East Freetown is one of two

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

s in the town of

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

, Bristol County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, United States. Added to the town in 1747, East Freetown was originally an outpost settlement of

Tiverton, Rhode Island Tiverton is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,359 at the 2020 census. Geography Tiverton is located on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, across the Sakonnet River from Aquidneck Island (also ...

, then a part of Massachusetts. It rests on the shore of Long Pond.

History

East Freetown was made a part of Freetown as a result of the Pocasset Purchase of 1747. It remained less economically developed and industrialized than its sister village, Assonet well into the 20th century. The village was the birthplace of

Massachusetts Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

Marcus Morton.

Historic District

The East Freetown Historic District has been on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

since 1999. It contains many buildings, sites, and features of local historical significance. The district is located roughly along Howland, Gurney, Washburn County Roads.

Geography

East Freetown is located in Southeastern

. It is bounded by Dartmouth, Fall River,

New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

, Lakeville, Assonet, Rochester, Acushnet, and Long Pond. It has a hilly terrain, with many outcroppings of bedrock. Maple, elm, oak, pine, and birch trees are common throughout. Numerous streams and brooks flow through the village, including Fall Brook. Many peninsulas exist around Long Pond, laying site for summer resorts such as Heaven's Heights and Hemlock Point. A small portion of the village comprises a part of the Freetown-Fall River State Forest.

Churches

Several churches have been built in East Freetown.

St. John Neumann Church

St. John Neumann Church is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish covering the village of East Freetown. On the grounds of the church are Cathedral Camp and Our Lady of the Lake camp, both of which combined to form the co-ed Cathedral Camp. The camp has an extensive outdoor program, including swimming and boating on Long Pond.

East Freetown Congregational-Christian Church

The East Freetown Congregational-Christian Church is a gathering of people who emphasize music, prayer, and Bible-based preaching as part of their worship life together. The congregation is bound by a covenant and is considered " non-credal". That means there is no declared statement which is used as a filter of membership. The congregation has not been part of any other denomination or structure since its gathering in 1831. From its inception in the New England Christian Connexion movement of the 18th-19th century, the congregation has maintained five tenets of that movement: 1. the Lordship of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

as the sole head of the church; 2. the use of no other name than "Christian"; 3. the canonical

Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

as the only rule of faith and practice; 4. individual duty of the interpretation of the Scriptures; 5. Christian character as a test of fellowship."The Shaping of American Congregationalism 1620-1957" by John Von Rohr The church took on the additional title "

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

" in 1931 as a recognition of the historical roots of its polity, and as part of an emerging spirit of communion among

Reformed tradition Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteria ...

American churches. ed

Schools

From the early 19th century until 1950,

was serviced by several neighborhood grammar schools, several of which existed in East Freetown. *Furnace School *Mason's Corner School

Today

From 1950 forward, students have attended th
Freetown Elementary School
first for grades 1-8, later K-6, and currently PreK-3. Students also atten
George R. Austin Intermediate School
(4-5), and Freetown-Lakeville Middle School (6-8). For secondary education, students have three options: Apponequet Regional High School serves students with an academic focus for grades 9-12. Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester accepts students from Assonet when there are openings, and provides a voc-tech atmosphere. Bristol County Agricultural High School serves students wanting to focus primarily in agricultural and animal studies.

References

External links

Friends of Historic Preservation - Freetown, Massachusetts
{{authority control Villages in Bristol County, Massachusetts Freetown, Massachusetts Providence metropolitan area 1727 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay Historic districts in Bristol County, Massachusetts Villages in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts