Saving the Past

by Bobby Blair 1/14/12

Destined for the trash bin, assessors records heading back uptown

There's nothing like moving when it comes to uncluttering your life. So it was when Town Hall under went restoration earlier this century that the folks at the Assessors Office decided to discard centuries old un-needed records. A few alert members of the Historical Commission offered to take in the records and house them at the Flagg School.

On a recent Wednesday eve, Historical Commission members (above LtoR Jim Gilmour, newly appointed member Carol (Morse) Kosicki and Chairwoman Judy Grosjean) comb through records dating back to 1829. While these assesors records were stored in a classroom near the street, other town records further inside Flagg were not so fortunate. Records that were not vital from the Town Clerk's Office and the Treasurer's Office were ruined when a frozen water pipe burst.

Leafing through the above book, this writer was able to see that my forebears great, great grandfather William Fair and gg grandfather Cornelius Driscoll had both paid their poll tax in 1861.

The above book showed the assessed value of property in Holliston just prior to the Great Depression. Here I found a full page of property owned by my great uncle George Fair. Fair owned Fair Grain Company on Central and Railroad Streets, which was later owned by State Lumber Company. Members of the Historical Commission have hopefully found a new home for these records at the town's library. 

Posted in Local Lore.

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