Freetown, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Historic North Church inAssonet | |
 Location in Bristol County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:41°46′22″N71°1′38″W / 41.77278°N 71.02722°W /41.77278; -71.02722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Bristol |
| Settled | 1659 |
| Incorporated | 1683 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Board of Selectmen |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 38.3 sq mi (99.2 km2) |
| • Land | 36.6 sq mi (94.8 km2) |
| • Water | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 160 ft (50 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 9,206 |
| • Density | 252/sq mi (97.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | |
| Area code | 508/774 |
| FIPS code | 25-25240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619434 |
| Website | www |
Freetown is atown inBristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,206 at the2020 census.[1]
Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the latter half of the 17th century. The town once included the city ofFall River (1659–1803), and a portion ofAcushnet (1659–1815). The town celebrated its tricentennial in 1983.
Freetown is currently divided into two villages, which historically developed almost entirely independent from one another:Assonet andEast Freetown. Freetown lies on an old 18th century road and along old Indian trails from Freetown to Boston. Freetown is home to theFreetown-Fall River State Forest, andProfile Rock and is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) fromBoston.
Freetown is a part of theSouth Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the communities that surroundBuzzards Bay (excluding theElizabeth Islands,Bourne andFalmouth),Mount Hope Bay and theSakonnet River.
Freetown is currently home to two Historic Districts of theNational Register of Historic Places: the Assonet Village Historic District, and the East Freetown Historic District.
Freetown was first settled by the English on April 2, 1659, on the banks of theAssonet River, when the areas ofAssonet andFall River were purchased for 20 coats, two rugs, two iron pots, two kettles, one little kettle, eight pairs of shoes, six pairs of stockings, one dozen hoes, one dozen hatchets, and two yards of broadcloth from theWampanoag Indians in an exchange known asYe Freemen's Purchase. Its population slowly grew, and it existed as aProprietary settlement of thePlymouth Colony until it was officially incorporated in July 1683. It remained a part of Plymouth Colony until that colony merged with theMassachusetts Bay Colony in 1692. The town was the fifthmunicipal corporation established inBristol County.[2]
Throughout the 18th century, the town continued to grow and prosper. In 1747, through thePocasset Purchase, the village ofEast Freetown (at the time called "New Freetown") was acquired fromTiverton,Rhode Island (which was being transferred fromMassachusetts to Rhode Island). The townspeople fought against the Native Americans inKing Philip's War and other local skirmishes. On May 28, 1778, during theRevolutionary War, theBattle of Freetown was fought in a part of the town that is now part of the city ofFall River.[2]
In 1803,Fall River separated from the town, and incorporated as Troy. In 1815, a portion of the town was annexed byFairhaven, which at the time controlledAcushnet,Massachusetts. That part ofEast Freetown remains part of Acushnet to this day.
Throughout the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, Freetown served as a very industrious area. Blast furnaces, fishing, textiles, and manufacturing all came to and left Freetown over time.
The population of Freetown remained around or under 2000 residents from the 1700s until 1950, and has expanded nearly fivefold since that time
One of the more well-known industries was N. R. Davis & Sons, a gun manufactory that provided many weapons for theCivil War.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.3 square miles (99 km2), of which land is 36.6 square miles (95 km2), and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) (4.41%) is water. The town is irregularly shaped, and is bordered by Berkley to the northwest, Lakeville to the northeast, Rochester to the east, Acushnet, New Bedford and Dartmouth to the southeast, Fall River to the southwest, and the Taunton River and Somerset to the west.
Within Freetown are various lakes, streams, and rivers. The more prominent are Fall Brook, theAssonet River andLong Pond which the Indians called Lake Apponequet. Also within Freetown are Breakneck Hill and Joshua's Mountain, site ofProfile Rock. A vast area of land shared by Freetown and Fall River makes up theFreetown-Fall River State Forest.
Freetown is serviced by three exits onRoute 24 (the "Fall River Expressway") inAssonet and one exit onRoute 140 (the "New Bedford Expressway") inEast Freetown. Assonet is also situated onRoute 79, and East Freetown is situated onRoute 18.
