Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Dartmouth was first settled in 1652 and was officially incorporated in 1664. It was named for the town of Dartmouth, Devon, England, where the Puritans originally intended to leave from for America. The land was purchased with trading goods from the Wampanoag chiefs Massasoit and Wamsutta by elders of the Plymouth Colony; reportedly thirty yards of cloth, eight moose skins, fifteen axes, fifteen hoes, fifteen pairs of shoes, one iron pot, and ten shillings' worth of assorted goods .^[1]. It was sold to the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers, who wished to live outside the stringent religious laws of the Puritans in Plymouth. There are still Quaker meeting houses in town, including the Smith Neck Meeting House, the Allens Neck Meeting House, and the Apponegansett Meeting House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its borders were originally named in the charter (and set by King Philip) as the lands of "Acushnea, Ponagansett, and Coaksett." This includes the land of the towns of Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet, and the city of New Bedford. In 1789, the towns of Westport and New Bedford, which included Fairhaven and Acushnet, separated and were incorporated as towns themselves.

In 1780, seven black residents of Dartmouth petitioned the town's legislature for the right to vote, claiming a lack of representation despite the fact that they paid taxes and fought in the Revolutionary War.^[2]

Dartmouth's history was that of an agricultural community, but during the late 19th century its coastline became a resort area for the wealthy members of New Bedford society.

Round Hill was the site of early-to-mid 20th century research into the uses of radio and microwaves for aviation and communication by MIT researchers. It is also the site of the Green Mansion, the estate of "Colonel" Ned Green, a colorful character in his own right, who was son of the even more colorful and wildly eccentric Hetty Green, said to be the richest woman in the world in her time, who is listed in the Guinness book of records as the "world's greatest miser". In 1936 the Colonel died and the estate fell into disrepair as litigation between his wife and his sister continued for eight years over his vast fortune. Finally, Mrs. Hetty Sylvia Wilks, the Colonel's sister, was ruled the sole beneficiary. In 1948, she bequeathed the entire estate to MIT, which used it for microwave and laser experiments. The giant antenna, which was a landmark to sailors on Buzzards Bay, was erected on top of a 50 thousand-gallon water tank. (Sadly, after all efforts were made to preserve the structure, it was demolished on November 19, 2007.) Another antenna was erected next to the mansion and used in the development of the Ballistic Early Warning System. MIT continued to use Round Hill through 1964. It was then sold to the Society of Jesus of New England. It was used as a retreat house. The upper floors were divided into 64 individual rooms. The main floor was fitted with a Chapel, a library and meeting rooms. In 1970, the Jesuits sold the land and buildings to Gratia R. Montgomery. In 1981, Mrs. Montgomery sold most of the land to a group of developers who have worked to preserve the history, grandeur and natural environment. The property now is a gated community featuring a nine hole golf course.

The town's retail area has grown steadily since the 1960s, centering around the village of Smith Mills and branching northward towards Faunce Corners, now the home of the Dartmouth Mall.

The Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies, located in South Dartmouth, is a non-profit organization that provides educational programs on aquatic environments in southeastern New England. It is across the mouth of Slocum's River from Demarest Lloyd State Park, a popular state beach known for its shallow waters.

The town was also once the home of Lincoln Park, a former amusement park which dated from the late 19th century as a park-stop along the trolley line from Fall River to New Bedford just east of the junction of Lake Noquochoke and the Westport River. The park closed in 1986 due to sagging attendance and lack of funds. Much of the park was burned to the ground in several incidents of arson, and today there are plans to turn the former park's lands into a housing development with accompanying stores.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 253.4 km² (97.8 mi²). 159.5 km² (61.6 mi²) of it is land and 93.9 km² (36.2 mi²) of it (37.06%) is water. Geographically, it is the 3rd largest town in Massachusetts.

The town is accessible by Interstate 195 and US Route 6, both of which run parallel through the town on an east-west axis. Route 140 is located just over the New Bedford Line and is accessible by US Route 6, and Interstate 195. Route 177 also lies to the edge of town (in Dartmouth) on the border with Westport, accessible by Route 6 near Lake Noquochoke and the Westport River's source. Route 177 runs south into Rhode Island. Routes 177, 140 and 195 are based upon old Indian routes and trails. Dartmouth includes Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve that extends from Fall River into many protected forests of North Dartmouth in the Collins Corner, Faunce Corner and Hixville Sections of town.

