USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Milton > The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877 > Part 61
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This is true also of the rich drapery of tree and shrub, after a winter's night of ice and snow, flashing and gleaming under the morning's sun, of which the poet caught the beauty : -
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TREES.
" Every pine, and fir, and hemlock Wore ermine too dear for an earl, And the poorest twig on the elm-tree Was ridged inch-deep with pearl."
He will give himself a new joy who studies the variety and beauty of our leafless trees.
THE ELM.
The Elm grows naturally in our soil, and there are many within the limits of Milton of great size and age. The mag- nificent Elms at the entrance of the town, near Mattapan bridge, were planted by Hugh McLean in 1775, which would give them an age of over one hundred years. The Elm near the corner of Canton avenue and Atherton street sprung from the seed under the bedroom window of the old " Bent Tavern," and was trans- planted to its present position in 1780 by Sarah Glover.
In the record of the laying out of Atherton street, 1811, appears the following notice of this tree : --
N.B. - An elm tree belonging to Mr. Atherton, and standing in said road, near his house, we have agreed shall remain there during his pleas- ure.
The large trees shading the avenue of Col. H. S. Russell were set out by Francis Amory in 1820.
DUTCH ELMS.
Most, and probably all, of the Dutch Elms in Milton, Dor- chester, and BostonI had their origin on the estate of Mr. James Smith, Brush Hill, Milton, long owned and occupied by the late Hon. James Murray Robbins.
Mr. Smith and his friend, John Jones, of Dorchester, on their return from a visit to Europe in 1734 or thereabouts, brought
1 D. T. V. Huntoon, late of Canton, gives the following history of the famous "Pad- doek Elms " of Tremont street, Boston : -
" Mr. Gilbert Deblois, a well-known eitizen of Boston, and an intimate friend of Mr. Smith, said to him, ' If you will give me a bunch of those Dutch Elms, I will name my new-born baby for you.' The request was complied with, and the boy was named James Smith Deblois. The records of King's Chapel show that James Smith Deblois was baptized by Rev. Henry Carver, May 16, 1769, which fixes the time the trees were planted. They were set in front of the Granary, opposite the house of Mr. Deblois; but as his business was at a distance, he engaged Adino Paddock, the windows of whose shop over- looked the trees, to look out for their protection. Mr. Paddoek twice offered a reward for the discovery of those who injured the trees, but does not speak of himself as their owner. From this eireumstanee the trees were called 'Paddock Elms.' Precisely the same eompaet was entered into between Judge Auemuty and James Smith. Trees were planted in front of his house on Auemuty's Lane, and his child received the name of James Smith Auemuty."
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
with them a large number of these Elms, some of which were planted on his farm at Brush Hill; there they grew and multiplied by numerous offshoots, furnishing a supply for all demands.
The chief and only special excellence of this tree is its power to resist the frost and to retain its foliage in the fall. When the American Elm is yellow, and in part leafless, this remains green as in summer.
In the spring of 1788, after the dedication of the new meet- ing-house, at the suggestion of Deacon Lemuel Adams and Governor Robbins, every man in the parish was invited to furnish an Elm-tree to shade and adorn the meeting-house lot. As more were brought than could be used for this purpose, Col. William Taylor planted the rest along the street opposite the church land on his own estate. Governor Edward H. Robbins brought from Brush Hill four Dutch Elms, which were planted in the line front of the church, where three are now standing. One was prostrated by the gale of 1815 ; it was again righted, and stood in its place until removed when the position of the church was changed.
One of the Babcock family planted the large Dutch Elms in front of the Babcock or Davis house on Canton avenue, and some of the American Elms on the street ; the small Dutch Elms were placed there by Mr. Davis, and the line of American Elms by the roadside was filled out by him.
Dr. Amos Holbrook, whose second wife was Patience, the daughter of Daniel Vose, and who lived in the Daniel Vose house near the depot, set the Dutch Elms, now standing there, in 1784 ; he also planted the Dutch Elms near the residence of Mrs. Cun- ningham, on Milton Hill, about the time of building his mansion there, now owned by Mrs. Cunningham.
Brevet Brigadier-General Ezra Badlam planted the two Dutch Elms now standing in front of the store of Furness & Twombly, Washington street, Dorchester.
HUTCHINSON TREES.
