Acton, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Acton is a suburban town
in Middlesex County
, Massachusetts
, United States
about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2
west of Concord
and about ten miles (18 km) southwest of Lowell
. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Westford
and Littleton
to the north, Concord
and Carlisle
to the east, Stow
and Maynard
to the south, and Boxborough
to the west. Acton became an incorporated town in 1735. The town employs the Open Town Meeting
form of government with a Town Manager and an elected, 5-member Board of Selectmen. Acton was named the 16th Best Place To Live among small towns in the country by Money Magazine
in 2009 and in 2011. The local high school, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
, was named a Blue Ribbon School
by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009.
, the town has a total area of 20.3 square miles (52.6 km²), of which 20 square miles (51.8 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), or 1.53 percent, is water. Almost all of Acton is forested, except for where it has been cleared for residential or agricultural use. Some forested areas have been put aside for special use by corporations.
The current geography of Acton was created when the last wave of glacier
s retreated approximately ten thousand years ago. Acton has nine drumlin
s — hills which are composed of glacial till. In addition, Wills Hole and Grassy Pond are kettle ponds which were formed in depressions in the till formed by large blocks of ice.
Acton has two primary stream systems: the Nashoba Brook system including the incoming streams Butter Brook, Will's Hole Brook and Conant Brook and the Fort Pond Brook system including the incoming streams Guggins Brook, Inch Brook, Grassy Pond Brook, Pratt's Brook and Coles Brook. Both stream systems empty into the Assabet River
, which passes briefly through the town at its southern corner. Nagog Pond in the north, forms Acton's border with the Town of Littleton and provides drinking water to the Town of Concord. A small artificial pond is at NARA Park in North Acton.
The current Master Plan for the town encourages development in the village centers in an attempt to prevent further sprawl
and preserve open space in the rest of the town.
of 2000, there were 20,331 people, 7,495 households, and 5,540 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,018.1 per square mile (393.1/km²). There were 7,680 housing units at an average density of 384.6 per square mile (148.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.4% White, 8.6% Asian, 0.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, >1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races
, and 1.5% from two or more races.
Of the 7,495 households, 43.1% had children under the age of eighteen living with them, 65.1% were married couples
living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19.
The age distribution of the population was 29.5% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age eighteen and over, there were 94.2 males.
For those age 25 years or older in Acton during the 2000 census, 97.8% had a high school degree or higher, 69.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher, and 33.9% had a graduate degree or higher. Also, 98.0% were employed with a mean commute time of 31.0 minutes.
The median income for a household in the town is $125,532, and the median income for a family is $143,352. Males had a median income of $89,371 versus $48,113 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $53,153. About 1.7% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
, and the United States
.
Acton was first settled by Native Americans
who used the Assabet, Sudbury
and Concord
rivers for transportation and the fields for farming seasonal crops. There is evidence of Native American settlements in Acton which go back 7000 years. When the colonists arrived in this area, the Native American population dropped dramatically due to European diseases for which they had no immunity
.
was the first colonial town that was settled in this area. Concord residents used the land which is now Acton as grazing
fields for their animals. The first colonial residents moved to Acton in 1639.
Acton was established as an independent town on July 3, 1735. Acton has held annual town meeting
s since 1735, the records of which are held at Acton's Memorial Library.
Acton residents participated in the growing hostility with Great Britain
by sending a list of grievances to King George III
on Oct. 3rd, 1774. The anniversary of this day is celebrated in Acton as Crown Resistance Day.
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War
, on April 19, 1775, a company of minutemen from Acton responded to the call to arms initiated by Paul Revere
(who rode with other riders, William Dawes
and Samuel Prescott
, with Prescott the only one of the three who was able reach Acton itself) and fought at the North Bridge
in Concord as part of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The Acton minutemen were led by Captain Isaac Davis. When a company was needed to lead the advance on the bridge which was defended by the British regulars, Captain Davis was heard to reply, "I haven't a man who is afraid to go." The Acton men led because, unlike other militias there, they were fully equipped with bayonet
s.
The colonists advanced on the bridge; in the exchange of musket
fire that followed, Captain Isaac Davis and Private Abner Hosmer of Acton were killed. Davis was the first officer to die in the American Revolutionary War. In Acton they refer to "the battle of Lexington, fought in Concord, by men of Acton."
Each year on Patriots' Day
(traditionally April 19; since 1969, observed on the 3rd Monday in April as part of a 3-day Patriots' Day weekend), the Acton Minutemen lead a march from Acton Center to the Old North Bridge in Concord. This route is known as 'The Isaac Davis Trail' and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Since 1957, Acton's Troop 1 http://troop1acton.org of the Boy Scouts of America
have organized an annual march along the Isaac Davis line of march, and since 1976 the "Scouters of the Isaac Davis Trail" have organized the annual Isaac Davis Camporee http://troop1acton.org/idc/.
. By the mid-19th century, Acton was an industrial center for the production of barrel
s (cooperage). There were also three gristmill
s and four sawmill
s in town.
On October 1, 1844 the railroad came to Acton. The Fitchburg Railroad
was routed through South and West Acton so that it could serve the mills. South Acton became a busy rail center and was the division point for the Marlborough Branch Railroad. With the railroad came increasing development in those areas. In addition to the Fitchburg Railroad, two others crossed the town: the Nashua and Acton, and the Framingham and Lowell. These two railroads shared a double track
right-of-way that ran from West Concord
(aka Concord Junction) through East Acton and then splitting in North Acton in the vicinity of Route 27 and Ledgerock Way.
In 1874, the population of the town was almost 1700. The town established its first newspaper, The Acton Patriot, and the residents of West Acton formed the first library, The Citizen's Library. In 1890, the Memorial Library was completed and given to the town by William A. Wilde as a memorial to the Acton soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
established a manufacturing facility in South Acton to produce concrete additives, organic chemicals and other industrial materials. W. R. Grace disposed of industrial waste from this facility in unlined impoundments (lagoons
) through 1980.
The main areas that contained high levels of arsenic and manganese were Sinking Pond located on the Southeast border of the W. R.
Grace property and the North Lagoon Wetland on the Northeast border. Prior to 1980, there were other lagoons and an on-site
industrial landfill present where effluent waste flowed into or solid waste was buried.
