1.75 Hassanamesit - Grafton, Massachusetts

Old Connecticut Path across GraftonThe Old Connecticut Path's passage across Grafton, MA is commemorated by the "Thomas Hooker Trail" marker placed on the 300th anniversary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The marker was located along the likely line of travel followed by the Old Connecticut Path at the intersection of Pullard Road and Providence Road (RT 122). The marker is currently in the process of restoration by the Grafton Historical Society with return to its placement along the Path being planned.Grafton Center is a place where roads built upon the Native paths converge at the Common. The number of converging and parallel paths in use by the Natives prior to settlement offers the possibility of multiple solutions to determining the route of the Old Connecticut Path. While the Natives would have known the best ways to travel across Hassamesit, identifying the most likely ways that the Old Connecticut Path would cross modern Grafton presents some challenges.Fortunately, there are several sources that can be used to identify possible routes and the most likely route from those possibilities. Sources include the works of Levi Badger Chase, Harral Ayres, Fred Humes, and early surveys of the routes from Boston to Connecticut.

The 1831 map of Grafton (right) has been adapted to display the likely route of the Old Connecticut Path along with a variation based on Harral Ayres interpretation and the Bay Path as charted by Levi Badger Chase. Click on the map (right) to enlarge.

Old Connecticut & Bay Path - Westboro/Upton to Grafton Center

The route of the Old Connecticut Path from the Westboro line to Grafton Common follows narrow roads with light traffic through rolling countryside. There are opportunities to bicycle along the the stone wall lined roads and three off road walks. The map (right) provide an orientation to the route of the Path from Westboro at I-90/Mass Pike to the Common at Grafton Center along with side roads for exploration. Three walks are identified with further details available by clicking on the link OCP Walks: Grafton, MAA small portion of the old Faye Mountain Road provides a walk in the woods leading up to the Mass Pike/I-90. This 0.5 mile section of the Old Connecticut & Bay Path provides a glimpse into travel in earlier times. See OCP Walks: Grafton, MA for more information.

The maps and descriptions provided within Levi Badger Chase's book The Bay Path and Along the Way show a line of travel across Grafton entering from Faye Mountain in Westboro along Faye Mountain Road, Merriam Road, and over Chestnut Hill to reach the Common in Grafton Center.Pictures (left) show sights along the Path from the intersection of Faye Mountain and Merriam Roads to Grafton Center: Merriam Farm House (upper left); barn along Merriam Road (upper right); view of Chestnut Hill from Merriam Road (lower left); and, view from Chestnut Hill looking northeast towards Faye Mountain in Westboro (lower right).The Forbush Sanctuary trail across Chestnut Hill leaves from Merriam Road. See OCP Walks: Grafton, MA for more information.The Common at Grafton Center retains an idyllic quality that calls out for a visit. More pictures and information can be found at 1.75.2 Grafton Sights

Old Connecticut Path - Grafton to Wilkinsonville/Sutton

The likely route of the Old Connecticut Path (red line) is based upon Badger's route coming from Faye Mountain in Westboro along Faye Mountain Road and Merriam Road, and then across Chestnut Hill to reach the Common at Grafton Center (see Old Connecticut & Bay Path section below).The route of the Old Connecticut Path west from Grafton Common follows the roads (Church Street, Pleasant Street, Grist Mill Road, Follett Street) in use by 1796 as the preferred route to Sutton and on to Connecticut. Fred Humes, Sutton Historian, used this route along with the description by Daniel Gookin who traveled with Rev. John Eliot along the Path to determine the location the of Manchaug Praying Village in West Sutton. For more information, see 2.01 Manchaug Pond & Waters Farm

Harral Ayres and the "Great Trail"

The route adapted by the Grafton Historic Survey appears to base the route on the assumption by Ayres that the Path crossed near the junction of the Quinsigamond River with the Blackstone River. Ayres based his assumption upon the line shown on the Woodward and Saffery survey map. Woodward and Saffery did not travel through Grafton as part of their 1642 survey. The line shown by them appears to reflect descriptions of the route received from others. It should also be noted that the scale of the map and errors of placement of landmarks cause the line drawn by them to be suspect. Ayres based his assumption on the Woodward and Saffery map and the bend in the Blackstone River. Using modern mapping techniques, the landmark shown on the map used by Ayres would be 10-15 miles north of the junction of the Quisigamond and Blackston Rivers. See 2.32 Providence Path to for more information on the survey and copies of the survey map.

