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Auburn, Massachusetts

Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,889 at the 2020 census.

History
The Auburn area was first settled in 1714 as of today outer parts of Worcester, Sutton, Leicester and Oxford, Massachusetts, and the town was officially incorporated on April 10, 1778, as the town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward (second in command to George Washington). In 1837, the town changed its name to Auburn after the Post Office complained that the name was too similar to the nearby town of Ware.

Before incorporation, most of Auburn was known as the South Parish of Worcester; other portions fell within the town limits of Leicester and Millbury.

Today, Auburn is bordered by Worcester to the north, Leicester to the west, Millbury to the east, and Oxford to the south.

Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket from Pakachoag Hill, on his aunt Effe Ward's farm, in Auburn on March 16, 1926. Goddard is commemorated in Goddard Memorial Park, located downtown next to the Auburn Fire Department Headquarters. The park features a model of Goddard's prototype liquid-fueled rocket and a Polaris missile (Type A-1). A second replica of Goddard's prototype stands at Auburn High School.

Goddard's launch is also commemorated with a small monument, the Goddard Rocket Launching Site, between the first and ninth holes of Pakachoag Golf Course.

Government
The form of government is representative town meeting. There are 24 town-meeting members from each of the five precincts of the town, for a total of 120 who represent the people at the annual town meeting each May. The town also has a Board of Selectmen which consists of five elected members, each serving for a term of three years. As of 2009, the town adopted a new charter which allowed for the creation of a Town Manager.

Demographics
The 2010 Auburn, MA, population was 16,188. There are 1,053 people per square mile.

The median age is 40.8. The US median is 37.6. 61.86% of people in Auburn, MA, are married. 8.00% are divorced. The average household size is 2.41 people. 22.71% of people are married, with children. 5.08% have children, but are single.

According to the 2000 census, 97.21% of people are white, 0.81% are black or African American, 1.19% are Asian, 0.10% are Native American, and 1.00% are "other". 1.24% of the people in Auburn, MA, are of Hispanic ethnicity.

Highways
I-90: The 138 mile Massachusetts Turnpike was commissioned in 1957 and is a part of the 3,099 mile long I-90, the longest Interstate in the country. Almost 5 miles of I-90 runs from the west-southwest to east-northeast through Auburn and is six lanes wide (three each direction) through the town. The right of way is nominally about 300 feet wide. Auburn also contains Exit 90. The total land utilized in Auburn for the interstate is about 200 acres.

I-290: The first three miles of the 20 mile long eastbound (heads north in Auburn) Interstate 290 is in Auburn along with exits 7 (I-90), 8 (Rt. 12), and 9 (Swanson Rd EB, Auburn St. WB).

I-395: Two miles of Interstate 395 are in Auburn which becomes I-290 after Exit 6 (US 20).

Route 12: Five miles of Rt. 12 (Southbridge St.) traverses generally north/south through Auburn and its intersection with Auburn St. is named Drury Square.

US 20: Five miles of US 20 runs through Auburn. At 3,365 miles, US 20 is the longest road in the United States. In Auburn it is also known as Southbridge St. (concurrent section with RT 12), Washington St. and the SW Cutoff.

Education
Auburn has two elementary schools, Bryn Mawr School (grades K–2) and Pakachoag School (grades K–2). All Auburn public school students attend Swanson Road Intermediate School (grades 3–5) and Auburn Middle School (grades 6–8). Some students attend Auburn High School (grades 9–12), while others are given the option to attend Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in nearby Charlton.

A new Auburn High School opened on Drury Square in the center of town directly next to the old high school in the fall of 2006, equipped with turfed fields, to include (Memorial Field) all-purpose field for soccer, football, track & field, lacrosse, a turf baseball field, and a grass softball field (Rebecca J. Colokaithis Field), as well three new tennis courts and a basketball court (Holstrom Corner). Auburn High School participates in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.

In 2006 a group called "Save the '35" protested demolition of the oldest (1935) wing of the former high school. The old high school has now been completely demolished, except the dome on top of the high school, which is now located as a monument outside of right center field of the baseball field. A few of the bricks of the old building were sold within the town, and there are some located at the Auburn Historical Museum. In 1997, the Eastern Nazarene College started a learning annex in Auburn.

Points of interest

 * Auburn Mall
 * Goddard Rocket Launching Site
 * Horgan Skating Rink
 * Worcester Flood Diversion Channel

Notable people

 * Paul Allaire (1938–2019), CEO of Xerox Corp. from 1990 to 2001
 * Jacob Whitman Bailey (1811–1857), biologist, educator
 * Tyler Beede (born 1993), baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
 * John Curdo (1931–2022), chess master, winner of numerous titles, including the US Senior Championship, who lived here in later life
 * Patrick Allen Joslyn (born 1986), drag performer known onstage as Joslyn Fox
 * Robert Goddard (1881–1945), rocket scientist
 * Jeffrey Lynn (1909–1995), stage-screen actor and film producer

title: Auburn, Massachusetts


text:
Baldwinville, Massachusetts

Baldwinville is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Templeton in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,028 at the 2010 census. The name also refers to the local post office or railroad station.

Geography
Baldwinville is located at 42.61028°N, -72.07528°W (42.610167, -72.075239).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.5 km$2$ (2.5 mi2), of which 6.4 km$2$ (2.5 mi2) is land and 0.1 km$2$ (0.04 mi2) (0.80%) is water.

Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 1,852 people, 677 households, and 465 families in the CDP. The population density was 288.3/km$2$ (748.1/mi2). There were 700 housing units at an average density of 109.0/km$2$ (282.8/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.84% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78%.

Of the 677 households 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 26.1% of households were one person and 16.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.07.

The age distribution was 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.

The median household income was $41,771 and the median family income was $50,170. Males had a median income of $37,542 versus $25,551 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,108. About 6.0% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Baldwinville, Massachusetts


text:
Berlin, Massachusetts

Berlin is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was first settled in 1665 and incorporated in 1812, and is governed under the open town meeting system. It is located 12 mi northeast of Worcester and 29 mi west of Boston. The population was 3,158 at the 2020 census.

History
Berlin was home to the Nashaway, and Sachem Sholan deeded part of the town's land to settlers in 1643. Berlin was first settled in 1665. It was named "Berlin" as a district in 1784, and incorporated as a town in 1812. The pronunciation (which unlike the German city emphasizes the first syllable) is believed to date from 1784.

Berlin lies in a low range of hills between the Nashua River and Assabet River valleys. Incorporated in 1812, the town was a residential and agricultural community, growing mixed hay grains and raising cattle. For a period after the Civil War, Berlin was home to a large shoe factory, and shoe manufacturing and lumbering provided non-agrarian jobs. The town soon moved into specialty market gardening, sending 41,000 bunches of asparagus to market in 1885, growing hops and raising chickens. By 1940, 83,600 dozen eggs were produced annually by the poultry farmers of Berlin.

Town Hall
Berlin's first town house was constructed in 1831 for town meetings and social activities. Community growth necessitated the construction of a new town hall, and construction of the new town hall was started in 1869 and completed in 1870. The lot, a small piece of land facing the Meeting House Common in the center of Berlin, was given to the town by Artemas Barnes.

The Memorial Hall, on the first floor, included photographs of nearly all the local soldiers lost in the Civil War. Later the photos of other Civil War veterans were added until likenesses of nearly 100 local men were collected there. In the 20th century, war dead of World War I, World War II and Vietnam were added.

Barnes Hall, used for social gatherings, and the Selectmen's Room were also on the first floor. In 1904–1905, an addition was built at the back of the building to provide space for a kitchen and the public library on the first floor, and the stage on the second floor. Toilets were added in the 1930s.

In 1998, however, the town hall was moved from the 1870 building to the former home of the elementary school (the school was moved into a new building).

The public library was located in the Town Hall from 1891 until 1928. Barnes Hall was used as a school room in the 1870s. As recently as 1999 the locally produced musical Swinging Into the Millennium was held in the upper hall. Two area contra dance groups have used the hall in recent years. Meetings of Boy and Girl Scouts and local youth baseball and soccer groups also are held in the building.

The project of refurbishing and providing ADA-accessible access to the second floor of the 1870 Town Hall was completed in 2019. The space is available for both Town government use and for rent as a function hall and meeting space.

Education
Berlin shares its school district with neighboring Boylston to form the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District. Students attend Berlin Memorial School from kindergarten to fifth Grade, while middle/high school students attend Tahanto Regional High School.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.1 sqmi, of which 12.9 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi, or 1.22%, is water. Berlin is bordered by Hudson and Marlborough to the east, Bolton to the north, Clinton and Boylston to the west, and Northborough to the south. Berlin is the center of population for New England.

