USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Topographical and historical description of Boston > Part 41
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Exactly south of Lovell's Island lies George's Island, which helps make the boundary of the Narrows on the
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
southern side. This island was early in the possession of James Pemberton, an inhabitant of Hull; and it ap- pears from the following record, of the twenty-seventh of May, 1622, that his claim to it was very early disputed: "In answer to the petition of James Pemberton, who pduced seueral testemoneyes for his intrest & pprietie to an iland called Pembertons Iland, it is ordered by this Court, that, if Pemberton, his atturney, heires, or assignes, shall make proofe vppon oath, according to law, that he had possession & improvement of the sª iland by the consent & approbation of the antient inhab- itants or planters residents in or about the Matachusetts Bay aboue fower & twenty yeares agoe, then the sd iland shalbe, & is declared to be his, & his heires for euer, the oath to be taken at the next County Court, who shall re- corde the same & certify the next session of this Court thereof." Mr. Pemberton produced the required proof, and a record was made on the nineteenth of the follow- ing October, that " The Court doth judge that the testi- monyes pduced to proue the iland mentioned in James Pembertons, & called by his name, to belonge to him, doe fully proue the same, & doe therefore declare the sd iland to be his propriety."
Mr. Pemberton died at Malden on the fifth of Febru- ary, 1661-62, and in course of time the estate of the island, which was then known as Pemberton's Island, passed into the possession of Samuel Greenleaf, who died on the seventh of August, 1737, aged fifty-six; and the estate, on the death of his wife Martha, on the twenty- second of February, 1757, at the age of seventy-eight years, fell to their daughter Hannah Greenleaf, whose executor sold it to Elisha Leavitt on the seventh of April, 1765, for the sum of £340, lawful money of the
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Province. Mr. Leavitt devised it, as has been said be- fore, together with Lovell's Island, in 1790, to Caleb Rice, from whom in 1825 it passed to the city of Bos- ton. Both of these islands are now the property of the United States.
In all the descriptions of this island, it is said to con- tain about thirty-five acres. Following the course of the Ship Channel, it is exactly seven miles from the end of Long wharf; although on the charts, its distance, in nautical measure, is found to be a little over six miles. It had on its east and northeast sides an ele- vation nearly fifty feet above high water mark, with an easy descent in the other directions, which, together with its situation, made it peculiarly adapted for the pur- poses of a fortress. The side exposed to the beating of the sea has been somewhat protected by a sea-wall, and a very strong fort, by the name of Fort Warren, has been erected upon it. The building of the fort was commenced by the United States Government in April, 1833, the survey having been commenced on the thirteenth of the preceding September. Its walls are constructed of Quincy granite, nicely hammered, the inferior material for foundations and rough work, however, having been brought from Cape Ann. A portion of the casemates are covered with earth, piled up in artistic manner, and well sodded. Over the main entrance, and within the fort, is a tablet bear- ing the following inscription :-
FORT WARREN, 1850.
This is not the first attempt at fortifying George's Island. In the autumn of the year 1778, while the ves- sels comprising the fleet of the Count D'Estaing were
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
riding at Nantasket Roads, an apparently formidable earthwork was thrown up on the eastern side of the island, for the protection of vessels passing into the har- bor against any attack of the English cruisers which were then coasting in the neighborhood. Very little could be found of these works when the erection of the present fort was commenced.
The approach to George's Island is on the westerly side, where the water is deepest, and where a wharf has been built for the purpose. At the early part of the late war, the fort was used for rendezvous purposes; and some of the best regiments recruited in Massachusetts were thoroughly drilled within its walls before being sent into the field, where they all performed such honor- able and distinguished services. During the late years of the rebellion, the fort was used as a prison for rebels held in durance.
About a mile south of George's Island is situated Pettick's, Pethick's, or Peddock's Island, about a mile long, and shaped like a young nondescript animal. The first known of it is found under date of the third of September, 1634, in the old records, thus; "Peddocks Ileland is graunted to the inhabitants of Charlton [Charlestown] to enioy to them & their heires, for the space of one & twenty yeares, for the yearely rent of twenty shillings pvided that if there be a plantacon in the meane time setled by the Court att Natascett, then the" prent graunt to be voyde." On the fourth of March, 1634-5, the rent of twenty shillings was reduced to twelve pence. The town of Nantasket having been commenced in June, 1641, Pettick's and the neighboring islands were confirmed to it; and within the next year it was divided into lots of four acres each, and given to
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those who took two-acre lots at Nantasket, afterwards called Hull This island has always from that time been kept as private property; and on the twenty-eighth of April, 1684, the Indian Josiah relinquished all his claim to the estate in the right of his father and grand- father. The island is divided into two hills, called the East and West Heads, between which there is a smaller hill; and just south of this there is an island bluff, called Prince's Head, south and east of which are Pig's and Harry's Rocks. A pilot for the various approaches to Weymouth resides upon the south side of the East Head of this island, which is not more than a quarter of a mile southwest of Windmill Point at Hull; and here he has his buildings and the approach to the island. The southerly point of the island is only about half a mile distant from Hough's Neck, a portion of the town of Quincy.
South of Pettick's Island, and near the entrance to Hingham harbor, are several small islands. Of these, Sheep Island (sometimes anciently called Sun Island) contains two acres, and must have been a very poor place for the keeping of sheep, although in the olden time it was valued and used for that purpose. Grape Island, with its two hills and fifty acres, is separated from Weymouth and Crow Point in Hingham by the mouth of Weymouth Back River. Slate Island, containing about twelve acres, has furnished slate stone (whence its name) for building purposes; and, although the ma- terial has not been of a remarkable quality for the pro- tection of roofs, it has done good service for underpin- ning and for cellar walls. These islands are situated in the order mentioned, and lie west of the channel that leads to the steamboat wharf at Hingham.
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On the easterly side of Hingham channel lie Little Hog Island, and Pumpkin (or Bumkin) Island. The first of these is a small oblong island of about ten acres, lying just south of Hull, and near its shore.
Pumpkin Island, sometimes called Bumkin or Bom- kin Island, but really entitled to be known as Ward's Island, is of considerable importance. This has also been supposed to be the Round Island granted to the town of Weymouth on the ninth of March, 1636-7, by the following brief order: "Round Iland & Grape Iland are graunted to the towne of Weymothe." The island is variously estimated to contain from thirty to fifty acres of good pasture land, and is beautifully situated in Hull shoals, a short distance north of World's End, that curious round peninsula attached by a slender bar to Planters' Hill in Hingham. Before entering Hing- ham harbor, it is the large portion of land which is passed lying at the left hand. In course of time, this beautiful island is found in the possession of Mr. Samuel Ward, who was very early in colony days a land-holder in Hingham, Hull, Weymouth and Charlestown. How early, and consequently how long, Mr. Ward enjoyed
this possession is not known. From the jottings of Rev. Noadiah Russell, while a tutor of Harvard Col- lege, it appears that on the thirty-first of August, 1682, "Mr. Samuel Ward of Charlestown died and gave 4/b. per annū. to the college." Be this as it may, no such gift appears in his last will; although it may refer to the devise of Bomkin Island. Mr. Ward executed his last will and testament at Charlestown, on the sixth of March, 1681-2, in which is contained the following: "It. I give the Island leying Betwixtt hingam and hull, called Bomkin Island unto the collidge; and my mind is
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that it be called By the name of wards Island." As late as the eighth of the succeeding February, he in- dorsed on the back of the same instrument the following explanatory note: " The Island that I have given to the Colidge which Leyeth Betwixte hingam and hull called Bomkin Island; my mind is that it shall be and Remain for eveer to harford Coledge in newengland; the Rentt of itt to be for the easmentt of the charges of the Diatte of the Studanttse that are in commonse." At the re- quest of his daughter, Martha Lobdell of Hull, " the estate of the sayed Ward in hull" was appraised, and the last item in the inventory was, "It. more an Island knowen by the name of bumking Island at ner hull, 80.00.00." This island did actually come into the pos- session of Harvard College, and it is now valued at about twelve hundred dollars, and produces an in- come to the university of fifty dollars a year, which is fully equal to that yielded to Boston by the famous Franklin Medal Fund, the endowment of the great Bostonian.
Pursuing a course due south through Hingham har- bor, after passing the strait between Planters' Hill' on the east and Crow Point on the west, the reader will notice, first, Langley's Island, then Ragged Island and Sarah's Island, and lastly Button Island; after which he will soon reach the steamboat wharf.
