Wakefield, MA is a town of about 27,000 residents ten miles north of Boston, built around Lake Quannapowitt — one of the most photographed urban lakes in New England. The town was originally part of Reading, set off as ‘South Reading’ in 1812 and renamed Wakefield in 1868 after a major financial benefactor.
South Reading Era
When Wakefield was set off from Reading in 1812 it took the name ‘South Reading’ — describing its geographic relationship to its parent town. For most of the 19th century South Reading developed as a manufacturing town centered on the rattan and wicker furniture industry. The Heywood-Wakefield Company, founded in 1826, became one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the United States.
Cyrus Wakefield and the Town’s Renaming
Cyrus Wakefield was a Boston businessman who built a fortune importing rattan from Asia in the mid-1800s. He invested heavily in South Reading — buying the rattan manufacturing operations, building factories, and donating substantially to civic infrastructure. In 1868 the residents voted to rename the town Wakefield in his honor. Cyrus Wakefield himself died in 1873 but the town has kept his name for 158 years.
Lake Quannapowitt
Lake Quannapowitt — a 245-acre natural lake — defines Wakefield’s geography and identity. The lake’s name comes from the Algonquian language, meaning approximately ‘rough water’ or ‘wide water.’ The 3-mile path around the lake is one of the most popular running and walking loops in eastern Massachusetts. Sailboats use the lake in summer; ice fishermen in winter. The Wakefield Town Common at the south end of the lake, with its bandstand and Civil War memorial, is the social center of the town.
The Bandstand and Beebe Library
The Wakefield Bandstand on the Common was donated by Lucius Beebe, a wealthy local merchant, in 1885. The Beebe Memorial Library — a handsome 1923 stone building right in the town center — was named after another member of the Beebe family. Both structures still anchor the town’s civic identity, and the Bandstand still hosts summer concerts.
Modern Wakefield
Today Wakefield is a primarily residential community of about 27,000, with the lake as its outdoor centerpiece, a walkable downtown along Main Street, and the Wakefield Theater (a restored old movie house) running first-run films again. The Festival by the Lake each summer and the Lobsterfest each September are the town’s biggest civic events.
Plumbing & Heating in Wakefield
Wakefield has a high share of homes built between 1900 and 1960 — the kind of housing where original cast-iron drain stacks, old galvanized supply lines, and aging steam boilers are still in service. We do regular repipes and boiler replacements in town.
Need a plumber in Wakefield? Sedona Plumbing and Heating is licensed, insured, and dispatches same-day from our Winchester shop. See our Wakefield services hub, our Wakefield plumber page, or our Wakefield HVAC services. Call (781) 242-2386.
Local Resources & Things to Do in Wakefield
For ideas on what to see and do locally, see our Things to Do in Wakefield guide.
