COLLECTIONS BOSTONIAN SOCIETY VOL. I. No. I WILLIAM BLAXTON READ BY THOMAS COFFIN AMORY NdVEMBER 9, i88o PRICE FIFTY CENTS % BOSTON OLD STATE HOUSE I 886 Cf \^ \ PROSPECTUS. Onginal contributions relating to the history of Boston, as read before the Society, will be, from time to time, published; each monograph will be complete in itself, and will also be paged continuously in the series for binding. Members of the Association will receive the publications as soon as they are issued. Other persons may obtain them, each at its retail price, on application to the Society, or Damrell & Upham. EXTRACT FROM BY-LAWS, ARTICLE IV. ADMrsSION FEE AND ASSESSMENTS. Each member shall pay five dollars at the time of his admission, and five dollars each first of January afterwards, into the trea.snrv of the Society for us general purposes; but if any member shall neglect ,o pay his admission ee or annual assessment, for three months after the same is due, he shall be liable to forfeu h,s membership at any time when the Directors shall so order The payment of the sum of twenty-five dollars in anv one year by any member of the Socety shall constitute him a life member of the Society ; life members shall be free from assessments, and entitled to all the rights and privileRes of annual members. The money received for such life memberships shalf con- stitute a fu,,d of wh.ch not more than twenty per cent, together with the annual income shall be spent in any one year. By tranefei OCT 25 1915 Ci^e QBo0tonian ^ocfct^ WILLIAM BLAXTON THOMAS COFFIN AMORY COPYRIGHT. 1886. BOSTONIAN SOCIETY. COLLECTIONS BOSTONIAN SOCIETY VOL. I. No. I WILLIAM BLAXTON THOMAS COFFIN AMORY November o, iSSo BOSTON OLD STATE HOUSE I SS6 2. at f1 -J' iT^ WILLIAM BLAXTON. i595-'675- FOR several years before Winthrop came in 1630, William Blaxton constituted the entire population of this penin- sula, which, until comparatively recent accretions from the sea, and annexation of adjacent places, substantially com- prised the area to which attached the name of Boston. That in this then unbroken wilderness of woods traversed by savages, by wolves and other wild beasts almost as danger- ous, he should have been content to dwell, solitary and alone, exposed to such various perils, with the few planters around too remote to be of help in case of need, is of itself a claim to be remembered. But besides his courage and independence there was much else that was estimable in his character, in his tastes and ways, to justify the place he holds in our regard. His culture and refinement, his gentlemanly bearing, his fondness for flowers and their patient cultivation, his amiable disposition and ready hospitalities gained him the confidence and friendship not only of the lords of the forest but inspired with respect the Puritan leaders. These noble traits, this love of nature, his sacred calling, his trust and faith, invest whatever relates to him with a peculiar, and, it may be said, 4 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 4 with romantic interest for us, who have assumed the grateful responsibility of preserving and transmitting what is worthy of note in our legendary history. Whence he came, what motives led him to dwell apart from his kindred and to avoid all intercourse here or at home with society, which he possessed so many graces to adorn and aptitudes to enjoy, has baffled investigation. It remains, and may still be destined ever to remain, an impenetrable mystery. That mystery perhaps it would be presumption for me to hope to elucidate. Some of our ablest local historians have es- teemed the task worthy of their thoughtful consideration, and their labors have not been altogether without fruit. Much has been brought to light at least to stimulate curiosity if not to satisfy it. If diffident of any power to add to the information about him which has been thus gradually accumulating, often some bold hypothesis, if not illogical or improbable, may open paths for future exploration. In common with many others of our associates, one of my favorite branches of genealogical study has been that department of family history which connects our earliest American ancestors with their old world progeni- tors. One possible clue to Bla.xton's I propose presently to submit for your more critical investigation. Should it prove his parentage to be as suggested, it will add another agreeable incident to what already makes him memorable. If not, it may help to discover who his parents were. Before, however, engaging your attention with what relates to his parentage or youthful associations, it may be well to refresh your memory with what concerns his residence here. For a long period a misapprehension has existed and still lin- gers in the minds of many who have not studied the subject, that, while our sole inhabitant, his house and gardens were near the end of Leverett street, at Barton's Point, not far from where now stands the Lowell railroad freight station. Although corrected by Mr. Bowditch in his "Gleaner" thirty years ago, and his abode proved beyond possibility of doubt to have been some little distance above the corner of Charles S WILLIAM BLAXTON. 