South Attleboro is a village of
Attleboro, a city in
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. It was formerly known as SouthGate, and has its own telephone exchange separate from Attleboro. It is perhaps best known for the
South Attleboro station on the
Providence/Stoughton Line
The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Provi ...
of the
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track on 12 lines to 142 stations. It ...
.
U.S. 1 (the old
Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike
The Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike is a road in Massachusetts. In Boston, it is known as Washington Street and in Dedham it runs along Washington Street and Court Street.
History
In 1802, Fisher Ames and a group of others requested that the Grea ...
) and
Route 1A (the old
Lower Boston Post Road) pass through the area, which lies just north of the
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
state line.
South Attleboro is home to two schools: Robert J. Coelho Middle School and Hill Roberts Elementary School. Lees Pond Park, off Route 1, attracts many local residents for activities such as fishing, basketball, baseball, and swimming in one of the city pools. The South Attleboro Lions Club on Highland Avenue hosts the annual Lees Pond Festival.
Route 1 hosts many businesses and fast food restaurants. Depending on the boundaries, South Attleboro is home to approximately 7–10 thousand people.
History
Before the end of the industrial boom, most residents worked in the mills of Pawtucket and Central Falls, Rhode Island. In addition, the H&B factory on the state line employed over one thousand workers before shutting down in 1957. The factory was demolished in early 2016.
In 1922, its textile mills were temporarily shut down by the
New England Textile Strike over an attempted wage cut.
For several decades starting in the 1920s, South Attleboro was known for Wightman's Diner on Boston Post Road (aka Washington Street, or U.S. Route 1).
The diner started out as a lunch wagon in 1923, and expanded by connecting multiple lunch cars by the
Worcester Lunch Car Company
Worcester Lunch Car Company was a manufacturer of diners based in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, from 1906 to 1957.
History
In 1906 Philip H. Duprey and Grenville Stoddard established the Worcester Lunch Car and Carriage Manufacturi ...
and
Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company
The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was a manufacturer of roadside diners from 1917 to 1952. The company produced some 2,000 of the long, narrow, primarily metal buildings, perhaps more than any other firm. Prefabricated ...
.
By the 1930s, it advertised itself locally as the "largest diner in the world."
In addition, its Old Mexico Room offered fine foods and liquors, a dance floor surface, and floor show.
The diner closed in 1946.
By the 1960s, the location was occupied by Almac's market and later Yankee Spirits.
In popular culture
South Attleboro is occasionally referenced in the animated series ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
'', as being home of "Jack's Joke Shop". The real Jack's Joke Shop was located on Tremont Street in Boston until it closed in 2007.
See also
*
Dodgeville Mill
References
External links
City Guide for All of the AttleboroughsBusiness Profile for Jack's Joke Shop* City data.com
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Neighborhoods in Massachusetts
Populated places in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Providence metropolitan area
{{BristolCountyMA-geo-stub