Town annual report for the town of Duxbury for the year ending 1901-1910, Part 76

Author: Duxbury (Mass.)
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 1404

USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > Town annual report for the town of Duxbury for the year ending 1901-1910 > Part 76

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Respectfully submitted,

ELISHA PETERSON, Com.

Duxbury, Mass. Jan., 1, 1910.

REPORT OF THE DUXBURY RURAL SOCIETY.

That the citizens of Duxbury may see that the Society is some- thing more than a name I submit the following report :

The Rural Society has purchased from Mr. Lot Phillips a doz- en or more trees along the roadside of Toby Garden street and has set out on Harrison street and in other places about thirty- five trees. Mr. Elisha Peterson having secured an appropriation of $50 at the last town meeting for a public dump, bought a lot of about thirty acres on Mayflower street, the Rural Society buying adjoining land, fronting on Tremont street to keep the trees along that part of the roadside, giving the town a right of way to the dump on the north side. And also appropriated twenty-five dollars to put the dump in order for immediate use, as the town appropriation was not sufficient. Much money can be used to good advantage there and is needed to clean up the dumps in the vicinity, and I most urgently ask the citizens to

-52-

use the public dump, instead of dumping on anybody's wood- lot as has been the custom for the past few years. The Rural Society having held wood land around Round Pond for some years, has made, through its trustees an exchange of property, with Mr. John Hadaway, and has by so doing been able to keep a border of trees about twenty feet wide around the whole pond, and has acquired about seven acres extra wood land. Twenty-five dollars was given to the Conservation Committee. I would like to call attention to the mutilation of young trees along Station street. Would it not be nice to have notices of the State law regarding such offenses put in conspicuous places, and also make some effort to catch the offenders?

MARGIE S.A SAMPSON, Secretary.

REPORT OF THE DUXBURY CONSERVATION COM-

MITTEE.

The following report is submitted with the hope of impressing upon the voters of Duxbury the importance of protecting or conserving the Town's present resources and. developing its use- fulness and attractiveness.

. In a community of Duxbury's size, with its diversity of inter- ests, its large area in farms and woodlands, its fishing interests, and its increasing popularity as a home for the driving and autoing summer residents, the question of good roads must call for first consideration. The Committee recommends that cer- tain main roads (those connecting the separate villages one with another, and those leading to railroad stations, post offices, and schools,) receive yearly ths greatest amount of attention. This is outlined more particularly in the appended report of Mr. Brett, the landscape architect, who was employed jointly by the Town and the Duxbury Rural Society.

Besides building good roads, every means should be employed to protect them and keep them in first-class condition. The rapid passing of automobiles works much damage at all seasons of the year, but so does the slower passage of heavy carts with narrow tires on their wheels. Dry, unshaded roads are as quick-

-53-

ly in need of repair as wet, poorly drained ones. All roads should be properly drained to begin with, but they should also be well shaded to prevent undue drying in hot weather. Roadside trees as an asset in adding to the beauty of a locality are be- coming appreciated, but their dollar-and-cent value as a road- preservative is not so generally recognized. For this reason the Committee recommends an appropriation for the purchase of shade trees along roadsides, their suitable marking as Town property, and their protection from vandalism. It also urges greater activity in the planting of trees along shadeless roads ; and approves of the recommendation of the Tree Warden with reference to Town care of roadside trees growing within the limits of private property.

The Town has already acquired, or attempted to acquire, a number of Town landings along the water-front. The Commit- tee strongly urges the establishing of a clear title to all in dis- pute, the improvement of their facilities for bathing and the landing of boats, and the planting of trees and shrubs in their vicinity when feasible. The Committee also urges the acquiring of a public landing place which will give easy access to the govern- ment-dredged channel, Powder Point Bridge being the only spot not controlled by private parties where boats can now land at low tide. The need of such a landing will be felt more and more as time passes, and action should be taken at once.

