USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Dover > Narrative history : a history of Dover, Massachusetts, as a precinct, parish, district, and town > Part 2
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Noanet was an Indian chief, who occupied with his fellows the land in the easterly part of the town. He seems to have lived in 1664 on the north side of Charles River, as the Dedham records refer to the granting of land to Joseph Kingsbury in the following
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HISTORY OF DOVER
words : "To be laid out upon the north side of Charles River over against Noannet's [sic] wigwam."
We gather in summer-time flowers planted by the hand of the red man, and it is not many years since fields could be traced where the Indian grew his maize. Stone implements, such as arrow-heads and pestles, are found on the plain-lands. The Indian names Pegan, Powisset, Noanet, are given to hill and plain and stream, and remain in memory of those who first owned this land. Eliot described the territory south of Charles River as "a peculiar hunting-place" of the Indians.
Long years after the land had been occupied by the white man, in the beautiful days of the Indian summer, red men made long pilgrimages to the plain of Powis- set, where they visited the graves of their fathers, to be there inspired with new strength and courage. A small remnant of Natick Indians remained as late as 1835, who roamed over town, selling baskets and begging, wherever they went, a drink of cider.
Although the Indians were near neighbors to the early settlers, it is believed they lived in peace and harmony, as there is no record of any controversy with them. They were greatly reduced in numbers by the ravages of small-pox in 1633, just before the Dedham settlement, and were never again numerous in the im- mediate vicinity. Roaming Indians, however, were at first a frequent menace ; and a fortification was built in the westerly part of the town, not far from the road leading from Medfield to Natick, which was standing at the beginning of the present century. It was made bullet-proof by layers of brick between the outer and
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OUTLINE OF THE TOWN
inner walls, which were made of thick white-oak plank ; while its small windows helped to make it defensible.
In the early time Hannah Baker, fearing an attack from the Indians, fled to a swamp in the easterly part of the town, and there remained during the night with her two children.
It is said that those who occupied the old fortification heard one night a sound like the noise of pigs escaping from the sty. The first impulse was to rush out; but upon reflection a musket was taken down, and fired in the direction of the sty. A shriek revealed the fact that it was a trick of the wily Indians to call the in- mates out. The next morning their trail was traced for some distance by drops of blood on the ground.
Some of the Indians practised the healing art ; and Hannah Dexter, who lived on the west side of Pegan Hill, was much celebrated as an Indian doctor. She possessed much skill in the use of roots and herbs, and English people often came long distances to consult her. The flora of the town is exceptionally rich, owing, doubtless, to the great diversity of soil. An additional reason may be found in the fact that the territory was so long occupied by Indians, who cultivated a large number of medicinal plants.
At first cattle, and especially hogs, were allowed to run at large by vote of the inhabitants ; but in 1794 the people seem to have somewhat tired of the practice, and at their March meeting voted " that the hogs to be shot up." In the early settlement of the territory wild animals were a real danger, and several places are still pointed out where bears were killed. Wild-cats and wolves inhabited the forests for many years, and killed
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HISTORY OF DOVER
young animals. The town of Dedham paid a bounty of ten shillings a head for wolves killed by the inhabitants as late as 1716, and one pound a head for all wild-cats in 1734. Rattlesnakes were troublesome until 1764, and are still found among the ledges of Cedar and Oak Hills. Dedham at one time paid a bounty of six pence for " an inch and a halfe of the end of a rattle- snake's tail with the rattle." The beaver lived here, and a spot in the easterly part of the town is known as Beaver Dam. Within the memory of living men this dam was very distinct in its outline, and was the unmis- takable work of this intelligent and cunning animal. Otter Brook, which has its source in Dover, was so named because the otter frequented its waters. It is related of Henry Wilson that the first night he slept in his log house on Strawberry Hill he awoke in the morn- ing to see a wild-cat looking in at the window.
Dover, in its situation, pure air, pure water, and cli- mate, modified by a large acreage of pine wood-land, is a very healthy place of residence. Exact records kept by the Rev. Dr. Sanger during his residence here of forty years show that one in every twenty-four reached the advanced age of ninety years and upwards. Of the three hundred and fourteen deaths which occurred in the first forty years of Mr. Sanger's ministry, thirty-six were infants under one year, forty-five were over one year of age and under ten, twenty were between ten and twenty years, fifty-six were between twenty and fifty years, and one hundred and fifty-seven were be- tween fifty and ninety-eight years. Thirteen were above the age of ninety, two were ninety-five, and one was ninety-eight.
