Spencer Historical Society

Spencer Spencer Historical Society

A rural economic center located in central Massachusetts, Spencer is known for its scenic beauty, small-town character, and historical neighborhoods. Summer visitors have long been attracted to its many ponds, waterways, and hiking trails. The town was originally settled in 1686 after a group of prominent men from the Boston area purchased an eight-mile-square tract of land from Native Americans. It was known as the Western District of Leicester until its incorporation in 1753. From the beginning, the main livelihood of the town was farming, but 1812 saw the beginning of two industries that were to shape Spencer: boot making and the wire industry.

Spencer draws on a rich photographic record spanning the late nineteenth century to the present. This visual archive documents Spencer's transformation from a rural manufacturing and farming community of three thousand people to a diverse modern town of over twelve thousand residents. One of the oldest agricultural fairs in the country, the Spencer Fair is shown at its beginning before it attracted thousands to town for an annual Labor Day celebration. Spencer also chronicles the important and groundbreaking inventions of the Howe family, from the spring bed to the lockstitch sewing machine.