History of Westborough, (Worcester County) Massachusetts United States of America

Our database does not include an historic photo for Westborough, (Worcester County) Massachusetts, do you have one you would like to contribute? Contact Us!

Local History Notes:

WESTBOROUGH, a post-township of Worcester co., Massachusetts, intersected by the Boston and Worcester railroad, 32 miles W. by S. from Boston. The village is pleasantly situated on the railroad, and contains 3 churches and several stores. It is noted for the manufacture of sleighs; boots and shoes are also manufactured to some extent. A State Reform School is located in the township, on the borders of a beautiful sheet of water, about 2 miles west from the village. The institution occupies a spacious brick edifice, standing in the midst of extensive and highly cultivated grounds. The garden comprises the slope between the building and the water's edge. During the year 1852, the capacity of the institution was greatly increased by extensive additions made to the main building, (See Public Institutions, page 677.) A capacious water-cure establishment is at present being fitted up about half a mile E. of the Reform School, between it and the village. A handsome building for a high-school is now in course of erection hero, Pop. 2371.

Biographies:

Henry Winslow Corbett, senator, was born in Westboro, Mass., Feb. 18, 1827; son of Elijah and Melinda (Forbush) Corbett; grandson of Elijah Corbett, and a descendant of early settlers in Massachusetts from England. His parents located in Washington county, N.Y. where the son received an academic education at Cambridge academy and became a merchant's clerk, in Cambridge, N.Y., 1840-43, removing to New York city in 1844, where he engaged as a clerk in business until 1850. He then shipped around Cape Horn a stock of goods to Portland, Ore., and there became a prominent merchant and banker. He was a delegate to the Republican national convention of 1860, and in 1866 was elected to the United States senate, taking his seat March 4, 1867, and serving the full term which expired March 3, 1873. In business he was eminently successful. He was an early advocate of building the Northern Pacific railroad, and promoted the various railroad and transportation interests of the state. One tenth of his income he devoted to charity. He was a founder of the Children's home; of the Boys' and Girls' aid society, of the Art association, and was a large contributor to the Portland library association, and various other worthy objects of Portland, Ore. At the expiration of Senator Mitchell's term in 1897 a deadlock in the Oregon legislature had prevented the election of a U.S. senator and Governor Lord appointed Mr. Corbett to fill the vacancy until the legislature should again convene and elect a senator. The senate committee on privileges and elections decided adversely to Mr. Corbett's claim, and on Feb. 27, 1898, the senate, by a vote of fifty to nineteen, confirmed the action of the committee and Mr. Corbett was not allowed to take his seat, thus leaving Oregon represented by one senator until September, 1899. An extra session was then called. At a caucus of a majority of the Republican members, Mr. Corbett was declared the nominee of the party. After balloting for five days without an election, Mr. Corbett withdrew his name in the interests of harmony in the party. He was elected to offices in Portland, which city is indebted to him for substantial structures and improvements. He died there, March 31, 1903.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Theodore Willis Fisher, physician, was born at Westboro, Mass., May 29, 1837; son of Milton Metcalf and Eleanor (Metcalf) Fisher; grandson of Willis and Caroline (Fairbanks) Fisher, and of Luther and Lydia (Jenks) Metcalf, and a descendant of Thomas and Elizabeth Fisher, who settled in Cambridge, Mass., in 1634. He was graduated from Harvard medical school in 1861, and after a few months' service as resident physician of the city institutions in Boston harbor he entered the volunteer army as surgeon. In 1863 he became assistant superintendent of the Boston lunatic hospital and continued as such until 1870, when he devoted his attention to private practice. In 1867 and again in 1890 he visited Europe and made an extensive study of foreign hospitals for the insane. The insane hospitals at Boston and Danvers, Mass., were planned by him, and he was superintendent of the former, 1881-95. He was clinical instructor in mental diseases, 1884-88, and lecturer, 1888-98, in Harvard medical school. He was married in 1858, to Maria Caroline Brown of Medway, Mass., and in 1873 to Ella Gertrude Richardson of Boston, Mass. He was elected councillor of the Massachusetts medical society, a member of the American medical society, and of other scientific organizations, and was a member of the International medical congresses of 1887 and 1890. He published Plain Talks about Insanity (1872), and numerous medical papers.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor