Special Collections and University Archives | UMass Amherst Libraries
Shutesbury (Mass.) 250th Anniversary
Collection
1961-2014
1 box (0.5 Linear Feet)
Call no.: MS 957
Special Collections & University Archives
UMass Amherst Libraries
154 Hicks Way | Amherst, Mass. 01003-9275 | [email protected] | 413-545-2780
Background on the Town of Shutesbury
In 1735 a petition was made by a group of proprietors to lay out a road connecting Lancaster and Sunderland,
Massachusetts. Created to foster trade between eastern and western Massachusetts, the Lancaster Post Road
reached its highest point at a settlement called Roadtown. By 1761 the hamlet had grown and was fully
incorporated in 1761, renaming itself Shutesbury after the former governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
Samuel Shute. Although far from the seat of power by eighteenth century standards, Shutesbury was not entirely
isolated. With the growing population in Boston, the appeal of open land in the western parts of the state drew
speculators and settlers into the area between the settlements of the Connecticut River Valley and Worcester.
During the years of the revolution, sentiments in Shutesbury mirrored those of the rest of the colony, with an
initial loyalty to the King devolving into a support for the revolutionary appeal for expanded rights. The town
officially broke with the Provincial government in February 1776 and continued in its opposition to governmental
authority. Shutebury's Daniel Shays led troops against the British and then against the new Massachusetts state
government in 1786, advocating for freer economic mobility and expanded liberties.
Never reaching any significant population, Shutesbury remained a quiet rural town well into the twentieth
century. With churches of several denominations at its three main villages, the town's economy was centered on
farming and fruit culture, with a lumber industry growing from 1830 onwards. A shoe and boot making industry
arrived in the mid-1800s, along with palm-leaf braiding for hats in the 1850s, black ash baskets in the 1860s,
and a tavern and hotel industry at the turn of the century. The introduction of modern transportation brought
together the individual neighborhoods into a more centralized community which allowed schools, markets, and a
post office to be officially introduced in the early 1910s. Mount Mineral was founded as a resort and continued
to bring in city dwellers to the rural countryside while locals spent their summers on Lake Wyola at campsites
and swimming holes. The town's population at this time rested at just under 200 people but would grow to over
1700 by the 1940s, largely attributed to the expansion of the public school system, the founding of a library,
and the increased work associated with construction of the Quabbin Reservoir.
After the Second World War, during which Shutesbury sent thirty-four men into the service, Shutesbury shared in
the nation's general prosperity. A fire department formed in the early 1950s and several community
organizations filled the gaps in fostering local connections in a changing world. The 4-H and garden clubs were
popular for girls and women, and the Lake Wyola Association was formed to "promote the welfare and social
intercourse of the residents of the Lake." Shutesbury celebrated its 250th Anniversary in 2011 with a year of
events, lectures, performances, and a parade.
Contents of Collection
A commemorative collection from the 250th Anniversary of the town of Shutesbury, Massachusetts, this collection
is a snapshot of small-town New England pride. The majority of the collection consists of flyers and pamphlets
associated with a year's worth of celebratory events, along with programs, books, a play on the history of
Shutesbury, a musical revue and an anniversary song. The final contents are Committee Annual Reports for the
Town of Shutesbury for the years of the early 2010s.
Collection inventory
Shutesbury 1761-1961: Commemorative Booklet
"Our Town" Newsletters
"Celebrate Shutesbury: A History of Shutesbury
Massachusetts, 1735-2000"
Correspondence: M. Little on 1911 Commemorative
Album
"People of the Past" an Essay by Susan Millinger
"Roadtown Review" an Elementary School Musical
Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition (U.S.)
1761-2011 Commemorative Album
Town Meeting Proclamations and Resolutions: "Shutesbury
Day" and 1761 Petition for the renaming of the Town
Daniel Shays Lecture Flyers, Leo Richards
Tavern of the Time: Play Narrating Town History
Celebrate Shutesbury Flyer
Cemetery Walk
Commemorative Postmark Only Available Sept 24, 2011
Town of Shutesbury's 250th Anniversary Song
Lost Towns of the Quabbin Lecture Flyer, J.R. Greene
"Native people in West-Central Massachusetts" Marge
Bruchac Lecture Flyers
Amherst Club Presentation on 250th
Farm and Garden Tours Pamphlet
250th Anniversary Parade Flyers and DVD
Tree Tour Notes
Lake Wyola Boat Tour
Kick Off Bonfire
Children's Colonial Picnic Flyer
Full Moon Coffeehouse Benefit Flyer
Correspondence with Logo Collector
Saturday Market Outreach
Chain Saw Seminars
Town of Shutesbury Committee Reports FY 2009, 2013,
2014
Annual Reports: FY2010, 2011, 2012
Moonlight Ball
1961
Fall 2009-Winter 2012
Box 1: 1
2000
Box 1: 2
Box 1: 3
2010 Nov
Box 1: 4
Undated
2011 Dec 20
2011 June
2012
2011 May
Box 1: 5
Box 1: 6
Box 1: 7
Box 1: 8
Box 1: 9
2010 May 10
2011 Sept 24
2011 Sept
2011 Oct 23
2011 Sept 24
2011 Jan
2011 Nov 9
2011 March
Box 1: 10
Box 1: 11
Box 1: 12
Box 1: 13
Box 1: 14
Box 1: 15
Box 1: 16
Box 1: 17
2011 May
2011 June
2011 June 11
2011 Oct 8
2011 July 16
2011 Jan 8
2011 Sept 3
2011 April 23
2011 March 7
Undated
2011 April-Oct
2009-2014
Box 1: 18
Box 1: 19
Box 1: 20
Box 1: 21
Box 1: 22
Box 1: 23
Box 1: 24
Box 1: 25
Box 1: 26
Box 1: 27
Box 1: 28
Box 1: 29
2011-2012
2011 Sept 10
Box 1: 30
Box 1: 31
Administrative information
Access
The collection is open for research.
Language:
English
Provenance
Gift of Town of Shutesbury 250th Anniversary Steering Committee, 2016.
Processing Information
Processed by Jack Mulvaney, January 2017.
Copyright and Use (More information )
Cite as: Shutesbury (Mass.) 250th Anniversary Collection (MS 957). Special Collections and University Archives,
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
Search terms
Subjects
Shutesbury (Mass.)--History.
Names
Shutesbury 250th Anniversary
Steering Committee.
Genre terms
Correspondence.
Flyers.
Special Collections & University Archives :
UMass Amherst Libraries
154 Hicks Way : University of Massachusetts Amherst :
Amherst, Mass. 01003-9275 : Ph. 413-545-2780