Milford, MA - map and history















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~Milford Overview, Map and History~



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Town of Milford - Detail

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The town of Milford is a thriving community of over 25,000 residents, conveniently located along I-495, with easy access to Boston, Worcester, and Providence over major highways. It is surrounded by the communities of Hopedale, Upton, Hopkinton, Holliston, Medway, Bellingham, and Mendon.

Milford offers many advantages to residents and visitors alike; an education system with modern facilities and excellent curriculum offerings, newly constructed/rehabilitated municipal buildings, playing fields and parks for active and passive recreation, major shopping malls, a revitalized downtown, an active cultural center, a regional hospital, and a variety of restaurants and hotels.

Sports and arts are both an integral part of the community fabric; Milford has a reputation for developing excellent musicians and athletes. Political awareness is encouraged early, and as a result, many Milford residents have embraced careers in public service, both at the local and the state level. Milford also proudly acknowledges native son Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who pioneered in the area of organ transplants. In 1990, Dr. Murray was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine.

Milford is known the world over for its unique pink granite, discovered in the 1870's and quarried for many years thereafter. Milford pink granite continues to grace the exteriors of museums, government buildings, monuments and railroad stations in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and Paris, France.

Visitors and residents enjoy such annual events as the Portuguese Picnic, the Firefighters' Family Day, summer band concerts, the Welcome Santa parade and many, many others.

Click here to review town demographic information compiled by the state of Massachusetts.

A Brief Historical Timeline of the town of Milford, MA.


    • December 31, 1741 - Incorporation of the Easterly Precinct or "Mill River".
    • April 11, 1780 - Easterly precinct of Mendon incorporated into separate town by the name of Milford.
    • 1790 - Census data lists Milford with 838 people.
    • March 6, 1818 - William Claflin born; will be the Governor of Massachusetts from 1869 - 1872.
    • 1848 - First railroad
    • 1855 - Telegraph office opens in the mansion house.
    • 1858 - Library established.
    • April 7, 1880 - Telephone service installed.
    • January 16, 1882 - Milford Water Company established.
    • November 11, 1885 - Lighting by electricity for the first time.
    • April 3, 1886 - Senate passes bill separating Hopedale from Milford.
    • September 10, 1894 - High School reports 151 students enrolled.
    • September 1, 1896 - Electric street cars make their first run to Hopedale.
    • March 15, 1900 - Milford High School destroyed by fire.
    • 1900 - Population of the town is 11,376.
    • May 2, 1902 - H. M. Curtiss is the first Milford resident to own and operate an automobile on Milford roads.
    • December 2, 1902 - Booker T. Washington gives an address to the Woman's club.
    • July 24, 1903 - Milford Hospital presented to the town.
    • February 7, 1905 - Robert E. Peary, discoverer of the North Pole, lectures here.
    • August 8, 1907 - The price of milk goes from six to seven cents per quart.
    • January 6, 1912 - The average weekly wage for a Milford worker is $10.09.
    • October 28, 1913 - John Philip Sousa and his band gives a concert in the Milford Opera House.
    • September 28, 1918 - The Board of Health sets up an emergency hospital to deal with the Influenza epidemic. By November, 90 people have died.
    • September, 1920 - 156 Milford Women vote for the first time and Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses 600 people in Lincoln Square.
    • November 25, 1922 - One ton of hard coal sells for $15.
    • April 29, 1923 - Rudolph Valentino performs here.
    • June 20-22, 1930 - Milford celebrates its sesquicentennial with a parade and fireworks.
    • September 21, 1938 - A powerful hurricane washes out roads and blocks the railroad, paralyzing the town.
    • October 1946 - Welcome home celebration for WWII veterans.
    • June 1953 - Tornado hits Worcester County. Fino Field becomes a lake and much of Milford is flooded. Water Street lives up to its name, turning into a river.
    • February 1962 - Proposal for the construction of Route 495 through Milford is presented.
    • April 25, 1971 - Ground broken for the new Milford High School.
    • February 7, 1978 - Blizzard brings 80 MPH winds and 27 inches of snow causing a state of emergency and closing area businesses for days.
    • January 1, 1980 - Bi-centenial celebrate with the ringing of fire alarms and church bells.