Wareham, Massachusetts
Plymouth county. The surface of this town is generally level, with a light, sandy soil, not very productive. It is favorably situated for manufacturing purposes, being watered by two fine mill streams, and for ship building, the fishery, and foreign and domestic commerce, having a number of good harbors at the head of Buzzard's bay.
Wareham lies 50 miles S.S.E. from Boston, 16 S. from Plymouth, and 15 E.N.E. from New Bedford. It was incorporated in 1739. Population, 1830, 1,885; 1837, 2,166.
There are in this town six nail factories, six air and cupola furnaces, two rolling mills, 2 cotton mills, a paper mill, and manufactures of vessels, salt, nail casks, chairs, cabinet ware, leather, boots, shoes, &c.: the total value of these manufactures, the year ending April 1, 1837, was $1,260,637. The number of hands employed in these manufactures was 682. One whale ship, of 374 tons, belongs to this place: the cargo of oil, in 1837, amounted to $78,286.
In 1836 there arrived and cleared at Wareham, 2 ships, 7 brigs, 86 schooners, and 193 sloops: aggregate tonnage, 20,140 tons. During that year there were exported from this place, 7,107 tons of nails, 421 tons of iron hoops, 1,969 tons of hollow ware, 144 tons of iron castings, 98 tons of nail rods, 386 dozen of shovels, and 4,180 bushels of salt. The number of tons of manufactured iron, exported that year, was 9,765.
