This building is located on the site of the original homestead of Paul and Betsy Whitin.
Betsy survived her husband by many years, dying after the end of Civil War, in 1868.
Though the Whitin family’s bonds seemed as strong as the iron they fashioned into tools, there were problems within the business. Historian Thomas R. Navin argued that “it was Betsey Whitin whose force of personality dominated the firm and held it unified." Near the end of her life, and in response to growing conflict between her sons, Betsy split the family business in 1864, giving her sons Paul, Jr., Charles, James, and John control of different holdings. By that time, the family had several properties here in Whitinsville and elsewhere in Northbridge and Uxbridge. Overall, the more successful operation that grew out of Whitinsville was the Whitin Machine Works. That enterprise came out of the 1826 partnership between Paul Whitin Sr. and his sons Paul, Jr., and John C. Whitin. After Paul Sr.’s death in 1831, Paul Jr. and John would run the textile business for decades. Under the watchful eye of Betsy Whitin, their textile machine shop would grow into the largest in the world.
While building a mansion in town, John C. and his brother Charles P. Whitin also ordered the construction of the building you see on the street corner today. This Town Hall served a practical function and solidified the importance of the village to Northbridge overall. It was dedicated in honor of Betsy and Paul Whitin, whose children certainly left a lasting mark on this land.
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service