Interstate 495 and Route 62 go through Berlin.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,380 people, 872 households, and 666 families residing in the town. The population density was 184.1 PD/sqmi. There were 893 housing units at an average density of 69.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.61% White, 0.17% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 872 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,667, and the median income for a family was $76,419. Males had a median income of $50,711 versus $32,330 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,915. About 2.1% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Berlin, like many small New England municipalities, uses an open town meeting as its form of government. Day-to-day operations are handled by a town administrator, who is appointed by a three-person board of selectmen.

Notable people

 * Katherine Bacon, artist, historian
 * Walter Bickford, politician
 * Donald Featherstone, artist behind the plastic flamingo. Buried in Berlin
 * Aaron Feuerstein, businessman, philanthropist, third-generation owner and CEO of Malden Mills in Lawrence, Massachusetts
 * Holman K. Wheeler, architect of more than 400 structures in Lynn, Massachusetts

title: Berlin, Massachusetts


text:
Blackstone, Massachusetts

Blackstone is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,208 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Providence metropolitan area.

History
This region was first inhabited by the Nipmuc. Blackstone was settled by European immigrants in 1662 and was incorporated in 1845. The town was part of Mendon, Massachusetts, before becoming a separate municipality. It was named after William Blaxton, an early settler of New England and the first European settler of Rhode Island and Boston. Blackstone is within the area of the John H. Chaffee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.2 sqmi, of which 10.9 sqmi is land and 0.3 sqmi, or 2.94%, is water. The Blackstone River, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, meanders west to southeast, on the south border of town.

The town is bordered by North Smithfield, Rhode Island and Woonsocket, Rhode Island to the south; Millville, Massachusetts to the west; Mendon, Massachusetts to the north, and Bellingham, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) to the east.

Named places in the town include:

 * Blackstone Village
 * Central Village
 * East Blackstone
 * Farnum's Gate
 * Five Corners
 * High Rocks
 * Millerville
 * New City
 * Privilege
 * Rural District
 * Waterford
 * Wheelockville
 * Woonsocket Junction (New York and New England Railroad junction)

An East Blackstone railroad station used to be located in Bellingham.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,804 people, 3,235 households, and 2,355 families residing in the town. The population density was 807.4 PD/sqmi. There were 3,331 housing units at an average density of 305.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.39% White, 0.33% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.

There were 3,235 households, out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,163, and the median income for a family was $61,633. Males had a median income of $42,100 versus $27,448 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,936. About 1.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Blackstone, being part of the broader Blackstone-Millville Regional School District, is home to the Blackstone-Millville Regional High School, serving both the town of Blackstone and its western neighbor, Millville.

In 2003, a new middle school was constructed, the Frederick W. Hartnett Middle School, named after former superintendent of schools, Fred Hartnett. Blackstone is also home to the Augustine F. Maloney Elementary School, and to the John F. Kennedy Elementary School.

Adjacent city and towns

 * Woonsocket, Rhode Island
 * Millville
 * North Smithfield, Rhode Island
 * Mendon
 * Bellingham

Notable people

 * Albert J. Adams, racketeer
 * Perley Dunn Aldrich, composer
 * Con Daily, baseball player
 * Matthew Dicks, author
 * Eddie Eayrs, baseball pitcher and outfielder in parts of three seasons in the major leagues
 * Ambrose Kennedy, politician
 * Donald Pelletier, prelate
 * Bob Stewart, baseball umpire
 * Fernand St. Germain, politician
 * Eva March Tappan, author
 * Webster Thayer, judge
 * Gilbert Thompson, typographer

title: Blackstone, Massachusetts


text:
Bolton, Massachusetts

Bolton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Bolton is in central Massachusetts, located 25 miles west-northwest of downtown Boston along Interstate 495. It is within Greater Boston and MetroWest regions. The population was 5,665 at the 2020 census.

Settled in the 1600s and incorporated in 1738, the town is still home to many farms and apple orchards as well the well-known Nashoba Valley Winery and The International Golf Club, which has hosted several major tournaments. The Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area is largely located in the town near the Nashua River and Still River as well as many other parks and conservation areas.

History
Prior to its incorporation, the area was settled by English farmers in the 1600s near where the Nashaway tribe fished and farmed along the Nashua River. In 1643 Thomas King of Watertown had purchased the land from the sachem Sholan of the Nashaway as the southeastern corner of the Nashaway (Lancaster) purchase. The land in what is now Bolton was formerly part of the town of Lancaster until Bolton seceded along the Still River, where the current boundary line still stands. The town of Bolton was incorporated on June 24, 1738, following an influx of settlers and was named after the Duke of Bolton. In 1656 the Concord highway was laid out over Wattaquadock Hill in Bolton. By 1711 more than 150 people were living on Bolton soil, despite a local history of Indian uprisings and one massacre during King Philip's War. Many early houses were protected by flankers, and were designated as garrisons. After the War various small industries developed in Bolton including the mining of limestone at Bolton Lime Kiln and Quarry.

During the American Revolution Bolton farmers erected a liberty pole at the town center and largely supported the revolutionary cause. General John Whitcomb of Bolton was elected the first Major-General of the Massachusetts Army at the third Provincial Congress in 1775. He was a minuteman leader at the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill. By the Civil War in the 1860s Bolton residents had formed an abolitionist society, and twenty-one Bolton residents died fighting for the Union. The Bolton Fair was founded in Bolton in 1874 as an agricultural fair, but the fairgrounds were later moved to nearby Lancaster in 2004 where it is still held annually.

In the 1920s Bolton was used as a setting and mentioned a number of times in H.P. Lovecraft's fiction: as a setting in his Herbert West—Reanimator, and also mentioned in his The Rats in the Walls and The Colour out of Space. However, H.P. Lovecraft's Bolton was located on the North Shore near Ipswich, Massachusetts, and was described as a factory town bearing little resemblance to the actual town.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.0 sqmi, of which 19.9 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi, or 0.35%, is water. Wattaquadock Hill and Vaughn Hill's North Peak are the highest points in Bolton.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,897 people, 1,670 households, and 1,391 families residing in the town. The population density was 246.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,738 housing units at an average density of 87.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.9% White, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 1,670 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.3% were married couples living together, 2.8% had a male householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. The householders of 12.1% of all households were living alone and the householders of 4.9% of households were living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.2% of the population 19 and under, 3.4% from 20 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 36.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.

As of 2015, the median income for a household in the town was $147,446, and the median income for a family was $155,063. Males had a median income of $101,042 versus $71,905 for females. The per capita income for the town was $51,791. About 1.3% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

National Historic Places

 * Bolton Center Historic District, includes historic civic, religious and commercial buildings along Route 117
 * Pan Burying Ground, est. 1822 contains a notable seven-chambered group tomb
 * Pan Historic District, includes a large collection of rural Federal style and colonial architecture
 * Whitcomb Inn and Farm, ca. 1708, possibly the oldest surviving house in Bolton

Education
Bolton is a member of the Nashoba Regional School District, also serving the towns of Lancaster and Stow. Bolton is home to Florence Sawyer School (Pre-K–8) and Nashoba Regional High School.

Notable people

 * Suzy Becker (born 1962), is an author, illustrator, entrepreneur, educator, and social activist
 * William C. Edes (1856–1922), was a U.S. civil engineer who was the chairman for Alaskan Engineering Commission
 * Bill Ezinicki (1924–2012), NHL hockey player, professional golfer, won three Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs, inducted into PGA tour hall of fame New England Section in 1997
 * Heather K. Gerken (born 1969), is the Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law at Yale Law School
 * Hal Gill (born 1975), former NHL player
 * William Ellery Leonard (1876–1944), poet and author, professor at the University of Wisconsin's Dept. of English
 * J. Sterling Livingston (1916–2010), was an American entrepreneur, management consultant, and professor at the Harvard Business School
 * Frank L. McNamara Jr. (born 1947), is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
 * Amos Nourse (1794–1877), United States Senator from Maine
 * Karen O'Connor (born 1958), is an American equestrian who competes in three-day eventing
 * Philip J. Philbin (1898–1972), member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district from 1943 to 1971
 * Philip Phillips (1900-1994), Harvard archaeologist
 * Wilbert Robinson (1864–1934), Baseball Hall of Fame manager nicknamed "Uncle Robbie", managed the Brooklyn Dodgers for 17 years
 * Frederick A. Sawyer (1822–1891), United States Senator from South Carolina
 * Samuel Stearns (1741–1809), astronomer and author
 * William C. Sullivan (1912–1977), was a Federal Bureau of Investigation official
 * John Whitcomb (1713–1785), state representative and American Revolutionary War general
 * Nathan Wilson (1758–1834), was a United States Representative from New York

title: Bolton, Massachusetts


text:
Boylston, Massachusetts

Boylston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,849 at the 2020 census.

