west boylston's story

Incorporated in 1808, West Boylston was created from parts of Shrewsbury, Boylston, Lancaster, Sterling and Holden.  These lands had been parts of earlier grants made to the settlers of the region.

Early Days

The 18th century witnessed the arrival of pioneers attracted to the area by the fertility of the soil and the opportunities for development afforded by its location at the site where the Quinapoxet River joins the Stillwater River to become the southern branch of the Nashua River.

Apple and rye farms flourished with a gradual change in the latter part of the century from agriculture to manufacturing as a mill complex grew along the rivers.

Incorporation

The State Legislature was petitioned and precinct status was granted in 1796.  Finally, in 1808, the General Court incorporated West Boylston as a town.  Ezra Beaman served simultaneously as Selectman, Treasurer and the first Representative of the Town to the Legislature.

Industrialization

West Boylston prospered through the 19th century and by 1890, the town had 3,000 residents, five churches, ten schools and many mills and factories.  These businesses included the Warfield Saw Mill, L. M. Harris Cotton Mill, West Boylston Manufacturing Company of Thread and Wire, the Cowee Grist Mill, the Clarendon Mill and the Holbrook Mill.  It was at the Holbrook Mill where town resident, Erastus Bigelow learned about looms and invented the technique to improve carpet manufacturing.  Boots and baskets were also manufactured here.

The Reservoir is Built

From 1896 through 1905, West Boylston endured the construction of the Wachusett Reservoir.  This construction destroyed the town's mills and many farms, including the Beaman Farm and its famous Beaman Oak, four churches and eight schools.  Acres of fruit trees were inundated.  Twenty-five houses and a cemetery were moved and over 1700 residents were displaced.

A decade and $11,000,000 later, the Wachusett Reservoir was completed.  The impressive Old Stone Church on its shore is the last remnant of the town which once thrived in the valley.  No longer the industrial mill town it once was, West Boylston has grown in population and evolved into a lovely residential community enhanced by the beauty of the tree-bordered reservoir.

(This page is under construction.  Check back later for more history.)

The old stone church

The Old Stone Church was built in the early 1890s to replace the Baptist church which had been lost in a fire.  Hardly 10 years later, it had to be abandoned for the reservoir.  Because it was built of stone and was clearly going to be a scenic attraction, the commonwealth was persuaded by townsfolk to let it remain. 

It stands alone on a point of land by the side of the water as a reminder of what was lost to the reservoir.