Grafton, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Grafton center in 2006 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location inWorcester County and the state ofMassachusetts. | |
| Coordinates:42°12′25″N71°41′10″W / 42.20694°N 71.68611°W /42.20694; -71.68611 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Worcester |
| Settled | 1718 |
| Incorporated | 1735 |
| Named after | Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Town Administrator | Evan Brassard |
| • Select Board | Andy Jefferson Craig Dauphinais Mark Alimo Mat Often Ann Marie Foley |
| • Town Moderator | Dawn Anderson |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.3 sq mi (60.3 km2) |
| • Land | 22.7 sq mi (58.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.54 sq mi (1.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 430 ft (130 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,664 |
| • Density | 865/sq mi (334/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes |
|
| Area code | 508/774 |
| FIPS code | 25-26430 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619480 |
| Website | www |
Grafton is a town inWorcester County,Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,664 at the2020 census.[1] The town consists of the North Grafton, Grafton, and South Grafton geographic areas, each with a separate ZIP Code. Incorporated in 1735, the town is home to aNipmuc village known asHassanamisco Reservation, theWillard House and Clock Museum, Community Harvest Project, and theTufts UniversityCummings School of Veterinary Medicine.
Bands of theNipmuc tribe are the indigenous inhabitants, and maintain a state-recognized reservation known as Hassanamesit, orHassanamisco, which was formerly aPraying Indian village from 1647 when the ReverendJohn Eliot came and converted the Hassanamiscos to Christianity .[2] in 1727 the Hassanamesit reservation of 8,000 acres was divided into 7,500 acres to 40 English proprietors and 500 acres to 7 Nipmuc proprietors. This became Grafton, officially incorporated in 1735.
Grafton stands tall in the industrialization of theBlackstone Valley. Its Northeast Village was once known as "New England Village". The following is an excerpt from theBlackstone Daily about the history of the town:
Grafton has been a significant contributor in the success and progress of the AmericanIndustrial Revolution that was started in 1793 bySamuel Slater with his cotton mill inPawtucket [Rhode Island]. North Grafton's Upper Mill, now known as the Washington Mills complex, that still producesabrasives, was once known as the New England Manufacturing Company. This was part of the New England Village, as North Grafton was known for generations. This part of the mill was built in 1826 and was part of a much larger complex, but most of that is now gone, mainly due to serious fires. Mill housing was built at 12, 14 and 16 Overlook Street. These central-chimney-style homes were boarding houses with ornate trim that has since been lost.[3]
The town is named forCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton,[4][5] a title created for the illegitimate son of KingCharles II of England.Ethan Allen ran a gun factory in Grafton in the early 19th century. In the 1930s, a movie,Ah, Wilderness!, was filmed in the town. The moviemakers built abandstand on the town common, which has been torn down and rebuilt many times since, making it similar but different. Grafton Common has many historic homes, churches and buildings and is considered the most quintessential common in the Blackstone Valley.[citation needed] The town is part of theBlackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the U.S.
North Grafton is the home of theWyman Gordon Company. In 1955, theUnited States Air Force installed a 50,000-ton metalforge in North Grafton as part of itsHeavy Press Program[6] in a plant operated by Wyman-Gordon. It was the largest metal forge, and indeed the largest machine, in the world at the time it was built.[7] This forge is used to form strategic metals used in commercial and military aircraft for turbine disks, shafts, and blades, landing struts and other aircraft parts where light weight and extreme strength are needed. The entire undercarriage of theSpace Shuttles was forged in Grafton ofmagnesium.
From 1901 to 1973, North Grafton was home to theGrafton State Hospital. Originally an offshoot of theWorcester State Hospital, Grafton State Hospital served as a "farm colony" where chronically insane patients could live and work in somewhat normal surroundings. The campus was made up of several clusters of buildings and eventually encompassed 1,200 acres (490 ha) in Grafton,Shrewsbury, andWestborough.[8] The hospital was closed in 1973, and the campus, including many of the original buildings, was taken over by theCummings School of Veterinary Medicine (part ofTufts University) and the GraftonJob Corps center.
