Document Type
Finding Aid
Collection Number
MSS-030
Publication Date
2018
Last Revision Date
4-29-2019
Description
The Bridgewater Improvement Association (BIA) was founded in 1901 as the Bridgewater Village Improvement Society. The organization’s original objective was to create a better town, both to look at and to live in. The original constitution stated the focus of the group: “the promotion of order, beauty, and public welfare.” Arthur C. Boyden, head of Bridgewater State Normal School from 1906 to 1933, was voted the first president of the BIA in 1901.
From its inception in 1901 to the present, the BIA has dedicated itself to the beatification of Bridgewater without the help of taxpayer dollars. The organization is still active within the Bridgewater community.
The collection focuses on annual and regular meeting minutes dating back to 1901, as well as financial documents pertaining to the numerous projects and yearly expenses the BIA spent on beautifying and bettering the town.