[This is the first of a new series of guest posts contributed by the Tricentennial Committee to get the community excited about, and keep them informed of, the preparations for celebrating the Town’s big anniversary.]
Southborough was incorporated on July 17, 1727, and that means next year our town will be 300 years old! To celebrate, we’re putting together a year-long birthday party as a tribute to our rich history, vibrant present, and promising future!
We’ll start the year off in grand fashion with Opening Day events on January 1. This will include family-friendly activities throughout the day and a spectacular drone show to light up the night sky over Southborough!
The fun will continue through the entire year, with events for every age and interest. Here is a preview of what’s to come (subject to change):
- January: Kick off the year with Tricentennial Opening Day Events culminating with a fabulous Drone Show
- February: St. Mark’s Museum Day and Family Day at Fay
- April: “History in Bloom” with the Southborough Gardeners
- May: Heritage tree planting in each of Southborough’s villages
- July: Incorporation Day celebration (July 6) and Antique Fireman’s Muster (July 16). We’ll also bury a time capsule on July 6th.
- August: Southborough Tricentennial Music Spectacular with Southborough Summer Nights
- September: Tricentennial House Tour
- October: Grand Parade & Heritage Day, including cannons
- November: “Voices from the Grave” a walking tour of the Old Burial Ground and Burnett Park with historical re-enactors
PLUS, additions through the celebratory year:
- History Speaker Series with the Southborough Public Library
- Oral Histories from Southborough residents
- Southborough History Makers
Stay informed on all Tricentennial happenings by signing up for the Southborough 300 Newsletter. Just send an email to Southborough300@southboroughma.com along with your full name to join our mailing list.
In conjunction with the Friends of Southborough 300 Inc. (an independent 501(c)3, custom engraved bricks will be installed in Southborough’s new Heritage Park, which connects St. Mark’s Street to the main plaza. Personalize a brick for yourself, your family, to honor a loved one, or as a memoriam and become a part of the Tricentennial legacy and history of our town. Your tax deductible donation will build a meaningful legacy!
The 8″x4″ bricks are available for a $300 donation. As a personal remembrance, 1″x3″ Mini Replica bricks are available for you to keep for an additional $15.
Your donation will create a lasting tribute within Heritage Park, ensuring your connection to our community endures for generations. Bricks are available by following the QR code or filling out the order form here and drop off at the Southborough Town House.
Commemorating 300 years since its official incorporation as a town on July 6, 1727 is truly historic milestone for our community and a time to celebrate our past, present and future.
Southborough’s Tricentennial Committee
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Updated (7/27/26 12:29 pm): Tricentennial Committee Vice Chair Patty Fiore commented below on the Town’s Incorporation date, which was originally recorded as July 6, 2027 — but under the Julian calendar. Based on the new calendar adopted by Britain and its colonies in 1752, the date was later converted/approximated as July 17th. You can see more details in her comment.
Southborough was incorporated July 17,2027?
Thanks for highlighting the error. I fixed it.
The original incorporation record preserved by the Town Clerk and Massachusetts Archives identifies July 6, 1727 as the date of the legislative act that created Southborough.
That act, “An Act For Dividing the Town of Marlborough, And Erecting A New Town There By The Name of Southborough” (Chapter 13 of the Acts and Resolves of 1727), is dated July 6, 1727.
The Town Clerk’s history website provides a copy of the document here: An Act for Dividing the Town of Marlborough, and Erecting a New Town There by the Name of Southborough (1727 Chapter 13), 1727-07 | ArchivesSpace Public Interface
Some modern sources list July 17, 1727 as Southborough’s incorporation date. This difference is likely due to the shift from the Old Style Julian calendar to the New Style Gregorian calendar.
In 1727, Britain and its colonies, including Massachusetts, still used the Julian calendar; Britain did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752.
At that time, the Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar:
Therefore, July 17 is a plausible modern-calendar equivalent of the date shown on the original incorporation act.
The Tricentennial Incorporation Day Ceremony will take place on July 6, 2027. The Antique Fireman’s Muster will be on July 17. 2027
That’s really interesting!