Southbridge

The Town of Southbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,214, at the 2000 census. The area was initially inhabited by the Nipmuck and Mohegan tribes, with the Quinebaug River dividing their territories. Local inhabitants likely paid tribute to both to be left in peace. As early as 1638, John Winthrop, Jr. purchased a tract for mining lead at what is now Leadmine Road in Sturbridge (it was thought ... more

The Town of Southbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,214, at the 2000 census. The area was initially inhabited by the Nipmuck and Mohegan tribes, with the Quinebaug River dividing their territories. Local inhabitants likely paid tribute to both to be left in peace. As early as 1638, John Winthrop, Jr. purchased a tract for mining lead at what is now Leadmine Road in Sturbridge (it was thought at the time that where there's lead, there should be silver nearby). Southbridge was first settled by Europeans in 1730 and incorporated in 1816; among the first settlers was Moses Marcy, who owned a home on the site of what is now Notre Dame church and was elected to Congress, and the Dennison family. Water power from the Quinebaug River made Southbridge a good location for sawmills and gristmills in the 1700s, and textile mills in the 1800s. After the American Civil War, many immigrants of Irish and French Canadian descent came to work and... less