BlockNorth Leominster, Massachusetts
44 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1988. It stands in Leominster City. It lies in ZIP code area 01453. It lies near Jocelyn Hill. The Survey maps it on the Shirley quadrangle.
Then and now
1893 to 1988The same ground, surveyed 95 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
Topographic sheets covering this place
20 surveys from 44 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.
- 1893 USGS Groton quadrangle1:62500, 8 printings
- 1935 USGS Groton quadrangle1:62500
- 1935 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:24000
- 1935 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
- 1936 USGS Groton quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1939 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:31680, 3 printings
- 1943 USGS Fitchburg quadrangle1:125000
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1949 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:25000
- 1950 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:24000
- 1955 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:24000
- 1975 USGS Shirley quadrangle1:25000
- 1984 USGS Lowell quadrangle1:100000
- 1988 USGS Ayer quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
- 1988 USGS Lowell quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
What happened here
An account from the chapter on Leominster city. The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.
Chapter Clviil Military
Leominster haa an honorable war record. She would, indeed, be unworthy both of her ancestors and the times of her birth, if in all the struggles for liberty, she had not made full proof of her patriotism. It is true that the first settlers of the town had no personal experience of the tomahawk and the scalping-knife; but the story of what their fathers had suffered was a close remembrance ; and these hardy pioneers had barely time to build their rude homes, " establish God's house in the wilderness," connect the hill-tops by roads and erect here and there a mill to grind their corn and saw their logs, when the alarm of war sounded at the North, and the sword did not, for the next ihirty-and-five years, rest easy in its scabbard.
In the county-history sources
21,669 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 Leominster City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Saint Leo's Catholic Church. - This church comes next in the order of time in the religious movements of Lecnninster. Much indirect work was done for the Catholic faith here before Leominster was made an independent parish in 1872. The first work in this direction was begun in 1849. At that time Rev. Father M. F. Gibson, a Catholic minister of Worcester, Mass., came here and performed the services of his church at the homes of some of the resident Catholic families. The numbers who desired to avail themselves of the benefit and pleasure of his monthly visits incre.ased so rapidly that the selectmen permittea the use of the Town Hall and then of Gardner Hall for his services. From this time his visits were weekly instead of monthly, as at first. In the history of the Baptist Church, mention has been made of their first house of worship, located on the plane between the Centre and North Leominster. In 1857 the Catholic Bishop purchased this and it was fitted up as a place of worship. Before this time, however, Rev. M. F. Gibson was made resident pastor at Fitchburg, and Leominster was still a part of his charge. Other pastors from Fitchburg served the church until it was made a separate parish, and Rev. Father Daniel Shiel, the present able pastor, was appointed.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
Congregational Chitrch op Christ, North Leominster. - Prior to May 6, 1874, there was no permanent religious organization of any kind at North Leominster. At difl'ereut times, for some yeare, meetings were htld in Kendall Hall and elsewhere. Sometimes these meetings were social and in charge of members from the centre, and at other times there was a preaching service by resident pastors. There had been little fixed thought, however, of a separate work for this part of the town before the first half of the year above named. It was true that some feeling had found expression earlier, that the religious needs of North Leominster could not be much longer neglected, and that, as the Orthodox Congregational Church had more members resident there than any other church at the centre, it might be the duty of these persons to organize a local church. But the matter was wholly indefinite and uncertain until JIarch 24, 1874. At that time tho.se most interested met at the house of Geo. S. Burrage, to consider the "expediency of forming a Congregational Church in North Leominster." There were, at that time, some forty members of the Orthodox Church at the centre resident there, and after mature deliberation these members called a council to meet in Kendall Hall, May 6, 1874, by which they were constituted and recognized as a church of Christ. The society connected with this church was organized April 17, 1875.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
From its organization until April, 1880, the church held its public services in Kendall Hall; but on the 7th of that month its present beautiful and convenient house of worship was dedicated. For its size, it is one of the pleasantest churches in town and a great addition to North Leominster. By the liberality of the late Captain Leonard Burrage the society now has a fine parsonage, and from the estates of Mr. Augustus Whitman and Captain Burrage a fund ol eleven thousand dollars.
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 Leominster City - it names this place 6 more 6 times.
