USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > Historic Duxbury in Plymouth county, Massachusetts, 3rd ed. > Part 6
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MAPS.
other testimony. Champlain's vessel did not enter Plymouth or Duxbury bays, coming no further than off the head of Ply- mouth beach. He writes of seeing Indians, and shows cabins and gardens on his map, which implies that the native popu- lation was numerous, an intimation that is corroborated by other accounts, as it is known that a plague decimated the inhabitants previous to the arrival of the Pilgrims.
The next map was made by the celebrated Capt. John Smith, who explored the coast in 1614 from the Penobscot to Cape Cod. Smith's map, generally considered, was fairly accurate, but in particulars was not, as could hardly have been expected. Plymouth and Duxbury bays are shown, but on too small a scale to give any information. He however named the place Plymouth ; that has since been retained. He also named the River Charles and Cape Ann, but the other names that he gave to places have long since been changed.
The next map with which the writer is acquainted is Woods' Map of New England, 1634. This is quite accurate in show- ing the coast of Massachusetts, Plymouth Bay and " Cape Codd " on a small scale, and for our purpose is particularly interesting in showing Saquish as an island, and the name Green's Harbor for a part of Marshfield. It should be noted that this name does not come from the appearance of the green marshes, as many have supposed. The next map which will be noted is that by Charles Blaskowitz, one of the deputy surveyors of North America, dated 1774, the original of which is in Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth. This would be a good map today. It shows that Saquish has ceased to be an island, but
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
the passage between it and the Gurnet is not so completely closed as it is today. It shows the Duxbury Church at the head of Morton's Bay, some division of the lands, the mill and pond at Millbrook, and what seems to be a bridge at Bluefish River, although it is known there was no regular bridge built there till 1803, and this probably indicates only a crossing. Unfortunately the roads of the town are not shown, and not many houses or wharves. The next local map known is one made by John Ford, Jr., in 1833; this gives roads, and dwelling-houses, with the names of owners; and while it has no topographic or hydrographic features, it is very accurate for the times, and for what it pretends to be : simply a surveyor's map.
Finally, we will notice the complete map made by the United States Government between 1845 and 1870, which is both hydrographic and topographic, and reaches the highest state of the art. There have been many maps made since, all of which have been compiled more or less from the two last named.
WINSLOW HOUSE.
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OLD HOUSES.
XI.
OLD HOUSES.
IT is well to begin the description of the old houses of Dux- bury by mentioning the cellar of Myles Standish's house, which has been alluded to as being in sight of the monument. This has always been considered our most interesting historical spot, as there is no doubt of its being the place where Standish lived the last twenty years of his life. This cellar is now about seventy feet from the edge of a bank that is about twenty feet in elevation above high water mark. This bank shows the effect of having been washed away in past times, but the tra- ditional account that the sea once flowed between this place and Captain's Hill, there forming a neck of land on the easterly side of this peninsula, and that the edge of this bank was thirty rods distant from the home of Standish, is to be taken with much caution.
The writer is somewhat familiar with the action of tidal currents, and the effect of the sea in a course of years cutting away banks and shoals. In his opinion there are no indica- tions here of the causes that would make such changes possible in so short a time. Traditionary accounts unless anchored at stated intervals to some proven or scientific data, are of little value, and likely to be very far from the facts. After the death of Standish his house was burned, about the year 1665, so the current report has been, and this tradition is borne out
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
by ashes and burned articles that have been found at various times during the excavations that have been made here for many years.
It was a place of interest over a hundred years ago, long before the modern fashion came in of hunting up old-fashioned
GROUND PLAN OF HOUSE BUILT AND OCCUPIED BY MYLES STANDISH FIRST SETTLER IN DUXBURY
16
MASS.
VAT
AS ASCERTAINED BY EXCA- ION AND ACTUAL MEAS-
UREMENT OCT. 1856
BY JAMES HALL OF
D
Scale 10=1'
BOSTON AND LYMAN DREW OF DUXBURY. THE HOUSE WAS
DESTROYED BY
HE NORTH
54 FIRE LEAVING
50
THE OUTLINE
WING
B
MARKED A"MEASUR
OF CHARR EDTIMB.
ES 50 FT. IN
ER 3FT.
