Grafton, Massachusetts | ||
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Town | ||
Grafton center in 2006
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Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts. |
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Coordinates: 42°12′25″N 71°41′10″W / 42.20694°N 71.68611°WCoordinates: 42°12′25″N 71°41′10″W / 42.20694°N 71.68611°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Massachusetts | |
County | Worcester | |
Settled | 1718 | |
Incorporated | 1735 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Open town meeting | |
• Town Administrator |
Timothy McInerney | |
• Board of Selectmen |
Craig Dauphinais Jennifer Thomas Bruce Spinney Brook Padgett Dennis Flynn |
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• Town Moderator | Ray Mead | |
Area | ||
• Total | 23.3 sq mi (60.3 km2) | |
• Land | 22.7 sq mi (58.9 km2) | |
• Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2) | |
Elevation | 425 ft (130 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 17,765 | |
• Density | 760/sq mi (290/km2) | |
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
ZIP code | 01519, 01536, 01560 | |
Area code(s) | 508 / 774 | |
FIPS code | 25-26430 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0619480 | |
Website | www.grafton-ma.gov |
Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population, indicated by the 2014 town records is 14, 268, in nearly 5,700 households. Incorporated in 1735, Grafton is the home of a Nipmuc village known as Hassanamisco Reservation, the Willard House and Clock Museum, Community Harvest Project, and the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Grafton consists of the North Grafton, Grafton, and South Grafton geographic areas, each with a separate zip code. Grafton also operates the state's largest On-Call Fire Department, with 74 members.
Bands of the Nipmuc tribe were the indigenous inhabitants, and maintain a state-recognized reservation known as Hassanamessit, or Hassanamisco, which was formerly a Praying Indian village from 1647 when the Reverend John Elliot came and converted the Hassanamiscos to Christianity . Grafton was first settled by Europeans in 1724 and was officially incorporated in 1735.
Grafton stands tall in the industrialization of the Blackstone Valley. Its Northeast Village was once known as "New England Village". The following is an excerpt from the Blackstone Daily about the history of the town:
Grafton has been a significant contributor in the success and progress of the American Industrial Revolution that was started in 1793 by Samuel Slater with his cotton mill in Pawtucket [Rhode Island]. North Grafton's Upper Mill, now known as the Washington Mills complex, that still produces abrasives, was once known as the New England Manufacturing Company. This was part of the New England Village, as North Grafton was known for generations. This part of the mill was built in 1826 and was part of a much larger complex, but most of that is now gone, mainly due to serious fires. Mill housing was built at 12, 14 and 16 Overlook Street. These central-chimney-style homes were boarding houses with ornate trim that has since been lost.