Before being settled by re-located residents of Braintree, Massachusetts, New Braintree was occupied by various Native American groups for at least 9,000 years.[2]
In 1669, the town of Braintree, located southeast of Boston, voted that each household would be granted an equal interest in the 6000 acres purchased to the west, to be known as "Braintree Farms".[2] The town's lands were formerly a part of the Quaboag Plantation.[3] In ensuing years additional tracts of land which were formerly part of Brookfield and Hardwick were acquired. The land was first settled in 1709 and was officially incorporated in 1751 as New Braintree.[2]
It has been the home of the Massachusetts State Police Academy since 1992. Governor Michael Dukakis had proposed and began construction of a controversial state prison in the late 1980s on this site, but was met with heavy opposition by the town, Boston-area radio talk show host Jerry Williams[4] and a group called C.O.S.T. (Conserve Our Small Town). Governor William Weld was elected and ceased the construction of the prison. The state police training academy now occupies the grounds and buildings of the former Seventh-day AdventistPioneer Valley Academy. In the photo shown, one can see the school's former boys' and girls' dormitories with the cafeteria in between and the water tower to the right of the boys' dormitory. The school opened its doors in September 1965 and closed in June 1983.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.9 square miles (54 km2), of which 20.7 square miles (54 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), or 0.72%, is water.
As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 927 people, 318 households, and 267 families residing in the town. The population density was 44.8 inhabitants per square mile (17.3/km2). There were 328 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 99.14% White, 0.22% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.11% Asian, and 0.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population.
There were 318 households, out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.0% were non-families. 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $54,844, and the median income for a family was $60,417. Males had a median income of $41,477 versus $26,136 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,072. About 4.0% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
The town's only restaurant, Reed's Country Store, has been owned and operated by Edward and Susan Reed since 1977. Breakfast and lunch is served here and it has been a central town gathering point for years. Every September for the past 38 years the town has had a Country Fair in the Town Center.
Education
New Braintree is part of the Quabbin Regional School District, along with Barre, Hardwick, Hubbardston, and Oakham. Elementary school students attend Hardwick 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 from grades 9–12.
New Braintree was formerly the home of the Pioneer Valley Academy, which lasted from 1965 until 1983.
^Bonin, Michael J. (February 17, 1989). "Gov. Defends Himself on Radio". thecrimson.com. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved February 23, 2018. Radio listeners who tuned in to WRKO-AM yesterday evening heard a lot of static, but it wasn't because of technical difficulties. It was Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and one of his most vocal critics, talk show host Jerry Williams, trying to talk over one another...The exchange between Dukakis and Williams, a populist critic of the governor and an opponent of big government, grew heated over the issues of cronyism in state government, the proposed New Braintree prison site and Dukakis' political style.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1920 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1890 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1870 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1860 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1850 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
