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The History of Mendon
In the mid 1600's a group of inhabitants from Braintree and Weymouth petitioned the General Court (Massachusetts' legislative body) for permission to settle a new town. On
May 28, 1659 the General Court granted the petitioners permission to seek out a place and present their desires to the General Court along with the names of those who were to do the work. In 1660, the group was granted a plantation of 8 miles square to begin their society.
The next step was to find the place. Since Dedham and Medfield were already settled, the new plantation had to be further west. The nearest place not settled was where Mendon is now. The settlers then had to determine who owned the land and purchase it from them. This entailed ascertaining who the leading Indian or Indians were and doing business with him/them
Peter Bracket and Moses Payne, who appeared to be heading the settlers, made contact with the Indians. A purchase price of 24 pounds was agreed to. A written description of the tract was made, witnesses obtained and the whole transaction consummated in the deed we know as Mendon's Indian Deed. It was fully executed Sept. 8, 1662.
No name was given to the Eight Mile Square Tract described in the deed. For years it was called Squinshepauke or Quinshapage. When the town was incorporated on May 15, 1667, the new plantation called Squinshepauke became the Town of Mendon and it belonged in Middlesex County
By the middle of March of 1664, 15 families had settled in Mendon. After incorporation the inhabitants had a lot to do. Mendon had no meeting house, no schools, no roads, no gristmill. There was no Uxbridge, no Sutton, no Douglas no Worcester. The nearest towns North were Lancaster and Marlboro, to the east, Medfield, and to the south, Rehoboth and Providence. Because Mendon was so isolated, it was designated a Frontier Town by the General Court. during King Phillips' War.
In 1674 the town was attacked by Nipmuck Indians. Fearing other attacks, the settlers left Mendon and went back to Braintree. By 1680, twenty families had returned to Mendon.,
As the town grew, the settlers on the outer fringes began to agitate to be set off as another town or precinct. This resulted in the incorporation of Uxbridge in 1727, Bellingham in 1719, Upton in 1735, Milford in 1780 and Blackstone in 1845. These are the children of "Mother Mendon". Mendon also has 3 grandchildren. Northbridge broke off from Uxbridge, Hopedale from Milford, and Millville from Blackstone.
Over the years Mendon has also changed counties. The General Court declared it to belong to Middlesex County in 1667. In 1671 the General Court changed Mendon to Suffolk County. In 1731, a new county was "erected" and Mendon, despite its protest, was made a part of it along with 14 other towns. The new county was called Worcester County.
One of Mendon's chief claims to fame is her "mother town" status. However that destined her to become an agricultural town. Mendon's bigness became a handicap as the settlers began spreading out from the center to form new villages on the Blackstone, Mumford, Mill, Charles and West rivers. Abundant waterpower in these new settlements was soon put to use for grist and saw mills. These villages soon grew faster than Mendon and in time became incorporated as independent towns. Being surrounded by these intensely industrialized towns forced Mendon to become an agricultural town.
When the railroads bypassed Mendon, going through Uxbridge and Milford instead, the town was hurt by the withdrawal of the shoe shops. but was helped travelwise. People could take a stage to Milford or Uxbridge and then the train to Boston, Worcester or Providence. When the trolleys came, they passed through Mendon and brought thousands of people to Lake Nipmuck Park and summer cottages began to be built around the lake.
Mendon is no longer an agricultural town. Its status has changed from farming to residential. Its location makes Mendon ideally suited for this.
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