5 and Beacon streets, several notices of Blaxton in our public prints, elicited by late commemorations, have reasserted the earlier conclusions which Mr. Bowditch proved to have been a mistake. What is said by the early authorities as to his residence seems sufficiently clear and reliable. After en- deavoring to show how the error originated, and what we know of him here, we propose to suggest what may prove his ancestral line. As he was eighty years of age when he died in 1675, he must have been born about 1595. He graduated at Emanuel, the Puritan College of Cambridge, from which pro- ceeded so many of our most eminent divines, taking his degree as Bachelor of Arts in 1617, and as Master in 1621. On both these occasions he signed his name William Blaxton, with the X, as appears from the fac similes of his signatures, procured from England by Mr. Tuttle, by whose kindness I am permitted to submit them for your inspection. He also most generously allowed me to use his collection of material, he like myself having made the history of Blaxton his study, when his honored life came to an end. Blaxton took orders, but had no known cure, being a non- conformist and detesting prelacy, as exhibited in Bancroft and Laud. His canonical coat, which Johnson tells us he contin- ued to wear in America, shows that he was still attached to the English Church, and regarded himself as a teacher of its tenets. Though he rarely preached, and that when advanced in life, the ten large manuscript volumes which he had in his library when he died, may have consisted wholly or in part of sermons of his own composition. They were consumed, with all his other books, and with his house, at Study Hill, soon after his death in King Philip's war. It is said that he had trained a steer for the saddle and used it when he visited Boston, or went down to Richard Smith's fine old mansion, still at Wickford on the Narragansett shore, which was also a favorite resort of Roger Williams. On one occasion when he visited Providence for the purpose of religious teach- ing, he carried in his saddle bags some of the fine apples for 6 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 6 which his orchard was famous, and distributed them among his very limited audience. They no doubt added an accept- able flavor to his discourses. Lechford, the lawyer, says in 1635 that Blaxton had lived in Boston nine or ten years. If so, he must have come here as early as 1625. The whole neck of land which contained seven hundred acres and was four miles in circuit, he no doubt considered his own. We now know that he selected for his home the southerly and sunny slope of Beacon Hill, near the back basin of the Charles, and certainly he could not have made a wiser choice. Parker and Corey Hills across the bay, with Charles River, and Muddy and Stony Brooks flowing between them, or on either side, for beaver or fish, he was well placed to procure the choicest food, to raise his apples and roses, and to secure from the Indians or by his own industry the skins which were current money with the merchant. Here he was the less disturbed when Winthrop came, as many of his com- pany preferred the harbor and the neighborhood of Charles- town, in order to be near their associates who had declined to cross over the river. It is now generally conceded that Bla.xton came to America with Robert Gorges, who, in 1623, established a settlement at Weymouth, under a patent of an area of ten miles along the shore by thirty inland. We know that he was empowered in 1629 by John Gorges, the brother of Robert, then dead, to deliver Mr. John Oldham seisin of a grant of five miles under that patent, as far as Saugus, along Charles River. The Gorges patent is reasonably presumed to have been abandoned, or in due form surrendered, before the Massachusetts Bay patent of 1627 issued ; but all grants under it must have, in equity, if not in express terms, been reserved. The records of the Company in London and letters of Cradock to Endicott show that importance was attached to these rights, already vested, of the old planters, as they were called, to secure releases of which, if they could, was their policy, but not to recognize their validity while outstanding. If, as seems quite probable, Bla.xtoji had any like legal claim to what was 7. WILLIAM BLAXTON. ^ known as Blackstone's Neck, or Point, he did not allow it to stand in the way of his humanity. Moved to compassion by the great mortality of the colonists at Charlestown, from want of pure water in the summer of 1630, he invited them over to what, from the abundance of its springs, was called by the Indians Shawmut. If he considered himself rightfully entitled to exclusive possession by grant or prescription, he made no hard bargain when he gave his invitation. Bla.xton was admitted a freeman in 163 