Grafton, Massachusetts

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Grafton, Massachusetts
—  Town  —
Grafton center in 2006
Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°12′25″N 71°41′10″W / 42.20694°N 71.68611°W / 42.20694; -71.68611
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Worcester
Settled 1718
Incorporated 1735
Government
 - Type Open town meeting
 - Town
   Administrator		 Timothy McInerney
 - Board of
   Selectmen		 Peter J. Adams
Christopher R. LeMay
Brook Padgett
Mary Ann Cotton
Craig Dauphinais
 - Finance Committee Dave Ross (Chair)
Sandy Merrill (Vice Chair)
David Libbey (Clerk)
Sue Robbins
Bob Foley
Don Davison
Heather McCue
Doris Metivier
Lisa Rice
Area
 - Total 23.3 sq mi (60.3 km2)
 - Land 22.7 sq mi (58.9 km2)
 - Water 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
Elevation 425 ft (130 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 14,894
 - Density 655.0/sq mi (252.9/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01519, 01536, 01560
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-26430
GNIS feature ID 0619480
Website http://www.town.grafton.ma.us/

Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,894 at the 2000 census. Grafton is the home of a Nipmuc village known as Hassanamisco Reservation, the Willard House and Clock Museum, and the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

Contents

[edit] History

Bands of the Nipmuc tribe were the indigenous inhabitants, and maintain a state-recognized reservation known as Hassanamessit, or Hassanamisco, which was formerly a Praying Indian village.[1] Grafton was first settled by Europeans in 1718 and was officially incorporated in 1735. Grafton stands tall in the industrialization of the Blackstone Valley. It Northeast Village was once known as "New England Village". The following is an excerpt from the Blackstone Daily about the history of the town:

Grafton has been a significant contributor in the success and progress of the American Industrial Revolution that was started in 1793 by Samuel Slater with his cotton mill in Pawtucket. North Grafton's Upper Mill, now known as the Washington Mills complex that still produces abrasives, was once known as the New England Manufacturing Company. This was part of the New England Village as North Grafton was known for generations. This part of the mill was built in 1826 and was part of a much larger complex, but most of that is now gone, mostly due to serious fires. Mill housing was built at 12, 14 and 16 Overlook Street. These central chimney style homes were boarding houses with ornate trim that has since been lost.[2]

The town is named for the Duke of Grafton, a title created for the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England. Ethan Allen ran a gun factory in Grafton in the early 1800s. In the 1930s, a movie, Ah, Wilderness!, was filmed in the town. The moviemakers built a gazebo on the town common which still stands there today. Grafton Common has many historic homes, churches and buildings and is considered the most quintessential common in the Blackstone Valley.  The Town is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the U.S.

North Grafton is the home of the Wyman Gordon Company. Wyman Gordon installed the largest metal forge in the free world at the time it was built. This forge is used to form strategic metals used in commercial and military aircraft for turbine blades, landing struts and other aircraft parts where light weight and extreme strength are needed. The entire undercarriage of the space shuttles were forged in Grafton, MA. of magnesium.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.3 square miles (60 km2), of which, 22.7 square miles (59 km2) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) of it (2.28%) is water. Grafton is located 30 miles west of Boston, MA (35 minutes east) and 5 miles southeast of Worcester, MA (8 minutes northwest).

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 14,894 people, 5,694 households, and 3,951 families residing in the town. The population density was 655.0 inhabitants per square mile (252.9 /km2). There were 5,828 housing units at an average density of 256.3 per square mile (99.0 /km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.92% White, 1.25% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race composed 1.91% of the population.

There were 5,694 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $56,020, and the median income for a family was $66,396. Males had a median income of $48,016 versus $32,347 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,952. About 2.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

County government: Worcester County
Clerk of Courts: Dennis P. McManus (D)
District Attorney: Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D)
Register of Deeds: Anthony J. Vigliotti (D)
Register of Probate: Stephen Abraham (D)
County Sheriff: Guy W. Glodis (D)
State government
State Representative(s): George N. Peterson, Jr (R)
State Senator(s): Michael O. Moore (D)
Governor's Councilor(s): Thomas J. Foley (D)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): Richard E. Neal (D-2nd District),
U.S. Senators: John Kerry (D), Paul G. Kirk (D)


[edit] Transportation

Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with the Grafton station on its Framingham/Worcester Line.

The Grafton and Upton Railroad currently operates a freight line through the town connecting the Framingham/Worcester Line to the Franklin Line in Milford.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Martin Issues Final Determination". http://www.doi.gov/news/nipmuc.html. 
  2. ^ ""New England Village/Walking Tours"". Blackstone Daily.com. http://www.blackstonedaily.com/Outdoors&Nature/WTnevillage.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-11. 
  3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Worcester County, Massachusetts
Cities
Towns
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Other
villages
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