A Sliver of Sterling

From Dave Brigham:

The day before Thanksgiving last year, I headed out from my son's school in Sudbury, Mass., in search of...I wasn't sure exactly what. I had a few hours before I had to return, as he had an early release. After too much aimless driving, I found myself in apple orchard country. "I just need to find a little town, anything with a few buildings," I told myself. Shortly after passing Clearview Farm in Sterling, I found what I didn't know I was looking for.

I found plenty of photo opportunities in Sterling's quaint, All-American downtown. Originally part of nearby Lancaster, Sterling broke away and incorporated in 1781. Primarily an agricultural community for decade upon decade, the town still features at least five farms, and holds an annual fair.

Since I started off with a photo of the coolest place, I might as well talk about it.

The former Sterling Cider Mill is now home to Oh My Gosh! Antiques & Collectibles and Kim's Reiki Room. "Founded in 1906 by Walter Hildick Sr., [the mill] took advantage of Sterling’s apple orchards and of the direct access to railroad transport," per this Town of Sterling web site. "During its heyday, the mill produced 2 million gallons of apple cider, apple juice and cider vinegar. In [the] 1980s the cider mill halted its pressing process due to environmental concerns, and in 1988 it finally closed down and moved its operation to Pennsylvania.

Directly in front of the old mill complex I found Auto Technica.

There were a few old cars inside; all these months later I don't recall what kind. Porsches, perhaps?

Running behind the Cider Mill Building, along the route on which trains once hauled away apple cider, juice and vinegar, is the Mass Central Rail Trail.

I do love a good rail trail, especially ones that still showcase remnants of the past.

The Mass Central Rail Trail is the longest rail trail in the Northeast, at 104 miles. Of course, only 51 miles are currently open. The line once stretched from downtown Boston at North Station to Union Station in Northampton, Mass., per the official web site. There are still 19 miles in "unclear ownership," per the web site.

I've written about the Mass Central Rail Trail before (see August 1, 2016, "I Rail Against Trails (Not Really, But I Don't Want Every Abandoned Set of Train Tracks Converted for Cyclists and Roller Bladers)", and March 24, 2019, "Weston By Musket and Sextant"). I've also written about the Bay Colony Rail Trail (see December 30, 2017, "Rail Trail Mix") and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (see November 30, 2015, "Walking Dead Tracks").

As I said, Sterling is small but scenic, and has that Main Street USA look that calendar makers love.

Woody's Barber Shop on Main Street has been operated since 1912 by five generations of the same family, per this blog post.

Old-timey barbershop? Check.

Statue commemorating one of America's most beloved poems? Check.

Mary Sawyer was born in Sterling in 1806, and as you might surmise from the photo above, she had a little lamb. "On [the] fateful morning of the poem’s inspiration, Mary walked to class at the Redstone Schoolhouse and tucked the little lamb in a basket at the foot of her desk," per this Boston Magazine story. "All was well until the restless pet let out a bleat. As the children laughed, the teacher insisted the lamb must wait outside until Mary could take it home at lunchtime."

As it turns out, this simple tale that inspired a classic poetic song is mired in controversy.

"But who wrote the tale that captured this simple yet charming history?" the above-linked article continues. "The author of the original poem was John Roulstone, a new arrival in town who came to study under his uncle, a minister. Roulstone witnessed the lamb’s ordeal and wrote three stanzas, which he later gave to Mary. Debate arose roughly fifteen years later, when writer Sarah Josepha Hale published Poems for Our Children in 1830. The collection included an extended version of Roulstone’s 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' that wove a moral about kindness into the tale. Hale, born in Newport, New Hampshire, was attributed authorship, but (for the most part) debaters seem to have decided only the last three stanzas of the poem were her own original material.

In the same park as the "Mary Had a Little Lamb" statue, stands a memorial to "All deceased Sterling firefighters."

To the left of the flag, the memorial says, "This tire stone was used in a Sterling blacksmith shop." That's pretty cool.

Adjacent to town hall, and behind an insurance agency, I spied this orange building, which really stands out amid all of the Colonial white and red brick.

I knew the Internet search and media company by this name wasn't headquartered here, even though the business has faltered in recent years. So what the heck is Y.A.H.O.O.? Young Adults Helping Out Others is a town-run program in which 7th - 12th graders volunteer to help seniors with yard work in the spring and fall.

Ready to shoot your next wholesome family film here yet? No? Well, check out the wonderful library.

The Conant Public Library was named "in honor of Elizabeth Ann Conant, daughter of Edwin Conant who donated a majority of the funds that made building the Sterling library possible," per the web site. Edwin Conant was a businessman, lawyer and philanthropist. The building dates to 1885.

Next to the library is this classic New England church.

The First Church in Sterling dates to 1842, but the congregation goes back another 100 years. Formed in 1742, the small parish built its first meetinghouse on this same site two years later. In 1830, the church became Unitarian. Many other changes occurred over the ensuing centuries, until in 2017 the church voted "by unanimous vote to become an Open and Affirming, Welcoming Congregation to the LGBTQ community.

Across the small common, where the above memorials are situated, is a former church.

Built in 1837, this place has an interesting history. It was erected by the First Universalist Society, which sold it to the First Evangelical Congregational Society in 1852. Per the MACRIS page I found about the building, "it was used in the basement as a meat shop." Over time, the Congregationalists merged with the local Baptist church and met here. That combined congregation eventually merged with the Unitarian Church across the street (see above). The latter church's facility was used for worship; the Congregational property was used for youth activities. In 1952, the church sold the building.

Eventually, the building fell out of use as a house of worship, and an auctioneer took over the space. It is now home to Sholan Realty.

Directly behind this former church property, at the corner of Bridge and Maple streets, is St. Richard of Chichester Roman Catholic Church. Just stop and appreciate that name for a minute.

Named, per the church's web site, to honor the patron saint of Richard Cardinal Cushing, who served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944-1970, the house of worship dates to the 1950s. Richard of Chichester lived from 1197 to 1253, and was Bishop of Chichester, per his Wikipedia page.

(This statue is located in the parking lot next to the church.)

Back on Main Street, next to the former church/auctioneer office, is the wonderful 1835 Town Hall.

As you might expect, this building, and the property it sits on, have rich histories. In 1799 the owners of the site, Ebenezer Pope and Lucretia (Wilder) Pope, deeded the property to be used by the residents of Sterling. Prior to that date, the site was used as a blacksmith's shop by Samuel Brown. In 1801, the site became the first Town House in Worcester County, in which church business was separated from town business, per this history of the old town hall. A school was located on the second floor.

A deed dated 1807 indicates that the property is never to be converted to private use. In 1834, the town voted to build a new town hall. The previous building was moved to Worcester Road, where I believe it still stands. The building has been enlarged and improved over the years, and used for a number of purposes, ranging from balls and graduations to cattle show events, antique fairs and much more. It was also used to store fire equipment and house jail cells. Today it is used regularly by scouting groups, 4-H, town committees, guitar lessons, a children's music program and hosts various community clubs, per the town's web site.

My final stop on this brief tour of Sterling was a nice conservation area behind the current town hall. The Butterick Nature Trail is a 13-acre haven donated to the town by Mary Ellen Butterick, whose father, Ebenezer Butterick, invented the tissue paper dress pattern, per the town's web site.

A sign at the foot of this staircase told me that there was a side trail to the former Town Pound. The pound was used for more than 100 years, up to the time of World War I, according to the town web site. A town pound (or enclosure) was a high-walled and lockable structure mainly used for holding stray sheep, pigs and cattle until they were claimed by the owners, after payment of a fine or levy, per the web site.

I'd never seen such a thing, so I sought it out.

Wasn't at all hard to find. In addition to the cow you see in this photo, there is also a a sheep.