History:
The area that is now known as the city of Taunton was first settled in 1639. Iron ore was discovered in Taunton on the banks of the Two Mile (Forge) River in 1652. After the discovery of the iron ore, a group of 23 people formed a partnership to start up the iron works. The iron works began somewhere between 1652 and 1656. This section of Taunton, the east end, where the iron works were located, became the Town of Raynham.

Raynham was incorporated as a town on April 2, 1731. The Leonard, Jones, Washburn, King, Shaw, Dean, Hall, Gushee, Williams, Gilmore, Andrews, Hathaway, White, Tracy and Knapp are cited as the founding families of Raynham, and their descendants held prominent positions in the town until well into the 20th century.

Town leaders, from the first families, partitioned the Massachusetts General Court three times before they were allowed to become independent from Taunton. The Court set the following requirements for Raynham's succession from Taunton: "That the inhabitants of said town do, within the space of three years from the publication of this act, procure and settle a learned and orthodox minister
of good conversation, and make provisions for his comfortable and honorable support and likewise provide a schoolmaster to instruct their children to read and write."

The iron works were the dominant industry in the town for more than two centuries. The importance that was attached to iron works is apparent from the town seal which depicts the iron works along with the date 1652. The Raynham iron works were not the oldest in the state. Iron works in Lynn, Saugus and Braintree were started prior to those in Raynham. However, the iron works in Raynham have the distinction of being the iron "manufactory" that was in ontinuous operation for the longest period of time. The iron works continued to operated in Raynham until 1873.