History Mendon, Massachusetts

1 history

1.1 history
1.2 pioneer settlement
1.3 colonial , revolutionary era
1.4 modern mendon

history
early history

the nipmuc people once inhabited mendon, , nipmuc pond named them. nipmuc regional high school named after lake. nipmuc means small pond place or people of fresh waters . nipmuc name not refer specific village or tribe, natives inhabited of central massachusetts. on 500 nipmuc live today in massachusetts, , there 2 nearby reservations @ grafton , webster. nipmuc had written language, tools, graphite mine @ sturbridge, , well-developed agriculture, including maize (a variant of corn), beans , squash.

during king philip s war in 1675, praying indians (natives converted christianity) settled praying indian villages. wacentug , rice city held 2 of these villages in mendon, in section later became uxbridge. these 2 of 14 praying indian villages established reverend john eliot, natick , roxbury, translated bible nipmuc language.

pioneer settlement

pioneers braintree petitioned receive land grant 8 miles (13 km) square of land, 15 miles (24 km) west of medfield. in september 1662, after deed signed native american chief, great john , pioneers entered part of southern worcester county. earlier, unofficial, settlement occurred here in 1640s, pioneers roxbury. beginning of mendon.

the land settlement 8 miles (13 km) square of native american land in massachusetts bay colony , purchased nipmuc indians, “for divers , vallewable considerations them there unto moovinge , especiall in consideration of summe of twenty fower pound ster.” in 1662, squinshepauke plantation started @ netmocke settlement , plantation , , incorporated town of mendon in 1667. settlers ambitious , set clearing roads mark settlement patterns throughout town’s history.

the settlement @ mendon first listed in middlesex county in 1667, in 1671 in suffolk county, , in worcester county 1731 onward. mendon first settled in 1660 , officially incorporated in 1667. town 64 square miles (170 km), including modern-day towns of milford, bellingham, hopedale, uxbridge, upton, blackstone, northbridge , millville. reason, town of mendon referred mother mendon . benjamin albee (1614–1695) erected water-powered mill on mill river in 1664 crosses modern-day hartford avenue. , 1 of town s important residents. mill first water-powered grist mill in region.

on july 14, 1675, violence in king philip s war took place in mendon, deaths of multiple residents , destruction of albee s mill. these first settlers killed in war in colony of massachusetts. man named richard post, of post s lane, may have been first settler killed. town largely burnt ground later winter in 1676. during king philip s war, many nipmuc around marlboro , natick re- located deer island, , many died harsh winter in 1675. town of mendon resettled , rebuilt in 1680.

robert taft, sr., settled here, in part became uxbridge, in 1680 , patriarch of famous taft family. settled here in 1669 , among forced braintree because of king philip s war. in 1712, mendon birthplace of lydia chapin, became america s first legal woman voter, known later lydia chapin taft, or lydia taft. ezra t. benson born here , became famous mormon missionary , utah territory legislator. (see article of neighboring uxbridge, massachusetts.) taft family became american political dynasty, in ohio, in iowa, rhode island, vermont, , other states. president william howard taft descendant , descendant of george aldrich.

another political dynasty american family began in mendon immigrant george aldrich. descendents included number of u.s. congressmen, including senator nelson aldrich, started federal reserve bank, , vice president nelson aldrich rockefeller. other descendants ezra t. benson , grandson, ezra taft benson, former secretary of agriculture under president dwight d. eisenhower, later 13th president of church of jesus christ of latter-day saints.

colonial , revolutionary era

mendon rebuild , find along boston s middle post road (route 16 today). milestone 37 (from boston) erected in 1772 , still stands today. in 1719, bellingham became first community break off mother mendon , incorporate separate entity. in 1789, purported president george washington, during inaugural journey, denied room in mendon innkeeper’s wife.

modern mendon

lake nipmuc park popular resort in 20th century, featuring leading musical , vaudeville talent. vintage postcards resort sale on ebay.

the first gig of aerosmith took place @ nipmuc regional high school (now miscoe hill middle school) in town on november 6, 1970. history teacher carl olson hired band , allowed them use girls locker room, trashed beer bottles. mendon home 2 boy scout (bsa) troops, troop 1 mendon , troop 44 mendon.

in 1986 congress created blackstone river valley national heritage corridor, national park. mendon falls within corridor. in modern times, mendon serves bedroom community has seen significant commercial development along route 16 in recent years. southwick s zoo in mendon massachusetts s largest zoo. mendon twin drive-in, 1 of 3 drive-in theaters in massachusetts, located in mendon.