Acton
The town of Acton was incorporated in 1735, at a time when many Massachusetts communities were being formally established as they grew beyond their original settlements.
Like many New England towns of that era, Acton was named after a place in England: Acton. This practice was common among colonial settlers, who often carried familiar names from their homestead into the new landscape as a way of preserving identity and continuity.
The name Acton can be translated to “oak town” or “town among the oaks”. Early Acton was a rural, wooded area and the image of a “oak town” aligns with the landscape of the first settlers.
Read More From Nancy
Birthplace of Captain Isaac Davis
Outside this colonial house in Acton stands a marker reading: Birthplace of Captain Isaac Davis. Isaac Davis was born here in 1745 into a typical 18th century New England farming family. His father was a farmer and craftsman, and young Isaac grew up in a household shaped by land, labor and local responsibility. Like many Acton families of the time, […]
Acton Town Hall
While exploring the center of Acton, I noticed this cream-colored building with a brown trip standing near the town war memorial. This Acton Town Hall was built in 1844, and it served for many years as a center of the town’s civic life. Before this building was constructed, town meetings were held in churches and meeting houses. […]
Tribute to the Great War
Standing quietly on the Town Common, this granite memorial is one of the many places where Acton’s history is preserved in plain sight. Unlike the famous Revolutionary War landmarks that draw visitors from around the world, this monument speaks of another generation and another conflict. One that took the sons of this small Massachusetts town […]
