Preserving the Past
[No copy of the May 1975 issue of Ashland Directions has been found. The following history selection may have been the one printed.] So far as is known, the first white men to visit the territory which Ashland now embraces were John Oldham, Samuel Hall, and two others, who in 1633 traveled from Watertown to the Connecticut River in search […]
» Read moreby Henry E. Warren The incorporation of the Town of Ashland is a story by itself. In 1837, one hundred thirty people who lived in this vicinity, then called Unionville, were persuaded by a leading citizen, James Jackson, to present a petition to the General Court asking for incorporation as a separate town. Fewer than 10% of the population signed […]
» Read moreThe General Court of the Colony of Massachusetts made a grant of 500 acres of land within the great bend at “Cold Spring” to Colonel William Crowne in 1662. This was a reward for services the Colonel had rendered for the Colony [1]. The grant included what is now the center of Ashland. The Colonel died in 1687, never having […]
» Read moreThe first known white settler in Ashland north and west of the Sudbury River was John Coller, who in 1687 leased a piece of land on the eastern edge of the town, as it now stands. At one time the bridge at Cutler’s Mill, the site of which is now covered by the waters of the reservoir (Number Two) was […]
» Read moreThis name is the name of an Indian Village that once stood on the south side of the Sudbury river and it has become intimately connected with the town in that it has been applied in these later times to the first hand fire engine, to one of the markets, a club, and the hill on whose slope the village […]
» Read moreWithout mudding the waters with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the one thing we can depend upon is the constant of time. We all know from our high school physics class that the “second” is the standard of time in both the metric and English systems. We see the different systems everyday on our car’s speedometer where both kilometers/hour and miles/hour […]
» Read moreAmerica is blessed with a variety of service organizations. Some are religious, some fraternal. Our war veterans have theirs too. The common thread seems to be a commitment to helping people wherever and whenever. The ones I remember growing up were the Knights of Columbus, Ashland Lions (later though, they were chartered in 1967), The Ashland Lioness Club, which was […]
» Read moreLast month’s visit with the I.O.O.F stirred quite a few memories with some of the more established residents of Ashland (I wouldn’t dare say older). Thank you for your contributions and recollections. The Historical Society now has items donated that create a more complete picture of the organization, as well as providing a clearer path for researchers in the future. […]
» Read moreWe are all familiar with the “Entering Ashland” signs as we cross over from Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Southboro or Sherborn but the one thing that stands out is our incorporation date of 1846. As a community we are the youngest. Made up of equal parts of Hopkinton and Framingham to the east and west, and a smaller portion of Holliston […]
» Read moreIt’s Halloween, and I’m tempted to write about some of the more ghostly buildings in Ashland, but this is probably going to more of a history lesson. John Stone’s Inn is probably one of the more recognizable buildings in Ashland. At least from an outsider’s perspective. There are other landmarks well worthy, but most people associate John Stone’s Inn, or […]
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