Around the time of Incorporation, 1739, Wareham had a compulsory military service. Did you know that every man between the ages of sixteen and sixty was expected to serve? The Town had its own militia company as well as members of the county horse troop.

A military clerk was appointed to keep records and report delinquencies. Four times a year, the clerk had to create a list of all men who lived in Town and were required by law to bear arms. These men were also required to attend training musters. The clerk collected fines from anyone who failed to answer the roll-call on the training days. According to historical records, those who did not pay their fines were punished by being made to lie “neck and heels together, or to ride the wooden horse.”

Riding the wooden horse was a form of military punishment originating in England. It consisted of a narrow horizontal pole elevated twelve feet, sometimes sharpened on the upper edge. A militia man was punished by being required to sit astride the horse for a specified time, sometimes days, and sometimes with weights attached to the miscreant’s feet.

Wareham’s early Muster Field was located in what was then a large open area at the bottom of Main Street. In 1969, the John W. Decas Memorial Elementary School was built on the site.