USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Topographical and historical description of Boston > Part 13
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In this way matters went along very well, the con- stables distributing among the poor the money levied by rates, which in October, 1690, amounted to £412 4s. 6d. On the ninth of March, 1690-91, the townsmen voted, " that Mr. Nathaniell Williams, Mr. Benjamine Walker, Mr. William Coleman, and Mr. Symeon Stoddard be Overseers of the Poore of this Towne for the yeare cu- sueing "; and thus originated in name the first Board of Overseers of the Poor in Boston. On the day of their
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election, "the foure overseers, together with the Towne Treasur' are desired and apoynted a comittee to drawe vp and present vnto the Generall Court, such proposalls, as they shall aprehend needfull for the orderinge and improveing of them to imply and set the poore aworke"; by which it appears that though the poor were provided for by the town, nevertheless the town could get no return in the way of labor from those whom it had ma- terially befriended. The overseers faithfully attended to the "desire " of the townsmen, and obtained an act which was passed by the General Court in the fourth year of the reign of William and Mary, being by common computa- tion on the sixteenth of November, 1692. This act forms part of an act for regulating of townships and town-officers and setting forth their power. It gives power to the freeholders, and other inhabitants of towns ratable at twenty pounds estate, to assemble yearly in March and choose, among other town officers, Overseers of the Poor, who shall be "able and discreet, of good conversation, inhabiting within said town." These Overseers, or the Selectmen of the towns where no over- seers are chosen, were "impowered and ordered to take effectual Care that all Children, Youth, and other persons of able Body, living within the same Town or Precincts thereof (not having Estates otherwise to maintain them- selves) do not live idly, or mispend their time in loitering ; but that they be brought up or imployed in some honest Calling, which may be profitable to themselves, and the Publick." It also fully provides for binding out poor children as apprentices, the boys until they arrive at the age of twenty-one years, and the girls until the age of eighteen years or time of marriage. In the year 1720, a supplementary act was passed requiring that the boys
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
should be taught to read and write, and the girls to read, "as they respectively may be able," and the overseers were required also to inquire into the usage of the chil- dren bound out, and endeavor to defend them from any wrongs or injuries.
So matters went on, and the town annually chose seven Overseers of the Poor, that number corresponding as nearly as possible with that of the trainbands, until the year 1713, when for good reasons a more permanent division of the town was desired for carrying on its prudential concerns; and the townsmen took the initia- tive in causing the town to be set off into definite pre- cincts or wards, as will be seen by what follows.
At a public town meeting of the freeholders and other inhabitants of the town, duly qualified, held on the thir- teenth of May, 1713, it was voted " That there be Eight Scavengers for eight several parts of the Town, and their perticular distinct Precinct be under the Regulation of the Selectmen." This vote of the townsmen was carried out by the selectmen at a meeting held on the eleventh of August, as is evident from the following record made by them: "Pursuant to the vote of the Inhabitts of ye Town of Boston on the 13th of May last past, The sª Selectmen have now agreed upon a distribution of the town into distinct Wards or Precincts, as set forth in a Scheme or draught thereof in writing attested by ye Town Clerk, and lying on file with the Records of this Town." What this was does not exactly appear from any record; but the following votes of the Justices of the Peace, Overseers of the Poor, and the Board of Selectmen, passed February 1, 1714-15, shows that the town was not particularly divided until the year 1715: - " Voted, That there be a division made of this Town into
17
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Eight distinct Wards, in order to their inspecting each respective Ward." Also, " Voted, That it be left with the Selectmen to make such Division sutable to that occasion." The division made in accordance with the votes was reported to the same parties and agreed upon on the eighth of the same month, to wit :-
"No. 1. North Ward. Bounded Northerly by Charles River, and South by the North sides of Fleet Street & Bennet Street.
"2. Fleet-Ward. Bounded Northerly by the South side of Fleet Street and Bennet Street, and Southerly by Wood & Beer Lanes [Richmond street].
"3. Bridge-Ward. Bounded Northerly by Wood & Beer Lanes, and Southerly by the Mill Creek.
