Watuppa Ponds - History

History

Prior to the 1862 boundary adjustment between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, South Watuppa Pond was located entirely within the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island, as was the southern third of North Watuppa Pond.

North Watuppa Pond once contained several ice houses along its western shore, beginning in the 1840s. The granite walls of one of these ice houses, built in 1864 by Robert Cook and William Durfee, still exist on a peninsula near the end of New Boston Road, at what was once known as Interlachen, the estate of Spencer Borden, founder of the Fall River Bleachery. Interlachen once contained a large mansion, gardens, horse pastures and a network of bridle paths. The house was demolished after the city acquired the land by eminent domain for the protection of the water supply. The foundation is all that remains of the Borden mansion today, and the land has mostly reverted to woods.

Until 1872, small steam-boats carried passengers from downtown Fall River to a picnic area on the eastern shore of North Watuppa Pond in Westport known as Adirondack Grove.

In 1875, the Fall River Railroad was completed along the north shore of South Watuppa Pond, over the Narrows. It provided a rail link from New Bedford to the eastern part of Fall River. The line carried freight traffic until the early 1980s. Eventually, the road connecting Fall River with Westport became designated as U.S. Route 6. It originally ran along the southern edge of North Watuppa Pond, creating a small pond between the road and the railroad, that became a popular spot for recreation, including ice skating in the winter. The adjacent north shore of South Watuppa Pond was for many years occupied by boat clubs, restaurants and other recreational establishments.

The Fall River Expressway was built along the western shore of North Watuppa Pond in the early 1950s. Now known as Route 24, it was later extended toward Tiverton along the western shore of South Watuppa Pond. In 1963, Interstate 195 was constructed through the Narrows dividing North and South Watuppa Ponds. Route 6 was re-routed to the south along Martine Street, and the small pond was filled in.

Historically, several textile factories have been located on the northern shores of South Watuppa Pond, including the Fall River Bleachery, Kerr Thread Mills, Lincoln Manufacturing Company, Stevens Manufacturing Company and Heywood Narrow Fabric Company. The eastern and southwestern shores of the pond is currently surrounded by many private residences, and public access is fairly limited. Many of these residences were damaged during the historic floods of March 2010.

The pond is also used for many recreational sports such as tubing, knee boarding and wake boarding and water skiing. The former railroad bed has also been converted into a multi-use rail trail.