USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > East Boston > History of East Boston; with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix > Part 48
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > East Boston > History of East Boston : with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix. > Part 48
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" Two squares were represented, Central square near the third section, and Hotel (since called Maverick) square, the lat- ter 450 by 150 feet. The Maverick House or hotel and its adjacent lot were likewise shown. The lots comprised two thirds in number of upland and one third marsh. There were three wharf lots shown, namely, the East Boston large wharf, 510 feet wide by 1,100 long (Ferry street, 70 feet wide, running through the centre), and the wharf lot of the Merchants Marine railway, 510 feet wide, also Miller's lot on the west shore, two hundred feet wide, also the corresponding upland lots pertain- ing to the above proposed railway. The centre line of Sumner street corresponded very nearly with the line of high-water mark, - the northerly end of Border street being laid out over the flats to the third section. Decatur and Bainbridge streets were rep- resented as running from the proposed Mill Pond on the east of Chelsea street across Chelsea and Meridian streets to Bor- der street, enclosing a canal between them of 180 feet wide. This canal, as well as Bainbridge street, being afterwards dis- continued and lots substituted in their places, caused an ap- parent confusion in the numbering of the lots. (This will be referred to more particularly hereafter.)
" No lots were then shown between Chelsea and Meridian streets, afterward called the second division of section two, or ' Great Marsh' lots. When the Eastern Railroad Company located their station-houses, etc., Lisbon street was discon- tinued, and Orleans street located further east, bounding east- erly on the Eastern Railroad Company's lands ; and thus the number of the lots was increased in section one, and the divis-
539
MAPS AND PLANS.
1836-40.]
ion line of the two sections was run in the centre of Orleans street.
" The westerly end of Sumner street then extended no further than Border street, and the wharf lots of Messrs. Miller, Aspin- wall, and Pratt and Cushing, had a street running down to them from Border street, half-way between Sumner and Maverick streets ; this street was afterward discontinued, and Sumner street carried westerly two hundred feet to what is now called New street, the latter being laid out in front of the above-men- tioned water lots, and running only as far as Maverick street, part of it being eighty feet wide and part forty feet, thus en- closing a new block, which was subsequently divided into lots, and numbered from 310 to 329. Marginal and Webster streets were extended across the flats north-westerly to Lewis street, by arrangements made between the East Boston Company, the Eastern Railroad Company, the Boston Sugar Refinery, and the other proprietors of lands interested ; Orleans street also being at the same time carried south-westerly to new Marginal street.
" The second plan of the section was made June 2, 1836, and represents the arrangement of the Great Marsh lots from No. 146 to 288, not including the space occupied by the canal or Bainbridge street, nor the extension of Sumner street west- erly.
" The third plan of the section, dated November 1, 1838, represented the numbers of the lots in place of Decatur and Bainbridge streets, and the canal from 289 to 309; Bainbridge street and the canal being wholly discontinued, and Decatur partly so. It also represented the Eastern Railroad Company's depot, lots, etc., on Maverick, Webster, and Sumner streets, and also the Lyman school-house lot, No. 151, and engine-house on lot 124.
" The fourth plan was dated December 10, 1840, and called supplement to section second, and shows the extension of Sum- ner street westerly, and the location of New street. Decatur street was slightly altered (between Bremen and Meridian streets) from the location shown on the plan of October 1, 1833, and subsequently relocated so as to be at right angles with Chelsea street; the westerly portion of said street remaining unaltered, although on the second plan of the section of June
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540
HISTORY.
[1835-42.
2, 1836, neither Decatur nor Bainbridge streets nor the canal in- tervening were represented, and when Decatur street was again located, it occupied the southerly parts of lots 301, 303, and 306, and the westerly parts of lots 289, 292, 295, and 298 (as shown on the fourth lithographic map of the Island, dated May 1, 1851) ; the latter part of the street being at right angles with Chelsea, and the former part at right angles with Border street.
" The numbering of the Great Marsh lots in the plans on registry follows on in order from the last number (145) of the first division of the section, as it was originally called, and commencing at 146 on Chelsea street, and leaving off at 288 on Bennington street; again commencing at 289 on Decatur street, and following up Decatur street throughout to Border street, these last numbers occupying the former location of De- catur and Bainbridge streets and Canal, as far as 309. Thence the numbers commence at 310 on Sumner street, running as far as 329; in all these cases the number of the lots follow the actual location of the alterations and new arrangements in the precise order of time.
