The train wreck of 1893, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Two Worcester & Nashua freight trains collided head-on about 3:35 a.m. on September 21, 1893. The crash, which occurred in back of the Middle Cemetery, killed a fireman, injured an engineer, wrecked the engines... More
State-of-the-art healthcare, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This card advertises the short-lived South Lancaster Sanitarium, which was operated from 1899 to 1902. It was affiliated with the world-renowned Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, which was under the directio... More
North Village view, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This view, looking west toward the Bennett Bridge along present-day Route 117, shows the Bennett home on the left and the Ephraim Carter Fisher house on the right. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Rev. Dr. George Murillo Bartol, Lancaster, Massachusetts
During a pastorate that lasted an extraordinary 60 years, Rev. Dr. George Murillo Bartol served the congregation of the First Church from 1847 to 1906, through the reign of Queen Victoria to the beginning of th... More
The Deacon Jonas Lane house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Between Harvard Road and the railroad tracks near the Route 117 intersection was the Deacon Jonas Lane House, which was built in 1786. Deacon Lane (1761-1848) was said to have been a "man of influence" in town ... More
Electric car, Lancaster, Massachusetts
An unidentified man and woman are all ready for a leisurely afternoon's drive through the country in their new horseless carriage. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
A. F. Goodhue residence, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This large stone dwelling was once the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. F. Abbot Goodhue. Mrs. Goodhue was the former Nora Thayer, daughter of Col. John E. Thayer. The picturesque setting included a front entrance d... More
She Stoops to Conquer, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The Theatre Lancaster Social Union presented a revival of the English drama She Stoops to Conquer on May 6, 1885. Members of the cast are, from left to right, as follows: (front row) Charles Vickery, Mary Dix, ... More
Fox hunters, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Proud hunters stand with their hounds and display the foxes retrieved. Likely posing in back of Lancaster Center's general store, they are, from left to right, Guy C. Hawkins, Lyman Sanborn Sr., Everett M. Hawk... More
The Ward Park School, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Located near the South Lancaster Fire Station and the intersection of Main Street and Bolton Road is the Ward Park School (no longer standing). It was used for public elementary education in the late 19th centu... More
Civil War veterans on Memorial Day, Lancaster, Massachusetts
A dignified group of veterans poses on the steps of Memorial Hall. They are, from left to right, as follows: (front row) Linenkemper, Sargent, Farnsworth, Nash, McNamara, Lyman, Brockelman, Bliss, Blood, and Pr... More
The Rowlandson Rock, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This is the spot where Mary Rowlandson and her daughter spent their first night of captivity when Lancaster was burned. It is located on the crest of George Hill in South Lancaster. Today, two large water tower... More
Mail delivery via snowmobile, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Harold Follansbee is shown here with his snowmobile, which was used for mail delivery. During heavy snow conditions, the front wheels were removed and runners were attached. The railroad depot and a baggage hou... More
Miller portraits, Lancaster, Massachusetts. Portrait painting.
The chapel's full-length, larger-than-life portraits of William Miller (1782-1849) and his wife, Lucy Paulina Miller, were painted by American primitive artist Horace Bundy. Miller had predicted that the second... More
Boy's baseball, Lancaster, Massachusetts
These boys' baseball team members sit on the south steps of the Center School in Lancaster in the early 20th century. From left to right are the following: (first row) Tom Reiner, Francis Threadgold, unidentifi... More
Making hay, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This pastoral scene from days gone by shows Lancaster men out haying in the fields. In the earliest times, the many vales (as the meadowlands along the river were called) attracted the English settlers. Courtes... More
A Memorial Day procession, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Residents in a traditional Memorial Day procession make their way, with wreaths and flowers, to honor Lancaster's war veterans. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
An orchestra performs, Lancaster, Massachusetts
An orchestra, ready to perform, is shown here on the stage in the Lancaster Town Hall. The Lancaster Town Hall has been the scene of many orchestral concerts through the years. The first was performed by the Bo... More
The Memorial Flagpole, Lancaster, Massachusetts
All stand at attention as the flag is raised. The Memorial Flagpole on the Lancaster Town Green, was erected by the citizens of Lancaster in 1922 as a tribute to those who served their country during World War ... More
The Lancaster Drug Store, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This building was one located on the west side of Main Street in Lancaster Center, just south of the Rand-Huntington-Dorr House. It was used for shops and, in the late 19th century, served as the Lancaster Drug... More
The Red & White Store, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Proprietor Vic Hilbert is standing in front of the Red & White, formerly located on the west corner of Sawyer and Prescott Streets in South Lancaster. The store had many proprietors through the years and, in th... More
A Fairlawn wedding, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Pictured here on the patio of Fairlawn is the wedding party of Eugene V.R. Thayer's eldest daughter, Katherine, who married Howland Russell on June 1, 1904. Lancaster was the setting for no less than six Thayer... More
The Lancaster Industrial School for Girls, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The Elm Cottage was one of many at the Lancaster Industrial School for Girls, located on Old Common Road. Established in 1854, the school was very progressive for the times and the first correctional institutio... More
Ogden Codman Jr. (1863-1951), Lancaster, Massachusetts
Boston-born Ogden Codman Jr. acquired quite a reputation among the cultured and social circles of Boston, Newport, and New York as a top-notch interior designer and architect. He was known for his elegant and r... More
Wagonload of ladies, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Photographed by James MacDonald, these unidentified women are dressed up in their Sunday best and are ready to enjoy some good times. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Hothouse blooms, Lancaster, Massachusetts
In one of the hothouses on the Bayard Thayer estate, an unidentified gardener looks over some of his beautiful blooms. In the early 20th century, groups of horticulturalists were often invited to the estate for... More
Homestead drawing room, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This large rectangular room had white walls with panels of red silk damask encased within molded frames. The curtains were of the same material. The room was filled with a collection of elegant and costly furni... More
Thayer wedding, Lancaster, Massachusetts
During the Gilded Age, many American millionaires sought matches for their daughters with eager candidates from Europe's nobility. Such a match was made on June 29, 1907, when Cornelia Thayer wed Count Carl Von... More
The Lancaster Hotel, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Built in 1786, the Lancaster House (also known as Lancaster Hotel or Lancaster Inn) was located on the east side of Main Street just north of the First Church. The handsome building was four stories high, surmo... More
Dr. J. L. S. Thompson house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Located at the corner of Neck Road and Main Street, this home was long ago occupied by Dr. Thompson, who had moved from Bolton to Lancaster in 1846. Thompson, serving as the town clerk in 1860, was active in to... More
Basketball team, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The 1927 Lancaster High School basketball team poses for a photograph. From left to right are one of the Laffin twins, Coleman Wilson, Herb Cutler, Craig Wilson, Charlie Green, George Gleezen, John Gilmore, coa... More
The Hosmer family home, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This home (no longer standing) was situated on the site of Atlantic Union College's Preston Hall on Main Street in South Lancaster. The house was occupied by members of the Hosmer family. Henry F. Hosmer, great... More
Rowlandson locker, Lancaster, Massachusetts
When the Rowlandson locker was purchased by the Lancaster Town Library in 1876 with money bequeathed by native Mary Whitney, it no doubt awakened an interest in the early history and daily lives of settlers. An... More
An icehouse on Fuller Pond, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Men are cutting the ice in blocks to be stored away in the icehouse on Fuller Pond. Longtime residents may remember putting cards in the windows of their homes to specify the size of the ice blocks they wished ... More
Firefighters, portrait, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Uniformed Lancaster firefighters stand with their equipment in front of the Center Hose House. All members of the Lancaster Fire Department were required to march in the parade on Memorial Day. The penalty for ... More
The reading room, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Here is an early view of the handsome and finely appointed former reading room of the town library. On the back center wall is a plaque honoring the town's Civil War dead. During the recent renovation, the plaq... More
James MacDonald, Lancaster, Massachusetts
James MacDonald moved to Lancaster 1900 and worked at the Center Railroad Depot as the Lancaster freight agent. From 1900 to 1938, he also took pictures of the town by carrying with him his camera, tripod, and ... More
The train wreck of 1893, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Two Worcester & Nashua freight trains collided head-on about 3:35 a.m. on September 21, 1893. The crash, which occurred in back of the Middle Cemetery, killed a fireman, injured an engineer, wrecked the engines... More
North Village view, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown here are, from left to right, the Fairbanks Inn, the Thomas Howe House, and the old Howe store in Lancaster's North Village. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
The Beaman Oak, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Located on the original grant of Gamaliel Beaman, who settled in Lancaster in 1659, was the Beaman Oak, a large red oak tree (Quercus rubra). Once the largest of its kind in Massachusetts, the circumference of ... More
