Dighton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,101 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the western shore of the Taunton River in the southeastern part of the state.

History
Geography
Demographics
Arts and culture
- Annual cultural events
Parks and recreation
Library
Historic places
Education
Notable people
Images for kids
See also

History

Dighton was originally part of Taunton's South Purchase and other surrounding towns. It was separated in 1672, officially incorporated in 1712. It was named for Frances Dighton Williams, wife of Richard Williams, a town elder. At the time of incorporation, the town included land on both sides of the Taunton River, including the land of Assonet Neck, which includes Dighton Rock, a rock found in the shallows of the river which includes cryptic carvings whose origins are debated to this day. However, in 1799, that land on the east bank of the river was annexed by Berkley, thus giving that town the claim of being the home of the rock.

Smith Memorial Hall

As it was located at the beginning of the tidewater of the river, Dighton was a shipbuilding community, and even had status as a port of call. Because of this, and its centralized location, it became a shipping hub for southeastern Massachusetts. There were also cotton mills, manufacturers and farming concerns in the town. With time, however, many of these industries left, leaving the town as a rural suburban community with some small farms.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km²), of which 22.0 square miles (57.0 km²) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km²), or 2.56%, is water.

Dighton is bordered by Rehoboth to the west, Swansea to the southwest, Somerset to the south, the Taunton River and the town of Berkley to the east, and the city of Taunton to the north. In addition to being bordered by the Taunton River, it also is bordered by the Three Mile River, a tributary which empties into the Taunton along the northeast border of town. The town is also crossed by the Segreganset River, another tributary of the Taunton which flows through the center of town, as well as several smaller brooks. The highest point in the town is in its northwest corner, where the elevation rises above 236 feet (72 m) above sea level.

New two-lane bridge, opened August 2015

Dighton is the site of the Berkley–Dighton Bridge, originally a one-lane bridge built in the 1890s as a link between Center Street in Dighton and Elm Street in Berkley. It is the only span crossing the Taunton River between the Brightman Street Bridge between Somerset and Fall River, and the Plain Street Bridge in Taunton, a drive of 12+1⁄2 miles (20 km) (and 4 mi or 6 km south of the Plain Street Bridge). In 2010, the old bridge was demolished and a temporary bridge handled traffic as a new bridge was built. In August 2015 a new two-lane bridge opened to traffic.

Dighton's localities are Chestnut Tree Corner, Dighton, Dighton Rock State Park, North Dighton, Segreganset, South Dighton and Wheeler's Corner.

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	1,641	—
1860	1,733	+5.6%
1870	1,817	+4.8%
1880	1,791	−1.4%
1890	1,880	+5.0%
1900	1,802	−4.1%
1910	2,235	+24.0%
1920	2,574	+15.2%
1930	3,147	+22.3%
1940	2,983	−5.2%
1950	2,950	−1.1%
1960	3,769	+27.8%
1970	4,667	+23.8%
1980	5,352	+14.7%
1990	5,631	+5.2%
2000	6,175	+9.7%
2010	7,086	+14.8%
2020	8,101	+14.3%
Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,175 people, 2,201 households, and 1,718 families residing in the town. The population density was 275.9 people per square mile (106.5/km²). There were 2,280 housing units at an average density of 101.9 per square mile (39.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.80% White, 0.53% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

There were 2,201 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $58,600, and the median income for a family was $64,792. Males had a median income of $41,427 versus $28,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,600. About 1.0% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Dighton is home of the Cow Chip Festival. The Dighton Lions Club hosts the event. Every June a traveling carnival comes and sets up behind the Town Hall. Fireworks have been a recent addition to the festival. There are rides and a carnival mid-way along with food, musical performances, a lawn tractor pull, woodsman competition pony rides and the chicken BBQ. The name was given to it because they set up squares on the field behind the town hall. They place cows out on the enclosed squares. People then place bets on the square that they believe will be defecated on first by one of the cows.

Parks and recreation

Sweets Knoll State Park

Sweets Knoll State Park is a fifty-six acre park located in Dighton. It was purchased in June 2009, and includes two miles of old railroad bed which may be adapted into a walking and biking path, picnic areas, a small boat launch, and fishing.

Library

Dighton Public Library

Dighton is served by the Dighton Public Library. As of December 2009, the Library Director was Jocelyn Tavares.

Historic places

Education

Bristol County Agricultural High School

Dighton and its neighboring town Rehoboth comprise one school district, the Dighton-Rehoboth School District. It was founded in 1987 to oversee the schools of both towns. The high school, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, was founded in 1958 to serve both towns. The school itself is located in North Dighton, mere yards away from the Rehoboth town line. Its athletics teams are known as the Falcons, and its colors are green and gold. The Dighton Middle and Elementary Schools are located near the corner of Center Street and Somerset Avenue (Route 138) at the center of town.

The town is also the home of Bristol County Agricultural High School. The school operates a large farm along the banks of the Taunton River at its Center Street location. The town does not have any affiliation with a regional vocational school system, the closest one being Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School, located in Taunton, Massachusetts.

Notable people

Thomas Coram (1668–1751), Lived in Dighton for ten years and founded the Coram Shipyard
Ralph Moody (1917–2004), American race car driver and engineer. Founder of Holman-Moody of NASCAR and LeMans fame in the 1960s
Samuel Shaw (1768–1827), United States Representative from Vermont
Jesse Talbot (1805–1879), Hudson River School painter, Associate Member of the National Academy of Design, and friend to Walt Whitman
Silas Talbot (1751–1813), U.S. Navy Commodore, Representative of New York's 10th district, and captain of the USS Constitution
Ruth Tripp (1897–1971), composer; administered the Works Project Administration's Federal Music Project in Rhode Island

Images for kids

Site of Dighton Ferry Landing
Thomas Coram

Dighton, Massachusetts facts for kids

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