USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Milton > The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877 > Part 19
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The tirade was effective. From that day the place was called " New State," and Moses Belcher was known only as " Governor Belcher " till his death.
On the east side of the old way, as it used to go, from the foot of Reed street across Randolph avenue, and up over the hill, is a cellar in good preservation, where lived, perhaps, a Crane, and, perhaps, a Scott ; no one living knows. The house was not standing in 1795. Remains of the asparagus bed are still visible. On the south side of Pleasant street, near the Brophy house, stood the old house of Rufus Gulliver.
On the north side of Pleasant street, on land of D. G. Corliss, a short distance east of his house, was the residence of Joseph Calef; he married Mehitable Miller in 1758. He built the Jason Reed house, and sold it to Ezra Coats.
The house of Alexander Vose stood on the south side of
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OLD HOUSES, CELLARS, AND LANDMARKS.
Pleasant street, nearly opposite the house of Aaron W. Vose. Indications of the cellar are now visible.
Asa Horton was a venerable-looking man, of long, flowing white beard. He lived a hermit's life on Gun Hill street, near the cemetery entrance, where the well is now seen. The pond near his house, on the west side of Gun Hill street, on which the boys now skate, is called to this day " Asa's Pond."
The old Murray house was removed from the site where the Bailey mansion stood to the place it now occupies, nearly op- posite the residence of Mr. John Higgins.
The old house of John Higgins was the residence of Moses Belcher, who obtained the sobriquet of Governor, in the es- tablishment of "New State," already described, and was always after known as " Governor Belcher.'
Directly east of this is the cellar marking the residence of John Marshall, and the land in front and in the rear comprises the "Marshall farm."
On the opposite side of Pleasant street a passage-way opens, on which lived some of our earliest citizens. A short distance up this way, where the barn of John Craig now stands, was the house of Stephen Horton, which was standing within the mem- ory of some of our oldest citizens. This house was the station at which were conducted the famous experiments in vaccina- tion, October, 1809, described in another chapter. An eighth of a mile south-west of Stephen Horton's house, on a hill, was the house of Enoch Horton; a portion of the cellar wall now stands, plumb and strong to the very top. About the same distance south of Stephen Horton's house are indications of a cellar, with the garden in front, supposed to mark the abode of one of the Crane family. This hill was early called "Hull's Hill." Nearer the street was the house of Stephen Horton, son of Enoch, destroyed by fire a few years since. A new house now stands over the same cellar. Within fifteen years seven houses have been built along this ancient pathway, and on the beautiful summits in the immediate vicinity.
On the westerly side of Pleasant street, where it makes a sharp angle to the north, was the old Talbot house. This was removed farther north, and now forms the rear of the Pierce house. Opposite the site of the Talbot house, on the east side of Pleasant street, stood the house owned and occupied by Joseph Hunt ; a little farther east, on the lane to the quarries, was the Samuel Hunt house. These have disappeared ; but still farther east, crowning a hill among the waving trees, is the mansion of Edward Cunningham.
Up the passage-way to the house of Mr. Samuel Brown, and
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
in the rear of his barn, stood a house erected by the Babcocks, who, a hundred and fifty years ago or more, carried on the tan- nery business in that locality ; the position of the vats in the valley may be seen to this day. The last occupant of this house was Joshua Ward, a gardener and grafter, known to many citi- zens ; it was destroyed by fire twenty years ago. The tan- house, afterwards owned by E. Winter Calef, was burned in 1773.
GUN HILL STREET.
This street is supposed to have taken its name from the fol- lowing incident. In the Indian wars, from lack of horses, heavy guns were sometimes drawn from place to place by detachments of troops. On one occasion, when passing over this hill, which was then traversed by a drift-way, a gun became so imbedded in the mud that it was necessary to abandon it for the night, and to protect it from seizure by the Indians with a guard of soldiery. From that time it has borne the name of " Gun Hill."
The Hunt House, on Centre street, opposite Milton Ceme- tery, was built by Josiah How for his son Lemuel. Lemuel subsequently removed to Templeton. Josiah How sold the house and land, about seventy rods, with a shoemaker's shop and chaise-house thereon, to Ziba Blake, September 8, 1790. Ziba Blake sold it March 3, 1791, to Jeremiah Crane ; at the same time Josiah How, of Milton, and Lemuel How, of Temple- ton, conveyed to the said Jeremiah Crane seven and one-eighth acres of land immediately around the house.
