Incorporated on February 16, 1822, West Bridgewater was once the geographic center of Old Bridgewater, an area consisting of what is today Brockton, East Bridgewater, and Bridgewater. The West Parish, as West Bridgewater was called at the time, became the political, religious, and industrial center of the region. In 1774, Capt. John Ames established his shovel works in the town and manufactured the first steel shovels in America. The site of his manufactory...