Milford, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia : M : MI : MIL : Milford, Massachusetts
Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,799 at the 2000 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Milford, please see the article Milford (CDP), Massachusetts.
Sports and arts are both an integral part of the community fabric. Milford has a reputation for developing excellent musicians and athletes. Political awareness is encouraged early, and as a result, many Milford residents have embraced careers in public service, both at the local and the state level.
Milford has been growing at a fast rate since the introduction of Interstate 495 decades ago. Since then, major retailers have opened in town including Kohl's Department Stores, Target, Lowe's Home Improvement, Sports Authority and plans are under way for other retail outlets including Best Buy, Staples, and Bed Bath & Beyond.
Milford also proudly acknowledges native son Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who pioneered in the area of organ transplants. In 1990, Dr. Murray was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine.
Howie Long, NFL Hall of Famer (Milford High class of 1977) is from Milford.
Emmy-nominated TV & film producer Paul Coyne (Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, Invasion Iowa, American Inventor, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green) is from Milford. Coyne is a 1982 graduate of Milford High School.
Jazz alto saxophone player Boots Mussulli was from Milford. Mussulli played with many jazz greats, including Stan Kenton.
Malcolm in the Middle and The Cider House Rules actor Erik Per Sullivan was born in nearby Worcester and raised in Milford.
Milford is known the world over for its pink granite, discovered in the 1870's and quarried for many years thereafter. Milford pink granite continues to grace the exteriors of museums, government buildings, monuments and railroad stations in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and Paris, France.
Milford's St. Mary's Cemetery, one of the oldest Catholic cemeteries in Massachusetts, is home to the only Irish Round Tower in the United States. The original towers were erected by monks in Ireland as a safe haven to ward off invaders.
Visitors and residents enjoy such annual events as the Portuguese Picnic, the Firefighters' Family Day, summer band concerts, the Welcome Santa parade and many, many others.
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History
Milford was first settled in 1662 and was officially incorporated in 1780.December 31, 1741 - Incorporation of the Easterly Precinct or "Mill River".
April 11, 1780 - Easterly precinct of Mendon incorporated into separate town by the name of Milford.
1782 - Decorative painter, portraitist, and decorator John Ritto Penniman is born. His works currently are displayed at galleries such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and The Art Institute of Chicago. Penniman died in 1841.
1790 - Census data lists Milford with 838 people.
March 6, 1818 - William Claflin born; will be the Governor of Massachusetts from 1869 - 1872.
1848 - First railroad
1855 - Telegraph office opens in the mansion house.
1856 - A colony from Milford settle in a location just north of Cherokee, Iowa. One year later they are attacked by Sioux in what became known as the Spirit Lake Massacre, killing several residents and causing others to flee.
1858 - Library established.
April 7, 1880 - Telephone service installed.
1882 - Adin Ballou, a leading pacifist and abolitionist, and founder of Milford's utopian Hopedale Community (1841-1856), publishes History of Milford, which chronicles the town's first century.
January 16, 1882 - Milford Water Company established.
November 11, 1885 - Lighting by electricity for the first time.
April 3, 1886 - Senate passes bill separating Hopedale from Milford. The community was founded by pacifist Adin Ballou.
September 10, 1894 - High School reports 151 students enrolled.
September 1, 1896 - Electric street cars make their first run to Hopedale.
March 15, 1900 - Milford High School destroyed by fire.
1900 - Population of the town is 11,376.
May 2, 1902 - H. M. Curtiss is the first Milford resident to own and operate an automobile on Milford roads.
December 2, 1902 - Booker T. Washington gives an address to the Woman's club.
July 24, 1903 - Milford Hospital presented to the town.
February 7, 1905 - Robert E. Peary, discoverer of the North Pole, lectures here.
August 8, 1907 - The price of milk goes from six to seven cents per quart.
January 6, 1912 - The average weekly wage for a Milford worker is $10.09.
October 28, 1913 - John Philip Sousa and his band gives a concert in the Milford Opera House.
September 28, 1918 - The Board of Health sets up an emergency hospital to deal with the Influenza epidemic. By November, 90 people have died.
September, 1920 - 156 Milford Women vote for the first time and Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses 600 people in Lincoln Square.
November 25, 1922 - One ton of hard coal sells for $15.
April 29, 1923 - Rudolph Valentino performs here.
June 20-22, 1930 - Milford celebrates its sesquicentennial with a parade and fireworks.
September 21, 1938 - A powerful hurricane washes out roads and blocks the railroad, paralyzing the town.
October 1946 - Welcome home celebration for WWII veterans.
June 1952 - Tornado hits Worcester County. Fino Field becomes a lake and much of Milford is flooded. Water Street lives up to its name, turning into a river.
February 1962 - Proposal for the construction of Route 495 through Milford is presented.
April 25, 1971 - Ground broken for the new Milford High School.
1976 - Milford, along with the rest of the country, celebrated the United States Bicentennial. Among the local events were attempts at world records for the largest birthday cake (baked by Sabatino's Bakery) and the largest antipasto, which covered several tables in the town hall. A large contingent of Milford children, dressed in knickers and tricorne hats, and known as the Milford Youthe Militia, marched in several state parades throughout the year.
February 7, 1978 - Blizzard brings 80 MPH winds and 27 inches of snow causing a state of emergency and closing area businesses for days. The roof of a large Milford supermarket collapses under the weight of the snow, though there were no injuries. The collapse will be memorialized in a TV report and book article by CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt.
January 1, 1980 - Bi-centenial celebrate with the ringing of fire alarms and church bells.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.5 km² (14.9 mi²). 37.8 km² (14.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.82%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 26,799 people, 10,420 households, and 7,200 families residing in the town. The population density was 708.7/km² (1,835.6/mi²). There were 10,713 housing units at an average density of 283.3/km² (733.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.95% White, 1.35% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.76% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.99% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.36% of the population.There were 10,420 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,856, and the median income for a family was $61,029. Males had a median income of $42,173 versus $30,989 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,742. About 5.8% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
External links
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