Pembroke is a small historic town in Plymouth County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, United States. Pembroke is a South Shore suburb of the

Boston metropolitan area Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...

. The town is located about halfway between

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. The town is considered rural with pockets of suburban neighborhoods. The median household income was $119,827 at the 2020 census . The population was 18,361 at the 2020 census. Different sections of the town include Bryantville (along the

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...

town line), North Pembroke and East Pembroke.

History

The earliest European settlers were Robert Barker and Dolor Davis, who settled in the vicinity of Herring Brook in 1650. It has been said that the Barkers were about to go down the Indian Head River, at "The Crotch" of the North River in modern day Pembroke/Hanover. However, the Barkers went down the Herring Run to the South, thus landing on Pembroke land. For thousands of year until that time, the

Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 17 ...

and the

Massachusett The Massachusett were a Native American tribe from the region in and around present-day Greater Boston in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name comes from the Massachusett language term for "At the Great Hill," referring to the Blue Hills ...

were sustained by this land, fishing and farming along the rivers; they called the area ''Mattakeesett'', which means "place of much fish", because of the annual springtime run of herring in the local rivers. The land was part of the Major's Purchase, a large tract of lands bought from Josias Wampatuck of the Massachusetts by a group of English investors. The area was once a part of

Duxbury Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 at the 20 ...

, before incorporating as a separate town in 1712, and was ultimately named for the town of

Pembroke, Wales Pembroke ( ; cy, Penfro ) is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 7,552. The names of both the town and the county (of which the county town is Haverfordwest) have a common origin; both are derived from the ...

, the name of Brookfield being rejected because it was already in use by the town in Worcester County that still bears this name. Most notable of the town's resources are its water resources, which include the North River and Indian Head River; its ponds, Oldham, Furnace, Great Sandy Bottom, Little Sandy Bottom, and Stetson Ponds; and Silver Lake. The town's ponds, streams and marshes are the home of herring that were prized so much that in 1741, the town began regulating the taking and preservation of the fish. The herring are celebrated each year at the town's annual "Grande Old Fish Fry". The Pembroke Iron Works was established in 1720 and used

bog iron Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite (FeO(OH)). Iron-bea ...

taken from the surface of rocks on the bottom of the ponds, swamps, and bogs. Ice was cut from the ponds, stored in icehouses, and used in the summer months for food preservation. The ponds and streams also provided power for various mills, including grist, flour and sawmills. Later, shipbuilding and box manufacturing became important factors in the development of the town. The town has large tracts of woodlands that provided timber for homes and industry, and provided cover for abundant wildlife. Because of its proximity to timber and location on the river, the town in its early years was known for its shipbuilding industry. The North River was the location of five shipyards—Brick Kiln Yard, Seabury Point, Job's Landing, Turner's Yard and Macy's. Between 1678 and 1871, 1,025 vessels were produced on the shores of the North River. Just before the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, Reverend Gad Hitchcock of Pembroke (who had served with the provincial troops as a chaplain in upstate New York during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

) gave a sermon in Boston blasting the British, and was rewarded for this with a set of fine new clothes from

Samuel Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, an ...

. Residents of Pembroke again served with honor from the first "alarm" sent out by

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to a ...

and others on April 19, 1775, till the end of the war. The town took its current form in 1820, when the western half of town known as the "West Parish" was separated and incorporated as

Shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

was among the area's industries, with five yards along the North River. Famous among these were the ''Beaver'', a vessel made famous for its role in the

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell t ...

, and the ''Maria'', memorialized on the Pembroke town seal. It was along the same river, on the Norwell side, that the '' Columbia'', namesake of the Columbia River in Oregon, was launched. By the turn of the 20th century, mills had sprung up along the river, and the town's ponds and streams provided the water for

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

bogs. Because of rail service from Brockton, the town's ponds also provided recreation and vacation spots for city dwellers. A

Massachusetts Historical Commission The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) is a review board for state and federal preservation programs for the United States state of Massachusetts. It consists of 17-member panel of appointed representatives from state and private agencies and ...

reconnaissance survey report dated June 1981 indicated that in the early 20th century the popularity of the cranberry spurred the construction of numerous bogs. By 1924 there were 17 cranberry growers in the Pembroke directory, with 14 producers listed as having Bryantville addresses. In the same year there were 14 poultry farmers listed, indicating that by that time poultry raising was well established in town. The E. H. Clapp rubber works, initiated on the

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

side of the

Indian Head River The Indian Head River rises on the southern boundary of Hanover, Massachusetts and northern boundary line of Hanson, Massachusetts at the intersection of tributaries from Drinkwater River in Hanover and Indian Head Brook in Hanson. The river then ...