History
Boylston was first settled by Europeans around 1706 in the northern part of the present-day town, most notably by the Sawyer family after Nashaway sachems Sholan and George Tahanto deeded the land. In 1697, the residents petitioned to form a local town and government, but the British colonial Governor of Massachusetts denied their request since he wanted to keep the number of towns to a minimum and to restrict popular representation.

A meeting house was built in 1743, and the Reverend Ebenezer Morse, ordained in October 1743, was the first minister in charge of the church.

The town was made up of a large part of land from Shrewsbury and the remainder from Lancaster and was known as the North Parish of Shrewsbury from 1742 until 1786, when it was incorporated as Boylston.

Boylston was named after Ward Nicholas Boylston (1747–1828), a benefactor of the town. The fund he set up in 1797 finally accumulated $1,450, which was used to build the town hall and school building.

The residents formerly made a living from agriculture, and erected mills on the Nashua River, until the construction of Wachusett Reservoir terminated their operation.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.7 sqmi, of which 16.0 sqmi is land and 3.6 sqmi, or 18.50%, is water.

With a population of nearly 4400 residents, the town is predominantly a residential community. The Wachusett Reservoir, part of the water supply system managed by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for Greater Boston area, lies in the northwestern part of the town and covers about 5000 acre of land. The town maintains approximately 45 mi of roadway, has 9 mi of sidewalks, and has its own Municipal Light Department, Water District, and volunteer fire and ambulance service.

The town of Boylston is bordered by the towns of Shrewsbury, West Boylston, Sterling, Clinton, Berlin, and Northborough.

Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 4,008 people, 1,573 households, and 1,140 families residing in the town. The population density was 250.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,606 housing units at an average density of 100.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.71% White, 0.67% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.

There were 1,573 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $67,703, and the median income for a family was $77,604. Males had a median income of $56,019 versus $43,277 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,274. About 2.4% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Library
The Boylston Public Library was established in 1880. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Boylston spent 1.35% ($152,562) of its budget on its public library—some $35 per person.

Education
Boylston currently operates a junior-senior high school with the neighboring town of Berlin, called the Tahanto Regional Middle/High School. It is part of the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District. The town is also home to the Tower Hill Botanic Garden, operated by the Worcester County Horticultural Society, which offers adult education classes in horticulture, cooking, and gardening.

The school mascot is a stag, and the teams' colors are white and green.

Notable residents

 * Jeff Fuller (born 1957) - racing driver
 * Kevin Manion (born 1972) - NASCAR race-winning crew chief

title: Boylston, Massachusetts


text:
Brookfield, Massachusetts

Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. The population was 3,439 at the 2020 census.

History

Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1718. The town was settled by men from Ipswich as part of the Quaboag Plantation lands.

In August 1675, King Philip's War reached central Massachusetts. Brookfield, one of the most isolated settlements in the colony, was attacked by Nipmuck forces. After an ambush, the town was besieged. For two days the townsfolk, consisting of 80 people, sought shelter in the garrison house while the rest of the town was completely destroyed. The settlement lay abandoned for twelve years.

During the winter of 1776, General Henry Knox passed through the town with cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to end the Siege of Boston. A marker along Route 9 commemorates his route.

Bathsheba Spooner
In March 1778, Joshua Spooner, a wealthy farmer in Brookfield, was beaten to death and his body stuffed down a well. Four people were hanged for the crime: two British soldiers, a young Continental soldier, and Spooner's wife, Bathsheba, who was charged with instigating the murder. She was 32 years old and five months pregnant when executed. Newspapers described the case as "the most extraordinary crime ever perpetrated in New England."

Bathsheba was the mother of three young children, and in her own words felt "an utter aversion" for her husband, who was known to be an abusive drunk.

A year before the murder, she took in and nursed a sixteen-year-old Continental soldier who was returning from a year's enlistment under George Washington. The two became lovers and conceived a child.

Divorces were all but impossible for women at that time, and adulteresses were stripped to the waist and publicly whipped. Bathsheba's pregnancy occasioned a series of desperate plots to murder her husband, finally brought to fruition with the aid of two British deserters from General John Burgoyne's defeated army.

As the daughter of the state's most prominent and despised Loyalist, Bathsheba bore the brunt of the political, cultural, and gender prejudices of her day. When she sought a stay of execution to deliver her baby, the Massachusetts Council rejected her petition, and she was promptly hanged before a crowd of 5,000 spectators.

Washington's visit
Across from the former Brookfield Inn on West Main Street (Route 9) is a memorial that designates this part of the road as the George Washington Memorial Highway. In 1789, the first president of the United States traveled through five of the New England states. This tour has become the basis for all of the "George Washington slept here" claims—and although Washington watered his horses here, he never slept in Brookfield. It seems his party would have spent the night in Brookfield except that the innkeeper, Mrs. Bannister, was in bed with a terrible headache. When awakened, she mistook him for a college president and sent him on to the neighboring town of Spencer. On learning of her mistake, she supposedly said: "Bless me! One look at that good man would have cured my aching head."

Other Brookfields
Lands of the town have given rise to three others—North Brookfield in 1812, West Brookfield in 1848, and East Brookfield in 1920.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.6 sqmi, of which 15.5 sqmi is land and 1.0 sqmi, or 6.34%, is water. Brookfield is bounded on the northwest, north and east by towns that were formerly part of it: West Brookfield, North Brookfield, and East Brookfield, respectively; on the south by Sturbridge and a short, 0.33 mi stretch of Brimfield; and on the southwest by Warren. Brookfield is 18 mi west of Worcester, 30 mi east-northeast of Springfield, and 57 mi west of Boston.

The town is located in the southwestern part of Worcester County, along the Quaboag River. The river is bordered by swampy lands, and several areas around it are protected as wildlife management areas. Along the East Brookfield border lie two large ponds which are part of the river, Quaboag Pond to the north and Quacumquasit Pond to the south, extending into Sturbridge. There are also several small brooks running into these waterways, and the land around the town is mostly flat, with some small hills in the southern half of town.

The town center lies at the intersection of Route 9 and Route 148. The town also lies along the former Boston and Albany Railroad (now owned/operated by CSX). This line is also the Lake Shore Limited route of Amtrak's rail service between Worcester and Springfield, though there is no stop between the two cities. The town lies just north of Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) near its junction with Interstate 84 at Exit 9. This intersection is the closest exit along the Pike to town, 10 mi away to the south, with Palmer's exit being 15 mi to the west, and Auburn's exit (at Interstate 395) being 22 mi to the east. The nearest municipal airport is located in Southbridge, and the nearest national air service via Jet Blue can be reached at Worcester Regional Airport (ORH), located in Worcester.

Demographics
By the 2010 census, the population had reached 3,390.

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,051 people, 1,204 households, and 857 families residing in the town. The population density was 196.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,302 housing units at an average density of 83.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 98.10% White, 0.20% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 1,204 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. Of all households 23.8% were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,655, and the median income for a family was $54,519. Males had a median income of $38,806 versus $29,155 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,144. About 3.8% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

Library

The public library in Brookfield began in the 1860s. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Brookfield spent 1.49% ($106,066) of its budget on its public library—approximately $35 per person.

Education
Brookfield Elementary School, serving grades K–6, has its own school committee, part of School Union 61. Brookfield students attend Tantasqua Regional Junior High School (grades 7–8) and Tantasqua Regional High School in Sturbridge. Union 61 and the Tantasqua district share administrators, including the superintendent, and both include Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland, Sturbridge and Wales.

Notable people

 * William Appleton, congressman
 * John Brooks, Jr., military officer during the War of 1812
 * Asa Danforth, highway engineer
 * Arthur Louis Day, geological physicist
 * William B. Draper, importer and bank president
 * Theodore Foster, politician
 * Mary Jane Hawes, author
 * Albert R. Howe, congressman
 * Harrison Hunter, actor
 * Jennifer Lafleur, actor
 * Pliny T. Merrick, attorney and judge
 * Joseph Read, soldier
 * Bathsheba Spooner, criminal
 * George B. Upham, congressman
 * Jabez Upham, congressman

title: Brookfield, Massachusetts


text:
Charlton, Massachusetts

Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,315 at the 2020 census.

History
Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town on August 23, 1775, by a law that made all Districts into Towns to help for the cause of the Revolutionary War. It was named after Sir Francis Charlton. During the 1800s, farming continued to be the major occupation, but woolen mills were being built along some of the town's brooks by the turn of the twentieth century.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.8 sqmi, of which 42.5 sqmi is land and 1.2 sqmi (2.86%) is water.