The "Peggy How" house, near Milton Cemetery, on Ran- dolph avenue and Centre street, is very ancient. It was built by Isaac How, who moved from Dorchester to Milton about 1743.
On the Asaph Churchill land, Churchill's lane, south of Mr. C. M. S. Churchill's house, formerly stood four houses built by Mr. Churchill many years ago. The cellars alone remain.
The stone cottage on Randolph avenue, near Reedsdale road, was built by Joseph N. Howe, about 1830; he married Rebecca Calef, who inherited the land.
The Henshaw house stood on the corner of Randolph avenue and Centre street. In excavating for the cellar of the new Mil- ton Academy, the foundation of the chimney was discovered, and perfect bricks, probably two hundred and fifty years old, were found.
The house of Col. Elijah Vose stood on the west side of Gun-hill street and Randolph avenue. This house was used as an inoculating hospital in 1777 and later.
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OLD HOUSES, CELLARS, AND LANDMARKS.
The Shepard house, now owned and occupied by Thomas H. Hinckley, was bought by his father, Capt. Robert Hinckley, of Samuel Mather [deed recorded at Dedham, Lib. 36, Fol. 168], who bought of John Wells. One of the Mather family once lived there ; the shelves now in use in the pantry of the house were the book-shelves of Mr. Mather.
ALGERINE CORNER.
Hon. Edward H. Robbins owned several tracts of woodland in the region of Algerine Corner. These lots were yearly en- croached on by some of the residents in that section for their winter wood to such an extent that he determined to stop it. Knowing one of the parties, he went directly to him with this proposition : "If you will promise to keep out of my wood-lot for this winter, I will give you the best load of wood ever cut in Milton." The man, looking at him in amazement, replied : "No, Squire, I can't agree to that bargain, I should lose too much money !" Mr. Robbins retaliated by naming them a " set of Algerines." The name stuck to the corner.
Some years ago the residents in the immediate vicinity pro- posed as a name for this locality, " Union Square," which was adopted by the town, and made a matter of record.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
CHAPTER VII.
HIGHWAYS AND BY-WAYS.
" And round and round, over valley and hill, Old roads winding as old roads will, Here to a ferry, and there to a mill."
[ Whittier. ]
O N the gathering of people together into neighborhoods, vil- lages, and towns, one of the first things to be sought out is an easy passage-way from hamlet to hamlet, from house to house, to provide for social converse, and for the many occasions in life when men are dependent on each other, and need com- fort, counsel, and aid from their fellow-men. Necessity follows the most direct and easy pathway, turning aside to avoid obstacles which it has neither time nor power to remove.
Thus the first settlers of Milton spent but little time or money in the construction of roads. They used the "Indian Trail," or beat out the foot-path, or bridle-path, by following each other from day to day in the same track, winding around hills, and avoiding low, wet places; and, after a time, widened it out for a cart-path. On these tracks they built their houses and established their homes, sometimes remote from each other and often in the wilderness, apart from any direct communi- cation with neighbors. There were foot and cart paths, " drift- ways," and "cattle-beats" all over the town before the con- struction of regular roads, and often on the line of these early ways, which proved to be the most feasible, the future highway was built.
ROAD OVER MILTON HILL, 1654.
The first road in this territory, of which we have any record, was laid out from Braintree [now Quincy] over Milton Hill, through Dorchester, to the Roxbury line, as follows : -
Wee whose names are here vnderscribd, and being appynted by our several Townes and being mett this first day of the 7 : mº 1654: to lay out the High Waye through Dorchester Woods from Brauntre Bounds to Rox- bury Bounds, do agree as followeth :
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HIGHWAYS AND BY-WAYS.
first, that the Waye shall be fowre Rodd Wide from Brantre bounds to Roxbury bounds. secondly, beginning neere Hinrye Crane's house the way to Lye on the Sowthest side of it in the old Beaten roede waye; and so to a Lowe White oake marked on the same side of the waye, and so by the marked trees to the brooke; so from the Brooke the way being Lade in the Winter we agreed to take about a roode wide into Anthony Golliford's lott wheare the fence Interrupts the waye; and to a marked post towards John Gills house : and from thence to a stake in Elder Kingsley's yearde, and from thence to the mille in the olde beaten roede waye: &c. -
of Dorchester NICHOLAS CLAPE.
WILLIAM CLARKE.
of Brantree MOSES PAINE.
GREGORY BELLCHER.
