Douglas, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Douglas is a town in Worcester County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. The population was 8,471 as of the 2010 census. It includes the sizable Douglas State Forest
, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
(DCR).
as well. The name was given in 1746, when Dr. William Douglas, an eminent physician of Boston
, in consideration of the privilege of naming the township offered the inhabitants the sum of $500.00 as a fund for the establishment of free schools together with a tract of 30 acres (12.1 ha) of land with a dwelling house and barn thereon.
Douglas's forests gave rise to a woodcutting industry and the Douglas axe company. A woolen manufacturing company, on the Mumford River
in East Douglas
, in recent times held by the Schuster family, has been prominent in the history of this community. General Lafayette, of France, stopped here during the Revolutionary War, to change horses, on his way to Boston to join General Washington
. Lafayette was a hero of the American Revolution and the French Revolution
.
From a very early period reaching beyond 1635, bands of Native Americans, principally the Nipmuc tribe, dominated this region of Worcester County. The Blackstone River
was once called the Nipmuc River. Most of Douglas is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
.
The underlying geology consists of rocks rich in quartz
, feldspar
, and mica
. Boulders are plentifully scattered all over town, and gold
and silver
ores are said to be found in some localities. Large quantities of building and ornamental stone are quarried from the granite
ledges found in the center of town which is shipped to almost every section of New England.
Police Chief Patrick Foley of Douglas was elected Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police
(IACP), at the annual convention in Denver, Colorado
, in 2009.
A common misconception in Douglas is in regard to the New England Trunkline Trail. Many believe that railroad tracks were laid here for commuting from northern Connecticut to northern Massachusetts. In fact, they were used to haul ice from Wallum Lake as interstate commerce. Today you can hike these trails through Massachusetts and Connecticut. The New England trunkline was originally planned as a railroad, but the financier died in the sinking of the Titanic.
. During the 1830s, when East Douglas was becoming the economic center of the town, Ebenezer Balkcom opened a small store at the corner of Main and Pleasant (now Depot) streets.
Later, Gardner Chase bought the property and enlarged the building as his business expanded to meet the needs of the growing community. Apparently, Mr. Chase's extraordinary efforts ruined his health. On his doctor's orders he retired and leased the business to a series of entrepreneurs until Edward L. Jenckes bought the business and building from Mr. Chase's widow in 1884. Mr. Jenckes made several more additions. By 1895, the building looked like the museum as it appears today.
The store of the 1890s was far different from a modern supermarket. The smell of a smoky wood stove, the kerosene lamps, the boxes of salt codfish, and the pickling brine mingled with the aroma of ground coffee, spices, and fancy soaps. The presence of horses, hitched to the posts in front, was also quite evident.
In addition to the sewing supplies and the food which could not be raised locally, the store carried a variety of housewares. Included were from kettles, tin pans, enamelware coffee pots, glass, canning jars, and ceramic items, generally referred to as "crockey." Mr. Jenckes also stocked inexpensive furniture and floor coverings.
In the horse and buggy era, the store was a busy place. Four men and a woman clerk were needed to carry on business. After Mr. Jencke's two daughters E. Mialma and Helen R. - graduated from Wellesley College, one of them was always in the store because no woman customer would ever consider mentioning her personal needs to a male clerk.
Two of the men spent much of their time going from house to house, taking orders from the customers one day and delivering their purchases the next. Goods from the wholesalers had to be moved from the freight house to the store, a job known as "drawing freight." One man was need in the store because a customer might stop for a bag of grain or some other item too heavy for a woman to lift.
After Mr. Jenckes's death in 1924, his daughters continued to run the show. During the Great Depression, the Jenckes sisters extended credit to many families because they could not live with the knowledge that people, especially children, were Hungry. The business was also important during the gasoline rationing of World Warr II, when customers were allotted on three gallons a week, and could save fuel by having their groceries delivered.
After 1945, business declined rapidly but the sisters did not forget their long-time customers. Orders still were taken by telephone and delivered. If anyone wanted meat, flashlights, batteries, or anything the Jenckes Store no longer stocked, these items were purchased as a local market or the Goodness Store (another mainstay in the Village) and delivered along with bread, soup, and other groceries still available at the Jenckes Sote. Examples of this arrangement are found in store ledgers, the last of which was written in 1964, when the business closed its doors.
The store remained closed until 1972 when Mrs. Jenckes gave the property to the Douglas Historical Society as a memorial to their father. Because the store was neither dismantled nor converted to another use, it remains - after careful restoration by the Douglas Historical Society - a fine example of the general store of a hundred years ago.
, the town has a total area of 37.7 square miles (97.6 km²), of which 36.4 square miles (94.3 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), or 14.55%, is water. It includes the Douglas State Forest
and is home to Wallum Lake
and Whitins Reservoir.
The town is bounded on the north by Oxford
, Sutton
and Uxbridge
, on the east by Sutton and Uxbridge, on the south by Burrillville, Rhode Island
, and on the west by Webster, Massachusetts
and a small portion of Thompson, Connecticut
.
