Acton Historical Society
PO Box 2389
Acton, MA 01720
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Harriet E. Jones
Track Clearing Rail Car
Ad for West Acton Rink
Old Chestnut Tree
West Acton Fire 1913
John Fletcher & Sons Factory after it was rebuilt
Barker Cider Label (later years)
Yacht on Lake Nagog
Letter about Sarah Skinner
Dance Card with Pencil
Acton Baseball Team
North Acton Schoolhouse
Home of Clara (Hapgood) Nash
House standing on Isaac Davis Home Site
James T. Woodbury
Ice Dealer's Ad
Morocco Factory
Vise from West Acton
Our most recent blog post attempts, despite difficulties in early record-keeping,  to list all the residents of black and mixed-race ancestry in Acton between its founding in 1735 and the end of the Civil War. 

Some of the earlier blog posts explored:
  • The first six Acton women voters
  • Thomas Darby, an Acton Minute Man who survived the Concord fight but was killed at the Battle of White Plains
  • Charles L. Heywood, whose incredibly active life included a railroad career, wide-ranging charitable work, inventions, and business ventures
  • West Acton's roller skating rink and roller polo team
  • Acton's "Old Chestnut Tree" that was apparently a favorite of Henry David Thoreau
  • Aaron Woods, an Acton hermit and supposed miser who became the subject of national news interest twice in the 1870s.
  • West Acton's barrel shop before and after the fire of 1913
  • John Fletcher, his boot and shoe business, his advocacy for temperance and against slavery, and the large impact he had on Acton, particularly the town center.
  • Henry Barker and his cider mill, a topic inspired by trying to identify a large portrait found in a South Acton barn. 
  • Yacht Racing in Acton
  • Francis Skinner (1797-1865) who grew up in Acton and went off to create a very different life in Boston for his descendants
  • Sarah (Faulkner) Skinner who went blind in her later years.
  • Dances in Acton
  • The New England Sawmill Unit in WW1
  • Acton baseball
  • Schoolhouse construction and maintenance in the town's earlier days
  • The house that sits where Isaac Davis's home once stood
  • Ice harvesting
  • Clara (Hapgood) Nash, early attorney, teacher, and poet
  • Daniel Scarlett, astronomer, historian, and more
  • John Oliver, Soldier of the Revolution
  • Rev. James T. Woodbury and Abolition
  • Acton Women's 1895 Vote
  • Mystery Pictures from Hall Brothers & the Beach Family
  • Acton Industries - Vises & Morocco & Gun Powder
  • and much more, see lists of  topics and people

There's plenty to discover on the blog; check it out!

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Jenks Library:
Due to COVID-19 concerns, our usual open hours have been suspended.  Please contact us with your research questions.

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Open for special events.

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Phone: 978-264-0690
Email: jenkslibrary@verizon.net
Mailing Address: PO Box 2389, Acton, MA 01720

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