There are many rivers that flow North/South in Dartmouth such as the Copicut River, Shingle Island River, Paskamanset River, Slocums River, Destruction Brook, and Little River. Dartmouth is divided into two primary sections: North Dartmouth (USPS ZIP code 02747) and South Dartmouth (USPS ZIP code 02748). It should be noted, however, that the use of "North" and "South" is no longer official, only colloquial.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 30,666 people, 10,555 households, and 7,821 families residing in the town. The population density was 192.3/km² (498.1/mi²). There were 11,283 housing units at an average density of 70.8/km² (183.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.77% White, 1.06% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.12% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 10,555 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,742, and the median income for a family was $60,401. Males had a median income of $39,788 versus $28,033 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,326. About 2.8% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

Dartmouth is located in the Ninth Bristol state representative district, which includes all of Dartmouth as well as parts of Freetown, Lakeville and New Bedford. The town is represented in the state senate in the Second Bristol and Plymouth district, which includes the city of New Bedford and the towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. Dartmouth is the home of the Third Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police, which recently relocated from Route 6 to just north of the retail center of town along Faunce Corner Road. On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts Congressional District 4, which is represented by Barney Frank. The state's senior (Class I) Senator, re-elected in 2006, is Edward M. Kennedy, and the state's junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, is John F. Kerry.

Dartmouth is governed by a representative town meeting form of government, led by a board of selectmen. The Town Hall is located in the former Poole School, which also served as Dartmouth High School for several years. The town is patrolled by a central police department, located in the former Town Hall near the village of Padanaram. There are five fire stations in the town divided among three fire districts, all of which are paid-call departments. There are two post offices (North Dartmouth, under the 02747 zip code, and South Dartmouth, under the 02748 zip code). There are two libraries, the Southworth (Main) Library in South Dartmouth, and the North Dartmouth Library. A third library, the Russells Mills Library, was permanently closed by the town in 2007 due to lack of funding.

[edit] Education

Dartmouth is governed by a single school department whose headquarters are in the former Bush Street School in Padanaram. The town has three elementary schools and Joseph DeMello in South Dartmouth, and George H. Potter, and James M. Quinn in North Dartmouth. Of these, DeMello (1955) is the oldest, and Quinn (2002; located in the former middle school building) is the youngest(Grade K to 5th at DeMello and Potter and PreK to 5th at Quinn). The town has one middle school (located in the 1955-vintage High School building) next to the Town Hall, and one high school, the new Dartmouth High School, which opened in South Dartmouth in 2002. Like Dartmouth College, its colors are Dartmouth green and white, and its fight song is "Glory to Dartmouth;" unlike the college, however, the school still uses the "Indians" nickname, with a stylized brave's head in profile as the logo. DHS's most prominent group is the Dartmouth High School Marching Band, who have won numerous state and regional titles in marching band field show and indoor percussion show competitions (the assistant band director, Thomas Aungst, is also the percussion caption head for The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps). The band has appeared in the Tournament of Roses Parade (1996), the National Cherry Blossom Festival parade, the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival parade and field show competition (which it won for three consecutive years, 1990-92), as well as several other festivals and Disney Magic Music Days at Walt Disney World. The Indoor Percussion ensemble has also captured three wgi (Winter Guard International) championships and has placed in the top three since 1998. The school also has competitive MIAA Division I athletics, having won several state titles in different sports and given rise to former major league pitcher Brian Rose and former North Carolina Tar Heel basketball player Jess Gaspar.

In addition to DHS, students may also attend Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School or Bristol County Agricultural High School. The town is also home to Bishop Stang High School, named for the first Bishop of the Diocese of Fall River, William Stang, and Friends Academy, a private K-8 school affiliated with the Religious Society of Friends.

[edit] Notable Residents

General Phil Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) - career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War.
Brian Rose - (born February 13, 1976) former Major League baseball player
Tea Leoni - (born February 25, 1966) - American film actress (summer resident)

[edit] References

^ Philbrick, Nathanial. Mayflower. Penguin, 2006. p.171 ISBN 9780143111979
^ Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. Perennial, 2003. p.89 ISBN 0060528370
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Bristol County, Massachusetts

County seat: Taunton

Cities	Attleboro \| Fall River \| New Bedford \| Taunton

Towns	Acushnet \| Berkley \| Dartmouth \| Dighton \| Easton \| Fairhaven \| Freetown \| Mansfield \| North Attleborough \| Norton \| Raynham \| Rehoboth \| Seekonk \| Somerset \| Swansea \| Westport

CDPs	Acushnet Center \| Bliss Corner \| Mansfield Center \| North Attleborough Center \| North Seekonk \| North Westport \| Norton Center \| Ocean Grove \| Raynham Center \| Smith Mills

Villages	Assonet \| East Freetown \| Padanaram \| South Attleboro