A field of sword lilies, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown is a 20-acre gladiolus field in the northeasternmost part of Lancaster on an intervale bounded on three sides by the Nashua River. The field was cultivated by John E. Farnsworth and his son Custer in the ... More
Lady hoopsters, Lancaster, Massachusetts
These young ladies pose for James MacDonald sometime around 1927. Three of the girls are identified: Viola Thomas Hastings (third from left), Beth MacMackin Green (seventh from left), and Grace Kanis Sachse (ni... More
The old Phelps house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The old Phelps House was built c.1720 on Harvard Road. Originally, the exterior was plastered in imitation of granite. With exposure to the elements, it developed a discolored and weather-beaten look, making it... More
Lancaster High School, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Students in attendance during 1886 pose on the steps of the Lancaster Town House on the green. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
The Prescott memorial stone, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This commemorative marker in the Old Settler's Burial Field was erected to recognize the many contributions of Lancaster's most persevering settler. John Prescott, a blacksmith by trade. His coat of arms bore t... More
The Old Settler's Burial Field, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The Old Settler's Burial Field is located on a long narrow knoll not far from the banks of the Nashua and below the hill where the first and second meetinghouses were constructed, east of the Middle Cemetery. C... More
Crownledge living room, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This well-furnished living room featured carving over the mantel that was similar to that in the children's room of the Thayer Memorial Library. It is thought to be the work of Dutch-born wood carver Grinling G... More
The Garrison houses, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Although the garrison houses of the early settlers are long gone, the sites for some of them can be identified throughout the town. They are as follows: Cyprian Steven's on Center Bridge Road, Rev. Joseph Rowla... More
The General John Whiting house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The General John Whiting House, c. 1775, is on North Main Street across from Creamery Road. Whiting, who died in 1810, served through the Revolutionary War. He was lieutenant colonel of the 4th U.S. Infantry an... More
The Stephen Haskell house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This house (no longer standing), built in the 1850s, stands on the north corner of Main Street and Narrow Lane. It was one of the homes lived in by Adventist pioneer Stephen Haskell in the 1870s. At one time, H... More
The Immaculate Conception Church, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown here is an early view of the Catholic church in Lancaster Center. Built and consecrated in 1873, it was first associated as a mission of St. John's in Clinton. In 1915, it became the Immaculate Conception... More
Pauline Revere Thayer, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Pauline Revere Thayer (1862-1934) great-granddaughter of Paul Revere and second wife of Nathaniel Thayer III, lived in the Homestead for many years after her husband inherited it. Known for her many philanthrop... More
Doing laundry, Lancaster, Massachusetts
In the early days, the entire school family pitched in to keep the place running smoothly. Here, laundry workers diligently tend to their tasks. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
A pageant program, Lancaster, Massachusetts
On July 4, 1912, an elaborate historical pageant was held on the Lancaster Town Green. The day's events are listed on the front cover of the program shown here. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Moving all those books, Lancaster, Massachusetts
One of the biggest jobs upon completion of the new G. Eric Jones Library was the moving of more than 80,000 books. This was accomplished by college students and faculty. Shown here are students Roland Madore (l... More
The Elias Danforth house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Originally the Elias Danforth House (built in 1833), the dwelling at 634 Main Street is very close to the site of the town's fourth meetinghouse, which was constructed c. 1743. Later, it was the home of Mrs. Ed... More
The Burbank homestead, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The Burbank Homestead was built c. 1800 by Simon Willard. "Plant wizard" Luther Burbank, born in 1849, lived here until he was about 21. In the 1930s, Henry Ford came to Lancaster and negotiated with the Dexter... More
A street scene in Lancaster Center, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Children are pictured face to face with two vendors and a cart outside the A.L. Safford Store and Post Office, located on Main Street. Note the cobblestone street and trolley tracks in the foreground. The elega... More
The Victorian villa, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This is an early view of the Victorian villa that Nathaniel Thayer II (the banker) built on the site of his father's parsonage, probably very shortly after his mother's death in 1857. Sentimentally called the H... More
