Norton High School - Sojourn Yearbook (Norton, MA)

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HISTORY OF 1711 . . . The Town Seal divided into a number of small tribes. The tribe which made its home at Norton was the Cohannett tribe. Relics found around the Winnecun- net area indicate that a sizeable Indian town once existed t here. The Indian village was probably de- stroyed by the great plague, a few years prior to 1620. Those who sur- vived the plague and remained in this area seemed to have been on neigh- borly terms with the colonists. Following the settlement of the Winnecunnet area, other parts of Norton were settled. In 1695, a grant was given to the Leonard family to set up a forge at Stony Brook to work the bog iron which seemed to be abundant. This industry lured settlers to seek employment. A few years later, Judge Leonard built the first frame house in Norton, which still stands at Chartley Corner. The last known Indian in the town, called Dick Quock, was a slave in the Leonard family. Norton and Taunton, Massachusetts, have had a synony- mous beginning, with their founding in the year 1637. Co- hannett, now the City of Taunton, was one of the original settlements of the Plymouth Colony and covered a great area including parts of what is now Easton, Mansfield, Norton, Raynham, and Berkley. Norton was still a part of Taunton when the first settler, William Wetherell, took holdings on the east side of Win- necunnet Lake in 1669. Later, Wetherell set up an ordinary or victualling house for travellers; thus, he kept the first public house within the limits of Norton. In a few years, Wetherell was joined by other families who settled near the lake in order to grow corn and to fish as the Indians had done before them. The principal Indian nation, which had jurisdiction over Norton and other towns in Southeastern Massachusetts, was the Wampanoag Tribe. King Philip, the chief of the Warn- panoag Tribe, had a cave situated in East Norton; it was his headquarters for fishing and hunting. The Indian nation was Judge Leonard Homestead . . . the first frame house in Norton 6

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ISTORY OF NORTON . kl711-1961 The Town Library 5

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NORTON . . . 1961 Norton, the North Purchase of Taunton, was under the jurisdiction of Taunton and the strict rule of the church. Because of the difficulty in reaching the Taunton churches, the residents of Norton de- manded to become a Precinct. After many years of bickering, it finally became necessary to petition, in Boston, the newly established General Court of Massachusetts which passed a bill providing that the North Purchase of Taunton might become a separate town when the town could properly maintain a minister. The first church was erected in 1710 on Chartley Corner—the 1900 ' s the Common in the center of town, and a short time later, a minister was chosen. Having fulfilled the Court ' s requirements, Norton was incorporated as a town on June 12, 1711, with forty families within its boundaries. The Court stated that this town should be called Norton, after an English town of that same name and situated in the same relative position to that of Taunton, England. Norton ' s original boundaries were changed in 1725 when the East Precinct became the town of Easton, and again in 1775, when the North Precinct was incor- porated as the town of Mansfield. Following the incorporation of the town, the people of Norton re- tained the New England Town Meet- ing form of government which is still in existence today. The town governing body was and is the Town Meeting. All registered voters may attend, speak, and vote at a Town Meeting. A minimum attendance of twenty- five is required for a quorum except for the purposes of election. Meet- ings must be held at least once a year. Two hundred registered voters must sign a petition in order to have the Selectmen call a Special Town Meeting. 7