BlockBefore

Mendon, Massachusetts

50 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Mendon town. It lies in ZIP code area 01756. It stands on Willow Brook. The Survey maps it on the Blackstone quadrangle.

Mendon 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 Mendon, surveyed 1989
Topographic sheet of Mendon, surveyed 1886

On record in Mendon

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

Surveyed buildings and structures 2 records

Topographic sheets covering this place

21 surveys from 50 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

9,723 words on this township

History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889 names this settlement in its chapter on Mendon Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

On the 15th day of May, 1867, in a small town iu the southeastern part of Worcester County, ''a vast assemblage," as one of those addressing it justly de- scribed it, were gathered together. Orators, poets, distinguished jurists, clergymen, statesmen and men of military renown were present, or regretfully sent excuses for their absence. The inhabitants of Milford, Blackstone, Uxbridge, Northbridge, Upton and Bellingham, with hundreds from more remote parts of the State and nation, had met to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of what they lovingly called the "Mother Town of Mendon." The distinguished speakers seemed to feel it a high' privilege to recount the story of the ancient town, and found the day far too short for their purpose. Several of them had names borne by six generations of Mendon's inhabitants now passed away, as well as by many of its present citizens, and they felt they were telling the story of their ancestors as they narrated how the Aldrichs, Staples, Holbrooks, Thompsons, Chapins, Tafts and others painfully made their way from the coast to this fertile, hilly region, established homes, church, schools, and laid the foundation for all the abounding life of these busy towns of to-day.

Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.

Mendon, next to Lancaster in antiquity among Worcester County towns, was and is, well deserving of noticehistorically. Eighteen of these are at least a hundred years younger than she. The town of Worcester was incorporated sixteen years later than Mendon, and she is more than forty-five years older than any other town in the county, except Lancaster, and sixty-three years older than the county itself.

Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.

In 1659, eight years before Mendon's incorporation, the records of the General Court of Massachusetts show that the people of Braintree and Weymouth had expressed a desire for " a new plantation ;" " whereupon the Court judgeth it meet to grant them liberty to seek out a place and present their desires, with the names of such persons as will carry out the work, unto the next session of this Court." Accordingly, in 1660, upon a petition by seven of the inhabitants of Braintree, a committee of five was empowered to accept persons for the settlement, which was to be eight miles square, and four commissioners were authorized " to make a valid act there." It was nearly two years later. May 22, 1662, before the commissioners reported their rules and regulations for the " Plantation at Netmocke," with the names of persons then accepted, viz.: thirteen of Braintree and ten of Weymouth. Moses Payne and Peter Brackett had already secured a deed of Netmocke from the Indians and a double allowance of land for themselves. They never settled there, but, after the incorporation, transferred their rights under the deed to the town by a writing dated December 9, 1669.

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 Mendon Town - it names this place 49 more 49 times.

Fires near this place

108 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 108 fires within 5 miles of Mendon between 2002 and 2020, burning about 139 acres in total. None started naturally. 19 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 burning32
Missing data/not specified/undetermined22
Arson/incendiarism19
Recreation and ceremony13
Smoking12
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Equipment and vehicle use3
Other causes1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
3 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
29 September 2002Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachussetts State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
28 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBELLINGHAM
27 September 2015Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBELLINGHAM
27 September 2015Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBELLINGHAM

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Worcester County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 449 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 449 specimens collected within 10 miles of Mendon between 1844 and 1975: 191 Plantae, 143 Animalia, 101 Fungi, 9 Protozoa, 3 Unrecorded, 2 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. P. D. Piguet, 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 449 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 12 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Mendon: 9 past producers, 2 producers, 1 unknown. 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Carl A MolinariSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Carl A. Molinari PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Helca PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
High Street PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Highway PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Oliveira PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Richard C HillSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Rosenfeld PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Sand & Gravel OperationSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Town of BellinghamSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Worcester County

Storms near this place

6 since 2001

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Mendon in 6 storm reports between 2001 and 2020: 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2010Thunderstorm WindMendon$30,000Numerous trees were downed by thunderstorm winds in Mendon and Hopedale. One tree took down a utility pole and wires as it fell on Gaskill Street.
August 2017Thunderstorm WindMendon$2,500At 435 PM EST, trees were down on Neck Hill Road and Gaskill Street in Mendon. The roads were impassable.
November 2020Thunderstorm WindMendon$500In Mendon, a tree was down on Route 16.
October 2020Thunderstorm WindMendon-In Mendon at 553 PM EDT, a mesonet site recorded a wind gust to 58 mph.
July 2019FloodMendon-In Mendon, Route 16 near the marina was flooded with 2 feet of water across the roadway.
June 2001HailMendon-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
White City1.2 miles50
Spindleville1.4 miles50
Hopedale1.8 miles42
South Milford2.6 miles50
Milford3.0 miles42
Wheelockville3.7 miles50
Centerville3.9 miles50
Chestnut Hill Meeting House4.4 miles50

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 611556. 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.