Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.14001, extreme scan by Fred Merriam, colorized by Color Reflections Inc for TD Bank- The General Court granted the petition of several inhabitants of Concord and Woburn to erect a new plantation near the Merrimack River.
- Nov 22 - The first town meeting was held at the home of William Fletcher.
- May 29 - The Town was granted its charter by the General Court, together with Billerica and Groton. The town was named Chelmsford, after a town of that name in Essex, England.
- Reverend John Fiske from Wenham was secured as the first minister, and he brought the majority of his parishioners with him to join the more than 20 families already settled.
- Nov 13 - Reverend Fiske founded the First Congregational Society, Unitarian, the first organized ecclesiastical group in Chelmsford.
- The first center meetinghouse was constructed by 1660 for town government use as well as for religious services.
- Forefather’s Burying Ground was established.
- The town began granting land to tradesmen who would set up their businesses in town. In May, 12 acres of meadow and 18 of upland were granted to the first weaver. In July, 450 acres were granted to Samuel Adams to establish the first saw mill.
- Thomas Hinchman constructed a saw mill on Stony Brook.
- Jan 14 - Reverend John Fiske died after 20 years of service.
- The Wamsit Indian territory west of the Concord River and south of the Merrimack River, plus 500 acres of wilderness north of the Merrimakc River, was purchased by Jonathan Tyng Esquire of Dunstable. He then sold half his ownership rights except for one forty-sixth part to Thomas Hinchman, John Fiske, and Josiah Richardson of Chelmsford for £150. With the main parcel subdivided into 50 lots, the remaining 46 lots were sold, each with Jonathan Tyng and Thomas Hinchman signing away their half interests. The new proprietors, mostly from Chelmsford, built a wall from the Merrimack to Concord rivers and used the land for grazing their cattle.
- At least 19 houses in town were designated as garrisons to serve as protection against the native indians.
- Samuel Fletcher was made the first schoolmaster. By then, there were 100 families living in the town.
- Jul 1 - The town accepted their second meetinghouse, constructed with an appropriation of £330.
- A wall was built around the Forefathers Burying Ground.
- The first one-room schoolhouse was built in a corner of the Forefathers Burying Ground. Another school on Parkhurst Road soon followed.
- Apr 23 - Because there was smallpox in the family of John Bates, the Selectman ordered that the road that went by their house be closed.
- Jun 13 - The Wamesit Purchase was annexed to Chelmsford, becoming part of East Chelmsford. The land north of the Merrimack River had already been annexed to Dracut in 1701.
- Oct 29 - A severe earthquake in this part of the country lasted about two minutes causing walls and chimneys to fall in Chelmsford.
- Sep 23 - The western half of Chelmsford was incorporated as the Town of Westford.
- Lime quarries and kilns were developed at the end of Bridge Street on what is now the Lime Quarry Reservation on Littleton Road.
- Dec 16 - Patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians went to Griffin's Wharf where three tea ships were harbored. They quickly destroyed 342 crates of British tea, defiantly dumping the precious cargo into the sea. Afterward, Boston Tea Party participant Samuel Pitts settled in Chelmsford, and his brother John settled in Tyngsboro.
- Apr 19 - 177 Chelmsford men assembled on Town Common to march to Concord at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
- Nathaniel Coverly moved here from Boston. He set up his printing press in the south part of the town, printing "sundry pamphlets and small works."
- Chelmsford population: 1,100.
- Oct 17 - British General John Burgoyne surrendered after the Battle of Saratoga, with Captain Ford of Chelmsford and his men present to witness the event.
- The Town established the District School System. By 1800, there were 12 school districts in Chelmsford.
- Jun 22 - The Middlesex Canal Corporation received its charter to construct a canal connecting Boston to the Merrimack River through Chelmsford and Middlesex Village.
- Construction began on the Middlesex Canal with 20 locks, each 80 ft long, and between 10 and 11 ft wide. The water source at the highest point was the Concord River in Billerica.
- The Social Library was organized by Reverend Hezekiah Packard. The membership fee was two dollars and the annual dues were twenty-five cents.
- The second meeting house was replaced with a third, measuring 64 x 48 ft with a steeple to house a new bell. The town provided partial funding for this project.
- Jan 1 - The first post office opened in town.
- A new brick schoolhouse was erected on Forefathers Burying Ground with bricks made in East Chelmsford.
- Apr 22 - The 27-mile long Middlesex Canal opened for business after nine years of construction. The canal used boats pulled by horses to carry freight and passengers between Boston and the Merrimack River at Middlesex Village.
- The Chelmsford Glass Works was established, conveniently located next to the Middlesex Canal for receiving raw materials and shipping out finished goods, such as window panes and bottles. Some glass blowers made whimsical items now on display at the Historical Society.
- Jun 15 - The Middlesex Turnpike was chartered for commercial travel from Boston to the New Hampshire border in Tyngsboro. This turnpike was layed out in a series of perfectly straight lines, saving a few travel miles, but missing popular stagecoach stopovers such as Chelmsford Center and Bedford.
- The Chelmsford Granite Quarry opened near the Westford town line.
- The Middlesex Turnpike toll road from Boston to New Hampshire opened for business.
- Sep 18 - A very destructive gale, known as "The Great Blow," damaged property in Chelmsford and throughout New England.
- Deacon Farwell opened a Scythe Factory on Stony Brook in West Chelmsford, which became Roby and Company in 1853. Christopher Roby produced swords during the Civil War.
- The first town history book was completed by Reverend Wilkes Allen and published by FN Green of Haverhill.
- A 120-acre farm on Mill Road with house and barn was purchase for use as a town farm where the poor could be housed and gainfully employed.
- The town voted to have a hospital for all infected with the smallpox and to provide annually for the vaccination of the inhabitants.
- William Baldwin published the Chelmsford Courier, probably the earliest newspaper in town.
- Gardner Fletcher of Chelmsford furnished granite for the 1824-1826 construction of Quincy Market in Boston.
- The Chelmsford Classical School was founded to provide education beyond that offered by the one-room schoolhouse. Concord's Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the first teachers.
- Mar 1 - The Pawtucket Village and Wamesit sections of East Chelmsford were chartered as the Town of Lowell, named after Francis Cabot Lowell.
- The Chelmsford Glass Company was rebuilt after a fire.
- Jun 5 - The Boston and Lowell Railroad was chartered, planning a route parallel to the Middlesex Canal, with no provision for reparations to the Middlsex Canal's investors.
- The Middlesex Canal Toll House was constructed on Landing #9 at the head of the canal in Middlesex Village. The building was donated to the Town about 90 years later, and is now on display at Chelmsford Common.
- The Silver and Gay Company (later renamed North Chelmsford Machine and Supply Company), was one of the first machine shops in the US to manufacture worsted yarn machinery. They also invented an automatic ball winder for twine.
- A technological race was on to provide a convenient way to light a fire. South Chelmsford's Ezekiel Byam began manufacturing the first Lucifer matches in America, practical but dangerous to manufacture.
- The Boston & Lowell Railroad opened, beginning a steady decline in Middlesex Canal revenue. Although the Canal passed through the Middlesex Village section of Chelmsford, this railroad did not serve Chelmsford directly.
- The sum of $100 was appropriated for vaccinating all townspeople against smallpox.
- The First Baptist Church was constructed in South Chelmsford. This was the first church in Chelmsford to be seperate from town govermnent.
- Apr 1 - The Town of Lowell was incorporated as the City of Lowell.
- Dec 23 - The Nashua & Lowell Railroad opened from Lowell to New Hampshire, following the Merrimack River through North Chelmsford. This railroad provided freight and passenger service at their North Chelmsford station with access to the Boston & Lowell Railroad in Lowell.
- The Chelmsford Glass Works in Middlesex Village moved to Suncook, New Hampshire.
- Mar 14 - There was heated disagreement between two factions, Universalist (Union Parish) and Congregational (First Congregational Church), regarding viewpoints on salvation. A fire broke out, burning the meeting house to the ground. A new meeting house was built with the town spending $1,426 on construction of an above-ground basement as a civic meeting place. The church raised $3,858 through sale of pews for construction of the upstairs space for religious functions. A steeple was added, similar to one in Littleton, and a new bell replaced the old one that had melted in the fire. The two factions reconciled and co-existed in the new meeting house until 1878 when the Congregationalists left to form their own church.
- Mar 23 - The Stony Brook Railroad Corporation was chartered to connect the Nashua & Lowell Railroad to the Fitchburg Raillroad in Ayer, following the course of Stony Brook through North and West Chelmsford.
- The Middlesex Turnpike became a free road and some sections in Chelmsford were completely abandoned. State Route 4 provided a more direct way to travel between North Chelmsford, Chelmsford Center, and Bedford. The turnpike toll house at the intersection with Billerica Road still exists on its original location at 47 Golden cove Road.
- Jul 4 - The 13.19 mile long Stony Brook Railroad opened for business, with passenger and freight service at the junction with the Nashua & Lowell Railroad in North Chelmsford and at School Street in West Chelmsford. They did not run their own trains, but contracted out train operations to the Nashua and Lowell Railroad.
- Chelmsford population: 2,079.
- Nov 25 - The last boat passed through the Middlesex Canal as the nearby railroad provided faster service and did not have to shut down in winter.
- North Town Hall was built at 31-Princeton Street.
- The terminology describing the building in the town center as the "meeting house" was changed to the "church" starting this year.
- Sep 22 - The Revolutionary War monument was dedicated on Center Common. Tradition says it was constructed on the site of a "money tree" where money was stashed in a hole for use by local soldiers.
- Chelmsford population: 2,291.
- Aug - Men from Chelmsford, Dracut, Billerica, Tewksbury, and Tyngsboro muster into Company K of the 6th Regiment of Massachusetts to serve a “Nine Months Campaign” in the Civil War.
- May 18 - The Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was short handed with most miliary age men serving in the War of the Rebellion: "... the State finds itself at this moment without any adequate organized military force available for the protection of the State, or for the maintenance of the public peace." In response to this need: "The petition of Christopher Roby and others of Chelmsford for permission to enlist a company of Cavalry in the INDEPENDENT DIVISION OF THE MILITIA OF MASSACHUSETTS, is granted."
- Sep 5 - Troop F Cavalry was organized as a unit of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, with Christopher Roby commissioned as Captain, Edgar L Parkhurst as First Lieutenant, and Warren C Hamblett as Second Lieutenant. This organization continued for 42 years and 10 months, with headquarters at various times in Chelmsford, North Chelmsford, and West Chelmsford.
- Harriet B Rogers opens the Chelmsford School, first school in America to successfully teach lip reading and speech to deaf children.
- Oct 1 - In response to a $50,000 offer from John Clarke of Northampton, Harriet Rogers moved the Chelmsford School to Northampton, becoming the Clarke School for the Deaf. It is still in operation in 2024 as the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
- Mar 23 - The Framingham & Lowell Railroad, planned to pass through Chelmsford Center and South Chelmsford, was incorporated. Its purpose was to connect the growing railroad hub of Framingham with the important mill city of Lowell.
- Chelmsford population: 2,374.
- The Town purchased the former Manning Tavern at 110-Billerica Road for use as the town farm and infirmary after the Mill Road Town Farm burned down.
- The North Chelmsford Library Association was formed.
- Oct 1 - The 26.1 mile Framingham & Lowell Railroad opened bringing freight and passenger service to Chelmsford's Central Square and South Chelmsford at Maple Road.
- May 18 - The Middlesex Village section of Chelmsford was annexed to the City of Lowell.
- The Chelmsford Village Improvement Association formed, setting out kerosene lamps each night to provide street lighting.
- The steeple on the First Parish Church was toppled by a powerful windstorm, and a new steeple was constructed to accommodate a four-sided steeple clock purchased from the Howard Clock Company of Waltham.
- George C Moore opened a wool scouring establishment (later Selesia Mills), the largest mill in town, in North Chelmsford. Mr Moore captured a large percentage of the world's wool cleaning trade over the next few dacades. The Mill was sold in 1912 to the United States Worsted Company for $3 million.
