It is centered on the historic town common, just south of Lake Quannapowitt, which was laid in 1644, when it became the heart of Old Reading.

[1] The town of Wakefield is located north of Boston, Massachusetts, and was originally part of Reading, which was established in 1644 on the southern shore of Lake Quannapowitt.

The original town burial ground stands behind the First Congregational Church, whose current building dates to about 1892.

[2] The oldest surviving buildings facing the common date to the early 19th century, and include a few Federal period houses and the 1839 First Universalist Church.

Most of the town's principal civic buildings date to the early 20th century, including the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library (1923), the main post office (1936), and the YMCA (1938).