One of the oldest towns in Massachusetts, Rehoboth was founded in 1643 as part of the Plymouth Colony. The defining events in the final days of King Philip’s War played out in Rehoboth in the 1670s, and at Anwan Rock you can see the place where the Wampanoag war chief was captured, ending the conflict. …
In the Hoosic River valley, surrounded by mountains, the smallest city in Massachusetts grew up as a manufacturing base for the region in the 18th and 19th century. Over time North Adams has reinvented itself as a crackling furnace of creativity, sparked by the opening of the world-class Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) …
This rural city of 12,500 is on the eastern edge of the Pioneer Valley, where the Quaboag and Ware rivers meet to form the Chicopee River. In its past, Palmer was known as the Town of Seven Railroads, and although active lines run through the town, no train has stopped at the once busy Union …
On both banks of the Merrimack River, Tyngsborough is a town by the MA/NH border and is recognized by its green-painted through-arch bridge. Dating back to the 1930s and set next to the old center of town, this is the only crossing on the river for several miles in either direction. Tyngsborough—also spelled Tyngsboro—is traversed …
In Norfolk County, Wrentham is a town of 12,200 near the halfway point between Boston and Providence. Wrentham is an easy drive from both cities, but is also crossed by I-495 for convenient access to Cape Cod, while Gillette Stadium is less than ten minutes away by car. Touching the border with Rhode Island, Wrentham …
Sitting about 30 minutes south of Worcester, Dudley is a quiet town on the boundary with Connecticut. In the early 19th century this place was at the epicenter of the American Industrial Revolution as a hub for textile manufacturing. It’s fascinating to think that the textile industry was present in Dudley until the 21st century, …
This town a few miles west of Worcester in Central Massachusetts was permanently settled some 300 years ago, but rose to prominence as a mill town in the 19th century driven by the wire and boot-making industries. Spencer’s rolling countryside is full of interesting fragments of large and small industry, with many man-made ponds that …
The joint-oldest settlement on Cape Cod, Yarmouth was incorporated in 1640, and is steeped in maritime history. In the Golden Age of Sail, Yarmouth was the home of a long roll call of sea captains, commanding the clipper ships that helped open the world to international trade. Many of their homes are preserved along the …
Part of neighboring Chelmsford until in 1729, Westford is a town of 25,000 not far southwest of Lowell. Westford Academy (1794), one of the oldest public schools in the United States, was where Paul Revere sent his son, and the original building now houses the local historical society’s museum. The Town Common is a quaint …
In southeastern Massachusetts, the town of Middleborough is wrapped in lovely rural landscapes of mill brooks, cranberry bogs and the largest lakes in the state. The old center of town hasn’t changed much in more than a century, with a stately town hall and library building, and grand commercial architecture going back deep into the …