USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Cambridge > Historic houses and spots in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and near-by towns; > Part 4
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CHRIST CHURCH.
This church, the "Old North Church" of Longfellow's poem, is on Salem Street, opposite Hull, and was built in 1723. From the tower of this church General Gage witnessed the battle of Bunker Hill. Tablets with the following inscriptions are to be seen upon its front :
CHRIST CHURCH, 1723.
THE SIGNAL LANTERNS OF PAUL REVERE
DISPLAYED IN THE STEEPLE OF THIS CHURCH APRIL 18, 1775,
WARNED THE COUNTRY OF THE MARCH OF THE BRITISH TROOPS TO LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
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Boston.
THE OLD CORNER BOOKSTORE.
On Washington Street, corner of School, is the Old Cor- ner Bookstore, erected in 1712, and said to be the oldest brick building in Boston.
On its site there once stood the house of Anne Hutchin- son. She was banished from Massachusetts in 1637 because of her religious views. She was killed in New York by the Indians in 1643.
This building has been a bookstore since 1828, and is worthy of mention, if for no other reason, as the literary headquarters of our own most famous authors, Longfellow, Holmes, Whittier, Lowell, and Emerson, as well as of those visiting Boston from abroad.
The site of the house of John Hancock, built in 1737 by his uncle, Thomas Hancock, and demolished in 1863, is on Beacon Street, a little west of the present State House, and is marked by a tablet.
The Somerset Club House, 42 Beacon Street, occupies the site of the house once owned by the great artist, John Singleton Copley, where his son, of the same name (after- wards celebrated as Lord Lyndhurst, of England), was born.
95
Dorchester.
THE PIERCE HOUSE.
This house, built in 1635, has always been occupied by persons of the name of Pierce. It is also unique in another respect : its sides are lined with seaweed, as a better protec- tion against the arrows of the Indians, according to one authority. We suspect, however, if the whole truth were known, a desire for protection against the shafts of old Boreas might have had something to do with it. This house stands on Oak Avenue. On Washington Street stands the Barnard-Capen House, a portion of which was built in 1632. The Blake House was built in 1640, and is near Five Corners.
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Dorchester.
THE EVERETT HOUSE.
Edward Everett, the eloquent and finished orator, the profound scholar, the great statesman, seems to be of our own time and generation ; yet he was born in 1794, in Dor- chester, in a house built about 1770 by his father, the Rev. Oliver Everett, and which stands on the corner of Boston and Pond Streets.
He was professor of Greek at Harvard College 1819-25, editor of the North American Review 1819-24, member of Congress 1825-35, governor of Massachusetts 1836-40, minister to England 1841-5, president of Harvard College 1846-9, and Secretary of State 1852-3.
His Orations and Speeches are published in four volumes. It is remarkable that Edward should have attained to such fame and eminence as to completely overshadow his older brother, Alexander, who, born in 1792, entered Harvard
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THE EVERETT HOUSE.
College in 1802, in the eleventh year of his age, and, although the youngest in his class, he was graduated with the highest honors. He was a noted man of letters, and occupied many important positions under the government of the United States.
98
Milton.
THE VOSE HOUSE. (" THE BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICAN LIBERTY.")
The following inscription is now to be seen on a tablet on the Vose House. For a full text of the " Suffolk Re- solves" see Life and Times of Joseph Warren, by Richard Frothingham. These Resolves were taken to the Conti- nental Congress in Philadelphia by Paul Revere.
This interesting old house is near the bridge at Milton Lower Mills, on Adams Street, and is noticeable for the stately English elms (six in number) that surround and tower above it as if in perpetual guardianship.
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THE VOSE HOUSE.
