The Milford Historical Commission was established
in 1971 by the Board of Selectmen to preserve
and protect anything historically significant
to the town. We welcome visitors to the Museum
that has one of the finest displays of Civil
War artifacts in the country. It houses local
memorabilia and an extensive collection of articles
written about the town offering everyone the
opportunity to study our heritage and family
genealogies. The following is a brief history
of the town and more detailed information is
available at the Historical Commission located
in Memorial Hall.
The Indian deed for an eight mile tract of
land that became the town of Mendon was signed
by Moses Payne and Peter Brackett of Braintree
and Weymouth in 1662. It was purchased for 24
pounds of silver from the Nipmuck Indians and
was previously known as the Quinshipaug Plantation.
Early settlers started a village where they
cut trees, built small homes and cleared land
for farming and pastures for livestock. However,
the King Philip War destroyed the town in 1676.
Six inhabitants were killed and every dwelling
was burned leaving them to abandon their land.
People started to return to the Mendon in 1680
to begin homesteading again. Even though it
was dense wilderness we are told that they were
strong, religious people who were happy and
hopeful. In 1691 an additional 3 square miles
was purchased for three pounds of silver that
became known as the “North Purchase” being north of the original laying-out. The
street which was really a cart path leading
to the area became known as Purchase Street
Captain Seth Chapin and Elder John Jones were
the first to settle on land that was to become
Milford. Our Main Street was called the Sherborn
Road at that time. Many of the oldest homes
are in the North Purchase and it was a great
distance to travel to Mendon for Sunday worship
in the First Congregational Church. The “Mill
River” people, as Milfordians were named,
petitioned to separate from Mendon and have
their own town and Church. In 1741 they were
granted the right to have the Second Congregational
Church and be known as the “Easterly Precinct.”
In 1780, Milford was incorporated and our Church
became the First Congregational Church. The
Town Hall was built in 1819 and was a brick
structure that later became the Town House School.
Our present Town Hall was built in 1854 and
the architect was Thomas Silloway. An addition
was added in 1900 by architect, Robert Allen
Cook, who skillfully carried out the same design
as the front of the building.
Memorial Hall was built as a memorial to Civil
War Veterans in 1884. It was their wish to have
a living memorial and therefore it housed the
library for 100 years on the first floor while
the second and third floors were used by the
Grand Army of the Republic and later the American
Legion.
Hopedale petitioned the General Court of Boston
to become a separate town and in 1886 it was
granted. Rev. Adin Ballou, George Draper and
General William F. Draper requested this. It
was originally a religious society and you will
note the streets in Hopedale reflect this: Peace
Street, Chapel Street, Union Street, Social
Street as well as Freedom Street.
Farming was the way of life for families for
years until industries became an option. Colonel
Ariel Bragg was the one who set out to learn
the shoe business and started by selling shoes
out of his saddlebag. Eventually, he hired helpers
and put up a small shop near his home in Braggville
section of town. This was the start of the boot
and shoe industry in town. Later, more than
eleven shops were located near Central, North
Bow and Depot Street and at one time Milford
produced the largest number of boots and shoes
in the country. Names like Claflin & Thayer,
Milford Shoe, Porter Shoe, Bickford Shoe and
Regal Shoe are just a few from the past.
By 1860, Milford pink granite was discovered
and the granite business soon was booming as
it was quarried and shipped across the country
for use in buildings, monuments and bridges.
Over 1,000 men worked in the quarries by 1900.
You will find Milford Pink granite today not
only in Milford and Hopedale but in Washington,
New York, Ohio, etc. and as far away as Paris,
France.
Spaulding Straw shop, Kartiganer’s and
Lish Brothers offered jobs for men and women,
as well. Archer Rubber Company has been in business
over 100 years and it ran round the clock making
fowl weather outerwear for soldiers during World
War II. Draper Corporation in Hopedale was the
largest employer in the area for many years
employing up to 6,000 people.
William Godfrey brought the first stagecoach
to town in 1822 and that was the first means
of public transportation. By 1848, the train
arrived which increased the population and enabled
Milford to transport boots and shoes and granite
to major cities. In 1891 the electric car was
popular and by 1915 the North Purchase Transportation
Company was transporting people to Draper’s
and around town. The Johnson Bus line brought
people to Framingham and Worcester departing
from Lincoln Square till around 1986.
