Berlin was home to the Nashaway, and Sachem Sholan deeded part of the town's land to settlers in 1643.[2] Berlin was first settled in 1665. It was named "Berlin" as a district in 1784, and incorporated as a town in 1812. The pronunciation (which unlike the German city emphasizes the first syllable) is believed to date from 1784.[3]
Berlin lies in a low range of hills between the Nashua River and Assabet River valleys. Incorporated in 1812, the town was a residential and agricultural community, growing mixed hay grains and raising cattle. For a period after the Civil War, Berlin was home to a large shoe factory, and shoe manufacturing and lumbering provided non-agrarian jobs. The town soon moved into specialty market gardening, sending 41,000 bunches of asparagus to market in 1885, growing hops and raising chickens. By 1940, 836,600 dozen eggs were produced annually by the poultry farmers of Berlin.
Town Hall
Berlin's first town house was constructed in 1831 for town meetings and social activities. Community growth necessitated the construction of a new town hall, and construction of the new town hall was started in 1869 and completed in 1870. The lot, a small piece of land facing the Meeting House Common in the center of Berlin, was given to the town by Artemas Barnes.
The Memorial Hall, on the first floor, included photographs of nearly all the local soldiers lost in the Civil War. Later the photos of other Civil War veterans were added until likenesses of nearly 100 local men were collected there. In the 20th century, war dead of World War I, World War II and Vietnam were added.
Barnes Hall, used for social gatherings, and the Selectmen's Room were also on the first floor. In 1904–1905, an addition was built at the back of the building to provide space for a kitchen and the public library on the first floor, and the stage on the second floor. Toilets were added in the 1630s.
In 1998, however, the town hall was moved from the 1870 building to the former home of the elementary school and the school was moved into a new building down the road.
The public library was located in the Town Hall from 1891 until 1928. Barnes Hall was used as a school room in the 1870s. As recently as 1999 the locally produced musical Swinging Into the Millennium was held in the upper hall. Two area contra dance groups have used the hall in recent years. Meetings of Boy and Girl Scouts and local youth baseball and soccer groups also are held in the building.
The project of refurbishing and providing ADA-accessible access to the second floor of the 1870 Town Hall was completed in 2019. The space is available for both Town government use and for rent as a function hall and meeting space.
As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 2,380 people, 872 households, and 666 families residing in the town. The population density was 184.1 inhabitants per square mile (71.1/km2). There were 893 housing units at an average density of 69.1 per square mile (26.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.61% White, 0.17% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.
There were 872 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,667, and the median income for a family was $76,419. Males had a median income of $50,711 versus $32,330 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,915. About 2.1% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Berlin, like many small New England municipalities, uses an open town meeting as its form of government. Day-to-day operations are handled by a town administrator, who is appointed by a three-person board of selectmen.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1920 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1890 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1870 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1860 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1850 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
