Town of Seekonk
Incorporated June 4, 1645

The name seekonk is said to have been the Indian name (spelled any one of some 20 ways) meaning "the place of the black water fowl", actually geese. Seekonk has preserved an ancient name.

Seekonk was originally part of Rehoboth, established 1645, which ultimately included the present towns of Rehoboth, Seekonk, Attleboro, North Attleboro, East Providence, and parts of Pawtucket, Barrington and Woonsocket. The village of Seekonk was the capital village of Rehoboth until 1812 when the present Rehoboth separated from Seekonk.

Roger Williams spent the Spring of 1636 within the present town of seekonk before going on to his permanent settlement in Providence.

In 1641, 69 families in the Seacunck area negotiated with Massasoit, the Wampanoag chief, for purchase of 8 square miles of land. The meeting is reported to have been at Roger Williams' house in Providence where wampum and a new coat were traded for the land.

Seekonk was incorporated as a town in 1812. In 1862 the part of Seekonk which is now Pawtucket and East Providence was ceded to Rhode Island. In the boundary change, Seekonk lost its town hall to East Providence.

The town remained largely agricultural through the years with a minimum of businesses developing. At one point in more modern times, croquet sets and tennis rackets were made here by the Kent Manufacturing Co. Luther's Corner is the center of the town where schools, churches, homes and taverns were clustered.

It has been said that Seekonk shared in historical events but the residents were never sure they were treated fairly when boundary changes were made. When it came to supplying their quota of men for the Civil War, the town rallied to meet the demand.

A recent survey (1987) lists 187 historical sites in the town. Of these, 10 structures and 1 cemetery are credited to the Colonial period prior to 1775 and 15 structures to the Federal period from 1775-1830. More then half remaining are from the late industrial period from 1870 to 1915 when the town's population grew rapidly. The railroad was introduced in the northwest section of town just prior to this time.

If commerce passed Seekonk by in earlier days that is no longer true. The area on Route 6 between Swansea and East Providence has seen a burgeoning of recreation and shopping places and commercial business such as trucking, all along its length.


Historical Sites

Several of the historic buildings named in this survey:
Building at 385 Jacob St. (c. 1670), once a roadside tavern for travelers going between Providence and Taunton.
Building at 1 Circle Drive, (c. 1670's), once a home and tavern which was a rest shop for stagecoach riders.
Simeon Martin House (1799), 940 County Rd. - on National Register of Historic Places.
Windmill (mid-1800's), 427 Brown Ave.
Saracen Stables (c. 1870-1915), 89 Read Street
Grist Mill (1745), 390 Fall River Ave. (restaurant)