Pepperell History
Pepperell’s rich colonial history can be traced back to the earliest events of the Revolutionary War including Colonel William Prescott, Commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Prudence Wright, women patriot who captured a British spy at the covered bridge and the town’s raising of a Liberty Pole, possibly one of the first colonial flags flown by a community in open defiance to British rule. Pepperell’s patriotic roots are clear and evident and continue to be strong today.
The town center, originally located in the area surrounding the town hall, began as a religious and government center and the eastern portion of the town spread out from paper and shoe factories in the 1830s. This growth and the building of the Worcester and Nashua Railroad starting in 1848, led to the expansion of the town in 1857. During this time, a paper mill can be found along the Nashua River around 1835, the shoe industry began as small shops in the 1830s and the Leighton Shoe factory expanded the shoe industry beginning 1868, marking the peak of Pepperell’s growth until the post-WWII era.
In 1870, the town’s population now at 2000 people, held the first town meetings primarily in the First Parish Church building and the Second Parish vestry and town records were stored in the homes of elected officials. In 1872, by appointment of a town committee, the town began investigating a town hall to better conduct the town’s business. The first official town meeting was held soon after in the newly built town hall on March 2, 1874. Today, the town hall’s iconic Victorian gothic architecture continues to be notable and is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places.