Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham., Part 2

Author:
Publication date: 1932
Publisher: [Mattapoisett, Mass.] : Mattapoisett Improvement Association
Number of Pages: 516


USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Mattapoisett > Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham. > Part 2
USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Rochester > Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham. > Part 2


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A full description of one of these feasts has come down to us in Church's "Entertaining History of King Philip's War." It was held in 1676, and commemorates an im- portant meeting between Captain Church and Awashonks, the squaw Sachem of the Sogkonate Indians of Little Compton. An earlier meeting between Church and Awashonks had been held at Treaty Rock in Little Comp- ton, at which Awashonks "pledged her fidelitie" to the English and offered the services of her men on the English side. But when Captain Church went on to Plymouth, offering his services and that of these Indian allies, the authorities distrusted the sincerity of Awashonks and to test it ordered her to proceed with her warriors at once to Sandwich and "to be there upon Peril in six days." She tried to get excused, but Captain Church urged her to comply and promised to meet her on his return from Plymouth.


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


The place of the expected meeting was in Agawam, but on Church's arrival there the Indians were not in sight. With some anxiety Church left two of his companions for a reserve and continued his journey westward. After crossing Sippican River, and another river, he came to a shore where there was a wide view of the bay and found the Indians running races and holding a feast on the "Sands and Flats." 1


At the supper, to which Captain Church was invited, "a curious young Bass was brought in on one dish, eels and flatfish on a second, shellfish on a third, but neither Bread nor Salt was to be seen at table."


Supper being over, a dramatic scene ensued which is thus described by Captain Church :


" A great pile of Pine Knots and Tops was fired and the Indians gathered in a ring about it. Awashonks and the oldest of her people kneeling down made the first ring, and all the stout lusty men standing up made the next, and all the Rabble, a Confused Crew, surrounded on the outside. Then the Chief Captain stepped in between the people and the fire, and with a spear in one hand and a hatchet in the other danced round the fire and began to fight with it, making mention of all the several nations and companies of Indians that were enemies to the Eng- lish; and at every tribe named he would draw out and fight a new fire brand, and at finishing his fight with a fire brand he would bow to him and thank him. When


1 Various localities have been suggested by different historians. Dr. Henry M. Dexter, however, in his annotated edition of Church's History (1875) suggests that the second river crossed was Mill Creek flowing into Aucoot Cove, and that the "wide view of the bay" makes it prob- able that the place of the feast was between Aucoot Cove and Angelica, or between Angelica and Ned's Point.


NEDS POINT AT LOW TIDE


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Earliest Times


he had named them all and fought them, he struck down his spear and hatchet and came out. Then another stept in and acted the same dance with more fury if possible than the first. When about half a dozen of the chiefs had thus done, the Captain of the Guard told Mr. Church that they were making Souldiers for him, and what they had been doing was all one swearing of them, and having in that manner engaged all the stout lusty men, Awa- shonks and her chiefs declared that they were now all engaged to fight for the English."


At the close of the performance Awashonks presented to Captain Church "a very fine Firelock," and he in re- turn gave to her assurances of the confidence and pro- tection of the English.


On the following day Captain Church went back to Plymouth, offering his services and those of Awashonks' men, which were accepted, with results which had great influence in determining the final success of the English.


In the histories of King Philip's War most of the allu- sions to Mattapoisett refer to Gardener's Neck, Swanzey, where was an English garrison of seventy men. But one incident, which occurred July 24, 1676, is connected with the present Mattapoisett.


Church and his Indian allies had marched from Taun- ton to Assawampset, then to Dartmouth, going as far west as Smith's Mills, and after various encounters with hostile Indians had turned back toward Plymouth by another route. Coming to a point where the "Country Road" divided to go around the two sides of a swamp, the party separated, the English taking one path and the Indian allies the other. John Cooke's place in Fair- haven had been agreed on as a place of rendezvous.


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


Church's party, however, after an encounter with an Indian force which they captured, learned that other Indians were at Sconticut Neck, and Philip himself only two miles away. Fearing to meet these hostile Indians while encumbered with captives, they "made all haste until they got over Mattapoisett River," where they halted, sending messengers back to meet the Indian allies who arrived the next day, and the two parties compared suc- cesses. It was found that the English had taken sixty- six prisoners, and the allies had taken sixty-three and killed three. The number being equal, it was looked upon by Church as a favor of Providence that prevented each party from triumphing over the other. The Indians had taken the larger number of arms, but it was held to be unfortunate that the parties had separated, as other- wise they might have captured Philip's force.


