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Transcribed and submitted by Shaun Cook
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CHAPTER
XIII. Descriptive
Passages - The Indians - The Settlers - Name of The Place – Natural
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“I hear the
tread of pioneers
Of nations yet to be,
The first low
wash of waves where soon
Shall roll a human
sea.”
-
WHITTIER
IF, upon the afternoon
of some fair day, one should from the summit of Bunker Hill Monument, through a
clear glass, direct his eye northeasterly, he will see stretching in an
irregular line of something more than three miles, and at a distance of eight or
ten miles, a settlement presenting such features and having such surroundings as
will be likely to secure his attention for many minutes. Between him and the
settlement far beyond the circle of busy life that lies at his feet, is a
stretch of marsh land of rusty gold tinge, diversified by one or two stately
groves, by inlets and by salt streams, and traversed by railroads over which
locomotives are constantly puffing, and highways over which horse-drawn
carriages of all descriptions are constantly moving.
Extending along the
rear of the settlement is a line of dark woodland hills, with here and there
cropping out a gigantic porphyry cliff, overlooking many miles of sea and land.
In front lies the ocean, ever rising and falling like a thing of life, expanding
quietly upon the glistening beaches or dashing sullenly against the huge
buttresses of storm-scarred rock, every marine craft known to the waters
skimming hither and thither upon its surface.
Directing his eye to
the settlement itself, the beholder would observe white suburban dwellings
scattered about in picturesque niches with gardens and groves. Then come the
central portions, with ponderous business structures, the tall smoke-ejecting
chimnies proclaiming the reign of industry and thrift, and in every neighborhood
some lofty steeple or graceful tower, testifying to a realization of the higher
duties of life.
This is Lynn. And
probably no place upon time the New England coast can present more attractive
feature and such varied scenery. It is one of the oldest settlements of
Massachusetts, as distinguished from Plymouth, and has always maintained a
steady, though not rapid, growth, till, at the present time, it has reached a
population of very near 50,000. It is on the northern shore of the great bay
which is entered from the Atlantic through the gateway formed by Cape Ann, so
named by Prince Charles in filial respect for his mother, and Cape Cod, so named
by the notable English navigator, Bartholomew Gosnold, from the circumstance of
finding multitudes of cod fish sporting about there. It was the central one of
the three important settlements commenced at nearly the same time, - namely,
Salem, Lynn and Boston; is five miles southwest of the former, and ten miles
northeast of the latter. It is not now very extensive, territorially, but as
regards population is the largest city in the United States, east of Boston.
THE INDIANS.
“Where now the poor Indian scatters the
sod
With offering
burnt to an unknown god,
By gospel light
shall the path be trod
To the courts of
the Prince of Peace.
And here will commerce appoint her
mart;
The marble will yield
to the hand of art;
From the sun of
Science the rays will dart:
And the darkness of
Nature cease:”
- H. F. GOULD.
Before proceeding to
other topics, a few words regarding the Indian race found here may not be
inappropriate. But of that race we are almost entirely destitute of substantial
or illustrative details. Enough, however, is known to show that they were not a
superior people, but rather a poor specimen of the human family, though the poet
and sentimentalist have clothed them in glowing drapery, and awarded them
singular nobleness of character. It is natural to feel a deep interest in those
who before us occupied the soil we inherit, whether they were of our own kindred
or of other tribes, and it is hard not to assign to them ideal virtues. But yet
it is unaccountable that so many writers, notwithstanding the authentic accounts
of the horrid barbarities of the red men, as a people, of their ignorance and
depravity, should persist in giving them such an elevated sense of honor and
such refinement of sensibility. From comparisons made by some enthusiasts it
would seem as if these “children of nature” were thought to be superior to all
other people of all time. But in estimating the character of these, our
predecessors upon the soil, would it not be well to call to mind some of the
incidents that roughly touched our own Essex County - the barbarities
experienced by the Dustin and Rolfe families, in the terrible attacks on
Haverhill, and the fate of the “Flower of Essex” at Bloody Brook, for instance?
There is abundant
evidence that there were individuals of the Indian tribes of lofty character.
Gratitude is a noble trait, and of its possession they furnish touching
examples. With unwavering constancy they would cleave to their friends; but with
delight and remorseless vigor they would cleave down their enemies, Of physical
courage, endurance of pain, and contempt of death they present conspicuous
examples. But these would not be offered as evidence of true exaltation. That
here and there an individual of exceptional magnanimity appeared is not denied;
but the great body were degraded in the extreme.
It would be unjust to assume that they, as a people, were destitute of the
innate sense of right that distinguishes human nature wherever found, or that
there were not many endowed with those finer feelings which, under favoring
circumstances, can modify and redeem.
To the honor of the
people of the Bay settlements it may be said that their conduct towards the
natives was generally marked by justice, if not generosity, and, hence, but
little hostility was experienced till they had become strong enough to dismiss
their fears. It was not till the great struggle of 1675, known as King Philip’s
War, that much occurred hereabout to cause real alarm.
The unmeasured censure
that some have bestowed upon the settlers for what is termed their unjust
seizure of lands, in given instances, may have been well merited, for it is sad
to believe that some came with very different motives from those popularly
ascribed to them, and which they professed. These were unscrupulous in their
dealings with the Indians, and overreached and wronged them in every possible
way; but there were comparatively few of such unworthy
ones.
In treating of Indian
land titles, and their absorption by the settlers, an important fact is usually
left out of view, - namely, the fact that the Indians were themselves but land
robbers. They boastingly asserted that the country did not originally belong to
them, but that their brave fathers wrested it by bloody war from the former
possessors; defiantly endeavoring to strike terror into the settlers by thus
claiming to be a race of conquerors, who might, in good time, rally and drive
the pale-faced usurpers into the sea over which they had intrusively ventured.
Yes, they and their fathers were brave; but their bravery was far too generally
that of violence and lust for blood.
And another thing: the
Indians did not cultivate the soil, at least to any extent, for they were by no
means an agricultural people. The great command to “till the soil” they did not
obey, but remained unfaithful stewards; and there is, perhaps, room for the
casuist to assume that as they would not perform their duty, there was no wrong
in replacing them by those more faithful.
To follow some
writers, one might imagine that the dusky dames and damsels had remarkably
refined ideas and graceful accomplishments; that in music especially they were
really proficient; and, though destitute of guitars and pianos, had a felicitous
way of modulating their voices by the songs of birds or purling of mountain
rills. And they would lead us in imagination to listen to melodious strains
ringing through the forest aisles as thrilling as the song of the old Spanish
troubadour and as inspiring as a cathedral symphony. That many of them had
musical voices and a perception of true rhythm may not be questioned; nor need
it be doubted that they had ability to express the natural feelings in song and
significant action. Says the poet, -
“The Indian maid danced on the smooth
curving shore,
And mingled her
song with the wild ocean roar.”
But that she
danced “scientifically” or had what we understand to be trained musical powers,
is hardly to be believed. Most certainly the musical instruments of our red
brethren did not produce peculiarly harmonious sounds. And if the war-songs were
modulated
by the notes of birds, they must have been birds of rasping cry, like the crow
or hawk.
To
conclude: the Indian population hereabout was quite small at the time the whites
came. The exact number cannot of course be known; but there could not have been
above a few hundreds. They were a degraded people, but brethren of our own race,
possessing in some degree every quality that goes to make up the human being.
They were unrefined and governed chiefly by the lower instincts of our nature,
with undisciplined minds and unawakened moral sensibilities.
THE
SETTLERS.
“Deep-minded and
austere they were,
With hearts of graver throbs,
And their few errors but appear
As spots on vestal robes.”
It was in the autumn
of 1626 that the sturdy Roger Conant broke up the unsuccessful fishing and
planting station at Cape Ann, and led his little company, among whom was the
clerical mischief-maker Lyford, some fifteen miles inland and located at
Naumkeag, where, though subject to many privations, their ”utter deniall to goe
away” resulted in permanent occupation. Two years afterwards, in 1628, Endicott
arrived with his large company. Presently the old Indian name Naumkeag was
dropped, and that of Salem, or Peace, adopted; and the settlement soon began to
be noted for its business activity, its political and ethical influence.
Some of the
new-corners had hardly remained long enough to recover from the excitement
attendant on the emigration, and the fatigues of the passage, when they became
restless and desirous of trying their fortunes in other and, as they conceived,
more promising localities. Permission seems to have been readily obtained for
little companies to sit down almost any where within the Patent. Indeed, the
authoritative Endicott allowed them the broad privilege to “goe where they
would.”
Now
let us, by the light of tradition, behold, on a bright day in the early part of
the summer of that eventful year 1629, a little company of white men,
prospectors from Naumkeag, coming over the rocky hills into the fair Saugus
territory. They pause now upon a sunny hill-top, then upon a pleasant plain;
they traverse the woodland precinct, view the ponds and water-courses; but above
all, delight to gaze upon the ocean, beyond which lies their native isle. But
all is done with an eye to the practicability of permanently pitching their
tents. A few skulking Indians, perhaps, followed them unseen, filled with wonder
and apprehension, because it had been foretold by the dusky prophets that men of
fair complexion would one day come and occupy the land. But no hostile
demonstrations were made, and the prospectors returned safe, and so well
satisfied that it was determined to immediately commence a settlement.
“Over the eastern hills they came,
A sturdy, grave and
godly hand.
A band then all
unknown to fame,
But destined
to redeem the land,”
And
thus it was, that in June, 1629, the settlement of Lynn was commenced - three
years after that of Salem, and one year before that of Boston.
The Indian population,
asjust intimated, was then so small as to be really insignificant; and not being
a pastoral or an agricultural people, the land itself was to them of little
value, excepting that thewoods yielded a fair amount of game, and a few
vegetable products afforded some little addition to their limited variety of
food. But the sea was a never-failing source of supply; and it is not to be
wondered at that the thought of being driven away to some unknown land, where
its bright expanse could no more be seen, nor its winsome voice heard, and
especially where its store of dainty food could no more be drawn upon, must have
been depressing in the extreme. Nor is it to be supposed that, nomadic as to
some extent they were, they had not local attachments; that, homely as were their rustic abodes, they were
not loved with all the ardor felt by the more cultured of our race, such
attachments not being governed by intellectual or moral sentiments. Yet they do
not appear to have received the strangers in anything like a hostile attitude.
The names of all who
composed the first little company of settlers do not seem to have been anywhere
preserved. But EDMUND INGALLS and FRANCIS, his brother, were certainly
prominent among them. Edmund Ingalls was a maltster, and established the first
malt-house hereabout, though he undoubtedly turned his hand to other employments
as exigency required. The industrial portion of the settlers necessarily pursued
various occupations in different seasons. The death of Mr. Ingalls, which took
place nearly twenty years after, was tragical. He was proceeding on horseback
homeward from a short journey westward, when, on reaching the frail little
bridge that crossed the Saugus River, he was precipitated into the stream and
drowned. The General Court expressed their regrets at the untoward accident, and
their willingness to do something indicative of their appreciation of the good
services of the deceased by voting the sum of a hundred pounds to his children.
FRANCIS INGALLS,
brother of the foregoing, was a tanner, and established a tannery just within
the present limits of Swampscott. Mr. Lewis says this was the first tannery in
New England; and Mr. Thompson says the same. But it is a mistake. There were
tanners in Plymouth several years before. Mr. Ingalls tannery was no doubt the
first in Massachusetts, as distinguished from Plymouth. He died at the age of
seventy-one years, leaving a will dated August 12, 1672. The inventory of his
estate was filed soon after his decease, and the following enumeration of assets
will give something of an idea of the estate and household equipment of a fairly
well-to-do denizen of that primitive period:
“5 acres of medow, at
Lyn, at 5 pounds, £25. A piece of land in ye wilderness at Lyn, 2 coats, 2 pairs
of breeches, 1 pair draws, and a
leather dublet, and a wescoat, 1 hat and a pair of stockens, 1 pr. shoes, 3 prs.
pillows. 3 napkins. 8 pieces of old pewter, 1 Iron Kittoll, a frying pan, 1
Bible and another book, a warming pan, and dripping pan, 3 chairs, 4 cushons, a
spinning wheele, 2 silver spoons.
Dues to his estate from Nicholas Rich, 17£ 17s. Dues to his estate from Thomas
Taylor, 11£.
With the Ingalls
brothers appear to have come three others, namely, WILLIAM DIXEY, JOHN WOOD and
WILLIAM WOOD, the two latter supposed to be father and son. The father, John,
seems to have been a good, common-sense, plodding settler, industrious, but with
little ambition. William, the son, was evidently an active, aspiring young man,
something of a rover, a keen observer and one desirous of making a mark. And he
did make a mark which remains conspicuous at this day. He may well be called the
first historian of Lynn, or indeed of New England. He was the author of “New England’s Prospect,” which was
printed in London in 1634. It was a work evidently inspired by a love for his
new home, and gives graphic accounts of the different settlements, their
condition, advantages and prospects, with shrewd suggestions and honest
deductions, but withal tinged by crude conceptions, more or less attributable to
the peculiar views and circumstances of the settlers, and the conceits of the
time. His quaint descriptions will continue to be quoted so long as our early
history continues to interest. He also, in 1635, published a map of New England,
engraved on wood.
The William Dixey who
came in company with the Ingalls brothers and the Woods appears to have been a
common laborer rather than a handicraftsman. He had been for a short time a
servant to Isaac Johnson, of Salem, - very likely a farm laborer, as such
employees were in those days called servants. In a deposition made by him some
twenty-eight years afterward he speaks of others having come with him, but does
not give their names, and says they kept their “cattell in Nahant the sumer
following.” He subsequently removed to Salem, where he kept the ferry over North
River.
Thus we find that
during this year - 1629 - at least five settlers appeared, some of them heads of
families, with wives and children no doubt. We have seen, too, by their
occupations, that they must have belonged to the classes accustomed to labor,
and consequently best fitted to endure the hardships attendant on such an
enterprise.
Details regarding
memorable events are always interesting, and the introduction of the actors in
them renders them doubly so. And surely it is but a meet act of gratitude to
endeavor to preserve the names of such as are fully entitled to live forever in
the memory of those who continue
to enjoy the blessings of institutions founded by them in toil and privation,
even though those names may not
yet have been heard beyond the circumscribed limits of their ancient home. A conviction like this
may often govern in the present sketch.
During the year 1630
some fifty additional male settlers appeared. These, however, were not all heads
of families. Among them are found several names still prevalent among us, - a
fact indicative of their primary design to make this a permanent home. They
settled in all parts of the town, which was then territorially much more
extensive than it is now, some locating as many as ten miles from others. They
brought with them considerable farm stock, such as neat cattle, sheep and goats,
for they were chiefly husbandmen or such as at some portions of the year could
turn their attention to farming. Their names are here inserted in alphabetical
order, for it is well thus to preserve their memory, as many now living can
trace their lineage directly to them. Occasion, however, may be taken elsewhere
in this sketch to say something further concerning several of them who, for
various reasons, are entitled to more than a passing
notice.
Armitage,
Godfrey.
Howe, Daniel.
Armitage,
Joseph. Howe,
Edward.
Axey, James.
Hubbard, Thomas.
Baker, Edward. Hudson,
Thomas.
Ballard, William.
Hussey,
Christopher.
Bancroft, John. Keyser,
George.
Bennet, Samuel. Lindsey,
Christopher.
Breed, Allen. Negus,
Jonathan.
Brown,
Nicholas.
Newhall, Thomas.
Burrill, George. Potter,
Robert.
Burton, Boniface.
Ramsdell, John.
Chadwell,
Thomas. Rednap,
Joseph.
Coldam,
Clement. Richards,
Edward.
Coldam, Thomas.
Salmon, DanieI.
Cowdry,
William. Smith, John.
Dexter, Thomas. Smith,
Samuel.
Driver, Robert.
Talmadge, Thomas.
Edmunds, William. Taylor,
John.
Farr, George. Tomlins, Edward.
Feake,
Henry.
Tomlins, Timothy.
Fitch,
Jeremiah.
Turner, Nathaniel.
Graves,
Samuel. Walker,
Richard.
Hall, John. White, John.
Hathorne, William. Wilkins, Bray.
Hawkes, Adam. Willis,
Thomas.
Hawkes, John. Witter,
William.
Holyoke, Edward.
Wright,
Richard.
After 1630 the
population steadily increased. Among the new-corners were some of established
reputation in public life and some of high social standing; so the place began
to be of note and influence. It will probably be in our way as we proceed to
introduce many who, at different periods and in various ways, added to the
prosperity and fame of this their adopted home.
NAME,
NATURAL FEATURES, PRODUCTIONS, EMBARRASMENTS AND SUCCESSES.
“In sooth, your honor, it was a goodly place; but rich
domaains attract evil eyes.”
