Marshfield, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County
, Massachusetts
, United States
, on Massachusetts's South Shore. The population was 25,132 at the 2010 census.
See also: Green Harbor
, Marshfield (CDP)
, Rexhame, Marshfield Hills
, and Ocean Bluff and Brant Rock
.
meets the Massachusetts Bay
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 31.74 square miles (82.2 km²). 28.46 square miles (73.7 km²) of it is land and 3.28 square miles (8.5 km²) of it (10.33%) is water. Marshfield is bordered by Massachusetts Bay
to the east, Duxbury to the south and southeast, Pembroke
to the west, Norwell
to the northwest, and Scituate
to the north and northeast. Marshfield is eighteen miles (29 km) east of Brockton
and twenty-nine miles southeast of Boston.
Marshfield is named for the many salt marsh
es which border the salt and brackish borders of the town. There are three rivers, the North
(along the northern border of the town), South (which branches at the mouth of the North River and heads south through the town) and the Green Harbor River (which flows just west of Brant Rock and Green Harbor Point at the south of town).
The South River divides a peninsula from the rest of the town, where Rexhame village and the Humarock
and Fourth Cliff neighborhoods of the town of Scituate lie. The Scituate neighborhoods can be reached by land by two bridges, by boat, or by foot along Rexhame Beach. The Rexhame-Humarock peninsula is a barrier beach with an 84 ft (25.6 m). high moraine
, one of only two barrier beach moraines on the east coast of the United States.
Marshfield is also the site of several small forests and conservation areas, including the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary
along the Green Harbor River and the North River Wildlife Sanctuary
, along Route 3A.
The Town of Marshfield MA has six separate zip codes:
Marshfield 02050,
Brant Rock 02020,
Ocean Bluff 02065,
North Marshfield 02059,
Marshfield Hills 02051,
Green Harbor 02041.
This quaint seaside Town is politically divided by eight Villages:
Marshfield Center,
Fieldston,
Ocean Bluff,
Rexhame,
Brant Rock,
Green Harbor,
Marshfield Hills, and
North Marshfield
The following beaches comprise Marshfield's five mile long public seashore:
Rexhame, Fieldston, Sunrise, Ocean Bluff, Brant Rock, Blackman’s Point, Blue Fish Cove, Burke’s and Green Harbor. See History of Marshfield, Massachusetts
.
Marshfield is a popular summer beach destination. Tourists and vacationers cause the town's population to nearly double from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. Only full-time residents can vote on public tax matters.
of 2000, there were 24,324 people, 8,905 households, and 6,598 families residing in the town. The population density
was 854.8 people per square mile (330.1/km²). There were 9,954 housing units at an average density of 349.8 per square mile (135.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.69% White, 3.54% Black or African American
, 0.11% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races
, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.67% of the population.
There were 8,905 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $83,540, and the median income for a family was $104,207. The median home value was $440,600. Males had a median income of $87,992 versus $52,773 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $64,003. About 3.8% of families and 0.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
, and is currently represented by William Keating
(D
). The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate
, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
. The junior (Class I) senator, elected in 2010, is Scott Brown
. In the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
the results were; Scott Brown (R): 66% and Martha Coakley (D): 33%.
On the state level, Marshfield is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
as a part of the Fourth Plymouth district, which also includes much of the town of Scituate. The representative for Marshfield and Scituate in the Massachusetts House of Representatives is Jim Cantwell (D
). The town is represented by Robert Hedlund (R
) in the Massachusetts Senate
as a part of the Plymouth and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth. The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
.
Marshfield is governed on the local level by the open town meeting
form of government, and is led by a town administrator and a board of selectmen
. The current board of selectmen includes a direct descendant of Pilgrim Richard Warren
. The modern town hall is located at the intersection of Routes 3A and 139, just south of the South River. The town has its own police and fire stations, with firehouses located in Marshfield Hills, Ocean Bluff and near the fairgrounds. The town's Ventress Memorial Library is located a short distance east of the town hall, and is a member of the Old Colony Library Network (OCLN). There is also an independent library, the Clift Rodgers Free Library, in Marshfield Hills. The town has three post offices, in the same neighborhoods as the fire stations.
