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 At our most recent town meeting, this action was rescinded, and Nenameseck Square is once more in jeopardy.

Can the Square be saved or shall we obliterate it in the face of traffic demands? Nenameseck Square is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because it is one of those places we can look to that really connects our community to the past. It is a heritage landscape, a result of human interaction with the natural resources of the town. Is there a way we can make the corner safe for traffic without sacrificing an area that town’s people have kept sacred for over 150 years? Once the town common, then a playground, and now a sweet place to sit and eat lunch, Nenameseck Square is a spot that provides beauty, shade and history all in one shot on Main Street. The Parks Department has done a tremendous job keeping the ornamental fence intact this year, as well as trimming the grounds and providing a dash of color where the planters are blooming. Even as the horse trough at the north side spills over with flowers, the trucks that pass too close to the fence pose a hazard to Ware’s “town common”. As the town looks ahead to trying to improve the traffic pattern through these now busy streets, remember that there is history in that Square. It is a small piece of open space on our Main Street, the last bit of a town common we have.
Does Ware care about the Square? I certainly hope so.

by Lynn Lak, Ware Historical Commission