The principal elevations are Bald Hill, 711 feet (216.7 m), Wallum Pond Hill, 778 feet (237.1 m), and Mount Daniel, 735 feet (224 m). The largest of the numerous ponds is Wallum Pond in the southwest section, covering about 150 acres (60.7 ha); Badluck Pond in the western part of town, covering about 110 acres (44.5 ha); Reservoir Pond also in the western part of town, covering about 400 acres (161.9 ha); and Manchaug Pond in the northern part, about 93 acres (37.6 ha).
of 2000, there were 7,045 people, 2,476 households, and 1,936 families residing in the town. The population density
was 193.7 people per square mile (74.8/km²). There were 2,588 housing units at an average density of 71.2 per square mile (27.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.48% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races
, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
There were 2,476 households out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples
living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $60,529, and the median income for a family was $67,210. Males had a median income of $45,893 versus $31,287 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $23,036. About 2.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
, 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...
. The population was 8,471 as of the 2010 census. It includes the sizable Douglas State Forest
Douglas State Forest
Douglas State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest located in Douglas. The forest is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation .-Description:Douglas State Forest is a park offering numerous recreational activities...
, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)
The Department of Conservation and Recreation is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. As of May 24, 2011 the Commissioner of the DCR is Edward M. Lambert, Jr...
(DCR).
History
The name of Douglas was first given to the territory of the town in the year 1746. New Sherburn or "New Sherburn Grant" had previously been its designation, since its first occupancy by the English settlers which was as early as 1715. The original settlers came primarily from Sherburn, although many hailed from NatickNatick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
as well. The name was given in 1746, when Dr. William Douglas, an eminent physician of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, in consideration of the privilege of naming the township offered the inhabitants the sum of $500.00 as a fund for the establishment of free schools together with a tract of 30 acres (12.1 ha) of land with a dwelling house and barn thereon.
Douglas's forests gave rise to a woodcutting industry and the Douglas axe company. A woolen manufacturing company, on the Mumford River
Mumford River
The Mumford River is an river in south-central Massachusetts. It is a tributary of the Blackstone River.The river rises from its headwaters in Sutton and Douglas at Manchaug Pond and flows east in a meandering path through a series of ponds , and joins the Blackstone River in Uxbridge.The river...
in East Douglas
East Douglas, Massachusetts
East Douglas is a census-designated place in the town of Douglas in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,557 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Douglas is located at ....
, in recent times held by the Schuster family, has been prominent in the history of this community. General Lafayette, of France, stopped here during the Revolutionary War, to change horses, on his way to Boston to join General Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Lafayette was a hero of the American Revolution and the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
From a very early period reaching beyond 1635, bands of Native Americans, principally the Nipmuc tribe, dominated this region of Worcester County. The Blackstone River
Blackstone River
The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi...
was once called the Nipmuc River. Most of Douglas is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
Blackstone Valley
The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution...
.
The underlying geology consists of rocks rich in quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
, and mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
. Boulders are plentifully scattered all over town, and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
ores are said to be found in some localities. Large quantities of building and ornamental stone are quarried from the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
ledges found in the center of town which is shipped to almost every section of New England.
Police Chief Patrick Foley of Douglas was elected Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police
International Association of Chiefs of Police
The International Association of Chiefs of Police was founded in Chicago in 1893 as the National Chiefs of Police Union. The primary goal of this organization was to apprehend and return criminals who had fled the agency jurisdictions in which they were wanted...
(IACP), at the annual convention in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, in 2009.
A common misconception in Douglas is in regard to the New England Trunkline Trail. Many believe that railroad tracks were laid here for commuting from northern Connecticut to northern Massachusetts. In fact, they were used to haul ice from Wallum Lake as interstate commerce. Today you can hike these trails through Massachusetts and Connecticut. The New England trunkline was originally planned as a railroad, but the financier died in the sinking of the Titanic.
E.L. Jenckes Store and Museum
The E.L. Jenckes store and museum sits on Main Street in the village of East DouglasEast Douglas, Massachusetts
East Douglas is a census-designated place in the town of Douglas in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,557 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Douglas is located at ....
. During the 1830s, when East Douglas was becoming the economic center of the town, Ebenezer Balkcom opened a small store at the corner of Main and Pleasant (now Depot) streets.
Later, Gardner Chase bought the property and enlarged the building as his business expanded to meet the needs of the growing community. Apparently, Mr. Chase's extraordinary efforts ruined his health. On his doctor's orders he retired and leased the business to a series of entrepreneurs until Edward L. Jenckes bought the business and building from Mr. Chase's widow in 1884. Mr. Jenckes made several more additions. By 1895, the building looked like the museum as it appears today.
