We are a town with a unique and storied history, beginning with our Native American ancestors, whose salmon fishing weirs on our river gave us our name. Incorporated in 1775, we grew up around the historic Ware Center Meeting House that provided us both a place for worship and a hall for conducting town meetings. The building stands as one of the most important rural structures in Massachusetts, and a testament to our early resolve to build a thriving community. We are a mill town whose textile factories lined the Ware River and brought prosperity and growth to our small village. While the mills have closed, the sturdy buildings stand today at our Millyard as a reminder of our industrial past and resilient character.
Today we are an economic and cultural center, a place where unique businesses and historic churches serve a large rural region. We are the front door to the Pioneer Valley, known for its beautiful landscapes of picturesque meadows, rolling hills, and traditional New England villages. We are also a community of pioneers and innovators, with businesses like the American Athletic Shoe Company, Kanzaki Paper, and Country Bank, who provide products and services to our citizens, our Country, and the global market.
This is a community of active places and people, where residents enjoy a lifestyle defined by youth sports, lively events, and spirited gatherings. This is a place where a healthy lifestyle is afforded through the exceptional care at the Baystate Mary Lane Hospital, the outdoor opportunities of the pastoral Grenville Park, or the active options of the Ware River Rail Trail and our local parks.
This is the basecamp for the outdoor enthusiast, as the Quabbin Reservoir and its tributaries provide our people with a diversity of experiences ranging from pleasant views and vistas of our natural resources and wildlife, to more vigorous adventures such as hiking, biking, boating, and fishing.
We are a place where our citizens are becoming more aware of the quality of life our community affords, a place where we are building a new success story every day. Whether it is the quality of our schools system or our growing Arts Center, we are learning more each day about the things we sometimes take for granted. Though the grassroots efforts of organizations like the Ware Business and Civic Association, we can communicate the exceptional quality of life defined by our schools that are cultivating young minds, our hospital that is providing a level of care second to none, our town which gives us a safe place to live and work, and our businesses that offer all of the products and amenities we need.
We are resilient, where the motto of “the town that can’t be licked” is ingrained in our history and culture. We are dedicated, and our independent spirit thrives in our local businesses, cultural anchors, and citizens. We are striving, as evidenced by our school system, town, and community partners who are building a better quality of life for our citizens.
We are committed, as our efforts to revitalize and improve our community are being realized on a daily basis.
We Are Ware, Massachusetts:
Somewhere Worth Seeing.