Freetown station in Assonet is served by theFall River/New Bedford Line of theMBTA Commuter Rail system.
Air transportation is provided locally by smaller aircraft inEast Taunton,Berkley, and the regional airport inNew Bedford.T.F. Green Airport inRhode Island is the closest national-service airport, being approximately 35 miles from Assonet.Logan International Airport is approximately fifty miles from the town.
Freetown is governed in the traditionalNew England style with aBoard of Selectmen overseeing day-to-day operations of the town and at least onetown meeting per year to handle all major decisions including, but not limited to, budgets, by-laws, and zoning. In 2004, provisions for aTown Administrator were put in place, and in 2007, E. Winn Davis ofFalmouth,Massachusetts was hired as the town's first administrator. Mr. Davis announced his retirement in February 2009, and formerMiddleborough Town Manager John Healey was hired as the interim town administrator in March 2009. He was replaced by formerEast Providence manager Richard Brown in January 2012, who left on June 30, 2014, with Mr. Healey returning on July 8.[3]
The executive branch of town government is the Board of Selectmen, a popularly elected board made up of three members who are elected for terms of three years. One selectman is up for re-election every year. The current board is Trevor R. Matthews (2023), Jared Zager (2024) and Carlos Lopes (2025).
Selectmen currently serve terms of three years each, and those terms are staggered to ensure that only one member is up for re-election in any given year. Through the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the number of Selectmen was not set in law, and therefore varied, sometimes greatly. In 1988, Barbara Trainor became the first woman to hold the position of Selectman in Freetown, giving the town a record of 305 years of all-male leadership. After her defeat in 1991, no woman was again elected to the board until 2006.
In 2005, attempts to expand the Board of Selectmen to five members failed. Also failing in 2005 was an attempt to limit Selectmen to a total of two terms (or, six years). Attempts to expand the board to five members have been frequent in recent years.
The legislative branch of town government is the town meeting, which in Freetown is anopen town meeting.
Various other officers, boards, committees, and commissions round out the variety of services provided to residents, including scattered municipal water, trash collection, fire, ambulance, police, education, recreation, voter registration, etc.
As of theAnnual Town Meeting held on May 7, 2007, elections in Freetown are held on the first Monday in April.
The Seal of the Town of Freetown, Massachusetts is an officialdevice used on documents originating from the town as well as on municipal equipment and buildings. It was devised in 1890 by thechairman of the Board of Selectmen,Col. Silas P. Richmond.
Along the top of the seal are the words "Town of Freetown, Mass." in allcapital letters. Before the T in "Town" and after the final S in "Mass." arestars. Along the bottom of the seal are the words "Incorporated 1683" (also in capital letters). The image of akettle over a cookingfire is meant to invokeYe Freemen's Purchase, the agreement by which the lands now known asAssonet andFall River were purchased by theEnglish settlers from the localWampanoagIndians.
Freetown is a part ofBristol County,Massachusetts. Where county governments in some states collect taxes or manage schools, these functions are carried out at the municipal level in Massachusetts. However, some minimal county government does still exist; especially in the court system.
TheBristol County Commission[4] is made up of John T. Saunders (D-New Bedford), Paul B. Kitchen (D-Fairhaven) and John R. Mitchell (D-Fall River). The currentDistrict Attorney for Bristol County is Thomas M. Quinn III (D-Fall River). Thesheriff of Bristol County is Paul Heroux (D-Attleboro).
As a small town, Freetown is often divided and attached to neighboring cities and towns to form representative districts for theMassachusetts House of Representatives.[5] These divisions are made alongprecinct lines. The representative for Precinct I, which is in the 6th Bristol District, isCarole Fiola (D-Fall River). The representative for Precincts II and III, which are in the 8th Bristol District, is Paul Schmid (D-Westport).
The town as a whole is represented in theMassachusetts Senate[5] byMichael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport). Freetown is a part of the 1st Bristol and Plymouth District. Likewise, the town as a whole is represented on theGovernor's Council by Joseph Ferreira (D-Somerset), councillor for the 1st District.
