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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MEDFORD, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT, IN 1630, TO THE PRESENT TIME, 1855. (ed. Charles Brooks), Chapter 1: (search)
Bear Meadow. Marble Brook, now called Meeting-house Brook, crosses High Street about forty rods north-east of Rock Hill. In spring, smelts resort to it in great numbers. The brook or creek over which Gravelly Bridge is built was called Gravelly Creek, but more lately Pine Hill Brook. The stream is small, but much swelled by winter rains. It has its source in Turkey Swamp. The brook which crosses the road, at a distance of a quarter of a mile south of the Royal house, was named Winter Brook. It has its source near the foot of Walnut Hill. Hills. The hill commanding the widest prospect, and most visited by pleasure parties, is Pine Hill, in the north-east part of the town, near Spot Pond. As part of the low range of hills, called the Rocks, which runs east and west, and nearly marks the northern boundary of the town, it is the highest. It was covered with as dense a forest as its thin soil on the rock could sustain. In early time the wood was burned. When the arm
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MEDFORD, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT, IN 1630, TO THE PRESENT TIME, 1855. (ed. Charles Brooks), Chapter 10: trade. (search)
obtained the local name. After these gentlemen came Seth Tufts, who, with his son Seth, carried on the business till recently. These yards were situated near Middlesex Canal and the river, about south-south-east from Rock Hill. The next in order of age were the yards opened in 1810 by Nathan Adams, Esq. They were situated each side of the old county road, leading from Medford over Winter Hill, and were about half a mile south of the Great Bridge, in the small valley on the borders of Winter Brook. From the first kiln, Captain Adams built the house now standing on the right side of the road, twenty rods north of the kiln, as an advertisement; and the bricks show the goodness of the clay and the skill of the workmen. These yards were next occupied by Mr. Babbitt, but have been discontinued for ten or fifteen years. We presume that bricks have been made in many places now unknown to us; for nearly the whole of Medford seems to have a deep stratum of pure clay under it. The fa
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 8., West Medford in 1870. (search)
ket day and the stock yards are full of lowing cattle and bleating sheep (just unloaded from the long trains that have come down from New Hampshire) or out on the highway a cloud of dust marks the passing of a drove toward Cambridge or Woburn. All this we see near Willow Bridge. It must not be understood that any bridge there was constructed of willow. The road to West Cambridge crossed the railway by a wooden bridge of more durable material, but large willow trees along the borders of Winter Brook evidently united with the bridge in suggesting a name for the railway station, which, though still on the Medford side of the line, is now called North Somerville. After passing the cattle yards a road might be seen passing below the track, and on the left toward the setting sun, loomed up the three-story hotel called the Somerville House. Farther away at the top of Quarry Hill was the old Powder House, a relic of long ago when the Medford people went thither for their grist to be grou
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 13., In one corner of Medford. (search)
r Hill slopes steeply down to the river there, and the Middlesex Canal having been successfully cut through, some of its projectors, business men of Medford, built the turnpike beside its narrow pass between Charlestown and Medford, just below Winter Brook. It is an historic spot and a part of the Ten-Hills farm of Governor Winthrop. Somewhere hereabout was built the Blessing of the Bay, perhaps not in that part of old Charlestown now a part of Medford, but possibly farther down stream, as te seized what was then there. Two hundred and sixty men embarked at Long Wharf, in Boston, and carried out his orders, conveying the powder to Castle William. In all probability, all the land route they took was across the sorrelly plain via Winter Brook, to the Mystic at this point where they had landed. The next spring, Paul Revere, in galloping over the summit of the hill, diverged from a straight course and rode over the bridge into Medford Town, on his way to Lexington. Three years
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 16., South Medford one hundred and fifty years ago. (search)
ng fraternity. In more recent years its neighbor, Combination Park, with more pretentious structures, flourished for a time; its grand stand at last destroyed by fire. The more useful and legitimate business of brick-making was done beside Winter brook for some years, and now on the other side Tufts park and playground have redeemed an unsightly bog. Through this section in ‘64 were laid the supply mains of the Charlestown water works, leading from the reservoir on College hill; and later the Tufts school-house was built over them. Winter brook (now insignificant) once supplemented the power of the tide mill on the turnpike, but, with Two-Penny brook, had to be reckoned with in the construction of highway, canal and pike. For more than a century the dwellers on this farm of Colonel Royall's were few. In 1870 a few dwellings were built, the result of a land scheme, but the increase was very slow until after the closing of the race tracks. The construction of the Lincoln scho
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 15., Some errors in Medford's histories. (search)
in) . . . the plan failed. The canal was cut in 1761. [Register, Vol. 3, p. 71.] In the Wade family there is a tradition that their ancestor, Major Jonathan Wade gave to the town, about the year 1680, the landing place now occupied by Mr. J. T. Foster. [P. 8.] This is merely tradition, there is no record of any such transaction, and further, the major never owned the land. Brooks. [P. 9.] Whitmore brook has its source in Bare hill meadow; Marble brook in Turkey swamp; Winter brook in the region south of Winter hill; Two Penny brook (which Mr. Brooks does not mention) has its source south and west of Walnut Tree hill (now College hill); Gravelly creek has its source in the region south of Spot pond. Medford Records,. . . its first twenty-five or thirty pages are gone. [P. 27.] The first book of records is complete. [Register, Vol. 9, p. 20.] Also see History of Medford in the proceedings of the two hundred and seventy-fifth anniversary of the settlement of
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 23., The mills on the Medford turnpike. (search)
hat structure which had been destroyed by fire and which was again burnt while in his charge. He was mainly engaged in sawing of mahogany. By the above we see that at least four successive mills stood on that spot—the extreme point of marsh land between the river and turnpike at the Rock. The Cutter residence was on the opposite side of the road. (See frontispiece.) The Walling map of Medford shows (apparently) a dike extending diagonally across the marsh (including the mouth of Winter brook) to the river. Probably as much power was had at this mill as at Mr. Cutter's former location on old Ship street, but like all tide-mills, the hours of labor had of necessity to conform to the ever-changing hours of full sea and ebb of the tide that waits for no man, but serves well. Though the agreement of 1848 refers to saw and grist mills, it is unlikely that the later ones were other than saw mills. The sawing of mahogany is a forgotten industry of Medford. But in those days it
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 24., The route of Revere (search)
tants. And it was a little town, too, even with the addition (twenty years before) of the section of Charlestown which moved the boundary from the river to the present lines. Perhaps this may account for the poet's geographical error. But really, if the grouping of dwellings makes a village, we can excuse the poet's mistake, for there were comparatively few, for which there was good reason. A careful scaling of the map of Medford (and the course of the road is the same today) places Winter brook and Tufts square at approximately a half mile from the boundary line which is near the top of the hill. A half mile further and Revere had passed the Cambridge road (at his left) and crossed Two-penny brook, both more consequential streams than now. Near the latter was a large farmhouse, which, fifty years ago, was a part of the well known Mystic house. A quarter mile farther on, at the left, there loomed up in his sight, stately and grand, a three-storied house with its several outbuil
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 26., Lieutenant Sprague's long fence. (search)
e turned into the stinted comon, without the peninsula. A little corner of the common land extended down the river, but the fence began at Misticke bridge and crossing that corner followed the Lynne between the farm and common (near present Florence street and College avenue, crossing the latter near the railroad) and to and beyond Two-penny brook to the Rocke which was A Bound marke where the farm fence began. It is useless to look for that Rocke today in the congested district east of Winter brook, but the old stone wall, now along College avenue may be of the original fence of 1662, moved eastward when the brick tower was built a century ago over a spring on the Winthrop land. The gate referred to was doubtless across the Cambridge road, now Harvard street, near St. Clement's church. Lieutenant Sprague was fifty-seven years old when he contracted to build this fence and keep it secure for twenty-one years against the damages of reasonable Cattle, only the gate being excepted.