Harvard’s story is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Harvard. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Europeans first settled in what later became Harvard in the 17th century, along a road connecting Lancaster with Groton that was formally laid out in 1658. They settled on land purchased from Nashaway sachems Sholan and his nephew George Tahanto. There were few inhabitants until after King Philip's War, in which Groton and Lancaster were attacked and substantially destroyed. Over the next 50 years the population grew until it had reached a point adequate to support a church. A new town including parts of Lancaster, Groton, and Stow was incorporated in 1732, subject to the proviso that the inhabitants "Settle a learned and Orthodox Minister among them within the space of two years and also erect an House for the publick Worship of God." It is uncertain how the town obtained its name, though the Willard family, among the first settlers and the largest proprietors in the new town, had sev…
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Harvard’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Harvard’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1891 Harvard public library Massa…, 1891: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Harvard, decade by decade
1920s
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1891 Harvard public library Massachusetts (1891) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.