Brockton

Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 95,314 in the 2015 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County. Brockton is the seventh largest city in Massachusetts and is sometimes referred to as the "City of Champions", due to the success of native boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, as well as its successful Brockton High School sports programs. Two of the villages within the city are Montello and Campello, both have the distinction of having their own MBTA Commuter Rail Stations and post offices. Campello is the smallest neighborhood in the city, but also the most populous. Brockton hosts a baseball team, the Brockton Rox. Brockton is one of the windiest cities in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14.3 mph.

History

In 1649, Ousamequin (Massasoit) sold the surrounding land, then known as Saughtucket, to Myles Standish as an addition to Duxbury. Brockton was part of this area, which the English renamed Bridgewater, until 1821, when it became the town of North Bridgewater. Its name changed in 1874, after a contentious process finally decided on naming it after Isaac Brock, after a local merchant heard of Brockville, Ontario, on a trip to Niagara Falls. Brockton became a city on April 9, 1881. During the American Civil War, Brockton was America's largest producer of shoes, and until the latter parts of the 20th century Brockton had a large shoe and leather products industry.

• Brockton station on a 1906 postcard

• Oldest house in 1910

• Main Street c. 1910

• Shoe factory in 1910

Historical firsts

World firsts

• On October 1, 1883, Brockton became the first place in the world to have a three-wire underground electrical system when Thomas Edison threw a switch to activate it.
• The City Theater opened on October 24, 1894, the first theater in the world to be tied into the three-wire electrical system.

US firsts

• On December 30, 1884, the first electrically operated fire station in the United States opened in Brockton.
• The department store Santa Claus appeared in Brockton in December 1890, when James Edgar, of Edgar's Department Store, suited up for the first time.
• Brockton became the first city in the country to abolish grade crossings in 1896.

World Records

• On November 23, 2010, Brockton set the world record for the most Santa Hat wearers in one place at one time with 872 people participating in the event.
• On November 20, 2011 Brockton doubled the city's Santa Claus hat-wearing record with 1792 people in downtown Brockton wearing hats.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.6 square miles (56 km2), of which 21.5 square miles (56 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.56%) is water. Brockton is the 162nd largest city by land area in the Commonwealth, and the twelfth largest of the twenty-seven towns in Plymouth County. Brockton is bordered by Stoughton to the northwest, Avon to the north, Holbrook to the northeast, Abington to the northeast, Whitman and East Bridgewater to the southeast, West Bridgewater to the south, and Easton to the west. Brockton is approximately 25 miles south of Boston, and 30 miles northeast of Providence, Rhode Island.

Brockton is mostly an urban setting, lying along the Salisbury Plain River, which once powered the many shoe factories of the city. To the northeast lies the Beaver Brook Conservation Land, attached to the southern end of the Ames Nowell State Park in Abington. There are several parks throughout the city, but the largest is D.W. Field Park, an Olmsted-inspired park which includes ponds, Waldo Lake and Brockton Reservoir in Avon, as well as a golf course.

Healthcare

Brockton has three hospitals, Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital on the east side, Good Samaritan Medical Center - a Steward Family Hospital (formerly Caritas Good Samaritan, and before that Cardinal Cushing) Hospital to the northwest, and the Brockton Veterans Administration Hospital to the southwest. The VA Hospital is the sponsoring institution for the Harvard South Shore Psychiatry program. It serves as a teaching facility for residents of various medical specialties from Boston University, physician assistant students from Northeastern University, nursing students from the University of Massachusetts Boston and pharmacy students from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Brockton has a community health center that serves individuals with low income and poor access to health care at Brockton Neighborhood Health Center.

Fire department

The city of Brockton is protected around the clock by 174 paid, professional firefighters of the city of Brockton Fire Department. The Brockton Fire Department currently operates out of six fire stations, located throughout the city, and maintains a fire apparatus fleet of five engines, three ladders, one squad, one tactical rescue unit and several other special, support, and reserve units. The fire department does not provide EMS services; ambulance coverage is handled by American Medical Response. As of July 1, 2015 Brewster Ambulance of Hyde Park, Massachusetts will take over as the city's EMS provider.

In 1905, local newspapers recounted many heroic acts by Brockton firefighters during the Grover Shoe Factory disaster. On March 10, 1941, thirteen Brockton firefighters died when the roof collapsed as they were fighting a fire at the Strand Theatre. That fire resulted in one of the worst firefighting tragedies in American history.

Fire station locations and apparatus

Below is a complete listing of all fire station and apparatus locations in the city of Brockton.

