The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877, Part 7

Author: Teele, Albert Kendall, 1823-1901 ed
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: [Boston, Press of Rockwell and Churchill]
Number of Pages: 776


USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Milton > The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877 > Part 7


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LONGEVITY.


But, notwithstanding the great and sudden variations of tem- perature, the climate seems to be conducive to health and longevity. The old founders of Milton generally attained to a ripe age: Henry Crane 82, Anthony Gulliver 87, George Sumner 81, Thomas Swift 82, Robert Tucker 80, Robert Vose 82, and the children inherited the longevity of their fathers. To take a single family : Anthony Gulliver died at the age of 87 years; John Gulliver, one of his descendants, had four children, and only four, viz. : -


Gershom, born 1756, died 1840, aged 83 Lemuel,


1759, 66 1840, 66 80


Reuben, 1762,


1860,


98元


Rebecca, 66 1764,


1854, 66 89


57


WATER.


This long life in Milton comes down to the present time. In the registry of deaths for the decade of 1870-80 there are forty- six between the ages of 70 and 80, nineteen between the ages of 80 and 90, and three above ninety years.


COMPENSATIONS.


If we have long seasons of gray, dark, and stormy weather, we are, nevertheless, free from the violent tempests, cyclones, and tornadoes that visit other sections.


The deluge does not pour through our valleys leaving de- struction and misery in its pathway. In no part of our town are stagnant waters, or malarial tracts, from which noxious exhala- tions arise spreading disease and death through our families.


The configuration of the surface, the nature of the soil, the daily inflow of salt water from the ocean up the channels of the river, and often spreading over the wide expanse of marsh contiguous to the river, the snow upon the hills in winter, and the green forests in summer, with the great climatic changes, all tend to keep the air in motion, and are perpetual restorers of a salubrious atmosphere.


If the inhabitants cower before the fierce winds and storms of winter, they enjoy the more the mild and balmy breezes of spring, the delicious atmosphere of a summer's evening, and the charming weather of autumn, and the "Indian Summer."


As we are constituted one unchanging form of nature, even if it were a form of perfect beauty, would pall upon us.


" Beauty soon grows familiar to the lover, Fades in the eye, and palls upon the sense."


We would not have the skies always fair, but sometimes veiled in the drapery of clouds and shut out by falling showers.


We would not have all summer; winter is welcome in its season, so are smiling spring and blushing autumn. If in sum- mer the trees and forests impress us with a sense of richness and majesty in their full foliage, in winter, when bereft of these green robes, we can admire their wonderful delicacy and beauty of structure.


WATER.


The supply of water is abundant, and can be obtained by moderate excavation in almost any locality. Running water through the year is found in the Neponset river, and in the little stream that forms a section of our south-western boundary, called


58


HISTORY OF MILTON.


" Blue Hill River," in parts of which there is always running water; also in two brooks, one in the north-west part of the town, known as "Pine-tree Brook;" and in East Milton, " Gulliver's Brook, " or as styled in the " Records of the Pro- prietors of Dorchester," 1652, " Uncaty Brook," and in Lech- ford's Note-Book, 1639, " a freshe brooke called Unkataquassett." The Neponset river will be noticed in connection with the industries of the town.


BLUE HILL RIVER.


The crooked little stream called "Blue Hill River," which forms the boundary of Milton on the south, separating it from Randolph, seems to commence at the south-west corner of the town, which is there marked by a red cedar post standing five feet high, to be seen above the water, and bearing the initials of the selectmen of 1883 cut on its surface. For about twenty rods easterly from this point, along the southerly end of the " Reynolds Lot, " it seems but a ditch of standing water, filled with lily-pads, from which, in August, we pulled beautiful pond-lilies ; it is then joined by a stream formed by the united waters of "Silver Brook," of a small stream rising just within the confines of Canton, and the outflow of Houghton's pond, and flows easterly in a zig-zag course, with running water even in the dryest time.


Silver brook rises from springs on the easterly side of Great Blue Hill and flows southerly across Hillside street, where the stone water-trough stands. Four hundred feet in its course from Hillside street it unites with a streamlet rising from two sources just within the limits of Canton and flowing easterly in the rear of the "Johnson house " and nearly parallel with the street. This little stream continues to flow when Silver brook, up to its junction with it, is dry. But after the junction the united stream flowing south-east across the meadows also bears the name of "Silver Brook." The outlet of Houghton's pond commences just south of the boat-house; runs westerly and flows into Silver brook a little more than half way from Hill- side street to Blue Hill river; the course is then southerly and westerly, winding here and there through the swamp until it meets the said ditch or water-course about twenty rods from the south-westerly corner of the town.


The land in this section is low and swampy, and for most of the year is inaccessible by reason of water. Visited in the early and latter parts of August, on successive years, it has been found dry, except the river, and a ditch along the Canton


59


WATER.


boundary, which extends below the limits of Milton into Randolph. Here numerous runs and gullies, dry at the time, indicated the flow of water towards the boundary of Milton, forming the Blue Hill river.


The question is often asked, where does Blue Hill river take its rise ? August 21, 1885, and August, 1886, no water is flow- ing from Houghton pond ; all sources of supply in Canton and Randolph, south and west of Milton limits, are dry; the ditch or water-course at the foot of the Reynolds lot for twenty rods or more, from the corner on our south-west boundary, is standing water ; then it receives the water of the Canton stream and Silver brook, and from that point it begins to flow with a perceptible current in a time of unusual drought. We reply, therefore, Blue Hill river takes its rise from this stream in Canton, and Silver brook, although most of its supply, in a wet time, and for a large portion of the year, is from Hough- ton's pond, and from the swamps in Randolph, Canton and Milton, the natural reservoir of the adjacent water-shed.


PINE-TREE BROOK.


Pine-tree brook is formed by the union of several small streams. The principal stream rises in Quincy, near the north-east corner of the " Blue Hill Lands," and runs northerly and westerly. Crossing Randolph avenue at the foot of the hill, north of the residence of Hon. David W. Tucker, and passing through the meadow in the rear of his house, it is joined by " Cook's Brook," which rises east of Bear Hill in Quincy ; before crossing Harland street Cook's brook receives a brook, one branch of which rises on the north side of Hancock Hill, and the other near the west base of Bear Hill ; these, unit- ing a short distance east of the residence of Mr. Alfred Crossman, flow north-easterly under Harland street to the above-men- tioned brook, then the united stream crosses Harland street and flows parallel with the west side of the street for nearly half a mile, forming the mill privilege, when it recrosses Harland street and flows northerly to Pine-tree bridge. After crossing Canton avenue, it receives Balster's brook from the west, and flows northerly parallel with Mattapan street for nearly half a mile, forming the ice pond in its course. It then turns north- easterly, crossing Mattapan and Thacher streets, Brook road, and Central avenue, and, spreading out into another ice pond, again runs northerly by the wool works and under Ruggles lane, and having traversed a course of ten miles empties into the Neponset, near the Central avenue bridge.


60


HISTORY OF MILTON.


This brook, at times, is almost a river, especially in spring, when fed


" From a thousand petty rills That tumble down the snowy hills."


In periods of great drought it ceases to flow; three times since 1850 it has been absolutely dry at several points in its course.


PINE-TREE BROOK ON A RAMPAGE.


One of the greatest revellings of this little stream occurred in February, 1886, and should be noted here. Rain began to fall at 8.15 A. M., Thurs- day, Feb. 11th ; the wind N.E .; the barometer unusually high; and the temperature just above freezing. The rain continued steadily till 10.30 A.M., of Saturday, 13th inst. ; the wind in the mean time had veered to the south ; the barometer had fallen more than an inch, and the temperature had risen several degrees. During the fifty hours of storm the rainfall amounted to 6.13 inches. This amount was increased two inches by the melting of more than a foot of snow and ice then on the ground. This almost unprecedented amount of rain and melted snow, pouring down from the hills, filled the meadows and overflowed every channel of egress. The little pine-tree brook became a raging torrent. The bridges were insuffi- cient to carry the stream, which swept over, and rendered impassable all the roads in its line, in many cases undermining and destroying both bridges and roads.


There has been nothing like it in the memory of the living. One hundred and eighty-seven years ago occurred a flood perhaps equal to this. It is thus referred to in the Journal of the first pastor of Milton, Rev. Peter Thacher : .


Feb. 27, 1699, there was a great rain, which made a great flood and carried away some of the planks from the bridge before Jonathan Badcock's house so that there was no passing over that way; it flowed into my garden further than the height of the lowest pair of rails.


After the subsidence of the late flood, by somewhat careful levelling, the line of its height, indicated by the wash left on the land near the cellar of the Thacher house, appeared to bring the level of the water about a foot above the lowest part of his garden nearest the brook, which is there well defined ; this might be about " the height of the lowest pair of rails."


The Neponset river also overflowed its banks, and threatened the destruc- tion of the various dams along its course. At the Lower Mills, Milton vil- lage, the rise was four feet nine and a half inehes above the level of the dam.