The town is bordered on the west by Sturbridge; on the north by East Brookfield, Spencer and Leicester; on the east by Oxford; and on the south by Dudley and Southbridge.

Charlton is bisected by north–south Route 31, which runs through the historical villages of Charlton Center, Charlton City and Charlton Depot. North-south Route 169 connects Charlton City with Southbridge. East–west routes include Route 20, a major commuter road, and the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90), which crosses through Charlton but does not have an exit in the town. While there is no exit for the town, there are two rest stops on the Mass Pike that are in Charlton.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,263 people, 3,788 households, and 3,045 families residing in the town. The population density was 264.8 PD/sqmi. There were 4,008 housing units at an average density of 94.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.46% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 3,788 households, out of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $63,033, and the median income for a family was $70,208. Males had a median income of $46,727 versus $33,451 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,626. About 4.9% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Charlton has an open town meeting form of government, with a five-member Board of Selectmen.

Library
The Charlton Free Public Library was established in 1882. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Charlton spent 1.73% ($306,971) of its budget on its public library—some $24 per person. The library gained national recognition in 1906 after it banned Mark Twain's short story "Eve's Diary" for its illustrations of Eve in "summer costume." Twain testified before Congress after the incident saying, "The whole episode has rather amused me. I have no feeling of vindictiveness over the stand of the librarians there—I am only amused. You see they did not object to my book; they objected to Lester Ralph's pictures. I wrote the book; I did not make the pictures. I admire the pictures, and I heartily approve them, but I did not make them. It seems curious to me—some of the incidents in this case. It appears that the pictures in Eve's Diary were first discovered by a lady librarian. When she made the dreadful find, being very careful, she jumped at no hasty conclusions—not she—she examined the horrid things in detail. It took her some time to examine them all, but she did her hateful duty! I don't blame her for this careful examination; the time she spent was, I am sure, enjoyable, for I found considerable fascination in them myself. Then she took the book to another librarian, a male this time, and he, also, took a long time to examine the unclothed ladies. He must have found something of the same sort of fascination in them that I found."

Education
Charlton public schools are part of the Dudley–Charlton Regional School district. Charlton Elementary serves students in kindergarten and first grade. The Heritage School serves students in grades 2 through 4. The Charlton Middle School serves grades 5 through 8. Charlton High Schoolers (ninth grade through twelfth grade) attend Shepherd Hill Regional High School in Dudley.

Charlton is also home to Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School which serves Charlton and surrounding communities.

There used to be a high school in the center of town called Charlton High School. That building is now used for the Charlton Municipal Offices.

Points / People of interest

 * Grave of John "Grizzly" Adams.
 * John Spurr House.
 * Rider Tavern.
 * Charlton Center Historic District.
 * Northside Village Historic District.
 * No. 2 Schoolhouse.
 * Nature's Classroom Headquarters.
 * Heritage Country Club.
 * Buffumville Lake.
 * Elliott P. Joslin Camps for Children with Diabetes.
 * Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School.
 * Tree House Brewing Company
 * The residence of the person who first demonstrated ether as a surgical anesthetic, William T. G. Morton.
 * On July 26, 2012, the back of the Charlton Woolen Mill, an historic landmark, burnt to the ground. It was a "5-Alarm Fire", and firefighting efforts contained the destruction to only that one section of one of the mills.)

title: Charlton, Massachusetts


text:
Cordaville, Massachusetts

Cordaville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Southborough in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,650 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Cordaville is located at 42.27°N, -71.52694°W (42.269947, -71.526869).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.8 km$2$ (1.9 mi2), all land.

Demographics
At the 2010 census there were 2,650 people, 870 households, and 741 families living in the CDP. The population density was 524.9/km$2$ (1,360.6/mi2). There were 889 housing units at an average density of 171.1/km$2$ (443.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.3% White, 0.71% African American, 9.39% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5%.

Of the 870 households 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.8% were non-families. 12.1% of households were one person and 3.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.33.

The age distribution was 32.4% under the age of 18,The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males.

The median household income in the CDP, in 2012 inflation-adjusted dollars, was $149,425, and the median family income was $157,097. None of the families and 0.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

title: Cordaville, Massachusetts


text:
Douglas, Massachusetts

Douglas is a town in southern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,983 at the 2020 census. It includes the Douglas State Forest, managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

History
The name of Douglas was first given to the territory of the town in the year 1646. New Sherborn or "New Sherborn Grant" had previously been its designation, since its first occupancy by the English settlers which was as early as 1715. The first English settlers came primarily from Sherborn, although many hailed from Natick as well. New Sherburn was removed from Suffolk County to Worcester County at its formation on April 2, 1731. The name Douglas was given in 1746, when Dr. William Douglass, an eminent physician of Boston, in consideration of the privilege of naming the township offered the inhabitants the sum of $500.00 as a fund for the establishment of free schools together with a tract of 30 acre of land with a dwelling house and barn thereon. It is said that there were subsequent pledges made by Dr. Douglas in the form of a bell for the Center School and 50 sterling pounds for seven years to support the ministry but quite a portion of these pledges were not received by the Town. Douglas's forests gave rise to a woodcutting industry and the Douglas axe company. A woolen manufacturing company, on the Mumford River in East Douglas, in recent times held by the Schuster family, has been prominent in the history of this community. General Lafayette, of France, stopped here during the Revolutionary War, to change horses, on his way to Boston to join General Washington. Lafayette was a hero of the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

From a very early period reaching beyond 1635, bands of Native Americans, principally the Nipmuc tribe, dominated this region of Worcester County. The Blackstone River was once called the Nipmuc River. Most of Douglas is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

The underlying geology consists of rocks rich in quartz, feldspar, and mica. Boulders are plentifully scattered all over town, and gold and silver ores are said to be found in some localities. Large quantities of building and ornamental stone are quarried from the granite ledges found in the center of town which is shipped to almost every section of New England.

In 1946, as part of the town's tricentennial anniversary celebration and to welcome home for the troops returning from World War II, Winfield A. Schuster arranged an exhibition game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees that was played at the local ballpark known as Soldiers Field on September 26. The game had an estimated attendance of 12,000 and was won by the Yankees, 8-7.

Police Chief Patrick Foley of Douglas was elected Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), at the annual convention in Denver, Colorado, in 2009.

In December 2017, Lt. Nick L. Miglionico was sworn in as the new Chief Of Police, replacing longtime Chief Patrick Foley, who retired and took a position as Chief of Police in Williston, Vermont. Chief Miglionico has been with the Douglas Police Department since January 1997.

A common misconception in Douglas is with regard to the New England Trunkline Trail. Many believe that railroad tracks were laid here for commuting from northern Connecticut to northern Massachusetts. In fact, they were used to haul ice from Wallum Lake as interstate commerce. Today, one can hike these trails through Massachusetts and Connecticut. The New England Trunkline was originally planned as a railroad, but the financier died in the sinking of the Titanic.

The E. N. Jenckes Store Museum
The E.N. Jenckes store and museum sits on Main Street in the village of East Douglas. Ebenezer Balkcom opened a small store at the corner of Main and Pleasant (now Depot) streets during the 1830s, when East Douglas was becoming the economic center of the town. The store changed hands (sold to Gardner Chase) until he retired and sold the building to Edward L. Jenckes. After Jenckes' death in 1924, his daughters E. Mialma and Helen R. continued to run the store until the store closed in 1964. The store remained closed until 1972, when the property was donated to the Douglas Historical Society, where it was carefully restored to its original general store appearance of 100 years ago.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.7 sqmi, of which 36.4 sqmi is land and 1.3 sqmi, or 3.57%, is water. It includes the Douglas State Forest and is home to Wallum Lake and Whitins Reservoir.

The principal elevations are Bald Hill, 711 ft, Wallum Pond Hill, 778 ft, Mount Ashworth, 713 feet (218 m), and Mount Daniel, 735 ft. There are numerous ponds in Douglas: Wallum Pond in the southwestern section, covering approximately 150 acre; Badluck Pond in the western part of town, covering about 110 acre; the largest pond is Whitin Reservoir, also in the western part of town, covering about 400 acre; and Manchaug Pond in the northern part, about 93 acre.

Education
Douglas has four public schools for children grades preschool through twelfth grade to attend. Douglas Primary School enrolls 230 students (2016–2017) in grades preschool, Kindergarten, and first grade. Douglas Elementary School enrolls 404 students (2016–2017) in second grade through fifth grade. Douglas Middle School enrolls 360 students (2016–2017) in sixth through eighth grade. Douglas High School enrolls 394 students (2016–2017) in ninth through twelfth grade.

