| |
Welcome
to the Town of Whitman! Whitman was originally settled
and was known as the "Little Comfort" section of
Bridgewater. The area became part of the Town
of Abington in 1712. Eventually, in 1875, the area
was made a township by the State Legislature and was originally
known as South Abington. At a town Meeting in 1886,
a vote was taken and the name was changed to Whitman.
At the time of the Town's incorporation, there was no public
water system, and each household and factory had to have
its own well. The Town eventually obtained the franchise
for water from Silver Lake but was unable to finance the
system. The Town turned the franchise over to Brockton
with the stipulation that Whitman could receive its share
at a special rate. Silver Lake water was turned on
for Whitman on January 2, 1905
During its early development, the Town of Whitman was largely
an agricultural community. The first industry developed
on the downstream side of the Schumatuscacant river.
It was in this area that the first industrial canal and
tunneling the Colony were constructed in 1745. Trees
from the Town's forests provided a source of timber for
several seaport towns. Timbers from Whitman were used
to construct the frigate U.S.S. Constitution, a.k.a. "Old
Ironsides". The Town soon developed into an
important manufacturing center. The first shoe racks
were manufactured, cannon balls were cast at Colonel Hobart's
Bell and Cannon Foundry, nails and tacks were made, and
wooden boxes were built. During the 1800's, many cottage
industries established in the 1700's began to develop into
larger businesses. By the mid-1800's, several
of these businesses grew into large scale assembly line
factories. At one time, the Dunbar, Hobart, and Whidden
Tack factory, erected in 1864, was the largest in the world.
The D.B. Gurney Company dates back to 1825 and is still
in operation in Whitman today. The leading manufactured
products were shoes and boots. The shoe industry and
related industries became the largest employer in the Town
remained as the largest employer until the mid-1900's at
which time the shoe industry began it's steady decline.
The Toll House
Restaurant was built in 1817. In 1930, Kenneth and Ruth
Wakefield purchased the old Smith house. The
Wakefield's combined their talents to establish a fine a
restaurant at this location. The Toll House cookie was
apparently an accidental creation by Mrs. Wakefield. These
cookies became so popular locally that she contacted the
Nestle' Company. And with this, the Toll House Restaurant
and the town of Whitman were on the map.
Dairy farming has also been an important part of Whitman's
history and its local economy. At one time, several
family operated dairy farms existed in the town, selling
their products to local markets. A great deal of farm
land has been developed, leaving Peaceful Meadows as the
only full dairy operation still in business.
|