1. In 1633 it was agreed that he should have fifty acres of ground set out to him, near his house in Boston, to enjoy forever. In 1634 he released all except six acres, in a general release of the whole peninsula. That the training-field, or common, then dedi- cated to public uses, constituted these other forty-four acres — long its approximate area 43 J acres and ten rods — hardly needs corroboration. In 1635 the Court, then held at New- town, ordered Nahanton to pay Blaxton two beaver-skins for damage done to his swine by setting traps ; and, in 1638, he had a grant of land at Muddy River, for three heads. In the spring of 1635 he left Boston for the place he so long made his abode — six miles from Providence — on that part of Pawtucket River afterwards called for him the Blackstone. It is generally admitted, that before 1642 he had sold his six acres to Richard Pepys, who, the next year, requested leave to purchase land of the town near Blackstone Point and Beach. But there is no recorded deed of convey- ance from him, or from Richard Pepys to anyone else. That in the absence of any such evidence so little should be known of his abode is easily accounted for, especially when we remember the state of the ground about it, or what our Registry was before the days of Mr. Bowditch and our present able conveyancers. What was first designated Trimountain, and not long afterwards Beacon Hill — the name what is left of it still bears — even down to the present century rose nearly one hundred feet in elevation above its present summit. It covered one hundred acres, was steep and rough, and so 8 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 8 complicated in its slopes that before Thomas Hancock in 1737 erected his spacious mansion near its crest there were upon this large area but few dwellings. Much of it was held in large lots of from two to six acres, and not often chang- ing ownership, less attention was drawn to their record title. When, however, fifty years before Hancock purchased, the Colonial Charter was annulled by the crown, and proprietors under it threatened with the loss of their estates on the pre- text that their grants had not been passed under the Charter Seal, the colonists naturally took into consideration what other titles they had which would be respected. Deeds of confirmation of the early conveyances from the Indian Saga- mores were obtained from them or their representatives, and depositions in perpetuani of the older inhabitants taken for evidence, which might possibly be of use, should attempts be made to carry out these iniquitous proceedings. Among these depositions was one dated June loth, 1684, in which John Odlin, aged seventy, and other ancient dwellers and inhabitants of Boston, testified "that about the year 1634 the inhabitants purchased of Mr. William Blackstone his estate and right in any lands lying within the neck of land called Boston, each householder paying six shillings, and some more, excepting six acres reserved by him on the point called Blackstone Point, on part whereof his then dwelling-house stood. After which purchase the town laid out a place for a training field, which ever since, and now, is used for that purpose, and for the feeding of cattle. Robert Walker, and William Lytherland further testified that Mr. Blackstone bought a stock of cows with the money, and removed and dwelt near Providence, where he lived to the day of his death. " Before S. Bkadstreet. S. Sewall." Another of these depositions, which identifies the site of Blaxton's house as between Charles and Spruce Streets on Beacon Street, and with the grounds set down on the Burgiss 9 WILLIAM BLAXrON. 9 map of 1728 as Banister's Gardens is recorded as follows: (Suffolk Deeds, 26, 84.) " The deposition of Anne Pollard of Boston, widow, aged about eighty-nine years. This deponent testifieth and saith : that this deponent's husband, Mr. William Pollard, occupied and improved a certain piece or parcel of land situated near the bottom of the Common at the westerly part thereof, in Boston aforesaid, and bounded on the sea south-west, for many years ; and that her said husband had hired the same of Richard Peepys, late of Boston aforesaid, gentleman, deceased, who often told this deponent that he, the said Peepys, bought the said land of Mr. Blackstone, clerk, former- ly of Boston aforesaid ; and further that deponent saith that the said Peepys built a house thereon, wherein this deponent and her said husband dwelt for near fourteen years, during which time the said Blackstone used frequently to resort thereto ; and this deponent never heard any controversy between him and the said Peepys about the said land, but that the same was always reputed to belong to him, as this deponent understood ; and she further says that soon after the sale thereof, as she supposeth, the said Blackstone re- moved from this town of Boston ; and further saith not. " Anne Pollard. "Boston, December 26th, 171 1. " As Randolph, who represented prerogative in this unholy warfare upon colonial rights, had requested that a portion of the training-field should be set off to him for his residence, this deposition may have been taken to prove existing rights of common in the land, such as were then respected in England, to defeat his purpose. These deeds and depositions, valuable at the time, in the progress of events when their estates were no longer in jeopardy, though on file in the public offices, were not often in mind. The colonists, indus- trious people of many cares, had too much else to do to study ancient documents. They were in charge of officials, not so open as now to inspection, and if they had been, not easily lo JVILLIAM BLAXTON. lo understood, as the modes of expression were less plain. The depositions themselves do not exist, and probably were con- sumed in the Town House in 1747. Nor is it much to be wondered at, that even where recorded they should have rarely been inspected. All of us accustomed to examine titles either in the Regis- try or Probate Office before the late improved arrangement of Judge Wright, and the classified indices — when every volume of deeds had its separate index, many of them tattered and torn — must admit that antiquarian or historical enthu- siasm might well have shrunk from self-imposed tasks pursued at such disadvantage. Some of the earlier records were in a handwriting difficult to decipher. Professional men able to read them and competent to understand them, cared little to waste their time in researches that earned no compensation. This deposition of Anne Pollard when eighty-seven years of age, taken December 26th, 171 1, seems to have long escaped observation. It supplies one of the missing links of the whereabouts of Blaxton's house and his six acres ; another being the deed of the Brockatts to Nathaniel Williams, 9, 325- While preparing a metrical sketch of Blaxton in 1876, to help save the Old South, I endeavored to ascertain in the Registry on what Mr. Bowditch rested his conclusion. I followed back the title of Mr. Copley, who had before 1770 purchased the property, twenty acres and more in extent, all substantially between Beacon and Pinckney Streets, Walnut and the water. This now valuable property passed from Copley to Otis and Mason in 1795. In working on the Williams title, I found, I am sure, un- aided, as Mr. Bowditch had earlier, the deed dated April 14th, 1676, Lib. 9, f. 325, by which Peter Brockatt, and Mary, his wife, in consideration of the will of her first husband, Na- thaniel Williams, and love and affection, conveyed to her children, Nathaniel Williams and Mary Vinal, certain estates in Boston, — among them this: "As also that six acres of land, be it more or less, with the appurtenances thereto ad- II WILLIAM BLAXTON. ii joining and belonging to the said messuage, known by the name of the Blackstone lot, which was formerly purchased by Nathaniel Williams, deceased, aforesaid, of and from Richard Pepys, of Ashon, in the County of Essex, and Mary, his wife, their act bearing date 30th day of January, Anno Domini Christi, 1655." The elder Williams — whose will was dated 22, 2d mo., 1661, and proved Aug. ist, 1661 — left his wife absolutely one-third of his estate, valued at £,'^<^^. It included the Blackstone lot, valued at ;^i50. On Beacon street she resided with her second husband, Mr. Brockatt. Nathaniel Williams, the younger, held this estate until January 29th, 1708, when, by Lib. 24, fol. 103, he, and Sarah, his wife, conveyed to Thomas Banister, for ;£^i30, "all the said Williams orchards and pasture land, containing six acres, at the northwesterly side of the common, or training-field, en- closed and within fences, and the flats lying against the same, down to low water mark, the said upland and fiats being butted and bounded on the northwesterly side in part by Charles River and a cove, and partly by the lands of John Leverett and James Allen, on whom it also abuts, to north- east : easterly in part by the land of the said James Allen, and partly on the land of said Thomas Banister : and south- erly by the common, or training-field." If this lot extended along shore about lOOO feet, it would have bounded in the common about 340, and, as the tide then flowed up Beacon at least probably 200 feet above Charles street, the area comprised in six acres would have extended to Pinckney street, about 800 feet, where it met the Leverett estate, 1,100 feet from Cambridge street. On the maps of Bonner, 1722, and Burgiss, 1728, these gardens are laid down near the river side. A knob on the water-line indi- cates a promontory, probably that ending in Fox Hill, about the present junction of Arlington and Beacon streets, some hundred feet in length, which may have been Blaxton's Point. While the property continued in Nathaniel Williams, the Court records reveal an incident which carries us back to the Blue Laws of Puritan days : John Wheally, servant to Hugh 12 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 12 