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Travel Photo Essay: Historic Assonet
Village, Freetown, MA
From left to far right: The
Freetown Town Hall (built in 1888), the former Village School (built in
1794 and currently slated
for renovation), and the North Church (built in 1809) -- photo by Eric
H.
Article and photo by Eric H.
Assonet
Village, a quaint, historic section of Freetown, MA, might not seem
like much at first glance, but, gradually, the feeling of being in a
pleasant,
tiny, classic New England country town starts to resonate. With parts
of the village listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
Assonet Village features
old municipal buildings, the
beautiful North Church, an old convenience store named Grandpa's Place,
and the scenic Assonet River and Bay. Although imperfect with some
buildings and homes in need of repair, Assonet Village, nevertheless,
seems like the perfect little New England town -- imperfections are
traditionally part of the honest, unique New England fabric. Assonet,
however, has many more pluses than minuses, with the well-kept antique
homes (with many decked out in red, white and blue), comprising what
looks like an ideal older, tree-lined neighborhood. Also remarkable
about
Assonet is that despite its nearly-perfect solitude, this part of
Freetown is located quite close to Fall River, a densely populated city
of about 90,000. This juxtaposition of two completely different
communities seems improbable, but significant
given
Freetown was part of a southeastern Massachusetts region that once
experienced great success in the fishing,
shipbuilding, and railway industries. Freetown played a healthy role in
each industry, but today seems content as a historically-preserved
community that seems like a nice place to live for Fall River and New
Bedford suburbanites who enjoy a quiet and peaceful environment.
Of Note,
Near Assonet Village....
The Whaling Museum in New
Bedford, MA
Something's Brewin' Cafe,
Lakeville, MA
The historic charm of North
Easton Village, MA
The Patriotic Feel of Bristol,
RI
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