Milton

Milton, town (township), Norfolk county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Neponset River, just south of Boston. Settled in 1636 as a part of Dorchester, it was early known as Uncataquisset, from an Algonquian word meaning “head of tidewater,” and was separately incorporated in 1662. At Vose (Suffolk Resolves) House in Milton, delegates met on September 9, 1774, and adopted the Suffolk Resolves (protesting the Intolerable Acts of Britain), which were then carried by Paul Revere to the Continental Congress at Philadelphia.

Utilization of the Neponset River’s waterpower led to Milton’s growth as a mill town, and in the 18th century it was a small but busy industrial centre. Manufacturing declined during the 19th century with the exception of stonecutting. Stone for the Bunker Hill Monument was quarried in Quincy, cut in Milton, and transported by the horse-drawn Granite Railway, the first railroad chartered (1826) in the United States. In the late 19th century Milton became a wealthy suburb of Boston; its large estates were gradually broken up after 1930, and it became a residential community. The town remains largely residential, with services accounting for the largest share of employment.

The Milton Academy, a college-preparatory school, was founded there in 1798, and Aquinas (junior) College was founded in 1956. Curry College was founded in Boston as the School of Elocution and Expression in 1879; in 1938 it was given the power to grant college degrees, and it moved to Milton in the 1950s. The Blue Hills Reservation is an extensive year-round sports and recreation area. Milton is also known as the birthplace of President George H.W. Bush. Area 13 square miles (34 square km). Pop. (2000) 26,062; (2010) 27,003.