Holden, MA

"Hate has no home here"

Nominated by C.F.

Holden residents claim their town as a community of inclusion. (Credit: C.F.)

In Holden, we have an abundance of historic and modern treasures, and citizens working to improve our environment and society on a daily basis.

Stories About Holden

Just last year, a grassroots effort led by Dan Marinone created The Friends of Eagle Lake to help preserve the lake’s imminent drawdown and demise. The group is an all volunteer effort that has succeeding in cleaning up the lake and recreation area, building new tables, and holding a Flatwater race to build funds for further preservation.

A library representative and Holden activist, Stephanie Sadowski Adams has helped to encourage the sale of Hate Has No Home Here signs, buoys the town’s image as a great place to live, and encourages others to become involved in civic education and government. Animals…we love them and take great care of them!

I see an elderly man picking up roadside trash on a weekly basis — just his thing to do. We have the annual Holden Days, with local vendors, arts/crafts, rides, barbecue, dancing and more. There are farms with a great small town feel — local milk and eggs everywhere, in addition to homemade chocolate, homemade jewelry, virtual and neighborhood yard sales, an online Buy Nothing/GiveAway page, birdwatching, places of worship, and many athletic activities. Earlier this spring, Holden was ranked seventh in a survey of the “Best Towns in Massachusetts to Start a Small Business.”

Fresh veggies at the Holden Farmer’s Market. (Credit: C.F.)

Holden — from 1791 and going strong.