Sutton, Massachusetts, United States

🇺🇸 Sutton, officially the Town of Sutton, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Located in the Blackstone Valley, the town was designated as a Preserve America community in 2004.

History A Nipmuc, John Wampas, visited England in the 1600s and deeded land in the Sutton area to Edward Pratt, who later sold interests to others. Competing claims involving the Nipmucs led to a Massachusetts General Court case in 1704, which granted Pratt and fellow proprietors an eight-mile-square section of land, which is now Sutton.

Three families were the first to settle in Sutton, namely those of Elisha Johnson, Nathaniel Johnson, and Benjamin Marsh, who is credited as a founder of the town and the First Baptist Church of Sutton. In 1717, The Great Snow completely buried structures their home cabins. According to accounts, a local Indigenous person rescued the Johnson family by noticing smoke from their chimney through the snow. Marsh served in several capacities for the town including as a selectman and moderator. He also served as elder and pastor from 1737 until his death in 1775.

By 1735, area inhabited by Hassanamisco Nipmuc and a small portion of the north-eastern Sutton had incorporated as the town of Grafton. In 1813, the northern part of Sutton became Millbury.

In 1737, the Edward Putnam House, one of the oldest homes in Sutton, was built by its namesake and cousin of the military officer Rufus Putnam. The house is featured on the town seal.

On September 26, 1777, Holman's Regiment of Militia was called up in Sutton during the American Revolutionary War.

Since 1962, the Pleasant Valley Country Club has hosted a number of notable Professional Golfers' Association of America tournaments such as the Booz Allen Classic, the Lady Carling Eastern Open, and the New England Classic. The 1968-67 and 1970-74 Women's PGA Championship took place at Pleasant Valley. From 1965 to 1973, golfer Paul Harney worked there.

In 1984, Vaillancourt Folk Art, noted makers of chalkware, was established in Sutton.

In 2004, Sutton was designated as a Preserve America community.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.9 square miles (88 km²), of which 32.4 square miles (84 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), or 4.57%, is water.

The town contains five villages, known as Manchaug, South Sutton, Sutton Center, West Sutton, and Wilkinsonville. Located in the Blackstone Valley, Sutton shares its borders with the towns of Douglas, Grafton, Millbury, Northbridge, Oxford, and Uxbridge.

Historic places Sutton has seven sites on the National Register of Historic Places.

Education Public schools in Sutton fall under the jurisdiction of Sutton Public School District. Sutton public schools consist of the Simonian Center for Early Learning, Sutton Elementary School, Sutton Middle School, and Sutton High School.

The Sutton Free Library was established in 1876. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Sutton spent 0.7% ($165,982) of its budget on its public library—approximately $18 per person, per year ($23.72 adjusted for inflation to 2022).