There are five elementary schools:
The Elementary Schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. (Eames Way and South River, however, do not have pre-kindergarten classes).
The Furnace Brook Middle School serves students from sixth through eighth grade. FBMS is a top school, winner of the Jimmy Fund Cancer Research Foundation Contest in 2006, 2007,2009 and 2011. The school consists of 3 clusters in each grade level (Red, Yellow, and Crimson in 6th; Green, Purple, and Blue in 7th; and Gold, Pink, and Orange in 8th).
Marshfield High School
serves grades nine through twelve. Marshfield High School's athletic teams are known as the Rams, and their colors are green, white, and black. Their chief rival is Duxbury High School and they play against them in the Thanksgiving football game.
There are no private or vocational schools in the town; the nearest private schools are in neighboring Scituate and Duxbury (as well as a charter school in Norwell). The nearest college is Bridgewater State College
in Bridgewater, MA.
exit. Route 139 loops through the town, with a long portion passing along the beaches of the Ocean Bluff and Fieldston neighborhoods before heading north and east into Pembroke. Route 3A also passes through the town, entering from the south in Duxbury and exiting over the North River into Scituate.
There is daily bus service connecting with the MBTA station in Braintree
and another bus connecting with South Station
in Boston. The nearest train station is the Greenbush station
in Scituate. There is a commuter ferry
to Boston available in Hingham
. The nearest major airport is Logan International Airport
in Boston. The area is also served by T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island
and the town's own municipal airport
for general aviation
. The nearest freight rail service is in Wareham
.
Ralph Fletcher [the author] grew up here and wrote a book about it.
James Ian Kirkland - dinosaur paleontologist, Utah State Paleontologist.
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on Massachusetts's South Shore. The population was 25,132 at the 2010 census.
See also: Green Harbor
Green Harbor-Cedar Crest, Massachusetts
Green Harbor-Cedar Crest is a census-designated place in the towns of Marshfield and Duxbury in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. It includes the villages Green Harbor and Cedar Crest...
, Marshfield (CDP)
Marshfield (CDP), Massachusetts
Marshfield is a census-designated place in the town of Marshfield in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,246 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Marshfield is located at ....
, Rexhame, Marshfield Hills
Marshfield Hills, Massachusetts
Marshfield Hills is a census-designated place in the town of Marshfield in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,369 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Marshfield Hills is located at ....
, and Ocean Bluff and Brant Rock
Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock, Massachusetts
Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock is a census-designated place in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, composed of the villages of Ocean Bluff and Brant Rock in the town of Marshfield...
.
Geography
Marshfield is located on the South Shore, about where Cape Cod BayCape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west....
meets the Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay
The Massachusetts Bay, also called Mass Bay, is one of the largest bays of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Its waters extend 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts Bay includes the Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay,...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 31.74 square miles (82.2 km²). 28.46 square miles (73.7 km²) of it is land and 3.28 square miles (8.5 km²) of it (10.33%) is water. Marshfield is bordered by Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay
The Massachusetts Bay, also called Mass Bay, is one of the largest bays of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Its waters extend 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts Bay includes the Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay,...
to the east, Duxbury to the south and southeast, Pembroke
Pembroke, Massachusetts
Pembroke is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,927 at the 2000 census.The southwestern section of Pembroke is also known as Bryantville...
to the west, Norwell
Norwell, Massachusetts
Norwell is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is currently 10,506 at the 2010 Census.Norwell was first settled in 1634 as a part of the settlement of Satuit , which encompasses present day Scituate and Norwell. It was officially created, in 1849 and soon became...
to the northwest, and Scituate
Scituate, Massachusetts
Scituate is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 18,133 at the 2010 census....
to the north and northeast. Marshfield is eighteen miles (29 km) east of Brockton
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
and twenty-nine miles southeast of Boston.
