Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 24.

[p. 10] Union Congregational embodied the same feature of the corner tower, though not in so marked a degree. Even the little chapel at Wellington was in ‘fashion,’ and had a little open belfry on the corner of its roof, which in time housed the city bell.

St. Clement's, in modern stucco, has its square tower of Italian look. St. Raphael's is in Spanish mission style and has no bell tower, but a most unique ventilating turret centrally on its roof sustaining a tall gilded cross. Even the smallest, that of Shiloh, has its open cupola that might hold a bell.

The Hillside Methodist has its tower and bell; the South Medford Baptist, however, in its building never incorporated the feature of tower, turret or steeple. Two others, at present in temporary structures, have none.

So far, in our walk about our home Zion, i. e. Medford, and telling the towers therof we have dealt with those of a religious character. Counties have often incorporated this feature in their court houses, as did Middlesex at Cambridge and Lowell, even having two on the jail at the latter city. Medford never had a semblance of one on the good old town hall, though one of lofty style was proposed for the new one, nearly disrupting the town. But in the houses of the fire department it was once a useful feature. They may still be seen in the Central, Salem street and South Medford stations in brick, and the wooden tower at Glenwood. That at Salem street is peculiarly graceful in design.

To its schoolhouses the feature of a cupola that might contain a bell was but sparingly applied, save in one instance, that of the first Brooks School at West Medford. A description of this may be found in Vol. XIX of the Register.

The tower often lends itself to the utility of a factory, but Medford had few of such. We have been told of one, the Stearns oil mill, that had a detached chimney some fifty feet high that in time was moved across the ‘branch canal’ in its upright position, securely too, to a new location, certainly quite a feat to perform. The