In the archives of the Town of Erving, Massachusetts there has reposed for a century a document very important to many.  It is the incorporation of the Town signed by Robert C. Winthrop, Speaker of the House, Myron Lawrence, President of the Senate and Edward Everett.  Although the Town of Erving, Massachusetts, was incorporated in 1838 the real history begins in 1750, when John Erving received the grant of this tract of land.  John Erving was a man of ability, rising from humble surroundings to become one of the greatest merchants in America, and thereby amassed a great fortune.

When Erving first obtained this land, it was stipulated a certain number of families should settle here and that each family should build a house eighteen feet square by seven feet stud and it must reclaim a certain number of acres of land.  Erving felt that these conditions were too hard to comply with, so he petitioned the General Court to give him a good deed free from the exactions.  This was granted January 22, 1752.

It is interesting to know that Erving is the only town in the United States of that name spelled with an E.  It is also the youngest town in Franklin County with its twelve miles in length and two in breadth.

Excerpts taken from the publication of “Erving Massachusetts In Retrospect”