LENGTH AND
IN DE PT
16 FEET IN WID
H.
TH. THE SOUTH WING MARKED 'B' MEASURES 54 FE
12 ET
IN LENGTH AND 17
FEET
IN WIDTH AT THE OUT-
LINE OF
STONE WALL AT A DEPTH OF ABOUT IL FT. THE TWO WINGS ARE UNITED BY A DOORWAY NIAR. KED"D. THREE STONE HEARTHS MARKED"H"8 FT. IN LENGTH AND 4 FT IN WIDTH & THE STONE WALLS REMAIN AS WHEN DISCOVERED IN A GOOD STATE OF PRESERVATION BEDDEDIN CLAY
articles and the record of one's ancestry. The early explorers were the Rev. Alden Bradford and the Rev. Benjamin Kent, both mentioned elsewhere, and they made their investigations many years apart. Mr. James Hall came later, and found
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OLD HOUSES.
many articles by exploring this old cellar. The writer remem- bers visiting the collection of Mr. Hall in 1856, or thereabouts, which was kept in a small hut or cabinet which he had built near this old cellar.
Mr. Hall gives a description of the cellar and a plan which is here reproduced from one in Pilgrim Hall, not in facsimile, as the arrangement of text to plan has been changed, and the size altered; besides, Mr. Hall's is more ornamental, and printed in colors. The place of this cellar is now marked by a stone boulder which is to be suitably inscribed. It has for many years been the property of Mrs. Sarah Ripley Rob- bins of Boston, who greatly prizes it. Near by is the place of the spring, now dry, which furnished the house with water, an illustration of which is given in the "Pilgrim Fathers," a book published in London in 1853.
About one-fourth of a mile northwest of the Standish cellar is an old house said to have been built by Alexander Standish, son of Captain Myles, in 1666, an illustration of which is here given. It is a very interesting old house, and outside of its historical associations, the writer would call particular attention to it as a type of house that was commonly built previous to 1700. Although there are none in existence now, there can be no doubt that this style of house was sometimes two stories, from the following interesting account that has come down to us of the dwelling of the Rev. Ralph Partridge, at the time of his death, in the year 1658: "This was a two- story gambrel-roofed building, somewhat superior to the com- mon habitations of the settlers. On the lower floor was the
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
parlor, an ordinary room, carpeted, however, and furnished in a manner which might be considered luxurious. Here in the center was a round table, and another, though of less preten- sions, was placed against the wall. In the fireplace were the andirons and tongs, and against the wall hung a looking-glass ; in the corner was his staff and cane. Here was also kept the silver plate, and on the table was placed ' his silver beer cup,' which was retained in the family of his daughter Mary as a
STANDISH HOUSE.
family heirloom. Three high chairs and one wooden one, with two cushions, completed the furniture of the room. Adjoining this was his study; in the midst was a small table and a desk, before which was placed a cushioned stool. Two bookcases were placed against the wall, one called his Latin case, wherein were arranged his library of about four hundred volumes; an old safe stood in the corner, and various kinds of personal
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OLD HOUSES.
apparel were scattered round the room. Next to this was another, but smaller room, and on this floor was also the kitchen. In the cellar below were nine beer casks, affording, no doubt, abundance of the beverage to his visiting parishion- ers. In the second story was the parlor chamber, furnished with a valanced bed, and a cupboard of drawers with a cloth upon it. The kitchen chamber had likewise a bed.
" On each side of these was a small lean-to chamber, having in them two beds and one truckle bed, and above all was the attic."
There is another site of a house that is also interesting, as the place where Col. Benjamin Church, the famous Indian fighter, was born in 1639, who commanded the troops in King Philip's War. This house was in Millbrook, to the left of the road just after passing the mill described in the chapter on Roads. Colonel Church wrote a book on King Philip's War, published in 1716.
