Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

TAUNTON

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 454 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

TAUNTON , a See also:

city and one of the See also:county-seats of See also:Bristol county, See also:Massachusetts, U.S.A., at the See also:head of ocean See also:navigation on the Taunton See also:river, 17 M. above its mouth, about 35 M. S. of See also:Boston, and about 14 M. N. of Fall River. Pop. (189o) 25,448; (1900) 31,036, of whom 9140 were See also:foreign-See also:born, 2844 being Irish, 2366 See also:French-Canadians, 1144 See also:English, and 8o1 English-Canadians; (191o, U.S. See also:census) 34,259. Taunton is served by the New See also:York, New Haven & See also:Hartford railroad (Old See also:Colony See also:Branch) and by interurban electric See also:railways connecting with Fall River, New See also:Bedford, See also:Providence and Boston. The channel of the Taunton river has been deepened and widened by the Federal See also:government, and in 1910 vessels of 11 ft. draft could reach the city at high See also:water (mean range of See also:tide at Taunton, 3.4 ft.). Within the corporate limits of the city, which has a See also:land See also:area of 44.25 sq. m., there are six villages—Hopewell, Britanniaville, See also:Oakland, Whittenton, See also:East Taunton and the See also:Weir. Taunton See also:Green, a rectangular stretch of land fringed with lofty elms, the " See also:common " of the New See also:England See also:town, about which is the business portion of the See also:modern city, is 1 m. from the Weir, the See also:port of the city. The city contains interesting specimens of colonial or See also:early 19th-See also:century See also:architecture. Among the modern public buildings are the handsome See also:granite County See also:Court See also:House (1895), facing the Green, the Public Library See also:building (given by See also:Andrew See also:Carnegie), the registry building, the county See also:gaol, the city See also:hall, the See also:post See also:office, an old ladies' See also:home, an emergency See also:hospital, the See also:Morton Hospital, occupying the See also:fine old See also:residence of See also:Governor See also:Marcus Morton, and the Y.M.C.A. building. The Bristol County See also:Law Library and Old Colony See also:Historical Society (incorporated in 1853 and organized in 1854) possess valuable collections of books, and the latter has a collection of portraits and antiquities.

Bristol See also:

Academy (1792; non-sectarian) is a well-known preparatory school, and there is also a commercial school—the Bristol County Business See also:College. At See also:Norton (pop. in, 191o, 2544), directly N. of Taunton, and formerly within its boundaries, is See also:Wheaton See also:Seminary (1834) for girls. Among social clubs are the See also:Winthrop See also:Club, the Bristol Club, the Taunton See also:Boat Club, the Yacht Club, and the See also:Country Club. A See also:good water-See also:supply, owned by the city, is obtained from neighbouring lakes and ponds, along the shores of which are many summer cottages. Taunton was one of the first cities in the See also:United States to own and operate its own electric See also:lighting plant, which it acquired from a private See also:corporation in 1897. Its See also:industrial importance began with the See also:establishment of ironworks in 1656; the plant then opened continued in active operation for about 225 years. See also:Brick-making and See also:shipbuilding were two of the early See also:industries; the latter, formerly very important, has now been abandoned. The manufactures to-See also:day are extensive and varied. The aggregate value of the factory product in 1905 was $13,644,586, an increase of 18.2 per cent. over that of 1900. Of this amount the value of the See also:cotton manufactured was $6,141,598, or 45 per cent. of the whole. See also:Herring See also:fisheries give occupation during a See also:part of the See also:year to a considerable number of workers. Taunton has a prosperous jobbing See also:trade, and large See also:shipping interests, the coastwise trade being particularly important.

Taunton was founded in 1638, when the territory was See also:

purchased from Massasoit by settlers from the Massachusetts See also:Bay Colony, and became the frontier town of See also:Plymouth Colony. Myles See also:Standish was engaged on the See also:original survey. But there had been earlier settlers in the region—at " Tecticutt " (Titicut), which later became part of Taunton. The See also:settlement at Taunton was at first known as Cohannet, but the See also:present name—from Taunton, See also:Somerset, England, the home of many of the settlers—was soon adopted. The town was incorporated in 1639. In 1671 it was the See also:scene of a See also:meeting between Gov. See also:Thomas See also:Prince and See also:King See also:Philip, at which a treaty was See also:drawn up. During King Philip's See also:War, Taunton was a See also:base of operations for Plymouth Colony troops under Gov. See also:Josiah See also:Winslow. In 1686 Taunton was one of the towns which refused to comply with See also:Sir See also:Edmund See also:Andros's demands for a tax See also:levy. For some years Thomas See also:Coram, the philanthropist and founder of the See also:London Foundling Hospital, was engaged in the shipbuilding See also:industry here. In 1774, after the passage of the Boston Port See also:Bill, the See also:people of Taunton showed their sympathy for Boston by raising on the Green a red See also:flag on which were inscribed the words " See also:Liberty and See also:Union." The See also:leader of the patriotic party at this See also:time was See also:Robert Treat See also:Paine, to whose memory a See also:bronze statue has been erected.

During See also:

Shays's See also:rebellion the Taunton court-house was twice besieged by insurgents, who were each time dispersed through the resolute See also:action and firmness of Gen. See also:David See also:Cobb, one of the See also:judges. The event is commemorated by a tablet on Taunton Green. In Berkley, which until 1735 was a part of Dighton (Taunton See also:South See also:Purchase, separated from Taunton in 1712), is the famous Dighton See also:Rock, with See also:inscriptions See also:long erroneously supposed to have been made by Norse discoverers of See also:America, but now known to be the See also:work of See also:Indians. Taunton was chartered as a city in 1864. In 1909 a new city See also:charter was adopted, under which the See also:mayor and nine councilmen (elected at large) were the only city See also:officers elected at any city See also:election; candidates for these offices are nominated by See also:petition; the mayor appoints, subject to the approval of the See also:council, a See also:chief of See also:police and a city See also:solicitor. See S. H. See also:Emery, See also:History of Taunton from its Settlement to the Present Time (See also:Syracuse, N.Y., 1893) ; D. H. See also:Hurd, History of Bristol County (See also:Philadelphia, 1883) ; See also:Quarter Millennial Celebration (Taunton, 1889).

End of Article: TAUNTON

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
TAULER, JOHANN (c. 1300—1361) 		[next]
TAUNTON, HENRY LABOUCHERE, BARON (1798–1869)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries