Shirley, Massachusetts
Shirley Shaker Village in 1884
Image:Shirley, MA Seal.jpg Seal
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°32′37″N 71°39′00″W / 42.54361, -71.65
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Middlesex
Settled	1720
Incorporated	1775
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
Area
- Total	15.9 sq mi (41.2 km²)
- Land	15.8 sq mi (41.0 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation	279 ft (85 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	6,373
- Density	402.7/sq mi (155.5/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01464
Area code(s)	351 / 978
FIPS code	25-61590
GNIS feature ID	0618234
Website: http://www.shirley-ma.gov/

Shirley is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,373 at the 2000 census. The town is home to Benjamin Hill Recreation Area and two state prisons, including the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.

History

Town Hall

The first inhabitants were either Nipmuc (or Pennacook) Indians, who called the area Catacunemaug. Once part of "The Plantation of Groton," Shirley was first settled about 1720. It broke away from Groton to be incorporated in 1753. The town was named in honor of William Shirley, governor of Massachusetts (1741 - 1757). A paper mill was built here around 1790 and in 1812 Shirley established the first of seven cotton mills. Other local products included iron, nails, textiles, rope, and suspenders.

A utopian religious community was established in Shirley in 1793. The Shakers advocated pacifism, common property, celebacy and communal living. They are renowned for their plain architecture and furniture. The Shaker movement peaked in the 1840s, but gradually dwindled, perhaps because of greater employment opportunities offered by the Industrial Revolution, or because succeeding generations grew less tolerant of the Shaker church's insistence on self-abnegation. Shirley Shaker Village would close in 1908. Today, only one "society" remains in the control of the last Shakers, located at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine. Several communities operate today as museums. A similar community was founded in nearby Harvard, MA.

The meetinghouse of Shirley Shaker Village was moved in 1962 to replace an identical one razed in 1938 at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield.

Geography

Shirley is located at 42°35′5″N, 71°38′50″W (42.58472, -71.64722).^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41.2 km²), of which, 15.8 square miles (41.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.50%) is water.

Demographics

First Parish Meeting House, built in 1773

This article describes the town of Shirley as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes only the central settlement or village within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Shirley (CDP), Massachusetts.

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 6,373 people, 2,067 households, and 1,426 families residing in the town. The population density was 402.7 people per square mile (155.5/km²). There were 2,156 housing units at an average density of 136.2/sq mi (52.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.90% White, 6.72% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.12% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.86% of the population.

There were 2,067 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09.

Shirley Shaker Meetinghouse at its original site in c. 1910

In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 39.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 137.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 151.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,344, and the median income for a family was $66,250. Males had a median income of $42,078 versus $32,130 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,556. About 1.9% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

• Lura A White
• Shirley Middle School

Points of interest

• Shirley Historical Society Museum
• Shirley Shaker Village, Shaker Historic Trail

Notable residents

• Benton MacKaye, forester who proposed the Appalachian Trail
• Earl Tupper, founder of Tupperware company
• Jerry White, former Major League Baseball player

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

Further reading

• 1871 Atlas of Massachusetts. by Wall & Gray.Map of Massachusetts. Map of Middlesex County.
• History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 1 (A-H), Volume 2 (L-W) compiled by Samuel Adams Drake, published 1879 and 1880. 572 and 505 pages. Shirley section by Rev. Seth Chandler in volume 2 pages 297-309.
• History of the Town of Shirley, Massachusetts, by Seth Chandler, published 1883, 744 pages.

External links

• Town website
• Hazen Memorial Library

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