Worcester County Wonders: Asa Waters Mansion, the jewel of Millbury

Yahoo

18-05-2025

MILLBURY — His goal was to build the "stateliest residence" in the country, complete with hard pine from the American South, marble from Italy, mahogany from Central America and bricks from Baltimore.
It took more than two years to collect the materials, but in 1826 Asa Waters II succeeded and the construction of his own mansion on Elm Street began. Today, the property is described as "the finest example of Georgian Colonial style in the country" by the Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, next year the mansion will celebrate its 200th birthday.
"I remember we had a student from the University of California, Berkeley, who was visiting a friend studying at Northeastern, he took the train out to Grafton, took a cab to us, and when he got here, he bent down and touched the crown molding," said Dennis Hill, vice chair of the Asa Waters Task Force. "He just couldn't believe it was still there."
Hill wears many hats when it comes to the mansion and knows the building down to its bricks and bones. After all, it was his aunt, Diana Hill, that was instrumental in saving the property from the wrecking ball in the 1990s.
But before the property fell in disrepair, the mansion in the 1830s wasn't just a place to live for the Waters family — it was a statement of their prosperity and the success of the Waters business empire, the Waters & Co. Armory.
"The Waters family and their place in American history really doesn't get enough recognition," said Selectman Chris Naff, who also is chairman of the Task Force.
Waters and his brother Elijah opened the armory in 1808, but their partnership was short-lived. Elijah died suddenly in 1814, leaving the business upon the shoulders of Asa.
Despite the pressure, he managed to patent several gun-manufacturing inventions and eventually landed a profitable contract with the United States government and made weapons for the War of 1812. After the contracts came to an abrupt halt, Waters pivoted and went into textiles.
After his death in 1841, Waters left the home to his only son of eight children, Asa Holman Waters III, who carried his father and grandfather's name as an avid abolitionist. His close connection and membership with the abolitionist Free Soil Party has led to several rumors the mansion may have once been a part of the Underground Railroad.
"There is a lot of documentation and a lot of hearsay," Naff said, explaining the most popular rumor among locals is the existence of a tunnel between the mansion and the Torrey house across the street.
"When they put a sewer system in town, the entire community was out in the front yard to see the so-called tunnels," Hill said, adding there have been no traces of any tunnel system discovered anywhere on the property.
Asa Holman Waters II's daughter, Susan Holman Waters, named for her mother, went on to marry Samuel Davenport Torrey and had two daughters, Delia and Louisa. The Torrey family built an opulent home across the street from the mansion, which still stands today.
Louisa would go on to marry a lawyer in Ohio and have five children, including future U.S. President William Howard Taft. Taft visited Millbury throughout his life, including a visit during his presidency in 1910, during which he stayed at the Torrey home.
In 1929, the mansion was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester until the 1970s when the town of Millbury obtained the property. During this time, the diocese didn't do much to renovate or modernize the building, other than update some of the plumbing for the nuns living on the upper floors. Because of this, much of the building remains in a semioriginal state.
On the upper floors, there are holes in the walls from where the town simply drilled and ran wires, Hill said, adding there wasn't a lot of thought put into preserving anything.
"There was a black porcelain toilet, bath and sink here," Hill said as we opened a small door connecting two bedrooms. "The town just took a sledgehammer to it, it's just such a shame, especially because the bathroom fittings were smaller, meant for the children of the home."
By the mid-1990s, the mansion had fallen into complete disrepair and the town suggested tearing down the property. The idea frustrated local residents, including local teacher and Hill's aunt Diana.
"It was one of her students that wrote a letter to the governor, that's what really got the ball rolling," Hill said.
It was then both the Asa Waters Task Force and later the Friends of the Asa Waters Mansion preservation society were created.
"Some of the people who created the task force are still involved today," Hill said.
The restoration process has been ongoing for more than 30 years, Hill said. Several original items from the Waters family have been discovered and brought back to life over the years, including a number of black chestnut doors and fireplace mantles that the family took with them after selling the home to the diocese.
Some of the Waters descendants are still around and in contact with the task force. In the last several years, the mansion has been gifted an oil portrait of Waters III, which was found in the Florida attic of a relative.
"The original piano is actually in Quincy," Hill said with a laugh, explaining it's in the care of the John Quincy Adams Birthplace. "We've asked for it back, but they won't give it to us."
Hill has also acquired chestnut timbers and beams from the nearby Turgeon Funeral Home when it announced the building would be demolished.
"We really wanted the original glass from the funeral home, but it was too small," Hill said, adding any time any original materials can be obtained, he does his best to bring them back to the mansion.
What's more, he obtained several letters on eBay, detailing the inventory of the furniture and decor in every single room of the home, which has made it easy to recreate the 1830s down to the positioning of every armchair. In the letters, Mrs. Waters also described the grounds in great detail, down to when the strawberries were ripe for eating.
Then there is the color of the home, Hill said the task force worked with a company in Pennsylvania that used black-and-white photos of the original home to reveal the original color of the paint.
"We wanted to go back to the most original color of paint," Naff said. "It ended up being this dirty, yellowish white.
"Then the company wanted to retest the color and thank goodness they did," Naff continued. "It turned out to be a really nice white, it's called 'snowfall.' Our version is tricked out of course but this is the original color."
Waters' original dream of the mansion continues, even in 2025, as a venue for celebrations such as weddings, reunions and most recently a place to take prom pictures ahead of hitting the dance floor. The original home was designed to entertain, with several large rooms for guests to congregate and a ballroom located on the second floor.
"The Waters family big tradition was Christmas," said Naff. "So we've continued that tradition here with the Christmas Festival of Lights. The Waters family were really the first to celebrate Christmas in a public way. They threw an annual Christmas Ball and now in our own way we are carrying on the tradition."
The mansion is a focal point in the holiday event, hosting Mr. and Mrs. Claus for photographs and family fun.
Waters II is said to have died during one of these epic holiday events, retiring to his bedroom while guests were still enjoying themselves. His last words were said to be "I'm leaving this room to go to the room above," before passing away in his sleep.
Strolling along the property today, an original 200-year-old gold-leaf chandelier hangs over the heads of visitors. It is easy to imagine the likes of Abby Kelley Foster or Alexander Graham Bell sipping a cocktail in one of these opulent rooms.
"I remember coming here on a school trip in 1998," Naff said. "A lot of us who grew up here had very early exposure to when the construction and restoration process had just begun."
Naff said when his mother was growing up in Millbury, she didn't have the same opportunity to tour the home or grounds.
"You should have seen it," Hill said. "There were so many trees you couldn't see the house and the paint looked like alligator skin, it was peeling so badly."
"This place represents multiple touchstones for multiple generation," said Traci Parath, executive director of the mansion.
"We had a couple come in just a couple weekends ago for a tea party," she said. "Turns out they were married here 40 years ago and wanted to recreate some of their wedding photos."
The mansion is already taking bookings for the property in 2027, including weddings and quite a surge in corporate events. Parath said it's been a thrilling experience to welcome people from all walks of life, with different traditions, serving everything from barbecue to lobster and filet mignon.
Parath has lived in the community for about three decades and said her hope is to "share the mansion in a way it's never been shared before."
T&G engagement editor Sarah Barnacle is getting to know Central Mass. by exploring some of the best places to go and things to do in Worcester County. If you have an idea or suggestion, please email [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester County Wonders: Asa Waters Mansion, the jewel of Millbury