Spencer, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Spencer is a town in Worcester County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. The population was 11,688 at the 2010 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place
Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP)
, Massachusetts
.
. Spencer was named after the then-acting governor of Massachusetts, Spencer Phips
. Spencer was the home of the Howe family of inventors, including Elias Howe
, who perfected the lockstitch sewing machine.
Rich in history, Spencer is located in central Worcester County, twenty minutes west of Worcester
via Route 9, and about forty-five east of Springfield
via Routes 49, 20, and the Massachusetts Turnpike
. The town was settled in 1717 by Nathaniel Wood, and first permanently settled by Samuel Bemis in 1721. Bemis built the first frame house in the town. His descendants still reside in Spencer to this day. Spencer was incorporated as a town in 1753. It had been established as a district from a part of Leicester. Its name was assigned by Lieutenant Governor Spencer Phipps who had signed the order establishing the district.
In 1784 Spencer was a major stopping place on the Old Boston Post Road
's stage route between Boston
and Hartford
, and on to New York
. Passengers changed stages in Spencer, as one coach would come from Boston and connect with one coming north from Hartford. Each stagecoach would turn around and return whence it came. Travelers often stopped for the night at Jenk’s Tavern in Spencer, as did General Henry Knox
, pushing his cannons through the streets of the town on his way to Boston from Ticonderoga
, and George Washington
in 1789. Spencer still has colonial-era milestone markers
showing the route of the old post road.
When the War of Independence
broke out in 1775 it found Spencer ready to take part in it. 56 men under Captain Ebenezer Mason immediately set out to Boston. Many of these men later took part in the Battle of Bunker Hill
. 313 Spencer men are known to have served in the Civil War
. 32 lost their lives in the service of their country.
Spencer's first mill was built in 1740 on the Seven Mile River
, the greatest source of waterpower in the town. In 1811, Josiah Green began making shoes, and in 1834 he built a factory. The Prouty family began to make shoes in 1820, and built their factory in 1855. In 1812, Elliot Prouty had begun to "draw" wire in a mill he had built. His business flourished in his family until 1916, when it merged with Wickwire Steel Co. At one time, Spencer had 11 factories and 26 buildings for wire drawing.
In 1839 the town hall was constructed, and eighteen years later, Denny Hall, the town's first high school, was built. In 1888-1889, four prominent citizens (David Prouty, Richard Sugden, Luther Hill and Nathaniel Myrick) presented the town with a new high school, a library, a public park and the Spencer Agricultural Fair Grounds. The Howe family of Spencer did much to make the town famous in the annals of ingenious Americans. William Howe of Spencer developed a wooden truss bridge named for him, and his brother, Tyler Howe, patented a spring bed. Their nephew, Elias Howe, Jr., may well have eclipsed them when he invented the lockstitch sewing machine.
, the town has a total area of 34 square miles (88.1 km²), of which 32.8 square miles (85 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), or 3.52%, is water.
The town, roughly rectangular in shape, is bounded on the east by Leicester
, on the south by Charlton
, on the west by East Brookfield
and North Brookfield
, on the northwest by New Braintree
, on the north by Oakham
, and on the northeast by Paxton
.
It is divided into quarters by north-south Route 31 and east-west Route 9. A third state highway, Route 49, connects the town's western portions with nearby Sturbridge
.
of 2000, there were 11,691 people, 4,583 households, and 3,093 families residing in the town. The population density
was 355.9 PD/sqmi. There were 4,938 housing units at an average density of 150.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.93% White, 0.59% Black or African American
, 0.24% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races
, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 4,583 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,598, and the median income for a family was $56,763. Males had a median income of $40,581 versus $29,837 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,017. About 5.9% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 10.1% 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 11,688 at the 2010 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP)
Spencer (CDP), Massachusetts
Spencer is a census-designated place in the town of Spencer in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,700 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Spencer is located at ....
, 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...
.
History
Spencer was first settled in 1717 by Nathaniel Wood, and first permanently settled by Samuel Bemis in 1721. It was officially incorporated on April 12, 1753, splitting from the town of LeicesterLeicester, Massachusetts
Leicester is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,970 at the 2010 census.-History:Leicester was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated in 1714....
. Spencer was named after the then-acting governor of Massachusetts, Spencer Phips
Spencer Phips
Spencer Phips was a British politician in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Born Spencer Bennett, he was adopted by Massachusetts Governor Sir William Phips, whose name he legally took...
. Spencer was the home of the Howe family of inventors, including Elias Howe
Elias Howe
Elias Howe, Jr. was an American inventor and sewing machine pioneer.-Early life & family:Howe was born on July 9, 1819 to Dr. Elias Howe, Sr. and Polly Howe in Spencer, Massachusetts. Howe spent his childhood and early adult years in Massachusetts where he apprenticed in a textile factory in...
, who perfected the lockstitch sewing machine.
Rich in history, Spencer is located in central Worcester County, twenty minutes west of Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
via Route 9, and about forty-five east of Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
via Routes 49, 20, and the Massachusetts Turnpike
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
. The town was settled in 1717 by Nathaniel Wood, and first permanently settled by Samuel Bemis in 1721. Bemis built the first frame house in the town. His descendants still reside in Spencer to this day. Spencer was incorporated as a town in 1753. It had been established as a district from a part of Leicester. Its name was assigned by Lieutenant Governor Spencer Phipps who had signed the order establishing the district.
In 1784 Spencer was a major stopping place on the Old Boston Post Road
Boston Post Road
The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts that evolved into the first major highways in the United States.The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York...
