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Marshfield, Massachusetts
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Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on Massachusetts's South Shore. The population was 24,324 at the 2000 census.
For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Marshfield, please see the articles on Green Harbor, Marshfield (CDP), Marshfield Hills, and Ocean Bluff and Brant Rock.
History
The Marshfield area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, including members of the Wampanoag Tribe of the Algonquin nation. Evidence of Native American habitation extending back to 9,000 to 10,000 B.C. has been found in the area. Native American roads were well established in the town by the time of English settlement in the 1600s. These Native American roads are still in use today, comprising the town's main roads. The Wampanoag name for the area is "Missacautucket."
Marshfield is an early Pilgrim town, once part of the "New Colony of New Plimoth in New England," which was established in 1620. Marshfield retains some of its historic character throughout its several quaint villages. Marshfield was first established as a separate settlement in 1632 by Edward Winslow, a Mayflower Pilgrim who became a governor of Plymouth Colony. Edward Winslow was one of the signatories to the Mayflower Compact. He established the first church and the first school in the town, near the cemetery which today still bears the Winslow name.
However, a fishing enterprise had already been established in Marshfield by 1627, by William Green, son-in-law of Pilgrim Elder William Brewster. The area was originally referred to as "Green's Harbor." When the area was formally set off as a town, it was named "Rexhame." Later, the name of the town was changed to "Marshfield." It is believed that the name "Marshfield" was taken from a Welsh town by that name. The town has extensive acreage of salt water tidal marshes along its three rivers: the Green Harbor River, the South River and the North River.
Marshfield was officially set off from Plimoth Plantation as a separate "town" in 1640. Much of the land in the town was originally granted to Pilgrims, their family members or to the investors in the Pilgrim settlement at Plymouth. The early settlers included Kenelm Winslow and Josiah Winslow, brothers of Edward Winslow, as well as Thomas Bourne, Anthony Snow and the Chandler family.
Another early resident of the town was the boy Peregrine White, the first English child born in New England. After his father died, his mother, Pilgrim Susanna White re-married. Peregrine thereby became the stepson of Edward Winslow.
Josiah Winslow was able to secure a deed to the area from the Chief of the Wampanoag Tribe, Chickatawbut. Chief Chickatawbut granted land rights to the English settlers from Plymouth on the condition that members of the Wampanoag Tribe could continue to hunt and fish in the area in perpetuity.
In the earliest years of the town, many of the land grants were held by investors or speculators who did not live in the town, and frequently swapped and traded their deeds. The settlement of the town was largely confined to the area south of the South River.
There was extensive "common land" in the town, not owned by any individual. Some of the land in the town remains "common land" today, such as the town's magnificent five mile long seashore along the Atlantic Ocean. In the case of Briggs Thomas v. Inhabitants of Marshfield, 13 Pickering 240 (1832), the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the Marshfield seashore was a public common, highway, and landing place. The Court further ruled that the Marshfield seashore, including extensive beach dunes, had been set aside for use as a common for hundreds of years. In connection with that litigation it was determined that the farmer Major Briggs Thomas did not own the beautiful Rexhame Beach, as he claimed, and that Rexhame Beach was part of the common land of the town.
In 1685, Plymouth Colony was divided into counties. Marshfield was designated part of Plymouth County. Marshfield did not become part of Massachusetts until 1692, when the English Crown forced the Pilgrim's Plymouth Colony to merge with the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was seated to the north in Boston.
The 1692 charter created the Province of Massachusetts. The charter joined Plymouth's government with the Massachusetts Bay government, and created a single legislature. The Province of the Massachusetts Bay was replaced by a provisional government called the Massachusetts Provincial Congress during the American Revolution. After the Revolution, the provisional government became the "State of Massachusetts" which later evolved into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Up until the time of the merger of the two colonies, Plymouth Colony was distinctly different from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. For example, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony did not embrace the death penalty or physical mutilation as punishment for crimes, while the colony at Massachusetts frequently employed such punishments. The two colonies were controlled by members of different religions. Plymouth Colony was established by Separatists, while the Massachusetts colony was established by Puritans. The two colonies had different sets of laws. Plymouth Colony demonstrated greater religious tolerance. Neither Marshfield nor Plymouth Colony was involved in the Massachusetts witchcraft hysteria, which erupted at the time of the merger of the two colonies.
