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East Douglas, Massachusetts

46 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Douglas town. It lies in ZIP code area 01516. It stands on Centerville Brook. The Survey maps it on the Uxbridge quadrangle. 2,702 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 407 feet above sea level.

East Douglas within Worcester County

Then and now

1886 to 1989

The same ground, surveyed 103 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of East Douglas, surveyed 1989
Topographic sheet of East Douglas, surveyed 1886

On record in East Douglas

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 within a mile 2 records

The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.

Population over time

2 figures

East Douglas grew from 2,557 to 2,702 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20102,557
20202,702+145 (+6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

20 surveys from 46 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.

In the county-history sources

16,799 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 Douglas Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Without going into a genealogical history of the early settlers of the town, a brief mention of some of them and their descendants, where they lived, and other incidents connected with their lives, will here follow. We will begin with the road in the northe.Tst part of the town, leading from South Sutton to East Douglas, now known as North Street. As a fair sample of accuracy and distinctive points adopted by the early settlers in laying out roads in town, I here give the laying out of this road. The report of the selectmen is dated February 19, 1765, and is found in the Town Records, Book 1, page 64^ :

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

The Wallis family was one of the first families who settled in Douglas, and at one time, with their connections, were the most numerous family who ever lived in Douglas, and they owned almost the entire northwest part of the town, what is now known as Old School District No. 2, and was first known as Squadron No. 3. Captain Benjamin Wallis, who was the first of the name who lived in Douglas, was born in 1723 in Sutton, and married ].,ydia Dudley, daughter of Samuel Dudley, of Sutton, about 1746, which was about the time the town of Douglas was incorporated. The branch of the Dudley family who lived in the westerly part of Dougla.s, and frequently intermarried with the Wallis family, came from Sutton. Captain Benjamin Wallis owned a very large tract of land, which was divided among his children, giving them each a large farm. He lived in an old house that stood near where now stands the Aaron A. Wallis house, now owned by Elbridge G. Wallace. His children were : Lydia, born 1748 ; married Josiah Humes, who settled in the south part of the town, on the farm now owned by Frank Kenyon, at what is now called the Old Humes place. Benjamin, Jr., burn 1751 ; married Sarah Thayer ; he built the house and settled near the school-house in District No. 2 ; was a man of large wealth and great influence in the church and in town affairs; was one of the original ownersof the cotton-factory built in East Douglas in 1808; was justice of the peace, and represented his town in the General Court. His children were: Lydia, who married Mackintire, Peter, who settled in Charlton; Benjamin, who settled in AVebster; Sarah, who married Samuel Dudley; Joseph, who married Prudence Wallis, a daughter of Aaron Wallis (he was father of Joseph T., Ira and Andrew J., and several other children) ; Moses, who willed a part of his property to the town, called the Wallis Devise, was never married; and Rufus, who married Molly Paine. His children were Stephen P., Benjamin G., Elmira and Mary A. Rufus Wallis was chairman of the Board of Overseers of .the Poor for many years, and was a man well-fitted for that position.

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

John S. Chapin came from Uxbridge, and was extensively engaged in the wood and lumber business in this part of the town. He only cultivated a small tract of land near his buildings. The house was moved to East Douglas many years ago by Mr. W. D. Jones and was afterwards sold to Lucius Simpson, and now stands at what is known as " Bull Kun." Another farm was situated within the limits of the grant to the twenty proprietors, called the " Cliamberlin Farm," of one handred and sixty acres; it was southwesterly of and adjoining the ministerial lot. The location of this farm is well known, but

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 Douglas Town - it names this place 3 more 3 times.

Fires near this place

56 since 2007

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 56 fires within 5 miles of East Douglas between 2007 and 2020, burning about 36 acres in total. None started naturally. 4 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
Debris and open burning14
Smoking11
Missing data/not specified/undetermined8
Recreation and ceremony8
Arson/incendiarism4
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Power generation/transmission/distribution4
Equipment and vehicle use2
Misuse of fire by a minor1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2015Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
6 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
5 September 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
19 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
1 September 2007Arson/incendiarism2.0 acresRhode Island Division of Forest Environmentnot named
9 August 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 August 2020Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
31 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Worcester County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 610 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 610 specimens collected within 10 miles of East Douglas between 1844 and 1974: 284 Plantae, 256 Animalia, 53 Fungi, 10 Protozoa, 4 Chromista, 3 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. R. Hodgdon; F. L. Steele, A. R. Hodgdon; F. L. Steele 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 SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh.Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh.1896Henderson
Specimen of Coryneum pulvinatum KunzeCoryneum pulvinatum Kunze1897D. Murray
Specimen of Sceptridium dissectum (Spreng.) LyonSceptridium dissectum (Spreng.) Lyon1899H. H. Scudder
A photograph of the species Trichophorum planifolium, not of this specimenTrichophorum planifolium (Spreng.) Palla1844Collector unspecifiedUxbridge
A photograph of the species Carex vesicaria, not of this specimenCarex vesicaria L.1848J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Potamogeton epihydrus, not of this specimenPotamogeton epihydrus Raf.1848J. W. RobbinsUxbridge
A photograph of the species Potamogeton bicupulatus, not of this specimenPotamogeton bicupulatus Fernald1854W. J. RobbinsUxbridge
A photograph of the species Carex brevior, not of this specimenCarex brevior (Dewey) Mack.1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Carex normalis, not of this specimenCarex normalis Mack.1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Carex siccata, not of this specimenCarex siccata Dewey1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Carex straminea, not of this specimenCarex straminea Willd. ex Schkuhr1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Hyla versicolor, not of this specimenHyla versicolor LeConte, 18251857Weinland, David Friedrich

All 610 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 26 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 26 workings within 5 miles of East Douglas: 20 past producers, 4 producers, 1 unknown, 1 prospect. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Lead, Zinc. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Uxbridge ProspectLead, ZincProspect
Armour PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Barnett Road PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Boston Road PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
De Gaetano Brothers IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Direnzo Brothers Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Douglas PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gilbon Mountain PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Guiou PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Hutnak Construction CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Worcester County

Storms near this place

4 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names East Douglas in 4 storm reports between 2015 and 2023: 1 hail, 1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2018Tornado (EF1)East Douglas$25,000At 132 AM EST, a tornado touched down near Maple Street in East Douglas and moved northeast through extreme northwest Uxbridge to southern Northbridge, where it lifted near Northbridge Middle School. The tornado was on the ground for 4.4 miles. The path width reached a maximum of 200 yards in East Douglas. Wind speeds were estimated at 100 mph. The tornado was an EF-1 in East Douglas, and then an EF-0 in Uxbridge and Northbridge.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindEast Douglas$1,300In the eastern portion of Douglas, a tree was down on Martin Road. Other downed trees were scattered about the town of Douglas.
July 2023FloodEast Douglas-In Douglas, Gilboa Rd has significant street flooding.
July 2015HailEast Douglas-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.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
East Douglas Station0.8 miles46
Douglas1.9 miles46
South Sutton1.9 miles46
Manchaug2.4 miles46
Halfway House2.4 miles46
Prentice Corner2.7 miles46
Hundred Acre Lot2.9 miles46
New Village3.3 miles46

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.

Wikipedia article on East DouglasAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q5328246The 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 610982. 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.