USA > Massachusetts > Dukes County > Early History of Naushon Island > Part 31
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Asa Johnson with his wife (Prudence Adams) lived at Tar- paulin Cove as Customs Officer from 1830 to 1836 and was also in charge of the tavern and store. Here two of their children were born, Anna Frances in 1830 and James Adams in 1831.
Captain William Putnam was at Naushon from 1794 to 1806, Oliver Grinnell at Nonamesset in 1817 and William Bradley of Woods Hole from 1810 for some years, Miss [Deliverance?] Weeks, Mr. Lothrop and "Uncle Bisha" [Weeks?] in 1815. Captain William Slocum, Phineas Withington, Simeon Hamblin, Oing Eldredge, Woodward, and Richard Luce are also mentioned as tenants at various times.
At the farm in 1839 was Pardon Gifford of Dartmouth. He was son of Saml. and Lillie, b. 11th. 7th mo. 1783, d. "suddenly" 13th. 10th mo. 1847.
As far as actual facts about the buildings on Naushon, Samuel Robinson gives the most definite information. His memory as he himself admits is none too accurate. His letter is nevertheless the most detailed source of island data.
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EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSHON ISLAND
1841 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAUSHON BY SAMUEL ROBINSON OF NANTUCKET
You ask me to tell you what I know of the Island of Naushon and its dependencies. I am afraid you have called too late; I am an old worn out man; The 16th. day of July next should I live till that time I shall be 83 years of age, my memory is gone, my comforts have been but few, by the sweat of my brow have I earned my bread all my days; and in looking back, so far as dates are concerned, I find but little which would tend to fix or impress them on my mind.
You ask me on what part of the Island, the first house was built, and the year when? It is my impression that the Farm House is the oldest house now on the Island-it must have been built about ninety years ago: Zephaniah Robinson was the first tenant, he was my uncle, he was succeeded by his son Isaac Rob- inson, who occupied it for a short time, when his father again re- sumed it, and occupied it until he removed from the Island to Kennebec where he died; this must have been in the year 1800. I succeeded him in the occupancy and continued in it for five years. Soon after leaving the Farm House I moved from the Island which was on the 15 of January, 1806.
The Nonamisset House was built about the year 1769-it was built for my father, Paul Robinson ; he moved from Wawquoit when I was about one Year old and took possession of it-how long my father lived there I cannot now tell-all that I can say is that he lived and died there and we carried his Body across to Woods Hole where he was buried. Oliver Grenell succeeded my Father in the occupancy of Nonamesset.
Tarpaulin Cove House was built on the Site of an old house which was torn down to make way for it, the year after Peace, say 1784. I was then about 25 years old. I assisted in the building,
Dr. The Ponible James
1784
& Naushan Geland, for
one half the brojions Jupp. Carpenterx and others building Tarpaulin bove house .
.
To Butter & theen - 12 8- 4
22.4.54
$ 250 theone -- - 2-5.10
J. cheese & Button 11.5. 12
(20) 178. 6.9
.
'S TRY. 11. 10
10.15.6
1 13. 2. -
253 2 11/2
118 12 10%
1 .39.5. 13 12
Bowdoin Esq ?.
$85 marky. Bar" Uneportion of the Ballana, ' raushan Bland deco" filled this day. .. By as? Proportion of the Reason
$38. 9% 12
20.0.0 ₹58.4.72
486 By af Inoportion of the Ballin of Aauchan kla Recibos 121 3 7 this Day - -
By a? Proportion of the fund. ifrap. S. Shaw les to bap | 20 Animam, as fi Lean datos
. By f. Inportion of the Ball. of Nauchan bland De. 158. 16. 1. Ster Lini Day .
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Des- to, " Proportion of the Rock forauchan dolan let to ( 20. il Patnam (20).)
- 10.15:6
189. 1. 10% 1788
- 204. 15.9
180.7.2
$ 395. 13.4
EXPENSE OF BUILDING TARPAULIN COVE HOUSE. PAGE FROM ACCOUNT BOOK OF JAMES BOWDOIN
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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
helped make and burn the bricks, and burned the lime, also cut and carted the timber, and enough of it there is in the old Frame. I candidly believe there is as much as is in three houses which they build at the present day. John Nye first lived in it, after him came Shadrack Robinson, and then I believe some Tenants from the Vineyard whose names I cannot recollect.
West End House (Robinson's Hole) is a very old building. I cannot recall to my mind anything that will fix the date of its building, it was occupied by one William Robinson.
