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.