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Littleton (historically ''Nashoba'') is a town in Middlesex County,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, United States. The population was 10,141 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the neighborhood of Littleton Common, please see the article Littleton Common,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
.


History


17th century

Littleton was the site of the sixth
Praying Indian Praying Indian is a 17th-century term referring to Native Americans of New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Ver ...
village established by John Eliot in 1645 consisting of mainly Native Americans of the Massachusett tribes. It was called Nashoba Plantation, on the land between Lake Nagog and Fort Pond. The term "Praying Indian" referred to Native Americans who had been converted to Christianity.
Daniel Gookin Danyell "Daniel" Gookin (1612 – 19 March 1687) was a Munster colonist, settler of Virginia and Massachusetts, and a writer on the subject of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American Indians. Early life He was born, perhaps in County Cork, ...
, in his ''Historical Collections of the Indians in New England'', (1674) chapter vii. says:
Nashobah is the sixth praying Indian town. This village is situated, in a manner, in the centre, between Chelmsford, Lancaster, Groton and Concord. It lieth from Boston about twenty-five miles west north west. The inhabitants are about ten families, and consequently about fifty souls.
At the time of
King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodland ...
between the English and Native Americans, the General Court ordered the Indians at Nashoba to be interned in Concord. A short while later, some Concord residents who were hostile to the Nashoba solicited some militia to remove them to Deer Island. Around this time, fourteen armed men of Chelmsford went to the outlying camp at Wameset (near Forge Pond) and opened fire on the unsuspecting Nashoba, wounding five women and children, and killing outright a boy twelve years old, the only son of John Tahattawan. For much of the war, the English colonists rounded up the Praying Indians and sent them to Deer Island. When increasing numbers of Massachusetts Bay officers began successfully using Praying Indians as scouts in the war, the sentiment of the white settlers turned. In May 1676, the Massachusetts General Court ordered that Praying Indians be removed from Deer Island. Still, many died of starvation and disease. Upon their release, most survivors moved to Natick and sold their land to white settlers. The town was settled by Anglo-European settlers in 1686 and was officially incorporated by act of the Massachusetts General Court on November 2, 1715. It was part of the Puritan and later Congregational culture and religion of New England. In his book, ''An Historical Sketch Town of Littleton'' (1890), Herbert Joseph Harwood wrote:
It is said that the name Littleton was given as a compliment to Hon. George Lyttleton, M.P., one of the commissioners of the treasury ne time Chancellor of the Exchequer">Chancellor_of_the_Exchequer.html" ;"title="ne time Chancellor of the Exchequer">ne time Chancellor of the Exchequer and that in acknowledgment he sent from England a church-bell as a present to the town but on account of the error in spelling by substituting "i " for "y," the present was withheld by the person having it in charge, who gave the excuse that no such town as Lyttleton could be found, and sold the bell."


