Lancaster, Massachusetts
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Image:Meeting House (1815), Lancaster, Massachusetts.jpg
Lancaster is a town located in Worcester County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 7,380.
For geographic and demographic information on the village of South Lancaster, please see the article South Lancaster, Massachusetts.
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History
Lancaster was first settled in 1643 and was officially incorporated in 1653. Until it was cut down due to safety concerns, Lancaster boasted the largest oak tree in the state, called the Beaman Oak, named after settler Gamaliel Beaman.
Lancaster bosts being the official "mothertown" to all of centeral Massachusetts. Towns such as Harvard, Stow, Bolton, Hudson, Marlborough, Clinton, Berlin and Boylston were all once considered Lancaster.
Lancaster's founder, John Prescott, wished for the name of his new settlement to be Prescottville, but do to English Law at the time, towns could not be named after the person who found them. Instead, Prescott used the name of his town in England as the name of his new town, Lancaster.
Incorporated in 1653, Lancaster is the oldest town in Worcester County.
Lancaster is home to the Mary Rowlandsan attackin 1675 and 1676. During King Philips war, which was faught partially in Lancaster, a tribe of Indians pillaged the entire town of Lancaster. Their last stop on their trail of destruction was Mary Rowlandson's house. Coming to the defense of the house was Rowlandson's brother in-law who was immediately shot and killed by the attacking Indians. The Indians then set fire to the house, forcing Rowlandson to exit the burning building. Upon crossing the doorstep outside, Rowlandson saw a scene full of carnage. Her family all lay dead, killed mercelessly by the indians, scattered across the lawn. The Indians then non-fatally shot her in her side. Her entire family was slaughtered, with the exception of her and her sons. They were kidnapped by the indians who then took them with them on their travels across New England.
During her captivity, Rowlandson wrote a book called "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson." The book is widely considered one of the greatest examples of a captivity narrative.
In 2000, Lancaster Elementry school changed its name to Mary Rowlandson Elementary School.
Geography
Image:Lancaster ma highlight.png According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 73.0 km² (28.2 mi²). 71.7 km² (27.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.84% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 7,380 people, 2,049 households, and 1,551 families residing in the town. The population density was 102.9/km² (266.7/mi²). There were 2,141 housing units at an average density of 29.9/km² (77.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.51% White, 10.61% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 7.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,049 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 125.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 129.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $60,752, and the median income for a family was $66,490. Males had a median income of $42,367 versus $35,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,010. 4.1% of the population and 4.4% of families were below the poverty line. 1.5% of those under the age of 18 and 14.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
