MILFORD

A short history of Milford

Milford was first settled in 1662 as a part of Mendon after Native Americans, including the Sachem, Quashaamit, granted land to the early settlers. King Philip's War destroyed the town in 1676, but settlers returned in 1680. The Mill River flows through Milford and had several conspicuous fords that were familiar to the Native Americans, and used by the early white settlers. These "mill (river) fords" are said to have given Milford its name. Milford was incorporated April 11, 1780, and the first town hall built in 1819; a brick structure later named the Town House School. The current town hall was built in 1854 by architect Thomas Silloway.

Milford is renowned for its Milford pink granite, discovered in 1870. Milford quarries fueled the local economy until about 1940. The granite has been used for local buildings such as Memorial Hall; the Bancroft Memorial Library in Hopedale; Worcester City Hall; and the Boston Public Library. Other notable buildings include the original Pennsylvania Station in New York City; the main post office in New York City; and more recently the Singapore Changi Airport in 2002.

The Milford Hospital was donated in 1903 by Governor Eben Sumner Draper. Today, the health care facility exists as the Milford Regional Medical Center. In January 2008, the Center opened a cancer treatment facility with the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. The center is affiliated with UMass Medical Center as a teaching hospital. In 2015 the hospital completed a $54-million expansion project that created a new emergency department and updated the intensive care unit, as well as patient rooms.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Milford, Massachusetts, revision 1378576601 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.