Harral Ayres had no other landmarks identified in Grafton and he does not appear to have conducted any field exploration of the area. While modern roads do not suggest a direct line, recent field exploration indicated that a route of travel along the line from Merriam Road across the north side of Keith Hill to the river crossing would have been possible based on the topography. The area of the Quisigamond and Blackstone River crossings is now under water from the Fisherville Dam. West of the Blackstone, the route would likely ascend Leland Hill Road into Sutton and join the approximate route of Central Turnpike leading to West Sutton. The possible route from Merriam Road in Grafton to Central Turnpike in Sutton would parallel the likely route of the Path from Grafton Center to West Sutton.

Levi Badger Chase and the "Bay Path"

Levi Badger Chase attempted to trace the route of the Bay Path from Jamaica Pond in Roxbury, MA across Massachusetts to Springfield, MA. His book The Bay Path and Along the Way published in 1919 compiles his research. The book Bay Path & Along the Way is available at Internet Archive. While Chase's claim that Thomas Hooker and congregation followed the Bay Path to Springfield and then south along the Connecticut River to Hartford, this position has not been upheld by other researchers. The book does provide a useful guide for exploring an early pathway across Massachusetts with portions that coincided with the Old Connecticut Path.

The Bay Path diverges from the Old Connecticut Path at Grafton Center. The route west described by Chase can be followed on road towards Millbury and on to Oxford, MA. The Bay Path leaves the Grafton Common by Oak Street to Brigham Hill Road passing the Old Burial Ground in which the "Friendly Nipmucks" are buried. The area where the Bay Path likely forded the Quisigamond River on Brigham Hill Road can be visited at the Lake Ripple dam and boat launch off of Brigham Hill Road. The route of the Bay continued along Crosby Road and Millbury Street to Millbury, MA. One of the fords across the Blackstone River in Millbury likely would have been near the corner of Grafton Street and Riverlin Street in the area to the rear of the Old Cemetery. The Bay Path likely continued west along the bank of the Blackstone River gorge which likely was a Native fishing ground. The Bay Path leaves Millbury along West Main Street and Singletary Brook to Lake Singletary. Although the lake has been enlarged by a mill dam, Lake Singletary was as Native gathering place in Sutton/Millbury. The old road from Sutton to Millbury Center intersects with the Bay Path at Harris Road near Lake Singletary. This road was noted in earliest records of the town of Sutton and likely followed one of many Native Paths. A portion is now closed to traffic north of West Main Street. The Brielry Pond/Mt. Ararat Conservation Area along the old road leads towards Millbury Center with side trails to Mt. Ararat where soapstone was mined by the Natives.

The route of the Bay Path heads west from Lake Singletary along West Main Street to South Oxford/Old Millbury Road. The original route up Federal Hill has been closed with Federal Hill now rerouted to intersect Old Millbury Road. Federal Hill Road leads over hill to RT 12/Main Street in Oxford.The Bay Path follows a northerly route that parallels the Old Connecticut Path with multiple connections (north/south) between the two paths. Evidence of Native habitation and use has been recorded along the route of the Bay Path. While it is not likely that Thomas Hooker's congregation and other early Connecticut settlers traveled the Bay Path, the route described by Chase provides another showcase of the Native "intelligence".

GO TO: 1.75.1 Hassanamesit Nipmuck Homeland

GO TO: 1.75.2 Grafton Sights

GO TO: OCP Walks: Grafton, MA

RETURN TO 1.0 Cambridge to Sutton, Massachusetts