USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts : a guide to its places and people > Part 45
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Space prohibited telling the same story twice, no matter how good. And some of the cities and towns were described at too great a length to fit comfortably on a tour. Please use the index! It's an excellent one, made to consult in a hurry.
TOUR 1 : From NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LINE (Ports- mouth) to RHODE ISLAND STATE LINE (Providence), 77.9 m., US 1.
Via (sec. a) Salisbury, Newburyport, Georgetown, Topsfield, Boxford, Lynn- field, Saugus, Malden, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, Boston; (sec. b) Wal- pole, North Attleborough.
B. & M. R.R. and N.Y., N.H. & H. R.R. parallel the route at intervals. Good hard-surfaced road, mostly three- and four-lane.
Sec. a. NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LINE to BOSTON 41.3 m.
US 1, the most direct route between Portsmouth, N.H., and Pawtucket, R.I., enters Massachusetts as a concrete road winding through a pleasant countryside bordered by farm land and open fields. South of Newbury - port, it is still locally called the Newburyport Turnpike. Built in 1804 as a stagecoach road between Newburyport and Boston, the Turnpike, sometimes called the 'airline route,' is unusual among Massachusetts highways in that in 35 miles it deviates only 83 feet from a straight line. From Newburyport it runs through rolling country up and down the glacial hills of Topsfield and Danvers. At Lynnfield it levels out as it passes Suntaug Lake, swings around its only curve between the red rock outcrops of Saugus.
US 1 crosses the N.H. Line 15 m. south of Portsmouth, N.H.
SALISBURY, 2.3 m. (town, alt. 15, pop. 2,245, sett. 1638, incorp. 1640). The Quaker Whipping Stone in the tiny triangular Green marks the site of Major Robert Pike's championship of three Quaker women whipped at the tail of an ox-cart, a story told in Whittier's poem 'How the Women Went from Dover.' The stone originally served as the stepping-stone of the Quaker Meeting House in Salisbury, erected in 1752.
A marker at the north end of the Square indicates the Site of the Betsy Gerrish House, within whose narrow walls a session of the General Court squeezed itself in 1757, when the community was a 'shire town' and the only settlement north of the Merrimack River.
Two hundred yards to the right of the Square on the road marked To State 110 is the Green known as Potlid Square, where the women of Salisbury melted down their pewter pots to make bullets in the cause of liberty. Settlers from Newbury, Massachusetts, and from Salisbury, England, took their part in early frays with the Indians, trying at the same time to build up the fishing industry, the manufacture of oak staves, and shipbuilding. The woolen industry, introduced into Salisbury in 1812, was soon transferred to Amesbury and neighboring towns.
Left from Salisbury Square on State 1A is the Old Burying Ground at the junction of State 1A and Beach Rd. In this cemetery, laid out in 1639, may be seen large flat stones known as 'wolf slabs,' placed on the graves to protect them from hungry wolves.
TO BRATTLEBORO
TO TROY
-
VERMONT
--
TO KEENE
NEW HAME
TO BENNINGTON
TO KEENE
TO PETER
WILLIAMSTOWN-12
12
NORTH" ADAMS
15
12
12
12
12
20
23
ATHOL
13a
FITCH
17a
GREENFIELD
ORANGE
9
21
LE
8c
itd.
8c!
15
13 b
23a
PITTSFIELD
172
21
LENOX
NORTHAMPTON
86
13 b
86
116
GREAT
13 c
HOLYOKE
BARRINGTON
4c
WESTFIELD
SPRINGFIELD
11b
21
13 c C
15
OCANAAN
TO HARTFORD TO STAFFORD
TO WINSTEAD TO GRANBY
SPRINGS
CONNECTICUT
KEY TO MASSACHUSETTS TOURS
See Table of Contents
Main Tours
a
bc
Side Tours .
I2
Bridle Trails.
Appalachian Foot Trails 9
TO ALBANY
NEW
AMHERST
86
23a
11a
17 b
15
2
4c
4b
Ab
4b
17b
TO SALISBURY
TO PUTNAM R IS
11a
2b
YORK
WINCHENDO
11a
TO PORTSMOUTH
TO MANCHESTER
NEWBURYPORT
SHIRE 8020
1a
NASHUA
-
LAWRENCE
N
3
5
12
LOWEL IL
IPSWICH 12
ABURG
176
Y12
12
Ra
BEVERLY
LITTLETON
1 a
OMINISTER
COMMON
5
w
2a
12
BOSTON
4ª
8a
8 a
ORCESTER
91
QUINCY
12/
10
25
27
2/3 b
9 [
19
PLYMOUTH 10
HODE LAND
TAUNTON
PAWTUCKET
- 10
MIDD LEBOROUGH
PROVIDENCE
25
19
SAGAMORE
ORLEANS
FALL RIVER
-
6
12
NEW IBEDFORD
TO NEWPORT
14
14
-
PROVINCETOWN
WRENTHAM
12
10
12
BOURNE
6
25
12
/76
GLOUCESTER
Ja
7
410
High Roads and Low Roads
Salisbury Beach (public bathing facilities, salt-water swimming pool, amusement and recreational equipment), 2.1 m. on State 1A, is a popular summer resort.
At 2.4 m. is a sign pointing to the junction with State 110 (see Tour 7).
Along the smooth three-lane concrete way, no vestiges remain of the dark forest which once menaced the very dooryards of the early settle- ment.
At 4.2 m. is the junction with First St.
Left on First St. is the original settlement, the Ring's Island section. Only the sharply rising bank (L) and the tiny creek (R), 0.1 m., mark the Fish Flakes and Shipyards of early days. Up the steep slope were once wheeled barrows of fish, brought in from Labrador and Chaleur Bays, to be spread in the sun on dry- ing racks or 'flakes.' The Site of the Old Ferry Slip, 0.2 m., on the bank of the Merrimack River, is revealed by rotting timbers still visible at the water's edge. At 0.3 m. on a little dirt road stands the Nathan Dole House (seen by arrangement), an ancient dwelling built in 1680. Edna St. Vincent Millay once made her home here. Near-by is the Marches Tavern (private) built in 1690 by John March who, as early as 1687, operated the ferry connecting the settlement with Newbury and the near-by port towns. From the tavern, looking seaward are seen Indian Shell Heaps now barely visible as green mounds across the marshes. These accumula- tions of broken clam shells and fish and animal bones mark the spot where the Indians gathered for generations in the summer months to fish in the Merrimack before they returned at the approach of winter to the protection and comparative warmth of the woods.
At 4.3 m. US 1 rises to the bridge and crosses the Merrimack River at the Newburyport City Line.
At 4.8 m. a glimpse is caught (L) of the rear wall and the squat stone frame of the Old County Jail (1744) (private) within whose grim walls during the Revolution British privateersmen were shackled to the floor. At 4.8 m. is the junction (R) with State 125 (Tour 7A) and (L) State 1A (Tour 1A).
Left, State 1A leads to the center of NEWBURYPORT (see NEWBURYPORT). At 8.5 m. US 1 crosses the Parker River, at this point a narrow stream running between vivid green marshes. At 9.1 m. the aged buildings of (Governor) Dummer Academy (campus open; buildings by permission) are visible (R) from the highway. This boarding-school was established in 1762 and among the clapboarded dormitories that have been added through the years is the tiny original schoolhouse. One story high, with a little belfry, it is more than reminiscent of the 'little red schoolhouse' of rural New England.
The architectural treasure of the campus is the Governor Dummer Mansion (private), now the headmaster's house, built in 1715 and shaded by arch- ing elms. This charming building is an outstanding example of the early Georgian Colonial period; the detail of the doorway is unusually fine. The mansion has for some reason an unusual number of phantoms. It is said that when August has two full moons, on the night of the first moon Governor Dummer rides a white charger up the broad staircase as he did on the night of his grand housewarming in 1715. For many years the kitchen was haunted by the smiling ghost of a child peeping always through the same doorway. Not until her bones were discovered in a
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From Portsmouth, N.H. to Providence, R.I.
mouldering box in the cellar and given proper burial did the little ap- parition vanish. It is also averred that the ghost of an English officer who was killed in a duel on the lawn occasionally reappears in powdered wig, embroidered cloak, sword and all.
At 12.3 m. is the intersection with State 133.
Right on this road is GEORGETOWN, 4.9 m. (town, alt. 74, pop. 2009, sett. 1639, incorp. 1838), offspring of the mother town of Rowley, and one of the last settlements in Essex County. The story goes that grants in this district were held in abeyance by Ezekiel Rogers, head of the Rowley Company, so that his friend, Oliver Cromwell, might find refuge if his efforts to dethrone Charles I should be unsuccessful.
The Brocklebank House (open, free) about 0.4 m. from the Common on State 133, was built in 1670. This attractive gambrel-roof dwelling was once the home of Captain Samuel Brocklebank who was killed in King Philip's War. The old sign of the White Horse Tavern, 1773, swings in front of it.
Left from the Center on State 97, 1.1 m., is an oiled road (R) which leads through an attractive wood to the summit of Baldpate Hill (alt. 312), one of the highest points in Essex County. ¿
At 1.2 m. is Baldpate Inn (open). The rambling old structure, with its seven out- side doors, is the setting of Earl Derr Biggers's drama, 'Seven Keys to Baldpate.'
At 17.3 m. is the intersection with State 97.
Right, State 97 leads to TOPSFIELD, 0.5 m. (town, alt. 85, pop. 1113, sett. about 1635, incorp. 1648). The village green is the center of this unspoiled New England community. The Public Library (open Wed. and Sat., 3-5) contains a series of murals of historic scenes by Harold Kellogg, its architect. Quiet Topsfield was something of a boom bonanza town in early Colonial times. As early as 1648 bog iron was dug, to be smelted at the Boxford Iron Works, and excitement ran high when a copper vein was struck on the Endicott grant. Mining the ore proved unprofitable, however, and agriculture continued to be the mainstay of the town.
On a lane to the right, opposite the end of the Green, stands the Choate House (private). a white frame structure, set on a grassy terrace above a shaded lawn fenced with graceful ball-topped posts. It has a hip-roof with a parapet, and four corner chimneys. The front doorway is unusually fine with a fanlight and a Doric portico.
Just beyond in a field adjacent to the old white church, overlooking quiet meadows and ringed by woods, stands the Parson Capen House (open summer months; adm. 10g). Built in 1683, it is an outstanding example of the medieval tradition that dominated 17th-century Colonial architecture. In this house is found the simple plan of the massive central chimney, the overhang and lean-to. The overhang of the second story occurs in the front and the third or attic floor overhangs at the end. The front overhang is supported by heavy hewn brackets on either side of the front door and the end overhangs with similar brackets in the center. The only features of ornamentation are the heavy pendrils at the ends of the overhangs and the elaborate broken lines of the chimney. It is in these features that its Elizabethan heritage is betrayed. The lean-to of this house was built as a part of the original structure. The Metropolitan Museum of New York City has reproduced the kitchen for its American Wing. The furnishings are of the period in which the house was built and include a chair-table, a wooden trough, wooden plates and mugs. The brick oven is within a fireplace eight and a half feet wide.
. North on State 97, at 1.1 m., is Pine Grove Cemetery, which contains old stones some of which date back to 1663. Here are buried the ancestors of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church.
At 3.2 m. is the Perley-Hale-Perkins House, built in 1760 by Major Asa Perkins.
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412
High Roads and Low Roads
The old house, forlorn but still lovely with its weather-beaten frame, its lean-to roof and central chimney, stands vacant and deserted in a neglected yard where one huge elm guards the door.
At 3.5 m. is the intersection of State 97 with Depot St.
Left on Depot St. at 5.4 m. is BOXFORD (town, alt. 95, pop. 726, sett. 1645, incorp. 1694), occupying an unspoiled stretch in an area with low rolling hills, woods and large lakes. So healthful is the air that the town physician in 1855 is said to have remarked with some regret that he might as well practice in heaven.
The single melodramatic episode in Boxford's peaceful history was the Ames murder trial which in 1769 attracted widespread attention. John Adams, who later became President of the United States, served successfully as attorney for the defense. This trial was perhaps the only one in New England at which the ordeal by touch was employed - a test based on an ancient superstition that the wounds of a corpse would bleed if the murderer touched the body.