- The South Chelmsford Hall Association purchased a 1/8 acre parcel at 318 Acton road and erected Liberty Hall in the spring.
- Center Town Hall was built at 1A-North Road next to the Framingham & Lowell railroad tracks. The former meeting hall underneath the First Parish Church was sold to the church.
- All Saints Church construction began at 10-Billerica Road.
- Chelmsford population: 2,553.
- The South Chelmsford Village Improvement Association was formed, taking upon themselves "the project of improving, beautifying and ornamenting their village and suburbs." They organized social events in Liberty Hall but held business meetings at members' homes.
- Massachusetts was last of the original 13 states to officially separate church and state when it dropped official support of Congregationalism. Chelmsford had already separated with construction of Center Town Hall in 1879.
- Dec 27 - The Eagle Mill, stone centerpiece of the Chelmsford Woolen Mills in West Chelmsford, burned to the ground and was not rebuilt. The stones were later used for School Street roadway improvements.
- Just seven years after Alexander Graham Bell made the first long distance call from Salem to Boston, MA, there were 16 telephones in Chelmsford.
- The "Lone Pine Tree" on Robin's Hill was said to be the first sign of land for approaching ships and was a landmark for miles around. This year it had been long dead and was ceremoniously cut down. A flagpole was raised in its place.
- Jul 1 - Walter S Simons opened his Summit House on Robin's Hill, serving ice cream and other refreshments. Simons lived at 15-Byam Road at the bottom of the hill.
- Jun 22 - The first graduation of the Center High School consisted of 13 members. Their class motto was "Now Bend to Your Oars."
- The United Methodist Church was constructed in West Chelmsford, replacing a relocated barn that served as the original church.
- Chelmsford population: 2,695.
- Students of the Center High School planted the purple beech tree near the Revolutionary War Monument on the Town Common.
- Oct 3 - Electric streetcar service from Lowell to North Chelsmford via Middlesex Street began. This was also the year that horse-drawn streetcar service in the Lowell area ended completely.
- Nov 22 - The Chelmsford Odd Fellows Lodge #218 was instituted. Land was purchased in 1893, and a commercial building with lodge space upstairs was completed in Central Square in 1896.
- Jan 20 - The North Congregational Church on Middlesex Street burned to the ground and was replaced by new church on land donated by Elisha Shaw at 11-Princeton Street.
- Oct 7 - The Town's Free Public Library opened in the first floor of Center Town Hall.
- The Middlesex County Training School was established as an alternate public school for boys ages 7-16 who had not been able to adjust to the regular public school. Boys from six counties attended.
- The Lowell Gas Company laid the first gas main in Chelmsford for a single customer. By 1920, there were 69 customers.
- May 8 - The Adams Library at 25-Boston Road was dedicated. The land was donated by J Adams Bartlett and the building was financed by Amos Francis Adams. The Social Library was the largest original contributor of books, donating their entire collection of 1,846 volumes.
- The Stevens Street electric streetcar line in Lowell was exteded along Chelmsford Street to Chelmsford Center, ending on Boston Road opposite Warren Avenue.
- Frank Harris opened the Wannalancit Park horse racing track near the present location of the Lighthouse School in North Chelmsford. It closed within five years and was auctioned off.
- Chelmsford population: 3,984.
- The Chelmsford Spring Company was founded by C George Armstrong producing ginger beer, manola, and ginger ale. After 1910 it became the Chelmsford Ginger Ale Company.
- The Chelmsford Grange #244 was organized.
- May 28-31 - Chelmsford began a four-day celebration of its 250th anniversary. Some of the events included: Concerts on the Common, Historical Exhibits, Anniversary Program, Homecoming Reception, Memorial Day Exersises, Children's Entertainment, Tours of the Town, Banquet, Reception, and Anniversary Ball.
- Former Chelmsford resident and cytologist, Nettie Maria Stevens discovered the role of x and y chromosomes in sex determination, by studying beetles.