A few weeks later another force of Indians was captured by Church "at or near Sippican."


Of the Indians captured during the war, some were sold to the West Indies and Bermuda as slaves, one of these being the twelve-year-old son of King Philip. Others, including women and children, were made slaves or in- dentured servants within the colony. In 1676 it was ordered that all private persons holding adult male Indian captives should dispose of them out of the colony, on pain of forfeiting them to the use of the colony.


It was further ordered that all Indians who had come into Plymouth "accepting the mercy of the Colony should take up their abode from the westermost side of Sepecan River and sow easterwards to Dartmouth bounds, and not to go off the aforesaid limits but by order of some magee- strate." Three Indians, Numpus, Isaake and Ben


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Earliest Times


Sachem (alias Petenunuitt),1 were to have the inspection and control of these Indians, and "Matters most momen- tous " were to be referred to Mr. Thomas Hinckley for decision.


In the southern part of Rochester, extending up from Mattapoisett and nearly surrounded by the great Haskell swamp, is the strip of upland known as Towser's Neck. The name is a corruption of Tousand, one of the names of Totosin, who has already been referred to as obtaining the use of this land from the Plymouth authorities. He was a fierce and famous fighter, a terror to the Plymouth colonists during King Philip's War, and in the intervals when he was not fighting he made this Neck his haunt and hiding-place. Many stories of his treachery and his bravery, and finally (after the death of Philip) of his capture and death, are told in the histories of the time.


From the time of the pasturage grant of 1651, there are traces of white occupation in the Old Rochester lands, but most of the early occupants were probably herders with only temporary habitations.


In the southern part of Rochester, reaching down into Marion and Mattapoisett, is an extensive woodland, now wholly uninhabited; but some ancient roads can be traced through this woodland, and one may find an occasional choked-up well or cellar, some fallen bricks or a wild apple tree, marking a spot where once stood a human habitation. But the name and the history of most of


1 Petenunuitt was the second husband of Queen Weetamoe, who had been the wife of King Philip's brother. Numpus was afterwards the captain of the remainder of Awashonks' tribe of Indians, which for many years had a settlement, including a church and congregation, at Little Compton.


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


those who once lived in this forest have long been forgotten. It has been said that certain families from Dartmouth who were friendly to the Indians settled here before the coming of the Rochester proprietors. But authentic evidence as to exact facts seems lacking.


It seems probable that a few white people were living on the lands of Sippican when the Rochester purchase was made. Yet for the most part this was virgin territory when in 1679 the men of Rochester chose it for their future home.


Some Indians were left in the Rochester territory at the time of white settlement. In 1682 the colony passed a law that the Indian men left in the towns should be numbered in groups of tens, one of whom should be ap- pointed overseer of the other nine; and that each town should have a general white overseer of the Indians. Settlement was then begun in Rochester, but the town was not incorporated, and no record occurs of any Roches- ter action under this law; though the provision for the three Indian overseers of 1676 was in general agreement with this policy. A regulation was afterwards passed by the town that no Indian who had not lived in town for three years should be allowed "to hunt or catch deer" within the town limits.


In 1690 King William's War was giving trouble to the colonists, and Captain Church was sent with a force of Indian men to the Coast of Maine, where some slight engagements took place. Each town of Plymouth Colony was required to furnish its quota of men (either white men or Indians), and of arms for this war. With the excep- tion of Falmouth, incorporated the same year, Rochester was the youngest town of the colony, and its quota was


MATTAPOISETT RIVER NEAR THE SEA


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Earliest Times


"1 man and 1 arms," the required arms being "a well fixt gun, sword or hatchet, a horn car-touch-box, suitable ammunition, and a snapsack."