Douglas is also a member of the thirteen towns that make up Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School which provides educational opportunities for students grades 9–12 seeking experience and education in a specific career field.

Douglas High School athletics compete as part of the Dual Valley Conference league with Blackstone-Millville Regional High School, Hopedale High School, Nipmuc Regional High School, Sutton High School, and Whitinsville Christian High School.

Neighborhoods

 * East Douglas
 * Tasseltop

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,045 people, 2,476 households, and 1,936 families residing in the town. The population density was 193.7 PD/sqmi. There were 2,588 housing units at an average density of 71.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.48% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population. From 2000 to 2010 there was a population increase of 20.24%.

There were 2,476 households, out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $60,529, and the median income for a family was $67,210. Males had a median income of $45,893 versus $31,287 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,036. About 2.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The town has an open town meeting form of government. The government broadcasts many of its meetings on the Apple TV platform as well as internet and local cable TV. State, Federal and county level elected state officials are shown in the infobox.

title: Douglas, Massachusetts


text:
Dudley, Massachusetts

Dudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,921 at the 2020 census.

History
Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732. The town was named for landholders Paul and William Dudley.

In April 1776, on his way to New York City from Boston after his victory in the Siege of Boston, General George Washington camped in the town of Dudley with the Continental Army along what is now a portion of Route 31 near the Connecticut border. During the trip, it is rumored that a "large cache" of captured and recovered British weaponry and supplies was ordered "concealed in the grounds" in the rural area along the route. The cache, hidden to resupply reinforcements from Massachusetts or to cover a retreat from the south, was never used or recorded as having been recovered.

Union soldiers from Dudley, the 15th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, suffered heavy casualties inflicted by the Confederacy during the Battle of Gettysburg. Dudley was the primary manufacturer of "Brogan boots" worn by the Union Army and produced the majority of the standard issue Union uniforms worn during the Civil War.

A proposal to create a Muslim cemetery by the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester on 55 acre of farmland elicited intense community opposition when discussed at a public hearing in February 2016. After a complicated process, with much back and forth between the Islamic Society and town officials, the necessary permit was issued over a year later.

Geography
Dudley is bounded on the northeast by Oxford, on the north by Charlton, on the west by Southbridge, on the south by Woodstock and Thompson, Connecticut, and on the east by Webster, with which it traditionally had the closest cultural and political relations. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.1 sqmi, of which 21.0 sqmi is land and 1.0 sqmi, or 4.58%, is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,036 people, 3,737 households, and 2,668 families residing in the town. The population density was 476.7 PD/sqmi. There were 3,910 housing units at an average density of 185.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.83% White, 0.23% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.01% of the population.

There were 3,737 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,602, and the median income for a family was $59,309. Males had a median income of $40,337 versus $27,589 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,546. About 3.1% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Library
The public library in Dudley opened in 1897. The library has changed location a few times since then, and in the early 21st century, a new building was constructed over the site of the former town hall, which had also been relocated. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Dudley spent 1.44% ($163,468) of its budget on its public library, approximately $14 per person.

Education
Dudley is the home of Nichols College, which maintains a campus on Dudley Hill, the historical center of the town. Public schools in Dudley include Mason Road School (grades Pre-K–1), Dudley Elementary School (grades 2–4), Dudley Middle School (grades 5–8) and Shepherd Hill Regional High School (grades 9–12), the last of which also serves students from Charlton. All public schools in Dudley are part of the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District. Dudley is one of ten towns whose students have the option of attending Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School (grades 9–12).

Historic places

 * Black Tavern (1803)
 * Stevens Linen Works Historic District

Notable people

 * James Blood, Civil War officer and Victoria Woodhull's second husband (suffragist and first female Presidential nominee)
 * Jacob P. Chamberlain, former US Congressman
 * Chris Lindstrom is an American football guard with the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League
 * Leo Martello, Wiccan priest and civil rights activist
 * William Whiting II, former US Congressman, paper industrialist, philanthropist

title: Dudley, Massachusetts


text:
East Douglas, Massachusetts

East Douglas is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Douglas in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,557 at the 2010 census.

Geography
East Douglas is located at 42.07528°N, -71.71361°W (42.075272, -71.713636).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.1 km2, of which 8.9 km2 is land and 0.2 km2  (2.56%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,319 people, 916 households, and 628 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 261.8 /km2. There were 936 housing units at an average density of 105.7 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.59% White, 0.43% African American, 0.43% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.

There were 916 households, out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $55,208, and the median income for a family was $58,517. Males had a median income of $41,116 versus $31,420 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,274. About 6.8% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.

title: East Douglas, Massachusetts


text:
Fiskdale, Massachusetts

Fiskdale (or Fiskedale ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Sturbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,583 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Fiskdale is located at 42.115°N, -72.11167°W (42.114994, -72.111547).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.5 km2, of which 8.3 km2 is land and 0.3 km2  (3.04%) is water.

Fiskdale is generally regarded by residents of Sturbridge to include the northwestern corner of the town, containing Tantasqua Regional High School, the densely populated areas around Route 148 (Brookfield Road), Holland Road area, as well as much of Route 20 to the west of Interstate 84. Big Alum Pond, Long Pond, and part of East Brimfield Lake are located in Fiskdale.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,156 people, 873 households, and 568 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 261.0 /km2. There were 914 housing units at an average density of 110.6 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.87% White, 0.60% African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.

There were 873 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. Of all households, 30.2% were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,924, and the median income for a family was $60,032. Males had a median income of $47,609 versus $26,496 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,118. About 8.6% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.

title: Fiskdale, Massachusetts


text:
Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here.

History
Fitchburg was first settled in by Europeans in 1730 as part of Lunenburg, and was officially set apart from that town and incorporated in 1764. The area was previously occupied by the Nipmuc tribe. It is named for John Fitch, one of the committee that procured the act of incorporation. In July 1748 Fitch and his family, living in this isolated spot, were abducted to Canada by Native Americans, but returned the next year.

Fitchburg is situated on both the Nashua River and a railroad line. The original Fitchburg Railroad ran through the Hoosac Tunnel, linking Boston and Albany, New York. The tunnel was built using the Burleigh Rock Drill, designed and built in Fitchburg. Fitchburg was a 19th-century industrial center. Originally operated by water power, large mills produced machines, tools, clothing, paper, and firearms. The city is noted for its architecture, particularly in the Victorian style, built at the height of its mill town prosperity. A few examples of these 19th century buildings are the Fay Club, the old North Worcester County Courthouse and the Bullock house.

In 1922, it was affected by the 1922 New England Textile Strike, shutting down the mills in the city over an attempted wage cut.

As the city is one of Worcester County's two shire towns, it has hosted the Northern Worcester County Registry of Deeds, established in 1903, and the county jail on Water Street.

In 1961, two films Return to Peyton Place and By Love Possessed filmed exterior street scenes, town squares and public buildings in Fitchburg.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1 sqmi, of which 27.8 sqmi is land and 0.3 sqmi, or 1.07%, is water. The city is drained by the Nashua River. The highest point in Fitchburg is the summit of Brown Hill near the northwestern corner of the city, at 1210 ft above sea level.

Fitchburg is bordered by Ashby to the north, Lunenburg to the east, Leominster to the south, Westminster to the west, and a small portion of Ashburnham to the northwest.

Neighborhoods
Fitchburg is divided into multiple different neighborhoods/villages, including:

 * Cleghorn
 * Crockerville
 * College Area
 * Downtown Fitchburg
 * East Side
 * Green Acres Village
 * North Fitchburg
 * The Patch
 * Prichard-Pleasant Street
 * South Fitchburg
 * Tar Hill
 * Upper Common
 * Waite's Corner
 * West Fitchburg

Climate
Fitchburg's climate is humid continental, which is the predominant climate for Massachusetts and New England. Summers are typically warm, rainy, and humid, while winters are cold, windy, and snowy. Spring and fall are usually mild, but conditions vary widely and depend on wind direction and jet stream positioning. The warmest month is July, with an average high temperature of about 84 °F and an average low temperature of about 63 °F. The coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of about 35 °F and an average low temperature of about 17 °F.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 40,318 people, 15,165 households, and 9,362 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,450.3 PD/sqmi. There were 17,117 housing units at an average density of 615.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 78.2% White, 5.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.6% of the population (14.6% Puerto Rican, 1.8% Dominican, 1.6% Uruguayan, 1.4% Mexican, 0.3% Ecuadorian, 0.2% Colombian, 0.2% Honduran, 0.1% Guatemalan, 0.1% Salvadoran, 0.1% Spanish, 0.1% Peruvian). 76.9% spoke English, 15.1% Spanish, 4.2% Other Indo-European Language and 2.6% Asian and Pacific Islander Languages as their first language.

