Town Change (1897)

1897 is a critical year in West Boylston history. That year, construction officially began on what would become the Wachusett Reservoir. Businesses were sold or moved. Homeowners sold their property to the state and went elsewhere. But, despite these new changes, the real destruction of the town had yet to begin.

Below are two clippings from newspapers in 1897. Both tell a similar story of the town’s changing geography. Not only will the local post office move up the hill, but the family cemetery of the beloved Beaman family must relocate. The Beaman Cemetery is now located within Mount Vernon Cemetery.

 The articles below are only two examples of the changes to West Boylston.