Welcome!
Local Lore, launched in 2021, is a civic engagement project started by current and former Acton-Boxborough residents and their friends. In a collective, intergenerational effort, we've compiled an archive exploring the stories behind the street names in Boxborough, Massachusetts to document our area's heritage and preserve oral history.
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We chose to investigate street names in order to better understand how our communities honor the people and stories of their past. To highlight those stories, we've built an online archive on this site.
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​We hope this research will inspire others to look at their own local histories, to celebrate what’s remembered and explore what was forgotten.
We also hope to honor indigenous history through this project; please reach out to us if you have suggestions on resources or stories that we can include. We welcome your contributions and feedback as we continue this project.
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Donate
If you resonate with our mission and would like to support our efforts to scale the impact of Local Lore projects in other cities around the country, you can help us by donating below. Thank you!
Dedication
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This site is dedicated to George Krusen, a long term Boxborough resident and dear friend, whose passion for history has inspired our own.
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Acknowledgements
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Thanks
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We would like to thank the following people and organizations who have generously shared advice, time, and resources. Without them, Local Lore would not be possible.
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George Krusen
Alan Rohwer
Jeanne Kangas
John Fallon
Boxborough Historical Commission
Boxborough Historical Society
Sargent Memorial Library
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We would also like to extend a special thank you to our Spring 2021 Interns, including Amelia Kim (AB ‘22) and Ashley Dawn (AB ‘22).
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Land Acknowledgement
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We would like to acknowledge that the land we are researching is the original homelands of the Pawtucket, the Nipmuc, and the Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett) tribes. We would like to honor the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. To learn about the indigenous history of the land where you live, check out this open source resource.
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Who We Are
Ianka Bhatia is a long-time Boxborough resident and an Acton-Boxborough alumnus. She studied International Relations - Political Science at Wellesley College, and currently works at the intersection of technology and government affairs.
Amelie Lasker is an Acton-Boxborough alumnus. She studied English Literature and History at Columbia University and English Literature at the University of Cambridge. She is the founder of Alexandria Labs, building the Library of Alexandria for the digital age. She lives in New York City.
Simone Liano is from Rochester, New York. She studied Neuroscience and Economics at Wellesley College. Currently, she lives in California and works in clean energy innovation.
About Civic Collective
Civic Collective is a nonprofit dedicated to demystifying the process of civic engagement. The idea is to provide resources to individuals/groups who are interested in engaging in their community and seeking to connect with others interested in working together on a civic project. We want to be a resource for those for whom civic engagement may not be their full time job, but who want to spend a couple hours a week creating change in their community.
Civic Collective is working on building templates for projects like Local Lore, showcasing ideas for inspiring community projects and making them replicable for people in their own communities. Some examples of the templates we plan to build could include how to create a shared fridge, public awareness campaign, composting program, etc.
Press
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Feature in local newspaper The Beacon.
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Feature in the Boxborough Bee, a print newsletter that is delivered to every household in town.
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