There were 15,165 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,019, and the median income for a family was $57,245. Males had a median income of $47,350 versus $37,921 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,972. About 14.6% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Throughout the early twentieth century, Fitchburg was known for its paper industry, which occupied the banks of the Nashua River and employed a large segment of the European immigrant population. It has been noted by many residents in Fitchburg that the Nashua River would be dyed the color the paper mills had been coloring the paper that day.
 * Founded in 1939, the Wachusett Potato Chip Company purchased the former County Jail buildings and grounds in the 1940s and has operated as a manufacturing and distributing facility for snack products since that time. It was purchased by UTZ in 2011 and still makes chips for local distribution using the Wachusett name.
 * Two truck manufacturing firms, the Wachusett Truck Company and the New England Truck Company, operated in Fitchburg during the early twentieth century.
 * Simonds International, Saw manufacturer founded in Fitchburg in 1832 and still operating on Intervale Road.
 * The Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works made motorcycles for a short time, in addition to their primary products, firearms and bicycles.
 * Assumption Life, a large financial services company, was founded in Fitchburg in 1903 before moving to Moncton, New Brunswick.
 * Long time businesses that continue to grace Main Street are Tikki Tikki and Duvarney Jewelers.
 * New businesses that have opened on Main Street are Rise & Grind Coffee, Mamajuana Restaurant, Social Light Business Club, Curious Escape Rooms, Dario’s, Tacos Tequila, and Shining Starz Dance.
 * When completed in June 2014 Great Wolf Lodge New England will have spent over 70 million dollars in renovations to former Holiday Inn/Coco Key Water Resort There will be over 400 new permanent jobs created from this project.

Fitchburg Central Steam Plant
The Fitchburg Central Steam Plant (locally known by its nickname: the PLT) was built in 1928 to provide steam and electricity to the many local paper mills. As the paper mills were abandoned or improved the Central Steam Plant fell into disuse and was abandoned. In 2008, the EPA designated the Central Steam Plant a brownfield site due to contamination of the site soil and groundwater with metals and inorganic contaminants. The EPA provided the City of Fitchburg $50,500 in grant money to help clean up hazardous substances on the site.

Cleanup of the Central Steam Plant started in 2010 and is ongoing as of July 2011. As of December 2015, the Fitchburg Central Steam Plant has been razed. The last structure to fall was its massive smokestack.

Arts and culture
The Fitchburg Art Museum was founded in 1925 and includes over 20000 sqft of gallery and educational space which features a "cross barn" built in 1883, the Simond's building completed in 1989, and 12 galleries feature American, African, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art.

The Rollstone Boulder is a 110-ton specimen of porphyritic granite located in a small triangular public park. The boulder was a feature of the summit of Rollstone Hill; it was exploded and reassembled on the green in 1929 and 1930.

The Fitchburg Historical Society houses more than 200,000 items related to the history of Fitchburg, including Sentinel newspapers from 1838 to 1976, city directories, photographs, scrapbooks, manuscripts, family genealogies, postcards, files on industries in the City, books and pamphlets on Fitchburg's history from the 1700s to the present, a Civil War collection, and a collection on the railroad.

The Fitchburg Public Library was established in 1859. In 1899, a child-specific library service began in one of the country's first children's rooms. Fitchburg Public Library became the first regional library in the Massachusetts Regional Library System in 1962. In 2008, the library had a budget of $1,111,412. In 2014, the Fitchburg Law Library opened.

Other cultural features include:
 * Arthur J. DiTommaso Memorial Bridge
 * Fitchburg Longsjo Classic (no longer active)
 * The Finnish Center at Saima Park
 * Wallace Civic Center of Fitchburg State University

Parks and recreation

 * Coggshall Park — a 300 acre park established in 1894, which features wooded trails, access to Mirror Lake, a walking path, gazebo, stone house, playground, and disc golf course.
 * Flat Rock Wild Life Sanctuary — a 326 acre wild life sanctuary.
 * Fitchburg Abolitionist Park — created in 2017 by volunteers to honor the rich history of anti-slavery activism in the city, including its role in the Underground Railroad.
 * West Fitchburg Steam Line Trail — a bike and walking path located in Fitchburg that is 0.6 acre long and runs along the Nashua River and Flag Brook in the Waites Corner neighborhood.
 * Crocker Field — an athletic facility listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * Coolidge Park — a multi-use park located off John Fitch Highway, containing 2 street hockey rinks, 4 baseball/softball fields, a swimming pool and walking path.
 * Fitchburg Dog Park — a 1-acre fenced, off-leash dog park located off John Fitch Highway within Coolidge Park.

Government

 * Mayor: Samantha M. Squailia
 * State Representative: Michael Kushmerek
 * State Senator: John Cronin (D)
 * Governor's Councilor: Paul DePalo (D)
 * U.S. Representative: Lori Trahan (D-3rd District)
 * U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Elementary Schools

 * Crocker Elementary School
 * South Street Elementary School
 * Reingold Elementary School

Middle School

 * Memorial Middle School
 * Longsjo Middle School

High School

 * Fitchburg High School
 * Goodrich Academy
 * McKay Arts Academy
 * Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, also called Monty Tech
 * Sizer School

Private schools

 * Applewild School
 * Notre Dame Preparatory School
 * St. Bernard's Elementary School
 * St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School

St. Anthony of Padua School opened c. 1951 and closed in 2017. In its final year it had 144 students. Its closure meant that Fitchburg now has only one remaining Roman Catholic grade school.

Colleges and universities
Established in 1894 by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature, the State Normal School in Fitchburg opened in temporary quarters in the old high school building on Academy Street.
 * Fitchburg State University

Newspapers

 * Raivaaja
 * Sentinel & Enterprise

Television

 * Fitchburg has its own access TV station, Fitchburg Access Television. The station covers various local events, ranging from local school sports to municipal government meetings. FATV operates three Public, Education, and Government (PEG) channels. FATV channels can be viewed on Comcast (channels 8, 9, & 99) and on Verizon (channels 35, 36, & 37). FATV is not available on satellite TV.

Radio

 * WPKZ, AM-1280 FM-105.3 Originally licensed in 1941
 * WXPL, FM-91.3 Fitchburg State Radio
 * WXLO, FM-104.5
 * WQPH, FM-89.3 (Queen of Perpetual Help) Shirley/Fitchburg an EWTN Catholic Radio affiliate

Fire department
The Fitchburg Fire Department employs 81 firefighters, operating out of three stations. It responds to approximately 12,000 emergency calls annually.

Law enforcement

 * Fitchburg Police Department, a full-service law enforcement agency responsible for 28 sqmi and 192 mi of public road. The department responds to over 40,000 incidents each year.
 * Worcester County Sheriff's Office
 * Massachusetts State Police

Medical care
UMass Memorial Health operates a hospital in Fitchburg.

Transportation

Transportation for Fitchburg is largely supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). MART operates fixed-route bus services, shuttle services, as well as paratransit services within the Montachusett Region. It also provides two connections to the MBTA Commuter Rail line at Fitchburg Station and Wachusett Station. The Fitchburg Station is the second to last stop on the Fitchburg Line from the North Station in Boston and the Wachusett Station is the last stop.

The Fitchburg Municipal Airport occupies 335 acres off Airport Road in Fitchburg near the Leominster border. In 1940, the airport land was donated to the City of Fitchburg and serves the greater Fitchburg area.

