Editing Fall River, Massachusetts (section)

===Colonial period to 1800s===
[[File:City of Fall River, Mass. 1877. LOC 75694571.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|An 1877 [[pictorial map]] of Fall River with a list of the city's sights]]
At the time of the establishment of the [[Plymouth Colony]] in 1620, the area that would one day become Troy City was inhabited by the [[Pocasset people|Pocasset]] [[Wampanoag people|Wampanoag]] tribe, affiliated with the Pokanoket Confederacy headquartered at [[Mount Hope (Rhode Island)|Mount Hope]] in what is now [[Bristol, Rhode Island]]. The "falling" river that the city's name refers to is the [[Quequechan River]] (pronounced "quick-a-shan" by locals) a {{convert|2.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} river which flows through the city before draining into the bay. ''Quequechan'' is a [[Massachusett language|Wampanoag]] word believed to mean "falling river" or "leaping/falling waters." During the 1960s, [[Interstate 195 (Rhode Island – Massachusetts)|Interstate 195]] was constructed through the city along the length of the Quequechan River. The portion west of Plymouth Avenue was routed underground through a series of box culverts, while much of the eastern section "mill pond" was filled in for the highway embankment.

In 1653, [[Freetown, Massachusetts|Freetown]] was settled at [[Assonet Bay]] by members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony as part of Freeman's Purchase, which included the northern part of what is now Fall River. In 1683, Freetown was incorporated as a town within the colony. The southern part of what is now Fall River was incorporated as the town of Tiverton as part of the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] in 1694, a few years after the merger with Plymouth Colony. In 1746, in the settlement of a colonial boundary dispute between Rhode Island and Massachusetts, [[Tiverton, Rhode Island|Tiverton]] was annexed to [[Rhode Island]], along with Little Compton and what is now [[Newport County, Rhode Island]]. The boundary was then placed approximately at what is now Columbia Street.

In 1703, Benjamin Church, a hero of [[King Philip's War]] established a [[saw mill]], [[grist mill]], and a [[fulling]] mill on the Quequechan River. In 1714, Church sold his land, along with the water rights to Richard Borden of Tiverton and his brother Joseph. This transaction would prove to be extremely valuable 100 years later, helping to establish the Borden family as the leaders in the development of Fall River's textile industry.

During the 18th century, the area consisted mostly of small farms and relatively few inhabitants. In 1778, the [[Battle of Freetown]], was fought here during the [[American Revolutionary War]] (1775–1783) after British raids badly damaged Bristol and Warren. The militia of Fall River, at that time known as Freetown, put up a stronger defense against a [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] force.

In 1803, Fall River was separated from Freetown and officially incorporated as its own [[New England town|town]]. A year later, Fall River changed its name to "Troy." The name "Troy" was used for 30 years and was officially changed back to Fall River on February 12, 1834. During this period, Fall River was governed by a three-member [[List of selectmen of Fall River, Massachusetts|Board of Selectmen]], until it became a City in 1854.

In 1835, The [[Fall River Female Anti Slavery Society]] was formed (one of the many anti-slavery societies in New England) to promote abolition and to allow a women's space to conduct social activism. There was an initial group, which was wary of allowing free black full membership, so a second group (this one) was formed in response by [[Elizabeth Buffum Chace]] and her sisters, who were committed to allowing free black women membership.<ref>Stevens, Elizabeth C. ''Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Lillie Chace Wyman: A Century of Abolitionist, Suffragist, and Workers' Rights Activism''. United States: McFarland Publishing, 2003.</ref> Sarah G. Buffman, a delegate from the group, was sent to the [[Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women]] in Philadelphia in 1838. Buffman signed all three of the statements that the convention's delegates agreed on.<ref>Ira V. Brown, ""Am I Not a Woman and a Sister?" The Anti Slavery Convention of American Women, 1837-1839", Pennsylvania State University</ref>

In July 1843, the first great fire in Fall River's history destroyed much of the town center, including the Atheneum, which housed the [[The Skeleton in Armor|Skeleton in Armor]] which had been discovered in a sand bank in 1832 near what is now the corner of Hartwell and Fifth Street.

During this time, the southern part of what is now Fall River (south of Columbia Street) remained part of [[Tiverton, Rhode Island]]. In 1856, the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island voted to split off its industrial northern section as Fall River, Rhode Island. In 1861, after decades of dispute, the [[United States Supreme Court]] moved the state boundary to what is now State Avenue, unifying both Fall Rivers as a city in Massachusetts (among other changes; see {{section link|History of Massachusetts|Rhode Island eastern border}}).