Do We Care About the Square?

Did you know that Nenameseck Square is the last vestige of Ware’s plan for a town common?

Ever wonder why every town around us has a town common and we do not?

The answer lies in a historical mystery. The year is 1844. The center of town has really changed, moving east towards the factories and leaving pastoral Ware Center for the bustle of industry. “Among the assets of the Hampshire Manufacturing Company, which failed in 1837, was a large tract of land known as the Common, lying between Main and Water Streets, extending east to the Otis Company’s Office, and west to Palmer Road.” (Chase, History of Ware, p.170) It was the intention of the company to give the tract to the town, but they neglected to do so before the company went under, so there was nothing that could be done but to sell the land. It was therefore cut into 34 building lots, all of which sold, except for a couple of lots on the east end.

These lots became Nenameseck Square, named for a method of fishing the river that flowed through the settled area. The “weir” (pronounced “ware”) was a loose structure of stones and brush that began at either side of the river and nearly met in the middle. A basket was held at the opening for the fish that inevitably ran into the trap. Nenameseck is the Nipmuc word for weir. There was a spectacular weir at the falls of the Ware River where the mills are now.

The history of the Square itself is not without controversy. According to Conkey’s History of Ware, in 1932 an investor purchasing the Otis Company laid claim to the Square as owned by the Company. Judge Henry Davis of Ware argued against that opinion, and the town affirmed its rights to Nenameseck Square. In 1905, the suggestion to move the horse trough from the north side of the common to the south side was made, but not carried out until 1955. In 1959, a plan to remove the ornamental fence, made in town by the Ware Foundry, met with local opposition and was abandoned. In 1974, the town came together once more to keep Nenameseck Square safe from the demands of traffic and change. At our most recent town meeting, this action was rescinded, and Nenameseck Square is once more in jeopardy.

Nenameseck Square is a spot that provides beauty, shade and history all in one shot on Main Street.
Does Ware care about the Square? I certainly hope so.

by Lynn Lak, Ware Historical Commission