| History
Charlton separated from Oxford and
incorporated in 1755. The town's
history includes James Capen Adams
(1807-1860), better known as
"Grizzly" Adams, one of the last
of the mountain men. Adams headed west
in 1852 and spent eight years in the
Rockies, where he became a friend and slayer
of grizzly bears. He survived several
hand-to-fang encounters and toured with P.T.
Barnum. He is buried in the Old
Burying Ground in Charlton, now known as the
Bay Path Cemetery.
On the Charlton Common is a memorial to
Dr. William Thomas Green Morton (1819-1868),
whose experiments with ether first made
anesthesia possible during surgical
operations.
Today Charlton is one of the fastest
growing towns in the Commonwealth.
Dairy farms and orchards are still an
important part of Charlton, but businesses
are growing along Route 20.
Geographically, Charlton is the second
largest town in Massachusetts. Two of
the most important landmarks in Charlton are
the Masonic Home and the Rider Tavern, built
in 1799.
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