Marshfield is named for the many salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es which border the salt and brackish borders of the town. There are three rivers, the North
North River (Massachusetts Bay)
The North River is a river, approximately long, in eastern Massachusetts, the United States. It is primarily a tidal river, formed by the confluence of the Indian Head River and Herring Brook. The North River forms the boundary between the towns of Norwell and Pembroke, Massachusetts, and...
(along the northern border of the town), South (which branches at the mouth of the North River and heads south through the town) and the Green Harbor River (which flows just west of Brant Rock and Green Harbor Point at the south of town).
The South River divides a peninsula from the rest of the town, where Rexhame village and the Humarock
Humarock
Humarock is part of Scituate, Massachusetts, United States . Humarock is a pictureque seaside village surrounded by water and situated on Cape Cod Bay midway between Boston and Plymouth. It was separated from the rest of the town in the Portland Gale of 1898 in which the mouth of the North River...
and Fourth Cliff neighborhoods of the town of Scituate lie. The Scituate neighborhoods can be reached by land by two bridges, by boat, or by foot along Rexhame Beach. The Rexhame-Humarock peninsula is a barrier beach with an 84 ft (25.6 m). high moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
, one of only two barrier beach moraines on the east coast of the United States.
Marshfield is also the site of several small forests and conservation areas, including the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary
Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary
The Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary is a sanctuary owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the largest conservation organization in New England, in the town of Marshfield, Massachusetts...
along the Green Harbor River and the North River Wildlife Sanctuary
North River Wildlife Sanctuary
The North River Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the largest conservation organization in New England, in the town of Marshfield, Massachusetts. The sanctuary contains of mixed cultural grasslands, red maple swamps, oak-pine woodland and...
, along Route 3A.
The Town of Marshfield MA has six separate zip codes:
Marshfield 02050,
Brant Rock 02020,
Ocean Bluff 02065,
North Marshfield 02059,
Marshfield Hills 02051,
Green Harbor 02041.
This quaint seaside Town is politically divided by eight Villages:
Marshfield Center,
Fieldston,
Ocean Bluff,
Rexhame,
Brant Rock,
Green Harbor,
Marshfield Hills, and
North Marshfield
The following beaches comprise Marshfield's five mile long public seashore:
Rexhame, Fieldston, Sunrise, Ocean Bluff, Brant Rock, Blackman’s Point, Blue Fish Cove, Burke’s and Green Harbor. See History of Marshfield, Massachusetts
History of Marshfield, Massachusetts
- Native Americans of Wampanoag and Massachusetts Tribes :Native Americans lived in Marshfield for thousands of years before the white settlers came. These people included members of the Wampanoag Tribe of the Algonquin nation and members of the Massachusetts Tribe. Evidence of Native American...
.
Marshfield is a popular summer beach destination. Tourists and vacationers cause the town's population to nearly double from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. Only full-time residents can vote on public tax matters.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 24,324 people, 8,905 households, and 6,598 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 854.8 people per square mile (330.1/km²). There were 9,954 housing units at an average density of 349.8 per square mile (135.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.69% White, 3.54% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.11% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.67% of the population.
There were 8,905 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $83,540, and the median income for a family was $104,207. The median home value was $440,600. Males had a median income of $87,992 versus $52,773 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $64,003. About 3.8% of families and 0.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government
On the national level, Marshfield is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional districtMassachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district is a political constituency that includes parts of the South Shore of Massachusetts, and all of Cape Cod and the islands. With a population of 635,901 and a land area of , it is the most populous of Massachusetts's ten congressional districts and the...
, and is currently represented by William Keating
William R. Keating
William Richard "Bill" Keating is the U.S. Representative for . From 1999 to 2011 he was District Attorney of Norfolk County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former Massachusetts state representative and state senator....
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
). The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. The junior (Class I) senator, elected in 2010, is Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
. In the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was a special election held on January 19, 2010, in order to fill the Massachusetts Class I United States Senate seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013...
the results were; Scott Brown (R): 66% and Martha Coakley (D): 33%.