In 1743 Thomas Hutchinson, afterwards Governor Hutchin- son, built the Hutchinson house which stood on Milton Hill, where the Russell house now stands. About that time he planted two Scotch Larches which he had imported, one at each front corner of his new house ; one of these is still standing in the vigorous old age of nearly a century and a half. He also planted, on each side of the road by his estate, a row of Syca- more-trees ; it is known that he gave his personal supervision to
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TREES.
the work, and assisted the workmen with shovel and spade. For nearly a century the trees are said to have been very beautiful. In 1840 a peculiar blight struck this species of the American Plane, greatly affecting these trees. This was noticed with solicitude by the owners of the estate, and Miss Ida Russell caused other ornamental trees to be planted between the Sycamores. These grew and thrived as the others declined, and filled their places as the others disappeared, thus keeping unbroken the beautiful line of shade. Three of the Sycamores still remain, having an antiquity of one hundred and forty years.
Another Sycamore, hoary with age, stands on the grounds of Mr. Edward Cunningham. It is near the avenue guarded by the lions, and but a short distance from Pleasant street. This tree, a yard from the ground, has a circumference of fifteen feet nine inches, making it, next to the Red Oak opposite the Pound, the largest known trunk in Milton. The adamantine trunk and time-worn limbs show extreme age, and confirm the legend that it stood where it now stands before these shores were known to our race, and was a favorite tree with the Indians.
At the time of the Revolution Moses Vose was engaged in feeding stock on Deer Island in Boston harbor ; his wife was in feeble health, requiring the assistance of a physician, and they were anxious to get off ; but all attempts were unavailing, as the British swarmed the adjacent waters. There were many cattle and sheep on the island, liable at any hour to be seized by the enemy. At this juncture an expedition put off from Charlestown on a dark night, and, by keeping in shoal waters, avoided the enemy's vessels, made the island, and bore the family and stock safely to the mainland.
Moses Vose took possession of his house on Brook road, now the Dudley house. Soon after his return he planted the Elm- tree now standing on the southerly side of the road, near the brook, and two Ash-trees on the opposite side, near the house. One of these was destroyed in the 1815 gale; the other stands where it was set, more than a hundred years ago.
THE OLDEST ELM.
The large Elm standing in front of the house of Mr. Andrew R. Hobson, on Brook road, is the oldest Elm in Milton of which we have any knowledge. This tree, which has a girth of twelve feet a yard from the ground, in its gnarled and knotted trunk and limbs shows signs of great age.
In the early part of Dr. Holbrook's professional service in
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
Milton a messenger from this house, who called on him in the night to attend a sick man, reported that he lived under the "Big Elm." Dr. Holbrook died forty-three years ago. Forty
The OLDEST ELM
years ago Mr. Henry Leeds stated to Mr. Hobson that his mother, who, if then living, would be one hundred years old, used to come with other girls to swing in this tree. It follows, that more than a hundred and thirty years ago this tree had attained a size sufficient to afford limbs and shade for a girl's swing.
LARGE ELMS.
It is not uncommon to see in Milton Elms of extraordinary size, with massive trunks, and wide-armed, spreading their branches over the street, and shooting up to the blue sky.
Some of the largest are found in the following places (they are measured a yard from the ground) : - At the corner of the barn in the Academy house lot, fourteen feet six inches in cir- cumference; near the residence of Mrs. Shepherd, off Canton avenue, fourteen feet ten inches, its limbs covering an area of ninety feet in diameter; on Brush Hill road, near the house of Mrs. Vose, thirteen feet six inches ; near the old Ferry house, ten feet five inches; the old tree on Brook Road, twelve feet; the tree at the Atherton Tavern, thirteen feet; and the tree near the Pound on Canton avenue, fourteen feet four inches.
The tree near the Pound was twice condemned as standing
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TREES.
too far in the sidewalk, and the last time was saved by a mug of cider. In 1774, when the Pound was built, the selectmen sold the tree to one of the citizens, who afterwards petitioned the town to relieve him from his bargain, which was so voted. Years after, two men were sent to cut it down. Miss Polly Vose, daughter of Joshua, living in the house opposite, heard the first blow of the axe, and presented herself to remonstrate. The men replied, " We must obey orders," and began again to ply their axes. She hurried back to the house and returned with a mug of cider, thus addressing the men ; "Come, now, take a drink of cider, and do just wait till I can see the select- men." They drank the cider, shouldered their axes, and went off. The tree, in its vigorous old age, has long since outgrown the scar of the woodman's axe, which it bore for many years.
