Much of present day Newton Highlands was part of a land grant in 1634 to John Haynes, a newly arrived wealthy English landowner. He served as Governor of the Colony the following year, before moving to Connecticut where he died in 1654. The land went to his heirs, and most of it was not sold for two or three generations. Even in Colonial times, settlement in Newton Highlands was slow.

Only two highways served the area in the 18th century: the north-south Dedham Road (now Centre Street), and the east-west Sherborn Road (now Clark, Beacon, Curtis, Ramsdell, and Woodward Streets). Slowly, farms spread out along these highways and Newton Highlands enjoyed a long agricultural period. As late as 1870, fewer than 20 families resided in the area.

Suburban development occurred in Newton Corner and West Newton following the construction of the Boston and Albany Railroad in the late 1830s. After the Charles River Railroad was built through the Highlands in 1852, real estate developers looked for opportunities there, too. Portions of Lincoln, Walnut, Floral, and Hyde Streets were laid out, but few lots sold. The railroad had been built to serve the industries at Newton Upper Falls, and commuter trains ran infrequently, discouraging development. This was especially true during the 1860s when trains operated around the clock transporting gravel for the filling of Boston’s Back Bay, an immense project that lasted more than a decade.

Suburban growth occurred rapidly in the 1870s once the Back Bay landfill project was virtually complete. By 1874, the village was firmly established with 521 new residents who voted that it be named Newton Highlands. This newly accessible village was especially appealing to Boston residents who viewed it as a healthful, rustic environment in which to raise a family. Able to commute daily to employment in the city, a broad cross section of working, middle, and upper class families were attracted to the bustling village.

Find more information about Newton Highlands through the Hyde Community Center sign.