Let’s hear it for some hometown pride! We asked you what your hometown was most known for, and your answers were very interesting. Well, you learn something new every day, and today we definitely learned a lot!
Who knew that the smiley face was invented in Worcester? or that there used to be a Disney theme park in our very own Wakefield? Massachusetts is even home to the first-ever Dunkin Donuts! We have much to be proud of in our home state.
Thank you for telling us all about your hometowns! Here is a list of the Massachusetts towns you chose to highlight and what makes them the most interesting.
Ashland
The modern electric alarm clock was invented in 1912 at the Warren Clock Company in Ashland.
Attleboro
Attleboro was once known as “The Jewelry Capitol of the World,” due to the numerous jewelry manufacturers doing business there in the early 1900’s.
Beverly
Beverly is the home of the first and largest cotton mill to be built in America in 1787.
Billerica
Known as the “Yankee Doodle Town.” In 1775, a Billerica man went into town to buy a gun, was caught by the British and tar and feathered. He was then paraded through Boston to the tune of “Yankee Doodle.”
Baseball Pitcher, Tommy Glavine, is also from here.
Posted by Billerica Massachusetts on Thursday, October 2, 2014
Brockton
Brockton is the home of Rocky Marciano, who held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler also lived in Brockton. He was an American professional boxer and film actor.
Rocky Marciano statue in Brockton!
Posted by Italia on Thursday, March 13, 2014Cambridge
Home to some of the best colleges in the country: Harvard & MIT, and is famous for the Charles Regatta. It is also home of the Fig Newton!
Carver
Now an amusement park in South Carver, The Edaville Railroad is one of the oldest heritage railroads in the United States. It runs through the cranberry fields and is open seasonally.
Canton
Paul Revere had his workshop here, and was commissioned to oversee a gunpowder mill here in 1776. Now the building is a museum!
Roger Sherman, who signed the Declaration of Independence, lived in Canton.
The new exhibit Revolutionary Ideas has a soft-opening today. Come and visit.
Posted by Paul Revere Heritage Site on Monday, November 15, 2021Charlestown
Home to one of Boston’s most famous landmarks, the Bunker Hill Monument. This was built at the site of the battle of Bunker Hill, one of the first major battles of the Revolutionary War.
Chelmsford
This is the birthplace of radio! Guglielmo Marconi opened the world’s first wireless factory here in 1899.
Town Meeting Warrant Articles Approved http://dlvr.it/6s6Zfk
Posted by Chelmsford Patch on Tuesday, September 9, 2014Clinton
Fuller field is considered the oldest baseball field that is still in use in the USA. It was first opened in 1878 and is still used now.
Danvers
Danvers was originally a part of Salem Village and is associated with the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
It is also known for having Danvers State Hospital, which was one of the state’s 19th-century psychiatric hospitals.
Dedham
The home of the oldest wooden frame structure in America, The Fairbanks House, built in 1637. They offer tours if you are interested in seeing it.
Dorchester
Dorchester is the city’s most densely populated area. It was home to the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory, which was the first factory to produce chocolate in the whole country. The factory has since been converted into a luxury apartment building.
Everett
Home to Teddie’s Peanut Butter, which was started in 1925 by Michael Hintlian. The company has stayed in the family and became the number one natural peanut better company in New England.
Fall River
Fall River is most well known for being the site of the unsolved double murder of Andrew and Abby Borden in 1892.
It is also home to Battleship Cove, a nonprofit maritime museum and war memorial. They have the world’s largest collection of World War II naval vessels and is home to the battleship USS Massachusetts.
Foxborough
Home to Gillette Stadium, Go Patriots!
Franklin
Home to the first and oldest public library in continuous existence in the United States. The library was gifted by Benjamin Franklin, who the town was named after.
Gardner
Gardner is known for its furniture production and is often called “chair city” or the “furniture capital of New England.” It was home to 12 chair companies, producing over a million chairs a year. Now, those furniture factories are no longer in business.
Hanover
Hanover is where the anchors of the USS Constitution were built, at the Curtis Anchor Forge.
Hanson
Ocean Spray was formed in 1930, by three cranberry growers. They created cranberry sauce and started making cranberry juice, and other cranberry products here. They later moved to a new building in Lakeville in 1989.
Haverhill
R.H. Macy found success with the Haverhill Cheap Store. He sponsored the first Macy’s Day Parade on July 4th, 1854, long before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade existed.
Haverhill is also home to Rob Zombie who is an American singer, filmmaker, and actor
One of the highlights of many Thanksgiving Day traditions is, of course, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on...
Posted by Buttonwoods Museum on Tuesday, November 23, 2021Hingham
Hingham was named after the town of Hingham in England. Abraham’s ancestors are from here.
There is a famous WWII shipyard here, where over 2500 women were hired to work while the men were away fighting. Records were broken, as 227 ships were built in a little over 3 years.
