Marlborough, Massachusetts

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007)
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°20′45″N 71°33′10″W / 42.34583, -71.55278
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Middlesex
Settled 1657
Incorporated 1660
Government
 - Type Mayor-council city
 - Mayor Nancy Stevens
Area
 - Total 22.2 sq mi (57.4 km²)
 - Land 21.1 sq mi (54.6 km²)
 - Water 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km²)
Elevation 450 ft (137 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 36,255
 - Density 1,719.4/sq mi (663.9/km²)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01752
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-38715
GNIS feature ID 0611360
Website: http://www.marlborough-ma.gov/
City Hall
City Hall

Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 36,255 at the 2000 census. The name of this town is sometimes spelled as Marlboro, rather than Marlborough, which is the official spelling.

Contents

[edit] Pronunciation

The Boston accent tends to elide the first two syllables of 'Marlborough', producing the spoken name (by residents) 'MALL-bro', or 'MAH-bro', it is usually pronounced 'Marl-burrow' by outsiders and people not familiar with the area.

[edit] History

John Howe had come to the area in 1656 as a fur trader and built a house at the intersection of two Indian trails, Nashua Trail and Connecticut path.[1] He could speak the language of the Algonquin Indians though the local tribe referred to themselves as the Pennacooks. The settlers were welcomed by the Indians because they protected them from other tribes they were at war with. In the 1650s, several families left the nearby town of Sudbury, 18 miles west of Boston, to start a new town. The village was named Marlborough after the market town in Wiltshire, England. Marlborough was first settled in 1657 by 14 men led by Edmund Rice; in 1656 Rice petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to create the city of Marlborough and it was officially incorporated in 1660. Rice was elected a Selectman at Marlborough in 1657. Sumner Chilton Powell wrote, in Puritan Village: The Formation of a New England Town, "Not only did Rice become the largest individual landholder in Sudbury, but he represented his new town in the Massachusetts legislature for five years and devoted at least eleven of his last fifteen years to serving as selectman and judge of small causes."[2]

The Reverend William Brimstead was the first minister of the Puritan church and Johnathan Johnson was the first blacksmith.

Marlborough was one of the seven "Praying Indian Towns" because they were converted to Christianity by the Rev. John Eliot of Roxbury. In 1674 a deed was drawn up dividing the land between the settlers and the natives. This is the only record of names of the natives. The document was signed by: Old Nequenit, Robin (Robin Hill in Marlborough is named after him). Bejamin Wuttanamitt, Great James, Mary, the widow of Peter Naskonit, on behalf of her child David Moses, Assoake, the widow of James nowrwell "On behalf of my children", Sarah Conomy, sole executrix of my late husband Oomonog, Elizebeth, the only daughter and sole heir of Solomon, deceased. (Solomon Pond in Northborough is named after him and hence Solomon Pond Mall), James Spence on behalf of his wife.

The settlement was almost destroyed by Native Americans in 1676 during King Philip's War.

As population, business, and travel grew in the colonies, Marlborough became a favored rest stop on the Boston Post Road. Many travelers stopped at its inns and taverns, including George Washington, who visited the Williams Tavern soon after his inauguration in 1789.

In 1836, Samuel Boyd, known as the "father of the city," and his brother Joseph, opened the first shoe manufacturing business - an act that would change the community forever. By 1890, with a population of 14,000, Marlborough had become a major shoe manufacturing center, producing boots for Union soldiers as well as footwear for the civilian population. Marlborough became so well known for its shoes that its official seal was decorated with a factory, a shoe box, and a pair of boots when it was incorporated as a city in 1890.

The American Civil War resulted in the creation of one of the region's most unusual monuments. Legend has it that a company from Marlborough, assigned to Harpers Ferry, appropriated the bell from the firehouse where John Brown last battled for the emancipation of the slaves. The company left the bell in the hands of one Mrs. Elizabeth Snyder for 30 years, returning in 1892 to bring it back to Marlborough. The bell now hangs in a tower at the corner of Route 85 and Main Street.

Around that time, Marlborough is believed to have been the first community in the country to receive a charter for a streetcar system, edging out the city of Baltimore by a few months. The system, designed primarily for passenger use, provided access to Milford to the south, and Concord to the north. As a growing industrialized community, Marlborough began attracting skilled craftsmen from Quebec, Ireland, Italy, and Greece.

Shoe manufacturing continued in Marlborough long after the industry had fled many other New England communities. Famous Frye boots were manufactured here through the 1970s, and The Rockport Company, founded in Marlborough in 1971, continues to maintain an outlet store in the city. In 1990, when Marlborough celebrated its centennial as a city, the festivities included the construction of a park in acknowledgment of the shoe industry, featuring statues by the sculptor David Kapenteopolous.

The construction of Interstates 495 and 290 and the Massachusetts Turnpike has enabled Marlborough to begin its third century on the cutting edge of a new industry: high technology and specialized electronics. Today, thousands flock here to work at Fidelity Investments, Raytheon, Hewlett-Packard, AMD, Sun Microsystems and the many other electronics and computer firms that provide the strong business community in the city. Because of the city's central location with easy access to major highways and the pro-business, pro-development policies of the city government, the population of Marlborough has more than doubled in the last 25 years to over 32,000 at the time of the last census.

[edit] Geography

Marlborough District Courthouse, seen across Lake Williams
Marlborough District Courthouse, seen across Lake Williams

Marlborough is located at 42°21′3″N, 71°32′51″W (42.350909, -71.547530).[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.2 square miles (57.4 km²), of which, 21.1 square miles (54.6 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (4.87%) is water.

Within the city limits of Marlborough are three large lakes, known as Lake Williams, Millham Reservoir and Fort Meadow Reservoir. A portion of Fort Meadow Reservoir extends into nearby Hudson.

[edit] Adjacent towns

Marlborough is located in Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by six towns:

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 36,255 people, 14,501 households, and 9,280 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,719.4 people per square mile (663.7/km²). There were 14,903 housing units at an average density of 706.8/sq mi (272.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.70% White, 2.17% African American, 0.20% Native American, 3.76% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.27% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.06% of the population.

There were 14,501 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,879, and the median income for a family was $70,385. Males had a median income of $49,133 versus $32,457 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,723. About 4.7% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

[edit] Public schools

See also Marlborough Public Schools

[edit] Charter schools

Advanced Math & Science Academy

  • grade ( 6-12 )

[edit] Parochial schools

[edit] Private schools

  • Hillside School (5-9)
  • New Covenant Christian School (K-8)
  • Wayside Academy (9-12)
  • Immaculate Conception (K1-8)

[edit] After school programs

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metrowest

[edit] Media

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Newspapers

[edit] Television

Ch. 8: "The Marlborough Channel" a branch of WMCT (Marlborough Cable Trust).

Ch. 10: "The Government Channel" another branch of WMCT (Marlborough Cable Trust).

Ch. 98: "Panther Media" is Marlborough Public Schools' student run television station.

[edit] Radio

[edit] Internet

[edit] Points of interest

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
The Peter Rice Homestead (c.1688) in the fall.
The Peter Rice Homestead (c.1688) in the fall.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Marlborough Massachusetts Genealogy. USGenWeb. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
  2. ^ Who was Edmund Rice?. The Edmund Rice (1638) Association, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ MHS graduate shines at CNN, Mary Wenzel, Marlborough Enterprise, November 29, 2007.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Cities
Towns
CDPs
Villages
Flag of Massachusetts
v • d • e

 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Boston (capital)
Topics
Regions
Counties
Cities
(See All
Municipalities)