in 1871, expanded in 1873 to the Pembroke side of the river. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the ponds became an attraction for summer vacationers seeking relief from the heat in the cities. The Brockton and Plymouth Railway Co. initiated trolley service from Brockton and facilitated the development of Mayflower Grove in Bryantville as a popular summer recreation venue. The attractiveness of the ponds for summer recreation led to the development of numerous, dense cottage colonies built along their shores. The ponds are currently used for recreation, municipal water supplies and irrigation for cranberry bogs. The town remained relatively stable in population from the end of 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 ...

until the 1960s, when suburban migration from Boston and environs saw the town more than triple in population. Today, Pembroke is mostly a suburban community, with the majority of residents working in the

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern a ...

area. In recent years Pembroke has developed into a fairly affluent and desirable community, with new home developments geared towards upmarket buyers. As of 2009, Pembroke was a contender for CNN Money's "Best Places to Live", according to financial, education and quality of life statistics.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 6.95%, is water. Statistically, Pembroke is slightly smaller than the state average in terms of land area. Pembroke is bordered by Norwell to the north, Marshfield to the northeast,

to the east, Kingston to the southeast,

Plympton Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to P ...

to the south, Halifax to the southwest,

to the west, and

to the northwest. Pembroke is approximately east of Brockton, northwest of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, and southeast of

. Pembroke's geography can be divided in half. The northern half is dominated by the rivers and streams of the area, flowing through thick forests which once provided the lumber for the North River's shipbuilding industry. The southern half is dominated by several ponds and

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

, where the towns of Pembroke, Kingston, Plympton and Halifax come together. The town has its own municipal forest, which is divided into sections around town. One notable water resource in Pembroke is

Great Sandy Bottom Pond Great Sandy Bottom Pond is a reservoir in Pembroke, Massachusetts. The reservoir is located south of Oldham Pond and Furnace Pond, and north of Little Sandy Bottom Pond. The reservoir is a Class A public water supply Water supply is the pro ...

, the water of which is currently leased to the Abington-Rockland Water Commission. A website displays many pictures of the plants and animals of the area, for example, eagles, herons, egrets, turtles, raccoons and fox.

Transportation

Massachusetts Route 3 Route 3 is a state-numbered route in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is inventoried with U.S. Route 3 (US 3) a ...

passes through the town's northeast corner, skirting the irregular border with Marshfield. There is an exit from Route 3 in the town, which also grants access to Marshfield along Route 139. The town's other state routes include Routes 14, 27, 36, 53 and 139. Route 14 is in the town the longest, and passes through the town center. Route 36's northern terminus is at Route 14 just south of the town center. There is no rail or air service in the town. The Kingston–Route 3 line of the MBTA's

Commuter Rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

passes just to the southeast of town, with the nearest stops being in

and Halifax. Two public municipal airports are nearby: Cranland Airport in Hanson and Marshfield Municipal Airport. The nearest national and international air service is at

Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partial ...

in Boston.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2007, there were 18,549 people, 5,750 households, and 4,553 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 774.9 people per square mile (299.2/km²). Statistically, the town's population and population density is slightly smaller than average, just below both averages. There were 5,897 housing units at an average density of 270.0 per square mile (104.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.89%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.50%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.51%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.28% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.74% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.53% of the population. There were 5,750 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. Of all households 16.7% were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.31. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. As of 2009, Pembroke has a marriage percentage of 62.1 and a divorce percentage of 8.2. As of 2020, the median income for a household in the town was $119,827. About 2.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Government

On the national level, Pembroke is a part of

Massachusetts's 9th congressional district Massachusetts's 9th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts. It is represented by Democrat William R. Keating. The 9th district is the least Democratic congressional district in Massachusetts, according to the PVI. Redistric ...

, and is currently represented by William R. Keating. The state's senior ( Class I) senator, elected in 2012, is

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...

. The state's junior member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, elected in 2013, is

Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and former Army reservist who has served as the junior United States senator from Massachusetts since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representati ...

. On the state level, Pembroke is represented by Representative Josh Cutler in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

as a part of the Sixth Plymouth district, which includes the town of

, and precincts 2–6 of the town of

. The town is represented by Senator Susan Moran in the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...

as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which includes Bourne, Falmouth, Kingston, Plymouth, Plympton, and Sandwich. The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the

Massachusetts State Police The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state. As of 10/4/2022, it ...

. Pembroke is governed by the

open town meeting Town meeting is a form of local government in which most or all of the members of a community are eligible to legislate policy and budgets for local government. It is a town- or city-level meeting in which decisions are made, in contrast with ...

form of government, and is led by an executive secretary and a board of selectmen. Pembroke operates its own police and fire departments, with four stations located in the town center, Bryantville, North Pembroke and at Brimstone Corner. The town has its own emergency services; South Shore Hospital in Weymouth and Jordan Hospital in Plymouth are the nearest hospitals; the Pembroke hospital serves psychiatric patients in the area. There are post offices at the town center, Bryantville and North Pembroke. The Pembroke Public Library is located at the town center, and is a part of the SAILS Library Network. There are also two small private libraries, which are open to the public: the Lydia Drake Library near Brimstone Corner and the Cobb Library in Bryantville.