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OUTLINE OF THE TOWN
Dover, with its varied surface, contains eight thousand seven hundred acres of land, which includes several hun- dred acres of waste land and about one hundred and fifty acres laid out in roads.
Although this has always been an agricultural district, the character of the farming has greatly changed in the last quarter of a century. For many years after its settlement the people were largely engaged in preparing ship-timber, cutting wood, and burning charcoal, all of which found a ready sale in Boston. This business demanded much transportation, and men were con- stantly on the road with their ox-teams. Dover Street in Boston was named for this town. It is said the name was given to this particular street because the Dover farmers " put up" over night at a tavern located near the junction of Dover and Washington Streets.
In the cultivation of crops, potatoes were not at first raised as human food, cereals being the staples. In England the potato was held to be a native of Virginia. Modern opinion holds that it is indigenous to some parts of South America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, and that it was brought to Virginia by the early Spanish explorers. In its cultivation the potato has been greatly improved within fifty years ; and the big, mealy potatoes of to-day are quite different from the watery tuber of our grandfathers. The farming to-day is more largely devoted to the production of milk and to market-gardening.
Dover was the seventh town whose territory was wholly a part of Dedham to be set off from the mother town. Its bounds, with the exception of a slight change made in the line between Dover and Walpole in 1872,
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HISTORY OF DOVER
are the same as those defined in the petition of the inhabitants to be made a distinct precinct in 1728. These bounds are as follows : -
Beginning at Bubbling Brook where it crosses Medfield road, and thence taking in the lands of Samuel Chickering, and from thence to the westerly end of Nathaniel Richards's house-lot, and so down to Charles River, with all the lands westerly of said line.
This land was a part of the territory owned by the Sachem Wompituk (whose daughter Chicatabut mar- ried) and, soon after the landing of Winthrop, sold to William Pyncham.
The territory comprising this town was included in the grant made by the Crown to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628. The question is often asked why the bounds of Natick extended across Charles River to the summit of Pegan Hill on the east. When, in 1650, the Apostle Eliot commenced his Indian settlement at Natick, he laid out a village on both sides of Charles River, which was fenced and planted to orchards and cornfields. The village was stockaded, with two long streets on either side of the river, crossed by a bridge which the Indians built themselves. They were divided into families and encouraged to live in separate rooms. In 1651 Dedham made a grant to Natick of two thou- sand acres on the north side of Charles River on the condition that "the Indians should Lay doune all other Clames of any land within the towne bounds, and for- bere setting of traps, etc." Nevertheless, they con- tinued to improve the land on the south side of the river ; and when, a few years later, operations were begun to build a mill, the town protested. Mr. Eliot
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OUTLINE OF THE TOWN
tried to satisfy them " by offering forty pounds' worth of boards which he expected to cutt at his mill," but the town would not accept his offer.
Mr. Eliot desired to take, as a part of the grant of two thousand acres, land on the south side of Charles River to extend as far as the brook. This the town of Ded- ham opposed, as the land " was the fittest place to turne of horsses and loose Cattell that the Towne had." These difficulties led to a long controversy. The Indians continued to improve the land which would now be included in the territory of Dover if Charles River formed the boundary between the two towns.
Mr. Eliot, in his labors to furnish the means of Christian living among the Indians, was strenuous in his efforts for the permanent establishment of the settlement on both sides of Charles River.
After some years Dedham entered a suit for the recovery of the land or satisfaction in five hundred pounds sterling. A compromise was finally effected, by which the Indians retained the land, and Dedham re- ceived a grant of eight thousand acres at what is now Deerfield. In 1797 the territory south of Charles River was annexed to Dover for parochial purposes, under the following article in the warrant : "To see if the District will receive the inhabitants, buildings, and land in Natick, lying south of Charles River, agreeable to a petition in the hands of the Selectmen." In the granting of this petition Elijah Perry, Enoch Draper, William Morse, and Asa Bacon were set to Dover, and remained members of the parish for many years.
