History of Taunton, Massachusetts, USA

Taunton, Massachusetts
One of the chief towns of Bristol county. This very beautiful town is situated at the junction of Canoe, Rumford and Taunton rivers, and possesses an excellent water power. There is some excellent land in this town, and its proprietors display much taste in its cultivation. The business of the place is, however, rather in manufactures than agriculture. There are 8 cotton mills and a print works in the town; also a paper mill, 3 nail factories, a forge, a furnace, and manufactures of boots, shoes, leather, hats, chairs, brick, vessels, straw bonnets, and britannia, stone and cabinet wares: total value of the manufactures, the year ending April 1, 1837, exclusive of cloth printing and iron castings, $1,425,552. The number of hands employed in these manufactures was 1,308. There is some navigation owned in this town, which is employed in the coastwise trade, and domestic fishery.

The manufacture of britannia ware at this place, is of recent origin in this...

The Indian name of this ancient town was Cohannet. It included within its limits, Berkeley, Raynham, Dighton, Norton, Easton, and Mansfield, about one third of the whole county.

It was named by Miss Elizabeth Poole, who came from Taunton in England, and was the principal owner and founder of the settlement.

Taunton is situated on both sides of Taunton River, the Tetiquet of the Indians; and small vessels can go up the river as far as Taunton,

Canoe and Rumford Rivers, two branches of the Great Taunton, give excellent water power to the town.

Among the numerous manufactures are cotton cloth, nails and other articleb of iron, straw bonnets, bricks, &c.

Taunton River is celebrated for the great number of alewives that annually visit it, and for the numerous laws that have been passed by the legislature, to regulate the fishery among the several towns on its banks.

Distance from New Bedford, 24 miles; from Boston,...

Clough, the murderer, was executed in the jail yard at Taunton yesterday forenoon. The New Bedford Standard says: At 11 o'clock, the religious services having been completed, the prisoner was taken from his cell to the place of execution. He walked with a firm step and ascended the stairs to the scaffold with a quick and lively movement. As he turned his head after arriving at the platform, he recognized a prisoner looking out of the cell at an upper window in the jail, and smiled and bowed to him. It was his request that nothing should be said at the gallows, and the rope was immediately adjusted around his neck, the warrant for his execution read, when the Sheriff touched the fatal spring that unloosed the platform; it fell, and with it the body of the unfortunate man, and at six minutes after 11 o'clock all was over. He died almost without a struggle.

Saturday afternoon, as we learn from the Gazette, at half past two o'clock, as the New Bedford and Taunton train was about one mile and a half below Taunton, the axletree of the tender gave out, causing a succession of serious mishaps. The tender was immediately thrown down an embankment of thirty feet. The baggage car, directly behind, was precipitated below, on the right of the track, and also the succeeding car, in which were twenty-five passengers. All three were completely demolished. As if by a miracle, no lives were lost.- Fifteen persons were more or less injured.

The cars and tender were thrown some forty feet from the track, and in their fearful passage completely revolved three times. The rails of the track were torn up for several rods. No defect was discovered in the axletree.

Taunton, a post-town and semi-capital of Bristol county, Massachusetts, is situated at the head of navigation on Taunton river, and on the New Bedford and Taunton rail road, 35 miles S. from Boston, and 30 miles E. N. E. from Providence. Lat. 41° 64' 11" N., Ion. 71° 5' 55" W. It is handsomely built, and contains a beautiful enclosure in the centre, called "Taunton Green." Besides the court house and jail, there are in the place 10 or 11 churches, a handsome town house, several fine hotels, and 3 banks. Three news papers are issued here. A beautiful cemetery, called the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, has been laid out a short distance from the green, upon the Mount Auburn plan. The manufactures of Taunton are extensive and various, consisting of paper, leather, nails, steam engines, and hardware of various kinds. One of the most extensive locomotive and steam- engine establishments is that of Messrs. Mason & Co. Upon the completion of the extensive additions now being made to their shops,...