On the state level, Marshfield is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
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 single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
as a part of the Fourth Plymouth district, which also includes much of the town of Scituate. The representative for Marshfield and Scituate in the Massachusetts House of Representatives is Jim Cantwell (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
). The town is represented by Robert Hedlund (R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
) in the Massachusetts Senate
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 state...
as a part of the Plymouth and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth. The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police 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...
.
Marshfield is governed on the local level by the open town meeting
Open town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
form of government, and is led by a town administrator and a board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. The current board of selectmen includes a direct descendant of Pilgrim Richard Warren
Richard Warren
Richard Warren was a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620. He settled in Plymouth Colony and was among ten passengers of the Mayflower landing party with Myles Standish at Cape Cod on November 11, 1620...
. The modern town hall is located at the intersection of Routes 3A and 139, just south of the South River. The town has its own police and fire stations, with firehouses located in Marshfield Hills, Ocean Bluff and near the fairgrounds. The town's Ventress Memorial Library is located a short distance east of the town hall, and is a member of the Old Colony Library Network (OCLN). There is also an independent library, the Clift Rodgers Free Library, in Marshfield Hills. The town has three post offices, in the same neighborhoods as the fire stations.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 15, 2008 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
4,848 | 27.31% |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
2,509 | 14.13% |
Unaffiliated | 10,338 | 58.24% |
Minor Parties | 57 | 0.32% | |
| Total | 17,752 | 100% | |||||||||||||
Education
Marshfield operates its own school system for the town's nearly 4,700 students.There are five elementary schools:
- Governor Edward Winslow Elementary School
- Daniel Webster Elementary School
- Eames Way Elementary School
- Martinson Elementary School
- South River Elementary School
The Elementary Schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. (Eames Way and South River, however, do not have pre-kindergarten classes).
The Furnace Brook Middle School serves students from sixth through eighth grade. FBMS is a top school, winner of the Jimmy Fund Cancer Research Foundation Contest in 2006, 2007,2009 and 2011. The school consists of 3 clusters in each grade level (Red, Yellow, and Crimson in 6th; Green, Purple, and Blue in 7th; and Gold, Pink, and Orange in 8th).
Marshfield High School
Marshfield High School (Massachusetts)
Marshfield High School is located in Marshfield, Massachusetts.It is the only Public High School in Marshfield, there are currently no private high schools located in Marshfield....
serves grades nine through twelve. Marshfield High School's athletic teams are known as the Rams, and their colors are green, white, and black. Their chief rival is Duxbury High School and they play against them in the Thanksgiving football game.
There are no private or vocational schools in the town; the nearest private schools are in neighboring Scituate and Duxbury (as well as a charter school in Norwell). The nearest college is Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater State University is a public liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is the largest college in the Massachusetts state university system outside of the University of Massachusetts system. The school's mascot is the bear.-History:BSU was founded by...
in Bridgewater, MA.
Transportation
Route 3, also known as the Pilgrims Highway, skirts the town along the Pembroke town line, and can be accessed in Marshfield via the Route 139Massachusetts Route 139
Route 139 is nominally a west–east state highway in southeastern Massachusetts.-Route description:Route 139 begins in Stoughton Square at the southern junction of the Route 27 and 138 concurrency. The highway heads northeast until the junction with Route 24, at which point the highway heads...
exit. Route 139 loops through the town, with a long portion passing along the beaches of the Ocean Bluff and Fieldston neighborhoods before heading north and east into Pembroke. Route 3A also passes through the town, entering from the south in Duxbury and exiting over the North River into Scituate.
There is daily bus service connecting with the MBTA station in Braintree
Braintree (MBTA station)
Braintree, located at Ivory and Union Streets in Braintree, Massachusetts, is the southernmost station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Red Line. It also is a stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail Old Colony Lines...
and another bus connecting with South Station
South Station
South Station, New England's second-largest transportation center , located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest train station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston, a prominent train station in the northeastern...
in Boston. The nearest train station is the Greenbush station
Greenbush (MBTA station)
Greenbush Station is a rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail system in the Greenbush section of Scituate, Massachusetts. The station, located at 247 Old Driftway, is the terminus of the MBTA Greenbush Line, which provides service between Scituate and Boston. There are five tracks here with a...
in Scituate. There is a commuter ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
to Boston available in Hingham
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
. The nearest major airport is Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
in Boston. The area is also served by T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and the town's own municipal airport
Marshfield Municipal Airport (Massachusetts)
Marshfield Municipal Airport , also known as George Harlow Field, is a public airport located 2 mi east of the central business district of Marshfield, a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA. The airport is owned by the Town of Marshfield and run by Shoreline Aviation, the airport's fixed...
for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
. The nearest freight rail service is in Wareham
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....
