BlockCharlton City, Massachusetts
42 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Charlton town. It lies in ZIP code area 01507. It lies near Carpenter Hill. The Survey maps it on the Leicester quadrangle.
Then and now
1889 to 1989The same ground, surveyed 100 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
Topographic sheets covering this place
19 surveys from 42 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1889 USGS Webster quadrangle1:62500
- 1892 USGS Webster quadrangle1:62500, 9 printings
- 1908 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1921 USGS Webster quadrangle1:62500
- 1937 USGS Leicester quadrangle1:24000
- 1941 USGS Leicester quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Leicester quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Leicester quadrangle1:24000
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1969 USGS Leicester quadrangle1:24000
- 1969 USGS Leicester quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
- 1975 USGS Leicester quadrangle1:25000
- 1983 USGS Worcester South quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
13,709 words on this townshipHistory of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889 names this settlement in its chapter on Charlton Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
It is said that a Methodist Church was organized in the southwest part of the town in 1792, and that circuit preachers served the society until 1810, after which the society ceased to exist. Meetings were held in the hall at Dresser Hill and in other places in the south part of the town for a considerable number of years before a house of worship was built. Some of the preachers were : Hezekiah Davis, Stephen W. Hammond, Otis Perrin and Joseph S. Ellis. In 1855, when it was decided to build a church at Charlton City, a legal organization was eflTected, and measures taken to carry out the project. The house was completed in 1856. Since the organization of the society the pastors have been as follows : William B. Olds, 1855-56; Jarvis Wilson, part of 18-57; Daniel Dorchester, 1858-59 ; C. H. Hanaford, 1860- 62; J. S. Thomas, 1862; John Noon, 1803; J. W. P. Jordan, 1864; A. M. Osgood, 1865 ; D. K. Banister, 1866-68 ; N. A. Soule, 1869-71 ; N. F. Stevens, 1872 ;
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
The Roman Catholics held meetings at Charlton Depot for several years. In 1887 a building was purchased at Charlton City in which their meetings are now held. The church is under the care of Rev. Father Donahoe, of Southbridge.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
For many years there was in the easterly part of the town a mill where " home-made cloth," such as used to be made in almost every house, was dressed or finished. The last person who owned and run the mill was Amos Williams. There was a mill at Charlton City used for the same purpose owned by Henry Puffer. The properly was at a later date purchased by Caleb Torry, who built a mill for the manufacture of woolen goods. In 1848 Michael Coogan bought the mill and run it until 1856, when Andrus March purchased the property and leased it to Baker & Bottomly, who run the mill about three years, making a cheap grade of satinets. In 18G0 Baker and March entered into partnership and run the mill about six years, when Baker withdrew from the firm. March continued the business alone until 1875, and then rented the mill to Edward Akers and Nathan Norris, who manufactured a grade of goods that could be sold at a low price and afford the manufacturers a profit. In 1878 Mr. Akers withdrew from the firm. Mr. Norris purchased the mill and continued the business alone until the mill was burned in 1885. He rebuilt the mill and commenced manufacturing again, but continued in the business but a short time.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Charlton Town - it names this place 3 more 3 times.
Fires near this place
27 since 2016Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 27 fires within 5 miles of Charlton City between 2016 and 2020, burning about 12 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 12 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2016 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 16 July 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 25 June 2020 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 2 June 2020 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 19 June 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 6 May 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 26 May 2020 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 19 May 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Specimens collected near this place
12 of 580 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 580 specimens collected within 10 miles of Charlton City between 1850 and 1975: 274 Plantae, 208 Animalia, 94 Fungi, 3 Unrecorded, 1 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. F. Hill, H. St. John, G.S. Torrey, A. R. Hodgdon; L. B. Smith and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.
| Image | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Carex tenera var. tenera | 1899 | R. M. Harper | |
 | Cladonia cornucopioides F.Wilson | 1850 | J. L. Russell | Leicester |
 | Adiantum pedatum L. | 1866 | Collector(s): Elizabeth Emerson Atwater; Preparator(s): Alex Lorenz | Leicester |
 | Athyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth | 1866 | Collector(s): Elizabeth Emerson Atwater; Preparator(s): Alex Lorenz | Leicester |
 | Dennstaedtia punctilobula (Michx.) T.Moore | 1866 | Collector(s): Elizabeth Emerson Atwater; Preparator(s): Alex Lorenz | Leicester |
 | Uncinula salicis (DC.) G.Winter | 1880 | A.B. Seymour | |
 | Bruchia flexuosa (Schwägr.) Müll.Hal. | 1881 | J. W. Huntington | |
| Uromyces hyperici (Schwein.) M.A.Curtis | 1883 | A. B. Seymour | Greenville | |
| Nitella megacarpa (T.F.A.) R.D.W. | 1894 | G. E. Stern | Lake Lashaway | |
 | Cirsium muticum Michx. | 1897 | E. L. Morris | Charlton |
 | Juncus tenuis Willd. | 1897 | E. L. Morris | Charlton |
 | Alyssum alyssoides (L.) L. | 1899 | R. M. Harper |
All 580 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Charlton City: 4 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Oxford Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Scavone Construction Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Town of Sturbridge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms near this place
1 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Charlton City in 1 storm report in 2011: 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2011 | Flood | Charlton City | $30,000 | Route 20 was flooded with several cars stuck in the floodwaters. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Heights | 0.8 miles | 42 | |
| Glen Grove Annex | 0.9 miles | 42 | |
| Morseville | 1.0 miles | 42 | |
| Charlton | 1.2 miles | 42 | |
| Glen Grove | 1.4 miles | 42 | |
| Charlton Depot | 1.9 miles | 42 | |
| Northside | 2.3 miles | 42 | |
| Mystic Grove | 2.6 miles | 33 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikidata item Q122545324 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 610330. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.