The Committee considers it advisable that the grounds about all public buildings be made as attractive as possible, and kept in good order. It recommends in this connection an appropria- tion of $500 to cover the expense of grading the grounds about the Town Hall and laying out a good road from Tremont street around the Hall, making an oval which would pass the Academy and horse-sheds, encircle the Church and Hall, and which might also be used as a running track for the Academy students in their athletics.

Among Duxbury's most valuable assets is the place it holds in Massachusetts' Colonial history. All places of historical in- terest should be identified, suitably marked, and carefully pre- served, and access to all such sites and relics made as easy and attractive as possible. Such a step would be not only a means of education to the townspeople, but also would attract many visitors from other parts of the country.

The Committee strongly urges the securing by the Town in

-54-1

the near future of lands for a public playground and waterside park, where all games and water sports can be enjoyed by the young people without trespassing upon private rights.

The woodland character of the drives about Town attracts almost as strongly as does the bay, the summer visitors to Dux- bury, and this should be preserved wherever possible by the pur- chase of narrow strips of woodland bordering the highways. In this connection the Committee especially recommends the pur- chase of a strip, say one hundred feet wide, on each side of Depot street between Tremont and Surplus streets, and on the east side of Tremont street opposite the Town Hall and Mav- flower cemetery. This approach to the Town Hall through De- pot street affords one of the most picturesque views about Town and should the woods on either side be cut down it would be destroyed. Also the Committee recommends that the Town shall instruct the Selectmen to buy all woodland or waste land sold for taxes if the price is in their judgment reasonable.

The feeling seems to be generally spreading that an alien and irresponsible element is rapidly injuring the fisheries to the detriment of the rights and interests of the Duxbury fishermen. The Committee recommends that some decisive action be taken and regulation made to protect the fishing and shellfish in- dustries for the townspeople.

With this question comes up the greater problem of the neces- sary disposal of sewage into the bay. The present methods of allowing soil-pipes to empty over bathing beaches and clam flats is a constant menace to the health of the community.

The Town has taken one step in the right direction in the purchase of a site just off Mayflower street for a public dump. but other sites should be secured, a sum should be appropriated for their purchase, improvement and care, and rules made and enforced for their use, with penalties for their non-use. Many of the colonies of gypsy and brown-tail moths in our woodlands can be traced to rubbish dumped along the woods roads by care- less or selfish persons, while the old mattresses, cans and so forth remain an eyesore for years.

Agitation should be started for an improved train service. Within the Town much should be done to improve the means of transportation from the stations to the villages. While these are private enterprises so much of the public comfort and con-

-55-

venience depend upon them that they might well be considered as public utilities.

The Committee recommends that precautions be taken to pro- tect empty houses against depredations.

The Committee recommends that notices of special Town meet- ings be sent by postal card to each voter in addition to the ordinary posting of the warrant.

With the decrease of forest fires the Committee believes that more conservative lumbering can be practised by the owners of woodland and that some reforestation is practicable.

The Committee has considered but taken no action upon other conservation questions including certain broad ones involving the welfare of the people.

Every effort at fellowship and good feeling between towns- people and summer visitors should be encouraged that they may join in working together for the public good. Any plan of ex- tensive improvement must be undertaken only after thoughtful discussion. With this object the Conservation Committee pre- sents for the consideration of the voters of Duxbury its more or less tentative report.

The report of Mr. Brett, the landscape architect, follows, and is generally approved by the committee, with the exception of the sentence in italics, relative to appropriations for road work, as they are convinced that in Duxbury the present method is better than the one proposed.

CHAS. F. ALLEN, FREDERICK B. KNAPP, JOHN B. MAY, M. D.

Duxbury Conservation Committee.

Dr. John B. May, Chairman, Duxbury, Massachusetts,

Sir :

There are no greater factors in the making of any town a desirable place of residence than health, convenience and beauty, and it may truthfully be said that Duxbury is well found in these respects.

-56-

Its health is largely due to its location ; being on or near the ocean, violent extremes of temperature are rare. There are no large areas of unhealthy, poorly drained land or rather land that cannot be properly drained. The conditions of soil and vegetation found here are healthful. In a majority of cases a necessary supply of good water is to be had although in seasons of drought that supply is sometimes limited.

In regard to convenience, Duxbury has the advantage of hav- ing a railroad pass through it from north to south; a State thoroughfare parallels this road, and it is expected that another State thoroughfare will soon be built running east and west through the town. It has a larger proportion of good roads than many other towns in the State.

So far as beauty is concerned Duxbury is very fortunate, hav- ing a variety of scenery within its limits. Seashore, with a beach hardly surpassed ; most interesting salt marshes intersected with winding water courses tributary to a bay offering every advan- tage for boating and sailing; beautiful inland country, much of it well wooded and offering attractive sites for homes.

The purpose of this report is to suggest certain means where- by these advantages may be conserved, and these and other con- ditions improved.

Most of the swamp lands have been cleared and converted into cranberry bogs. To this fact is due the absence of many places which otherwise might have been breeders of disease. There are other areas, however, now used as storage reservoirs which should be given attention. It is more often the case than other- wise that these areas have never been cleared, and by the back- ing up of water, trees and undergrowth have gradually been killed and left to decay. These areas are great breeding places for mosquitos and are liable to be a cause of malaria. An effort should be made to have the owners remove all vegetation within the limits of their reservoirs, thereby enabling the winds to pro- duce action in the water and thus lessen the productiveness of mosquitos. Not only would the public thus be benefited, but the owners themselves, in that the capacity of the reservoirs would be noticeably increased, to say nothing of the wood there- by secured. Owners of woodlands should keep their properties free from dead wood. It would be to their advantage to practice a simple system of forestry, thereby increasing the value of their holdings and lessening the existing danger from fires, always a

-57-

menace to their own welfare and that of the public in general.

Great care should be taken to avoid the possibility of the drainage from stables and houses flowing into the source of the water supply, for this is one of the causes of typhoid fever. As Duxbury grows in population it will become necessary to pro- vide certain sections at least, with an adequate supply of pure water. It is possible that Miles Standish Spring would give such a supply, and the top of Captain's Hill, less than three- quarters of a mile away would afford a perfect site for a covered reservoir or stand pipe.

Owing to the extent of flats in Duxbury, Kingston, and Plymouth Bays, it will, in the future, be necessary that the dis- charge of sewage into tide water be carefully regulated. For the present, of course, no such steps need be taken, but eventu- ally a collecting main should be laid and discharge therefrom regulated to ebbing tide. Trouble from the deposit of sewage on the flats in the vicinity of Beverly is at this date being brought to the attention of the authorities, and the chance for trouble there is much less than here in Duxbury.

It is necessary that good roads should be provided not only between Duxbury and surrounding towns but between the vari- ous centers of population or hamlets within the town. By put- ting in first class condition the roads shown on the accompany- ing map in red a very superior state of affairs would be brought about, and it is desirable that work to this end should be started at once. (This map will be on exhibition during the Town Meeting.) This road system will connect all parts of the town, rendering intercommunication easy and attractive. The existing line of roads are in general good and the grades with few exceptions easy. To these should be added certain cross- town roads, shown on the map in green. There are undoubtedly others whose improvement would add to the convenience of cer- tain localities but first attention should be given to those whose improvement will serve the greater number. While it is im- practicable for the town to macadamize at once all of the roads which should eventually be macadamized, it would be well to make a start in this direction. Good results in securing a desirable wearing surface have been obtained by treating the surface of gravel, dirt and even sand roads, with a heavy-base oil. Directions as to the kind of oil and method of application may be obtained by addressing the Massachusetts Highway Com-

-58-

mission, and I would advise the town to experiment in a small way with this oil for it may be found that a road thus treated would form a good substitute for macadam. Meanwhile an im- proved condition can be brought about by adopting the simpler and less expensive construction, or treatment, which is here suggested. The drainage of the roads should first be looked after, that is the ditches, gutters, and drains, should be cleared, and kept so, that they may quickly collect and dispose of the surface water of the road. A definite width of travelled way should be fixed upon, preferably not more than eighteen nor less than twelve feet. This travelled way should have a crown of from six to eight inches. Each district of the town should be provided with a split-log drag (a plan and description of. which has been submitted), or a road machine. As soon as the- frost is out of the ground in the spring the roads should be- gone over with a drag, and subsequently after every heavy rain.

