(Photo taken by Russell Goodall at Sanford's U.S. Bicentennial Parade in 1976)
Sanford turned 255 years old on Monday, February 27th!
Did you know, Sanford was first called "Phillipstown" after Major William Phillips, who purchased the land from the Abenaki in 1661?
The name "Sanford" came from Peleg Sanford, a Governor of Rhode Island in the 1680s. Peleg Sanford was the son of Major Phillips’ third wife, Bridget Sanford.
Massachusetts' Lieutenant Governor, William Hutchinson asked the Province of Massachusetts Bay Governor, Sir Francis Bernard, to change Phillipstown's name to Sanford. Peleg was a stepson of William Phillips. But more importantly, William Hutchinson's wife was Peleg's granddaughter. Sanford was incorporated as a town on February 27, 1768.