18th century

The few survivors of Nashobah Plantation had extreme difficulty in reviving the village. The few that returned intermarried with some of the English settlers who had bought land from them and quickly outnumbered the natives. The new community petitioned the legislature and incorporated as a town in 1714 with its limits (including modern Boxborough) bounded by the existing towns of The Plantation of Groton to the west, Chelmsford, Massachusetts">Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
to the north, Stow to the south and west, and Concord, Massachusetts">Concord to the south and east. The meetinghouse of the town moved from the area of Newtown to eastern triangle of the Town Common in 1717. Sarah Doublet, the last Praying Indian, passed on in 1736. New neighboring towns formed from larger towns abutting Littleton. West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23, 1729, A new town including parts of
Lancaster, Groton, and Stow was incorporated in 1732 as Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
. A large section of West Concord won approval of the
General Court and incorporated as Acton, Massachusetts">Acton on July 3, 1735. Through the 1700s, new towns Littleton like most towns was served by several taverns, which were a fixture of small New England towns through to the early twentieth century: * The Long Store which was on Great Road across from the new Littleton Police Station was built around 1700. * The Fox Tavern, 35 Foster Street, was also built around 1700. * The Lawrence Tavern, also known as the Hartwell Tavern, was built on Crane Rd off Liberty Square in 1768. In 1742, the Meetinghouse was moved to a new building (the present site of the Unitarian Church) at a cost of £900. This would be the community's only house of worship for the remainder of the 1700s. Construction of Warren's Grist Mill (abutting 495 at the junction of Grist Mill Rd and Warren St) began in 1750. This mill processed the crops produced by the town residents through the eighteenth century. Residents of Littleton contributed men to the militia system that was set up by the Crown to serve as self-defense against hostile First Nations peoples as well as the French in Canada. Men from Littleton served in the primarily Provincial Army that captured Fortress of Louisbourg">Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The harbour had been used by European mariners since at least the 1590s, when it was known as English Port and Havre à l'An ...
in 1745. This militia system evolved into the organization that confronted the British Regulars on April 18, 1775. The minutemen and militia of Littleton marched and fought at Concord and the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. The militia company and the minutemen squads mustered at Liberty Square located on the southwest side of town on the Boxborough line (then part of Littleton). They marched from there through what is now Boxborough Depot and over Littleton Rd/Boxborough Rd to Newtown Road (Littleton), up over Fort Pond Hill (stopping briefly at the Choate Farm) and along Newtown Rd (Acton) to Acton Center. From there they marched the Isaac Davis Trail to Old North Bridge. Some writing suggests that the minutemen sped ahead to join the other minutemen at the bridge. In 1782, the third request to incorporate as a separate town by the residents of present day Boxborough was granted by the General Court and incorporated on February 25, 1783, taking away almost a quarter of Littleton's area on the south abutting Stow and Harvard. In 1795, the town built its first public schools which served the children of Littleton until 1870: * North School House, Old Great Road * East Schoolhouse 540 Newtown Road * South School House, 279 Foster Street * West Schoolhouse, Sanderson Road According to local lore, the town had a contingent of Loyalists who remained after the revolution and thwarted attempts to rename King Street as Main, Washington, or Adams streets. This has been the source of ribbing from neighboring towns, who call Littleton a Tory town.


19th century

During the 1800s, Littleton grew at a slow pace. It became known for its apple orchards and the cider produced in town. The Warren Gristmill changed over to operating as a sawmill in the second decade. In 1822, Baptists in town decided to create their own society and build a church at the corner of King Street and Goldsmith Street. This was influenced by Unitarianism beginning to take hold in New England. The lyceum movement, a Scottish and English means of spreading education; especially in the sciences to the masses came to Littleton when, following the example of Millbury, Salem, and Concord, Littletonians on December 21, 1829, decided, in their words, "to promote mutual improvement" through the formation of the Littleton Lyceum. By the time of its 25th anniversary, the Littleton Lyceum took the form and operation it would have for almost a century of lectures followed by questions and debate. During the Civil War or shortly thereafter, most lyceums petered out, but not in Littleton. Besides bringing about a brief return to public debating, the War was also long a subject for Lyceum, a venue where veterans lectured about their experiences and travel. In 1840, the community fractured on sectarian lines. As a result the remaining members of the town meetinghouse, now Unitarians, realized that they needed a larger building and funded it by selling pews to the members. The Orthodox Congregational Society funded their building in the same manner the same year, 1841. The two churches have occupied their locations on Foster and King Streets to the present day. The industrial revolution continued in Littleton with the arrival of the Fitchburg Railroad in 1844. The original station was built in 1845. A new train station was erected in 1879 and was used until it closed in 1970. This line served to be influential in the development of the town. Commuter service into North Station along this line began in the 1880s. The Fitchburg was not the only railroad to arrive and serve Littleton in the Nineteenth Century. The Stony Brook Railroad line running from present day Ayer to Chelmsford maintained a station in North Littleton by Forge Pond. Just over the line in North Acton, there was also a passenger station with service on the Framingham and Lowell Railroad beginning in 1871. With the railroads, local farmers grew in response to the availability of transport for their produce to markets in Boston. Some of the local farmers located along the rail line began to diversify their crops for sale in Haymarket, a few farms began to concentrate on dairy production, but Littleton became known for the number of orchards producing apples.
Abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...
and
Transcendentalism Transcendentalism is a philosophical, spiritual, and literary movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in the New England region of the United States. "Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of ...
became popular movements in Littleton during the 1800s and were much discussed at Littleton Lyceum. Several Littleton men served in the Federal forces during the Civil War and are memorialized on a plaque on either side of the Houghton Memorial Building. Further development of stores, shops, and business centered on the Common and the now growing Depot. By the common, the Conant Houghton Co. Mill was erected in 1880. Initially, it processed apple products, but moved into the production of clothing and military equipment in the late 1890s. In 1885, the quarantine station for the Port of Boston moved from Waltham to a farm on the Fitchburg railway line on the south west side of Mill Pond. Used to clear wild and domestic animals and made Littleton a center for horse-dealing and training. In 1894-95, the Houghton Memorial Building was designed by Perkins & Betton and built to house the municipal library. It was a gift from Elizabeth and Clement S. Houghton, he was the son of one of Boston's wealthiest merchants, William S. Houghton. The elder Houghton, a Littleton native, had in 1884 made a bequest to the town for the establishment of a library collection in honor of Reuben Hoar, who had financially assisted his father in a difficult time.


