Foxborough History
This town was originally a part of Stoughton; it was incorporated in 1778. The Rev. Thomas Kendall, the first minister, was ordained here in 1786. The church was embodied in 1779. Mr. Kendall continued its pastor till 1800. The Rev. Daniel Loring, his successor, was settled here in 1804, and resigned in 1806. Rev. Thomas Skelton, the third minister, continued here about four years; his successor, Rev. Thomas Williams, was installed in 1816. Rev. Willard Pierce, the next minister, was ordained in 1824.
In the center of town there are two churches, 1 Congrega- tional and 1 Baptist, and a village of about 25 well-built dwelling- houses. Distance, 15 miles from Dedham, 15 to Taunton, 5 to Wrentham, 37 to Worcester, 20 to Providence, and 24 to Boston. Population, 1,416. The manufacture of straw bonnets is a very important branch of business in this place. In 1837, there were 133,654 straw bonnets manufactures, valued at $121,571. There were 2 cotton mills; 17 hands were employed, and $12,350 worth of goods manufactured; two woolen mills, cloth manufactured, 46,000 yards, valued at $48,000; one air and cupola furnace; iron castings made, 300 tons, value, $30,000; hands employed, 20. The value of shovels, spades, forks or hoes manufactured, was $15,000.
John Shepherd, who died in Attleborough in 1809, at the age of one hundred and nine years, was a native of this town. "He re- tained all his faculties of mind and body, except his eye-sight, to the last, and was just able to walk, with a little assisstance, till a few days before his death.* He lived over a hundred years on his native spot. He was a man of pious character; cheerful in disposition, jocose, witty, and of a quick understanding. He was deprived of his eye-sight on a sudden, during the night, and was not himself aware of it until the next morning, when he sought in vain for the light of day. He could didtinctly recollect events which had occurred a century before. He had one son and seve- ral daughters. Two of his daughters lived upwards of 80 years; and another, Mrs. Mary Mann, of Wrentham, who died in 1828, lived to the age of 97 years. She retained all her faculties and usual cheerfulness and vivacity till the last fifteen years of her life. She abstained almost wholly from animal food, and never was in the habit of drinking tea or coffee, and wondered how peo- ple could love either. Her most common food was milk. She adhered to the same fashion in dress for 80 years."
________
*It is of him that the well-known anecdote is told, that he lived in two counties and
four different towns, and yet never moved [during that time] from the spot where he
was born.
Franklin. 469
The annexed engraving is a representa- tion of a very singular monument standing in the grave-yard in the center of this town. In order to read the inscription, it is necessary to raise the lid or cover, which turns up like the lid of a tea-pot, and lays on the rest by the side. The cover is of iron, and is kept to its place by hooks; the date, 1810, is cut upon it. The following is the inscription :
This monument was erected by Doct. N. Miller, to the memory of his friend, Mr. Zadock Howe, who died 1819, AE t. 77, and who fought under the great Wash- ington.
To those who view, before you're gone,
Be pleas'd to put this cover on.
1810.
On the inside of the cover, on a piece of sheet-iron, the following is in gilt letters :
The grave is waiting for your body,
And Christ is waiting for your soul,
O, may this be your cheerful study,
To be prepared when death doth call.
The lower part of this monument is of granite. This, with the apparatus at the top, was made by Mr. Howe, who kept it in his house some years before his death.
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Formation Of A Town
| Town Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough |
Land Source came from Wrentham part from Stoughton part from Stoughtonham part from Walpole bound Sharon bound Stoughton bound Wrentham part from Wrentham bound Sharon part to Walpole part to Walpole part from Sharon |
Year
1778 1778 1778 1778 1793 1793 1819 1831 1833 1833 1834 1850 |
Population
- 1790 = 654
- 1800 = 779
- 1810 = 870
- 1820 = 1,004
- 1830 = 1,165
- 1840 = 1,298
- 1850 = 1,880
- 1855 = 2,570 (State)
- 1860 = 2,879
- 1865 = 2,778 (State)
- 1870 = 3,057
- 1875 = 3,168 (State)
- 1880 = 2,950
- 1885 = 2,814 (State)
- 1888 = 2,814 | 703 being voters; and the dwelling-houses numbered 593*
- 1890 = 2,933
- 1895 = 3,219 (State)
- 1900 = 3,266
- 1905 = 3,364 (State)
- 1910 = 3,863
- 1920 = 4,136
- 1930 = 5,347
- 1940 = 6,303
- 1950 = 7,030
- 1960 = 10,136
- 1970 = 14,218
- 1980 = 14,148
- 1990 = 14,637
- 2000 = 16,246
- 2010 = 16,865
More Town History
- A Brief History of Foxborough
- A Brief History of Foxborough
- Introduction: Our Path to the Present
- Hunting and Gathering (Prehistoric times to 1636)
- Planting the Seed (1637 to 1777)
- Setting the Foundation (1778 to 1900)
- Falling Down and Getting Up (1900 to Present)
- Conclusion: Looking Back and Reaching Forward
- Foxborough Historical Society
- Baker Street Historic District
- Foxborough Historical Society & Commission
- Foxborough Historical Society & Commission
- History of the Foxborough Fire Department
- History of Boyden Library and Libraries In Foxborough
- Foxborough in "Historical Collections" by John Warner Barber, pub. 1848
- Foxborough Newspapers
- Historical Marker Project
- Vital Records of Foxborough, Massachusetts: To the Year 1850 - Full Book from the Google Books Library Project
- A sermon at the dedication of the Meeting-House in Foxborough January 1, 1823
- Address Delivered at the Consecration of Rock Hill Cemetery in Foxborough, Mass Oct, 4, 1853 by Samuel Wolcott
- Foxborough's Official Centennial Record, Saturday, June 29, 1878
- VITAL RECORDS of FOXBOROUGH MASSACHUSETTS To the end of the year 1849
- Foxborough's Official Centennial Record, Saturday, June 29, 1878 by Erastus Payson Carpenter
- History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918 Vol. 1 by Louis A. Cook
- 1850 Map of Foxborough : containing 12806 acres by J.M. Everett
- 1879 Foxborough, Mass. by Oakley Hoopes Bailey & J.C. Hazen
- Foxborough at DigitalCommonwealth
- Norfolk County Massachusetts History and Genealogy
- 1895 Population, Post offices, and Railroad Information
- "Foxborough: Gem Of Norfolk County"
- Foxborough @ Wikipedia
- MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report
- Historical Data Relating to the Incorporation of and Abolishment of Counties in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- The Powderhouse
- Resident and business directory of Foxborough, Massachusetts for 1887-88
- Foxborough
- History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918, Volume 1 - Foxborough
- Foxborough in Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System
- Foxborough in "Historical Marker Database"
- Indian place names of New England
- History of the Foxborough Discretionary Fund
- Native American Placenames of the United States
- Native American Placenames of the United States
- Native American Trail Project: Foxborough Historic Marker (2006)
- The Foxborough Experiment: Medicalizing inebriety at the Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates
- Confession of faith and covenant of the Orthodox Congregational Church in Foxborough, Mass (1856)
- Foxborough
- Science Illustrated - People From Foxborough
- Historical Newspapers Online
- Old Occupation Names - II
Foxborough's History And Historical Sites
- History / Home
- Cemeteries In Town
- Genealogy Information
- Historic Buildings
- Maps
- Military Service & Records
- People & Families
- Houses Of Worship & Clergy
Did You Know? / Fun Facts
- The old Fire Station on the common used to have a Fire Horn! The "2-2-2" call on a snowy morning meant "NO SCHOOL" :-).
- Schaefer Stadium was built in 1971.
- The Massachusetts Hospital For Dipsomaniacs And Inebriates was the first hospital in America for alcoholics.
- In May 2014, Foxborough had 10,953 registered voters.
- Train arrived in North Foxborough (a.k.a. Morseville) in 1886.
- Foxbororough's "Growth District" was designated by the EOHED on November 20, 2008.
- Paul Bowser & E.M. Loew opened Bay State Raceway on Route 1 in Foxborough in 1947.
- The first recorded public celebration of St. Patrick's Day in Foxborough occured in 1861.
- Oake Knoll Farm (a.k.a. Lawton's Farm) was founded by Jedediah Morse in 1734 and is a "Massachusetts Century Farm".
- The Robinson Hill School was built in 1955.
- The Lewis School opened in 1960 and was named for William R. Lewis.
- The Foxborough Water Supply District was established on April 4, 1879, by an act of the Legislature. The District encompassed an area of a half mile radius from the center of the public common.
- Crackrock Pond was formed in 1734 by impounding the Neponset River.
- The Foxborough Branch Railroad Corporation changed its name in 1867 to Mansfield And Framingham Railroad Company.
- The Foxboro Jewelry Company was organized in 1852 to manufacture gold jewelry.
- Foxborough has ~3,330 acres of protected open space.
- Nehemiah Carpenter, Jeremiah Hartshorn, & Samuel Baker donated the land for a common meeting-house lot in 1783.
- The population in 1950 was 7,030.
- The anticipated build-out for the Foxborough Growth District is 1.5M sf office, 150,000 sf retail..
- The Dead Swamp was a source of peat and crude bog iron in the 17th & 18th centuries.
- There are 10,698 registered voters in Foxborough.
- Rev. Thomas Kendall was ordained as the first minister in 1779 and remained in the pastorate for 21 years.
- 1920's Chap. 0502 was approved on May 25. It allowed the town of foxborough to incur indebtedness to build a high school and town hall.
- The name of the Massachusetts Hospital For Dipsomaniacs And Inebriates was changed to Foxborough State Hospital on May 12, 1905.
- Chapter 440 of the ACTS of 1924 was approved on May 29. This established a part of the boundary between Walpole and Foxborough.
- The legislative session that approved Chapter 1 of the Acts of 1778 began on May 27; the legislation was passed on June 10, 1778.
Place Names
From: Commonwealth of Massachusetts & Commonwealth of Massachusetts
| Unofficial name Donkeyville Foxvale Lakeview Paineburg Quaker Hill |
a locality in, or part of a Town(s) or CITY (in caps) Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough Foxborough |
County Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk |
Also known as, or other notation now Lakeview a.k.a. Paineburg formerly Donkeyville a.k.a. Foxvale |
