Glimpses Of Early Roxbury
compiled By The "Mary Warren" Chapter
Daughters Of The Revolution
In The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts
MDCCCCV
Printed At The Merrymount Press Boston
[Transcribed by Dave Swerdfeger]
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FOREWORD THIS little book is designed to call attention to some of the historic places in Roxbury. The compilers acknowledge their obligations to Drake's "Town of Roxbury," Shurtleff's "Topographical and Historical Description of Boston," Ellis's" History of Roxbury Town" and other records, as well as to many Roxbury citizens who have kindly given information on various minor points. ROXBURY IN the year 1630 one of the small bands of English emigrants who came over with Winthrop settled "midway between Dorchester and Boston" at a place afterwards called Rocksbury or Rocksborough (now Roxbury). The name was no doubt taken from the high ledges of rock which ran for some distance through the town. William Pynchon was a leader in this first settlement. He was "a gentleman of learning and religion," but his views were considered somewhat heretical by the people of Boston. He was also a magistrate. Mr. Pynchon left Roxbury for Springfield in 1636. In 1631-2 there came to Roxbury more settlers from London and from the little town of Nazing twenty miles west of London. Foremost among them was John Eliot, and with him William Curtis, William Heath and others, all of whom were to become the fathers of the town. Isaac Heath, who was later ruling elder, came over in 1635. Roxbury in its early days was "a place of farms and gardens," and there was "good ground for corn and meadows for cattle." The inhabitants prided themselves on the raising of fine apples, pears and other small fruits. The Williams apple and the "Roxbury Russeting" originated here. There were several gristmills in the town, also a fullingmill, and the tanning and dressing of leather was a valuable industry. The early settlers were men of substance and intelligence. The town possessed great natural advantages and was chosen as a place of residence by some of the prominent people of Boston. Nine of the early governors resided here. The Revolutionary records of Roxbury and its historic as sociations are also of much interest. Old Roxbury extended eight miles from east to west, and two miles from north to south. It included West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and a part of Brookline. Stony River took its rise in Muddy Pond and flowed across the town into Shallow Bay (Back Bay). Smelt Brook, which was much prized for its pure water, ran at the west of the ridge at Tommy's Rock, then across Washington Street and Guild Row, and "lost it self in the marshes" to the north of the town. Farther to the west Muddy River ran from Jamaica Pond in a tortuous course and emptied into Shallow Bay. The whole length of the river may now be seen as a part of the beautiful park system of Boston (River Way). The founding of a church was the first and strongest bond of union among the early settlers; so we find that in 1632 the church in Roxbury, having grown sufficiently large to separate from that in Dorchester, started for itself, with Mr. Thomas Welde as senior pastor, and John Eliot as "teacher," or assistant pastor. Eliot came into full charge in 1641, having for his colleagues first, Samuel Danforth, and second, Nathaniel Walter. "The Roxbury ministry was noted for its great ability, eloquence, learning and piety." As the Church was the centre of religious and social life, so the meeting house was the centre around which the little town was built. For mutual protection all houses were by law to be within half a mile of the meeting house. We find therefore the places of early historic interest near "Meeting House Hill," sometimes Tory Hill, and now Eliot Square. Here on the present site of the "First Church in Roxbury" was built in 1632 the little meeting house where John Eliot, the Apostle to the Indians, preached for nearly sixty years. It had a thatched roof, was unplastered, and had neither gallery, pew nor spire. The present building is the fifth erected here. The one standing during the Revolution was a constant target for the British cannon and was pierced through in many places. During the siege of Boston it was used as a signal station. The vacant land in front of the meeting house, then called Roxbury Common, was the grand parade ground for the troops quartered near by, and was the place where the people came together on important occasions. Here the forces gathered on the alarm from Lexington in 1775. A number of memorial tablets have been placed in the present church. List of Memorial Tablets in First Church in Roxbury. The country around was thinly settled and well wooded. In 1740 Paul Dudley writes: "A good fat bear was killed near our Meeting House Hill." On the northerly side of the Square, and still standing, is the parsonage built by the