About three miles west of these islands, south of Pettick's Island, is Nut Island, containing about six acres, connected by a bar with Hough's Neck, on which is Braintree Great Hill, and north of which it lies; this was frequently called, in old times, Hoff's (or Hough's) Tombs. South of this, and east of the Great Hill, is Raccoon Island, which has about ten acres of land. A
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DESCRIPTION OF BOSTON.
short distance to the south of this is Rock Island Cove and the small village of Germantown.
Having described, somewhat fully, the islands of the harbor, and the various passages around and among them, as well as the numerous small coves or harbors connected therewith, it will not be improper, before closing the subject, to say a few words concerning the group of islands which is situated at the entrance lying just north of Hull, and separated from it by the Main Ship Channel. But before proceeding to this descrip- tion, it may be well to give the reader an idea of its principal entrance, usually known as the Main Ship Channel, lying between the promontory on the south on which is situated the town of Hull, and the cluster of islands on the north known as the Brewsters, and form- ing the most important part of the singular group to be described.
This entrance is about two miles long, and little over a mile in width, the deepest water being on the northern side, near the Great Brewster, and its appendages,-the Little Brewster (upon which is the Outer Light), and the Long Spit (at the western extremity of which is Bug Light).
In going out of the harbor, having left the Narrows, the first obstacle that in former days had to be avoided is Corwin Rock, that lies on the south, in the flats directly on the east side of George's Island. This rock, and also Tower Rock, about one hundred feet distant, which have always been considered among the great dangers of the harbor, were removed during the years 1868 and 1869 by submarine drilling and blasting, under the direction of Major-General Foster, to the depth of twenty-three feet at mean low water. A
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short distance farther on is the odd-looking struc- ture, representing a light-house upon iron stilts. This is on a large rock, at the extreme western end of the spit, and is sometimes known as the Spit Light, and more frequently as Bug Light, although it is generally known to seamen as the "Light at the Narrows." It has a fixed red light, and can be seen in pleasant weather about seven miles. The structure is painted of a dark color, and its lantern is about thirty- five feet above the level of the sea. It was built in 1856, and is intended, when in range with Long Island Light, to lead the mariner clear of Harding's Ledge, a most dangerous obstacle about two miles out at sea. The Black Buoys Nos. 7, 5 and 8, on the south, warn of the danger of the Centurion and Kelley's Rocks; and Red Buoy No. 6, on the north of the passage, of the shoal and kelp ledges of the Great Brewster's spit. Farther on, before the light-house is reached, are Nash's Rocks; and then, about two and a half miles beyond the light-house is Thieves' Ledge, very dangerous to seafarers, but a good fishing ground for pleasure parties.
In this connection it may be well to refresh the reader with an idea of the mouth of the harbor as it ap- peared in the olden time. Mr. William Wood, in his book entitled "New Englands Prospect," printed in 1634, says, "It is a safe and pleasant Harbour within, having but one common and safe entrance, and that not very broad, there scarce being roome for 3 ships to come in board and board at a time; but being once within, there is anchorage for 500 Ships. This Harbour is made by a great company of Ilands, whose high Cliffs shoulder out the boistrous Seas, yet may easily deceive
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any unskilfull Pilote; presenting many faire openings and broad sounds, which afford too shallow waters for any Ships, though navigable for Boates and small pin- naces. The entrance into the great Haven is called Nantascot, which is two leagues from Boston; this place of itselfe is a very good Haven, where Ships commonly cast Anchor, until Winde and Tyde serve them for other places; from hence they may sayle to the River of Wes- saguscus, Naponset, Charles River, and Misticke River, on which Rivers bee seated many Townes. In any of these fore-named harbours, the Seamen having spent their old store of Wood and Water, may have fresh supplies from the adjacent Ilands, with good timber to repaire their weather-beaten Ships: Here likewise may be had Masts or Yards, being store of such Trees as are useful for the same purpose."
This ancient description may appear too fanciful for the modern reader, who has quietly passed through the great channels of the harbor, and never seen the large trees which would be required to perform the wonders described by Mr. Wood, but it was undoubtedly true when written; and it is hardly to be expected, with the present size of the merchant vessels that sail from this port, that three should attempt a passage through the Narrows abreast. The uncertainty of this entrance without experienced pilots was deeply felt at the time of the Revolutionary war, when the Magnifique was lost. So was it a few years previous, when the Count d'Es- taing, on the twenty-fourth of August, 1778, entered the harbor. During his short stay, for he left on the fifth of November following, one of his vessels, the Somerset, carrying sixty guns, foundered on the thir- tieth of October.