The Old Ship Church In Hingham was built by puritans in 1681 and is the only surviving 17th century Puritan meeting house in America.
Holyoke
Holyoke is known for being the birthplace of Volleyball. Invented by William Morgan in 1895 at the YMCA, they still have adult Volleyball leagues there.
Posted by Holyoke YMCA on Thursday, July 1, 2021
Hopkinton
Best known for being the starting point of the famous, Boston Marathon.
Hull
Hull is best known for its three-and-a-half-mile-long beach, Nantasket. It has a wonderful boardwalk, and great food/ shopping. It is a great place to spend summer with family.
Ipswich
Ipswich is known for its beautiful beaches and delicious seafood. From steamers to fried, the restaurants of Ipswich have the freshest clams.
Ipswich is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in Massachusetts, Crane’s Beach. On this stretch of land, you will also find the beautiful Castle Hill mansion on the Crane Estate.
Lakeville
Home to Ted Williams Baseball camp, where many famous baseball players trained as kids. The camp was opened in 1958 and closed in 1986.
Leominster
Known as “plastic city.” You know those pink, plastic flamingos you see on people’s lawns? Well, those were invented right here in Leominster by sculptor Don Featherstone. Soon they began appearing on lawns all over the US.
Leominster was also the birthplace of Johnny Appleseed, who planted Apple trees across America for us to enjoy.
Lowell
Lowell is best known for their mills and is known as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. It was mostly young women and children that worked in these textile mills, mostly working the loom.
It was also home to boxer Micky Ward, writer Jack Kerouac, and actress Bette Davis.
This week, the City of Lowell released a plan for the expenditure of $76 million received through the American Rescue...
Posted by City of Lowell, MA - Government on Tuesday, March 1, 2022Lynn
This is where the first American jet plane was made in 1942.
Lynn is also home to the Durkee-Mower Fluff Factory. Fluff was invented in 1917 in Somerville by Albert Query, but he was forced to sell during WWI. He sold his recipe to two local men, H. Allen Durkee and Fred L. Mower, where they opened the factory and began mass production.
Posted by Marshmallow Fluff on Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Malden
The Converse Rubber Company was founded in 1908 in Malden. Before they began manufacturing the famous Chuck Taylor All-Star, the company made everything from rubber tires to hunting boots.
Junior US senator, Ed Markey is from Malden and so is Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason novels.
Mansfield
Home of the Xfinity center, Mansfield is best known for this fun, outdoor concert venue.
Marblehead
Marblehead is referred to as the birthplace of the US Navy, though this title is sometimes disputed with neighboring town, Beverly. It is also where the Marine Corps Aviation was started. It used to be the fishing capital of Massachusetts.
Marlborough
Silly String has been illegal here since 1988. Anyone selling it or using it can face a fine as high as $200. The city banned its sale and use after excessive use during the city’s Labor Day parade.
Posted by Marlborough Patch on Monday, September 28, 2015
Medford
The popular Christmas song “Jingle Bells” is said to have been written here in Medford, though there has been a heated debate with Savannah, Georgia, that the song originated there.
Medford is known for the manufacturing of brick, tile, and rum.
It is also known for having several famous crimes throughout history, including one of the biggest bank robberies and jewel heists of all time.
Amelia Earhart, the first woman to ever fly a plane, lived in Medford in the 1920s with her mother and sister.
Milford
Milford discovered pink granite in the 1870s and it was used in the construction of many local buildings.
Natick
Natick is famous for its brogan (shoes), a heavy ankle-high boot worn by soldiers in the American Civil War.
Football quarterback, Doug Flutie, lived in Natick during his time with the Patriots
Posted by Doug Flutie on Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Oxford
Oxford is the birthplace of Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse during the civil war where she risked her life to bring medical supplies to soldiers and support soldier’s families.
In honor of Women's History Month, we're highlighting notable women in health care. Clara Barton (1821-1912) was the...
Posted by VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, March 1, 2022Peabody
In the early 1900’s Peabody was known as one of the largest leather producers in the world and was referred to as “Leather City.”
Peabody Town Hall
Posted by CSI: Peabody, Massachusetts on Friday, January 18, 2013Plymouth
Plymouth is our nations birthplace and often referred to as “America’s hometown.” The Mayflower Pilgrims came to Plymouth in 1620’s and began their settlement of New England. Plymouth rock is still there and is visited by many tourists.
Plympton
Plympton is known for being very small.
It is the birthplace of Deborah Sampson, who dressed up as a man so she could fight in the Revolutionary War!
Deborah Sampson, a woman from Massachusetts who became a soldier in the American Revolution and fought for 18 months. At...
Posted by Suppressed Histories Archives on Wednesday, November 30, 2016Princeton
Princeton is the home of the popular mountain Wachusett. People come from all over to ski, snowboard, and tube.