Reverend Oliver Peabody in 1750, and occupied by his successors for about eighty years. A bronze tablet placed here by the Sons of the Revolution, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, June, 1905, reads: "This tablet marks the site of the house built by the Rev. Oliver Peabody for the parsonage of the First Church. Occupied by the Rev. Amos Adams, patriot minister of the Church, Chaplain in the Continental Army, Scribe of the convention of ministers at Watertown, whose appeal to the people was for war. The headquarters of Major General Thomas who reviewed the army in front of the house, and from its dormer windows watched with his spyglass the movements of the British at Charlestown. For more than a century and a half the abode of high ideals in learning, patriotism and righteousness. The house was later known as the Dillaway House, having been occupied by Mr. Charles K. Dillaway, for many years a much loved teacher in Roxbury. On this side of the Square, in front of the parsonage, ran the old Town Street, which extended in one direction to Brookline and in the other to the Boston line. This is now Roxbury Street. St. Luke's Home, near by, occupies a house more than one hundred years old, and one of the earliest of the brick mansions of Roxbury. The Norfolk House, on the opposite side of the Square, stands on the site of the residence built by Joseph Ruggles. It was opened as a public house in 1826 by the Norfolk House Company, which at this time established also a line of coaches running hourly to and from Boston. The Taber House, not far from the Square (corner of Bartlett and Blanchard streets), was built in 1774 by Major John S. Spooner, who commanded the Roxbury Artillery Company. Afterwards it was owned by Captain William Lambert and then came into the possession of the Taber family who resided there. It is now "The Ladies' Unity Club Home for Aged People." The first meeting of the Roxbury Charitable Society was held in this house in 1794. In those early days the usual pleasure drive from Boston was "round the Square," that is, through Roxbury Street, round the Meeting House, through the lane now Bartlett Street, and back through Dudley and Eustis streets. South of the Norfolk House, and on a hill west of Highland Street, stood in Revolutionary days Roxbury High Fort. It was a stronghold of importance, enclosing a space twelve rods square, having heavy bastions at each corner. A stand-pipe for the water works was erected here in 1869, and though now disused is a picturesque feature in the landscape. A tablet marks the spot where the old fort stood. On the westerly side of the Square, near the corner of Centre Street, stands the Parting Stone, erected by Paul Dudley in 1744, marked on one side "To Cambridge and Watertown," on the other, "To Dedham and Rhode Island." Here the troops passed on their way to Lexington. Starting from the Parting Stone, going west from the Meeting House, we come to the site of the GristMill, on Stony River, built in 1639 on the site now occupied by the station of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. The locality was called Pierpont Village, from the name of the family who owned the mill for more than a century. The road to Cambridge and Worcester led up the hill from the gristmill, towards Brookline. Brinley Place, on the right, was an estate of historic interest. It was modelled after one belonging to the family in England, and was beautifully laid out with trees and flowers. The house was built by Colonel Francis Brinley in 1723 and was most elegantly furnished. In 1809 the property came into the possession of General Henry Dearborn (General Henry Dearborn began life as a physician; was Captain in Stark's regiment; was at Bunker Hill; served in the expedition against Quebec and was made prisoner; was exchanged, made Major and later Colonel of a New Hampshire regiment; was appointed Major General, 1795. He was Secretary of War under Jefferson and member of Congress for several years; also Minister to Portugal. Late in life he resided at the Brinley house, Roxbury. General H. S. Dearborn, son of the above, lived in Roxbury; was Collector of the Port of Boston and Representative; Adjutant-General of the Massachusetts Militia; Mayor of Roxbury, 1847-1851. He was first president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and was the chief promoter of Mount Auburn and Forest Hills cemeteries.) who resided there. The Ursuline sisters, whose convent at Mount Benedict, Somerville, was burned by a mob of fanatics in 1834, occupied the Brinley house for a time. The Redemptorist Fathers bought the place in 1869 and founded the present Mission Church. On what is now Huntington Avenue, near the corner of Kempton Street, stood for nearly two centuries the old Crafts House, bearing the date 1709 on the chimney. Griffin Crafts was the founder of the family in New England, of whom six generations have lived in this house. Farther on the