Hours:

Mon, Wed, Thur - 8:00 am to 4:00 pm 

Tue - 8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Fri - 8:00 am to 12:00 pm

Town of Upton Mission Statement:

The government of the Town of Upton will provide the public with the highest, most efficient and effective level of service that is possible with the resources available in a manner that exemplifies honesty, transparency and accountability while honoring our history, promoting diversity, preserving the community’s well-being and dutifully planning for our future.

History of Upton

Welcome to the Town of Upton a suburban community located in Worcester County in south central Massachusetts 35 miles west of Boston and southeast of Worcester.  The Town is 21.8 square miles in size, has approximately 7,540 residents. One of our notable residents was Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin. Upton is governed by an open town meeting form of government, a Town Manager and a three-member Board of Selectmen.

Upton was incorporated in June, 1735 with land taken from the towns of Hopkinton, Mendon, Uxbridge and Sutton. The first meeting house was erected on our first burying ground located at the junction of Mendon and Grove Streets and many of the first citizens are buried there.  It is not clear who chose the name Upton for our town, however it is known that in England there is an Upton which is situated 13 miles south of Worcester.  Many towns in New England were named after English towns. In Massachusetts, the town of Upton, like its counterpart is also 13 miles south of Worcester.

The main industry in Upton for 100 years was boots and shoes. In 1837 the Town's factories produced 21.7% of all of the boots manufactured in Worcester County.  This was followed in 1860 by the making of hats and bonnets. William Knowlton began expanding small shops into a factory considered for 90 years as the largest hat industry in the world employing nearly 1,000 workers. Today the renovated Knowlton Hat Factory provides affordable senior housing that includes 89 units which allows many Upton seniors to remain in our community. Rail service came to Upton in 1873 with the building of the Grafton & Upton Railroad that today extends to Hopedale and Milford.