Duxbury is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Duxbury is a suburb of Boston, located approximately to the south of the city on the South Shore (Massachusetts). The population was 14,248 at the 2000 census.

For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Duxbury, please see the articles on Green Harbor-Cedar Crest, Massachusetts, Duxbury (CDP), Massachusetts, Duxbury Beach, and South Duxbury, Massachusetts.

History

The area now known as Duxbury was inhabited by people as early as 12,000 to 9,000 B.C. By the time European settlers arrived here, the region was...

Duxbury is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Duxbury is a suburb of Boston, located approximately to the south of the city on the South Shore (Massachusetts). The population was 14,248 at the 2000 census.

For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Duxbury, please see the articles on Green Harbor-Cedar Crest, Massachusetts, Duxbury (CDP), Massachusetts, Duxbury Beach, and South Duxbury, Massachusetts.

History

The area now known as Duxbury was inhabited by people as early as 12,000 to 9,000 B.C. By the time European settlers arrived here, the region was inhabited by the Wampanoag (tribe) who called this place Mattakeesett, meaning oplace of many fish.?

In 1620, the English settlers known as the Pilgrims established their colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Per the terms of their contract with financial backers in London, they were required to live together in a tight community for seven years. At the end of that term, in 1627, land along the coast was allotted to settlers for farming. Thus, the coastline from Plymouth to Marshfield, Massachusetts was parceled out and many settlers began moving away from Plymouth.

At first, those who settled in Duxbury came to work their new farms just in the warmer months and returned to Plymouth during the winter. It was not long, however, before they began to build homes on their land, and soon requested permission from the colony to be set off as a separate community with their own church. Duxbury, which originally included land that is now Pembroke, was incorporated in 1637.