Town father Nat Dexter, who passed away in 1999, donated this 35-acre parcel of land on the north side of George Hill Road to the Trustees of Reservations. Shaped like an inverted teaspoon, the hill provides wonderful winter opportunities for sledding and tobogganing. At one time, the Kilbourn family had a large farmhouse and land nearby--hence the earlier name of Kilbourn Hill.
The Kilbourn family poses for a portrait on July 23, 1892. From left to right are the following: (first row) Arthur (16 years) and dog Oscar Wilde (11 years); second) Martha (20 years), Alice (10 years), Walton (1 year), Mary (12 years), William A. Kilbourn Sr. (54 years), Elizabeth (17 years), Ruth (4 years), Abbie (45 years), and Annie (8 years). William A. Kilbourn Sr. (1838-1912) was an educator and later the general manager for the Thayer properties in Lancaster.
As part of Atlantic Union College's expansion movement, this 15-room farmhouse and about 100 acres of land were purchased in 1942. The old farmhouse, built between 1857 and 1870, then became part of Faculty Row on George Hill Road.
A group of young women from Lancaster Junior College poses with Mrs. Stevens, their preceptress, in front of the Thayer Ornithological Museum. The middy suits they are wearing, recommended as suitable school attire, were very popular during this time. The school was known as Lancaster Junior College from 1918 to 1922. In 1922, the school became Atlantic Union College.
These young ladies pose for James MacDonald sometime around 1927. Three of the girls are identified: Viola Thomas Hastings (third from left), Beth MacMackin Green (seventh from left), and Grace Kanis Sachse (ninth from left). Coach Maurice Gregory is on the far right.
A large group of grammar school students poses in front of the Lancaster Academy Building around 1900. The building was located just south of the old Lancaster Town House on Main Street in Lancaster Center. It was replaced with the new Center School in 1903.
The brand-new high school, built in 1903-1904, is shown here before the new town hall was constructed. The building was used as a high school until the consolidated Nashoba Regional High School opened in 1961. Today this building is unused.
Founded in 1989, the Lancaster Historical Society (LHS) is a nonprofit organization open to all. The Lancaster Historical Commission (LHC) was established in 1963 by approval at the town meeting. Members are appointed by the town's selectmen. Michael Sczerzen is president of the LHS and chairman of the LHC. Joan Richards is the secretary of the LHS and office coordinator for the LHC.
This float represents Lancaster's "tree huggers." Members of the Land Trust, which began in 1996, are united by a desire to preserve and protect beautiful Lancaster on the Nashua for future generations.
This postcard view shows one of Lancaster's most majestic trees. Thought to be the largest elm in New England, it was located on Lover's Lane, near the Nashoba River in the Fiver Corners area of town. Unfortunately, the tree, a popular tourist attraction, blew down in 1907.
This c. 1942 group of firefighters includes, from left to right, the following: (first row) Vinny Dyment, Nat Hawkins, Jack McLaughlin, Freeman Dyment, George Neault, Dewey McGee, and William Dyment; (send row) Elwin Locke, Frank Collins, John Malone, Wilbur Locke, George Mosher, John Gilmore, and Capt. Herbert Fentimen.