The slate quarries, brickyards, foundries and woodworking mills of Newton have fallen silent. Gone too are the well-apprenticed masons, stone-cutters, carpenters and architects who formed and ornamented each building by hand. Today, we cannot replicate their handiwork at any price. The built-environment thus comprises our most valuable economic as well as cultural asset.

History is a continuum, an unfolding story. In only two and a quarter centuries, Newton has progressed from Indian plantation to county crossroads, from turnpike village to railroad town, and from industrial hub to a modern service center. Evidence of each stage of development is recorded within a relatively narrow compass and one can easily walk from rock shelter to radio tower. Each piece of the historic puzzle is revealing and fits uniquely into the whole. For this reason, every Newton lane and avenue presents a charming sequence of style as well as a progression in the methods and materials of construction. The attractiveness of our community is a product of architectural variety and each building is best recognized, protected and enjoyed as a product of its own time.