BlockSouth Berlin, Massachusetts
44 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Berlin town. It lies in ZIP code area 01503. It stands on Cooledge Brook. The Survey maps it on the Shrewsbury quadrangle.
Then and now
1887 to 1989The same ground, surveyed 102 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
19 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.
- 1887 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500
- 1889 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500
- 1896 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500
- 1898 USGS Marlboro quadrangle1:62500, 8 printings
- 1908 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1943 USGS Quinsigamond quadrangle1:125000
- 1943 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:31680, 3 printings
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:31680, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:24000
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1969 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1969 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:25000
- 1975 USGS Shrewsbury quadrangle1:25000
- 1983 USGS Marlborough quadrangle1:25000, 3 printings
- 1985 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Boston quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
17,635 words on this townshipHistory of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889 names this settlement in its chapter on Berlin Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Samuel Jones, Jr., a grandson of Josiah Jones, of Watertown, progenitor, according to Bond, of the American families of the name, was connected with the Johnsons in Woburn by marriage, and settled near them on the Assabet River, near our Marlboro' and Northboro' lines. The Joneses were a family of like standing, apparently, with the Johnsons. Here the Joneses became more numerous for many years than any other family. Samuel (2d), and third of the line, bought of Benjamin Bailey one hundred and fortyseven acres, 1748, covering all our present centre. One single dwelling of account seems to have been included. This became a hotel, an " inn " in those days. Children and children's children came upon the stage. They established homes mainly upon the first purchase. The third and fourth Samuels raised here their families. The third Samuel was "senior" as to Berlin. The first two were of Concord and Woburn.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
Berlin cherishes the names of Fortunatus Barnes of Marlboro' and Persis Hosmer of Concord, both of historic families. They have largely contributed to our character and standing. Their son, Capt. William Barnes, married into the vigorous Goddard stock, then already established on the eastern slope of Barnes Hill- The son did honor to the family name, and maintained the paternal acres in the best order of husbandry till his death, 1851. No fruit to-day excels the product of Barnes Hill.
Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, published 1889.
Rufus S. Hastings, twenty-five years merchant and postmaster in Berlin, was separated from the -other Berlin Hastings families in the third generation. His father. Major Rufus, and grandfather, Colonel Stephen, were of the most prominent farmers of Sterling, and just south of Washacum Ponds. Their line connected them with the Northboro' Balls of Ball Hill, from Watertown, and with Deacon Jona. Livermore, the centeuarian, who lived in three centuries - died 1801. Samuel Hastings, of the second generation, and Sarah Coolidue were their progenitors. Thomas and Margaret (Cheney) Hastings were before these.
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 Berlin Town - it names this place 5 more 5 times.
Fires near this place
129 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 129 fires within 5 miles of South Berlin between 2004 and 2020, burning about 71 acres in total. None started naturally. 12 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 | 58 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 29 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 17 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Smoking | 9 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | MARLBORO |
| 7 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 28 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 23 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 20 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 20 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 16 September 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 14 September 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Specimens collected near this place
12 of 1,633 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,633 specimens collected within 10 miles of South Berlin between 1858 and 1974: 1,098 Animalia, 283 Plantae, 241 Fungi, 5 Unrecorded, 3 Chromista, 3 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. G. Chandler, A. K. Harrison, 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 | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Chrysosplenium americanum Schwein. ex Hook. | 1899 | E. F. Williams | |
 | Quercus velutina Lam. | 1858 | E. S. Hoar | Road to Marlboro, Concord. |
 | Condylura cristata cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1859 | E S Wheeler | BERLIN |
 | Dryobates pubescens medianus (Swainson, 1832) | 1861 | not recorded | Bolton |
| Clemmys insculpta Fitzinger, 1835 | 1864 | Agassiz | ||
 | Bromus sterilis L. | 1879 | C. E. Faxon | |
 | Merulius lacrymans (Wulfen) Schumach. | 1879 | Howes, A. | Massachusetts |
 | Potamogeton gramineus L. | 1879 | T. Morong | Lake Quinsigamond |
 | Potamogeton berchtoldii subsp. berchtoldii | 1880 | T Morong | |
 | Potamogeton vaseyi J.W.Robbins | 1880 | Faxon, E.; Faxon, C.E. | Worcester, Lake Quinsigamond |
| Arphia sulphurea (Fabricius, 1781) | 1892 | unknown | Wellesley | |
 | Castilleja coccinea (L.) Spreng. | 1892 | E. C. Smith | Marboro. |
All 1,633 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 15 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 15 workings within 5 miles of South Berlin: 12 past producers, 3 producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Dimension, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Stone Co Quarry | Stone, Dimension | Producer | ||
| Gneiss Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Bates Sand and Gravel Co. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Berin Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Berlin Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Berlin Town Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| C and M Enterprises | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Casaceli Trucking | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Casaceli Trucking Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| E L Dauphanis Inc | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms near this place
2 since 2014Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names South Berlin in 2 storm reports between 2014 and 2022: 1 lightning, 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 2014 | Lightning | South Berlin | $100,000 | A four unit senior housing building was struck by lightning, setting it on fire. No injuries occurred as a result of the fire. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Berlin | $2,500 | In Berlin, a tree was down on a guardrail on Coburn Road and West Street. A tree was down on Pleasant Street and a large limb was down at Pleasant Street and Kendall Lane. A tree was also down on Bridge Road at River Road West. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 1.5 miles | 43 | |
| Chapinville | 1.6 miles | 42 | |
| Woodside | 2.1 miles | 44 | |
| Carterville | 2.2 miles | 43 | |
| East Berlin | 2.6 miles | 43 | |
| West Berlin | 2.6 miles | 43 | |
| South Bolton | 2.8 miles | 43 | |
| Northborough | 2.9 miles | 44 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 610913. 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.