Dudley, Massachusetts

42 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Dudley town. It lies in ZIP code area 01571. It lies near Bates Hill. The Survey maps it on the Webster quadrangle.

Dudley within Worcester County

Then and now

1889 to 1989

The 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 sheet of Dudley, surveyed 1989

Topographic sheet of Dudley, surveyed 1889

On record in Dudley

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 4 records

Black Tavernlisted 1985
Black Tavern (Boundary Increase)listed 2010
Dudley Hill Historic Districtlisted 2019
Stevens Linen Works Historic Districtlisted 2010

Topographic sheets covering this place

18 surveys from 42 printed sheets

Matched 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
1943 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000
1945 USGS Webster quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1953 USGS Webster quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
1953 USGS Webster quadrangle1:31680
1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1969 USGS Webster quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
1969 USGS Webster quadrangle1:25000
1975 USGS Webster quadrangle1:25000
1982 USGS Webster quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
1985 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000
1989 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings

In the county-history sources

7,816 words on this township

History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889 names this settlement in its chapter on Dudley Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Dudley, located in the south central section of the county, between the French River upon the east and the Quinebaug upon the west, comprising about thirteen thousand acres, was named in honor of the Dudley family, first English proprietors of this territory, descendants of Governor Thomas Dudley, one of the patentees of the Massachusetts Colony. This township is part of the land west of the Kultatuck (now Blackstone) River, conveyed by deed February 10, 1681, from the Nipmuck Indians to ^VHliam Stoughton, of Dorchester, and Joseph Dudley, of Roxbury, agents of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, in consideration of the payment of fifty pounds, current money of New England. This deed contained the following reservation: "Reserving always unto ourselves, our heirs and assigns out of the above said grant a certain tract of land five miles square, at two such places as we shall choose, to be wholly at our own use and disposal."

Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.

This reservation was selected and surveyed in October, 1684, to " Black James " and others. One section extended from Lake Chaubunagnugamaug (now in Webster) to the west of Dudley Hill or the Centre Village, and nearly all subsequently became the property of Hon. Joseph Dudley, which, together with other grants from the province, he retained title to until his decease, April 2, 1720, when they became the property of his ijons, Chief Justice Paul and the Hon. William Dudley, and were soon offered for sale by them. These sales, beginning in 1721, are recorded in the records of Suffolk County, in which they were located previous to the erection of Worcester County in 1731. The earliest purchasers and settlers of these lands were John Healy, Jonas Clark, Philip Newell, William Ward, Benjamin Newell, Nathaniel Ramsdell, Samuel Newell, Joseph Putney, Clement Corbin, Benjamin iSabin, Daniel Williams, Joseph and Ebenezer Edmonds.

Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.

A vote was passed to give Rev. Isaac Richardson, the minister, one hundred and fifty pounds, together with one hundred acres of land donated for this purpose by the Hon. William Dudley, and a further salary of eighty pounds the first year, with an increase of five pounds per year until it reached one hundred pounds, which was to be the maximum, and the day of ordination appointed ; but it is the popular belief that the ordination did not take place.

Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., 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 Dudley Town - it names this place 23 more 23 times.

Fires near this place

77 since 2010

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 77 fires within 5 miles of Dudley between 2010 and 2020, burning about 125 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 were 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	36
Debris and open burning	24
Recreation and ceremony	10
Smoking	3
Arson/incendiarism	3
Power generation/transmission/distribution	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
22 September 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Connecticut Division of Forestry	11 HOLMES STREET
19 September 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2.0 acres	Connecticut Division of Forestry	1017 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
19 September 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Connecticut Division of Forestry	1175 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
8 August 2015	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
6 August 2015	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
22 August 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
28 July 2016	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Connecticut Division of Forestry	1405 RIVERSIDE DR, THOMPSON
27 July 2020	Recreation and ceremony	5.0 acres	Connecticut Division of Forestry	RIVERSIDE DRIVE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Worcester County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 403 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 403 specimens collected within 10 miles of Dudley between 1875 and 1975: 201 Animalia, 160 Plantae, 38 Fungi, 2 Chromista, 1 Unrecorded, 1 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. R. Hodgdon; F. L. Steele, A. S. Pease, B. Gates 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.

