2 - Town of Colchester

Congregational Church
As population grew, efforts were devoted to establishing a church and securing a minister. In 1703, the General Court
authorized the organization of a church and, by 1706, the early settlers had built the Town’s first meetinghouse at the
upper end of modern day Old Hebron Road. By 1716, a decision was made to build a new meetinghouse more central to
the expanding village and closer to a better water supply.
As settlement grew and dispersed throughout Colchester, outlying areas established their own parishes or ecclesiastical
societies in order to avoid the lengthy trip to the central meetinghouse, especially in the winter. The New Salem Society
was formed in 1725 and the Marlborough Society was formed in 1747. Eventually, the Salem and Marlborough societies
formally split off and were officially organized as separate Towns.
Industrial Growth & Decline
Colchester was at the center of a well-established road network and, by
the mid-18th century, a thriving agricultural community and the center
of regional trade. Small shops, local mills and other enterprises served
Colchester and the surrounding areas and made Colchester the social and
economic center in the region.
Early Mercantile Activity
Railroad Service
Tina Lyman
In 1847, the Hayward Rubber Company was established. The success of
the rubber plant spurred overall economic prosperity in Colchester. The
demand for employees brought a more diverse population to Colchester,
caused rapid growth, and resulted in the founding of local banks, a
railroad, and the volunteer fire department. The company constructed
boarding houses and tenements for its employees, sidewalks were built,
a Town park was laid out, a library association was formed, and the
streets were fitted with gas lamps.
Colchester Historical Society
In 1877, a group of local
investors created the
Colchester Railroad
Company. Passenger and
freight service was provided
on a rail spur from the New
York and Boston Air Line
Railroad to the Hayward
Rubber Factory and the
village.
However, the rubber plant was taken over in 1890 and closed in 1893. During the economic decline that followed,
Colchester’s population shrunk from about 3,000 people in 1890 to about 2,000 people by 1900.
Many of the farms in Colchester were vacated after the closing of the rubber mill. Some farms were purchased by the
Hirsch Foundation as places for Jewish immigrants to settle. As a result, by 1915, about 50% of the local population was
Jewish. The “resettlement” of Colchester prompted a return to agriculture supported by Jewish and then Slavic
immigrants.
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