[Record Commissioners' Fourth Report, page 70.]
This road was projected and built by Dorchester before Milton was set off. It began near the house of Henry Crane, one of our oldest citizens, who lived at East Milton, on the north side of Adams street, between the residences of E. B. Andrews and Wm. Q. Baxter, somewhat in the rear, and on land now owned by N. H. Beals, just where a new house is now being built. At a later date the house of Charles Pierce was erected in front of the Crane house, quite near the street, where the well is now seen. This, too, has disappeared. Anthony Golliford's house stood opposite the house of G. W. Bass, between Squantum street and the brook. As Adams street reaches the brook, going northerly, it diverges out of line, north-easterly, into the Gulliver land, as indicated in the old record. John Gill's house, at that date, stood on the north side of Adams, nearly opposite the opening of Pleasant and Centre streets. Elder Kingsley's house was near the "Old Babcock House," now owned by Mr. Cornelius Babcock.
This old highway, laid out sixty-six feet wide, from the Braintree line to the Mill and beyond, is the identical road now known as Adams street. It has retained the same general direction and outlines for the long period of two hundred and thirty years, although not in early times improved to its present width. Before it was laid out, there was a beaten path from the river, over the hill, and on towards the Ply- mouth colony.
It is always referred to in the records of Dorchester as the "Country Heigh Waye." Mr. Edward Adams, of East Milton, informs me that when this old way was laid out one of his ancestors contracted for building a section of it, and thus se- cured the tract of land ever since owned by his descendants.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
TWO OTHER ROADS BUILT BY DORCHESTER.
A few years later, and before the incorporation of Milton, two highways were laid off from the "Country Heigh Waye " to run into the woods towards the Blue Hill, as appears in the Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners : -
[Page 94.] "At a meeting of the Selectmen the :10:11:1658: it was ordered that William Robenson and Thomas Mekens are appointed to lay out the landing place by Naponset Mill and the landing place in Mr Huchen- sons farme : And it is further ordered the same day that the aboue sayd William Robenson and Thomas Mekens are appointed [to view] the most convenient places for two heigh wayes from the Country heigh way to run into the woods towards the Blue Hill and to make Return vnto the select men the 14: 12: next."
[Page 100.] " At a meeting of the select men the 17. (7) 1660 William Robenson and Thomas Mekins were appointed to view a place for an heigh way that may be Convenient wher John Gill and Robert Redman shall shew you and to make ther returne vnto the select men the 24 of this moneth."
[Page 102.] " At a meeting of the select men the 26. (9) 1660 John Smith Thomas Mekens and Richard Hall are appointed to lay out the way from the Country heigh waye by the meeting house at Vnquetie through John Gills land and Robert Redman's land that is to Run to the way that Runs to the blue hills : Alsoe John Smith Thomas Mekens and Richard Hall are appointed to lay out the way from the landing place by the mill through Robert Voses Farme "
[Page 103.] " At a meeting of the select men the 13 (3) 1661. Thomas Mekings John Smith and Richard Hall are appointed vpon the penaltie of fiue shillings of each man to lay out and marke or stake out the way from the Country heigh waye by the meeting house at Vnquetie through John Gills land and Robert Redmans land, that is to Run to the blue Hills : and to make Returne vnto the select men by the one and twentieth day of this p'sent moneth."
[Page 104.] " The returne of John Smith Thomas Mekings and Richard Hall the 21 (3) 1661: we haue layd out and staked the way two rodd and halfe broad from the meeting house at unquetie from John Gills land and Robert Redmans land to John Fenno's house leading to the way to the Blue Hills."
The commissioners were dilatory in their work, but the town was persevering and determined, and the "penaltie " proved effective.
The two roads thus laid out by the inhabitants of Dorchester, we may conclude, with a good degree of assurance, are roads now improved by the town of Milton, as follows : -
A PART OF CANTON AVENUE, 1660.
The way laid out through " Robert Voses farme " was along the line of our Canton avenue as far as Brook road, where stood John Glover's house, at that date belonging to Robert Vose ;
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HIGHWAYS AND BY-WAYS.
then on to Vose's lane ; and, doubtless, along the line of Brook road to the bridge over the brook, at some point it met a path- way towards the Blue Hills.
CHURCHILL'S LANE, 1661.
