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East Bridgewater, MA 02333
The town of East
Bridgewater
is in Plymouth County
and has a population of approximately 14,000 in a total area of 17.5 square
miles.
Located 24 miles south of Boston, its a residential community, with ponds, woods and rivers around the town.
Several
major routes pass through the town, but there is no freeway access. The closest freeway is Route 24 to the west.
The
MBTA commuter rail passes through the western section of town. There are stops in neighboring Bridgewater,
Brockton, Hanson and Halifax.
In addition to public schools, East Bridgewater
high school students have the option of attending Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical
High School in South Easton.
Robbins Pond, located in the southeastern
corner of town, is the largest body of water (124 acres). The Poor Meadow Brook flows from Hanson southward into
Robbins Pond. From Robbins Pond, flows the Satucket
River into the Matfield River
which exits into Bridgewater.
Wildlife management areas are located at the Beaver Brook Conservation
Area, a large woodlands area (136 acres) located in the northwest corner of town, and the Satucket River Conservation Area (52 acres).
Just south of the Satucket River
is Sachem Rock Farm (a town park) on Route 106. The park contains a farm, trails
and fields and is the site of Sachem’s Rock, an outcropping of stone behind an old farmhouse. At this rock in 1649, Ousamequen (Massasoit) sold the land that became
Old Bridgewater to Myles Standish, Samuel Nash and Constant Southworth.
East Bridgewater
was first settled by Europeans in 1630 as an outgrowth of the Plymouth
and Duxbury plantations. Being located on the northern portion of the Taunton River system, it had an economy primarily based on agriculture, followed by industrial development.
It had grist and saw mills, iron forges and tanneries. The Keith brothers iron slitting mill was one of the earliest reported in southeastern Massachusetts. In 1740 the first triphammer
to make scythes, axes and other edged tools was established. Iron works provided muskets and cannons for
the Colonial armies during the American Revolution. In the late 19th century the arrival of the railroad stimulated
more growth and new industry including shoe manufacturing.
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