Millbury: Gateway to the Blackstone Valley
P.O. Box 367
Millbury MA 01527
508-865-4192
The Annual Meeting of the Millbury Historical Society took place at the Asa Waters Mansion on Thursday, June 12 at 6:00 PM. A large crowd of well over one-hundred attended on a perfect late-spring evening.
After the business meeting, the featured program of Five Famous Millbury Families was presented.
This year, the five families and their presenters were:
The Pearsons: Brittany Pearson
The Bailey/ Mazzeos: Mark Bailey
The Stowes: Leah (Stowe) Murphy and Justin Murphy
The Hills: Dennis Hill
The Buck Brothers: Rich Hamilton
Just before refreshments, there was a presentation of a Hearts 'n Hands quilt by Karen Dinsdale to prominent, unselfish, industrious Millbury resident Bob Pearson. Bob is such a deserving recipient for all he has done for Millbury and its schoolchildren!
Our next museum opening is:
Thursday, July 3rd
from 4-6 PM. This coincides with the Farmer's Market outside from 4- 7 PM.
Our 2025 schedule of openings for The Museum of the Millbury Historical Society in The Asa Waters Mansion!
July 19th, Saturday, 9:30 am to noon
August 7th, Thursday, 4 to 6 pm
August 23rd, Saturday, 9:30 am to noon
September 4th, Thursday, 4 to 6 pm
September 20th, Saturday, 9:30 am to noon
October 2nd, Thursday, 4 to 6 pm
October 19th, Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm
October 25th, Saturday, 9:30 am to noon
November 22nd, Saturday, 9:30 am to noon
Come in and see our new acquisitions of the portraits of early Millbury residents Hervey and Sina Pierce (see below).
Other of the museum’s holdings are:
100 years of Aftermath yearbooks; photos: churches, schools, downtown, sports; scrapbooks; research books & histories of Millbury & Sutton going back to colonial times; President Taft photos & memorabilia; military uniforms, guns, photos and flags.
On May 22nd, the third-grade students from the Shaw School were treated to school lessons from 1861.
The annual event, hosted by the Millbury Historical Society and sponsored by the Millbury Cultural Council, was performed by the extremely talented Lynne McKenney Lydick, who portrayed the schoolmarm.
Below is a short video of Lynne instructing the children “the old-fashioned” way, and two photos of thank you notes that they sent after their experience.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/3461611504162781
VIDEO
Love Dorothy Pond?
Dority/ Dorothy/ Doherty OR Dougherty?
Author Will Dougherty explores the origins of Millbury's beloved body of water.
Have you ever wondered about the stories that shaped Dorothy Pond? How did this cherished local landmark get its name, and who were the first settlers to call this area home? "The Long-Forgotten Story of Dorothy Pond in Millbury, Massachusetts" takes you on a captivating journey through time, celebrating the pond’s 300-year toponym-anniversary.
This comprehensive work dives deep into colonial records, revealing the intriguing story of how Dorothy Pond was named and the pivotal role it played in the lives of Millbury, Sutton, and Worcester’s earliest inhabitants.
With a wealth of historic photographs, early maps, surveys, and documents, this book brings the past to life, uncovering the legacy of the first settlers and the transformation of the pondscape.
You may access the link to Will's wbsite below. Here you will find more details about his book (with a Forward by Jude Cristo) and how to order it.
Two photos: 1) The cover of Will's book, and 2) The first-know written document with the Dorothy Pond name.
In October, The Millbury Historical Society was fortunate enough to be gifted with some historically valuable pieces having to
do with Millbury’s history.
The donor was Rev. John McCall of South Portland, Maine, and the items had been passed to him by his mother’s family. His maternal grandmother was Edith Brierley Warren, and HER ancestry came through Millbury during the 18th and 19th centuries Brierleys, Pierces and some Putnams.
The donations:
• Two oil paintings by itinerant folk artist Jedekiah Belknap who was born in Ward (Auburn) in 1781. These paintings are of Hervey Pierce and his wife Sina Stone Pierce, ancestors of John Brierely McCall and residents of Millbury.
• A mantel clock made by Williams, Orton, Preston & Co. c. 1820; movement by Silas B. Terry.
• Family Bibles in fair condition.
• A set of Sandwich glassware, a wedding gift to Julia Elizabeth Pierce and John Thomas Brierly in 1874 from John’s father James Brierly, the mill owner, and his wife Elizabeth Barrett Brierly.
John Brierly McCall (the donor from Maine) is named for John Thomas Brierly, the groom.
Millbury Historical Society Receives Generous Donation
John and Andrea McCall at the gravesite of Hervey & Sina Pierce at the Grasshill Cemetery.
MILLBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AWARDS Grace Laflash SCHOLARSHIP
The tenth Annual Grace M.Laflash/Millbury Historical Society Scholarship was recently awarded to Maxwell Leaman, an eighth-grade student at Assumption School in Millbury.
Maxwell was the top history student in the eighth grade. He will be attending ....................this fall.
Grace Laflash was a Charter Member of the Historical Society and its Secretary for nearly forty years. She was the unquestioned expert on Millbury History.
Grace taught fifth grade at Assumption for over twenty-five years, and she instituted a Millbury History Class into the curriculum. Hundreds and hundreds of students learned about this Town from Grace. Her classes often put on plays and skits about events from Millbury’s early history and took part in every Town historical celebration.
When the bridge spanning the Blackstone River and the railroad tracks needed replacing in 1983, Grace’s class researched the history and found that the accepted name of “McGowan Bridge” was incorrect.
Instead, it was originally named the “Gowing Bridge” in honor of a prominent businessman in Town. At the grand opening ceremony, Grace and her students were given the honor of cutting the ribbon for the new “Gowing Bridge.”
Grace passed away in 2015, and her family asked that donations be made in her name to the Millbury Historical Society.
The Board of Trustees of the Society voted to use the funds to establish a scholarship in her name at Assumption School and Board Member Frank Gagliardi made the presentation at Awards Night in the Church.
Grace M. Laflash
Third Annual Carole Chiras/
Millbury Historical Society Scholarship is Presented!
Carole Chiras
Gizelle Campos
Elmwood Street School
We wish to congratulate Millbury High School senior Gizelle Campos, for being awarded the third annual Carole Chiras/Millbury Historical Society Memorial Scholarship.
This goes to a worthy student who will attend Worcester State University. Worcester State is where Carole met her husband of fifty-six years, Jack Chiras, many years ago.
Carole, who passed away three years ago, was known for her smile and cheerfulness. She was a gifted and talented educator who could put anyone at ease and make them feel valued. This, combined with boundless creativity and a giving heart, fueled the soul of an elementary school teacher.
She served at Providence Street School, Shaw Middle School and Elmwood Street School where she retired as principal in 2003.
In addition, Carole was a proud member of the Millbury community and a lifetime member of the Millbury Historical Society. She loved leading tours of the town’s noteworthy sites and sharing her vast knowledge of the town’s rich history. She was a board member of the Millbury Bicentennial Committee and served as the History Chairman.
Gizelle Campos was an exceptional student at Millbury High School and a deserving recipient of this scholarship! As the class valedictorian, Gizelle's journey was a powerful testament to her incredible resilience and unwavering dedication.
As a high-achieving scholar with an impressive 102.16 GPA and four AP courses under her belt, she consistently excelled academically. Beyond the classroom, Gizelle was a true leader, serving as President of the National Honor Society and actively participating in volleyball, Unified Track, and Student Council throughout high school.
Her compassionate spirit shone through her extensive volunteer work at a local animal shelter, her two years as a camp counselor, and her involvement in Best Buddies.
Facing significant personal adversity with grace and courage, Gizelle has balanced her caregiving responsibilities with her demanding academic and extracurricular life, all while passionately pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse. Gizelle embodies the qualities of perseverance, leadership, and service that promise a bright future in higher education and beyond.
She will be studying nursing at Worcester State in the fall and we are beyond proud of her for all that she has and will continue to accomplish in her life.
Congratulations, Gizell, and good luck in the future!
Frederick Douglass (Nathan Richardson) quizzes young historians Lucas Mason (l) and Paul Bemis on the finer points of reading levels.
Millbury's Famous Inventor Thomas Blanchard
This 1862 oil painting by Christian Schussele depicts America's famous inventors of the day, and there, second from the right, is our Millbury man Thomas Blanchard, inventor of the Eccentric Lathe!
Fathers of Invention
The following list identifies the inventors and their primary contributions, starting from the left side (The Father of the Fathers of Invention, Benjamin Franklin, hovers on the wall in the background):
Dr. William Thomas Green Morton: surgical anesthesia
James Bogardus: cast-iron construction
Samuel Colt: revolving pistol
Cyrus Hall McCormick: mechanical reaper
Joseph Saxton: coal-burning stove, hydrometer, ever-pointed pencil
Charles Goodyear: vulcanization of rubber
Peter Cooper: railway locomotive
Jordan Lawrence Mott: coal-burning cooking stove
Joseph Henry: electromagnet design
Eliphalet Nott: efficient heat conduction for stoves and steam engines
John Ericsson: armored turret warship
Frederick Sickels: steam-engine gear and steering device for ships
Samuel F. B. Morse: electric telegraph
Henry Burden: horseshoe manufacturing machine
Richard March: rotary press
Erastus Bigelow: power loom for carpets
Isaiah Jennings: threshing machine, repeating gun, friction match
The Five Families of Millbury: Our Successful Annual Meeting
of 2024
Over one-hundred guests attended our Annual Meeting & Program held under the tent at The Asa Waters Mansion on a spectacular late spring night: Thursday, June 13th!