BALSTER'S BROOK.


This takes its rise among the Blue Hills in the rear of the house of Mr. Daniel Denny. It flows northerly, crossing Can- ton and Blue Hill avenues, Atherton street and Williams avenue ; then turning easterly it crosses Blue Hill avenue and Robbins street; and empties into Pine-tree brook. This is a permanent little stream, never failing, though sometimes its


61


WATER.


waters are lost in the long, dry bed of Pine-tree brook. In the unprecedented drought of the summer of 1883 it continued to flow across Atherton and Robbins streets, marking its green course through the meadows. In the summer of 1884 it was dry at Atherton street, but was running at Robbins street, showing unfailing springs in the low land between Atherton street and Williams avenue, near the residence of Miss Forbes. Old residents say it never fails below Atherton street.


GULLIVER'S BROOK, OR " UNCATY BROOKE."


This takes its rise in the valley opposite the Milton churches and flows easterly, crossing Gun Hill street in the low land south of the residence of J. M. Brown, Esq. Then entering Milton cemetery it spreads out into the pond and flows on through the section formerly called " Paradise," in earlier days a famed re- sort for parties and picnics, where it is joined by a brook crossing the rear of Milton cemetery, and fed by springs, and runs rising in the bottom land near S. Brown's house. Farther east it re- ceives another brook rising near "Churchill's Lane," flowing with a constant stream across Mr. Dudley's land, and Centre street, and forming a pond on the land of Mr. Brooks. On the grounds of Mrs. Payson it is fed by living springs. From this point the water never fails. Through the whole summer of drought, 1883, it sent a lively, refreshing stream across Adams street, with no hint of scarcity.


" Men may come and men may go, But the brook goes on forever."


There may be a history connected with this little stream which can never be written. Before the corporate existence of Milton its outlet was the Port of Dorchester. There are indi- cations that in earlier times it was of greater extent at its out- let, and covered more ground, especially in its upper sections, than in our day. It may have spread out into ponds forming resorts for the Indians. The excavations in the Cemetery indi- cate, by the different kinds of soil thrown out, the presence of standing water in places now high and dry. In one case a heap of clam-shells or salt-water bivalves was dug up twelve or fifteen inches below the surface of the ground, and various Indian implements have been unearthed.


The lay of the land and the character and quality of the soil, in a direction from the wool works on Canton avenue, south- easterly across the sections of low land on the estates of Godfrey, Sigourney, Hunt, Peabody, Dudley, and Brooks, indicate the


62


HISTORY OF MILTON.


presence of water in earlier times ; excavations lay bare stumps of large trees which grew at a much lower grade than the present ; arrow heads and other Indian relics are occasion- ally found, which are always more common on the banks and in the regions of flowing streams, all affording some degree of evidence that in the earliest times, before these shores were in- habited by our race, a part of the waters of the Neponset river, or of Pine-tree brook, may have had an outlet in this direction into Gulliver's creek and thence to the harbor. In such a case Milton Hill would be an island. I am informed that Pro- fessor Agassiz, after a somewhat careful examination of this section, favored such a theory.


Cunningham's brook rises west of " Hull's Hill " in the rear of the Bayley Mansion on Pleasant street, flows through the Cun- ningham estate and into Quincy.


Sachem brook rises a few rods north-east of East Milton depot and flows through Wollaston north-easterly into Quincy bay. Numerous other rivulets are seen all over the town during the spring which are dry for most of the year.


GOOCH'S POND.


This pond, referred to in ancient documents, it is supposed was on the line of Randolph avenue near the house of Jeremiah T. Hunt. A small pond of water is now seen east of the avenue, which originally may have covered the low land in that region owned by the Hunts and Col. Peabody. It seems to have been partly filled up by the building of the avenue. Colonel Gooch came to Milton in 1740, built the Churchill house, and owned this land.


ASA'S POND.


This was on the west side of Gun Hill street near the rear entrance to Milton Cemetery. Asa Horton lived in a house standing on the street where the well now appears. The pond, which is now flowed only in the winter, was on his land and took his name. The boys still speak of skating on Asa's pond.


PIERCE'S POND.


This is situated in East Milton, a little east of Pierce street, very near the Quincy boundary. It is apparently fed by springs in the immediate vicinity. It generally affords a supply of water through the year.


63


WATER.


HEMMENWAY POND.