As a matter of economy as well as convenience it will be to the advantage of the town to own or control gravel banks in each district where suitable gravel' or other material may be had.

In making appropriations for road work, either for construc- tion or repairs, the amount to be spent in each district should be specified absolutely. The making of a general appropriation. leaving to the discretion of the superintendent of roads how and where it shall be spent has been found, in other towns, to be undesirable.

Provided with good roads people will have an inducement to travel about more, to visit those parts of the town now almost unknown, but in many ways as attractive as any.

The populaion should not be concentrated in any one section. Private places should be of good size and every effort should be made to continue Duxbury as a rural community. It would be advantageous to the town if it could induce more people to make- Duxbury their permanent residence. Better roads and railway service will figure largely in bringing this about ; while other con- veniences such as water supply, lighting and the like, will have their effect. It is likely that the town will expand upon lines most convenient to the railroad. This presents another argu- ment in favor of improving the road system indicated, for its eastern section parallels the railroad and is a little more than a.

-59-

mile from it, while the western section forms the most direct route to the depots at South Duxbury and Island Creek.

Every care should be given to improve the appearance of pub- lic buildings, churches, society buildings, private residences and their surroundings. Streets, walks, trees, lawns, hedges and road sides should be kept free from litter of all kinds. In order to establish a habit of neatness it would be well to have the subject brought to the attention of the school children, and thereby to

the homes. At convenient points in the more thickly settled portions of the town, and about the schools and other public buildings, neat receptacles should be placed for the deposit of paper and other litter. Each school district should have a suit- able playground or "common". While it is undoubtly true that there would be little use for them in some districts at present. it would be wise for the town to secure them while it can do so at small cost.

It is desirable that there be numerous public landings and approaches to the same along the shore.

As a great deal of the interest in Duxbury is due to its historic points and associations, attention should be given to their preser - vation. That historic places should be treated in other than the simplest manner, is neither necessary nor desirable. Artificial decorations of any kind should be avoided; the uses of trees, shrubs, vines and flowering plants encouraged. Tablets or neat- ly lettered boards should be provided giving such information to the visitor as might be interesting or instructive. By placing a map of the town with these places indicated thereon, in the railway stations, postoffices and public library, people will be- come better acquainted with the town and therefore more in- terested in it.

As it is desirable to preserve historic places, so too is it desir -- able to preserve old names of roads, hills, etc. How much more in keeping with the character of the town are such names as King Phillip's Path, Captain's Hill, Tarkiln, and Crooked Lane than Winter street, Summer street and North Duxbury.

A town often secures an enviable reputation by the beauty of its tree-bordered streets. Many of the streets in Duxbury are bordered by beautiful trees and much has been done to im- prove the condition of others in this respect. All streets and roads should be tree-bordered as a matter of necessity as well as appearance, for shade is a considerable factor in the main-

-60-

tenance of good roads. The ruthless cutting of all undergrowth along country roads is something that should be stopped. While the necessity of a certain amount of thinning out of trees encroaching upon the roadway, and to prevent the drifting of snow is acknowledged, a reasonable amount of care would pre- serve much of the beauty of the road side now sacrificed, and at the same time accomplish the necessary results.

While there are undoubtedly other improvements which might be suggested it is my belief that those herein considered are of primary importance.

Respectfully submitted,

FRANKLIN BRETT.

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT.

I further recommend that an appropriation of $700 be made for the Town Landing Committee.

