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Tyngsborough (also spelled Tyngsboro) is a town in northern 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. Tyngsborough is from
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
along the Route 3 corridor, and located on the
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 ...
state line. At the 2020 census, the town population was 12,380. By its location, the town serves as a suburb of neighboring cities such as
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...
and
Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...
.


History

Tyngsborough was settled in 1661, as part of the massive Dunstable Township. The town of Dunstable, incorporated in 1673, was named after the hometown of pioneer Edward Tyng. However, a relative of his, and the source of the town of Tyngsborough's name, was Colonel Jonathan Tyng, whose home, the Tyng Mansion House, was one of the oldest north of Boston. He settled near the Merrimack in what is now Tyngsborough in 1675. The house stood until the 1970s, when it was destroyed by arson. Early on Tyngsborough residents fought a series of small and bloody skirmishes with local Native American tribes. Evidence of this can be found in several old colonial homes in town that still have emergency passages that were used during these attacks. In 1789, Tyngsborough's parish split from the rest of Dunstable, making Tyngsborough a recognized district. On February 23, 1809, Tyngsborough became a town. After Tyngsborough was incorporated it became known for its ferries which traveled up and down the
Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...
, the quarries that produced
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
, and several box companies that started in town. As the town developed, Tyngsborough became a vacation community and had a large seasonal resident population even up until the late 1960s. A notable summer resident was actress
Nance O'Neil Gertrude Lamson (October 8, 1874 – February 7, 1965), known professionally as Nance O'Neil or Nancy O'Neil, was an American stage and film actress who performed in plays in various theaters around the world but worked predominantly in the Unit ...
, whose estate became the campus of the Academy of Notre Dame. Today, Tyngsborough primarily serves as a
bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
, part of
Greater Lowell Greater Lowell is the region comprising the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, and its suburbs. These lie in northern Middlesex County, Massachusetts; in the Merrimack Valley; and in southern New Hampshire. Towns The Greater Lowell area as defined ...
and the
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...
region, in addition to having a relatively short commute to the Boston area. The town is also known for the Tyngsborough Bridge, a green painted, single-arched, steel bridge over the
Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...
. Constructed in 1931 as a replacement for an earlier wooden planked structure, this bridge is a major river crossing for residents of
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 ...
and
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 ...
alike with 22,300 daily crossings as of 2007.


Government

The town uses an
Open Town Meeting Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting", is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where ...
model with a
Select Board The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common num ...
overseeing the operation of the town. Reporting to the Select Board is the
Town Manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
who oversees the public employees and day-to-day operations of the town offices. Other elected boards include the
Planning Board An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...
, School Committee, Finance Committee, Library Trustees, Cemetery Commission,
Board of Health A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...
, and Sewer Commission. Tyngsborough is represented in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...
as a part of the 36th Middlesex District. The town is represented in the
Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...
as a part of the First Middlesex District. The town is patrolled by the Tyngsborough Police Department with Rich Howe as its Chief and Station A-1, SP Andover Barracks of Troop A of the
Massachusetts State Police The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for law enforcement and vehicle regulation across the state. As of 2024, it has 2,500 sworn troop ...
. At the federal level, Tyngsborough is a part of
Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district is located in north- central and northeastern Massachusetts. The largest municipalities in the district are Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Methuen, Billerica (partial), Fitchburg, and Marlborough. ...
, and is currently represented by
Lori Trahan Lori Ann Trahan ( ; Loureiro; born October 27, 1973) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district covers Boston's northwestern suburbs, and includes Lowell, Lawrence, Concord, a ...
. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate, is
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
. The junior senator from Massachusetts is
Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of ...
who was elected in 2013.


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 (6.65%) is water. Besides a series of lakes and ponds that dot Tyngsborough, the town is split in two by the
Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...
, which runs roughly north–south near the center of town. The land is mostly rolling hills, small cleared fields, and wooded land. Marshlands can also be found in the area, although they are less prevalent than in surrounding towns.


