WATERTOWN

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; (1996 est.) 32,490. 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 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 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 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 system. Another notable institution is the Jefferson County Historical Society Museum, which contains relics of French migrs who settled there after 1802 and a collection of water turbines. Sackets Harbor, 11 miles west-southwest, figured prominently in the War of 1812. White-water rafting is popular on the Black River. Inc. city, 1869. Pop. (1990) 29,429; (1998 est.) 27,759. city, seat of Codington county, northeastern South Dakota, U.S., on the Big Sioux River, between Lakes Kampeska and Pelican. It was laid out in 1878 following the extension of the Winona and St. Peter (now Chicago and North Western Transportation Company) Railroad and was named for Watertown, N.Y. An earlier settlement, called Kampeska City, was abandoned in 1874 after grasshoppers destroyed the crops. The economy depends on agriculture (livestock and grain), tourism (based in part on sport fishing), and some light-industrial activities. In the city is Mellette House, the home of Arthur C. Mellette, last governor of Dakota Territory and the first governor of South Dakota. Inc. 1885. Pop. (1991 est.) 17,768. 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 the Mattatuck State Forest and Black Rock State Park are in the town. Area 29 square miles (76 square km). Pop. (1990) 20,456; (1996 est.) 21,470.