Templeton, Massachusetts

Templeton is situated on a high elevation. The village at the centre of the town is not less than twelve hundred feet above the level of the sea. Some hills rise even higher than that. There is an elevated plateau reaching from Wachusett Mountain, in the central part of Worcester County, to Monadnock, in Southern New Hampshire. This town lies on the western edge of this plateau, where it begins to slope toward the Connecticut River, as the eastern side of the plateau slopes toward the Merrimac. There are no mountainous elevations in the town, although the whole surface is hilly. The hills are rounded masses, usually fertile to the summit. The crests of some of these hills and ridges command extensive views of the surrounding country, as from Dolbear Hill, near the village at the centre of the town. Mine Hill, in the eastern part of the town, and from the high ridges of laud in the southern and also in the northwestern parts of the town. It is a notal.ile feature of this portion of Worcester County that it lies in long ridges or swells of land extending in a northerly and southerly line, with corresponding valleys between. Roads running north and south find locations quite nearly level ; but running east and west it is one continuous couree of up hill and down. The Ware River Railroad finds ea.sy grades through one of these valleys. The situation of this town, just on the western edge of the plateau, brings it just barely within the Connecticut River basin, into which river all of its surplus waters flow. The towns lying next easterly of this, send a portion of their waters into the Merrimac. The largest stream of water in town is Otter River. This stream has its sources in Hubbardston and Gardner, flows through the southeasterly portion of this town, and the southwesterly part of Gardner, forms the boundary line between the two towns for some distance, then flows in a northwesterly direction through the northerly part of the town, yielding an abundant water-power at the villages of Otter River and Baldwinville. Just outside of this town it unites with Miller's River, a tributary of the Connecticut. Otter River has several tributaries in this town. Mill Brook, with several reservoirs for the storage of water, furnishes several water privileges at P^irtridgeville and East Templeton. Trout Brook, with several mill privileges, flows in a direct northerly course through one of the valleys and falls into Otter River a little below Baldwinville. Beaver Brook flows in a northerly course through another of the valleys in the extreme westerly part of the town, falling into Miller's River near South Royalston. There were formerly two saw-mills on this brook. There are several small tributaries of Otter River, some of which have in the past furnished mill-sites. The Burnshirt River drains the southwesterly part of the town and furnishes several mill privileges. This stream falls into Ware River, and thence by way of the Chicopee River reaches the Connecticut. On these various streams there are not less than thirty-five mill-sites, the water-power of which has at some time been turned to practical use. But some of them have in later times been given up.

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

Templeton has its population gathered chiefly in the four principal villages. Each of these villages has a post-office and a hotel ; each has one or more churches and stores ; each has a public hall ; and, beginning with the year 1887, each, with a portion of the contiguous territory, constitutes a voting precinct for the purposes of the State election. The Centre village is at the summit of one of the high ridges of land of which this region is made up. Here the first houses were built ; here was the meeting-house of the olden time ; here was the public Common, serving as a military training field and muster-ground. The militia of this and the neighboring towns gathered here for the autumnal muster. On the west side of the common is the town hall. Near by is the Unitarian Church and chapel. On the east is the brick building of the Boynton Public Library. Next is the Trinitarian Church edifice. Opposite is the location of the summer school of Mr. Charles W. Stone, of Boston. At the south end of the Common Mr. Percival Blodgett keeps, in more than the usual quantity and variety, the miscellaneous assortment of dry goods and groceries usual in a country store. Mr. J. O. Winch deals in boots and shoes. For several years the hotel, now burned, was kept by Mr. Charles E. Ellis. Miss Delia Damon manages the affairs of the post-office. Westerly of the village is the station of the Ware River Railroad. Near it is an establishment for painting and finishing furniture, carried on by Messrs. Kilner & Bourn. On Trout Brook, near by, Messrs. Bourn, Hadley & Co. are extensively engaged in the manufacture of pine and ash furniture.

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

Two miles easterly of Templeton Centre, and well toward the borders of the town, is the village of East Templeton. The Methodist Church has its location here. And here also is Memorial Hall , on whose walls are two marble tablets bearing the names of those soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War. Ericsson Post, No. 109, of the Grand Army of the Republic, has its place of meeting in this building. There is a co-operative store in its lower story. Mr. F. L. Sargeant is the postmaster of the village, and has a grocery store. Mr. Henry J. Wright keeps a hotel and livery stable, and has a miscellaneous business besides. Mill Brook runs directly through this village and furnishes abundant water-power. Three shops on the upper part of this stream have been burned within a few years. A little fariher down the stream is the factory of Mr. Chester N. Johnson, who makes children's carts and wagons in large variety and quantity. The next factory is that of the sons of T. T. Greenwood, who are largely engaged in the manufacture of furniture. They have a furniture store at Gardner. Chairs are manufactured at the lowest mill on the stream by the East Templeton Co-operative Chair Company, a prosperous organization of several mechanics of the village, which has carried on business here for several years.

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 Templeton Town - it names this place 70 more 70 times.