Millbury, MA - City and Town Halls on Waymarking.com

Millbury was first settled in 1716 and was officially incorporated in 1813.

Millbury has a long history as a New England mill town, from which the town's name is derived. The Blackstone River flows through the town, which, during the Industrial Revolution, provided much of the water power to the town's many textile mills and factories.

Millbury was originally the Second or North Parish of Sutton, Massachusetts. Due to the fact that traveling from one part of Sutton to the other for town meetings, etc. was difficult and time-consuming, the inhabitants of the Northern Parish petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to split the town of Sutton into two entities. The North Parish became the town of Millbury on June 11, 1813 by way of an act of incorporation.

Millbury's industrial history can be traced to the early eighteenth century, not long after the area's settlement. In 1735, John Singletary began operating a mill on Singletary Brook, a stream flowing out of Singletary Lake. Circa 1753, John Singletary built the S & D Spinning mill, which remains in operation today, making it one of the oldest continuously operating mills in the United States. The mill is featured on the Town Seal. The mill also makes the red stitching that is on major league baseballs.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, after learning the trade of firearms production from their father, Asa Waters II and his brother Elijah purchased land along the Blackstone River and built mills producing goods such as guns, scythes and sawmill saws. In 1808, Asa and Elijah erected an armory, which was successful until it was forced to close suddenly in 1841. It was reopened at the start of the Civil War in 1861, with work issued through the auspices of the government. Through the wealth Asa Waters II received from his factories and mills, he began construction in 1826 of a Federal-style mansion near the town center on Elm Street. Designed by Boston architect Asher Benjamin, it was completed in 1832. It took two years to collect materials for construction of the house, including marble from Italy and bricks from Baltimore. Known as the Asa Waters Mansion, it is an icon of the town.

President William Howard Taft spent many summer vacations in Millbury as a young boy, attending the public schools for a season. When he grew older, he visited his grandparents most summers. He visited his aunt, Delia C. Torrey, during his presidency for the occasion of Millbury's 100th birthday. The Torrey House, where President Taft stayed during his visit, is commonly called The Taft House today.

In the early 1970s, Millbury saw a number of large fires. The Town Hall burned, followed by the Union School. A propane plant near Route 146 exploded spectacularly, with tanks blown one hundred feet or more into the air, making nationwide news.

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Name: Millbury Town Hall Address: 127 Elm St Millbury, MA USA 01527 Web Site for City/Town/Municipality: [Web Link] Date of Construction: Not listed Architect: Not listed Memorials/Commemorations/Dedications: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/16/2009 nomadwillie visited it

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