by Amanda DeRosa

Almost 30 years ago, the Parent-Teacher Organization at Walton Elementary School created a custom Wakefieldopoly board game. Modeled after the classic Monopoly, the board features various businesses in the Town of Wakefield with fresh paper money printed from The Savings Bank. The game was originally sold to raise funds for the school, and later made available to purchase at the library as a way to raise funding for new library furnishings.

Some of the businesses on the board no longer exist, but they still live on in the town’s collective memory. Like Coffee Break, which was located across from the commuter rail station, where Dunkin’ is now. Wakefield Daily Item ads from the ‘90s promote Coffee Break’s smoke-free dining area and coffee made with purified water.

Fifteen businesses on the board are still going strong–including the iconic Farmland, whose grand opening was in March 1978.

Wakefieldopoly squares still in play:

First Parish Congregational Church est. 1644

The Savings Bank est. 1869

Saint Joseph Parish est. 1890

Wakefield Item Co. est. 1894

Americal Civic Center est. 1913

Parker Florist est. 1917

Citizen’s Scholarship Foundation est. 1960

Christopher J. Barrett Realtors est. 1969

The Farm Land est. 1978

Giulio’s Bakery (now located inside Farmland)

Independent Concrete Pumping est. 1984

Wakefield Eye Associates est. 1988

Rawson Auto Body (1st Class Auto Body) est. 1990

FNA Transmission est. 1993

Carousel Variety est. 1995

For nostalgia’s sake, here is a shortlist of some of those departed:

Cheesecake the Clown

Creative Computer Learning Center

Coffee Break

Ristorante Molise (now located in Amesbury)

Victorian Records

Wakefieldopoly is now on view in the local history display near the Circulation Desk.