Wheelockville, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Wheelockville is a village in the town of Uxbridge
, Massachusetts
, United States
. Part of the village centering on Mendon and Henry streets is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as the Wheelockville Historic District
. Wheelockville appears on the Blackstone U.S. Geological Survey Map. Worcester County is in the Eastern time zone (GMT -5) and observes DST. The Village receives municipal services from Uxbridge, for fire, police, EMS, School district, public works, and other services. Worcester County, Massachusetts
Sheriff
, Lewis Evangelidis
runs corrections, and court services from West Boylston, and Worcester District is the regional judicial jurisdiction. The Uxbridge district court serves surrounding towns.
mill, the Jerry Wheelock
Mill, and the Luke Taft
Mill. John Capron
's mill was nearby (only a few blocks West) on the Mumford River
at Uxbridge. Daniel Day
, who married Sylvia Wheelock, and who was Jerry Wheelock's father in law, established the first woolen mill in the Blackstone valley at Uxbridge, in 1809, one of the oldest woolen mills in the US. Jerry Wheelock
, who joined his father in law in the business, was then the earliest known Wheelock to become a textile manufacturer. It is understood that the village's name of Wheelockville is derived from this branch of the Wheelock family.
The earliest Wheelock settler of Uxbridge was Lt. Simeon Wheelock
, an Uxbridge blacksmith who fought at Lexington, and died in Shay's Rebellion. Shay's Rebellion had opening salvos in the town of Uxbridge. The Blackstone Valley
is a corridor of national significance to America's earliest industrial revolution. Wheelockville is the geographic center of this valley. Two of the rivers that powered these early mills flowed through Wheelockville, including the Blackstone River
, and the West River (Massachusetts)
. The family owned business begun by Jerry Wheelock and his father in law continues today, under the name of Berrocco, Inc.
Mill and the Moses Taft Mill. Both mills had connections to the famous American Taft family
. In later years the Wheelock family had ownership of the Moses Taft
Mill and the village took the name of Wheelockville. However that Mill is listed in the National Register as the Calumet Mill, or Central Woolen Mills District
. The Waucantuck Mill Complex
, was near the site of one of the original Luke Taft Mills, and was razed in 2010 because of toxic wastes. It was listed separately in the National Historic Register. The original mills built here by Daniel Day, and Luke Taft, were powered by water from the local rivers. This system of water powered mills, driven by dams, with spillways, and surrounded by mill villages, was first developed at nearby Slatersville, Rhode Island
, by John and Samuel Slater
, and became known as "The Rhode Island System
".
The Moses Taft Mill also held the name of the Calumet mill. The Wheelock family is an influential early American family with roots in this historic community. Wheelockville and Uxbridge are part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
of the National Park Service
of the U.S. The Blackstone Valley
is the earliest industrialized region in the United States
. The Moses Taft
mill ran 24/7 during the American Civil War
making Union Blue Uniforms. The same mill made Khaki Uniforms and cloth for the armies of France
and Italy
during the World War I
. This village was used for scenes in two movies, The Great Gatsby (1974 film)
, and Oliver's Story
in the 1970s.
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was first settled in 1662, incorporated in 1727 at Suffolk County, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. Uxbridge is south-southeast of Worcester, north-northwest of Providence, and southwest of Boston. It is part of...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Part of the village centering on Mendon and Henry streets is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the Wheelockville Historic District
Wheelockville District
The Wheelockville District is an historic district located at Mendon and Henry streets in the village of Wheelockville in the town of Uxbridge, Massachusetts. On January 20, 1984, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Luke Taft Mill was built at this location in 1825 and...
. Wheelockville appears on the Blackstone U.S. Geological Survey Map. Worcester County is in the Eastern time zone (GMT -5) and observes DST. The Village receives municipal services from Uxbridge, for fire, police, EMS, School district, public works, and other services. Worcester County, Massachusetts
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, Lewis Evangelidis
Lewis Evangelidis
Lewis George Evangelidis is the sheriff of Worcester County, Massachusetts. Prior to his being sheriff Evangelidis was a Republican member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.-Early life and education:...
runs corrections, and court services from West Boylston, and Worcester District is the regional judicial jurisdiction. The Uxbridge district court serves surrounding towns.
Historic significance of village and family
The earliest textile mills of Uxbridge were centered at the village of Wheelockville including the Daniel DayDaniel Day
Daniel Day was an American pioneer in woolen manufacturing.-Family:Daniel Day was born in Mendon, MA and was the son of Joseph Day and Deborah Taft...
mill, the Jerry Wheelock
Jerry Wheelock
Jerry Wheelock was an early industrial pioneer in the Blackstone Valley of Massachusetts, a region that incubated the early American industrial revolution.-Family:...
Mill, and the Luke Taft
Luke Taft
Luke Taft was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of woolens in 19th century New England.-Family:...
Mill. John Capron
John Capron
John Willard Capron was an American military officer in the infantry, state legislator, and textile manufacturer.-Early life, family:...
's mill was nearby (only a few blocks West) on the Mumford River
Mumford River
The Mumford River is an river in south-central Massachusetts. It is a tributary of the Blackstone River.The river rises from its headwaters in Sutton and Douglas at Manchaug Pond and flows east in a meandering path through a series of ponds , and joins the Blackstone River in Uxbridge.The river...
at Uxbridge. Daniel Day
Daniel Day
Daniel Day was an American pioneer in woolen manufacturing.-Family:Daniel Day was born in Mendon, MA and was the son of Joseph Day and Deborah Taft...