The
original or Indian name of the territory composing the present city of Lynn and
the adjacent towns which once formed a part of her domain was Saugus, an Indian
word said to signify great
or extended; and
by that name it was known till 1637, when the General Court passed this concise
order:
“
SAUGUST IS CALLED LIN.” The name Lynn was adopted from Lynn Regis, or King’s Lynn,
Norfolk, England, which is a venerable borough upon the river Ouse, near where
it falls into the German Ocean.It
has been a seaport of some importance for centuries, and has a peculiarly
interesting history, having, apparently, maintained its loyalty to the sovereign
through all the political agitations and civil wars from the time of King John,
which monarch presented to the corporation a sword, a mace and one or two other
regal gifts, which are still treasured there with chivalrous fidelity. In
Doomsday Book, A. D. 1086, Lynn
Regis is called Lenne, which means, in the ancient language of Britain,
“spreading waters.” The name here was adopted through courtesy to Rev. Mr.
Whiting, the second minister, who had been a resident of King’s Lynn. He was
much beloved, being eminent for learning, piety and serenity of temper. He
ministered here for the long period of forty-three years. The extensive Saugus
territory, having thus received the name of Lynn, remained intact but few years
before it began to be shorn of outlying portions. But down to 1814 no very
extensive tract had been severed. In that year Lynnfield, which had been called
Lynn End, and having been incorporated as a district in 1782, was set off as a
separate town under its present
name. Another portion was, by legislative action, taken from the mother town in
1815, and incorporated under the name Saugus, thus reviving the old name in that
detached portion of the territory. In 1852 still another portion was set off and
the new town of Swampscott came
into being. The next year, 1853, the pleasant little peninsula of Nahant was
unbound and made a separate municipality. By these facts it will be seen that it
is very difficult to treat those municipal children of Lynn as having any separate early history.
Along the inland
border of Lynn rise extensive ranges of
rocky, wooded hills, never attaining aheight of more than two hundred and
twenty-five feet, though appearing from the water or from the shoreward levels,
to be much higher, which overlook the city and its village environs, with
meadows, lakelets and low, level marshes, the latter sometimes entirely
submerged by the storm-impelled sea which relentlessly floats off the
laboriously raised stacks of salt hay, and afford the strange sight of railroad
trains apparently gliding upon
the ocean’s surface. This marsh hay, it may be remarked, though by no
means so highly esteemed for fodder as English or upland hay, is yet well worth the
labor of storing. For stock, though not very palatable, it is healthful, and for
some purposes quite valuable.
Away beyond, lies the
great expanse of Massachusetts Bay, with numerous green isles and headlands, the
shores at night illuminated by innumerable iight, confusing, one might suppose,
to the mariner, though picturesque to the beholder. Almost the whole of
Mansachusetts Bay is within the range of vision from the hills of Lynn. And
glistening in the sunshine may likewise be seen the gilded dome of the State
House, in Boston, some of the architectural piles of the city and the blue hills
of Norfolk, Middlesex and Worcester. And the writer dares predict that these
hills, so picturesque and pleasant in themselves, so airy and affording such
charming views, and withal furnishing such abundance of substantial and handsome
building material, will, ere many years have passed, be occupied by structures
rivaling in grandeur and romantic conceit many that crown the famed steeps of
the Old World. True, in some parts the ascents and descents are such that, for
the infirm and sluggish, sidewalk stairs, such as are seen in the beautiful
Mediterranean isle of Malta, might be required, -incentives to maledictions like
those attributed to the impetuous Byron:
“Adien, ye
cursed streets of stairs,
How surely he who
mounts you swears.”
But to such as are
enraptured with nature in her more untamed aspect, the hope will long remain
that such desolating improvements may never come. But it is enough for the good
people of this generationthat
they may yet, upon the sunny heights, enjoy the budding beauties of spring, in
the sequestered glens find retreats for summer’s fervid hours, and everywhere,
as the year draws towards its close, witness the indescribable glow of
autumn foliage. Yes, and winter, too, has its charms. What more enchanting than
the frosted trees? Suddenly, as if by some celestial alchemy, every limb and
twig seems swaying with the weight of brilliant gems. No wonder that poets have
so often celebrated the charms of such fairy scenes. Our own Lewis has
commemorated, in lines perhaps the most inspiring that he ever wrote, the
striking display on the brilliant morning of January 29, 1829.
But ours is not the only land in which may be witnessed these radiant
exhibitions of Nature’s scenic power. In Philip’s “Epistle to the Earl of
Dorset,” written at Copenhagen in 1709, is this graphic passage, which may well
be quoted as descriptive of the scene sometimes presented here:
“And
yet
but lately have I seen, even
here,
The
winter in a lovely dress appear;
Ere
yet the clouds let fall the treasured snow,
Or
winds begun through hazy skies to blow.
At evening a keen eastern breeze arose,
And the descending rain unsully’d froze,
Soon as the silent shades of night withdrew,
The ruddy morn disclosed at once to view
The face of Nature in a rich
disguise,
And brightened every object to my eyes;
For every shrub and every blade of grass,
And every pointed thorn seemed wrought in gIass;
In pearls and rubies rich the hawthorns show,
While thuogh the ice the crimson berries glow.
The thick-sprung reeds which watery marshes yield,
Seem polished lances in a hostile
field.
The stag, in limpid currents
with surprise,
Sees crystal branches on his forehead
rise;
The spreading oak, the beech and towering pine,
Glazed over, in the
freezing ether shine
The frightened birds the rattling
branches shun,
Which wave and glitter in the distant
sun.
When, if a sudden gust of wind arise,
The brittle forest into atoms flies.
The crackling wood beneath the tempest
bends,
And in a spangled shower the prospect ends.”
The “Lakes of Lynn,”
as Mr. Lewis felicitously calls the chain of beautiful ponds that lie upon our
inland border, are a charming feature of the landscape. And during these latter
years the eligibility of their romantic borders for retired and tasteful
residences has become most fully recognized. From them is annually reaped an
abundant winter harvest of ice for summer use - collectively some sixty thousand
tons. And in various ways they are made to supply the wants and add to the
comforts of the people, especially Birch and Breed’s Ponds, through which comes
our public water supply. The principal of these picturesque lakelets, with their
areas, are as follows:
Birch Pond … 84.
Gold Fish Pond … 1 ½.
Breed’s Pond … 64. Holder’s
Pond … 7.
Cedar Pond … 43 Lily
Pond … 4.
Flax Pond … 75.
Sluice
Pond … 50.
Floating Bridge Pond … 17
BIRCH POND is an artificial
reservoir, or storage basin, formed in 1873, for the purpose of an additional
supply of water for public use. It was made by carrying a substantial dam across
Birch Brook Valley, on the east of Walnut Street, near the Saugus line. A considerable part of this pond is in Saugus.
BREED’S POND is also
artificial, and takes its name from Theophilus N. Breed, who, in 1843, built a
dam across the valley a few rods from Oak Street, on the north. He thus procured
sufficient power for the iron works be established on Oak Street. On the 15th of
April, 1851, during the memorable storm by which the light-house on Minot’s
Ledge was carried away, some forty feet of the dam were demolished, and out
rushed the water in a current ten feet in depth, with such impetuosity that
large rocks were carried across Oak Street into the meadow below. The dam was
repaired and Mr. Breed continued his business, which was ironcasting and machine
work, five or six years longer, and then the works were closed. In 1860 the dam
was broken, and the water suffered to escape, leaving a bed which remained a
noxious bog, where rank vegetation flourished and noisy reptiles congregated. In
1863, however, the dam was again repaired, the pond restored and other business
commenced. Finally, after an interval of idleness, in 1870, the city purchased
the property as the first step towards securing a suitable public supply of pure
water. Repairs were made about the pond, the Pine Hill Reservoir was built,
pipes were laid in the streets, the pumping engine was set up on Walnut Street
and then, on the 27th of February, 1873, the water was sent coursing through the
distributing pipes. The reservoir has a capacity of twenty million gallons and
is one hundred and seventy-seven feet above sea level.
CEDAR POND is in the northeast section of the city, near the
Peabody line, and by a small stream connects with Sluice Pond.
FLAX POND was first looked to for a public water supply. It was
in 1869 that it became apparent that something must speedily be done in that
direction. It was found that this pond, with its adjuncts, could furnish a daily
average of three million gallons, but objections were made as to its use for
domestic purposes on account of impurities. A temporary arrangement, however,
was made for its use in cases of fire. Pipes were laid, and on the 8th of
December, of the year named, the water was sent coursing to the hydrants in
various parts of the city. And that was the first time the city received a
supply from any source, by aqueduct, for any purpose. This arrangement continued
till a supply for all needs was secured from other sources. Flax Pond, from the
earliest times, has yielded its waters for many useful purposes. The principal
stream that it sends forth is Strawberry Brook, which, in its course to the
ocean, has carried mills, supplied tanneries and done many other useful things,
besides answering as a highway for the alewives to reach their spawning-grounds.
