In light of this being the last Where Is That? column, I am posting not one, but two Where Is That? photos. You're welcome. If you feel like you know the location of one of the photos (or both!), feel free to leave a comment in the comments section. I'm looking forward to reading the responses! *Keep in mind that these photos are more than 50 years old. Some of the buildings may not have been built yet, and some of the buildings may no longer exist (hint hint).

Congratulations to Phil and Paula for correctly identifying the location of last week's Where Is That? photo (and to Bob for making the first guess on one of the hardest photos we've had to date)!  Both Phil and Paula have provided some great information in their responses, so I'll let their comments explain where the photo was taken: Phil says: "Milk Street - Left to Right, Downtown to the left, Phillips Street up and down. Some of the companies, Joes Jenny, Joes package store, (was car wash) Village Lumber, Courtneys Diner, Chase Paper, Lazotte Mfg. Co, Kenworthy Brothers (large mill) …

One of my favorite memories from elementary school was taking a bus tour of Westborough to explore our town's history.  We learned about the legend of Lake Hocomonco, the history of the Paul Revere bell in the former Baptist Church, and the birthplaces of our town's founders. Along the way, we even learned about some of our town's local celebrities including Esther Forbes, author of classics such as O Genteel Lady and Johnny Tremain (required reading while I was in school). Pictured above is Esther Forbes' childhood home, which still sits on Church Street. The website, goodreads.com, provides…

Congratulations to M Lung for correctly identifying last week's "Where Is That?" photo (and a congratulations to Shengwen Zhang as well)! For those of you who took a look, the "Where Is That?" photo is an aerial image of the Westborough Country Club. The photo is undated, but with a little detective work, I think it's safe to say that it was taken before the mid-1980s (due to the lack of several houses on Weld Street). Also, and I don't know what this means, you will notice that several of the greens have markings on them (7G, 9G, 8T, etc.). If you're interested, feel free to compare the …

Happy Labor Day, Patchers! This week, we have another "Where Is That" aerial photo. If you think you might know what you're looking at, leave a comment below. Next week, I'll give you the answer at the beginning of my column. Enjoy your week!

Congratulations to Alexis! Last week, Alexis correctly guessed the location of the "Where is That?" photo. For those of you who took a look, the photo is an aerial view of Route 9 and Lyman Street before the Julio's Plaza had been built. Some clues to help you identify the picture include Harry's Restaurantin the upper right hand corner of the picture and the two gas stations on the eastbound side of Route 9.  This week's photo is of the Keating Building on East Main Street across from the Westborough House of Pizza. According to Kris Allen's book, On The Beaten Path, the Keating Building, …

Good Morning, Patchers! This week, we're going to try something new. The picture above is of a location somewhere in Westborough (one where it's hard to get a "now" picture), and I'll let you guess where it is. If you think you know the answer, feel free to make a guess in the comments section. Next week, I'll include the answer in Monday's Then and Now. Hint: You might be familiar with the building in the top right part of the photo.     Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on the latest Westborough news, or simply hit the "like" button at the top of this page.

Pictured here is Gannon and Chamberlain, a Westborough dairy store in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Before our town was known as a well-populated Boston suburb, it was better known as a quaint agricultural center. The History of Westborough, Massachusetts: Part 1 notes that, despite being ranked 64th in terms of population (within the state), we ranked 50th for the value of our agricultural products. Kris Allen describes our town in her book, On The Beaten Path, by saying that "[t]hose who grew up in Westborough in the early 1900s remember a simpler time and a slower, friendly pace in daily…

Happy Monday, Patchers! The photo above should be familiar to everyone. It is a view of South Street from the rotary. The building on the right, where Faris Farm Flowers is located today, is the C.S. Henry block - mentioned briefly in Then and Now: Central Block and Westborough Package Store. Originally, two others buildings stood in this location, known as the S.G. Henry Building and the Eagle Block, but both buildings were destroyed by fire in 1873. According to The History of Westborough, Massachusetts: Part 1, the new C.S. Henry Block was constructed within that same year. In front of the…

As cool as it would be to have a picture of Westborough during the Revolutionary War, it's just not possible. Pictured above is the Westborough Cannon Company during Memorial Day 1984. The Cannon Company, according to Kris Allen's book, On The Beaten Path, would compete in competitions and reenactments of the Concord and Lexington battles both locally and as far away as Savannah, Georgia. Westborough was an active participant in reenactments during the nation's bicentennial. Residents who opted to participate engaged in about 100 "battles." Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date…

