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82-796: The Isaac Davis Trail , also known as the Acton Trail , is an historic 6-mile (9.7 km) trail running east–west in the towns of Acton and Concord, Massachusetts . The trail was significant in 1775 when it was used by Captain Isaac Davis and the Acton Minutemen to march on Concord during the battles of Lexington and Concord . The trail was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The trail begins at Isaac Davis' house in Acton, and ends at western end of

164-607: A connection south to Maynard. The trails do not have lighting and are not snowplowed. [REDACTED] Media related to Acton, Massachusetts at Wikimedia Commons Assabet River The indigenous people of this region first named the Assabet River, though the original meaning of the word "Assabet" is uncertain. Assabet is said to come from the Algonquian word for "the place where materials for making fish nets comes from". Other cited Algonquian meanings include "at

246-417: A different teaching philosophy. The schools and their philosophy of education are: The Acton-Boxborough Regional School has a single Junior High School ( Raymond J. Grey Junior High School ) for grades 7 & 8 and a single High School ( Acton-Boxborough Regional High School ) for grades 9 through 12. Both the junior high and high school were enlarged and renovated in 2000–2005. Both buildings are located at

328-422: A flood hold-back capacity in excess of 3.5 trillion US gallons (1.3×10 L). The Nichols Dam also serves as a water-providing reserve in times of low water, to help maintain some flow in the river. The two most recent major floods were in 1987 and 2010; for both, water level at the gauge peaked at 7.1 feet (2.2 m), and volume was 2,500 cubic feet (71 m ) per second. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in praise of

410-581: A flow rate of 2,300 cubic feet (65 m ) per second as measured at the gauge maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey on a site near the Waltham Street Bridge in Maynard. The gauge site is downstream of 114 square miles (300 km ) of the 177 square miles (460 km ) making up the Assabet River drainage. Major tributaries below the gauge which can contribute to downstream flooding are Fort Pond, Spencer, and Nashoba brooks. According to

492-486: A hurricane, and here scarcely a ripple across the shaded water. Henry David Thoreau regularly visited and often took his students, including Louisa May Alcott , on educational boat trips up the Assabet River. Thoreau wrote a poem titled "The Assabet" to a love interest; its first stanza references rowing upon the river and reads: Up this pleasant stream let's row For the livelong summer's day, Sprinkling foam where'er we go In wreaths as white as driven snow— Ply

574-400: A result, students and families are likely to have broad social connections in all parts of the town rather than being limited to neighborhoods. School Choice also benefits the towns real estate market since home valuations are not impacted by the perceived desirability of given neighborhood's school. While the curriculum in the district is fairly standardized, each of the elementary schools has

656-399: 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

738-642: A town-owned easement on private property, to Strawberry Hill Rd. It follows Strawberry Hill Rd southerly for 1.75 miles (2.82 km) to Barrett's Mill Rd, which runs easterly 0.75 miles (1.21 km) to meet Lowell Rd in Concord. It crosses Lowell Rd, following Barnes Hill Rd and crossing Liberty Rd to reach the Muster Field above the North Bridge. The Isaac Davis Trailmarch is held each year on Patriots' Day . Acton, Massachusetts Acton

820-584: A website maintained by the town's volunteer Land Stewardship Committee. Acton is part of Minuteman Technical High School District along with Arlington, Bolton, Concord, Dover, Lancaster, Lexington, Needham, and Stow. Acton is part of the Acton Boxborough Regional School District (ABRSD) along with Boxborough . The town has five elementary schools serving K–6: CT Douglas, Gates, Luther Conant, McCarthy-Towne and Merriam. The town has one public middle school serving 7–8,

902-650: 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 performers ranging in age from nine to adult, including people with special needs. They perform and rehearse in the Dragonfly Theatre, located inside the R. J. Grey Junior High School. Acton is five miles (8.0 km) from I-495 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

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984-606: Is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts , United States, approximately 21 miles (34 km) west-northwest of Boston along Massachusetts Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles (16 km) southwest of Lowell . The population was 24,021 in April 2020, according to the United States Census Bureau . It is bordered by Westford and Littleton to the north, Concord and Carlisle to

1066-575: Is an invasive aquatic plant native to western Asia. It was initially introduced in the United States in the 1870s in Cambridge, Massachusetts , followed by deliberate introduction into ponds near the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. It is now an invasive, habitat-destroying plant across many eastern states, including along the Assabet River. On the Assabet River, OARS organizes an annual plant pulling event in early July. Volunteers in canoes hand-pull