" Section 3. - The first plan of section three was dated July 22, 1835 (this being the first recorded), although the section was originally laid off into two divisions; all west of Marion street being called Division or Part 1st, and all east thereof called Part 2d. The first part or division shows the Malleable Iron Company's lots and works, and blocks C, D, and E. The second division shows the remainder of the section as far as 287, near what is now called Knox street; also as far as 310 on Eagle and Meridian streets; also 311 on Chelsea street to 333 on Lexington and Eagle streets.
" This plan represented Border street as running easterly to Chelsea street, and also the block known as the Public Garden; all of these lots in section three were upland lots, and mostly one hundred feet square. The larger part of Central square was included in the section, containing about 3} acres. Parts of lots 331, 332, and 333, and 328, were subsequently cut off by the extension of Eagle street from Lexington to Chelsea street.
" The Public Garden was shown on the plan dated Novem- ber 23, 1842, and numbered from 334 to 381, regularly. The
541
MAPS AND PLANS.
1838.]
lots on the north side of Eagle hill, beyond the first range of lots on Eagle street, are shown on plan dated October 28, 1846, and called 'supplement to section third.' That part of Border street easterly of Meridian street was altered so as to be parallel with Eagle street (running as far as Knox street only), and called Condor street; and a new street, called Falcon street, was also located half-way between said Condor and Eagle street, and corresponding numbers from 382 to 450 placed thereon, being upland lots. The water lots on Chelsea creek, between Knox street and the (old) Chelsea free bridge, were laid out on a plan dated October 16, 1847, including parts of sections three and four, there being seven lots in section three and sixteen in section four. It also represented the wharf lot of the Glendon Rolling Mill.
" A complete plan of this section was made June 15, 1854, showing (in addition) the subdivisions of lot 266 and of block A, for the No. 5 dividend of the company. It also showed the arrangement of the water lots between Knox street and Border street, on Chelsea creek; also the boundary line of the harbor commissioners on the creek. Meridian street was so called from the fact of its having been laid out so as to very nearly coincide with the true north line or meridian. The plan of the 'easterly end of section third' was dated June 15, 1854, and shows the slight alterations of lots Nos. 328, 329, and 333, consequent on the extension of Eagle to Chelsea street on the south side.
" Section 4. - The first plan of this section (called Middle Farm) was dated August 28, 1838, and represented lots from No. 1 up to 418, all being east of the route of the Eastern Rail- road Company, -two thirds of them being upland, and one third marsh. This plan showed the cemetery lot, 450 by 350 feet, at the corner of Bennington and Swift streets. The centre street of the section, Saratoga street, has been continued across the creek to Breed's island (mostly at the expense of the East Boston Company), and makes a solid structure, forming, with the corresponding one of the Eastern Railroad Company on the west, a large pond or mill-pond between. The lots be- tween Chelsea street and the Eastern Railway, including lots No. 419 to 451, and the slight rearrangement of lots between
46
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542
HISTORY.
[1834.
Byron and Moore streets, from No. 78 to 94, are shown on plan of ' supplement to section four,' dated September 10, 1845. The second 'supplement to section four,' dated June 15, 1854, shows the addition of lots between Harmony and Moore streets, from No. 513 to No. 536.
" Section 5. - The first plan of section five was dated No- vember 22, 1842, and shows the arrangement of lots between Chelsea and Bremen streets from lot No. 1 to 81, nearly all being marsh lots. The second plan was dated March 11, 1845, entitled ' supplement to section fifth,' and embraced all the lots east of the Eastern Railroad as far as Cottage street, from No. 82 to 459, two thirds being marsh and the rest flats.
Memoranda of Details respecting the general or lithographic Maps of the Island.
" The first lithographic map of East Boston was dated Sept. 1, 1834, and represented sections one, two, and three only, that is to say, the upland of section one, all of section two west of Meridian street, and all of section three north of Bennington and Chelsea streets, and in each showing whatever of improvement had been made or proposed to that time, -the remainder of the Island not being as yet divided into lots.
