Reading Water Department

Reading's first English settlers arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 1630s, primarily through Lynn and Salem ports. In 1639, several Lynn residents petitioned the Massachusetts Bay Colony government for "place for an inland plantation," receiving ten square miles in total. The initial settlement, Lynn Village, was established on Lake Quannapowitt's south shore (then called Great Pond). On June 10, 1644, the House of Deputies incorporated the settlement as Reading, named after Reading, England.

The town established its first church shortly after settlement. The area known as South Reading later became Wakefield in 1868. A 1651 land grant expanded Reading's territory north of the Ipswich River, which in 1853 separated to form North Reading. The current Reading area was historically called Wood End or Third Parish.

In 1693, Reading's Town Meeting approved public education funding, allocating "four pounds for a quarter of a year school in the Town, two pounds for the west end of the Town, and one pound for those north of the Ipswich River." The Parker Tavern, built in 1694, remains Reading's oldest 17th-century structure, now operated by the Reading Antiquarian Society.

During the mid-1800s, Reading housed thirteen furniture manufacturing establishments producing chairs and cabinets. Shoe production evolved from cottage industry to large factory operations. The town manufactured neckties for approximately ninety years. After the Civil War, southern markets for Reading products declined, causing several factory closures.

Reading citizens served in the Richardson Light Guard during the Civil War, with members fighting at the first Battle of Bull Run. A second company joined the Grand Army of the Potomac, while a third participated in General Banks' Louisiana campaign. Of 411 Reading men who fought, 15 died in battle and 33 from wounds and disease. Laurel Hill Cemetery contains a memorial to the town's Civil War casualties.

Following the Civil War, Reading transformed into a residential community with reliable Boston commuter service. Industrial growth included General Tire and Rubber Company's predecessor off Ash Street. Post-World War I business expansion brought Boston Stove Foundry, Ace Art, and various enterprises to town. Today's business community features downtown retail and service businesses alongside corporate presence like Analytical Sciences Corporation (TASC).