1148-585: Is partially breached so it does not retain water, though it slows flow at flood times. A tenth mill dam—Paper Mill Dam in Maynard—was destroyed by the 1927 flood. As of 2020, 39 road bridges, two Assabet River Rail Trail pedestrian and cycle bridges, the Taylor Memorial Bridge (a pedestrian bridge) in Hudson, one abandoned railroad bridge in Hudson, and one active railroad bridge in Concord cross

1230-480: 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 glaciers retreated approximately ten thousand years ago. Acton has nine drumlins —hills which are composed of glacial till . In addition, Wills Hole and Grassy Pond are kettle ponds which were formed in depressions in

1312-759: The Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge and environs in Stow, Maynard, Sudbury, and Marlborough encompass 2,600 acres (1,100 ha). According to U.S. Geological Survey records the average flow at the gauge in Maynard is 200 cubic feet (5.7 m ) per second. February, March, and April flows average greater than 300 cubic feet (8.5 m ) per second. July, August, and September flows average less than 100 cubic feet (2.8 m ) per second, with some weekly flows averaging less than 40 cubic feet (1.1 m ) per second. Five municipal wastewater treatment plants discharge cleaned water into

1394-566: The Massachusetts House of Representatives by Danillo Sena and Tami Gouveia. On the federal level, Acton is part of Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district , represented by Lori Trahan . The state's senior ( Class I ) member of the United States Senate is Elizabeth Warren . The junior ( Class II ) senator is Ed Markey . The civic infrastructure grew to accommodate the increasing population. A Water District

1476-593: The National Weather Service , "The 1927 hurricane season brought a tropical storm that swept northward across western New England on Nov. 3-4, 1927. As its warm, humid air rose over the mountains and hills, torrential rains fell, causing severe flooding over extensive areas in virtually all of northern New England and the upper Hudson basin in New York. Much of New England had been soaked by rains throughout October. In all, 85 people were lost." Locally,

1558-607: The South Acton station . Railroad service provided 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 " 77 Great Road Mall " in Acton on MA-2A and MA-119 . The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail provides a paved bicycle commuter option north to Westford, Chelmsford and Lowell. The Assabet River Rail Trail provides

1640-503: The genus Cambarus . The Assabet's shaded banks provide prime mating grounds for damselfly and dragonfly species, as they mate near streams and wetlands and lay their eggs underwater. Damselfly species in the area include bluet , black-winged damselfly , eastern forktail (Massachusetts's most common damselfly), and violet dancer . Dragonfly species mating along the Assabet include cherry-faced meadowhawk and other species of

1722-502: The red-tailed hawk lives in the area year-round. American kestrels and northern harriers hunt in the area primarily during the fall. Naturally, multiple fish species inhabit the river. Brook trout , chain pickerel , and largemouth bass are common. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife stocks brook trout in the Assabet's tributaries, including the above-mentioned Elizabeth Brook, though there are existing natural populations. Chain pickerel live in weedy areas along

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1804-403: The 2000 census, 97.2% had a high school degree or higher, 72.0% had a bachelor's degree or higher, and 40.5% had a graduate degree or higher. Also, 98.0% were employed with a mean commute time of 31.0 minutes. The 2020 median income for a household in the town was $ 138,163, up from $ 133,532. In 2010 males had a median income of $ 109,371 versus $ 48,113 for females. The 2020 per capita income for

1886-561: The Acton Memorial Library and the West Acton Citizens' 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

1968-534: The Assabet River (three upstream of the Maynard gauge). In summer months this cumulative contribution of more than 10,000,000 US gallons (38,000,000 L) per day (roughly 10 cubic feet (0.28 m ) per second) can be more than half of the river's total volume. As of 2020 there are nine dams on the Assabet River. Seven dams powered mills: Aluminum City, Allen Street, Hudson, Gleasondale , Ben Smith, Powdermill, and Damonmill / Westvale. The Nichols and Tyler dams are modern dams built for flood control . Damonmill Dam

2050-588: The Assabet River and manufactured gunpowder from 1835 to 1940. 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

2132-419: The Assabet are rarely seen by humans. Various native amphibians inhabit the Assabet River watershed. Common species include American bullfrog , green frog , leopard frogs , and pickerel frog , all of whose vocalizations may be heard during the spring and summer. Spring peeper , wood frog , and eastern newt also live in the area. At least one crustacean calls the Assabet home: freshwater crayfish of