" In section one the water lots of Messrs. Adams, and of Rip- ley and Lock only, were. shown. That part of the flats be- tween Chelsea street on the west, West Wood island on the north, and section one on the south, was proposed to be en- closed on the east by a mill-dam, running from near the east- erly end of Sumner street and the easterly end of West Wood island ; and being about 3,700 feet in length, thus enclosing a large amount of flats (since called the 'Basin lots'), which, when the tide was full, might be used for a tide mill-pond. From this mill-pond there were two canals, leading, one 140 wide between Bremen and Orleans streets, southerly from De- catur street, and across Maverick and Sumner streets to the channel just east of the present location of the Boston Sugar Refinery ; the other canal, 180 feet wide, leading westerly across Chelsea, Meridian, and Border streets, and continued also across the flats one thousand feet further, and corresponding mill sites
543
GENERAL MAPS.
1837.]
on each side thereof. West of Border street and south of the proposed mill sites was located the site of the East Boston and Niagara Timber Company. When the first-mentioned canal was given up, Lisbon street (one block east of what was then Or- leans) was discontinued, and Orleans street located further east.
" In the second section the East Boston large wharf was shown as running southerly 1,100 feet from Sumner street, from opposite the centre of Hotel square. At the termination of said wharf was the East Boston ferry landing, having, at that time, but one slip and drop. The landing in the city proper was at the north-east corner (or end) of Lewis' wharf, and the distance across, from drop to drop, 1,800 feet. The wharf lots of the Boston Sugar Refinery, the East Boston and Niagara Timber Company, the Merchants Marine Railway, and of Messrs. Tuttle, Allen, Aspinwall, Pratt and Cushing and Miller, were also shown on this map. There was a small steamboat pier or boat landing, four hundred feet long, running from the present location of the corner of Sumner and New streets, and used for a landing-place previous to the completion of the pres- ent ferry wharf. The suspension railway was located over the marsh a little easterly of Meridian street and nearly parallel thereto, being about 1,800 feet long, running from Hotel square to near Central square.
" The third section exhibited no water lots except that of Messrs. Bates and Company. Chelsea street was laid out sev- enty feet wide throughout its entire length of 7,100 feet, from Hotel square to the easterly end of the (old) Chelsea free bridge ; this bridge was constructed across Chelsea creek at this point, and was 650 feet long and 36 feet wide, and had two piers; it was also connected on the Chelsea side with the new road across the marsh, leading to the Salem turnpike.
" The second lithographie map was made July 1, 1837, and represented not only the lots and streets, but also all the dwell- ing-houses and other improvements, and distinguished the sold from the unsold lots. There were twenty-five houses in section one, forty in section two, and forty-five in section three; also the Sugar Refinery buildings in section second, and the Mave- rick House, and the Malleable Iron Company's works in sec-
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544
HISTORY.
[1844-51.
tion three. There had been fourteen water lots sold in section one, ten in section two, and ten in section three.
" The Eastern Railroad had located their station-houses east- erly of the East Boston Ferry wharf, and between Bremen and Orleans and Decatur streets, as well as occupied (for their track) a strip of land fifty feet wide from Decatur street easterly throughout the length of the Island to Chelsea creek. About twenty wharves had been actually constructed and used. . Only four sections, at this time, had been laid out into lots. The city of Boston did not own any lands for school or engine- houses, and none of the streets had been accepted.
" The third lithographic map was made in June, 1844, and rep- resented the Island as divided into five sections, showing also the additions to section one, of the lots on Everett and Mave- rick streets, and the straightening or extension of Marginal and Webster streets to the East Boston Ferry wharf; also the new wharves pertaining to the Cunard steamships' lot, and also the depot and wharf of the Eastern Railroad Company.
" It also showed the change of location on the Boston side of the ferry company's slips and drops from Lewis' wharf to that of the Eastern Railroad Company's wharf on Commercial street ; also in the third section of the division of the Public Garden into lots, and of Chelsea creek water front into water lots. It also exhibited one water lot as sold in section four.
" The fourth lithographic map was made May 1, 1851, and shows the Island divided into six sections, covering all the com- pany's upland and marsh land, and part of their flats. This is the most complete plan of the improvements at East Boston that has yet been made, exhibiting not only the land and water lots, but all the buildings (including the dwelling-houses), and machine shops, foundries, ship-yards, graving docks, floating dry docks, school-houses, engine-houses, churches, flour-mills, and the reservoir on Eagle hill (as more particularly shown in a col- umn of references placed upon part of the map). This map showed a much larger rate of increase for the seven years pre- ceding than of any other period. To be a little more minute, this map exhibited the Grand Junction Company's improve- ments in section one, and the buildings of the United States
545
GENERAL MAPS.