The H.F. Hosmer store and post office, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The H. F. Hosmer Store and Post Office was located n the Main Street in South Lancaster. Hosmer opened his store in 1879 and was appointed as South Lancaster postmaster in 1881. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Early Department of Public Works, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Sanford B. Wilder is pictured here with the "Town Team," which was used jointly by the road and fire departments. This photograph was taken near the entrance of the North Village Cemetery about 1890. Courtesy o... More
Street scene, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The unpaved but beautifully landscaped Center Bridge Road heads east toward Bolton. The Joseph Breck home is visible on the right. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Crownledge staircase hall, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Pictured is the elegant, curving staircase in the entrance hall. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
The Major Jacob Fisher house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This is the Major Jacob Fisher House, built in 1794 in the North Village. A watchmaker, surveyor, and cabinetmaker, Fisher was known as a shrewd businessman. The area, then called Union Village, began to flouri... More
Homestead dining room, looking south, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The dining room mantel was of yellow marble with a white marble shelf and ornaments. A large portrait of Nathaniel Thayer Sr. hangs over the mantel; nearby are two marble busts of distinguished Thayer family me... More
A rough-hewn marker, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown here is a rough-hewn early grave marker from the Old Settler's Burial Field. The earliest stones in this cemetery were granite slabs crudely inscribed using a blacksmith's chisel. Courtesy of Lancaster Hi... More
First Church of Christ, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This classical building is shown here as a postcard by Lancaster photographer James MacDonald. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Real love story, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Unfortunately, the "real love story" of Eugene V. R. Thayer II and Gladys Brooks came to an end, and the couple divorced a few years later. Eugene later married Elizabeth Harding Prince in 1923. He died in 1937... More
The Carter and Andrews publishing firm, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown patriotically decorated for the town's 250th anniversary is the former Carter and Andrews publishing firm on the corner of Main Street and Barnes Court in Lancaster Center. In the early 19th century, the ... More
The Center School, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Designed by Herbert D. Hale of Boston, the Center School was constructed in 1903-1904 at the cost of more than $35,000. In keeping with the architectural style on the Lancaster Town Green, it was recommended th... More
Ladies of Lancaster Junior College, Lancaster, Massachusetts
A group of young women from Lancaster Junior College poses with Mrs. Stevens, their preceptress, in front of the Thayer Ornithological Museum. The middy suits they are wearing, recommended as suitable school at... More
Capt. Anthony Lane house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This house, located on the northeast corner of Harvard and Seven Bridge Roads, was built by gentleman farmer Anthony Lane in 1809. He also built a cabinet factory on the northwest corner about 1832 and was know... More
The main parlor, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Numerous rocking chairs furnish the spacious main parlor of the Lancaster Hotel on Main Street. An abundance of natural light floods through many floor-to-ceiling windows. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
The Captain Samuel Ward house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This house (no longer standing) was already an old place when acquired by Capt. Samuel Ward of Worcester in 1768. In Lancaster, he ran a large mercantile establishment and was a prominent citizen of the town fo... More
The Deershorn School, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This is the former Deershorn School, built in 1852. Located near the Four Ponds area, it was the last one-room schoolhouse in town and was used as such until the 1920s. It was then adapted for use as a private ... More
An early view of the green, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This is the Lancaster Town Green as it looked in the latter half of the 19th century. Note the drab trims on the First Church and Memorial Hall as it looked before any additions were made. The extra horsesheds ... More
Joseph Breck, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Originally from Pepperell, Joseph Breck (1794-1873) came to Lancaster and became the superintendent of the Lancaster Horticultural Gardens, serving from 1833 to 1836. Breck was also a member of the state legisl... More
Out with Daddy, Lancaster, Massachusetts
A. E. Harriman and his young son C. H. appear in front of the Lancaster Drug Store around 1884. The building was located on the west side of Main Street in Lancaster Center. It is no longer standing. Courtesy o... More
Bennett Bridge, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Looking toward Lancaster from the Back (Langen) Road, this view of the Bennett Bridge span was taken in 1890 by Alice Greene Chandler. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
The Ponakin Village, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown here are some residents of Ponakin Village in North Lancaster. Many who lived in these tenements worked in the nearby Ponakin Mill, built along the north branch of the Nashua River. Courtesy of Lancaster ... More