CHAPTER XLVI.
ISLANDS AT THE MOUTH OF THE HARBOR.
How the Islands at the Mouth of the Harbor obtained their Names .. . Granted to Hull in 1641 . . . Some of them granted to John Leverett in 1652 . . . The Great Brewster . . . Little Brewster . . . Boston Light-house, first built in 1716 · · · Light-house Keepers, Worthylake, Hayes and Ball · · · Light-house injured by Fire in 1751 .. . Destroyed in 1775, Repaired and Blown Down in 1776 · · · Rebuilt in 1783-4 . . . Island ceded to the United States in 1790 . . . The Middle Brewster and its Houses . . . The Outer Brewster, with its Spring and Artificial Channel . . . Egg Rocks . .. Calf Island, with its Grove and Beaches . . . Little Calf Island .. . Green Island and its Singular Inhabitant . . . Rocks and Ledges . . . The Graves .. . Thieves' Ledge . .. Harding's Rocks ... Minot's Ledge Light-house.
THE last chapter completed the description of what is strictly called Boston harbor; but this would be in- complete, should the group of islands at its entrance be passed by without notice. These islands lie be- tween the Main Ship Channel on their south, the Middle Ground on their west, Broad Sound on their north, and the ocean on their east. Most of them took their name at the time Mr. Isaac Allerton, the famous agent of the Plymouth Colony. and a pas- senger in the May Flower in 1620, coasted by them on his way to Salem on a visit to the Massachusetts Bay.
Most all of these islands were granted to the town of Nantasket, now Hull, on the second of June, 1641; yet, by the following record of the twelfth of October, 1652, it is evident that Captain John Leverett, who was
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afterwards Major-General of the Colony, and subse- quently its Governor, became the legal possessor of some of them: "Vppon the petition of Capt Joh: Leuerett, this Court doth graunt vnto him all those small ilands lying within the bay betweene Allerton Poynt & Nahant, not hereto fore graunted; his father putting in money into the common stocke in the begin- ning of this plantation, for which he neuer had any con- sideration." Here is noticed an act of justice done to the eldest son of a good old man, who had died a credi- tor to the colony; for it appears by the records of the First Church in Boston, that "the Elder, M' Tho: Leueritt died the 3: of ye 2 mo: 1650," having been particularly serviceable to the church, town and col- ony. On the eighth of March, 1685-6, Robert Coomes of Hull, mariner, and Sarah his wife, for the small sum of £4, convey to John Loring of Hull the Brewsters and other islands, stating in the deed of conveyance that they had been granted to said Coomes by the town of Hull.
The first of these islands, as the harbor is left, is the Great Brewster, which contains about twenty-five acres of land, a great bluff very imperfectly protected by a sea-wall being very prominent on its easterly and south- easterly parts, which form what is called its Southeast Point. This island was purchased in November, 1848, by the City of Boston, of Mr. Lemuel Bracket, and a certain portion of it was ceded in January, 1849, to the United States for the purpose of building a sea-wall for the protection of the harbor. From this extends west- erly, a mile and a half, a long spit, formed of debris, which is dry at low tides, and upon the extremity of which is the Beacon or Bug Light, mentioned in a pre-
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vious chapter. Southeast of the main body of the Great Brewster, and connected with it by a bar which is ex- posed to view at low water, is Light-house Island, fre- quently in ancient writings called the Beacon Island, and sometimes the Little Brewster. It owes its impor- tance to its imposing position, and as having in early times been selected as the site of the chief light-house of the harbor. This has its West Point.
