West Chelmsford Painters — Main Street, Westford Street & Stony Brook

A Chelmsford Historical Society column by George Parkhurst tells how Deacon John Farwell was damming the stream and building a scythe mill shortly after 1820, and he, his son and a few others put up houses along Main Street, at first the village's only street. People called it Scythe Factory Village until trains began passing through on July 4, 1848, a post office opened, and the name changed to West Chelmsford. The Eagle Mill went up in 1830 to make worsted wool, and after years of vacancy it was renovated late in the 20th century and leased to small businesses.

The 2013 Historic & Cultural Preservation Plan names three surviving Georgian farmhouses: the Edward Spaulding House (1664) at 243 Westford Street, the Deacon Isaiah Spaulding House (1735) at 263 Old Westford Road and the George Spaulding House (1775) at 55 Spaulding Road. Greek Revival and Italianate homes from the mid-1800s mark the southern edge of the village near the mill, a granite arch bridge and the old dam. The town has inventoried many pre-1850 homes here but, per the plan, has not documented the newer ones, and there is no historic district.

Most of today's housing is far younger. In Census Tract 3172.02, which contains 243 Westford Street, 61.6% of 1,328 units date from 1950 to 1969 and 88.9% from before 1980; the median year built is 1962. Neighboring Tract 3172.01, which includes 242 Main Street, shows 67.4% built from 1950 to 1969, and all 883 of its units are owner-occupied single-family detached houses.

First-period and Georgian frames

A house from 1664 or 1735 has likely had boards replaced in several rounds of repair, and boards of different ages accept paint unevenly. Spot-priming bare or replaced wood before the finish coats keeps the color from looking blotchy.

Houses near Stony Brook

Homes close to Stony Brook and the old dam sit beside moving water and the shade along its banks. Siding and trim that stay damp longer need to dry fully before painting, so the schedule around the weather matters more than on a sunny hilltop lot.

Postwar houses past their first paint

With roughly six in ten units in Tract 3172.02 built between 1950 and 1969, those homes predate the 1978 federal lead cutoff. Original trim, sashes and doors from that period should be treated as possible lead until tested, following lead-safe painting rules.

Groundwater-protection zoning

The 2021 Master Plan says portions of West Chelmsford fall in the RA district, adopted in 1998 to protect the groundwater supply. Wash water from paint prep and leftover coatings should be captured and disposed of properly, never rinsed into the yard.