County:

Plymouth. Plymouth is the county seat.

Population:

21,154 (US Census Bureau 2007 estimate)

Elevation:

20 feet

Year Incorporated:

1739

Public Transportation:

The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority
Toll Free: 800-483-2500

With connections to:
Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority
Toll Free:1-800-392-6100

Peter Pan Bus Lines
Phone: 800-343-9999
E-mail: info@peterpanbus.com

Provides transportation from Wareham to various cities in New England and the northeast states.

Newspaper:

Wareham Courier
173 Wareham Rd
Marion, MA 02738
Phone: 508-748-1123

The Wareham Observer
3241 Rear Cranberry Hwy
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts 02532
Phone: 508-759-0404
E-mail: news@thetritown.com

The Standard Times
25 Elm St
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: 508-979-4440
Email: Newsroom@S-T.com

Public Library:

Wareham Free Library
59 Marion Rd
Wareham, MA 02571
Phone: 508-295-2343

Museum:

Wareham Historical Society
5 Chapel Lane
Wareham, MA 02571
Phone: 508-295-6839

The Wareham Historical Society maintains historical sites around town, including the Fearing Tavern, the Old Methodist Meeting House and the Captain John Kendrick Maritime Museum.

Town Hall:

Town of Wareham
Town Hall
54 Marion Road
Wareham, Massachusetts 02571

Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information:

Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce
70 Main Street
Buzzards Bay, MA 02532
Phone: 508-759-6000
E-mail: info@capecodcanalchamber.org

Wareham Village Association
PO Box 484
Wareham, MA 02571
Phone: 508-291-3677

Wareham Information Center
208R Main St
Wareham, MA 02571
Phone: 508-291-3677

Select TV and Radio Stations:

Also see:

List of Wareham area radio stations at radio-locator.com

List of Boston area TV stations at stationindex.com

Boston area:

Public Radio:

WBUR 90.9 FM "Boston's NPR News Source"

WUMB 91.9 FM An eclectic mix of public radio's favorite music programs

Talk Radio: WRKO 680 AM, WBZ 1030 AM

Music: WMKK 93.7 FM, "Mike FM. We play everything."

TV Stations:

2	WGBH	PBS
4	WBZ	CBS
5	WCVB	ABC
7	WHDH	NBC

Annual Events:

Cranberry Harvest Celebration, October

Swan Festival, July

Notable for:

The Tremont Nail Factory, established in 1819, is the oldest nail factory in the country that is still operating.

Cranberries, cranberries and more cranberries. Southeast Massachusetts is second only to Wisconsin in being a leading producer of cranberries. Reportedly, cranberry growers control over 30% of Wareham's land. The Cape Code Cranberry Growers' Association is located in East Wareham.

History:

Before Europeans settled the town, the area was used by the Agawam tribe of Wampanoag Native Americans. Bartholomew Gosnold, an Englishman, was the first European to explore the area in 1602, and he encountered these Native Americans. The place was originally named Agawam, meaning “a place where fish are caught”.

In 1666, the town of Plymouth, MA, purchased the Agawam land from the Native Americans for their exclusive use. Following King Philip’s War from 1675 to 1676, inhabitants from Plymouth and other New England towns started to settle the area.

The town of Wareham was officially established in 1739 by combining land from Rochester, then known as the Sippican Grants, and land from the Agawam Purchase. The town was named after Wareham, England.

Early on, shipbuilding and fishing were major industries in the town. It was also an ideal location for industries requiring water power from a combination of the Weweantic, Wankinco and Agawam Rivers. The Tremont Nail Factory was first established in 1819 on the Wankinco River, is still in operation today and is on the National Register of Historic places. During the early 1900’s, tourism and cranberry growing started to emerge as major industries.