Phillipston, Massachusetts
32 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1988. It stands in Phillipston town. It lies in ZIP code area 01331. It lies near Searle Hill. The Survey maps it on the Athol quadrangle.
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 Phillipston
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 2 records
Phillipston Center Historic Districtlisted 1999
Searles Hill Cemeterylisted 2011
Topographic sheets covering this place
18 surveys from 32 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 Winchendon quadrangle1:62500
- 1890 USGS Winchendon quadrangle1:62500
- 1894 USGS Winchendon quadrangle1:62500, 6 printings
- 1935 USGS Winchendon quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1942 USGS Keene quadrangle1:125000
- 1946 USGS Athol quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
- 1948 USGS Albany quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Athol quadrangle1:31680
- 1954 USGS Athol quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Albany quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Albany quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Albany quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Albany quadrangle1:250000
- 1970 USGS Athol quadrangle1:24000
- 1970 USGS Athol quadrangle1:25000
- 1975 USGS Athol quadrangle1:25000
- 1986 USGS Keene quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
- 1988 USGS Athol quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
1,063 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 Phillipston Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
The town was formed from portions of Athol and Templeton. It retained the name of Gerry until 1814, when it was changed to Phillipston, in honor of Lieutenant-Governor William Phillips. This town was strong in its opposition to the War of 1812, and the Hon. Elbridge Gerry having incurred the ill will of the people in Gerry in consequence of his political action, a town-meeting was lield January 18, 1814, and a petition sent to the General Court, asking that the name of the town might be changed. In this petition the policy of the government was called a "mad policy," and Mr. Gerry came in for a full share of denunciation. He was styled as one " who is reputedly hostile to the ministers and ordinances of religion." Furthermore, " they were never admirers of the moral or political character of the Gentleman whose name they bear;" "they were under no obligation to that Gentleman for any favor," and they asked that they might " be exonerated from the name." Ignatius Goulding was moderator of this town-meeting and Nahum Ward clerk.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
Upon the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, Phillipston responded promptly to the call for troops, and during the war furnished sixty-eight men. Of this number, nine lost their lives iq the service, and a monument has been erected to their memory bearing the following names : V. Piper, Twenty-first Massachusetts Regiment, Company A ; Thomas H. Carruth, Fourteenth New Hampshire Regiment, Company A ; J. H. Lamb, Fifty-third Massachusetts Regiment, Company H ; C. M. Buxton, Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment, Company H ; J. M. Newton, Thirtieth Massachusetts Regi-
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.
The first action of the town relative to the war was under date of May 2, 1861, when it was, - " Besolved, 1. That ahhough our town is small in territory and population, . . . yet we will make every efl'ort to raise volunteers, and will furnish to each volunteer heing a citizen of Phillipston a suitable uniform, not exceeding in cost ยง25."
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 Phillipston Town - it names this place 3 more 3 times.
Fires near this place
15 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 15 fires within 5 miles of Phillipston between 2015 and 2020, burning about 7 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 | 10 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 9 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 30 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 17 June 2020 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 16 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 15 June 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 May 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 4 May 2015 | 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 1,779 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,779 specimens collected within 10 miles of Phillipston between 1839 and 1975: 860 Animalia, 471 Fungi, 424 Plantae, 15 Unrecorded, 9 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A., A. C. V. Schott, A. J. Stone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Osmunda regalis L. | 1900 | Bates, J.A. | Royalston. |
![]() | Bartramia pomiformis Hedw. | 1839 | unknown | Barre |
![]() | Carex gracillima Schwein. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
![]() | Carex intumescens Rudge | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
![]() | Carex lacustris Willd. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
![]() | Carex stipata Muhl. ex Willd. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
![]() | Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
![]() | Cypripedium acaule Aiton | 1839 | M. S. Bebb | Barre |
![]() | Peltandra virginica (L.) Schott | 1892 | A. | |
| Rosa rubiginosa L. | 1892 | not recorded | ||
| Carex scoparia Schkuhr ex Willd. | 1896 | W. Deane | ||
| Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. | 1896 | not recorded |
All 1,779 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Phillipston: 1 occurrence, 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Iron, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dines Roger Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Jagger Mine | Iron | Occurrence | 1845 |
Storms near this place
7 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Phillipston in 7 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | $5,000 | A tree and wires on Willis Road were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | $5,000 | Wires on Main Road were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | $500 | In Phillipston, two trees were down on wires on State Rd. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Phillipston | - | At 1:27 PM EST, three-quarter inch diameter hail was reported at Phillipston MA. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Phillipston | - | Penny size hail. |
| August 2002 | Hail | Phillipston | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Phillipston | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goulding Village | 1.3 miles | 33 | |
| Phillipston Four Corners | 1.4 miles | 32 | |
| Brooks Village | 1.7 miles | 33 | |
| Templeton Station | 2.8 miles | 33 | |
| Templeton | 3.5 miles | 33 | |
| Partidgeville | 4.6 miles | 33 | |
| Bassets Corner | 4.6 miles | 31 | |
| The Street | 4.9 miles | 32 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 609691. 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.


