"4. Creek-Ward. Bounded Northerly by the Mill Creek, and Southerly by the North side of Wing's Lane [Elm street], & from the uper end thereof, the North side of Hanover Street to the Orange Tree [a noted landmark at the head of Hanover street at the corner of Court street, ] and the North-East side of Cambridge Street [now the northerly end of Court street].
" 5. Kings-Ward. Bounded Northerly by the South side of Wings lane, from the Uper end thereof the South side of Hannover Street, and the South-West- erly side of Cambridge Street, and Southerly by ye North side of King & Queens Streets [State and Court streets ] to the Southward of the Writeing School House, Mr. Cotton's House the Southermost House.
"6. Change-Ward. Bounded Northerly by the South sides of Kings and Queens streets, and Southerly by the North side of Milk Street, thence the West side of Malbrough street [part of Washington street between Milk and Summer streets] as far as Rawson's Lane
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
[Bromfield street], the North side thereof, and the North side of the Comon.
"7. Pond-Ward. Bounded by the South-side of Milk Street, thence the East side of Malbrough Street as far as Rawson's Lane, the South side thereof, South- erly by the North side of West & Pond [the west end of Bedford street] Streets, Blind Lane [the east end of Bedford street], and thence the North side of Summer street.
"8. South-Ward. Bounded Northerly by the South side of Summer Street, as far down as Church Green, the South side of Blind Lane, of Pond & West Streets, and Southerly by the Townes Southern bounds."
Burgiss's Map, engraved in 1728, substantially shows these divisions by dotted lines.
In this way things proceeded with eight wards, the town choosing eight and subsequently nine Overseers of the Poor, and conducting its affairs in the best man- ner possible, with its simple machinery. But after a while the town having increased much in point of popu- lation, the passage of an act of the General Court of the Province was obtained on the twenty-eighth of May, 1735, empowering the town of Boston to choose twelve Overseers of the Poor and divide the peninsula into twelve wards. The Overseers were thereby empowered to erect a work-house for the poor, regulate the same, and receive donations for endowing it to the amount of three thousand pounds. The overseers were also to send idle and indigent persons to the work-house; to bind out the children of such as were not rated for their personal estate, and to warn intruders not inhabitants out of the town. It was further enacted by this act, " That where Persons bring up their children in such
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gross Ignorance, that they do not know, or are not able to distinguish the alphabet or twenty-four Letters at the age of six years, in such case the Overseers of the Poor are hereby impowered and directed to put or bind out into good Families, such Children, for a decent and Christian Education, as when Parents are indigent and rated nothing to the publick Taxes; unless the Children are judged uncapable, through some inevitable infirmity."
After the passage of the above described act, the Overseers of the Poor, nine in number, were requested to attend an adjourned meeting of the townsmen held on the eighth of March, 1735-6, to give their opinion with respect to dividing the town into twelve wards. They attended in the afternoon, and "Jacob Wendell, Esq., in the name of the Overseers of the Poor Reported to the Town, That 'twas their opinion, It would be much for the Service of the said Town that it be divided into Twelve Wards, and Proposed the Military Division of the Town, to their consideration." Whereupon it was " Voted, That the gentlemen the Overseers of the Poor be a Committee to project a Division of the Town into Twelve Wards, and to make their Report thereof To- morrow, in order to the Towns proceeding thereon." On the next day Mr. Wendell reported as follows:
"Pursuant to a Vote of the Town on the 8th Instant, Desiring the Overseers of the Poor to Divide the Town into Twelve Wards, They have accordingly attended that Service - and are of Opinion That the following Division will best serve the same - and Propose to be- gin with-
"No. 1. From Charlestown Ferry on both sides of Prince Street to Gee's Corner, and the Westerly Side of Salem street, crossing over and taking in the Westerly
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
side of Henchman's Lane to the Water side, and round the Beech to the Ferry Place again.
"2. From the lower end of Henchman's Lane, up the South Side thereof, crossing over to Elder Baker's corner down Salem Street as far as the Reverend Doctor Cutler's and thence down Love Street [Tileston Street] and Foster Lane [Clark Street] the North Sides into Ship Street [North Street] including both sides thereof, as far as Henchman's Lane, To which Rumney Marsh [Chelsea ] is annex'd.
