USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Saugus > History of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts: including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscot, and Nahant > Part 7
USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Nahant > History of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts: including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscot, and Nahant > Part 7
USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Lynnfield > History of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts: including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscot, and Nahant > Part 7
USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Swampscott > History of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts: including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscot, and Nahant > Part 7
USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Lynn > History of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts: including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscot, and Nahant > Part 7
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64
The eminences in different parts of the town, furnish a great variety of pleasing prospects. High Rock, near the centre of the town, is an abrupt cliff, one hundred and seventy feet in ยท height. The view from this rock is very extensive and beauti- ful. On the east is the pleasant village of Swampscot, with its cluster of slender masts, and its beaches covered with boats - Baker's island with its light - the white towers of Marblehead - and the distant headland of Cape Ann. On the right is Bunker Hill, with its obelisk of granite- the majestic dome, and the lofty spires of Boston-the beautiful green islands, with the forts and light houses in the Bay -and far beyond, the Blue
RESIDENCE OF ISAAC NEWHALL, ESQ., Marianna Street, near Chatham, Lynn, Mass. Sketched 'by J. Sheldon,
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TOPOGRAPHY AND PHENOMENA.
Hills, softly mingling with the sky. On the north is a vast range of hill and forest, above which rises the misty summit of Wachusett. Before you is the town of Lynn, with its white houses and green trees - the rail-road cars gliding as if by magic across the landscape- the Long Beach, stretching out in its beauty - the dark rocks of Nahant, crowned with roman- tic cottages - Egg Rock, in its solitary dignity -and the vast ocean, spreading out in its interminable grandeur. There too may be seen a hundred dories of the fishermen, skimming lightly over the waves-the Swampscot, jiggers, bounding like sea birds over the billows-a hundred ships, ploughing the deep waters - and the mighty steamers wending their way to and from England. The whole is a splendid panorama of the mag- nificent Bay of Massachusetts.
. Lover's Leap is a beautiful and romantic elevation near the northern end of Grove street, and a mile northwest from High Rock. It is a steep cliff, on the side of a hill clothed with wood, one hundred and thirty-three feet in height - that is, thirty-three feet to the base of the hill, and one hundred feet above. It furnishes a pleasant view of a large portion of the town.
Pine Hill is half a mile west from Lover's Leap. It is two hundred and twenty-four feet in height. The southwestern extremity of this hill is called Sadler's Rock, which is one hun- dred and sixty-six feet high. A small distance northward of this, is a cliff, by the road side, which was struck by lightning in 1807, when a portion of the rock, about 12 tons weight, was split off, and thrown nearly two hundred feet; the bolt leaving its deep traces down the side of the rock. A few rods beyond, where the road is crossed by a brook, is a flat rock, in which is im- pressed the print of a cloven foot, apparently that of a cow or moose. A stone, lying near, bears the deep impress of a child's feet.
Sagamore Hill is a very pleasant eminence at the northern end of Long Beach, sixty-six feet in height. It slopes to the harbor on one side, and to the ocean on the other, and has the town lying beautifully in the back ground. [Since this was written Sagamore Hill has become covered by residences, some of them very fine, and affording charming landscape and marine views.] Half a mile eastward is Red Rock, which forms a very
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HISTORY OF LYNN.
pretty little promontory in the ocean. Many spots in the hills and forests of Lynn are beautifully wild and romantic. There is a delightful walk on the eastern bank of Saugus River, which passes through one of the loveliest pine groves imaginable. On the eastern side of this river also is the Pirates' Glen, respecting which a legend will be found under date 1658. The view from Round Hill, in Saugus, is delightful.
There are seven ponds in Lynn, several of which are large, having the appearance of little lakes. Their names are Cedar - Tomlins's - Flax -Lily - Floating Bridge - Phillips's - In- galls's. And there is Bear Pond, on Nahant. The first three of these are connected with Saugus River by Strawberry. Brook, on which are many mills and factories. The margins of some of these lakes are very pleasant, and will probably, at some more tasteful period, be adorned with beautiful villas and delightful cottages. The water in Tomlins's Pond is sixty feet above the ocean. Floating Bridge Pond is crossed by a bridge which floats on the water. It is four hundred and fifty-six feet in length, and is quite a curiosity, reminding one of the Persian bridge of boats across the Hellespont.
