USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Topographical and historical description of Boston > Part 33
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The foregoing extract was written by a person of some consideration, who was for a time the Duke of Montagu's Governor of the Island of St. Lucia, one of the Carribees; and it undoubtedly is as much to be relied upon as any of the accounts of the old voyagers.
Approaching Boston from the seaward, one of the first objects that meets the eye is a projecting promon- tory, which at a distance very much resembles the tail of a large whale. This point of land, part of the ancient township of Hull, took its name from Mr. Isaac Aller- ton, one of the passengers of the renowned May Flower, and one of the most noted of the forefathers who landed at Plymouth on Monday, the twenty-first (not 22d) of December, 1620, N.S. Allerton acted much as agent for the Plymouth Colony, and was distinguished for great enterprise and love of adventure. Tradition informs us that, in one of the voyages of the Plymouth Pilgrims to Salem, they stopped on their way at the Harbor of Bos- ton, and landed upon the islands situated at its en- trance, and also upon the neighboring promontory; and that they named the projecting headland Point Allerton, and the islands "the Brewsters," in respect for his
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wife's brothers and sisters, the children of Mr. William Brewster, the good old ruling elder of the First Church' of New Plymouth. The corruptions which often get into spoken language have led frequently to an error in the spelling of the name of the promontory; for it is often spelled upon charts "Point Alderton," an error which has been corrected, as on all the charts that have any pretensions to accuracy the Point is now correctly printed Allerton.
Point Allerton has its Great Hill on its centre, and its Little Hill on the northeast, and also its monument and its buoy. At its west, connected by a stony beach, is the town of Hull, sometimes called Nantasket Island, the most western part of which is known as Windmill Point. In a southerly direction from Point Allerton, leading to Cohasset, is the famous Nantasket Beach facing the ocean, with its Scull Head, Strawberry Hill, White Head, and Sagamore Head; the Beach itself being subdivided by Strawberry Hill, so that its north- erly end is called the Long Beach, and its southerly end the Stony Beach. Nearly due east from the Point are projections of a dangerous rock, called Harding's Ledge; and about southeast is the much dreaded Mi- not's Ledge, with its stone lighthouse.
Northward of Point Allerton is the Main Ship Chan- nel; and, pursuing a northerly course, one soon comes to Lighthouse Island, sometimes called the Little Brew- ster, to distinguish it from the Great Brewster with which it is connected by a bar, and from the Middle Brewster and Outer Brewster, which lie north of it. North of these are Great and Little Calf Island, and their Hypocrite Passage, or Channel, which separates them from Devil's Back, Green Island, and Maffit's
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Ledge, to the northeast of which ledge of rocks are a number of unpropitious looking rocks, very properly and suggestively called the Graves. Having advanced thus far, Broad Sound Channel, which separates this group of islands from Deer Island, presents itself; then comes Deer Island, in very remote times a part of the main land, at the north of which is Shirley Gut. Then Point Shirley appears with Gut Plain, Great Head (or Green Hill), Bluff Head (or Winthrop's Head), and, further on, Grover's Cliff, all within the limits of the town of Winthrop.
Point Shirley has for many years past been a noted place. It was formerly called Pulling Point, a name now retained by another more commodious headland at the northwest, fronting westerly upon the harbor, and which has sometimes been called Chelsea Point. About the middle of the last century a number of Boston cap- italists attempted to carry on the fishery business here, and purchased land for the erection of dwelling-houses and workshops for the fishermen they intended to em- ploy; but, instead of doing this, they put up houses for their own pleasure accommodation, and a meeting-house for a preacher on Sundays, wholly neglectful of the op- eratives who were to have carried on the business for them. When ready for their enterprise, the speculators, believing that all great undertakings should be auspi- ciously commenced, concluded to have a nice time, and consequently invited Governor Shirley, who was exceed- ingly popular with Bostonians, to go down the harbor with them on the eighth of September, 1753. At the time appointed, the proprietors of the new establish- ment went down to the fishery with the Governor and a number of gentlemen of distinction, - for they had
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such personages then in great abundance, as now- who were selected, perhaps, because they could make speeches, tell stories, or sing songs, and at any rate could eat dinners and drink good liquors. As they passed Castle William (now called Fort Independence) they, that is to say, the Governor and the company, were saluted with a discharge of fifteen guns; and so they were when they returned. It is said that the Gov- ernor was received at the Point with all the demonstra- tion of joy that so new a settlement was capable of; and that His Excellency expressed great satisfaction on find- ing so considerable an addition to that valuable branch of trade, the cod fishery, and hoped the gentlemen con- cerned would meet with such success as to make them ample amends for so noble an undertaking. The pro- prietors, after having leave from His Excellency, gave to the place the name of Point Shirley. The Governor was well paid for his condescension, for his name is im- mortalized and kept green, while the names of the un- dertakers are as seldom mentioned as their unsuccessful attempt. About the commencement of the present cen- tury the manufacture of salt was tried at the same place, but did not prove remunerative; and in later times the Revere Copper Company established their works, which, though they may have been profitable to the proprietors, certainly added nothing to the salubrity of the air at the Point, nor made the residence in the neighborhood particularly agreeable at all times.
In reference to the derivation of the old name, Pull- ing Point, John Josselyn, gent., in an account of his voyages to New England, printed at the Green Dragon in St. Paul's Churchyard, London, in 1675, says, "Pul- lin-point is so called because the boats are by the seas-
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ing or roads haled against the tide which is very strong, it is the usual channel for boats to pass into Mattachu- sets-Bay."
On the northerly side, creeks separated the islands in the harbor from Chelsea, a town which has recently been divided into three: Winthrop on the east, named in honor of Mr. Deane Winthrop (son of the Gov- ernor), who dwelt there many years, and died on the sixteenth of March, 1703-4; North Chelsea, and Chel- sea on the west. All of Chelsea was formerly a part of Boston, under the names of Rumney Marsh, Pulling Point, and Winnisimmet, and was set off from it by an Act of the Provincial Legislature, passed on the ninth of January, 1738-9. An ineffectual attempt was made to reunite the two towns, but it failed. On the third of April, 1871, North Chelsea took the name Revere.
On the south side of the harbor are the towns of Hull on the east, then, in succession southwesterly, the towns of Hingham, Weymouth, Braintree (now Quincy), Dorchester and Roxbury, - for these last-mentioned towns should not be forgotten as having existed as distinct municipalities; and that South Boston in the olden time was a part of Dorchester, under the name of Dorchester Point or Neck, and Roxbury or Gallows Bay (now South Bay) was once part of the harbor.
Within the harbor, lying west of the islands already mentioned, are many others, several of which are of con- siderable size; while some are extremely small, and a few have long since lost the name of islands, although they once were so, and exhibit to this day evident proofs of the fact. History, as well as tradition, tells that these islands were mostly well wooded in the earlier days of the New England settlement, and that they had been
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inhabited before the arrival of the forefathers. Certain it is, that, when the first national census was taken, in the year 1790, there were fifteen houses and two hun- dred and fifty-two inhabitants found upon them; and, what is remarkable, there is hardly one of them that has not had a visible spring, or springs, easily reached by digging.
If the map of the harbor is carefully inspected, the first impression made upon an observer is that of the curious forms nature has given to these various islands; which forms have been most queerly changed by the ef- fects of the currents, and now, with their beaches and projecting points and headlands, present to the eye the most grotesque and amusing shapes. This fact is wor- thy of being made available in giving a description of these spots (not blemishes) within this justly celebrated harbor. Noddle's Island, or East Boston, as it is now called, very much resembles a great polar bear, with its head north, and its feet east. Governor's Island has much the form of a ham, and Castle Island looks like a shoulder of pork, both with their shanks at the south. Apple Island was probably so named on account of its shape; and Snake Island may be likened to a kidney; Deer Island is very like a whale, facing Point Shirley; Thompson's Island, like a very young unfledged chicken; Spectacle Island, like a pair of spectacles; Long Island, like a high-top military boot; Rainsford Island, like a mink; Moon Island, like a leg of venison; Gallop's (not Galloupe's) Island, like a leg of mutton; Lovell's Island, like a dried salt fish; George's Island, like a fortress, as it is; Pettick's Island, like a young sea monster; and Half-Moon Island, like the new or the old moon, as you view it from the south or north. The other small islands
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resemble pumpkins, grapes and nuts, as much as any- thing, hence the names of some of them. If this mne- monical description can be kept in mind, certainly the forms of the islands will be remembered, even if their names are forgotten.
The channels of the harbor have been named Ship Channel, Glades Channel, Broad Sound North Channel, Broad Sound South Channel. The passages have been designated Bird's Island Passage, the Back or Western Way, Black Rock Passage or Channel, and Hypocrite Passage or Channel. The Roads are President Roads, Nantasket Roads, and the Old and New Quarantine Roads. The most notable shoals are Bird Island Shoal, Upper Middle Shoal, and Lower Middle Shoal. The rocks within the harbor most worthy of notice are Wil- son's Rocks, Hangman's Ledge, Corwin's Rock, Kelley's Rock, Barrel Rock, and Quarantine Rocks. Each of these deserves a particular notice, which will be given in passing along descriptively through the channels and among the islands in the tour of inspection.
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CHAPTER XXXIV.
BIRD, NODDLE'S, HOG, AND GOVERNOR'S ISLANDS.
Approach to the Harbor through Ship Channel . . . Mystic and Charles Rivers and Chelsea Creek . . . Bird Island Shoal, formerly an Island . . . Noddle's Island, formerly well wooded . . . Granted to . Samuel Maverick in 1633 . . . Recently known as Williams's Island, and East Boston . . . Fanciful Shape . . . Localities . . . Fort on Camp Hill, 1776 .. . Maverick's Fort, 1630 . . . Fort Strong, 1814 . .. George Worthylake Drowned, 1718 . .. Duel in 1819 . . . Hog Island, sometimes designated Susanna, Belle Isle, and Breed's Island ... Governor's Island, formerly Conant's Island, Devised to Governor Winthrop in 1632 . .. Old Fort Warren, now Fort Winthrop . . . The Upper Middle.
TAKING departure from the end of Long wharf, the most easterly of those projecting from the peninsula, and making to sea in an easterly direction, the harbor is approached at once by Ship Channel, which may be said to have its rise from the Mystic and Charles Rivers, and Chelsea Creek, all of which open into it at the north- west. After pursuing a course due east a little over a mile, there is a shoal, composed of gravel and small stones, formerly the site of a small island, which tradi- tion says was of some value, and contained a respectable marsh, which was mowed annually. This is confirmed by the following record taken from the old town books, twenty-fifth March, 1650: "Thos Munt hath liberty to mow the marsh at Bird Island this yeare." Again, on the second of April, 1658: "Bird Island is lett to James
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Euerill & Rich Woody for sixty yeares, paying 12d sil- uer or a bushel of salt every first of March to ye town Treasurer & in defect of paymt att ye day 2s or two bushels of salt, & so 12d or a bushel of salt for every months neglect, & ye sª Iland is bound for paymt." Tradition also leads to the inference that it was some- times, though not always (for another shared the same disgrace), the place for the execution and burial of pirates in the olden time. This shoal, which bears the name of Bird Island, makes quite a show at low tide, and is exactly between two islands, -the one at its left, known as Noddle's Island (now East Boston), and the other at its right, Governor's Island, formerly Win- throp's Island. The way by the sides and over the gravel of this shoal has been generally known as Bird Island Passage, and at high tide is the most direct route to Shirley Gut for small vessels bound to Nahant and to the ports on the northern coast of New England.
The large island, now known as East Boston, prob- ably took its name from William Noddle, whom Gov- ernor Winthrop calls " an honest man of Salem"; for he was here early enough to have given to the island the name which it bore in 1630, though Mr. Samuel Mav- erick appears to have been a resident on it some years before that time. As far back as July, 1631, an order was passed by the Court of Assistants restraining per- sons from "putting on cattell, felling wood, raseing slate," on Conant's Island, Noddle's Island, and Thomp- son's Island; and on the third of April, 1632, it was ordered, "That noe pson w'soever shall shoote att fowle vpon Pullen Poynte or Noddles Ileland, but that the sª places shalbe reserved for John Perkins to take fowle with netts." But on the first of April, 1633, the follow-
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ing sensible order was passed by the Court: "Noddles Ileland is granted to M' Sam" Mautack [Maverick], to enjoy to him & his heires for ever. Yielding & payeing yearly att the Generall Court, to the Goun' for the time being, either a fatt weather, a fatt hogg, or xls in money, & shall giue leave to Boston & Charles- Towne to fetch wood contynually, as their neede re- quires, from the southerne pte of sª ileland." Either the island was extremely well wooded at the time the order was passed, or else the towns of Boston and Charles- town were very sparsely inhabited. Now-a-days very little wood can be obtained from Noddle's Island, except chips from the yards of the shipbuilders; for the oldest inhabitant only remembers two trees growing upon the island previous to its purchase by the East Boston Company, which was incorporated on the twenty-fifth of March, 1833, and before the subsequent energies of the Tree Society.
This island, and also the neighboring one, now called Breed's Island, were very early claimed by Sir William Brereton; and sometimes the first named of them has been mentioned as Brereton's Island, and the latter was similarly attempted to be called Susanna, in respect to Sir William's daughter; but his claim to name and ter- ritory was never confirmed to him, and the name of Noddle was retained until it was nearly lost in modern times, when the name of a family that resided upon it many years somewhat superseded it, as it was fre- quently designated as Williams's Island, until its pur- chase by the land company, and settlement as East Boston.
Noddle's Island was "layd to Boston" on the ninth of March, 1636-7. It originally contained about six
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
hundred and sixty-three acres, together with the con- tiguous flats to low water mark, several hundred acres in extent, which were confirmed as part of the island by a vote of the colonial legislature, passed on the thir- teenth of May, 1640. Its nearest approach to Boston is now over the ship channel by ferry about eighteen hundred feet. It is now connected with the main land at Chelsea by two bridges, and with Hog Island by another. Describing it from the fanciful shape it has, in its resemblance to a great bear, we may say that the bear's head, an elevated tract of land, was known as the middle farm, with Hog Island Marsh at its northeast. The small, round pond in this part, called Eye Pond, in consequence of the loss there of the eye of a noted gun- ner about fifty years ago, helps out the fancied figure. The bear's back, fronting the mouth of Mystic River, was the most elevated part of the island, and was known as Eagle Hill, and its abrupt termination at the confluence of Mystic River and Chelsea Creek, as West Head, and more recently as Eagle Point. The two fore feet of the assumed bear were called Eastern and Western Wood Islands, being isolated from the Great Marsh, which also isolated Camp Hill and its marsh, the two hinder paws, from the same. The heel of the hinder leg was called Smith's Hill, the site of the old buildings which anciently stood on the island, and was separated from Camp Hill by Great Creek, now the canal of the Water Power Company, lying between the present Bainbridge and Decatur streets. The old houses on Smith's Hill were destroyed in 1775, during the siege of Boston, and were rebuilt soon after the British evacu- ated the town from materials taken from the old bar- racks used by Washington's army in Cambridge.
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In June, 1776, a fort was erected on Camp Hill by voluntary labor, which, after becoming of no use, was suffered to go to ruin, until the fears of the Bostonians required the erection of another. This, or Smith's Hill, may have been the site of Mr. Maverick's fort of four guns erected in 1630. On the fourteenth of September, 1814, another and more substantial fort was commenced on Camp Hill. This was built by the voluntary services of patriotic inhabitants of the Commonwealth, various societies, and the several trades and crafts, taking special days for the performance of their part of the labor. On the twenty-sixth of the following October, the fortification was formally named Fort Strong, in compliment to the then energetic governor of the Com- monwealth, and on the twenty-ninth a public announce- ment was made that the fort was completed. The old barracks were removed from the site of this fort in 1833, and the breastworks were gradually obliterated. Any one desirous of knowing the exact position of this structure can find its site on the spot where now there is an open space, in the section of the island which has the name of Belmont Square.
This island has a little romance connected with it. It was on Monday, the third of November, 1718, that Mr. George Worthylake, with his wife Ann, and his daughter Ruth, took a sail to Noddle's Island from the lighthouse, where he was the keeper, undoubtedly in- tending to have a good time; but in the language of an ancient New England historian, they "took heaven by the way," for they were all drowned, and taken to Copp's Hill for burial; and young Benjamin Franklin, a youthful aspirant for poetic fame, wrote a ballad on the event, and printed and sold it in the streets of Boston.
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Oh, that some old chest, long hidden in some dark gar- ret, would disclose this much sought for curiosity, one of the earliest sparks from the fire that afterwards burnt so brightly! Another event which is not entirely for- gotten is the famous duel between two lieutenants in the United States service, which took place on the twenty-fifth of September, 1819, near the two elms that formerly stood not far from the present Border street. The challenging party, Lieut. Francis B. White, was in- stantly killed by Lieut. William Finch, satisfactorily, no doubt, to the survivor. In more modern times, as many North-enders will well remember, this island, so renowned for its hospitality from the first days of Mr. Maverick to the last days of Mr. Williams, was chiefly visited by pleasure parties for cooking their fish or baking their clams, a privilege which was lost after the island was settled, and other green spots in the harbor were selected for this purpose.
A short distance to the northeast of Noddle's Island, and separated from it by a narrow, shallow creek, is Hog Island, to which attempts have been made several times to affix other names, such as Susanna, Belle Isle and Breed's Island; but the old and homely name has prevailed until the present day, and probably will last until the march of improvement shall cover it with dwelling-houses, and make it a place for fancy resi- dences. It has from time immemorial been used for ag- ricultural purposes, and in the olden time was noted for furnishing a remarkable pasturage for cows and sheep. In size it is about two-thirds as large as its neighbor, Noddle's Island. When Winnisiminet, Rumney Marsh and Pulling Point were set off from Boston, in January, 1738-9, to form the town of Chelsea, these two islands
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were reserved to constitute part of the town of Boston, to which they have continued to be attached down to the present time. Hog Island is separated from the town of Winthrop by an inconsiderable creek, over the widest part of which there is now a wooden bridge. The island was also connected with Chelsea by a narrow wooden bridge, erected by Mr. Breed; but this has been taken down, and the island is approached now over the bridge from East Boston.
On the first of April, 1634, this island, under the name of "Hogg Island," and several others, were " granted to Boston for euer for the yearely rent of ijl. to be paid to the Treasurer the first day of the second month yearely," that is, on April first; for in old times, before the year 1752, the year commenced on the twenty-fifth of March, and March was styled the first month, as December was the tenth month. On the fourth of March following, however, the colonial leg- islature was so conscience-stricken at the exorbitant charge, that "Deere Iland, Hogg Iland, Longe Iland, & Spectacle Ileland are graunted to the inhabitants there, for euer paying to the Treasurer for the tyme being the yearly rent of iiijs. & the former rent of iijl. is remitted them." After this time the island passed into private hands; and, having a fertile soil, with its fields lying upon a high hill favorably to the sun, and free from the effects of the sea breezes, it has been improved as a farm, and its agricultural products have been remunerative.
For a long series of years this island belonged to the Breed family, and the last resident of the name, John Breed, died several years ago. The estate was sold in 1871, and will undoubtedly soon be used for other pur- poses than those which have made it so well known.
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
Returning to the position near Bird Island Shoal, there lies at the southeast Governor's Island, frequently called Winthrop's Island, because the island was granted to Governor Winthrop very early by the colonial leg- islature. This noted island took its first name from Roger Conant, a distinguished early settler of New England, who was at Plymouth as early as 1623, then at Nantucket, and subsequently at Cape Ann, and afterwards at Salem in 1627, and Beverly last, where he died on the nineteenth of November, 1679, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. It contains about seventy acres of land.
The first known of this island is that on the fifth of July, 1631, " it was appropriated to publique benefits and vses." But on the twenty-ninth of the same month it proved to be very far from being a benefit, for we are told that "the Friendship set sail for the Christopher Islands, and ran on ground behind Conant's Island," which any one would consider hard treatment for Friendship. On the third of April, 1632, at a Court of Assistants, "The island called Conant's Island, with all the liberties & privileges of fishing & fowleing, was de- mised to John Winthrop, Esq., the psent Goun', for the terme of his life, for the ffine of fforty shillings, & att the yearely rent of xijd, to be paid to the Treasurer upon the twentyfifth day of March; & it was further agreed, & the said John Winthrop did covenant and pmise to plant a vineyard and an orchyard in the same, in consideracon whereof the Court did graunt that att the end of the said tearme, the lease hereof should be renewed to the heires or assignes of the said John Win- throp for one & twenty yeares, payeing yearely to the Goûn' for the time being, the fifth pte of all such fruicts
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