Woburn, MA is a city of about 41,000 residents nine miles north of Boston, anchoring the I-93/Route 128 interchange. Settled in 1640 and incorporated as a town in 1642, Woburn is one of the oldest municipalities in Massachusetts and has gone through several distinct economic identities over its 380+ year history.
Settlement and Early Industry
Woburn was set off from Charlestown in 1642 as one of the inland farming and timber towns of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Its name comes from Woburn, England — birthplace of John Bone, one of the original founders. The Aberjona River and other small waterways provided power for early grist mills, sawmills, and eventually leather tanneries.
The Tanning Capital
By the mid-1800s Woburn had become one of the largest leather tanning centers in the United States. At its peak around 1900, the city had over 30 active tanneries producing leather for shoes, harnesses, and industrial uses. The tanning industry shaped Woburn’s working-class identity, drew waves of Irish, Italian, and later Greek and Armenian immigrants, and built the dense triple-decker neighborhoods that still characterize parts of the city.
The Woburn Public Library
The Woburn Public Library, designed by H.H. Richardson and completed in 1879, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most architecturally significant town libraries in the United States. The Romanesque Revival stone building with its long hall, stained-glass windows, and stone exterior was donated to the city by Charles Bowers Winn in memory of his father. It remains in active use as the city library.
The Toxic Wells Era
Woburn’s industrial history left an environmental legacy that defined the city’s late-20th-century identity. Through the 1970s, residents in the Pine Street neighborhood noticed an unusual cluster of childhood leukemia cases. Investigation revealed that two municipal drinking water wells had been contaminated by industrial solvents from nearby tanneries and chemical plants. The resulting lawsuit was made famous by the book and film ‘A Civil Action.’ The wells were closed and the contaminated sites became EPA Superfund cleanup projects.
Modern Woburn
Today Woburn has reinvented itself as a biotech and pharmaceutical hub — Cummings Properties’ Woburn campus alone houses dozens of research companies. The city’s downtown around Woburn Square is on a slow upswing. Horn Pond — a 102-acre pond on the city’s west side — serves as the unofficial outdoor center of the community, with a 2-mile walking loop used heavily by residents.
Plumbing & Heating in Woburn
Woburn’s older two-families and post-war ranches have seen plenty of plumbing replacements. We are frequently called for water heater swaps, boiler replacements, and full-house repipes in the established neighborhoods around the West Side and Montvale Avenue.
Need a plumber in Woburn? Sedona Plumbing and Heating is licensed, insured, and dispatches same-day from our Winchester shop. See our Woburn services hub, our Woburn plumber page, or our Woburn HVAC services. Call (781) 242-2386.
Local Resources & Things to Do in Woburn
For ideas on what to see and do locally, see our Things to Do in Woburn guide.
