By Cynthia Whitty

This year marks Ashland’s 175th year as a town. Its official founding date is March 16, 1846. Ashland Local Town Pages asked Historical Society President Cliff Wilson how Ashland became a town.

“The main driving force was the arrival of the Boston & Worcester train on September 20, 1834,” Wilson said. “At that time, most of the property in today’s downtown Ashland was farm land owned by John Stone and Michael Homer, and the cotton manufacturing mill owned by the Middlesex Union Manufacturing Co., of which James Jackson was President. Calvin Shepard owned a paper mill at the foot of Fountain Street. John Stone’s son was the surveyor for the railroad. Knowing that the train was coming, Stone built a hotel and a new home adjacent to the tracks. With the arrival of the train, local businesses had the ability to easily ship their products to Boston and abroad as well as import labor from Boston to work in the mills. Michael Homer’s son Charles, who married John Stone’s daughter, Maria, began building homes along Front Street as well as the house now located at 98-100 Main Street. The boot and shoe business developed as well as the manufacturing of combs. The area known as Hopkinton Factory Village or Unionville, named after the Middlesex Union Manufacturing Co., started to boom.”

Multiple Attempts Made

“Businesses began to develop outward from the center in land that belonged to Holliston and Framingham. It became difficult for the businesses to work with one another as they often had to obtain permits from their respective Town Halls, each approximately six miles away. James Jackson spearheaded the initial attempt for creating a new town that would encompass parts of Hopkinton, Framingham, and Holliston. He petitioned the state legislature in 1837 to create the new Town of Unionville. The petition failed due to objections from the three towns.”

“Reverend Joseph Havens, Jr. the second pastor of the local church joined James Jackson in a second attempt in 1838. Again, a new township was rejected. As evidenced by an overlay of the proposed map of 1837 over the first official map of Ashland in 1854, a lot of behind-the-scenes discussions must have occurred. The shape of the proposed town had different boundaries. The most notable was the Phipps and Fairbanks land in Hopkinton, which today would include parts of Weston Nurseries and Legacy Farms was not included in the third attempt.”

“However, land in the area around today’s Hopkinton Reservoir was added in the third attempt in 1846 as well as some additional Framingham land. Perhaps, the border changes and the side deals with the opposers would be enough to get the third petition passed. A last-minute change in the third petition was a brilliant political move. The majority of the members of the Legislature were ardent supporters of Presidential contender, Henry Clay, whose estate in Kentucky was named Ashland. Documents show that in the third petition, the name Unionville is crossed out and the name Ashland is written in. The third petition passed in the Senate on a vote of 20-8 and Governor George N. Briggs signed the enactment and Ashland was incorporated effective March 16, 1846.”

100 Years

“The town celebrated the 100th year with a huge parade, events at Stone Park, followed by fireworks. (See the YouTube video, https://bit.ly/31Paybs.) For the 150th, there was a costume ball at the American Legion in March, an encampment at the Middle School in May, a time capsule was placed at the library in June, a Native American Pow Wow at Stone Park in August, and an Ashland Day parade and fireworks in September. I have not found any evidence of any events for the 25th, 50th, 75th, or 125th, but that does not mean that none took place.”