Grafton Historical Society

09/28/2026

This coming Saturday, join us for author, Mark Ouellette who will speak about his newly released book, FBI Family Stories: The Ouellette Legacy

Join us at the Grafton Historical Society, 71 Main Street, South Grafton

Saturday, October 3 at 1PM

09/23/2026

Unfortunately there is no rain date for Little Bank Days so we decided to cancel due to rainy conditions this weekend.

Coming up next:

10/2/2026: First Friday Tea

10/03/2026: FBI Family Stories: The Ouellette Legacy with Mark Ouellette

10/17 & 10/18/2026: Art in Bloom
Art in Bloom

09/19/2026

This story was found thanks to the creators of the podcast Shadows From the Tree

You can hear Ralph's story on the podcast linked here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsung-heroes/id1716115597?i=1000743814006

Hopefully someone out there has more information about the woman and young child he rescued!

The Grafton Historical Society receives many inquiries from the public. Sometimes questions are answered, while others remain mysteries. Danielle Gravel and her cousin, Michele McCall, hosts of the podcast “Shadows of the Tree” contacted the Grafton Historical Society with a question about Grave...

09/11/2026

🇺🇸 Grafton Remembers — September 11, 2001 🇺🇸

Twenty-five years ago today, our nation experienced a devastating terrorist attack. We lost many people from different walks of life, from over 100 different countries. Many heroes would emerge from this tragic day.

“Amy” Sweeney, was a Massachusetts flight attendant aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. Before the plane struck the World Trade Center, Sweeney was the first to alert the airline of everything that was going on that day. She gave detailed descriptions of the hijackers, including their seat numbers, which was used in the investigative pieces of 9/11. Because of her bravery and clear thinking during a terrifying situation, people were able to get a picture of what was happening that day and take action from there.

A story that connects Grafton to “Amy” Sweeney is about a man named Chris Etre who earned the 'Madeline “Amy” Sweeney Award for civilian bravery' in 2020. Etre saved a young woman's life after a car accident in Grafton.

On December 13th, 2019 a car hit black ice and skid into the Quinsigamond River in Grafton. Etre observed the accident and even with risk to his own life, he still took immediate action, grabbing a wrench from his work truck and headed into the frigid water. He was able to smash the car window and pull the victim to safety. Now that is a story of heroism that would have made "Amy" Sweeney proud!

September 11th, 2001 changed us all as a nation but it proved that everyday people can also be heroes. We encourage people to teach the young folks in your lives about 9/11 and the bravery exhibited by people that day.

Please comment here or email us about that day. Where were you? What do you recall when you heard news of a terrorist attack? Write about the day as you remember it. We would like to make records of any Grafton accounts from the day.

[email protected]

(Please note that our old email address ran out of storage so we created a new email account. The new address listed above).

Thank you for reading and God Bless America!

09/07/2026

Mark your calendars for September 29th at the Museum of Worcester will have a discussion about the book,
"City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara".

Born in 1926, Frank O'Hara was raised in a religious farming family in Grafton, MA. He would later make a living in New York working for an art museum and writing poetry. As a gay man, being in NY also meant he could live as himself, away from the strict expectations he left behind in Grafton.

Check out the MOW website for more details about this event ...

https://share.google/DHU3rNXiZq35RrFcJ

The Novel Historian: Museum of Worcester September Book Club
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
6:00 PM 7:00 PM
Salisbury House /
Love Your Labels
61 Harvard StreetWorcester, Massachusetts, 01609

09/04/2026

Good morning!

We're very pleased to announce that our 58th Annual Antique & Arts Fair in June was a huge success! We've already begun preparing for next year. If you know a vendor or you would like to be one, please contact us! We are accepting Demonstrators, Antique dealers and Art vendors. We are also on the search for a food truck.

We updated our email address as well. The email account that we have used for over a decade has run out of space. Nancy Therrien still uses that email address, so please continue to use it if you've already been in communication with her through that old address.

Any NEW or follow up inquiries should be sent to
[email protected]

☕ 🌺 This month we are having two events. TODAY is our very first First Friday tea! We would like to extend our gratitude to Holly Cronos for taking on the duty of hosting our teas. 🎂🍰

When she noticed the teas were no longer on the schedule, due to volunteers not being unavailable on that day/time, Holly stepped up and took over the program. Holly has been a huge help to the museum!

🏦 Sunday, September 27th we are hosting our third annual Little Bank Days where we will have our little bank OPEN to the public. There will be books and maps for sale, children's activities, Savers Bank will be giving out treats and you can get a picture with The King, Elvis Presley. 👑 🎵

🪕 Oh, and let's not forget Banjo Joe will be joining us! Special thanks to Joe for strumming songs about Grafton History. 🪕

Join us, from 1PM to 3PM at Mill Village Park in Historical South Grafton to celebrate the Little Bank coming home!

After you visit the Mill Village, take a short stroll down the road to the museum to see our beautiful displays and artifacts.

A sneak peak into October, we will be hosting author Mark Ouellette to talk about his new book, "FBI family story: The Ouellette Legacy" October 3rd! Details to come!

The weekend of October 17th the Grafton Garden club will be hosting their annual Art in bloom, open house, featuring local Artist Young Farwell.

Stay tuned for more details soon.