A Faithful Walk through the Interior Part Two– Institutional Spencer Upper Boston Post Road #24 (UBPR #24) ***** Introduction. The foundational institution of every town along the route of the Upper Boston Post Road and, indeed, every town in New England, was the meeting house. The traditional method of establishing towns in Massachusetts and other… (read more)
A Faithful Walk through the Interior Part One– A Midstate Meander Upper Boston Post Road #23 (UBPR #23) ***** Introduction. And yet… as I walk the route of the Upper Boston Post Road through the small towns of Central Massachusetts I begin to appreciate the understated, almost sarcastic, tone of James Draper’s lugubrious preface. It… (read more)
Savoring the Fruits of Leicester Part Three– From Factory to Farm. Upper Boston Post Road #22 (UBPR #22) “Only the Roman roads still lead into the open. Only the most ancient traces lead anywhere.” Homer, Wings of Desire (1987) “Crusade (verb): to make an effort to achieve something that you believe in strongly” Cambridge Dictionary… (read more)
Savoring the Fruits of Leicester Part One– A Walk Through Cherry Valley Upper Boston Post Road #20 (UBPR #20). “The township is principally composed of lofty hills, with deep vallies between them. The hills are generally considered as the highest ground between Connecticut River, and the Shore.” Timothy Dwight, Travels in New England and New… (read more)
Walking The Upper Boston Post Road From Worcester To Springfield: An Overview Upper Boston Post Road Entry #19 (UBPR #19) “To Boston from the Meeting House 96½ Measured Miles, Boston Road” From “A Plan of the Town of Springfield, Massachusetts taken from an actual survey thereof made since the Resolve of the General Court passed… (read more)
The Road From Paris To New York Upper Boston Post Road Entry #18 (UBPR #18) “Spent the Day at Worcester in Riding about with Mr. Putnam to see his Farm. He does what he pleases with Meadows and Rivers of Water. He carries round the Streams wherever he pleases.” John Adams, Diary, June 1, 1771…. (read more)
The Fabric of Dreams Upper Boston Post Road Entry #17 (UBPR #17) “When I mention Worcester to people from New England, they often give a knowing nod or laugh — this unlovely, down-on-its-luck city of dead industry and collapsing buildings. But Worcester was an engine for betterment until the middle of the 20th century, a… (read more)
Highs And Lows Upper Boston Post Road Entry #16 (UBPR #16) “We came through Worcester this afternoon, and a[re] now but 6 miles from it. This I think is where Pappa studied Law, and the appearance of the town pleased me very much; I wished to stop there this Night, but it would have made… (read more)
The Heart Of The Heart Upper Boston Post Road Entry #15 (UBPR #15) The township of Worcester is, throughout, divided into farms which wear a cheerful and prosperous aspect. The town is principally built on a single street, extending, from East to West, about a mile and a half on the road. It is situated… (read more)
The Path Of Destruction Upper Boston Post Road Entry #14 (UBPR #14) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,… (read more)
