The church in North Rochester that we know today was the third building to house a congregation. On November 17,1748, the first North Rochester Meetinghouse was erected one mile west of the current building. Winter was fast approaching, so it was necessary to build the meetinghouse quickly. According to church records, the task was accomplished […] Read more »

STEAM Projects To Go brings a new project for May! STEAM Projects To Go are created for busy teens grades 6 to 12 who still want to engage with library programming and their community. We will explore how plants grow and what kills them. The project will be to plant seed paper and will include […] Read more »

            The Air Raid Warden’s armband seen here belonged to Andrew MacGregor, a farmer who lived and whose family still lives on Vaughan Hill Road. He was just one of several Rochester men who “kept an eye to the sky” during World War II. Called the “Ground Observer Corps,” these men took turns stationed at a […] Read more »

Daffodils blooming in public spaces. Window boxes shouting spring. Gorgeous flowers at the Shipyard Park garden. Library urns overflowing with color. Did you know that many of the plantings around town are a result of the hard work of the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club Garden Group?             Mattapoisett Town beautification work began in the 1970s with the […] Read more »

The Tri-Town Veterans Counsel is pleased to announce the selection of our new Veterans Agent for Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester.             Christopher Gerrior of Rochester, a retired US Naval Officer, has been chosen by the Tri-Town Veterans Counsel to replace retiring Veterans Agent Barry Denham.             Gerrior had a highly decorated 24-year carreer in the Navy before […] Read more »

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce that applications are now available for the 2021 Lillian B. Lamoureux Music Scholarship. The scholarship competition is open to all music students ages 14–21. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded, one high school student and one college student. The deadline for application (including two letters of […] Read more »

There are no doubt many differences between our Rochester and the other American Rochesters, like the ones in Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri, to name a few. One difference that comes to mind is the iconic New England stone wall.             In Rochester, we are fortunate to have an abundance of them. Driving around town they […] Read more »

The Marion Art Center is pleased to present new programs for adults and teens. Plein Air Sketching begins May 19, and Midsummer Stages begins June 28.             Would you like to draw the beauty of nature around you, but aren’t sure where to begin? Join instructor Catherine Carter for an outdoor drawing class and learn […] Read more »

The Rochester Council on Aging Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, at 9:00 am. This meeting will be held at the Rochester Town Hall. The Friends of the Rochester Senior Center meeting will follow at 10:30, meeting place still to be determined.             The Rochester Senior Center will be closed on Monday, April 19, in observance […] Read more »

Like many parts of Massachusetts, Rochester has quite a few areas of second-growth woods. Wood lots from the heyday of sawmills (once there were 57 mills in town), abandoned pastures, cranberry bogs, and even former house lots have reforested over time. Hidden in these woods are echoes from the past. They may be lonely grave […] Read more »