Transportation

The LRTA 10 bus connects eastern Tyngsborough with
Dracut Dracut is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the town's population was 32,617, making it the second most populous town in Massachusetts with an open town meeting system of governance. The town cove ...
and the Lowell train station on the
MBTA Commuter Rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track on 12 lines to 142 stations. It ...
Lowell Line The Lowell Line is a commuter rail service of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north–south between Boston, Massachusetts, Boston and Lowell, Massachusetts. It is long, with nine stations including the terminals at North Station and Lowel ...
.


Schools

The Tyngsborough Public School district is coterminous with the town, and supports three schools containing a total of 2,300 students between them. * Tyngsborough Elementary School (grades Pre-K–5) * Tyngsborough Middle School (grades 6–8) * Tyngsborough High School (grades 9–12) Additionally, Tyngsborough is home to Greater Lowell Technical High School, a public vocational school which serves the towns of Tyngsborough, Dracut, and Dunstable as well as the city of Lowell. There is also one private school in Tyngsborough, the Academy of Notre Dame. The town also has one public charter school, Innovation Academy Charter School, serving over 800 students in grades 5 through 12. Innovation Academy moved to the town in September 2008 from neighboring Chelmsford. There are no colleges or universities in Tyngsborough, although
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
once maintained a corporate education facility there, but it has since been moved to nearby Chelmsford. The Winslow School is a former school which was located on Winslow Drive. It opened in 1895 and closed in the early 2000s. The school was named after Sarah Winslow, who acquired a trust from
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
that is still an income for Tyngsborough. It was two stories high and 17,569 square feet in area. It had tennis courts, and playing fields in the back. , the school lies abandoned in the Tyngsborough town center.


Demographics

As of the
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 ...
of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,731 households, and 2,947 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,806 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.63%
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 ...
, 0.50%
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 ...
, 0.23% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.04%
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 ...
, 0.14% from other races, and 0.99% 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 1.11% of the population. There were 3,731 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. Of all households, 16.1% were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.37. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $102,818, and the median income for a family was $114,680. Males had a median income of $46,942 versus $33,396 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $41,249. About 4.0% of families and 4.7% 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 6.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.


Points of interest

*
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features measuring that overlap the City of Lowell, and the towns of Dracut and Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. The forest, which includes some of ponds, swamps a ...
* Old Town Hall * Tyngsborough Bridge *
Vesper Country Club Vesper Country Club is a private club in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. The club derives from two late 19th century institutions, Vesper Boat Club and Lowell Country Club, which merged in 1894. The following year, members started creating a golf cou ...


Notable people

* Raymond Boucher, attorney *
Laura Gerraughty Laura Gerraughty (born July 29, 1983) is an American former shot putter. Laura began throwing as a sophomore in high school in her hometown of Nashua, New Hampshire. She went on to represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in t ...
, American shot putter * Seán Sammon, priest *
Esther Wilkins Esther Mae Wilkins (December 9, 1916 – December 12, 2016) was an American dental hygienist, dentist and author of the first comprehensive book on dental hygiene, ''Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist'' (first edition published in 1959). T ...
, dentist and author of ''Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist''


References


Further reading


''1871 Atlas of Massachusetts''
by Wall & Gray. *
Map of Massachusetts
*
Map of Middlesex County
* ''History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts''
Volume 1 (A–H)Volume 2 (L–W)
compiled by Samuel Adams Drake, published 1879–1880. 572 and 505 pages. *
Tyngsborough article
by Rev. Elias Nason in volume 2, pp. 391–399.


External links


Town of Tyngsborough official website

Tyngsborough Public Schools

Tyngsborough Public Library

''The Lowell Sun''
newspaper {{Authority control 1661 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Massachusetts populated places on the Merrimack River Populated places established in 1661 Towns in Massachusetts Towns in Middlesex County, Massachusetts