Attleboro

 

(ăt'əlbərə) , industrial city (1990 pop. 38,383), Bristol co., SE Mass., near the R.I. line; settled 1634, inc. as a city 1914. Its jewelry industry began in 1780; silverware, scientific instruments, and fabricated metal products are also made.

See also: Attleborough, United Kingdom

Attleboro, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Bristol County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 41°56′40″N 71°17′10″W / 41.94444, -71.28611
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Bristol
Settled	1634
Incorporated	1694 (town)
Reincorporated	1914 (city)
Government
- Type	Mayor-council city
- Mayor	Kevin Dumas
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	02703
Area code(s)	508 / 774
FIPS code	25-02690
GNIS feature ID	0612033
Website: http://www.cityofattleboro.us

Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts and is immediately north of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers, Attleboro had a total population of 42,068 as of the 2000 census.

History

Attleboro was incorporated from part of Rehoboth in 1694 as the Town of Attleborough. It was reincorporated in 1914 as the City of Attleboro. Attleboro included the town of North Attleborough until 1887, and Cumberland, Rhode Island, until 1747. When the city re-incorporated in 1914, the "-ugh" was removed from the name; North Attleborough kept it. Like many towns in Massachusetts, it was named for a British town.

During the colonial period, Nathaniel Woodcock lived in North Attleboro. During the Native American insurgency Woodcock's son was murdered and his head was placed on a pole in his front yard. The house where Woodcock lived is now a historical monument. It is rumored George Washington once passed through and stayed near the Woodcock Garrison House at the Hatch Tavern where he swapped one shoe buckle with Nathan Hatch, a revolutionary soldier and new owner of the Garrison House.

The city became known for jewelry manufacturing, notably through the L.G. Balfour Company starting in 1913. However, the company has since moved out of the city, with the site of the former plant turned into a riverfront park. The Balfour Company was not the only jewelry manufacturer or supplier to the jewelry manufacturing trade in Attleboro. At one time, Attleboro was known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World." There are jewelry related manufacturing firms in Attleboro who continue to operate. One of these companies is Guyot Brothers Company,^[1] which was started in 1904. General Findings, M.S. Company, James A. Murphy Co., Garlan Chain, and Masters of Design, which was started by former Balfour employees, are still jewelry related manufacturing companies still currently in operation.

Geography

Attleboro is located at 41°55′41″N, 71°18′52″W (41.928099, -71.314564).¹ According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.2 km² (28.3 mi²). 71.3 km² (27.5 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (2.72%) is water. Its borders are the shape of an irregular polygon, resembling a pointless triangle pointed west. It is bordered by North Attleborough to the north, Mansfield and Norton to the east, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Pawtucket, Rhode Island to the south, and Cumberland, Rhode Island to the west. It includes the localities of Briggs Corner, Dodgeville, East Junction, Hebronville, and South Attleboro.

The Ten Mile River, a tributary to the Blackstone River, runs through the center of Attleboro, and is fed by several brooks and the Bungay River. Several small ponds are in the city, as well as the Manchester Pond Reservoir, located along Interstate 95. There are also two reservation areas, the Antony Lawrence Reservation Area and Coleman Reservation Area, as well as the Bungay River Conservation Area located in the north of the city.

Demographics

Attleboro is officially a part of the Providence metropolitan area. As of the census² of 2000, there were 42,068 people, 16,019 households, and 10,924 families residing in the city, and the population density was 590.4/km² (1,529.1/mi²). There were 16,554 housing units at an average density of 232.3/km² (601.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.30% White, 1.64% African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.82% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.29% of the population.

There were 16,019 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,807, and the median income for a family was $59,112. Males had a median income of $40,331 versus $28,769 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,660. About 3.7% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The city has a mayor-council form of government. The current mayor is Kevin Dumas, a 29-year-old who defeated longtime Mayor Judith Robbins in a 2003 election marked by record-low turnout of just 26% and who is the first openly homosexual elected official in the city's modern history.^{[citation needed]} He was re-elected to a second term in November 2005. Attleboro has a centralized police department, four fire stations, and two post offices (both under the zip code 02703). The central library is located downtown, as is a separate Health Science Library at nearby Sturdy Memorial Hospital. A branch of the Bristol County District Court is also located in the city.

