Duxbury, Massachusetts | |
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 Duxbury Town Offices | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Duxbury inMassachusetts (left) and inPlymouth County (right) | |
| Coordinates:42°02′30″N70°40′22″W / 42.04167°N 70.67278°W /42.04167; -70.67278 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Plymouth |
| Settled | 1624 |
| Incorporated | 1637 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
• Total | 37.6 sq mi (97.4 km2) |
| • Land | 23.7 sq mi (61.5 km2) |
| • Water | 13.9 sq mi (35.9 km2) |
| Elevation | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,090 |
| • Density | 678/sq mi (261.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | 02331, 02332 |
| Area code | 339 /781 |
| FIPS code | 25-17895 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618338 |
| Website | www |
Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a town inPlymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on theSouth Shore approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the southeast ofBoston, the population was 16,090 at the 2020 census.[1] The town contains the census-designated places (CDPs) ofDuxbury,Green Harbor, andSouth Duxbury.
The area now known as Duxbury was inhabited by people as early as 12,000 to 9,000 BCE. By the timeEuropean settlers arrived here, the region was inhabited by theWampanoags, who called this place Mattakeesett, meaning "place of many fish."[2]
In 1620,English settlers known as thePilgrims established their colony in nearbyPlymouth. Per the terms of their contract with financial backers inLondon, they were required to live together in a tight community for seven years. At the end of that term in 1627, land along the coast was allotted to settlers forfarming. Thus, the coastline from Plymouth toMarshfield, including Duxbury, likely named afterMyles Standish's ancestral home ofDuxbury Hall inChorley, was parceled out, and many settlers began moving away from Plymouth.[2]
At first, those who settled in Duxbury came to work their new farms just in the warmer months and returned to Plymouth during the winter. It was not long, however, before they began to build homes on their land, and soon requested permission from the colony to be set off as a separate community with their own church. Duxbury, which originally included land that is nowPembroke, was incorporated in 1637.[2]
Some of the most influential men in the colony received grants in Duxbury and became its first leaders. CaptainMyles Standish, the military leader of the colony, lived in "the Nook," an area now known as Standish Shore. ElderWilliam Brewster was for many years the religious leader of the colony, in which he led services to the colony until it received its own minister in 1637.John Alden was another important settler. His house, now a museum on Alden Street, was the site of many important meetings of the colony's leaders.
The graves of some of Duxbury's first settlers can be found in theOld Burying Ground on Chestnut Street, next to the site of the originalmeetinghouse.[2]
Theory has it that the town was named by Myles Standish after the family estate of his childhood inLancashire. The ancientStandish family in northern England owned much land and large estates, including the two main family headquarters ofStandish Hall andDuxbury Manor, in Lancashire, since before the Middle Ages. Myles Standish's will delineates his inheritance rights to very particular lands near and around Standish and mostly Duxbury Manor, stating his descent from both lines of the Standish family; and so it has been suggested that he named the new town in Massachusetts after the estate where he grew up.[2]
Duxbury was primarily a farming community throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.
Its quiet history in the 18th century was interrupted only by theRevolutionary War.[2] In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, opposition to theBritish was quite fierce in Duxbury, with crowds meeting regularly at Captain's Hill to burn effigies of British officials in protest of theStamp Act.
In 1775,General Thomas Gage dispatched a company of regulars to the town in response to pleas from the loyalists atMarshfield.[3]
When theMinuteman alarm sounded on April 19, 1775, with news of theBattles of Lexington and Concord, many volunteers mustered to the regiment of Colonel Theophilus Cotton fromPlymouth,Kingston, and Duxbury, and headed for Marshfield to engage the British. The colonial officers held a council of war at the home of Lt. Col. Briggs Alden in Duxbury.[4]
Duxbury'sshipbuilding era began immediately after the end of theRevolutionary War with theTreaty of Paris. The new nation was grantedfishing rights on theGrand Banks, and several families took advantage of the new opportunity and began to build large fishingschooners. The schooners built in the 1790s gave way to largerbrigs and eventually three-mastedships. As severalmerchant families began to amass large fleets,shipyards and other ancillary industries flourished and Duxbury prospered. By the 1840s, Duxbury boasted about 20 shipyards and produced an average of ten large sailing vessels per year.[2]
The largest industry in Duxbury was owned by Ezra Weston, who came to be known as "King Caesar" due to his success and influence. Weston began building small vessels in 1764 and soon became famous for his successful merchant fleet. His son,Ezra Weston II, who inherited his father's kingly sobriquet, would bring the industry to its height.
