Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026 – Reed Homestead We had a great event learning about indigenous land stewardship and helping out around Harbor Pond with the Indigenous Landscape Initiative and Conor Hawk Cubit, a biologist from the Odanak First Nation, and Squannacook Greenways.
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Snippets from the Vault – Bartering
By Sharon Lacasse Fabrics produced in the household, from animals and plants, clothed the great majority of Americans. The ladies of the household were responsible for producing the material and then constructing the cloths. Women became an economic asset by bartering clothing and cheese to supplement the needs of the family. There was only a…
The Reed Family: Third Generation
Harriet Caroline Reed Strout (1861 – 1943) Did you miss the earlier generations of the Reed family? Check out the posts about the first generation and the second generation. It was James Oliver Reed’s daughter, Harriet, who brought the Reed House back to life. Harriet married George Strout, an architect, in 1883 at age 22.…
Deluxe donates historic house to Townsend Historical Society
Key points: The Townsend Historical Society wants to extend its sincere thanks to the Deluxe Corporation for their donation of 16 South Street in Townsend to us. This house was built in 1750, and was the home of many of the Townsend residents who made the Townsend Harbor area one of the main economic centers…
The Reed Family: The 2nd Generation
Oliver and Letty’s 5 Children If you missed the post on the first generation, click here. 1. James Wilson Read 1814-1815 James Wilson, named after his maternal grandfather was born on 16 Nov 1814 and died as an infant on 19 Sept 1815 at age 10 months. The baby rests in Hillside Cemetery, Section 3.…
Townsend Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday!
June 20, 2026 Townsend has always been a community that honors its past while looking toward the future, and we certainly showed it on June 10, 2026! We recreated the town meeting of June 20, 1776, where Townsend voted to support our country’s independence, in the original building where that town meeting occurred. We had…
THS 2026 Scholarships Awarded
Congratulations to the two high school seniors who received $600 scholarships from the Townsend Historical Society. Pictured with Chris and Eileen Barnacoat from THS are Alanah McMahon from Nashoba Tech, and Sophie Pofcher from North Middlesex.
Third grade THS classroom – May 2026
Thanks to all the third graders who had fun and learned a lot at the Townsend Historical Society Thursday and Friday! (And thanks to our time-traveling volunteers for all their work).
Road Trip 1927 – 18,000 miles in a Model T
On Sunday May 3rd 2026 in Memorial Hall, Bob Arnold gave a presentation called “RoadTrip-18,000 miles in a Model T Ford”. It was about his grandparents’ road trip around the U.S. in a Model T in 1927. This event was sponsored by the Yankee Ingenui” T” s Model T Club of Townsend, MA and the…
The History of Sheep in Townsend
Written by Rob Morin Inspired by the THS photograph “Boynton Sheep” Over the past few weeks I’ve focused with my facebook posts on the Sawmill, Gristmill, Cooperage, Tanneries, and the resultant commercial improvements such as trains, churches, commercial buildings, bridges, roads, etc. Prior to Townsend becoming the Cooperage Capital of New England, we had 40…