20th century

Littleton continued to grow through the twentieth century. Prior to
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the mill at the common moved into the manufacturing of military webbing to supply the US Armed Forces. The advent of the war drew more people to town to work in the mill. Young men from Littleton also left to serve during the war. Upon their return, they founded the two veterans' posts, American Legion Post 249 and VFW Post 6556. With the advent of the automobile, Littleton saw two more expansions of agri-business. The existing dairy farms grew larger and became commercial. Cloverdale Farm/Dell Dale Farm, on Mannion Place off Great Road edging up to the shores of Lake Nagog, became a well-known local dairy operating until 1986, first by John Mannion and then Thomas and William Byrne from Hopedale. Herbert Whitcomb also ran a commercial dairy, which he sold in 1942 to J. Fred Herpy, a dairyman who had moved to Littleton from
Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lie ...
. Herpy relocated the pasteurizing business to Great Road in 1952. Business was good in the post-war years, and Herpy's Dairy thrived. On the site of the Great Road plant, Herpy built two large swimming pools, and added a bathhouse, grill and ice cream stand. The pools provided swimming lessons to the residents of Littleton and surrounding towns. By the last year the pools were open, 1968, over a thousand children learned to swim at Herpy's. It closed a year later, in response to Littleton's expansion of alcohol sales. Like many towns along the state roads radiating from Boston, the advent of motor transport saw the arrival of truck farms which sprang up along Route 119/2A. These were market gardens that were operated on a large scale to supply produce for Haymarket in Boston. While earlier commercial market gardens had sprung up along the railways, motor transport allowed the formation of produce wholesalers in outlying cities such as Fitchburg and Lowell which signed contracts with local farmers to provide goods on a daily basis for sale in Haymarket. The trucks would leave the yards and drive down the state roads buying produce from the farms for resale in town. Almost all truck farms kept a portion of their produce for sale at their roadside stands. The farms in Littleton were operated by a mix of older Yankee residents and newer Irish, Italian, Quebecois, and Greek families who had bought the farms as a commercial venture. One can see what most of Route 2A looked like running in through Acton, Concord, Lexington, and Arlington during the first two-thirds of the century by looking at present day, Route 119 moving northwest from Beaver Brook Road. Arthur Rowse bought Standard Vinegar Co. in Somerville, in 1865 in 1900, changed the name to New England Vinegar Works in 1907. In 1919, he added the Veryfine brand name for pasteurized apple juice. He moved the company to Littleton, Massachusetts, in 1930 to be closer to Massachusetts' apple orchards, setting up his plant at the Depot. While in Somerville, Arthur Rowse, known for integrity and honesty, had refused to do business with bootleggers in a state where
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
was overwhelmingly unpopular. He continued his refusal after moving to Littleton. Due to the Yankee character of the town, it was notably dry during Prohibition. Although Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Littleton did not permit the sale of alcohol again until 1960, and then in just two locations, the Johnson's store at the Depot and the Nashoba Package store at Donelan's shopping center. Only in the late 1980s, with the building of DEC's King Street facility, was a bar allowed to open in town (this later became Ken's American Cafe, which closed in December 2008. It was followed by what is now the Chip Shot on Ayer Road). For years, residents could go to establishments just over the town line that served alcohol, in the surrounding Acton, Westford, Groton, Ayer, and Boxborough. Littleton has remained a predominantly Yankee town, with the bulk of the population belonging to the Congregational Church of Littleton, The First Baptist Church, and First Church Unitarian churches. In the post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
era, Roman Catholic immigrants from Ireland, Quebec, Canada, and Italy moved into Middlesex County and Littleton. The Roman Catholic parish of St. Anne's was established in 1947 and is currently the largest congregation in town. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established a chapel in 1979. In 1956, the Church of Christ was built on Harwood Avenue. It disbanded in 1985 due to the closing of Ft. Devens and the resultant dwindling membership. Many of the early families are represented by descendants in the town to the present day: Blanchard, Bulkeley, Crane, Hartwell, Hathaway, Kimball, and Whitcomb. The neighborhoods around Mill Pond (also known as Lake Warren): Long Lake, Forge Village, and Spectacle Pond, include numerous summer cottages or "camps" that have been converted into year-round residences. Many ethnic Irish, Italian, Québécois, and Finnish families moved here in the 1950s and 1960s in a kind of suburbanization after leaving their more dense, first and second-generation neighborhoods in Arlington, East Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, and Somerville. Due to its location between
Fort Devens Fort Devens is a United States Army Reserve military installation in the towns of Ayer, Massachusetts, Ayer and Shirley, Massachusetts, Shirley, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County and Harvard, Massachusetts, Harvard in Worcester ...
and Hanscom AFB, Littleton has been a popular location for military retirees from the 1960s to the present day. Author John Hanson Mitchell wrote a book titled '' Ceremonial Time'' (1984), which details a history of fifteen thousand years over one square mile located within the town. The arrival of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC, later part of
Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...
) in the 1970s connected the town to other businesses in the Boston-area high-tech corridor. Digital built a very large facility on King Street near the Common, as well as offices on Porter Road and Foster Street.