Onkatonka House was built about the year 1800-it was first occupied by Seth Robinson. I lived with my Father on Nona- messet when the Mansion House was built-it must have been over 30 years ago ; it was not occupied by anybody during my day except Governor Bowdoin and his family, during their summer visits to the Island. The Governor died in that House. I remem- ber it well, everything was left in the House precisely in the situa- tion they were when the old man died, his wife and family immedi- ately leaving it, and not stopping to take care of a single thing- the knives and forks rusting on the shelves, the beds and bedding dirty and in great confusion, family stores and provisions left without care; the House remained in this situation for seven or eight years unmolested, when Joseph Parker of Woods Hole was authorized to go and take out part of the furniture, such as beds and bedding, etc. I remember well going with him to New Bed- ford and carrying them in the vessel which they used to call the old Maria Packet.
To the Westward of Tarpaulin Cove, about two miles, there used to stand an old House-It was occupied by my grand-father William Robinson when I was a Boy-it was a very old House then, it was afterwards occupied by William Butler.
The Cottage was built I believe by Salem Towne, of Charlton, for the convenience of the Wood Choppers. My wife's Father Nathan Weeks lived at the head of Tarpaulin Cove Harbour, in
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EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSHON ISLAND
a little small house built in the true Log Cabin style-it was torn down many years ago, but I shall never forget the old House: it was there that I felt Loves young Dream-I did all my courting in that rude but comfortable old House, and was there married 55 years ago. My Father in Law afterward moved to Chilmark where he went the way of all living.
There was a House standing to the Westward of the French Watering Place, and occupied formerly by Elnathan Rowley- after he left it, it was torn down.
On the east side of Tarpaulin Cove, there formerly stood an old House, which was occupied by Zaccheus Lumber, he left it, and it was afterwards burnt down by the British in sport, during the Revolutionary War. During that War there were about 200 British Soldiers * stationed on Naushon, say at Tarpaulin Cove,- they were there twelve or fourteen months, they built a fort on the east side of the Harbor, the remains of which are still to be seen. They used to barrack in the old House, which stood where the pres- ent Tarpaulin Cove House now stands. There are a great many stories connected with that War, which history will never tell, and which will die with the few Survivors who witnessed that terrible but glorious struggle, and as you seem handy with the Pen, you may take down one or two connected with the Islands.
It was during that War, the British came down the Bay, with eighteen sail of Transports and other vessels and anchored near the Weepeckets ; they then landed about 500 men, and demanded all the stock there was on the Island-remonstrance and resist- ance were useless, they marched to the Eastern part of the Island; and separating, they commenced driving the stock to the West- ward as far as Robinson's Hole, where they took it in their boats,
* He should have said Colonial Militia. There is no record of the British having been stationed here. From 1775 to 1778 Grannis' and Nye's Companies occupied Tarpaulin on and off and it is known that their barracks were destroyed by the British in 1778.
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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
and carried it on board-as near as I remember they took off at this time 1400 Sheep-35 head of Cattle, and 25 Horses. This was stripping the Island with a vengeance, but this was not all. Some time after a Privateer Sloop with two tenders, came and anchored in Hadley's [harbor]. I then resided with my Father at Nonamesset there were remaining of the former stock, about sixty Cows, seventy or eighty Sheep, and one Yoke of Oxen. The Captain of the Privateer sent his boat on shore, and the Officer after looking around awhile at the Stock spied some Calves which we had at Nonamesset-he gave us orders to dress him four, and send them on board in the morning-this we did and carried them on board as he directed, which he paid us for. My Father went with me on board the Privateer, and after paying us for the calves, he said to my Father, "I shall take what Sheep you have got on the Island, I see," he says, "that they are all yarded, and now my friend, as the wool is of no use to me, you may go on shore and commence shearing them," for it was in the spring of the year, "and I shall attend to getting them on board-and further," says he, "If you are faithful in sending all the Sheep on board, I will leave the Cows and Oxen with you." I very well remember how my Father worked to save the wool, and I carted them down to the boats the next day with a soldier marching each side of me.
I am sorry I cannot remember the agents' names, and the time each had charge of the property. John Reed was agent as long as I can remember. He I believe was succeeded by a man by the name of Bullard. After Bullard, came William Putnam-this must have been about the year 1794. Putnam remained as agent until 1806 or 1807-I cannot tell who succeeded him. One Cal- lant [Louis Calot] was agent for a time since then, also a man by the name of Salem Towne. But I find the more I attempt to fix my mind upon any one point, the more confused my ideas grow, old age must be my excuse however.
