Woburn Water Department

Woburn Water Department Municipal Water Report Info

Early History
Woburn, Massachusetts sits approximately 10 miles northwest of Boston, near the head of the Mystic River Valley. This L-shaped city spans 13 square miles and houses about 38,000 residents. Bordering Wilmington to the north, Stoneham and Reading to the east, Winchester to the south, and Burlington and Lexington to the west, Woburn represents one of New England's oldest established communities. Founded in 1640 and incorporated in 1642, colonial Woburn originally included present-day Wilmington, Burlington, and Winchester, which eventually separated into individual townships in 1730, 1799, and 1850 respectively.

Industrial Development
Though small-scale tanning and shoemaking existed by 1700, Woburn remained primarily agricultural until the mid-19th century. The 1803 opening of the Middlesex Canal provided tanners with improved access to tanbark, spurring leather industry growth. The Boston and Lowell Railroad (1835) and its Woburn Loop (1844) further expanded local shoemaking and tanning operations.

Rubber Innovation
America's early rubber industry established itself in East Woburn by 1836, revolutionized by Charles Goodyear's vulcanization process discovery there in 1839. Civil War demand for shoe leather boosted Woburn's leather production, with 21 tanning facilities operating by 1865. Immigrants from Ireland, Nova Scotia, and Canada relocated to work in these tanneries. By 1885, Woburn led regional leather manufacturing, maintaining this position well into the 20th century while developing related support industries including chemical works, machine shops, and tanner's knife production. Henry Thayer of Woburn pioneered chrome tanning in 1901, replacing traditional bark methods. However, by the 1930s, the Great Depression and changing markets led to industry decline, with only six tanneries remaining by 1940 and none today.

Modern Woburn
Contemporary Woburn blends quiet residential neighborhoods, active office and industrial parks, and natural conservation areas like Horn Pond Reservation, Forest Park, and Shaker Glen. The city's lengthy history showcases all architectural styles typical of New England, including the Baldwin Mansion (built 1661, redesigned 1803) and the Woburn Public Library, H.H. Richardson's first public library design following his renowned Trinity Church in Boston.