21st century

In 2007,
IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
purchased the King Street facility from Hewlett-Packard and announced that it would become its main New England location. In 2014, Littleton embarked on a year of celebration for its 300th anniversary. In 2022, the
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
reported that the Littleton mill had the highest concentration of federally-licensed firearms dealers in the United States. File:Memorial Day 1977.jpg, High school band on Memorial Day 1977 File:Newtown Hill from Fort Pnd Hill.jpg, 1962 view of Newtown Hill from Fort Pond Hill File:1981 Depot.jpg, Littleton Station 1981 File:1972 Depot.jpg, 1972 view of Depot Image:Littleton MA First Baptist Church.jpg, First Baptist Church of Littleton Image:Littleton MA First Baptist Church plaque.jpg, History of the First Baptist Church File:Littleton Mill 04.jpg, The Littleton mill in 2023


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (5.30%) is water. Littleton borders the following towns: Groton, Westford, Acton, Boxborough,
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
, and Ayer.


Demographics

At the 2020
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
, there were 10,141 people, 3,657 households and 2,218 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 3,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 80.71%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.34%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.15% Native American, 8.17% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.33% from other races, and 5.03% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 3.25% of the population. There were 3,657 households, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 22.1% had a female householder with no spouse present, 10.3% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 3.6% were non-families. Of all households 19.6% were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.16. Of the population 23.2% were under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males. The
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
was $123,413 and the median family income was $143,233. About 2.4% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.


Education


Littleton public schools

* Littleton High School * Littleton Middle School * Russell Street School * Shaker Lane School


Other public schools

* Nashoba Valley Technical High School: public regional vocational technical high school located in Westford. * Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School: a public charter school in Devens that serves students in grades 7 to 12.


