Assonet (/əˈsoʊnɪt/ uh-SOH-nit) is one of two villages in the town of Freetown in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States.

The word comes from the local Wampanoag Indians, who had a settlement in the area, and has two meanings: "place of rocks" and "song of praise".

The English settlement remained for many years as a small fishing and farming village, growing to be Freetown's more industrious side by the end of the 18th century.

By the end of the 19th century, Assonet had begun to slowly return to its origins, having less and less industry in town.

History shows the area existed as a proprietary settlement as early as 1680, and in 1683 Assonet and Fall River were incorporated as the Town of Freetown, named as such because its settlers were Freemen.

Assonet became a prominent commercial fishing port in Southeastern Massachusetts in the 18th century, best known for its trout.

Industry had also begun to develop, including grist mills, sawmills and a blacksmith's shop.

The main settled area of the village was known to support the British, even harboring a general before he fled to Newport, Rhode Island.

The white chimneys with black rings on many of the oldest houses are indicative of homes that supported the British.

The village developed rapidly, with its combination of railroads, ships, its position on the stagecoach and mail routes, and its factories.

The N. R. Davis Gun Manufactory, located near and on a portion of where Hathaway Park now sits, opened and provided many weapons to Union soldiers during the Civil War.

Also built was the Crystal Springs Bleachery and Dying Company, which brought millhousing to a small area of the village, and employed many from town and neighboring Fall River, also known for industry.

North Church (1809), Town Hall (1888), and the Guilford H. Hathaway Library (1895) were all constructed in the same small area on Taunton Hill, and complimented the Village School nicely.

The first Post Office in town opened in Assonet in 1811, and has operated continuously since then, first in a razed building on the corner of Elm and North Main Streets, later in a second razed building, and since 1962 at the facility on South Main Street near the former Assonet Star Market.

In the postwar period, the majority of villagers sought work outside of town, and farming also came back into common practice.

By the 1990s, the village began to develop again as the region was seen as a "great escape" for upperclass Boston workers.

Next to the Hathaway Library is a local Verizon station, which is the home of one of the first regional dialing systems.

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company opened a new 1.3 million square foot (120,000 m2) distribution center on near[clarification needed] the site of the Crystal Springs Bleachery after it received a tax increment financing agreement from the town, which has saved the company almost $2 million in property tax as of 2007.

Most recently, it was a diner, then a Greek restaurant, a martial arts studio, and is now a private residence.

From the early 19th century until 1950, Freetown was serviced by several neighborhood grammar schools, at least three of which existed in Assonet.

Village School, closed in 1950, currently exists on Taunton Hill between the Town Hall and North Church, being the elder of those two buildings by 94 and 15 years, respectively.

Throughout its history, it served as a meeting place for local Boy and Girl Scout troops.

The exterior is white clapboards, and the front staircase has a portico and both wooden and iron railings.

The interior of the building is divided in the center, with the wall travelling parallel to School Street between the two front doors.

Each room has chalkboards (blackboards) running along the walls, and hanging fixtures from the ceiling provide artificial light when necessary.

Facing the building from Taunton Hill, the righthand room is painted in bright colors, and was formerly used for meetings of the Girl Scouts and the town's Cultural Council.

Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester accepts students from Assonet when there are openings, and provides a voc-tech atmosphere.

A large section of the village comprises approximately one third of the Freetown-Fall River State Forest.