Near the head of the Blackstone River Valley, this town was first settled by Europeans in the 18th century. The modern story of Millbury really begins a century later with the Industrial Revolution. At that time a rash of textile mills cropped up along the Blackstone River and its tributaries, complementing a gun trade overseen …
On the North Shore, this wonderfully preserved town has more surviving First Period houses than any other community in the United States. There are some 60 houses in Ipswich that were built before 1725, and several are open to the public as historic house museums and restaurants. More recent is the Crane Estate, an extraordinary …
In the last few years this suburban town in the MetroWest region has been rated as one of most livable and family friendly communities in Massachusetts. One of many good things going for Wayland is the amount of natural space all around the town, from the shores of Lake Cochituate, home to an awesome town …
At the mouth of the Jones River and right next to Plymouth, Kingston is a seaside town known historically for its shipbuilding industry. Those shipyards were based along the riverbanks and flourished from the late 18th century to the middle of the 19th century, building vessels for the Old China Trade but also for the …
Facing Nantucket Sound on the Lower Cape, Harwich has all the ingredients of a dream Cape Cod getaway. The town has immaculate public beaches, rail trails, bucolic countryside, and Harwich Port, where much of the nightlife, culture and dining is concentrated. Harwich Port is a gorgeous maritime village with three cute harbors and lots of …
In Norfolk County, about halfway between Boston and Providence, Medway is a peaceful commuter town of just over 13,000. Medway’s southern boundary is formed by the Charles River, which was a source of water power for textile and paper mills in the 19th century. The river’s tributary, Chicken Brook flows north to south through Medway, …
First settled by Huguenots at the end of the 17th century, Oxford is a town of just over 13,000 on the French River. Something unusual about Oxford’s landscape is that much of the town’s area belongs to the United States Army Corps of Engineers for flood control purposes. You can visit two USACE properties in …
A wealthy suburb on the North Shore, Lynnfield is 14 miles north of Boston, and is known for an upscale outdoor shopping center. MarketStreet Lynnfield has upwards of 80 stores, restaurants for all palates, and in the winter has a cute little skating rink. For history, you can make for the town common, which was …
First settled by Europeans in the 1730s, Charlton is a small town near the transition between Central and Western Massachusetts. This land was originally part of neighboring Oxford, and has a couple of wonderfully preserved historic districts at the town’s civic heart on Main Street, and the little Northside Village Center. Since 2017 Charlton has …
In the MetroWest region, the town of Medfield is roughly equidistant to Boston, Providence and Worcester, which can all be reached in about 45 minutes. The town was first settled by Europeans in the 1640s, and on Main Street there’s a superb example of First Period architecture at Peak House, which has recently become a …