Author: Michael Weishan

Yesterday as I was setting up our library in the new History and Arts Center at Fayville Hall, I came across a dainty pocket-sized volume (two in fact!) with hand tinted etchings:

Why would we have these in our collection? Well, though it’s hard to remember these days with all the suburban development, in the 19th century Southborough comprised the second richest agricultural region in the state. Then as now, silk was considered a luxury fabric, and American entrepreneurs were eager to break Europe’s and Asia’s dominance in silk production. Massachusetts saw a surge of interest in sericulture—the cultivation of silkworms and the mulberry trees they feed on—driven by the promise of high profits from domestic silk production.

The craze was ignited in the 1830s by the introduction of a new species of mulberry, Morus multicaulis, from China. This variety was promoted as superior due to its rapid growth and large, accessible leaves, which were ideal for feeding silkworms and promised to reduce labor costs dramatically. Nurserymen in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York began growing mulberry trees in vast quantities to meet the burgeoning demand.

The mulberry market quickly turned speculative. Prices for young mulberry trees soared, with some selling for up to $5 each—a huge sum compared to other tree species at the time. Stories circulated of investors making thousands of dollars in profit in a single season, fueling a frenzy akin to the Dutch tulip mania of the early 1600s. Nurseries in Massachusetts and elsewhere sold hundreds of thousands of trees annually, and even prominent figures like Daniel Webster invested in the trend. (You’ll note the book in question was sanctioned by our then-Governor, Levi Lincoln Jr.)

Despite the initial optimism, the scheme was fundamentally flawed. The Morus multicaulis mulberry proved ill-suited to New England’s climate, suffering from harsh winters and, eventually, a fatal blight in 1844 that devastated the trees. Moreover, the process of raising silkworms and producing silk was far more labor-intensive and complex than anticipated, requiring meticulous household care rather than scalable industrial processes. By 1839, the bubble burst: prices for mulberry trees collapsed, and many investors were left with worthless stock.

The failure of the mulberry and silk mania did not spell the end of silk in New England. While local sericulture faded, some entrepreneurs shifted to importing raw silk and focused on manufacturing, eventually building some of the largest and most successful silk mills in the United States. In Massachusetts, the initial utopian aspirations of local silk production gave way to a more pragmatic reliance on imported raw materials, paving the way for a robust manufacturing industry in places like Northhampton that lasted until the Great Depression.

So who were our prospective silk farmers in Southborough? We don’t know, but the fact that we have two of these rare books speaks volumes about our former inhabitants’ desire to participate in this get-rich-quick scheme.

Finally, at the top I mentioned setting up the library in Fayville Hall. Yes, folks, we are getting that close! We’re hoping for a September 12th opening, if the required permitting falls our way. I’ll be in touch with more news shortly!

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, this was the “professional” opinion that the town’s highly paid consultant, Freddie Gillespie, delivered to the the Community Preservation Commission last month in response to the Society ‘s request to utilize town CPC funds at Fayville Hall to finish the site-work mandated by the Planning Board. “There is nothing historical left at Fayville Hall,” she repeated. “It’s all been ripped out.” Another equally knowledgeable member, who also had never visited the site, opined: “It’s been totally altered… There will be nothing historical to see inside!” (Ah, nothing but the town museum…) “Plus, people will have to pay to get in!” (Also wrong. ) But my favorite was when a third member, Kristen LeVault cried “Why are we even bothering with this? Just say no! It’s our money!” (Note to Kristen: its not your money, dearie; its our tax payer dollars.)

And on and on the nonsense went over several meetings and dozens of unreasonable demands , despite three written clarifications to the CPC and multiple attempts by our board members to correct the spoken record. (We were actually shut out of the virtual meeting at one point, unable to reply for over an hour, and talked over by Ms. Gillespie throughout.) In total disgust with these blatantly partisan antics, the Society withdrew its application after it became apparent that various CPC members were abusing their positions to prevent our request from reaching the town meeting floor, where it probably would have passed.

Some battles are just not worth the cost, and this was clearly one.

We are now in the process of securing other funding, never fear.

But for the record, and just to show reasonable folks like you that there IS in fact a lot of historical fabric left at Fayville, we wanted to share with you a brand new picture of the grand staircase, above, freshly hand-sanded, and showing off its beautiful oak grain for the first time in 100 years. Thanks to new SHS board member Jon Delli Priscoli, who donated a supply of rare period 1″ thick oak boards, we’ll be able to restore the oak trim in the entry hall that was ripped out during the town’s tenancy.  Returning too will be the wonderful wrought-iron art nouveau ticket window that once graced this space. And of course, the upstairs assembly room, with original floors and ceiling height restored.

But of course, there’s nothing historic about any of that!

On a happier note, we are still anticipating a soft opening for the History and Arts Center this fall, with the facility fully operational by winter 2025. At lot remains to be done, not only inside the building (which now has inside walls for the first time in 5 years) but also the site work outside— in addition, of course, to the herculean process of moving our collections from the Flagg School to Fayville.

However, that worry is for another day.