Identifier: gazetteerofstate00naso (find matches)
Title: A gazetteer of the state of Massachusetts : with numerous illustrations
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Nason, Elias, 1811-1887 Varney, George J. (George Jones), 1836-1901
Subjects: Massachusetts -- Gazetteers
Publisher: Boston : B.B. Russell
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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border, are the Wellesley ponds. There are other smallponds in the northeast, south and west. Dispersed about the townare tracts of forest to the extent of 1,870 acres. There is a well-wooded range of small hills in the south and east, whose most ele-vated summits mark the form of a rude letter S. Not far from theseflows the Charles River across the southeast corner of the town intoNeedham, furnishing power at South Natick. This valley drew fromPresident Washington the remark, Nature seems to have lavishedall her beauties here. The soil of this town is not remarkably fertile, yet skilful cultiva-tion procures good crops. The value of the product of the 92 farmsin 1888 was $96,815. About the year 1830 Natick began to make a kind of sale shoescalled brogans, by hand, for the Southern market. A few yearslater machinery was introduced, and about the same time railroadcommunication was opened with Boston ; and under the lead of theenterprising men, among whom were the Messrs. Walcott, Hon.
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NATICIC 485 Henry Wilson, Isaac Felcli and others, the business increased.Workmen came in, new streets were laid out, buildings erected, newfirms and shops established; so that from a sparsely settled townof 890 inhabitants in 1830 it has come to contain at this date up-wards of 10,000 people (census of 1885, 8,460). One mile north ofthe centre the enterprising village of Felchville sprang up; and thevery handsome village of South Natick has been steadily increasing.Other villages are Mossville, in the southwest, and North and WestNatick. Natick and South Natick are the post-offices. The centr:;!villages are connected by a street railway ; and the place is a tradocentre for neighboring towns. There were in the town in 1885, 28 shoe establishments, employing1,505 persons, and making goods to the value, in that year, of$2,042,856. There are also manufactures of lumber, boxes, furniture,leather, paint, straw goods and other clothing, base balls, metallicgoods, carriages, textiles, soap,

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