BlockGardner, Massachusetts
40 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1988. It stands in Gardner City. It lies in ZIP code area 01440. It lies near Washington Hill. The Survey maps it on the Gardner quadrangle. 21,287 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,063 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Then and now
1887 to 1988The same ground, surveyed 101 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
On record in Gardner
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 12 of 13 shown
Elm Street Fire Stationlisted 1980
First Minister's Houselisted 1979
Garbose Buildinglisted 1983
Gardner News Buildinglisted 1979
Gardner Uptown Historic Districtlisted 1999
Levi Heywood Memorial Library Buildinglisted 1979
Heywood-Wakefield Company Complexlisted 1983
Lake Street Fire Stationlisted 1980
Miss Toy Town Dinerlisted 2003
Jabez Partridge Homesteadlisted 1979
Sylvester K. Pierce Houselisted 2022
F.W. Smith Silver Companylisted 1979
Every listing in Worcester County
Businesses named in the fire insurance atlases 12 of 34 shown
- Methodist Episcopal ChurchChurch, in the atlas of 1889 to 1905
- Bancroft & Rich, Machine ShopMachine Shop, in the atlas of 1895 to 1900
- Baptist ChurchChurch, in the atlas of 1889 to 1905
- Catholie ChurchChurch, in the atlas of 1900 to 1905
- Congregational ChurchChurch, in the atlas of 1889 to 1905
- Crystal Lake HotelHotel, in the atlas of 1889 to 1895
- Howe Bros., Grist MillMill, in the atlas of 1889 to 1895
- Jommercial HotelHotel, in the atlas of 1895 to 1905
- Richards HotelHotel, in the atlas of 1889 to 1900
- Wetherbee, G. F., Grist MillMill, in the atlas of 1889 to 1900
- Wyman Chair FactoryChair Factory, in the atlas of 1900 to 1905
- American HotelHotel, in the atlas of 1889
Population over time
2 figuresGardner grew from 20,228 to 21,287 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 20,228 | |
| 2020 | 21,287 | +1,059 (+5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
20 surveys from 40 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.
- 1887 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:62500
- 1889 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:62500, 7 printings
- 1935 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1936 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:125000
- 1946 USGS Gardner quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:50000
- 1954 USGS Gardner quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Gardner quadrangle1:31680
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1970 USGS Gardner quadrangle1:24000
- 1970 USGS Gardner quadrangle1:25000
- 1975 USGS Gardner quadrangle1:25000
- 1984 USGS Lowell quadrangle1:100000
- 1988 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:25000
- 1988 USGS Lowell quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
20,407 words on this townshipHistory of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889 names this settlement in its chapter on Gardner City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
The town of Gardner, which has recently (1885) completed the first century of its corporate existence and duly celebrated the memorable event with appropriate exercises and festivities, is one of the most enterprising and prosperous of all those in the county whose annals these pages record. Taking its place in the retinue of Massachusetts municipalities soon after the struggle for American independence, it was characterized at the outset by the spirit that gave birth to the rising republic, and, under the influence of the same spirit, has kept abreast of the advancing civilization of the land down to the present day. During the earlier part of its career, its growth in wealth, population and social standing, in industrial, commercial and political importance, though slow and uneventful, was yet sturdy and healthful. But in later years new life and greatly increased vigor have entered into and stimulated its various interests and activities, resulting in a rapid and notable development of its resources, and a highly honorable and gratifying progress in every department of responsibility and effort within its borders. Its advance for the last decade has been truly remarkable in many aspects of it, and reflects great credit upon those of every class and degree who have in any way contributed to it. Hardly to be reckoned, at this time, as one of the foremost towns of Worcester County in those things which appear to advantage in statistical tables, it yet is excelled, even if it is equaled, by few in general thrift, in durable prosperity, in the tokens of comfort and happiness that abound on every hand, in the neatness, order and security of its homes, in the harmonious relations which characterize industrial and social life, in means and opportunities of intellectual, moral and religious culture, in public spirit, in the integrity, honor, virtue and happiness of all classes of its population. To sketch the history of such a town, to enter into the details of its genesis and growth, to search out the hidden springs of its unfolding and ever-rising life - to take account of the industry, the self-reliance, the persevering zeal, the unfaltering courage, the high resolve and all the worthy, grand qualities of mind and heart and character to which the existence and prosperous fortunes of such a town bear witness and of which it is the organic and living product and representative, - is a task fruitful not only of instruction, but of satisfaction and delight. To a task like this, the considerate attention of whomsoever it may concern is herein invited.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
The town of Gardner is situated in the northerly part of the county of Worcester, and belongs to what may be termed the second range or tier of townships, counting from the extreme limits of the county in that direction - the line separating the States of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. It is bounded on the north by Winchendon and Ashburnham, on the east by Ashburnham and \Ve.->tminster, on the south by Westminster, Hubbardston and Templelon, and on the west by Hubbardston, Templetoii and Winchendon ; or, in a simpler way, northwest by Winchendon, northeast by Ashburnham, southeast by AVestminster, and southwest by Hubbardston and Templeton. The latitude of its Town Hall is 42° 35' north and the longitude 71° 59i' west from Greenwich, or G° Y east from Washington. Its distance from Boston, in a W. N. W. direction, by direct line, is not far from 52 miles, and 65 miles by the Fitchburg Railroad ; and from Worcester, in a N. N. W. direction, it is about 23 miles by direct line, and 26 miles by railroad. It includes within its boundaries an area of about 14,000 acres, or 21 J square miles, of which some 180 acres are covered by its several natural lakes and ponds, and probably a larger number by artificial bodies of water. Its highest altitude above the level of the sea (Reservoir Hill) is estimated at 1204 feet, and its lowest (where Otter River crosses its western boundary) at 890 feet.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
Hills. - The natural scenery of the town of Gardner is characterized by that constant and continuous variety of surface which relieves it of all tiresome monotony and renders it especially attractive and delightful. Scattered over all the length and breadth of its territory are there considerable elevations of laud, which contribute largely to the beauty of the view and satisfy the demands of the artistic sense. The highest of these rise to an altitude of several hundred feet above the general level, not by abrupt and broken ascents, but by gradual slopes, making them capable of culture and even available for residential uses to the very summit. Indeed, some of them are already dotted with dwellings in every part and others are likely to become so at an early day. These hills took their names originally from their owners or from persons living near them, though in many instances those names have in later years been changed, either by change of ownership or by some other circumstance connected with their history. Their respective altitudes have been ascertained by a series of calculations made under the supervision of Mr. Aaron Greenwood, a skillful and accurate surveyor of the place, who assumed as the ba^ia of such calculations the correctness of the figures indicating the elevation of the railroad at given points along the line as fixed by its chief engineer. A few of the more prominent of these natural formations are deemed worthy of mention.
