Grafton is a semi-rural town in east central Massachusetts lying southeast of the City of Worcester. The population according to the federal census in 2000 was 14,894.
Grafton was originally occupied by a tribe of Nipmuck Indians and was called Hassanamisco (place of small stones). In 1671, an English missionary named John Eliot, who preached in Hassanamisco, established an Indian church and school here where the Bible was studied in the Indian language. The church and school were located near the current common. Today there is an Indian Homestead on Brigham Hill.
In 1724, a group of 39 men and one woman, mainly from Marlborough, Sudbury, Concord, and Stow, presented a petition to the General Court and were granted the right to purchase 7,500 acres of land from Indian owners. The money was to be held in an account under the direction of the General Court for the benefit of the Indians. The Town of Grafton was established in 1735 and named in honor of Charles Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton, and grandson of Charles II.
The present Grafton common was established in 1738. The original 40 proprietors of Grafton voted that four acres of land near the center of the plantation of Hassanamisco were to be set aside as common land and that a meetinghouse, burial ground schoolhouse, and militia training field be situated at this place. The first meetinghouse of the Congregational Puritan settlement was built in 1730 and stood at the center of the common. This meetinghouse remained on the common for 100 years. The cross behind the pulpit in the present Congregational Church is fashioned of timber from this building, which was subsequently demolished. In 1845, a portion of the original Common was fenced, graded, and planted with trees. The present bandstand was built in 1935 by Hollywood filmmakers for a scene in
the production of “Ah Wilderness,” which was filmed in Grafton.
The earliest of homes of the 40 proprietors, some of which are still standing, are scattered throughout town. By the early 19th century, houses were being built along North Street, South Street, and Worcester Street. Many fine examples of Early American, Greek Revival, and Victorian architecture still exist along these streets.
Six villages were formed near the centers of manufacturing activity and were called: Grafton (center); New England Village (North Grafton); Centerville (Brigham Hill by the river); Farnumsville, Fisherville, and Saundersville (South Grafton). All but Grafton were located by significant water power.
Existing mill sites remaining from the 19th century are:
Upper Mill, North Grafton
The Upper and Lower mills, frequently called New England Village, had their beginnings in 1824 when William Hovey of Worcester built a dam to supply water for the Blackstone Canal, which opened in 1828.
Lower Mill, North Grafton
The Lower mill was developed in 1831 by Smith and Pratt, who manufactured cotton goods. In 1878, the firm was sold to Mr. Crocker, who started grinding emery, which came from Turkey as ship’s ballast. It continues to operate as the Washington Mills Co., manufacturing abrasives. They took over the Upper mill in 1949.
Farnumsville, South Grafton
In 1827, Peter Farnum and his sol built a stone mill 74’ x 30’, four stories high with a 40’ x 30’ wooden el of two stories for the manufacture of woolens. The company was known as the Grafton Manufacturing Co.
Fisherville, South Grafton
The Fisherville mills were established abut 1829 by Timothy McNamara. Initially a joint venture with the Blackstone Canal Company, a dam was built to supply water to the canal and for manufacturing.
Centerville, site of A.E. Burgess Leather Company, Grafton
The earliest mill site in Grafton is at Centerville, on the Quinsigamond River where it crosses Brigham Hill Road. It was, at first, a grist mill, then a saw mill, a blacksmith shop, and cotton mill. The cotton mill was called the Quaker Mill and produced light goods known as Quaker sheeting. The mill burned in 1890. This site also produced the first electricity in Grafton. Other owners operated a “shoddy,” or waste mill, here.
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