The area’s rich and varied history includes a thriving Wampanoag community that once inhabited the Taunton River watershed. In 1637, the area, then known as Cohannet, was settled by the English. Among the first to arrive was Elizabeth Pole, an English noblewoman who came to the New World in the Great Migration of the 1630s. In addition to helping establish the community that would come to be known as Taunton, she was one of the first proprietors of an iron works on the banks of the Two Mile River, in an area that is now part of Raynham.

The Taunton River and other waterways soon played a key role in the expansion of the area by creating a solid and lasting economic foundation. However, life was not without its dangers; the tragic King Philip’s War with Native Americans from 1675 to 1676 was followed by decades of war between France and England. The American colonies took notice of Taunton’s patriotic spirit when, in October 1774, brave members of the local Sons of Liberty raised the famous Liberty and Union flag in defiance of British rule. Six months later, the American Revolution began in Lexington, some 45 miles to the north. Many Tauntonians helped to win the war, including Robert Treat Paine, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

During the 19th century, Taunton experienced steady growth as numerous industries located here. One successful business is Reed and Barton, founded in 1824 and still going strong as the oldest privately owned silversmith in the country. The establishment of more than forty other silver companies during that time helped Taunton to earn its nickname, "The Silver City." In addition to silver, the rise of other industry, such as brickyards, machine shops, stove foundries, locomotive works, and textile mills gave Taunton a diversified industrial base that helped it to weather ups and downs in the nation’s economy.

A highly skilled workforce developed, fed by the waves of immigration that have given Taunton a diverse cultural heritage. When necessary, members of each generation have turned from their labors and answered the nation’s call, as in the 1860s, when Taunton sent more than 1,600 men to join the Union forces in the Civil War; 141 of them lost their lives. It was during this war that Taunton became an official city, the 13th to be formed in the state.

In the mid twentieth century, Taunton’s educational system grew dramatically to meet the needs of the baby boom generation. The last half of the century witnessed a city in transition, as traditional manufacturing made way for the high-tech industry that exists today.

All of the experiences, triumphs and tragedies of the last three-plus centuries have given Taunton and the surrounding area a rich history. The city’s Old Colony Historical Society, with its impressive collection of folk art, artifacts and manuscripts, is a prime resource for genealogists, historians and anyone else who wishes to know more about this region’s great legacy.

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