1953 Map of Grafton

About this map

The Blackstone River and Quinsigamond River valleys define this industrial and agricultural landscape in the mid-1950s. The region is marked by a string of mill settlements including Saundersville, Fisherville, and Farnumsville, which developed around the water power of the Blackstone. Further north, the Grafton State Hospital complex and the Grafton Airport represent the institutional and modern transport infrastructure of the era. The mapping details a transition from the dense residential pockets of North Grafton and Grafton to the more open, wooded terrain of the Sutton State Forest. Notable for local historians are the numerous burial grounds such as Riverside Cem and the Indian Cem, alongside landmarks like Purgatory Chasm State Park and several family-named hills like Brigham Hill and Keith Hill.