This silvery pond, called in early days "Davenport's Pond," seems to be a basin hollowed out at the foot of that singular pass over which the road goes in the upper section of Canton avenue, always spoken of in the early records as "the ridge." It spreads over an area of about two acres, forming a pleasant feature in the landscape and adding no little to the varied scenery in that part of the town. From this pond a little stream runs westerly, emptying into the Neponset.


HOUGHTON'S POND, OR " HOOSIC-WHISICK."


This pond, called by the Indians Hoosic-Whisick, is situated in the south-west corner of Milton. About 1690 Ralph Hough- ton removed from Lancaster to Milton and near that time erected the present " Houghton house."


In 1754 Nathaniel Houghton, Benjamin Crane, Ebenezer Tucker, and Ebenezer Houghton petitioned the legislature to be annexed to the town of Milton from Braintree; the Houghton farm, with the surrounding section of about three hundred and forty acres, not coming within the limits of the "Blue Hill Land," annexed to Milton in 1712. The act was passed, and this section of three hundred and forty acres was annexed to Milton in 1754. From the occupancy of Mr. Houghton the pond took the name of " Houghton's Pond." It lies imbedded in the high lands south of Great Blue Hill, and seems to receive its supply of water from springs issuing from the hills and coming up through the bottom, as there is no great inflow of water from any known and visible source, and the average height of the water is but little affected by flood or drought. In the dry summer of 1883 the pond was examined in August and September, and found to be about twelve inches below ordi- nary level. The water covers an area of about twenty-five acres when at its average fulness. The surface of the pond is one hundred and fifty-five feet above mean-tide; this would ensure a supply of water to large portions of the town by grav- itation, except Brush Hill and the neighborhood of Blue Hill on Canton avenue and Hillside street, and the Wadsworth hill, provided the elevations and measurements have been correctly taken.


The westerly bank is steep, giving a depth of eleven feet of water fifteen feet from the shore and falling quickly to forty feet, which depth is retained over an area of several acres.


The average depth of two-fifths of the pond on the westerly side is about twenty-eight feet. The remaining three-fifths


64


HISTORY OF MILTON.


easterly has an average depth of about seven feet, giving a me- dium depth over the whole surface of the pond of about fifteen feet.


The pond has a clean, gravelly bottom and shores uncontam- inated by impurities. The water is clear and limpid, bright and pure to the taste, and pleasant to the eye.


Careful analysis places it above many other sources of supply in purity.


The date and source of the following analyses are unknown :


Sprague's Pond, total impurities


2.28


Houghton's Pond,


2.96


Neponset River,


4.64


Cochituate, 1871, 66


3.20


Croton River, N. J., 66


4.78


Schuylkill River,


66


3.54


Mystic Pond,


5.68


Horn Pond,


66


5.40


Jamaica Pond,


66


3.77


GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL.


The highest sections and the greatest part of the Blue Hills are composed of porphyry.


Prof. Hitchcock says in his Geology of Massachusetts, page 667 : -


The porphyry range south of Boston extends in a curvilinear direction from Medway and Medfield following Charles river so as to enter Natick and Needham, thence turning easterly through Dedham, Milton, Braintree and Quincy to Hingham. This is chiefly compact feldspar, especially the red variety. The range, it will be seen, embraces the greater part of the Blue Hills, the most elevated lands in the vicinity of Boston.


The base of porphyry is compact feldspar, through which are disseminated crystals of feldspar of various hues, - green, pur- ple, red of every shade, light green, grey, and brownish black. This rock is extremely hard, and is cut and polished with diffi- culty, otherwise it might take a prominent place with our most elegant ornamental stones.


Prof. A. Brongniart speaks of the vicinity south of Boston as a locality of porphyry, and says, "It entirely resembles the an- tique porphyry."


Several years ago before the State Collection of minerals was removed from the State House in Boston to the Agricultural


65


GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL.


College in Amherst, Mass., I carefully examined the polished specimens from Milton and the Blue Hills, and noted down the accompanying list. I found them all very beautiful in color, and finished with a most brilliant polish.


STATE COLLECTION OF SPECIMENS FROM MILTON.


No. 352. Graywhacke Slate, reddish Milton.


1131. Greenstone passing into Sienite


. Blue Hills.


1141. Compact Greenstone Blue Hills.


1213.


Compact Feldspar, somewhat brecciated . Blue Hills.


1222. Compact Feldspar with a minute quantity of gold . Blue Hills.


1225. Compact Feldspar, red passing into porphyry Milton.


1237. Porphyry and Compact Feldspar Milton.


1238. Porphyry, dark green [polished] Blue Hills.


1241.