Nantucket-January 25-1841.
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EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSHON ISLAND
NONAMESSET HOUSE
The only 18th Century house still standing is that on Nona- messet, built in 1760 or 1769. It is a good example of the sub- stantial workmanship of that day. Its well-proportioned exterior with great central chimney, weatherworn gray shingles, and heavy woodbine covering the western end are familiar to many of my readers. The house faces south and the outside dimensions are thirty-seven feet long by about thirty feet wide. The front door opens into a small entry; facing, on the left, is the small door to the stairway, a narrow space paneled with tongue and grooved beveled vertical pine boards. The stairs run up from west to east. From the entry a door to the right leads into a sitting room, about fifteen feet square, which has the original two-foot high wainscot- ing, and big shallow open fireplace. To the left of the entry is a similar room of the same dimensions occupying the southwest corner of the house. In each room there is an old arched corner cupboard. The seven-foot square chimney, made of flat field stones gathered nearby, occupies the center of the house. On the north side (facing Penzance and the channel of Woods Hole) was probably the original kitchen, a narrow room with a huge fireplace and paneled walls, and a small room at each end.
Upstairs are four bedrooms, each with the outside ceiling sloped under the roof. Each room has one tiny and one medium sized window. The central space is divided into three parts, the middle occupied by the chimney, on the north side a little room or closet, and on the south, an open space and the stairway. As the chimney ascends through the second floor it diminishes rapidly in size, curving in on an irregular slope on the south side. The flooring of the attic is the original twenty-two inch wide boards, doubtless cut from island trees. At each end is a two-foot square window. The roof is supported by five pairs of beams, each meeting end correspondingly numbered in the peak of the roof, each hand hewn
NONAMESSET HOUSE
TARPAULIN COVE LOOKING NORTH
UNCATENA HOUSE
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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
and beveled on the edges. In the construction of the whole there is a rough perfection.
UNCATENA
The cottage which was said by Samuel Robinson to have been built in 1800 was completed a few years later. The first occupant was Seth Robinson. In December, 1810, Bowdoin wrote the farm manager Barnabas Chadwick, "With respect to Mr Seth Rob- inson's lease, the rent was regulated by the cost of the house, and by the buildings if they had been erected adjacent for his accom- modation, or that person to whom the salt works should be leased. . . . Since the lease I have paid carpenter, painters, and masons several sums, and there has been lumber and other materials used to complete the house and outhouses."
As shown in the sketch, the house was a small cottage of the Cape Cod type. Its marked feature, and the only part remain- ing, is the great vaulted base of the chimney. The house faced south and stood on the site of the present kitchen. Opening off the small entry were two rooms, one to the right of the front door, the other to the left. The customary arrangement, a narrow kitchen running the length of the north side with a great fireplace and built-in oven, was probably followed, but this is pure guess- work.
Uncatena Island was reached by a ford; the cut in the bank to the north of the present bridge shows where the old road went. In 1828 the bridge was built, and on a stone, which still may be seen in the foundation at the southwest end, is cut the inscription in large letters :
Built by Seth Robinson & Son 1828
TARPAULIN COVE HOUSE
It is not known when the first house was built at the Cove, and how many dwellings have stood upon its site. According to the
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EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSHON ISLAND
Log of H.M.S. Falkland written in 1696, "In this place is but one small house in which live one family." This house may have been built by Wait Winthrop's "shufeling" tenant Anthony Blaney, who was living on the island in 1684. Perhaps Blaney first lived at his "wigwam," shown on the early map as situated on the shore of Blaney's Pond, and then built a more substantial farmhouse. About one hundred years later, in 1784, the old house was torn down and another built. Samuel Robinson says, "I as- sisted in the building, helped make and burn the bricks and burned the lime, also cut and carted the timber, and enough there is of it in the old frame. I candidly believe there is as much as there is in three houses of the present day (1841)." This house certainly supplied the foundation, and very likely the frame of the present Cove house, but how little or how much of the old house remains it is hard to tell.
TAVERNS
From early times there was a tavern at Tarpaulin Cove and there may about the year 1800 have also been a licensed innkeeper at Uncatena. The list of those who held licenses is as follows:
Zaccheus Lumbert 1755-1764
Robert Hatch
1755-1768
Roger Merrihew
1756-1757
John Shreve 1760
Barnabas Hinkley
1773
Elisha Nye
1773
John Nye
1784 -1806
TARPAULIN COVE LIGHT HOUSE
The first light house at Tarpaulin was built, as has been told, by Zaccheus Lumbert of Nantucket in 1759. The illuminant was whale oil furnished by the people of Nantucket.