Mulligan Smith, being arrested, acknowledged that he was yesterday, being the Sabbath, in an orchard at the bottom of the common between bells ringing for the afternoon exer- cises, when he took and gathered some pears, and then went into a pasture next by, where a negro was keeping sheep, and lay down by him until the constable came and took him. He had gone with him some little way, when he took to his heels and ran. Upon consideration that it was a third conviction, the profanation of the Sabbath, and his escape from the con- stable, he was sentenced to pay twenty shillings, money fine ; or, if his master refused to pay it for him, sentenced to be whipped with ten stripes, and to stand committed till his sentence was performed." John Banister of Newport, R. I., Samuel of Stoughton, Mass., and Frances Bowes sued Nathaniel Cunningham, who as plaintiff, in review, recovered judgment, 1769, and sold Copley.* We do not propose to follow, farther, the title of the Blax- ton lot. It stands as follows : Gorges patent from the Council of ten miles by thirty : Gorges to Blaxton : Blaxton from inhabitants, fifty acres : Blaxton to inhabit- ants, general release of peninsula except six acres : Blaxton to Richard Pepys, six acres : Richard Pepys to Nathaniel Williams, 1655 : Nathaniel Williams' will to wife, 1661 : Mrs. Brockatt, to Nathaniel Williams and Mary Vinal, 1666 : Nathaniel Williams to Thomas Banister, 1708, 24, 103 : Thomas Banister's heirs were Thomas, Samuel, John who died s. p. June 30th, 1784, Thomas, Chamberlin, Annesley, Samuel, and Frances, wife of William Bowes. The last-mentioned Samuel, sold Nathaniel Cunningham, 1733 and died 1744. Such being the record evidence of Blaxton's home, how could so great an error have originated.' On Wood's map the peninsula shoots out a mile and a half into the sea, with broad water-spaces all around it, but where it is connected towards the south and west with Roxbury. From Charles- * See Court Records of 1769. *3 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 13 town elevations it appeared divided by an isthmus into two portions, one was the mill-pond and the town dock, — not far apart at high tide. Wood, in his New England's Prospect, M. H. S. C, says, that "about a mile up the river was a small creek, taking its name from Major General Edward Gibbons, who dwelt there some years. On the south side of the river, on a point of land called Blaxton's Point, planted Mr. William Blackstone." Johnson, M. H. S. C, 12, 86, informs us that, "on the north side of Charles River, on Noddle's Island, they found Mr. Maverick ; a mile higher up on a creek, General Gibbons ; and, on the south side, on a point of land called Blaxton's Point, Mr. William Blaxton. To the southeast of him, near Thompson's Island, lived some few planters more. These persons were the first planters in those parts having some small trade with the Indians for beaver-skins." Both Wood and Johnson, in these descriptions, attach the name of Blax- ton to the whole peninsula, as Blaxton Point. The Charlestown Records were transcribed by John Greene in 1664. The first seven pages compiled by Mr. Greene, from information of known gentlemen that lived and were actors in those times, were approved by the selectmen. On page 380, Young's Chronicles, Chap. XIX, which prints this record, we find this passage : — "In the meantime [viz., 1630] Mr. Blackstone, dwelling on the other side of Charles River, alone, at a place by the Indians called Shawmut, where he only had a cottage at, or not far off, the place called Blackstone' s Point, he came and acquainted the Governor of an excellent spring there, inviting him and soliciting him thither. Whereupon, after the death of Mr. Isaac Johnson (30th September, 1630), and divers others, the Governor, and the greatest part of the church, removed thither." What, with the one hundred rod ordinance, and commissioners' lines, the configuration of Boston has been so completely changed, that it is difficult for us to con- ceive what it was in Blaxton's days. When the Charles- town records were made up, in 1664, or Pemberton wrote his 14 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 14 topographical account in 1792, what was at the earliest period seven hundred acres, though now thrice that area, was much as nature made it. No other evidence appears in these earlier authorities to de- termine whereabouts on the peninsula Blaxton dwelt, unless it be in the phrase in the Charlestown records, "where he only had a cottage at, or not far off, the place called Blackstone's Point." There is no reason to believe that what was after- wards Barton's Point (from James, the rope-maker, 1643-1729, who removed thence to Newton in 1688, and gave it its name), was ever known as Blaxton's Point, except as part of the whole peninsula. We do know that some smaller promon- tory near his actual abode was called Blaxton's Point. But this may have been the rounded shore, on Burgiss's map, or a projection where Beacon