USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Sketches of Boston, past and present, and of some places in its vicinity > Part 23
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
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WEST ROXBURY.
tablishment which will annually increase in grandeur and importance ; for there must finally repose a large portion of the present, and of all the future generations of Roxbury, until " the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." The living of each successive year will be anxious, from the dictates of affection, respect, and piety, to establish and perpetuate the sepulchres of revered relatives and honored friends in such a retired, umbrageous, magnificent, and sacred gar. den, which will continually augment the number and variety of funereal monuments, as well as insure the erection of such other structures as may be deemed expedient, and thus ultimately render the grounds as eminently distinguished for the admirable manner in which the rural and artistical embellishments shall have been harmoniously combined, as they are for appropriateness of location, -the best to subserve the holy purpose for which they were solemnly consecrated.
Entrance to Forest Hills Cemetery.
It is proposed to erect a suitable monument in the Forest Hills Cemetery to the memory of the Apostle Eliot, of whom it was said by Mather : " There is a tradition amongst us, that the country could never perish, so long as ELIOT was alive." And by the Rev. Thomas Shephard : "I think
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FOREST HILLS CEMETERY.
we can never love and honor this man of God enough." It has been esti- mated that the expense of an appropriate monument will not exceed four thousand dollars, and it is confidently believed that not only the citizens of the city and town of Roxbury, but all who were born in Massachusetts, wherever they may reside, will cheerfully aid in doing honor to that illus- trious Patriarch, who may truly be considered as one of the earliest and most eminent benefactors of New England.
The superintendence and management of the Cemetery have been con- fined to five Commissioners, and the proceeds of the sales of lots are ex- clusively devoted, by an Act of the legislature, to the payment for the land and the improvement and embellishment of the Cemetery.
Commissioners of Forest Hills Cemetery, June, 1851.
H. A. S. DEARBORN, ALVAH KITTREDGE, FRANCIS C. HEAD, HENRY CODMAN, GEORGE R. RUSSELL. Superintendent, DANIEL BRIMS.
Forest Hills Cemetery is about 5 miles from the Boston State House. Those who wish to visit the Cemetery from Boston can procure carriages at a cost of one dollar per hour. No tickets of admission are required. Access may be readily had, also, by means of the Dedham Branch Railroad, distance five miles from the Boston depot in Pleasant Street. There are eight trains daily, which stop at the Cemetery station, about one third of a mile from the southern entrance. Fare fifteen cents.
By an act of the legislature passed in 1851, the Cemetery of Forest Hills forms a part of the new town of West Roxbury, but is free from tax. ation.
Churches in Roxbury, 1851.
Name. Location. Pastor.
First Church.
Eliot Square. Rev. George Putnam, D. D.
Second Unitarian Church.
West Roxbury. Rev. Dexter Clapp.
Third Unitarian Society.
Jamaica Plain. Rev. G. Reynolds.
Mt. Pleasant Congregational Ch. Dudley Street. Rev. W. R. Alger.
First Baptist Church.
Dudley Street. Rev. T. D. Anderson.
Second Baptist Church. Third Baptist Church.
Jamaica Plain. Rev. W. Hague.
First Universalist Church.
Ruggles Street. Rev. J. S. Shailer.
Dudley Street. Rev. W. H. Ryder. St. James's (Episcopal) Church. St. James St. Rev. J. Wayland, D. D. St. John's (Episcopal) Church. Jamaica Plain. Rev. E. F. Stafter. Eliot Church (Presbyterian).
Kenilworth St. Rev. A. C. Thomson.
Centre Street. Rev. C. Marsh.
West Roxbury Society. First Methodist Episcopal Ch. St. Joseph's Church (R. C.)
Williams St. Rev. L. Boyden.
Circuit Street. Rev. P. O. Beirne.
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LYNN.
LYNN, ESSEX COUNTY.
STATION
LYNN
BUTTERFIELD & KELLOGG'S
PRINTING OFFICE.
......
Eastern Railroad Station, Lynn.
Lynn was first settled in the year 1629, having received its name from Lynn Regis, a town in England, from which some of the early settlers came. The Indian name of the settlement was Saugus, which is yet re- tained as the name of a town between Chelsea and Lynn.
In the year 1645 the first iron works in Massachusetts were established at Lynn, by order of the general court.
Lynn is about uine miles north from Boston, by way of the Eastern Railroad, commencing at East Boston, and about five miles South of Salem. The population in 1850 was 13,613. The principal business consists in the manufacture of ladies' shoes, in which there is a capital of about $ 1,050.000 invested. The number of shoe factories is 155, the annual prod- uct of which is $ 3,430,000. In these factories are employed 295 cutters, 3.770 workmen or cordwainers, 6,400 females, who are termed binders. In 1350 there were produced 4,691,000 pairs of womens and children's shoes, boots, and gaiters.
