Community Beach

Very Early Picture of Community Beach. Gerrish Littlefield’s Cottage.

Buy Enough Vegetables, Coffee or Tea and own a Place on Cobbett’s Pond.

In 1929, some 60 acres of land off Ministerial Road was divided into 975 lots with a beach and a playground. The waterfront lots cost $50, and the back lots were $20. The Great Depression hit, and the lots were slow to sell.

The developer began a promotional deal in the Malden-Medford area where grocery stores redeemed coupons for a lot after a set amount of coffee, tea or canned goods were purchased. Gerrish Littlefield’s cottage was built in Community Beach in October of 1930 after he redeemed “Hatchet” brand coupons in Malden. Most of the photographs are from Carolyn Webber.