1851.]
bonded warehouses on the Cunard wharf; and in section two it showed the increase in the accommodations of the East Boston Ferry Company, by the addition, on the East Boston side, of a drop and slip of larger dimensions than any heretofore used ; also the construction of the flour-mill on Lombard's wharf, west of the ferry ; and of Tufts' machine shop on the same wharf; and also in section three of the location of the water reservoir on Eagle hill, between Brooks, Putnam, and White streets (embracing lots 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, and 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, and 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, and 302).
" The water was brought in iron pipes from the city proper through Charlestown and Chelsea, across Chelsea creek, up Brooks street, the top of the reservoir being about 100 feet above high-water mark, and the lot itself being 570 feet by 387-2.
" The Glendon Rolling Mill, on Eagle and Knox streets, was also shown on this map, although constructed four or five years previously.
" In section one a new street, called Lamson street, was laid out from Belmont square to Maverick street, also Henry (in place of Hotel) street, and Winthrop street, leading from Mave- rick square.
" In section five a permanent sea-wall had been constructed, leading from the first section to West Wood Island; which, together with East Wood island and the adjacent marsh, had been laid out into streets and lots ; (although these latter have not yet been recorded at the registry of deeds ;) and all was called section six, embracing numbers from 1 to 608, -two thirds of which were upland. Since the year 1851 no new map has been made.
" A new free bridge has been constructed across the mouth of Chelsea creek, and running from the north end of Meridian street to the south end of Pearl street in the town of Chelsea, a distance of 1,512 feet. The bridge is 40 feet wide, having a turning draw at the channel 173 feet in length, with a water passage of 60 feet on each side of the centre piers, of which there are two, respectively of 107 and 124 feet in length. The cost of this bridge, including piers, was $58,000, and exclusive of land damages of about $4,000.
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546
HISTORY.
[1858.
Grades of Streets, &c.
" The original outline of the Island embraced one hill about seventy feet high, in section one, called Camp hill, Webster street running longitudinally over it; the present grade of the street is about fifteen feet lower than the top, originally, - Belmont square being upon said point. The grades of the streets conform to this first grade, from a point four feet above high-water mark.
" In section two, another eminence, called Smith's hill, about 35 feet high, was found, which, however, has been entirely cut down, so that the highest grade of any of the streets in this sec- tion is nine feet above high-water mark, sloping down to four or five feet above.
" Section three was principally formed of the rising ground called Eagle hill (or West head), and originally was 95 feet high. When the reservoir was constructed on White street, the grade of the streets generally conformed to that, so that at the highest part of the hill (which was at the corner of Brooks and Eagle streets) the cutting down has been about 25 feet, - the corner of White and Eagle streets forming the highest graded part of the Island. Most of the streets in sections one, two, and three, have been graded to the proper extent; in sec- tion four but partially so.
" In section four, called ' Middle farm' on the old maps of the island, the ground rises into one principal hill west of Saratoga street, of about seventy feet high. The established grade of the streets will reduce this ten feet lower.
" In section five the land is principally marsh, and but two or three of the streets are constructed or graded.
" In section six, comprising East and West Wood islands and the intervening marsh, the streets and lots have been only proposed, not yet located on the ground or established. East Wood island comprises an area of 22} acres of upland, the highest point of which is about 25 feet above high-water mark. West Wood island comprises about 172 acres of upland; the highest point of which is about 35 or 40 feet above high-water mark. No improvements (except the construction of Prescott street across the marsh) have been made upon either of these islands.
547
HARBOR LINES.
1840-56.]
Harbor Lines.
" The first line established by order of the legislature was in the year 1840; and commenced at a point opposite the easterly end of Sumner street in section one, and ran outside of the first, second, and third sections, as far as the mouth of Chelsea creek.
" The second line was established in the year 1849, commenc- ing at the northerly termination of the first line (above), and running up Chelsea Creek upon each side as far as the first (or old) Chelsea free bridge.
" The third line was established in the year 1856, commencing at the easterly termination of the first harbor line (above), and running easterly or northerly across the flats of section one, four, five, and six, towards Breed's Island, thus completing the harbor commissioner's boundary line on the entire water front of the island."