President Frank Gagliardi presided over the business component of the meeting, and then the presenters and refreshments followed.
The speakers and the families they covered were:
Stockwells: Jeri Stead
Mulhanes: Mary Lou Mulhane
Hornes: Richard Hamilton
Hills: Dennis Hill
Braneys: Jeff Raymond
Matted/Plastic-Wrapped Prints of the FLYING SAUCER Car Hop and THE CENTRAL DINER are available in a 9” x 12” off-white, museum-quality mat with a bold French line around the opening.
“Diner Don” Sawyer is a New England watercolorist who is well known for his stylized renditions of regional diners, roadside attractions, and pastoral scenes.
Each print is titled, geographically-identified, and signed by the artist, “Diner Don” Sawyer.
These colorful, treasured prints are available at the Museum of the Millbury Historical Society during museum hours or call Frank at
508-865-4192.
9” x 12” Prints of the Flying Saucer and The Central Diner $35
10” x 20” Print of the Flying Saucer only $40
Nostalgic Millbury for Sale
First Presentation of 2023 for
The Millbury Historical Society Draws Huge Crowd!
Millbury's World War II Craft- The LCI-713!
March, 2024
Because of your generosity and participation, we were able to send the crew out in Portland, OR, the tidy sum of $1,350- the proceeds from our latest meat raffle at The St. Charles Hotel.
It seems Baby needs a new bottom, and certainly this contribution will help in that endeavor!
If you don’t know about Millbury’s very own landing craft, watch the video below.
ELSIE ITEM and the DECK LOG OF THE USS LCI(L) 713 is a magazine about Millbury's own Landing craft!
The WINTER 2022 issue has a special column about Doug Bowker, grandson of Harold Bowker, who began the War Bond drive to fund the craft.
Below is a link to the magazine. Be sure to read pages 13, 14 & 15 about Doug and his tribute-model!
https://www.amphibiousforces.org/News/2022DecElsieDecklog119.pdf
The Annual Meeting of The Millbury Historical Society took place on Thursday, June 8th- the 210th Anniversary of the Birthday of The Town of Millbury!
Boston Globe reporter, Emily Sweeney, shared the inside scoop on her books BOSTON ORGANIZED CRIME and GANGLAND BOSTON and then sold and signed them afterwards.
Millbury Historical Society Presents Program about World War II's LCI 713, Millbury's Ship
Be proud, little town of Millbury, because in August of 1944, your seven-thousand residents (one-thousand of whom were in the armed forces) raised over one-million dollars in the Fifth War Bond Drive of the war! Enough to sponsor its very own naval landing craft: the LCI (L) 173!
Recently, The Millbury Historical Society presented a program about this this long-forgotten, patriotic feat and how it was accomplished by our town! Learn where the idea arose, how the funds were raised, when the ship was commissioned, and where it is TODAY!
Watch the video below to access the program. It begins with an eight-minute introduction to the LCI-713 itself.
LCI-713 Commissioning: September 19, 1944
LCI-713 in Portland, Oregon TODAY
The Millbury Historical Society would like to acknowledge and thank all who turned out for our Veterans' Day program about Millbury's very own World War II vessel: The LCI-713!
The event was exceptionally well-attended, and the citizens of Millbury donated generously to the welfare of the landing craft for the second time in its existence!
In particular the Society would like to thank all the Veterans who stopped in; The Charles F. Minney Post for hosting the program (Bob & Barbara Roy: great job!). Kevin Krassopoulos, Public Access Director, thank you for filming the entire event, and Maureen Sullivan Editor of The Millbury-Sutton Chronicle did a wonderful job with the advanced Publicity.
Watch Video ^
A History of 60 Elm Street
From Lynch's Garage to the Franco-American Club to A & D Pizza
A 1967 article (with a 1951 photo) about the silver anniversary of the Franco-American Club (1943-1968).
A 1958 photo of Senate re-election candidate John F. Kennedy's appearance at the Franco-American Club.
A & D Pizza Today
Asa Waters Mansion P.O. Box 367 Millbury MA 01527 508-865-4192
Millbury: Gateway to the Blackstone Valley