In 1746 the General Court of Massachusetts appointed a committee "to provide a place for the reception of the Pigwacket Indians now at Fort William" (in Boston Harbor). This committee reported that a place had been provided at Assonomock 1 Neck, in Rochester, under the care of Captain Noah Sprague and Benjamin Ham- mond, Jr. It was further provided that twenty-five pounds in money should be given to said Sprague and Hammond for a boat, tools, provisions, and other necessaries for the support of these Indians. The later history of the Pigwacket Indians is lost; but a tract of land in Rochester mostly unoccupied and given up to woods and huckleberry pastures - a tract lying northwest of the Witch Rock Corner, and five or six miles distant from Mattapoisett Neck - is known to some of the older citizens by the mysterious name of Pigwacket.


Several Indians were still left in the Old Rochester . territory at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In the great woodland that surrounds the Towser's Neck region, an Indian called "Old Tony " lived for many years a hermit life. Also in these woods is shown the site of "Peter's House," once occupied by Indian Peter and his wife Meribah. Mention is made still later of "Black Frank," a man of Indian blood, who was the town butcher. With him lived for a time "Boston," a woman from the Indian village of "Betty's Neck" in


1 On some old maps Mattapoisett Neck is called Attansawomuck Neck.


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


Middleboro. Persons are now living who recall the two Indian women, Boston and Meribah.


It is many years since the last Indians disappeared from the soil of Old Rochester.


"But their names are on your waters, Ye cannot wash them out."


Nor would we wish to lose the memory of these abo- riginal owners of the New England lands, who have passed on to "happier hunting-grounds."


CHAPTER II


GENERAL FEATURES


"THE name Rochester given to the new township was suggested, it is said, by the rich beds of shell-fish along its shores. Some of the purchasers, or their parents, had come originally from Rochester, Kent County, Eng- land, where was an oyster fishery, celebrated even in Roman times for the excellence of its shell-fish products. In Scituate, where these men had lived for a time, they had named one of the streets, Kent Street, for the county of their birth, and they now gave the name Rochester to the new town.


A description of the general features of the Rochester territory will throw some light on the pages of history that follow.


An anonymous writer of 1815 (who is quoted several times in these pages) gives a description of the Rochester of his date (the Wareham part being of course not included) from which an abridgment is here given:


"Rochester; - a maritime town in the county of Ply- mouth, lat. 40° 42' long. 70° 40'. It is bounded south on Buzzards Bay eight miles, west on Fairhaven and Free- town twelve miles, north on Middleboro eight miles, and east on Wareham four or five miles; distant from Ply- mouth twenty miles S. W .; from New Bedford twelve E; and from Boston fifty-two miles, S.S.F. It is an original


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


corporation of the Old Colony, June 4, 1686, and con- tains the Scipican and Mattapoisett of the aborigines. Irregular in outline, it may be in area of near eight miles square, or in excess of it.


"Scipican or Rochester harbor, setting up from the south more than two miles in the center of its shore line, is formed by Great Neck on the east, and Charles's Neck on the west, expanding to more than a mile in width. There may be three wharves here, which afford nine feet of water in common tides, but at the extremity of the necks there is sufficient for vessels of burthen. The bay at large affords a depth of water of several fathoms. There is also, we are told, a wharf-landing at Great Neck. The situation of this harbor is the best in the place as to shelter.


" Mattapoisett harbor is a more exposed and far less capacious haven on the southwest extreme of the shore. Being further down the bay a greater depth of water is attained. It is an outlet of a small stream of the same name, which traverses the whole western line of the town, it may be nine miles, in a south direction to mingle with tide waters at this place; alewives in their season seek it for the sake of its fountain, Senepetuit Pond. There may be, perhaps, twelve or more feet of water in this harbor. The shores in this vicinity are rocky, and the tides in the bay rise about six feet.


" There are two islands large enough to have names, Bird and Ram Islands, both very small, the former alone of size sufficient to admit of cultivation. It is situated at the mouth of Scipican Harbor, and the other within it. Some small islands lie next the Mattapoisett shore and inlet.


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SIPPICAN HARBOR From the residence of the late Attorney-General Knowlton, at Marion


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General Features


"Senepetuit, on the northwest corner of the town, is four miles in circumference. A brook, running from it, N.W. near a mile, connects it with the East Quittaques Pond, a very large pond, partly in this town, but chiefly in Middleborough. Iron ore, it is said, exists in this vicinity. This pond is reported to receive alewives from an inlet and outlet respectively from the Buzzards Bay side, and also from the very circuitous tributaries to the Taunton River. Let the reader trace this on the map, and be amused by the research.


