Westminster: A Growing Community
To E-mail staff: (first initial)(last name)@westminster-ma.gov |
Welcome to
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Town Election Results
from Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Annual Town Meeting held May 3 is continued:
Reconvenes Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 1 p.m. to consider Articles 31 - 34 and 36 - 44 at the Westminster Elementary School (Please arrive 15 minutes early to register) - warrant
Forbush Memorial Library closed its doors on April 12.
This is to allow building repair work to proceed--slated to continue for several months. By mid-May, library services will open in temporary quarters at the former Simplex plant cafeteria, 100 Simplex Drive [check newspapers and this website for updates].
-- Note that your C/W MARS Library Card may be used for services at public libraries in other communities [in Massachusetts]. Also, library materials may be returned to other public libraries until the re-opening at Simplex. There is an amnesty on late fees/fines until that time.
Veterans’ Services Office is temporarily closed. Please contact Gardner Agent, Philip Buso at 978 630-4017 for assistance.
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Memorial Committee members needed
Recycle Now - FREE curbside pickup
Town Transfer Station [landfill] drop-off fees
Please Note: LANDFILL STICKERS EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2007 ARE VALID UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2008
Westminster landscape inventory
School District website
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Crocker Pond Beach and Recreation Area-- For Westminster residents only -- Attendance is free with a season's pass -- which is available at the Town Clerk Office during regular Town Hall hours The beach area is closed for the season until Memorial Day [fourth weekend in May 2008] Click here for rules and regulations _______________________________________ With a population of approximately 7700, Westminster is an attractive place to live with close-knit neighborhoods in country settings. Residents value the rural and historic character of their town. We anticipate welcoming more residents who are proud of Westminster's heritage and natural beauty, content with its prime location, and eager to participate in the social and governmental affairs of the town. |
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Westminster is in search of business and industry who are looking for a stable and thriving community in which to grow and become profitable. Undeveloped industrial land is available very close to Route 2, in business parks that feature all underground utilities including water, sewer, natural gas and electricity. Parcel acreage is negotiable, and large tracts are possible. One site abuts a rail line and offers potential rail freight service.
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Click on the graphic to the left to see a calendar of events scheduled at the Forbush Library |
North Central Region of Massachusetts
State Route 140 and Interstate 190 connect the region to Worcester. The Springfield Terminal Railway line parallels Route 2 and provides access to the network of intermodal facilities serving central and eastern Massachusetts.
Westminster is located along the Johnny Appleseed Trail on Route 2, running East-West:
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In geographic relation to other significant points, Westminster is
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6 miles west of the city of Fitchburg,
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A Bit of Interesting Historical Data
(Narrative below is based on information provided by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and the Westminster Community Guide 2001-2002)
"Why is this building famous?"
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Baker Alfred Wyman built this factory in 1842 to expand his already thriving cracker business. The Shepard and Dawley families took over the business as Dawley & Shepard, Inc., and it became a favorite spot until it closed in the 1970s. The building still stands at the corner of Main and South streets, and old timers remember the delicious smell of crackers wafting out over the street from the bakery, with "seconds" available for the taking from a barrel posted by the front door. |
The Town of Westminster is a suburban hill town which was originally the six-square mile Narragansett Township Number 2, granted to veterans and heirs of veterans of King Philip's War in 1728. The initial grants to settlers were of 60-acre parcels, and in the Colonial period the town fit the description of a poor agrarian community.
Formerly used by Indians for hunting and fishing, the town was actually founded in 1733, although the first permanent settlement of the town didn't take place until 1737. Westminster was incorporated as a town in 1759, but the community wasn't accepted as a town until 1770. The community had been garrisoned as an outpost in the French and Indian Wars during the 1740's.
Every homeowner was a farmer in those early days and some set up sawmills, grain mills and shops to provide other necessities.
By 1820, Westminster's diversity of religious affiliation was great enough to force the town to stop supporting a single minister with public taxes. There were Armenians, Unitarians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Methodists and Universalists in the town.
The community took a moderate position during Shays Rebellion, recommending release of the insurgents who had been captured but registering its opposition to the court system.
The "new" road to Fitchburg was built in 1835, and the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad reached town in 1848.
By 1900 East-West electric streetcar service was established from Fitchburg to Gardner through Westminster center.
Local Industry
Early on, Westminster became a bustling industrial community with chair manufacturing the chief occupation, in addition to paper and textile mills and brickmaking. When the railroad constructed their tracks only in the northern part of town, most businesses needing access moved to Gardner or Fitchburg leaving the town without major industry and enabling the center of Westminster to remain much as it was at the turn of the century, and thus to maintain its quaint New England country charm and flavor.
In the early 20th century, townspeople made chairs and manufactured paper while an unusually large influx of Finnish immigrants took over the old farms in town and settled into an agricultural lifestyle.
Today's industries are diverse -- from small family owned businesses to large corporations.
Recent Growth
Suburban development of the town on attractive lakeside sites and in sections of town with views of Wachusett Mountain has been a key focus of Westminster's modern day growth.
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Our town seal pictures |
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