Another illustration is added of an early house of the same type as the Standish house - that of Ezra Weston the ship- builder, mentioned in another chapter. This house was at Powder Point, and was burned in 1886. A style of house that came in about 1700 is given in two illustrations,- that of the Alden house and that of the Winslow house at Green Harbor, Marshfield. The latter was built by the grandson of Edward Winslow who came in the " Mayflower," and is alluded to in the chapter on Green Harbor. Another house evidently built about this time, now well preserved and in good condition, is that of Mr. Eden W. Soule of Millbrook. The general style of
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
this house was a favorite one at that time: the large chimney in the middle, and the rooms about it with fireplaces. This manner of building continued in vogue for a hundred years, with more embellishments and larger additions, as more room was needed or the occupants were better off. About 1800 another style of house came in which in some instances made handsome residences. The sides of the house were wood and the ends brick; instead of the one chimney there were four, two at each end, with fireplaces on the lower and upper floors, which gave heat to nearly every room. There are many houses of this type throughout the town. An illustration of one is added, which is one of the best examples of this style of building. This is the residence of Mr. F. B. Knapp of Powder Point. As one of the less pretentious examples the writer would name his own on Tremont Street, built in the year 1808, the brick ends having since been covered with wood. The pathway to the front door is paved with blocks of lava brought from the volcano of Etna, on the Island of Sicily, by the builder, Capt. Gershom Bradford.
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HOUSES OF THE EZRA WESTONS.
NOW BELONGING TO MR. F. B. KNAPP
A
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ANTIQUARIES.
XII.
ANTIQUARIES.
A NUMBER of men of the town should be mentioned who have devoted their time to hunting up incidents and designating localities connected with the town's early history.
The first one, Alden Bradford, a clergyman by profession, was born in Duxbury in 1765. He was secretary of state of Massachusetts, 1812-24, and author of various histories of the state that are considered authorities today ; a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society. In that connection he contributed (Mass. Hist. Coll. II) "Notes on Duxbury." He is the first person known by the writer to have dug on the site of Myles Standish's home a hundred or more years ago, for relics or information, with what result is not known.
Justin Winsor, the town historian, was born in Boston in June, 1831. He belonged, however, to one of the oldest families of Duxbury, his earliest predecessor being one of the first shipbuilders. When but nineteen years old, and at that time a student in college, Mr. Winsor published his " His- tory of Duxbury," in the year 1849; and, while it is fifty years since, the work stands today, an authority on town matters ; in fact, the only history, and to which all turn for information. It is not strange that Mr. Winsor should have made some mistakes, covering, as his history does, so long a period, and treating so many subjects, the information for which he was
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
obliged often to get from secondary sources, when the informer would not feel the same responsibility for accuracy that he did himself. Mr. Winsor showed another trait that is rare among more noted men and greater authors,- that of not making himself prominent, or constantly present in the words of his narrative. Mr. Winsor was for a number of years librarian of the Boston Public Library, and later of the Har- vard University Library, which position he held at the time of his death.
Rev. Benjamin Kent, who was pastor of the First Church from 1826-33, devoted much time to collecting information relating to the town, and to gathering articles of historic interest, both Indian and those which related to the early settlement; and although he published nothing, Mr. Winsor acknowledges in his history, throughout its pages, obligations to Mr. Kent for the use of his manuscript notes. Mr. Kent dug extensively on the site of the house of Myles Standish, the most curious article that he found being a pocket-knife, with the letters M. S. cut in the wooden handle. Mr. Kent found unquestion- able evidence that the house had been burned, thus confirming tradition. Mr. Kent was afterwards librarian of the Roxbury Athenæum, dying in 1859.
Mr. James Hall was a descendant of Myles Standish, and at times excavated in the old cellar of his house, the result of his studies and exertions being given in the chapter on Old Houses. Mr. Hall's collections were scattered, so his sister informed the writer, some having been lost or stolen, some given away, and a few deposited in Pilgrim Hall at Plymouth.
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ANTIQUARIES.
Rev. E. J. V. Huiginn, whose work is more particularly mentioned in the chapter devoted to the Old Burial Places, was rector of the Episcopal Church in the town from 1890 to 1893. Mr. Huiginn spent much time excavating in the old burial ground for the grave of Myles Standish, and the site of the original church. Mr. Huiginn did a valuable service in having the old records published, covering dates from 1642 to 1770, in which he was assisted by the late Mr. George Etheridge. This work consists mostly of the acts of town meetings, the divisions of land, and the laying out of highways, and was published by the town in 1893.