Freetown is a part of Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District, and is represented in theUnited States House of Representatives[6] byJake Auchincloss (D. The town is also represented in theUnited States Senate[6] by (Class II) SenatorEd Markey (D-Malden) and (Class I) SenatorElizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge).
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third parties | Total Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 45.10%2,483 | 52.78%2,906 | 2.12%117 | 5,506 | 7.68% |
| 2016 | 41.26%2,035 | 53.71%2,649 | 5.03%248 | 4,932 | 12.45% |
| 2012 | 49.60%2,318 | 48.08%2,247 | 2.31%108 | 4,673 | 1.52% |
| 2008 | 50.32%2,405 | 46.62%2,228 | 3.06%146 | 4,779 | 3.70% |
| 2004 | 55.26%2,454 | 43.64%1,938 | 1.10%49 | 4,441 | 11.62% |
| 2000 | 57.86%2,297 | 35.97%1,428 | 6.17%245 | 3,970 | 21.89% |
| 1996 | 56.64%2,107 | 26.48%985 | 16.88%628 | 3,720 | 30.16% |
| 1992 | 38.60%1,584 | 25.88%1,062 | 35.53%1,458 | 4,104 | 3.07% |
| 1988 | 45.90%1,600 | 53.16%1,853 | 0.95%33 | 3,486 | 7.26% |
| 1984 | 39.24%1,193 | 60.39%1,836 | 0.36%11 | 3,040 | 21.15% |
| 1980 | 32.18%968 | 50.13%1,508 | 17.69%532 | 3,008 | 17.95% |
| 1976 | 56.51%1,333 | 39.64%935 | 3.86%91 | 2,359 | 16.87% |
| 1972 | 44.88%762 | 54.59%927 | 0.53%9 | 1,698 | 9.72% |
| 1968 | 47.92%737 | 47.27%727 | 4.81%74 | 1,538 | 0.65% |
| 1964 | 65.49%907 | 34.44%477 | 0.07%1 | 1,385 | 31.05% |
| 1960 | 46.80%651 | 52.98%737 | 0.22%3 | 1,391 | 6.18% |
| 1956 | 26.92%319 | 73.00%865 | 0.08%1 | 1,185 | 46.08% |
| 1952 | 26.26%261 | 73.44%730 | 0.30%3 | 994 | 47.18% |
| 1948 | 31.98%229 | 66.34%475 | 1.68%12 | 716 | 34.36% |
| 1944 | 34.33%240 | 65.09%455 | 0.57%4 | 699 | 30.76% |
| 1940 | 35.88%268 | 63.86%477 | 0.27%2 | 747 | 27.98% |
Typical of the town's nature, there are separate fire stations, post offices and libraries in Assonet & East Freetown. The main police & fire department headquarters building is halfway between the two. The town hall, however, is in Assonet.
Freetown's fire department provides 24-hour ambulance service to the town, and coverage to surrounding communities such asLakeville. The town is situated between three major cities (Taunton,Fall River, andNew Bedford), each with their own hospitals:
Mental health hospitals in the area includeTaunton State Hospital andBridgewater State Hospital.
Freetown's state highways are patrolled by the Third (Dartmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.
Municipal water is provided in some portions of Assonet by theCity of Fall River, and in some parts of East Freetown by theCity of New Bedford. Both villages are billed by the Freetown Water Commission. Sewer is not available in the town, except for a small portion of South Main Street that is serviced by a line running from Fall River for use by theStop & Shop Supermarket Company's distribution center.
Electricity in Freetown is provided byEversource, cable television byComcast, and telephone service byVerizon.
Freetown provides elementary and secondary education to its population, but currently has no post-secondary institutions in the community.
As with most rural areas, Freetown had country schoolhouses dotting its landscape. In each village of the town, these one- and two-room structures served students in grades one through eight. As part of its Post-War improvements, the town constructed an eight-room schoolhouse known asFreetown Elementary School on a tract of land roughly in the geographic center of the town, with thecornerstone laid in 1949 and the school opening in September 1950. That central area now boasts a park with a miniatureFenway Park, the Freetown Police Station, the Freetown Senior Center, and Freetown Fire Department Station 3.