The store of the 1890s was far different from a modern supermarket. The smell of a smoky wood stove, the kerosene lamps, the boxes of salt codfish, and the pickling brine mingled with the aroma of ground coffee, spices, and fancy soaps. The presence of horses, hitched to the posts in front, was also quite evident.
In addition to the sewing supplies and the food which could not be raised locally, the store carried a variety of housewares. Included were from kettles, tin pans, enamelware coffee pots, glass, canning jars, and ceramic items, generally referred to as "crockey." Mr. Jenckes also stocked inexpensive furniture and floor coverings.
In the horse and buggy era, the store was a busy place. Four men and a woman clerk were needed to carry on business. After Mr. Jencke's two daughters E. Mialma and Helen R. - graduated from Wellesley College, one of them was always in the store because no woman customer would ever consider mentioning her personal needs to a male clerk.
Two of the men spent much of their time going from house to house, taking orders from the customers one day and delivering their purchases the next. Goods from the wholesalers had to be moved from the freight house to the store, a job known as "drawing freight." One man was need in the store because a customer might stop for a bag of grain or some other item too heavy for a woman to lift.
After Mr. Jenckes's death in 1924, his daughters continued to run the show. During the Great Depression, the Jenckes sisters extended credit to many families because they could not live with the knowledge that people, especially children, were Hungry. The business was also important during the gasoline rationing of World Warr II, when customers were allotted on three gallons a week, and could save fuel by having their groceries delivered.
After 1945, business declined rapidly but the sisters did not forget their long-time customers. Orders still were taken by telephone and delivered. If anyone wanted meat, flashlights, batteries, or anything the Jenckes Store no longer stocked, these items were purchased as a local market or the Goodness Store (another mainstay in the Village) and delivered along with bread, soup, and other groceries still available at the Jenckes Sote. Examples of this arrangement are found in store ledgers, the last of which was written in 1964, when the business closed its doors.
The store remained closed until 1972 when Mrs. Jenckes gave the property to the Douglas Historical Society as a memorial to their father. Because the store was neither dismantled nor converted to another use, it remains - after careful restoration by the Douglas Historical Society - a fine example of the general store of a hundred years ago.
Geography
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 37.7 square miles (97.6 km²), of which 36.4 square miles (94.3 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), or 14.55%, is water. It includes the Douglas State Forest
Douglas State Forest
Douglas State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest located in Douglas. The forest is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation .-Description:Douglas State Forest is a park offering numerous recreational activities...
and is home to Wallum Lake
Wallum Lake
Wallum Lake is a lake that lies in Burrillville, Providence County, Rhode Island and Douglas, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is adjacent to Douglas State Forest and Wallum Lake Park....
and Whitins Reservoir.
The town is bounded on the north by Oxford
Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,709 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford , Massachusetts.-History:...
, Sutton
Sutton, Massachusetts
-Library:The Sutton Free Library was established in 1876. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Sutton spent 0.7% of its budget on its public library—some $18 per person.-Education:...
and Uxbridge
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
, on the east by Sutton and Uxbridge, on the south by Burrillville, Rhode Island
Burrillville, Rhode Island
Burrillville is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It was incorporated as an independent municipality on November 17, 1806 when the Rhode Island General Assembly authorized the residents of then North Glocester to elect its own officers. The population was 15,955 at the 2010...
, and on the west by Webster, Massachusetts
Webster, Massachusetts
-Media:* Worcester Telegram & Gazette * Webster Times, published every Friday* The Patriot, published every Wednesday* WGFP-AM 940, a country music station* Boston Globe* Boston Herald-Library:...
and a small portion of Thompson, Connecticut
Thompson, Connecticut
Thompson is a rural town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,458 at the 2010 census...
.
The principal elevations are Bald Hill, 711 feet (216.7 m), Wallum Pond Hill, 778 feet (237.1 m), and Mount Daniel, 735 feet (224 m). The largest of the numerous ponds is Wallum Pond in the southwest section, covering about 150 acres (60.7 ha); Badluck Pond in the western part of town, covering about 110 acres (44.5 ha); Reservoir Pond also in the western part of town, covering about 400 acres (161.9 ha); and Manchaug Pond in the northern part, about 93 acres (37.6 ha).
Demographics
As of 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 7,045 people, 2,476 households, and 1,936 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 193.7 people per square mile (74.8/km²). There were 2,588 housing units at an average density of 71.2 per square mile (27.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.48% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.28% 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 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
There were 2,476 households out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% 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, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $60,529, and the median income for a family was $67,210. Males had a median income of $45,893 versus $31,287 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 $23,036. About 2.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Points of interest
- Douglas is the starting point for the Rhode Island North-South Trail and Massachusetts Midstate TrailMassachusetts Midstate TrailThe Midstate Trail is a scenic footpath which runs through Worcester County, Massachusetts, from the Rhode Island border to the New Hampshire border, approximately west of Boston. The trail is considered highly accessible, scenic, and remarkably rural despite its proximity to urban Boston...
. - Jenckes Store & Museum