's stage route between 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...
and Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, and on to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Passengers changed stages in Spencer, as one coach would come from Boston and connect with one coming north from Hartford. Each stagecoach would turn around and return whence it came. Travelers often stopped for the night at Jenk’s Tavern in Spencer, as did General Henry Knox
Henry Knox
Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....
, pushing his cannons through the streets of the town on his way to Boston from Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
, and George 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...
in 1789. Spencer still has colonial-era milestone markers
1767 Milestones
The 1767 Milestones are historic milestones located along the route of the Upper Boston Post Road between the cities of Boston and Springfield in Massachusetts...
showing the route of the old post road.
When the War of Independence
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...
broke out in 1775 it found Spencer ready to take part in it. 56 men under Captain Ebenezer Mason immediately set out to Boston. Many of these men later took part in the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
. 313 Spencer men are known to have served in the 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...
. 32 lost their lives in the service of their country.
Spencer's first mill was built in 1740 on the Seven Mile River
Seven Mile River (East Brookfield River)
The Seven Mile River or Sevenmile River is a stream in central Massachusetts. It heads at Browning Pond, at the Oakham and Spencer border, and travels south through Spencer, following a short distance from State Route 31...
, the greatest source of waterpower in the town. In 1811, Josiah Green began making shoes, and in 1834 he built a factory. The Prouty family began to make shoes in 1820, and built their factory in 1855. In 1812, Elliot Prouty had begun to "draw" wire in a mill he had built. His business flourished in his family until 1916, when it merged with Wickwire Steel Co. At one time, Spencer had 11 factories and 26 buildings for wire drawing.
In 1839 the town hall was constructed, and eighteen years later, Denny Hall, the town's first high school, was built. In 1888-1889, four prominent citizens (David Prouty, Richard Sugden, Luther Hill and Nathaniel Myrick) presented the town with a new high school, a library, a public park and the Spencer Agricultural Fair Grounds. The Howe family of Spencer did much to make the town famous in the annals of ingenious Americans. William Howe of Spencer developed a wooden truss bridge named for him, and his brother, Tyler Howe, patented a spring bed. Their nephew, Elias Howe, Jr., may well have eclipsed them when he invented the lockstitch sewing machine.
2007 public water lye accident
On April 25, 2007, it was discovered early in the morning that there was a malfunction at one of the town's water treatment facilities where a hazardous amount of sodium hydroxide (lye) was released into the town's water supply. The official cause was a malfunction of the system due to operator error, that regulates the amount of lye released. According to local news reports, dozens of people received medical treatment for "burning sensations and skin rashes."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 34 square miles (88.1 km²), of which 32.8 square miles (85 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), or 3.52%, is water.
The town, roughly rectangular in shape, is bounded on the east by Leicester
Leicester, Massachusetts
Leicester is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,970 at the 2010 census.-History:Leicester was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated in 1714....
, on the south by Charlton
Charlton, Massachusetts
Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.- History :Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated off from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town in 1775 by a law that made all...
, on the west by East Brookfield
East Brookfield, Massachusetts
East Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,183 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place East Brookfield, please see the article East Brookfield , Massachusetts.- History :East Brookfield was...
and North Brookfield
North Brookfield, Massachusetts
North Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,680 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place North Brookfield, please see the article North Brookfield , Massachusetts.- History :North Brookfield...
, on the northwest by New Braintree
New Braintree, Massachusetts
New Braintree is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 999 at the 2010 census.- History :New Braintree was first settled in 1709 and was officially incorporated in 1751....
, on the north by Oakham
Oakham, Massachusetts
Oakham is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,902 at the 2010 census.- History :Oakham was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1762...
, and on the northeast by Paxton
Paxton, Massachusetts
Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2010 census.-History:Paxton was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765....
.
It is divided into quarters by north-south Route 31 and east-west Route 9. A third state highway, Route 49, connects the town's western portions with nearby Sturbridge
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques.The population was 9,268 at the 2010 census...
.
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 11,691 people, 4,583 households, and 3,093 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 355.9 PD/sqmi. There were 4,938 housing units at an average density of 150.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.93% White, 0.59% Black or African American
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...
, 0.24% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% 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 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 4,583 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,598, and the median income for a family was $56,763. Males had a median income of $40,581 versus $29,837 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 $21,017. About 5.9% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Library
The Spencer public library began in 1870. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Spencer spent 2.04% ($280,959) of its budget on its public library—merely $23 per person.Education
Spencer's public schools are regionalized K-12 with East Brookfield. Spencer students attend Maple Street School for kindergarten, Lake Street School for grades 1-3, and Wire Village School for grades 4-6. Students from both towns attend Knox Trail Junior High School for grades 7-8 and David Prouty High School for grades 9-12. David Prouty Junior High School, which was also the former building of the old high school, was recently closed after being replaced by the Wire Village School.Notable residents
- Elias HoweElias HoweElias Howe, Jr. was an American inventor and sewing machine pioneer.-Early life & family:Howe was born on July 9, 1819 to Dr. Elias Howe, Sr. and Polly Howe in Spencer, Massachusetts. Howe spent his childhood and early adult years in Massachusetts where he apprenticed in a textile factory in...
(1819–1867), inventor of the sewing machineSewing machineA sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric, cards and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies... - Phineas JonesPhineas JonesPhineas Jones was a Republican politician who represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1883 to 1885.-Biography:...
(1819–1884), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional districtNew Jersey's 6th congressional districtNew Jersey's Sixth Congressional District is currently represented by Democrat Frank Pallone. In the 2010 election, Pallone defeated Republican Anna C...
from 1881-83