Settled about 1750, Mattapoisett was part of Rochester until 1857, when it was incorporated into a separate town.

The draw for both Indians and colonials were the rich fish, shellfish, water-fowl and game possibilities of the town as well as the seasonal eel and fish runs on the Mattapoisett River and eel ponds.

The earliest settlements after the King Philip wars occurred around 1680 with residents dealing in lumbering, tar and turpentine production. Shipbuilding was established around 1740 and before the Civil War the principal businesses in the town were shipbuilding and whaling, with four shipyards in operation before 1800.



The town's harbor sits on Buzzards Bay. Boating and yachting buffs set sail into the sparkling Atlantic from Mattapoisett, their brightly striped sails billowing in the summer wind. If sunning is more your style, three beaches offer soft sand and moderate waves. Ship Yard Park is home to many dances, concerts and festivals during the summer months and is a community hub. Its history stretches backs to the 1800s and Mattapoisett's whaling days. The town was one of the most important shipbuilding sites on the East Coast, and many of the whaling ships that sailed from New Bedford were crafted in Mattapoisett, as well as the Acushnet on which Herman Melville sailed. The boats were once built on what today is Shipyard Park. (Water Street Realtors resides in a building that functioned as a sail loft, located in the middle of the town's shipyards.) In 1878, the last whaler of Mattapoisett, the Wanderer, was built here. The flagpole in the park originally was the mizzenmast from that ship, but lightning strikes and hurricanes took their toll, and the pole was replaced in 1993.

Following the decline of the whaling and shipbuilding industry with the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania in the 1870's, an influx of well-to-do summer residents built summer homes on big estates. Mattapoisett has long been the vacationing spot for the East Coast's wealthy, and many flocked to the area in the 1870s, after the decline of the whaling industry, to build large estates perched on the water. Today, many of those homes still stand, and a stroll through Mattapoisett's village will reveal buildings adorned with plaques, dating their historical significance. Among many famous summer and year round residents was Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.





When you visit Water Street Realtors, you will see that the old village offers a glimpse into the past with its many historic homes. Plaques on the old houses remind one of names made famous in bygone days. Many ships, including famous New Bedford whaling vessels, were built in the shipyards on our shores. Among the ships built here were the Acushnet, on which Herman Melville sailed. Our home on Shipyard Park is the site of Jonathan Holmes's shipyard, where in 1878, the last whaler of Mattapoisett, the Wanderer, was built. The flagpole in the park originally was the mizzenmast from that ship. However, lightning strikes and hurricanes took their toll and the pole was replaced in 1993.

The town boasts a fine Historical Museum dedicated to the preservation of significant articles from its past. A few moments spent at Shipyard Park on the harbor shore or at Ned's Point lighthouse will remind visitors of the days of sail and confirm the Wampanoag judgment that Mattapoisett is a "place of rest".

Population: 6,525 (2001)
Land Area: 16.48 square miles
Established: 1857
Density: 355 per square mile
Government: Open Town Meeting
Tax Rate: $9.38 per thousand

Public Schools:
Supt. of Schools: (508) 758-2772
2 Elementary Schools; 1 Regional Jr. High School; 1 Regional High School; 1 Regional Vocational High School
Transportation: Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA)

WSR thanks The Standard Times for regional data.

Telephone: 508-758-9731