Former Kilgore cottage, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This quaint cottage was the home of Prof. Rochelle P. Kilgore. Through the years, she provided residence in her home for many foreign students. Today, the Flagg Street building contains the college's offices fo... More
The Lancaster cross stones, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Cross stones, found in the local hills, have long been prized by many residents. They are a unique form of mineral andalusite (aluminum silicate) called chiastolite, from the Greek chiastros meaning "x-marked."... More
Baron Wilkes, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown with his groom is Col. John E. Thayer's famous Baron Wilkes. Thayer had a great interest in breeding fine harness horses at his Maplehurst Stock Farm, which was located at the end of a long drive on Goss ... More
The medical staff at San, Lancaster, Massachusetts
The medical staff of the South Lancaster Sanitarium take time out to pose for a photograph. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Marion Fuller Safford, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Pictured in her younger years is Marion Fuller Safford. A lifelong resident of Lancaster and a town historian, she wrote The Story of Colonial Lancaster, which was published in 1937. Courtesy of Lancaster Histo... More
The First Church interior, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This view shows the interior of the First Church elaborately decorated for a wedding in a style popular c.1900. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Along Main Street, Lancaster, Massachusetts
South Lancaster is revealed in this northward view along Main Street. Though not shown, the Thayer family's "Red House," demolished about 1935, was situated on the rise of the hill to the left when this card wa... More
The Browning Memorial School, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown here is the Browning Memorial School, which once stood on the site of Atlantic Union College's Jones Library. Funds to build the school were given by Hansa A. Browning of Darien Center, New York, in memor... More
Early maps of Lancaster, Lancaster, Massachusetts
These maps originally appeared in H.S. Nourse's Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts. Later they were redrawn by Phila Linville Staines and appeared in Marion Fuller Safford's The Story of Colonial Lancast... More
The Rand-Huntington-Dorr house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Located on Main Street in Lancaster Center, the Rand-Huntington-Dorr House, c. 1810, was occupied by Nathaniel Rand. In 1832, Rand sold it to Joseph Huntington. His daughter Julia married Mr. Dorr; their son, p... More
Goodrest, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Built in 1800, this stately home on Old Common Road was the dwelling of Thomas Safford, who was a baker. Beginning in 1890, and for many years afterward, the philanthropic Pauline Revere Thayer maintained the p... More
The five corners, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown here without a buggy in sight is a late-19th-century view of well-traveled Five Corners intersection in the Old Common area of town. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
A musical burlesque, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Shown here is the cast of The Sack of Lancaster, a musical burlesque presented by the Theatre Lancaster Social Union on Friday evening, May 16, 1879 at the Lancaster Town Hall. These live burlesques, in which t... More
The Rice-Pickman mansion, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Located on the east side of Main Street just north of the Immaculate Conception Church, this dwelling was built in 1794 by Maj. Merrick Rice, who was a lawyer. Having built the place for a woman he hoped would ... More
The Peabody School, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This announcement appeared in an 1821 issue of the Massachusetts Spy. At the time, Mrs. Peabody and her 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, were about to open a school in Lancaster. Unfortunately, the school prove... More
Nelson True house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Displaying Classic Revival features, this home was built in 1898 by Nelson True. When the True son disappeared while at boarding school, his sister Addie kept a light burning in the family's Lancaster home each... More
Lancaster elm, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This postcard view shows one of Lancaster's most majestic trees. Thought to be the largest elm in New England, it was located on Lover's Lane, near the Nashoba River in the Fiver Corners area of town. Unfortuna... More
A view of Main Street looking north, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Luxuriously foliated trees create a canopied view of Main Street looking north from the Center Village c. 1900. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society
Maj. Jacob Fisher house, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This impressive Federal-style brick home was built in 1794. Major Fisher, a cabinetmaker from Princeton, no doubt came to Lancaster through his marriage to Nancy Carter, who was from a prominent Lancaster famil... More
On the pond, Lancaster, Massachusetts
This unidentified young man, caught by the camera of James MacDonald, prepares to take advantage of a warm summer afternoon in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Lancaster Historical Society