Lynn has at this time fifteen Churches, thirty four Public Schools, one Academy two Banks, one Savings Bank, two Insurance Offices, together
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LYNN.
with a number of literary, social and charitable institutions. The emni nences surrounding the town afford fine views of the harbor and the ocean. To visitors the most attractive spot is High Rock, on which has been erected a public house, from which a view of fifteen miles in extent may be had, including Nahant, Salem, and Boston. In clear weather the Blue Hills may be seen nineteen miles distant, also the outline of Cape Cod.
Extensive views may be had also from Forest Rock, Lover's Leap, Pine Hill, Tower Hill, Sagamore Hill, Poquanum Hill, Wenepoykin Hill, and other eminences.
Visitors are recommended to take the cars at East Boston, via the ferry. foot of Hanover Street. Trains leave at 9 and 10 A. M., and at other hours of the day. Distance nine miles. Fare 25 cents.
Lynn High School, erected 1850.
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The above cut represents the Lynn High School house, built in 1850, at an expense of $ 9,500, including also the grading, fencing, &c. The build- ing itself, which cost $ 7,000, was dedicated January 8, 1851. The main school-room is 46 feet square and 16 feet in height.
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LYNN.
Lynn Mechanics' Bank Building.
LYNN MECHANICS INSURANCE OFFICE
BANK:
S.F. HDOCE
The above building accommodates the Lynn Mechanics' Bank, the Lynn Mechanics' Fire and Marine Insurance Company, and the Lynn Institution for Savings.
The railroad to Boston was opened for travel in the year 1839. The Station house is 10 miles 170 rods from Boston, 5 miles 96 rods from Sa- lem, 5 miles 184 rods from Marblehead.
Among the public institutions of Lynn are two banks, viz. the Lynn Mechanics' Bank, and the Laighton Bank ; one Savings Bank, City Hall, Lyceum Hall, Exchange Hall, Sagamore Hall, the Lynn Mechanics' Fire and Marine Insurance Company.
Lyun remained a town until May 13, 1850, when it was incorporated as a city. The cities previously incorporated in Massachusetts were Boston, Silem, Lowell, Roxbury, Cambridge, Charlestown, New Bedford, and Worcester.
Lyun extends about six miles on the seashore from east to west. In the northeastern part of the town is the Village of Gravesend, which oc-
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WATERTOWN.
cupies a plain around a beautiful shallow water called Wennchus Lake. There are five other lakes in this neighborhood. The city of Lynn con- tains 8,360 acres of land, and is rapidly increasing in population and busi- ness. The population in 1790 was 2,291, in 1810, 4,087, in 1830, 6,133, in 1840, 9,367, and in 1850, 13,613.
LYNN
MASS
SETTLED 1629.
ITY MAY 14 1850.
INSTITU
NAHANT.
Having examined some of the elevated points near Lynn, the visitor should then proceed to Nahant, which is noted as a summer resort for cit- izens of Boston. Nahant is a narrow peninsula, three miles in length, at the point of which is the Nahant Hotel, one of the most attractive spots in extremely warm weather. There are several other public houses, which are generally well filled with visitors during the summer season.
A steamboat plies between Boston and Nahant daily during the summer months, leaving Boston at 9 A. M. and returning about 6 P. M. Fare 25 cents. For the sake of variety, the visitor may return by Railroad cars to Boston through Lynn.
WATERTOWN.
Watertown is accessible by two railroads : first by the Fitchburg, and secondly by the Worcester ; the former running directly into the village,
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WATERTOWN.
and the latter taking passengers to Newton Corner, within half a mile of the centre of Watertown. The trains are numerous by both routes, the fare is but 20 cents, and the place may be reached in thirty minutes from the city.
Watertown was settled in the year 1630, by a portion of the Charles- town settlers from the West of England. It was in that year determined by the General Council, that "Trimountain be called Boston ; Mattapan, Dorchester ; and the town on Charles River, Watertown." The leading names among the original settlers were Sir Richard Saltonstall (ancestor of the families of that name in Salem and other places), Rev. George Phillips (the first pastor of the town, and ancestor of many families of that name in Boston and vicinity), Coolidge, Stone, Whitney, Brown, and Mayhew. Mr. Phillips was succeeded in the ministry by the Rev. John Sherman, one of the most eminent men in the early colonies of New Eng- land; and from him are descended several families of the name, now among us.
