Assonet River
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The Assonet River is located in
Bristol County, Massachusetts Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...
. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011
in a westerly direction through
Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
and joins the
Taunton River The Taunton River (historically also called the "Taunton Great River"), is a river in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It arises from the confluence of the Town River and Matfield River, in the town of Bridgewater. From the ...
near Assonet Neck in
Berkley, Massachusetts Berkley is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston and east of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 6,764 according to the 2020 census, making it the ...
.USGS Quadrangle Map


Description

The Assonet River is formed from the Cedar Swamp River near the border of
Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
and Lakeville just south of Myricks village. It is joined by Quaker Brook at Forge Pond. From this point it flows parallel to Route 79 through a series of small mill ponds. It becomes tidal near the Elm Street Bridge in Assonet village where it widens and becomes Assonet Bay to the west of Route 24. Assonet Bay contains several small coves fed by small streams including Payne's Cove (fed by Terry Brook from the south) and Shepherd's Cove located at its southwest end. The bay is also fed by Stacy's Creek from the north. Assonet Bay is surrounded by several small hills (
drumlins A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...
). Past Shepherd's Cove the Assonet River narrows again for its last mile or so before joining the wide
Taunton River The Taunton River (historically also called the "Taunton Great River"), is a river in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It arises from the confluence of the Town River and Matfield River, in the town of Bridgewater. From the ...
between Conspiracy Island and Winslow Point. This portion of the river forms the town line between Berkley and
Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
. At its mouth, the Assonet River also forms Hathaway Cove in Assonet.


History

The Assonet River is a major river of southeastern Massachusetts, along with the
Taunton River The Taunton River (historically also called the "Taunton Great River"), is a river in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It arises from the confluence of the Town River and Matfield River, in the town of Bridgewater. From the ...
. Throughout the history of colonial and early America, the river and its tributaries provided the power to run grist mills and saw mills, and later the Crystal Springs Bleachery. It provided for a minor port, and is also a prime location for herring runs. During the 18th century, the river played a part in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. British ships travelled both it and the Taunton River when fighting in the colonies. Such attacks led to the
Battle of Freetown The Mount Hope Bay raids were a series of military raids conducted by British troops during the American Revolutionary War against communities on the shores of Mount Hope Bay on May 25 and 31, 1778. The towns of Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island ...
, as well as the burning of river-centered village centers. During the 19th century, fishing and cargo ships regularly used the Assonet River to reach their home port of
Assonet, Massachusetts Assonet is one of two villages in the town of Freetown, Massachusetts in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. An original part of the town, Assonet was settled in 1659 along with the city of Fall River, then a part of Freetown. It rest ...
. From these ports on Water Street and South Main Street were delivered products such as
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...
,
dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
,
lobster Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
,
fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
,
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
, and for a span of time
gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...
s. The N. R. Davis Gun Factory, located on Water Street adjacent to the river, supplied many weapons to forces in the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. In the 20th century, the river continued to see its share of action, but only briefly. The last ship to sail from Assonet set out in 1902. Small bootlegging operations used the river sporadically. The Green Dragon Tavern was torn down in the 1930s, and the Town of Freetown constructed its bandstand on the riverside site, providing a wonderful greenspace. The gun factory burned in 1925, and the bleachery followed suit in 1955, essentially bringing the commercial life of the river to a close. Assonet Bay Shores, a former summer community, is a peninsula formed by Assonet Bay, Payne Cove, and Shepherd's Cove. It was first settled early in Assonet's history, with this major development following in the early 1960s. Across Shepherd's Cove is an abundance of higher-end homes, proving that the river has found new life as a beautiful backdrop for rural life.


See also

*
List of crossings of the Assonet River This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Assonet River in Bristol County, Massachusetts from its confluence with the Taunton River upstream to the Cedar Swamp River. See also *List of crossings of the Taunton River {{DEFAULTSORT:Li ...
*
List of Massachusetts rivers List of rivers of Massachusetts (U.S. state). All Massachusetts rivers flow to the Atlantic Ocean. The list is arranged by drainage basin from north to south, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name, arranged travellin ...
*
Taunton River Watershed An USGS map of the Taunton River Watershed The Taunton River watershed or ''Taunton River basin'' is made up of of rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands in southeastern Massachusetts, US. It is the second largest watershed in the state. A ...


References

{{authority control Greater Taunton Area Rivers of Bristol County, Massachusetts Taunton River watershed Massachusetts natural resources Freetown, Massachusetts Berkley, Massachusetts Rivers of Massachusetts