At a much later date, when the parish conveyed to Deacon Isaac Gulliver the land which had been leased to him, about A.D. 1800, a bond for the preservation of this tree was re- quired of him.1
SYMMETRICAL ELMS.
The American Elm, growing in open fields, detached from buildings and other trees, throws out graceful, pendant limbs from all sides of the trunk, and attains an even, uniform shape of great symmetry and beauty. There are many in Milton of this symmetrical form. Among others are the following : The large tree on Brush Hill, near the Ferry house; the tree at the corner of the Academy barn; a tree standing in
1 The following is a true copy of the bond given by Isaac Gulliver to the First Con- gregational Parish in Milton respecting a large Elm-tree, near the Pound in said Milton, which the said parish are desirous to be preserved for shade and ornament for a certain length of time, as may be seen by the following instrument : -
" Whereas the First Congregational Parish in Milton have by their Treasurer Mr Jesse Tucker conveyed to me a certain parcel of land in said Milton being a part of the Ministerial land and adjoining the Academy land fronting on Taunton road, near the Town Pound, and whereas there is a large Elm Tree [near the Town Pound and belonging to the lot I have purchased] which the said Parish are desirous to be pre- served for shade and ornament, in order therefore to answer the wishes of said Parish, and to secure the benefit of said shade, I hereby for myself my Heirs Executors and Administrators covenant with the First Congregational Parish in Milton, that said tree shall remain unmolested from any act of minc or that of my Heirs Executors and Admin- istrators as aforesaid.
" But if hereafter said tree should deeay, and from a ruinous state no longer continue to afford the shade and ornament desired by the said Parish Society, that then it may and shall be at my disposal, without any let or hindrance on the part and behalf of said first Parish. One disinterested person chosen by each party, and those two the third, the judgment of whom shall determine when the decay, and ruinous state of said tree for shade and ornament, has taken plaec.
" In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this twenty fourth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three. " In presence of ISAAC GULLIVER (S. L.)
" SAMUEL GULLIVER
" BENJA READ "
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
the field of Mr. H. J. Gilbert at the end of the lane running from Canton avenue, southerly, by his barn and other buildings, and also the tree in front of his barn; a tree on Randolph avenue, in the open fields, east of the stone cottage of Mr. W. H. Snow; a tree in the yard of Samuel Cook, near Hillside street; the old tree on Brook road; the tree at the Atherton Tavern; and many smaller trees.
OAKS AND OTHER TREES.
On the lot of the High School-house is a grand, old, wide- spreading White Oak. Near Williams avenue, on the Oxton land lately sold to William L. P. Boardman, are four Oaks of
LARGEST-TREE-TRUNK-
· great beauty. On the estate of Col. H. S. Russell are sev- eral splendid trees of this variety. In the neck of land lying between Central avenue and Mattapan, owned by J. M. Forbes, may be seen specimens of the White Oak, large and handsome ; and on Harland street, at the top of the hill as you ascend from the meadow, on the west side of the road, stand six of these noble trees, that cannot fail to attract the attention of every passer-by ; while on the opposite side of Harland street, on the land of James L. Kennedy, and in the rear of his house, is a Chestnut grove, covering an area of ten acres, of an even, compact growth of thirty-five years. With care this may be- come the most beautiful grove in Milton.
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TREES.
A large Red Oak, of great age, stands front of the house of F. E. Sandford, near the Pound. It is seventeen feet two inches in circumference three feet from the ground, the largest known trunk in Milton. As the Oak attains to great age, it may fairly be inferred that this venerable Oak was in its youth- ful verdure when the Pilgrims sought these shores.
Trees of all kinds of the deciduous varieties, and of great size, mark the borders and line the dividing walls of the estate of the late James M. Robbins, of Brush Hill; many of them were planted by James Smith one hundred and fifty years ago.
THE WEBSTER TREE.
Miss Ida Russell secured an acorn or a small Oak-tree from Daniel Webster's estate in Marshfield, and planted it on a point of land between Adams street and Randolph avenue. Subse- quently the iron fence which enclosed the grave of the Hon. Jonathan Russell, who was first buried directly opposite the Russell house, on the north side of Adams street, and was after- wards removed to Forest Hills, was placed around this tree where it now stands. Unfortunately the tree has failed to find a congenial soil, and to represent vigorously its honored name.