Left of the Green is the First Congregational Church, a charming white meeting house with its long row of horsestalls still standing. On the other side of Depot St. stands Journey's End (open by permission in summer). A miniature sand vil- lage built in this garden, 'Boxford in the Eighties,' inspired G. Stanley Hall to write 'The Story of a Sand Pile,' a book that made a distinct contribution to the modern playground movement.
At 17.7 m. (L) US 1 passes the Topsfield Fair Grounds.
At 19.7 m. the Old Milestones have B (Boston) and P (Portland) cut deep into the granite. At 21.4 m. is the junction with State 62 (see Tour 1C). On the southwest corner of the junction (R) is the Danvers State Hospital for the Insane (special visiting hours for groups interested).
The 'Pike' at 23.2 m. continues past pine groves and Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, and at 25.7 m. Suntaug Lake.
At 25.9 m. the road cuts through the Site of the Old Civil War Training Ground.
SOUTH LYNNFIELD, 26.3 m. (alt. 77, Lynnfield), is a crossroad vil- lage at the junction with State 128.
Right from South Lynnfield on State 128 at 0.4 m. is the intersection with Sum- mer St. To the right, Summer St. leads past Pilling's Pond, 1.8 m.
LYNNFIELD, 3 m. (town, alt. 90, pop. 1896, sett. 1638-39, incorp. 1814), is set high on a plateau. The winding reaches of the Ipswich and Saugus Rivers pro- vide boating, fishing, and swimming. Many people employed in near-by indus- trial centers make Lynnfield their home.
At 27.5 m. lies the Lynn Reservoir; and at 28.7 m. US 1 skirts the 580-acre Breakheart Reservation, a State-owned tract with trails, picnic grounds, lookouts, and parking spaces constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
At 28.7 m. is the intersection with Lynn Fells Parkway.
Right on the Parkway at 1.2 m. is the intersection with Howard St. At No. 7 is the Scotch Boardman House (open by permission), once the home of 'King' Nane- pashemet. This house, built in 1651, was used as quarters for Scottish prisoners captured by Cromwell at the Battle of Dunbar. The captives were brought to Saugus to labor seven years in New England as indentured servants in the iron works. Owing to frequent boundary changes the dwelling has at various times stood in two counties and four towns. The original boundary between Lynn and Boston ran through the middle of the front door, which for many years bore the
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From Portsmouth, N.H. to Providence, R.I.
letters B and L on its respective halves. With its sagging roof-line, its lean-to roof reaching almost to the ground, the broken line of its central chimney, its second- story overhang and weather-beaten walls, it is an excellent example of the early American period.
At 30.1 m. is the intersection of US 1 and Main St.
Left on Main St. is SAUGUS, 0.7 m. (town, alt. 20, pop. 15,076, sett. 1630, incorp. 1815).
Close by, on Central St., is the Old Ironworks House (private). This restored example of 17th-century American architecture was built in 1643 by Farmer Thomas Dexter, one of the original owners of the iron works. The house, one of the most delightful in the county, has diamond-paned casements, steep gables, batten doors and an immense central chimney with a buttress-like extension about 12 feet down the lean-to roof. Ornamental drops suspend from the second-story overhang. The house has been greatly altered, many additions having been made in recent years. Among these distortions of the original structure are the odd- shaped carved ornaments attached to the peak of the gables.
The interior shows the original exposed timbers of English oak, some of them at least two feet square and ornamentally carved. It is said that the builder, never dreaming of the vast forests in this country, brought these timbers with him from England for the frame of his house. The fireplaces in the kitchen and living room are at least 12 feet wide and still contain pot hooks and cranes supposed to have been made at the near-by forge.
The Site of the Forge, directly across the road, is marked by a tablet, while near-by are grass-grown cinder banks, relics of the years when the plant was in operation. Bog iron ore was common in the vicinity of Saugus. There was also plentiful oak timber for charcoal. John Winthrop, Jr., ever alert to commercial possibilities, formed a company of capitalists in England in 1641 and two years later sailed for America with a group of skilled iron workers. In 1645, under the management of Richard Leader, the plant had an output of eight to ten tons a week, and within a few years it had achieved a surplus for export.
