BlockNorth Grafton, 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 01536. It stands on Big Bummet Brook. 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 North 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 within a mile 1 record
The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.
Ethan Allen House and Gun Shoplisted 1995 · 0.3 miles away
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.
St. Philip's Church was established in 1848, in which year a small chapel was built in the central village. Until 1858 it was a mission church, and attended by Father Sheridan and other pastors from Blackstone. In 1858 it was annexed to St. Ann's Church of Worcester, and attended by Father Powers of that church until 1869. In July, 1869, it was joined with the Millbury Mission, and made a parish, under the pastorate of Rev. M. J. Doherty. In October, 1869, the (irafton Mission was made a parish, to which that of Upton was joined. Rev. A. M. Barrett was appointed, in 1869, resident pastor, and was succeeded by the present pastor. Rev. James Boyle. There are also Catholic societies, more recently formed, at North Grafton and Fishersville.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
In 1848 Mr. Nelson moved to what is now North Grafton and became associated with Mr. James S. Stone, of Boston, a native and former resident of Grafton. In 1850 Messrs. Stone & Nelson purchased a tract of land near the Boston and Albany station, and with it a building which forms part of the present establishment. November 1, 1857, Mr. Nelson b<iught out Mr. Stone's interest, continuing the business in his own name until .January 1, 18(i9, when Mr. Geo. H. Rugg, a tbrmer emiiloy(5, became a partner to the business. In 1873, Mr. Nelson's son, Charles H., was admitted to the firm, and January 1, 1877, Mr. Rugg disposed of his interest to the other meml>ers, since which time the business has been conducted under the firm-name of J. S. Nelson & Son.
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.
Fires near this place
55 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 55 fires within 5 miles of North Grafton between 2002 and 2020, burning about 34 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 burning | 16 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11 |
| Smoking | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 7 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 4 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
| 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 |
| 27 June 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 16 June 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 13 June 2020 | Smoking | 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 1,591 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,591 specimens collected within 10 miles of North Grafton between 1839 and 1975: 891 Plantae, 443 Animalia, 234 Fungi, 14 Unrecorded, 5 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. |
 | Mycobilimbia hypnorum (Lib.) Kalb & Hafellner | 1848 | E. Tuckerman | |
 | Geranium maculatum L. | 1850 | not recorded | |
 | Packera aurea (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve | 1850 | not recorded | |
 | Carex aperta Boott | 1853 | W. Boott | Massachusetts |
 | Cladrastis tinctoria Raf. | 1856 | Anonymous | Cambridge. |
| Elymus repens (L.) Gould | 1892 | Arthur B. Seymour | Cambridge. |
All 1,591 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 13 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of North Grafton: 7 producers, 5 past producers, 1 unknown. 7 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury Trap Rock | Stone | Producer | ||
| 30 Southwest Cutoff Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| A H Marando and Sons | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Bannister Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Defalco | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Defalco Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| F Ang G Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| F and G Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Grafton Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sutton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this place
1 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names North Grafton in 1 storm report in 1995: 1 thunderstorm wind. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maplewood | 1.0 miles | 45 | |
| Axtell Corner | 1.3 miles | 45 | |
| Millbury Junction | 1.3 miles | 45 | |
| East Millbury | 2.0 miles | 45 | |
| Edgemere | 2.1 miles | 45 | |
| Grafton | 2.2 miles | 45 | |
| South Grafton Street | 2.5 miles | 44 | |
| Pinecrest | 2.7 miles | 45 |
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.
| Wikidata item Q122572538 | 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 611037. 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.