Harvard Town

Worcester County, Massachusetts

Harvard Town Hall is located at 13 Ayer Road, Harvard, MA 01451.
Phone: 978‑456‑4100.

Harvard as described in 1937 [1]

Harvard was settled about 1704 and incorporated in 1732. It was named in honor of John Harvard, first patron of Harvard University. It has always been an agricultural community, although at various times there have been industrial activities. In 1783 a group of townspeople opened a "silver mine" near Oak Hill, but the silver was non-existent. Horticulture is now the chief occupation, apples and peaches being grown in large quantities.

The Library, bordering the Common, is a 1-1/2 story red brick building with a brownstone foundation; in it is the private library started about 1793 by the Reverend William Emerson, father of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

1. Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for Massachusetts, Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People, American Guide Series, The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1937.

Nearby Towns: Lancaster Town •