In the mid-1950s, Freetown and Lakeville formed a regional school district (see "Secondary" below). In 1972, the Freetown and Lakeville opened the George R. Austin Middle School, a 5–8 facility which closed in 2002 and was replaced by theFreetown-Lakeville Middle School. GRAMS has recently been converted into an intermediate school to cover grades 4 and 5 for both Freetown and Lakeville students.
High school students from Freetown initially travelled to several area cities and towns, includingFall River,New Bedford, andDighton. As its agreements with surrounding cities and towns grew thin, the town recognized a need to develop secondary education programs of its own. In 1955, Freetown,Berkley,Carver,Lakeville, andRochester formed a planning committee for a regional high school. Carver later dropped from the board, and the remaining towns voted. Freetown and Lakeville approved the school, while the others did not. On April 8, 1957, voters in Freetown and Lakeville approved construction ofApponequet Regional High School. Farm land on Howland Road in Lakeville was donated, and the school opened on September 21, 1959, to serve grades 7–12.
Students wishing a vocational education can apply toBristol-Plymouth Technical High School. Years prior, studentsfrom both Freetown and Lakeville attendedOld Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School for grades 9–12. Freetown is not a member of the district and now has an agreement with Bristol-Plymouth Technical High School while Lakeville students still attend Old Colony. Also, because Freetown is a part ofBristol County, high school students may apply for available slots at theBristol County Agricultural High School.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1688 | 288 | — |
| 1765 | 1,492 | +418.1% |
| 1776 | 1,901 | +27.4% |
| 1790 | 2,202 | +15.8% |
| 1800 | 2,535 | +15.1% |
| 1810 | 1,878 | −25.9% |
| 1820 | 1,863 | −0.8% |
| 1830 | 1,909 | +2.5% |
| 1840 | 1,772 | −7.2% |
| 1850 | 1,615 | −8.9% |
| 1860 | 1,521 | −5.8% |
| 1870 | 1,372 | −9.8% |
| 1880 | 1,329 | −3.1% |
| 1890 | 1,417 | +6.6% |
| 1900 | 1,394 | −1.6% |
| 1910 | 1,471 | +5.5% |
| 1920 | 1,532 | +4.1% |
| 1930 | 1,656 | +8.1% |
| 1940 | 1,584 | −4.3% |
| 1950 | 2,104 | +32.8% |
| 1960 | 3,039 | +44.4% |
| 1970 | 4,270 | +40.5% |
| 1980 | 7,058 | +65.3% |
| 1990 | 8,522 | +20.7% |
| 2000 | 8,472 | −0.6% |
| 2010 | 8,870 | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 9,206 | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 9,290 | +0.9% |
| [2][8] Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] | ||
As of thecensus[20] of 2000, there were 8,472 people, 2,932 households, and 2,389 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 231.4 inhabitants per square mile (89.34/km2). There were 3,029 housing units at an average density of 82.7 per square mile (31.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.15%White, 0.72%African American, 0.19%Native American, 0.65%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 1.09% fromother races, and 1.19% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 2,932 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% weremarried couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.5% were non-families. Of all households, 14.1% were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,505.00, and the median income for a family was $72,270.00. Males had a median income of $45,977.00 versus $28,984.00 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $24,401.00. About 3.2% of families and 6.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.[21]
Freetown opened its free library December 10, 1892.[22] Today, each side of town features its own library: the Guildford H. Hathaway Public Library, on North Main St. in Assonet, has served the Assonet population since 1895, while the James White Memorial Library, a privately owned, publicly operated library on Washburn Rd. in East Freetown, has served that community's population since 1947.[23][24] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Freetown spent 0.58% ($113,681) of its budget on its public libraries—approximately $12 per person.[25]
Both villages in town have strong cultural histories. There are a number of major, annual events such as the Strawberry Festival, held every Father's Day and sponsored by the Tuesday Club of Assonet, the Chicken Barbecue sponsored by the East Freetown Congregational Christian Church, and several events during theFourth of July, including a parade and a fireworks display over theAssonet River.
