16. Charles H. Walcott’s Title Examinations and Notes on Concord Mill Dam Company Properties, c. 1880-1901

Charles Hosmer Walcott (1848-1901) was a conveyancing attorney, accomplished amateur historian, active citizen, and lifelong resident of Concord. He served on both the Select Board and as Superintendant of Schools. Walcott's eleven volumes of title examinatons of properties in Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk counties include many Concord properties, including Milldam lots. 

Walcott traced real estate transactions through deeds and other records, resulting in a detailed picture of selected properties on the nineteenth-century Milldam. These include bank lots, Walcott & Holden, and the Middlesex Hotel lot. These transactions provide important details about the built and natural landscapes of the area. Walcott did not trace the transactions associated with the Anderson Market building.

Locations mentioned in the earliest transactions include the blacksmith shop, grist mill, mill pond, and milldam—all useful landmarks for constructing a picture of the Anderson Market area. Tracing changes in ownership and the reconfiguration of properties over time creates a nuanced picture of the Concord Mill Dam Company's impact on the local business community and evolving town center.