This pond, likewise, is to a considerable extent artificial; and its name was
derived from the circumstance that much of the flax which in former times was
raised hereabout was taken there to be duly rotted.
FLOATING BRIDGE POND. -
This lies in the direct line of the old Salem and Boston turnpike, and the
bridge by which it is crossed floats upon the surface, a circumstance that gave
rise to the name. This pond is of great depth, so much so that in former times
it was
spoken of as “without a bottom.” The bridge lies flat upon the surface, and, as
carriages pass, the water is forced up between the planks, so that some portions
are always wet. Stacey’s Brook, which discharges at King’s Beach, has its rise
in Floating Bridge Pond.
GOLD FISH POND. - This is a small gathering of water and occupies
what was formerly a brambly bog. It is on Fayette Street, near Lewis, and close
by the spot on which Edmund Ingalls, one of the very first settlers, established
himself in 1629; hence it was sometimes called “Ingalls’s Pond.” It was likewise
called “The Swamp,” in view of its swampy condition and uncomely aspect. But in
1870, at an expense of about three thousand seven hundred dollars, such
improvements were made as rendered it one of the chief ornaments of that part of
the city. Especially has it a most attractive appearance at evening, in the
lustre of the electric light. About 1840 it began to be called Gold Fish Pond,
the name originating in the fact that in it had then appeared large numbers of
goldfish, supposed to have been the offspring of five of the species which some
boys procured and let loose there in 1837. These fish became so abundant that in
a few years the youth of the neighborhood gained many a dime by peddling them
about town from buckets of water.
HOLDER’S POND is a pretty little woodland lakelet among the
rocky hills, with wild, tangled paths upon its borders, as sequestered as any
misanthrope would desire, for his musing hours. And in winter it affords, like
all the other ponds, a fine surface for the skater’s sports.
LILY POND is upon the
north of Boston Street, and near the Peabody line, a portion lying within the
limits of St. Joseph’s Cemetery. It no doubt acquired its name from the splendid
growth of white lilies that year after year, before the multitudes of juvenile
depredators began to make their descents, adorned its surface, and perfumed the
air around.
SLUICE POND. - At the
time the matter of establishing public water-works in Lynn was under discussion,
the waters of various sources were analyzed, and it was found that those of
Sluice Pond were the purest. This little lake lies near the northeast border, in
what used to be called Dye Factory Village, but now Wyoma. It is of irregular
shape, and with it, by a gentle little stream, Cedar Pond is connected. The
waters of this pond have for many years been utilized for mechanical purposes,
the sluice-way through which they passed giving the pond its name; it was,
however, formerly called Tomlins’s Pond. A small stream connects its waters with
Flax Pond, so that Cedar, Sluice and Flax form links to the chain that reaches
the ocean by way of Strawberry Brook.
SPRING POND, the main body of which lies in Salem, though the
famous mineral spring, from which its name is derived, is just within the Lynn
border, has an interesting history which would more properly be given elsewhere.
Then there is the little pond, if it can properly be so called, near the centre
of the Common. This was formed in 1835, by intercepting the waters of a little
brook that pursued its weedy way across that pleasant public ground.
Improvements were made and the fountain placed in 1871.
Nothing need be added,
perhaps, regarding the mill ponds that have from time to time been formed by
individual enterprise and for individual emolument, though they have added to
the prosperity of the place and done their part in the way of beautifying. That
on Federal Street was formed as early as 1655, was dug by hand, and is still
supplied by water from Flax Pond, coursing along the canal, tapping Strawberry
Brook at Park Street, and running on through a part of Marion. Then there is the
twenty-acre mill-pond near the foot of Pleasant Street, formed by Mr. John
Alley, in 1831, by running a dam from his wharf to the marsh.
The territory of Lynn
presents an interesting field for the geologist. Here are literally hills of
porphyry of various colors, red and a beautiful purple predominating, which
would, were the stone not so difficult to work, afford an inexhaustible store
handsome and cheap building material. It is now, however, beginning to be used
to some extent, in the rubble form. The beautiful walls of Saint Stephen’s
Church are chiefly composed of it; also those of the First Universalist Church,
in Nahant Street. There are likewise large deposits of green stone and
syenite.
In blasting for the pipes of
the City Water-Works up the hill opposite the pumping station on Walnut Street,
beautiful dendrites of manganese were found in abundance. Enormous boulders of
granite are found in the woods and upon the shores; but these are now fast
disappearing, for building purposes. There are also veins of quartz; and there
is a tradition that some of the early settlers found gold, in small quantities.
The eminent geologist, Agassiz, long had a summer residence at Nahant, and many
interesting facts have been brought to light by his researches. The rugged
battlements of rock that frown along the shores of the peninsula, upon which he
so loved to gaze, and whose mysterious construction he so loved to investigate,
we are assured, stood there in solemn majesty ages before Europe emerged from
the chaotic mass.
In an examination of the
geology of Lynn, Saugus, Swampseott and Nahant would naturally be included. But
in this place nothing more than a mere suggestion or two can be made as to the
various interesting formations. It is profitless to speculate as to what the
condition of the formations and deposits was ages ago, or to endeavor by present
appearances to trace the operations of nature in pre-historic times. It may,
however, be noted as an interesting fact, touching the history of Essex County,
that geological researches long ago led to the belief that at a remote period
the Merrimac River, after entering Massachusetts from New Hampshire, instead of
pursuing its present course, and discharging its waters at Newburyport, followed
a more direct line, and cast its contribution into the Atlantic at Lynn.
Supposing that to have been the case, and that it had continued to the present
time, where now would have been that line of thrifty Essex County border cities
and towns, Lawrence, Haverhill, Bradford, West Newbury and the others that so
adorn the whole extent of the beautiful valley; yea, and Newburyport herself?
Lynn cannot now boast of a
lordly stream like the Merrimac, but she can boast of her bright little Saugus
that traverses her western border - a modest little river, to be sure, but one
which has largely contributed to her prosperity during her whole history, by
furnishing eligible mill-sites and other manufacturing privileges, and by
yielding abundance of various kinds of excellent shore fish. Tons of eels have
sometimes been speared from beneath the ice during a single winter, and the
clam-banks near the mouth have yielded of their abundance many a nutritive meal
for the humble board of the poor as well as savory addition to the luxurious
table of the rich. Indeed, the extremity of poverty, at least in the matter of
food, was never so keenly felt by the settlers hereabout as by those farther
inland, the sea, like a faithful parent, being always a good provider. In
addition to all these benefits may be mentioned the facilities for salt water
bathing, and boating sports. And now, with its tributaries of pure water, this
gentle river of Saugus is about to swell the volume of Lynn’s public supply.
It was upon the border of
Saugus River that the ancient iron-works, said to have been the first in
America, were established. And in a romantic glen, a stone’s throw from the
bloomery, it is alleged, a band of pirates concealed themselves, after quitting
their bloody traffic upon the seas, remaining undisturbed till a Kings cruiser
appeared upon the coast, when capture and swift retribution overtook most of
them.
Lynn, as before stated, is
about ten miles northeast of Boston, the metropolis of New England. Including
Swampscott and Nahant, which, though they have now become separate
municipalities, still seem to be mere territorial outposts, the seashore line
measures about six miles; and inland from the sea the line measures about five
miles. The main body of the city, or rather of the business portion, occupies a
plain, with the sea in front. But there are some diversities of surface,
Sagamore Hill and the highlands being airy elevations, crowned by many fine
residences.
It can hardly be said that
the soil of Lynn is naturally fertile. It is stony, and in many places the
descent towards the sea is so considerable that the droughts of summer often
have a serious effect. Nevertheless, such an abundance of rich
manuring material is day by day thrown up by the sea, and the means of
irrigation are so near at hand, that the labors of even the indigent husbandman
need not be in vain. Farming was, of course, the chief occupation of most of the
early settlers, and it is stated by Graham that in 1637 there were thirty-seven
plows in the whole colony, most of them being
in Lynn.
In the early times of the
settlement the woods, the beaches and marshes furnished irresistible attractions
for the sportsman. Feathered game of various kinds was found in the woods, upon
the beaches and marshes; cod, haddock, bass and halibut sported in the offing;
and the woods furnished a good share of wild meat.
Of feathered game very
little is now found. The fish, or rather the fishing interest, was chiefly taken
away by our undutiful children, Nahant and Swampscott, when they departed; and,
of course, in the sketches of those places, some account of it will appear. As
to furred game, there is now almost literally none in the woods. Occasionally a
shame-faced sportsman may he seen shying from the forest at evening, possibly
with a poor little rabbit, but most likely empty-handed.
