fitchburg-hometown
On May 6, 1850 the Nashua River went on a devastating rampage.  When a dam
above the city broke, an eight-foot-high wave of water rushed down the
valley destroying mills and homes alone the way.  Two young men died and
property loss was put at $200,000.

The present City Hall was built in 1852 for $14,000 and was described by the
Lowell Daily Advertiser as "one of the largest and most elegant in its
architectural arrangement in the State and will be a lasting monument to the
liberality of the place."

Gaslights first illuminated the streets of Fitchburg in December of 1853.

About 1766, every Fitchburg resident was expected to attend the town church.
When Abel Baldwin, a Baptist, refused to attend the Calvinist Sabbath
services, he was fined by the town magistrate.  Quite upset, he told the
court, "Fitchburg will never prosper and a curse will follow it.  From this
day forward it shall be known as Sodom."

(Here in the book is a sketch of a three decker with the caption, "The
interesting lines and angles of tenements provide respite from today's
sterile architecture."

Fitchburg's first pastor, the Reverend John Payson, served in this official
capacity for twenty-eight years.  After six years of local religious
discord, he suffered a mental breakdown and was retired by vote of a town
meeting in 1796.  He committed suicide in 1804 and was buried in the South
Street cemetery.

Originally, the Nashua River was called the Nashaway after the Indian tribe
which inhabited the area.

Andrew Cleghorn was a Scotsman who established the Cleghorn Mills, and for
whom the Cleghorn section of Fitchburg is named.

Our section of Massachusetts is seldom mentioned on New England tours.  In
summer, people flock to the beach or the mountains.  In fall, the roads of
Vermont and New Hampshire are clogged with out-of-state motorists who have
succumbed to all the promotional advertising extolling New England's
foliage.  The "colonial towns" you read about in the travel guides are
inevitably Concord and Lexington, or perhaps a Sturbridge or two.  All
pretty towns, of course, but somehow they don't capture the simple rural
quality of old New England.  Royalston, Hardwick and other towns not very
far form Fitchburg seem to linger in the last century, except for the
inevitable gas station on which the community depends.  Discovering these
old towns for the first time makes it fun driving out in the country.  You
could leave late in the morning and be back in the early afternoon and see a
"compacted" new England in the form of a 95 mile trip around the region
slightly west and north of Fitchburg.

Rte 31 passes through Crow Hills at the Westminster/Princeton town line.
Crow Hill Pond is very popular for swimming, while nearly opposite it are
the Crow Hills themselves, long used by rock climbers from all over New
England.  At the blinking red light, turn right onto Rte 140 northbond.
Then take your first left at a small intersection, and proceed on Myrick Rd.
all the way to its end.  This road meanders past fine old country estates
with stables, duck ponds and spreading views of Mt. Wachusett.  A mile and a
half down the way on your left is one of the few original stone houses built
in Worcester County.  Farther down on the right is an old rural cemetery
with many ancient stones nestled into the side of a hill.  Immediately after
a brick Federal house on your right, make sure you come to a complete stop
at Rte. 31.  Cross over Rte. 31 and continue to the end of Myrick Road, then
turn left.  Turn right at the next road, at an old grey mansard-roof houses.
Merge with Rte. 62 heading west to Princeton Center.

For those with plenty of time, take a right at the general store and head
several miles along the ridge to Mt. Wachusett.  The Summit Rd. entrance is
on your left three miles from the center.  After getting back to Princeton,
keep on Rte 62 west towards Hubbardston.  After entering the town, come to a
complete stop at Rte. 68.  Cross over Rte 68 and continue on Rte 62 west
towards Barre.  Barre is a good example of how one or two commercial
enterprises can destroy the quality and beauty of a once dignified town.
Around the common are splendid examples of homes and business block spanning
many generations.  It's sad that two garishly decorated buildings and a neon
sigh can detract from the quaint architecture of an earlier period.

Cross through the common and take a left onto South St., bearing right at
the tail end of the green.  Follow South St. for a  half mile until you see
a sign on your right saying "Hardwick 6 miles."  Take a right here and soon
you'll pass an old rural cemetery.  This is one of the twistiest roads I
know, so make sure you follow the signs for Hardwick.  But the pastoral
scenery is especially relaxing, and traffic is unheard of.  Hardwick is a
rather unspoiled little village, with a gas station and a general store
being the only commercial establishments around.  To get a good sampling of
what the community has to offer architecturally, take a left through the
common beside a little arched monument.  On both sides of the road you'll
well-tended estates, most of them in the New England tradition - white with
black shutters.

(to be continued)