Today's journey takes me from Britney's Cafe in Northborough to Henry's Used Autos, four miles down US-20. I stopped at that business because it's the closest to the four-mile mark, although in that same vicinity is a mall with some familiar stores such as T.J. Maxx and Dick's Sporting Goods. I figure I can always hike up there if I need to once I get to Henry's.
Along the way I passed a number of historical buildings. The ones that stood out for me were a former church, a residence, and a former bank building. The first, at 97 Main Street, is the former home of an early resident, Samuel Wood. Below is a description of this building, taken from the website, Northborough's History: A Map Depiction, and a current photo.
97 Main St
"Samuel Wood, who left Sudbury to establish a mill on the Assabet River next to his new home, built the house at 97 Main Street in 1749. In addition to running a successful mill Wood was active in town politics, serving for eight years each on the precinct committee, as the town clerk, and as the town assessor. Wood also became a captain in the local militia before his death in 1760. Wood’s sons, Samuel Jr. and Abraham, expanded on their father’s business, opening a store called Clothier’s Mill Shop. Samuel Jr. became captain of the local militia, and was wounded at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. The house was later owned by Thomas Blair, a businessman and inventor, who made several renovations, including the construction of a miniature door 20 feet to the west of the house (which has been mistakenly thought of to be a part of the Underground Railroad) that allowed coal to be delivered straight to the cellar."
Another interesting building, at 52 Main Street, was the Northborough Baptist Church that now houses the Northborough Historical Society. At one time it had a steeple, but that was torn off by the New England Hurricane of 1938.
After the hurricane
52 Main Street today
That was a category 3 hurricane that swept through New England in September of 1938, with winds gusting to 186 miles per hour. I'd never heard of this hurricane, but apparently it caused great loss of life and tremendous damage. You can read the Wikipedia article on it: 1938 New England Hurricane and see the YouTube video, right------->.
28 Main Street
28 Main Street today
Another interesting building I saw on my way was a little ornate building at 28 Main Street that was built in 1854 to be a bank, back when banks were producing their own currency. It still looks pretty much as it did when the photo at left was taken, probably around 1900. Notice it says "BANK" on the front.
Well, I guess I'm at my destination: Henry's Used Cars. So, until next time, I'm keeping on with my practice and with my walk through Massachusetts. See you in the next town!
