North and West Chelmsford

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The Massachusetts town of Chelmsford, chartered in 1655, consisted of five villages. In the 1820s, industries related to the production of cast iron, textiles, and textile mill machinery made their first appearance in the North village along Stony Brook. Its social and economic life became aligned with the new industrial city of Lowell, and there had even been talk of secession from the Centre village in the mid-1800s. A golden age of industrial expansion and production occurred from 1875 to 1910. Industry in the West village consisted of blade and textile manufacturing in two locations, also tied to water power on Stony Brook, but this community was aligned socially and economically with nearby Nabnasset village in Westford. Discover the golden age of the North and West villages in photographs and learn about the people who made it happen.