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Second Congregational Church, East Douglas MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
History · East Douglas

East Douglas’ post office opened in 1924, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1886 on.

1924first post office
2on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From East Douglas’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How East Douglas began

When was East Douglas founded?

1924

The East Douglas post office opened in 1924, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,702102 years
Founding year: the first East Douglas post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about East Douglas’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18868 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1982. Watch East Douglas change.Old housesHalf of East Douglas’ homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start East Douglas’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how East Douglas’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEast Douglas, Mass. 1886: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

East Douglas on the map, 1886 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Douglas. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

East Douglas on the 1886 USGS mapEast Douglas on the 1893 USGS mapEast Douglas on the 1900 USGS mapEast Douglas on the 1919 USGS mapEast Douglas on the 1953 USGS mapEast Douglas on the 1969 USGS mapEast Douglas on the 1979 USGS mapEast Douglas on the 1982 USGS map1886Blackstone sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Douglas.

The story so far

East Douglas, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of East Douglas yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

East Douglas is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Douglas in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, East Douglas had a population of 2,702.

Its first post office opened in 1924. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,557 to 2,702 (+6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

East Douglas, 1816 to 1912

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1816Born hereHiram Walker is born here
  3. 1828Born hereEdwin C. Hewett is born here
  4. 1855Born hereAlfred E. Hunt is born here
  5. 1886In the archiveEast Douglas, Mass. 1886
  6. 1886On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1912Born hereHenry Coppola is born here
By decade

East Douglas, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
East Douglas, Mass. 18861886East Douglas, Mass. 1886
1890s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Sign, Southern New England Trunkline Trail2021Sign, Southern New England Trunkline TrailDouglas High School, Douglas MA2017Douglas High School, Douglas MALower Hunt's Pond Dam2009Lower Hunt's Pond DamEast Douglas, Mass2008East Douglas, Mass
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

East Douglas, Mass. 1886
Retake this viewEast Douglas, Mass. 1886, 1886

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on East Douglas’ page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in East Douglas

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in East Douglas

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Hiram WalkerAmerican businessman · b. 1816
Alfred E. HuntAmerican businessman · b. 1855
H
Henry CoppolaMajor League Baseball pitcher · b. 1912
Edwin C. HewettAmerican advocate for equality in education · b. 1828

Questions about East Douglas’ history

What year was East Douglas founded?

The East Douglas post office opened in 1924, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.