Marion, Massachusetts, United States

Infrastructure | Transportation | Military Industry

🇺🇸 Marion is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States.

Marion was first settled in 1679 as "Sippican", a district of Rochester, Massachusetts. The name, which also lends itself to the river which passes through the north of town and the harbor at the heart of town, was the Wampanoag name for the local tribe. The town was mostly known for its many local sea captains and sailors whose homes were in town, although there were also some small shipbuilding operations on the harbor as well. By the late 1840s, however, tensions between the village of Mattapoisett and the town led to a battle which sought to redraw the town lines and effectively take over Sippican Village. This caused the villagers to form a committee, which went to Boston to petition for incorporation as its own town. Thus, with the help of a powerful local ally, the town was incorporated on May 14, 1852, and renamed Marion in honour of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. Mattapoisett was incorporated in 1857.

Since that time, Marion's economy has mostly relied on the waters of Buzzards Bay, both for fishing and for the summer tourism industry. Recreational sailing is a major seasonal activity for residents and visitors.

The town is bordered by Mattapoisett to the south-west, Rochester to the north-west, and Wareham to the north and northeast. The town is approximately 15 miles (24 km) by road west of the Cape Cod Canal, 12 miles (19 km) east of New Bedford, 40 miles (64 km) east-southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and 50 miles (80 km) south of Boston.

Marion is located on Buzzards Bay, and its geography is shaped by the water. Much of the town is separated into two halves by Sippican Harbor, with Converse Point to the west and Sippican Neck to the east. To the west of Converse Point is Aucoot Cove, where Aucoot Creek and Borden's Brook empty into the bay. Sprague's Cove, Hammetts Cove (which is directly east of Little Neck), Blankenship Cove and Planting Island Cove are all coves off of Sippican Harbor. To the east of Sippican Neck is Wings Cove, which separates the neck from Great Hill Point. Along the north-eastern border of town is the Weweantic River, which separates the town from Wareham. The Sippican River is also a tributary to this river, and further divides the town from Wareham. Between Sippican Harbor and the Weweantic River lies the Great Swamp. To the North of Marion lies Rochester, Massachusetts. Marion has several parks, as well as wharves, beaches, The Beverly Yacht Club, Little Marion G.C. (public), and The Kittansett Club G.C. (private). Marion is a typical old New England town that has a small quaint village with many traditional Cape Cod style homes. The village includes The Marion General Store that dates back to the 1800s.

Infrastructure As a small New England town the major infrastructures are the roads, water, and the waste disposal. Marion also has a fine harbour facility with a wide concrete vehicle accessible jetty. Boats can tie up on three sides to load and unload from vehicles right on the jetty. A wooden ramp runs from the jetty to the Harbormaster lookout. There is a large adjoining unpaved parking lot.

Marion is home to one of the largest sailing fleets in Massachusetts showing a forest of masts in the inner harbor. Directly adjacent to the Harbormaster is a small shellfish area which is stocked by the town.

There is a public beach at the end of Front St. It is groomed and has a lifeguard station. It also has a large parking lot.

The town Library (Elizabeth Taber Library) is on the ground floor of a colonial building next to the Town offices on Spring St.

Transportation Interstate 195 passes through the town, and has an exit at Massachusetts Route 105. Route 105's southern terminus is at its intersection with U.S. Route 6, which also passes through the town.

The nearest regional bus and air service can be reached in New Bedford. The nearest national air service can be reached at T. F. Green Airport in Rhode Island, and the nearest international airport is Logan International Airport in Boston. There are no railroad services in town; the nearest rail service can be reached in Middleborough, at the terminus to the Middleborough-Lakeville line of the MBTA's commuter rail service. The nearest freight rail service is in Wareham.

Military Industry Until 2022, Marion was home to Lockheed Martin Sippican, which developed technology for undersea warfare (e.g. drones, torpedoes, antennae). The company was founded in 1940 as Francis Associates, went public as Sippican Ocean Systems, Inc. in 1981, and was acquired by Lockheed Martin in 2004.

Marion, Massachusetts, United States 
<b>Marion, Massachusetts, United States</b>
Image: John Phelan

Marion has a population of over 5,347 people.

Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license

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