Towns Named Grafton

We live in Grafton Massachusetts and have made a hobby of visiting towns named Grafton. See below for why we do this, how we got started and what we've found.

You might be surprised at how many towns in the United States are named Grafton. The larger ones are in:

Illinois	Calling itself "A Real American River Town!", Grafton Illinois is located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. It is at the heart of "The Meeting of the Great Rivers" Scenic Route. Population: 918.
Massachusetts	The earliest known residents, of what is now known as Grafton Massachusetts, was the Hassanamisco band of the Nipmuc Indians (who still have a reservation in Grafton). The "praying Indian" town of Hassanamesit was established in 1660. In 1735, it was incorporated as the Town of Grafton. The Willard House and Clock Museum showcases the 1718 home and clock making workshops of Benjamin Willard and his sons. The lovely Common is surrounded by three churches and the Grafton Inn. See below for how Grafton Massachusetts got its name. Population: 13,800
New Hampshire	In Grafton County and located along the Grafton Turnpike, the largest early industry in Grafton New Hampshire were mica mines, the largest being the Ruggles Mine. It had its largest growth spurt in the 1970s. The local FM radio station (WPNH 100.1) has its antenna in Grafton. Although its year-round population is small, it does have a two General Stores and it has Bed & Breakfast Inns for the many tourists. Population: 971
New York	This small town in Rensselaer County is the home of another Grafton Inn and the Grafton Lakes State Park. It also has one of the few monuments in the world dedicated to world peace: "The Buddhist Peace Pagoda",. Population: 1,987
North Dakota	Today Grafton North Dakota is a growing community with over 185 businesses Much of its history is preserved in its "Heritage Village", consisting of around 10 preserved buildings, including a chapel, a taxidermist shop, and a 1918 carousel.. Population 4,800.
Ohio	First settled in 1817, Grafton Ohio had slow growth until 1846 when the Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad station was completed. Population: 3,300
Vermont	A lovely tourist destination, Grafton Vermont has covered bridges, museums, galleries taverns, and shops. Stay at the Old Tavern at Grafton which opened in 1801 or any of several Bed and Breakfast Inns. Population: 649.
West Virginia	Incorporated in 1856, Grafton West Virginia was a key point in the Civil War due its its location along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It is the home of the International Mother's Day Shrine (site of the first Mother's Day celebration). It is also has the first National Military Cemetery in West Virginia, . Population: 5,500.
Wisconsin	The earliest industry in the Village of Grafton Wisconsin was a lumber, dating back to 1835. In later years, it became a manufacturing community producing fabricated metal and plastics, machinery, printing and publishing, electric and electronic equipment and miscellaneous manufacturing concerns. Population: 9,800.

There are two Ghost Towns named Grafton:

	Utah
	New Mexico

The U.S. Post Office recognizes several other towns named Grafton for which I have been unable to gather much information::

	Iowa (Population: 282)
	Indiana (Posey County)
	Kansas
	Michigan
	Nebraska (Population: 167)
	Pennsylvania (Indiana County)

If you have any information to add about any of these Grafton's please contact me.

Outside the United States, there are also a few towns named Grafton:

Ontario (Canada)	The Hamlet of Grafton was a farming community. By 1817, it had three grist mills, four saw mills and over 6,250 acres under cultivation.
New South Wales (Australia)	Named by Governor Fitzroy after his Grandfather, the Duke of Grafton, whose seat is "Euston Hall" Thetford, Norfolk, England. Several streets carry the names associated with the family, namely Prince, Fitzroy, Villiers and Duke

And, If we ever run out of towns to visit, there are many other places named Grafton, including streets, hotels, inns, and ponds.

Why do we like to visit towns named Grafton?

Large cities around the world are all very similar. You can eat at a Burger King or stay at a Hilton in Tokyo, Rome, Bangkok, or Cairo and barely know you've left home. A skyscraper in Hong Kong looks a lot like one in Chicago. I've had the luxury of being able to visit smaller cities and towns all over the world, like Phitsanulok (Thailand), Beni Mellal (Morocco), and Njarðvík (Iceland) where I can see more of the local flavor.

If you want to really experience another culture or place, you need to visit small towns. That's where you'll find what life is like for the local residents. Go shopping in their grocery stores, eat at a local restaurant, sit on a bench on the town common, walk down Main Street.

Our favorite museums have been in tiny buildings that we've found in small towns all over the world.

The best way we've found to see the "real" United States, is to pick small towns at random. And, one way to do that is to visit towns named "Grafton".

How did we get started visiting towns named Grafton?

Growing up in Melrose Massachusetts, I had always wanted to visit the town it was named after, Melrose Scotland. My wife, Vera, grew up in Shrewsbury Massachusetts and always wanted to visit Shrewsbury England. In 1995, we made plans to visit both.

Our son, Richard, grew up in Grafton Massachusetts and thought it only fair that he get to visit the town after which Grafton Massachusetts was named.

Well, after quite a bit of research, we discovered that Grafton Massachusetts wasn't named after a town after all. In seems that, in 1735, it was the custom to compliment distinguished Englishman who were friendly to the colonies by naming towns for them. Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, had tried to dissuade the king from pursuing the war against the colonies. To honor him (and probably to continue to win his support), the Governor of Massachusetts named Grafton Massachusetts after him.

After a year of making plans, we finally traveled to Great Britain in 1996. (We went the long way, by way of Hawaii and Singapore, but that's another story!)

Since the 2^nd Duke of Grafton died in 1757, the best we could do was to see his portrait (hanging in Euston Hall) and visit his grave (in the chapel) both in the town of Euston (near Thetford in Suffolk County, England).

Hugh Denis Charles FitzRoy, the 11^th and current Duke of Grafton, graciously granted us an audience in a garden on his estate in Euston. Our son, Richard, presented him with a reprint of the 1879 book "History of Grafton" and a citation honoring his ancestor issued by the Selectman of the Town of Grafton.

By the way, we did get to visit Shrewsbury England. We took a guided walking tour of the city, visited the museum inside the Shrewsbury Castle, and saw the statue of Charles Darwin. We also saw an ancient roman-era wall on display where it was discovered inside the local Burger King. And, we visited Melrose Scotland were we toured the impressive ruins of the Melrose Abbey (founded in 660 AD). They, too, had a local museum that we visited, namely the Melrose Teddy Bear Museum.

And, that's how it all started!

By the way, here's some "it's a small world" trivial you might find interesting. Shrewsbury England is perhaps most famous as the birthplace of Charles Darwin. He did his research on board the Beagle. Its Captain was Vice Admiral Robert Fitzroy, grandson of the 2^nd Duke of Grafton.

What have we found on our travels?

While visiting Shrewsbury England, we found a tiny village named Grafton. It had two dairy farms and a few houses. With help from the locals, we finally found and photographed a small sign (overgrown with shrubs) saying "Grafton".

In Grafton, Ohio, we visited the local library and spoke with a local historian. She told us quite a bit about the history of Grafton Ohio and was fascinated to hear about Grafton Massachusetts. We also investigated the old railroad control tower and switch house that is featured on the town's seal. Finally, we walked down Main Street investigating the shops.

In Grafton, North Dakota, they opened Heritage Village “A Village With A Past” just for us. (It's normally only open on Sunday afternoon.) But, they opened it and showed us around when we visited. We very much enjoyed it!

In 2002, we visited the International Mother's Day Shrine (site of the first Mother's Day observance), in Grafton West Virginia.

We've often made plans to stay at the Grafton Inn in Grafton New York but haven't gotten there yet.

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