Dr. Stephen Henry of Marshfield should be mentioned in this list, because of his excavations in Green Harbor on the site of the old Winslow house, which is mentioned in the chap- ter on Green Harbor. Doctor Henry has a fine collection of Indian implements collected in this vicinity, besides objects of interest used in early times. Doctor Henry has other valu- able collections, including a very extensive one of coins.
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
XIII.
KINGSTON AND GREEN HARBOR.
" TILL where the sun, with softer fires Looks on the vast Pacific's sleep, The children of the Pilgrim sires These hallowed spots, like us, shall keep."
A S these towns border on Duxbury, Green Harbor being originally a part of the town, which also included Marsh- field, Pembroke, Hanson, and the Bridgewaters, the historical spots near the boundaries will be briefly noticed.
A little south of where the ancient road to Plymouth crossed the Jones River in Kingston, which was near the present town almshouse, is an old dwelling that is called the old Bradford house, where two roads now intersect. This was the home of John Bradford, grandson of Governor William, and is un- doubtedly authentic, as it was traced back by the noted and accurate antiquary, Dr. Thomas B. Drew, custodian of Pilgrim Hall, in Plymouth. This house is of the style referred to in the chapter on Old Houses as built about 1700. Doctor Drew thought it was built as early as 1674, and says, by tradition, an attempt was made to burn it by the Indians during King Philip's War; and further says, in evidence of this, that charred timbers were found in the house when repairing it in the early part of the present century. Turning at this John Bradford house the road runs westerly, and after crossing a brook and the railroad intersects with the main road to Duxbury and
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KINGSTON AND GREEN HARBOR.
what was formerly the stage-road to Boston. Just before this conjunction of roads is a lane leading to the summit of a small knoll; here is the site of the house where once lived Governor Bradford and his son William. This place is marked by a large boulder which can be seen from the railroad, and a simple sign-board, bearing the following inscription, which is pre- paratory to a tablet on the stone :
This eminence is a portion of the ancient estate of Wm. Bradford, the illustrious governor of Plymouth colony, where he had a house before 1637. Here his son, the Hon. Major William Bradford, lived, and died in the year 1704. Wamsutta, the Indian chieftain, tarried here just previous to his death in 1662.
This place, comprising a quarter of an acre of land, is now the property of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, who purchased it, and had ceremonies of dedi- cation Sept. 30, 1897.
To the north of Duxbury, and just over its present line, is the adjacent territory of Green Harbor, a portion of the town of Marshfield. Here is where Gov. Edward Winslow settled as early as 1637, and some say as early as 1632. The site of his house, which is near the salt marshes, is known, and is else- where referred to as being within water communication of Ply- mouth ; this place he named Careswell, from the name of the estate of his family in England. He was one of the most dis- tinguished of the Pilgrim Fathers, and perhaps the ablest one of the number. He came from a high standing family, and with the exception of Myles Standish, was the only member of the first company who had rank above that of yeomen in England. He was generally chosen to represent the Colony
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
abroad, and during one of his sojourns there he was imprisoned for a long time, because of his religious beliefs. He was proof against all temptation to leave the service of the feeble colony, whether by flattery or bribes, till Cromwell came into power, when that great general persuaded him to take command of a large expedition sent for the conquest of the West Indias. On this expedition he died, May 8, 1655, and was buried at sea. The commission given him by the protector, something like three feet square, bearing date April 19, 1654, and a pen-and- ink portrait of Cromwell, hangs on the walls of Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth. He would probably have come back here to live had he survived the West India War and the headsman's axe of the Restoration. He is the only one of the Pilgrim Fathers whose portrait has come down to us, excepting the possibility of the one of Myles Standish previously mentioned. This Winslow portrait, together with those of Gov. Josiah Winslow, his wife Penelope, and Gen. John Winslow, and the original Winslow coat of arms from the tomb in Green Harbor, are now in possession of the Pilgrim Society and are in Pilgrim Hall at Plymouth. His son, Josiah Winslow, remained in Green Harbor and lived in his father's house, which he enlarged, and made into a sort of fort during King Philip's War, at which time he was Governor of the Colony. He continued in the office till his death, Dec. 18, 1680, when, according to the record, " He was buried on the 23d at the Colony's expense, in memory of its endeared love and affection for him." A son of this Josiah Winslow was Isaac Winslow, who built the present Winslow house about 1700, an illustration of which is
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KINGSTON AND GREEN HARBOR.
given in the chapter on Old Houses. He maintained the ability of the family, and held important offices, civil and mili- tary, in the service of the Colony ; and it was his son, Col. John Winslow, great-grandson of Gov. Edward Winslow, who has the unenviable notoriety of removing the Acadians from Nova Scotia, which has been immortalized by Longfellow. It would be outside the purpose of this account to enter into a narration of that transaction. The words and genius of Longfellow have given to the occurrence a sad and romantic interest, which will outlast any defence that might be made by those whose opinions have been softened by a study of the historical facts.
