Local History Collection
The Library maintains a collection of print and microfilm materials related to the history of the town of Uxbridge and the surrounding Blackstone Valley. It encompasses the region’s colonial, industrial, and modern history and its ethnic, religious, and cultural heritage.
The original headstone of Nancy Adams, a free Black woman who escaped slavery three times. The headstone was damaged during cleaning— a replica now stands at the new Almshouse Cemetery in South Uxbridge.
The collection includes the following:
- Books and documents relating to the history of Uxbridge, especially its industrial and textile mill history
- Materials that focus on the history and preservation of historic homes, buildings, and cemeteries within the town
- Personal manuscripts, genealogies, and other materials that record the history, experiences, and ancestry of Uxbridge individuals and families
- Maps and atlases of the area
- Vital statistics to 1850 for many Massachusetts towns
- Uxbridge Annual Reports, Town Meeting Warrants, and Street Lists
- Uxbridge High School yearbooks (1933, 1946, 1964-1968, 1971, 1973-1987, 1990-1993, 2000-2001, 2014- 2023)
- Local newspapers on microfilm
- Scrapbooks of local newspaper article clippings
- Free Black woman Nancy Adams’s original tombstone and other information about the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement in Uxbridge
Please view the Local History Collection Development Policy for more information about our Local History Collection.
Viewing the Collection
The collection is located on the top floor of the library in the Beatrice Sprague Map Room (up the stairs and to the left) and the Local History Room (up the stairs and straight ahead). If you would like to view anything in the Local History Room, please ask a staff member on the main floor for help. These rooms can be accessed during the Library’s normal operating hours. Materials do not circulate; however, temporary loans of materials for exhibition may be permitted at the discretion of the Library Director.
If you have specific questions or research inquiries, please contact Library Director Chris Powloka by email at cpowloka@cwmars.org.