Why our insurance agency loves Wayland!

Wayland, Massachusetts is a town in the MetroWest area, a group of suburbs west of Boston. It is 18 miles from Boston, and 26 miles from Worcester. Covering 15.9 square miles, the town has approximately 13,000 residents. It is bordered by the towns of Lincoln, Sudbury, Weston, Framingham, and Natick.

Wayland is in a convenient location to access many of the major transportation routes in Eastern Massachusetts including Route 128 and the Mass Turnpike. Route 27 runs directly through town, offering access to recreational facilities such as the Wayland Country Club, Sandy Burr Country Club, the town beach on Lake Cochituate, Mill Pond, and conservation areas. This semi-rural town offers all the amenities of living near a big city with the country charm New England towns are famed for.

History

Wayland was established in 1638, when Puritan settlers came to the area. It was the first settlement of the Sudbury Plantation, and was incorporated the next year. In 1643, a bridge was built across the Sudbury River, extending the settlement into present-day Sudbury. In 1714, the residents in on the western side petitioned to form a separate town. This request was denied, and instead a second meeting house was built. As part of Sudbury, the town played an important role in American history, sending soldiers to King Philip’s War and making significant contributions to the American Revolution.

In 1780, there was another petition of the east and west sides of Sudbury to separate. The town that would become Wayland was incorporated as East Sudbury that year. The name was then changed in 1835 in honor of the Reverend Francis Wayland, who was the President of Brown University.

Revered Wayland, Judge Edward Mellen, and others donated money in 1848 to found a free library, the first in Massachusetts. Rebuilt in 1900, the Wayland Free Public Library is a historic landmark in the town.

Notable People and Places

Wayland, like other Massachusetts towns in the area, has an extensive list of notable residents, places, and events. Some of the most famous residents from or having lived in Wayland include:

• Amar Bose, founder of the Bose Corporation
• David Blair
• Lydia Maria Child, author of “Over the River and Through the Woods”
• Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith
• Johnny Most, voice of the Boston Celtics
• Bobby Orr
• Jonathan Papelbon

Interestingly, the Wayland display server protocol also gets its name from this town. It gets this name because the creator was driving through town when he realized how to accomplish his goal.

Dudley Pond is owned by the town. This 84 acre pond is shallow and primarily fed by rain. Once a water source for Boston, it later became center for nightlife during the Prohibition Era. Today it is used for recreation including fishing and boating.

From its historic roots, Wayland has grown into a thriving community in the MetroWest area of Massachusetts. Residents here have easy access to major highways, many recreational opportunities, and beautiful surroundings.