2214-409: The Assabet watershed, including American black duck , blue-winged teal , common merganser , mallard , pied-billed grebe , ring-necked duck , and wood duck . Depending on the time of year, one may see some birds of prey along the Assabet. The osprey is uncommon but may be encountered near the Assabet, especially in Stow and Hudson. The migratory broad-winged hawk is common in the fall, while

2296-405: The Assabet's banks. Blue flag and yellow flag —the latter particularly abundant between Hudson and Stow—grace the riverbanks with color. Other wildflowers present in the area include arrow arum , arrowweed , bittersweet nightshade , cardinal flower , jewelweed , joe-pye weed , pickerelweed , purple loosestrife , swamp loosestrife , swamp smartweed , sweetflag , true forget-me-not , and

2378-481: The Assabet's proximity to differing habitats such as forests, pastures, fields, and marshes, a wide variety of birds live in or migrate to the area. The belted kingfisher —the only kingfisher of the northeastern United States—summers and sometimes winters on the lower Assabet. The migratory American yellow warbler , Baltimore oriole , common grackle , common yellowthroat , eastern kingbird , gray catbird , northern flicker , tree swallow , and wood thrush inhabit

2460-603: The Assabet. Largemouth bass thrive in the Assabet Reservoir and in the calm waters before Hudson. Other native fish one may encounter on the Assabet include American eel , black crappie , brown bullhead , golden shiner , northern pike , pumpkinseed , white sucker , white perch , yellow perch , and a few other small species. Common mammals living near the Assabet include minks , muskrats , raccoons , red foxes , and white-tailed deer . North American river otters are less common but may be encountered along

2542-582: The Atlantic Ocean upstream into the Merrimack River and then up the Concord, Assabet, and Sudbury rivers. The Industrial Age brought mill dams to these rivers. The dams denied alewife access to the upper reaches of the rivers, causing their local extinction. Beaver was common in the Assabet watershed in pre-colonial times. Concord was in part founded as a beaver pelt trading site between Native Americans and English colonists. Around 1630 it

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2624-521: The Jenks Library which contains historical maps, documents, photographs and drawings. Though there are several theater groups in Acton, the two eldest are Theatre III and Open Door Theater. Theatre III was founded in 1956 when three organizations (a local chorus, dance group, and dramatic troupe) combined to present a show. It produces several plays and musicals each season in the historical old church building on Central Street. Open Door Theater

2706-681: The North Bridge in the Minuteman National Historical Park in Concord. Most of the route is now paved roads, where in some cases the alignment no longer matches the exact route. Despite this, the trail route evokes the time of the march, with its roadways lined with stone walls, and houses generally set back from the street. The trail first runs northeast about 1.25 miles (2.01 km) northeast, along Hayward Rd, Musket Dr, Minuteman Rd, Woodbury Ln, and Main St. It then turns more directly east for 1.5 miles (2.4 km), along

2788-462: The November 11, 1927, issue of The Maynard News reported damaged bridges, flooding at mill buildings closest to the river, and flooding further east at American Powder Mills. The Waltham Street Bridge—situated next to what is now Tedeschi Food Mart in Maynard—was destroyed in the flood. The bridge dated to 1840, and was widened to accommodate an electric trolley track and sidewalk in 1900. The bridge

2870-452: The R.J. Grey Junior High School. High school students then attend Acton-Boxborough Regional High School from grades 9–12. ABRSD has an uncommon 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. Boxborough students have priority for attendance in

2952-622: The Water District, residents of Great Road (Route 2A) obtain their water from the mains running down their street, that connect Nagog Pond to the Concord water system. They are billed by Concord. The pond is both in North Acton and Littleton, but Concord apparently has the water rights. Most homes and businesses in Acton (approximately 80%) use private on-site sewage systems (i.e. septic tanks ). Higher density developments such as condominiums and apartment buildings (approximately 10% of

3034-546: The age of eighteen living with them, 63.5% were husband-wife married couples living together. 23.0% of all households were occupied by individuals 65 years of age or older living alone. 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

3116-426: The area in the springs, summers, and sometimes falls. Other species— black-capped chickadee , cedar waxwing , downy woodpecker , tufted titmouse , and white-breasted nuthatch —live near the Assabet all year round. Some bird species visible from the river inhabit primarily fields, pastures, and old buildings, including American woodcock , barn swallow , bobolink , killdeer , and song sparrow . Bobolinks nest in