From investigations that have been made into the early history of Watertown, it would seem that its original name was Waterton (and so spelt in some of the earliest records), and derived from a small place of that name in the West Riding of Yorkshire (England), not far from the residence of the then Saltonstall family.
After the 19th of April, 1775, the Provincial Congress assembled and continued their meetings in the old meeting-house of Watertown, which stood on the spot now used as a burial ground, near the village. The Council met in a house now owned by the Fowle family, " selected for the purpose on account of its vicinity to the meeting.house."
In June, 1778, Watertown became again the seat of government, in con- sequence of the prevalence of the small-pox in Boston.
In the year 1836, a new meeting- house was built and dedicated by the Congregational Society, on a spot nearer to the centre of the village. In the summer of 1811, the new meeting-house was destroyed by fire, and in the following year the present beautiful edifice was erected and dedi- cated on the same spot.
The leading object of interest to visitors is the U. S. Arsenal at Water- town. The site of this was selected in 1816 by Major Talcot, and the State ceded to the General Government the jurisdiction over it, not exceed- ing sixty acres. In 1820 the buildings were completed and occupied. The ground now occupied is somewhat more than forty acres A new maga- zine was erected in 1829. There are now two magazines of stone, of the best construction : also two large warehouses, two buildings for officers' quarters, two barracks, two workshops, and other buildings. All the build. ings are placed on the four sides of a parallelogram, facing the cardinal points, the spaces between the buildings being filled by a wall fifteen feet in height. The area inclosed is about three hundred and fifty feet by two
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WATERTOWN.
hundred and eighty feet. The magazines are placed at a distance of sev- eral hundred feet from the other buildings. This establishment is both a depot and an arsenal of construction.
Watertown is 6t miles from Boston by the carriage road through Cam. bridge. It is bounded on the north by West .Cambridge ; on the east by Old Cambridge ; on the south by Charles River and by Newton; and on the West by Waltham. It is pleasantly situated on the north bank of Charles River, which in its beautiful windings decorates the scenery, at the saine time that it confers more substantial advantages. In extent, Watertown is one of the smallest towns in the Commonwealth, - there being only 3333 acres, including land and water. This consists of half of Charles River, 75 acres ; part of Fresh Pond, 58 acres ; small stream and pond, 3 acres ; land, including roads, 3697 acres.
Another object of interest is the dwelling of Mr. John P. Cushing, about two miles from Harvard University. This is one of the most elabo- rate and costly private edifices in New England. The grounds comprise about sixty acres, commanding a very extensive prospect, and including every tree, shrub, plant and flower that will live or flourish in this lati- tude. These grounds are laid out with exquisite taste, in spacious lawns, groves and walks, - extensive outbuildings for maintaining a uniform de- gree of temperature throughout the year for the cultivation of the flowers and fruits of every country and climate of the world. Portions of Fresh Pond and Mount Auburn also lie on the eastern borders of the town.
We are indebted for many of these particulars to an interesting "His- torical Sketch of Watertown, by Convers Francis, D. D., of Cambridge," a pamphlet now scarce, but which should be reproduced for the benefit of thousands of the present generation, who would be glad to see the sketch in a cheap form.
The valuation of Watertown at the present time, according to the re- port of the State Valuation Committee, is $ 2,180,693, and in that re- spect is exceeded by only three other towus in the county, viz. Medford, Newton, and Waltham.
There are in the town five places of public worship, viz. Unitarian, of which Rev. Mr. Davis is pastor ; Baptist, Rev. Mr. Edwards ; Methodist, Universalist, and Catholic. The Unitarian Church was formerly under the charge of the Rev. Dr. Francis, now of Harvard University. It has once been destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt with great taste and elegance.
In this town, one of the first mills for the manufacture of cotton fab- rics was established by the late Seth Bemnis, Esq. He was the first in this county to manufacture cotton duck, and it shows the great advance made in the means of locomotion, to state that Mr. Bemnis was in the habit of sending his duck to Baltimore and other Southern places in wagons, which were gone for a month, or more, bringing home flour, tobacco, and other Southern products in return. There is also in the town a paper mill.
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CHARLESTOWN, MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
RLEST 0
CH
TO BE
TRANSM
IN
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FOUNDED A.D. 162 8
TRUST
TO POSTERIT
CITY A.D. 1847.
Charlestown was settled in the year 1623. It is the oldest town in Mid- dlesex County, and one of the oldest in the State. It derives its name from King Charles I., the reigning sovereign of England at that time. The Indian name of the settlement was Mishawan.
The objects well worth visiting in Charlestown are 1. Bunker Hill Mon- ument. 2. The Navy Yard. 3. The State Penitentiary. 4. The Ice Houses.
Charlestown is situated on a peninsula, with the harbor on the east, the Mystic river and Chelsea on the north; Charles river on the South; and on the west Somerville, with which it is connected by a narrow strip of land called the Neck. With Malden on the northwest, Charlestown is connected by a bridge 2120 feet in length, opened for travel on the 23d of September, 1783. A bridge one mile in length leads from the Navy Yard due north to Chelsea. This was formerly the great thoroughfare from Boston to Salem, via Chelsea and Lynn. Now the bridge is used for local travel only, the Eastern Railroad being the general means of conveyance to Lynn, Salem, Newburyport, Nahant, thence to Portsmouth, Portland, &c.
There is here a terminus of the Fitchburg Railroad, and the depot for the freight received by this road, from Vermont and portions of Massachu- setts.
Bunker Hill and its monument are among the noted obects in the vi-
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CHARLESTOWN.
cinity of Boston. These should not be neglected by the stranger in his visit to the inetropolis.
The Navy Yard. - Admittance to strangers is readily granted. An omnibus leaves Brattle street, Boston, every hour for the Navy Yard, fare 10 cents, or the visitors, after examining the monument, will find the Na- vy Yard within five minutes reach, at the foot of Bunker Hill. The walls of the yard enclose about sixty acres. At this time the Ohio 74 and the Vermont 74 gun ships are moored at the wharf. The frigate Independence lies a few yards in the stream, and is used as a receiving vessel for new re- cruits. The timber dock near the dry dock is used as a receptacle for tim- ber, where it is kept some years, preparatory to its deposit under the large timber shed.
The Dry Dock is one of the first objects to visit. Its dimensions are as follows : - Length of floor from head mitre sill, 228 feet ; depth of the dock, 30 feet ; width of body of the dock, 86 feet ; width at top altar, 82 feet ; second, 78 feet ; third, 70 feet, &c. ; width of passage at the floating gate, 61} feet; whole length of stone work, 23St feet. This work was com- inenced on the 10th July, 1827, and occupied six years in the course of con- struction, under the direction of Col. Loammi Baldwin. The entire cost was § 677,539, including the cost of engine house, engine and pumping apparatus. The dock was opened for public exhibition on the 21th of June, 1833. The frigate Constitution was the first vessel docked here.
Bunker Hill Monument should be visited in clear weather only. The view from its summit is probably not exceeded in extent or beauty by that from any eminence in the country.
Visitors from Boston can ride over in one of the omnibuses which leave Brattle Street every half hour. Distance 1} mile. Fare 10 cents. Ad- mission to the monument 12} cents for each person, payable at the en- trance. All the money received here is appropriated to improving the grounds and keeping them in order.
The corner-stone of the monument was laid on the 17th of June, 1825, by General Lafayette, in the presence of a vast multitude, among whom were forty of the survivors of the battle, precisely fifty years after the memora- ble battle of Bunker Hill. At the laying of the corner-stone, an address was delivered by Daniel Webster. The depth, however, at which the corner- stone was laid was insufficient to resist the action of the frost, and anoth- er foundation was laid twelve feet under ground, and on the 21st of July, 1827, the base, fifty feet in diameter, was completed. The work was su- perintended by Mr. Solomon Willard, who generously contributed one thousand dollars in aid of the monument fund and gave three years' servic- es without remuneration.
The structure consists of ninety courses of Quincy granite (six below the surface of the ground and eighty-four above), each course two feet eight inches in thickness. The whole quantity of stone used was about
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CHARLESTOWN.
6700 tons, of which 2500 tons were laid in the first fourteen courses. The base is thirty feet square, and the column gradually lessens until it be- comes fifteen feet at the apex.
The inclosure on Bunker Hill, in the centre of which the monument stands, contains nearly six acres, being 417 feet from North to South, and 400 feet from East to West. The work received essential aid from the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics' Association.
At the great battle on the 17th of June, 1775, there were about eight hun- dred of the British killed, and eight hundred wounded and missing. Among the killed were not less than eighty officers. Of the Americans there were one hundred killed, and three hundred wounded, and thirty or forty missing. The battle began about three o'clock P. M. and continued be- tween two and three hours. The number of troops engaged in defence of the fort and ground was about 3,000, and that of the British was estima- mated at 1,000.
The foundation of the Monument is laid in lime mortar, the other por- tions of the column are laid in lime mortar, intermixed with cinders, iron filings, and hydraulic cement. Within the shaft is a round, hollow cone, the outside diameter of which is ten feet, and at the top is six feet. This hollow chamber is seven feet in diameter at the base. It was here that the practical demonstration was made, in May, 1851, of Mr Foucault's illus- tration of the rotation of the earth.
