Marlborough

History

In 1656, several families from Sudbury, Massachusetts, led by Edmund Rice, John Howe, John Ruddock, and John Bent, petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to create a new town. The proposed town would be located southwest of Sudbury at the intersection of two trails used by local Native American tribes, known as the Nashua Trail and Connecticut path. Its name would be Marlborough, after the market town in Wiltshire, England of the same name. The land belonged to a tribe of Pennacook Native Americans whose population had been decimated by the introduction of European diseases a few decades prior. In 1656, only 50 or so Pennacooks remained in the area. The Pennacook people spoke an Algonquian language; this was among the reasons that Howe, a fur trader who spoke Algonquian, became the first settler to move to the area. The Pennacook, knowing their reduced numbers left them vulnerable to attacks from other Native groups, initially welcomed the settlers in exchange for their assistance protecting the tribe. The Puritan minister Reverend William Brimstead became the first minister of the First Church of Marlborough, and William Ward the first deacon. Johnathan Johnson was the first blacksmith. Marlborough was one of the seven "Praying Indian Towns" because they were converted to Christianity by the Rev. John Eliot of Roxbury. In 1674, a deed was drawn up dividing the land between the settlers and the natives. However, the outbreak of King Phillip's War in 1675 led to increased tension and distrust between the Native and European residents of Marlborough. Local officials, worried that even friendly tribes might be persuaded to join Metacomet's forces, began rounding up Native Americans residing in the area. They were initially brought to Marlborough, where they were…

Geography

Marlborough is located at (42.350909, −71.547530). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (4.87%) is water. The Assabet River cuts across the northwest corner of the city. Within city limits are three large lakes, known as Lake Williams, Millham Reservoir and Fort Meadow Reservoir. (A portion of Fort Meadow Reservoir extends into nearby Hudson.) Marlborough is crossed by Interstate 495, U.S. Route 20 and Massachusetts Route 85. The eastern terminus of Interstate 290 is also in Marlborough. Marlborough is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by six municipalities: Berlin, Hudson, Sudbury, Framingham, Southborough, and Northborough.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  64,455
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  63,588
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  57,706
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  56,688
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  55,451
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  51,650
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  49,079
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  48,728

Largest nearby schools

• Framingham High School
  High · Framingham · 2,566 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High
  High · Sudbury · 1,484 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Hopkinton High
  High · Hopkinton · 1,234 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Assabet Valley Vocational High School
  High · Marlborough · 1,128 students · 10.2:1 ratio
• Marlborough High
  High · Marlborough · 1,064 students · 11:1 ratio
• 1 LT Charles W. Whitcomb School
  Middle · Marlborough · 1,044 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Hopkinton Middle School
  Middle · Hopkinton · 972 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School
  High · Marlborough · 966 students · 12.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2005-11-17
  4 km S of Plymouth, Massachusetts