The inhabitants of Boston began very early in the last century to take into consideration the subject of establishing a light-house at the entrance of their harbor, so large had become their commerce with foreign coun- tries, and their trade with all the other seaport towns of the American colonies. On the ninth of March, 1712-13, as was customary with the good people of the town, a meeting of the inhabitants, qualified to act in the town's affairs, was called and held; and, among other matters of business, the question of providing for a light-house was introduced, and it was "voted, that the considera- tion of what is proper for the town to do abt a Light- Hous, be referred to the select men." In the course of time the matter was introduced into the meetings of the General Court, the town of Boston proposing to put up the building and maintain the light by rates levied upon commerce, as will be seen by the following vote, passed by the townsmen in general town meeting, held on the thirteenth of May, 1713, "Voted, That in case the Gen" Court shall see cause to proceed to the establish- ment of a Lighthouse for the accommodation of vessels passing in and out of this harbour, That then the Select- men or the Representatives of this town be desired to move to the sª Court that the Town of Boston as a Town may have the prefference before any perticuler
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persons in being concerned in the charge of erecting & maintaining the same, and being Intitled to the Proffits and Incomes thereof."
On the ninth of June, 1715, the General Court of the province passed the following: "Ordered, That a Lighthouse be erected at the charge of this Province, at the Entrance of the Harbour of Boston, on the same Place and Rates proposed in a Bill, projected for the Town of Boston's doing it, accompanying this vote, and that a Bill be drawn accordingly." On the four- teenth of the same month it was ordered in the House of Representatives, "that Mr. William Payne, Col. Samuel Thaxter, and Col. Adam Winthrop, with such as the Honourable Board shall joyn, be a Committee to Build a Light House, at the Entrance of the Harbour of Boston, pursuant to the Votes of this Court"; and the order was sent up to the council for concurrence, and Hon. William Tailer and Addington Davenport, Esq., were added from that body, and the order ap- proved by Governor Joseph Dudley.
A bill was introduced into the House on the seven- teenth of the same June, entitled " An act for Building and Maintaining a Light-house upon the Great Brew- ster, called Beacon Island, at the entrance of the Har- bour of Boston," and was passed through the various stages of legislation, until it was finally enacted in July. The act, as passed, commenced and ran on as follows: " Whereas, the want of a Light-house at the entrance of the Harbour of Boston, hath been a great discour- agement to navigation, by the loss of the lives and estates of several of His Majesties subjects; for preven- tion whereof: Be it enacted by His Excellency the Governor, Council, and Representatives in General
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Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that there be a light-house erected at the charge of the Prov- ince, on the southernmost part of the Great Brewster called Beacon Island, to be kept lighted from sun-set- ting to sun rising. That from and after the building of the said light-house, and kindling a light in it, useful for shipping coming into or going out of the Harbour of Boston, or any other harbour in Massachusetts Bay, there shall be paid to the receiver of imposts, by the master of all Ships and Vessels, Except Coasters, the Duty of One Peny per Ton, Inwards; and also One Peny per Ton, Outwards, and no more, for every Ton of burden of the said Vessels before they Load or Un- load the Goods therein." The remainder of the act states what the measure of the vessel shall be, and also what shall be accounted coasters; and after providing for the collection and recovery of duties, together with other necessary details, declares that the keeper, who shall be appointed from time to time by the General Court, " shall carefully and diligently attend to this Duty at all times in kindling the Lights from Sun-set- ting to Sun-rising, and placing them so as they may be most seen by vessels coming in or going out," etc. Englishmen would say that this act was passed the first year of the reign of King George the First.
In consequence of the determination to build the light-house, application was made to the proprietors of the undivided land of Hull for a grant of the Little Brewster (or Beacon Island) for the purpose. The re- sult of the request may be seen in the following extract from the Hull Proprietory Records, as determined upon on the first of August, 1715, and entered upon the rec- ords by Mr. Joseph Benson, the clerk:
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" At a legal meetting of the proprieters of the undi- uided land in Township of Hull held one munday the first day of August: Liutenant Goold Seenior was chosen Morderattor for the work of the daye.
"At ye sª meeting Co" Samuel Thaxter applied himself to the sª proprieters in the name of the Com- mittee appointed by the great and ganarall corte in there sessions In June 1715 for the bulding of a light house one Beacken Island so caled adioyning to the greate Bru- sters northerly from the toun of Hull and being part of theire tounship the sª proprieters being censable that it will be a ganarall benifit to Trade and that thay in per- ticuler shall rape a greate benifite thereby haue at the sª meeting by a Unanimus voate giuen and granted the sª Beecan Island to the prouince of the Massatusetts Bay for the use of a light house for euer: To Be dis- posed of as the gouerment shall see meet: prouided that the sd proprieters of the greate Brusters be keept harmless."
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