Fires near this place
179 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 179 fires within 5 miles of North Leominster between 2015 and 2020, burning about 162 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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 | 76 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 61 |
| Smoking | 26 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 14 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
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 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 7 September 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 5 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 3 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 24 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.4 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | MONOOSNOC HILL |
| 22 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 19 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 18 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 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 1,865 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,865 specimens collected within 10 miles of North Leominster between 1861 and 1974: 1,095 Animalia, 542 Plantae, 207 Fungi, 9 Unrecorded, 8 Chromista, 4 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. C. Gibson, A. Ferrett 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Porella platyphylla (L.) Pfeiff. | 1895 | James F. Collins | South spur, Mount Wachusett |
 | Athyrium filix-femina subsp. angustum (Willd.) R.T.Clausen | 1900 | Davenport | Pine Hill; Medford |
 | Dryobates pubescens medianus (Swainson, 1832) | 1861 | not recorded | Bolton |
| Clemmys insculpta Fitzinger, 1835 | 1864 | Agassiz | ||
 | Hylesinus aculeatus Say & T., 1824 | 1872 | unknown | Fitchburg |
 | Carex foenea Willd. | 1878 | W. Boott | Wachusett Mountain |
 | Bromus sterilis L. | 1879 | C. E. Faxon | |
 | Megascops asio asio (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1879 | Smith, J. C.; Thomas Wilmer Dewing collection | Groton |
 | Merulius lacrymans (Wulfen) Schumach. | 1879 | Howes, A. | Massachusetts |
 | Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (Aiton) Rydb. | 1879 | Bailey, W.W. | summit of Mt. Wachusett |
 | Papaver orientale L. | 1880 | unknown | Townsend. |
| Arthuriomyces peckianus (Howe) Cummins & Y.Hirats. | 1892 | W. B. Hosmer |
All 1,865 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
10 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of North Leominster: 5 past producers, 2 occurrences, 2 producers, 1 unknown. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Lithium, Tin, Tin, Lithium. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitchburg Area | Tin, Lithium | Occurrence | ||
| Leominster | Lithium, Tin | Occurrence | 1824 | |
| Leominster Pit | Geothermal | Past Producer | ||
| Keating Quarry & Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Unknown | ||
| Keating Quarry and Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Hazen Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Luenburg Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| P J Keating | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Szocik Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Tanzio Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
2 since 2010Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names North Leominster in 2 storm reports between 2010 and 2016: 1 flood, 1 flash 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2010 | Flood | North Leominster | $2,700,000 | The Nashua River at Clinton rose to flood stage after three to six inches of rain fell across Worcester County. Two factories in Clinton were closed after ten feet of water flooded the basements. In addition, two to three hundred feet of railroad tracks were washed out. Several cars were submerged in flood waters throughout Clinton. Two sections of Clinton were flooded: the Main and Church Streets area, where Coachlace Pond overflowed a culvert and the Water Street section near the Nashua River. Many streets were closed and several businesses along Main Street were damaged by floodwaters. The U-Haul storage facility on High Street was flooded. Several apartments throughout town were evacuated, but no concrete numbers were reported. The overflow from Coachlace Pond washed out a rail bed, dislodging the tracks and halting trains.||Several smaller brooks and streams also overflowed their banks resulting in basements, parking lots, and yards flooding in Leominster, Clinton, and Westminster. Near the Mall at Whitney Field in Leominster, two vehicles were submerged and their drivers rescued when the Monoosnock Brook overflowed its banks, one was an armored car. Several roads in Leominster, Lancaster, Fitchburg, Sterling, and Westminster were closed due to flooding. |
| August 2016 | Flash Flood | North Leominster | $40,000 | Leominster: Lancaster Street under the bridge was flooded. Cars were stuck in flood waters on Route 117 by the shopping plaza. Manhole covers were pushed out by flooding on West Street. The police department parking lot was flooded. Three cars were stuck in flood waters on Mechanic Street. Central Street was flooded with three feet of water.||Fitchburg: Water was a foot deep on John Fitch Highway and the adjoining parking lot. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Leominster | 1.4 miles | 42 | |
| Leominster | 1.7 miles | 42 | |
| Lunenburg Station | 1.8 miles | 44 | |
| Whalom | 2.4 miles | 44 | |
| South Fitchburg | 2.9 miles | 42 | |
| Gates Crossing | 3.2 miles | 43 | |
| Lunenburg | 3.7 miles | 44 | |
| Goodrichville | 4.3 miles | 44 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 610776. 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.