Quincy
Quincy is home to the first-ever Dunkin Donuts shop to open in 1950.
It is known as “the city of presidents,” and is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents—John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams. It is also the birthplace of John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress and the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was also the first governor of Massachusetts.
Revere
Revere is home to the first-ever public beach in the country. On its opening day in 1896, over 45,000 people showed up!
It is also where the popular restaurant, Kelly’s Roast beef, was founded over 60 years ago.
Rutland
Rutland is the geographical center of the state of Massachusetts! There is a tree that marks the center of Massachusetts called the Central Tree.
The Town Center Study Group has been working hard! They have just released a Town Center Study Strategic Plan. You can...
Posted by Town of Rutland on Monday, September 13, 2021Salem
Salem is most known for the Salem Witch trials and spooky downtown area. It is said to be one of the most haunted places in the entire country. Halloween season is a popular time to visit this local tourist town.
October opening hours at the 🎃🎃🎃SALEM WITCH MUSEUM https://salemwitchmuseum.com/october-hours/
Posted by Welcome to Salem Massachusetts on Saturday, October 6, 2018Somerville
Somerville is the birthplace of fluff, invented by Albert Query in 1917.
The Powder House is the oldest stone building in Massachusetts and held the largest supply of gunpowder in MA during Revolutionary War
Posted by Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours on Sunday, April 7, 2019
Somerville is also known for having many “squares.” Some of the most popular today are Davis Square, Union Square, Ball Square, Teele Square, and Magoun Square.
Southbridge
Southbridge is home to the nations oldest eyeglass company, American Optical Corporation, founded in 1869.
Stoughton
Stoughton is home to the oldest performing musical organization in the country. Organized in 1786, it was once called The Stoughton Musical Society, but is now called the Old Stoughton Musical Society.
It is also home to country music Grammy award winner, singer, and songwriter, Lori Mckenna.
Taunton
Taunton was nicknamed “Christmas City,” because of their spectacular display of Christmas lights every season. During the month of December, the town green is turned into a festival of sparkling lights and wonder!
Wakefield
Wakefield was the home of Disney amusement park, Pleasure Island before it was shut down, due to New England’s short summer seasons. The “Disney Land of the Northeast” was only in business from 1959 to 1969.
It is also known for it’s beautiful Lake Quannapowitt, where the old amusement park used to stand.
Walpole
Walpole is most known for its maximum-security prison, The Correctional Institution- Cedar Junction.
Waltham
Waltham has been called “watch city” because of its big contribution to the watch industry. In 1854 Waltham Watch Company was opened and was the first company to make watches using an assembly line. They produced over 35 million watches and clocks before it was closed down in 1957.
Wareham
They call themselves “the gateway to Cape Cod.” They also have a cranberry bog!
Wareham is home to the oldest nail manufacturer in the United States, The Tremont Nail Factory, established in 1819.
Also, actress Gina Davis is from here!
Westborough
Home to Eli Whitney, who invented the cotton gin in 1794.
Weymouth
Weymouth, Where our Alya Brown is from, is the second oldest town in Massachusetts.
Weymouth is the only town in the United States to have five recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams and mother to John Quincy Adams, is from here.
Introducing the collectible Weymouth 400 Holiday Ornament by our friends at Treasured Nest Designs! We’re now taking...
Posted by Weymouth 400 on Friday, December 3, 2021Whitman
Whitman was the birthplace of the chocolate chip cookie! They were invented right here in New England by Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn in the 1930s.
Whitman is also the birthplace of Steven Smith, the drummer from Journey
Wilmington
The Baldwin apple tree was discovered here on John Bell’s farm in 1740. The Baldwin apple tree is known for its vibrant red color and sweet taste. Civil engineer, Loammi Baldwin, propagated some seedlings on his land and introduced the apple to the rest of Massachusetts.
Winchendon
In the 1700’s Winchendon was known as a “wooden-ware town.” They had an abundant water supply and were able to power their woodworking tools with water. They had large factories where they manufactured shingles, tubs, clothespins, and other things. They became famous for their toy making, specifically their large wooden rocking horses. They then became known as “toy town.”
Woburn
Woburn is home to the oldest active gun club in the nation, The Massachusetts Rifle Association, also known as Walnut Hill. The MRA was founded in 1875 and has been active and in the same location since 1876.
Worcester
It is here in Worcester that Harvey Ball invented the smiley face in 1963. He was hired by an insurance company to create an image that would boost morale among employees. He ended up drawing a yellow smiley face with black eyes and a wide smile. Sadly, he never got a trademark for this and was only paid forty-five dollars for his work. Now it is seen all around the world.
Wrenthem
Best known for the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, this is one of the best towns to go shopping!
Helen Keller lived here with her teacher Anne from 1904 to 1917. She considers this time the happiest in her life! This is also where she met her husband, John Albert Macy.