Norton, Massachusetts

History

The lands of Norton remained unsettled by English colonists for many years after their initial arrival on the eastern Massachusetts coast. But by the late 1640s, the townships of Rehoboth and Taunton were looking to expand their boundaries further inland. The settlement of Rehoboth bought the lands north of it—what would become Attleboro—from Wamsutta in the 1666 North Purchase. The residents of Taunton were also looking to acquire more land to develop, cutting the forest back and using felled timber to feed construction and fuel industries, and settle the cleared grounds into meadows and pastureland. Norton was first legally settled by European colonists after the Taunton North Purchase in 1668. This deed of purchase from Metacomet entitled the residents of Taunton to the lands north of their current settlement—the forests, cedar swamps, rivers, meadows, and lakes that would become established as Norton, Mansfield, and Easton. In 1686, more payments to access the North Purchase lands were made by Taunton men to Wompatuck, a descendent of Chickatawbut. During King Philip’s War, “a group of twenty Taunton men, fearing attack" against their settlement "followed the Three Mile River to its confluence… at the Coweset (Wading) and Rumford Rivers and the thick swamp between them,” attacking women and children who were sheltering there. In this fight, at Norton's so-called "Lockety Neck," the men murdered or otherwise participated in the killing of Weetamoo, the female sachem of the Pocasset Wampanoag people. There is a memorial plaque on Pine Street commemorating her and other Wampanoag families killed in this attack.

When Norton was first settled in 1669 it was called North Taunton for its location on the northern border of Taunton, Massachusetts. The town was renamed "Norton"—after Norton, Oxfordshire, England, where many early settlers had originated—when the town was officially established on March 17, 1710. Parts of Norton were set out as Easton on December 21, 1725, and as Mansfield on April 26, 1770.

Metacomet, the Wampanoag Indian sachem also known as "King Phillip", used to camp at a cave made by huge glacial rocks resting on top of each other, just north-east of Lake Winnecunnet. Every Norton school child has been entertained with the legend of King Phillip's Cave.

The bandstand within the town center was originally erected using donated funds during the first Gulf War, in honor of the veterans who served from Norton.

In elementary school, students were told the story of the "Devil's Foot Print", where Major George Leonard sold his soul to the devil. The devil's foot print can be seen at Norton's Joseph C. Solmonese Elementary School, on land which was once Leonard's farmland. Every 26 years, the school unburies a time capsule, the last of which was buried in 1999. The time capsule will be opened next in 2026.

Norton is also a location in the claimed paranormal Bridgewater Triangle.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.8 sqmi, of which 28.7 sqmi is land and 1.1 sqmi, or 3.72%, is water. The terrain of Norton is generally low and swampy. The waters of the area are fed by the Wading River and the Canoe River, both of which feed into the Taunton River downstream. The two largest bodies of water in town are the Norton Reservoir, north of the center of town, and Winnecunnet Pond on the east (on the north side of I-495), which is fed by the Canoe River and feeds into the Mill River.

Lake Winnecunnet is Norton’s only natural body of water. Classified as a kettle pond, it formed over 13,000 years ago when a large chunk of glacial ice rested there and gradually melted, creating the lake as the climate slowly warmed.{{cite web|url=https://www.nortonma.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif3606/f/uploads/2017_section_4a_environment_inventory_and_analysis_part_i_page_32-44.pdf

The town, an irregular polygon generally oriented from northeast to southwest, is bordered by Easton to the northeast, Taunton to the southeast, Rehoboth to the south, Attleboro to the southwest, and Mansfield to the northwest. Norton is approximately 27 miles south-southwest of Boston, and 15 miles northeast of Providence, Rhode Island.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Norton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Norton was 101 F on July 20, 1991, while the coldest temperature recorded was -19 F on January 22, 1984.

|Jan record high F = 69 |Feb record high F = 70 |Mar record high F = 86 |Apr record high F = 96 |May record high F = 96 |Jun record high F = 99 |Jul record high F = 101 |Aug record high F = 99 |Sep record high F = 97 |Oct record high F = 89 |Nov record high F = 77 |Dec record high F = 76

|Jan avg record high F = 57.9 |Feb avg record high F = 57.5 |Mar avg record high F = 66.9 |Apr avg record high F = 79.5 |May avg record high F = 88.0 |Jun avg record high F = 91.4 |Jul avg record high F = 93.9 |Aug avg record high F = 91.9 |Sep avg record high F = 87.3 |Oct avg record high F = 77.2 |Nov avg record high F = 68.7 |Dec avg record high F = 61.2 |year avg record high F = 95.4

|Jan avg record low F = -0.3 |Feb avg record low F = 2.0 |Mar avg record low F = 10.4 |Apr avg record low F = 24.6 |May avg record low F = 32.1 |Jun avg record low F = 42.8 |Jul avg record low F = 51.0 |Aug avg record low F = 48.9 |Sep avg record low F = 37.2 |Oct avg record low F = 27.2 |Nov avg record low F = 17.8 |Dec avg record low F = 7.8 |year avg record low F = -3.1