IN THIS MANSION ON THE 9TH OF SEPT. 1774, AT A MEETING OF THE DELEGATES OF EVERY TOWN AND DISTRICT IN THE COUNTY OF SUFFOLK, THE MEMORA- BLE SUFFOLK RESOLVES WERE ADOPTED. THEY WERE REPORTED BY MAJ .- GEN. JOSEPH WARREN, WHO FELL IN THEIR DEFENCE, IN THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL, JUNE 17, 1775. THEY WERE APPROVED BY THE MEM- BERS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, AT CARPEN- TERS HALL, PHILADELPHIA, ON 17, SEPT., 1774. THE RESOLVES TO WHICH THE IMMORTAL PATRIOT HERE FIRST GAVE UTTERANCE, AND THE HEROIC DEEDS OF THAT EVENTFUL DAY ON WHICH HE FELL, LED THE WAY TO AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. POSTERITY WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT VIRTUE WHICH PRESERVED THEM FREE AND HAPPY.
But we must not stop with the Vose House, for the beau- tiful town of Milton can show several others of interest.
Following Adams Street to the summit of Milton Hill, there appears to glad eyes a vision of grandeur and beauty that must be to residents "a joy forever." The point of view is eighty feet above the Neponset, whose broad estuary extends to the bay, where one sees the shipping, the islands, and the lighthouses of Boston's fine harbor.
This inspiring view was commanded by the summer residence of Governor Thomas Hutchinson, replaced some twenty-five years ago by a modern house standing on the
IOO
MILTON.
exact site of the old mansion, Adams Street, corner of Hutchinson.
The old farmhouse and barn, built in 1743, are, however, still standing. The estate consisted originally of several hundred acres extending on the north and east to the Neponset. This place is the chief scene of The Governor's Garden, by George R. R. Rivers, and is now owned by the heirs of the late Lydia C. Russell.
Thomas Hutchinson was born in Boston in 17II, and was governor from 1771 to 1774. He was the author of a History of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, inherited large wealth from his father, and refused to live in the "ancient abode of the royal governors," the Province House, on the ground that he had a better one of his own in North Square.
THE HOUGHTON HOUSE,
built in 1680, stands in Reservation Park, and is used as a clubhouse.
THE TUCKER HOUSE,
near Brush Hill Turnpike, is of interest because of the prominence of its owner, Dr. Tucker, a surgeon in the Revolution. It is said to have been built in 1750.
IOI
Roxbury.
It has been said that Boston might well challenge almost any city in the world as to the beauty of her suburban towns and cities. Roxbury could easily claim to be among the first of these in picturesqueness.
The town became a city in 1846, and was annexed to Boston in 1867. During the Revolutionary and later wars the town furnished her full quota of both officers and men, the most prominent of the former being Generals Dearborn, Heath, and Joseph Warren.
Probably more young hearts have been made to throb with patriotic emotions by stories of the life and character of Joseph Warren than by those of any other native of the Commonwealth.
The house in which he was born is not now standing, but its site is marked by a substantial memorial house of Rox- bury puddingstone trimmed with granite. Its location is 130 Warren Street, a short distance above Dudley Street.
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Roxbury.
On the left of the front entrance is a tablet bearing the following inscription :
ON THIS SPOT STOOD A HOUSE, ERECTED IN 1720 BY JOSEPH WARREN OF BOSTON, REMARKABLE FOR BEING THE BIRTHPLACE OF GENERAL JOSEPH WARREN, HIS GRANDSON, WHO WAS KILLED ON BUNKER HILL JUNE 17, 1775.
On the right, another with the following :
JOHN WARREN, A DISTINGUISHED PHYSICIAN AND ANATOMIST, WAS ALSO BORN HERE. THE ORIGINAL MANSION BEING IN RUINS, THIS HOUSE WAS BUILT BY JOHN C. WARREN, M.D., IN 1846, SON OF THE LAST NAMED, AS A PERMANENT MEMORIAL OF THIS SPOT.
Roxbury.
103
The beautiful and conspicuous Cochituate stand-pipe, on Fort Avenue, near Highland Street, stands on the site of one of the strongest forts built by the patriots during the siege of Boston.
