Come On Over & Check Out The 3 Oldest Towns In Massachusetts

Did you know that Massachusetts is home to a plethora of historic towns and sites. The oldest towns in The Bay State date back to the early 17^th century and they were settled during the Great Puritan Migration by colonists. There is always something to discover in our backyard. Are you ready for this once in a lifetime excursion?

Without further ado, here's a trio of the "oldest" existing towns in our Commonwealth:

Plymouth takes the top spot which was settled by the Plymouth Company back in December of 1620 when the Mayflower pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock (pictured above)

Afterwards, the Norfolk county community merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 to become a part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay Royal Colony. They are famous for serving up the First Thanksgiving dinner which took place a year later in 1621.

(Photo image of historic Weymouth courtesy of sph.edu-Boston University)

Weymouth is in the runner-up slot. The town situated 12 miles south of Boston was settled in 1622 when it became the site of the short-lived Wessagusset Colony (also known as the Weston Colony because it was founded by London merchant Thomas Weston) which was settled in August of 1622 by 60 men from the migratory population of London. The colony failed in March of 1623 and they abandoned the settlement as they merged with Plymouth colony.

Gloucester is the 3rd oldest town as this shoreline community located northeast of the capital city was originally a fishing settlement settled by the Dorchester Company in 1623. Two years later, the settlement failed as Governor, Roger Conant, and several members abandoned the area and relocated to Salem, but that wouldn't last long.

In 1642, Gloucester was settled by the Massachusetts Bay Colony and officially was incorporated as a town and then was reincorporated as a city in 1873. The area is famous for its maritime history as people congregate in this vicinity to snatch the catch of a lifetime.

BOTTOM LINE: These three locales are east of our immediate area, but I would say that a future road trip is in the works. Safe travels!

(Some information obtained in this article courtesy of a poll that can be found at https://historyofmassachusetts.org/oldest-towns-massachusetts/)