[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26007]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING THE TOWN OF GRAFTON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 19, 1999

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure today to rise to 
honor the heroism of the people of the Town of Grafton in the wake of 
the Fisherville Mill fire that struck the town on the night of August 
3, 1999.
  The Fisherville Mill has always been a significant historic site. It 
was considered to be a fine example of late 19th century industrial 
architecture. A longtime site of textile production, Fisherville mill 
was one of three such mills in the area built during the first third of 
the nineteenth century. The mill remained vibrant through the 
nineteenth and into the twentieth century until the onset of the Great 
Depression.
  However, in recent years the mill, which once employed 700 workers, 
became slated for EPA clean up due to chemical pollution. And even 
after the fire, the Central Massachusetts Economic Development 
Authority, which currently owns the site, plans to pursue clean-up 
efforts at the site.
  As many as 250 firefighters and over 100 support personnel responded 
to the scene, including crews from Ashland, Auburn, Foxboro, Holliston, 
Hopedale, Hopkinton, Leicester, Marlboro, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, 
Millville, Northbridge, Oxford, Sherborn, Shrewsbury, Southbridge, 
Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, Westboro, and Worcester as well as the State 
Forestry Department and a crew from Providence, RI. Together they 
courageously worked along side their brothers from Grafton to subdue 
the blaze, the likes of which Grafton has never before seen and 
hopefully never will again.
  Mr. Speaker, we often see communities come together in the wake of 
great disasters. However, seldom have I seen such an outpouring of 
support as I have in the town of Grafton. If it had not been for the 
valiant efforts of fire fighters from around the Commonwealth quite 
possibly the entire town may have burned to the ground. It is therefore 
my great honor to recognize the bravery and courage of everyone in 
Grafton--firefighters, police, community and business leaders, as well 
as ordinary citizens for their response which should make all of us 
proud.

                          ____________________