Complaints from locals around the site in Acton and Concord were filed concerning strange odors and irritants in the air. Since
the dumping had been occurring for so long, residents in Acton and Concord could have been exposed to airbore, water, and
soil contamination for over 27 years. The W.R. Grace area was also located less than a mile from another Superfund investigation
at the Starmet plant which used depleted uranium to create anti-tank weapons for the U.S. army.
The complaints eventually led to water samples taken from the Assabet 1 and 2 wells finding the amount of VOC contamination was
far too high. In 1978 vinylidene chloride and other industrial contaminants were detected in two of the town wells, Assabet 1 and Assabet 2, which were closed. In 1983 the Acton W. R. Grace site was placed on the list of United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund
sites as a National Priority for cleanup.
The wells were put back online for a few months at time from 1983-1984 using carbon filtration and airstripping. The carbon
was halted, but an airstripper is still used to remove VOCs. The water from these wells currently meets or exceeds the requirements
of the Safe Drinking Water Act (AWD).
In August, 2006, W. R. Grace and the EPA reached agreement on a scope-of-work pact that describes the work necessary to clean up the site.
As of 2011, the EPA has started excavating sediments from Sinking Pond containing arsenic and manganese which will dewatered then
transported to a disposal facility. The areas will be sampled to ensure safe levels of contaminants then re-vegetated to restore
then wetlands properly. Precautions such as air quality monitoring during excavation and removing dust from the vehicles before
leaving the site will be taken to ensure locals are not exposed.
form of town government. The town charter specifies that the annual town meeting must begin on the first Monday in April. The selectmen may also call a special town meeting at other times of the year to consider other business. Citizens may force a special town meeting by submitting a petition signed by 200 registered voters to the town clerk. Anyone may attend Town Meeting but only registered voters may vote. Acton also has a water district, which is run separately from town government, as a public utility.
Acton's elected officials include the following: the board of selectmen
(5 members), the town moderator, the Acton public school committee (6 members), the Acton representatives to the Acton / Boxborough regional school committee (6 members). In addition, the town moderator appoints a finance committee (9 members) which issues an opinion on each of the warrant articles presented to Town Meeting. In addition, a separate and independent branch of government, the Acton Water District, was established in 1912 and consists of three Commissioners, a Moderator, a Secretary, an appointed District Attorney, Finance Committee, Land-Water Use Advisory Committee, and paid professional staff.
The town services are primarily funded through the residential property tax, which is subject to the limitations imposed by State "Proposition 2½." The Water District is funded through water rates, connection fees and property rental. The Water District revenues, however, are not subject to State "Proposition 2½."
highways.
In 2005 a new Public Safety Building was built that expanded space for the Police Department and provided for a Joint Dispatch area with the Fire Department.
located within the town of Acton. The District's system consists of 106 miles (171 km) of water main, four storage tanks, and water treatment facilities including aeration, activated granulated carbon (GAC), an advanced Zenon(R) filtration facility, plus fluoridation and state mandated chlorination.
s). Higher density developments such as condominiums and apartment buildings (approximately 10% of the town) use private sewers which go to small-scale private treatment plants.
In 2001, Acton completed its first public sewer system, which serves approximately 10% of the town, primarily in South Acton. A betterment fee is charged to property owners whose property is sited proximate to the sewage lines, whether or not they connect to the system.
These town conservation areas, and some smaller ones, are described and mapped in a website maintained by the town's volunteer Land Stewardship Committee.
In 1953, new schools were constructed to accommodate the growth in the student population. In 1957, Acton and Boxborough
created a regional school district for grades 7-12. The Merriam School was constructed in 1958. Other schools quickly followed: Douglas (1966), Gates (1968), and Conant (1971). In 1967 a building was constructed for the junior high. In 1973 a huge addition was added to this building and it became the high school; the junior high moved to the old high school building.
Acton has an unusual method of assigning students to elementary schools, called "Open Enrollment." First-time incoming kindergarten parents participate in a lottery-based selection process where the parents "choose" the school by listing their preferences in ranked order.
This method of school choice has a large impact on the nature of the town. Acton is less oriented around neighborhoods than towns which have neighborhood based schools. Other child-oriented activities such as town sport teams are also not organized around the school system. As a result, students and families are likely to have social connections that are independent of their neighborhood.
While the curriculum in the district is fairly standardized, each of the elementary schools has a different teaching philosophy. The schools and their philosophy of education are:
for grades 9 through 12. The regional district serves students from the towns of Acton and Boxborough
. In addition, some students are accepted from neighboring towns as 'choice' students if the school committee decides this is in the best interest of the district. Both the junior high and high school were enlarged and renovated in 2000–2005. They have multiple on-campus shops: the Junior High School Store, the High School Store, and the cafeterias.
: the Acton Memorial Library and the West Acton Citizens' Library (The Secret Library).
The Acton Memorial Library was given to the town of Acton by William Allan Wilde as a memorial to its Civil War
veterans in 1890. The building was expanded in 1967, and a second major expansion was completed in 1999.
There are also libraries in each of the elementary schools, the Junior High, and the High School.
The Acton Historical Society owns the Jenks Library which contains historical maps, documents, photographs and drawings.
and ten miles (16 km) from I-95
/Route 128
. Routes 2
, 2A
, 27
, 62
, 111
, and 119
run through town.
The MBTA Commuter Rail
Fitchburg Line
train stops at the South Acton station
. South Acton is a major station on the line at which many trains terminate. Besides the urban stops at Cambridge (Porter Square)
and Boston (North Station Terminal), it is the only station on the line at which all trains stop. The MBTA Fitchburg Line provides service to Fitchburg
, Leominster
, Shirley
, Ayer
, Littleton
, Concord
, Lincoln
, Weston
, Waltham
, Belmont
, Cambridge
, and Boston.
Yankee Lines provides a commuter bus service to Copley Square
in Boston from the intersection of Route 2A
and 119 in Acton.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2
Route 2 (Massachusetts)
Route 2 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts, parts of which are sometimes known as the Cambridge and Concord Turnpike. Along with Route 9 and U.S. Route 20 to the south, these highways are the main alternatives to the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 toll highway...
west of Concord
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
and about ten miles (18 km) southwest of Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Westford
Westford, Massachusetts
Westford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,951 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally a part of neighboring Chelmsford, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23,...
and Littleton
Littleton, Massachusetts
Littleton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,924 at the 2010 census....
to the north, Concord
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
and Carlisle
Carlisle, Massachusetts
Carlisle is an affluent, rural town northwest of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the town is 4,852.-History:...
to the east, Stow
Stow, Massachusetts
Stow is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,590 at the 2010 census.- History :Stow was first settled c. 1660 by Matthew Boon and John Kettell...
and Maynard
Maynard, Massachusetts
Maynard is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 10,106.- History :Maynard, located on the Assabet River, was incorporated as an independent municipality in 1871. Prior to that it was known as 'Assabet Village' but was legally...
to the south, and Boxborough
Boxborough, Massachusetts
Boxborough is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,996 at the 2010 census. The town name is often spelled "Boxboro" on highway signs and official documents, but the correct spelling is, in fact, Boxborough....
to the west. Acton became an incorporated town in 1735. The town employs the Open Town Meeting
Open town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
form of government with a Town Manager and an elected, 5-member Board of Selectmen. Acton was named the 16th Best Place To Live among small towns in the country by Money Magazine
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
in 2009 and in 2011. The local high school, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School is an open enrollment high school in Acton, Massachusetts. It serves the Massachusetts towns of Acton and Boxborough, with roughly 500 students per grade level in grades 9 through 12. ABRHS has consistently ranked among the top secondary schools in Massachusetts...
, was named a Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009.
Geography
Acton is located at 42°29′N 71°27′W. According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 20.3 square miles (52.6 km²), of which 20 square miles (51.8 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), or 1.53 percent, is water. Almost all of Acton is forested, except for where it has been cleared for residential or agricultural use. Some forested areas have been put aside for special use by corporations.
The current geography of Acton was created when the last wave of glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s retreated approximately ten thousand years ago. Acton has nine drumlin
Drumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...
s — hills which are composed of glacial till. In addition, Wills Hole and Grassy Pond are kettle ponds which were formed in depressions in the till formed by large blocks of ice.
Acton has two primary stream systems: the Nashoba Brook system including the incoming streams Butter Brook, Will's Hole Brook and Conant Brook and the Fort Pond Brook system including the incoming streams Guggins Brook, Inch Brook, Grassy Pond Brook, Pratt's Brook and Coles Brook. Both stream systems empty into the Assabet River
Assabet River
The Assabet River is a small river about west of Boston, Massachusetts. The river is long. The , headquartered in West Concord, Massachusetts, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and enhancement of the natural and recreational features of the Assabet River and...
, which passes briefly through the town at its southern corner. Nagog Pond in the north, forms Acton's border with the Town of Littleton and provides drinking water to the Town of Concord. A small artificial pond is at NARA Park in North Acton.
The five village centers
While Acton Center has been the civic center of the town since the revolution, the four other villages centers earned their nomenclature from the names of their corresponding railroad station.- Acton Center is the civic center of the town and is the site of the town hall, the main public libraryPublic libraryA public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, a children's playgroundPlaygroundA playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
, an obeliskObeliskAn obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
monument commemorating Acton deaths in "the Concord FightBattles of Lexington and ConcordThe Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
" of the Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, a fire station, a Congregational churchCongregational churchCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, a 64 acres (258,999 m²) arboretumArboretumAn arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
and conservation areaConservation areaA conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
, and the former post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. The modern post office and the police stationPolice stationA police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
are each located about one-half mile away in opposite directions along Main Street. Otherwise, Acton Center is generally a residential area. - West Acton is an important commercial area of town, consisting of several commercial developments centered along Route 111. It developed in response to the growth of the Fitchburg RailroadFitchburg RailroadThe Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
in the 19th century. The West Acton Station was located on land now occupied by New London Pizza. - South Acton used to be the most industrializedIndustryIndustry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
area of the town of Acton. In the 18th century, this area held many mills and other small industrial developments that used water powerHydropowerHydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
generated by Fort Pond Brook. The area includes the Faulkner Homestead ('Faulkner HouseFaulkner HouseThe Faulkner House is the oldest pre-Revolutionary era structure still standing in Acton, Massachusetts. The Faulkner House was purchased in 1964 by 'Iron Work Farm in Acton, Inc.', a Massachusetts non-profit corporation with a charter "to acquire and preserve the tangible landmarks of the area...
'), the oldest home still standing in Acton. The Faulkner Homestead was owned by the Faulkner family who also owned and ran a mill across the street. Jones TavernJones TavernJones Tavern is a historic tavern at 128 Main Street in Acton, Massachusetts. The building was purchased in 1964 by 'Iron Work Farm in Acton, Inc.', a Massachusetts non-profit corporation with a charter "to acquire and preserve the tangible landmarks of the area historically known as Iron Work...
is another still-standing revolutionary-era structure in South Acton that is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The South Acton (MBTA station)South Acton (MBTA station)South Acton is a station on the MBTA Fitchburg Line in Acton, Massachusetts. The station is owned by the Town of Acton and is located at 10 Central Street near Massachusetts Route 27. It is the busiest station on the Fitchburg line, accounting for roughly 873 weekday passenger boardings,...
is the only rail station on the Fitchburg line still active in Acton. - East Acton was originally a small commercial area that grew up around the East Acton train station in the 19th century. With the advent of the automobile, and the demise of this branch of the railroad, East Acton became a largely residential area with a commercial base that is disposed along the Route 2A corridor.
- North Acton has had major growth in the period since 1975-80. With the growth of the Rte 2A/119 corridor, North Acton has developed many commercial complexes and condominiumCondominiumA condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
buildings. The North Acton Recreation Area (also called NARA Park) contains a small swimming pond, an open air auditorium, playing fields, and hiking trails.
The current Master Plan for the town encourages development in the village centers in an attempt to prevent further sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
and preserve open space in the rest of the town.
Demographics
According to the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 20,331 people, 7,495 households, and 5,540 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,018.1 per square mile (393.1/km²). There were 7,680 housing units at an average density of 384.6 per square mile (148.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.4% White, 8.6% Asian, 0.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, >1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.5% from two or more races.
Of the 7,495 households, 43.1% had children under the age of eighteen living with them, 65.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19.
The age distribution of the population was 29.5% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age eighteen and over, there were 94.2 males.
For those age 25 years or older in Acton during the 2000 census, 97.8% had a high school degree or higher, 69.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher, and 33.9% had a graduate degree or higher. Also, 98.0% were employed with a mean commute time of 31.0 minutes.
