Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 22.

[p. 76] Magoun estate on the east and the wall on the west by the land of Grace church are the same. This was the upper garden. The lot of Mrs. Prescott was an orchard, and for many years after her father purchased it a large greening apple tree yielded fine fruit. The garden of today, although a pleasant spot, does not show the elegance of the one a hundred years ago, for that was a wealth of shrubbery, plants and trees, and the greenhouse was filled with rare plants, and trees were trained on the brick walls.

The fame Timothy Bigelow had as an expert in raising fine fruits and vegetables was in part due to his able and faithful gardener, Martin Burridge.

Some of the following facts and dates have been stated in papers mentioned in previous Registers. Timothy Bigelow died in 1821, his wife in 1852. A son and daughter, both unmarried, from that time lived hermit lives in the old home. They were eccentric, and lived in a wretched way, shutting themselves away from both stranger and friend. The place had a gloomy aspect, for the house was nearly surrounded by pine trees, and they filled the space from the street to house and had grown so large that the street was dark and so muddy that the neighbors rejoiced when they were cut down and sunlight flooded the space.

Miss Bigelow died in 1865, and her brother sought a home elsewhere. The story is current that among her effects were found seventeen bandboxes, each containing a bonnet and a veil. To clear the house of the accumulation of years was a great piece of work. A fine dress is said to have served some misses of the town many times for a fancy dress costume.

The townspeople were accustomed to speak of Mr. Bigelow as ‘Speaker Bigelow.’ The house was a two-story, broad wooden structure. A broad walk led from the front door to the street, meeting it in a deep curve.

In 1865 the estate was advertised for sale. It was divided into three lots. The middle one was purchased