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Dartmouth is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States established in 1664. The population was 30,666 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Dartmouth, please see the articles on Bliss Corner, Padanaram Village, and Smith Mills. History
Dartmouth was first settled in 1652 and was officially incorporated in 1664. It was named for the town of Dartmouth, Devon, England, where the Puritans originally intended to leave from for America. The land was purchased with trading goods from the Wampanoag chiefs Massasoit and Wamsutta by elders of the Plymouth Colony. It was sold to, the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers, who wished to live outside the stringent religious laws of the Puritans in Plymouth. There are still Quaker meeting houses in town, including the Smith Neck Meeting House, the Allens Neck Meeting House, and the Apponegansett Meeting House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its borders were originally named in the charter (and set by King Philip) as the lands of "Acushnea, Ponagansett, and Coaksett." This includes the land of the towns of Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet, and the city of New Bedford. In 1789, the towns of Westport and New Bedford, which included Fairhaven and Acushnet, separated and were incorporated as towns themselves. Dartmouth's history was that of an agricultural community, but during the late 19th century its coastline became a resort area for the wealthy members of New Bedford society. Round Hill was the site of early-to-mid 20th century research into the uses of radio and microwaves for aviation and communication by MIT researchers. It is also the site of the Green Mansion, the estate of "Colonel" Ned Green, a colorful character in his own right, who was son of the even more colorful and wildly eccentric Hetty Green, the richest woman in the world in her time, who is listed in the Guinness book of records as the "world's greatest miser". The town's retail area has grown steadily since the 1960s, centering around the village of Smith Mills and branching northward towards Faunce Corners, now the home of the Dartmouth Mall. The Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies, located in South Dartmouth, is a non-profit organization that provides educational programs on aquatic environments in southeastern New England. It is across the mouth of Slocum's River from Demarest Lloyd State Park, a popular state beach known for its shallow waters. The town was also once the home of Lincoln Park, a former amusement park which dated from the late 19th century as a park-stop along the trolley line from Fall River to New Bedford just east of the junction of Lake Noquochoke and the Westport River. The park closed in 1986 due to sagging attendance and lack of funds. Much of the park was burned to the ground in several incidents of arson, and today there are plans to turn the former park's lands into a housing development with accompanying stores. Research Tips
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