Notable people

 * Joseph Palmer, beard enthusiast
 * Herbert Adams, sculptor of "WWI, Winged Glory" in the Upper Common of Fitchburg
 * Amerie (Amerie Mi Marie Rogers), singer and actress
 * Jacques Aubuchon, character actor
 * Mike Barnicle, newspaper writer
 * Michael Beasley, NBA player, high school All-American; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School
 * Orlando Boss, Medal of Honor recipient from the American Civil War
 * Ken Bouchard, former NASCAR driver, 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year
 * Ron Bouchard, former NASCAR driver, 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, former owner of many car dealerships
 * Everett Francis Briggs, Catholic priest and miners' activist, born in Fitchburg, his life's mission was dedicated to the victims of the Monongah Mining Disaster
 * Carolyn Brown, dancer, choreographer, and writer, danced with Merce Cunningham Dance Company
 * Henry Sweetser Burrage, clergyman, editor, author, Maine historian
 * James "Nixey" Callahan, Major League Baseball pitcher around the turn of the 20th century, later manager of the Chicago White Sox
 * Herbert William Conn, zoologist and bacteriologist
 * Marcus A. Coolidge, United States Senator
 * Alvah Crocker, manufacturer and railroad promoter, United States Representative
 * George Crowther, football player
 * Kenneth Emory, anthropologist
 * Donald Featherstone, artist and creator of the plastic flamingo lawn ornament
 * Ryan Gomes, NBA player; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School
 * Bruce Gordon, actor (Ishtar, Adam-12, Bonanza, Get Smart, and The Untouchables)
 * Samuel W. Hale, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the 39th Governor of New Hampshire
 * Christian Hansen Jr., U.S. Marshal for Vermont
 * Ripley Hitchcock, prominent editor
 * Lempi Ikävalko, Finnish-born poet, author, journalist; for 30 years, editor at Fitchburg's Raivaaja newspaper
 * Viola Léger, American-born Canadian actress and politician
 * Louise Freeland Jenkins, astronomer
 * Iver Johnson, of Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works, located in Fitchburg
 * Rob Laakso, a renowned musician, record producer and engineer
 * Erika Lawler, member of the 2009–10 United States national women's ice hockey team
 * Ray LeBlanc, ice hockey goaltender
 * John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile US
 * Art Longsjo, Winter and Summer Olympian; Fitchburg Longsjo Classic is held in his memory
 * Caroline Atherton Mason, poet
 * Matti Mattson, American labor organizer, social activist, and Veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War
 * Hiram Maxim, inventor of the first self-powered machine gun
 * Patricia Misslin, voice teacher and soprano
 * Pat Moran, catcher and manager in Major League Baseball, managed the Philadelphia Phillies and the 1919 World Series champion Cincinnati Reds
 * Clara Hapgood Nash (1839–1921), first woman to be admitted to the bar in New England; born in Fitchburg
 * George Noory, host of Coast to Coast AM; spent some years in Fitchburg and occasionally mentions the city on his show
 * Eleanor Norcross, founder of the Fitchburg Art Museum, artist, collector, social reformer
 * Joseph Pilato, actor most known for Day of the Dead
 * Benjamin A. Poore, U.S. Army major general
 * Marion Rice, Denishawn dancer, teacher, choreographer, producer
 * Charles L. Robinson, physician, journalist and first governor of Kansas
 * Sylvanus Sawyer, inventor and manufacturer
 * Asa Thurston, Hawaiian missionary
 * Oskari Tokoi, editor of Raivaaja
 * Calvin M. Woodward, St. Louis educator
 * Samuel Worcester, clergyman noted for his participation in a controversy over Unitarianism

In popular culture
In Harry Potter universe, Fitchburg is the hometown of the professional Quidditch team the Fitchburg Finches.

The children's book Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson is set in Fitchburg.

In 2012, Dark Horse Comics published a comic book series entitled Falling Skies: The Battle of Fitchburg.

Twin towns – sister cities

 * 🇩🇪 Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
 * 🇫🇮 Kokkola, Finland
 * Tianjin, China
 * Oni, Georgia

title: Fitchburg, Massachusetts


text:
Gardner, Massachusetts

Gardner, officially the City of Gardner, is a city in Worcester County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,287 in the 2020 census. Gardner is home of such sites as the Blue Moon Diner, Dunn State Park, Gardner Heritage State Park, and Mount Wachusett Community College.

History
Named in honor of Thomas Gardner, the land was first settled by Europeans in 1764 and was officially incorporated as a town in 1785, after receiving land grants from the surrounding towns of Ashburnham, Templeton, Westminster, and Winchendon. In circa 1805, Gardner became a center for lumber and furniture industries, and is now known as "The Chair City" and "The Furniture Capital of New England", due to its long history of production in that industry. By 1910, there were twenty chair factories, which produced four million chairs per year. It was also noted for silversmithing. The Gardner State Hospital pioneered the use of cottage residences.

In 1922, the seal of Gardner was designed by the native-born illustrator Harrison Cady. According to city code, the seal portrays Thomas Gardner standing in front of Crystal Lake with Mount Monadnock in the distance. Within five smaller circles there is a chair, representing the importance of the furniture industry to city economy, as well as the letters W, W, A, and T, representing the surrounding towns of Westminster, Winchendon, Ashburnham, and Templeton, which all contributed land to the city at its founding. Gardner was incorporated as a city in 1923.

Gardner is the birthplace of the Heywood-Wakefield Company, dating from 1826 when the five Heywood brothers, Walter, Levi, Seth, Benjamin, and William, began to fashion wooden chairs and furniture in a barn near their family farm. In the early years, Walter fashioned chairs by hand, also using a foot lathe. He was soon joined by Levi and Benjamin on a part-time basis, while running a nearby country store. In 1831, Levi moved to Boston, where he established an outlet store to sell the chairs, while Benjamin and William remained in Gardner to manufacture them. A fire destroyed their chair shop in 1834. A year later, the partnership of B. F. Heywood and Company was formed, composed of Benjamin, Walter, and William, as well as Moses Wood and James Gates. Gardner was also the home of the Conant Ball Company. Nichols and Stone Chair Company traces their origin to 1762 in Westminster, Massachusetts. The company moved to Gardner at the turn of the twentieth century. As of July 2008, it was announced production would terminate. The name, intellectual property, and the design rights were purchased by L. and J.G. Stickley of Manlius, New York.

Gardner is also home to the first practical time clock. It was invented in 1894 by Edward G. Watkins, while he was an engineer at Heywood-Wakefield when he was asked to make a better time clock to keep track of employees. After recognizing growing nationwide need for a better time clock, Watkins opened Simplex Time Recorder. In 1958, Simplex bought the IBM Time Recorder Division, which also included the fire protection division. This purchase helped propel Simplex to become a leader in fire alarms and business systems. Simplex would be owned and operated under the Watkins family for over a century with family including son, Curt, from 1942 to 1967, and grandson, Chris, from 1967, until it was sold in 2000, to Tyco International.

In 2009, the Annual Chair Luge began and takes place on the last Saturday in September in downtown Gardner and features teams of two racing down the streets in homemade chairs on wheels. The city is also home of the largest American Cancer Society Relay For Life event in New England.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Gardner has a total area of 23.0 sqmi, of which 22.2 sqmi is land and 0.8 sqmi, or 3.52%, is water. The city is situated on Crystal Lake. Its highest point is the summit of Reservoir Hill, close to the city center, with an elevation of over 1280 ft above sea level.

Gardner is bordered by Winchendon and Ashburnham to the north, Westminster to the east, Hubbardston to the south, and Templeton to the west, all in Massachusetts.

Demographics
As of the United States Census of 2000, there were 20,770 people, 8,282 households, and 5,085 families residing in Gardner. The population density was 931.0 people per square mile in 2018. There were 8,838 housing units at an average density of 398.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 93.13% White, 2.29% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.08% of the population, while 19.6% were of French Canadian, 17.6% French, 12.7% Irish, 6.7% English, 6.3% Polish and 6.2% Italian ancestry.

There were 8,282 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. Of all households, 32.4% were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,334, and the median income for a family was $47,164. Males had a median income of $35,804 versus $26,913 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,624. About 7.0% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Throughout its history, Gardner has been known for its furniture industry, earning its nickname as "The Chair City". While the location has undergone deindustrialization in recent decades, a handful of manufacturers remain in Gardner and its neighboring towns, including Standard Chair of Gardner and the Saloom Furniture Company. The city is also home to a multinational paper and packaging manufacturer, Seaman Paper.

Education
There is one elementary school in Gardner, Gardner Elementary School it serves grades K-4. Gardner Middle School serves grades 5-7. Gardner High School is the city's high school and serves grades 8-12. There is also Gardner Academy (alternative school)

The Gardner Public Library opened in 1885. The original building is now a museum of the city's history. In 2008, Gardner spent 1.84% ($734,164) of its budget on the public library.

Transportation
Public transportation for Gardner is largely supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). It operates local fixed-route bus services, shuttle services, as well as para-transit services within the Montachusett Region.

Beginning in 1871, the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad provided rail service to the town. Gardner Station was the terminus of the Fitchburg Line for the MBTA from 1980 to 1986, but was cut back to Fitchburg at the beginning of 1987. MART began weekday van service from Gardner to the new Wachusett terminus of the Fitchburg line in 2016.