Springs are abundant -some of them exceedingly cold and pure, and good water is easily obtained. [William Wood, the early Lynn settler and author of New England's Prospect, be- fore alluded to, was delighted with the water hereabout. He says, "it is farr different from the waters of England, being not so sharp but of a fatter substance, and of a more jettie color ; it is thought there can be no better water in the world; yet dare I not prefer it before good beere, as some have done; but any man will choose it before bad beere, whey, or buttermilk."] There are several fine springs at Nahant, particularly North Spring, which is remarkably cold, flowing from an aperture beneath a cliff, into which the sun never shines. [See page 63, for notice of recent improvements in this neighborhood.] One of the early inhabitants of Nahant, having a violent fever, asked for water, which, as usual in such cases, was denied him ; but, watching an opportunity, he escaped from his bed, ran half a mile to this spring, drank as much water as he wanted, and immediately recovered. A curious boiling spring, called Hol- yoke Spring, surrounded by willows, is found in a meadow,
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TOPOGRAPHY AND PHENOMENA.
near the western end of Holyoke street. Another boiling spring may be seen in the clay meadow, near the centre of Sau- gus. There is also a mineral spring in the western part of that town, near the Malden line. .
[But the most noted mineral spring in this region is that near the eastern border of the town, on the margin of Spring Pond, which lies within the limits of Salem. The waters are impregnated with iron and sulphur, and were formerly much esteemed for their good effects in scorbutic and pulmonary affec- tions. It has been popularly called the Red Spring, its waters having a reddish hue, imparted, probably, by the iron. About the close of century 1600, Dr. John Caspar Richter van Crown- inscheldt, purchased the adjacent lands and settled on them, directing his attention chiefly to farming. He was a gentleman widely known and of good reputation. The present prominent Crowninshield family descended from him. At his romantic retreat eminent personages were sometimes entertained. The celebrated Cotton Mather, among others, visited him, partook of the waters of the spring, and in one of his elaborate works extols their virtues. The situation is delightful. The little lake, which has received the pretty name of Lynnmere, nestles so cozily and smiles so brightly between the thickly wooded hills that it might almost be imagined there had been a compact that it should be shielded from the wild winds that would agitate its bosom, in return for the refreshing exhalations it might send up to renovate the drooping foliage. Upon the western bank, which rises gracefully to a considerable height, was erect- ed, in 1810, the edifice long known as Lynn Mineral Spring Hotel. It was a favorite summer resort; and no inland retreat could be more charming. There was fishing in the pond, fowl- ing in the woods, and beautiful drives in all directions.
[In 1847, Richard S. Fay, Esq., purchased the estate and also many acres of the adjoining territory, and made his summer residence there. A very large number of foreign trees have been planted ; England and France are represented; the Black Forest of Germany ; and even Russia and Siberia. There is a pleasing variety of grove and lawn, pasture and arable ground, woodland and meadow. And altogether the landscape is one of uncommon freshness and vigor. In traversing the grounds
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"HISTORY OF LYNN.
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one is forcibly reminded of feudal days and baronial domains. And if the ivyed walls of an ancient castle could be discerned peering from some rocky crest across the lake, the illusion might be complete. There are various historical facts of inter- est connected with this pleasant locality, some of which will be alluded to under dates 1676, 1682, and 1700. At the last date Dr. Crowninscheldt bought the estate of Elizabeth Allen, of Salem, which must have lain near his previous purchase, and which gave him quite an extensive area. Or else a mistake has prevailed as to the date of his settlement here, and her deed indicates the period of his first coming. The deed men- tions buildings, and hence the inference that there were settlers somewhere in the vicinity of the Pond before the time of its date. Mr. Lewis elsewhere remarks that Dr. Crowninscheldt, who was a German, as his name indicates, was the first white man who settled at the Spring, having built a cottage there, about the year 1690; and adds that at the time he wrote, (1844) several of the old apple trees, planted by him, were still stand- ing in the garden.]
Lynn furnishes an admirable study for the geologist. The northern part of the town abounds with rocky hills, composed of porphyry, greenstone, and sienite. Porphyry commences at Red Rock, and passing through the town in a curve toward the northwest, forms a range of hills, including High Rock, Lover's Leap, and Sadler's Rock. The term porphyry is derived from a Greek word signifying purple. It is composed of feldspar and quartz, and is of various colors - purple, red, gray, brown, and black. It gives fire with steel, and is susceptible of a high polish; the best specimens being very beautiful, equalling the porphyry of the ancients. The western portion of the town comprises ledges and hills of brecciated porphyry ; that is, por- phyry which has been broken into fragments, and then cemented by a fluid. The porphyry formation continues on through Sau- gus. Near the Pirates' Glen is a ledge, which is being disinte- grated into very coarse gravel, having the appearance of pumice or rotten stone. Specimens of clinkstone porphyry are found, which, when struck, give out a metallic sound. At Lover's Leap, and elsewhere, the porphyry seems to be subsiding into fine hornstone. At Sadler's Rock, it is of a very delicate purple.
