fitchburg-hometown
I found this neat book.  Let me read you a bit..

A family guide to Scenic Car Trips, Hiking and Rock Climbing, Bicycle
Excursions, Walking Tours.

Written by William F. Chittick.  Illustrated by John B. Chittick.
Copywrite 1976.

"One says to me, 'I wonder that you do not lay up money; you love to travel;
you might take the cars and go to Fitchburg to-day and see the country.' But
I am wiser than that.  I have learned that the swiftest traveller is he that
goes afoot."
                                Heny David Thoreau,
                                from WALDEN


FOREWORD:

Imagination!  Imagination is the key to enjoying your stay in Fitchburg,
be it for a day or a lifetime.  Without it, you'll perceive nothing but a
depressed New England mill town.  With imagination, decaying tenements
become architectoral gems of another age.

It's easy to bad-mouth Fitchburg.  Statistically, the city has stood still
for 40 years or so.  Downtown commercial areas are dying as businesses move
to profitable outlying shopping plazas.  Many industrial companies have left
antiquated factories for cities and states with lower taxes.  And seven out
of ten young people leave the city for greener pastures in a world growing
smaller every day.

Yet consider this:  There is really something intangible that makes this
area so unique.  Why else do peole who have traveled to many corners of the
globe continue to come back to this quiet unpretentious area of New England?

I have seen the towering minarets of the walled city of Marrakesh at dawn. I
have walked the dusky labyrinth of canals in Renaissance Venice.  And I have
sailed in dugout canoes across emerald green lagoons in the South Seas.  Yet
all these fine memories are comparable in my mind to the sights I have
experienced within a 40-mile radius of Fitchburg. Does that sound as though
I am putting you on?  Perhaps.  But I'm sincere when I tell you that for
consistent mellow beauty, I'll pick places like the colonial hilltop village
of Royalston, the hidden forest town of Bank Village, the brick mill town of
Harrisville, and all the winding, elm-shaded country roads, in between.  If
it hadn't been for Bill, who likes to get in his car and explore the back
roads of this area, I probably never would have ventured to these "off the
beaten path" spots.

If you are like me, you probably understand what I mean when I say it's easy
to take Fitchburg for granted.  It's an old city, rather plain at first
glance with unpleasnat eyesores as any industrial area has.  When your're in
a hurry to do some errands, and the traffic is tight, who has time to look
at the craftsmanship evident in turn-of-the-century cupolas atop once fine
homes?  Or when you're on your way home from work, who has the time to turn
down an interesting little alleyway that might or might not lead to a
charming residential neighborhood of a bygone era?  But that's what can
happpen here in Fitchburg when you discover Central Street, Park Street or
the perfectly preserved cobblestones of hilly Jay Street.

Bill and I hope that our experinces in and around town will excite your
adventurous spirit to head out on your own.  There is a goldmine of
nostalgia and architectural treaures to be discovered.  You need only your
imagination and this guide to get started.

Perhaps you'll take a hiking trip (an eay walk) to the Cliffs and see a
panoramic view of the Montachusett region and the skyline of Boston on a
good.  It's a great way to unwind from everyday problems.  Or perhaps a
Sunday drive (remember when?) through pastoral farmlands and unspoiled
colonial towns such as Petersham and Jaffrey Center.  You can drive your car
on backwoods country roads where the pace is peaceful and unhurried.  We
even tell you where to find a real "ghost town" that is a perfect spot for
an old-fashioned family picnec.

Bill especially likes to take our Laborador Retriver on hikes to Mt Watatic
or along the many trails of the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary above the
hospital.  Many people use those trails for jogging.  I enjoy visiting the
little ancient cemeteries hidden about town where reading the aged
inscriptions can be a history lesson in pre-revolutionary America.  The
gravestones are in excellent condition in case you want to make your own
grave rubbings.

Our book also include easy walking trips for people interested in the
architecture and period homes of downtown Fitchburg.  (Did you know that the
elegant Whitney Opera House, Fitchburg's first theatre, still stands above
Main Street?)  We've included two bicycle tours into the countryside on
quiet roads for hearty souls who prefer to enjoy their sightseeing on two
wheels.  Also rock climbing, for those prepared to do some hard exercise.

We believe our book will prove to be an entertaining and informative guide
to Fitchburg and its environs.  But we have a serious purpose too.  In the
last few years we both have grown more concerned about the preservation of
our  national heritage.  Here in Firtchburg, as in many metropolitan areas,
growth has been helter-skelter, and unplanned "progress" too often has
destroyed irretrievable landmarks.  Perhaps you remember the beautiful depot
tower or the old Stone Mill razed in 1961?  If you give ourself a chance to
experience this city we think you'll agree that what is old is not
necessarily bad and that change for the sake of change is not always for the
best.  It is our city and country, and we all have a responsibility to
preserve this heritage for future generations.

But whatever your interests or idiosyncrasies, read this book, look at the
illustrations, use your imagination, and give Fitchburg the opportunity to
show you its personality.             
                                        J.B.C