This site was, with one exception, the highest point of land in Roxbury. The spot is further marked by a granite monument bearing the following inscription :
ON THIS EMINENCE STOOD ROXBURY HIGH FORT,
A STRONG EARTHWORK, PLANNED BY HENRY KNOX AND JOSEPH WATERS AND ERECTED BY THE AMERICAN ARMY JUNE, 1775-CROWNING THE FAMOUS ROXBURY LINES OF INVESTMENT.
THE SIEGE OF BOSTON.
Roxbury High Fort commanded the Neck and also the road to Dedham, the depot of military supplies.
104
Jamaica Plain.
" Jamaica Plain," says Francis S. Drake, "is one of the loveliest spots in New England."
It, being a part of West Roxbury, was set off from Rox- bury in 1852, and with it is now a part of Boston. One of the most interesting old houses here is
THE LORING HOUSE.
It is a two-story house, with porticos on three sides sup- ported by fluted columns, and, with its ample and well-kept grounds, presents a most pleasing appearance. It is oppo- site the intersection of Centre and South Streets, directly opposite the Soldiers' Monument.
In May, 1775, it was the headquarters of General Greene. It is now known as the Greenough. Mansion.
Loring was born in Roxbury, held the king's commission as commodore, and did most active and efficient service, being at the capture of Quebec with General Wolfe.
105
Jamaica Plain.
THE HALLOWELL HOUSE.
The Hallowell House is on Centre Street, corner of Boyl- ston, and bears upon one of its chimneys its name and the date, 1738. During the siege of Boston' this house was taken possession of by the patriots and used as a hospital for the soldiers in camp at Roxbury.
This, coupled with the fact that he held office under the crown, leads one to infer that he was a Tory.
Visitors to this old house, which seems to have been changed somewhat in recent years, will be pleased to notice the fine buttonwoods that stand in the sidewalk in front of the estate.
106
Dedham.
THE OLD FAIRBANKS HOUSE.
We believe Dedham may well claim the possession of the quaintest old "lean-to" within the Commonwealth. The main house was built in 1636, the year of the founding of Harvard College, by John Fairbanks, who came the previ- ous year from Somerby, England, bringing with him some portions of the framework now in the house. The east wing was built to accommodate his son John, who was · married in 1641.
The house has always been the residence of some mem- ber of the Fairbanks family, its present occupant being a maiden lady of the eighth generation.
In the "best" room is a fine oil painting of Prudence Fairbanks at the age of ninety years, she being of the sev- enth generation. The inventor of the celebrated Fairbanks scales was Thaddeus, who, having been knighted by the Austrian emperor, was ever after known as Sir Thaddeus.
In one of the chambers the visitor is shown utensils that suggest with emphasis primitive times in the Colony. Among these may be mentioned an ox saddle, reminding
107
THE OLD FAIRBANKS HOUSE.
one of Priscilla, the Puritan maiden, as "through the Plymouth woods passed onward the bridal procession "; also a wicker pannier, an ancient chafing dish, a frying pan with handle four feet in length, a flintlock musket six feet in length, and old Dutch tiles with figures in blue, - a sight to make one " green with envy."
The house is on East Street, corner of Eastern Avenue. In the front wall is a tablet with the following inscription :
HOMESTEAD OF
JONATHAN FAIRBANKS, WHO, WITH HIS SONS,
JOHN, GEORGE, AND JONATHAN, JR., SIGNED THE
DEDHAM COVENANT
SEPT. IO, O. S. 1636.
108
Quincy.
THE ADAMS HOUSES.
About half a mile from the center of Quincy, in a southerly direction, on the old Plymouth road, here called Hancock Street, stands the quaint old Adams Houses, the one at the right being the birthplace of John Adams, built in 1716, as is inferred from that date on a brick in the old chimney. The other is the birthplace of his son, John Quincy Adams.
The former is now used by the Daughters of the Revolu- tion and the latter by the Quincy Historical Society.
Both these houses have inner walls, the one of burnt, the other of unburnt brick, and both are unique (so far as I know) in having no boards on the outer walls - merely clapboards fastened directly to the studding with, of course, wrought-iron nails.