Merry's 1 Pond, so called, without any outlet, a round pond, a mile in diameter, of shallow waters, in an open space, near to the main road, has an entire margin of remarkably white sand, which contrasted with the ad- jacent verdure, the rural hamlets, and a smooth hill be- yond it in the distance, will detain the traveler a few moments. It is, we think, one of those resting places which, though it may be often seen, pleases still, and is recollected to the journey's end with the same emotions. Snow's Pond and Little Long Pond are in the N.W. section of the town, and all contain fish.


"Scipican brook, arising from small sources, called there 'Black water' on the confines of Middleborough, is formed by two or more branches, which, running southerly, seem to unite in the eastern section of the town, when, turning easterly, it meets the tide waters in the vicinity of Great Neck, not so far from Wareham West boundary. From this little stream, a few miles in length, the planta- tion or proprietary, in early annals, took its name.


" Mattapoisett brook, perhaps of greater volume of 1 A Mr. Merry, it is said, formerly lived in the vicinity of this pond.


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


water, meandering along low, swampy grounds, parallel to Fair Haven line, has already been noticed. There may be some other small brooks and ponds, but not of magnitude sufficient to be described.


" Great Hill, or Great Neck Hill, apparently a smooth pasture hill, is situated not far from the shore on the Great Neck. It must, we think, present an uninterrupted view of the back shore of Sandwich and Falmouth, to- gether with the pleasant bay of Manomet five or six miles over. We have noticed this hill as a conspicuous and distinct object when at Wood's Hole. Queetiquash Hills are in the north part of the town near the pond and brook of the same name.


" Tataug, scauppaug, eels, are the most common fish near the shores, with alewives in their season. At several places of resort oysters have become less common; the quahaug and lesser clam are found in the place. Without the harbour the bay affords a greater variety; but not the codfish nearer than Gay Head.


" Birds of passage doubtless frequented these pleasant shores, in former days; and hence probably the name of the little island we have already noticed, while the deer walked unmolested in the boundless forests of pine. This animal has now become rare within the limits of this town. Wild pigeons annually seek these woods and are very common in this town in August. Partridges abide."


Another description of Rochester, written by Abraham Holmes in 1821, may also be drawn upon for a few pas- sages (see Mass. Hist. Coll., Vol. X, 2d Series) :


"Its breadth is about six miles from east to west, and its mean length about nine or ten miles, though


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General Features


to the extremity of some points running into the sea it is farther.


"The soil is very variant. Near the centre it is a light sandy soil tolerable for tillage, but indifferent for grazing. Some parts of the town are rocky, iron-bound, unfit for cultivation, and will probably be kept for wood; in other parts the soil is luxuriant, and produces good crops of grass. On the seashore are considerable margins of salt marsh, without which it would be difficult to keep the stock of cattle necessary for the use of its inhabitants.


"Quitticus 1 Pond is in the northwest corner of this town; a small part of the north end is in Middleboro, and a small part on the west lies in Freetown. This pond is pretty well stored with pickerel and perch. Formerly large quantities of alewives went into it through a small brook from Assawamsett Pond, but very few pass now. A part of Assawamsett Pond lies on the north side of this town, and the line of the town crosses two islands of considerable bigness in this pond. Assawamsett Pond is the largest collection of water in Massachusetts. In this pond is a vast quantity of iron ore, which increases nearly as fast as it is dug. In the southerly part of this pond are large quantities of fish, such as pickerel, white fish, perch, roaches, chubs, horn fish, and vast quantities of sea or white perch are taken in the fall of the year, when the young alewives can be had for bait, which is the only bait which can be used with success. The land on the southerly side of this pond is very uneven and hilly and


1 That is, Little Quitticus. Mr. Holmes refers to Great Quitticus as Assawamsett. Both Pocksha and Great Quitticus lie in the same lake bed as Assawamsett. Thus Minister Le Baron (1786) says that "As- sawamsit is the largest pond of Rochester."


-


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


the bottom of the pond is as uneven as the land to which it is adjacent. It is not uncommon for water to be from ten to twenty-five feet deep, and within a few rods to be not more than three or four feet deep. This pond is the source of Nemasket River, which is a considerable branch of Taunton River.