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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
The first appropriation of funds by the Government for the building of a light house was made by Congress on February 10th, 1807. The light house was built in 1818, probably being started in the previous year. In 1891 the old tower of rubble masonry was demolished and a brick tower built upon the same foundation. At the present time [1934 ] this light house is equipped with a fourth order lens, the illuminant being incandescent oil vapor, and candlepower 30,000.
BYGONE FARMS AND BUILDINGS
The wigwams of the Indians were the first homes on Naushon. Nothing is known of them, but on the early map is shown the lo- cation of two wigwams probably named for their white occupants. Blaney's wigwam stands on the east side of Blaney's Pond and the stone foundation can still be seen; Lackey's wigwam is marked by a cellar hole at the south end of the valley running south from the Mansion House, looking out on Lackey's Bay. Whether these were wigwams in the literal sense of the word or were so called because they were rough little shacks it is not possible to say.
FROM ISLAND BOOK
"Polly daughter of Paul Robinson formerly a resident of Nonnamissit and who was James Bowdoin's factotem made a visit on the Island. From her we learn that the first house built on Naushon stood S.E. from the present farm house and not far from it. The oldest house now standing is Dairy or farm house, the next house built was that on Nonamessit in 1760.
"Old Seth Robinson tells us that the first house was built by Matthew Mayhew North Easterly from the horse barn near the water, and not far from a fresh spring now there just above high water mark, there is still to be seen some remains* of brick * Still there in 1934.
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EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSHON ISLAND
used in building the chimney. It is supposed Mayhew built this for a temporary residence soon after he bought the islands from the Indians."
Oct. 16, 1837
It is said that the Dairy or Farm House was the first house built on Naushon. As the Cove House was standing in 1696 and (according to John Winthrop) the frame of the Farm House was raised in 1702, Seth was probably right in saying that a previous house stood upon the Inner Harbor near the upper wharf at an earlier date. It may have been here that Wait Win- throp stayed when he first visited the island in 1682.
At Tarpaulin Cove there were several houses. The Inn and the Light House have already been mentioned. On the east side was an entrenchment built by the militia company and on the shore below was a house at one time occupied by Zaccheus Lum- bert, either the builder of the Light House or a son of the same name. Lumbert was enrolled in Captain Grannis' company and as this house was burned "in sport" by the British during the war it must have been at an earlier time that he lived here. In 1776 Barracks were built at the Cove by the men of the militia for the accommodation of about seventy-five men. The exact location is not known and they were destroyed by the British in the spring of 1778. Some years after the Revolution there was a log cabin on the northeast side of the Cove called the "Hermitage." Here lived Nathan Weeks, whose family had lived for generations on Naushon and who had himself served as a soldier in the militia stationed here. Rebecca, daughter of Nathan, married Samuel Robinson, he who spoke so feelingly of the Hermitage in which he "first felt loves young dream."
The gun emplacement and trenches made by the soldiers under command of Captain Grannis and Captain Nye can be plainly seen on the northwest side of the Cove. There are two or three
441
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
cellar holes in this vicinity whose story is not known. The next house to the westward may have been about half way between the Cove House and the French Watering Place. A cellar hole and some traces of bricks are all that are left. Just to the west of the French Watering Place was a house occupied by Elnathan Row- ley. Rowley came of a Falmouth family and was one of the men stationed at the Cove in Captain Grannis' company. A mile west of the French Watering Place there is a deep valley running from north to south. At the end of this, on Vineyard Sound, was a farm called on the map Home Farm, but now known as Hollow Farm. Here stood a house and barn, the foundations of which can be plainly seen, and records tell that it was the home of William Butler and perhaps occupied before him, about the year 1740, by William Robinson.
The West End House is said to have been a very old house. The name Robinson's Hole, on the shore of which it stood, sug- gests that from the 17th Century it was lived in by Robinsons, that the Hole was named for this family, and that those Robin- sons who lived here, of whom there are definite records after 1750, namely William, Thomas, Shadrach, Irving and Cornelius, were the successors of an earlier generation whose names, perhaps be- cause they lived in so far a spot, have been lost.
