BlockGrafton, Massachusetts
45 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Grafton town. It lies in ZIP code area 01519. It lies near Pigeon Hill. The Survey maps it on the Grafton quadrangle.
Then and now
1886 to 1989The 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.
On record in Grafton
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 8 records
Ethan Allen House and Gun Shoplisted 1995
George Clapp Houselisted 1997
Farnumsville Historic Districtlisted 1996
Fisherville Historic Districtlisted 1996
Grafton Common Historic Districtlisted 1988
Grafton Innlisted 1980- Hassanamisco Reservationlisted 2011
- Willard House and Clock Museumlisted 1982
Surveyed buildings and structures 4 records
- Wyman-Gordon Company, Grafton Plant, 244 Worcester Street, Graftonfederal building survey, 4 photographs
- Wyman-Gordon Company, Grafton Plant, Loewy 50, 000-Ton Forging Press, 244 Worcester Street, Graftonfederal building survey, 15 photographs
- Wyman-Gordon Company, Grafton Plant, Mesta 18, 000-Ton Forging Press, 244 Worcester Street, Graftonfederal building survey, 6 photographs
- Wyman-Gordon Company, Grafton Plant, Sack 2, 000-Ton Forging Press, 244 Worcester Street, Graftonfederal building survey, 2 photographs
Businesses named in the fire insurance atlases 10 records
- Depot, at SaundersvilleDepot, in the atlas of 1904
- High SchoolSchool, in the atlas of 1904
- Kirby HotelHotel, in the atlas of 1904
- Meth. Episc. Church, at N. Grafton, 5Church, in the atlas of 1904
- Methodist Episcopal ChurchChurch, in the atlas of 1904
- Public School, at FisbervilleSchool, in the atlas of 1904
- Quinsigamond HotelHotel, in the atlas of 1904
- St. James' Cath. Church, at Fisherv., 8Church, in the atlas of 1904
- Washington Emery MillMill, in the atlas of 1904
- Windle's Mach Shop. (formerly)Machine Shop, in the atlas of 1904
Topographic sheets covering this place
20 surveys from 45 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.
- 1886 USGS Blackstone quadrangle1:62500
- 1889 USGS Blackstone quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Blackstone quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1900 USGS Blackstone quadrangle1:62500, 7 printings
- 1908 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1919 USGS Blackstone quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000
- 1944 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:31680, 5 printings
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1969 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:24000
- 1969 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:25000
- 1975 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:25000
- 1982 USGS Milford quadrangle1:25000
- 1985 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
13,421 words on this townshipHistory of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889 names this settlement in its chapter on Grafton Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Rev. Rufus A. Johnson followed Mr. Hall, and was installed October 16, 1833. His pastorate continued until March 12, 1838, and he died in Upton in 1860. Rev. Cazneau Palfrey succeeded Mr. Johnson, and was installed April 2-5, 1838. His pastorate continued until April 2.5, 1843. Mr. Palfrey was born in Boston August 11, 180.5, and graduated at Harvard in 1826. Previous to his ministry at Grafton he was settled over the Unitarian Society in Washington, where he remained six years.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
Alter the resignation of Mr. Willson the church was without a pastor until 1858, and during a large part of the interval its pulpit was supplied by Rev. Farrington Mclntire, a native of Fitchburg, and a graduate of Harvard in 1843. In 1858 Rev. William G. Scandlin, a native of Portsmouth, England, and a graduate of the Meadville School in 1854, was called. He was installed June 23, J 858, and his pastorate continued until his death, March 17, 1871. In the early days of the War of the Rebellion, in response to his offer of service, he was appointed chaplain of the Fifteenth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, and received a leave of absence from his people. During a subsequent service as a member of the Sanitary Commission he was taken prisoner and confined for a time in Libby prison. His services, both as chaplain and dispenser of the bounties of the Commission, were widely known and gratefully acknowledged. During his pastorate his meeting-house was burned, in 1862, and immediately rebuilt. His death was universally lamented both by his own society and his fellow-citizens of all denominations, and the day of his funeral was observed in Grafton as a day of mourning.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
Rev. Charles H. Tindall, a native of New Brunswick, N. J., where he was born October 17, 1841, succeeded Mr. Scandlin. At first a Methodist, he finally entered the Harvard Divinity School, from wh'ch institution he graduated in 1872. He was ordained at Grafton on the 5th of the following September, on which occasion the sermon was preached by Rev. Charles Carroll Everett, of Cambridge. After three years of service Mr. Tindall resigned, and in August, 1875, was settled over the Unitarian Society in Fall River.
