Taunton Pride

It is written somewhere that when President Abraham Lincoln declared war...that great civil war over a divided nation, that the first volunteers came from the city of Taunton, Massachusetts. I recall other significant events about my home town...events that are all too soon forgotten. Learning these simple little facts made me very proud. Like the one that stated, "Tauntonians were the first Colonials to raise a flag in opposition to the British rule on October the 21st, 1774." or the sometimes used trivia question, "Where was the anchor for the the USS Constituion forged?, you got it, Taunton! (Years later another anchor was forged for the Civil War's 'Monitor'.) Oh, less I forget...The land where Taunton lies was bought from the Indians by a very shrewd woman for a pot of beans and a jack-knife...hmmm, how did Boston get the title of Bean Town?
As the city grew before I was introduced to it there were other proud moments such as having the honor of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Robert Treat Paine.
Over the years as Taunton grew from a farming community to a industrial leader in the metals fabrication and manufacturing industry...especially copper, brass, and silver...the pride of Taunton became just a little closer to my arrival. My grandfather James A. Hooben invented the spanner wrench (you can look that up here "spanner wrench picture " ) As the years passed and there came along a new President in the White House, Reed & Barton silversmiths had the priviledge of supplying John F. Kennedy with something every new household uses; silverware and dishes.
Now it is the present and once again our nation is divided. Will Tauntonians be the first to answer the call? - Norman E. Hooben