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BRICHER-RUSSELL:SC-BUSTON
LYNNMERE, Country Residence of RICHARD S. FAY, EsQ. 1864. (See page 71.)
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TOPOGRAPHY AND PHENOMENA.
The hills in the eastern section of the town, including the ledges and cliffs at Swampscot, consist of a coarse-grained greenstone, composed of hornblende and feldspar. In opening these ledges, dendrites of manganese have been found, beauti- fully disposed in the form of trees and shrubs. [I have found numbers of very fine ones, in the vicinity of Sadler's Rock; some of them so striking as almost to induce the belief that nature had in some mysterious way been operating by the pho- tographic process.] This tract of greenstone extends through the town, north of the porphyry hills. In many places it is beautifully veined with quartz, and other substances. A little north from the Iron Works, in Saugus, is a great ledge by the roadside, with a singular vein passing through it, having the appearance of a flight of stairs. On the eastern bank of the river, southward from the Iron Works, is a wild, tremendous ledge, from which many vast fragments have fallen, and others seem ready to topple on the head of the beholder.
The northern section of the town comprises fine beds of sie- nite, of a grayish color, composed of feldspar, hornblende, and quartz. It has its name from Siena, in Egypt. It is found in great variety, from very fine to very coarse, and is used for building, and for mill-stones. From the presence of iron ore, it frequently attracts the compass, and occasions much difficulty in surveying. At one place in the Lynn woods, the north end of the needle pointed south; and at another, it went round forty times in a minute.
Granite occurs, but chiefly in roundish masses, or boulders, composed of feldspar, quartz, and mica. It is not so frequent as formerly, the best specimens having been used for building. It is remarkable, that nearly all these boulders appear to have been brought, by a strong flood from a considerable distance north; and many of them were left in very peculiar and some- times surprising positions, on the tops of the highest hills and ledges. One of these, near the Salem line, rested on the angu- lar point of a rock, and was a great curiosity, until that rage for destructiveness, which exists in some people, caused it to be blown down by powder. Another boulder, fourteen feet in diameter, weighing full one hundred and thirty tons, lay on the very summit of the cliff next east from Sadler's Rock. It appear- G
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HISTORY OF LYNN.
ed to repose so loosely that a strong wind might rock it; yet it required fifteen men, with levers, to roll it down. [And this may have been the rock that tradition avers the enterprising proprietor of the land had discharged from its ancient resting place, by offering a certain quantity of rum for its removal. And the fifteen alluded to may have been the jolly topers who undertook the job. Near the foot of the hill the ponderous mass formed an indentation that operated usefully as a. reser- voir, supplying the neighborhood, for many years, with excellent water.] A boulder of breccia, on the boundary line between Lynn and Saugus, rests on a ledge of breccia of a different character, and appears to have been removed from its original situation in the north. It is twelve feet in diameter, weighing eighty-three tons. On this line also is a still greater curiosity - a vast rock of greenstone, which appears to have been brought from its bed in the north, and placed on the summit of a hill, where it forms a very picturesque object. It was originally sixteen feet in diameter, weighing two hundred tons; but sev- eral large portions have been detached, either by frost or light- ning, perhaps both. It must have been a tremendous torrent, which could have removed rocks of such magnitude, and placed them on such elevations. [May not such phenomena be referred to the glacier period?] Many boulders of granite now lie on the summit of Little Nahant. The cliffs at this place are green- stone. A conglomerate rock, or boulder of breccia, of a very peculiar character, lies in the tide, on the south side of Little Nahant. It is a spheroid, eighteen feet in diameter, weighing two hundred and sixty tons. Its singular disposition of colors renders it a great curiosity.
The western and southern portions of Great Nahant are com- posed of fine and coarse grained greenstones, and greenstone porphyry. The hills and ledges on the northern side are sienite ; and on the northeast, they are a coarse-grained greenstone, blending into sienite. The southeastern portion is composed of stratified rocks of argillaceous limestone, and argillaceous slate, variously combined, and traversed by immense veins of greenstone. The rocks, in this part, present a very peculiar appearance, both in their combination and disposition ; consist- ing of immense masses, and irregular fragments, cracked and
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TOPOGRAPHY AND PHENOMENA.
broken in every direction. Were we to suppose a portion of one of the asteroids, in an ignited state, to have been precipita- ted through the atmosphere, from the southeast, and striking the earth in an angle of forty degrees, to have been shivered into an infinite number of fragments, it would probably present the appearance which Nahant now exhibits. There must have been some tremendous up-heaving to have produced such re- sults ; and it is not improbable that a volcano has more than once been busy among the foundations of Nahant.