"3. From the North East corner of Love Street, runing up the South Side of it thro', by the Reverend Doctor Cutler's and down Salem Street to Peirce's Corner and up Prince Street on the North side, crossing over thro' Bell Alley [East part of Prince Street] on both sides as far as Foster Lane, including the south side of said Lane.
"4. From the North East Corner of Prince Street, running down the South Side as [far as] Boucher's cor- ner, and then on both sides of the way to the Mill-bridge, and from thence on the West side of Middle Street [middle portion of Hanover Street] to Prince Street, tak- ing in the Square from Cop's corner down the North Side of Wood Lane [Richmond Street] thro' Bell Alley to Capt. Wadsworth's.
"5. From the North East corner of Wood Lane on the South Side into Middle Street, running on the North Side to the Mill Bridge, and then beginning at Byles's corner in Anne Street on both sides the way including the Dock and thro' Fish Street on both sides the way, as far as the Red Lion Wharf.
"6. From the Mill Bridge on both sides of Hanover street to Bradford's corner, crossing over to Cold Lane
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[Portland street] and thence running to Jackson's Still House, Returning thro' Kneeland's Lane into Sudbury Street taking in the Easterly side as far as the Orange Tree, and then running down Hanover Street on the Westerly side as far as Bradford's corner and thence on the North side of Wing's Lane into Union street on both sides to the Mill Creek.
"7. From Barton's Point, thro' Leverett's street and Green Lane and Cambridge Street on both sides, taking in the Southerly side of Hawkins' Lane and round into Sudbury Street the Westerly side, crossing into Southack's Court [Howard Street] and thence cross- ing the Hill to the Water side.
"8. From the South East corner of Wing's Lane running upon the Southerly side of it, and so on the easterly side of Hanover street and then running down on the Westerly side of Queen and King Street on the Long Wharf, and thro' Merchants' Row to Mr. Jackson (the Brasier's) Shop, taking in Dock Square.
"9. From Mr. Bowdoin's corner in Treamount Street, taking in the Westerly side of Beacon Street down to the bottom of the Common, then taking the North side of School and Milk Street, as far as Horn Lane [Bath Street], thro' Water Street to Oliver's Dock, running thro' Mackarel Lane [Kilby Street], and then including the south sides of King and Queen Streets.
"10. From Mr. Secretary Willard's running down on the North side of Rawson's Lane crossing over to Penniman's corner running down on the Northerly side of Summer Street as far as Cow Lane [High Street], and so over the Hill as far as the Northerly side of Mr. Hubbard's Land, and then round by Hallowell's Ship- yard to Milk Street, thence running on the Southerly
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
side, including the South Meeting House Square, and then taking in the South side of School Street.
"11. From the South corner of Rawson's Lane down the Common, as far as West Street, thence run- ning down the North side of Pond street and Blind Lane into Summer Street, thro' Barton's Rope Walk as far as Mr. Hubbard's thence up the Hill, and then down Cow Lane, the South East side into Summer Street, and then the Southerly side of Summer street, thence crossing over and taking the Westerly side of Marl- borough Street as far as Rawson's Lane, including the South side of said Lane.
"12. From the School House in the Common down the South side of Pond Lane as far as the Bull Wharf [end of Summer street], including the Whole of the South-Ward.
" All which is Humbly Submitted by
"Your Humble Servants,
" JACOB WENDELL,
" WILLIAM TYLER,
" JEFFERY BEDGOOD,
" JOHN HILL,
" THOMAS HUBBARD.
"Boston, 19th Mar. 1735."
Whereupon it was "Voted, That the Report of the said Committee be accepted, and that the Town of Bos- ton be, and hereby is Divided into Twelve Wards or Districts according to the said Report; And that it so remain and continue, until the Town shall see cause to alter the same."
In the above manner this division of Boston into twelve wards was brought about, a number which has
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
been strictly adhered to, although the boundaries have been different at various times, for a hundred and thirty three years. In the year 1868, however, the addition of the territory of Roxbury made it imperative to increase the number to fifteen; and in 1870 it became necessary to add the sixteenth, in consequence of the annexation of Dorchester.
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CHAPTER IX.
DIVISIONS OF THE TOWN, AND RIVERS.
Divisions of the Town, continued ... Names and Relative Position of the Wards . . . Dimensions of the Natural Divisions, and the Number of Houses in each in 1784 . . . The Old Fortification . . . Old Causeway . .. May's Grant in 1785 . . . Curious Bend in the South End Streets . . . The Green Stores . . . The Gallows . . . Old Windmill . . . Native Trees ... Pavement ... Charter Pro- vision for Dividing the City into Wards, and for Changing the Boundaries once in Ten Years . . . East Boston as a Ward ... South Boston as a Ward ... Act of Legislature for re-establishing Wards ... The last Division of Wards ... Commencement of the Municipal Year ... Places and Manner of Voting . .. Choice of Selectmen and Ward Officers ... Source of the Charles River, the Northern and Western Boundary of Boston ... Neponset River . . . Mother Brook . . . Muddy Brook . . . Stony Brook.
IN the last chapter it was shown that in the early days of the town, the Military and Civil Divisions were identical. This continued to be the case until necessity required a larger number of wards than of military com- panies. In the two early divisions given, it appears that the names of the wards were selected from something notable connected with them, chiefly from their principal street or their position. For instance, in the first division of 1715, the North and South Wards were the most north- erly and southerly in the town; Fleet Ward had in it Fleet street, and King's Ward had King street; Bridge, Creek, Change and Pond wards had severally the bridges over the Mill Creek and the dock, the Mill Creek, the " change," and the "town's watering place,"-the last
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more frequently known as "Wheeler's Pond," or the " Town Pond," which was situated at the south part of the town, as will be related hereafter. In the division of 1736, the wards were named: 1-Charter Street Ward; 2- North Street Ward; 3 -Fleet Street Ward; 4-Pond Ward (after the Mill Pond, instead of the Watering Place) ; 5- Ann Street Ward; 6- Hanover Street Ward; 7-Cambridge Street Ward; 8-King Street Ward; 9-Cornhill Ward; 10-Marlborough Street Ward; 11-Summer Street Ward; and 12- Orange Street Ward. Four of these, and a large part of the fifth, were comprised in the North End, north of the Mill Creek; the sixth and eighth east of Sud- bury street and north of Court and State streets; the seventh north of Beacon Hill and west of Sudbury street; and the others south of a line running through Long Wharf, State and Court streets, across the hills to West Hill which was a short distance from the westerly end of Cambridge street.
It may not be uninteresting to know, that, in the year 1784, just as the town was beginning to recover from the effects of the war of the Revolution, about four years after the adoption of the constitution of the Commonwealth, and about as many before the ratification of the Federal constitution, the North End contained about six hundred and eighty dwelling-houses and tene- ments, and six meeting-houses. Though it had formerly been the court end of the town, even at the above-named period it had begun to lose its former prestige, and gave unquestionable evidence of decay and unpopularity. From the Mill Bridge to Winnisimmet Ferryways, it measured about eight hundred and three yards, while its breadth from Charles River Bridge to the water side,
-
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
near the present Commercial Wharf, was about seven hundred and twenty-six yards.
New Boston, the West End, contained at the same period one meeting-house and about one hundred and seventy dwelling-houses and tenements; and, although the smallest and least populous of the divisions, was regarded then as a very pleasant and healthy part of the town, on account of its westerly situation, where it had plenty of agreeable inland breezes, and was compara- tively sheltered from the easterly winds.
The South End was by far the most extensive in point of territory of all the natural divisions of the town, being in length from the fortification on the neck to the Mill Bridge about one mile and seven hundred and sixteen yards, with a breadth of about eleven hundred and fifty yards. It contained all the public buildings, except the Powder House, which at that time was near Cambridge street, ten meeting-houses, and about twelve hundred and fifty dwelling-houses. Being the seat of business, it was the most flourishing part of the town, and contained the principal shops and warehouses. Some of the man- sion houses of this part would now be considered mag- nificent; and the common, though perhaps not so artis- tically laid out with paths and malls as now, was as delightful as a training ground and public walk as at the present time.
