Ashby is located in the hills of central Massachusetts, along the New Hampshire border. The town was incorporated in 1767, initially growing as an agricultural community before water-powered mills emerged along its streams. In 1840, the population began 50 years of decline as people sought more profitable work in larger cities and free land in the western United States. Perhaps due to this decline, the center of town is preserved much as it was in 1840, boasting all its original buildings still in place. Ashby saw a century of renewed growth starting in 1880, when Bostonians arrived during the summer to escape the heat and unhealthy