Editing Douglas, Massachusetts (section)

==History==
[[File:Jenckes2.jpg|thumb|left|Jenckes Store as it appeared in the 1800s]]
The name of Douglas was first given to the territory of the town in the year 1746. New Sherborn or "New Sherborn Grant" had previously been its designation, since its first occupancy by the English settlers which was as early as 1715. The first English settlers came primarily from [[Sherborn, Massachusetts|Sherborn]], although many hailed from [[Natick, Massachusetts|Natick]] as well. New Sherburn was removed from [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk County]] to Worcester County at its formation on April 2, 1731. The name Douglas was given in 1746, when Dr. [[William Douglass (physician)|William Douglass]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n102 108]}}</ref> an eminent physician of [[Boston]], in consideration of the privilege of naming the township offered the inhabitants the sum of $500.00 as a fund for the establishment of free schools together with a tract of {{convert|30|acre}} of land with a dwelling house and barn thereon.  It is said that there were subsequent pledges made by Dr. Douglas in the form of a bell for the Center School and 50 sterling pounds for seven years to support the ministry but quite a portion of these pledges were not received by the Town. 
[[File:Douglas State Forest, Douglas MA.jpg|thumb|right|Douglas State Forest]]
Douglas's forests gave rise to a woodcutting industry and the Douglas axe company.<ref name="nps">{{Cite web|title=Plan your visit/valley sites/Douglas, Northbridge, Sutton|publisher= National Park Service|url=http://www.nps.gov/blac/planyourvisit/valley-sites-douglas-sutton-northbridge.htm|access-date=December 26, 2007}}</ref> A woolen manufacturing company, on the [[Mumford River]] in [[East Douglas, Massachusetts|East Douglas]], in recent times held by the Schuster family, has been prominent in the history of this community. General [[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette|Lafayette]], of France, stopped here during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], to change horses, on his way to Boston to join General [[George Washington|Washington]]. Lafayette was a hero of the American Revolution and the [[French Revolution]].

From a very early period reaching beyond 1635, bands of Native Americans, principally the [[Nipmuc]] tribe, dominated this region of Worcester County. The [[Blackstone River]] was once called the Nipmuc River. Most of Douglas is part of the [[Blackstone Valley|Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor]].<ref name="nps"/>

The underlying geology consists of rocks rich in [[quartz]], [[feldspar]], and [[mica]]. Boulders are plentifully scattered all over town, and [[gold]] and [[silver]] ores are said to be found in some localities. Large quantities of building and ornamental stone are quarried from the [[granite]] ledges found in the center of town which is shipped to almost every section of New England.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Town of Douglas, (Massachusetts), From the Earliest Period to the Close of 1878|author=Emerson, William A.|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyoftownofd00emer/historyoftownofd00emer_djvu.txt|year=1879|page=20|publisher=Boston, F.W. Bird }} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

In 1946, as part of the town's tricentennial anniversary celebration and to welcome home for the troops returning from World War II, Winfield A. Schuster arranged an exhibition game between the [[Boston Red Sox]] and the [[New York Yankees]] that was played at the local ballpark known as Soldiers Field on September 26. The game had an estimated attendance of 12,000 and was won by the Yankees, 8-7.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baseball Memories; Blackstone Valley heritage commemorated. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Baseball+Memories;+Blackstone+Valley+heritage+commemorated.-a0285825577 |access-date=June 22, 2022 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Red Sox and Yankees in Douglas |url=https://hope1842.com/hope1842/hhist09-11-15.html |access-date=June 22, 2022 |website=hope1842.com}}</ref>

Police Chief Patrick Foley of Douglas was elected vice president of the [[International Association of Chiefs of Police]] (IACP), at the annual convention in [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iacp.org/2011-Award-Winners|title=2011 IACP Award Winners|access-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref>

A common misconception in Douglas is with regard to the [[Southern New England Railway|New England Trunkline Trail]]. Many believe that railroad tracks were laid here for commuting from northern Connecticut to northern Massachusetts. In fact, they were used to haul ice from [[Wallum Lake]] as interstate commerce. Today, one can hike these trails through Massachusetts and Connecticut. The New England Trunkline was originally planned as a railroad, but the financier died in the sinking of the [[Titanic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/charles-melville-hays.html|title=Mr Charles Melville Hays|date=January 19, 1997 |publisher=Encyclopedia Titanica|access-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref>

===The E. N. Jenckes Store Museum===
[[File:Malma1.jpg|thumb|left|Reenactors of Malma & Helen during Oktoberfest]]
The E.N. Jenckes store and museum sits on Main Street in the village of [[East Douglas, Massachusetts|East Douglas]].<ref name="nps"/> Ebenezer Balkcom opened a small store at the corner of Main and Pleasant (now Depot) streets during the 1830s, when East Douglas was becoming the economic center of the town. The store changed hands (sold to Gardner Chase) until he retired and sold the building to Edward L. Jenckes. After Jenckes' death in 1924, his daughters E. Mialma and Helen R. continued to run the store until the store closed in 1964. The store remained closed until 1972, when the property was donated to the Douglas Historical Society, where it was carefully restored to its original general store appearance of 100 years ago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.douglashistoricalsociety.org/museum.php|title=The E. N. Jenckes Store Museum|publisher=Douglas Historical Society|access-date=January 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612082122/http://www.douglashistoricalsociety.org/museum.php|archive-date=June 12, 2017|url-status=usurped}}</ref>