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 Grafton Town - it names this place 22 more 22 times.
Photographs
1 photograph,Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Fires near this place
64 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 64 fires within 5 miles of Grafton between 2002 and 2020, burning about 36 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 | 21 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 10 |
| Smoking | 10 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 6 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2015 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 16 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 26 August 2020 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 23 August 2020 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 13 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 6 July 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 3 July 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 25 July 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Specimens collected near this place
12 of 1,580 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,580 specimens collected within 10 miles of Grafton between 1839 and 1975: 946 Plantae, 376 Animalia, 226 Fungi, 14 Unrecorded, 14 Protozoa, 4 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A E WOODHEAD, A. A. Eaton, A. B. Seymour 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh. | 1896 | Henderson | |
 | Coryneum pulvinatum Kunze | 1897 | D. Murray | |
 | Sceptridium dissectum (Spreng.) Lyon | 1899 | H. H. Scudder | |
 | Ochrolechia tartarea (L.) A.Massal. | 1839 | E. Tuckerman | |
 | Carex laxiflora Lam. | 1840 | Thomas Nuttall | Cambridge. |
 | Carex vestita Willd. | 1840 | Thomas Nuttall | Cambridge. |
 | Trichophorum planifolium (Spreng.) Palla | 1844 | Collector unspecified | Uxbridge |
 | Mycobilimbia hypnorum (Lib.) Kalb & Hafellner | 1848 | E. Tuckerman | |
 | Potamogeton epihydrus Raf. | 1848 | J. W. Robbins | Uxbridge |
 | Geranium maculatum L. | 1850 | not recorded | |
 | Packera aurea (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve | 1850 | not recorded | |
| Elymus repens (L.) Gould | 1892 | Arthur B. Seymour | Cambridge. |
All 1,580 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 16 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 16 workings within 5 miles of Grafton: 9 past producers, 5 producers, 1 unknown, 1 plant. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Titanium, Metal. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester B Plant Ti | Titanium, Metal | Plant | ||
| 30 Southwest Cutoff Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| A H Marando and Sons | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Armour Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bannister Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Boston Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| De Gaetano Brothers Inc | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Defalco | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Defalco Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Grafton Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
13 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Grafton in 13 storm reports between 1995 and 2017: 7 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2009 | Hail | Grafton | $40,000 | Two inch diameter hail fell in Grafton damaging screens and vinyl shutters on the west side of one house. On Route 122A, hail covered the ground, making the road slick, and broke car windows. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $10,000 | Trees on Route 122 were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $1,000 | At 1147 AM EST, a tree was brought down on Merriam Road in Grafton. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $1,000 | A 10 inch diameter tree on Glen Street was downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Grafton | - | Penny to quarter size hail fell in a swath from Grafton to Sutton. |
| July 2009 | Flood | Grafton | - | Lincoln and Cambridge Streets in Worcester were flooded with one to two feet of water. The intersection of Ward Street and Route 122 in Millbury was flooded with one and a half feet of water. In Grafton, Hayes Pond overflowed onto East Road spilling water onto the road up to four inches in depth. |
| August 2008 | Hail | Grafton | - | Penny to quarter sized hail fell in the northern part of Grafton. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Numerous trees down. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | North Grafton | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axtell Corner | 1.7 miles | 45 | |
| Kittville | 2.0 miles | 45 | |
| Saundersville | 2.0 miles | 45 | |
| Farnumsville | 2.1 miles | 45 | |
| North Grafton | 2.2 miles | 45 | |
| Fisherville | 2.2 miles | 45 | |
| Maplewood | 2.5 miles | 45 | |
| Wilkinsonville | 2.9 miles | 45 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 611002. 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.