SHS: 50 Years and Counting

The Stow Historical Society will celebrate its 50^th anniversary with a dinner in the Stow Town Hall on Saturday, November 12, 2011.

To mark the half-century since the society's founding in 1961, all friends of Stow history are invited to a Country Harvest Supper featuring traditional American dishes, a cider tasting and "old-fashioned" desserts. The dinner program will begin at 6 pm.

Reservations are required and must be received by Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Please reserve to
Dorothy Sonnichsen at 978-897-3344.

Read more

Tour of the Lower Village Cemetery

Join Pilot Grove Farm's Skip Warren for a tour of Stow's Lower Village Cemetery on Sunday, November 6, hosted jointly by the Stow Historical Commission and the Stow Historical Society.

The tour will include a discussion of the most memorable site -- the Regicide's Grave, believed to hold the remains of William Goffe, one of the signers of the warrant that led to the beheading of King Charles I in England.

Goffe was a general in Oliver Cromwell's army during the 17^th century British civil war. After the monarchy was restored, Goffe had a price on his head and fled to New England. Goffe is believed to have ended up in Stow - his sister was married to one of Stow's original proprietors - and is believed to be buried under an immense, unmarked stone.

Read more

The Stow Historical Society, a member-supported organization which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2011, seeks to share and preserve Stow’s history through publications, programs and projects for all who care about this old New England Village.

Since its founding in 1961, the Society's emphasis has been on compiling research papers and publishing history books about Stow.  There are seven published histories of Stow, three published by the society.  The society also helped in the planning of the Stow West School restoration and the formation of the Stow Minutemen.  For many years monthly meetings were held; in recent years the focus has been on special events:  Art shows, farm shows, dedications, bus tours and, of course, Springfest, the town-wide celebration of the incorporation of Stow in 1683.

Since its inception the society has been actively involved in the collection, cataloguing and documentation of historical data and artifacts.  Some of these items are on display in the Historical Museum in Randall Library; the rest of the collection is now in the Town Vault, one of the finest vaults in the area.  The historical collection is overseen by the Town Clerk assisted by the town-appointed Ancient Documents Committee, all members of the society.  These archivists work with maps, photos, genealogical records, special collections and other data dating to 1669.

The Stow Historical Commission has a copy of the 1933 Crowell History on its website. It's a large file and may take a long time to download.