Attleboro is divided between the Second and Fourteenth Bristol state representative districts, the Second including most of Attleboro, the Fourteenth including parts of Attleboro, Mansfield and Norton, as well as all of North Attleborough. The city is represented in the state senate in the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex and Bristol and Norfolk districts. The former includes the towns of Millis, Needham, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Plainville, Sherborn, Wayland, and Wrentham, as well as parts of Attleboro, Franklin, Natick and Wellesley; the latter includes Dover, Foxborough, Mansfield, Medfield, Norton, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Walpole and parts of Attleboro and Sharon. Attleboro is patrolled by Troop H (Metro Boston District), 3rd Barracks (located in Foxborough) of the Massachusetts State Police. On the national level, the city is part of Massachusetts Congressional District 3, which is represented by Jim McGovern. The state's senior (Class I) Senator is Edward Kennedy, and the state's junior (Class II) Senator is John Kerry.

Education

Attleboro has its own school department, with five elementary schools (Hill-Roberts, Hyman Fine, A. Irvin Studley, Thacher and Thomas Willett), three middle schools (Brennan, Coelho and Wamsutta), and Attleboro High School. Attleboro High School's nickname is the Blue Bombardiers, and the school mascot is an eagle. They have a traditional rivalry with North Attleborough High School, whom they play for their Thanksgiving Day Game.

In addition to Attleboro High School, which has its own vocational division, students from the city and surrounding towns may choose to attend Bishop Feehan High School, a Roman Catholic high school opened in 1961 and named for Bishop Daniel Francis Feehan, second Bishop of the Diocese of Fall River. The city also has a satellite branch of Bristol Community College, which is located in the city's former high school building.

Points of interest

Attleboro has three museums, including the Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro Area Industrial Museum,^[2] and the Women at Work Museum. Other points of interest within the city include:

• Capron Park, which houses a zoo^[3]
• L.G. Balfour Riverwalk, which was once the site of the L.G. Balfour jewelry plant, is adjacent to the downtown business district.
• LaSalette Shrine which has a Christmas light display^[4]
• Triboro Youth Theatre^[5]

Transportation

Attleboro is located along I-95 (which enters the state between Attleboro and Pawtucket, Rhode Island), I-295 (whose northern terminus is near the North Attleborough town line at I-95), and US 1, as well as Routes 1A, 118, 123 and 152, the last three all intersecting at Attleboro center. The city is also home to two MBTA commuter rail stations: one in the downtown area and the other near the Rhode Island border in the South Attleboro district.

Attleboro and Taunton are both served by Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, or GATRA, which provides bus transit between the two cities and the surrounding regions.

Religion

The religions represented by the churches in Attleboro reveal the historic ethnic makeup of the community. The five Roman Catholic churches — St. John's, St. Stephen's, St. Joseph's, St. Theresa of the Little Flower, and Holy Ghost — reflect the English/Irish, formerly French now Hispanic, and Portuguese, neighborhoods, respectively.

All Saints Episcopal Church (1890) on North Main Street represents that traditional English presence in the community — though the church is now very diverse. Currently All Saints is in the process of separating from the Episcopal Church-USA (ECUSA) to become affiliated with an Anglican diocese under a bishop in Uganda.

The Second Congregational Church (1748), located near the town common, is typical of a New England town. Second Congregational had a stately white clapboard building that was destroyed by fire. A red brick building replaced it in the early 1900s.

The Bethany Village Fellowship formally Bethany Congregational Church (1886) located in South Attleboro at 516 Newport Ave.

The Murray Unitarian-Universalist Church (1875) on North Main Street is also typical of a New England town.