Local private or parochial schools

* Academy of Notre Dame: co-educational Roman Catholic elementary school, K1 through 8th grade, in Tyngsborough, and an all-girls Roman Catholic preparatory school for grades 9–12 run by the
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) is a Catholic Church, Catholic Religious institute (Catholic), institute of religious sisters, founded to teaching order, provide education to the poor. The i ...
* Applewild School: established in 1957, a private, independent co-educational day school for grades preschool – 8th grade located in Fitchburg. *
Concord Academy Concord Academy (also known as CA) is a coeducational, Independent school, independent University-preparatory school, college-preparatory school for boarding and day students in Concord, Massachusetts. CA educates approximately 400 students in ...
: a private, co-educational, independent, college preparatory school for grades 9–12, located in Concord. * Country Day School of the Holy Union: coeducational Roman Catholic elementary school, Pre-K through 8th grade, in Groton run by the Sisters of the Holy Union. * The Fenn School: an all-boys private school in Concord, serving grades 4–9. *
Groton School Groton School is a Private school, private, college-preparatory school, college-preparatory, day school, day and boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, United States. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcop ...
: a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located in Groton. *
Lawrence Academy at Groton Lawrence Academy at Groton is a private, nonsectarian, co-educational college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Founded in 1792 as Groton Academy and chartered in 1793 by Governor John Hancock, Lawrence is the tenth ...
: a private, co-educational preparatory school for grades 9–12 located in Groton. *
Middlesex School Middlesex School (informally known as MX) is a Mixed-sex education, coeducational, Private school, independent, and Nonsectarian, non-sectarian boarding school, boarding secondary school located in Concord, Massachusetts, Concord, Middlesex Count ...
: a private, independent preparatory school for grades 9–12 located in Concord. * Nashoba Brooks School: an independent co-educational school for Pre-K (age 3) through 3rd grade and all-female from grade 4th through 8th grade. * Oak Meadow School: a private, independent Montessori school serving Pre-K (18 months through 8th grade) is the only private school located within Littleton.


Library

The public Reuben Hoar Library first opened in 1887. In 1895, the Houghton Memorial Building was constructed, and the Reuben Hoar Library moved into it. The library, still named in honor of Reuben Hoar, moved to 41 Shattuck Street in 1991, and the Houghton Memorial Building then housed the Littleton Historical Society. In November 2021, the Ruben Hoar Library moved to 35 Shattuck Street. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Littleton spent 1.5% ($432,744) of its budget on its public library—approximately $49 per person, per year ($60.01 adjusted for inflation in 2021).


Media

The local newspaper is called the ''Littleton Independent''. Littleton Community Television (LCTV) has a new and improved studio at 37 Shattuck Street behind the town offices at the Littleton Town Hall.


Historical, civic and cultural organizations

Littleton like other small towns has many local charities and organizations that are active in the town. Non-profit town specific groups include the Littleton Conservation Trust, the Littleton Country Gardeners, and Littleton Historical Society (a non-profit partner to the town's Historical Commission). The Littleton Lyceum and the Indian Hill Music Center are two of the local cultural organizations. The Littleton Rotary Club is active in Community development/service. Local Fraternal organizations that serve the town of Littleton are the Tahattawan Masonic Lodge, the Bishop Ruocco Council 9275 Knights of Columbus, the Acton Lions Club, and the Chelmsford and Maynard Elks. Charity groups serving Littleton are the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry at Devens, the Acton Community Food Pantry, Habitat for Humanity, and the St Vincent De Paul Society. Finally, local veterans have two posts, American Legion Post 249 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6556 co-located at the Post in the Depot.


