OLD COLONY HISTORY

AT THE

OLD COLONY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS

by Lisa A. Compton,

Katheryn P. Viens,

and Jane M. Hennedy

Directors

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On picturesque Church Green, Taunton’s original meetinghouse common, stands the Old Colony Historical Society. It is housed in the old Bristol Academy building, designed in 1852 by Richard Upjohn, architect of New York City’s Trinity Church. This brick Italianate building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a prominent feature of both national and local historic districts. It faces the 1830 First Parish Church (gathered in 1637), the fourth meetinghouse to stand on this site. Other features of this beautiful greensward are the Vietnam Memorial Fountain (first public Vietnam memorial in Massachusetts), seasonal floral gardens, patriotic flags, and some of the finest remaining 19^th century homes in the city.

The Old Colony Historical Society was founded in 1853, and therefore is one of New England’s oldest historical societies. It was established at a time when its founding fathers saw drastic changes taking place in the Old Colony region (the old Plymouth Colony). Industrialization had begun; improved transportation throughout New England meant that Taunton was no longer isolated. Immigration had also begun, and Taunton was becoming quite cosmopolitan. Early Puritan families were dying out or moving west, and the new Society put forth as its mission “the preservation and perpetuation of the history of the Old Colony region of Massachusetts.” Today, our outlook is more wide-reaching, and our mission has evolved: “to preserve the history of the people of the Taunton region and to share this history with our audience, inspiring in them a sense of community as they shape the future.” To fulfill that mission, the Society maintains a museum of regional objects and a research library specializing in local history and genealogy.

Taunton figured prominently in the development of Plymouth Colony, which would merge in 1692 with the Massachusetts Bay Colony to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The town was settled in 1639 by a group of English people who had come by way of Dorchester. They came south, seeking more land and greater religious freedom. They found at “Cohannet,” as the area was then called, the confluence of three good rivers teeming with herring, cleared land and good, arable soil. By 1640, the town had incorporated, changed its name to “Taunton,” (after Taunton, Somerset, England), and 46 original purchasers had home and farm lots established. Legend has it that English noblewoman Elizabeth Pole had purchased Taunton from the native Wampanoags and established the town. In fact she was one of the area’s first European settlers with her brother William in 1637, and she was instrumental in civic affairs as well as in establishing the first church; however, she was not one of the original purchasers. Nevertheless, today’s city seal commemorates the allegorical deed.

Taunton is the largest city in terms of square mileage in Massachusetts. It once covered almost twice its present area, having generated the present day towns of Norton (1711), Dighton (1712), Easton (1725), Raynham (1731), Berkley (1735) and Mansfield (1770). Besides these children, Taunton can claim many famous citizens—among them Signer of the Declaration of Independence Robert Treat Paine and Governor of Massachusetts Marcus Morton.

By 1652, the area’s first major industry was underway—the smelting of the bog iron that was plentiful in Taunton’s rivers and swamps. Indeed, the Anchor Forge in what is now Raynham was to become one of the first successful ironworks in America. It produced the anchor for the Civil War’s Monitor. Another furnace in the Westville section of town cast the anchor for the U.S.S. Constitution. The successful operation of over a dozen iron “bloomeries” during the 17^th and 18^th centuries foreshadowed a long history of metal-related industries in Taunton. Another early industry was shipbuilding, for by 1699, a major shipyard was in operation on the Taunton River. The town of Taunton was situated at the most northerly navigable point on the “Great River,” as it was then known. Thus, shipbuilding and coastal trade played major roles in Taunton’s industrial development. At one time, Taunton was one of the busiest inland seaports on the Atlantic coast.

The Taunton River supplied a plentiful herring fishing industry. Its vast clay beds supplied huge brickmaking concerns and the first stoneware pottery in Massachusetts. It also provided hydraulic power for the many factories and textile mills that operated during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The first known calico printworks in America was here. Other iron and metal-related products that contributed significantly to the town’s industrial output were tacks, nails, shovels, locomotives (e.g., Mason Machine Works) and stoves (e.g., Glenwood Range Co.). Today, Taunton bears the nickname “Silver City,” due to more than 40 silversmithing companies that have existed here throughout the years. Today, Reed & Barton Silversmiths is the best known one remaining. It was in Taunton that Babbitt metal, used in the manufacture of ball bearing sleeves, was invented.

Taunton became the shire town of Bristol County in 1746, and became a city in 1864. Due to the opportunities created by industry starting in the 1830s, immigrants were drawn to Taunton, with the resulting establishment of ethnic neighborhoods that added variety and cultural diversity to this once Puritan town. The most populous immigrant groups, reflected in today’s demographics still, include Portuguese, Italians, Irish, Polish, French-Canadians, Cape Verdeans, Hispanics and Latinos.

Taunton can boast of an impressive military history as well. The town figured prominently in King Philip’s War. Taunton also led the colonies in Revolutionary activities, when citizens gathered on the Green on October 21, 1774 and raised the Liberty and Union Flag upon a 112-foot Liberty Pole, in defiance of the King. Called by some “the first American flag,” it still flies from Taunton flagpoles today and celebrates its own annual holiday, “Liberty & Union Day,” each October to commemorate the event. Taunton distinguished itself during the Civil War; local men were among the first to set foot below the Mason-Dixon Line. During World War II, embarkation and detention Camp Myles Standish was located in North Taunton, where Myles Standish Industrial Park is today. It housed some 40,000 soldiers. More recently, Taunton was chosen as the official Massachusetts “Welcome Home” site for the soldiers of the Persian Gulf War. On or near Taunton Green stand monuments to the soldiers of all the wars in which Tauntonians have participated. This is fitting, as beautiful Taunton Green, now a park, was originally laid out as a training field for the militia in 1639.

This same Taunton Green has long been a tourist attraction. From the 1850s until the Depression, Taunton was a resort town, offering Dighton Rock Park, Sabbatia Lake Park, Woodward Spring Park, and the famed City Hotel (burned 1926) on Taunton Green. Particularly popular, starting in 1914, were the Taunton Green Christmas Displays. Thousands came to see them each year, and still do. Adding to the resort atmosphere, boat houses and yacht clubs were sprinkled along the Taunton River. Pleasure crafting on the river has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity due to the combined conservation efforts of local, state and national environmental agencies. This waterway has been designated as the first Massachusetts Heritage River.

Today’s historic attractions in the area include the site of the Anchor Forge, Dighton Rock State Park, the Gertrude Boyden Wildlife Refuge, and Massasoit State Park. There are three different self-guided walking tours available from the Old Colony Historical Society. One was designed by a local Girl Scout specifically for children. There are two National Register Historic Districts in the city, as well as numerous properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For the student of architecture, Taunton is a veritable textbook of styles, with fine examples of Colonial, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Bungalow and Modern style buildings. Tiffany stained glass windows, Paul Revere bells, and historic pipe organs grace Taunton’s churches. Fine old mill buildings from the city’s industrial heydey survive, and have been adapted for business, retail and residential space.

Exhibits at the Old Colony Historical Society museum relate to these aspects of Taunton’s history. The industries are well documented; for example, a fine silver display chronicles that important part of the city’s past. Exhibits of furniture, domestic artifacts, toys, tools, Native American materials, military items, and family portraits are featured. Changing exhibitions, guided tours, lectures, workshops, school group and special interest tours are available. The library of more than 7,000 volumes (non-circulating) is available to researchers of genealogy, local history, military history and the decorative arts. A vast archival collection of early documents, photographs, and family papers is also available for research. The Society publishes a quarterly Newsletter, as well as other occasional books and pamphlets. The Society is open year-round, Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is closed on holidays, and on Saturdays preceding Monday holidays.

Taunton’s topography provided the ideal mix of natural resources, water transportation and power to ensure the town’s success during its early years and during the great industrialization of the 19^th century. While the original settlers may have chosen this spot for practical reasons, so modern-day “settlers” find Taunton to be ideally located, easily accessible to Boston, Plymouth, Cape Cod and Providence. The city has over a 350-year history of distinguished accomplishments. The Old Colony Historical Society’s mission is to collect, care for and interpret the history of the Taunton region, collaborating with the community to make meaningful connections between the past, the present and the future.