, who married Sylvia Wheelock, and who was Jerry Wheelock's father in law, established the first woolen mill in the Blackstone valley at Uxbridge, in 1809, one of the oldest woolen mills in the US. Jerry Wheelock
Jerry Wheelock
Jerry Wheelock was an early industrial pioneer in the Blackstone Valley of Massachusetts, a region that incubated the early American industrial revolution.-Family:...
, who joined his father in law in the business, was then the earliest known Wheelock to become a textile manufacturer. It is understood that the village's name of Wheelockville is derived from this branch of the Wheelock family.
The earliest Wheelock settler of Uxbridge was Lt. Simeon Wheelock
Simeon Wheelock
Simeon Wheelock was a blacksmith from Uxbridge, Massachusetts, who served as a minuteman in the Massachusetts militia during the battles of Lexington and Concord in the American Revolutionary War...
, an Uxbridge blacksmith who fought at Lexington, and died in Shay's Rebellion. Shay's Rebellion had opening salvos in the town of Uxbridge. The Blackstone Valley
Blackstone Valley
The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution...
is a corridor of national significance to America's earliest industrial revolution. Wheelockville is the geographic center of this valley. Two of the rivers that powered these early mills flowed through Wheelockville, including the Blackstone River
Blackstone River
The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi...
, and the West River (Massachusetts)
West River (Massachusetts)
The West River, in the US state of Massachusetts, is a tributary of the Blackstone River.-Course:It originates in the towns of Grafton and Upton, Massachusetts, near the Upton State Forest, at Silver Lake and Cider Mill Pond in Grafton, and crosses into the eastern portion of Northbridge, passes...
. The family owned business begun by Jerry Wheelock and his father in law continues today, under the name of Berrocco, Inc.
Wheelockville mills
Two mills built here are important to the early history of the Blackstone Valley: The Luke TaftLuke Taft
Luke Taft was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of woolens in 19th century New England.-Family:...
Mill and the Moses Taft Mill. Both mills had connections to the famous American Taft family
Taft family
The Taft family of the United States hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, with historic origins in Massachusetts; its members have served Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator , U.S...
. In later years the Wheelock family had ownership of the Moses Taft
Moses Taft
Moses Taft 2nd was born at Uxbridge, Massachusetts. He was significant as an early American Industrialist and financier in the historic Blackstone Valley, and a member of the famous Taft family.-Birth parents and family:...
Mill and the village took the name of Wheelockville. However that Mill is listed in the National Register as the Calumet Mill, or Central Woolen Mills District
Central Woolen Mills District
The Central Woolen Mills District is a historic district in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. On October 7, 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The centerpiece of this historic district is the Stanley Woolen Mill, aka Central Woolen Mill, built by Moses Taft in 1852, and earlier...
. The Waucantuck Mill Complex
Waucantuck Mill Complex
-The Waucantuck Mill Complex:Today the "Waucantuck Mill Complex" is still listed on the National Historic Register. It is listed under the Category of Registered Historic Places in Massachusetts, and historic places in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It is found under the external link for the List of...
, was near the site of one of the original Luke Taft Mills, and was razed in 2010 because of toxic wastes. It was listed separately in the National Historic Register. The original mills built here by Daniel Day, and Luke Taft, were powered by water from the local rivers. This system of water powered mills, driven by dams, with spillways, and surrounded by mill villages, was first developed at nearby Slatersville, Rhode Island
Slatersville, Rhode Island
Slatersville is a village on the Branch River in the town of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the Slatersville Historic District, a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
, by John and Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution", or the "Father of the American Factory System" because he brought British textile technology to America. He learned textile machinery as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British...
, and became known as "The Rhode Island System
The Rhode Island System
The Rhode Island System refers to a system of mills, complete with small villages and farms, ponds, dams, and spillways first developed by Samuel Slater and his brother John Slater. The first Rhode Island Mill village planned was at Slatersville, RI in 1806...
".
The Moses Taft Mill also held the name of the Calumet mill. The Wheelock family is an influential early American family with roots in this historic community. Wheelockville and Uxbridge are part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a National Heritage Corridor dedicated to the history of the early American Industrial Revolution, including mill towns stretching across 24 cities and towns near the river's course in Worcester County, Massachusetts and...
of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
of the U.S. The Blackstone Valley
Blackstone Valley
The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution...
is the earliest industrialized region in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Moses Taft
Moses Taft
Moses Taft 2nd was born at Uxbridge, Massachusetts. He was significant as an early American Industrialist and financier in the historic Blackstone Valley, and a member of the famous Taft family.-Birth parents and family:...
mill ran 24/7 during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
making Union Blue Uniforms. The same mill made Khaki Uniforms and cloth for the armies of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. This village was used for scenes in two movies, The Great Gatsby (1974 film)
The Great Gatsby (1974 film)
The Great Gatsby is a 1974 romantic drama film distributed by Newdon Productions and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Jack Clayton and produced by David Merrick, from a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola based on F...
, and Oliver's Story
Oliver's Story
Oliver's Story is the sequel to the novel Love Story by Erich Segal, turned into a movie of the same name in 1978. It was directed by John Korty and starred Ryan O'Neal and Candice Bergen. The original music score was composed by Lee Holdridge and Francis Lai. Unlike the original film, Oliver's...
in the 1970s.