Boxborough, MA

Paths of the Patriots
We will certainly never identify all the paths the Patriots took. Below you will find some of the places that echo with their footprints. See Paths of Patriots for more information.
Note: Private residences are only to be viewed from a public way.

Venue	Description
Steele Farm public	This was a working farm from the mid 1700s to the late 1900s and was formerly known as the Wetherbee Farm. It includes the Wetherbee House, the Steele Barn and milk house, the Richardson Ice House, hayfields, cart paths, farm pond, evergreen grove, and much of the original apple orchard. It is owned and maintained by the town and volunteers. The house (which is not accessible to the public) was built in the 1700s, with the second story added in the 1800s.
Old Town Common public	This was part of the land donated by Silas Wetherbee for the town center. The Common itself is a small tringle at the corner of Hill Rd. and Middle Rd. It contains a grove of tall fir trees that were planted by a neighbor about 80 years ago.
Old Meeting House Site public	In 1775 farmers from parts of Harvard, Stow, and Littleton dismantled Harvard's old meeting house and moved it to the town center, where it served as the community's church until 1843. It was then bought by the town and it was used as the town hall, and library, until it burned to the ground in 1953. Within the foundation is the Colonial Herb Garden maintained by the Garden Club. Nearby are the remains of the meetinghouse bell, as well as a sun disk.
Lieut. Amos Pollard House	The Pollard family were farmers, but because this building was on the town common it served as the town's first store, with a meeting hall/dance hall, potash shop, and casket storage in winter prior to burials, as well as the family's barn.
Judah Wetherbee House	This was originally a one story house built after 1783 by Capt. Wetherbee. The chimney contains a small secret hiding room for protection from Indians.
George Peters House	In 1835 the town gave blacksmith George Peters the right to occupy part of the common. He built this late federal-era house, and later acquired the lot as well. Upstairs there is a removable ramp to the children's bedroom, which was raised up once the children were in bed. The garage is on the former site of a blacksmith's shop, horse sheds, and a storehouse, one of which may have been the town jail for a while. Another was later a cobbler shop that reportedly made boots for Union soldiers.
Joseph Willard House	This was the First Parish Parsonage for Rev. Joseph Willard, who served as pastor from 1785-1825 at the adjacent first parish church. The Priest family later owned it from 1843 to 1956, including the barn, which was struck by lightning and replaced in 1892.
Boxborough Museum public	This brick buiding contains many interesting Boxborough artifacts and is open on second Sundays from 2-4 pm.
We are grateful for the many volunteers who have supplied entries for the town pages. If you wish to volunteer additional information for your town, please contact the Freedom's Way office or mail@freedomsway.org

Priority Landscapes
Boxborough’s heritage landscape identification meetings were conducted in 2006 under the auspices of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation in partnership with Freedom’s Way Heritage Association. Town residents, some of whom represented town boards and local non-profits, attended the meetings. Based upon the information gathered by community members and the consultants to MDCR/FW, several priority landscapes were identified as highly valued and contributing to community character that needed to be permanently protected or preserved. There are undoubtedly other heritage landscapes that were not identified during this process. Future planning meetings might select other sites. This list includes priority landscapes selected in 2006.

Priority Landscapes

Boxborough’s heritage landscape identification meetings were conducted in 2006 under the auspices of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation in partnership with Freedom’s Way Heritage Association. Town residents, some of whom represented town boards and local non-profits, attended the meetings. Based upon the information gathered by community members and the consultants to MDCR/FW, several priority landscapes were identified as highly valued and contributing to community character that needed to be permanently protected or preserved. There are undoubtedly other heritage landscapes that were not identified during this process. Future planning meetings might select other sites. This list includes priority landscapes selected in 2006.

Landscape	Description
Hill Road Priority Landscape	This narrow, rural road leads past some of Boxborough's most scenic agricultural landscapes. The vista at the top of the hill on a clear winter day is stunning.
Hill Road: Levi Wetherbee Farm 48 Middle Road	Levi Wetherbee Farm, also known as the Steele Farm, includes barn, house, and land which extends southwesterly almost to Massachusetts Avenue. Town owned since 1994, it consists of 34 acres that are part of 100 acres of municipally owned land and adjacent to Brook Meadow conservation land.
Hill Road: Silas Wetherbee Farm 604 Hill Road ca.1770	Also known as Walnut Farm, this farm is part of the farm of Boxborough’s first settler, John Wetherbee, and is at the end of Wetherbee Lane off Hill Road. It has a colonial style house, shop and cow pass. In the late 20th century an attached chicken and apple barn was demolished. Farmers often constructed cow passes to move sheep and cows from pasture to pasture, under roads or to ponds for water. The cow pass is under Wetherbee Lane.
Hill Road: North Burying Ground Hill Road at Middle Road Ca. 1776	Also known as Hill Cemetery, and as Old North Cemetery, located at the old Town Common. Cemetery is an L-shaped parcel partially surrounded by a fieldstone wall with approximately 150 slate markers.
Hill Road: Old Town Center and Colonial Herb Garden Hill and Middle Roads	Also called the Old Town Common. Within the granite foundation site of the old town hall and library that burned to the ground in 1953 is the herb garden.
Hill Road: Sally Draper House 799 Hill Rd 1807	Former Schoolhouse prior to Schoolhouse #2. Converted to a residence for Sally Draper and moved to its present location close to the road.
Hill Road: Schoolhouse #2 339 Picnic St 1852	One-room schoolhouse with Italianate elaboration north of the Old Town Common. The owners open the schoolhouse yearly to hold an old fashioned school day for children to attend. The triangle in front of the school at Picnic Street and Hill Road was purchased for $25 when the school was built.
Flagg Hill Priority Landscape	Good views from the top of Flagg Hill, large pond at the bottom. 286 acres are in the Boxborough and Stow Flagg Hill Conservation area. Higher points on top of Windemere Lane. There is an old ski slope and country club that is now a private residence.
Flagg Hill: Silas Taylor Farm 205 Flagg Hill Road	1830 Greek Revival farmhouse and detached 19th century barn on the northwest side with stone walls.
Liberty Square: Joseph Raymond House Liberty Square at Sargent Road ca. 1760	This house is a wood frame Cape with a vista.
Liberty Square: Simon Blanchard House Opposite Sargent Road on Liberty Square Road 1789	House, barn with large foundation, and old foundation behind the barn.
Massachusetts Avenue Priority Landscape Route 111	A former toll road, Route 111 between Middle and Hill Roads has a fine tree canopy that residents cherish and refer to as “Cathedral of Trees.” This road was designated a public route in 1831, and became a numbered road in 1937.
Portions of the above text have been excerpted from the Boxborough Reconnaissance Report, part of the Freedom’s Way Landscape inventory of 22 Freedom’s Way communities. The full text can be downloaded at: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/histland/essex.htm See individual reports and maps by town name.
We are grateful for the many volunteers who have supplied entries for the town pages. If you wish to volunteer additional information for your town, please contact the Freedom's Way office or mail@freedomsway.org

Town of Boxborough