Grafton

Grafton, Massachusetts
—  Town  —
Grafton center in 2006
Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°12′25″N 71°41′10″W / 42.20694°N 71.68611°W / 42.20694; -71.68611
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Worcester
Settled	1718
Incorporated	1735
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
- Town    Administrator	Timothy McInerney
- Board of    Selectmen	Peter J. Adams Christopher R. LeMay Brook Padgett Mary Ann Cotton Craig Dauphinais
- Finance Committee	Dave Ross (Chair) Sandy Merrill (Vice Chair) David Libbey (Clerk) Sue Robbins Bob Foley Don Davison Heather McCue Doris Metivier Lisa Rice
Area
- Total	23.3 sq mi (60.3 km2)
- Land	22.7 sq mi (58.9 km2)
- Water	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
Elevation	425 ft (130 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	14,894
- Density	655.0/sq mi (252.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01519, 01536, 01560
Area code(s)	508 / 774
FIPS code	25-26430
GNIS feature ID	0619480
Website	http://www.town.grafton.ma.us/

Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,894 at the 2000 census. Grafton is known for a Nipmuc village, now known as Hassanamisco Reservation, early settlement, in 1718, and early industrial period, filming of "Ah Wilderness" in its northeast village, once known as New England Village, and the Willard Clock Museum. It is also the home of the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

History

Bands of the Nipmuc tribe were the indigenous inhabitants, and maintain a state-recognized reservation known as Hassanamessit, or Hassanamisco, which was formerly a Praying Indian village.^[1] Grafton was first settled by Europeans in 1718 and was officially incorporated in 1735. Grafton stands tall in the industrialization of the Blackstone Valley. It Northeast Village was once known as "New England Village". Here is a brief excerpt from the Blackstone Daily:

Grafton has been a significant contributor in the success and progress of the American Industrial Revolution that was started in 1793 by Samuel Slater with his cotton mill in Pawtucket. North Grafton's Upper Mill, now known as the Washington Mills complex that still produces abrasives, 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, mostly 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.^[2]

Located in North Grafton is the Wyman Gordon Company. Wyman Gordon installed the largest metal forge in the free world at the time it was built. This forge is used to form strategic metals used in commercial and military aircraft for turbine blades, landing struts and other aircraft parts where light weight and extreme strength are needed. The entire undercarriage of the space shuttles were forged in Grafton, MA. of magnesium.

It is named for the Duke of Grafton, a title created for the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England. Ethan Allen ran a gun factory in Grafton in the early 1800s. In the 1930s, a movie, Ah, Wilderness!, was filmed in the town. The moviemakers built a gazebo for the screenshots and left it on the town common. The gazebo still stands there today. The Grafton Common has historical homes, churches and buildings and is considered the most quintessential common in the Blackstone Valley. The Town today is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the U.S. The Willard Clock Museum, (see external link below), is a highlight.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.3 square miles (60 km²), of which, 22.7 square miles (59 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (2.28%) is water. Grafton is located 30 miles west of Boston, MA (35 minutes east) and 5 miles southeast of Worcester, MA (8 minutes northwest).

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 14,894 people, 5,694 households, and 3,951 families residing in the town. The population 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% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race composed 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the town was $26,952. About 2.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Transportation

Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with the Grafton station on its Framingham/Worcester Line.

The Grafton and Upton Railroad currently operates a freight line through the town connecting the Framingham/Worcester Line to the Franklin Line in Milford.

Notable residents

• Bethany Hart, 2006 women's USA Olympic Bobsled team member
• Joel Hills Johnson (1802-1883), Mormon pioneer, published poet and gospel hymn writer, Utah politician, founded the Utah towns of Enoch and Johnson
• Simon Willard and his brothers, clock makers
• John Adams Whipple, pioneer photographer and inventor
• Marc Orrell, Former guitarist for the band Dropkick Murphys
• Steve Spagnuolo, Head Coach of the St. Louis Rams
• Frank O'Hara, avant-garde poet and playwright
• Ken Susi, Guitarist for the metalcore band Unearth

References

1. ^ "Martin Issues Final Determination". http://www.doi.gov/news/nipmuc.html. 
2. ^ ""New England Village/Walking Tours"". Blackstone Daily.com. http://www.blackstonedaily.com/Outdoors&Nature/WTnevillage.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-11. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Grafton official website
• Grafton, Massachusetts History, Photos, and Info
• Grafton News
• GraftonTimes.com
• Grafton Daily at the Blackstone Daily
• Grafton Public Schools
• Grafton Public Library
• Willard Clock House and Museum
• Grafton Group on Flickr

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