H ISTO RY O F FA L L R IV E R M AS S AC H U S ETTS / V COM PILE D F OR TH E C O T T O N C E N T E N N IA L v BY H E N R M F Y . ENNER UN D ER TH E D IRECTI ON OF TH E H I STORICAL COM M ITTE E OF TH E MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION D D AD A h a i r m a n W A S. M S C E R , E E D DY L LI N LN G ORG E H . EONT I N E CO I PH I L P D B D B ENJ AM I N B U FF NTON I . OR EN H M CDON O G H Y J O J . U W I LLI AM T. H ENR N FALL RI VE R M E R CH AN TS ASSOCIATION 1 91 1 The observance of the one hundredth anniversary o f the begi nni ng of cotton manufacturing in Fall River has seemed to the Merchants Association a fitti ng o ccasi o n fo r the p u bli ca f tion of a concise history o the community . Its historical es f ll w committee has therefore prepared the pag which o o , in the hope of m aki ng the history of the city better known by its W citizens and the thousands of visitors ithin its gates , as well as by many others to W hom copies may be sent by friends . The book has been prepared and published in less than two months , and has of necessity been made brief . A strong ur effort has , however , been made to secure acc acy , and to ’ include all the pri n cipal facts i n connection with the city s ri i n development . The o g al spelling of names has been retained s s in many ca e , and incidents of interest have i n some instances been i nterwoven . The committee hopes that its w ork may be the basis o f a e more extensive history of Fall Ri v r . The story of its growth is an i nspiration to greater things , and deserves to be more generally known . I E R V R, in population the third city of the Common wealth of Massachusetts , situated in the southeasterly 0 ' ” 41 - 42 - 4 + section of the state , is in North Latitude O ° ’ 71 - O9 and W . Longitude The distance in a direct line from the State H ou s e in Boston to th e City Hall in Fall River being miles . The ci ty is located on the easterly shore of Mount Hope R Bay and Taunton iver , bounded northerly by Freetown , t D eas erly by Freetown , artmouth and Westport , southerly by I t R . Dar mouth , Westport and Tiverton , . , westerl y by Tiver I R . ton , . and the channel of Mount Hope Bay and Taunton n River . Within these limits there is i clud ed an area of nearly 41 s u re s t s q a mi le , consis ing of approximately mile of s s t land , mi le of fresh water and mile of salt wa er . 4 Its extreme length approximates 1 1 mi les and its width 7 . mi les . Its shape is very irregular and somewhat peculiar , h as see n in t e illustration . A study of the drawing will explai n the cau s e of the long continued controversy as to the location of the centre of Fall River . Fr m t o the wa er front the rise is , as a rule , abrupt . South Main street in front of City Hall ( l ess than one - hal f mile fro m the shore) is at an elevation 1 19 feet above mean high water n H so - ed h in Taunto River . Townsend il l ( cal l ) on t e easterly R Is n d ss side of South Main Street near the hode la Line , ( le than three - fourths of a mile from the shore) has an elevation 2 2 A of 7 feet . Highland venue at its j unction with New 2 4 Boston Ro ad is at an elevation of 5 fee t . H The highest point within the city limits is Copi en t il l , s fr m H about 5 mile northeasterly o City all , where an elevation of 355 feet is reached . ’ Watu a The city s water supply , North pp Pond , having an s s t 27 t area of q u are mil e and an extreme dep h of fee , is d to t t o n e of the best i n the State , ju ged both as quan i y and th e the quali ty . Th e water shed of pond (including area of r i f ll the pond itself) is sQua e miles . i ts capac ty at u 7 199 907 2OO f pond is , , , Gallons . At 5 feet below u ll pond ( a depth approximated but once since the installation of the 4 4 1 9 water works) its capacity is , 8S, 8 , 5OO Gallons . From these figures it would appear that danger of a water fami n e is very remote . F R E E T O W N S W A N S E A l~ W E S T P O R T f on The sewerage o the city is , as a whole , the Combined ” to fo r System , that is , the sewers are planned care storm water as well as fo r domestic sewage . There are , h owever , 2 m ar m t th e li rnited areas in which separate syste s e ain ained , obj ect being to furnish as much o f the storm water as is e u ech n possible for use by the mil l s along Q u q a River . Underlying much of the city are granite ledges from which material for construction of buildings , makin g of street W curbing , paving , etc . , is obtained . hile this is a valuable r asset fo the city , it i s not an unmixed blessing , as this same gra nite accounts for what , to some , appears to be an unreason t r able cost of sewers , water works , and o her lines of work e quiring the building of underground structures . o n e The city has natural curiosity of considerable interest , o n the Rolling Rock County street , referred to in old ” - bounds as The Goose nesting Rock . It is a boulder of o n coarse conglomerate , resting a ledge of granite , and show ing that i t was brought to its present position by diluvial so fin l action . It was e y balanced that until recent years it could be easily moved by one hand , and by using both hands could be made to oscillate two or three inches at the top . It 58 i s eight feet thick , with a horizontal circumference of feet . 140 Its estimated weight is tons . Fall River to - day is a beautifully situated city of appro x i mately inhabitants . It is a busy , prosperous and growing community , which in half a century has risen , throu gh its own efforts from a little town of about people to its present prominence . Its citizens are j ustly o f proud o f it and its growth , and , inspired by what they co n fid en ce have done , look forward with to even greater achievements . It is known as the largest cotton manufacturing center 1 0 s in the United States , and its more than 0 mi l l , containing nearly spindles , give employment to persons . a Its factories use about bales of cotton a ye r , or a week , from which are produced more than a thousand million yards of cloth in a year , or three and a half million R 1 90 yards each working day . educed to miles , this means 0 o r miles of cloth a day , three miles a minute . But it is not alone o f the quantity o f its product that the t to city boasts . I produces many medium weight goods meet the various demands of the market , as well as twills , sateens and curtains , and its newer mills have almost exclusively o f fi n been d esigned for the making e goods , and more and more of the fi n est fabrics are being manufactured each year ; fi n e also ginghams , colored yarns , sewing thread , Marseilles quilts and cloths w ith finishes of linen and silk . It has bleacheries and print works , one of the latter , the American Printing Company , the largest in the United States , with an extensive an d increasing export trade . It has plants for the manufacture of its o w n machinery , plants for the utilization of the waste cotton in the manufacture of rope , ” twine , mops and comforters and plants for the making of cotton bags and narrow fabrics . It has , among others , the largest hat manufacturing establishment in the country , and also an extensive piano factory . Though i n recent years large numbers have come here from foreign lands , the best of order is maintained . The newcomers are acquiring hemes o f thei r own and doing their part in the upbuilding of the city . The community is well policed and well lighted .