The median income for a household in the town is $125,532, and the median income for a family is $143,352. Males had a median income of $89,371 versus $48,113 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $53,153. About 1.7% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Acton's history reflects the history of Massachusetts, New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Acton was first settled by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who used the Assabet, Sudbury
Sudbury River
The Sudbury River is a tributary of the Concord River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States.Originating in the Cedar Swamp in Westborough, Massachusetts, near the boundary with Hopkinton, it meanders generally northeast to its confluence with the Assabet River at Egg Rock in...
and Concord
Concord River
The Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
rivers for transportation and the fields for farming seasonal crops. There is evidence of Native American settlements in Acton which go back 7000 years. When the colonists arrived in this area, the Native American population dropped dramatically due to European diseases for which they had no immunity
Immunity (medical)
Immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
.
Colonization Era through Revolutionary Era
ConcordConcord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
was the first colonial town that was settled in this area. Concord residents used the land which is now Acton as grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
fields for their animals. The first colonial residents moved to Acton in 1639.
Acton was established as an independent town on July 3, 1735. Acton has held annual town meeting
Town meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
s since 1735, the records of which are held at Acton's Memorial Library.
Acton residents participated in the growing hostility with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
by sending a list of grievances to King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
on Oct. 3rd, 1774. The anniversary of this day is celebrated in Acton as Crown Resistance Day.
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, on April 19, 1775, a company of minutemen from Acton responded to the call to arms initiated by Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
(who rode with other riders, William Dawes
William Dawes
William Dawes, Jr. was one of several men and a woman who alerted colonial minutemen of the approach of British army troops prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the outset of the American Revolution....
and Samuel Prescott
Samuel Prescott
Samuel Prescott was a Massachusetts Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. He is best remembered for his role in the "midnight ride" to warn the townspeople of Concord of the impending British army move to capture military stores kept there at the beginning of the American Revolution...
, with Prescott the only one of the three who was able reach Acton itself) and fought at the North Bridge
Old North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts
The North Bridge, often colloquially called the Old North Bridge, across the Concord River in Concord, Massachusetts, is a historical site in the Battle of Concord, the first day of battle in the Revolutionary War....
in Concord as part of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The Acton minutemen were led by Captain Isaac Davis. When a company was needed to lead the advance on the bridge which was defended by the British regulars, Captain Davis was heard to reply, "I haven't a man who is afraid to go." The Acton men led because, unlike other militias there, they were fully equipped with bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s.
The colonists advanced on the bridge; in the exchange of musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
fire that followed, Captain Isaac Davis and Private Abner Hosmer of Acton were killed. Davis was the first officer to die in the American Revolutionary War. In Acton they refer to "the battle of Lexington, fought in Concord, by men of Acton."
Each year on Patriots' Day
Patriots' Day
Patriots' Day is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War...
(traditionally April 19; since 1969, observed on the 3rd Monday in April as part of a 3-day Patriots' Day weekend), the Acton Minutemen lead a march from Acton Center to the Old North Bridge in Concord. This route is known as 'The Isaac Davis Trail' and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Since 1957, Acton's Troop 1 http://troop1acton.org of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
have organized an annual march along the Isaac Davis line of march, and since 1976 the "Scouters of the Isaac Davis Trail" have organized the annual Isaac Davis Camporee http://troop1acton.org/idc/.
Industrialization and Civil War
During the 19th century, Acton participated in the growing Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. By the mid-19th century, Acton was an industrial center for the production of barrel
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
s (cooperage). There were also three gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s and four sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s in town.
On October 1, 1844 the railroad came to Acton. The Fitchburg Railroad
Fitchburg Railroad
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
was routed through South and West Acton so that it could serve the mills. South Acton became a busy rail center and was the division point for the Marlborough Branch Railroad. With the railroad came increasing development in those areas. In addition to the Fitchburg Railroad, two others crossed the town: the Nashua and Acton, and the Framingham and Lowell. These two railroads shared a double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
right-of-way that ran from West Concord
West Concord, Massachusetts
West Concord is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Concord in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,632 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Concord is located at ....
(aka Concord Junction) through East Acton and then splitting in North Acton in the vicinity of Route 27 and Ledgerock Way.
In 1874, the population of the town was almost 1700. The town established its first newspaper, The Acton Patriot, and the residents of West Acton formed the first library, The Citizen's Library. In 1890, the Memorial Library was completed and given to the town by William A. Wilde as a memorial to the Acton soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
W. R. Grace Superfund Site
In the early 1950s, W. R. Grace and CompanyW. R. Grace and Company
W. R. Grace and Company is a Columbia, Maryland, United States based chemical conglomerate.The company has two main divisions, Davison Chemicals and Performance Chemicals. The Davison unit makes chemical catalysts, refining catalysts, and silica-based products that let other companies make...
established a manufacturing facility in South Acton to produce concrete additives, organic chemicals and other industrial materials. W. R. Grace disposed of industrial waste from this facility in unlined impoundments (lagoons
Lagoon (disambiguation)
A lagoon is a body of water separated from the ocean by barrier islands, sand bars, or reefs.Lagoon may also refer to:*Lagoon , a Super NES video game*Lagoon Amusement Park located in Farmington, Utah*Lagoon Nebula...
) through 1980.
The main areas that contained high levels of arsenic and manganese were Sinking Pond located on the Southeast border of the W. R.
Grace property and the North Lagoon Wetland on the Northeast border. Prior to 1980, there were other lagoons and an on-site
industrial landfill present where effluent waste flowed into or solid waste was buried.
Complaints from locals around the site in Acton and Concord were filed concerning strange odors and irritants in the air. Since
the dumping had been occurring for so long, residents in Acton and Concord could have been exposed to airbore, water, and
soil contamination for over 27 years. The W.R. Grace area was also located less than a mile from another Superfund investigation
at the Starmet plant which used depleted uranium to create anti-tank weapons for the U.S. army.
The complaints eventually led to water samples taken from the Assabet 1 and 2 wells finding the amount of VOC contamination was
far too high. In 1978 vinylidene chloride and other industrial contaminants were detected in two of the town wells, Assabet 1 and Assabet 2, which were closed. In 1983 the Acton W. R. Grace site was placed on the list of United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
sites as a National Priority for cleanup.
The wells were put back online for a few months at time from 1983-1984 using carbon filtration and airstripping. The carbon
was halted, but an airstripper is still used to remove VOCs. The water from these wells currently meets or exceeds the requirements
of the Safe Drinking Water Act (AWD).
In August, 2006, W. R. Grace and the EPA reached agreement on a scope-of-work pact that describes the work necessary to clean up the site.
As of 2011, the EPA has started excavating sediments from Sinking Pond containing arsenic and manganese which will dewatered then
transported to a disposal facility. The areas will be sampled to ensure safe levels of contaminants then re-vegetated to restore
then wetlands properly. Precautions such as air quality monitoring during excavation and removing dust from the vehicles before
leaving the site will be taken to ensure locals are not exposed.
Government
Acton uses the Open Town MeetingOpen town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
form of town government. The town charter specifies that the annual town meeting must begin on the first Monday in April. The selectmen may also call a special town meeting at other times of the year to consider other business. Citizens may force a special town meeting by submitting a petition signed by 200 registered voters to the town clerk. Anyone may attend Town Meeting but only registered voters may vote. Acton also has a water district, which is run separately from town government, as a public utility.
Acton's elected officials include the following: the board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
(5 members), the town moderator, the Acton public school committee (6 members), the Acton representatives to the Acton / Boxborough regional school committee (6 members). In addition, the town moderator appoints a finance committee (9 members) which issues an opinion on each of the warrant articles presented to Town Meeting. In addition, a separate and independent branch of government, the Acton Water District, was established in 1912 and consists of three Commissioners, a Moderator, a Secretary, an appointed District Attorney, Finance Committee, Land-Water Use Advisory Committee, and paid professional staff.
The town services are primarily funded through the residential property tax, which is subject to the limitations imposed by State "Proposition 2½." The Water District is funded through water rates, connection fees and property rental. The Water District revenues, however, are not subject to State "Proposition 2½."
Civic infrastructure
The civic infrastructure grew to accommodate the increasing population. A Water District was established in 1912 and a town-wide Fire Department was established in 1913. Acton was the first town in the area to have water-bound macadamMacadam
Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by the Scotsman John Loudon McAdam in around 1820. The method simplified what had been considered state-of-the-art at that point...
highways.
In 2005 a new Public Safety Building was built that expanded space for the Police Department and provided for a Joint Dispatch area with the Fire Department.
Water district
The Acton Water District is a community public water supply that delivers drinking water to the majority (about 90 percent) of the residents of the town of Acton, Massachusetts. All of the water provided from the District comes from seven wellsWater well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
located within the town of Acton. The District's system consists of 106 miles (171 km) of water main, four storage tanks, and water treatment facilities including aeration, activated granulated carbon (GAC), an advanced Zenon(R) filtration facility, plus fluoridation and state mandated chlorination.
Sewers
Most homes and businesses in Acton (approximately 80%) use private on-site sewage systems (i.e. septic tankSeptic tank
A septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
s). Higher density developments such as condominiums and apartment buildings (approximately 10% of the town) use private sewers which go to small-scale private treatment plants.
In 2001, Acton completed its first public sewer system, which serves approximately 10% of the town, primarily in South Acton. A betterment fee is charged to property owners whose property is sited proximate to the sewage lines, whether or not they connect to the system.
Conservation lands
Acton has a total of over 1650 acres (7 km²) of town-owned conservation lands.- Acton Arboretum: A park in the center of Acton which consists of 53 acres (214,483.6 m²) of woods, meadows, swamp, ponds, old apple orchards, a glacial eskerEskerAn esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
, and a bog. The land was purchased by the town in 1976 and was designated an Arboretum in 1986. It now includes a 19th century herb garden, a hostaHostaHosta is a genus of about 23–45 species of lily-like plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae, native to northeast Asia. They have been placed in their own family, Hostaceae ; like many 'lilioid monocots', they were once classified in the Liliaceae...
garden, a wildflower garden, a butterfly garden and a rhododendronRhododendronRhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
garden. A fragrance garden is being constructed.
- Pratt's Brook: A 57 acres (230,671 m²) property located in South Acton.
- Great Hill. A 185 acre (0.7486691 km²) property located in South Acton behind the School Street fire station, which includes picnic tables. In addition there is a skating pond and two sets of playing fields.
- Grassy Pond and Nagog Hill. Two adjoining conservation areas located in North Acton which total 250 acres (1 km²) of land.
- Wills Hole Conservation Area and Town Forest. A 73 acres (295,420.8 m²) property located in North Acton off of Quarry Road, adjacent to the North Acton Recreation Area (NARA Park), includes a Bog and abuts an inactive granite quarry (private property).
- Nashoba Brook, Spring Hill, Camp Acton. Three adjoining conservation areas in North Acton that total over 400 acres (1.6 km²). Additional adjoining acreage will be added when the Robbins Mill development is completed. The trails in this area are Acton's portion of the Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway which is a planned hikingHikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
path that will encircle Boston - starting in IpswichIpswich, MassachusettsIpswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
and ending in Duxbury. A interpretive historical trail, named the Trail Through Time, also overlays the trail system and stops at various farms, cellarsNashoba Brook Stone ChamberThe Nashoba Brook Stone Chamber is an underground stone structure in the woods of the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area of Acton, Massachusetts. Its more common name is the "potato cave", which comes from the traditional assumption that it was once used as a root cellar...
and millsNashoba Brook Pencil Factory SiteThe Nashoba Brook Pencil Factory Site contains the ruins of a 19th century dam-powered pencil factory. This factory was one of several in Acton and Concord, Massachusetts at the time that brought important developments to pencil manufacturing. All that remain today of the factory are the ruins of...
.
- Bulette Land/Town Forest consists of 48 acres (194,249.3 m²), mainly of wetlands and forest.
- Heath Hen Meadow consists of 99 acres (400,639.1 m²) of land.
- Jenks Land consists of 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land. It is home to over 170 species of birds that one man had recorded one year.
- Morrison Farm & Ice House Pond: Located off of Concord Rd, these 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) includes a house, a stable and corral, and various open fields and water.
These town conservation areas, and some smaller ones, are described and mapped in a website maintained by the town's volunteer Land Stewardship Committee.
Playing fields & playgrounds
- Leary Field: Contains an all purpose turf field and is home to Acton-Boxborough Regional High School athletics.