The present prosperity of Duxbury is due to its location on the Bay, and yet almost nothing is done by the town to increase the beauty and usefulness of the water front. Some years ago the town owned the whole of Duxbury Beach within its limits, but very foolishly sold this at a low price. When later it spent a considerable sum toward building the Gurnet Bridge, the citi- zens were equally apathetic. At various times it has been pro- posed to procure tracts on the water, but there has been no ade- quate response. We have done something toward establishing the bounds of the old town landings, which were laid out long ago for discharging salt hay from the marshes, and have added a few new landings. But much more should be done. There is very little opportunity for citizens and visitors to get to and enjoy the shore unless their land runs to the water, and although at low tide there is still left a great bay of deep, open water. the lack of facilities for landing for a time, ranging from four to six hours every tide, is a great drawback.

We have at the draw of the Gurnet Bridge, according to the report of the Coast Survey, the deepest water of any landing in over a hundred miles of coast from Boston harbor to Prov-

-61-

incetown; the government has dredged a good channel to the Duxbury coal and Lumber wharf; and the old wharf on the south side of Captain's Hill used to run to deep water. In ad- dition to these there are secondary landings, such as at the Old Cove, Blue Fish River Bridge, and the Standish House. All of these should be made available, and land for park purposes should be bought, even at this late date.

If satisfactory arrangements can be made with Mr. John A. Irwin, I should advise the purchase of his marsh land and wa- ter frontage at the front of Mattakeesett Court, which would give access to the government channel. It is not attractive in its present condition, and the recent storm has injured the bulk- head, but in years to come it would be a very valuable acquisi- tion to the town. If this tract is not available the appropria- tion can be used to very good advantage at other points.

F. B. KNAPP.

I have just discovered today, Feb. 10, that the trustees of Par- tridge Academy are considering cutting many or all of the great pine trees back of the Academy, Town Hall and Church. This would be a great loss to the Town and I urge the citizens at Town Meeting to pass a resolution requesting the trustees to save the trees and to do all they can toward that end. There are two reasons given for considering the cutting-one, that the trees can be sold for box boards and so bring in a small revenue, the other as a fire protection. It does not seem as though the Town were in such straightened circumstances that we need cut fine shade trees for lumber and under the plan of clearing up which we have just started, the pines would be a protection rather than a menace to the buildings. I propose that all trash should be cleared up back of the sheds and among the trees, that more underbrush be cleared out, improvement cutting done and addi- tional paths maintained; the broad fire break in the valley will be kept up; the hard wood growth beyond should be developed. The wood roads further back have already been cut out. In this way a crown fire would not start and the high evergreen branches would catch sparks and prevent them from falling on the shed roof.

F. B. KNAPP.

TOWN MEETINGS.

At the annual town meeting held March 8, 1909 :

Chose, James Downey, Moderator,

Chose Sidney C. Soule, Selectman, Overseer of the Poor and Assessor for three years.

Chose, George H. Stearns, Town Clerk, Treasurer and Col- lector.

Chose, Thaddeus W. Chandler, Warren C. Prince and Joseph F. Bolton, Jr., Constables.

Chose, Albert M. Goulding, School Committee for three Tears.

Chose, Alfred E. Green, Board of Health for three years.

Chose, William J. Burgess, Board of Health for one year to fill vacancy.

Chose, Elnathan Delano, Cemetery Trustee for five years.

Chose, Henry A. Fish, Tree Warden.

Chose, Eden W. Soule, Highway Surveyor.

Chose, Ernest H. Bailey and William S. Moore, Auditors.

Voted, not to grant licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors : "Yes," 39; "No," 94.

Voted, that all officers not chosen by ballot be appointed by the Selectmen.

Voted, that the reports of the various town officers and com- mittees as printed in the town report be accepted.

Voted, that the town appropriate one hundred and twenty- five dollars to be expended under the direction of William Wadsworth Post 165, G. A. R., for the observance of Memorial Day.

Voted, that in considering the various recommendations of the Appropriation Committee, the town take up in connection therewith such articles of the warrant as refer to the same subject.

Voted, to appropriate :

For support of schools, $7,750 00

For school incidentals and repairs of school houses, 1,000 00

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Town annual report for the town of Duxbury for the year ending 1901-1910, Part 76

Author: Duxbury (Mass.) Publication date: 1901 Publisher: The Town Number of Pages: 1404

Author: Duxbury (Mass.)
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 1404