It is claimed that among the articles turned out were the first dies in America for coining money and the first fire engine, as well as kettles, anchors, cranes, and bar and wrought iron for blacksmiths. Restlessness of the iron workers and difficulties with the backers ruined the enterprise, however, and Scottish prisoners sent out as indentured servants in 1654 proved less amenable than the paid workers. At the breakup of Hammersmith, as Saugus was then called, the more skilled of the scattered workers set up forges and bloomeries throughout New England.
Except for this venture, Saugus was largely agricultural through the first two centuries of its existence. Several factories which opened in the 19th century turned out a variety of products - snuff, chocolate, nails, and shoes - but in- dustry declined, and the town is today a purely suburban community.
The Old Indian Trail, 32.2 m., is indicated by a marker and a granite milestone (R). Over this trail, according to tradition, William, Richard, and Ralph Sprague, the first white men to pass through this region, journeyed on their way from Salem (Naumkeag) to Charlestown (Misha- wam) in 1629.
At 32.4 m. is the intersection with Salem St.
Right, this street leads to MALDEN, 1.5 m. (see MALDEN).
US 1 follows Broadway through a thickly populated district and at 34.5 m. is EVERETT (see EVERETT).
At 34.8 m. is the junction with the Revere Beach Parkway, State 1A (see Tour 1A).
414
High Roads and Low Roads
At 36.4 m., at the junction with State 28 (see Tour 5), US 1 becomes the Northern Artery, one of the great traffic thoroughfares leading into Boston.
At 38.0 m. is the junction with Somerville Ave.
Right on Somerville Ave. is SOMERVILLE, 0.5 m. (see SOMERVILLE).
Between Somerville and Cambridge, US 1 passes through an industrial- ized area noted for its meat-packing plants.
At 39 m. is the intersection with Memorial Drive, leading along the Charles River past the buildings of the Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ogy, 40.1 m. in Cambridge (see CAMBRIDGE).
Right here on Massachusetts Ave. is CAMBRIDGE, 1.0 m. (see CAMBRIDGE). At 41.2 m. is the Cottage Farm Bridge over the Charles River, the Boston City Line. US 1 turns left and crosses the Cottage Farm Bridge to Com- monwealth Ave., 41.3 m.
Left on Commonwealth Ave. is BOSTON, 2.5 m. (see BOSTON).
Sec. b. BOSTON to RHODE ISLAND STATE LINE, 36.6 m.
South of Boston at 1.5 m., US 1 bears left, enters the beautiful Jamaica- way, and skirts Jamaica Pond (see BOSTON).
At the traffic circle, 3.6 m., where State 3 (see Tour 27), State 28 (see Tour 19) and State 138 (see Tour 25) branch left, the route follows (R) a four-lane bituminous-asphalt highway, passing the Arnold Arboretrim at 4.5 m. (see BOSTON).
At 7.9 m. is the junction with State 109 (see Tour 1D).
At 9.2 m. US 1 passes over Mother Brook, dug prior to 1640, which con- nects the Charles and Neponset Rivers, making Boston an island.
At 9.6 m. is the intersection with State 1A (see Tour 1B). Curving, rising and dipping, and occasionally flanked by steep embankments, US 1 threads its way through alternating woodlands and open fields.
At 17.0 m. is the junction with Moose Hill Rd.
Left on this road is the entrance to the Moose Hill Bird Sanctuary, 2.0 m. (Town of Sharon), covering the highest land in the town and crowned by an Observation Tower. The sanctuary is in charge of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and comprises over 2000 acres.
At 21.1 m. is the intersection with Water St.
Right on this street is SOUTH WALPOLE, 0.2 m. (alt. 220, Walpole, see Tour 1B). Here, on the corner of Neponset and Washington Sts., stands Fuller's Tavern (open), a rambling frame building, with great shade trees, and a pleasant small lawn with a row of hitching posts. This inn, built in 1807 and restored in 1927, was once a famous halfway house between Boston and Providence.
