Stoneham

History

The earliest documented mention of the territory now called Stoneham dates to 1632 when, on February 7, Governor Winthrop and his party came upon this area. They found Spot Pond and ate their lunch on a place they called Cheese Rock, now known as Bear Hill. Stoneham is situated on the traditional territory of the Massachusett and Pawtucket peoples. Stoneham was first settled by colonists in 1634 and was originally a part of Charlestown. In 1678, there were six colonists with their families, all in the northeast part of the town, probably because of its proximity to the settlement in Reading (now Wakefield). By 1725, the population of the area, called "Charlestown End", had increased until there were 65 male inhabitants paying taxes; however, they were miles away from the settlement in Charlestown and could not conveniently reach its church or school. For this reason, Captain Benjamin Geary and 53 other residents of the area petitioned Charlestown to allow them to be separated. The town refused their petition at first, but on December 17, 1725, the General Court passed an act to establish the new township of Stoneham, separating it from Charlestown, and releasing its residents from the obligation to pay taxes to Charlestown, provided that within two years they would erect a suitable church and hire a minister and a schoolmaster. The town's first meetinghouse was erected in 1726, as was its Burying Ground (now known as the Old Burying Ground and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984). The first church was organized in 1729, with members being released from the congregations in Reading and Melrose to form it. In the same year, the town voted to raise £9 for the building of a school and chose a committee to hire a schoolmaster. Stoneham remained a…

Geography

Stoneham is located at (42.480145, −71.098352). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 8.36%, is water. Stoneham has two exits off Interstate 93, Winchester Highlands and Montvale Avenue, and one exit off Interstate 95, Route 28. Stoneham borders the following cities or towns: Woburn, Winchester, Medford, Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, and Reading.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  135,050
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  125,802
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  113,736
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  107,767
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  106,267
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  106,044
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  99,890
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  93,465

Largest nearby schools

• Lexington High
  High · Lexington · 2,303 students · 12.3:1 ratio
• Everett High
  High · Everett · 2,231 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Cambridge Rindge and Latin
  High · Cambridge · 1,867 students · 8.7:1 ratio
• Malden High
  High · Malden · 1,856 students · 16:1 ratio
• Waltham Sr High
  High · Waltham · 1,751 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• Mystic Valley Regional Charter School
  Other · Malden · 1,608 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Arlington High
  High · Arlington · 1,527 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Winchester High School
  High · Winchester · 1,383 students · 14.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2025-01-27
  9 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.9 — 2010-06-07
  29 km SE of York Beach, Maine
• M 2.8 — 2008-03-09
  25 km SE of York Beach, Maine
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts