Government

    Federalists (1810)     Manufacturing Meeting (1815)                     Water Board Report (1897)     Board of Health (1918-1919)

If you’ve seen the musical Hamilton (or have listened to the soundtrack on unending repeat and have only dreamed of seeing it live), you probably know a little about the early conflict between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Put simply, the Federalists supported a strong central government and nationalized banks, services, etc., while their opponents…

Looking through historical texts and newspapers in our Local History Room can often be challenging. A lot of the time, you’re looking for something exciting to jump out at you—a famous person visiting town or, even, a catastrophe which forever changed the face of West Boylston. But part of studying history is learning to love…

The construction of the reservoir in the 1890s and early 1900s took a toll on West Boylston and, to a lesser extent, our neighboring communities. Mills and homes were torn down or else bought and moved to other parts of the state. Some of these displaced houses sold for anywhere from $5 to a whopping…

From 1918 to 1919, a powerful strain of influenza, commonly known as Spanish Influenza, killed approximately 60 million people worldwide. The flu was unusual because it killed previously healthy people in their 20s-40s within hours or days, whereas normal strains of influenza mostly kill the elderly, the very young, or people with previous conditions. In…