The people of Quincy (a part of Braintree till 1792) take a justifiable pride in the fact that their town is the birth- place of John Hancock as well as of the Adamses.
Their admiration for the Adamses is shown in the com- memorative tablets on each side of the pulpit in the Unita- rian Church, bearing testimony to their fidelity, patriotism, and sterling character in words of highest eulogium. The remains of both the Adamses and their wives lie buried beneath the massive stone walls of this church.
109
Hingham.
Hingham (first called " Bare Cove," as indicated by its town seal) was probably settled soon after Plymouth, as the first church was erected in 1635.
The present one, on Main Street, near Derby Academy, called the "Old Ship," was built in 1681 of large timber hewn from white oak logs, even the smaller ones showing plainly the marks of the "broadaxe." It claims the remark- able distinction of being the oldest church in the United States now in use as a place of worship.
New and comfortable pews have taken the place of the old ones, but the ancient sounding-board is still here, and a part of the wood of the old pulpit remains. The roof of the old church being a four-sided pitch roof, the bell tower stands exactly over the center, which necessitates the ring- ing of the bell from within one of the pews.
At first the bell ringer stood above, and, that he might know when the minister came, an opening through the ceil- ing, covered by a pane of glass, commanded a view of the pulpit.
IIO
Hingham.
LINCOLN HOUSE.
Probably the most famous dwelling house in Hingham is the birthplace of General Benjamin Lincoln. It stands at the center of the town, on North Street, corner of Lincoln. It is known to be a very old house, though the date of its erection cannot be ascertained. It has a decidedly well-to- do air about it, which, with its pleasant location, makes a picture one does not easily tire of looking at.
General Lincoln was born in 1733 and died in 1810. He held high command under Washington, and was wounded at Bemis Heights in 1777. He was put in command of the army of the South, and, although unsuccessful at Savannah and obliged to surrender the city of Charleston, S. C., he continued to hold the respect of Washington, who appointed him to receive the sword of Cornwallis at Yorktown. The United States has upon its roll of honor few names that shine with a more enduring luster than that of Lincoln.
On the same street and next door is the Solomon Lincoln House, built before 1747.
On South Street, corner of Central, is the
THAXTER HOUSE,
very venerable in appearance, probably built about 1700. It is overshadowed by a symmetrical elm that must have belonged to the " forest primeval."
Sudbury.
III
THE WAYSIDE INN.
In Sudbury, about a mile from the Wayside Inn Station, on the Massachusetts Central Railroad, or three miles from Sudbury Village, stands to-day, in a good state of preserva- tion, the Wayside Inn immortalized by the pen of Longfellow.
It is two hundred and ten years old, and has been used for the greater part of its existence as a tavern under the name of the Red Horse. The proprietor has always been some member of the Howe family. It claims the high honor of having had both Washington and Lafayette as guests.
The chief incentive, however, to pilgrimages to this staunch, oak-framed old tavern is, and doubtless will con-
II2
THE WAYSIDE INN.
tinue to be, the fact that the poet Longfellow made it the scene of his " Tales of a Wayside Inn," whose characters, I am told, are the following :
LANDLORD
LYMAN HOWE.
STUDENT
HENRY WARE WALES.
JEW .
ISAAC EDRAELES.
SICILIAN
LUIGI MONTI.
MUSICIAN
OLE BULL.
POET
THOMAS W. PARSONS.
THEOLOGIAN
PROF. TREADWELL, or
REV. SAMUEL LONGFELLOW.
"As ancient is the hostelry As any in the land may be, Built in the old Colonial day, When men lived in a grander way With ampler hospitality ; A kind of old Hobgoblin Hall Now somewhat fallen to decay,
With weather stains upon the wall, And stairways worn and crazy doors, And creaking and uneven floors, And chimneys huge and tiled and tall.
A region it seems, A place of slumber and of dreams, Remote among the wooded hills !
Night and day the panting teams Stop under the great oaks that throw Tangles of light and shade below On roofs and doors and window-sills."
II3
Sudbury.
