Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located 36 mi (58 km) southwest of Boston and 15 mi (24 km) south-southeast of Worcester, at the midpoint of the Blackstone Valley National Historic Park. The historical society notes that Uxbridge is the "Heart of The Blackstone Valley" and is also known as "the Cradle of the Industrial Revolution". Uxbridge was a prominent Textile center in the American Industrial Revolution. Two Quakers served as national leaders in the American anti-slavery movement. Uxbridge "weaves a tapestry of early America".
Lydia Taft was the first woman known to legally vote in colonial America. This occurred at a town meeting in the New England town of Uxbridge in Massachusetts Colony, on October 30, 1756.
Bazaleel Taft Sr., his first name is also spelled Bezaleel, was an American Revolutionary War soldier, captain, and state legislator from Uxbridge, Massachusetts. He built the Hon. Bazaleel Taft House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hon. Bezaleel Taft Jr. was born in Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts on September 8, 1780 and died in Uxbridge, at age 65 on July 16, 1846. He was a State Senator and Massachusetts politician.
North Uxbridge is a village and a post office in the town (township) of Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The postal zip code is 01538. It is classified as a community or populated place located at latitude 42.088 and longitude -71.641 and the elevation is 266 feet (81 m). North Uxbridge appears on the Uxbridge U.S. Geological Survey Map. Worcester County is in the Eastern time zone and observes DST. North Uxbridge is located about 36 miles WSW of Boston, and 15 miles SE of Worcester. The town meeting in 1885 set aside North Uxbridge as a "special district", since its population had exceeded 1000 people. North Uxbridge appeared to be a separate Census tract in the 1960 census with a population of 1882. In 2013, an Uxbridge DIY show, The Garage, with Steve Butler, went worldwide from Steve's garage in North Uxbridge.
Wheelockville is a village in the town (township) of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the village centering on Mendon and Henry streets is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Wheelockville Historic District. Wheelockville appears on the Blackstone U.S. Geological Survey Map. The Village receives municipal services from Uxbridge, for fire, police, EMS, School district, public works, and other services. Worcester's Judicial District includes Uxbridge District Court. The geography of Wheelockville includes several other distinct mill villages, including: Hecla and Elmdale.
The Samuel Taft House is a historic house at 87 Sutton Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. The main block of the 1+1⁄2 story timber-frame house was built in 1774, and is a typical local variant of Georgian styling, with a gambrel roof, central chimney, clapboard siding, and granite foundation. The house is notable for its association with Samuel Taft, who served in the American Revolutionary War, and hosted George Washington at this house in 1789.
The Moses Taft House is an historic house at 50 South Main Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side gable roof, central chimney, clapboard siding, and granite foundation. Built c. 1850–55, it is a fine local example of Italianate architecture, with paneled pilasters at the corners, paired brackets under the eave, and molded caps above the windows. Additions extend the original house to the side and rear.
The Central Woolen Mills District is a historic district in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, USA. The centerpiece of this historic district is the Stanley Woolen Mill, also known as the Central Woolen Mill, built by Moses Taft in 1852, and earlier by his father, Luke Taft, in 1833, on the banks of the Blackstone Canal. The district is the southern entrance to the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park. This parkland is the geographic center of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, an historic corridor of national significance as an example of the earliest industrial activity of the United States.
The Aaron Taft House is an historic house at 215 Hazel Street, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Built about 1749, it is one of five surviving gambrel-roofed 18th-century houses in the town. It is 1+1⁄2 stories in height, with a side-gabled gambrel roof, clapboard siding, and central chimney. The main facade is asymmetrical, with three window bays, one to the left of the entrance, which is off center, and is adorned with sidelight windows, pilasters, and a simple entablature. It was the birthplace in 1785 of Peter Rawson Taft I, the grandfather of President William Howard Taft,
The Zadock Taft House is a historic house at 115 South Main Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Probably built in the 18th century, it received its present Greek Revival styling in the 1840s or 1850s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Daniel Aldrich Cottage and Sawmill is a historic property at 364 Aldrich Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It includes a c. 1830s late Federal style brick cottage, and at one time also included a rare surviving small-scale sawmill, built about 1835. They were built by Daniel Aldrich, member of a locally prominent family, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The E. Albee House is an historic house located at 217 Chapin Street, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Probably built in the mid-18th century, it is a well-preserved example of rural vernacular period architecture. On October 7, 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The William Hayward House is an historic house located at 77 North Main Street, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. This 2+1⁄2 story wood-frame house was built in 1876 for William Hayward, a banker and business partner of the locally prominent mill owner Moses Taft. The house is an excellent local example of Italianate styling, although its elaborate porch is a later c. 1900 modification. The property also has a period carriage house in good condition and has been occupied by the George and Louise Kurzon family for 100 years.
The Charles Capron House is an historic house at 2 Capron Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1874, it is an locally distinguished example of Gothic Revival architecture. It is also notable for its association with Charles Capron, a local mill owner. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Farnum's Gate Historic District is a historic district encompassing a neighborhood of Blackstone, Massachusetts, associated with the locally prominent Farnum family. The area, on Main Street roughly between Austin Street and the St. Paul's Bridge, includes a number of homes built in the 1840s by prominent local industrialists, during a period of prosperity in the Blackstone River valley. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The history of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1727, may be divided into its prehistory, its colonial history and its modern industrial history. Uxbridge is located on the Massachusetts-Rhode Island state line, and became a center of the earliest industrialized region in the United States.
Stanley Woolen Mill is the common historic name applied to a defunct company based in southeastern Massachusetts and to the company's buildings which stand at the southern entrance to the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park. The mill is an important footnote in the history of the textile industry in America. Stanley Woolen Mill is the centerpiece of the Central Woolen Mills District which is part of the National Historic Register.
The Benjamin Thayer House is a historic house at 200 Farm Street in Blackstone, Massachusetts. Built around 1790, it is the best-preserved property associated with the Thayer family, who were prominent landowners and one of the first Pilgrim families. Benjamin Thayer and his descendants lived and farmed here until about 1920, when the property, much reduced in size, was sold out of the family. The house and its surrounding 9 acres (3.6 ha) of surviving farmland was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