Education

In 1952, Pembroke was a founding community of the Silver Lake Regional School District, along with Kingston, Halifax, and

. Due to chronic overcrowding which had led to split sessions by 1970 and double sessions by 1974, the town built its own campus of

Silver Lake Regional High School Silver Lake Regional High School is a public, regional high school in Massachusetts' South Shore region. It is the only secondary school in the Silver Lake Regional School District, comprising the towns of Kingston, Plympton and Halifax, Massa ...

in 1976, across from Hobomock Elementary School on Learning Lane. Flooding due to burst pipes delayed its occupancy until November 1976. In 2002, with growing population again an issue, Pembroke separated from the other towns to reestablish its own school district; its students remained at Silver Lake RHS until 2004. The satellite campus, which had been in service as the Silver Lake district's middle school in recent years, was renovated to become

Pembroke High School Pembroke High School, is a public secondary school located on 80 Learning Lane in Pembroke, Massachusetts, United States. The school serves students in grades 9-12 and has an approximate student population of 930 students. It is the only high sc ...

, and serves students from ninth through twelfth grade. Pembroke's athletics teams are known as the Titans (complete with a logo reminiscent of the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

logo), and their colors are blue and white. They compete in the Patriot League, where the teams have already garnered six championships since 2004. Pembroke has established a

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden a ...

football rivalry with previously mentioned Silver Lake Regional High School. The town has three elementary schools (Bryantville, Hobomock and North Pembroke), which serve students from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

through sixth grades (North Pembroke also serves pre-kindergarten classes). The Pembroke Community Middle School, located in the former Silver Lake Regional Junior High School on Route 27, serves seventh and eighth grade students. The town has no contract with any vocational schools, the nearest being South Shore Vocational Tech in

. The nearest private high school is the Catholic-run Sacred Heart High School in Kingston. The nearest four-year college is Bridgewater State University; the nearest community colleges are

Quincy College Quincy College (QC) is a public community college in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is an open admission commuter school that offers associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and certificate programs. It was founded in 1958 and enrolls approximately 4,500 ...

's satellite campus in

and

Massasoit Community College Massasoit Community College is a public community college in Brockton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1966 and named for Massasoit, the Great Sachem of the Wampanoag. Massasoit Community College is accredited by the New England Commission of H ...

in Brockton.

Arts and media

Pembroke is served by the

metropolitan media. Regional daily newspapers which cover the town include the '' Quincy Patriot Ledger'' and the ''

Brockton Enterprise ''The Enterprise'' is an afternoon daily newspaper published in Brockton, Massachusetts. It is considered a newspaper of record for Brockton and nearby towns in northern Bristol and Plymouth counties, and southern Norfolk County. The Fuller-Tho ...

''. For many years, the town was covered by the weekly ''Silver Lake News'', based in Pembroke; it is currently served by one weekly, The ''Pembroke Mariner & Express.'' The public access organization that serves the town is PACTV, located in Plymouth, MA. Residents can watch a public access channel (13) shared with Plymouth, Duxbury, and Kingston, as well as the education channel (14) and government channel (15). The Pembroke Government Channel is where you can see gavel-to-gavel coverage of local government meetings held in Pembroke, Massachusetts, government shows with local, county and state officials and other government-related programming. ''PCN'' (''PACTV Community News'') is a local news program shown weekly on channel 1
PCN
The education channel features all kinds of performing arts from Pembroke as well as Titan TV News, a monthly show produced by journalism students at Pembroke High School. The town is supportive to many arts programs, including the Pembroke Imperials Drum & Bugle Corps, a corps active on and off since the 1960s. The Pembroke Association of Performing Arts (PAPA) is dedicated to promoting and maintaining enthusiastic interest in all aspects of the performing arts programs in Pembroke schools.

Points of interest

Society of Friends meetinghouse Pembroke

Pembroke Country Club, recently purchased by former NHL player

Jeremy Roenick Jeremy Shaffer Roenick ( ; born January 17, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 8th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Chica ...

, is an 18-hole course featuring 6,532 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course rating is 71.1 and it has a slope rating of 124. Pembroke Country Club was designed by Philip A. Wogan, ASGCA, and opened in 1973. Pembroke Historical Society is a museum consisting of two former one-room school buildings. The former Bryantville School, built in 1847, was donated by Marcus L. Urann and moved to the site in 1952. The former "cedar Swamp Schools" was donated by Mrs. Oliver Amos and moved to the site in 1968. As part of the nation's 1976 Bicentennial celebration, a Tool Museum was established in the lower level of the Museum Building. The

Pembroke Friends Meetinghouse The Pembroke Friends Meetinghouse is a historic Quaker church at Washington Street and Schoosett Street in Pembroke, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The meeting house was built in 1706 by Robert Barker with later 19th-century additions. It ...

