Category Archives: Village History

An Antique Fourth

Posted on July 4, 2011 by

Watching the Fourth of July parade pass along Main Street in Bolton last year. This antique house along the parade route dates to within a few years of the founding of the country. It was built around 1780 by Joseph … Continue reading →

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June 24, 2013

Posted on June 24, 2011 by

Bolton, Massachusetts was incorporated as a town on June 24, 1738. That means that on June 24, 2013, or exactly 2 years from today, our town will be 275 years old. Sounds like a good excuse for a party to … Continue reading →

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Deborah Kellett

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

Deborah Sharon Kellett, long-time resident of Main Street in the center, died on April 29, 2011. She was born Sept. 22, 1944. For many years she was active in the Bolton Historical Society. She was also a member of the … Continue reading →

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The end of time—Part III (and last)

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

Many Bolton residents, going all the way back to 1795,  have climbed the steeple stairs each week to wind and tinker with the old town clock. Some of the more recent caretakers have signed the walls in the clock room— … Continue reading →

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The end of time-Part II

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

Intrigued by the town budget line item requesting $200 for “Clock Winding” (see Part I), I wanted to see the old town clock for myself, and Bob Johnson was kind enough to take me up into the steeple of the … Continue reading →

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The end of time—Part I

Posted on January 24, 2011 by

The Advisory Committee was not fooling around at their last meeting. It is town budget season, the most challenging budget season in years, and the good folks on the committee were chomping through funding requests like a combine working a … Continue reading →

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Street of stories

Posted on November 17, 2010 by

The old houses and buildings sit snug along the curving road: a 1741 Georgian, a 1750 Colonial, an 1810 Federal, an 1839 Greek Revival. In all, there are nearly 60 historically significant structures along the mile of Main Street between … Continue reading →

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Bolton and the Hurricane of 1938

Posted on September 6, 2010 by

With hurricanes on our minds these days, I thought it would be fun to take a brief look back at “The Great Hurricane of 1938.” The photos are presented courtesy of the Bolton Historical Society, our town’s wonderful, under-appreciated gem. … Continue reading →

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The realest people I have ever known

Posted on August 22, 2010 by

BOLTON, 1893 This extraordinary essay about Bolton in the 1890′s is excerpted from the book, The Locomotive-God, by William Ellery Leonard (1876-1944), published in 1927 by Century Company. Leonard was a poet, playwright, and scholar. He was the son of The Rev. … Continue reading →

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Not a way but a place

Posted on August 5, 2010 by

There is a day when the road neither comes nor goes, and the way is not a way but a place. —Wendell Berry

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