Greenwood

From WakWiki

The Greenwood section of Wakefield encompasses the southern part of town, roughly south of Wakefield Junction and Crystal Lake and abutting the town of Melrose. Greenwood can be said to center on the intersection of Main and Oak Streets. It was settled as early as the mid-1600s, and was long a rural farming section of town until the coming of the railroad in 1844 spurred further development of the area as a residential community and commuter suburb of Boston. It is not clear how the area got the name Greenwood, but two possible unconfirmed theories are either that it was long the home of the Greens, a large and prominent Wakefield family, or possibly because of the lush forested atmosphere.

While it was never a separate political entity, Greenwood long had its own business center and public services such as a fire station, railroad station, churches, post office, branch library, grocery, and schools. One notable building in Greenwood was the elaborate and quirky mansion known as Castle Clare, built in 1949 and destroyed by fire in 1974.

Greenwood still maintains a strong local identity. The area still has a number of small businesses and restaurants in the area around Main and Oak Streets, a railroad stop on the MBTA commuter rail, as well as a post office, bank, churches, and the Greenwood School, an elementary school which is still open.