As a follow-up to Village Lumber Ends Business After 51 Years, this week's "Then and Now" features J.S. Nason and Company, a Westborough business which began nearly 100 years prior to Village Lumber and which was eventually sold to become Village Lumber in 1960. Kris Allen's book, On The Beaten Path, describes J.S. Nason and Company as a store where "folks could buy fuel for homes and animals alike." It was opened in the 1860s, where BP Gas stands today, and sold flour, grain, and coal. As J.S. Nason and Company began shifting its focus from selling foods to selling fuel, it moved operations …

Happy Fourth of July, Patchers! Many of you will recognize the above photo as being a view of West Main Street (looking towards the rotary) which includes the current Avidia Bank and former Westborough Savings Bank. The Savings Bank, which was founded in 1869 according to Kris Allen's book, On The Beaten Path, constructed the building in 1928 and remained in the location until 2007 - when it was purchased by Avidia Bank. During the years between 1869 and 1928, the bank was located in the Post Office Block building (which you can see pictured above with its third story) and in the present …

Pictured above is one of Westborough's first commercial grocery stores, the A&P Supermarket. It was located at 3 Summer Street where Villari's and Hair Fair are located today. Property records indicate that the supermarket was built in 1930 and was sold in 1978, but often earlier sales are not listed. If any readers have memories of the A&P, please share them in the "comments" section below! Kris Allen's book, On The Beaten Path, explains how residents of other towns would often come to do their shopping here since Westborough had the first A&P in the area.  In the background, you can also …

Pictured above is the Westboro Tanning Corporation which, according to Kris Allen's book, On The Beaten Path, once stood at 12 Beach Street - where Westborough Country Village stands today. This was not the type of tanning corporation where you might go to catch some UV rays after a long winter, but rather where you would send animal hides to be turned into leather. Kris Allen's book explains how skins from as far away as New Zealand were sent to the Westboro Tanning Corporation - some of which were kangaroo skins (never thought I would find a connection between Westborough and kangaroos). …

For almost as long as Westborough has been a town, education has remained a top priority for its citizens. Kris Allen's book, On The Beaten Path, dedicates an entire section to the history of Westborough's schools, in which she talks about some of the town's first school buildings. Pictured above is the District 8 Schoolhouse circa 1890 with it's teacher, Mattie Fisher. At one point in time, Westborough had eight schoolhouses (one of which still stands at 196 East Main St.). Each schoolhouse represented one of the town's districts.In 1765, when the district system was first created, the town …

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Patchers! I came across a great photo for this week, tying in nicely with the parade this morning. The undated photo is of the shops on West Main Street (Westborough Speactacle Shoppe, Westboro Gallery, etc.) in what looks like a Memorial Day Parade during the 1940s. I really enjoy the people sitting on top of the A&P (The Westboro Gallery) - talk about good seats! I also included a photo taken by Paula Skog during the 1980s which shows the same angle of the buildings. You can see that Robinson Music, which is now on Milk Street, was once located in The Westboro …

Perhaps a little overdue for this column (considering that I have mentioned it in past weeks) is the Whitney House Hotel. Pictured above, the hotel stood where the present-day Forbes Building stands and was actually one story taller than the present structure. According to Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County Massachusetts, the Whitney House Hotel was constructed by Christopher Whitney. Whitney grew up in Vermont and later moved to Westborough where he started a bakery and a lumber manufacturing business (not as the same time, however). In …

For those of you who take the T to work, it may interest you to know that our train station was once located much closer to the center of town. Instead of heading over to Smith Parkway, it was possible to catch the train in the rotary. During the mid to late 19th century, the Boston-Albany Railroad ran through the center of town and, according to The History of Westborough, Massachusetts: Part I, the resulting noise was actually the reason for moving the meetinghouse (located at the present-day Arcade Building). Pictured here is the train station which was situated near the present-day …

When the Westborough Fire Department was founded in 1830, it began as a private organization comprised of an "old military company." According to Herman De Forest's book, The History of Westborough: Part I, it wasn't until 1842 that an official act was passed to establish the town's fire department as it is known today. During the early years, the department was able to acquire a fire engine for $486.18 - half paid for by the town and half paid for by private investors. This was a good deal considering that the next engine, only eleven years later, cost nearly twice as much - $946! By 1879, …

Looking through some of the old photos this week, I had to laugh when I came across the one of the train going through downtown. I was imagining what traffic would be like today if we had a rotary, a stoplight, and a train. One of my columns several months ago talked about the trolley system in town. The train pictured here is not part of the trolley system, but rather the Boston-Worcester Railroad. According to Hunt’s Merchants’ Magazine and Commercial Review, which was published in 1852, the construction of the railroad began in 1831 and was completed on July 4, 1835. The track reached …