- Dec 26 - The Crystal Lake dam burst near the canal entrance draining the lake into the land below. As the canal water was still in use by the mills, the dam was quickly rebuilt and the lake refilled.
- The North Chelmsford Water District was formed.
- The Center Village Improvement Association introduced gas street lights to the center of town. A few years later these were replaced with electric lights.
- The Chelmsford Lawn Tennis Club was formed, and continued for 20 years.
- Jul 1 - Troop F Cavalry was disbanded. During its more than 42-year existance, the Troop mustered 41 times but never had to fight in battle. They did perform escort duty for 18 Massachusetts governors and four United States Presidents: Ulysses Grant, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, and Theodore Roosevelt. "When Troop F was disbanded, a Veteran Association was formed and incorporated ... named 'The Spalding Light Cavalry Association,' which inherited all the securities, real estate and property of the late Troop."
- A new South Elementary School was constructed at 17 Proctor Road to replace a smaller school located at 295 Acton Road where the fire station is today.
- Boy Scout Troop 42, the first in Chelmsford, was established by UK native James Kiberd.
- Chelmsford population: 5,010.
- An experimental fire tower, 38 ft tall, was built by the state on private land at the top of Robin's Hill.
- Dec 11 - The original ginger ale plant was destroyed by fire, but was immediately rebuilt using fireproof materials and enlarged.
- Central Savings Bank foreclosed on the Odd Fellows Hall.
- The Chelmsford Water District was formed in response to water shortages during the fire at the ginger ale plant.
- Chelmsford High School opened at 50-Billerica Road in a new brick building which is now repurposed as the Town Offices.
- The second town history book was started by Henry S Perham, completed by Reverend Wilson Waters, and publushed by Courier-Citizen Corporation of Lowell.
- Nov 11 - The Armistice was signed ending WWI, which began June 28, 1914. Two hundred fifty men and six women served from Chelmsford, with six war-related deaths.
- A worldwide influenza epidemic sickened 950 residents in Chelmsford.
- The state purchased a 50 ft square parcel from the owner at the top of Robin's Hill and dismantled the 38 ft experimental tower. They constructed a new 68 ft steel fire tower with the cabin floor at 488 ft above sea level.
- Jun 19 - Chelmsford celebrated the homecoming of the men and women who served during WWI.
- Chelmsford Girl Scout Troop 1 was organized by Esther Dane Woodward only six years after the Girl Scouts were founded.
- The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway was established this year, and in May instituted one-man streetcar operation, where before both a conductor and motorman were required.
- The Nickels family started developing summer residences around Heart Pond.
- American Legion Post #212 was organized in Chelmsford Center, with a Women's Auxiliary following in 1922.
- Chelmsford population: 5,682.
- Nov 28 - A severe ice storm struck Chelmsford knocking down trees, wires, and poles. Power was not fully restored until the New Year.
- The World War I Monument was dedicated on North Chelmsford Common in honor of casualty Private Alberton W Vinal.
- St Mary’s Mission was constructed at the intersection of North Road and Fletcher Street.
- Jul 19 - Police Officer Donald Adams was shot in the line of duty, while attempting to make an arrest on the Chelmsford Street trolley. He was the first and only Chelmsford police officer killed in the line of duty.
- The Chelmsford Ginger Ale Company was sold to Canada Dry.
- The Lowell and Fitchburg Street Railway line running in North and West Chelmsford was abandoned in July.
- The Chelmsford Historical Society was founded with Charles E Bartlett as first president.
- Chelmsford population: 7,022.
- The East Chelmsford trolley line was replaced with self-powered bus service.
- The Chelmsford Police Department purchased its first patrol car (motorcycles were used prior to this).
- The North Chelmsford trolley line was replaced with self-powered bus service.
- The East Chelmsford Water District was formed.
- The Chelmsford Players, a theatrical group, was formed and lasted for 46 years.
- The South Chelmsford Water District was formed.
- Jul 11 - The last Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway trolley was driven from Chelmsford Center back to Lowell around midnight, and bus service began early the next morning on the same schedule.
