Pottery making in Somerset began in 1705 and continued for over 200 years. Tradition has long given credit to the Chase family for having brought the craft of pottery making with them from England. Their descendants were founders of the Somerset Pottery Company a century later. During the 1770's a Somerset potter named Clark Purington was in a partnership with George Shove and William Boyce, potters from Berkley. Their sloop, which the men used for selling their wares up and

In 1872, the Old Colony Railroad Company received permission from the state to "construct a bridge across Taunton River...from Fall River to...Slade's Ferry in Somerset and said bridge shall be adapted to both highway and railway purposes." By January of 1876, the bridge was fully operational. It was the final rail link connecting Providence and beyond to Fall River. This bridge was demolished in 1970. Somerset was once a transportation hub delivering needed commodities an

Somerset enjoyed a period of great prosperity during the mid -nineteenth century, and the arrival of the railroads was an important contributing factor. In 1866, only a year after the Civil War ended, a railroad drawbridge across the Taunton River from the North Somerset shore to northern Fall River was completed. The bridge, part of the Old Colony railroad system, was at the time the longest bridge in the New England states. A two-story railroad station and an enormous coal

Somerset enjoyed a period of great prosperity during the mid -nineteenth century, and the arrival of the railroads was an important contributing factor. In 1866, only a year after the Civil War ended, a railroad drawbridge across the Taunton River from the North Somerset shore to northern Fall River was completed. The bridge, part of the Old Colony railroad system, was at the time the longest bridge in the New England states. A two-story railroad station and an enormous coal

In 1917, during World War l, the four-masted Luther Little was launched after many months of work at the Crowninshield Shipbuilding Company located in south Somerset. Over one hundred men labored to build the ship, which was considered to the war effort. Patriotic Somerset workers believed their ship would help defeat the Kaiser by transporting the commodities and supplies necessary for final victory.

In 1888, Cornelius and Joseph Davis, residents of Pleasant Street in Somerset, made history by designing the first five-masted schooner in the world. It was called the Governor Ames and it continues to be celebrated in seafarer's lore. Photo: Governor Ames on left in port loading supplies

From earliest colonial days until the post World War l era, ship construction and maritime commerce were the driving force behind Somerset's progress. Shipyards were located along Somerset's shoreline from the Village, to Pottersville, on to Brayton Point, and along Lee's River. By the mid 19th century more than half of the town's labor force was engaged in building, equipping, or sailing ships. When clipper ships ruled the seas, James Hood's yard, on the site of Waterfront P