Quick History Stops: Milford, MA, Part 2

Back in June, I took a day trip to nearby Milford, MA to walk on the Upper Charles Trail and explore the downtown area on foot. I was born in Milford and have spent my entire life visiting the town but never did quick history stops there! This is the second of three parts about Milford. The first part covered the trail, a memorial, two churches, and a pair of repurposed buildings. The second part includes an armory turned youth center, two town halls, and several churches.

A castle-like, three-story building made of pinkish-gray granite A red sign with white text reading in part Milford Youth Center A wooden, Italianate municipal building with a three story main body and a tall clock-and-bell tower.

The next step on my walk was the Milford Youth Center, an afterschool program for children ages eight to eighteen that opened in 1998. Constructed like a castle, the former National Guard building was designed by Wendell T. Phillips built in 1912 using unique Milford granite from the nearby quarry, just like the stairs from Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. The center is dedicated to James “Jay” DiAntonio, a local firefighter and EMT who dedicated his life to keeping others safe. Its latest major restoration was in 2016, and it continues to look in great shape. Just down the street is the current Town Hall completed in 1854 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The most unique feature of this building, at least for Milford, is that it is made of wood and not granite.

A three-story, Richardsonian Romanesque style building made of Milford granite with Longmeadow brownstone for accents. A black sign with metallic text reading in part Milford Historical Museum An American Civil War cannon next to a building made of Milford granite

The Milford Historical Museum is open only from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursdays, and I happened to be walking during that time! The building is known as Memorial Hall, as it was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style allegedly by Frederick Swasey and constructed out of famous Milford granite, with Longmeadow brownstone for accents, in 1884 to serve as a meeting place in honor of those who served in the American Civil War. Their names are inscribed in stone inside the atrium of the building. The library previous dwelt in the building, as did the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Today, Memorial Hall houses the collections of the Milford Historical Commission, including clothing, photographs, and furniture. My favorite piece in the collection was a suit of Japanese armor gifted to Charles Wilbur Wilcox of the GAR from George Takamura of Tokyo in 1887. The piece dates from the mid 17th century and shows how people of the United States and Japan were friends at the time. As for the former owners, Wilcox was born in Brookfield, VT; worked as a jeweler and watchmaker; was a prisoner of war during the American Civil War at age twenty-nine; and spent most of his adult life in Milford. I could not find a clear explanation of how he met Takamura.

A wood-paneled room with stone tablets embedded in the walls and engraved with the names of veterans Vintage Uniforms A set of lacquered Japanese Armor in a plexiglass case

From there, my other stops in this portion were churches. First Universalist Unitarian Church of Milford (FUUM) is now best known for operating Creative Community Childcare (CCC), which looks after children ages zero through twelve. The current iteration of the congregation itself dates from 1900, as their building was designed by Robert Allen Cook and constructed with Milford pink granite in 1899. This was among Cook's first projects. He would go on to design buildings for Draper Company, and many of his architectural drawings are now held by Historic New England. As for the congregation, its oldest form dates from 1785, among the first schisms from congregationalism in the United States. This was the church of Adin Ballou before he decided to create his own Christian-adjacent religion in a new commune called Hopedale.

A late 19th century church made of Milford Granite with a large stained glass window in front A small synagogue made of light red brick in the back and a class whitewashed New England church in the front A classic whitewashed New England Church with a later expansion on the back left.

First United Methodist Church of Milford formed ten years after the Universalists in 1795. The classic New England whitewashed building is the second church built in 1849 after the original had burned four years earlier in 1845. Nearby is Temple Beth Shalom and its neighbor The Way. The Conservative Jewish temple prides itself as a place for "short and sweet" services and has stood for over 100 years. Meanwhile, The Way may look like a traditional New England small town church from the outside, although it does not have a steeple, but is a non-denominational church with a trendy (if somewhat inaccessible) website. According to Adin Ballou, who wrote The History of Milford, MA, this was originally the Pine St. Baptist Church, which organized in 1853. The Greek Revival style building aligns to this date. This congregation appears to have dissolved around 2017. History mystery solved!

Location: Milford, MA 01757, USA