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 Gardner City - it names this place 57 more 57 times.
Fires near this place
74 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 74 fires within 5 miles of Gardner between 2015 and 2020, burning about 37 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 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 burning | 44 |
| Smoking | 11 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 28 August 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 6 July 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 July 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 July 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 3 July 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 29 July 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 26 July 2016 | 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 533 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 533 specimens collected within 10 miles of Gardner between 1870 and 1973: 277 Plantae, 162 Animalia, 89 Fungi, 3 Protozoa, 1 Unrecorded, 1 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A., A. B. Seymour, A. F. Newton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Athyrium filix-femina subsp. angustum (Willd.) R.T.Clausen | 1900 | Davenport | Pine Hill; Medford |
 | Carex maritima Gunnerus | 1870 | J. W. Congdon | Wellville |
 | Veronica L. | 1871 | not recorded | |
 | Hylesinus aculeatus Say & T., 1824 | 1872 | unknown | Fitchburg |
 | Carex foenea Willd. | 1878 | W. Boott | Wachusett Mountain |
 | Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (Aiton) Rydb. | 1879 | Bailey, W.W. | summit of Mt. Wachusett |
 | Drosera rotundifolia L. | 1882 | not recorded | |
 | Linnaea borealis subsp. longiflora (Torrey) Hultén | 1882 | not recorded | |
 | Moneses uniflora (L.) A.Gray | 1882 | M. A. M. | Winchendon |
 | Peltandra virginica (L.) Schott | 1892 | A. | |
| Rosa rubiginosa L. | 1892 | not recorded | ||
| Cylindrosporium chrysanthemi Ellis & Dearn. | 1895 | Seymour A. B. | Fitchburg |
All 533 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Gardner: 6 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Gardner | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Dines Roger Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Highway Pit & Gardner Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hubbardston Hwy Dept Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Otter River Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Templeton Hwy Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Templeton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Templeton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
26 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gardner in 26 storm reports between 1995 and 2020: 14 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning, 2 flood. 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 2003 | Lightning | Gardner | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gardner | $30,000 | Eight trees and utility poles were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 1998 | Lightning | Gardner | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gardner | $10,000 | Trees, tree limbs, and wires on Camp Collier Road were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gardner | $5,000 | A tree and wires on Minott Road in Gardner were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gardner | $5,000 | A tree and several large tree limbs on Edgell STreet in Gardner were downed by thunderstorm winds. Trees in Ashuburnham also were downed with one blocking a road. |
| June 2020 | Flood | Gardner | $4,000 | In Gardner, there were many areas of flooding. There was one foot of water on a section of Route 2A at 618 PM EST. A car was stuck in flooding on Timpany Blvd. at 643 PM EST. Chestnut Street at Union Square was flooded and impassable at 648 PM EST. A basement was flooded on Dean Street at 658 PM EST. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Gardner | $3,000 | At 8:46 PM EST, a car was trapped in flood waters on Risley Street and John Street in Gardner. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gardner | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | East Gardner | $1,000 | At 11:58 AM EST, a thunderstorm over Westminster brought a tree down on Shady Avenue, blocking the road. |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Gardner | - | At 8:58 AM EST, Walnut Street in Gardner was flooded. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Gardner | - | Penny size hail covered the ground. |
| August 2015 | Hail | Gardner | - | Quarter to golf ball size hail fell in Gardner. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Gardner | - | Penny size hail. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Funnel Cloud | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Hail | Gardner | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olde English Village | 1.2 miles | 40 | |
| South Gardner | 1.5 miles | 40 | |
| East Templeton | 2.2 miles | 33 | |
| East Gardner | 2.4 miles | 40 | |
| Partidgeville | 3.2 miles | 33 | |
| Otter River | 3.2 miles | 33 | |
| Camp Collier | 3.5 miles | 40 | |
| Pitcherville | 3.8 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.
| Wikipedia article on Gardner | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1829193 | 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 610059. 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.