"Sniptuit Pond is wholly in this town. The seat of this pond may be considered as the height of land. Snip- tuit Brook runs north out of this pond into Assawamsett Pond, and may be considered as the first source of Taun- ton River. Mattapoisett River runs south out of the southerly part of this pond.


" A few rods south of this pond lies Long Pond, nearly a mile in length, and from 5 to 20 rods in width. Here are large pickerel, but they are of a muddy taste. Not far from this, to the south end, lies Snow's Pond, which has no visible connexion with any other water. This pond is deep and has some fish. It contains perhaps 35 to 40 acres.


"On the right hand of the road from Rochester to Plymouth lies Merry's Pond, a most beautiful sheet of water, and is nearly as round as a circle. In this pond are a few fish of the minor species. There is no natural inlet or outlet to this pond, but a few years since the town at the expense of $100, cut a canal from it to Sippican River, hoping to induce the alewives into the pond. No success attended the attempt. This pond is about three quarters of a mile in diameter.


"There is no run of water in this town which geogra- phers would call a river, but there are two which are com- plimented by that name by the inhabitants. The first of these is Mattapoisett River, which issues out of Sniptuit


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General Features


Pond and empties into the sea at Mattapoisett Har- bor, after running about eight miles, including its wind- ings. This stream, though small, is of some consequence, besides what results from the mills, namely, on account of the alewive fishery. The other is the Sippican River."


If the two writers who have been quoted had written eighty years later, they would doubtless have added to their list of lakes the little sheet of water called Leonard's Pond. This was the site of the ancient Sippican Mill privilege, where many important industries have been carried on. Although its interesting features have been developed to some extent by artificial means, it is now a lakelet of much beauty. Lewis Pond also, though pri- marily a mill pond, has landscape features of esthetic value. Snow's Pond, a little to the south of Sniptuit, is a lovely natural lakelet with steep wooded shores.


Several of the Rochester lakes contain islands. Those of Sniptuit are known as "High Bush," "Low Bush," and "Gull" islands.


The Sippican River, formed by two long branches, receives also the central tributary, which figures in old records as "Muddy Brook " and "Ventur's Brook." On the maps it is Doggett's Brook, but it is generally known as "The Trout Brook," from the large trout that are taken in its waters.


Mattapoisett River, above described, divides near the middle of its course, flowing around a tract of land, lying partly in Mattapoisett and partly in Rochester, and known as Wolf Island. Deacon John H. Clark for many years resided upon this island, which is now, however, unin- habited.


1


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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester


Near the "Lower Herring Weir" the river widens into a pond where mills were early established and many different industries have been carried on. A little to the east of the mouth of the river is a shallow sheet of saltish water known as Barlow's Eel Pond. It formerly had two outlets, one into the river, the other into the harbor, between which lay Goodspeed's Island. At these two channels, not only eels, but many sea bass and shad, were formerly caught. The railroad embankment has closed one of the outlets of the Eel Pond, and also lessened its fishing interests.


There are well-known old springs in Mattapoisett, one of which the Indians called "Mattapoisett Spring," and which is situated on the east bank of the river near the "Uncle David Gifford place." Another, which has been named King Philip's Crystal Spring, bubbles through a sandy tract in the woods a mile or so north of the harbor. It has been said that when the inland Indians used to come to the shore on their frequent journeys after eels and shell-fish they loved to linger beside these springs for rest and refreshment.


A short distance from the old Bates place, near Leon- ard's Pond, is another bubbling spring known as "The Boiling Spring, and not far away is the "Great Button- wood," one of the largest of the trees now standing in Massachusetts. Mr. George B. Emerson, writing in 1846 of the Forest Trees of Massachusetts. says:


"The plane [or Buttonwood] tree is the largest, grandest and loftiest deciduous tree in America. . . . In Rochester one by the roadside was eleven feet in circumference at four feet from the ground."


The tree is still standing, more than sixty years after


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General Features


these words were written. There are also many other buttonwoods "by the Rochester roadsides." The But- tonwood (which is also called the American sycamore) is conspicuous among our native trees from the fact that the thin gray bark easily scales off, showing bright patches which have a striking effect among the large green leaves. In recent years the Buttonwoods have shown a less healthy vitality than was the case a hundred years ago.




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