On the northern shore is a vast ledge of pure hornblende, so very black and shining as to have deceived early voyagers and founders into the belief that it was a mine of iron ore. A very curious vein of fine greenstone, two inches in thickness, passes through this ledge, for more than two hundred feet, in a direc- tion from southeast to northwest. Eastward from this, the rock is traversed by veins of various colors, and in different direc- tions ; evidently produced by the action of fire. The primitive rock appears to have been strongly heated, and to have cracked in cooling. A fissure was thus formed, through which a liquid mass was erupted, which again heated the rock, and as it cooled, formed another fissure in a transverse direction. This was filled by a third substance ; a similar process followed; and the orig- inal rock, and the preceding veins, were traversed by a fourth formation.
At Nahant are found porphyry, gneiss, and hornstone. It also presents regular strata of foliated feldspar; and, perhaps, the only instance in New England, in which trap rock exhibits such parallel divisions. Here also are found jasper, chalcedony, and agate ; with prase, prehnite, chert, chlorite, datholite, dolomite, quartz, epidote, rhomb spar, carbonate of lime, and lignified as- bestos. At Crystal Beach are fine specimens of crystalized corundum, probably the only locality of this mineral in the United States. These crystals are in six-sided prisms, termin- ated by hexagonal pyramids, half an inch in diameter, and from two to five inches in length, single and in clusters. Swallows' Cave is composed of greenstone ; Pulpit Rock of argillaceous slate ; Castle Rock of greenstone; Egg Rock of compact feld- spar. Mineral teeth are formed by the fusion of pure feldspar.
In Saugus are found most of the rocks common to Lynn.
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HISTORY OF LYNN.
Here are rocks of red and green jasper, with antimony and bog iron ore in abundance. An account of the Iron Works anciently established here, will be found in the following pages. Lead ore has also been discovered in the western part of the town. In the northern part, sulphate of iron is found. Extensive beds of very fine clay exist near the centre of the town, which have been wrought into pottery. In 1830, a very singular discovery was made near the old tavern on the west of Saugus River. It consisted of a mass of very fine and beautiful blue sand, which lay in a hard gravel bed, about one foot below the surface. There were about eight quarts of it. This sand has a very sharp grit, yet it is as fine as can easily be imagined, and as blue as the bluest pigment. Viewed through a magnifying glass, it appears bright and sparkling, like the finest possible particles of silver. At Lynnfield, an extensive quarry of serpen- tine has been opened.
A large portion of Lynn bears strong evidence both of allu- vial and diluvial formations. That part between the porphyry hills and the harbor, is chiefly composed of strata of sand, clay, and gravel, covered by loam and soil. The clay and gravel vary in thickness from two to fifteen feet. On the borders of Saugus River are extensive tracts of salt marsh, the mud of which is from two to twenty feet in depth; and it is probable that this portion was once covered by the ocean. There are also evidences that a much larger quantity of water has at some time been discharged by the Saugus River; and this accords with an Indian tradition. Just above the Iron Works, the river diverges toward the west; but a great valley continues toward the north. Whoever is curious to trace this valley several miles, may be satisfied that a great flood has at some time passed through it; and perhaps it was this torrent which brought the boulders, and swept down the soil which now con- stitutes the bed of the marshes.
These great tracts of marsh, called by the first settlers Rum- ney Marsh, are in Lynn, Saugus, and Chelsea. They lie be- tween the porphyry hills and the sea, and are about a mile in breadth, and nearly three miles in extent. The western portion of these marshes are protected by Chelsea Beach, a long ridge of sand which has been thrown up by the tide, and lies against
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TOPOGRAPHY AND PHENOMENA.
their southern margin. The eastern section is defended from the sea by the Lynn Beach, which lies a mile distant, with the harbor inside. Throughout this region of marsh are trunks of great trees, chiefly pines, imbedded from two to four feet be- neath the surface, and in a good state of preservation. The salt water frequently covers these marshes from two to three feet. Many of these trees lie in a direction from north to south, as if they had been blown down by a strong north wind, on the spot where they grew. . But that is probably the direction in which they would have been deposited, if brought down by a great northern current. Others lie in different directions. If we suppose these trees to have grown where they now lie, we 'have the singular anomaly of a vast forest of great trees, grow- ing from two to six feet below the high tides of salt water. Nor will it assist us any to suppose that this forest was protected from the sea by a great ridge or beach; for a river comes down from the north, and they must then have grown at a greater depth beneath fresh water. The probability that they were brought from their original forest by a great northern current, is strengthened by the fact that on the west of these marshes is a great region of mounds of sand and gravel, from twenty to one hundred feet in height, in digging through which, portions of trees have been found. Another fact will be interesting to the geologist, that though all the neighboring hills are covered with trees, these mounds, though clothed with grass, are desti- tute of foliage; and William Wood, more than two centuries ago, describes them as "upland grass, without tree or shrub."
An alluvion commences at Humfrey's Beach, and passes up Stacey's Brook, beneath which is another fine stratum of clay. In this tract are some rich peat meadows, which were formerly ponds. The peat is a formation of decomposed vegetables, and is dug by a kind of long spade, which cuts it into regular solids, about four inches square, and two feet in length. It is then piled and dried for fuel, and produces a constant and intense heat. A meadow between Fayette and Chatham streets, con- tains an alluvial deposit of rich black soil, twelve feet in depth. In digging to the depth of three feet, the trunk of a large oak was found; and at the depth of six feet, a stratum of leaves and burnt wood. In various other places, the fallen trunks of great G*
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HISTORY OF LYNN.
trees have been found, from three to six feet below the surface, with large trees growing above them. In the north part of Lynn, and in Saugus, are several large swamps, remarkable for the great depth of vegetable matter, and for the wonderful pres- ervation of wood in them. Many acres of these swamps have been cleared, and several hundred cords of wood taken from them, and charred into good coal. And still beneath these depths appears to be a "lower deep," filled with wood partially decayed. The whole southern section of the town, also, pre- sents strong evidences of great geological changes. Whoever visits Chelsea Beach, which extends westward from Lynn Har- bor, may perceive that a new beach has been thrown up, outside the old one ; and the appearance gives great confidence in the Indian tradition, that this beach was thrown up by a great storm, in a single night. The Lynn Beach was once much far- ther out than at present; and within it was a swamp, covered by large pines and cedars, forming an isthmus from Lynn to Nahant. The beach was thrown up against the eastern shore of this isthmus, and a succession of great storm tides have driv- en it in, until the whole isthmus has been submerged by water and sand. By my own surveys, I find that this beach has moved five rods within twelve years, and now covers many acres of marshy ground, which were on the western side. After great storms, portions of this marsh, covered by the stumps of trees, frequently appear on the eastern side. This beach has been so much injured, there is reason to apprehend that the tides may sweep over and destroy it. Such an event is greatly to be deprecated, both as it regards its beauty and utility ; for the existence of the harbor depends on its durability. If the plan be completed, which I proposed, of making a barrier of cedar, it may be saved. I hope that public spirit enough may be found, to preserve this great natural curiosity for the admiration of future generations. [The sagacity of these observations was soon verified. See under date 1851.]
Most of the trees and plants common to New England, are found at Lynn, and some which are rare and valuable. The principal trees are white and pitch pine, white and red cedar, oak, walnut, maple, birch and hemlock. One of the most com- mon shrubs is the barberry, the root of which is used in dyeing
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TOPOGRAPHY AND PHENOMENA.
yellow, and the fruit is an excellent preserve. [The barberry is an exotic, called, in England, the pepperidge bush. The early settlers introduced some plants for which after generations had no cause to be thankful. Among them were the white-weed and wood-wax. But the barberry seems to hold a doubtful rank. As Mr. Lewis remarks, its root is useful in dyeing, and its fruit affords an agreeable preserve. But its prevalence in pasture lands was found to be highly detrimental, insomuch that the law interposed, a hundred years ago, to check its increase. It however requires such a peculiarity of soil that to this day it has not spread over a great extent of territory. Even in most parts of Massachusetts a barberry bush was never seen.] Many tons of sumach are annually gathered, and used in the manufac- ture of morocco leather. Whortleberries are very plenty in the pastures and many hundred bushels are annually gathered. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cranberries, are also common. The forests, fields, and meadows, are rich in the abundance and variety of medicinal plants, and the town presents a fine field for the botanist. [William Wood, while taking a botanical survey, was so elated as to find plain prose insufficient for his occasion, and therefore called in the aid of poetry, after this manner :
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