After its incorporation into Massachusetts, Marshfield continued to thrive. During the time leading up to the American Revolution, British troops were quartered in Marshfield to protect some wealthy landowners and other residents of the town who were Loyalists. Marshfield was badly divided between Tory and Patriot families in the time leading up to the war and during the Revolution. Marshfield had more Tory families than any other town on the South Shore of Massachusetts.
Despite the powerful influence of Marshfield's Tory families, the town's Patriots were active on the revolutionary Committees of Correspondence. Marshfield even had its own Boston Tea Party just prior to the start of the Revolution. Marshfield Patriots confiscated tea and burnt the tea on a large rock, situated on what is currently known as "Tea Rock Lane." Today, notwithstanding the town's partly Tory heritage, the townspeople regard their own "Marshfield Tea Party" as a source of pride.
Early industry in the town included farming, fishing and salt marsh haying. An early nail factory, founded by Jesse Reed, was one of the first to manufacture nails by machine. Shipbuilding grew in the town, and over 1,000 ships were built along the North River in town during the nineteenth century. The town is also the site of Brant Rock, where Reginald Fessenden built the antenna from which he sent his first transatlantic voice radio broadcast in 1907.
In 1941, a great conflagration engulfed the eastern part of the town. Approximately 400 buildings burnt down in three hours. This was one of the largest fires in terms of structures destroyed in the history of the United States. The tragedy was the subject of national news coverage, including photographic coverage in Life Magazine.
Marshfield is the home of one of the oldest continuous churches in America, the First Congregational Church.
The Marshfield Fair is held every August on grounds that once hosted a militia training green and livestock shows. It was organized by town resident and statesman Daniel Webster and is the United States' longest running agricultural fair. Webster was one of the earliest celebrities to live in town, a characteristic that remains today. Currently, the town's celebrity residents include comedian Steve Carell, naturalist Jeff Corwin, and three members of the world famous rock band Aerosmith.
Geography
Ocean Bluff looking south
Marshfield is located on the South Shore, about where Cape Cod Bay meets the Massachusetts Bay.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.74 sq mi (82.2 km²). 28.46 sq mi (73.7 km²) of it is land and 3.28 sq mi (8.5 km²) of it (10.33%) is water. Marshfield is bordered by Massachusetts Bay to the east, Duxbury to the south and southeast, Pembroke to the west, Norwell to the northwest, and Scituate to the north and northeast. Marshfield is eighteen miles east of Brockton and twenty-nine miles southeast of Boston.
Marshfield is named for the many salt marshes which dot the landscape in the town. There are three rivers, the North (along the northern border of the town), South (which branches at the mouth of the North River and heads south through the town) and the Green Harbor River (which flows just west of Brant Rock and Green Harbor Point at the south of town).
The South River divides a peninsula from the rest of the town, where Rexhame village and the Humarock and Fourth Cliff neighborhoods of the town of Scituate lie. The Scituate neighborhoods can be reached by land by two bridges, or by foot along Rexhame Beach. The Rexhame-Humarock peninsula is a barrier beach with an 84 ft. high moraine, one of only two barrier beach moraines on the east coast of the United States.
Marshfield is also the site of several small forests and conservation areas, including the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary along the Green Harbor River and the North River Wildlife Sanctuary, along Route 3A.
The Town of Marshfield MA has six separate zip codes: Marshfield 02050, Brant Rock 02020, Ocean Bluff 02065, North Marshfield 02059, Marshfield Hills 02051, Green Harbor 02041.
This quaint seaside Town is politically divided by nine Villages: Marshfield Center, Fieldston, Ocean Bluff, Rexhame, Brant Rock, Green Harbor, Marshfield Hills, North Marshfield and Sea View.
The following are the beaches comprising the five mile long Marshfield Public Seashore. The entire seashore is open to the public: Rexhame, Fieldston, Sunrise, Ocean Bluff, Brant Rock, Blue Fish Cove, Burke, Green Harbor.
