6 Summit Street

1890 In 1890, the Lawrence heirs sold Lot No. 47 in the Lawrence Estates to Edith Wentworth (deed, Middlesex Land Records book/page: MLR 1996/224), who promptly resold it to Herbert M. Gragg (MLR 1996/226). This was the entire corner lot, including the lots for both today's 67 Lawrence Street and 6 Summit Street. Gragg was a local carpenter and house builder, responsible for building a number of houses in the area, such as those at 60 and 67 Lawrence Street. According to the annual listings of voters and city directories, Gragg lived at, and had his office in, 67 Lawrence Street from at least 1893 to 1900.

1892 In 1892, Gragg sold the northeast portion of Lot No. 47 to Hattie B. Butman (MLR 2149/208). This was the lot for 6 Summit Street. At that time, the boundary line between the two properties was along an extension of the current diagonal boundary between them, all the way to the corner of Lawrence and Summit Streets. At the same time that Hattie Butman bought the lot, she took out a mortgage on it for $2000 (MLR 2149/210). Also, Hattie's husband, Fred L. Butman, is listed in the 1893 city directory as living at 6 Summit, so the house was probably built sometime between 1890 and 1892 by Gragg and first lived in by the Butmans. Fred L. Butman originally was a business man involved with printing and stationery in Boston, but soon after this time his profession changed to real estate. He was later responsible for the development of many of the houses in the immediate area, including those at 80 and 82 Lawrence Street, and 30, 36, and 40 Summit Street. The Butmans lived at 6 Summit Street only into 1895, at which time they bought the lot for today's 187 Hammond Street, had a house built there, and then moved into it.

1895 Hattie Butman sold 6 Summit Street to Zerilla P. Webster in 1895 (MLR 2414/19). At this time, the boundaries of the lot were the same as in the deed from Gragg to Butman. According to the 1895 deed, and subsequent directories, voting lists, and the 1900 census, Webster was a widow and lived in the house with a number of her adult children. The Webster family lived there into 1907.

1907 In 1907, Zerilla Webster sold a triangular parcel of land at the corner of Lawrence and Summit Streets to Quincy Greene, then owner of 67 Lawrence Street, to complete the lot of No. 67 Lawrence Street to its present day dimensions (MLR 3333/334). At the same time, she sold the rest of her lot, with its present day dimensions and including the house, to James A. Lawless (MLR 3333/329). Lawless was a machinist, and the Lawlesses continued to live in the house into 1919.

1919 In 1919, Lawless sold the house to William Greer, a chauffeur (MLR 4269/393), who only lived there for four years.

1924 1n 1924, Greer sold the house to Ragnhild Bjorkman, a machinist (MLR 4743/485), who only lived there for two years.

1926 In 1926, Bjorkman sold the house to Claire N. Doherty (MLR 4981/13), who immediately sold it to Mildred J. Englund (MLR 4981/14). Mildred was the wife of Theodore Englund, who is variously listed in the voting records and directories as a clergyman, furniture finisher, or watchman. The Great Depression must have been very hard on the Englunds, because, in 1934, the mortgage they had on the house was foreclosed and the house was taken over by the Waltham Cooperative Bank (MLR 5869/204 and 5920/242). It was then rented out by the bank for a number of years, with one of the renters being Dennis Dunleavy, a bus driver.

1939 In 1939, the Waltham Federal Savings and Loan (successor to the Waltham Cooperative Bank) sold the house to Raymond and Dorothy Hadley (MLR 6307/322). Raymond was at times a chauffeur and bus driver, and the Hadleys lived there for thirty years, until after Raymond died in 1968.

1970 Dorothy Hadley sold the house to Donald R. Williams in 1970 (MLR 11927/493). Donald R. Williams was the owner of the Glendale Package Store, but according to directories and voting records, he did not live at 6 Summit Street, but his son and daughter-in-law, Donald, Jr., and Elizabeth, did. Interestingly enough, Donald R. William, Jr., was never listed with an occupation in any of the records, but he may have worked at the liquor store.

1976 In 1976, Donald R. Williams deeded the house to Donald R. William, Jr., and Elizabeth Williams (MLR 13063/48).

1981 In 1981, the Williams sold the house to Richard and Jane Jacobs (MLR 14389/245).