Racing Through History: Northborough's 250th 5K

The race begins and ends at Marion E. Zeh School on Howard Street and pre-registration is recommended and is available on line at this link. All information on the race can be found here. You can also register on race day at 8 am.

Race participants and walkers will be passing through the heart of Northborough’s history. Norm Corbin of the Northborough Historical Society provided information about the route to give runners and walkers an appreciation of the history that will surround them.

The starting line is on Howard Street which is one of the many alternate spellings of the Hayward name. Simeon Hayward and his descendants were land holders in this area from 1713 to 1776. The level ground around you is part of the original Licor Meadow Plain named in the 1660’s when this region was part of the old Marlborough Plantation. The first mile of the race is very flat because you are within this old meadow. The school at the starting line is named in honor of Marion E. Zeh (1908-1965). She taught the town’s first special-needs class in Northborough for 20 years. She was known for her ability to relate to children very well and they responded in kind . Her grave is located near the main gate of the Howard Street Cemetery directly across the street. The section of the cemetery near the starting line contains the graves of many of Northborough’s industrialists and philanthropists from the mid 1880’s such as Gale, Bush, Seaver, Hildreth, Fay and Wood. It also contains many of Northborough’s civil war casualties and veterans.

As you run down Howard Street toward Church Street you will enter Northborough’s “Meeting House Common Historic District”. This district contains nine properties and the road race will be passing several of them. The current First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist of Northborough is the third religious meeting house to be in this location. The land for the meeting house was donated by Capt. James Eager “for consideration of Love, Good-Will and Respect which I have towards the promoting of worship in God….” In those days the Meeting House was used for both religious services and town meetings. The first Meeting House was built in 1745. The second was erected in 1808 but burned down in a spectacular fire that was on the cover of Life magazine in 1949. The current building is a replica of the second church. Immediately behind the church is the Old 1749 Colonial Burial Ground that contains the graves of Northborough’s two first ministers Rev. Martyn and Rev. Whitney, along with many of Northborough’s founding families. There is also a horse block behind the church. This flat stone was used to make it easier for people to demount from horses. In front of the church is an original Paul Revere church bell that was salvaged from the ruins of the church when it burned in 1949. t was cast in 1809 and weighs 1154 pounds.

Upon entering Whitney Street you will be nearing a section of three homes on your left built by the wealthy Mr. Wilder Bush. Number 29 was his mansion. Bush’s wealth came from his very successful business manufacturing elaborate hair combs which were very much in style at the time. Across the street on your right he had several mills and a factory for his business.

The colonial home on your left at 35 Whitney Street was originally built before 1776 for the Hayward family. Its residents over time read like a Who’s Who for Northborough. Several memorable ones include the Bush family just mentioned, Gilman Howe, who was the Town Clerk for many years, a genealogist and hosted the first meeting on the Northborough Historical Society in 1906; and Ruth Lee Webb a well-known author of books on antique glass and the history of valentines.

As you cross Howard Brook (again a misspelling of the Hayward name) there is a historic marker on your right. It mentions that this was where the first European settler in Northborough Mr. John Brigham had his mill back in the late 1600’s. In 1672, John Brigham was granted 250 acres of this meadow by the Massachusetts General Court as part of his services as a surveyor. One story is that his mill was burned down by an Indian attack in the early 1700’s. His mill was powered by a dam on your left at Howard Brook. The dam held back a very large pond that existed until the early 1900’s.

Just beyond Howard Brook, on your right, is the Peter Whitney Parsonage Historic District. The original house on this site was built in the late 1600’s by Nathaniel Oakes and was one of the first places where religious services were held. In 1747 the house was sold to Northborough’s first minister, Rev. John Martyn, and then to its second minister, Rev. Peter Whitney in 1770. After a fire in 1780, Whitney rebuilt the house to its present form. Rev. Whitney was a writer and was known - for being in favor of independence from England. He was well acquainted with John Adams and John Hancock.

As you continue to run down Whitney and then onto Winter and Washburn there are many old colonial homes. Also notice the light yellow house at the corner of Winter and Whitney. This is the “Spite House”. The owner built the house there to spite the owners of the house across the street by blocking their view of whatever was traveling to or from town. When originally built, the Spite House had no windows on the side facing the red house because the owner didn't want to see it.

Whether you choose to run or walk the route on May 21, enjoy the 3.1 mile route with a historical perspective. 

Bob Ellis provided information on the Spite House.