The portion of the South End situated south of Dover street had so few inhabitants before the Revo- lution that it was seldom taken into account in describ- ing the town. This part of Boston has so increased in population and in business the last decade of years that it has completely thrown the city from its old balance, and has now really become the only true South End of
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the city. One road, or highway, ran through it from Dover street to the Roxbury line in old times, and it was then generally known as the Neck Field, or the Field towards Roxbury. Very early after the settlement of the town, a fortification was built at the northerly end of this highway. It was chiefly of brick, with embrasures in front and places for cannon on its flanks, and a deep ditch on its south side. It was erected as a fortification against any sudden attack by the Indians, and had two gates, one for carriages and teams, and another for per- sons on foot. Regular watches and wards were kept near it, not only in compliance with the orders of the General Court of the Colony, but also as a prudential act of the town; and such was the observance of this duty that the townsmen felt perfectly secure within the town. A little to the south of this had been placed in earlier times a row of palisades. After the disappearance of the hostile Indians, there being no necessity for the protection, the whole fortification fell to decay; and it was not until the year 1710 that another of regular con- struction was established at the Neck, a few feet south of the present Dover street. This was more substantial than that which had preceded it, as it was thoroughly built of stone and brick, with a breastwork of earth and proper gates. Dams also extended for some distance each side of the Neck near the fortification, and these were kept in good repair by the town, as is manifest by the votes occasionally to be found in the town records. About the twenty-ninth of March, 1860, as workmen were engaged in removing the earth in the neighborhood of these old works, for the purpose of laying a drain, the stone foundations of the old fortification were discovered, and to a considerable extent exposed to view. The exact
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
position was ascertained to be precisely in front of the southwest corner of the Williams Market House. For a long distance extending south of Dover street, and on the westerly side of Washington street, reaching as far as Union Park street, there was also a causeway built of stone; parts of which, in the neighborhood of the gas- ometer, north of Waltham street, and also farther south, near the Unitarian meeting-house on Union Park street, were to be seen as late as the year 1868.
Old plans, made many years ago, show that, previous to the year 1785, there stood on the westerly side of the highway above mentioned, and extending from the forti- fication to a point opposite where Malden street now is, a few rods south of Union Park street, a picket fence; which, in the year above alluded to, gave way to the stone causeway, a grant having been made that year by the town to Stephen Gore, John May, and others, of a tract of land and flats bounded by the present Malden street on the south about nine hundred feet, thence run- ning north on a well-remembered causeway fourteen hundred feet long, to a point within one hundred and twenty-five feet of Dover street, thence west on a line about parallel to Dover street one hundred and thirty- two feet six inches, till it reached the highway. A strip of land two hundred feet wide, of the same length (1,400 feet) on the west side of the highway was included in the same grant, the highway being eighty feet in width, the grant embracing all east of the highway to low- water mark. To this grant a condition was attached, that barriers should be erected for excluding the tide waters. This gave origin to the old cause- way which formerly stood east of Washington and south of Dover streets. This large tract of land was
1
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subsequently divided into fourteen lots, one hundred feet wide, and extending from the eastern to the western boundaries, the highway dividing each of the lots into two by an angular line; but to avoid this bevel towards the street, a bend was made, so that the estates present right angles to the street, and a bend a short distance from it. This bend, which may be noticed, extending from Dover street to Malden street, shows the high- water mark, on the easterly side, the bevelled line run- ning east to low-water mark or the channel of the South Bay, or Roxbury Bay, sometimes also called Gallows Bay in ancient writings. On a portion of this land stood the old stores of the late John D. Williams, Esq., noted landmarks of former days, under the name of the " Green Stores," on account of the peculiar fancy which the owner had to that color.
It may be interesting to some to know that, on the city lands just south of the above-mentioned ground, and east of the highway, near Malden street, used to stand the gallows in times of execution. It is said that one of the posts of this old landmark formed a boundary mark for Col. May's lot, and that a painted sign upon it gave information to that effect. In later times culprits were hung further south, not far from the rear of the present burial-ground on the Neck; but now this dreadful work is performed with proper privacy in the jail-yard. Further south, on the way to Roxbury, stood the old windmill, which was blown down during the great gale that did so much damage, on the twenty- third of October, 1761.
In 1784, there were no buildings below the fortifica- tion except a few stores. A portion of the land was cov- ered with trees of native growth; and from time to time,
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
after the highway was laid out, trees were set out on the sides of the road. In the year 1758, the towns-people began to pave the street leading to the neck, partly at the expense of the town, and partly by private subscrip- tion.
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