- Mar 11-14 - A catastrophic ice-melt and rain event caused many rivers in New England to flood their banks. The Merrimack River flooded mills, homes, and railroads in North Chelmsford.
- The Planning Board was established.
- Sep 21 - A hurricane devastated the northeast. In Chelmsford large trees all over town were felled by 100 mph winds, and the fire tower on Robin's hill was destroyed. A shorter temporary wooden tower was built in its place.
- The Town adopts its first zoning bylaw.
- The state built a new 68 ft tall galvanized steel fire tower on the top of Robin's Hill. Today the tower is used as a platform for radio and microwave antennas.
- American Legion Post #313 and Auxiliary were organized in North Chelmsford.
- Chelmsford population: 8,077.
- Dec 7 - America entered World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 1,219 men and women from Chelmsford served; 44 became casualties.
- The will of Stewart MacKay gifted his home in North Chelmsford to the town for library purposes in memory of his sister, former librarian Anna C MacKay.
- The Chelmsford Lions Club was organized.
- The restored MacKay home in North Chelmsford was opened as the Anna C MacKay Library.
- Chelmsford population: 9,407.
- Chelmsford Little League baseball began as the Chelmsford Junior League.
- Center Fire Station was constructed of brick at 7-North Road replacing a wooden shed behind Center Town Hall that became infested with termites.
- The unused South Elementary School at 17 Proctor Road was leased by the Chelmsford Grange "so long as said grantee uses the estate for Grange purposes."
- The North Chelmsford fire station was built of brick on the site of the former North Chelmsford High School at 35-Princeton Street.
- American Legion Post #366 was organized in East Chelmsford.
- Aug 31 - The eye of Hurricane Carol passed very close to Chelmsford. The winds were highest to the east, blowing over the Old North Church steeple in Boston, and devestating the coastline.
- May 30 - The WWII monument on Center Common was dedicated.
- Drum Hill Rotary at the intersection of Routes 3 and 4 was constructed.
- Jun 8-11 - Chelmsford celebrated its 300th anniversary with a full schedule of events including: Cake Judging; Arts and Crafts Exhibit; Library Open House; Parade of Fashions; Baseball; Olde Folkes Concert; Tercentenary Parade; Fireman's Muster; Early Homes Open House; Historical Society Open House; Tercentenery Banquet; Tercentenary Ball; 20th Century Ball; Homecoming; Band Concert; Tree Planting; Choral Concert.
- The Knights of Columbus John Morrisson Council #4231 was organized.
- Sep 18 - Gus Fallgren of Chelmsford completed the first transistor-powered transatlantic amateur radio transmission spanning 3,600 miles between Chelmsford and Copenhagen, Denmark.
- The Chelmsford Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) was organized.
- Feb 4 - The beginning of construction on Route 495 in Chelmsford was announced with a dynamite blast. Route 3 construction expanded beyond Route 4.
- The new High School (now McCarthy Junior High) was constructed at 250-North Road.
- The Old Chelmsford Garrison House Association was formed to accept the gift of a historic home at 105-Garrison Road from Warren C Lahue.
- Chelmsford population: 15,130.
- The Conservation Commission was established.
- The first open space land in Chelmsford became protected when Harriett Bartlett donated a former 3.25-acre pasture to the Chelmsford Land Trust. It was named Bartlett Park in her honor and is located at the southern end of Central Square.
- A Center Historic District Study Committee was formed.
- The Chelmsford Lodge of Elks #2310 was organized.
- Dec 13 - A new police station was opened at 230-North Road.
- The Historical Commission was established.
- The Chelmsford Kiwanis Club was organized.
- The Chelmsford Rotary Club was organized.
- Camp Paul opened on Boston Road to provides educational, recreational, and social opportunities for young people with special needs. The Paul Center is now located at 39-Concord Road.
- Mr and Mrs Albert C Murray donated their home at 40-Byam Road as a permanent home for the Chelmsford Historical Society.
- Apr 4 - The dam burst at Crystal Lake again causing significant damage to private, business, and railroad property.
- The state-owned fire tower on Robin's Hill received a new cabin.
- Chelmsford population: 31,432.