CAPTAIN SAMUEL WADSWORTH OF MILTON, HIS LIEUTENANT SHARP OF BROOKLINE, CAPTAIN BROCLEBANK OF ROWLEY, WITH ABOUT 26 OTHER SOULDIERS, FIGHTING FOR THE DEFENCE OF THEIR COUNTRY, WERE SLAIN BY YE INDIAN ENEMY, APRIL 18TH, 1676, LYE BURIED IN THIS PLACE.
Captain Wadsworth and his men were drawn into an ambush near South Sudbury, at a place called Green Hill, where the tablet now stands. It was erected by President Wadsworth, of Harvard College, a son of the ill-fated captain.
II4
Sudbury.
THE WALKER GARRISON HOUSE.
Since about 1660 this house, a two-story "lean-to," has stood a silent witness to the deadly enmity then, and for a long time after, existing between the white man and the Indian in the Colony ; for it was built as a place of safety for the people in King Philip's War, its walls being made of solid oak plank four inches in thickness.
This interesting old house is in the westerly part of the town, very near the Massachusetts Central Railroad, and about one-fourth of a mile from the Wayside Inn Station.
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Watertown.
THE BROWN HOUSE.
About a mile from Watertown Center, on Main Street, near Hersom, is the old Brown House, certainly the most venerable looking and probably the oldest in Watertown. There seems to be evidence that it was built in 1633. It is now and always has been occupied by families by the name of Brown. Its inner walls are of brick.
COCHRANE HOUSE.
On the river road, better known as the old Waltham road, stands the Cochrane House, built about 1725, to which some of the wounded at the Concord fight were taken.
I16
Watertown.
The Coolidge Tavern of the Revolutionary times, now known as the Brigham House, is the first on the left (No. 40 Galen Street) in crossing the bridge from Watertown toward Newton. It had the high honor of furnishing lodg- ing on one occasion to the first president of the United States, while making a tour of New England in 1789.
THIS STONE MARKS THE SITE
OF THE DWELLING HOUSE IN
WHICH GENERAL WARREN SLEPT
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.
The house that formerly stood here was known as the Marshall Towle House, and is now standing at 14 Marshall Street. It formerly stood, as the tablet indicates, on Mt. Auburn Street, corner of Marshall.
II7
Watertown.
THE OLD BRIDGE BY THE MILL CROSSED CHARLES RIVER
NEAR THIS SPOT AS EARLY AS 1641.
This tablet stands on the bridge over the Charles at Watertown.
On the left bank of the Charles River, where Stony Brook joins it, stands Norembega Tower, a picturesque and mas- sive stone structure erected at great expense by Professor Eben Norton Horsford to mark the site of the city of No- rembega. The top of the tower (reached by a circular stone stairway) commands a fine view of a portion of the Charles River valley.
Nothing could give more striking evidence of strong con- viction of the truth of his conclusions respecting the loca- tion of the "Lost Norembega" than the expenditure of money in the erection of this tower.
Upon its base are elaborate tablets appropriately inscribed.
Since the death of her father Miss Cornelia Horsford. with praiseworthy zeal, is continuing investigations to estab- lish beyond a doubt, if possible, the truth of the positions so stoutly defended by him. A remarkable stone recently discovered by her in the town of Weston, and bearing Runic inscriptions, is a possible link in the chain of evidence lead- ing thereto.
I18
Chelsea.
*
THE GOVERNOR BELLINGHAM MANSION.
This is certainly as fine a specimen of a Colonial house as one meets with in many a day's travel, and bears with dignity the name of mansion. It was undoubtedly the sum- mer residence of Governor Richard Bellingham, as he also had a very substantial house in Boston, near Pemberton Square. He came here from England in 1634, and became one of the wealthiest and most extensive landholders of the chartered company. In 1641 he became Governor, serving ten years in that capacity, and thirteen as Deputy-Governor.
He was twice married, performing in the second instance the marriage ceremony himself. For this he was prose- cuted, but escaped by refusing to leave the bench, " thus officiating at his own trial."