The Evangelical Covenant Church (1903) on North Main Street recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was historically "the Swedish church," though it includes many different ethnic groups today.

Congregation Agudas Achim on Kelly Boulevard is part of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement.

There are a number of Protestant denominations represented in Attleboro including Baptist (Grace Baptist on Oakhill Avenue, the Bible Baptist on Union Street, and 1st Baptist on South Main), Christian & Missionary Alliance (Faith Alliance on Pleasant), Advent Christian (also on Pleasant), Fruit of the Spirit Mission Church {located on Leroy Street), Assembly of God (the South Attleboro AOG on Newport Avenue), and New Covenant Church on North Main Street (Rt. 152).

There are also numerous non-denominational churches such as Good News Bible Chapel on West Street (1935), Candleberry Ministries on South Main St. (Rt. 152), and a handful of ethnic congregations started through church planting.

The Salvation Army Bridges of Hope located on Mechanic Street offers Sunday Services as well as week day and evening support services including "Bridging the Gap" for adolescent support.

The Attleboro Area Council of Churches is very active in the community.

Cancer

In late 2003, The Sun Chronicle reported that a state probe had been launched into the deaths of four city women from glioblastoma. As of October 2005, no report has been issued, and the status of the probe is unknown.

Scorecard, Environmental Defense's online database of polluters, lists seven facilities contributing to cancer hazards in Attleboro, including Engineered Materials Solutions Inc., the worst offender in Massachusetts.^[6]

In 2002, the Massachusetts Public Health Department was asked to evaluate the former Shpack Landfill, on border of Norton and Attleboro, for its cancer risks. The investigation continued through at least 2004.^[7][8] The informal landfill included uranium fuel rods, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds.^[9]

Notable residents

• Horace Capron, (1804-1885), Union Army officer during American Civil War, later an agricultural advisor to Japan whose methods revolutionized Japanese agriculture^[10]
• David Cobb, (1748-1830), major general of the Continental Army, speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, United States Congressman from Massachusetts^[10]
• Walter Cryan, (1935-), long time news anchor for WPRI-TV and WLNE-TV television stations in Providence, RI.
• David Daggett, (1764-1851), United States Senator, associate justice of Connecticut Supreme Court, mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and a founder of the Yale Law School.^[10]
• Naphtali Daggett, (1727-1780), Presbyterian clergyman, professor of divinity at Yale University, fought in the American Revolutionary War.^[10]
• William Manchester, (1922-2004), historian and biographer. His Death of a President was his most controversial work.
• Jonathan Maxcy, (1768-1820), Baptist clergyman and president of Brown University.^[10]
• Virgil Maxcy, (1785-1844), member of the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland State Senate, later first solicitor of the treasury and charge d'affaires at the United States embassy in Belgium.^[10]
• Bazaleel Mann, (1724-1796), eminent physician and a prominent patriot of the (American Revolution). Dr Mann was a member of the committee to report on the first constitution submitted to the people of Massachusetts, was a judge of the Superior Court of Attleboro ^[11].
• Newton Mann, (1770-1860) left Attleboro and moved to Whitesboro, NY in 1806 was an industrialist creating the first cotton factory in New York. Mann was a prominent Whig and an outspoken Abolitionist. He created a safe-house in the underground railroad helping many runaway slaves get to Canada ^[12].
• Daniel Read, (1757-1836), composer published 400 hymns in several collections ^[13].
• Ray Conniff, (1916-2002), prolific easy listening musician, known for his sentimental renditions of standard songs.
• Mark Williams, (1956- ), controversial television, radio and newspaper personality
• Scott Monaghan, (1980-) soul musician
• Abraham Scott, (1985-) cartoonist and well known dandy
• Robert A Weygand, (1948-), member of US House of Representatives 1997-2001^[14].

References

External links

• City of Attleboro Home Page
• Attleboro Chamber of Commerce
• Attleboro Public Schools
• Attleboro Public Library

Coordinates: 41.928099° N 71.314564° W

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