Chestnut-trees of great size are found in various parts of our town ; three or four on the old John Ruggles estate, Can- ton avenue. There is a grove of these trees, all of which are old and large and fruit-bearing, on the Lewis Bronsdon estate, Hillside street.
The Willows along Ruggles lane were set out by Caleb Hobart about 1824; they have attained great size, the girth of the largest, a yard from the ground, is fourteen feet six inches.
GENERAL VIEW.
It is unnecessary to continue this detailed description of the trees that stand all around us.
If one will ascend any eminence overlooking the town he will be surprised at the amount of surface apparently covered by trees. It matters little at which point of the compass he is looking, except a few small enclosures near by, almost the whole town seems a continuous park or wood, with here and there a building to offer its contrast to the shades of green.
If one desires to witness the marvellous effect of trees in the landscape, let him drive over Brush Hill on a sunny day, and view the distant hills and the interlying valleys.
But he who is seeking the greatest variety of forest growth, the health-seeker who would find Nature in her innermost
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
workshop, whence arises the fragrance from her mysterious operations in leaf, bud, and blossom, may ride, or, better still, walk around the base of the Blue Hills. Taking Highland street, or Harland street and Hillside street, he will come, almost at once, into the region where every sense will find gratification ; while the lungs and every pore of the body will receive the health-giving atmosphere, loaded as it is with Nature's tonics.
When we remember that vegetation is Nature's renovator ; that its myriads of leaves are taking in injurious gases, appro- priating to their structure the deleterious portions, and restoring the needed oxygen, we marvel not at the exhilaration experi- enced from such intimate communion with her works.
Considerations of this kind will account for the proverbial healthfulness of Milton, it having been, a few years ago, at the head of all the towns in the Commonwealth in a sanitary point of view. May the time never come when less regard shall be had to the setting and preserving of ornamental and forest trees !
BIRDS OF MILTON.
" I hear from many a little throat A warble interrupted long ; I hear the robin's flute-like note, The bluebird's slenderer song." BRYANT.
The extensive areas covered with woods on the hills, together with the numerous smaller groves and patches of forest growth in all parts of the town, render Milton a favorite resort of the wood as well as the orchard birds.
Each returning spring is announced by the welcome notes of the Robin, the Bluebird, the song and the chirping Sparrow, the Phœbe, and the red-winged Blackbird, while later the Oriole
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BIRDS.
and Swallows appear. Besides these varieties, which are found in all localities suited to their nesting, many wood birds in their passage from grove to grove are heard in the trees that shade the dwellings or adorn the roadsides.
In June, when the elm-seeds are ripening, they afford nourish- ment for several species of the warblers. At intervals all through the long, sunny days the prolonged twitter of the Blue Yellow-backed Warbler (Parula Americana) may be heard answering his inate foraging in a neighboring elm.
At the same season, and earlier, at the outskirts of the village, one may hear the "Chebec, chebec" of the Least Flycatcher (Empidonax Minima). He returns from the South about the middle of May. At nearly the same time comes the Maryland Yellow-throat ( Geothlypis Trichas), whose song is an abrupt "Rich-e-tit, rich-e-tit, rich-e-tit," thrice repeated.
Then from a neighboring tree you hear the emphasized "See, see, see, see, swasy " of his cousin the Yellow Warbler (Den- droica Aestiva) ; and a little later in the season the bustling, business-like note of the Golden-crowned Thrush (Sciurus Aurocapillus). The last is also called the oven-bird, because its nest, placed upon the ground, has the shape of an oven. All these bird-songs may be heard in every part of the town, from our dwellings, and by the wayside.
Standing by the wood-side, the practised ear will catch the peculiar, ringing note of the Wood Thrush (Turdus Muste- linus), the sweetest of all our song-birds. He seems the friend of the desponding, as he sings through the whole day only in cloudy weather; but on other days he waits till towards even- ing, when darkness is about to settle upon us, as though he would say, " You need my song only when the sun is absent." As one stands at the margin of the forest, the note is intensi- fied, as if echoed from the arches of a great cathedral, of which the tree-trunks are the supporting columns. No description can convey an idea of his thrilling strain; it must be heard, and by an ear attuned to enjoy the " concord of sweet sounds," and it will be, in memory, a joy forever.
