Near the heart of the MetroWest region, 10 miles west of Boston, Natick was settled in the mid-17th century by the Puritan missionary, John Eliot (1604-1690). Natick was one of a network of “praying towns” inhabited by converted indigenous Americans, and for decades the church here was led by a Native American pastor, Daniel Takawambait …
Chartered as long ago as 1640, Braintree is a South Shore town that once included Quincy in its boundaries. That means some pivotal figures in the early history of the United States were born within Braintree’s original limits, among them John Adams, John Quincy Adams and John Hancock. Another important person born in Braintree was …
Separated from Worcester by Lake Quinsigamond, Shrewsbury is a city of almost 40,000, noted for its large Asian American population. The city was incorporated as long ago as 1727, the same year its most famous son, General Artemas Ward, was born. In summer you can visit Ward’s home, now a museum owned by Harvard University. …
In the MetroWest area between Boston and Worcester, Marlborough is a prosperous community of 41,000. The local economy is bolstered by high tech companies like Hewlett-Packard and Apple, while for much of its history Marlborough was renowned for its shoemaking. This, and many other aspects of the city’s heritage are detailed on a new self-guided …
In the Connecticut River Valley, and skirted in the south by the long ridge of the Holyoke Range, Amherst is a town known for institutions of higher education, famous poets and progressive thought. To call Amherst a college town would sell it short. Within minutes there’s the innovative and iconoclastic Hampshire College, the gigantic UMAss …
On the east bank of the Connecticut River, Chicopee is just upstream from Springfield and part of the metro area. In the 19th century the banks of the Chicopee River were an industrial hotbed, lined with an unusual assortment of factories, from textile mills to paper mills and brass and iron foundries. This led to …
In the 19th and early 20th century, three philanthropists left an impression on this city in Essex County that lingers to this day. More than a century after they died, David Nevins Sr. (1809-1881), Edward F. Searles (1841-1920) and Charles H. Tenney (1842-1919) are names that come up time and again in Methuen. The trio …
In Middlesex County, about 25 miles from downtown Boston, Billerica is a city that first took shape on the banks of the Concord River in the mid-17th century. Later, the river was lined with textile mills and marked the high point of a canal that ran from Lowell to the port of Boston. There’s a …
Once part of Salem, Beverly was incorporated in 1668 and just over a century later launched the USS Hannah, the first ship ever to be commissioned by the U.S. military. The city has a wealth of architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries, especially around the Fish Flake Hill Historic District, which goes back to …
Near the head of the Mystic River Valley, Woburn is a suburban city some ten miles northwest of Boston. Woburn was incorporated as a town in 1642, and a turning point came in 1803 with the opening of the Middlesex Canal. This waterway brought with it the raw material to fuel a tanning industry that …