(1706) is located at Routes 139 and 53. The interior is divided in half, with women sitting on one side and men on the other. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many leading citizens were Quakers. Among the oldest Quaker sites in America, the structure was deeded to the Historical Society in 1973. The Grand Old Fish Fry is usually held the first weekend in May at the Thomas Reading Herring Run Park on Route 14 (Barker Street). For 30+ years the Historical Society has invited the public to the herring run for a day of great food, music, duck races and much more. When the event first began herring were caught with nets and cooked right on site by Chef Bobby Hackett. Unfortunately, the state no longer allows the harvesting of herring due to the low numbers. Fish cakes have replaced the herring meal, and no one seems to be complaining. This is the primary fundraiser and one of the most popular for the Society. Funds raised go to the care and maintenance of the three properties (Friends Meeting House, Adah Hall House and the museum building) owned by the Historical Society.

Notable people

* Gleason Archer, Sr., founder of

Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. With 7,560 students (includes all campuses, 7,379 at the Boston location alone), it is the eighth-largest university in metropolitan Boston. It was founded as a l ...

, author *

Meg Lee Chin Meg Lee Chin is a Taiwanese-Irish singer, songwriter, audio and video producer, writer and art activist who lives in London, England. She is known as an early pioneer of the home studio revolution and female-produced music. As an early adopter ...

, singer & songwriter * Niki Cross, professional soccer player * Thomas Humphrey Cushing, Revolutionary War officer and Adjutant General of the U.S. Army * Sammy Davis, professional ice hockey player *

Ben Edlund Ben Edlund (born September 20, 1968) is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, television producer, and television director. He is best known as the creator of the satirical superhero character The Tick. Background Edlund was born and raised in Pe ...

, creator of

The Tick ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and TV producer *

Eric Flaim Eric Joseph Flaim (born March 9, 1967) is an American former speed skater. He became a world champion in 1988, as well as capturing Olympic silver medals, namely in speed skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics and in short track speed skating at ...

, Olympic silver medalist in

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors racing, race each other in travelling a certain distance on Ice skate, skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marath ...

* Stephen N. Gifford, politician and longtime Clerk of the

* Duane Joyce, professional hockey player * Joseph Leavitt, Revolutionary War conscientious objector *

Alexander Parris Alexander Parris (November 24, 1780 – June 16, 1852) was a prominent American architect-engineer. Beginning as a housewright, he evolved into an architect whose work transitioned from Federal style architecture to the later Greek Revival. Parr ...

, architect *

Dwight E. Sargent Dwight Emerson Sargent (April 3, 1917 – April 4, 2002) was an American journalist. Born in Pembroke, Massachusetts, he graduated in 1939 from Colby College and served in Europe with the United States Army during World War II. Sargent work ...

, journalist *

Pat Seltsam Patrick Seltsam (born November 14, 1965, Pembroke, Massachusetts) is a retired speedskater who skated with the United States national speedskating team in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s and was a World Cup silver medalist in 1989 and the Unit ...

, Olympic

speedskater 　 Long-track speed skating, usually simply referred to as speed skating, is the Olympic discipline of speed skating where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as ice skating marathon, ...

, 1990 national champion and World Cup medalist in 1989 * Dave Shea, former

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

play-by-play announcer * Josiah Smith, United States congressman *

Kevin Stevens Kevin Stevens (born April 15, 1965) is an American former ice hockey player and current scout in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played left wing on a line with Mario Lemieux during the Pittsburgh Penguins' Stanley Cup championships in ...

, National Hockey League All-Star left winger *

Buddy Teevens Eugene Francis "Buddy" Teevens III (born October 1, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Dartmouth College, a position he held from 1987 to 1991 and resumed in 2005. Teevens also served as the he ...

, football coach for

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

* Harry Irving Thayer, United States congressman *

Nora Vasconcellos Nora Vasconcellos (born 1992) is an American professional skateboarder from Pembroke, Massachusetts. She is currently signed with Adidas skateboarding and was the first female Skater signed to Adidas. Her other sponsors include Welcome, JuneShin ...

, professional skateboarder for Adidas and Welcome brand skateboards * Luke Vercollone, professional soccer player *

Harry M. Woods Henry MacGregor WoodsIMDb bio for Harry M. Woods
(November 4, 1896 – January 14, 1970) was a

, lyricist and composer of "When the Red Red Robin Comes Bobbin' Along" and "Try a Little Tenderness"