Part II     French Hill

Nashua River Valley

The Nashua River Valley was studded with textile mills between Clinton and Oakdale.

Workers from far and wide migrated there, drawn there by the availability of work in the mills.

Many of these settled permanently in the area.

The “Slatersville” Model

During the early Industrial Revolution the mill town model was developed by Samuel Slater, a plan which included a large modern mill surrounded in close proximity by tenement houses for workers, a company store, often a post office and a school all owned by the mill.

Whole families, including children, lived and worked at the site where all their needs were provided by the mill owners.

Link to Slatersville National Historical Park

Blackstone River Valley

https://www.nps.gov/blrv/planyourvisit/slatersville-self-guided-tour.htm

West Boylston

In West Boylston, near Central Village, Clarendon Mills was among the first of these models to be established, employing at the time of the Reservoir about 200 workers

French Hill & West Boylston Lower Village

Outside the limits of the Clarendon Mills village there existed an area of about 18 acres with private residences on French Hill, so named after the predominance of French Canadian settlers in the area and a commercial district, Lower Village, with housing for itinerant labor and a train stop.

An important feature of French Hill was the early (1850s) St. Luke’s Catholic chapel, prominently located on a rise in the center of the hill that still has a commanding view of the valley  and was surrounded by the residences of a catholic population (4/5 French and 1/5 Irish) and a smattering of other denominations.

St. Luke’s Cemetery, still existing off Lancaster Street about a mile from the Sterling town line, was associated with this early chapel.

Eventually the little chapel community had grown to become the larger St. Anthony of Padua parish located in the nearby Central Village.

This is the story of how French Hill looked just before the time of the Wachusett Reservoir.

Thanks,

Paul