Inventor Charles Spaulding was typical of the new class of property owners who moved to Newton Highlands in the late 1880s.  Born in South Boston in 1863, Charles was the son of a bookkeeper. In 1885, he married Susan Louise Harris of Vermont. While raising their large family, they came to live on Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands, where they lived between 1888 and approximately 1915.

Charles and Susan had 3 daughters and 3 sons.  At the time of the US Census of 1900, a few years after they first settled in Newton Highlands, the twins, Annie and Alice, were 12 years old, and another daughter, Marion, was 10. Three boys were under age 10: Archibald, Lewis, and Raymond.

The Spaulding’s house at 138 Lincoln Street was constructed in 1874 by builder Samuel A. Walker on a lot subdivided from a larger property. Like many Newton Highlands residences, this house was updated as architectural styles evolved. The front verandah of the house has turned posts supporting segmental arches. The boxed cornice and the deep raking eaves show the impact of the Italianate style. The triangular tympanum over the front porch features a rising sun motif, popular in the Victorian era. Mr. Spaulding had a platform for his telescope built on the roof.

Charles Spaulding was the inventor of the blueprint coating machine, for which he received a patent in 1903. He had started his career as a draftsman, and then opened an art supply firm. As the business grew, it became the Spaulding Print Paper Company with offices at 44 Federal Street.  In 1917 this firm merged with the Charles E. Moss Company to become the Spaulding-Moss Company. This business is notable as one of the first photostat companies in the United States.