Assonet, Massachusetts
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Assonet is one of two villages within the town of Freetown, Massachusetts in Bristol County. An original part of the town, Assonet was settled in 1659 along with the city of Fall River, then a part of Freetown. It rests on the banks of the Assonet River. As of the 1990 census, the village had a total population of 3,614.
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History
Assonet was first settled in 1659, shortly after the completion of Ye Freemen's Purchase. The word comes from the local Wampanoag Indians, and has two meanings: "place of rocks" and "song of praise." It remained for many years a small fishing and farming village, growing to be Freetown's more industrious side by the end of the 18th Century. By the end of the 19th Century, Assonet had begun to slowly return to its origins, having less and less industry in town. By the beginning of the 21st Century the village has once again begun to expand rapidly.
17th century
Assonet was settled in 1659, but a string of wars between English settlers and the local Wampanoag Indians, including King Philip's War, prevented much permanent settlement until later. History shows the area existed as a proprietary settlement as early as 1680, and in 1683 Assonet and Fall River were incorporated as the Town of Freetown, named such because its settlers were Freemen. The earliest records of the town, from approximately 1680-1685, have been lost. Since then, records have been kept and maintained to trace back the town's legacy. Little developement occurred after the incorporation of the town, other than the construction of houses and smaller businesses.
18th century
Assonet became a prominent commercial fishing port in Southeastern Massachusetts in the 1700s. Industry had also begun to develop, including grist mills, sawmills and a blacksmith's shop. As the century progressed, the villagers began to fall under the same strains as the rest of the colonists. Assonet was far enough east that it avoided many of the problems faced during the French and Indian War, but did feature in the Revolutionary War. Skirmishes were fought in Assonet, and the Battle of Freetown was fought on the outskirts of the village in present-day Fall River. The main settled area of the village was known to support the British, even harboring a general before he fled to Newport, Rhode Island. The white chimneys with black rings on many of the oldest houses are indicative of homes that supported the British. As the 1700s closed, churches and other more prominent buildings began to pop up around the village, including the 1794 construction of Village School.
19th century
The 19th century was perhaps the most industrious period in the history of Assonet. The village developed rapidly, with its combination of railroads, ships, its position on the stagecoach and mail routes, and its factories. The current Route 79 roughly follows the mail and stagecoach route from Rhode Island to Boston, and the Green Dragon Tavern on South Main Street was a popular stopover along the route. The downtown area boasted shipbuilding and was an import/export port, as well as a successful fishing industry. The N. R. Davis Gun Manufactory, located where Hathaway Park now sits, opened and provided many weapons to Union soldiers during the Civil War. Also built was the Crystal Springs Bleachery and Dying Company, which brought millhousing to a small area of the village, and employed many from town and neighboring Fall River, also known for industry.
North Church (1809), Town Hall (1888), and the Guilford H. Hathaway Library (1895) were all constructed in the same small area on Taunton Hill, and complimented the Village School nicely. The Town Hall has served as the municipal office building (1888-present), meeting hall (1888-1976), library (1888-1895), police station (1888-1978), and a variety of other functions. The Guilford Hathaway Library (b. 1895) served as the town's only library from its construction until the James White Library opened in East Freetown in 1947. The first Post Office in town opened in Assonet in 1811, and has operated continuously since then, first on the corner of Elm and North Main Streets and now at its current 1962 facility on South Main Street near the former Assonet Star Market. The ZIP Code for Assonet is 02702.
Profile_Rock_(Assonet).jpg
20th century
In the mid-20th Century, Assonet began to remove itself from the commercial/industrial scene. Most of its mills closed during this period, following the Second World War. The N. R. Davis Gun Factory burned to the ground in 1925; and the Crystal Springs Bleachery, now New England Textile, burned in 1955. (Remnants of the latter can be found by Mill Pond.) The former Monument Manufacturing Company on Mill & Locust Sts. was the largest domestic producer of sleeping bags during World War II. In the postwar period, the majority of villagers sought work outside of town, and farming also came back into common practice. This reverse trend would not last long. By the 1990s, the village began to develop again as the region was seen as a "great escape" for upperclass Boston workers.
Next to the Hathaway Library is a local Verizon station, which is the home of one of the first regional dialing systems. Not far away is Freetown Fire Department Company 1, constructed in 1948.
21st century
The 21st century has brought a renewed spirit to Assonet. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company opened a new 1.3 million square foot (120,000 m²) distribution center on near the site of the Crystal Springs Bleachery, providing over 900 jobs to the region. Portions of the village were designated to the National Register of Historic Places, and homes and other buildings are all livening themselves up to show Assonet's true beauty.
Historic District
The Assonet Village Historic District has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999. The boundaries are, roughly, High Street, the railroad tracks, a private road, and Route 24. It contains many buildings of local and widespread historical significance.
- See also: Friends of Historic Preservation - Freetown, Massachusetts (http://www.assonetriver.com/preservation/default.asp)
Government
Assonet is governed by the Town of Freetown. The Town is governed by a three-member Board of Selectmen, with an Open Town Meeting legislature. For more information, see the article Freetown, Massachusetts.
Representatives in General Court
- Precinct I: David B. Sullivan (D-Fall River)
- Precinct II: John F. Quinn (D-Dartmouth)
Senator in General Court
- Joan M. Menard (D-Fall River)
Representative to the United States House of Representatives
- Barney Frank (D-Newton) (4th Massachusetts District)
Senators in the United States Senate
- Edward Kennedy (D)
- John Kerry (D)
Churches
In 1795, 1809, and 1937, three Christian churches were built in Assonet.