Around this hollow chamber winds a spiral flight of stone steps, two hundred and ninety-five in number, with a rise of eight inches each. In the monument, and the cone also, there are numerous apertures for con- veying light and air into the whole interior of the structure. Having as- cended these steps, the visitor arrives at a chamber seventeen feet in height, and eleven feet in diameter, with four windows, opening to the four cardinal points. Above this chamber is the cap piece of the apex, a single stone weighing two and a half tons, and three feet six inches thick, and four feet square at its base. This was raised on the 23d of July, 1842. The precise height of the monument is 221 feet.
In September, 1810, a fair was held in Faneuil Hall, under the manage- ment of the ladies of Boston, for the purpose of raising sufficient funds for the completion of the monument. With the proceeds of the fair, added to private donations, the sum of $ 55,000 was raised, which was sufficient to complete the work. The entire cost of the monument was $ 156,276.
The completion of this great enterprise was celebrated on the 17th of June, 1813, (eighteen years after its commencement,) on which occasion Daniel Webster was again the orator. President Tyler and his cabinet were then present. In the upper chamber of the monument may be seen two small cannon, which had been used in the battle of 1775, and which afterward came into the possession of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. These two cannon have been named Hancock and Adams.
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CHARLESTOWN.
The latter was burst by the company in firing a salute. The following in- scription appears upon each gun, -
"SACRED TO LIBERTY.
This is one of four cannons which constituted the whole train of field artillery possessed by the British Colonies of North America at the com- mencement of the war, on the 19th of April, 1775. This cannon and its fellow, belonging to a number of citizens of Boston, were used in many engagements during the war. The other two, the property of the govern- ment of Massachusetts, were taken by the enemy. By order of United States in Congress assembled, May 19th, 1788."
North Window. - From the north window the visitor may perceive Malden northwest, Chelsea on the north, and Lynn, Nahant and Beach, on the northeast. Chelsea bridge lies on a line with Nahant, whose beach appears at this distance like a tape string. On the left of the bridge may be seen the Naval Hospital of the United States, with the dwelling-house of the superintendent, and extensive grounds attached. Malden is 4} miles from the monument.
Between Chelsea and Lynn is the ancient town of Saugus, nine miles, one of the stopping places of the Eastern Railroad. Phillips' beach in Lynn is also visible, a place much resorted to in the summer. Cape Ann, in the dim distance, is the most northerly point of land in Massachusetts Bay.
East Window. - From this opening the visitor beholds the Navy Yard, at the foot of Bunker Hill, together with the ropewalk, ships of war, dry-dock, &c. (For particulars see the page devoted to the Navy Yard, page 17.) One mile beyond the Navy Yard is seen East Boston, with the Cunard steamers, railroad. iron foundry, East Boston sugar-house, Eastern Railroad depot, the Maverick hotel. Beyond East Boston may be seen Governor's Island, with an indistinct view of Fort Warren on its summit, and in the distance, Long Island lighthouse, and also the Boston (outer) lighthouse. The latter is a little to the left of the East Boston sugar-house. Also Deer Island, on which may be conspicuously seen the new almshouse, described on page 174 of this work.
On the right of these objects may be seen Castle Island, distant three miles, on which is built Fort Independence. Thompson's Island, with the farin school for boys. From this window the observer has a full view of Boston harbor, extending from Nantasket on the north to Hingham on the south, including about seventy-five square miles, and about one hundred islands. On the outside of the harbor, over the ship-houses of tlie Navy Yard, may be seen the outer Brewster island.
West Window. - From this position the larger part of Charlestown is visible, - its public square on the left and Town Hall, - on the right, the State's prison, newly enlarged; the Fitchburg, Lowell, and Boston and Maine railroads, each having a separate bridge across Charles river ; be-
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CHARLESTOWN.
yond them, over the State's prison, may be seen East Cambridge and it court house and glass-works ; the tall chimney, 230 feet in height, used for the escape of the smoke of the glass-works ; Cambridgeport in the same di- rection, two miles; Brighton, five miles. Due west will be seen Old Cam- bridge, with its college buildings, observatory, churches, &c .; Mount Au burn in the dim distance, five miles from the monument; the McLean asylum for the insane, If mile, is a conspicuous building. In the same direction, Somerville, a new town laid off from Charlestown. To the right of these is West Cambridge, distant six miles; Medford six miles, a little to the north, on the Mystic river, a famous place for ship building.
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