Westford said a sad farewell on February 12, 2024, when the house at 4 Hildreth Street, having gone through the demolition delay process, was demolished.
The earliest information we have on 4 Hildreth Street comes from Kate Hamlin’s Reminiscences. Catherine “Kate” was born at Westford 12 Aug. 1847, daughter of Cyrus and Dinah Hamlin. This Hamlin family lived at 2 Hildreth Street, now owned since 2021 by Cheshire Schanker and Justin Borick. Kate wrote her Reminiscences in the 1930s and gave descriptions of many of the houses street-by-street in the center of Westford. When she came up Hildreth Street and approached her old home, she wrote,
“Probably the little house next to the one with the brick ends is still standing. It may be of interest to know that the original part of the building was the office of a physician, Dr. Drinkwater. It stood near the present home of Leonard Wheeler. When the doctor left Westford, my father bought his office and it was moved to its present site, where it was used as a home for our hired man, if he chanced to be married.
By the way, the first family that occupied that house was that of Jerry Sullivan. The family had left Ireland in the time of the great famine. As I remember Jerry–rather indistinctly, I must admit he was a man superior to his position. He had a dignified manner, a serious face, and evidently belonged to a better class of Irish than many who left Ireland at that time. Of his children, the oldest was Hannah, who, for many years, was a loved and respected friend in the home of John W. Abbot…”
Some of the owners after the Hamlin’s owned it were Frederick and Ella Hildreth who were the parents of H. V. Hildreth, quarry owner in Westford. In 1932, Ella Hildreth sold it to their granddaughter Katherine A. Nelson, wife of Forrest Nelson. In 1939 it was sold to Eric J. Anderson and in 1945 to Kenneth and Ruth Wright. Finally in 1960 the Wrights sold to Harold and Fran Fletcher. Harold died in 2008 and Frances Fletcher remained the owner of this property until 2023.
Fran worked for the postal service in Westford for 32 years. She began her career as a clerk in the little post office at 2 Lincoln Street and continued at the 45 Main Street location when that opened in 1961, retiring in 1987 when the new post office building now at 301 Littleton Road opened. Fran now lives in Nashua, N.H. See the link to a wonderful article from the Westford Eagle of 12 March 1987 about Fran.
Harold Fletcher graduated from Westford Academy in 1946 and served in the Army for four years. He worked for the Westford Water Department for 49 years beginning in 1955, where he was a Superintendent followed by service as commissioner. The town named a new well in his honor, located on a 13-acre parcel off Concord Road, in 1998. He was also Captain of Company 1 of the Westford Fire Department. The report of the Westford Fire Department from the 2008 Town Report states, “We also lost a long-time stalwart member of our call department, Captain Harold Fletcher, Sr. who served on this department for over 50 years. Capt. Fletcher is best remembered for his participation in organizing the fire department’s first emergency medical services with its first ambulance in 1947.” See the link to the full 2008 article.
On 1 Nov. 2018, the newest fire station opened at 65 Boston Road, Westford. It was named the Fletcher Station in memory of all the Fletchers from town who have served over the years.
And so, we say farewell to the old house at 4 Hildreth Street, remembering fondly the people who have lived here and hoping, the history of this home and its families will not be lost in the dust.
[1] When Kate refers to the “one with brick ends,” this is the one moved across Hildreth Street which is now at #7 Hildreth Street. Dr. Sidney Drinkwater practiced in Westford from about 1845 to 1854 and lived beside #66 Main Street (see 1850 federal census)
Article prepared by Marilyn Day with input from Ellen Harde