See What You Missed About 'Nockum Hill' in Barrington

You couldn’t make the preservation society’s forum on Barrington’s historic Nockum Hill neighborhood on Sept. 28?

Well, here’s a chance to see what you missed. A video on the “In a Place Called Nockum” forum has been posted on YouTube.  It sketches out the early history of Swansea, Barrington and Warren.

The forum was led by three society historians, Van Edwards, Bonnie Warren and Nat Taylor, and the Rev. Charles Hartman, the retired pastor of the first Baptist church in North America, which was founded on Nockum Hill.

The tour of the area included the historic Allen-West home on George Street on Nockum Hill now owned by Jason Lawrence of Barrington. The home, built around 1763, is expected to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places within a few weeks. 

Nockum Hill and the surrounding neighborhood was at one time part of Swansea, Mass., said Edwards, who has been researching the history of the area for about a year. 

“Swansea was mother of us all,” Edwards said. “Barrington then broke away first in 1717. But then it became a part of what is now Warren until Barrington incorporated as a separate town in 1770.” 

See for yourself on the video.