Species	Year	Collected by	Where, as recorded
Coccyzus erythropthalmus (A.Wilson, 1811)	1875	Francois Hue
Catharus guttatus faxoni (Bangs & T.E.Penard, 1921)	1888	not recorded	Oxford
Gavia immer (Brunnich, 1764)	1890	Jones, Clinton Mellen	Southbridge
Parmotrema perforatum (Jacq.) A.Massal.	1890	G. E. Stone	Webster
Trichia contorta (Ditmar) Rostaf., 1875	1890	Harvey, F. L.
Diphyscium foliosum (Hedw.) D.Mohr	1891	Lucien M. Underwood
Cirsium muticum Michx.	1897	E. L. Morris	Charlton
Juncus tenuis Willd.	1897	E. L. Morris	Charlton
Alyssum alyssoides (L.) L.	1899	R. M. Harper
Carex hystericina Muhl. ex Willd.	1899	R. M. Harper	Southbridge.
Glyceria melicaria (Michx.) F.T.Hubb.	1899	R. M. Harper	Southbridge.
Juncus brevicaudatus (Engelm.) Fernald	1899	R. M. Harper

All 403 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 15 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 15 workings within 5 miles of Dudley: 13 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
New Haven Traprock Co. Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
Charlton Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Kappys Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Kaprys Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Leo Construction Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Old Webster Road Plant	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Ricciardi Asphalt Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Robbins Sand and Gravel	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Southbridge Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Sunny Shores, Inc. Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Worcester County

Storms near this place

15 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dudley in 15 storm reports between 1993 and 2023: 10 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 2 hail. The reports record 2 injuries. 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
August 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	2 hurt, $30,000	no account filed
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	$20,000	Trees and wires were downed on West Main Street and on Route 131 in Dudley and on Brown Road and Joe Jenny Road near Sutton Avenue in Oxford.
August 2008	Flood	Dudley	$20,000	Heavy rain fell in Dudley which overwhelmed the drainage system and resulted in some minor flooding of the Dudley District Court. Four inches of water covered the lower level of the courtroom while up to a foot of water was reported in the back parking lot. Quick action by courtroom personnel prevented any further damage to paperwork or equipment.
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	$5,000	no account filed
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	$5,000	no account filed
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	$2,000	A tree was downed on wires on Southbridge Road.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	West Dudley	$2,000	At 430 PM EST, two large trees were down on Lempicki Road in Dudley.
September 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	West Dudley	$500	In Dudley, there was a large tree down on Blackmere Rd.
July 2017	Flood	Dudley	-	At 430 PM EST, multiple streets in Dudley were flooded and impassable.
July 2017	Flood	West Dudley	-	At 538 PM EST, West Main Street in Dudley was flooded and impassable near the Connecticut State Line. Also, Southbridge Road near near the Connecticut State Line was also flooded and impassable. Also, at 626 PM EST Center Road was flooded and impassable.
October 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	-	Wires were downed by thunderstorm winds on Dudley Hill Road.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	-	Large tree and wires down on Bonnieview Road.
August 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Dudley	-	Numerous trees were knocked down west of Dudley and east of Webster.
May 2014	Hail	Dudley	-	no account filed
May 2013	Hail	Dudley	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Worcester County

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.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Cardinal Heights	1.1 miles	42
Chaseville	1.8 miles	42
Merino Village	2.2 miles	42
Merino Village (historical)	2.2 miles	42
Tufts Village (historical)	2.3 miles	42
Fennerville	2.6 miles	42
Perryville	2.6 miles	42
Sunnyside	2.6 miles	42

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 610208. 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.