South Church
South Church (1795) served as the First Christian Church of Assonet steadily until 1916, then again from 1917-1922. At this time, it began alternating weekly services with the Congregational Church, from 1922-1944. In 1968, the church combined with the Congregational Church to form the United Church of Assonet, and South Church was sold. A parsonage was built to its left in 1899, and there are cemeteries both across the street from the church, and on the property. Baptisms were originally performed in the Assonet River.
North Church
North Church (1809) served as the Congregational Church until 1916, when it formed the Federated Church of Assonet. Its on-and-off independence mirrored that of the First Christian Church, except from 1916-1917 North Church was the facility utilized. The joining of the two congregations in 1968 fell under the roof of the North Church, which is still used today. The steeple of the church contains a bell cast by Paul Revere. A non-adjacent parsonage still exists further up Taunton Hill as a business.
- See also: United Church of Assonet (http://www.uccassonet.org/)
St. Bernard's Church
Roman Catholics did not have a home in Assonet until 1912, when a mission was created. Services were held in private homes until 1937, when St. Bernard's Catholic Church was constructed on the site of Col. Ebeneezer Pierce's home on So. Main St. It opened in 1938. As the congregation grew too large for the small church, St. Bernard's Church was sold and its parishoners moved into South Church, renamed St. Bernard's Church. St. Bernard's Parish remains in South Church as of 2005, and the parsonage has remained as the rectory.
The former St. Bernard's, which was sold in 1968, has been a string of businesses since then. Most recently, it was a diner and then a Greek restaurant, and is currently being converted into a flooring store.
- See also: St. Bernard's Catholic Church (http://www.stbernardassonet.org/)
Schools
From the early 1800s until 1950, Freetown was serviced by several neighborhood grammar schools, three of which existed in Assonet.
South School
South School, 1869-1950, currently exists at the corner of Copicut Road and South Main Street. It was a three-room schoolhouse used initially for grades 1-8, and later for grades 3-6 and "special class." Before being abandoned, it spent time as an American Legion hall. It is currently unoccupied, but remains in the possession of the American Legion.
Structure
It is a one-story, ground-level building with three rooms. There is no discernable cellar. The building is constructed of brick, and is covered in white clapboards. Most of the windows have been removed or boarded over, so an analysis cannot be provided.
Village School
Village School, closed in 1950, currently exists on Taunton Hill between the Town Hall and North Church, being the oldest of those two buildings by 94 and 15 years, respectively. It began as a lawyer's office in 1794, then became a string of schools. In the 1850s it was a private school, the Assonet Academy. It was later purchased by the town and used for grammar school until 1950 for grades 1-8, and later grades 1 and 2. Currently, the Town Hall uses it for storage.
Structure
It is a two story building, with two rooms on the upper (primary) floor. The lower floor is the cellar, and partially underground. The foundation is brick, and the building itself is wood. The exterior is white clapboards, and the front staircase has a portico and both wood and iron railings. A cupola adorns the center of the roof, and the windows are six-over-one. The interior of the building is divided in the center, with the wall travelling parallel to School Street between the two front doors. Each room has chalkboards running along the walls, and hanging fixtures from the ceiling provide artificial light when necessary. The building has no plumbing and a woodstove provides heat, with a central brick chimney.
A revitalization effort, begun a few years ago, seeks funds to help restore the ailing structure. See also: Village School House Restoration (http://www.assonetriver.com/preservation/project_detail.asp?P=VSH)
Forge School
The latest in a string of schools known as the Forge School closed in 1940. It functioned irregularly from c.1920 - 1940 and housed grades 7 and 8. The schoolhouse was later converted to a dwelling house, which burned in 2002. It has since been rebuilt, now with dormers.
Today
From 1950 forward, students have attended the Freetown Elementary School (http://www.freelake.mec.edu/FES/), first for grades 1-8, later K-6, and currently PreK-4. Students also attend George R. Austin Intermediate School (http://www.freelake.mec.edu/AIS) (5), and Freetown-Lakeville Middle School (http://www.freelake.mec.edu/FLMS/) (6-8).
For secondary education, students have three options: Apponequet Regional High School serves students with an academic focus for grades 9-12. Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester accepts students from Assonet when when there are openings, and provides a voc-tech atmosphere. Bristol County Agricultural High School serves students wanting to focus primarily in agricultural and animal studies.
Geography
Assonet is located in Southeastern Massachusetts. It is bounded by Fall River, Berkley, Lakeville, East Freetown, and the Assonet River. It has a hilly terrain, with many outcroppings of bedrock. One such outcropping is the famous Profile Rock, a rock shaped like the profile of Wampanoag Indian chief Massasoit. Maple, elm, oak, pine, and birch trees are common throughout. Numerous streams and brooks flow through the village, as does the Assonet River.
Water bodies include Assonet Bay and Mill Pond. Bryant's Neck, also called Assonet Bay Shores, is a large peninsula situated between Shephard's Cove and Assonet proper on Assonet Bay. This area is also well known for its saltmarshes. The area around Mill Pond is frequented for its herring runs.
A large section of the village comprises approximately 1/3 of the Freetown-Fall River State Forest.