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~Milford
Overview, Map
and History~
Massachusetts
Mapsite has good maps
of the region - Follow
this link.

Get
directions to downtown
Milford, MA
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.
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