First explored by a small band of colonists from Lynn, the land we now know as Wakefield was formally settled in 1644 when seven families and seven houses were clustered around the shores of the "Great Pond" (Lake Quannapowitt). From this pioneer settlement in the middle of the forest primeval, the town grew into a sleepy farming village, then a bustling industrial center, and finally emerged as a settled suburban community. Along the way, it changed its name several times but always retained its essential character. Through the pages of Images of America: Wakefield walk a collection of...