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is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,941 at the 2000 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the village of Middleborough Center, please see the article Middleborough Center, Massachusetts.
In the summer of 2007, Middleborough became the proposed location for a future resort casino, sponsored by the Wampanoag Tribe of Mashpee, Massachusetts.
Middleborough was first settled in 1661 as Nemasket, which was later changed to Middlebury and was officially incorporated as Middleborough in 1669. The name "Middlebury" was taken from a place in England, and changed to the more modern "Middleborough." During King Philip's War (1675-76), the town's entire populace took shelter within the confines of a fort constructed along the Nemasket River. (The site is located behind the old junior high school, and is marked by a state historical commission marker along Route 105.) Before long, the fort was abandoned and the population withdrew to the greater shelter of Plymouth colony; in their absence, the entire village was burned to the ground, and it would be several years before the town would be refounded. Western Middleborough broke away in 1853 and formed the town of Lakeville, taking with it main access to the large fresh water lakes there, including Assawompset Pond. Middleboro was home to world-famous circus midget General Tom Thumb, of Barnum & Bailey Circus fame, as well as Revolutionary War soldier Deborah Sampson, who cross-dressed as a man in order to serve in the Continental Army. Once the shoe capital of the world , Middleborough has since become the cranberry capital of the world, hosting the corporate headquarters of Ocean Spray Cranberries. Middleborough is also the second-largest town in Massachusetts in terms of area. Notable sights include the 1870s Victorian-style town hall, the Greek revival-style town library (1903), and in the Spring, the Nemasket River Alewife & Blueback herring run upstream to the Assawompset Ponds complex to spawn.
In recent history, Middleborough has made its mark through the prowess of its Little League program. In 1994 the Middleborough All Stars reached the Little League World Series by defeating Milburn-Short Hills, New Jersey to take the East Region title. The team would finish 3rd in the United States. They are one of only two Massachusetts Little League teams to win the East title (Andover Little League, 1988) before the splitting of the New England and Mid-Atlantic Regions in 2001. In 1999, the team again won the Massachusetts State title and fell in the East Region final to Toms River, New Jersey - the eventual U.S. runner-up.
Since 2000, the team has reached the State semi-finals 4 times finishing 3rd in the state in 2000 and 2003, and 2nd in 2002 and 2008. The 2002 team was only beaten by U.S. runner-up, Jesse Burkett Little League of Worcester.