Lloyd's of London recognized Weston as the owner of the largest fleet inAmerica, and this judgment was confirmed byDaniel Webster in a speech in 1841. His empire, a forerunner ofvertical integration, dominated the town.[2] TheKing Caesar House is now a museum owned by theDuxbury Rural and Historical Society.[5] By 1837, there were nearly 40shipyards along the west shore ofDuxbury Bay between Captains Hill and the mouth of theBluefish River. These shipyards were supported by afoundry, asail loft, aropewalk, and aspar soak where masts were stored in a pool of salt water to preventwarping before they were stepped as ships' masts. Inland farmers provided food for the ships' crews; and abank handled the shipbuilders' money.[6]
Demand for shallow-draft ships declined by the 1850s. Duxbury Bay was too shallow to build the deep-draftclippers andsteamships dominating oceanic trade andrailroads were competing for the coastal trade. While other Massachusetts towns grew, Duxbury went into a long economic decline.[2]
There was, however, a silver lining. By the 1870s, Duxbury's rural character and unspoiledbay began to attract summer visitors. Duxbury soon gained a reputation as an idyllicsummer resort. With the 1871 completion of the Duxbury & Cohasset Railroad,[7] large numbers of city-folk from Boston could pay $1.50 for a round-trip ticket and enjoy Duxbury's refreshing environment.Boarding houses sprang up everywhere. The Miles Standish Hotel on the Nook soon became enormously popular. The Myles Standish monument, completed in 1898, was a result of this tourist influx.[2]
This pattern continued in Duxbury well into the 20th century. It was not until the construction ofRoute 3 that transportation to Boston became expedient and the town's population rose further with the arrival of thousands of year-round residents.[2]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.6 square miles (97 km2), of which 23.8 square miles (62 km2) is land and 13.9 square miles (36 km2) (36.87%) is water. Duxbury is bordered byCape Cod Bay to the east,Duxbury Bay, Kingston Bay, andPlymouth to the southeast,Kingston to the southwest,Pembroke to the west and northwest, andMarshfield to the north. The town's border with Plymouth is due to the town's having the only land access to Saquish Neck, a thin, hook-shaped strip of land along Duxbury Bay, at the tip of which isSaquish Head in Plymouth.
Duxbury is the sixth largestcranberry producer inMassachusetts and hasoyster beds and othershellfish.
The town has many ponds and bogs throughout. The Back River lies along the western edge of Saquish Neck, and has many tributaries from the local rivers, brooks, and marshes. There are several sanctuaries, a conservation area and other forests within the town, especially in the western half.[citation needed]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 2,679 | — |
| 1860 | 2,597 | −3.1% |
| 1870 | 2,341 | −9.9% |
| 1880 | 2,196 | −6.2% |
| 1890 | 1,908 | −13.1% |
| 1900 | 2,075 | +8.8% |
| 1910 | 1,688 | −18.7% |
| 1920 | 1,553 | −8.0% |
| 1930 | 1,696 | +9.2% |
| 1940 | 2,359 | +39.1% |
| 1950 | 3,167 | +34.3% |
| 1960 | 4,727 | +49.3% |
| 1970 | 7,636 | +61.5% |
| 1980 | 11,807 | +54.6% |
| 1990 | 13,895 | +17.7% |
| 2000 | 14,248 | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 15,059 | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 16,090 | +6.8% |
| 2024* | 16,377 | +1.8% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] | ||
As of thecensus[19] of 2010, there were 15,059 people, 5,344 households, and 4,162 families residing in the town. The population density was 632.7 inhabitants per square mile (244.3/km2). There were 5,875 housing units at an average density of 246.7 per square mile (95.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.0%White, 0.60%Black orAfrican American, 0.30%Native American, 1.40%Asian, 0.10%Pacific Islander, 0.50% fromother races, and 0.80% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 5,344 households, of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% weremarried couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 15; 7.6% from 15 to 19; 5.3% from 20 to 29; 7.0% from 30 to 39; 17.5% from 40 to 49; 23.7% from 50 to 64 and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $117,124; and the median income for a family was $136,245. Males had a median income of $77,228 versus $41,730 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $50,242. About 1.2% of families and 2.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
On the national level, Duxbury is a part ofMassachusetts's 9th congressional district, and is currently represented byBill Keating. The state's senior (Class II) member of theUnited States Senate, elected in 2012, isElizabeth Warren. The junior (Class I) senator isEd Markey.