His sister was executed as a witch in 1656, being the second victim in America of that "absurd fanaticism." A writer of the time says " She was hanged for having more wit than her neighbors." The Bellingham House is 34 Parker Street, "Caryville." In this old house, built about 1670, the writer finds a feature that he had often read about
119
THE GOVERNOR BELLINGHAM MANSION.
and heard of but had never before seen, - a secret passage connecting the cellar with a secret chamber in the attic ! About 1749 a gentleman by the name of Carey married a Bellingham, since which time the house has been more commonly known as the Carey Mansion.
120
Chelsea.
THE PRATT HOUSE.
In all our searches for famous old country houses, rarely, if ever, have we found one more satisfying to the eye than is this, built, it is supposed, about 1660. It is a somewhat rare combination of the "gambrel roof " and the "lean-to," and is pleasing as a whole and also when studied in detail. It is numbered 481 Washington Avenue.
It was in this house that Increase Mather, - born in Dor- chester in 1639, President of Harvard College, 1684-1701, and pastor of the North Church, Boston, for sixty-two years, -took refuge from the persecutions of Governor Andros. He finally escaped to England, where he obtained a new charter for the Colony. It may be supposed that his escape to a vessel in the harbor was made easy by the close proximity of " Snake River," that has its rise almost at the very door of the house. The house has always been occu- pied by some member of the Pratt family, the present 1
I21
THE PRATT HOUSE.
representative being "aunt Rebeckah." She is a real " Daughter of the Revolution," her father being a boy in the army and afterward a Revolutionary pensioner.
In 1727 the family purchased in Boston a slave by the name of "Jack Langdon." The room under the "lean-to " where he died is pointed out to the visitor.
In a wall about Washington Park, Prattville, is a stone with an inscription marking the Barrack Grounds of Colonel Gerrish. The stone was a doorstep to a Pratt house not now standing.
I22
Salem.
The city of Salem is one of the most interesting old cities of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, apart from its objects and places of historic interest. Its citizens take a justifiable pride in the fame of her great men, both native and adopted.
Among her favorite native citizens may be mentioned Nathaniel Bowditch, born in 1773, a profound mathema- tician and translator of the Mécanique Celeste of La- place ; William H. Prescott, the historian, born in 1796; Professor Benjamin Pierce, of Harvard University, one of the greatest mathematicians of any age; Nathaniel Haw- thorne, born in 1804, July 4, at 27 Union Street; John Rogers, born in 1829, corner of Washington and Lynde Streets, a famous sculptor, noted for his groups or statuettes.
Among Salem's adopted sons may be mentioned Judge Joseph Story (his son, W. W. Story, the sculptor, was born here, 26 Winter Street, in 1819), Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford), and General James Miller, author of " I will Try, Sir " at Lundy's Lane.
All visitors to Salem, if they have an hour at their dis- posal, should visit the Peabody Museum and the Essex Institute, the pride of her citizens and evidences of their public spirit.
Here are to be seen, " without money and without price," not only a rich collection of historic bric-à-brac and curios from foreign lands (Salem being at one time the seat of the East India trade), but noteworthy collections of the local fauna, most conveniently arranged for study and compari- son, together with specimen minerals and Indian stone implements without number.
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Salem.
8 1
WARD HOUSE.
A good type of the old houses of Salem is the Ward House, built about 1684. It is near the foot of St. Peter Street, and is remarkable for its second story " overhang."
At 71 Essex Street is the Narbonne House, noticeable for its " lean-to." It was built about 1680, and well represents the houses of that time.
The house numbered 138 Federal Street was built in 1782, and has the honor of having given entertainment to both Washington and Lafayette.
I24
Salem.
THE OLD FIRST CHURCH.
This church is said to have been originally a tavern, standing well out in the road to Lynn. It was afterwards removed to Washington, corner of Essex Street, and used as a church.
It still has its original framework, but its preservation has required a new exterior covering. It is now a much visited and honored relic, and stands in the rear grounds of the Essex Institute.
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