58 Tomlin Street

1913 Ella S. Sherman and other Lawrence heirs sold Lots 72 through 75 and parts of Lots 76 through 78 of the Lawrence Estates to Fred L. Butman in 1913 (MLR 3853/430). These were all the lots along the north side of Summit Street from one house lot east of present-day Galen Street all the way to present-day Tomlin Street. No buildings were mentioned in the deed, and none were shown on the 1911 Waltham Engineer's map. The deed mentioned that Tomlin Street was recently laid out by the city, and that there was a stone wall along the northern border of this deeded land. This stone wall marked the southernmost Squadron Line of the 1636 Great Dividend land grants, the original colonial land grants to individuals within what became Waltham. This stone wall is shown on maps of the late 1800s and early 1900s, and a remnant of it can still be seen from Galen Street at the back of the lot of 35 Summit Street. Another remnant stone wall marking this boundary line can be seen crossing the Ridge Trail in Prospect Hill Park between Big Prospect and Little Prospect peaks. On maps, these two remnants line up along the same straight line.

The city had laid out Tomlin Street as a public way through from Dale Street to Summit Street just prior to this (MLR 3801/414), and took major parts of the Lawrence Lots No. 76 to 78. Butman’s original subdivision plan (Plan Book 221, Plan 1) called for six lots along the north side of Summit Street (numbered A through F), but he then revised his plan and converted the two lots at the western end (E and F) into three lots (numbered 1 through 3). The house at 41 Summit Street was built on what became Lot No. 1; the house at 58 Tomlin Street was built on Lot No. 2; and the house at 50 Tomlin Street was built on Lot No. 3. Originally, Lot No. 1 extended further north, but when Butman sold off 41 Summit Street, he shortened the lot and added the back end of it to the back end of the lot for 50 Tomlin Street.

According to the annual listings of voters, Fred Butman lived at 58 Tomlin Street in 1916 and 1917, and possibly in 1915, since the 1916 listing gives no other prior year address. Therefore, it appears that the house at 58 Tomlin Street was built for Fred Butman in 1915-1916, and first lived in by the Butmans. Fred Butman was the developer of many of the houses in the immediate area from around 1890 to around 1930, and he and his wife, Hattie, often first lived in the houses for a couple of years before selling them off.

1918 In March, 1918, Fred Butman sold Lot No. 2 of his revised subdivision plan (the lot right on the corner of Summit and Tomlin Streets), with the house at 58 Tomlin Street already built on it, to Joanna M. Kenney (MLR 4191/498). In the deed it was stated that Kenney lived in Portland, ME. However, in a second version of the deed, recorded three months later, Kenney was said to live in Waltham (MLR 4200/166); and Kenney then immediately sold the house to Alma D. Worley (MLR 4200/166). It is not clear who Joanna Kenney was, but the 1920 census listed a Caroline Kenney as Alma Worley's mother and living with her at 58 Tomlin Street. Alma’s husband, John L. Worley, was listed as a voter at this address, for the first time, in the 1919 annual listings. He was listed as a jewel maker, but later went into real estate. The Worleys continued to live here until 1942.

It is worth noting that the basic design of the houses at 50 and 58 Tomlin Street are very similar, though rotated by 90 degrees. This is probably not an accident, since the house at 50 Tomlin Street was built on Butman’s Lot No. 3 shortly after the house at 58 Tomlin Street was built on his Lot No. 2, and lived in by the Butmans from about 1921 until the mid-1940s – although Fred died in the later 1930s.

1944 Alma Worley sold the house at 58 Tomlin Street to Thomas B. and Kathryn B. Hart in 1944 (MLR 6820/416). However, the Harts were there for only a short time.

1945 In 1945, the Harts sold the house to Edwin L Frye (MLR 6918/546). Edwin was a teacher, and he and his wife, Vera, were here until 1950.

1951 Edwin Frye sold the house to George W. and Mildred M. Speth in 1951 (MLR 7846/389). George was a milkman when he bought the house, but went on to become the maintenance superintendent of the Chapel Hill School. Mildred was a clerk. Mildred died in 1979, but George continued to live here into the 1980s.