History of Mansfield

Along with Easton, Mansfield was formed from a section of Norton. What was to become Mansfield was first surveyed by Captain Miles Standish in 1640. After permanent settlement began in the 1680s, the area grew into a hunting, fishing and livestock-grazing center.

Mansfield was incorporated as a town in 1775 and got its name from William Murray, who was England’s Earl of Mansfield at the time. The town’s colonial economy was founded on agriculture and iron work, and in the early 1800s a growing industrial base included hat manufacturers, cotton mills, machine foundries and tack factories.

The mining of coal also played a key role in Mansfield’s development, which increased when the two rail lines, the Boston to Providence Railroad and the Old Colony Line, came on board. This established Mansfield as an industrial railroad town.

The Mansfield Board of Trade was formed by town fathers in 1892 following an overall decline in rail freight, and this board played a key role in bringing the jewelry industry to Mansfield to assist in revitalizing the area economy.

The early 1900s saw Walter Lowney construct the Lowney Chocolate Factory, which later became Mercken’s Chocolate and is now a subsidiary of ADM Foods.

The construction of Interstate 95 in the early 1960s and I-495 in the 1970s led to the development of what is now Cabot Business Park, which was accompanied by new home construction.

Town of Mansfield

The Town of Mansfield is run by a five-member Board of Selectmen, whose members are elected by the voters of the town on a staggered basis to three-year terms. There is an election held every year, with two members being elected each time, except for a year when one person is elected.

Mansfield employs a professional Town Manager who has full administrative authority and carries out the decisions made by the Board of Selectmen. This Board of Selectmen is the chief policy-making body for the municipal government, except on school matters. www.mansfieldma.com

Town Hall

Six Park Row
Mansfield, MA 02048

Public Schools

Mansfield is served by a public-school district consisting of a preschool, two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. www.mansfieldschools.com

• Administrative Offices
  2 Park Row
  Mansfield, MA
  508-261-7500
• Roland Green Preschool
  29 Dean Street
  508-261-1561
• Robinson Elementary
  245 East Street
  508-261-7513
• Jordan/Jackson Elementary
  265 East Street
  508-261-7525
• Qualters Middle School
  240 East Street
  508-261-7530
• Mansfield High School
  250 East St Street
  508-261-7540

Private Schools

• Al-Noor Academy
  20 Church Street
  Mansfield, MA 02048
  508-261-7077 Phone
  508-261-8884 Fax
  www.anahs.org
• St. Mary’s Catholic School
  Grades K-8
  330 Pratt Street
  Mansfield, MA 02048
  508-339-4800 Phone
  508-337-2063 Fax
  www.stmarymansschool.org

Real Estate

There’s something for every taste in Mansfield, whether you’re looking for an oversized lot on a winding street in a traditional New England neighborhood, a new single-family home, or a four-bedroom custom home. And, of course, there are 1890s Victorians and stately Colonials to add to the mix, along with the trend of condominium developments for individuals age 55 and over. There are also assisted-living facilities with various amenities.

Mansfield is especially noted for a love of the arts, as shown at The Tweeter Center, an award-winning, open-air amphitheater located on South Main Street.

Transportation

Mansfield is located at the crossroads of Route 106 and Route 140, it also intersects Interstate 95 and 495. There is also access to Route 123, Route 152, and Route 1.

Bus service (Greyhound) and international air travel are available. The “T” commuter-rail service arrives and departs from Mansfield Station on a regular schedule dozens of times a day and conveniently connects with Boston and Providence for an estimated 2,200 daily commuters. The same track is part of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and runs daily to Boston, Providence, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

Air travel is available through Logan International Airport in Boston with direct U.S. flights and overseas arrivals and departures. T.F. Green State Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, offers connecting and direct flights to major destinations.

The Mansfield Municipal Airport is closer to home and can handle corporate and private planes with a runway of 3,500 feet.

Telephone Numbers

• Amtrak — 800-872-7245
• Logan International Airport — 800-235-6426
• T.F. Green State Airport — 401-737-4000
• Greyhound/Bonanza - 888-415-2566
  www.greyhound.com
  Look Up: Foxboro, MA 02035
  Pick-Up/Drop Off:
  PCI Courier, Inc.
  31 Middlesex Road
  Mansfield, MA 02048
• MBTA Commuter Rail — 617-222-3200
  www.mbta.com, go to Commuter Rails, Attleboro/Stoughton Lines
• Mansfield Municipal Airport — 508-339-3624
• Foxfield Taxi – 508-543-2828

Places of Worship

Many residents in this community are descendants of the first settlers who arrived in New England seeking a place to practice the religion of their choice. A diverse list of worship choices remain today through traditional and modern congregations in both old and new houses of worship.

Community Groups and Organizations

What better place is there than a civic organization or group to meet and interact while helping the Mansfield community? Offerings include the Mansfield Rotary Club, West Side Benevolent, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Mansfield Women of Today, Mansfield Council on Aging, the Mansfield Lions Club, and the Hockomock Area YMCA, www.hockymca.org.