Pepperell, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Pepperell Covered Bridge | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°39′57″N71°35′20″W / 42.66583°N 71.58889°W /42.66583; -71.58889 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Middlesex |
| Settled | 1720 |
| Incorporated | 1775 |
| Named after | Sir William Pepperrell |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.2 sq mi (60.0 km2) |
| • Land | 22.5 sq mi (58.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.62 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 243 ft (74 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,604 |
| • Density | 515/sq mi (199/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 01463 |
| Area code | 351 /978 |
| FIPS code | 25-52805 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618231 |
| Website | town.pepperell.ma.us |
Pepperell is a town inMiddlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,604 at the2020 census.[1] It includes the village ofEast Pepperell andcensus-designated place ofPepperell. Pepperell is home to thePepperell Center Historic District, a covered bridge, and the 1901 Lawrence Library. The library has a collection of Sidney M. Shattuck's (1876–1917) stuffed birds.[2][3][4]
Pepperell was first settled in 1720 as a part ofGroton, and was officially incorporated as its own town in 1775. The founders named it afterSir William Pepperrell, a Massachusetts colonial soldier who led theSiege of Louisbourg during theFrench and Indian War. The town was noted for its good soil andorchards.[citation needed]
Since its formation, the town was active in theAmerican independence movement. Being located northwest ofConcord, Pepperell never saw British attack during theAmerican Revolutionary War, though several Pepperell men fought at theOld North Bridge during theBattle of Concord, and a British spy was captured by women on guard at the site of the Pepperell covered bridge (seePrudence Wright).[citation needed]William Prescott, a resident of Pepperell, served as the commander at theBattle of Bunker Hill in what is now theCharlestown neighborhood ofBoston.[5]
By 1837, when the population was 1,586, Pepperell had threepaper mills, one of which was managed byWarren F. Daniell. It also produced palm leaf hats, boots and shoes.[6]
In 1848, theWorcester & Nashua Railroad was built throughEast Pepperell along theNashua River as part of a through route fromWorcester toPortland. In 1886 the line became part of theBoston & Maine Railroad, who continued to operate trains toWorcester andNashua, as well as connections toPortland, Maine, and beyond.
Pepperell was also a station on theBoston & Maine's Milford Branch betweenSquannacook Junction andMilford, New Hampshire. In 1938, the Milford Branch was abandoned from Pepperell to South Milford. Trains continued to operate as far as Pepperell until 1941, when the tracks to Squannacook Junction were also abandoned, leaving Pepperell's paper mill without direct rail service. To correct this, a trestle bridge and rail connection were built from the B&M's WN&P line over the Nashua River, so that freights could still serve the mill.[7]
Also in 1941, the WN&P line betweenHollis, New Hampshire, and Nashua was abandoned; the railroad therefore renamed the remaining segment, fromAyer, Massachusetts, through East Pepperell, the "Hollis Branch". Freight service, primarily to the mill, was provided by the B&M with a local freight out of Ayer until 1981. The Hollis Branch was abandoned in 1982, mainly because of poor track conditions, and the tracks themselves were pulled up in 1984.[8]
In 2001, what had been the railroad corridor was paved over to become part of theNashua River Rail Trail.[9][10]
The Pepperell town library, the Lawrence Library, was designed by architectsErnest Flagg andWalter B. Chambers, and built in 1901. On June 29, 2009, the people of Pepperell voted "yes" on aProposition 2½ override, effectively saving operations of the Lawrence Library, Senior Center, and Community Center. The override helped fill a $1.3 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2010.
One of only three covered bridges on public Massachusetts roads that are open to vehicular traffic (and the only one east of theConnecticut River) is on Groton Street in Pepperell. The current bridge officially opened on July 30, 2010, replacing the aging Chester H. Waterous Bridge which was closed to vehicles on April 7, 2008, and demolished beginning July 30, 2008. It took two years to build the newcovered bridge.[11][12]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.2 square miles (60.0 km2), of which 22.6 square miles (58.4 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) (2.63%) is water. Pepperell is located at theconfluence of theNissitissit River with theNashua River. According to thePepperell Reader, the town is situated on a long extinct volcano that helped shape much ofNew England'sgeology.
Pepperell bordersBrookline andHollis,New Hampshire to the north,Dunstable to the east,Groton to the south,Townsend to the west, andNashua, New Hampshire to the northeast via the Nashua River.[13]
Places adjacent to Pepperell, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
Pepperell is served by state routes111,113 and119.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,754 | — |
| 1860 | 1,895 | +8.0% |
| 1870 | 1,842 | −2.8% |
| 1880 | 2,348 | +27.5% |
| 1890 | 3,127 | +33.2% |
| 1900 | 3,701 | +18.4% |
| 1910 | 2,953 | −20.2% |
| 1920 | 2,468 | −16.4% |
| 1930 | 2,922 | +18.4% |
| 1940 | 3,114 | +6.6% |
| 1950 | 3,460 | +11.1% |
| 1960 | 4,336 | +25.3% |
| 1970 | 5,887 | +35.8% |
| 1980 | 8,061 | +36.9% |
| 1990 | 10,098 | +25.3% |
| 2000 | 11,142 | +10.3% |
| 2010 | 11,497 | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 11,604 | +0.9% |
| 2023* | 11,710 | +0.9% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] | ||
As of thecensus[25] of 2010, there were 11,497 people, 3,847 households, and 3,016 families residing in the town. The population density was 495.6 inhabitants per square mile (191.4/km2). There were 4,348 housing units at an average density of 187.4 per square mile (72.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.61%White, 0.56%Black orAfrican American, 0.04%Native American, 1.07%Asian, 2.71% fromother races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.25% of the population.
There were 3,847 households, out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% weremarried couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. Of all households 17.4% were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $82,055, and the median income for a family was $97,870. Theper capita income for the town was $35,144. About 2.0% of families and 3.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
Pepperell is a part of theNorth Middlesex Regional School District, along withAshby, andTownsend. Students in Pepperell attendVarnum Brook Elementary School for elementary school, andNissitissit Middle School for middle school, and high school students attendNorth Middlesex Regional High School.[26]
(town fairs, firework shows, basketball, skateboarding)
Municipalities and communities ofMiddlesex County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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