Each summer brings back to our hills the Whippoorwill (Antrostomus Vociferus), though it is not often that more than one is heard on the same evening in the centre of the town. In the vicinity of the deeper woods, at the south and west parts of the town, several are frequently heard, answering each other's call.
Yet his far less desirable neighbor, the Screech Owl (Scops Asio), was for a long time tenant-at-will on the church green. In 1876, and for several years preceding, this owl built in the
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
highest limb of one of the Dutch elms in front of the church. More than once, specimens from this nest were taken to the schools in the interest of natural science, and after posing suf- ficiently to wondering eyes were carefully returned to their blinking companions in the hollow tree.
In Milton Cemetery, and also in other parts of the town, have been found, for several years, the tiny nests of our only Hum- ming Bird, the ruby-throated (Trochilus Colubris). This is the least of our birds, and the jewel of the feathered tribe.
The Pliœbe Flycatcher always builds in the horse-sheds in the rear of the churches.
The Golden-winged Woodpecker and various warblers find safe homes in the elms on every side.
Among the bushes by the roadside the Cat Bird, and also the Brown Thrush or Thrasher, find a secure dwelling-place. The former, not unfrequently, makes its nest in the thick shrub- bery near our dwellings. The song of each of these birds is a medley; a quite different performance from the cat-like cry of alarm that has given name to the former bird.
The rollicking Bobolink makes himself known as a bird of note. "Braggart, and prince of braggarts is he," as poised on a topmost branch he pours out his song. A short-lived reign is his, however. The velvet and ermine of his jaunty coat is changed to sober brown, and his versatile lay to a single note, before the end of the summer.
In the meadows and by the streams the Snipe and Wood- cock are still noticed, and in the woods the Quail and Par- tridge. The latter birds, with the rare and charming Scarlet Tanager, are occasionally started in our Cemetery and the grounds contiguous thereto.
Much rarer birds are often seen in Milton. A few years since, that most beautiful of our water-birds, the Wood or Summer Duck, made her nest in a hollow oak, a few rods from the bridge where Brook road crosses Pine Tree Brook. Here, unmolested, she hatched her brood, which she at once helped to the ground. Then they were conducted or carried to the brook near by, their natural feeding-place, where, in their native element, they were secure till strong enough to take wing.
After a long and very severe north-east storm four or five specimens of the Little Auk were found in Milton, blown hither from their far-off home in the northern seas. Several of these were secured and mounted by our citizens.
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BIRDS.
WINTER BIRDS.
No enumeration would be complete which did not contain our winter birds.
How many a frosty morning is enlivened by the cheerful twitter of the Chickadee! These may be secured as constant visitors, by food that they like placed on the window-stool, or within sight of the window.
The wild Blue Jay also, when pressed by hunger, will come for the corn that is exposed for his use, or will steal it, if he can, through cracks in the corn-barn.
In severest winters, after deep snows, the Crow, a much more wary bird, ventures near the abodes of man. In secluded places he will even eat of the food thrown to the poultry. This is never done without first posting a sentinel on some tree that commands a view of all approaches.
In the depth of winter, especially when the sun shines out after a driving snow-storm, the dreary prospect is relieved by flocks of the Black Snow Bird. They are very tame, seeming to have little fear of man. Then the Snow Bunting, black and white in color, lights in flocks wherever dried weeds or sprays of grass project from the snow and give promise of a coveted seed. Both these birds have their nests and spend most of the year far to the north, visiting us only when the cold is in- tense, and the sunlight pretty much withdrawn from the region they love best.
We have now also the peevish but persistent English Spar- row, fully acclimated, amongst us. In the cold season he is seen, in some parts of our town, in greater numbers than all the other non-migratory birds ; and he has come to stay. I think, if our home birds were asked to vote on the subject, they would affirm their ability to take care of troublesome insects without foreign intervention.
In some sunny spots, like those heavily covered with cedars, whose thick branches afford a shelter in storms, a few Robins winter at the North. Occasionally they are seen in Milton at this season. A New England naturalist, Prof. J. W. P. Jenks, who formerly studied the habits of this bird, at the request of the Legislature, claims that the last brood of the Robin does not migrate the first year. They sometimes rear three broods in a season, he says, and possibly the last one has not acquired suf- ficient strength of wing to undertake the long flight to the South.
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