Bolton, Massachusetts

Bolton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Bolton is located in eastern Massachusetts, 25 miles west-northwest of downtown Boston.

The town of Bolton was incorporated on June 24, 1738, following an influx of settlers. Town historian Esther Whitcomb, descendant of one of Bolton’s earliest documented settlers, cites the recorded birth of a son, Hezekiah, to Josiah Whitcomb in 1681. By 1711, according to Whitcomb, more than 150 people were living on Bolton soil, despite a local history of Indian uprisings and one massacre. Many early houses, protected by flankers, were designated as garrisons. Bolton’s history is interesting because it is reflective of early settlement patterns in the central Massachusetts area, includign the conflicts with “King Philip” (Metacom) and his Indian (Native American) soldiers. Helene Demmer and Linda Mauro elected with their 4H group to design a town flag. The flag now hangs in Town Hall and the Massachusetts State House. The town was formerly part of the town of Lancaster but seceded along the Still River, where the current boundary line still stands.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.0 square miles, of which 19.9 square miles is land and 0.1 square miles is water. Bolton is bordered by Harvard to the north, Stow to the east, Hudson and Berlin to the south, Clinton to the southwest and Lancaster to the northwest.