The Town Poor

The problem of providing a suitable town farm or almshouse for the poor arose shortly after Ashland was incorporated. For its first few years the town followed the common practice of “letting out” the paupers to the lowest bidders. However, in December, 1855 there appeared in the warrant for the town meeting an article relative to the purchase of a […]

» Read more

WPA

You can’t pick up a newspaper or travel our highways without seeing some reference to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). You have seen the roadside signs proclaiming the rebuilding of America by putting Americans back to work. Just the placement of the signs must have put a lot of Americans back to work. Anyway, the point […]

» Read more

Water Woes

Concerned about the ability to effectively fight fires, Ashland was looking into some form of municipal water system as early as 1875. A committee was appointed to study the needs and resources that existed in town, and this was their recommendation: “The cheapest supply of water for the town, to put out fires, will be obtained by putting a pipe […]

» Read more

The Spring Street Well

At the Ashland Historical Society one of our main sources of recorded history is the Ashland Advertiser. We have original copies of the publication which gives us a first hand glimpse of what life was like in the 1800’s. It is fun to read how “Officer Tidsbury took four tramps into court for manipulating doors and furniture in the Ashland […]

» Read more

Wilson Room

Every historical society has an interesting story to tell about their beginnings, locations, founding members, and the like. Ashland is certainly no exception. The title of today’s story is the Wilson Room. What does a room’s name have to do with the Ashland Historical Society? At first glance, many would think it was named in honor of a prominent figure […]

» Read more

Field Day

Every September, Ashland holds a community day called Ashland Day. It is a day where townsfolk can meet each other and enjoy all the finest that living in New England has to offer. There are food concessions, parades (well, most of the time), information booths, music, games, raffles, and a stage at the gazebo for recognizing the people that contribute […]

» Read more
1 2