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| [ images by R.Christopher Noonan, Preservation Services, Inc. ] | |||
Mendon today in many ways resembles Mendon of the past. The hilltop farms of Mendon fed the workers in the mill villages of neighboring towns. Today, houses have grown up on many of those pastures, but Mendon is still imbued with a small town spirit.
Mendon
Center
Mendon Center is a classic example of a 19th century New England farming
community. Main Street is anchored by the churches and town buildings
and lined with small shops and former taverns that tell of the days when
farmers would come here to sell their produce, and weary travelers on
route from Boston, Providence or Worcester would rest.
Main Street
Mendon, MA 01756
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| [ images by Jim McElholm-Single Source Inc. ] | ||
The story of Hopedale is unique. What started as a religious commune developed into a prime example of a factory town. Even as the Draper Corporation became the world’s largest producer of looms, Hopedale still maintained much of its original community spirit.
Little
Red Shop
Hopedale Village
The Parklands
Little
Red Shop
Ebenezer Draper started working in his “Little Red Shop” in
1841, producing parts for looms and other products. His entrepreneurial
brother George took this small shop in a new direction, creating the massive
Draper Loom Corporation, the largest manufacturer of looms in the world.
The massive Draper Corporation Mill, which employed over 4,00 workers
at its peak, stands across the street.
Hopedale Street
Hopedale MA 01747
Hopedale
Village
Hopedale is the product of two fascinating stories that together created
a unique community. It was established in 1841 under the leadership of
Reverend Adin Ballou as “Fraternal Community No. 1” a communal
association determined to create an ideal society. Hopedale was one of
the most successful communal experiments of the era, but failed after
fifteen years. The village was taken over by the Draper brothers who used
the community as the base for their new mill village that produced looms.
Even as Draper went on to become the leading manufacturer of looms in
the world, Hopedale was still guided by many of the community’s
original principles, a tradition that continues in some respects even
today.
Hopedale Street
Hopedale, MA
The
Parklands
The Draper family hired Warren Henry Manning, designer of Boston’s
park system, to design a park around their millpond. Enjoy a stroll though
this carefully planned woodland of over 1,000 acres – almost 1/3
of the entire town.
Dutcher Street
Hopedale, MA
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| [ images by R.Christopher Noonan, Preservation Services, Inc. ] | |||
With its proximity to Rt. 495, Upton is slowly being drawn into the Boston Metropolitan area. What attracts new residents to Upton though are its classic New England small town features – a delightful Main Street and common surrounded by large amounts of open space open for recreation.
Knowlton
Hat Factory
Upton State Forest
Knowlton
Hat Factory
Overshadowed by the many textile mills in the Blackstone Valley, William
Knowlton established what was to become the largest women’s hat
factory in the world. Upton woman had been braiding straw into hats for
many years before William Knowlton came to town, but he had the ingenuity
to turn a local handcraft into a major industry. Today, the Hat Factory
has been converted into housing, and much of the worker village still
remains.
134 Main Street
Upton, MA 01568
Upton
State Forest
This 2,600-acre forest offers multiple trail uses including hiking, bicycling,
cross-country skiing and horseback riding. Hunting is permitted in season.
Park is open from sunrise to sunset.
Westboro Road
Upton, MA 01568
(508) 278-6486
http://mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/uptn.htm