.
Notable residents
- AerosmithAerosmithAerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
rock band members Steven TylerSteven TylerSteven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, Joey KramerJoey KramerJoseph Michael "Joey" Kramer is the drummer for the American hard rock band Aerosmith....
and Brad WhitfordBrad WhitfordBradford Ernest Whitford is the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith. He graduated Reading Memorial High School in 1970.-Career:...
. - F. Lee Bailey, attorney
- Dicky BarrettDicky BarrettRichard Michael Barrett , better known as Dicky Barrett, is the frontman of Ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and the announcer for Jimmy Kimmel Live...
, lead singer of Boston band The Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
. - Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
and his wife Nancy WallsNancy WallsNancy Ellen Carell is an American actress best known for her comedic work on Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.-Early life:...
, comedians. - Joe CastiglioneJoe CastiglioneJoseph John Castiglione is an American radio announcer for the Boston Red Sox baseball team, an author and lecturer.-Early life and career:...
, baseball radio announcer, Boston Red Sox - Susan CooperSusan CooperSusan Mary Cooper is an English author best known for The Dark Is Rising, an award-winning five-volume saga set in and around England and Wales. The books incorporate traditional British mythology, such as Arthurian and other Welsh elements with original material ; these books were adapted into a...
, a writer - Jeff CorwinJeff CorwinJeffrey Scott Corwin is an American animal and nature conservationist, best known as host and executive producer of Animal Planet cable channel television programs, The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin's Quest.-Early years:...
, naturalist, host of The Jeff Corwin ExperienceThe Jeff Corwin ExperienceThe Jeff Corwin Experience is an American television show about mostly tropical animals airing on the Animal Planet cable channel since 2001...
on Animal PlanetAnimal PlanetAnimal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:... - Reginald FessendenReginald FessendenReginald Aubrey Fessenden , a naturalized American citizen born in Canada, was an inventor who performed pioneering experiments in radio, including early—and possibly the first—radio transmissions of voice and music...
1866-1932, radio pioneer - Ryan GibbonsRyan GibbonsRyan Gibbons is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
, Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
offensive lineman - Sean Morey, Arizona CardinalsArizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... - Lance NorrisLance NorrisLance Norris is an American actor/writer/director/stand-up comic/critic/mentalist.-Life and career: Norris was born in Des Moines, Iowa and attended Whitman College where he was a wrestler and rugby player...
, writer and actor - Jesse Reed, nail manufacturer and inventor of ship's steering gear in 1847, 1849, and 1858
- Daniel WebsterDaniel WebsterDaniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
1782–1852, statesman, orator, senator, Secretary of State to three U.S. presidents - Fletcher WebsterFletcher WebsterDaniel Fletcher Webster, commonly known as Fletcher Webster was the son of renowned politician Daniel Webster and Grace Fletcher Webster...
son of Daniel Webster who gave his life for the Union in the Battle of Bull Run - Edward WinslowEdward WinslowEdward Winslow was an English Pilgrim leader on the Mayflower. He served as the governor of Plymouth Colony in 1633, 1636, and finally in 1644...
1595-1655, Pilgrim Governor of Plymouth Colony - Josiah WinslowJosiah WinslowJosiah Winslow was an American Pilgrim leader. He served as governor of Plymouth Colony from 1673 to 1680.Born in Plymouth Colony , he was son of Edward Winslow and Susanna White. In 1651 in London, with his father, he married Penelope Pelham, daughter of Herbert Pelham, the first treasurer of...
first native born governor of Plymouth ColonyPlymouth ColonyPlymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town... - John Winslow (British Army officer)John Winslow (British army officer)Major-General John Winslow , descendant of Pilgrim Edward Winslow, was an officer during the French and Indian War....
