Editing Millis, Massachusetts (section)

==History==

Millis was first settled in 1657 and was officially incorporated in 1885. Millis was originally part of [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]], until that town granted the lands of Millis, and other present day surrounding towns, to Medfield in 1651. In 1713, pioneers of [[Medfield, Massachusetts|Medfield]] applied for a grant to create a new town and, when approved, named this new land Medway. This new town consisted of West Medway (the present day town of Medway) and East Medway (present day Millis). Lansing Millis, the founder of the town of Millis, successfully incorporated Millis in the [[Massachusetts|Commonwealth of Massachusetts]] on February 24, 1885.

Lansing Millis was successful in turning the small town of Millis into an important area of Massachusetts. Lansing Millis, who was widely known as a railroad entrepreneur, built up a strong rail system in Millis. This was arguably his most important accomplishment, as the rail system is regarded as the most significant factor in its independence from Medway. In addition, the railroad system was a major factor in the early promotion of economic growth in the town and the integration of Millis to the larger cities of Dedham, [[Boston]] and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. Currently, this old railroad that formerly began in Medway is known as the [[Bay Colony Railroad]]. The Medway tracks have since been dismantled, making Millis the railroad's western terminus. The railroad is now mostly defunct, but several miles of the Bay Colony tracks in Millis are owned by the MBTA and are leased by the Bay Colony Railroad line. The [[Bay Colony Railroad]] merges with the present day [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] in [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]].

Aside from the tremendous contribution of the rail system to Millis' integration with the major Massachusetts cities, another important moment in the town's history is the construction of the [[Hartford and Dedham Turnpike]], known today as [[Massachusetts Route 109]]. The road was constructed in 1806 and officially accepted by the town of Millis in 1896. The Hartford and Dedham Turnpike connected Millis, Medway, Medfield, and several other towns directly to Dedham and Boston. Today, Route 109 still serves as a major road connecting [[Metrowest]] Boston communities to the city of Boston.

Millis was the home of the "Millis Wonderland", a display of [[Christmas]] decorations and lights on the {{convert|40|acre|m2|adj=on}} Causeway Street estate of Kevin Meehan, the owner of several car dealerships. In 2004, [[Al Roker]] traveled to Millis for a segment centered on the "Millis Wonderland". After the publicity on ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]'', an estimated 6,000 cars traveled to the "Millis Lights" daily during the Christmas season.<ref name="MillisWonderland" /> The display was permanently closed after the 2014 holiday season.<ref name="MillisWonderlandClosed_2014">{{cite web | url = http://www.milliswonderland.com/thekids.html | url-access =  | title = MILLIS WONDERLAND HAS CLOSED FOR THE SEASON | date = n.d. | website = Millis Wonderland | language = en-us | access-date = February 5, 2022 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150203102318/http://www.milliswonderland.com/thekids.html | archive-date = February 3, 2015 | via =  | quote = Recently, Mr. Meehan and his wife made the decision to give The Wonderland and all its assets (1,200 animations, 45 glass-encased floats, 100,000 lights, and all supporting equipment) to a suitable nonprofit after this season. | df = dmy-all}}</ref>

===Industrial history===
The industrial history of Millis is long and varied, beginning with the water power of a small establishment named Hinsdell's mill. Soon, Millis grew from a small new town with a mill to a successful industrial society. Numerous industries opened up in the town and stimulated employment and growth. Some of these industries include the Holbrook factories, which included a bell foundry, organ manufactory, and organ pipe manufactory, [[Clicquot Club]], and Herman Shoe Company; the latter two being the most notable industries in the town's history.

Today the prominent employers in the town are Tresca Brothers Sand & Gravel and Roche Bros. Supermarket. Millis was also home to a thriving automobile recycling industry located in the western, industrial section of town.

====Herman Shoe Company====
The Herman Shoe Company was an extremely important industry in town. The Herman Shoe Company, a result of several private buyouts, produced large amounts of material, specifically boots and other equipment, during the [[Spanish–American War]]. In addition, it produced most of the boots worn by the troops during [[World War II]].

The company is now out of business and the former factory was demolished in March 2020.

====Clicquot Club====

[[Clicquot Club Company|Cliquot Club]] was started by Henry Millis, using funds from his father and founder of Millis, Lansing Millis. The company, which distributed the first brand of [[ginger ale]] in the United States for about eighty years, was located on Main Street and is the namesake for the village of Clicquot in Millis. The ginger ale produced by Clicquot Club was made using local Millis ginger. Later, the company produced several different sodas and was the first company in the nation to can drinks. Clicquot Club owned more than 100 factories throughout the United States and sold its beverages internationally. As sales declined in the 1960s, however, the company went bankrupt and was bought by the [[Cott]] company, which in turn was acquired by [[Canada Dry]].

====Causeway Street and the Brickyards====
An area of land around Causeway Street, although now a rural street in the west of town, was once a huge industrial hub for the early town of Millis. This area of Causeway Street was used for clay excavation for the manufacture of bricks, as well as sand excavation. The clay excavations were turned into bricks that built many large estates and buildings in the immediate area and beyond. The remnants of clay pits today look like small ponds. In fact, one of the clay pits is so large that it is now a body of water named Heather's Pond. These abandoned pits are home to many species of wildlife and are protected along with the Great Black Swamp. Historically, the sand from the pits was used to fill in the most recent runway at [[Logan International Airport]]. Today, the remnants of old sand pits lie vacant.

The several large brickyards around Causeway Street were owned by a few wealthy families. One of these estates, the Clark Family estate, was later the home to former Massachusetts [[Governor of Massachusetts|Governor]] and [[United States Secretary of State]] [[Christian Herter]].

===Notable sites===

One of the most important sites in Millis is Richardson's Tavern, which was built {{circa|1720}}. This tavern accommodated [[George Washington]] for lunch on his way to [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] in 1775. It is rumored that [[Nathan Hale]] and the [[Marquis de Lafayette]] also stopped at the tavern to dine.

Millis' cemetery, called Prospect Hill Cemetery, is home to the grave of [[Christian Herter]], the [[United States Secretary of State]] under President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Secretary Herter lived on a large farm on Causeway Street in Millis and, it is rumored, when summoned to [[Washington, D.C.]], he left his farm directly by helicopter to [[Logan International Airport]]. Prospect Hill Cemetery is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places|National Historic Register]].

===King Philip's War===
The history of Millis is closely tied with [[King Philip's War]] of 1675 to 1676. On February 21, 1676, [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] killed 17 Medfield citizens and destroyed half of the town (32 houses, two mills, and many barns). Immediately after this attack, the Native Americans under King Philip ([[Metacom]]) fled to Millis where they held a grand feast. This spot is marked by "The King Philip Trees", which are two hundred-year-old trees protected by the Millis Historical Society. The next day, on February 22, the Native American forces led an offensive against the Fayerbanke [[Palisade]]s at Boggestowe Farms, which are in present-day Millis. This attack was repulsed, as well as a second attack, which occurred on May 6.