|Jan record low F = -19 |Feb record low F = -17 |Mar record low F = -5 |Apr record low F = 15 |May record low F = 20 |Jun record low F = 27 |Jul record low F = 41 |Aug record low F = 30 |Sep record low F = 23 |Oct record low F = 10 |Nov record low F = 1 |Dec record low F = -15

|Jan snow depth inch = 8.4 |Feb snow depth inch = 9.4 |Mar snow depth inch = 7.3 |Apr snow depth inch = 1.5 |May snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jun snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0.0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0.0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0.0 |Oct snow depth inch = 0.1 |Nov snow depth inch = 0.9 |Dec snow depth inch = 6.0 |year snow depth inch = 14.8

|access-date = July 7, 2025 |access-date = July 7, 2025

Demographics

| 1850|1966 | 1860|1848 | 1870|1821 | 1880|1782 | 1890|1785 | 1900|1826 | 1910|2544 | 1920|2374 | 1930|2737 | 1940|3107 | 1950|4401 | 1960|6818 | 1970|9487 | 1980|12690 | 1990|14265 | 2000|18036 | 2010|19031 | 2020|19202 | 2024*|19392 As of the census of 2000, there were 18,036 people, 5,872 households, and 4,474 families residing in the town. These residents are often referred to as either "Nortonites" or "Nortonians", though the term "Norts" is often used in colloquial context. The population density was 628.3 PD/sqmi. There were 5,961 housing units at an average density of 207.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 92.15% White, 1.16% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.47% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.

There were 5,872 households, out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 19.3% 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 2.79 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

According to a 2016 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $80,806, and the median income for a family in 2016 was estimated at $104,176. Males had a median income of $51,133 versus $33,149 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,876. About 2.2% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

State and national government

The town is a part of three separate state representative districts; precinct one belonging to the Fourth Bristol district (which includes all of Rehoboth, Seekonk and part of Swansea), precinct two belonging to the Fourteenth Bristol district (which includes parts of North Attleborough, Attleboro and Mansfield as well), and precincts three through five belonging to the First Bristol district (whose district includes Mansfield Center and Foxborough). The town is a part of the state senate district of the Bristol and Norfolk district, stretching from Dover to the north to Rehoboth and Seekonk to the south. James Timilty served as State Senator until 2017 for the Bristol & Norfolk district. Upon his retirement, he was succeeded by State Senator Paul Feeney. State Representatives Steven S. Howitt and Frederick J. Barrows serve the Town. Norton is patrolled by Troop H (Metro Boston District), Third (Foxborough) Barracks of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts Congressional District 4, which is represented by Jake Auchincloss. The state's senior Senator, newly elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren and the state's junior Senator is currently Ed Markey.

Town government

The town has an open town meeting form of government, with a town manager and a Select Board governing the town..

Education

Norton Public Schools operates the following schools in Norton:

• L.G. Nourse Elementary School
• H.A. Yelle Elementary School
• Norton High School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways include:

• Interstate 495
• 123
• 140

Buses include a Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority route through Norton.

Trains include the Middleboro Subdivision, a freight line.

Services

Norton is served by police, two fire stations, two post offices, and a library.

Notable people

• Troy Brown, former New England Patriots wide receiver
• George L. Clarke (1813–1890), Mayor of Providence 1869–1870, was born in Norton
• Jonathan Eddy, colonel in the American Revolution
• Rob Holland, aerobatic pilot

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Norton town, Bristol County, Massachusetts". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. Leonard Bliss, "History of Rehoboth, 1836, pg. 50.
3. Emery, "History of Taunton," p. 103, 108.
4. Emery, "History of Taunton," p. 109.
5. Henry Williams, 1880, “Was Elizabeth Pool the First Purchaser,” Old Colony Historical Society, p. 51.
6. (Lisa Brooks, 2018, "Our Beloved Kin," p. 324.
7. Lisa Brooks, 2018, "Our Beloved Kin," p. 34.
8. (May 25, 2010). "Historical war site marked in Norton".
9. Clark, George Faber. (1859). "A History of the Town of Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, from 1669 to 1859". Crosby, Nichols, and Company.
10. [http://media.townonline.com/patriotledger/documents/answerbook/norton.pdf Norton: Your Town]{{dead link. (February 2018)
11. [http://www.mamantapett.com/about_mgalinks/history.html MGA Links at Mamantapett] {{webarchive. link. (February 6, 2006)
12. https://archive.org/details/devilsfootprints00yell/page/28/mode/2up Yelle, The Devil's Footprints and Other Sketches of Old Norton, p. 28.
13. [http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2007/10/18/opinion/opinion01.txt Sun Chronicle Online]{{dead link. (January 2026)
14. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2024". [[United States Census Bureau]].
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "Economy in Norton, Massachusetts". Bestplaces.net.
17. "Norton, Massachusetts (MA 02766) profile: Population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders".
18. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of February 1, 2021". Massachusetts Elections Division.
19. (May 15, 2006). "The Secret Lives of the Players' Wives". [[Boston Magazine]].