A tabular view of the different plans of the East Boston Company will form an appropriate addition to the valuable paper of Mr. Noble above given.
LIST OF PLANS OF THE EAST BOSTON COMPANY.
Whose Plan.
Sect.
Liber.
When Recorded.
Month.
Day.
Year.
S. P. Fuller R. H. Eddy
1 & 2
Oct.
1 1833
377
April
1834
3
July
2 183
401
Feb.
1836
1
June
66
1836
406
June
Old Number
Nov.
1
1838
443
April
1839
66
66
Supplement
Dec.
10
1840
464
Feb.
1841
1
Marginal Street
Sep.
29
1842
488
Sept.
1842
66
5
Nov.
23
492
Nov.
66
3
Public Garden Lots
66
66
492
66
4
Aug.
28
1838
494
abt. Jan. 1843
Supplement
Mar.
11
1845
540
March
1845
66
4
Sep.
10
550
Sept.
66
66
3
66
Oct.
28
1846
569
abt. Nov.
1846
66
3 &4
Water Lots
Noble & Gould
4
Supplement *2
June
15
1854
663
3
New Plan
677
66
2
New Number
Part of New Street
Aug.
6
1841
472
Aug.
S
y
st
e
1848
16
1847
590
May
er tt
se
%
Date.
66
406
5
CHAPTER XVI.
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS.
FERRIES.
IN the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Boston, October 15, 1832, was presented a petition of William H. Sumner, Stephen White, Francis J. Oliver, and others, proprie- tors of Noddle's Island, praying that a ferry be established between that Island and the other parts of the city. Up to this time the only means of communication with East Boston had been sail and row-boats. Public notice of the petition was given, and all persons interested were notified to appear on November 5, when any objections to the granting of this petition would be heard. Accordingly, Francis B. Fay, William H. Gardner, and Washington P. Gragg, trustees of the Winnisimet Ferry Company and Land in Chelsea, filed their remonstrance against the said petition. It was urged by the remonstrants, that the establishment of a ferry by the petitioners would not only injure their property in the ferry and land in Chelsea, but would trample upon rights solely belonging to them by the early char- ters. The grants upon which the Winnisimet Ferry Company claimed the exclusive right to run a ferry to Noddle's Island were as follows : -
On the 9th of November, 1630, " it was ordered that whoso- ever shall first give in his name to Mr. Governor that he will sett upp a ferry betwixt Boston and Charlton, and shall begin the same at such tyme as the Governor shall appoynt, shall have 1ª for every person, and 1ª for every 100 weight of goods hee shall soe transport." - Court Rec. I. p. 165.
On the 18th of May, 1631, Thomas Williams undertook "to sett upp a ferry betwixt Winnetsemet and Charlton, for which he is to have after 3ª a person, and from Winnetsemet to Bos- ton 4ª a person."
549
THE EARLY FERRY GRANTS.
In June of the same year, Edward Converse " sett upp a Ferry betwixt Charlton and Boston." His terms of transporta- tion were "2d for every single person, and 1ª a peece if there be 2 or more."
In 1633 the general court allowed Mr. Richard Browne to keep a ferry over Charles river against his house, with the same rates of fare established by Converse.
On the 14th of May, 1634, the people of Winnisimet were allowed the privilege of joining themselves either to Charles- town or to Boston before the meeting of the next general court, to be held on the first Wednesday in September, or else by that time to be joined to one of those towns by the court. As the inhabitants would not choose for themselves which town they preferred to belong to, on the 3d of September, 1634, it was ordered by the court, "that Wynetsemet shall belong to Boston, and to be accompted as part of that town."
On Sept. 3, 1634, the ferry at Winnisimet was granted to Samuel Maverick, and his heirs and assigns forever; " and it is agreed that the Court from tyme to tyme appoynt what shall be payd for the transportation of one alone, and what for two or more, both to Boston & Charlton."
On May 6th, 1635, it was " ordered that there shalbe a ferry sett upp on Boston syde by the wynd mill hill to transport men to Charlton & Wenesemet upon the same rates that the ferry men at Charlton & Wenesemet transport men to Boston."
Edward Converse, who in 1631 " sett upp a Ferry betwixt Charlton & Boston," was "admonished to bee more careful of the ferry, & enjoyned to man two boates, one to lye on the one side, and the other on the other side," etc.
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