- High School Complex Contains three contiguous grass playing fields used for multiple sports, three tennis courts, a softball diamond and two baseball diamond (one lighted).
- Elm Street Complex: Contains two tennis courts and a lighted softball baseball diamond, primarily used by the Adult & Youth Softball Leagues. It is adjacent to the Douglas School yard which contains a baseball diamond and a basketball court.
- Gates Fields Contains two softball diamond located at the Gates School and a large grass area used for JH Field Hockey.
- North Acton Recreation Area (NARA): Contains a softball diamond, a large configurable field used for multiple sports, a swimming pond, playground and performance stage.
- Veterans Field: Contains two baseball diamonds and a playground.
- Jones Field: It contains a single baseball diamond and a playground.
- Great Hill: Contains a large configurable field, a smaller single soccer field, and a playground. This is located in the front portion of the conservation area.
- School Street Fields: Located off School Street near Route 2 is a large grass surface configurable to several multi-dimension playing fields.
- Concord Road: Located next to Morrison Farm on Woodlawn Cemetery land is used primarily for soccer.
Education
At the beginning of the century, each village in Acton had its own grade school, but the town struggled with how to provide a high school education for its students. For most of the early 20th century (until 1925), Acton students were sent to Concord's high school.In 1953, new schools were constructed to accommodate the growth in the student population. In 1957, Acton and Boxborough
Boxborough, Massachusetts
Boxborough is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,996 at the 2010 census. The town name is often spelled "Boxboro" on highway signs and official documents, but the correct spelling is, in fact, Boxborough....
created a regional school district for grades 7-12. The Merriam School was constructed in 1958. Other schools quickly followed: Douglas (1966), Gates (1968), and Conant (1971). In 1967 a building was constructed for the junior high. In 1973 a huge addition was added to this building and it became the high school; the junior high moved to the old high school building.
Acton Public School District (elementary)
The Acton Public School District consists of five elementary schools and the Acton Public School Pre-school.Acton has an unusual method of assigning students to elementary schools, called "Open Enrollment." First-time incoming kindergarten parents participate in a lottery-based selection process where the parents "choose" the school by listing their preferences in ranked order.
This method of school choice has a large impact on the nature of the town. Acton is less oriented around neighborhoods than towns which have neighborhood based schools. Other child-oriented activities such as town sport teams are also not organized around the school system. As a result, students and families are likely to have social connections that are independent of their neighborhood.
While the curriculum in the district is fairly standardized, each of the elementary schools has a different teaching philosophy. The schools and their philosophy of education are:
- Conant School. Named for Luther Conant who taught for 17 years in the school district, served on the School Committee, and was Town Moderator for 40 years. The school emphasizes the Whole languageWhole languageWhole language describes a literacy philosophy which emphasizes that children should focus on meaning and strategy instruction. It is often contrasted with phonics-based methods of teaching reading and writing which emphasize instruction for decoding and spelling. However, from whole language...
approach when teaching students to read. The Conant School has an English as a Second LanguageEnglish language learning and teachingEnglish as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
(ESL) program. - Douglas School. Named for Carolyn T. Douglas who was a teacher and principal in the Acton schools from 1940 to 1967. The school emphasizes PhonicsPhonicsPhonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
for learning to read. The Douglas School has an ESL program (English as a Second Language). - Gates School. Named for Paul P. Gates who was the school physician from 1948 to 1968. The school emphasizes Phonics for learning to read.
- McCarthy-Towne School. Named for Julia McCarthy who taught at the South Acton School from 1906 to 1952 and Marion Towne who was a teacher in the primary and secondary schools in Acton from 1921 to 1959. McCarthy-Towne integrates language arts, math, social studies, science and art in the study of curriculum "units." The school has an ESL (English as a Second Language) program and also includes two CASE (Concord Area Special Education) classrooms. McCarthy-Towne has a very active parent volunteer program. McCarthy-Towne School is housed in the Parker Damon Building (named for McCarthy-Towne's first principal, J.Parker Damon), which it shares with the Merriam School.
- Merriam School. Named for Florence A. Merriam who taught for 35 years in Acton. Merriam offers a project-based curriculum. At Merriam, teachers teach the same group of students for two years (i.e., a teacher will teach first grade one year, second grade the next and then wrap back to first). Merriam School is housed in the Parker Damon Building which it shares with the McCarthy-Towne school.
Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools (junior high and high school)
The Acton-Boxborough Regional School District consists of the Raymond J. Grey Junior High School for grades 7 and 8, and the Acton-Boxborough Regional High SchoolActon-Boxborough Regional High School
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School is an open enrollment high school in Acton, Massachusetts. It serves the Massachusetts towns of Acton and Boxborough, with roughly 500 students per grade level in grades 9 through 12. ABRHS has consistently ranked among the top secondary schools in Massachusetts...
for grades 9 through 12. The regional district serves students from the towns of Acton and Boxborough
Boxborough, Massachusetts
Boxborough is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,996 at the 2010 census. The town name is often spelled "Boxboro" on highway signs and official documents, but the correct spelling is, in fact, Boxborough....
. In addition, some students are accepted from neighboring towns as 'choice' students if the school committee decides this is in the best interest of the district. Both the junior high and high school were enlarged and renovated in 2000–2005. They have multiple on-campus shops: the Junior High School Store, the High School Store, and the cafeterias.
Cultural institutions
Libraries
Acton has two public librariesLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
: the Acton Memorial Library and the West Acton Citizens' Library (The Secret Library).
The Acton Memorial Library was given to the town of Acton by William Allan Wilde as a memorial to its Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veterans in 1890. The building was expanded in 1967, and a second major expansion was completed in 1999.
There are also libraries in each of the elementary schools, the Junior High, and the High School.
The Acton Historical Society owns the Jenks Library which contains historical maps, documents, photographs and drawings.