road towards Brookline was the Punch Bowl Tavern, standing where Lyceum Hall now is. The Tavern was a well-known stopping place for the travellers along the road. On its sign was painted a huge punch bowl overhung by a lemon tree, and the locality was called Punch Bowl Village. This, including Parker Hill and Heath Street, was known as Roxbury Precinct. The old tavern with its adjacent buildings was taken down in 1833. Starting again from the Parting Stone, we go through Centre Street, in early days called the "The Road to Dedham and Rhode Island." The Wyman farm was on the left, containing sixty acres, and on the right, the Perkins and Curtis estates which bordered on Jamaica Pond. The old Curtis Homestead, built in 1639, was on what is now Lamartine Street. Joseph Curtis was a stanch patriot at the time of the Revolution. A number of loyalists had fine country seats in Jamaica Plain. Their estates were confiscated at the opening of the War and the Provincial troops were quartered there. Among these loyalists may be mentioned Sir William Pepperell (the younger), Governor Bernard and Commodore Loring. The Loring House was near the corner of Centre and South streets. The Benjamin Hallowell House, built in 1738, is still standing and in good preservation, on the corner of Centre and Boylston streets. "It was used during the siege of Boston, by the patriot forces as a hospital for the camp at Roxbury." The old Peacock Tavern on Centre Street, corner of what is now Allandale Street, was a well-known inn during Revolutionary times. It was kept by Lemuel Child, "who led the Minute Company of the Third Parish in the Lexington Battle." Later Samuel Adams, while he was governor, resided here. The residence of John Parker, a wealthy and enterprising citizen, was on the summit of Parker Hill, or Great Hill, as it was first called. Parker Street, which passes the foot of the hill, was called "The Way to the Landing Place and the Tide Mill." This mill was where Stony River emptied into the Back Bay. The landing place was town property, and considerable business was carried on there. In 1821 the Roxbury Mill Corporation built the Mill dam to confine the waters of the Charles River Basin, hoping to use the mill power commercially. The power was a failure, but the road over the Mill dam, which conneted the foot of Boston Common with Sewall's Point in Brookline, was the second opened from Boston. The Heath Farm, of fifty-four acres, lay to the south of Parker Hill. It remained in the possession of the family for several generations. Captain Joseph Heath and Major General William Heath are known to have had residences here. (Major General William Heath commanded the Boston Artillery in 1770. He lived in Roxbury and was often moderator at town meetings. He was Representative to the Provincial Congress in 1774; took temporary command on the 19th of April; was made Major General in 1775 and served under Washington till the close of the Revolution; returned to Roxbury and was chosen delegate to the Convention which adopted the Federal Constitution; was judge of Probate for Norfolk County until his death 1814. There is a monument to his memory in Forest Hills Cemetery. Captain Joseph Heath served in the colonial wars, and was active in Roxbury in early Revolutionary days.) The Gore Homestead was at the foot of Parker Hill near the railroad crossing on Tremont Street. The Lowell House was just beyond Hog's bridge, on the right of Centre Street. (Hog's Bridge. Patty Williams a young woman of unusual physical strength is said to have thrown a large hog over the bridge ----hence the name.) On returning again to Eliot Square, and going in a northerly diretion, down Roxbury Street, we come to that part of the town where resided many of the prominent people of early Roxbury. Here, on the corner of Vernon Street was Elder Heath's farm, and opposite, that of Samuel Hagborn. On the latter estate afterwards lived the stanch and fearless Robert Calef, (Robert Calef was grandfather of Mary Stevens who was the mother of General Joseph Warren.) who strenuously opposed the prevailing belief in witchcraft. Opposite Vernon Street, at a very early date, was the famous Greyhound Tavern. Situated on the only road out of Boston, this tavern was a favorite resort for sleighing parties in the winter where good cheer was afforded for man and beast. Political meetings were also held here. After the tavern was taken down, the first Fire Engine House in Roxbury was located on this spot in 1784. The estate now occupied by Bacon's store, corner of Ruggles and Washington streets, was once the property of Edwin Dorr, and was bought by Major Bosson,a Revolutionary veteran who opened a general store here, where "our grandmothers" really "traded;" for we find in the day book of the business of one hundred years ago, the names of many prominent families in Roxbury. William Bacon took the business in 1814. Opposite Bacon's store on Washington Street, Aaron and Simon Willard made the clocks which gained such well deserved reputation. Aaron Willard came to Boston at the age of sixteen "as a fifer in a Grafton regiment." Near the corner of Eustis Street was the large store of Aaron and Charles Davis. There were a number of smaller taverns along Washington Street at various times: the Horn of Plenty, corner of Ruggles and Washington streets; the Old Red Tavern, in the Diamond Block; and the Ball and Pin, near Eustis Street. Gilbert Stuart, the portrait painter, lived for many years in a house on Roxbury Street, just beyond Shawmut Avenue. At Eustis Street was the first defensive work constructed by the Americans in 1775, and called the Burying Ground Redoubt. During the Revolution James Howe's Bakery, on the site of the present Blue Store, supplied the American soldiers with bread. The Neck began at Arnold Street, and was more than a mile in length. The narrowest part was at Dover Street, having a dam on either side to prevent the overflow of the tides. In early days a fortification was erected here to protect the town of Boston against the Indians. The practice of shooting game on the marshes, having been the cause of some accidents to pedestrians, was forbidden by action of the General Court in 1701. The way was wild and lonely and at times dangerous to travellers, as highway robberies were not infrequent. Drake says there were but eighteen buildings between Dover Street and the Roxbury line in 1794. For some years the gallows erected near Malden Street was a grim landmark for travellers along the road. George's Tavern,at first called the "King's Arms," was at Lenox Street. In 1721 the General Court met there during the prevalence of smallpox in Boston. At Lenox Street, also, was in Revolutionary times the advance fortification of the American forces, it being the highest point on the road between Boston and Roxbury. Here the soldiers of the Continental Army, many of them Roxbury men, "held the pass out of Boston," while that city was occupied by the British troops. In later days (1820) the Washington Hotel was on Washington Street, a little above Lenox Street. In 1807 the City Hotel, corner of Washington and Zeigler streets, was kept by George Zeigler. Eustis Street was originally called "The Road to Dorchester." It was laid out in 1662, and named for Governor Eustis in 1825. The old Eustis Street Burying Ground, corner of Eustis and Washington streets, is one of the oldest in New England. The first interment was made there in 1633. Here lie the remains of John Eliot and other early ministers of the town; Robert Calef; Governors Thomas and Joseph Dudley; Chief Justice Paul Dudley, and the ancestors of many well known Roxbury families. A tablet to the memory of General Greaton has been placed here by the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. General John Greaton was an active patriot and "a Revolutionary hero of well-known fame." He was chosen Lieutenant in the first Roxbury Company of Minute Men. He served under General Washington at Trenton and at Princeton. Remaining until the close of the war, he then returned to Roxbury, but the severe hardships he had endured in military service had so undermined his health that he died soon afterwards, 1783. He was made Colonel in 1776 and Brigadier General in 1783." The place is well worth a visit. The burying ground is usually open to visitors every Saturday and Sunday afternoon during the summer. A short distance from the cemetery, on Eustis Street, was the landing place of the Canal. This canal was built in 1775, from Lamb's Dam, near Northampton Street, to secure an easy way of transferring merchandise to and from Roxbury. It was not a paying investment and was finally filled up. On the opposite side of the street was the Training Field, of seven acres, and as early as 1731 a training here was a weekly occurrence. Dudley Street was originally laid out from what is now Guild Row to Eustis Street and was named for the Dudley family. "Thomas Dudley came over in 1630 as Deputy Governor and afterwards settled in Roxbury. He was a man of strong and determined character, was four times Governor, and thirteen times Deputy Governor. His son Joseph Dudley filled many offices of honor and trust and was Governor of Massachusetts from 1702 to 1715. Paul Dudley, son of Governor Joseph Dudley, was a Grand Chief Justice whose career was one of dignity and power. He erected a number of milestones in Roxbury. The Dudley Estate extended west nearly to the Meeting House, the boundary being Smelt Brook. The Dudley mansion stood opposite Guild Row. There lived Governors Thomas and Joseph Dudley and Chief Justice Paul Dudley. In 1810 Colonel Joseph Dudley gave a portion of his land as a site for a Town House. A town meeting was first held there in 1811. It was afterwards known as City Hall, and was taken down in 1873 to make room for the Dudley School building. The first Universalist Church, where Hosea