WARE, MASSACHUSETTS, 150TH ANNIVERSARY, 1761‒1911

HISTORY: Although settled in 1761, the Town of Ware was officially incorporated in 1775, 13 years before Massachusetts gained statehood. Located mid state, Ware enjoyed a wooded landscape laced with rivers and streams. Salmon were abundant, spawning 65 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The early settlers built weirs (pronounced “wares”) on the rivers to capture the salmon and eventually fished them out. They turned to timber. Lumber mills appeared and became an important local industry. As land was cleared, agrarian pursuits followed.

By the 1830s, cotton had become the primary raw material. Textile mills sprang up along the rivers, and the town became known as “Ware Factory Village.” By 1911, Ware still remained a prosperous town.

OBVERSE: We see an indigenous Nipmuc man standing on a rock, mid river, fishing with a spear, a waterfall in the background. They lived in this region for many generations. Their name stems from Nipmaug, meaning “fresh water fishing place.”

REVERSE: A laurel wreath surrounds a torch with a banner on each side with the years “1761” and “1911.” Below is the proclamation “150th ANNIVERSARY WARE, MASS.”