Medford part of the Middlesex Fells), and part of what at the time was Woburn (now Winchester). For more than 100 years the town's boundary remained fluid. Parts of Medford were transferred to Charlestown in 1811, Winchester in 1850, and Malden in 1879. Additional land was transferred to Medford from Malden (1817), Everett (1875), and Malden again (1877).

General George Washington visited Medford during the Revolutionary War, and Paul Revere rode though town on his famous ride, shouting "The British are coming!"

The population of Medford grew from 230 in 1700 to 1,114 in 1800. Growth in the mid-19th century was spurred by the arrival of railroads, which made shipping goods and traveling to and from Boston much quicker and easier. The Boston and Lowell Railroad brought service to West Medford in the 1830, and the Boston and Maine Railroad came to Medford Center in 1847. In the 1840s and 1850s the character of the town changed as farmland was divided into lots and sold for construction of residential and commercial buildings. Government services expanded with the population (schools, police, post office) and technological advancement (gas lighting, electricity, telephones, railways). Tufts University was chartered in 1852.

After 1880, the population expanded rapidly, reaching 18,244 by 1900. Medford was incorporated as a city in 1892 and was a center of industry, including the manufacture of brick and tile, Medford Rum, Medford Crackers. It was also a leader in the important industry of building clipper ships.

A horse-powered street railway began running to Somerville and Charlestown in 1860. The street railway network expanded in the hands of various private companies, and went electric in the late 1890s, when trolleys to Everett and downtown Boston were available. Streetcars were converted to buses in the 1900s. Interstate 93, which bisects the city, was constructed between 1956 and 1963.

Many famous people have called Medford home over the years, including Fannie Farmer, author of one of the world's most famous cookbooks, pioneer aviatrix Amelia Earhart, and businessman and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Sources: Wikipedia, Medford Historical Society