On the state level, Duxbury is represented in theMassachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Sixth Plymouth district; the Sixth includes the Town of Duxbury, and portions of the Towns of Hanson, Halifax, Marshfield, and Pembroke. The town is represented in theMassachusetts Senate as a part of thePlymouth and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth.[20] The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of theMassachusetts State Police.[21]
Duxbury is governed by theopen town meeting form of government, and is led by atown manager and aboard of selectmen. The town operates its own police and fire departments, with the police station and central fire station located in the southeast and additional fire station in the northwest parts of town. There are two post offices in town; one is at Hall's Corner (near Goose Point) and the other is at Snug Harbor, along Duxbury Bay just south of Powder Point.[citation needed]
The Duxbury Free Library is located in the heart of town, next to theJohn Alden House, and is a member of the Old Colony Library Network. The town also has a highway department, located behind the Town Hall, and a harbormaster, whose office is located next to the Duxbury Yacht Club near Snug Harbor. Duxbury is located within ten miles (16 km) of thePilgrim Nuclear Power Station, and as such has a well-organized emergency management agency. The nearest hospitals areJordan Hospital inPlymouth, South Shore Hospital inWeymouth, and Brockton Hospital.[citation needed]
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of August 24, 2024[22] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 2,356 | 18.84% | |||
| Republican | 1,951 | 19.80% | |||
| Unaffiliated | 8,666 | 60.00% | |||
| Libertarian | 34 | 0.36% | |||
| Total | 13,101 | 100% | |||
Over $26 million of Duxbury's annual budget is devoted to the town's nationally recognized public school system. According toNewsweek magazine's 2005, 2006, and 2007 rankings of the Nation's Top 1200 Public High Schools (the top 5% of public school systems), Duxbury was ranked at 246, 185, and 142 respectively. By 2013, it had fallen off of theNewsweek national rankings and locally,Boston Magazine's yearly town/school rankings, dropped it out of a top-40 spot.[23]
Duxbury operates its own school system for the town's approximately 3,400 students, serving preschool through 12th grade. Chandler School is located near Tree of Knowledge Corner in the west of town and serves students from pre-kindergarten through second grade. The Alden Elementary School, near the John Alden House, serves grades 3–5.
Duxbury Middle/High School is located on Alden Street and serves grades 6–12. Duxbury High School[24] was rebuilt into a combined building along with Duxbury Middle School,[24] called the 21st Learning experience. Duxbury's athletic teams are known as the Dragons, and their colors are green and white. Their chief rival isMarshfield High School, team mascot the Rams, and they play against them in the Thanksgiving Day Tournament. It is a local event whose rivalry goes back 30 years.
The parents of a former Duxbury Middle School student filed a $1-million lawsuit in March 2021 against the Duxbury Public Schools and a former gym teacher and hockey coach, accusing him of repeatedly raping their son in his eighth grade gym class.[25][26] The school district received a request for information from theUnited States Center for SafeSport.[25][26]
In March 2021, the High School's Football Coach David Maimaron was fired, despite an exceptionally strong football record, when it was exposed that the football team was using anti-Semitic language (including terms like "Auschwitz") as"audibles" during game time.[27][28][29] As audibles must be known and agreed to by players and coaches, it was assumed that there was staff approval of seriously racially inappropriate language, and the Coach was fired and the team was disciplined.
There are two private schools located in Duxbury. Bay Farm Montessori Academy[30] is a private, independent school located in the southern corner of town and serves Toddlers through grade 8. Good Shepherd Christian Academy[31] is a private, Christian school which serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The nearest private high school isSacred Heart in Kingston [now closed]. The town has no vocational schools.[citation needed]
For buses in Duxbury, the localGreater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) bus passes through the town on the SAIL line (Seaside Area Inter-town Link) and it stops at Halls Corner shopping district (South Duxbury), Island Creek, Millbrook Motors (Cox Corner), and the Duxbury Free Library (Millbrook). Another Bus Line that goes through Duxbury is the P&B Line (Plymouth & Brockton) which stops at Millbrook Motors (Cox Corner). The last bus line that goes through Duxbury is theGreyhound Bus Line which runs national service and intoCanada, which stops at Millbrook Motors (Cox Corner).
Route 3, a two-lane freeway also known as the Pilgrims Highway, passes through the town, with exits 20 and 22 granting access to the town from it. Routes3A,14,53 and139 also pass through the town. Routes 14 and 139 both end in the town, and Route 53 ends less than1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) south of the town line, at its intersection with Route 3A inKingston.
There is no rail or air service in town. There are no bicycle paths or bicycle lanes. A few of the roads in the town have sidewalks.[citation needed]
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