Museums
- The Discovery Museums are two separate science museumScience museumA science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
s located on the same site. The Children's Discovery Museum has exhibits suitable for younger children, while the Science Discovery Museum focuses on older children. The location is well guarded by Bessie, the large dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
statue and museum mascot, located in the front grounds of the facility. - Iron Work Farm: Settlement of South Acton; 'Iron Work Farm in Acton, Inc.' is a non-profit, historical corporation chartered in Massachusetts since 1964, that ooperates two historic houses: Jones TavernJones TavernJones Tavern is a historic tavern at 128 Main Street in Acton, Massachusetts. The building was purchased in 1964 by 'Iron Work Farm in Acton, Inc.', a Massachusetts non-profit corporation with a charter "to acquire and preserve the tangible landmarks of the area historically known as Iron Work...
and Faulkner HouseFaulkner HouseThe Faulkner House is the oldest pre-Revolutionary era structure still standing in Acton, Massachusetts. The Faulkner House was purchased in 1964 by 'Iron Work Farm in Acton, Inc.', a Massachusetts non-profit corporation with a charter "to acquire and preserve the tangible landmarks of the area...
. Each house is open to the public on the last Sunday of the month from May to October. The facilities are also open as part of the local Patriots' DayPatriots' DayPatriots' Day is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War...
holiday observance each April. - Hosmer House: This Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
-era home, which is owned and maintained by the Acton Historical Society, is typically open to the public on Patriots' DayPatriots' DayPatriots' Day is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War...
, September 27 ('Crown Resistance Day'), as well as May 27 and June 24, from 2 to 4 o'clock.
Theater
Acton has two local theater groups: Theater III and Open Door Theater. Theater III was founded in 1956. It produces several plays and/or musicals a year in the historically interesting old church building on Central Street. Open Door Theater is a community theater group which was founded to provide an inclusive theater experience. Open Door produces one large musical each year which features a large number of actors ranging in age from 9 to adult including people with special needs.Points of interest
- Jones Tavern. http://www.ironworkfarm.org/new_page_5.htm The main part of the tavernTavernA tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
, originally home to the Jones family of South Acton, was built in 1732 as a house for Samuel Jones, Jr. By 1750 it had become a tavern and general storeGeneral storeA general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
. It is speculated to be the first store in Acton and holds the distinction of being the town’s longest established business, merging into James Tuttle’s store in 1845 and operating under various names until 1950.
- The Faulkner House and Mills. The house was built for Ephraim Jones (1679–1710), founder in 1702 of an early textileTextileA textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
business and other mills that formed the nucleus of the present town of Acton. The largest and most central house of this settlement, it served as the local garrison house for protection from Indian raids made along the Massachusetts frontier during Queen Anne's WarQueen Anne's WarQueen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
of 1702–1713. The Faulkner homestead served as a garrisonGarrisonGarrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
for South Acton Militia during the Revolutionary War.
- Town Center: The civic center of town is marked by the Acton Monument which is the final resting place of Capt. Isaac Davis, James Hayward and Abner Hosmer. The stone on which Capt Davis mortally fell is situated between the west side of the monument and Rt 27. The Main entrance to the Town Hall, around the rear of the building, contains Isaac Davis's plow which was used by Daniel Chester French for the statue he cast for North Bridge.
- Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. http://www.brucefreemanrailtrail.org/
Transportation
Acton is five miles (8 km) from I-495Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 495 is the designation of an Interstate Highway half-beltway in Massachusetts. It was the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway of its kind—measuring 120.74 miles —until 1996, when the PA Route 9 section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was redesignated as Interstate 476, making it about ...
and ten miles (16 km) from I-95
Interstate 95 in Massachusetts
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
/Route 128
Route 128 (Massachusetts)
Route 128, also known as the Yankee Division Highway , and originally the Circumferential Highway, is a partial beltway around Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The majority of the highway is built to freeway standards, and about 3/5 of it is part of the Interstate Highway System...
. Routes 2
Route 2 (Massachusetts)
Route 2 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts, parts of which are sometimes known as the Cambridge and Concord Turnpike. Along with Route 9 and U.S. Route 20 to the south, these highways are the main alternatives to the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 toll highway...
, 2A
Route 2A (Massachusetts)
Route 2A exists in several sections of Massachusetts, mainly as parts of former Route 2 that have been moved or upgraded. Route 2A runs from Greenfield in the west to Boston in the east...
, 27
Route 27 (Massachusetts)
-Route description:Route 27 runs in a sweeping arc from Kingston to Chelmsford. For most of its route, it acts as an intermediate route between Interstate 95 and Interstate 495....
, 62
Route 62 (Massachusetts)
Route 62 is an east–west state highway in Massachusetts. The route crosses four of the Bay State's 13 interstates, as well as U.S. Route 1, U.S...
, 111
Route 111 (Massachusetts)
Route 111 is a state highway in Massachusetts, a continuation of New Hampshire Route 111. The route has a north–south component and an east–west one, though it is signed exclusively as a north–south route on newer signs...
, and 119
Route 119 (Massachusetts)
Route 119, is a northwest-southeast state highway in Massachusetts. It acts as a continuation of New Hampshire Route 119, which is in turn a continuation of Vermont Route 113.-Route description:Route 119 begins in Ashburnham at the New Hampshire state line...
run through town.
The MBTA Commuter Rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
Fitchburg Line
Fitchburg Line
The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...
train stops at the South Acton station
South Acton (MBTA station)
South Acton is a station on the MBTA Fitchburg Line in Acton, Massachusetts. The station is owned by the Town of Acton and is located at 10 Central Street near Massachusetts Route 27. It is the busiest station on the Fitchburg line, accounting for roughly 873 weekday passenger boardings,...
. South Acton is a major station on the line at which many trains terminate. Besides the urban stops at Cambridge (Porter Square)
Porter (MBTA station)
Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the...
and Boston (North Station Terminal), it is the only station on the line at which all trains stop. The MBTA Fitchburg Line provides service to Fitchburg
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
, Leominster
Leominster, Massachusetts
Leominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 40,759 at the 2010 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston. Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster. Interstate 190,...
, Shirley
Shirley, Massachusetts
-Demographics:This article describes the town of Shirley as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes only the central settlement or village within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here...
, Ayer
Ayer, Massachusetts
Ayer is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Originally part of Groton, it was incorporated February 14, 1871 and became a major commercial railroad junction. The town was home to Camp Stevens, a training camp for Massachusetts volunteers during the American Civil War...
, Littleton
Littleton, Massachusetts
Littleton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,924 at the 2010 census....
, Concord
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
, Lincoln
Lincoln, Massachusetts
Lincoln is a town in the historic area of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits...
, Weston
Weston, Massachusetts
Weston is a suburb of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Boston metro area. The population of Weston, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is 11,261....
