Milton, Massachusetts

Milton, Massachusetts
Town
Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Norfolk
Settled	1636
Incorporated	1662
Government
• Type	Representative town meeting
Area
• Total	13.3 sq mi (34.4 km2)
• Land	13.0 sq mi (33.8 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	130 ft (40 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	26,062
• Density	1,999.1/sq mi (771.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	02186
Area code	617 / 857
FIPS code	25-41690
GNIS feature ID	0619459
Website	http://www.townofmilton.org/

Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,062 at the 2000 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and R. Buckminster Fuller. A distinguished American sculptor and author of art history books, William Ordway Partridge, lived in Milton and maintained his studio there for many years at the end of the nineteenth century. Milton also has the highest percentage of residents citing Irish lineage of any town in the United States per capita - 38%. In 2007, Money Magazine listed Milton seventh on its annual list of the "Best Places to Live" in the United States.

History

Milton is located between the Neponset River and the Blue Hills. It is bordered by Boston to the north, Quincy to the south and east, and Canton and Dedham to the west. It has water access to Boston Harbor through the Neponset Estuary. Although the first English traders traveled in Milton as early as the 1620s, the earliest permanent settlement occurred in 1634, when colonists created an agricultural community growing barley, rye and Indian corn.

Milton was once part of Dorchester. Referred to as "Unquity", the term used by the Neponset Tribe of the Massachusetts Indians as meaning "Lower Falls," was translated into Lower Mills after the establishment of the Stoughton Grist Mill in 1634. In 1662, "that part of the Town of Dorchester which is situated on the south side of the Neponsett River commonly called 'Unquatiquisset' was established as an independent town and named Milton in honor of Milton Abbey, Dorset, England."

A powder mill established in 1674 may be the earliest in the colonies, taking advantage of the town's water power sites. Boston investors, seeing the potential of the town and its proximity to the city, provided the capital to develop 18th century Milton as an industrial site with an iron slitting mill, paper and sawmills, and the first chocolate factory in New England (the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory) in 1764, which was converted from the old Stoughton Grist Mill. Laying of streetcar lines fueled the rapid expansion of residential development. Between 1870 and 1915, Milton grew into the community it is now: a streetcar suburb with some chocolates, biscuits and market produce to remind residents of the past. By 1929, many of the big estates were broken into subdivisions as the town's residential growth continued. Milton retains many elegant 19th century country houses and estates as well as 19th century workers' housing.

The Suffolk Resolves were signed in Milton in 1774, and were used as a model by the drafters of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Daniel Vose House, where the Resolves were passed, still stands and it is maintained as the current headquarters of the Milton Historical Society. The house was moved to a new location at 1370 Canton Avenue in West Milton in order to save it from demolition at its previous location in "Milton Village" at Lower Mills. See the external links below.

Two royal governors of Massachusetts, Jonathan Belcher and Thomas Hutchinson, had houses in Milton. The Governor Belcher House dates from 1777, replacing the earlier home destroyed in fire in 1776, and it is privately owned on Governor Belcher Lane in East Milton. Although Hutchinson's house is gone, Governor Hutchinson's Field (maintained by the Trustees of Reservations) today is a wide expanse of greenery on Milton Hill, with a view of the Neponset River estuary and the skyscrapers of Boston six miles away. See the external link.

The town was home to America's first piano factory. Revolutionary Milton is the setting of the opening of the 1940 bestselling historical novel "Oliver Wiswell" by Kenneth Roberts. The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory is located in the town, home of the nation's oldest continuously kept meteorological records.

The Granite Railway passed from Quincy to the Neponset River in Milton, beginning in 1826. It is often called the first commercial railroad in the United States, as it was the first chartered railway to evolve into a common carrier without an intervening closure. A centennial historic plaque from 1926 and an original frog switch and section of track from the railway can be found in the gardens on top of the Southeast Expressway (Interstate 93) as it passes under East Milton Square. The frog had been displayed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

The frog switch of the Granite Railway that was displayed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. It is now on view in East Milton Square.

East Milton Square developed as a direct result of the Granite Railway. Four sheds there were used to "dress" the granite stone prior to it being brought by rail to the wharf for transfer to boats. East Milton Square was originally termed the "Railway Village" and a train station was located there after 1871 when the Granite Railway became a passenger line of the Old Colony Railroad. The Blue Bell Tavern, which was also a hotel, served as the headquarters of the Granite Railway and it was later named the Russell House. It was located on the site of the current United States Post Office in East Milton Square.

In 1801 Josiah Bent began a baking operation in Milton, selling "water crackers" or biscuits made of flour and water that would not deteriorate during long sea voyages from the port of Boston. The crackling sound occurred during baking, hence the name. This is where the American term "cracker" originated. His company later sold the original hardtack crackers used by troops during the American Civil War. The company, Bent's Cookie Factory, is still located in Milton and continues to sell these items to Civil War reenactors and others. See the external link.

Robert Bennet Forbes was a noted China Trade merchant, sea captain, and philanthropist during the Irish Famine. He built a Greek Revival mansion in 1833 at 215 Adams Street on Milton Hill. The Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House is now a National Historic Landmark open for tours. In addition to artifacts from the China Trade period, the museum's grounds include a log cabin replica and a collection of Lincoln memorabilia.

George Herbert Walker Bush was born at 173 Adams Street on Milton Hill on June 12, 1924. He would become the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993, and his son would become the 43rd President. Ironically, Adams Street is named for the family of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, who lived on the same street just a few miles south in Quincy. The Bush Family moved from Milton to Greenwich, Connecticut in 1925. The Victorian house where President Bush was born is now privately owned and not open to the public.