Dover has a population of six hundred and sixty-eight. Until recent years its families were largely descended
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HISTORY OF DOVER
from native stock. In its date of incorporation, July 7, 1784, Dover ranks as the two hundred and fortieth town in the Commonwealth.
A seal was adopted by the town April 30, 1894. Every part of it has special significance.
The central figure is a plain two-story meeting-house, without chimney or steeple, which is drawn in the exact architectural proportions of the first meeting-house. This figure is made prominent because the desire of the early inhabitants to worship among themselves led to the incorporation of the parish and final separation from the town of Dedham.
As a special appropriation was made for the purchase of stone steps for the meeting-house, they appear in the design, together with the " horse-block," which was so indispensable, as late as 1810, that it was retained by the parish after the destruction of their meeting- house and the purchase of a new parish lot.
The schoolhouse, erected just beside the meeting- house in 1762, and used for many years as a " noon house," is shown at the left, with smoke rising from the chimney. The stream of water represents Trout Brook, which has its source in the beautiful boiling springs, and signifies " Springfield," the name given to this territory by the early Dedham settlers.
The presence of Indians in the seal commemorates the fact that this was once their stamping-ground, and hill and plain and street bear to this day Indian names.
Only a part of the noble Pegan Hill, not showing its full height, appears on the seal, thus indicating that it is not wholly within the limits of the town. The elevation
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OUTLINE OF THE TOWN
at the left represents Pine Rock Hill, which has an elevation of four hundred and forty-nine feet. The leading industry of the people is characterized by the plough and sheaf of grain resting upon the shield.
The incorporated name of the town appears on the outer circle, while the date of its incorporation is borne on the scroll. The outer circle shows the evolution of the town by noting separately the date of the incor- poration of the parish and of the district.
Mr. Henry E. Woods has rendered the seal in the following heraldic language: Upon a field showing on the dexter side a schoolhouse and brook, and on the sinister side a hill and Indians, an escutcheon bearing : azure on a mount vert a meeting-house, without steeple, proper ; crest, a plough and garb, crosswise, proper ; motto, "Incorporated 1836," surrounded by a circle inscribed in chief "Town of Dover," and in base " Massachusetts," divided on the dexter side by " Parish 1748 " and the sinister side by " District 1784."
The streets of Dover were named by the selectmen, and accepted by the town in 1877. The names of some of our streets should be changed for appropriate names which have special historical significance. Soon after the granting of land in 1650 to the Natick Indians, a road was extended from Dedham to the Indian settle- ment. Along this road where it skirts Charles River the early settlers found an abundance of clay, and from time immemorial it has been called "Clay Brook Road." In the naming of the streets this exceedingly appropriate name was dropped for "Charles River Street," a name which Needham has given to a parallel street on the opposite side of the Charles River.
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HISTORY OF DOVER
Early in the history of Massachusetts a grant of several hundred acres of land was made in what is now Sherborn, and was called "The Farms," hence the names Farm Lake, Farm School, Farm Bridge. Obviously, " Farm Street " should extend from Medfield line to the center of Farm Bridge and not to Springdale Avenue.
Willow Street, which extends from Charles River Village to Dedham Street, near the house of Cornelius Sullivan, was laid out in February, 1802, and called in the records " Mill Road"; while the present Mill Street was built in 1797, and was called the " Old Grant Road," because of the right of highway given in the conveyance.
The names and locations of the streets are as fol- lows : -
Farm Street, from Medfield line to Springdale Park. Smith Street, from Farm Street to F. A. Parmenter's. Bridge Street, from Farm Street to Sherborn line. Wight Street, from Farm Street to McGill Brothers'. Glen Street, from Farm Street to Natick line.
Main Street, from Springdale Park to Dover Street. Center Street, from Fisher's Bridge to Medfield line.
Springdale Avenue, from Springdale Park to Center Street.
County Street, between Walpole and Dover.
Walpole Street, from Center Street to County Street. Pine Street, from Center Street to Medfield line.
Hartford Street, the old Hartford turnpike.
Powisset Street, from Walpole Street to Dedham line.
Dedham Street, from Springdale Avenue to Dedham, near Day's Bridge.
Wilsondale Street, from Strawberry Hill Street to Dedham line.