William Wood, the author of
“New England’s Prospect,” who has already been spoken of as a resident of Lynn,
was inclined occasionally to give his descriptive passages in numbers. He did
not, probably, aspire to the character of poet, though, with as good grace as
some others, he might have done so; and perhaps, having called him the first
historian of Lynn, we may as well also call him the first poet. Of the flora of
this region he discourses briefly in numbers, mentioning among the trees, the
oak, cyprus, pine, chestnut, cedar, walnut, spruce, ash, elm, maple, birch and
some others of smaller growth ; naming also the “diar’s shumach,” the
“snakemurthering hazell” and “sweet saxaphrage, whose spurnes in beere allays
hot fever’s rage.” Most of these kinds are still common in Lynn woods, though
the chestnut and one or two others are not often seen. The hemlock, one of the
most graceful native trees of New England, he does not allude to, excepting,
perhaps, under some other name.
Mr. Wood mentions some of
the fruits of this “Indian orchard,” but does not go much into particulars.
Blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries and whortleberries are still
common in the woods and meadows. One of the best known shrubs at present found
is the barberry, the root of which was formerly much used in dyeing, as it
imparts a beautiful yellow. It bears an acid berry, of bright scarlet, from
which an excellent preserve is made. It is, however, no doubt an exotic, and
akin to that which in England is called the pepperidge bush. The early settlers
introduced some plants for which after generations had little cause to be
thankful; among them the white-weed, now known by the more dainty name of
fieid-daisy, and the wood-wax, that beautiful pest of pasture land. But the
barberry seems to hold a doubtful rank. Its prevalence, more than a hundred
years ago, became so injurious in the pastures that the law interposed to check
its increase. It, however, requires such a peculiarity of soil, that to this day
it has not spread over a great extent of territory. Even in most parts of
Massachuctts a barberry bush was never seen. The General Court, in 1753, ordered
that all persons having barberry bushes growing on their lands should extirpate
them before the 10th of June, 1760. And the surveyors of highways were required
to destroy all growing by the roadside within the specified time, or the towns
should pay two shillings for every one left standing. The reasons for this order
were that those bushes had so much increased that the pasture lands were greatly
encumbered ; and it was imagined that “a steam flew off” from them that blasted the English grain.
So it appears that left-handed thanks were due to the people of other lands, in
the early days, for questionable gifts, as well as from us of this
generation for the gift of the sarcastically twittering English sparrow. But
then it should be remembered that the many nobler gifts from abroad far
outnumber the few of doubtful value.
In
the woods and fields, the tangled dells and damp vales, along the weedy rills
and upon the rocky heights, may still be gathered wild flowers in great variety,
from the brilliant cardinal to the shrinking violet. To sum up in a terse
sentence of Mr. Lewis, “The forests, fields and meadows are rich in the
abundance and variety of medicinal plants, and the town presents a fine field
for the botanist.”
Very few parts of the New
England coast present so many interesting and at times sublime features as those
within and about Lynn. Here bold and jagged cliffs of greenstone, feldspar and
other adamantime formations rear themselves as impregnable barriers against the
inroads of the ever-assaulting ocean; there, broad beaches of fine, gray sand,
so compact and hard that carriage wheels scarely make an impression, with ridges
of the wonderful up-castings of the seashells of curious shape and glistening
stones of every color and form. In pleasant weather and during the warm season
there are many attractions for the pleasure- seeker in promenading, boating and
fishing; and for the health-seeker in refreshing breezes, quiet retirement and
the restoring sea-bath.
The principal beach is that
which joins Nahant to Lynn, and has, from early times, been known as Long Beach.
It is nearly
two miles in length, and forms a gentle curve. The early geographers spoke of it
as a very curious formation. To the first settlers it seems to have been the
scene of weird mystery, awe - inspiring and not unmixed with undefinable
aprehension. Its
hollow moanings warned, its gentle murmurings relieved. Mr. Wood thus
alludes to it, - “Vpon ye south side of ye Sandy Beach ye sea beateth, which is
a sure prognostication to presage stormes and foule weather and ye breaking vp
of Frost. For when a stornie hath beene or is likely to be itt will roare
like Thunder, being hearde six myles.” The roaring is not, however, always
indicative of an approaching storm, as it arises from the violent driving in of
heavy seas by out-winds. The wind may change and the threatening cease. Long
Beach was a favorite sporting-ground with the Indians, and gambling groups
sometimes assembled here, for the Indians were great gamblers, often risking all
their possessions, even to papoose or squaw, upon the turning up of a shell or fall of
a stone. The Indian sagamore dwelt upon the neighboring height that overlooks
the beach, and from there was accustomed to view the athletic sports of his
people, which took place on the sandy plateau. sometimes being unable to
restrain himself from joining in the contests - the same picturesque height that still
bears the name Sagamore Hill, and is now crowned by commodious dwellings, stores
and other marks of refined and busy life.
Upon these beaches and along
the rocky indentations of this rugged coast the sea has, from time to
time, cast up from her mysterious store-house wonderful
specimens of the deposits there. And they
have also been
the scene of some most appalling shipwrecks and other marine disasters.
Government has done something to leseen the dangers, and still much needs to be
done. Egg Hock towers up in the offing, eighty-six feet above sea level, and has
an area of some three acres, on one-third of which is a shallow layer of soil.
It is a precipitous cliff of feldspar, incapable of being landed upon, excepting
at one point and during a calm sea. Upon this lonely rock, which is a couple of
miles from Long Beach, a mile from Nahant and three miles from Swampscott, a
lighthouse has been erected, which for the first time shed forth its hospitable
beams on the night of September 15, 1856.
From time to time the
territorial integrity of old Lynn has been raided upon. As already remarked,
Lynnfield was set off in 1814, Saugus in 1815, Swampscott in 1852 and Nahant in
1853. But as to the latter, some two centuries ago, it was in danger of being
severed from the parent, for it was in 1688 that Edward Randolph, who has been
called the evil genius of New England, petitioned Governor Andros for the gift
of Nahant, indulging, no doubt, in the pleasant dream of erecting a sort of
baronial establishment for himself there. His choice of a seat certainly
indicated good taste, if not a love for fair dealing. The town was notified of
the petition, and great excitement ensued, it being well known that the
petitioner had much influence as counselor, secretary and personal friend of the
Governor. He had been sent out to report on the condition of the colonies, and
was justly reputed to be unfriendly to their interests. There was no doubt of
his high prerogative proclivities, nor of his being one of the chief instruments
in annulling the beloved old charter. He himself says that he was regarded at
Boston "more like a spy than one of his majesty's servants," and speaks of being
welcomed, on his return from a brief absence, by "a paper of scandalous verses."
The nature of these “scandalous verses " may be gathered from the following
extract:
“ Welcome, Sr. welcome from ye easternoeshore,
With a commission stronger than before
To play the horse-leach ; rob us of our ffleeces,
To rend our land and teare it all to pieces :
Welcome now back againe; ?s is the whip,
To a ffoole’s back ; as water in a ship.
Boston make roome; Randolph's returned, that Hector,
Confirmed at home to be ye sharp Collector."
It can well be supposed that
Randolph was by no means a favorite with the people of Boston, for among his
other imprudent - or take the word as more exactly expressive without the "r," -
attempts at acquisition, he petitioned to have a house-lot on Boston Common set
off to him.
Such was the man who, in
1688, petitioned Andros, who had just about as much love for the colonies and
for abstract justice as he, to grant him the beautiful peninsula of Nahant. The
Governor undoubtedly was inclined to comply with his favorite's petition; but
decency required that the matter should not be consummated with unseemly haste.
On notice of Randolph's
petition, a town-meeting was held, and a vigorous protest, setting forth the
right of the town to the peninsula and the damage that would ensue from the
granting of the petition, was addressed to the Governor and Council. But
Randolph was persistent and renewed his petition, denying the right of the town
to the land, and even going so far as to declare that Lynn never was an
incorporated town, "and so not endowed with a power of receiving or disposing of
such land." To this a spirited rejoinder, signed by seventy-four of the
principal inhabitants, was forwarded. But it is not easy to say what the result
would have been, had not the successful uprising of the people presently
consigned both Andros and Randolph to the Fort Hill Prison, in which uprising
tho people of Lynn naturally took an active part, Rev. Mr. Shepard, the
minister, heading the phalanx which marched to Boston, arriving there, as
Randolph graphically said, at about eleven o'clock, "like so many wild bears."
This Randolph affair formed ? lively episode in Lynn's history.
Had Nahant been granted to
Randolph, it is easy to see that it would have become a sharp thorn in the side
of Lynn; that a continual petty warfare would have ensued. It would no longer
have been, as for many years it was, a pasture for her cattle, nor would it have
become, as in after-years it did, a delightful resort lor parties of pleasure.
And even at this day, instead of being the paradise of a certain class of
reputed "dodgers," it would have been - we know not what!
From what has already been
said, something may be gathered of the condition, habits, culture and general
fitness of the settlers as laborers on the foundations of a new social fabric,
and likewise something of the natural features of their new home. It will be
observed that they came largely from the industrial classes. But they were a
thoughtful people, and realized the responsibilities that rested on them. Next
to ensuring the means for procuring the prime necessities of life, - food,
clothing and shelter, - they felt the importance of supplying facilities for
common education, for moral and intellectual training.
Lynn, unlike some other New
England settlements, has all along, in a remarkable degree, depended on herself,
procuring whatever she possessed by her own industry and skill; in other words,
has had only what she earned. Some of the early settlements were the outcome of
foreign business enterprise, and flourished by the aid of foreign capital.
Especially in later times have manufacturing communities been nurtured, if not
sustained, by capital drawn from outside of their limits. Not so with Lynn. Her
advancement has been made through her own enterprise, her accumulations by her
own industry. Throughout all the periods of business adversity and temporal
distress that have cast their shadows over the community, in colonial,
provincial and later times, Lynn has ever been able not only to maintain her own
sons and daughters, but to afford, not perhaps of her abundance, but of her
thrift and generosity, relief to communities more severely afflicted. "When
there were yet few of them, and they strangers in the land," with humble trust,
patient endurance and unremitting toil, they applied themselves to their new
duties, and seldom failed of meet reward. But the writer is not unmindful that
there is a higher duty to perform than the boastful tracing of progress in a
mere worldly way, that higher duty being to mark the development of the great
principles that constitute the true foundation of human right and duty; of
tracing, even in the most limited sphere, the progress of those principles on
which true liberty rests –
principles which contribute so largely to the sum of human
happiness, and have made our nation what she is.
In
the history of Lynn, perhaps as conspicuously as in that of any other New
England community, may be seen the progress to which we refer - the progress of
principles which were the birthright of the settlers, as Englishmen, shadowed
forth in the charter of 1215, and finally appearing in more pronounced form in
the Declaration of American Independence, in the established Constitutions and
supplementary Bills of Rights.
The Andros administration has been referred to. That, perhaps, was the
most pregnant, as it certainly was the most stirring, episode during many years
of New England history. Something of its bearing upon the people here has been
seen. The result, no doubt, was of great benefit politically, for it quickened
the apprehension of natural rights and solidified the determination to permit
upon this soil no encroachment upon them. The "tyrant of New England," as the
obnoxious Governor was called, soon found that opposition attended every step,
and manifested itself in every way - in grave denunciation, cutting satire and
comic hyperbole. Imagine the effect of the following stanzas from the Sternhold
and Hopkins version of the Fifty-second Psalm, as they are said to have been
lined off with great unction by an elderly deacon, and with equal unction sung
by voices old and young, smooth and rough, in tune and out, at a meeting which
the Governor, in one of his tours, deigned to attend :
"Why dost thou, tyrant, boast abroad
Thy wicked works to praise?
Dost thou not know there is a God,
Whose mercies last always?
Why dost thy mind yet still device
Such wicked wiles to warp?
Thy tongue untrue, in forging lies,
Is like a razor sharp.
Thou dost delight in fraud and guile,
In mischief, blood and wrong :
Thy lips have learned the flattering stile,
O false, deceitful tongue."
CIVIL HISTORY. - The civil history
of Lynn, in its organic features, does not much differ from that of other early
Bay settlements. The town was never formally incorporated, but by the earliest
General Court was recognized as an existing municipality. That was enough,
though, as we have just seen, the obsequious Edward Randolph, a counselor of
Governor Andros when, in 1688, he petitioned for the gift of Nahant, denied
this, saying, in answer to the vigorous protestations of the Lynn people, "It
does not appear . . . that the said town of Lynn was incorporated in the year
1635, nor at any time since, and so not now endowed with a power of receiving or
disposing of such lands, . . . and their town of Lynn is equal to a village in
England, and no otherwise." But he and his unscrupulous superior soon found that
there was a power somewhere that was able to defeat their arbitrary schemes and
land them both in a prison.
The settlers were thoroughly
imbued with the sentiment that political power belonged to the people. If Roger
Williams was the first here to formulate this as well as certain principles of
religious freedom, he was not the first to realize it. When they left the Old
World they left the dogma of a divinely-appointed class, and adopted the manly
idea of equal rights. Such being the case, what more natural than the
establishment of the town-meeting, - the assembly in which all could meet and
freely discuss the affairs by which the well-being and prosperity of all were to
be affected, and in which each individual, by voice and vote, could exercise his
influence? There was the charter, to be sure, and its authority was
acknowledged; but its provisions would not have been allowed to override the
higher demands of conscience, right and justice, had there been any apprehended
attempt to do so, for the trained and ingenious mind can discover ways of
interpretation that will circumvent the most crafty scheming.
Very soon the interests of
the settlers broadened, and it became necessary to establish "Ye Great and
Genrall Courte." And the same right of free discussion and free action was
maintained there. At first every freeman was deemed a member of the court, and
liable to be fined if he did not attend its sessions, for it was rightly claimed
that the community was entitled to the best judgment and skill of each of its
members, it being realized as well then as now that in the mind of the humblest
hewer of wood and drawer of water conceptions of unspeakable value might arise.
But the time soon arrived when it was impracticable for the whole body of
freemen to attend the court sessions; no room could be found large enough to
contain them, and then the end had to be sought through deputies or
representatives. Soon parties began to appear, and divisions, not on the primary
principle of individual freedom, but on the question as to whom it would be most
safe and expedient to invest with the delegated power.
Of course it would not be
practicable or even desirable to go largely into detail regarding the old
town-meetings. They were conducted here much as elsewhere. Every local matter
was freely discussed and often the debates broadened into irrelevant
dissertations on great public questions and theoretical propositions, very much
as they are apt to in these days of political enlightenment. Neighborhood
disagreements and jealousies would occasionally arise, and crude conceptions and
selfish inclinations manifest themselves. Village orators would harangue at
wearying length and village seers forecast calamities; but there were also wise,
honest and patriotic men, shrewd counselors and wary watchers for the public
good, and through all and in all each felt his own individual rights and
acknowledged his responsibilities.
It
is not wonderful that the people of the old Bay State clung so tenaciously and
so long to the town- meeting. It had carried them safely through perilous times
and threatening shocks; and in a broad sense it may even be claimed that it had
been the very nursery of American freedom. There was no city organization in all
Massachusetts till 1822, when Boston assumed the new investiture, having then a
population of forty-five thousand. It was quite a number of years, however,
before any other town followed her example. Salem and Lowell were the first,
they becoming cities in 1836. But the adoption of the city form was so far
receding from elementary freedom, and while it was desirable, if not necessary,
in many respects, it also afforded greater facilities for ambitious politicians
and wire-pullers to ply their arts.
Lynn adopted the city form of government in 1850. Many worthy and
prominent people strongly opposed the change, and the adoption of the charter
came near being defeated; indeed, a similar one previously granted by the
Legislature had been defeated by popular vote. Mr. George Hood, a man of much
ability and strong persuasive powers, led the opposition, and it is a little
singular that he who had persistently and vehemently opposed the charter was
elected the first mayor under it. In his inaugural address he thus bade adieu to
the old regime: “Before proceeding to the business immediately before us, it
seems to be appropriate to the occasion to revert briefly to our venerable
system of town government, of which we have taken leave forever, and to pay a
passing tribute to the memory of the conscientious men who, in the midst of
toil, privation and peril, founded, cherished and transmitted it to us as a rich
inheritance. According to Lewis' History, the first white men known to have been
inhabitants of Lynn were Edmund Ingalls and his brother, Francis Ingalls, who
came here in 1629. The next year came Allen Breed, Thomas Newhall, George
Burrill, Edward Baker, John Ramsdell and Richard Johnson; in 1635, Henry Collins
; in 1640, Andrew Mansfield, Richard Hood, Edward Ireson and Henry Rhoades, -all
of whom have representatives in this City Council, and perhaps others of whose
history I have not been informed. . . . Our town government has accomplished its
mission; its successful operation for more than two centuries has proved the
capacity of man for self-government ; it has proved that the safest repository
for power is in the hands of the people. During this long period we hear of no
abuse of power by them, nor of those to whom they intrusted the care of the town
government. They taxed themselves liberally for all necessary objects of public
improvement. The church and the school-house grew up together, both significant
monuments of advancing civilization." Is it probable that at the end of two
centuries more it can be said of the people under the present form of municipal
government, that no abuse of power by them or those to whom they entrusted the
administration of affairs, had been heard of?
Mr. Hood well said that
under the old government the town prospered. Its growth was steady, but not
rapid. At the time of the adoption of the charter, in 1850, the population was
14,200; twenty years before, in 1830, it was 6200; in 1765 the first recorded
census gave 2198; and the increase of business was in something like the same
ratio. But after the introduction of machinery in the manufacture of shoes,
which was subsequent to the adoption of the charter, the increase of business
and population was seemingly much more rapid, though perhaps the percentage was
not much greater. For nearly two centuries the town-meetings were held in the
meeting-house, as the settlers preferred to call their house of worship, the
first being an unseemly little structure, standing in a hollow, near the
territorial centre, and the only public building. It was not held by the same
tenure that "churches " now are, but was the property of the town. There the
village orators exercised their eloquence, the village statesmen their
patriotism, the incipient wirepullers their cunning, till the house iteelf
disappeared. "TheOld Tunnel," as the parish meeting-house built in 1682 was in
after-years called, then became the place for the transaction of town business.
It stood near the centre of the Common, and continued for several generations to
serve the double purpose of a place for public worship and a place for the
transaction of public business. But it was relieved of the latter use in 1806.
In the mean time the Methodists had come in and built a house of worship. And
some objections having been made to the further use of the old house, the
town-meetings then (1806) began to be held in the Methodist house, which stood
near the east end of the Common, at the head of Market Street. There they were
held till the erection of the Town-House, in 1814. That building had an
interesting history, of which little can be given here. It stood on the centre
of the Common, nearly opposite the head of Hanover Street, and for many years
the interior remained unfinished. Of course, elections
were held in it; military companies drilled there; and it was used for
assemblages and exhibitions of various kinds. In 1832 it was removed to South
Common Street, at the point where Blossom Street now opens, and the interior
finished. On the formation of the city government, in 1850, it was thoroughly
repaired and fitted for the reception of the officials under the new and more
august order. Thus it remained until its destruction by fire on the morning of
October 6, 1864.
It was on the 10th of April,
1850, that the Legislature granted the City Charter; on the 19th of the same month the inhabitants, in town-meeting
assembled, voted to accept it ; and on the 14th of May the first organization
under it took place. The ceremonies were held in Old Lyceum Hall, which stood on
Market Street, corner of Summer. The day was pleasant, and a large number, some
of whom were ladies, were present. In the evening the new government, together
with a considerable company of prominent citizens, partook of a collation in the
Town Hall. There was no jubilant display at the initiation of the new
government; no procession, no pyrotechnic exhibition, either oratorical or
material. All parties seemed to join in a quiet but cordial acceptance of the
change, and in a hopeful, if not enthusiastic spirit, determined to repress all
former misgivings.
Soon after the destruction
of the old Town House the necessity of a substantial City Hull was so manifest
that the work of erection was set about energetically; and, on the 30th of
November, 1867, the present stately edifice was dedicated. The city offices were
soon removed thither, and from that time onward have the commodious chambers
echoed with the eloquence of the assembled counselors.
Whether Lynn has prospered
more since the adoption of the city form of government than she would have
prospered had the old town form been longer continued can only be conjectured.
But certain it is, that during the thirty-five years that the existing form has
been in operation her progress has been highly satisfactory. The population has
more than trebled; and in business, in educational facilities, in benevolent
enterprises, and, may we not venture to add, in religion and morality, her
advancement has
been alike marked.
It has been stated that Lynn
has always been fortunate in having among her people men of sagacity, energy and
prudence, - men who, in the administration of her municipal affairs and in her
broader interests, vigorously defended her rights and labored for her good.
These are deserving of special notice, and in an elaborate history should have a
place; but in a limited sketch like the present but comparatively few can be
even named. In the troublous days of the Andros administration, among her heroic
defenders were Oliver Purchis, Rev. Mr. Shepard, Thomas Laighton, Ralph King and
John Burrill. In the stormy times of the Revolution she had the vigilant
watchfulness of Rev. Mr. Treadwell, Rev. Mr. Roby, Deacon John Mansfield, Dr.
Flagg and Frederick Breed, besides her brave sons who took the field. And all
along, down to these later times, she has never been destitute of loyal sons to
protect her good name and promote her prosperity. Especially may it be said that
during the threatening times of the great Civil War scarcely a man in her whole
population could be found who was not ready, if need be, to take the field in
defense of the national cause. The following is a list of the mayors of Lynn,
with the dates of inauguration:
GEORGE HOOD, the first
mayor, served two terms ; was inaugurated May 14, 1850, and April 7, 1851. He
was a native of Lynn, and died June 29, 1859, aged fifty-two.
BENJAMIN FKANKLIN MUDGE, the
second mayor, was inaugurated June 16, 1852. He was a native of Orrington, Me. ;
born August 11, 1817, and died in Manhattan, Kansas, November 21, 1879.
DANIEL COLLINS BAKER, the
third mayor, was inaugurated April 4, 1853. He was a native of Lynn; born
October 14, 1816, and died in New Orleans, La., July 19, 1863.
THOMAS PAGE RICHARDSON, the
fourth mayor, was inaugurated April 3, 1854. He was a native of Lynn; born July
27, 1816, and died November 24, 1881.
ANDREW BREED, the fifth
mayor, was inaugurated January 1, 1855. He was a native of Lynn; born on the
20th of September, 1794, and died in Lancaster, Mass., April 21, 1881.
EZRA WARREN MUDGE, the sixth
mayor, was inaugurated January 7, 1856, and January 5, 1857, serving two terms.
He was a native of Lynn; was born on the 5th of December, 1811, and died
September 20, 1878.
WILLIAM FREDERIC JOHNSON,
the seventh mayor, was inaugurated January 4, 1858. He was a native of Lynn;
born [in Nahant] July 30, 1819.
EDWARD SWAIN DAVIS, the
eighth mayor, served two terms; was inaugurated January 3, 1859, and January 2,
1800. He was born in Lynn June 22,808, and died August 7, 1887.
HIRAM NICHOLS BREED, the
ninth mayor, was inaugurated January 7, 1861. He was born in Lynn September 2,
1809.
PETER MORRELL NEAL, the
tenth mayor, held the office four terms. He was inaugurated January 6, 1862,
January ?, 1863, January 4, 1864, and January 2, 1865. He is a native of North
Berwick, Me., and was born September 21, 1811.
ROLAND GREENE USHER, the eleventh mayor, served three terms. He was
inaugurated January 1,
1866, January 7, 1867, and
January 6, 1868. He was born in Medford, Mass., January 6, 1823.
JAMES NEEDHAM BUFFUM, the
twelfth mayor, was inaugurated January 4, 1869. He was afterward
elected for a second term, and inaugurated January 1, 1872.
He was horn in North Berwick, Me., May 16, 1807, and died June 12, 1887.
EDWIN WALDEN, the thirteenth
mayor, served two terms; was inaugurated January 3, 1870,and January 2, 1871. He
was born in Lynn, November 25, 1818.
JACOB MEEK LEWIS, the fourteenth mayor, served four terms, being
inaugurated January 6, 1873, January 6, 1874, January 4, 1875, and January 3,
1876. He was born in Lynn, October 13, 1823.
SAMUEL MANSFIELD BUBIER, the fifteenth mayor, served two terms, having
been inaugurated January 1, 1877, and January 7, 1878. He is a native of Lynn,
and was born June 23, 1816.
GEORGE PLAISTED SANDERSON, the sixteenth mayor, was inaugurated January
6, 1879, and January
6, 1880, serving two terms. He was
born in Gardiner, Me., November 22, 1836.
HENRY BACON LOVERING, the seventeenth mayor, served two terms. He was
inaugurated January 3,
1881, and January 2, 1882. He is
a native of Portsmouth, N. H., and was born April 8, 1841.
WILLIAM LEWIS BAIRD, the
eighteenth mayor, was inaugurated January 1, 1883, and January 7,
1884, serving two terms. He is a native of Lynn; born July
29, 1843.
JOHN RICHARD BALDWIN, the
nineteenth mayor, was inaugurated January 5, 1885. He is a native of
Lynn, and was born May 10, 1854.
GEORGE DALLAS HART, the
twentieth mayor, was inaugurated January 4, 1886. He was born in Malden, Mass.,
December 7, 1846, and is an offspring of the old Lynn Hart family. Mayor Hart,
elected for a second term, was inaugurated January 3, 1887.
