Phillipston was not always named Phillipston. The story of how the town of Gerry became Phillipston is an interesting one which began in 1786, when the town was incorporated as Gerry.
“Elbridge Gerry promised Phillipston that if they named the town after him, he would provide windows for the meeting house, which also served as a church, according to Carole Gariepy, co-author of the “Spirit of Phillipston,” which documents the history of the town. “The History of Worcester County” by A. P. Marvin, according to Peter Drummey, Chief Historian & Stephen T. Riley, Librarian of the Massachusetts Historical Society, also mentions Gerry’s supposed offer to “glaze the meeting house” at the time of the town’s incorporation as Gerry in 1786. The chapter on Phillipston in this history was written by George W. Horr.
“In 1786, naming your town for a signer of the Declaration of Independence who had served in the Continental Congress and then was serving in the Confederation Congress might have seemed appropriate for a new town right after the revolution,” according to Drummey.
Gerry was recognized as a leader of the patriot movement before the American Revolution, Drummey said. After graduating Harvard in 1762, he was first elected to the colonial legislature in 1772. He witnessed the opening battles of the Revolution and was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776. He was an active member of congress through almost the entire Revolution and in the Confederation Congress. Eventually Gerry went on to serve as Massachusetts Governor and eventually Vice President of the United States under James Madison, he continued.
Along with his political career, Gerry also gave his name to “Gerrymandering.” Elbridge Gerry probably had little to do with the legislation that created “Gerrymandered” voting districts, but he signed the bill and as the titular head of his party in Massachusetts, he both suffered the consequences and had the scheme named for him,” said Drummey.
“Arranging voting districts to favor a candidate or party long predated the 1812 election, but on a map the voting districts in Essex County formed the shape of a salamander and a Federalist cartoon made them into a winged monster — the “Gerrymander,” he continued.
In 1814, Phillipston petitioned the state to change its name from Gerry to Phillipston. The change occurred, Gariepy said, because Gerry never came through on his promise to provide the windows for the Meeting House. When asked about the town’s feelings regarding Gerry’s politics she continued, “People statewide were upset about Gerrymandering; Phillipston shared in that sentiment… He was also a proponent of the War of 1812 and the town wasn’t.”
“Horr includes the petition from the inhabitants to the General Court, Jan. 18, 1814, signed by Ignatius Goulding, Jr., the moderator of the town meeting,” said Drummey. “Gerry then was the vice president of the United States, and the petition specifically refers to the “mad policy of the national government” (the war policy of President James Madison that was extremely unpopular in much of New England). The representatives of the town state that they are “under no obligation to that gentleman (Gerry) for any favor or benefit conferred,” and describe the “arbitrary and unjust policy which has since (since the town was named “Gerry”) characterized his administration, while chief magistrate (governor) of this Commonwealth, has rendered the name itself a term of odium and reproach,” Drummey stated.
The legislature acted expeditiously, changing the name to “Phillipston” on Feb. 5, 1814,” according to Drummey, in honor of William Phillips, who was Lt. Gov. of Massachusetts from 1812 to 1823. A portrait of Phillips, willed to the library by Phillips’ nephew, Jonathan, hangs in the library.
Information about Phillipston history can be found through the Phillipston Historical Society at www.phillipston.org. More information on Massachusetts history can be found at the Massachusetts Historical Society website at www.masshist.org
Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on history with a particular interest in the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.