USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > History of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts > Part 38
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FISH.
Mr. John Holland, one of the early settlers of Dorchester, a man of property and energy, took up his abode at the Captain's (now Commercial) Point, and there fitted out vessels to be engaged in the cod fishery, which business he carried on until his death in 1652. After his decease, the place was sold by his widow, in 1660, to Daniel Preston, and a por- tion of the property is now held by the heirs of Elisha Preston, one of his descendants.
In 1634, the General Court granted to Israel Stoughton a right to build a weir below his mill, upon condition that he was to sell the alewives at five shillings per thousand, and as much less as he could afford. Of the quantity of alewives then taken, we have no account; but from the price, we should think them very plenty. In 1681, Thomas Swift, of Milton, and Ezra Clapp, of Dorchester,
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were granted liberty by the town to catch fish at Neponset, and make a stage for the purpose, for that year.
From Pierce's diary* we extract the following :
1769, June 6. Caught 1500 shad at Pine Neck with a sein at one time.
1771, June 10. Caught 2000 shad in one day in the sein.
1772, May 2. Caught 61 shad ; May 4, caught 70 shad ; May 8, caught 560 shad ; May 11, caught a very large haul of shad, 15 barrels ; May 21, caught 21 bass and 16 shad ; June 2, set our sein at Pope's Point, and caught 39 bass ; June 25, we made the largest haul of fish, catched 6000 shad, mainhaden and bass.
July 2. Carried 80 barrells of shad to Boston.
1773, May 4. Caught 140 shad and 2 cod-fish.
May 5. Caught 200 shad, 3 bass and 1 cod-fish.
June 14. Made a large haul of shad; caught 4000 ; sent 40 barrels to Boston.
1774, June 6. Set the sein ; made a great haul ; caught 3000 shad.
June 18. Caught 800 shad.
June 23. Stopped Pine Neck Creek ; caught 200 shad and 14 bass.
Within the memory of the generation just passed, bass were freely taken by setting a net across Gul- liver's and Sagamore Creeks at high water; as the tide ebbed out, the bass were taken in dip nets, in quantities sometimes sufficient to load a canoe. Within the present century, also, alewives were taken and smoked for family use and for market. But now, bass have entirely disappeared for years, and shad and alewives are hardly known in our river.
At the commencement of the present century,
For a more particular notice of this diary (the original manuscript of which is now in possession of Lewis Pierce, Esq.) and copious extracts from it, see pages 358-371.
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tom-cod were taken in dip nets at the head of tide water, through the month of December, in such quantities that they were used for manure, five or six cents per bushel being the fair market price for them. More were taken in one hour than can now be taken in a week, and prices have increased from six cents a bushel to ten cents per dozen.
During the residence of Gov. Hutchinson on Milton Hill, he had a sloop load of oysters brought from Virginia and planted in the river, to try the experiment of propagating them there; but it did not prove successful. Within the memory of the writer, it was no uncommon thing for two boys to get from one to two bushels at a tide from the beds near Gulliver's Creek. Small ones were fre- quently found adhering to the rocks where the Dor- chester and Milton Branch Railroad crosses the river ; and a short distance below that point, a very limited number have been taken measuring from twelve to fourteen inches in length. At present, in a very low tide, a few oysters are occasionally taken.
In 1850, blue fish first made their appearance near the mouth of Neponset River, and were taken to the extent of 100 in a day; since which time they are taken occasionally.
Fish were so abundant in the river, that the towns of Stoughton and Sharon looked with a jeal- ous eye upon their brethren near tide water. As early as 1746, these towns began to petition the General Court to order fish-gates to be made in the dams below, that fish might pass up the river. The inhabitants of Milton remonstrated against the fish- 67
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ways, on account of the great inconvenience to them of stopping the mills, as in that case no grain could be ground for about six weeks in every year. In 1763, a similar project was started, and defended before the Court of the General Sessions of the Peace. In 1789, these towns so far prevailed that an act passed the General Court authorizing Thomas Clark, Ebenezer Thayer and Theophilus Cushing, to make alterations in the fishways on Neponset River, at the expense of the petitioners, and imposed a fine of forty shillings on any one who obstructed . the fishways. This act was not carried into execu- tion, as the petitioners were unwilling to pay the expense. In 1791, a new petition was sent in, and resulted in an act compelling Samuel Leeds and Hugh M'Lean to make fishways in their dams, eight feet wide and within eighteen inches of the mudsill, and to keep them open from the 20th of April to the 1st of June. Under this law, the fishways were made and kept open for some of the time specified, but no fish of consequence were taken above the dams, and the waste of water through the gates while open proved ruinous to the interests of the mills. In 1794, Hugh M'Lean petitioned for leave to close his gates ; and Benjamin Gill and others, of Stoughton, remonstrated against the petition being granted.
In 1799, a new dam was put in at the lower falls, and the fishways closed up; but a constant alterca- tion about the rights for fish to pass up was carried on, and deputations were sent from Canton and Sha- ron for the purpose of opening places in the dams.
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The proprietors of the mills turned out with their workmen to prevent destruction to their property. In 1805, Legislative aid was again invoked to inter- fere in this matter, and again exercised its power by appointing Nicholas Tillinghast of Taunton, Elipha- let Lord of Weymouth, and Elijah Turner of Sci- tuate, a committee to examine into the case, and make such necessary alterations in the dams as they should deem proper; also to assess the expenses partly on the towns of Stoughton and Sharon, and partly on the proprietors of the dam. Under this authority, one of the committee came and made such alterations as he deemed advisable, and assessed the expenses agreeably to the resolve. Edmund Baker, being at that time owner of one half of the dam, re- fused to pay the proportion assessed to it, and a suit was instituted by these two towns to compel the pay- ment of the sum assessed. This suit terminated adversely to the towns of Stoughton and Sharon, and the expense attending the business so far ex- ceeded any profit they expected to derive from the fishways, that it was the finality of the proceed- ings, and the matter has not for fifty years been again brought up.
BRIDGES AND FERRIES.
In 1634, Mr. Israel Stoughton had a grant from the General Court to erect a bridge over the river at Neponset. What kind of a bridge was erected, we have not now the means of knowing ; but when we consider that the mill was situated in a wilderness, with no settlement within four miles on the North,
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and nothing nearer than Plymouth on the South, and no highway to it from either place, we cannot suppose it more than a foot bridge. In the autumn following, the town ordered a road to be made to the mill, and five pounds were voted to build it. A road that could be built through the wilderness at five dollars a mile, would hardly afford a passage for a horse with a sack upon his back carrying a bushel of grain. When we reflect that most of the grain . brought to mill was by means of boats, we must conclude that a foot bridge was all that was in- tended.
For the purpose of travel between the Bay and Plymouth Colony, it was ordered, in 1635, by the General Court, that John Holland should keep a ferry between the Captain's (now Commercial) Point and Mr. Newbury's (now Billings's) Creek, for which he was to receive fourpence for each passenger, and threepence apiece if there were two or more. This not being a paying concern, Mr. Holland could do better with navigation of a larger kind, and soon gave it up.
To accommodate the same travel, the General Court, in 1638, granted to Bray Wilkins liberty to set up a house of entertainment and keep a ferry near Neponset River, for which he was to receive a penny a person. Mr. Stoughton and Mr. Glover were to direct the location of it. This ferryway was from the public landing on Davenport's Creek, at the end of Marsh Street, to the end of the tongue of land which makes out into the marsh to tide water, about half way between Neponset and Gran-
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ite Bridges, and known as the ridge. The passen- gers were carried from this landing place, or from the marsh near the mouth of the creek, as the tide might best serve, up stream to the point of the ridge. There was no fare established for vehicles, as proba- bly there were then no roads passable with wheels. This ferry was not of long continuance.
In June, 1642, Mr. Treasurer and Mr. Parker were appointed by the General Court to view Nepon- set Bridge, and certify to the charge thereof. They probably found that there was not travel enough to warrant the outlay of a bridge, and reported ad- versely ; for in September, of the same year, a com- mittee was appointed to view and seek out a place for a highway and a ferry at Dorchester. It does not appear that this committee took any formal ac- tion, for we hear no more of ferries until, in 1648, the General Court are informed that no ferry ex- ists between Dorchester and Braintree, and that all who pass are forced to head the river, to the great injury of the towns in these parts, and that no one will keep a ferry unless he is accommodated with house, land, and a boat, at the country charge. The Court gave Mr. Glover power to grant the ferry to any one who would take it free of charge to the country for seven years, or he might take it for him- self and his heirs forever, if he would keep it in a convenient place and pleasing to the General Court.
The same year it was ordered that no ferryman was compelled to put out his boat until the ferryage was paid, and that the ferryman might " refuse any wampum not stringed " or unmerchantable.
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In 1652, the town of Dorchester petitioned to have their fine of £5 remitted for neglecting to erect a bridge over Neponset River, which petition the Court granted upon condition that the bridge should be built in three months ; but we hear of no bridge being built in that time.
In May, 1654, Mrs. Stoughton* petitioned to be discharged from keeping a horse bridge over Ne- ponset River. The Court ordered that, as the river was hard and passable for horses and carts, she might be discharged by making a " good foot bridge with a good rayle." In May, 1655, it was repre- sented that the bridge at Neponset River was wholly ruined (probably by the ice going out in a freshet), that it was necessary a cart bridge should be built at some place near Mrs. Stoughton's mills, and that immediate action was necessary, or it could not be built before winter, in which case it was very dangerous to man and beast. The Court appointed Capt. Lusher, Capt. Savage, Mr. Collicot, William Parks, Thomas Dyar and Deacon Bass, with full powers to select a place and contract with the work- men, and return the same to the next county court, which was to apportion the charge according to law. Mr. Collicot, of this committee, resided at the south- east foot of Milton hill; Mr. Dyar was from Wey- mouth, and Mr. Bass from Braintree, and they would not probably let this chance pass of getting a con- venient way of crossing Neponset River to mill and to Boston, but urged their point with the rest of the committee, and accomplished their purpose, as we
* The widow of Israel Stoughton.
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hear no more complaint about bridges or ferry over Neponset River for many years.
This bridge was located just below the present bridge, and ran more obliquely across the river - the large rock just below the present one serving as one of the piers, and the south end resting upon what is now the small island between the bridge and the mill below. A bridge continued to occupy this position for about one hundred years, when, in 1765, the towns of Dorchester and Milton built a new bridge where the present one now stands. The town of Milton built the southerly sluice and cov- ered it with stone; the town of Dorchester built the two northerly ones, and covered them with stone; the two large ones, with the wooden bridge, were built at the joint expense of the two towns.
In 1798, the patriotic citizens in the vicinity of this bridge erected an arch, at the dividing line of the towns, over the bridge, to commemorate the rati- fication of Jay's Treaty, on which was inscribed, in letters of gold, " We unite in defence of our country and its laws-1798." This arch was blown down in the gale of 1815.
The bridge remained substantially the same until the year 1847, when the two towns caused two stone arches to take the place of the old wooden bridge, raising the bridge four and a half feet in the centre, widening out the travel way, and constructing side- walks on either side. Fearful of disturbing the rights of the several mill owners interested in the water near the bridge, the committees of the towns did not think it advisable to build the bridge so wide
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as they at first contemplated, but sacrificed conve- nience and beauty to the wishes of those interested in the mills. We have now a substantial bridge, which will answer a valuable purpose until an in- creased local population shall demand better accom- modations.
As far back as 1674, the town of Dorchester ex- tended as far west as the south-west corner of Rox- bury, so that in the passage from Dorchester to Dedham it became necessary to cross the Mother Brooks within the township of Dorchester. In that . year the town of Dorchester appointed a committee to view a place for a foot bridge over Mother Brooks river, in the way to Dedham, and to appoint the supervisors of highways to call upon fit persons to help, as need be. The next year the supervisors were called upon by the town to look after the bridge at Mother Brooks before the next Court. If any- thing was done about it, the bridge did not stand long, for in 1691 the town was presented for not having a bridge there. In 1731, the town chose a committee to build a bridge over Mother Brooks, and the next year they reported that they had caused one to be built. This was the first bridge · built between Dorchester and Dedham.
In the early part of the last century, that part of Dorchester now known as the Upper Mills, or Mat- tapan, was a wilderness, and known as the five hun- dred acre lot. It was mostly covered with wood, but some portions of it were pastured by the com- moners, as the proprietors of the common lands were then termed, by turning out their cattle under the
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care of a herdsman. It remained in this state until about. 1709, when David Colson, a fellmonger by occupation, conceived the design of employing water . power in the process of preparing his skins, and pitched upon this place for the purpose. About the same time Ezra Clapp set up a corn-mill there. These two enterprises were thought to create a necessity for a bridge. In 1712, the town of Milton moved in the matter, but not being seconded by the town of Dorchester, the matter ended for the pre- sent. The subsequent owners of the mills, not satis- fied with the ford at that place, started anew in 1715, in order to compel the towns to build a bridge; and the town of Milton chose a committee to stand trial, in case a trial was had, to clear themselves of the bridge, and if necessary put it upon the county. This project failed, and no bridge (except, perhaps, a private one belonging to the mill owners) was built for many years-there being, in fact, little use for one, as there was no public road to the river at that time. In 1730, Milton proposed to join with Dorchester in a new County bridge near Mr. Jack- son's mill. This effort proved fruitless. In 1733, the Selectmen of Dorchester and Milton located the present road leading to the bridge, crossing the river near Mr. Jackson's mill, which passed through the Dorchester church land as well as that of Mr. Jackson. In 1735, the towns petitioned to have this bridge made a County bridge, but this, like all their former efforts, proved unavailing. The bridge con- tinued to be supported by the two towns. until it was assumed by the Brush Hill Turnpike Corporation, in
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1805. This turnpike proving a failure, and the bridge becoming neglected, out of repair, and dangerous, the public safety required that it should go into respon- sible hands, and the County Commissioners in 1848 laid out about a fourth of a mile, including the bridges over the trench and river, as a public high- way, and thus brought the bridge again upon the towns for support. The town of Milton, the next year, built a stone bridge over the trench, and the . two towns put the other bridge in repair.
No public bridge crossed the Neponset at the foot .. of the Fowl Meadows until 1759, although a pri- vate one (probably a farm bridge), called Hubbard's bridge, had for some time existed, with no public way to get to it. In that year, the towns of Milton and Dedham rebuilt Hubbard's bridge, and laid out a road to it, the cost of the bridge to be paid in pro- portion to the Province tax of each town. The land for the road was given by Thomas Vose. In 1807, the bridge was rebuilt by the towns, and a basis agreed upon to pay for and support the same. In 1850, the two towns erected a new stone bridge, and paid for it upon the basis agreed upon in 1807.
In 1802, a company obtained a charter for a toll bridge from Preston's (now Commercial) Point, in Dorchester, to Billings's Rocks in Quincy, which was precisely the location assigned for Mr. Holland's ferry one hundred and sixty-seven years before. This was found to be an inconvenient location, and an expensive bridge to build; therefore the next year the Company petitioned to change the loca- tion, so as to erect their bridge at a place called
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Horse Hummock. This bridge was immediately commenced, and soon open for travel, under the name of Neponset Bridge. It continued in the hands of the corporation until 1858, when it, with its connecting roads, was laid out by the County Commissioners as a public highway. The naming of this bridge gave a name to the village which soon sprung up there, at the expense of the village at the · Lower Mills, which had been known as Neponset upwards of one hundred and seventy years.
In consequence of the working of granite in Quincy becoming so important a branch of business, a new population clustered around the ledges, and caused new roads to be made, until it was deemed necessary that a new route should be opened towards Boston. Accordingly, in 1837, a charter was ob- tained for a new bridge across Neponset River, and the same year the bridge was built and called Granite Bridge, although built wholly of wood.
In 1846, the Old Colony Railroad Company con- structed their bridge across Neponset River.
In 1848, the Dorchester and Milton Branch Rail- road Company constructed their bridge-thus mak- ing four draw-bridges across as many miles of navi- gable water of the Neponset, in a little more than forty years.
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CHAPTER XXVI.
Some Account of the various Mills on Neponset River.
ON the third day of November, in the year 1633, the town of Dorchester agreed that Mr. Israel Stoughton " shall build a water mill, if he see cause." In January, of the next year, the town granted to Mr. Stoughton twelve months time to remove the trees he had felled for his house, and the mill which" he is about to build at Neponset. Mr. Stoughton promised not to sell away said mill without the con- sent of the plantation. At a Court held at Boston, April 1st, 1634, Mr. Stoughton had liberty granted him to build a mill, a weare and a bridge over Ne- ponset river, and was to sell the alewives he took there at five shillings per thousand. Thus armed with the authority of the town, strengthened and confirmed by the authority of the colony, Mr. Stoughton dammed the river, and pronounced sen- tence upon it that from henceforth it should toil for the benefit of both man and beast, and vigorously set about putting the sentence into execution. On the third day of November, in the same year, it was ordered that " a cart-way be made to the mill at Ne- ponset at the common charge, if the charge exceed not five pounds."
The mill thus provided for and erected, stood on the spot now occupied by the stone chocolate mill at the Lower Mills, and here, in the fall of the year 1634, was ground the first bushel of grain ever
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ground by water power in New England. This mill was extensively known as the mill at Neponset, and gave a name to the country around it, until the Neponset mill of the white man became synonymous with Unquetyquisit of the red man. Important as this mill was to the early inhabitants, its history is simple.
At the time of the separation of Milton from Dor- chester, in 1662, by consent of the town of Dor- chester this mill was to pay taxes to Milton, and has always been taxed to that town, while other mills under the same roof are taxed to the town in which they stand. Upon the death of Mr. Stoughton it passed to his heirs, and remained with them until Mr. William Stoughton, the worthy son of Mr. Is- rael Stoughton, exchanged the mill, house, barn and seven and a half acres of land, with Mr. John Gill, in 1673, for a house and land in Boston.
By Mr. Gill's will, the mill went to his wife upon his death in 1678, during her widowhood; and at her decease, which took place in 1683, to his grand- son, Joseph Belcher, then living with him, but who was afterwards the minister at Dedham. After the death of Mrs. Ann Gill, this mill, with other pro- perty, passed into the hands of the overseers of the will of Mr. Gill, or what is now termed trustees, to be by them held for the benefit of young Belcher during his minority. When Mr. Belcher arrived at 21 years of age, in 1689, he was a student in Col- lege. Who run the mill at this time, no record shows. In 1717, Mr. Belcher having become the minister of Dedham, made an indenture with Wal- ter Everden (sometimes spelled Everenden), who
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was manufacturing powder upon the other end of the same dam, by which Belcher was to draw all the water in a dry time for the benefit of the corn-mill on the north side of the river, to the injury of Ev- erden's powder-mill on the south side, Belcher pay- ing for the same by relinquishing to Everden all his one-eighth part of the powder-works. About this time Mr. Belcher erected a fulling-mill near his corn- mill. In 1723, Mr. Belcher died, and the property descended to his children.
In 1741, Gill Belcher, Mary Richards, Rebecca; Walter and Abigail Bradford, heirs of Joseph Bel- cher, sold to Thomas Harris of Watertown, clothier, ten acres of land, with the dwelling-house, barn, grist and fulling-mill on Neponset river.
In 1761, Thomas Harris sold to Andrew McKen- zie, of Boston, merchant, a piece of land on which he (Mckenzie) had lately erected a snuff-mill and mill-house, below the fulling-mill in Dorchester (where the paper-mill now stands), with a privilege of enough of the stream to carry the snuff-mill, Harris still retaining the grist and fulling-mill. An- drew Gillispie carried on the snuff-mill for Mc- Kenzie until the death of the latter.
In May, 1765, Harris sold the corn and fulling mills, house and barn, to Mr. Daniel Leeds, a native of Dorchester, and for many years a teacher of both the town and private schools. The fulling-mill was let by Master Leeds to Mr. Benjamin Pierce, who carried on the business of clothier as long as Master Leeds lived. The grist-mill was tended either by one of Master Leeds's sons or a hired man during Mr. Leeds's life.
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After Andrew Mckenzie died, his administrator, Andrew Gillispie, sold the snuff-mill, to pay debts and legacies, to Daniel Leeds, in 1774, by which Leeds became sole owner of all the mills. Gillispie removed to the mill he had built on the privilege at the Upper Mills, which he bought of Samuel Pay- son in 1772, and which was a part of the old slitting- mill privilege of Mr. Jackson.
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