Old Abington, Inc.

HSOA Events Schedule for 2009 – 2010

Background
Four hundred years ago, the land now known as "Old Abington" was called Manamooskeagin by the Indians or "great green place of shaking grass." Beaver were abundant and their name was given to two streams in the area: Schumacastacut or "upper beaver brook" and Schumacastuscacant or "lower beaver brook."

Settled in the late 1600s, Old Abington stretched from East Bridgewater on the South to Weymouth on the North and from North Bridgewater (now Brockton) on the West to Old Scituate (now Norwell and Hanover) on the East. On June 10, 1712 Royal Governor Joseph Dudley "Ordered that the Prayer of the Petition be granted that this Tract of Land …be erected into a Town and that the Town be named Abingdon." A marginal note on the document gave the spelling as "Abington" as it has been known ever since.

By the late 1800s those areas of town known as South Abington and East Abington had become large enough to seek recognition in their own right. Accordingly, on March 9, 1874 East Abington was incorporated as the Town of Rockland and on March 4th of the following year (1875) South Abington separated from Abington, changing its name to Whitman in 1876.

Organization
The three towns of Abington, Rockland, and Whitman share over two hundred years of a common history. The Historical Society of Old Abington, Inc. was organized in 1939 and incorporated in 1986 for the purpose of preserving this history. The Historical Society works to develop and maintain interest in the history of Old Abington, as well as to collect and preserve information, documents, artifacts, and landmarks relating to the history of these three towns. Members share space at the Dyer Memorial Library where the society meets on a regular basis. (See the Dyer Calendar for a current schedule of meeting times and topics.)

Membership
Membership in the Historical Society of Old Abington, Inc. is open to any person interested in the history of Old Abington. For more information call 781-982-0148.

Donations
Monetary contributions toward the work of the Historical Society may be made by check payable to the Historical Society of Old Abington, Inc. and sent to the Historical Society of Old Abington at the Dyer Memorial Library, 28 Centre Avenue, Abington MA 02351.

Officers for 2009 – 2010