Making Rehoboth great again
Mass. town plans to ‘reclaim’ lost local territory
This October, Rhode Island municipalities including Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Cumberland, and East Providence will be reclaimed by Rehoboth.
No, you don’t need to prepare for a coup or for the residents of the Massachusetts border town to foment insurrection to overthrow the local governments of the four Valley communities. But perhaps it might be the time to learn a little bit about your local history if you live in any of those four cities, as each was once a part of what was considered “Early Rehoboth.”
The Town of Rehoboth this year is celebrating its 375th anniversary and a committee of local residents is observing the occasion by symbolically “reclaiming” what was their original territory. The one day recovery of Rehoboth will take place on Sunday, Oct. 7, in recognition of the anniversary that dates back to the town’s founding in 1643.
Among the communities that were once a part of Rehoboth include Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Cumberland, East Providence, Bristol, Barrington, and Warren in Rhode Island; and Seekonk, Attleboro, North Attleboro, Swansea, and Somerset in Massachusetts.
Early Rehoboth extended well beyond the suburb’s current 47 square miles, as the cities and towns in Rhode Island and Massachusetts were part of the town, which is considered one of America’s oldest municipalities.
This isn’t the first time Rehoboth has invaded Rhode Island. Twenty-five years ago, to commemorate the town’s 350th anniversary, Min- utemen in full regalia – armed with muskets, no less – marched into City Council and Selectmen chambers around the Ocean and Bay states to declare their intention to “take back” the land for a single day.
Rehoboth 375 Anniversary Committee Chairman Michael Costello said the town is engaged in a yearlong birthday celebration and by annexing the neighboring communities, they’re welcoming back “all of our sister towns.”
“We’re going to have a town crier come in and ring his bell and present his proclamation, we’ll have Minutemen with him,” Costello said. “We’ll ask that they not only enjoin us in this celebration but support us with whatever means they might be able to.”
“It’s like having a birthday party for the elder of the family and inviting all the children, that’s how I look at it,” Costello later said. “They were part of the family, they went off and did their own thing, we still consider them a part of our history. It’s important they are part of this celebration.”
Costello said that the reclamation of Rhode Island and Massachusetts towns is a way for people of Rehoboth and neighboring cities and towns to realize the importance of one of the nation’s oldest towns.
“We have people who’ve lived here for 60 years that don’t realize they were part of those other communities, that Rehoboth was once considered for the capital of Massachusetts but because of a shallow port, it was decided to go to Boston,” Costello said. “There was a lot of residents of Rehoboth back then who settled into Rhode Island who are well-known. Roger Williams was part of Rehoboth before moving on to Rhode Island. We share a lot of history with Rhode Island and they share a lot of history with us.”
All of this builds to the Oct. 7 parade, the centerpiece of the yearlong anniversary commemoration, at which local high school bands and elected officials from “Early Rehoboth” will march through the city streets.
But between then and now, there will be a variety of events to commemorate Rehoboth’s 375th anniversary, among them a talent show in May, family carnival in June, and golf tournament in August. For more information on the goings-on just over the border, visit Rehoboth375.com.