The Blackstone
Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission lists the Asa Waters
Mansion as "the finest example of Georgian Colonial style in the
country." The Mansion is not only one of the most beautiful
buildings in Millbury, it has a proud history and was part of the
"Underground Railroad" during the Civil War, it is registered on
the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
Asa Waters II was
born in 1769 in the North Parish of Sutton which later became
Millbury in 1813. He learned the art of gunsmithing in his
father’s shop. Because of lucrative government contracts, the
armory, which he and his brother founded, prospered. He was founder
of the Millbury Bank and became a State Representative in 1823.
His plan to erect
the stateliest residence in the country for his wife, Susan Holman
Waters, was set in motion in 1824. Two years were required to
gather the necessary materials for the Mansion. This period
pre-dated the Blackstone Canal and the railroad. All imported goods
had to be carted from the port of Boston by horse and wagon in
Millbury. These included hard pine from the south, marble from
Italy, mahogany from Central America, bricks from Baltimore and
"pumpkin pine" from Maine.
The Asa Waters
Mansion is listed in the Massachusetts Historical
Commission’s publication "Historic Places for Historic
Parties," and is featured in the 1999 Calendar of the Massachusetts
Film Office.
Special
Events at the Asa Waters Mansion