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Millbury was first settled by Europeans in 1716. It was originally known as the Second or North Parish of Sutton. Because traveling from one part of the town to the other for meetings was time-consuming, inhabitants of the North Parish petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to split Sutton. North Parish became Millbury on June 11, 1813 by way of an act of incorporation. Its name derived from its long history as a mill town. The Blackstone River flows through the town, and during the Industrial Revolution, provided water power to its many textile mills and factories. During this time, the inventor William Crompton worked in Millbury.

Millbury’s industrial history begins in the early eighteenth century, not long after the area’s settlement. In 1735, John Singletary began operating a mill on Singletary Brook, a stream flowing out of Singletary Lake. Around 1753, Singletary built the S & D Spinning Mill, which is still in operation, making it one of the oldest continuously operated mills in the United States. The mill is featured on the Town Seal. The mill also makes the inner parts of the Rawlings baseballs for use in Major League Baseball.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, after learning the trade of firearms production from their father, Asa Waters and his brother, Elijah, purchased land along the Blackstone River and built mills producing goods such as guns, scythes, and sawmill equipment. In 1808, they erected an armory, which was successful until forced to close suddenly in 1841. It reopened at the start of the American Civil War in 1861. With the wealth received from the industry, Asa began construction of the Asa Waters Mansion in 1826. Designed by local architect Asher Benjamin, it was completed six years later.