Memoirs and Oral Histories

Oral History Videos


Farming In West Boxford

Ken Chadwick describes farming in West Boxford at his grandfather's farm at 665 Main Street (house torn down in 2018, but barns remain).

On The Farm (East Boxford)

A presentation by Charlie Killam about growing up on his family’s farm at 2 Old Killam Hill Road. This lecture took place at Lincoln Hall on Thursday, October 21, 2021.

History of Kelsey Nursery

Charlie Killam describes working as a teenager at Harlan P. Kelsey's "Kelsey Highland Nursery" in Boxford.

Oral History Audio Recordings

Audio Oral Histories


The Boxford Town Library has digital recordings of oral histories done by long-time Boxford residents, a number of which date back to the 1970s. Click the link below to access:

Boxford Schools Panel Discussion April 30, 2000

Dick Hopping, Ken Chadwick, Joan Walsh, Charlie Killam

Note: Incomplete - back side of tape was blank and appears to have been recorded over or not flipped when first side was full

Richard King Oral History 

August 2, 2024

Oral history interview with 93 year-old Richard King, owner of King's Tree Farm, a plant nursery that specializes in lilac trees.

Memoirs

Arthur Sias Memoirs.pdf

"The Industries of Boxford and Boxford's Most Unforgetable Characters"

Arthur G. Sias

The first half of this essay describes the history of industry in Boxford according to Sidney Perley's book, "History of Boxford." The second half describes the author's experience growing up as a boy in Boxford in the 1880s and 1890s.