Barre ( ) is a town in Worcester County,

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, United States. The population was 5,530 at the 2020 census.

History

Originally called the Northwest District of

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

, it was first settled by Europeans in 1720. The town was incorporated as a district on June 17, 1774, as Hutchinson after Thomas Hutchinson, colonial governor of

. Eventually, along with 41 other districts in the state, they were all incorporated on August 23, 1775 by the Massachusetts Court. The next year on November 7, 1776, it was renamed Barre in honor of Colonel Isaac Barré, an Irish-born MP who was a champion of American Independence. Starting in the 1800s, the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad provided rail service to the town. "This township was originally known as Rutland, West District; but prior to 1770 its name was changed to "Hutchinson", in honor of the Hon. Thomas Hutchinson who was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1765, became acting Governor in 1769, and Governor in 1770. When, in 1774, on account of his Tory proclivities, Governor Hutchinson resigned his office and went to England, his name and memory were so execrated by the patriots of the township of Hutchinson that, in 1776, the General Assembly of Massachusetts changed the name of the township to "Barré."

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.63%, is water. Barre is drained by the

Ware River The Ware River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Massachusetts. It has two forks, its West Branch, which begins in Hubbardston, Massa ...

. Barre is bordered by Hubbardston to the northeast,

and

Oakham Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...

to the southeast, New Braintree to the south, Hardwick to the southwest, Petersham to the northwest, and a small portion of Phillipston to the north.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 5,113 people, 1,889 households, and 1,377 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,988 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.63%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.51%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Of the population, 0.80% were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,889 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. Of all households, 22.8% were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $50,553, and the median income for a family was $56,069. Males had a median income of $40,284 versus $29,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $20,476. 3.4% of the population and 1.2% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Out of the total population, 1.5% of those under the age of 18 and 2.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education

Barre is part of the Quabbin Regional School District along with, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree, and

. Elementary School Students attend Ruggles Lane Elementary School, from grades K–6, middle school students attend Quabbin Regional Middle School from grades 7–8, and high school students attend

Quabbin Regional High School Quabbin Regional High School is a secondary school in Barre, Massachusetts, United States, for students in grades 9–12. It serves the towns of Barre, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree, and Oakham. It also has a NJROTC The Junior Reser ...

from grades 9–12. It is also home to the administrative offices (including the office of the superintendent) of the Quabbin Regional School District. From 1840 into the twentieth century, it was home to the Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth. Barre is home to Stetson School.

Government

Sites of interest

* Barre Historical Society & Museum * Barre Players Theater * Insight Meditation Society * Russell's Fossil Museum

Notable people

David Oliver Allen David Oliver Allen (1800–1863) was an American missionary to India and an author. Life Allen was born in Barre, Massachusetts to Moses and Mahitable Allen. His father relocated the family to Princeton, Massachusetts while David Allen was an in ...

, missionary and author * Stephen Brewer, state senator *

Ebenezer Childs Ebenezer Childs (April 3, 1797 – December 15, 1864) was an American pioneer, builder and legislator. Childs was born in Barre, Massachusetts, on April 3, 1797, and was orphaned as a child. He left Massachusetts in 1816 for New York in order ...

, pioneer and legislator * Timothy Jenkins, congressman *

Walker Lewis Kwaku Walker Lewis (August 3, 1798 – October 26, 1856), was an early African-American abolitionist, Freemason, and Mormon elder from Massachusetts. He was an active member of the Underground Railroad and the anti-slavery movement. Family and ...

, black abolitionist, Masonic Grand Master of African Grand Lodge #1, and

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into se ...

Elder *

John Murray (Massachusetts) John Murray was the elected Representative to the Great and General Court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1751 to 1774 for Rutland, Rutland's Northwest District and later for Hubbardston and Oakham. He was principal in the transaction ...

, Representative to the Great and General Court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay for Rutland's Northwest District * Joseph B. Plummer, general * Jacob Riis, journalist, author of ''How the Other Half Lives'' *

Daniel Ruggles Daniel Ruggles (January 31, 1810 – June 1, 1897) was a Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was a division commander at the Battle of Shiloh. Early life and military service Ruggles was born in Bar ...

, Confederate general

References

Hayward's ''New England Gazetteer of 1839''

External links

Town of Barre, Massachusetts

Woods Memorial Library
{{Authority control 1720 establishments in Massachusetts Populated places established in 1720 Towns in Massachusetts Towns in Worcester County, Massachusetts