Freetown has been served by a number of newspapers over the years, both local and regional. TheWeekly Journal,Country Chronicle,Village Voice, andVillager have all been newspapers originating from Freetown and covering, at one point or another, Freetown,Berkley, andLakeville. News coverage of Freetown has consistently been handled byThe New Bedford Standard-Times.Fall River Herald News has covered the town regularly for the last several years, after reducing its coverage in the late 1990s. TheTaunton Daily Gazette resumed coverage of Freetown in 2006 after abandoning the town in the 1990s.The Boston Globe also covers Freetown in its GlobeSouth section.
The town's location in southeastern Massachusetts allows it access to a variety of media markets. Each of the major broadcast television networks (NBC,ABC,CBS, andFox) are represented by two stations: one in theBoston market, and one in theProvidence market. Freetown falls in the Providence Designated Market Area. Radios can pick up the Boston, Providence, andCape Cod stations.
WLWC-TV, theCW affiliate licensed toNew Bedford has its transmission tower in East Freetown.
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Many of Freetown's sites of interest are derived from its strong history. The Freetown Historical Society Museum in Assonet is a trove of artifacts and information relating to the history of the town and surrounding area, and has an extensivegenealogical library. Several buildings on the property show visitors how life in Freetown once was, even a mere sixty years ago, with a one-room schoolhouse, small chapel, blacksmith shop, and the like.
Hathaway Park in Assonet is a public park with a boatramp on the Assonet River. It is the site of the faire and viewing area for the Fourth of July fireworks, and also one of two sites of the Strawberry Festival. The other site for that event is the historic bandstand at the Assonet Four Corners, built in the 1930s on the site of the former Green Dragon Tavern.
Profile Rock, in theFreetown-Fall River State Forest, is a granite outcropping from Joshua's Mountain featuring the image of what localWampanoagIndians have held to be the face ofMassasoit. King Philip's Cave, in East Freetown, is said to have been a hiding place forMetacomet during theKing Philip's War.
Porter Pastures in Assonet and Town Beach in East Freetown are both public beaches, the former onAssonet Bay and the latter onLong Pond. There is also a municipal harbor on Long Pond.
The Freetown Youth Athletic Association, a recently formed joint venture between the Assonet Youth Sports Association and the East Freetown Sports Association, manages a youth baseball program at the town's three baseball complexes: K. R. R. in Assonet, and Central Park and Long Pond in East Freetown.
Lazy A Driving Range is a golf practice facility and driving range located in East Freetown.
Freetown has historically hadChristian andQuaker denominations. Each side of town currently has its ownRoman Catholic church, along with aUnited Church of Christ church in Assonet and a variety of Christian churches in East Freetown. For more information on churches inAssonet andEast Freetown, see each village's independent article.
OneMassachusetts governor,Marcus Morton, has hailed from Freetown. The town has also boasted a number of representatives to theGeneral Court, the state's legislature.
| Resident | Residence | Born | Died | Notoriety | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Rounseville Alger | _(14763409432).jpg) | 1822 | 1905 | Unitarian minister, author, editor, and abolitionist. | |
| John M. Deane |  | Assonet | 1840 | 1914 | Civil War–eraMedal of Honor recipient. |
| Thomas Gilbert | Assonet | 1715 | 1797 | Colonial soldier andLoyalist military leader in theRevolutionary War. | |
| Marcus Morton |  | East Freetown | 1784 | 1864 | Acting Governor of Massachusetts in 1825; governor from 1840 – 1841 and again from 1843 – 1844; namesake ofMorton Hospital and Medical Center inTaunton; father ofMassachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtChief JusticeMarcus Morton. |
| Ebenezer W. Peirce |  | Assonet | 1822 | 1902 | Civil War military officer. |
| Dave Rezendes | Assonet | 1959 | NASCAR driver. | ||
| Casey Patrick Tebo | East Freetown | 1974 | Emmy Award winning filmmaker. | ||
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Municipalities and communities ofBristol County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| Ghost town | ||