(* Note: The exact year Milton was settled is debated, but it is believed to be sometime before 1640 and after the mid - 1630s. The town seal says 1640, as well as several other town monuments.)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.3 square miles (34.4 km²), of which, 13.0 square miles (33.8 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (1.81%) is water.

Great Blue Hill in Milton, the highest hill within the Blue Hills Reservation at 635 feet (194 m), is the highest point within 10 miles of the Atlantic coast south of central Maine, making it an important weather observatory and radio/TV transmitter site.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 26,062 people, 8,982 households, and 6,754 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,999.1 people per square mile (771.7/km²). There were 9,161 housing units at an average density of 702.7/sq mi (271.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 85.4% White, 10.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

The top six ancestries of Milton are Irish (38.0%), Italian (11.3%), English (8.6%), West Indian (4.8%), and German (4.7%).

Milton also has been cited as having the highest percentage of residents citing Irish lineage of any town in the United States per capita - 38%. Many of whom reside in the East Milton neighborhood. There were 8,982 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $78,985, and the median income for a family was $94,359. Males had a median income of $61,194 versus $40,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,138. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are six public schools in Milton, including four elementary schools (Collicot, Cunningham, Glover, and Tucker), one middle school (Charles S. Pierce), and the Milton High School. There are also private high schools and elementary/middle schools (Fontbonne Academy a girls school, St. Mary of the Hills, St. Agatha's, Milton Academy, Thacher Montessori and Delphi Academy).

Curry College is a small liberal arts college also located in Milton.

Transportation

Milton lies within the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority district. Fixed-route service includes the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line, a light rail extension of the Red Line. Milton has 4 stops: Milton, Central Avenue, Valley Road, and Capen Street. This was originally a steam railway prior to becoming a trolley line. Automobile routes 28 and 138 emanate from Boston and run south across Milton, as does Interstate 93. U.S. Route 1 cuts across Milton's southern and eastern tips. (For the eastern incursion, it is also Route 3.) [4]

Cycling is a popular form of transportation and recreation in Milton. The opening of the Neponset River Greenway reconnected Milton with Boston Harbor via Port Norfolk, Dorchester. Other cycling routes and locations include Turner's Pond, Brook Road, Blue Hills Parkway, Milton Cemetery, and the Pine Tree Brook greenway. [5]

The Milton Yacht Club began in 1902, with a small building in the Lower Mills area beside the Neponset River that was formerly the police department for the town of Milton. Various boats continue to be anchored there or stored on the dock during the winter.

Notable residents

• George Herbert Walker Bush
• Deval Patrick, current Governor of Massachusetts
• Dana Barros, former NBA player
• John Martarano, alleged gangster
• Rich Hill, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs
• Tim Bulman, NFL Player, Houston Texans
• Keith Yandle, NHL Player, Phoenix Coyotyes
• Jim Fahey, NHL Player, NJ Devils
• Mike Ryan, NHL player, Buffalo Sabres
• Josiah Bent, inventor of hardtack
• Jill Ker Conway, Australian-born novelist
• Buckminster Fuller
• William Ordway Partridge, sculptor, poet, and author
• George V. Higgins, attorney, writer
• Grace Phillips, actress
• Luis Tiant, pitcher for Boston Red Sox
• Mark Vonnegut, writer, son of American author Kurt Vonnegut
• Elbie Fletcher, All-Star first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Charles Sarkis, CEO of BackBay Restaurant Group, Inc.
• Roger Vose, United States Representative from New Hampshire
• John Valentin, former Boston Red Sox infielder
• Steve Trapilo, former NFL player for New Orleans Saints
• Abigail Johnson, President of Fidelity Investments, 5th Richest Woman in the World according to Forbes magazine
• Jordan Knight, singer New Kids on the Block
• William Ralph Emerson, "Father" of the Shingle Style form of architecture
• Howard Johnson,restaurateur, founder of Howard Johnsons franchising
• T. S. Eliot, poet, student at Milton Academy
• Ken Casey, bassist and co-lead vocalist of the Irish punk rock group Dropkick Murphys
• Thomas Flatley, real-estate developer
• E. M. Loew, Loews Theatres owner

Points of interest

• Blue Hill Observatory
• Blue Hills Reservation
• Houghton's Pond
• Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House
• Granite Railway
• Milton Academy

Filming locations featuring Milton

• Myopia vs. Dedham (1899)
• The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
• Love Story (1970)
• The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
• This Old House TV Series
• Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985)
• The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
• What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
• Freedom Park (2004)
• Spartan (2005)
• The Box (2007)

References

• "The History of Milton, Mass., 1640-1887" by Albert Kendall Teele, published 1886, 688 pages.

• Milton Records: Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1662-1843. Published 1900.

• Dutton, E.P. Chart of Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay with Map of Adjacent Country. Published 1867. A good map of roads and rail lines around Milton including the Granite Railroad.

• Old USGS Maps of Milton area.

1.http://www.epodunk.com/top10/irish/index.html

6.http://www.muninetguide.com/schools/MA/Milton/Tucker/

• http://www.muninetguide.com/schools/MA/Milton/Collicot/

External links

• Official Milton homepage
• Milton Historical Society homepage
• Website of the Milton Historical Commission
• Website of Bent's Cookie Factory in Milton, purveyors of hardtack during Civil War
• Website of the Captain Forbes House Museum
• Website of the Trustees of Reservations for Governor Hutchinson's Field
• Milton Times article on Milton history