The Upton Historical Society invites the public to step back in time with a special narrated bus tour to one of Upton’s earliest surviving workshop buildings — the 1788 Seth Wood Boot Shop and the Old First Cemetery founded in 1735. Interpreters will be on site to tell these stories.
The tour will take place on Sunday, May 31, with buses departing from the Upton Town Hall parking lot at 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Each tour will include a short, narrated ride and a visit to the historic building, where participants will learn about Upton’s important role in New England’s early boot-making industry.
The Seth Wood Boot Shop, built in 1788, is a small independent workshop where artisans crafted boots in a structure known as a “Ten Footer.” Measuring roughly 10 feet by 10 feet, these buildings were a defining feature of early New England’s cottage industries. Craftsmen worked close to home, producing goods for larger merchants long before the rise of industrial factories and providing boots to the deep south during the American Reformation following the American Civil War.
During the 19th century, Upton was a major contributor to the regional boot and shoe trade, producing a significant portion of the footwear used throughout New England.
The building later took on a second life in 1938, when it was converted into a blacksmith shop by Clarence Forsberg. The Forsberg family eventually donated the historic structure to the Upton Historical Society, helping preserve this unique piece of the town’s industrial heritage.
Today, the restored shop offers a rare glimpse into the early working life of Upton’s craftsmen and the small structures that supported a thriving local economy.
Tickets for the bus tour are $5 per person. Because seating is limited, reservations are recommended. To reserve a seat, email uptonmahistoricalsociety@gmail.com or call (508) 529-6600.
The Upton Historical Society encourages residents and visitors alike to join this short journey into the town’s past and discover how a small ten-foot building helped shape a local industry.
