MILLBURY, MASSACHUSETTS

'Millbury' is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,784 at the 2000 census. The town is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Government

References

External links

History

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 took time, the inhabitants of the Northern Parish petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to split the town of Sutton into two separate towns. The North Parish became the town of Millbury on June 11th, 1813 by way of an act of incorporation.[1]
Millbury's industrial history can be traced to the early 18th 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. Around 1753, John Singletary built the S & D Spinning mill, which is still in operation today making it one of the oldest continuously operating mills in the United States. The mill is featured on the Town Seal.[2]
In the late 18th and early 19th 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 from the government.[3] Through the wealth Asa Waters II received from his factories and mills, he built a Georgian Colonial style mansion for himself near the town center on Elm Street which was completed in 1832. It took two years to collect the materials to start construction on the home and included marble from Italy and bricks from Baltimore. Known as the Asa Waters Mansion, it is an icon of the town.[4]
President William Howard Taft spent many summer vacations in Millbury as a young boy, attending the public schools for a season.[5] 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, which has a restaurant on the ground floor.[6][7]
In the early seventies, Millbury saw a number of large fires. The Town Hall burned down, followed by the Union School. A nearby propane plant near Route 146 exploded spectacularly, with tanks blown a hundred feet or more into the air, making the network news.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.1 km² (16.3 mi²). 40.7 km² (15.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (3.20%) is water.
Millbury is bordered by Worcester to the north, Grafton to the east, Sutton to the south, Oxford to the southwest and Auburn to the West.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 12,784 people, 4,927 households, and 3,443 families residing in the town. The population density was 313.8/km² (812.5/mi²). There were 5,109 housing units at an average density of 125.4/km² (324.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.19% White, 0.53% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.
There were 4,927 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,415, and the median income for a family was $62,564. Males had a median income of $41,912 versus $28,973 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,531. About 4.1% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

References

★ Benedict, William A.; Tracy, Hiram A.: A History of the Town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1704 to 1876, p. 142, Sanford & Company, 1878

External links

★ Millbury Official Website

★ Millbury Public Schools

★ A History of the Town of Millbury, MA