Cranberry harvest season is once again upon us, so it seems appropriate to look at the history of cranberry production in Wareham. Did you know that the cranberry is one of only three fruits native to North America? Native Americans used the wild berries for food, dye and medicine, and in 1672 a journal article reported that the berries were used by early settlers by “boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their meat.”

Records also show that the berries were made into juice, used dried and baked in sweets such as tarts and pies. In 1677 the Massachusetts General Court ordered that “ten barrels of cranburyes” be sent to King Charles II in England.

With such a versatile fruit, it is not surprising to find that people began harvesting the berries to sell. Any berries on common land were available to all; however, as demand increased, individuals began harvesting fruit on their own lands to sell. This increased demand eventually led to the development of cultivated varieties of the tasty cranberry which are still in production today.