- Jul 21 - A violent F2-class tornado touched down in Chelmsford at 5 pm causing damage to homes in Chelmsford and businesses in North Chelmsford.
- Sep 23 - The new Chelmsford High School on Richardson Road was opened without an auditorium, pool, or field house.
- The police station at 230-North Road was doubled in size.
- Apr 23 - President Ford announced the end of US involvement in Vietnam. Many from Chelmsford served, with four casualties.
- The Chelmsford Center Historic District was recommended for approval at town meeting and for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
- Chelmsford began its celebration of the United States Bicentennial with many activities, including: Restoration of the 1802 School House; Providing 135 historic homes with marker signs; Renaming Junior High School West to Lt Colonel Moses Parker Junior High School; Moving the Middlesex Canal Toll House to the Town Hall lawn as an information center; and Placing markers at the Byam Match Factory site. The Chelmsford Colonial Minutemen were integral to many of the events and the American contingent of the British 10th Regiment of Foot of 1775 made appearances. All were in costume at the Bicentennial Ball.
- More Bicentennial events took place in Chelmsford this year: Town song contest; 1776 Town Meeting reenactment; Bicentennial Quilt; Guests from Chelmsfords in England and Canada; Bicentennial Banquet; Country Fair on the Common; Band Concert; Church bell ringing across Chelmsford and the country; Square Dancing; Road Race; Parade; and 64 other activities sponsored by various organizations in town.
- The Chelmsford Grange gave up their lease on the former school at 17 Proctor Road and it was given to the Chelmsford Girl Scouts.
- Due to the diligent efforts of Representative Bruce N Freeman, reconstruction of the Crystal Lake dam was finally completed.
- The Blizzard of 1978 lasted for 3 days, dumped over 3 feet of snow, and inconvenienced most Chelmsford residents when highways in Massachusetts were closed.
- Chelmsford population: 31,174.
- Feb 27 - North School burned to the ground except for the auditorium which remained standing. The Chelmsford Senior Center was later built on the site making use of the auditorium.
- Oct 15 - The town offices moved from Town Hall at 1A-North Road to the former high school, then McFarlin School, at 50-Billerica Road.
- Jul 4 - Center Town Hall, restored to its original function with money set aside as part of the town offices move, was dedicated.
- Jul 2 - The South Chelmsford Water District was dissolved and merged with the Chelmsford Water District.
- May 12 - Town selectmen honored Representative Bruce N Freeman for 18 years of service to the town by renaming Crystal Lake in his honor.
- Groundbreaking was held for Southwell Field Recreation Facility.
- The legislative body of Chelmsford changed from an open town meeting to a representative one.
- Chelmsford population: 32,383.
- July 3 - The first phase of Veterans Memorial Park and wall were dedicated on town land between 230 and 250-North Road.
- The Scoboria house next door to Adams Library was moved to Ann's Way and the George Memorial at the rear was demolished to make way for library expansion.
- Feb 29 - The expanded Adams Library was dedicated as the Chelmsford Public Library.
- Chelmsford population: 33,858.
- May 18 - A new police station at 2-Olde North Road was dedicated, replacing the 230-North Road facility (later utilized by the School Department).
- Jan 30 - The opening ceremony of the town's 350th Anniversary Celebration took place in the Senior Center. Some of the events that followed were: WinterFest; Art in Bloom; dedication of the gazeebo on North Common; Millstream Tour; Black Tie Ball; Birthday Party on the Common; Country Fair; John Carson Road Race; 350th Celebration Parade; Farm Fair; Colonial Encampment; OctoberFest; and the 350th Grand Finale.
- The Chelmsford Open Space Stewardship volunteer organization was founded by Phil Stanway to support the Conservation Commission. Their cleanup and maintenance effors made a dramatic improvement in the usability and appearance of Chelmsford's public spaces.
- The Historical Commission's proposed 1-Year Demolition Delay for structures more than 75 years old was approved by town meeting.
- May 11-17 - The Merrimack River overflowed its banks, closing Tyngsboro Road in North Chelmsford and Pawtucket Boulevard in Lowell. The Francis Gate in Lowell's Northern Canal was closed with an external steel barricade to conserve the 21-ton historic 1850 wooden gate.
