Head of Westport

The village at the Head of Westport gets its name from its location at the head of the tide of the Westport River – the furthest upstream that the tidal change can still be experienced. Once known as Acoaxet Village before Westport became an independent town, the village is now simply The Head.

For untold centuries this area had been inhabited by Wampanoag people drawn to its forests and access to the river. Along with Westport Point, the Head was an important village well before Westport separated from Dartmouth in 1787. The earliest known settler was Richard Sisson, who moved his family from Portsmouth, Rhode Island in 1671. Their homestead, about a half mile south on Drift Road, was burned during King Philip's War (1675-76), but the family escaped. After the war, more settlers moved in, attracted by the cheap farmland and religious tolerance of Dartmouth, which drew many dissenting Quakers and Baptists.

Industrial development began about 1700. The streams to the north were harnessed for water power that drove grist mills and saw mills, and the local bog iron was processed in a forge that featured a water-powered trip hammer. This industrial village caught the attention of New Bedford whaling entrepreneur William Rotch, Jr., who purchased the forge and adjacent mills in 1795 to supply timber, iron products, and ships for his maritime enterprise. There were shipyards on both sides of the river, with stores, taverns, and lots of activity. The Head was a busy and boisterous place – especially on launch day which was a drinking party for the locals.

As whaling declined after the Civil War, the Head became less industrial, but still an active commercial center. Beautiful homes of sea captains, maritime agents, and store owners were built in the nineteenth century, and the Head became more residential. The coming of the automobile in the early twentieth century led to the demise of the stores – why shop locally when there were fashionable department stores in nearby Fall River and New Bedford?

The Head is a quieter place now, but retains much of its nineteenth century charm. We hope you enjoy your tour of this historically significant part of Westport.