- Watertown
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/waw"teuhr town', wot"euhr-/, n.1. a town in E Massachusetts, on the Charles River, near Boston: U.S. arsenal. 34,384.2. a city in N New York. 27,861.3. a town in NW Connecticut. 19,489.4. a city in SE Wisconsin. 18,113.5. a city in E South Dakota. 15,649.
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town (township), Litchfield county, west-central Connecticut, U.S., on the Naugatuck River immediately northwest of the city of Waterbury. The site was settled in 1701, and in 1738 the community was organized as Westbury, an ecclesiastical society of Waterbury. It was separated and incorporated as Watertown in 1780 and includes the village of Oakville. Several 18th-century houses are clustered around the town's central green. Diversified industrial development began with sawmills, gristmills, and pin firms. In the late 20th century, manufacturing had become fairly diversified and included plastics, rayon, silk, nylon, mattresses, brass goods, electronic products, and watches. The Taft School (1890) and parts of Mattatuck State Forest and Black Rock State Park are in the town. Area 29 square miles (76 square km). Pop. (1990) 20,456; (2000) 21,661.city, Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., on the Charles River, just west of Boston. One of the four earliest Massachusetts Bay settlements, it was founded by a group led by Sir Richard Saltonstall and was incorporated as a town in 1630; it was the first inland farming town. Its name may have derived from the fact that the area was well watered and abounded with fish. Construction of gristmills (1630s) and a cloth-fulling mill (1660s) were antecedents of a manufacturing economy. In 1632 the freemen of Watertown displayed an early independent spirit by refusing to pay a tax of £60 levied for fortifications at New Towne ( Cambridge). The city claims to be the “cradle of the town meeting,” as the first board of selectmen was elected there in August 1634. During the American Revolution, the Massachusetts Provisional Assembly and the General Court met at Watertown, where Boston town meetings were also held during the siege of Boston.The Watertown Arsenal (established in 1816) was a major manufactory of heavy ordnance until it was closed in the late 1960s. The economy is now diversified, with some light manufactures that include electronic equipment and medical instruments. The Perkins School for the Blind (founded in Boston in 1829) moved to Watertown in 1912. Inc. city, 1980. Pop. (1990) 33,284; (2000) 32,986.city, seat (1805) of Jefferson county, northern New York, U.S. It lies at the falls (112 feet [34 metres]) of the Black River, 10 miles (16 km) east of Lake Ontario (Ontario, Lake) and 72 miles (116 km) north of Syracuse. The area was first organized as the township of Watertown in 1801. Lumber, paper, and potash industries were developed, and the village of Watertown was separately incorporated in 1816. During a county fair, held there in 1878, F.W. Woolworth (Woolworth Co.) originated the idea of selling a fixed-price line of merchandise. When local timber resources were depleted, the community, with ample waterpower, acquired other industries.Manufactures now include paper, locomotive air brakes, zinc die castings, air fresheners, electric motors, medical devices, and irrigation systems. Watertown continues to serve as a trade and distribution point for surrounding dairy farms. Tourism (based on the Thousand Island resort region, the St. Lawrence Seaway (Saint Lawrence River and Seaway) projects) and the nearby U.S. Army base of Fort Drum are additional economic factors. The city is the site of Jefferson Community College (1961) of the State University of New York (New York, State University of (SUNY)) system. Another notable institution is the Jefferson County Historical Society Museum, which contains relics of French émigrés who settled there after 1802 and a collection of water turbines. Sackets Harbor, 11 miles west-southwest, figured prominently in the War of 1812 (1812, War of). White-water rafting is popular on the Black River. Inc. city, 1869. Pop. (1990) 29,429; (2000) 26,705.city, seat (1878) of Codington county, eastern South Dakota, U.S. It lies on the Big Sioux River, between Lakes Kampeska and Pelican, about 95 miles (155 km) north of Sioux Falls. It was laid out in 1878 following the extension of the Winona and St. Peter Railroad (now part of the Union Pacific Railroad Company) and was named for Watertown, New York. An earlier settlement, called Kampeska City, was abandoned in 1874 after grasshoppers destroyed the crops. The economy of Watertown is based largely on the manufacturing of high-technology electronic and magnetic components. Other manufactures include construction equipment and parts, rubber products, signs, welding equipment, and hydraulic and mechanical tubes. Turkey processing is also important. Area agriculture produces dairy products, cattle, poultry, soybeans, corn (maize), wheat, oats, and rye. Tourism, mostly in the form of outdoor recreation on area waterways, contributes to the economy. A casino operated by the Sioux is just north of the city. Watertown is the seat of Lake Area Technical Institute (1965). Local attractions include Mellette House (1883), the home of Arthur Calvin Mellette, the last governor of Dakota Territory and the first governor of South Dakota; the Codington County Heritage Museum, which preserves local history; the Terry Redlin Art Center, which displays original paintings of local artist Terry Redlin and has a planetarium; and the Bramble Park Zoo. Nearby are Sandy Shore and Pelican Lake recreation areas. Inc. 1885. Pop. (1990) 17,592; (2000) 20,237.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