On the north side of the West End Pond there is a stone foundation and cellar hole whose history is unknown. At the clearing on the northerly side of the West End woods, called the Cottage Lot, there was a group of buildings. In 1824 the Trustees of the Bowdoin property at the request of the heir decided to cut a large quantity of wood at the West End of the island. This operation was put in charge of General Salem Towne and for the accommodation of the wood cutters he built this group of temporary cottages. One of them was doubtless fairly substan- tial, for it was occupied for many years; in 1840 by Stephen Rob- inson, whose thriving farm had cattle and vegetables. One of the
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EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSHON ISLAND
wood cutters was Berrier Austin, who at one time (1824) lived at the West End.
On Fisherman's Island, on East Buck Island and on Nona- messet are cellar holes which show where houses, probably small temporary shacks of fishermen, once stood. This seems to com- plete the list of known, of partly known and of unknown houses. The Mansion House has been already mentioned in connection with the Bowdoin family.
Certain other structures were erected : the upper wharf in 1803, the salt works on Nonamesset and Uncatena in 1805 and 1810, and the wharf (for the shipping of lumber) at Kettle* Cove in 1824. The earliest and most permanent structures are the stone walls, many of which are now as solid and as useful as the day they were built, more than two hundred years ago.
WALLS
The early names of the stone walls were as follows:
The Rail Wall, on Nonamesset, from the northeast end of Lackey's Bay northerly along the edge of the woods to the north shore, ending just east of the little cove and pond.
The Stone Wall, from Molasses Pond north to end of Sunset Path, on the north shore. Now called Green Gate Wall.
The Sheep Wall, from the vicinity of Crane Pond on the north due south to the south shore. Now called Yellow Gate Wall.
The Lamb's Wall, from northeast side of Tarpaulin Cove to north shore west of Silver Beach.
The General's Wall, from west side of Tarpaulin Cove to north shore, west of the Protected Field. The Gap in the Wall (now
* Kettle, sometimes spelled Kittle, Cove is located on the old map at the site of the cove now called Silver Beach. This has more the shape of a kettle than the big shallow cove now so called.
The other spelling "Kittle" suggests that the lumber sloops and schooners found it an unreliable anchorage.
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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
closed by a gate) is in this wall, and near it is a cellar hole prob- ably of Revolutionary date, but possibly the site of a house built and used by Salem Towne's wood choppers. As it is named the General's Wall, this may have been a house used by General Towne on his visits to the island. The wall was undoubtedly named for him.
None of the other walls existing at this time have had their original names preserved.
ROADS
Ridge Road, from Farm House to the south shore bathing beach. South Shore Road, same as present Ridge Road, only extending on west side of wall to the Green Gate.
West End Road, from the present Yellow Gate following the route of the present Bowdoin Road, through the Gap in the Wall, running due west, south of the West End Pond, and ending at the West End at Robinson's Hole.
Bowdoin's Way, from Cottage Lot to Ram's Head at Kettle (or Kittle) Cove.
Shrubbery Walk, on Nonamesset from Nonamesset Road to the Newkit Point.
An early map of Naushon hangs on the east wall of the Man- sion House hall. Much of the information here given has been gained from a study of this map.
In 1833 Henry H. Crapo of New Bedford was asked to make a survey of the island. Scarcely a more interesting tale can be read than that of Crapo, who by force of character won his way from tilling the unprofitable soil of a little farm near the village of Padanaram to the Governorship of Michigan. To quote from his Life written by his grandson :
"In 1833, Henry went to the island of Naushon at the re- quest of William W. Swain who under the vernacular title of
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EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSHON ISLAND
'Governor,' acted as agent of the principal owner, James Temple Bowdoin, for the purpose of laying out a 'Horse Race Track.'* ... Although the island had been in the possession of the Bowdoin family since 1730, it had for many years been disused as a place of residence and was let out to various tenants. James Bowdoin . . . left by will to Bowdoin College as part of his estate, 'the reversion of the Island of Naushon where I have my summer home.' A most intricate legal complication arose because of the conten- tions between the College and the Bowdoin heirs, finally culminat- ing in a famous law suit in which Daniel Webster took part. It was presumably because of this controversy that Henry Crapo was employed in 1838 [1836] to make a complete survey of the Island. He took with him as 'rod man' his son William, aged eight, who thus earned his first wages at the rate of fifty cents a day. They stayed on the Island a week or two, lodging at the Mansion House and taking their meals at a tavern house at Tar- paulin Cove. William was highly entertained by the numbers of small craft whose crews also patronized the tavern house."
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