First Towne House of Attleborough - Attleboro, MA - Massachusetts Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

In Attleboro, in a residential area at the corner of West Street and Clifton Street, is a bronze marker in a rock surrounded by bushes, trees, and wood-chip covered ground. This rock states the following:

"The First Attleborough
Towne House
was Erected Near Here in 1828
The Geographic Center
of the Town at that Time"

Following that statement are the names of the committee, the Selectmen, and the builder involved. Also, the marker was placed there in 1944 by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

According to the American Guide Series: Massachusetts - A Guide to its Place and People, stated that Attleboro was first settled in 1634 by William Blackstone and was first established as a town in 1694, then a city in 1904. Thus, the town met elsewhere before establishing its own meeting place. As was the custom in colonial times, the meeting house was usually the same as the church that was established in that time - at that time a Puritan or Congregational Church. The Attleborough Historical Commission Web Site indicates that there were two previous structures that were the meeting house, and Congregational Church, one built in 1714, and 1743.

Attleboro was originally part of the town of Rehoboth until it became a town of its own. At that time, it incorporated the areas of current North Attleborough - separated in 1887, and Cumberland, Rhode Island - separated in 1745. Thus, at the time the town house was built, Attleboro and North Attleborough were one town. Members of the town voted to build this building in 1827 at the cost of $80.

No information could be obtained concerning when the meeting house was abandoned. Today, no signs of a center, not even a corner store is at this intersection, indicating that this was the center of town.

Agency Responsible for Placement: Daughters of the American Revolution Year Placed: 1944 County: Bristol City/Town Name: Attleboro Relevant Web Site: [Web Link] Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Not listed

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