- Chelmsford was ranked number 21 in the top 100 Best Places to Live in America by CNNMoney.com.
- Apr 29 - A new Performing Arts Center was dedicated at the high school, providing the auditorium missing in the original build.
- School library extensions were constructed at both McCarthy and Parker middle schools.
- Jul 16 - The Westlands School re-opened as the Chelmsford Community Education Center after being closed earlier as a cost cutting measure.
- Aug 29 - Following 25 years of planning and activism, Phase 1 of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (Lowell to Westford) was dedicated.
- Nov 7 - Center Town Hall was dedicated as Chelmsford Center for the Arts on a trial basis while plans and funding for a complete restoration were organized.
- A town-wide sewer system planned in 1986 was completed this year with sewer lines fronting the entire town.
- Chelmsford population: 33,802.
- The purchase of electronic voting equipment was approved with hopes of speeding up town meetings.
- The third town history book was started by Eleanor Parkhurst, completed by Fred Merriam, and published by Courier Corporation of North Chelmsford.
- Jul 3 - The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chelmsford Center for the Arts in the fully restored Center Town Hall was held during the Country Fair activities on the Common, with dignitaries including project advocate Susan Gates.
- Sep 14 - The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chelmsford Community Center in the fully restored North Town Hall was held, and dignitaries included project advocates George Merrill and Laura Lee.
- July 17 - Opening ceremonies were held for the new DPW headquarters at 9-Alpha Road which replaced the 54-Richardson Road facility in North Chelmsford. This large building was formerly used by the Old Mother Hubbard Company for dog food production and storage. A seperate salt storage shed was built on the site.
- The town's rehabilitation and restoration of North Town Hall received a preservation award from the Massachusets Historical Commission for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to historic preservation in the Commonwealth.
- The original Chelmsford Water District pumping station on Warren Avenue was restored as a historic site.
- Dec 13 - The new Center Fire Station at 50-Billerica Road officially opened, replacing the old Center Fire Station located at 7-North Road.
- Jun 14 - The Chelmsford Public Garden was dedicated on the former site of Center Fire Station at 7-North Road with dignitaries including project advocate Brenda Lovering. The Chelmsford Garden Club created the winning proposal for this use of the site.
- Jun 21 - The Chelmsford Dog Park ribbon cutting ceremony was held with dignitaries including project advocates Vivian and Erik Merrill, and Evan Belansky. The park was created at the 54-Richardson Road former DPW site used as a sand bank and for materials storage.
- Chelmsford was number 14 in the ranking of Best Places to Live in America by money.com.
- Feb 1 - The first Massachusetts case of COVID-19 was reported in a U-Mass Boston student who had travelled to Wuhan, China. Chelmsford and much of the world soon experienced a pandemic like our ancestors suffered through 102 years earlier.
- Chelmsford population: 36,392.
REFERENCES:
- Book, "History of Chelmsford" by Reverend Wilkes Allen, PN Green, Haverhill, 1820
- Book, "History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts" by Reverend Wilson Waters, Courier-Citizen Company, Lowell, 1917
- Book, "History of Chelmsford, 1910-1970" by Eleanor Parkhurst and Fred Merriam, Courier Corporatioin, North Chelmsford, 2011
- Book, "History of Troop F First Brigade M V M" by Sidney A Bull, Sullivan Brothers Printers, Lowell, 1933
- Calendar, "Chelmsford 1655-2005, History and Tradition Remembered, 350th Anniversary Calendar"
- Journal, 350th Anniversary, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, 2005
- Program, 250th Anniversary, Town of Chelmsford, 1905
- Program, Official Tercentenary, Town of Chelmsford, 1955
- Report, Chelmsford Revolunionary War Celebrations Commission, 1976
- Search Utility, Microsoft Edge, Copilot
- Website, Chelmsford Historical Commission, chelmsfordgov.com/CHCwebsite
- Website, Chelmsford Historical Society, chelmhist.org
- Website, historynet.com