The other road from the "Country Heigh Waye" towards the Blue Hills was what was named in that day " Vose's lane," and is now known as "Churchill's lane." This road meets all the conditions found in the records. Robert Redman owned the land on the northerly side, and lived about half-way down the hill. John Gill purchased the estate belonging to the heirs of Israel Stoughton, which embraced all the land on the north- easterly side of Adams street, and extended on the westerly side to the base of the hill. John Fenno lived near Milton Cemetery. Churchill's lane is two and a half rods wide, and is sufficiently crooked for those times. The road passed through the land of Gill and Redman to the house of John Fenno, where it united with Gun Hill path, or some other path lead- ing to the Blue Hills.
All other existing roads from Adams street, or the "Country Heigh Waye," are of later date. Randolph avenue, Centre street, and Pleasant street were made after the corporate exist- ence of Milton, and are fully described in our town records. The conclusion, then, is fairly drawn that the road in question is our Churchill's lane.
The importance of exactness in the location of this road is manifest, when it is known that here for the first time a meet- ing-house at Unquetie is spoken of, and that these records afford the only data from which we are to learn where this first meeting-house stood.
The general idea has been, and until late the only one, that the first meeting-house was erected on the land donated by Robert Vose, near the north-east corner of Vose's lane and Centre street. The meeting-house that stood on the Vose land was built in 1671, nine years after the incorporation of Milton, while the house here referred to was standing in 1660, and, doubtless, ten years before.
In the old town records there is reference to this first meet- ing-house, as follows : -
At a town meeting the last day of September 1670 it was agreed by the Towne vote that ther should be a convenient meeting-house for the townes use built neare about Goodman Vose, his loked barre & also that the old meeting house be repaired to meet in this winter and Seargeant Wm Blake Seargeant Robt Badcock Seargeant Sam. Wadsworth Thom. Swift Antony
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
Golliford and Robert Tucker was chosen by the towne to see the old house repaired as soon as they can, and to see the new one built in one years time if they can.
LOCATION OF FIRST MEETING-HOUSE.
The location of the first meeting-house was, therefore, on or near this road.
The Dorchester records of the two meetings of 1660 and 1661 instruct the commissioners in each case : -
To lay out the way from the Country Heigh Waye by the meeting house at Unquetie through John Gills land, and Robert Redmans land.
The return of the commissioners is as follows:
We have layd out and staked the way two rodd and halfe broad from the meeting house at vnquetie, from John Gills land and Robert Redman's land to John Fenno's house.
If we construe the word by, in the records of the two meet- ings, adverbially, according to its early use, as meaning near, at a point near, or in the vicinity of, implying that they started from the "Country Heigh Waye " at a point near the meeting- house at Unquetie, we reconcile these records with the return of the commissioners, who report that they have staked out the road from the meeting-house at Unquetie to John Fenno's house. Looking at the records in this light we decide that the first meeting-house of Milton stood on Milton Hill, opposite or near the opening of Churchill's lane.
On the other hand, if we take the later use of the word by, the conclusion will be that they laid out the road from the " Country Heigh Waye " through John Gill's land and Robert Redman's land, passing the meeting-house at Unquetie on their course. Then the first meeting-house was at some point on this road; and in view of the residence of most of the in- habitants, and convenience of access, we should expect it to stand not far from Milton Cemetery. It was, doubtless, a very humble building, only sufficient to afford shelter to the small number of worshippers. The first meeting-house of Salem, built in 1634, the frame of which is now standing, was seventeen by twenty feet in size. In 1672 it was converted into a school-house. A very early school-house on Milton Hill stood on the trian- gular piece of headland at the opening of Churchill's lane (which opening at that date was larger than now), Adams street passing it on the north-east and Churchill's lane on the north and south. This may have been the location of the meeting-house, or the identical building. The weight of evi-
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HIGHWAYS AND BY-WAYS.
dence seems to bear in this direction. We know that the meeting was sustained by the union of Braintree and Milton people; that Adams street was the only regularly established road, and that Elder Kingsley, the leading character, and most of the settlers, in the early times, lived on or near the " Country Heigh Waye." 1
Site of First Church
PLEASANT STREET, 1669.
The first road laid out by the town of Milton, of which there is a description in the town records, was Pleasant street. This narrow and crooked street, which has come down to us with as little change in its original direction and width. as any road in town, shows the custom of the early residents of cut- ting out a way from their dwellings and farms to neigh- borhoods, churches, and needful localities, regardless of lines and curves ; sometimes, as in this case, following drift-ways worn by the cattle in the passage to and from pasturage and drinking places.