Porphyry, containing Quartz nodules [polished]


Milton.


1242. Porphyry, light gray [polished]


Milton.


1245. Porphyry, lively green [polished] .


Milton.


1258. Porphyry, reddish brown containing crystals of Feld- spar and Quartz [polished] . . Blue Hills.


1261. Porphyry, variegated Feldspar and Quartz crystals [polished] . Blue Hills.


1260. Porphyry, base dark green crystals, Feldspar and


Quartz [polished] Blue Hills.


1263, Porphyry, base reddish, chiefly Quartz . Milton.


In the section lying between Brush Hill road and Mattapan street, formerly church land, is a bed of red porphyry, some- what brecciated ; fine specimens of it may be seen in the wall of Mr. Amor L. Hollingsworth on Brush Hill road, and in the wall on Canton avenue, nearly opposite the opening of Matta- pan street.


Within a few years a company was formed for working a quarry of choice porphyry, situated on the south-west side of Bear Hill. The land was purchased, and polished specimens of the stone were placed on exhibition in Boston attracting much favorable notice, but the work was not prosecuted. It is be- lieved that within the limits of Milton, and in the near vicinity, quantities of this mineral may be found rivalling in beauty the best antique porphyry.


SIENITE.


The porphyry of our hills seems to be intermediate between porphyry and sienite, which, under the name of granite, is the stone used for architectural purposes, and so extensively quar- ried in the lower range of the Blue Hills within the towns of Quincy and Milton.


Sienite is composed of quartz, hornblende, and feldspar. It


66


HISTORY OF MILTON.


takes its name from Syene, a country of Upper Egypt where this rock prevails, from which many ancient monuments have been made. Sienite differs from granite in one of its compo- nent parts ; the latter has mica in place of the hornblende of the former. The feldspar in sienite is the most abundant ingre- dient, and is generally of a bluish or grayish color; in some instances it is flesh-red, or lilac-red, and in others of a blood-red color. This gives the different shades of color to the stone and to the structure built from the stone.


The working of this stone along these hills of Milton and more especially of Quincy affords occupation for thousands of laborers, and subsistence for their families, and is a source of wealth and prosperity in the community. The granite busi- ness of Milton is presented in the chapter on the "Industries of Milton."


DILUVIAN FURROWS.


At the quarry of D. G. Corliss & Co., a few years since, the soil was removed for a wide space from the surface of the ledge, for the purpose of extending the work and opening it in a new position. On the top of the ledge thus laid bare was found a large bowlder, of many tons' weight, a stone entirely different from the underlying ledge of granite, the bottom of which was worn almost to a polish.


On the surface of this denuded rock, which had been covered by the soil for unknown years, the diluvian furrows were very distinctly marked, running in a south-easterly course, and across the planes and joints of stratification. In this case the furrows were from one to three inches deep and wide. These furrows and scratches have been examined on other rocky surfaces within the limits of our town, and have been found in the same line of direction.


In all cases observed in Milton the drift is invariably about north 10° west, and south 10° east, in the same direction with the furrows and scratches.


BOWLDERS.


Bowlders, or Lost Stones, of all sizes, are numerous. A large bowlder of conglomerate lies in the granite section, on the west side of Quarry lane between Pleasant street and the quarry, and another lies near one of the quarry buildings; while in the same line with these, but much farther on, in West Quincy, on the height of a hill of granite in the "Quincy Lot " lies a pudding-stone bowlder of immense size, which seems to have


67


TOPOGRAPHIC.


been dumped from above, and in the fall to have been broken into sections. It is well worth a visit by the curious and by the scientific. An enormous bowlder, probably the largest isolated bowlder in this region, may be seen on the grounds of David W. Tucker, between his home and the opposite hills.


BED OF RED PORPHYRY.


In the old Dorchester church land, near Brush Hill road, is a bed of red porphyry, already referred to, cropping out from the range of porphyry underlying the town. Bowlders of this identical prophyry are found south-east of this bed all over the fields ; some have been worked into the wall opposite the open- ing of Mattapan street on Canton avenue; they are seen in the walls at other points south and east of the bed, but none north or west of it. The porphyry in the wall of Mr. Hollings- worth, Brush Hill road, was taken from the vicinity of the original bed and conveyed to his wall. The wandering por- phyrytic blocks south of the church lot travelled, or were borne by the diluvian currents, to the points where they are found. Many times have I searched in Milton for the bowlders of a particular rock on the north or westerly side of its bed without success, but they are always found on the south or a little to the east or west. On this point Prof. Hitchcock says : -




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