Town of Acushnet
Incorporated- February 13, 1860

Acushnet was founded on June 8, 1664, as the community of Acushena in the township of Dartmouth which also included Ponagans and Coaksett. The area later became the towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, and New Bedford.

The area of the town known as Head-of-the-River was the first territory crossed by settlers from Plymouth and, therefore, the site of the earliest settlement in the Old Dartmouth towns. It was here that a battle was fought during the Revolutionary War.

Acushnet Village became the Chief Old Dartmouth maritime port on the river. Early on, shipbuilding began, first with small vessels, many of which were schooners, and later whalers.

The village was reputed to have had more whaling masters living within its boundaries than any other town in the United States.

In 1675, during the Indian War, all the houses in Acushnet (mostly log houses) were destroyed by fire. The only place for safety was Cooke's blockhouse. It took 25 years for the settlement to recover.

Early industries (1700's) included a saw mill and corn mill. There has been a major saw mill in the town up to the present. There was an early iron mine and paper mill and in 1818 a woolcarding mill was started up. Nail kegs were also made in 1834 a cloth, batting, and candlewicking plant opened. The late 1800's saw a successful soap factory built.

The residents were ardent patriots dedicated to "survive or perish" in the Revolutionary War.

Historical Sites

Long Plain Friends Meetinghouse (1759) on Main St. - on National Register of Historic Places.

Long Plain Museum at 1203 Main St. - formerly the Long Plain School which opened in 1875 and closed in 1972.

Historic marker at River's End Bridge at Head-of-the-River designates site of skirmish between British Troops and Colonial Militiamen during the Revolutionary War.

Peak Rock located at the Acushnet/Rochester boundary bears a bronze plaque commemorating the June 8, 1664, order of the court of Plymouth creating the township of Dartmouth including the communities of Acushena, Ponagans, and Coaksett which later became the towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, New Bedford and Westport.



Houses and other buildings plaqued by Acushnet Historical Society:

Samuel Sprague House, ca 1720, 820 Main St.
Samuel Jenney House, ca 1725, 16 Morse Lane
Friends Meeting House, ca 1735, 1341 North Main St.
Ebenezer Keene House, ca 1740, 203 Keene Rd.
Reuben Mason House, ca 1740, 1298 Main St.
John Jenney House, ca 1775, 148 Perry Hill
William C. Taber House, 1778, 363 Main St.
Job Jenney House, ca 1780, 550 North Main St.
Isaac Vincent House, 1784, 733 North Main St.
Captain Andrew J. Wing House, 1784, 858 Main St.
Captain Benjamin Dillingham House, ca 1785, 19 Main St.
Job Earl House, ca 1790, 509 Middle Road
Ebenezer Keene (II) House, ca 1795, 245 Keene Road
Edward Pope House, ca 1795, 107 South Main St.
John Hawes House, ca 1799, 17 Main St.
Charles Stetson House, ca 1800, 2 Mill Road
William Rotch House, ca 1800, 7 Tarkiln Hill Road
William Rotch Store, ca 1800, 7½ Tarkiln Hill Road
Seth Bumpus House, ca 1802, 27 Main St.
Amos Pratt House, ca 1810, 20 Main St.
Judge Nathaniel Spooner House, 1817, 3 Main St.
Silas Stetson House, ca 1817, 22 Main St.
Judge Nathaniel Spooner Office, 1823, 26 Main St.
Samuel Pierce House, ca 1828, 21 Main St.
Joseph Keene Farm, ca 1840, 186 Keene Road
Chester Thornton House, ca 1840, 219 Keene Road
George Bailey House, ca 1845, 25 Quaker Lane
Captain Jacob Tabor Home, 1846, 788 North Main St.
Lydia A. Thatch House, ca 1846, 558 North Main St.
Allen Collins House, ca 1849, 153 Middle Road