Townspeople planted fruit bearing trees very early and the managing of orchards along with seasonal lumbering became part of the town's economy. Increasing industrial activity included the first paper mill around 1790 and a small iron works and nail factory about 1810. Within a few years, the town had become a textile producer as the first of seven cotton mills was established in 1812 along the Catacoonamaug.

These mills included one developed by Shakers in 1849. The railroad from Boston on the Fitchburg route opened Shirley to further development in 1845, and additional industries were established in town, including a pitch fork factory, Samson Cordage Company and the C.A. Edgarton Suspender Factory, which by 1890 was the second largest maker of suspenders in the country.

Shirley Massachusetts is located in Northeastern Massachusetts, bordered by Townsend and Groton on the north, Ayer and Harvard on the east, Lancaster on the south, and Lunenburg on the west. Shirley is located 11 miles east of Fitchburg, 25 miles northeast of Worcester, 39 miles northwest of Boston.