Fall River Wedding

Fall River was first settled in 1670 and was officially incorporated in 1812. It was formerly a part of Freetown, Massachusetts until 1803, at which time it was incorporated as the Town of Troy. The name was officially changed to Fall River in 1834.

There is no river called "Fall River" in English. The river to which the name refers is called the Quequechan River, a Wampanoag name believed to mean "Falling River" or "Falling Water", after the falls that once were visible on the river.

Settlers from Plymouth Colony purchased a very large parcel of land from the Wampanoags in 1659. A number of communities now exist on it, including Fall River. In 1690 Benjamin Church built a saw mill near the falls and settlement followed, based on industry powered by the falling water and ocean-going commerce up the Taunton River. The site was a strategic one. In the Battle of Freetown, fought in 1778 during the Revolutionary War in America, the townspeople put up a strong defense against a British force.