Security You Can Trust
Welcome to American Alarms’ business and home security page for Ayer, Massachusetts. This informational page provides important crime data along with additional information for those living in or considering moving to Ayer.
According to the FBI Crime Database for Massachusetts’ 279 cities and towns, Ayer was ranked 86th in “Most Property Damage per 100,000” in 2013 improving from 66th in 2012. It was 35th for “Most Burglaries per 100,000” improving from 16th in 2012.
Based in New England since 1971, we’ve worked in the Ayer area for decades. We know the landscape and we have good relationships with local police and fire officials. Our team of employees (200 strong and growing) live in the communities we serve, this means our customers are our neighbors.
Ayer’s history dates back to 1667 when the first mill used to grind corn in the agricultural community was built. Originally part of the town of Groton, the community was initially called Groton Junction or South Groton. Ayer was incorporated in 1871 and named in honor of Dr. James Cook Ayer, a prominent resident of Lowell who provided the funding for the construction of the Ayer town hall.
The town grew, in part, because of the rapid development of railroad transportation during the mid-1800s. Although Ayer encompasses only 9.5 square miles, it became a major junction for both east-west and north-south rail lines, and developed into an important commercial center.
During the Civil War, Camp Stevens, an army training camp, was located near the Nashua River. Camp Devens, which eventually became Fort Devens, was established during World War I in 1917. Fort Devens was closed in 1996.
The largest Nordic ski jump in North America was constructed at Ayer’s Pingry Hill in 1935. A 700-foot-high wooden trestle build, the ski jump operated for a single winter season amid the hardships of Great Depression-era Ayer. Part of the structure was destroyed by the wind in the summer of 1936 and it was never rebuilt.
The Fort Devens Museum on Jackson Road was created because townspeople wanted to commemorate the history of Fort Devens after it was closed in 1996. The museum was incorporated as non-profit organization in 2001. Ten years after its founding, the museum has acquired a collection in excess of 3,000 artifacts, photographs, and documents related to the land, buildings, soldiers, and families that were once part of New England’s largest military base.
The Nashua River Rail Trail is a former railroad right of way that extends 11 miles through the towns of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, and Dunstable. The entire trail is open to pedestrians, bicyclists, inline skaters, wheelchairs, and cross-country skiers.
The Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge lies within the towns of Ayer and Shirley in Middlesex County and the towns of Harvard and Lancaster in Worcester County. Fishing – largemouth bass, yellow perch, brown bullheads, and a variety of sunfish – is allowed on the Nashua River and along its banks within the refuge. Additionally, several hunting opportunities are available at the refuge such as white-tailed deer, small game, waterfowl, and turkey.
Norbert Wiener, (November 26, 1894 – March 18, 1964), was an American mathematician and philosopher who was born in Columbia, Missouri. A child prodigy, Wiener graduated from Ayer High School in 1906 at 11 years of age, and then entered Tufts College. He became a pioneering electronics engineer and theorist of computers and cybernetics. He died in Stockholm, Sweden.
Joseph Edward Morris, born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1960, grew up in Ayer. His father was in the military and stationed at Fort Devens. Morris is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He played for the New York Giants from 1982 to 1988. Noted for his diminutive stature – he was only 5’7” – Morris was a key member of the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXI in 1987.
James Walter “Jamie” Morris, younger brother of Joe Morris, is also a former professional football player. He was running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the New England Patriots. Born in Southern Pines, North Carolina in 1965, Jamie Morris, like his brother Joe, went to Ayer High School.
Ayer, MA, United States
Sales: 781-859-2400
Security Command Center:
781-859-2700
FAX: 781-648-0199
Technical Support: 781-859-2600
Accounting: 781-859-2500
Human Resources: 781-859-2300
Advanced Signal: 781-963-2024
Auburn Office: 508-753-1322
Electronic Alarms, RI: 401-737-2221
Manchester, NH Office: 603-627-2002
Wallingford, CT Office (Monitor Controls): 203-269-3591
Weymouth Office (Atlas Alarm): 781-337-8866