West Boylston History
Beaman Oak (1902)
The Beaman Oak has been mentioned several times in previous historical posts, but we have never before we shared an actual photograph of the tree. The Beaman Oak existed long before Ezra Beaman settled in what would become West Boylston. The tree overlooked Beaman Cemetery, where Ezra and his descendants were buried for generations (their…
Read MoreWater Trough (1700’s)
The Beaman Watering Trough originally stood outside Beaman Tavern, the historic home constructed in the mid-1700s by town founder Ezra Beaman. It stood beside a large buttonwood tree at the edge of the property which Ezra himself planted. Horses could stop to drink from the trough when their owners visited the Tavern. The picture below…
Read MoreThe Beaman Library (1912)
The Beaman Memorial Library is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places! Here’s some information about the history of West Boylston’s library and the construction of the Beaman Memorial Library: West Boylston’s library was founded in 1878 with a donation of $100, left by noted lawyer and abolitionist, David Lee Child, in his…
Read More‘Day Of Doom’ (1897)
“Realization That Day of Doom Has Dawned on the Town”–a headline which accurately summed up 1897 in West Boylston. For two years, the townspeople suspected the reservoir would soon flood the town. However, there was always that feeling that things could change for the town. Then, once 1897 rolled around, the truth was undeniable: buildings…
Read MoreSchool Committee (1899)
The two pictures below come from the School Committee’s Report in 1899 and features a list of the ten graduating seniors. The students were on different “courses” (Classical, Latin Scientific, and English) which allowed them to take classes based on what they hoped to do in the future. For example, the two students on the…
Read MoreSchool Statistics (1897)
Ever wonder what high school was like over a century ago? Were there still social hierarchies which pitted jocks against nerds? Did freshmen fear the seniors whenever they walked through the halls? We can’t answer those questions, but we can share some fun statistics and class schedules thanks to our historical collection of School Committee…
Read MoreSchools (1900’s)
It’s back to school season! As the town’s students prepare for the first day, let’s reflect on the schools of West Boylston’s past. Below are three pictures of schools that once stood in town and have either moved or been demolished. The first is the high school that stood in the valley before the construction…
Read MoreTeacher Registry 1917-1918
Continuing with our theme of West Boylston’s schools in the past century, let’s look at some teachers who educated the town’s bright young minds. The picture below is the Register of Teachers for the 1917-1918 school year, taken from the 1917 annual school report. Listed are the teachers’ names, where they attended college, their salary,…
Read MorePrimary Schools (1800’s-1900’s)
When the reservoir came to town, it pushed a huge portion of West Boylston’s residents and businesses elsewhere. Also affected by the floodwaters were the town’s numerous schools. Today, West Boylston has one elementary school. In the late 1890s, there were over ten primary schools located across town. Each mill district had its own schoolhouse,…
Read MoreHigh Schools (1800’s-1900’s)
Here are some high schools of West Boylston’s past. The black and white photograph shows the old West Boylston High School which was situated in the valley and was knocked down to make way for the reservoir. It had that “classic schoolhouse” look to it and had a bell tower. The colored drawing is a…
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