We had several hotels in town: the Mansion
House, Lincoln House, Milford Hotel, Rockingham
Hotel, Hotel Willian and Manion Hotel. The Walker
Shoe Shop on West Street became a boarding house
when the shoe shop closed its doors. There was
a terrible fire there in 1914 where nine Armenian
immigrants lost their lives.
District schools were supported by near-by
residents who maintained the buildings and paid
the teacher’s salary until neighborhood
schools came along that were under the jurisdiction
of the town. Most of our neighborhood schools
are long gone now as we have centralized schools.
The North Purchase District School, built in
1832, remains standing today.
Our schools and library are second to none
and have greatly influenced many educators and
scholars. The Milford National Bank and the
Milford Federal Savings Bank opened in the early
1800s and had a powerful influence on the industrial
and commercial development of the town.
The Fire Department has existed since 1780
when we had volunteers who ran bucket brigades.
There were stations on Tyler Street, School
Street (next to Memorial Hall), Spruce Street,
South Main Street and Purchase Street. Some
of the names were: the Wide Awake Hose Company,
Excelsior Hook and Ladder, Old Protector Engine
and North Star. They had fireman musters and
outings during the summer.
The Police Department was located in the Town
Hall before moving into the Post Office building.
There was a court room on the first floor and
jail cells in the basement. Whether it is responding
to a shooting, robbery, assault and battery
or accident the Milford Police Department has
been responding since 1880. Prior to that there
was a Police Court at Clark Ellis’s on
Purchase Street to enforce the law.
The Milford Hospital was donated in 1903 by
Governor Eben Draper and the Nurses Home by
his wife in 1914. The Nurses Home closed around
1959 leaving students to go elsewhere for their
training. Milford has been fortunate to have
such a fine hospital and it continues to be
a state-of-the- art facility. They held formal
balls in the upper Town Hall that were grand.
Dr. Joseph Murray, born in Milford and graduated
from Milford High School won the Nobel Prize
for Medicine for performing the first successful
kidney transplant.
Milford has more than its share of Veterans
who have served honorably in the U.S. Military
from the Revolutionary War to the current War
on Terrorism defending our Constitution and
insuring our freedom.
As for sports, many years ago Milford had the
Charles River Driving Park that was located
on Cedar Street for horse racing. Kids swam,
boated, fished and skated on Milford Pond. Baseball
has always remained a popular sport in town,
not only for school teams, but town teams and
Legion teams. Some boys have gone on to play
professional baseball and football, too. Basketball
remains a popular sport at MHS, the Armory and
Town Park. The Rotary has offered swimming lessons
for more than 50 years at Fino Field.
Music is another part of our history worthy
of note. Whether it is school bands, the big
band sound, brass, rock and roll or symphony
orchestra music we have enjoyed it all. Band
concerts are a summer tradition in the Town
Park.
Mable Bragg was born in Milford and wrote “The
Little Engine That Could” that has been
translated into 20 different languages. It is
considered to be one of the best children’s
stories ever written because it teaches perseverance.
Milford has been publishing a newspaper since
1831 when it was the Independent Messanger,
then the Milford Journal, The Milford Gazette
and since 1887, the Milford Daily News . We’ve
had a radio station since 1950 when it was WMOO
and now of course it is WMRC.
We’ve had our share of storms such as severe wind storm in 1898, an ice storm in 1921, the hurricane of 1938 and the blizzard of 1978 that we will not soon forget. Milford stood still after the storm of the century blanketed our area.
Celebrations and parades have always been popular in Milford. The Centennial as well the Bi-Centennial of both the town and country’s independence have been celebrated with parades, events and fireworks. Milford still has patriotic parades every Memorial Day and Veterans Day and hosts fireworks and a band concert on the 4th of July to honor our veterans and celebrate our country’s independence.
The Historical Museum located in Memorial Hall, 30 School Street, is open to visitors Thursdays from 1-4 pm or by appointment. The Historical Commission meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 7 pm except July and December. Visitors are always welcome free of charge.