3198-511: 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

3280-401: The continued health and presence of native plants along the river. Trees native to the Assabet River area include red maple , silver maple , black willow , river birch , hemlock , and swamp white oak . They are joined by the native shrubs buttonbush , common elderberry , highbush blueberry , multiflora rose , smooth arrowwood , and sweet pepperbush . Wildflowers abound along

3362-442: The dam and is renovating it to generate electricity again. None of the other historic mill dams presently provide hydropower. Despite its small watershed area and habitat loss to suburbanization , the Assabet River and greater Concord River basin host many native and naturalized species of trees, wildflowers, aquatic plants, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects. Introduced invasive plants threaten

Isaac Davis Trail - Misplaced Pages Continue

3444-527: The east, Stow , Maynard , and Sudbury 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, five-member select board. Acton was named the 11th Best Place To Live among small towns in the country by Money Magazine in 2015, and the 16th best in 2009 and in 2011. The local high school, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School ,

3526-438: The events of the day were characterized as "the battle of Lexington, fought in Concord, by men of Acton." During the 19th century, Acton participated in the growing Industrial Revolution . By the mid-19th century, Acton was an industrial center for the production of barrels (cooperage). There were also a powder mill , three gristmills and four sawmills in town. The American Powder Mills complex extended downstream along

3608-430: The first major floods after two flood control dams were built upstream. Both floods peaked at 8.1 feet (2.5 m) at the gauge. In Maynard the 1968 flood put water over the retaining wall next to the mill buildings, necessitating sandbagging and pumping to save factory equipment belonging to Digital Equipment Corporation , which owned the entire mill complex at the time. The equally high water of January 1979 did not reach

3690-756: The following: the Select Board (five members, three-year terms), the Town Moderator (one person, one-year term), Acton members of the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee (seven members, three-year terms), the Housing Authority (four members, five-year terms) and Memorial Library Trustees (three members, three-year terms). In addition, the town moderator appoints a finance committee (nine members, three-year terms) which issues an opinion on each of

3772-451: The genus Sympetrum , common whitetail , the migratory green darner , and twelve-spotted skimmer . Aquatic insects plying the Assabet's waters include common water strider , giant water bugs of the genus Belostoma , grousewinged backswimmer and other species of backswimmers , various species of water boatmen , and whirligig beetles of genera Dineutus and Gyrinus . Water caltrop , more commonly known as water chestnut,

3854-552: The grass at Orchard Hill in Stow along the Assabet. The barn swallows feed over the water near Tyler Dam in Marlborough; some of them nest in the grass with the bobolinks while others live in a barn near Orchard Hill. A subset of birds living near or on the Assabet prefer marshy environments, including American bittern , black-crowned night heron , great blue heron , green heron , marsh wren , and red-winged blackbird . A variety of migratory and nonmigratory ducks habitate

3936-538: The history of Massachusetts, New England , and the United States. It 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 7,000 years. When the colonists arrived in this area, the Native American population dropped dramatically due to European diseases for which they had no immunity . Concord

4018-478: 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 wells 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. Separate from

4100-803: The mill because Digital had heightened the retaining wall. Walnut Street flooded: AT&T had to sandbag its building on the Walnut Street side. Three major and eight minor flood control sites hold back high water in times of floods. The George H. Nichols Dam was built in Westborough in 1968 or 1969, the Tyler Dam in Marlborough in 1965, and the Delaney Complex (on the Elizabeth Brook tributary) in Stow in 1971. The minor sites are on other tributary brooks. Collectively, these have

4182-542: The miry place", "it is miry", or "the reedy place". It is also possible to decode the name Assabet in the Eastern Algonquian Loup language spoken by the Nipmuc people who lived and fished on the river prior to European settlement. The word assa-pe-t segments into: assa , "turn back"; pe , a short form of nippe , "water", used in compounds; and a locative suffix, -t , a shorter form of -et after

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4264-427: The oars, away! away! Thoreau reflected on the Assabet's natural sensory pleasures in his journal, contrasting them favorably against the heights of human endeavor and creation: July 10, 1852 Assabet River I wonder if any Roman emperor ever indulged in such luxury as this—of walking up and down a river in torrid weather with only a hat to shade the head. What were the baths of Caracalla to this? Now we traverse

4346-581: The poisonous water hemlock . Marsh plants habitating the area include various species of bur-reed (but predominantly Sparganium americanum ), cinnamon fern , common cattail , great bulrush , marsh fern , marsh mermaid weed , reed canary grass , royal fern , soft rush , tussock sedge , and wild rice . Native aquatic plants present on or under the Assabet's waters include common elodea , coontail , duckweed , low watermilfoil , various species of pondweeds , water celery , watermeal , watershield , white water lily , and yellow pond lily . Given