One hundred ninety acres of the Hassanamessit Woods, believed to contain the remains of the praying village were under agreement for development for more than 100 homes. This property has significant cultural importance to the Nipmuc Tribal Nation because it is thought to contain the meetinghouse and the center of the old praying village.[9] However,The Trust for Public Land, the town of Grafton, the Grafton Land Trust, theNipmuc Nation and the state ofMassachusetts intervened.The Trust for Public Land purchased the property and kept it off the market until 2004, after sufficient funding was procured to permanently protect the property.[10] The property also has ecological significance as it is adjacent to 187 acres of Grafton owned land as well as 63 acres owned by the Grafton Land Trust. These properties will provide numerous recreational benefits to the public as well as play a role in protecting the water quality of local watersheds.[10]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.3 square miles (60 km2), of which 22.7 square miles (59 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), or 2.28%, is water. Grafton is located 40 miles (64 km) west ofBoston and 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast ofWorcester. Grafton includes North Grafton, Grafton, and South Grafton, as well as many other industrial revolution era villages due to its long history on theBlackstone River, includingFarnumsville,Fisherville, Saundersville and Axtell Corner. The town borders onShrewsbury,Westborough,Upton,Northbridge,Sutton,Millbury and the city ofWorcester.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 3,904 | — |
| 1860 | 4,317 | +10.6% |
| 1870 | 4,594 | +6.4% |
| 1880 | 4,030 | −12.3% |
| 1890 | 5,002 | +24.1% |
| 1900 | 4,869 | −2.7% |
| 1910 | 5,705 | +17.2% |
| 1920 | 6,887 | +20.7% |
| 1930 | 7,030 | +2.1% |
| 1940 | 7,457 | +6.1% |
| 1950 | 8,281 | +11.1% |
| 1960 | 10,627 | +28.3% |
| 1970 | 11,659 | +9.7% |
| 1980 | 11,238 | −3.6% |
| 1990 | 13,035 | +16.0% |
| 2000 | 14,894 | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 17,765 | +19.3% |
| 2020 | 19,664 | +10.7% |
| 2024* | 20,352 | +3.5% |
Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] | ||
By the2010 census, the population had reached 17,765.
As of thecensus[22] of 2000, there were 14,894 people, 5,694 households, and 3,951 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 655.0 inhabitants per square mile (252.9/km2). There were 5,828 housing units at an average density of 256.3 per square mile (99.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.92%White, 1.25%African American, 0.11%Native American, 1.45%Asian, 0.24% fromother races, and 1.03% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino residents of any race were 1.91% of the population.
There were 5,694 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% weremarried couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,020, and the median income for a family was $66,396. Males had a median income of $48,016 versus $32,347 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $26,952. About 2.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those ages 65 or over.
| State government | |
|---|---|
| State Representative(s): | David K. Muradian, Jr. (R) |
| State Senator(s): | Michael O. Moore (D) |
| Governor's Councilor(s): | Paul M. DePalo (D) |
| Federal government | |
| U.S. Representative(s): | James McGovern (D—Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district) |
| U.S. Senators: | Elizabeth Warren (D),Ed Markey (D) |
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Grafton station in North Grafton is served by theMBTA Commuter RailFramingham/Worcester Line.[23] TheWorcester Regional Transit Authority operates public bus service in Grafton.[24] The Grafton Senior Center provides low-cost or free transportation to residents who are over the age of 60 or disabled.[25]
TheGrafton and Upton Railroad operates freight service between North Grafton andMilford.
The Grafton Free Public Library opened in 1867.[26] The current building was built in 1927 with money donated by Jerome Wheelock, a local inventor. The facility was expanded to 26,000 s.f. in 2019.[27]
Grafton is home to six public schools. Students are separated by whether they live in North or South Grafton until middle school. The High school mascot is the Grafton Gators.[28]
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