Padanaram
Encyclopedia
Padanaram is a village
in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts
, Bristol County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. It lies along the Apponagansett River (also Padanaram Harbor) or Apponagansett Bay.
The village of Padanaram was one of many settlements which began cropping up within the town of Old Dartmouth after its purchase from the Wampanoag Indians by members of the Plymouth Colony
in 1652.
During King Philip's War
the settlement was burned down and all cattle killed. The only settlers who survived were those who heard a warning and fled either to Russell's Garrison or Cooke's Garrison. Remains of the settlement can still be seen at the foot of Lucy Street.
In the mid-18th century it became a shipbuilding center. In September 1778, during the American Revolution
, the British attacked nearby New Bedford
with a small force attacking Padanaram. Two Tories, former residents who had been forced out of the village, arrived with the British and directed them to properties of the men responsible for their banishment. They set fire to two homes, but a third one was saved by a woman who threw water on the fires as they were started and also on the soldiers. This third house is now the rectory for St. Peter's Episcopal Church on Elm Street.
The 19th century saw Padanaram prosper as a minor whaling port, as well as home to a large salt works. As this industries died out, "the village" (as it is referred to by locals) became mostly a residential area.
Originally known as Ponagansett, Padanaram derived its current name in the early 19th century from a resident named Laban Thatcher. Mr. Thatcher and his family were pillars of the community. He built a wharf, a shipyard, windmill, magnesia factory and was a successful property investor. He is perhaps best known for "Laban's Folly", an elaborate salt works which proved to be a failure, but did manage to last until well into the 20th century.
Laban Thatcher saw an analogy between his life and that of the biblical Laban
, who dwelt in Padan-Aram. The Laban of the Bible
lived on the plain of Aram in northwest Mesopotamia
and sired a significant family of daughters, notably Leah and Rachel
, wives of Jacob
.
Now mostly residential with a diverse mix of residents, the village also contains the New Bedford Yacht Club (which was originally founded in New Bedford
) and bi-annually host of the Buzzards Bay
Regatta, several boating-related businesses, galleries, and other small businesses and shops.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Dartmouth is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States established in 1664. The population was 30,665 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth....
, Bristol County
Bristol County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile...
, 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...
. It lies along the Apponagansett River (also Padanaram Harbor) or Apponagansett Bay.
The village of Padanaram was one of many settlements which began cropping up within the town of Old Dartmouth after its purchase from the Wampanoag Indians by members of the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth 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...
in 1652.
During King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
the settlement was burned down and all cattle killed. The only settlers who survived were those who heard a warning and fled either to Russell's Garrison or Cooke's Garrison. Remains of the settlement can still be seen at the foot of Lucy Street.
In the mid-18th century it became a shipbuilding center. In September 1778, during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The 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...
, the British attacked nearby New Bedford
New Bedford
-Places:*New Bedford, Illinois*New Bedford, Massachusetts, the most populous New Bedford**New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park*New Bedford, New Jersey *New Bedford, Ohio*New Bedford, Pennsylvania...
with a small force attacking Padanaram. Two Tories, former residents who had been forced out of the village, arrived with the British and directed them to properties of the men responsible for their banishment. They set fire to two homes, but a third one was saved by a woman who threw water on the fires as they were started and also on the soldiers. This third house is now the rectory for St. Peter's Episcopal Church on Elm Street.
The 19th century saw Padanaram prosper as a minor whaling port, as well as home to a large salt works. As this industries died out, "the village" (as it is referred to by locals) became mostly a residential area.
Originally known as Ponagansett, Padanaram derived its current name in the early 19th century from a resident named Laban Thatcher. Mr. Thatcher and his family were pillars of the community. He built a wharf, a shipyard, windmill, magnesia factory and was a successful property investor. He is perhaps best known for "Laban's Folly", an elaborate salt works which proved to be a failure, but did manage to last until well into the 20th century.
Laban Thatcher saw an analogy between his life and that of the biblical Laban
Laban (Bible)
Laban is the son of Bethuel, brother of Rebekah and the father of Leah and Rachel and Bilhah and Zilpah as described in the Book of Genesis. As such he is brother-in-law to Isaac and both father-in-law and uncle to Jacob...
, who dwelt in Padan-Aram. The Laban of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
lived on the plain of Aram in northwest Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
and sired a significant family of daughters, notably Leah and Rachel
Rachel
Rachel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is a prophet and the favorite wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife...
, wives of Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
.
Now mostly residential with a diverse mix of residents, the village also contains the New Bedford Yacht Club (which was originally founded in New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
) and bi-annually host of the Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay is a bay along the southern edge of Massachusetts in the United States. The name may also refer to:*Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, a village in Bourne, Massachusetts*Buzzards Bay , the name of the horse that won the 2005 Santa Anita Derby...
Regatta, several boating-related businesses, galleries, and other small businesses and shops.