Ballou, 2d, once preached, was afterwards built on the site of the Dudley House. Kenilworth Street, just opposite, was named for the estate of the Dudleys in England. Near by was the first building occupied by the Roxbury Free School. This school was established in 1645, and afterwards became the Roxbury Latin School. The early settlers "pledged their houses and farms in its support." Among these were the Apostle Eliot, Samuel Hagbourne, Elder Isaac Heath and Samuel May. Roxbury was reputed to have "furnished more scholars than any town of its bigness." In 1742 the school was removed to the brick schoolhouse, now standing at 2347 Washington Street, --- formerly Guild Row, ---- and to Kearsarge Avenue in 1834. Just back of the Peoples Bank stood John Eliot's house. His estate of two and one half acres extended east to Winslow Street, the lower part of present Warren Street running across his lot. Preacher of the Church in Roxbury for nearly sixty years; zealous in his efforts to Christianize the Indians, translating the Bible into their language; one of the founders of the Roxbury Free School, also of the school in Jamaica Plain which bears his name, he was, as the tablet to his memory reads, "in zeal equal to St. Paul, in charity to St. Francis." Beyond Eliot's place, toward the east, were many fine estates, notably those of Deacon Parke, who came over in 1630, and Robert Williams, whose grandson, Dr. Williams, was an excellent physician and a prominent citizen. The latter built on what is now Dearborn Street the first brick mansion in Roxbury, afterwards known as the Davis House. Magazine Street, leading from Dudley Street near St. Patrick's Church, was laid out in 1662, and was called Powder House Lane because it led to the powder magazine. This magazine was owned by the State, and was on Pine Island, now a part of the mainland. The building on Dudley Street now occupied b she Little Sisters of the Poor was once occupied by the residence of Thomas Brewer. It later came into the possession of Enoch Bartlett, whose name has become associated with the delicious Bartlett pear which was first cultivated here. Perhaps the most noted of the old houses still standing in Roxbury is the Governor Shirley House, on what is now Shirley Street. It was built by this very popular governor about 1750, and afterwards owned and occupied by Governor Eustis. Here were entertained Washington, Lafayette, Franklin, Daniel Webster and other celebrated men. The house was a barrack for our soldiers in 1775. Though at present rented in tenements, it still retains some of its old-time grandeur. Washington Street south of Dudley Street, once known as the Dedham Turnpike, was originally a cart path leading to MacCarty's farm. On the left, extending to what is now St. James Street, was the estate of Isaac Morrill; this afterwards be longed to the Stevens family. "The mother of General Joseph Warren belonged to thia family." A portion of it was sold to Judge Auchmuty, whose son built on the corner of Cliff and Washington streets the fine old mansion well remembered by Roxbury citizens as, the residence of Mr. Charles F. Bradford. It was a noted rendezvous for the Tories in the neighborhood in Revolutionary days, and was confiscated in 1779. It became the property of Increase Sumner, afterward Governor of Massachusetts. Farther on was the farm of Abijah Seaver. Tommy's Rock, the high land near the junction of what is now Regent and Circuit streets, was a favorite resort on account of the fine view which it afforded of the surrounding country. "Rocky Pasture," as it was sometimes called, abounded in wild flowers. Some friendly Indians camped there for many summers, which was an added attraction to the place. Walnut Avenue, anciently called "The Way to the Great Lotts " and afterwards "Back Street," was for many years a charming country road. It was sometimes called "Barberry Lane." A century ago it contained but six houses. The old Williams Homestead stood at the corner of what is now Ruthven Street but has been recently taken down. Before the Revolution there were two grist mills near the corner of what is now Warren Street and Walnut Avenue. The mills were owned by Joseph Clewly, and that locality was known as Clewly's Corner. Warren Street was laid out in 1633 and was called "the way to Braintree," or "Upper Road to Dorchester," and later, "The Plymouth Road." The part north of Dudley Street was given by several citizens to the town in 1712 and was called the New Lane. In 1825 the name was changed to Warren Street. The junction of Warren and Dudley streets was formerly called Dove's Corner. The small space now bounded by Dudley and Warren streets and Harrison Avenue, and filled with shops, was two hundred years ago known as Gardiner's Green, being owned by Peter Gardiner, who had here a garden and nursery. On the corner of what is now Glenwood Street was a house built by Dr. Jonathan Davies in 1781. The house was moved back