Phineas Upham House Tour

Phineas Upham House

255 Upham Rd.

Melrose, Mass.

Recently the caretaker of the Phineas Upham house was kind enough to give me a tour of the property. Three rooms in the house have been restored to their 18th-century appearance and have been decorated with many original family artifacts.

The "great room" and an adjoining room on the first floor both have the large fireplaces typical of First Period homes. This is where much of the family cooking was done. The bedroom upstairs is furnished with a four poster bed and also has some family memorabilia on display. The original beams are exposed throughout the house and the rooms are comfortably sized with 7 foot (approx.) ceilings. The Upham house was built in 1703 and is still owned by lineal descendants of Phineas Upham. The property is managed as a non-profit entity and is open to the public on a limited basis for tours.

Phineas Upman House

The Phineas Upham House
255 Upham Road
Melrose, Mass.

The Phineas Upham House is a Colonial Salt box style home built in 1703 in what was then called North Malden. Phineas Upham was a descendant of John Upham who arrived in Boston in 1635.

At one time in the early 1900's the house served as a "Tea Room" that offered on its menu light refreshments, lunches and "six o'clock suppers".

With the aid of a $400,000 grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commision, in the past few years the property has undergone extensive renovations. A new barn, built using the old joint and mortice style, was added to the property in 2007. That story here.

The Phineas Upham House is owned and maintained by the Upham Family Trust, an organization with over two hundred members nation wide. The property is listed with the
National Register of Historical Places.

Middlesex Fells Reservation, Mass.

Spot Pond
South and Main Sts.
Stoneham, Mass. 02180

The Middlesex Fells Reservation covers some 2,575 acres of publicly owned land, mostly forested, filled with hiking trails, ponds and open fields. Spot Pond, which is a 340 acre secondary water reservoir in the MWRA system and the Stone Zoo, both in Stoneham, make-up part of the Reservation. In addition to Stoneham, the Fells Reservation encompasses parts of Medford, Melrose, Malden and Winchester. Route 93 and Route 28, the Fellsway, split up the Reservation.

Originally this whole area was part Charlestown, but over time this rocky forested land (from which it derives its Anglo-Saxon name Fells) was subdivided. Mills were built in the area and farmers staked out their holdings. Mining operations were conducted and diabase, which is used for gravel, was removed . In 1725 the Town of Stoneham was incorporated and in 1850 Winchester and Melrose were also incorporated. Medford established its own claims in the Fells area and a small section lies in Malden.

Farming continued in some areas of the Fells through the 1700's until well into the late 19th century. Farming ended in 1894 when the Metropolitan Parks Commission (MPC) took over the land and created the Fells Reservation. The MPC was created through the efforts of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Trustees of Reservations and private citizens.

In 1919 the MPC was taken over by the Metropolitan District Commision. In addition to its park holdings the MDC was responsible for water and sewage, managed zoos, beaches, skating rinks and had its own police force. Over time the MDC was broken up. In 1970 a separate Parks and Recreation Division was created.The MDC police was merged with the State Police and the MWRA in 1984 became the new water and sewer authority.

The Middlesex Fells Reservation is now operated by the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It is assisted in its efforts by The Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a private non-profit group dedicated to preserving the Middlesex Fells area in its natural state.