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23-481: The Beaman Memorial Public Library is the public library of West Boylston, Massachusetts . It is located near the town common, at 8 Newton Street, in an architecturally distinguished Colonial Revival building constructed in 1912 to a design by Worcester architect Lucius W. Briggs . The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. The Beaman Memorial Public Library stands on

46-528: Is also an important early collaboration between Briggs and the builder, E.F. Cross of Worcester, who went on to collaborate on a number of other significant projects. The library is named for Ezra Beaman, George Calvin Rice's grandfather. West Boylston, Massachusetts West Boylston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts , United States and a northern suburb of Worcester . The population

69-492: Is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km ), or 6.86%, is water. The main water source is the Wachusett Reservoir, which is located in the middle of the town. The town does not get use of this water, it is for Boston. West Boylston gets its water from two town wells. West Boylston is bordered by Sterling to the north, Holden to the west, Worcester , to the south, Shrewsbury to the southeast, and Boylston to

92-514: The 1,137 male residents of the Worcester County House of Correction; 14.8% of the town's recorded population. So it would seem that West Boylston has about 25% more males than females (124 males for every 100 females) but that statistic is misleading.] According the 2015–2019 American Community Survey , the median household income in the town was $ 88,906, and the median income for a family was $ 122,500. The per capita income for

115-414: The average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 124.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.2 males. [The population of West Boylston (7,669 in 2010) includes

138-472: The brick of the original building, and other exterior features were designed in sympathy to the original. The public library of West Boylston was established in 1874 by the bequest of David Lee Rice, and originally was housed in a room of the high school. It later expanded to other quarters, but the entire town center was forced to relocate in the early 20th century, when the Wachusett Reservoir

161-611: The building of the Wachusett Reservoir and the destruction of its mills and farms. When the Wachusett Reservoir was completed, the Old Stone Church remained standing as the last remnant of the town which was once in the valley, but was now flooded by the new reservoir. In June 1897, the Metropolitan Water Board awarded the Baptist Society $ 22,500 for the loss of the church for the construction of

184-399: The center of town and most of the industrial base. Many buildings were moved to the unaffected parts of the town but the majority were demolished and filled by the reservoir. Over 1700 residents, 300 homes, eight schools, six mills, four churches and one hotel were moved to dry land. The state paid approximately 60 cents on the dollar for use of the land with the promise to pay $ 12,000 a year to

207-536: The east. As of the 2010 Census , there were 7,669 people, 2,616 households, and 1,817 families residing in the town. The population density was 594.5 inhabitants per square mile (229.5/km ). There were 2,746 housing units at an average density of 212.9 per square mile (82.2/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 93.34% White , 4.21% African American , 0.22% Native American , 0.68% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.86% from other races , and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.27% of

230-445: The entrance, which is set in a marble hooded surround. A marble stringcourse separates the first and second floors, and there is a modillioned wooden cornice at the roof line. To the rear of this original building stands a large addition, built in 1999. It was designed by The Preservation Partnership of Weare, New Hampshire , with architect Maximilian L. Ferro in charge. Although it is built using concrete blocks, they are stained to match

253-740: The junction of three rivers: the Quinapoxet River , the Stillwater River and the Nashua River . In 1897, the Nashua River in the town of Clinton was impounded by the Wachusett Dam, causing 6.5 square miles (17 km ) to be flooded in the towns of Boylston, West Boylston, Clinton and Sterling. Over 2,200 acres (8.9 km ) of West Boylston's land was used for the reservoir, the most of any town. This disrupted

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276-472: The northern end of the West Boylston village center, on a triangular parcel of land bounded on two sides by Newton and Central Streets. It is a two-story masonry building, built of brick with marble trim, a raised granite foundation, and a green slate hip roof. The main facade is symmetrical, with three bays. The outer bays have tripled windows set in segmented-arch openings with paneling below, flanking

299-586: The past, other newspapers have included the News Recorder and West Boylston Times. Old Stone Church (West Boylston, Massachusetts) In the 19th century, the Quinapoxet River joined the Stillwater River to become the southern branch of the Nashua River in the town of West Boylston . The predecessor of the Old Stone Church was the second house of worship for the Baptist Society in West Boylston, dedicated on December 6, 1832. The church

322-406: The population. There were 2,616 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. Of all households 25.9% were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and

345-576: The reservoir. The last Baptist service was held in April 1902. On April 13, 1973, the Old Stone Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . On June 27, 1974, the State awarded $ 87,000 for reinforcing the roof and walls of the church building. The following month, the church roof and three walls collapsed requiring rebuilding which was completed in the Spring of 1977. On September 25, 1983, on

368-576: The surrounding region. Due to the reservoir, the town has been able to preserve much of its rural character, making it an attractive place for recreation and living. West Boylston's most famous historical resident is Robert Bailey Thomas, the founder of the Old Farmer's Almanac . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 13.8 square miles (36 km ), of which 12.9 square miles (33 km )

391-531: The town for lost tax revenue forever. The reservoir was completed in 1905 and first filled in May 1908. West Boylston's prominent landmark, the Old Stone Church , was left remaining as a reminder of those that lost their homes and jobs to the building of the reservoir. It is one of the most photographed sites in the area. Today, West Boylston has transformed itself into a bedroom community for Worcester and

414-510: The town was $ 34,741. About 5.3% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over. West Boylston includes six entries on the National Register of Historic Places : West Boylston Middle/High School and Major Edwards Elementary School are located in the town. West Boylston's public library, the Beaman Memorial Public Library ,

437-424: Was 7,877 at the 2020 census . West Boylston includes the village of Oakdale , located on the opposite side of the Wachusett Reservoir from West Boylston center along Route 140 . Although the town was split off from Boylston , it has a larger population than its eastern namesake. West Boylston was originally part of several neighboring towns— Lancaster , Shrewsbury , Boylston , Holden and Sterling . The town

460-441: Was constructed east to the confluence of the rivers. The church and its neighboring church, Saint Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, were destroyed by a fire on May 2, 1890. The present Old Stone Church was built on the same site and was scheduled for dedication on March 17, 1892, but a fire again badly damaged the interior of the church and the dedication was postponed until May 19, 1892. From 1896 through 1905 West Boylston endured

483-428: Was created as part of a dispute between Boylston and West Boylston over the location of a new town meeting house. The town was officially incorporated in 1808. During the 1800s the town grew with textile and other industries and became a prosperous community. This prosperity was interrupted as the town was selected as the site of the Wachusett Reservoir to provide water for Boston. It was selected due to its location at

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506-404: Was created. The present library building was built as part of a municipal construction program occasioned by that event, and was a gift to the town of George Calvin Rice. The building was designed by Worcester architects Frost, Briggs & Chamberlain , with Lucius W. Briggs as the partner responsible for the design. It is the town's only institutional example of Colonial Revival architecture. It

529-426: Was established in 1878. In fiscal year 2008, the town of West Boylston spent 1.6% ($ 308,576) of its budget on its public library—approximately $ 37 per person, per year ($ 48.76 adjusted for inflation to 2022). The library building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. The Banner newspaper covers current news about West Boylston; Coulter Press of Clinton, Massachusetts, publishes it. In

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