Pleasant street, formerly called New State, the direct work of our fathers, is, even now, one of the most beautiful and inter-
1 Since the above was written, Benjamin F. Dudley, a resident of fifty years on Milton Hill, asked me the question : " Did you know they used to hold public worship in the old school-house at the head of Churchill's lane ?" Never did question gain quicker attention ! For, bating the hints drawn from the description of roads in the Dorchester records, it was the only gleam of light thrown on this first meeting-house, after a most exhaustive search among old records, documents, and citizens. I learned that his information was from members of the old Swift family, living in the near vicinity from the beginning, some of whom doubtless worshipped in that first meeting-house, and perhaps helped to build it. He thought " Aunt Fanny," whose memory of facts re- lated to her, and whose intelligent construction of circumstances would reach back over a space of one hundred and fifty years, was his informant. She attended school in the house after it was converted into a school-house. This concurrent testimony would seem to fix the location of the first meeting-house at the head of Churchill's lane.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
esting of our streets. It is bordered, on the southerly and easterly side, by woods and gently rounded knolls, already crowned, in many cases, by the dwellings of our citizens. The extensive grounds of Mr. Edward Cunningham, stretching over one hundred and fifty acres of meadow and forest, beautifully diversified by hill and dale, can hardly be surpassed in the quiet, rude magnificence of nature so carefully preserved. The transcript of the laying out of roads will be, in all cases, in the exact language and spelling of the Records, and the records quoted are those of Milton, unless otherwise stated.
Milton, April 5, 1669. Upon complaint made by Divers persons of the necessity of a way to be layd out the East Side of ye town marsh of the line that way, and divers persons intending to build houses and emprove ther land thereabout and also ther being much feeding land ther about, and many Cattle using to goc ther about, and ther being no convenient plas for cattle to gett water in all that side of the town except the Brook that runs between Mr. Holmans and Anthony Gullivers house, with other rea- sons ; and the Selectmen having considered the allegations and viewed the place, do judge mete, and do order that ther shall be a way for carting and recourse for Cattle from the Country highway near the house that Anthony Gulliver bought of John Gill, and so to run through Richard Collicut's land by the outside of his fence in the same cartway as to go to georg Badcocks land &c . . . till it do come to Samuel Wadsworth's land. And it is agreed and ordered that the way shall run through Samuel Wadsworth's land and further as need shall require.
The points in this description are sufficiently well known to fix the identity of the street here laid out.
The house first occupied by John Gill, and here spoken of as bought by Anthony Gulliver, stood on the north side of Adams street, opposite the opening of Pleasant, and was last known as the "Rawson house." Richard Collicut owned the J. W. Brooks place, with all the land down the hill to Pleasant street. The Babcocks lived up Pleasant street, where some of the fam- ily, within a hundred and fifty years, carried on a tannery in the rear of the house of S. Brown. Samuel Wadsworth held a tract of one hundred acres, extending from Canton avenue to the Braintree line. The road struck his land near the point of its present junction with Randolph avenue; then, just north of the blacksmith's shop, it passed up over the hill and down again, across Randolph avenue, and directly up Reed's lane, " through Samuel Wadsworth's land." There is no other record of the building of Reed's lane.
ROAD FROM MATTAPAN TO THE BROOK, 1670-3.
At a very early time there was an Indian trail, and afterwards cart-path, now mostly extinct, except as far as the Ruggles
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HIGHWAYS AND BY-WAYS.
houses and Central avenue, commencing on Canton avenue at Ruggles lane, and passing by his house and westerly, across Central avenue and land of John M. Forbes, to a point on our Brook road between the residences of T. H. Hinckley and Miss Forbes, now marked by a gate. This way continued over Brush Hill to the " Fresh meadows." It is distinctly traced on the historical map. Edward Vose owned a farm on the easterly side of the "Church land." His house stood somewhat south of the residence of Mr. John H. Burt. In the year 1673 a road was laid out, beginning at the corner of his farm, at the Brush Hill way, leading to the Fresh meadows, and running nearly in the direction and almost in the line of Thacher street, "towards the brook called Balsters brook, to the corner of Ezra Clapps land; " there it turned to the left, and running easterly parallel with the brook, united with Brook road on the north-west side of the bridge, nearly opposite the house of J. H. Dudley, Jr. In the configuration of the land between Thacher street and Brook road, and parallel with the brook, the old way may be traced out, with its walls partly standing, to this day.
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