Last modified: 2006-02-05 by rick wyatt
Keywords: auburn | massachusetts |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
image based on www.state.ma.us/bsb/images/Auburn.jpg
See also:
A blue flag, with a large white town hall on it. Above is the town name and dates. Auburn is in Worcester County.
From the town homepage:
"The Town of Auburn is made up of land areas which were, in colonial times, outlying parts of Worcester, Leicester, Sutton and Oxford. These areas were incorporated as the town of Ward on April 10, 1778. It was so named to honor Major General Artemas Ward, the commander of colonial forces in Cambridge until Washington arrived.
Ward became a center for mail distribution in 1825, but because of a similarity in spelling and writing "Ward" and "Ware", difficulty in mail delivery resulted. A petition to the legislature to change the town name was granted in 1837 and the name Auburn was adopted. Population at that time was 649.
The economic history of Auburn has been a combination of agriculture and industry. Its home industries flourished in the early 1800s. With the growth of Worcester’s factory-based industries, Auburn was soon overshadowed. Its residents turned to Worcester for employment. Agriculture also declined, and in 1957 there were only four farms in contrast to 100 or more listed in 1857."
Dov Gutterman, 20 December 2002