Posts by Beaman Library
The Beaman Oak (1958)
The Beaman Oak is a symbol of West Boylston featured on our town seal. Its origins date back to pre-Revolutionary War times, when West Boylston was part of the larger town of Shrewsbury. The Beaman Oak was a tree on town founder Ezra Beaman’s property beside his family’s cemetery. According to legend, Ezra filled the…
Read MoreGrapevines (before 1620)
If you enjoy spending time exploring the various rail trails and pathways around our town and those nearby, you might notice some grapevines mixed among the trees. These plants were cultivated and eaten by Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. It’s also possible that, at one time, these grapes were cultivated by local mill…
Read MoreResidents Give Back (1800’s-1900’s)
West Boylston has had some nationally-recognized “celebrities” in its day, like Robert Bailey Thomas or David Lee & Lydia Maria Child, but it’s important to recognize the residents who gave back to the town. Three businessmen who became notable figures in the late 1800s-early 1900s were Hon. Edward Aaron Cowee, Eli Holbrook, and Henry Sawyer.…
Read MoreNews and Weather Events
Earthquake of 1755 Town Population (1800’s) Flood of 1900 Independence Day (1905) Eclipse of 1918 The Beaman Oak (1958) …
Read MoreEducation
Primary Schools High Schools School Statistics (1897) Classes (1897) School Committee (1899) Schools (1900’s) Teacher Registry …
Read MoreImportant Buildings and Landmarks
Water Trough (1700’s) Trains (1889-1908) ‘Day of Doom’ (1897) Town Change (1897) Town Halls (1900’s) Town Hall (1900’s) …
Read MoreService Flag 1917
World War I changed daily life in West Boylston. Patriotism resonated throughout the town. On November 11, 1917, exactly one year before the Armistice and the end of WWI, the citizens of West Boylston raised a service flag on the common in honor of all those serving overseas. Service flags are still flown today to…
Read MoreRisk of War 1808
West Boylston gained its independence from Boylston in 1808, and we’re lucky enough to have some yellowed, fragile newspapers from that year down in our Local History Room. The newspaper is the Massachusetts Spy, or Worcester Gazette. In those days, some S’s were written to look like fancy lowercase F’s, so the title of the…
Read MoreWWI Postcards (1917)
Postcards allow us to share our experiences with family and friends through visuals and words. Below are two postcards sent home by a WWI soldier. One features a drawing of Weigel Boulevard at Camp Devens along with a few soldiers milling about. The other postcard features a sight which overseas soldiers might have seen in…
Read MoreHonor Roll (1917)
One hundred years ago today, April 6th, 1917, Congress formally declared war on the German Empire, and the United States joined the Allies in the Great War. The nation prepared for war; within a month, dozens of West Boylston men had enlisted in the military and a surge of patriotism rallied townspeople to ration food,…
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