A short series of
statistical statements, touching the present state of municipal and kindred
affairs,
will now be given. Other statistics relating to
special topics will appear in their proper places.
POPULATION. - The population of Lynn, as given by the State census of
1885, is 45,867, - males, 21,752; females, 24,115. Native born, 36,099; foreign
born, 9768. Of the age of eighty years, 16 males and 31 females; of the age of
ninety years, 3 males and 7 females; of the age of ninety-five years, 4, all
females. Colored ?ersons, 624.
The population at different periods is shown by the following:
Years
….. 1800 ….. 1850 ….. 1885
Population …... 2,837 .… 14,257 .. 45,867
DWELLINGS. 1885. - Whole
number, 7383, - of which 7161 are of wood, 76 of brick, 2 of stone, and the
others of mixed material. It will be noted that this does not include the
business buildings, many of which are of brick and very large. Number of persons
to each occupied dwelling, 6.33. Number of buildings erected during the year,
392. Lynn has long been famous for the moving of her buildings from place to
place, and, in pursuance of the custom, 56 changed their places during the year.
VALUATION, TAXATION AND
POLLS.—The following table shows the progress of Lynn in these matters, at
several periods since she became a city:
1850 1860 1870 1880 1886 $3,160,515 6,291,460 14,277,212 17,913,543 23,305,806 3,357,605 6,649,903 5,470,192 6,000,003 9,649,065 20,927,115 23,383,735 29,305,809 3,933 6,773 10,702 13,842 TAX PER $1,000. 8.80 17.20 17.60 19.00
YEAR.
REAL ESTATE.
PERSONAL ESTATE.
$1,674,328 TOTAL.
$4,834,843 NO. POLLS.
3,251
$9.00
It will be perceived from
the foregoing that we have made marked progress, as well in taxation as
valuation and polls.
APPROPRIATIONS AND RECEIPTS,
EXPENDITURES AND CITY DEBT. - The "progress" in these matters is indicated by
the following:
1850 1860 1870 1880 1886 $45,000.00 110,607.28 524,776.72 705,699.57 1,080,274.65 $36,704.79 101,569.51 499,583.25 653,327.90 1,014,617.80 Mar. 1, 1850, $71,398.15 Dec. 31, 1860, 123,100.00 Dec. 31, 1870, 910,000.00 Dec. 31, 1880, 2,169,000.00 Dec. 20, 1886, 2,522,400.00
YEAR.
APPROPRIATIONS AND RECEIPTS.
EXPENDITURES.
CITY DEBT.
ALMSHOUSE. - Average number
of subjects, 67; average cost of each per week, $2.62. Aid was also given to 519
families, or some 1600 outside persons; 5457 tramps were during the year
provided with food and lodging at an expense of $320.55.
FIRE DEPARTMENT, FIRE
ALARMS, ETC. - Steam fire-engines, 5; hook-and-ladder trucks, 2; horse hose
carriages, 5 ; hose wagon, 1 ; large double-tank chemical engine, 1 ; supply
wagons, 5 ; fire alarm telegraph wagon, 1; jumper hose carriages, 2; hose pungs,
5 ; buggy, 1 ; small extinguishers, 6. The manual force consists of 1 chief and
4 assistant engineers, 1 superintendent and 1 assistant superintendent of fire
alarm telegraph, 6 engineers of steam fire-engines, 5 firemen of steam
fire-engines, 12 drivers, 10 foremen, 8 assistant foremen, 49 hosemEn, 20
laddermen, 12 substitutes, making a total of 129. There are also in the service
of the department 22 horses and 14,750 feet of hose. The number of hydrants
scattered about the city is 557, and the number of street reservoirs, 19. The
telegraphic fire alarm was established here in 1871, and has proved extremely
useful and economical. The number of fire alarms during 1885 was 188, 84 being
bell and 104 still alarms. Loss by fire during the year, $169,975.85.
Expenditures of the department for the year, $44,840.06.
Notices of the most
disastrous fires that have ever occurred in Lynn may be found elsewhere in these
pages.
POLICE DEPARTMENT. - The
expenses for the year 1885 were $43,451.44; number of arrests, 1472; 511 being
of persons of foreign birth, and 166 females; 828 were for drunkenness, 186 for
assault and battery and 128 for larceny ; 5453 persons were provided with
lodgings.
WATER WORKS. - Net cost of
the public works, to January 1, 1887, $1,342,144.11. Average consumption of
water per day during the year 1885, 1,920,519 gallons; average to each
inhabitant, a trifle over 41 gallons per day. Total extension
of pipe in Lynn, 75 ¼ miles. The report of the president of the board says
(1886), "The department has paid all expenses of maintenance, the interest on
the water debt, and shows a surplus of $26,919.18 to be carried to the
water-loan sinking fund."
BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES,
1886.—Number of births, 1296; number of marriages, 616.
Under the sub-titles
"Libraries" and "Schools" may be found statistics relating to those
institutions, and under "BURIAL-PLACES" will appear certain vital statistics.
And here, perhaps, is the
proper place to enumerate some of the institutions, associations and societies
for benevolent, moral, social and recreative purposes, of which Lynn has a large
number. They are, generally, worthy of honorable recognition, and some are
deserving of great praise. It would hardly be practicable even to name them all
here, nor is it necessary, as several are spoken of elsewhere. Yet a little
space may be allowed, the name of the organization generally indicating its
character. Among them are - Associated Charities (the object being to discreetly
distribute the means contributed for charitable purposes.), Board of Fire
Insurance Underwriters, 7 clubs for religious, social, political, mutual
improvement and recreative purposes. There are also 3 bicycle and 4 boat clubs,
and 1 shooting club. Female Benevolent Society, Firemen's Relief Association,
Free Public Forest Association, Grand Army of the Republic, Home for Aged Women,
Houghton Horticultural Society, Inebriates' Home, Knights of Honor, Knights of
Labor, Knights of Pythias, Lasters’ Protective Union, Lynn Hospital, McKay
Stitchers' Union, 4 Masonic lodges (spoken of elsewhere), Mechanics' Exchange,
Medical Society, 9 mutual benefit associations - among them the Workingmen's Aid
Association and the Accident Association, 12 Odd Fellows' lodges, Press
Association, Sanitary Association, Shoe and Leather Association, Teamsters'
Union, 10 temperance organizations, Young Men's Christian Association.
LYNN BANKS. - There are now
(1887) in Lynn five banks of discount, with an aggregate capital of $1,100,000,
to wit: First National, capital, $500,000; Central National, $200,000; National
City, $200,000; National Security, $100,000; Lynn National, $100,000. There are
also two savings banks, namely, Lynn Institution for Savings and Lynn Five-Cents
Savings Bank, with aggregate deposits, January 1, 1887, to the amount of
$4,710,000.
LYNN POST-OFFICE. - The
business of a post-office may, perhaps, ordinarily be taken as a fair indicator
of the business of the place in which it is located. The Lynn post-office was
established in 1793, before which time the mail matter of the people here was
distributed through the Boston office. Fifty years ago, that is in 1835, the
gross amount of postage accruing at the Lynn office, all told, for the year
ending October 1st, was $2,459.28 ; and the increase of business to the present
time is indicated by the following items for the year ending December 30, 1886:
Receipts from sale of
stamps, stamped envelopes and postal cards … $50,452.97
Expenditures for salaries, rent, gas, etc …
$23,671.88
Excess of receipt over expenditures … $26, 781.09
Number of pieces delivered
by carriers … 3,214,985
Number of pieces collected
by carriers … 1,276,030
There are six daily mails,
Sunday excepted, to Boston and the South, and four to the East. Fifty years ago
the government did not provide carriers to deliver and collect mail matter, a
fact that, no doubt, has had something to do with the increase of
correspondence. The rates of postage were much higher than at present. The
postage on a single letter from Lynn to New York, for instance, was 18 ¾ cents,
a fact which induced many to send by private hand when opportunity offered. But
the postage was not required to be paid in advance, a circumstance, one might
think, encouraging to correspondence. A penny post began to run about town in
1812; but he was not employed by government, individuals paying him at the rate
of two cents a letter. The first postmaster was Colonel James Robinson, and he
kept the office on Boston Street near the corner of North Federal. He was a
soldier of the Revolution; was succeeded in 1802 by Major Ezra Hitchings, reared
a large family of sons and daughters and died, in 1832, in reduced
circumstances, being the recipient, during his latter years, of a small
pension. This site may be freely linked to but
not duplicated in any fashion without my permission.
© 2006
Copyright by Shaun
Cook