The continuing splendor of the Taunton Green

All cities have their own city park, not just on TV shows and movies, but also in real life. Taunton has one in front of the Bristol County Superior Court. The Taunton Green is an amazing park and a part of Taunton history.

The Taunton Green was created in 1830, but in 1743, the Taunton Green was first a training ground for soldiers. There also used to be a meetinghouse there.

One person who know a lot about the Taunton Green is Taunton High history teacher Mr. Thomas Coute.

"Taunton Green has a long and proud history, dating back to the Colonial period,” he said.

The Taunton Green was originally 88 acres in size, but a lot of it was reduced so the buildings around the Taunton Green could be built. Buildings around the green were made of wood, but not all of these buildings survived.

“Nevertheless, for a relatively small city in terms of population, this is still something to be proud of,” Mr. Court said.

Mr. Coute says that one thing about the Taunton Green that has changed since the 1900s is that today there is more traffic with vehicles than pedestrians. Mr. Coute says the buildings around the Taunton Green make it a retail center, which is another word for mall.

“It's still a retail center, there are not as many overall pedestrians and customers as there once was for a multitude of reasons.”

Mr. Coute even said the buildings near the Taunton Green are pretty consistent.

“However, in terms of architecture, the buildings Downtown have not changed all that much. They are old, but very well maintained.”

On October 21, 1774, the people of Taunton got together on the Taunton Green to raise the Taunton flag. That flag had the famous “Liberty and Union” saying on it. The flag was hung on a pole that’s 112 feet long. That flag still hangs over the Taunton Green to this day.

“Liberty and Union” is the very famous logo of Taunton, Massachusetts; Taunton’s Old Colonial Historical Society and Museum has a “Liberty and Union” event every year, so it makes sense that a flag that says “Liberty and Union” on it hangs over the Taunton Green.

Mr. Coute says that when the “Liberty and Union” flag and the American flag got hung over the Taunton Green on October 21, 1774; it was the first time that flags were hung over the Green by the citizens of Taunton. Mr. Coute also mentioned that the two flags over the Green contemplated as the first public flag of defiance, which was against the British during the months that lead to the American Revolution.

“As a Tauntonian, I am proud of Taunton Green’s history, from the raising of the Liberty and Union Flag in 1774 to the fact that we have a 100+ year tradition of the ‘Lighting of the Green’ for the Holidays. Ironically, the Green has not changed much over the past 200 years. The buildings are old but very well maintained, and it has always been a retail/business district. Also, the Green has been well manicured and always looks nice.”

One thing Mr. Coute likes about the Taunton Green is that the Taunton Parks and Recreation Department do an amazing job when they maintain the Taunton Green. He says they do a great job at planting the flowers and cutting the grass. Thomas Coute says, “The Green always looks great!”

Soldiers preparing for war have been to the Taunton Green, which is why there are statues honoring soldiers in any war. The citizens of Taunton have taken part in the dedication of these statues.

Soldier statues on the Taunton Green include The Hiker, which was built to commemorate the American soldiers who served in the Philippine-American War, Spanish-American War, and Boxer Rebellion. There are even statues there to commemorate soldiers who fought in World War I.

In 1914, the Taunton Green hosted a Christmas event for the city where displays of Christmas lights were hung around the Green and citizens of Taunton came to admire the lights. This event is the "Lighting of the Green," where the Taunton Green is covered with Christmas lights and decorations and a sign that says, “The Christmas City.” Every year at Christmastime the Taunton Green is covered with Christmas lights and Christmas decorations, and there is a theme connected to Christmas, In 2017 Taunton chose the theme Bedford Falls from It’s a Wonderful Life, and in 2020, Taunton chose a theme from the children's game Candy Land. Tauntonians enjoy The Christmas City, and it also attracts visitors from other places.

“Taunton has a proud reputation as the ‘Christmas City’ and the fact that Taunton has been hosting the ‘Lighting of the Green’ since 1914,” Mr. Coute said.

The Taunton Green has changed a lot since the 1900s; there use to be big trees around the Taunton Green, some that almost covered the view of the Bristol County Superior Court in front of the park, but the Taunton Green has no big trees today.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy, who later became president, came past the Taunton Green. With them was Adlai Stevenson, an American political, an American lawyer, and am American diplomat who later became a member of the Democratic Party.

On August 28, 1958, there was a meeting on the Taunton Green. A rally brought hundreds to this meeting and it became a trademark of former Mayor Bernard Cleary, who campaigned for the public office in the '50s, but his bid to unseat a senator named John F. Parker was very unsuccessful. However, Cleary did win election in 1960.

There used to be two historic buildings at the corner of the Taunton Green, Cohannet Block (also known as Seeley Building) and Templar’s Hall. In July of 2004, a arsonist set fire to the buildings.

There are a lot of buildings around the Taunton Green, restaurants such as El Mariachi and Off Broadway Diner, stores such as Taunton Antiques Store and Armour Sports, Inc., businesses such as United States Postal Service and Metro by T-Mobile, and a theatrical arts program for kids called Applause Academy. One building near the Taunton Green is Marian Manor Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Care, a retirement home for elderly people, which use to be a five-star hotel, with a restaurant inside it, in the 1900s.

Buildings have been near and around the Taunton Green for years and years.

The Taunton Green is open 24 hours a day. While people hang there at different times of the week, people like to hang there between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

People meet at the Taunton Green to demonstrate their political beliefs, such as in 2020 when people showed up at the Taunton Green to do a Black Lives Matter protest.

On the morning of November 8, 2020, at 9:10 a.m., there was an earthquake. The earthquake was said to have split the ground open, the grounds of the Taunton Green.

“Taunton residents did experience an earthquake on Feb 28, 1784… but I suspect that its effects on the Green have been exaggerated. Residents did notice a crack on the Green’s surface, but I believe it was minor,” Mr. Court said.