Major-General in British Army who removed the Acadians from Nova Scotia, as described in famous LongfellowHenry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
poem, "Evangeline". The Town of Winslow, MaineWinslow, MaineWinslow is a town and census-designated place in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, along the Kennebec River. The population was 7,743 at the 2000 census.-History:...
is named after him. - Isaac Winslow—Judge and President of the Council of the Province of Massachusetts
- Susanna Fuller White—a Mayflower Pilgrim. First English bride married in New England, and first English woman to give birth in New England
- Joseph Patrick Kennedy IIJoseph Patrick Kennedy IIJoseph Patrick Kennedy II is an American businessman and Democratic politician.He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 8th congressional district of Massachusetts from 1987 to 1999. In 1979 he founded and led until election to the U.S...
former U.S.Congressman, and son of Bobby Kennedy - Sean MorrisSean MorrisSean Morris is a professional lacrosse player with the Boston Cannons of the Major League Lacrosse, and the Boston Blazers in the National Lacrosse League. He recently attended 42A class at Camp Parks in California and graduated with honors.- Amateur career :Morris played collegiate lacrosse at...
pro lacrosse player for the Boston Cannons and Boston Blazers - Edward Rowe SnowEdward Rowe SnowEdward Rowe Snow was an American author and historian.-Life:He was the son of Edward Sumpter and Alice Snow...
, famous lighthouse historian and author - Joseph Spang, inventor of the Cube Steak Machine Nation's top closing attorney
- Lieutenant Peregrine WhitePeregrine WhitePeregrine White was the first English child born to the Pilgrims in the New World....
first English child born in New England - Sarah Smith Kent—grand aunt of Abigail Smith Adams, the second First Lady of the United States
- Adelaide PhillipsAdelaide PhillipsAdelaide Phillips , American contralto singer, was born at Stratford-upon-Avon, England, her family emigrating to America in 1840. Her mother taught dancing, and Adelaide began a career on the Boston stage at ten years old...
--most famous female opera singer in America during the 19th century - John Bourne—Patriot who fought at the Battle of Bunker HillBattle of Bunker HillThe Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
and along with General George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
at Valley ForgeValley ForgeValley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:... - Resolved White--MayflowerMayflowerThe Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
PilgrimPilgrimA pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system... - John Thomas (general)John Thomas (general)John Thomas was an American doctor and soldier from Massachusetts who became a major general in the Continental Army. He was a leader during the siege of Boston. Thomas briefly commanded the withdrawal from Canada after the unsuccessful invasion by the Continental Army. He died from smallpox...
(1724-June 2, 1776) General in the Continental ArmyContinental ArmyThe Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He led the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment2nd Massachusetts RegimentThe 2nd Massachusetts Regiment was a unit of the Massachusetts Line in the 1777 establishment of the Continental Army. It was a successor to a number of Massachusetts provincial regiments from the army's 1775 establishment , and was known as the 23rd Continental Regiment during the 1776...
, composed of volunteers from Plymouth CountyPlymouth County, MassachusettsPlymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...
during the Siege of BostonSiege of BostonThe Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
. Thomas Park, a national historical site and monument on Dorchester Heights in South Boston commemorating the Siege of BostonSiege of BostonThe Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
, was named after him. Thomaston, MaineThomaston, MaineThomaston, Maine is a town on the coast of Maine the United States. The name may also refer to:*Thomaston , Maine, a census-designated place comprising the center of the town*South Thomaston, Maine, an adjacent town...
is named after him. - Nathaniel Ray Thomas—one of the leading loyalists of New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
during the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Ralph Fletcher [the author] grew up here and wrote a book about it.
James Ian Kirkland - dinosaur paleontologist, Utah State Paleontologist.
External links
- Ventress Memorial Library (public library)
- Answer Book/Marshfield: Everything you need to know