At 29.3 m. US 1, State 1A (see Tour 1B) and N. Washington St. meet at a square
Right on N. Washington St., is the Woodcock House (private) (No. 362). In 1669 John Woodcock made the first permanent settlement in the North Purchase - now North Attleborough - and established a tavern which during its 170 years of service, 1670-1840, was visited by George Washington, General Lafayette and
415
From Newburyport to Everett
Daniel Webster. In its earliest days the hostel served as a link in the chain of garrisons stretching from Boston to Rhode Island. Woodcock, an Indian fighter of repute, killed many Indians and survived seven wounds received at their hands. Vengeance was reaped by the Indians, however, who killed his son, Nathaniel, and placed his scalp on a stick in the old Burying Ground opposite the tavern.
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, 0.8 m. (town, alt. 183, pop. 10,202, sett. 1669, incorp. 1887) was originally a part of Attleborough. The town's industrial de- velopment started in 1780 with the establishment of a jewelry shop by 'the Frenchman,' reputed to be a nobleman incognito. It was not until 1807, however, that the first jewelry manufacturing company was organized.
The North Attleborough Historical Society Headquarters (open 3d Tues. of each month, 2-5), 224 Washington St., is a two-and-a-half-story clapboarded house with slate roof. The barn, adjacent, contains a number of historical relics.
At 1.8 m. State 1A rejoins US 1.
At 36.6 m. US 1 traverses an old stone bridge and crosses the Rhode Island Line 2 miles north of Pawtucket, R.I.
TOUR 1 A : From NEWBURYPORT to EVERETT, 38.4 m., State 1A.
Via Newbury, Rowley, Ipswich, Essex, Hamilton, Wenham, Beverly, Man- chester, Gloucester, Rockport, Salem, Peabody, Marblehead, Swampscott, Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, Chelsea, Everett.
B. & M. R.R. (Eastern Div.) parallels route.
Macadam roadbed; open all year; traffic heavy near Boston.
Accommodations: Chiefly hotels in larger cities and tourist homes in villages.
STATE 1A, south of Newburyport, parallels the coastline rather closely. As High St. it branches south from its junction with US 1 (see Tour 1) in Newburyport (see NEWBURYPORT), running through a residential district.
At 0.6 m. is the Swett-Ilsley House (1670) (open by arrangement), which was enlarged, and later became the Blue Anchor Tavern.
At 1.5 m. is NEWBURY (town, alt. 40, pop. 1576, sett. and incorp. 1635). The Upper Green lies almost opposite the entrance to the Plum Island Rd. As the townsfolk gradually moved back from the Parker River side, they centered their homes in the vicinity of this strip of grassy land.
The Coffin House (open June-Oct., 2-5; adm. 25g), 0.2 m. north of the Center, was built about 1653 and later enlarged. It is a well-preserved example of 17th-century architecture. The part played by the Coffins in the town's development has been traced by Joshua Coffin in his 'History of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury from 1635 to 1845.'
1
416
High Roads and Low Roads
The old Noyes Homestead, on Parker St., 0.2 m. from the Green, was built by the Rev. James Noyes, teacher, about 1646. Additions to the original pitched-roof structure with a central chimney have not destroyed its charm.
The Short House (open June-Oct., 2-5; adm. 25g), on State 1A, near Plum Island Rd., with a fine doorway and brick gable ends, was built sometime between 1717 and 1733.
Left from Newbury Upper Green, a marked road leads across a broad stretch of marsh, its level reaches broken by high conical stacks of salt hay piled on staddles, to Plum Island (parking facilities), 2.7 m. Through the marsh meanders the salt stream of the Plum Island River, bright blue against a background of tawny sand dunes. Right of this road the sands stretch unbroken for 10 miles to the Brown Bird Sanctuary at Ipswich.
The Jackman-Willett House (open June-Oct., 2-5; adm. 25€), 3.7 m., a short distance north of the lower Green, was built in 1696, on the site of the original burying ground of 'Ould Newberry.'
NEWBURY OLD TOWN, 4 m. (alt. 40). Here on the lower Green the townsfolk used to gather when Newbury vessels arrived from trading along the coast or with the West Indies. Limestone discovered near-by in 1697 for many years provided a valuable export. Newbury Old Town's industries have long since been surrendered to Newburyport, and life here has resumed its leisurely and tranquil air.
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