Notable people
• Larry Alexander, politician

• Samantha Arsenault, Olympic swimmer

• Red Blanchard, radio personality

• Harrison Cady, illustrator

• Thomas J. Campbell, football player

• Jacques Cesaire, football player

• Karl Dean, politician

• Oliver Drake, baseball player

• Walt Dubzinski, football player

• Alan D. Eames, writer

• Mark Gearan, lawyer

• Dawn George, boxer

• Levi H. Greenwood, politician

• Matt Griffin, college football coach

• Shawn Halloran, football player

• Edward Hill, painter

• Vincent Ialenti, anthropologist

• Justus K. Jillson, educator

• Abner Kneeland, theologian

• Nicholas LaRoche, figure skater

• Omer Léger, politician

• Hadassah Lieberman, wife of Joe Lieberman

• Increase Sumner Lincoln, minister

• Bob Menne, golfer

• Christine Mitchell, filmmaker

• Frank Morze, football player

• Mark Pieloch, business executive

• Barbara Richardson, wife of Bill Richardson

• Peter Roberts, inventor

• Lucy Stone, abolitionist

• Asa Stratton, baseball player

• George Clinton Sweeney, judge

• Richard Taylor, cross-country skier

• Charles H. Thomas, baseball executive

• Robert D. Wetmore, politician

• Oshea Wilder, pioneer

• William Wilder, politician

• Jesse P. Wolcott, politician

• Jonathan Zlotnik, politician
 * Ollie Manninen, Olympic long-distance runner

In popular culture

 * Gardner was a filming location for the 1992 movie School Ties.
 * Gardner was a filming location for the Castle Rock, a television series based on a book by Stephen King.
 * Gardner was the filming location for an episode in the sixth season of A Haunting in 2008.
 * Gardner was the filming location for the show Dexter in 2021.

title: Gardner, Massachusetts


text:
Grafton, Massachusetts

Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,664 at the 2020 census. The town consists of the North Grafton, Grafton, and South Grafton geographic areas, each with a separate ZIP Code. Incorporated in 1735, the town is home to a Nipmuc village known as Hassanamisco Reservation, the Willard House and Clock Museum, Community Harvest Project, and the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

History
Bands of the Nipmuc tribe are the indigenous inhabitants, and maintain a state-recognized reservation known as Hassanamesit, or Hassanamisco, which was formerly a Praying Indian village from 1647 when the Reverend John Eliot came and converted the Hassanamiscos to Christianity. in 1727 the Hassanamesit reservation of 8,000 acres was divided into 7,500 acres to 40 English proprietors and 500 acres to 7 Nipmuc proprietors. This became Grafton, officially incorporated in 1735.

Grafton stands tall in the industrialization of the Blackstone Valley. Its Northeast Village was once known as "New England Village". The following is an excerpt from the Blackstone Daily about the history of the town:

"Grafton has been a significant contributor in the success and progress of the American Industrial Revolution that was started in 1793 by Samuel Slater with his cotton mill in Pawtucket [Rhode Island]. North Grafton's Upper Mill, now known as the Washington Mills complex, that still produces abrasives, was once known as the New England Manufacturing Company. This was part of the New England Village, as North Grafton was known for generations. This part of the mill was built in 1826 and was part of a much larger complex, but most of that is now gone, mainly due to serious fires. Mill housing was built at 12, 14 and 16 Overlook Street. These central-chimney-style homes were boarding houses with ornate trim that has since been lost."

The town is named for Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, a title created for the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England. Ethan Allen ran a gun factory in Grafton in the early 19th century. In the 1930s, a movie, Ah, Wilderness!, was filmed in the town. The moviemakers built a bandstand on the town common, which still stands there today. Grafton Common has many historic homes, churches and buildings and is considered the most quintessential common in the Blackstone Valley. The town is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the U.S.

North Grafton is the home of the Wyman Gordon Company. In 1955, the United States Air Force installed a 50,000-ton metal forge in North Grafton as part of its Heavy Press Program in a plant operated by Wyman-Gordon. It was the largest metal forge, and indeed the largest machine, in the world at the time it was built. This forge is used to form strategic metals used in commercial and military aircraft for turbine disks, shafts, and blades, landing struts and other aircraft parts where light weight and extreme strength are needed. The entire undercarriage of the Space Shuttles was forged in Grafton of magnesium.

From 1901 to 1973, North Grafton was home to the Grafton State Hospital. Originally an offshoot of the Worcester State Hospital, Grafton State Hospital served as a "farm colony" where chronically insane patients could live and work in somewhat normal surroundings. The campus was made up of several clusters of buildings and eventually encompassed 1200 acre in Grafton, Shrewsbury, and Westborough. The hospital was closed in 1973, and the campus, including many of the original buildings, was taken over by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (part of Tufts University) and the Grafton Job Corps center.

One hundred ninety acres of the Hassanamessit Woods, believed to contain the remains of the praying village were under agreement for development for more than 100 homes. This property has significant cultural importance to the Nipmuc Tribal Nation because it is thought to contain the meetinghouse and the center of the old praying village. However, The Trust for Public Land, the town of Grafton, the Grafton Land Trust, the Nipmuc Nation and the state of Massachusetts intervened. The Trust for Public Land purchased the property and kept it off the market until 2004, after sufficient funding was procured to permanently protect the property. The property also has ecological significance as it is adjacent to 187 acres of Grafton owned land as well as 63 acres owned by the Grafton Land Trust. These properties will provide numerous recreational benefits to the public as well as play a role in protecting the water quality of local watersheds.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.3 sqmi, of which 22.7 sqmi is land and 0.5 sqmi, or 2.28%, is water. Grafton is located 40 mi west of Boston and 5 mi southeast of Worcester. Grafton includes North Grafton, Grafton, and South Grafton, as well as many other industrial revolution era villages due to its long history on the Blackstone River, including Farnumsville, Fisherville, Saundersville and Axtell Corner. The town borders on Shrewsbury, Westborough, Upton, Northbridge, Sutton, Millbury and the city of Worcester.

Demographics
By the 2010 census, the population had reached 17,765.

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,894 people, 5,694 households, and 3,951 families residing in the town. The population density was 655.0 PD/sqmi. There were 5,828 housing units at an average density of 256.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.92% White, 1.25% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.91% of the population.

There were 5,694 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $56,020, and the median income for a family was $66,396. Males had a median income of $48,016 versus $32,347 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,952. About 2.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those ages 65 or over.

Transportation
Grafton station in North Grafton is served by the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line. The Worcester Regional Transit Authority operates public bus service in Grafton.

The Grafton and Upton Railroad operates freight service between North Grafton and Milford.

Library

The Grafton Free Public Library opened in 1867. The current building was built in 1927 with money donated by Jerome Wheelock, a local inventor. In the fiscal year 2008, the town of Grafton spent 1.33% ($482,226) of its budget on its public library—some $27 per person.

Education
Grafton is home to six public schools. Students are separated by whether they live in North or South Grafton until middle school. The school mascot is the Grafton Gators.

 * North Grafton Elementary School: grades K–1
 * South Grafton Elementary School: grades K–1
 * Millbury Street Elementary School: grades 2–6
 * North Street Elementary School: grades 2–6
 * Grafton Middle School: grades 7–8
 * Grafton High School: grades 9–12

Newspapers

 * The Community Advocate

Notable people

 * John Grover, who left in 1798 and Grafton, Ontario was named for his hometown
 * Nicholas A. Basbanes, journalist, author and lecturer
 * Dave Bayley, music producer and frontman of English band Glass Animals
 * Hugh Bradley, Red Sox first baseman who in 1912 hit the first home run at Fenway Park
 * Zara Cisco Brough, engineer and Nipmuc Native activist
 * Robert Catalanotti, United States Army reserve major general
 * Israel Chapin, Revolutionary War general
 * Nicholas Gage, journalist, writer and film producer
 * George W. Hammond (1833–1908), businessman
 * Pearl A. Harwood (1903–1998), librarian and children's book author
 * Titus Hutchinson, judge and abolitionist
 * Joel Hills Johnson (1802–1883), inventor, Mormon pioneer, published poet and gospel hymn writer, Utah politician, founded the Utah towns of Enoch and Johnson
 * Obi Melifonwu, American football safety, currently a free agent
 * Ifeatu Melifonwu, American football defensive back for the Detroit Lions
 * Gordon M. Nelson (died 1993), chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee from 1976 to 1980
 * Frank O'Hara (1926–1966), avant-garde poet and playwright
 * Marc Orrell, former guitarist for the band Dropkick Murphys
 * Steve Spagnuolo, former head coach of the St. Louis Rams, currently the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs
 * Earl Tupper, a New Hampshire native, who pioneered Tupperware in Farnumsville, South Grafton, in the 1940s
 * Jerome Wheelock, inventor
 * John Adams Whipple, pioneer photographer and inventor
 * Simon Willard and his brothers, clock makers

title: Grafton, Massachusetts