John Murray, an early proprietor, named this Massachusetts town “Athol” in memory of his ancestral homeland in Scotland’s Blair-Atholl region. Athol was a mill town with the earliest being grist, saw, and fulling (for finishing woolen cloth) mills.  Over time, its industries expanded to include machine and tool factories, and the town is still home to the L. S. Starrett Company, known for its precision tools.