4428-468: 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 October 3, 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

4510-473: The residential property tax, which is subject to the limitations imposed by state statute known as Proposition 2½ . The Water District is funded through water rates, connection fees and property rental. The Water District revenues, however, are not subject to Proposition 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 . On the state level, Acton is represented in the Massachusetts Senate by James "Jamie" Eldridge, and in

4592-545: 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. Acton uses the Open Town Meeting form of town government. The town charter specifies that the annual town meeting must begin on the first Monday in April. The Select Board may also call

4674-442: The river for food, dam construction, and den building. Licensed trappers are hired to remove nuisance beaver families. Where not intruding on human space, beavers improve the local ecology. Beaver dams create wetlands which foster wildlife diversity, contribute water to underlying aquifers, and combat summer droughts. The official designation of major flooding on the Assabet River is a water depth of more than 7 feet (2.1 m) and

4756-493: The river in his collection of short stories Mosses from an Old Manse : Rowing our boat against the current, between wide meadows, we turn aside into the Assabeth. A more lovely stream than this, for a mile above its junction with the Concord, has never flowed on earth, — nowhere, indeed, except to lave the interior of a poet's imagination. It is sheltered from the breeze by woods and a hillside; so that elsewhere there might be

4838-464: The river's name as Asibath, Assabeth, Asabett, Assabet, Elizbeth, Elzibeth, Elizabet, Elizabeth, Elsabeth, Elsibeth, and Isabaeth. The uniform spelling "Assabet" was not adopted until at least 1850. Historic maps up until 1835 mostly label the river the Elizabeth or some variation thereof, but by 1856 maps consistently call it the Assabet. The name's history is further complicated by the fact that

4920-509: The river. The Powdermill Dam was constructed to power the American Powder Mills , a complex of 40 buildings situated on 400 acres (160 ha) along both sides of the river through the towns of Acton, Concord, Maynard, and Sudbury. The complex manufactured gunpowder between 1835 and 1940. Evidence of 23 recorded explosions during that period remains at a few locations along the river. Acton Hydro Company, Inc., currently owns

5002-506: The river. The little brown bat was once abundant in the area before decimation by the fungal disease white-nose syndrome ; other bat species remain present in large numbers. A few native reptile species inhabit the Assabet's waters. Some species—such as common snapping turtle , common watersnake , eastern garter snake , painted turtle , and ribbon snake —are relatively abundant. Other reptiles— Blanding's turtle and spotted turtle —are critically endangered, and though present along

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5084-536: The school district campus in Acton. Current enrollment at the junior high is approximately 1,000 students, while the high school has roughly 2,000 students. The high school consistently ranks highly among rankings of the best public high schools in the Greater Boston area (defined as within I-495); Most recently, the school was placed 1st in by Boston Magazine in 2020 and 2021. Acton has two public libraries :

5166-473: The school in their own town, but participate in the lottery if they wish to attend an Acton school. Any remaining spaces at Blanchard become available in the lottery. 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. This carries over into the recreational youth sport organizations whose teams are not organized around specific elementary schools. As

5248-467: The state. Locally, the flood damaged bridges and washed out roads. The 1955 floods occurred when remnants of Hurricane Diane reached New England. The Assabet River crested at 8.94 feet (2.72 m), the highest water level measured since record keeping began in 1942. According to a Maynard resident, "In August of 1955 my parents brought me to see water flowing over the bridge. We stood on the south side, on Waltham Street." The 1968 and 1979 floods were

5330-539: The surface-floating rosettes of leaves and nuts before the nuts mature and fall to the river bottom. Other invasive species in the Assabet basin include the aquatic plant European water clover and the fish carp . Alewife is an anadromous species of herring found in North America, meaning it mates and is born in freshwater but lives most of its life in saltwater. In pre-colonial and early colonial times, during their spring mating season alewife swam from

5412-579: The territories of three other related Algonquian-speaking peoples: the Massachusett , Pennacook , and Wampanoag . The Assabet River rises from a 310-acre (130 ha) swampy area in Westborough known as the Assabet Reservoir. Streams located in the towns of Shrewsbury and Grafton feed the reservoir. From Westborough the river flows northeast 34.4 miles (55.4 km), starting at an elevation of 320 feet (98 m) and descending through

