Uxbridge, Massachusetts

Uxbridge, Massachusetts

Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, and was incorporated in 1727. It is named for the Earl of Uxbridge, who lived in Uxbridge, England. Uxbridge is 16 miles (26 km) south-southeast of Worcester, 20 miles (32 km) north-northwest of Providence, and 39.77 miles (64.00 km) southwest of Boston. It is part of the Greater Boston CSA. The 2010 census showed 13,457 people. Uxbridge includes the villages of North Uxbridge, Linwood, Wheelockville, and Ironstone (South Uxbridge).

The town is a "mini tapestry of early America", which marks the center of the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor, a key region of America's earliest industrialization. Once home to the Nipmuc, it was settled by Europeans from Braintree in the 1660s, including the Taft family, (a later political dynasty). Lt. Col. Seth Reed fought at Bunker Hill, and was "instrumental" in adding E Pluribus Unum, ('From Many, One'), to U.S. Coins. There are more than 375 state or national historic sites.

Three main rivers drove water powered mills which helped "jumpstart" Uxbridge as a business incubator for textiles, power looms for woolens, cashmere woolens, and manufacturing of clothing and military uniforms. The first woolen mill in the Blackstone Valley was built here in 1809. The Bachman Uxbridge Worsted Company's proposed 1954 buyout of the American Woolen Company would have created America's largest woolen conglomerate. The first Air Force Dress Uniform, "Uxbridge Blue", was made here.

Uxbridge played roles in human rights and women's rights by granting town meeting voting rights to America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft, and the right to serve on juries to Massachusetts's first women jurors. It played minor roles in the narratives of American Revolution soldier, Deborah Sampson, and abolitionist Abby Kelley Foster. With a strong, and early Quaker heritage, this town became an important junction on the underground railroad. It was the home of nationally known anti-slavery champion, Effingham Capron.