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.
High School and College During Covid
Madelyn Peterson and Abby Flinn talk about how the 2020 Covid pandemic affected their senior year of high school and freshman year of college.
Peter Perkins Oral History
Peter Perkins was born in Boxford in 1940 and lived here his whole life. He is the grandson of Harry Lee Cole aka "Mr. Boxford", and takes after him in many ways, having worked for and been involved with the town in many ways, including as a Fire Chief and Selectman.
Jim Getchell Oral History
Jim Getchell, along with his wife Claudia, were the owners of the West Boxford Village store from 1975-1979.
Smallman Family Oral History
Betsy Gadbois, Kyle Smallman and Christy Morley are all members of the Smallman family of Boxford who grew up in town in the 1980s-1990s. They all still live nearby and are involved in town life in different ways.
Laurie Rowen Oral History
Laurie Rowen was a pre-school teacher at Cole School for many years. Since her retirement in 2019, she has been very involved in the project to restore Boxford's Little Red Schoolhouse, which is located on the Cole School property.
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.