Monday, September 27, 7pm: “The Evolution of Religions in Westborough” by Congregational Church historian Tom Morgan. This virtual program traces the growth of religious institutions in Westborough, from the first Puritan Meeting House in the 1700s with Rev. Ebenezer Parkman, to the thirteenth place of worship, the Gurudwara Sahib Sikh temple, opened in 2014 on […]
Monday, September 27, 7pm: “The Evolution of Religions in Westborough” by Congregational Church historian Tom Morgan. This virtual program traces the growth of religious institutions in Westborough, from the first Puritan Meeting House in the 1700s with Rev. Ebenezer Parkman, to the thirteenth place of worship, the Gurudwara Sahib Sikh temple, opened in 2014 on […]
On Monday, May 24, 2021 Ken Gloss, proprietor of the internationally known Brattle Book Store in Boston, gave a virtual presentation on book collecting via Zoom. As a frequent guest appraiser on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, he will describe the joys of the “hunt”, plus guidelines for what to look for when starting a book collection. […]
4/26/21 – In the times of COVID, bird-watching in the serenity of nature has become a popular pastime. An early nature-lover, Edward Howe Forbush (1858-1929) lived in Westborough, became the state ornithologist, and a founder of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The Library’s case of stuffed birds is a product of his expertise at age 18. […]
“Eli Whitney, Father of American Mass Production” Westborough’s most famous inventor, Eli Whitney (1765-1825), perfected the cotton gin to remove seeds from short-stem cotton and inadvertently increased the demand for slave labor on Southern plantations. He went on to apply mass production to the manufacture of guns at the Whitney Arms Company in Hartford, CT. […]
William Sibley (1821-1890): Citizen, Soldier, Sleighmaker: On March 29, 2021 the Westborough Historical Society held a virtual presentation view a recording of that presentation by clicking here or simply watch below. Jim O’Connor will chronicle William Sibley’s life at a time of national crisis and dissension. A respected citizen, Sibley joined Westborough’s Company K when […]
Maps record the geographical information of a community, yet some maps tell stories. Maps are created by individuals who decide the subject of a map at a certain point in time from their point of view, deciding what is included, and what is left out. Join the Westborough Historical Society as they offer one of […]
Professor John McClymer of Assumption College was the featured speaker for the annual Westborough Civic Club lecture held in conjunction with the Westborough Historical Society. “Why We Remember the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire” (1911) was held on Feb. 3, 2020.Watch the presentation here. In a sweatshop in Greenwich Village, New York, 146 garment workers, mostly […]
The Historical Society welcomed Prof. Edward O’Donnell of Holy Cross College on January 13, 2020 for a fascinating history presentation. Watch/listen to the full lecture here. Landmark movements have irrevocably altered the direction of the nation and signaled the start of a new historical reality. Some were groundbreaking political concepts; some were dramatic military victories […]
Monday, October 28, 2019: Historian and former Fire Captain Phil Kittredge presented vintage photographs of Westborough spanning 1850 to 1950. The highlight was the first-time showing of the original crime scene photos of the infamous 1919 “Baby Doll murders” on South Street. Watch the Full Presentation here!