Special Note: The Westborough Center is now open to the public during the normal hours of the Westborough Public Library. The Local History Librarian is generally available M, W, Th from 9am to 1pm, and can be contacted at avaver@cwmars.org or 508-871-5284 (appointments are encouraged).
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Follow these links to explore local history resources available at the Westborough Public Library:
- The Westborough Archive Catalog – Descriptions of all the physical archival collections held at the Westborough Public Library. Use the links on the left of the Westborough History Catalog page to search or browse collections, and if you find something you want to see, ask a librarian!
- The Westborough Digital Repository – The Westborough Public Library’s own digital repository of photographs, documents, manuscripts, and more. A fun place to browse and learn about Westborough’s past!
- Westborough Historical Newspapers – Access the Westborough Chronotype and all of Westborough’s other historical newspapers online.
- Westborough Collections in the Digital Commonwealth – Complete digitized collections of Westborough’s most important archival holdings, available in the Digital Commonwealth.
- Westborough on the Web: Archive-It – An archive of Westborough web and social media sites that have been captured and saved so that you can “go back in time” and see what they used to look like. Categories include arts & culture, foodways (farms, restaurants, etc.), obituaries, sports, town government, and others. Click here to suggest a website to add to the collection.
- Westborough Local History Videos on YouTube – Videos from the Westborough Public Library’s local history collections. The Lyman School Vintage Film (1946) is also available for viewing on Westborough TV, as well as interviews with Rodney Horton and Leonard Danylieko, two former students at the school.
- Audio Files from the Audio-Video Collection – Oral histories, lectures, interviews, and music that were converted from audio cassette tapes.
- The Ebenezer Parkman Project – Rev. Ebenezer Parkman was Westborough’s first minister, and throughout his life he kept a detailed diary, which is now considered to be one of the best resources for understanding daily life in colonial New England. This website brings together his diary and other writings.
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Learn and share stories, memories, and historical knowledge about Westborough:
- The Westborough History Blog – The Westborough Public Library’s community blog for local history. Read local history as told by Westborough residents, and contribute your own article or story about Westborough history!
- Westborough Center Pastimes – The Westborough Center‘s official newsletter.
- The Westborough Archives’s Instagram Page – Follow and interact with the Photographer-in-Residence on Instagram throughout the year as he takes photographs of Westborough and its residents.
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Additional online local history resources:
- Westborough Town Records, 1717-1930 – Digitized copies of Westborough’s Town Records in the Town Clerk’s Office. A copy of the Declaration of Independence handwritten into the town records can be found here.
- On the Beaten Path: Westborough, Massachusetts by Kristina Nilson Allen – The standard history of Westborough.
- Westborough High School Collections in the Digital Commonwealth – Documents, photographs, and items relating to the history of Westborough High School.
- Westborough High School Collections in the Digital Public Library of America – Documents, photographs, and items relating to the history of Westborough High School.
- Westborough High School Collection in the Internet Archive – Historical documents and items from the Dr. Edward E. Kelleher Library Media Center, including Westborough High School Yearbooks (1957-2012, with gaps).
- Westborough 300 High School History Projects – 9th Grade local history projects celebrating Westborough’s 300th anniversary from Mr. Steve DeBoer’s 2017 spring classes.
- 13th Massachusetts Volunteers – Website devoted to information about the volunteers from Westborough and the surrounding area who fought in the American Civil War.
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Research guides: