In 1774 and 1775 the Loyalist Oliver family fled patriotic Middleborough mobs for the safety of Boston, leaving behind an industrial complex at Muttock that was one of the most productive in Massachusetts. Confiscated by the state, the former Oliver Iron Works were revitalized and expanded during the first half of the 19th century bringing prosperity to the surrounding village and its residents. The abandonment of shovel-making in the 1850s, however, led to the rapid decline of Muttock which remained forgotten for a century until the 1960s when Oliver Mill Park was created.
   An anthology of the best historical writings about Muttock as well as a guidebook to the history and architecture of the district, Muttock: Middleborough's Revolutionary Village tells the fascinating story of a colonial New England village wracked by Revolutionary turmoil and 19th century industrial decline and how it was rediscovered a century later.