Littleton, MA
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Littleton
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Description of Littleton, Massachusetts
Littleton is a rural industrial town on the outer edge of suburban Boston. Part of the town was allocated as an Indian preserve known as the Nashoba Indian Praying Town. Settlement of Littleton was delayed by the frontier wars until the early 18th century when intense competition occurred over Indian lands abandoned when natives were deported to Deer Island during King Philip's war. The town eventually developed an upland farming economy with grazing, orchards and some seasonal lumbering.
By the 19th century some of the finest apple orchards in the state were supplying town cider mills which in turn shipped their product to Boston.
The cider factory, which also began making vinegar, expanded to become the modern Very Fine Apple Products plant. In the 20th century, clay deposits near the railroad depot became the basis for the U.S. Brick and Tile Company.
The town remains a significantly agricultural community with poultry farms, dairies and orchards and has preserved several 18th century center-chimney houses and unique brick cottages. Recent development has been primarily suburban, but much of the community has retained its original character.
It is located in northeastern Massachusetts, bordered by Ayer and Harvard on the west, Groton on the northwest, Westford on the northeast, Acton on the southeast, and Boxborough on the south. Littleton is about 12 miles south of Lowell, 20 miles east of Fitchburg, 26 miles northwest of Boston, and 215 miles from New York City.
Narrative compiled by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (
DHCD
).
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