and is still standing on Glenwood Street. Extending from what is now Warren Place to Moreland Street was the Warren Farm, containing seven acres. There were many valuable fruit trees on the place, one hundred and twenty-three of which were cut down to make defences during the siege of Boston. The Warren House was built in 1720 by Joseph Warren, grandfather of General Joseph Warren. During the siege troops were quartered at this place. The stone house which now stands on the site of the old homestead was built in 1846 by Dr. John C. Warren. Two tablets with suitable inscriptions are placed on the front of the building. General Joseph Warren was born in the old house in 1741. He graduated at Harvard, and taught school in Roxbury and was a successful physician in Boston. During the Revolutionary period he was President of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Committee of Public Safety, and a few days before his death was made Major General by the Massachusetts Congress. He was active in the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill, but declining the command offered him at the latter battle he took his place among the soldiers and was killed. A handsome bronze statue has been ereded to his memory in Joseph Warren Square. On the pedestal is the following inscription: "Joseph Warren, 1741-1775. Physician, Orator, Patriot. Killed at Bunker Hill, 17 June, 1775." and below, his own words: "When liberty is the prize, who would shun the warfare ? Who would stoop to waste a coward thought on life ?" Kearsarge Avenue, which runs through a portion of the Warren estate, was called Mt. Vernon Place. Rear Admiral Winslow, a hero of the Civil War, lived here nearly thirty years. A tablet to his memory in Forest Hills Cemetery reads: "He conducted the memorable sea fight in command of the U.S. ship 'Kearsarge' in the English Channel, June 19, 1864." After the sinking of the cruiser Alabama by the Kearsarge he returned home, when the name of the street was changed in his honor. The Gray House, known to be over one hundred and twenty-five years old, stands on one corner of Joseph Warren Square. The oldest house now standing in Roxbury is on Warren Street, corner of Tolman Place, and was probably built in 1653. William Mead, who lived here, deeded the place to the Roxbury Grammar School in 1683 and it was often occupied by its teachers in the olden time. The back part of the house has been remodelled but the front and the chimney are part of the old building. On the west side of the street, extending from the corner of Warren Street and Walnut Avenue nearly to Bower Street, was the thirty-acre pasture belonging to the Apostle Eliot. The estate between Waverly and Clifford streets, now owned by Dr. Kennedy, was once a mulberry plantation. The house now standing here was built in 1764, and the timber in the frame was cut from the wood growing on the farm. May's Woods formerly covered the tract of land through which pass Woodbine, Edgewood, Maywood and Savin streets. These woods were long a favorite resort for picnic parties. The Dove farm, next beyond, had a large apple orchard next the street, and the old cider mill stood for many years on the little eminence now Holborn Terrace. The Jonathan French House, on the other side of Warren Street (corner of Waban Street) is still standing, but has been turned about and moved nearer Warren Street. The Bugby Tavern was on the corner of Crawford Street. The locality known as Grove Hall took its name from a mansion built there in 1800 by Thomas Kilby Jones. In 1832 the house was enlarged and used as a summer hotel. Later it was occupied. by Dr. Cullis who made it a consumptives' home. The present buildings were built only a few years ago. Franklin Park, containing something more than five hundred acres and comprising fourteen farms, was taken by the city for a park in 1876, and the work of laying it out began a few years later. This section is historically interesting. The Indian Trail entered the park at a point nearly opposite Elm Hill Avenue, and ran in a southeasterly direction towards Milton and Plymouth, to which towns it led. Ralph Waldo Emerson lived in a house standing near the top of the hill where the Overlook is. He once taught school in Roxbury in the stone building on Dudley Street now occupied by the Roxbury Gas Company. The hill in the park where he lived is called Schoolmaster's Hill. In colonial times there was a signal station on one of the hills in the park, and one beyond on Wellington Hill. Seaver Street, once called Long Crouch, was named in honor of Hon. Ebenezer Seaver whose farm covered a large area near Grove Hall. The house in which he lived, built in 1721, is still standing near the corner of Blue Hill Avenue and Cheney Street. Ebenezer Seaver served the town in various public capacities for more than forty years. SOME OF THE OLD LANDMARKS STILL TO BE SEEN IN ROXBURY
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