Maynard MA

Maynard History

Maynard, founded in 1871, grew up as a mill town along the Assabet River and. Before that, it was part of Stow and Sudbury and known as Assabet Village. For Maynard to receive state approval to become an independent town it had to compensate Stow and Sudbury because they were invested in the railroad and the wool and paper mill in Sudbury. In 1902, some residents tried to change the name of Maynard back to Assabet. They felt the Maynard family, the town namesake, had not done as much as they could have for the community. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts declined their request.

In 1820, Amory Maynard, still a teenager took over the family mill business in Boston when his father Isaac died at the age of 41. Amory sold his water rights to Fort Meadow Pond to the city of Boston in 1846. He and his partner, William Knight bought water rights, built a dam and then the Assabet Woolen Mill. The town grew with the mill and was name Maynard after Amory. The mill produced wool for military uniforms during the Civil War. Their company went bankrupt in 1898 but the mill continued operations under various owners from 1846 to 1950, over 100 years.

"The Mill" also houses the oldest, still-working, hand-wound clock in the country. Lorenzo Maynard donated it to Maynard in 1892. It takes two hours to perform the weekly task of winding the mechanism but most consider it an honor. "The Mill", renovated in the 1990s and renamed "Clock Tower Place", is now known as "Mill & Main Place" and houses various businesses. Located in Glenwood Cemetery, the Maynard Crypt is visible from Route 27. The earth-covered mound with a granite stonework façe is 90 feet across, and 12 feet tall complete with a glass skylight. Within the crypt, Amory, his wife, and 20 descendants are interred.

Interesting Fact

A ride to the center of Maynard will bring you to the town's very own historic treasure, the Clock Tower also referred to as "The Mill" by the natives. Housed in the tower is the country's oldest, hand-wound clock that has continuously kept time since October 23, 1892. That's over 123 years of keeping time! Each week someone climbs up the 124 narrow, wooden stairs in order to wind the clock. Keeping the clock on track requires 90 turns of the crank for the timepiece, and 330 turns for the bell striker.