Easton, Massachusetts
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| Easton, Massachusetts | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | Massachusetts | ||
| County | Bristol County | ||
| Settled | 1694 | ||
| Incorporated | 1725 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Open town meeting | ||
| Area | |||
| - Town | 29.2 sq mi (75.5 km²) | ||
| - Land | 28.4 sq mi (73.7 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 112 ft (34 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - Town | 22,299 | ||
| - Density | 784.1/sq mi (302.7/km²) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 02356, 02354, 02375 | ||
| Area code(s) | 508 / 774 | ||
| Website: http://www.easton.ma.us/ | |||
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 22,299 at the 2000 census.
Easton is governed by an elected committee of selectmen and a town administrator. Its public high school is Oliver Ames High School, whose athletic mascot is the tiger. Easton is also home to Stonehill College.
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[edit] History
Easton was first settled in 1694 and was officially incorporated in 1725.
In 1694, the first settler, Clement Briggs established his home near the Easton Green. In 1711, the Taunton North Purchase area became Norton, and in 1713, the twenty-six families settled in Easton and hired Elder William Pratt as their first minister. There was no legal parish in Easton until 1722 when the East Precinct of Norton was recognized. In 1725, the area was incorporated as the Town of Easton; it was so named because it was formerly called the "East End" of the Taunton North Purchase and was shortened by pronunciation to Easton.
In 1803, the Ames Shovel Company was established and became nationally known as having provided the shovels which laid the Union Pacific Railroad and opened the west. In 1875, the shovel production of the Ames plant was worth 1.5 million. The most notable of the Ames family were Oakes Ames, a key figure in the Crédit Mobilier of America scandal, and Oliver Ames(R), governor of Massachusetts from 1887 – 1890.
The Ames family shaped the town's economy, and was responsible for the presence of a number of landmark buildings in the town designed by H. H. Richardson, originator of the Richardsonian Romanesque style and designer of Trinity Church in Boston.
Richardson buildings in Easton include:
- The Ames Free Library (town library as of 2005)
- Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (rarely used as of 2005)
- The Old Colony Railroad Station (houses the Easton Historical Society)
- The Ames Gate Lodge (privately owned by the Ames family as of 2005)
Though this school complex was not made by Richardson himself, it was dedicated to him and made in his style:
- H.H.Richardson/F.L.Olmstead Intermediate School
Although intended to be the town hall, the Oakes Ames Memorial Hall was never accepted by the town and never used for that purpose.
In addition, there is a commercial building at 66 Main Street which designed and build in the nineteenth century by Richardson's office in a Richardsonian style. The Richardson buildings are all located within a compact area designated as the H. H. Richardson Historic District. The area also includes The Rockery, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also landscaped grounds of Oakes Ames Memorial Hall and the Ames Free Library.
Within a few blocks of the H. H. Richardson Historic District is Unity Church, built by the Ames family in 1875, and designed in the Gothic Revival Style by John Ames Mitchell. It includes an ornate oak frieze including sculptures of twenty-two angels playing music, carved by John Kirchmayer (1860-1930), and two notable stained-glass windows, "Angel of Help," and "Figure of WIsdom," both by John LaFarge (1835-1910). "Figure of Wisdom," completed in 1901, is the largest stained-glass work created by LaFarge.
[edit] Geography and transportation
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 75.5 km² (29.2 mi²). 73.7 km² (28.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (2.54%) is water. The town, in addition to its own smaller state forest, includes part of Borderland State Park at the northwest corner of town, Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area at the southeast corner of town, and all of Wheaton Farm Conservation Area in the southwest. All of the town's waterways are considered part of the Taunton River Watershed area, which in turn is the eastern section of the Narragansett Bay Watershed area.
Easton makes the northeastern corner of Bristol County, where the county intersects with Plymouth County to the east and Norfolk county to the north. The roughly trapezoidal-shaped town is bordered by Brockton and West Bridgewater to the east, Taunton and Raynham to the south, Norton to either side of its southwest corner, Mansfield to the west, and Sharon and Stoughton to the north. The localities of Easton include Alger's Corner, Daley Corner, Easton Center, Easton Green, Eastondale, Five Corners, Furnace Village, Goward's Corner, Morris Corner, Morse Corner, North Easton, Pratt's Corner, and South Easton.
There are no divided highways passing through town, the closest being the Route 24, which can be accessed just one-half mile east in Brockton at Route 123 (Exit 17 A-B) or three-quarter miles east at Route 106 (Exit 16 A-B). Route 123 passes from northeast to southwest through town, and Route 138 passes north to south. Route 106 also passes from east to west, being coextensive with Route 123 for approximately a mile beginning at Five Corners and going westward.
Easton has a single rail line which is currently abandoned. However, plans are in the works to extend the Stoughton line of the MBTA's commuter rail service south towards Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford using that rail line.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 22,299 people, 7,489 households, and 5,571 families residing in the town. The population density was 302.7/km² (784.1/mi²). There were 7,631 housing units at an average density of 103.6/km² (268.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.94% White, 1.59% African American, 0.04% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.13% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 7,489 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $69,144, and the median income for a family was $82,190. Males had a median income of $51,429 versus $35,912 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,732. About 0.7% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government and education
Easton is governed by open town meeting, led by a board of selectmen. The Town Hall is located in North Easton, not too far from the town center. There is one police station, three fire stations (near Five Corners, Easton Green and North Easton), three post offices (near Easton Green, near Five Corners, and in North Easton) and two libraries (the main branch, Ames Free Library, at the center of North Easton, and the Five Corners Branch).
There are three elementary schools serving kindergarten through third grade: Moreau Hall Elementary School at Daley Corner, Parkview Elementary School in North Easton, and Center Elementary School in Easton Center. There are two schools serving grades 4-6: Frederick Law Olmstead School and Henry Hobson Richardson School, both located in North Easton's school area. Grades 7 through 9 attend Easton Junior High School, and high school students attend Oliver Ames High School. OA's athletics teams are the Tigers, and the school colors are orange and black. The town is also home to Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, which serves all the bordering towns (except Taunton and Raynham), plus Foxborough. Students may attend choose to attend Southeastern, Oliver Ames or Bristol County Agricultural High School free of charge. There are no private schools located in the town.
Easton is a part of three separate state representative districts: 8th Plymouth (which includes all of Raynham and Bridgewater), 10th Plymouth (which includes West Bridgewater and parts of Brockton), and 11th Plymouth (which includes parts of Brockton). It is a part of two state senatorial districts: 2nd Plymouth and Bristol (including all or parts of Brockton, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson and Whitman) and Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth (including parts of Avon, Braintree, Canton, East Bridgewater, Milton, Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater). The Massachusetts State Police Troop D (Southeast Massachusetts), Barracks 3 (Middleborough) patrol the Easton area. On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts Congressional District 9, which is currently represented by Stephen Lynch. The state's senior (Class I) Senator, up for re-election in 2006, is Edward M. Kennedy, and the state's junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, is John F. Kerry.
[edit] Notable residents
- Oakes Ames, (1804-1873), born in Easton, manufacturer and United States Congressman[1]
- Oliver Ames, (1831-1895), born in North Easton, governor of Massachusetts[1]
- Jim Craig, goaltender for the gold medal winning 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey team[citation needed]
