The MetroWest Area

The Metrowest area lies halfway between Boston and Worcester, encircled as a hub by routes 128 and 495, and dissected by Route 20. Rich in colonial history, many landmarks still stand. The founding of The Massachusetts Bay Colony in Plymouth in 1620 by the Pilgrims started it all. Soon after, the ports of Boston and Salem were settled and grew. The next 16 years, settlers pressed into MetroWest and towns incorporated, approved by General Court. The Puritan religion bound them together, and settlements clustered around meeting house/churches divided into parishes. Original town boundaries were much bigger, but as settlements and communities developed, they would seek autonomy based on local houses of worship.

For more than a thousand years prior to the white man, the area was home to the Nipmuc Indians. The first white settlers were welcomed in 1638, sharing the land with these natives. This was the time of the first Thanksgiving, celebrating life in a bountiful land, not yet owned by man, but as a gift from God. But as time wore on and settlements flourished, the Indians were pushed further and further west, confused by the white man's need for boundaries and personal belongings. In the ensuing King Philip War, the Indian uprising named for King Philip, the inevitable clash of cultures became a dangerous reality, and warfare remained a threat to settlers for generations. Some of the local colonial architecture reflects this with secret escape routes and cellars built for hiding.

First settled in the MetroWest area was Sudbury, by petition with Watertown in 1637, "upon the river that runs by Concord" for much-needed hayland and pasturage for cattle in towns crowding Boston. It was the l9th town to be incorporated in Massachusetts in 1638, with 100 inhabitants and 300 cattle. The first meeting house was built in 1643, near the current town center of Wayland. In 1656, 13 Sudbury families moving west looking for more land to own, were granted a plantation called Whipsuppnicke (now Marlborough) to keep them from stealing from Indians. During the 18th century, due largely to its abundant hay fields, Sudbury be came one of the most populous towns in Middlesex County. Spring floods at the Sudbury River made it difficult for residents on the west side to reach services, town meetings and church, so in 1723, a western parish formed and a second meeting house was built in what is now Sudbury Center. In 1775, both towns sent Minutemen to the April 19 battle, alerted by Paul Revere in his famous midnight ride. 1780 found the settlements divided, called Sudbury and East Sudbury, each much larger than the original parcel granted.

"The Great Road" (Route 20) was built in 1790, linking Wayland (so named in 1835), Sudbury and Marlborough (a city in 1890) with the road to Albany which now stretches clear across the U.S. With the road came post riders and stagecoaches, the communication lines of our new country, bustling with growth.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts maintains a page of excellent links to further information on its Cities and Towns here.
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