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OUTLINE OF THE TOWN
Strawberry Hill Street, from Dedham Street to Lar- rabee estate.
Chestnut Street, from Dedham Street to Needham line.
Willow Street, from Dedham Street to Newell's Bridge.
Mill Street, from Dedham Street to Willow Street.
Cross Street, from Dedham Street to Center Street.
Charles River Street, from Center Street to Natick line.
Dover Street, from Baker's Bridge to Natick line.
Pleasant Street, from Main Street to Natick line.
Haven Street, from Main Street to Dedham Street.
Church Street, from Haven Street to Springdale Avenue.
Pegan Street, from Springdale Park to M. E. Nawn's.
CHAPTER II.
THE BEGINNING OF PARISH LIFE.
FOURTH PRECINCT OF DEDHAM - CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE
- EARLY SETTLERS IN DOVER - HENRY WILSON -
THOMAS BATTLE - NATHANIEL CHICKERING - JAMES DRAPER -OLD FORTIFICATION - FIRST EFFORT TO BE MADE A PRECINCT - FIRST TAX LIST - PETITION TO THE GENERAL COURT AND SIGNERS - ORGANIZATION OF THE PRECINCT AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
The great, eventful Present hides the Past; but through the din Of its loud life hints and echoes from the life behind steal in ; And the lore of home and fireside, and the legendary rhyme, Make the task of duty lighter which the true man owes his time.
- WHITTIER.
As the history of Dover is interwoven with the his- tory of Dedham, it is most difficult to give with cer- tainty much that one desires to know about the early settlement and life of the people of this town. In its incorporate capacity it was styled the Fourth Precinct of Dedham ; but with the organization of the church it became the Fourth, or Springfield, Parish. The pro- genitors of most of the early Dover families were among the first settlers in Dedham ; and we proudly claim the history of the mother town as a part of our own history, in ecclesiastical affairs previous to 1729 and in all town affairs before 1784.
" The first settlers of Dedham were a remarkable col- lection of people. Tradition brings down a high char- acter attached to most of the names found on its early
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THE BEGINNING OF PARISH LIFE
records, and their public and private acts fully confirm it. Orderly and industrious in their habits, they al- lowed no one to remain in their community who was not engaged in some regular occupation. Any violation of rules was followed by a penalty, yet the most exact strictness was accompanied by equally unfailing loving- kindness. Liberal were they towards each other and their neighbors, and public-spirited, too. Thrifty were they, husbanding both public and private resources with great economy and industry. Above all, they pursued a liberal and enlightened policy in matters of religion. In such a sound and sensible community we find, as might be expected, no persecution, no witches, no super- natural occurrences. The plantation went on regularly, advancing in population and wealth." There is, how- ever, much of interest to the inhabitants of the Spring- field Parish that can never be given in the history of Dedham. It is found in the record of the faithful lives, the labors, the fortitude, and the patriotism of those who settled here and made for themselves and their posterity a home, a school, a church, and cleared the farms that, in not a few instances, have now been tilled by descendants for more than two centuries. Owing to the danger of attacks from Indians, it is generally held that settlements were not made outside of the village of Dedham previous to King Philip's War. The fact that the town voted in 1682 that none should move to a greater distance than two miles from the meeting-house without a special license indicates that some of the in- habitants had done so. The colonial law that all should build in the immediate vicinity of the meeting-house early became obsolete, as such close proximity to one
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HISTORY OF DOVER
another was not favorable to agricultural pursuits. Water must be had in good supply, pasturage for cat- tle, and an abundance of firewood. To gain these requisites it is believed that settlements were made outside of the village of Dedham. Dover was not generally settled, however, until early in 1700, although settlements were made in different parts of the territory much earlier. In many instances there seem to have been no instruments of conveyance, and consequently no records were made.
Henry Wilson, who came from Kent, England, and settled in Dedham in 1640, was granted land with other settlers, but never built upon it. It is believed that he immediately settled on the farm now occupied by his lineal descendant, Ephraim Wilson, in the easterly part of the town, near the Dedham line. He was the first settler within the limits of Dover. His house was on the path which led to the common pasture-grounds in the vicinity of Powisset. He married, and brought his wife to the settlement; and here their first child, Michael Wilson, was born in 1644.