5494-593: The till formed by large blocks of ice. Acton has two primary stream systems: the Nashoba Brook system including the incoming streams Butter Brook, Wills 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

5576-488: 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. While Acton Center has been the civic center of the town since the revolution, the four other village centers earned their nomenclature from the names of their corresponding railroad station. The current Master Plan for

5658-439: 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. According to the 2020 census , there were 24,021 residents, a 9.6% increase from 2010. The population density was 1,209.2 inhabitants per square mile (466.9/km ), up from 1103.6. There were 8,931 households, up from 8,187. In the 2010 Census of 8,187 households, 42.7% had children under

5740-519: The town was $ 65,952. About 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line , up from 2.9% in 2010. Acton had 2,041 Chinese Americans in 2010, a 151% increase from 2000 and the ninth largest Chinese population in Massachusetts. In 2014, 25% of the residents of Acton were born outside of the United States. In 2000 this percentage was 14%. Data is from the 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Acton's history reflects

5822-585: 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. Acton has a total of over 1,650 acres (7 km ) of town-owned conservation lands. These town conservation areas, and some smaller ones, are described and mapped in

5904-510: 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 Ledge Rock Way. In 1874, the population of the town was almost 1700. The town established its first newspaper, The Acton Patriot , and

5986-654: The towns of Northborough , Marlborough , Berlin , Hudson , Stow , Maynard , Acton , and finally Concord , where it merges with the Sudbury River at Egg Rock ( 42°27′55″N 71°21′30″W  /  42.4653°N 71.3584°W  / 42.4653; -71.3584  ( Junction with Sudbury River ) ) at an elevation of 100 feet (30 m) to form the Concord River . The Assabet's watershed covers 177 square miles (460 km ). The Assabet marshes in Stow measure about 900 acres (360 ha), and

6068-465: The tributary Elizabeth Brook in present-day Stow flows into the Assabet River. Indigenous people lived in what became central Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European settlement. Indigenous oral histories, archaeological evidence, and European settler documents attest to historic settlements of the Nipmuc near and along the Assabet River. Nipmuc settlements on the Assabet intersected with

6150-624: The vowel, so its name in Loup means "at the place where the river turns back". During floods the Assabet River reaches peak height sooner than the Sudbury River, so that at the junction of the two rivers the Sudbury's direction of flow can temporarily reverse. A Eurocentric interpretation is that the river's name is a corrupted spelling of Elizabeth, or an attempted transliteration of the Nipmuc name. Various historic maps and documents denote

6232-487: 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 elected commissioners, an elected moderator, an elected clerk, an appointed district counsel, finance committee, Water Land Management Advisory Committee, and paid professional staff. The town services are primarily funded through

6314-688: Was defended by the British regulars, Captain Davis was heard to reply, "I haven't a man who is afraid to go." It has been said that the Acton men led because they alone were equipped with bayonets . 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 local terms,

6396-544: 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 macadam highways. In 2005 a new Public Safety Facility was built that expanded space for the Police Department and provided for a Joint Dispatch area with the Fire Department. The Acton Water District is a community public water supply that delivers drinking water to

6478-583: Was estimated more than 10,000 beaver pelts were being taken annually in land that now makes up Massachusetts and Connecticut . Due to aggressive hunting, European settlers extirpated beaver from Massachusetts by 1750. Reintroduction to the state started in the Berkshires around 1930, then spread east. Beavers once again populate the Assabet River watershed: they are numerous enough that stream culverts under roads need to be periodically cleared of in-progress beaver dams, and beavers down trees on land adjacent to

6560-417: Was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009. Acton is located at 42°29′N 71°27′W  /  42.483°N 71.450°W  / 42.483; -71.450 . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 20.3 square miles (53 km ), of which 20.0 square miles (52 km ) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km ), or 1.53 percent,

6642-462: Was replaced in 1928 and again in 2013. The Great Flood of 1936 was described as the worst flood in New England since 1850. Damage in Massachusetts was estimated in excess of $ 200 million at the time. The severe winter of 1935-36 had deep snowfalls and long cold snaps that iced streams and rivers solid. Spring came early, with mild weather and heavy rain. By mid-March, rivers were rising across

6724-485: Was the first inland colonial town established in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The original boundaries of Concord included all of Acton and residents used the Acton land as grazing fields for their animals. In 1639, the first homestead was built within the modern day boundaries of the town. Acton was established as an independent town on July 3, 1735. Acton has held annual town meetings since 1735,

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