In 1716 a tract of land which was a little more than 11,000 acres in size was granted to John Read. He named it "The Manour Of Peace" and had it in mind to develop it in the style of an English manor anticipating that it would later become a very valuable country estate. He leased out the land and did not sell one acre until after his death when he gave a gift of 200 acres to serve as a ministry lot. As time passed, the town of Ware grew up around the old Congregational meeting house and later became a small center of local manufacturing and commerce.

The actual origin of the name, Ware, is thought to be derived from a translation of the Native American word "Nenameseck," meaning fishing weir (pronounced Ware). The weirs were used to capture salmon that were once abundant in New England waterways.

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION COMES TO WARE

In 1729, the first grist and saw mills were built on the banks of the Ware River by Jabez Olmstead. During the American Revolution there were at least eight taverns and several inns in the area. Two of the most famous were Ebenezer Nye’s tavern and John Downing’s. After town meetings were held they would often adjourn to the latter establishment. By the 1830s it was not uncommon to see textile mills dotted along the various local rivers. At this point Ware community was making the transition from an agrarian economy to an industrially based society. The post Civil War era (1850s - 1900s) brought a new prosperity to the now established textile mill town. "Ware factory village," as it was known, sprung up overnight and formed the basis for new growth and development.

THE STORY OF WARE INDUSTRIES

For nearly 100 years the Otis company had been the largest single Ware employer. Cotton had been the primary product and by 1937, denims, awnings and tickings were the principal output. It had been very prosperous until World War I when its employees numbered close to 2,500. By the 1920s however, the company began to decline due to southern competition and lack of modern machinery.

By the mid thirties, the Directors decided to liquidate although no public announcement was made. Shortly thereafter, the company had sold its interests to 3 "cotton men" – Lawrence W. Robert Jr., Edward J. Heitzeberg, and Paul A. Redmond – all with close connections to Alabama Mills which owned factories in the South.

Instantly, the townspeople rallied to the cause. One thousand posters were put up around the community reading:

A public mass meeting was called that evening and plans to raise the necessary cash in order to save what appeared to be the ruin of the town were formulated. The citizens of Ware were able to purchase the mills together with the backing of the Ware Trust Company. The mills became Ware Industries Inc., and Ware came to be known nation-wide as "The Town That Can’t Be Licked."

WARE TODAY

Although the factories have long since closed, Ware is now primarily a bedroom community to the five college area (The University of Massachusetts, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College, Amherst College, Hampshire College) as well as Springfield. It is the home of outlet stores (revitalized old mill sites) Berkshire Blanket, Quabbin Wire and Cable (ISO producer) and Granlund Engineering Co. just to name a few. The town itself, situated in Western Massachusetts, is nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by rolling pasture land, rivers and the noted Quabbin Reservoir nearby (water source for the city of Boston). Ware’s history remains apparent like many quintessential New England mill towns. The story is one of faded grandeur reflected in the beautiful Victorian architecture of the houses that still line Church street today.