Thomas Battle was probably the first settler west of Strawberry Hill. He had acquired land in the westerly part of Dedham either by grant or purchase, as in 1681 he sold to James Draper eighty-four acres of land near Medfield. In 1683 Thomas Battle had a grant of "10 acres I rood of land on ye west side of Great Brook." It has long been a tradition that the first settlement west of Strawberry Hill was made by Mr. Battle on the Clay Brook Road. The site of his house is still pointed out near the picnic grounds of B. N. Sawin, not far from the Natick line. He had another grant (1687-95),
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THE BEGINNING OF PARISH LIFE
which is very definite, and locates his previous grant, as follows : "Granted to Thomas Battle half an acre of upland and meadow bottom as it lieth his own land near the Great Brook, near Natick, bounded by his own land southeast the way to the brook, and by the brook in all other parts." Thomas Battle was one of the selectmen of Dedham, and associated on the board with Nathaniel Chickering, who settled here in 1694. Nathaniel Chick- ering was born in 1647. He came to this country from Wrentham, England, where his mother lived in 1681. He settled in Dover in 1694, having gained through grants and purchase a thousand acres of land, which extended from the Clay Brook Road southward includ- ing Powisset and eastward as far as the farm now owned by Charles J. Spear.
He built a house on the site of the homestead now oc- cupied by George Ellis Chickering. He died in 1694, and did not occupy the house with his family; but it was taken possession of by his widow and his children.
James Draper, of Roxbury, purchased land of Thomas Battle in 1682, which was bounded " on the north by Natick and on the south by Medfield." This was the original Draper place in Dover, and was occupied by John, son of James Draper, who took a wife in 1686, and probably settled here at that time. Medfield, which was settled in 1650, had a road which led from Med- field to Dedham. This highway was extended north- ward, and was continued across the Dover territory as far as the Indian village at South Natick. Settlements were soon made in Medfield on this road. The Allen farm was settled in 1673; and about 1657 Daniel Morse, of Medfield, went still farther and purchased a
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HISTORY OF DOVER
tract of eight hundred acres of land across Charles River, in what is now Sherborn, and settled there in 1658 with his family. The site of the homestead was about half a mile west of Farm Bridge.
Not far from the Natick road, on the high land over- looking Charles River, south of Farm Bridge, was built the old fortification already referred to. It is supposed to have been built at an early time, as settlements had been made in the vicinity, both in Medfield and Sher- born. The fortification was removed by the writer's grandfather early in 1800, but its history is not known. About 1725 there was a general feeling among those who had settled at a distance from the center of the town that they should be freed from the minister tax at Dedham and allowed to build meeting-houses of their own, where they could more conveniently worship. This spirit is seen in the petition of the inhabitants of Clap- boardtrees Parish (West Dedham) in 1721 and that of Tiot (Norwood) in 1726 to be made precincts.
A feeling of discontent manifested itself in the west- erly part of Dedham (Springfield) in 1728, when, on the 3d of March, the inhabitants petitioned " that they and their estates might be set off into a distinct pre- cinct." This request was granted by the town Novem- ber 9, 1729.
Having been made a precinct by the town, it was their ambition to be made a distinct precinct by the General Court, that they might be freed from the minis- terial tax at Dedham and be vested with greater powers and privileges. A petition, headed by Jonathan Battle, was presented to the General Court November 19, 1729, asking to be made a distinct precinct by that
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THE BEGINNING OF PARISH LIFE
body. This request was referred to a committee, who reported December 2, 1729, that they and their estate be freed from paying the minister rate in Dedham, and that Samuel Chickering and twelve others should attend the church in Medfield, Ralph Day and four others the church at Needham, and Eleazer Ellis and thirteen others the church at Natick. This report was accepted by the General Court, and they were ordered to pay their ministerial tax to the several ministers of the other towns where they attended public worship ; and this they continued to do for many years.
This was the first step in the evolution of the town of Dover towards the permanent establishment of a govern- ment at home, where the people could carry out among themselves the true New England spirit, in the main- tenance of the church, the school, and the town meet- ing in the midst of their homes. These institutions formed for many years " the whole of life, with its duties, its training, its pleasures, and its hopes."
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