, Waltham
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, Belmont
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
, Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, and Boston.
Yankee Lines provides a commuter bus service to Copley Square
Copley Square
Copley Square is a public square located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, named for the donor of the land on which it was developed. The square is named for John Singleton Copley, a famous portrait painter of the late 18th century and native of Boston. A bronze statue of...
in Boston from the intersection of Route 2A
Route 2A (Massachusetts)
Route 2A exists in several sections of Massachusetts, mainly as parts of former Route 2 that have been moved or upgraded. Route 2A runs from Greenfield in the west to Boston in the east...
and 119 in Acton.
In media
- Acton is the setting of the poem "The Vanishing Red," by New England poet Robert FrostRobert FrostRobert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
(Mountain Interval, 1920). - Acton is a setting in "The Cure" an episode of the TV series Fringe, however the actual filming was not done in Acton.
- Acton was nominated as the 16th Best Place To Live in the Country by Money Magazine in 2009.
- Acton features prominently in the TNT series Falling Skies about an alien invasion. The main character is a former Boston University professor who is now second-in-command of the Second Massachusetts, a group of fighter and civilians fleeing an overrun Boston. The group heads to Acton to set up a new base of operations and raid the Acton Armory.
- Acton was nominated as the 16th Best Place To Live in the Country by Money Magazine in 2011.
Notable residents
- Tom BarrassoTom BarrassoThomas Patrick Barrasso is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St...
, NHL professional hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, graduated from Acton-Boxborough Regional High SchoolActon-Boxborough Regional High SchoolActon-Boxborough Regional High School is an open enrollment high school in Acton, Massachusetts. It serves the Massachusetts towns of Acton and Boxborough, with roughly 500 students per grade level in grades 9 through 12. ABRHS has consistently ranked among the top secondary schools in Massachusetts...
in 1983 - Bob BrookeBob BrookeRobert William Brooke is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played 447 games in the National Hockey League between 1984 and 1990....
, NHL professional hockey player - James BrownJames Brown (publisher)James Brown was an American publisher and co-founder of Little, Brown and Company.-Biography:Brown was born in Acton, Massachusetts. He started his working life was as a servant in the family of Prof. Hedge, of Cambridge, by whom he was instructed in the classics and in mathematics. Around 1832,...
, co-founder of Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
publisher - Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
(b.1962), comedic actor, grew up in South Acton - Howie CarrHowie CarrHoward Louis "Howie" Carr, Jr. is an American journalist, author, and conservative radio talk-show host based in Boston with a listening audience rooted in New England.-Radio:...
, talk-radio personality - John Ruggles Cotting (1783–1867), clergyman, author, and noted geologist
- Robert CreeleyRobert CreeleyRobert Creeley was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school's. He was close with Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, John Wieners and Ed Dorn. He served as the Samuel P...
(1926–2005), poet, grew up in West Acton - Isaac DavisIsaac DavisIsaac Davis was a gunsmith and a militia officer who commanded a company of Minutemen from Acton, Massachusetts, during the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. In the months leading up to the Revolution, Davis set unusually high standards for his company in terms of equipment,...
(1745–1775), Captain of the Acton Minutemen at the Old North Bridge in Concord at the Battle of Lexington and Concord; the first officer to die in the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America... - Dan DuquetteDan DuquetteDaniel F. Duquette is the Executive Vice-President of Baseball Operations for the Baltimore Orioles. He was the General Manager of the Montreal Expos from September through January and for the Boston Red Sox from through March...
, former general manager of the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"... - Henry DurantHenry DurantHenry Durant was the founding president of the University of California.-Biography:Graduate of Yale College...
(1803–1875), CongregationalCongregational churchCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
clergyman, first president of College of CaliforniaCollege of CaliforniaThe College of California was the predecessor of the University of California system of public universities. The private college was founded in 1855 by noted educator Dr. Samuel H. Willey...
, two-term mayor of Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724... - Christian FinneganChristian FinneganFletcher Christian Finnegan , better known as Christian Finnegan, is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in New York City.-Early life:Finnegan was born in Albany, New York...
, comedian, grew up in the Forest Glen neighborhood of West Acton in the 1980s - Mary Josephine Hannon (1865–1964), maternal grandmother of President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
- Jesse Lauriston LivermoreJesse Lauriston LivermoreJesse Lauriston Livermore , also known as the Boy Plunger and "Great Bear of Wall Street", was an early 20th century stock trader...
(1877–1940), famous early 20th century stock trader - Ian MoranIan MoranIan Patrick Moran is a professional ice hockey defenceman, who currently is a free agent.-Early years:Moran grew up in Acton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston...
, NHL professional hockey player - Bill MorrisseyBill MorrisseyBill Morrissey was an American folk singer/songwriter from New Hampshire. Many of his songs reflect the harsh realities of life in crumbling New England mill towns.-Career:Morrissey was born in Hartford, Connecticut...
(1951-2011), Folk music singer/songwriter, graduated ABRHS in 1969 - Jeff NortonJeff NortonJeffrey Thomas Norton is a retired American ice hockey defenseman.He grew up in the town of Acton, Massachusetts and attended Cushing Academy...
(b.1965), NHL professional hockey player - Caroll SpinneyCaroll SpinneyCaroll Edwin Spinney, sometimes credited as Carroll Spinney or Ed Spinney , is an American puppeteer most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children's television show Sesame Street.-Life and career:...
(b.1933), puppeteer who created the Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
characters Big BirdBig BirdBig Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
and Oscar the GrouchOscar the GrouchOscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items... - Kate WhoriskeyKate WhoriskeyKate Whoriskey was the artistic director of the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Washington, USA, for a year, departing in April, 2011 after the theater's board cancelled the remainder of the 2011 season due to financial problems. Whoriskey had been co-Artistic Director of Intiman along with Bartlett...
, artistic director of Intiman Theatre in Seattle, WA.
External links
- Official Town Website
- Acton Public Schools and Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
- Community Profile
- Acton Water District Website
- Acton Memorial Library
- The Discovery Museums
- Acton Patch
- The Beacon newspaper
- Theatre III
- Open Door Theater
- Massachusetts 351 Project: Acton
- Early Acton History
- Nashoba Valley Chorale: An SATB chorus that rehearses in Littleton and performs in neighboring communities, from Acton to Pepperell