Fall River, MA news and local guide

In 1703 Benjamin Church, a hero of King Philip's War, built a sawmill, gristmill and fulling mill on the Quequechan, and in 1714 he sold the land and its water rights to Richard Borden of Tiverton and his brother Joseph, a purchase that a century later helped make the Borden family leaders of the city's textile industry. In the 18th century the area was mostly small farms. In 1778, during the Revolution, after British raids had badly damaged Bristol and Warren, the local militia put up a strong defense against a British force at the Battle of Freetown. Fall River was separated from Freetown and incorporated as a town in 1803. A year later it changed its name to Troy, which it kept for 30 years until changing back to Fall River on February 12, 1834. It became a city in 1854, and the Fall River Female Anti-Slavery Society was formed in 1835. In the 1960s Interstate 195 was built along the Quequechan, partly underground. Sources Wikipedia: Fall River, Massachusetts