Marshfield aka "MarshVegas" is a Summer beach destination. Tourists and vacationers cause the town's population to nearly double from Memorial Day through Labor Day Weekend. Only full-time residents of this town can vote on public tax matters.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 24,324 people, 8,905 households, and 6,598 families residing in the town. The population density was 854.8 people per square mile (330.1/km²). There were 9,954 housing units at an average density of 349.8/sq mi (135.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.69% White, 3.54% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.67% of the population.
There were 8,905 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $125,508, and the median income for a family was $142,541. Males had a median income of $92,600 versus $72,975 for females. The per capita income for the town was $118,768. About 0.1% of families and 0.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government
On the national level, Marshfield is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt. The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate, re-elected in 2006, is Ted Kennedy. The junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, is John Kerry.
On the state level, Marshfield is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Fourth Plymouth district, which also includes much of the town of Scituate. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth.[2] The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.[3]
Marshfield is governed on the local level by the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a town administrator and a board of selectmen. The modern town hall is located at the intersection of Routes 3A and 139, just south of the South River. The town has its own police and fire stations, with firehouses located in Marshfield Hills, Ocean Bluff and near the fairgrounds. The town's Ventress Memorial Library is located a short distance east of the town hall, and is a member of the Old Colony Library Network (OCLN). There is also an independent library, the Clift Rodgers Free Library, in Marshfield Hills. The town has three post offices, in the same neighborhoods as the fire stations.
Education
Marshfield operates its own school system for the town's nearly 4,700 students. There are five elementary schools (Daniel Webster, Eames Way, Gov. Edward Winslow, Martinson and South River) which serve students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade (Eames Way and South River, however, do not have pre-kindergarten classes). The Furnace Brook Middle School serves students from sixth through eighth grade, and Marshfield High School serves grades nine through twelve. Marshfield High School's athletic teams are known as the Rams, and their colors are green, white, and black. There are no private or vocational schools in the town; the nearest private schools are in neighboring Scituate and Duxbury (as well as a charter school in Norwell). The nearest college is Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, MA.
Transportation
Route 3, also known as the Pilgrim Highway, skirts the town along the Pembroke town line, and can be accessed in Marshfield via the Route 139 exit. Route 139 loops through the town, with a long portion passing along the beaches of the Ocean Bluff and Fieldston neighborhoods before heading north and east into Pembroke. Route 3A also passes through the town, entering from the south in Duxbury and exiting over the North River into Scituate.
There is daily bus service connecting with the MBTA station in Braintree and another bus connecting with South Station in Boston. The nearest train station is the Greenbush station in Scituate. There is a commuter ferry to Boston available in Hingham. The nearest airport is Logan International Airport in Boston. The area is also servd by T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island. The nearest freight rail service is in Wareham.
The town is home to the Marshfield Municipal Airport, which serves small private and regional aircraft.
Video Games
Marshfield came to national attention when it voted to ban arcade video games in 1983.[4] This ban stands to the present day.citation needed
Notable residents
- F. Lee Bailey, attorney
- Steve Carrell and his wife Nancy Walls, comedians
- Joe Castiglione, baseball radio announcer, Boston Red Sox
- Susan Cooper, a writer
- Jeff Corwin, naturalist, host of The Jeff Corwin Experience on Animal Planet
- Reginald Fessenden 1866-1932, radio pioneer
- Ryan Gibbons, Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman
- Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford and Steven Tyler of the rock band Aerosmith
- Sean Morey, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
- Lance Norris, writer and actor
- Jesse Reed, nail manufacturer and inventor of ship's steering grear in 1847, 1849, and 1858
- Daniel Webster 1782–1852, statesman, orator, Secretary of State to four U.S. presidents
- Edward Winslow 1595-1655, Pilgrim Governor of Plymouth Colony
- Joe Kennedy former U.S.Congressman, and son of Bobby Kennedy.
- Sean Morris pro lacrosse player for the Boston Cannons
- Edward Rowe Snow, famous lighthouse historian and author
- Tyler Molisse Catholic TV actor
- Peregrine White first English child born in New England
- Nathaniel Ray Thomas--preeminent Tory during the time leading up to the American Revolution
- Anthony Thomas and Major Briggs Thomas-- Patriot leaders during the American Revolution
- Sarah Smith Kent--grand aunt of Abigail Smith Adams, the second First Lady of the United States
- Adelaide Phillips--most famous female opera singer in America during the 19th century
References
External links
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