IMAGE GALLERY: Historical Society Opens Doors to Town History

On Sunday, March 27, the held an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. to showcase a collection of Civil War and other artifacts. The public was invited to see the historical artifacts and treasures which are stored in the Parkman Street building as part of a collection of events that the society is presenting to mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

The building is often referred to as the Sibley House and was once the home of William Sibley, a well known sleigh-maker and wheelwright who built the house for his bride, Caroline, in 1844.

At Sunday’s presentation, docent Cheryl Welcher spoke about the Civil War and how the lives of residents were changed. Welcher, who was dressed for the event in period clothing she made herself, explained that the parlor of the Sibley house is where Jane Sibley and others made bandages and mittens for the Sanitation Commission, “which was like a precursor to the Red Cross” at the time of the war.

In the parlor, a musket manufactured by the Eli Whitney factory hangs over a doorway near the hallway where visitors can also see Whitney's portrait.

Welcher took visitors around the building, speaking about the history of Westborough. She explained that in the late 1600s, the settlers around petitioned the courts to form their own town because they didn’t want to walk to the meetinghouse in Marlborough. “They were turned down, but being a swarthy bunch, they kept at it,” Welcher said.

When the town finally received permission to break from Marlborough, she explained, the law required the residents to have a preacher before they could build the town meeting house. The well-known Reverend Parkman came, and the first meeting house was established near the former Lyman Schools property, Welcher said. 

A baptismal basin and communion cup used in Westborough’s first meeting house are on display in a room of the Sibley House referred to as the 1700s room. Other objects of interest in the 1700s room are a wedding dress believed to have been worn by Hanna Breck Parkman, a spinning wheel, a musket, and tools such as clothespins and dining utensils.

The tour progressed to the 1800s room. Items in the 1800s room include an early sewing machine, straw hats made by Eli Whitney’s mother, a wedding dress with an oilcloth lining, a bedmaker’s sales sample and a Civil War uniform adorned with a button polishing tool. Welcher said that Westborough was very well represented in the Civil War.

Grafton resident Steve Maguire asked about an artifact he spotted in a corner of the 1900s room. “Is that a Boston Post cane back there?” He explained that at one time, the Boston Post gave out canes to the oldest resident of every town. “It was kind of like a death sentence getting one!” he chuckled. This room contains more recognizable items such as a vacuum cleaner, an electric stove and an iron.

Sunday’s tours were a prelude to a program Monday, March 28, at 7 p.m. during which a Civil War re-enactor will come in full uniform with his weapons for a program called A Soldiers Tale. He will talk about battles and stories from the Civil War and will tell what it is like to be a re-enactor. The program is open to the public.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some students over from the ,” said Welcher.

The Westborough Historical Society is open to the public on the last Sunday of every month from 2 to 4 p.m. It is also open once or twice a month for special events.