The town of Stoughton has seen many changes since its incorporation in 1726. Stoughton families and fortunes were transformed in the mid-19th century as they prospered from the production of shoes, boots, wooden shoe lasts, and rubber goods. Farming dwindled, and industry was in full swing by the opening decades of the 20th century. Immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, and the Azores changed the cultural community as they started their own businesses and became a driving part of the workforce. The town also saw its share of tragedy, mourning the loss of resident George Quincy...

Originally, Stoughton was a part of old Dorchester and the land set aside for the Punkapoag Indians. First settled by Colonial families from Dorchester, Braintree, and Dedham, the town has had many generations of descendants who have helped build this thriving community. Stoughton grew with the arrival of various industries, from home shoe shops on family farms and water-powered mills to emerging smokestacks of mammoth shoe and boot factories. At the close of the nineteenth century, both the old Yankee families and recent European immigrants in search of new opportunity called the town of...