The cellar of the first house, built as early as 1637, was explored very thoroughly by Dr. Stephen Henry of Marshfield. It lies in the meadows, a few hundred feet southeast from the present house. Doctor Henry thinks it was standing till the latter part of the eighteenth century. Doctor Henry unearthed articles of pottery, tiles, etc., but the most important article that he found was a Catholic medal, or amulet, which he thinks, with good reason, belonged to one of the Acadians, as it is known that some of them came to Green Harbor with Col. John Winslow.
This ancient family is now extinct ; its last surviving member to occupy the homestead in Green Harbor was Dr. Isaac Winslow, a noted physician, who died in 1819, aged eighty ; and his grandson Isaac, who died in Boston some years since, was the last member in the male line.
Perhaps a renown greater than any connected with the early settlement has been given to this locality by its having been
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
the home of Daniel Webster. Mr. Webster came here about the year 1827, and lived in the same house to the day of his death, Oct. 24, 1852. Some of his ancestors had lived in Kingston in the early days of the Colony; he had, however, no pride of descent, having something far grander, as he could have remarked with a spirit similar to that of Napo- leon's, who dated his family from the battle of Marengo. He loved and revered the memory of the Pilgrim Colonists and, as mentioned in the preface, considered his oration at the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Landing as his greatest effort, and old people who were present on that occasion have left their testimony, that it seemed to theni as if a young Jove had descended from the clouds to speak to them, so highly gifted in mind and body did he appear in this beginning of a career that was to be devoted to expound- ing and defending the Constitution of these United States, framed in his childhood.
Aside from its historical associations, Mr. Webster was a great lover of the place and its situation. In the first quarter of the century, while journeying along the shore, he passed the house that was destined to be his future home, and was struck with the scenery, which had a sort of wild, uncultivated look, partially wooded, with an undulatory surface of small heights which afforded picturesque views of the sea and the extensive reach of marshes. Gazing upon the attractive scene, Mr. Webster said to his wife: "I am going to buy that place," and suiting the action to the word, immediately turned back and began negotiations for it, which he soon brought to
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WEBSTER HOUSE.
III
KINGSTON AND GREEN HARBOR.
a close by letting the owner name his own price. The place was owned by the Thomas family, which had from the earliest times been associated with the history of the town, but the family having been Loyalists in the Revolutionary War, part of the place had been confiscated, and the owner at that time had become involved in keeping it up, so that he was glad to sell to Mr. Webster, who offered to the old people a home in the house as long as they lived, an obligation on Mr. Webster's part which he fulfilled to the letter. While the place was a good-sized farm, Mr. Webster kept enlarging it, until he owned something over one thousand acres. This large tract he cultivated scientifically, and spoke of it with pride as his farm. He had herds of cattle of which he was very proud, having them severally named, and a short time before his death, when he was able to sit out of doors, he had them driven past him, calling each by name.
Here Mr. Webster lived during all of his leisure time from his official duties and his legal practice, and here he enter- tained his distinguished friends. Whatever were his public faults, his broad human sympathies and love of all living things were here shown in a marked degree.
" He prayeth well who loveth well Both man, and bird, and beast. He prayeth best who loveth best All things, both great and small : For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all."
Although he hunted game birds on the shore, he would allow nothing to be killed on his farm, and used to say that
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HISTORIC DUXBURY.
he never but once acted as a counsel where a life was in jeopardy, and this sole instance was the celebrated and most atrocious White murder in Salem. He was greatly beloved by all the people of Marshfield, with whom he mingled in easy familiarity. His last public speech was made to them on coming home from Washington, a few months before his death. One small extract is a key of the whole, having all the felicity of expression that is shown in his most noted addresses :
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