Houses of Worship

Littleton was, like most small colonial New England towns formed around a congregation of a house of worship. Following the horrific demise of the Praying Indian village of Nashoba, Anglo settlers and immigrants bought land from the surviving members of the Nashoba congregation and built their meetinghouse in 1715 on the site of what is now the First Church Unitarian, at 19 Foster St. The First Baptist Church Littleton, at 461 King St, was the second congregation in Littleton built in spring of 1822 because "Prayer meetings on weekdays, itinerant preaching, and all efforts for the conversion of the heathen, were stigmatized as the doings of fanatics." In 1841, more Calvinists following the Congregational doctrine decided that the main congregation had moved too far away from Calvinism but did noit agree with the Baptists split off and built what is now the Congregational Church of Littleton, UCC, at 330 King St. Littleton Protestant schurches remained the only ones in town until the twentieth century. The next creed to establish itself in Littleton was Roman Catholicism driven by the influx of Irish, Italian, Quebecois, Polish, Norwegian, and Portuguese immigrants. The first Mass offered in Littleton at the Town Hall Christmas Day 1911. Littleton's first Catholic Church was established in 1916, with its patron Saint Anne. At that time, forty Catholic families resided in Littleton. Serving as a mission to St Mary's in Ayer, it became its own parish in 1945. By the late fifties, the congregation had grown larger so they built the present building at 75 King St and relocated there in 1960. During the Cold War, an increasing number of Mormons moved into the area. With evangelization and this influx, the local Mormon community built the Littleton Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 616 Reat Road in the 1980s. The town has an ecummenical group, The Greater Littleton Interfaith Council that cooperates on various charity, faith, and relief activities. As well as the resident congregations it works with congregations in surrounding towns. Other religions in Littleton are served by Wat Buddhabhavana (Buddhist) in Westford, Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopalian) in Acton, Congregation Beth Elohim (Judaism) in Acton, Shirdi Sai Temple (Hinduism) in Groton, Islamic Community Center in Acton, Mt Calvary Lutheran Church in Acton, and St Matthews United Methodist Church in Acton.


Transportation

Commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
service from Boston's
North Station North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtr ...
is provided by the
MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
with a stop in Littleton on its
Fitchburg Line The Fitchburg Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which runs from Boston's North Station to Wachusett station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was built across nort ...
. The LRTA 15 bus line ends in the IBM parking lot. Other transportation services in Littleton are provided by the regional transit authority
MART Mart may refer to: * Mart, or marketplace, a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods * Mart (broadcaster), a local broadcasting station in Amsterdam * Mart (given name) * ''Mart ...
.
Freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
travels daily through Littleton over the tracks of the historic Stony Brook Railroad. The line currently serves as a major corridor of Pan Am Railway's District 3 which connects
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
with western
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
,
Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
, and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. Littleton has I-495, Route 2, Route 2A, Route 110, and Route 119.


Notable people

* Shawn Andrews, actor * Ron Borges, sports writer for the ''
Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...
'' * Jeanne Munn Bracken, author and journalist *
Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He starred as Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2011, 2013), and also worked at several points as a producer, executive producer, writer, a ...
, worked as a mail carrier in the town before going to
The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...
* Levi L. Conant, mathematician and developer of the ''Number Concept'' in 1896 * Ed Fletcher, politician who served as California State Senator until 1947 * Lucie Caroline Hager (1853–1903), author * Alonzo Hartwell, engraver and portrait painter; father of Henry W. Hartwell * Henry W. Hartwell, architect with Hartwell and Richardson * Margaret Harwood, astronomer * Greg Hawkes, keyboard player for the 1970s–1980s New Wave group,
The Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...
, lived in Littleton during the band's early years before moving to Lincoln * Jim Hollister, historian and
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
ranger * Erik P. Kraft, author and illustrator * Sean McAdam, sports writer for
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
and ''
The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four ...
'' * John Hanson Mitchell, author * Tom Nepanet, husband of Sarah Doublet and emissary during
King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodland ...
* Jonathan Prescott, a British officer * Harrison Reed, governor of
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
until 1899 * Peleg Sprague,
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
politician who served as a
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
until 1835 and a
US District Court Judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
until 1865


Economy and business


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Town of Littleton official website

''Littleton Independent''

Littleton public schools

Reuben Hoar Library

''The Enduring Orchard''
early Littleton Indian history {{authority control Towns in Massachusetts Towns in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Populated places established in 1686