The High Street Bridge Caper

If there is one thing I can say about Ashland residents, nothing ceases to amaze us. Consider our property taxes as an example. Proposition 2 1/2 was supposed to limit how much our tax rate can increase annually, but how many times have we gone to Town Meeting for a debt exclusion that is only supposed to last 5 years […]

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The Great Hurricane of 1938

Hello everyone! Before we start today’s discussion I want to touch on a couple of subjects that affect the Ashland Directions and the Ashland Historical Society. First of all, the Directions is quickly approaching a critical crossroad. We have a volunteer staff of highly dedicated members who manually assemble the newspaper for publication. It is what is known as a […]

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Ashland Day Honorees, Part II

Welcome back! Last month we visited the honorees from the first Ashland Day through A’Day 1991. Everyone I mentioned had contributed, and in a lot of cases still contribute to the town in a variety of ways. This installment starts with A’Day 1992. Ben Montenegro – 1992 Grand Marshal. Many of the honorees returned for another tour of duty. Ben […]

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James Jackson Way

The naming of streets in Ashland always intrigued me. Most of the older ones pretty much made sense: Tilton Avenue, Cutler Drive, Homer Avenue, etc. Then there are the ones that the developer must have named after himself or a family member like Donna Lee Lane, Teller Drive, Femia Road, and the like. What better way to make your mark […]

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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 […]

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