Engine Company Ladder Company Special Unit Chief Address Squad A Ladder 1 Tac. Support Unit(T.S.U.) 1, Special Operations Unit Car 55(Chief), Car 56(Deputy Chief), Training Officer 1 42 Pleasant St. Engine 2 945 Main St. Engine 3 916 N. Main St. Engine 4, Engine 12 Ladder 2 305 Crescent St. Engine 5 540 West St. Engine 7 605 N. Cary St.

Law enforcement and public safety

The City of Brockton Police Department has roughly 181 sworn members and 31 non-sworn employees. The officers are assigned to the Patrol Division, and Operations Division which includes; Detectives, Narcotics, Gang Unit, Special Weapons And Tactics, K-9, Quality of Life, GREAT Program, Elderly Affairs, and Community Education Units. In addition the city has a volunteer chapter of the Guardian Angels who patrol the city several nights per week.

Transportation

Major highways

Massachusetts Route 24, a six-lane divided motorway, passes through the west side of the city, with exits at Route 27 to the north and Route 123 to the south. The two routes pass through the center of the city, crossing at that point. Massachusetts Route 28 passes from north to south through the center of the city, The western end of Route 14 (at its intersection with Route 27) and the southern end of Route 37 (at its intersection with Route 28) both are in the city.

Bus

Brockton has its own bus services, operated by the Brockton Area Transit Authority (BAT). Each bus has a designated route running through a section of Brockton, i.e. Montello, Campello, Cary Hill, etc. There are also buses that have routes outside the city. i.e. Bridgewater Industrial Park, Ashmont Station (MBTA subway end-of-line), Stoughton and a connecting bus stop in Montello to the Braintree Station (MBTA subway end-of-line).

Rail

The Middleborough/Lakeville Line of the MBTA's commuter line passes through the city on the eastern side, with stops in the Montello and Campello neighborhoods, as well as in the city center, providing service to points south and South Station in Boston north of the city.

Awards and honors

100 Best Communities for Young People

Brockton was named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People in the United States in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2011. This prestigious award is given out by America's Promise Alliance in recognition of those communities that are taking action to reduce dropout rates and provide supportive services to youth. Despite the challenges it has had over the years, Brockton has made the success of its youth a high priority and was honored for its continued commitment to education, mentoring and volunteerism. Through the collaborative efforts of the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, the Mayor's Office, the Superintendent and Police Department, along with area nonprofits and parents, the community has flourished with a host of resources for its young people.

Music

Brockton is home to the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra founded in 1948. The orchestra performs five or six concerts per season at local venues such as Brockton's West Middle School Auditorium and the Oliver Ames Auditorium in the neighboring town of Easton. The orchestra comprises 65 musicians from the greater Brockton area and its musical director since 2007 is James Orent, a guest conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops.

Amateur sports

Based at Campanelli Stadium the Brockton Rox play in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL). From 2003 through 2011 the team was a member of the independent professional Can-Am League but in 2012 decided to join the amateur FCBL. Collegiate players on FCBL teams, who are looking for more experience and scouting exposure, are offered non-paid playing opportunities.

National Historic Places and points of interest

Other

There is a central police station on Commercial Street, six fire stations, and three post offices (the main building, plus branches in Montello and Campello). The city supports three buildings within the Brockton Public Library system. The main library is a Carnegie building and is located at 304 Main Street, and there are two branch libraries.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Asiaf Skating Rink
• Audubon Conservation Area
• Brockton Airport – formerly, now the South Side Shopping Center
• Brockton City Hall ... (NRHP)
• Brockton Edison Electric Illuminating Company Power Station ... (NRHP)
• Brockton Fair
• Brockton Fire Museum
• Brockton High School
• Brockton Public Library ... (NRHP)
• Campanelli Stadium - home field of the Brockton Rox
• Central Fire Station ... (NRHP)
• Curtis Building ... (NRHP)
• Dr. Edgar Everett Dean House ... (NRHP)
• D.W. Field Park ... (NRHP)
• D.W. Field Golf Course
• Forest Avenue School ... (NRHP)
• Franklin Block ... (NRHP)
• Fuller Craft Museum
• Gardner J. Kingman House ... (NRHP)
• (The) Gilmore School (founded 1915; named for Edward Gilmore)
• Goldthwaite Block ... (NRHP)
• Howard Block ... (NRHP)
• Lyman Block ... (NRHP)
• Manning Pool
• Moses Packard House ... (NRHP)
• Old Post Office Building ... (NRHP)
• Petronelli Way
• Rocky Marciano Park
• Sacco & Vanzetti Museum
• Shoe Museum
• Sky-View Drive-In – formerly, now a 55+ community
• Snow Fountain and Clock ... (NRHP)
• South Street Historic District ... (NRHP)
• Thorny Lea Golf Club
• W.B. Mason World Headquarters
• Westgate Lanes
• Westgate Mall (Brockton)
• The YMCA