SAUGUS — Having been a settlement since 1629 and becoming its own town in 1815, Saugus is rich with history and legacy. One name that many may know due to its involvement in town is Stocker.
The patriarch of the family, Frederick Stocker, was born on June 18, 1840 and was well known for owning the brickyard, now Stocker Park. His daughter, Aimee Robbins, dedicated the park to him in 1930.
The deed was originally brought to Town Meeting in 1929, where another Stocker, Lewis J. Stocker, was also seen being appointed to the Finance Committee. Article 1 during that meeting was to recommend that the Playground Committee look into the gift of the Frederick Stocker Playground. The playground had first been introduced at the 1928 Annual Town Meeting, where Article 66 spoke of the proposed playground gift from Ida Fanny Osgood Peabody, Frederick’s wife, and Robbins.
The meeting record states, “Mrs. Frederick Stocker and Mrs. Lincoln D. Robbins of East Saugus in reference to the proposed gift of a large tract of land in the vicinity of Winter and Stocker Streets, East Saugus, to be used for playground purposes and to be known as the “Frederick Stocker Playground,” or to see what action the town will take in the matter.”
Finally, in 1930, the vote was taken to accept the playground as a gift from the Stocker family in honor of Robbins’ father.
However, the history of the name goes beyond a park. The Stockers also served their country in the American Revolution, including Ebenezer Stocker, Ebenezer Stocker Jr., Elijah Stocker, Enoch Stocker, Ephraim Stocker and Thomas Stocker. These men also lived in what was known as the Cliftondale section of town.
During this revolutionary period, only 10 houses were in Saugus, including one owned by Ebenezer Stocker and one owned by Amos Stocker.
The family was also involved in the post office. The office stood in Saugus Center, and John E. Stocker became the postmaster in 1870. He had formerly served in the Civil War.
“Stocker also operated a store in the building, and became well known as ‘Honest John’ because of his good reputation,” according to the book “A Gathering of Memories” by John J. Burns and Thomas E. Sheehan. The book continued that he was a tenant in the building until he purchased it from the Parsons family in October of 1865.
The post office would become a landmark under Stocker and he would eventually retire after 49 years of service.
The name Stocker has become deeply engrained in the town, written among the history books as a part of the town’s foundation.