street ended. The new fields on Barton's Point were early laid out and divided, and the pro- prietors held, in many instances, in large lots, — Governor Leverett holding at least twenty acres. It seems difficult to believe that Blaxton could ever have selected this exposed position on the northeast of the hills ; and, certainly in the absence of any record-title, which would justify even a doubt, we may safely say that he never did. The orchards he had planted on the bay opposite what we now call the mouth of Charles River, were already well grown when Winthrop came, as Stephen Hopkins says in his account of Providence. The first statement discovered, that Barton's Point was ever called Blaxton's, is in the Topographical and Historical Description of Boston, by Thomas Pemberton, born 1728, which was published in 1794, in 3d Vol. Mass. Historical Society's Collections, 241. He says that "these adventurers, informed by a Mr. Blaxton, said to be the first Englishman who had slept upon the peninsula, and who resided at that part of West Boston now called Barton's Point, of a spring, crossed over." The next allusion in time, to Blaxton, is by Charles Shaw, in his description of Boston in 1817, p. 103, in which he quotes from the memoirs of the American Academy, an article on IS WILLIAM BLAXTON. 15 the waters of Boston, drawn up by Dr. John Lathrop, in 1800, In this he states that the spring Blaxton mentioned to Win- throp as an inducement to transferring his company to the Boston side, was the spring now to be seen (1800) on the westerly part of the town "near the bay which divides Boston from Cambridge." This, evidently, intended the spring in Louisburg Square. Page 32, he quotes Roger Clap's state- ment, that the Governor, " viewing Newton or Cambridge, liked that plain neck that was then called Blaxton's Neck now Boston." Dr. Caleb N. Snow, in his History of Boston, published in 1825, mentions Blaxton, but throws no additional light upon where he dwelt, simply quoting what had been said by the earliest writers. He gives, however, a graphic picture of the hundred acres covered by Beacon Hill, 112, and says, "that on the top of one of the peaks near Pinckney, opposite the Charles Street Meeting House, eighty feet above the water, was, and continues to be, a boiling-spring, now open in three places." He speaks of Fox Hill as having disappeared. Dr. Young, in his Chronicles, 169, 1846, says, Blaxton resided on Barton's Point; but none of the authorities cited, when tested, support the statement, unless it be Mr. Drake, 1856, who * was of opinion that the Blaxton spring might have been one under the house, 19 Poplar street, which he occupied in 1838. Dr. Shurtleff, in his History of Boston, 1871, page 392, mentions a "spring not far from the centre of Louisburg Square, which poured a bountiful supply of water, and which was, unquestionably, the identical spring which yielded its benevolence to Mr. Blaxton, and the earliest inducement that led the fathers of the town to the peninsula." "Another spring flowed on the northwest side of Spring street." By those who supposed Barton's Point identical with Blaxton's, this was considered to be Blaxton's spring. But such was not the case. Blaxton's Point, Dr. Shurtleff says, " was in the * Vide pp. 50, 95, 96, 97, 239, 278, 530. 531, 600. 1 6 WILLIAM BLAXTON. i6 neighborhood of West Cedar street, between Cambridge and Pinckney streets." " Southeast of this was situated Blaxton's garden, and, not far distant, the memorable spring which supplied him with water." The garden is designated on Burgiss's map as Bannister's garden. We presume this to be correct and conclusive, though possibly the point intended in Pepys's application may have been the knob on Bonner's map of 1722, represented by a rectangular projection on Burgiss's of 1728. The broad pro- jection of the shore line in front of West Hill was circular, and not what would ordinarily be called a point. Blaxton is an interesting personage in our history, and his memory will be forever identified with our beautiful pleasure- ground. If any proof be found to show such an association untenable, it must be relinquished without hesitation. But there is not the slightest likelihood that it will. Before closing I would suggest what seems his possible parentage. Many efforts have been made, from time to time, to ascertain from what branch of his name he descended, but to little purpose. His descendant, Mr. Blackstone, formerly Mayor of Norwich, Conn., made the acquaintance of Sir William, Member of Parliament from Wallingford, grandson of Sir William, the learned commentator on the laws of England, who derived from a branch settled at Salisbury in Wiltshire, but no connection could be traced. The corres- pondence that passed between them on the subject Mr. Black- stone was good enough to send me. Mr. William Blackstone inclined to the belief that our William was a near kinsman of John Blakiston, the friend of Cromwell, and one of the regi- cides who died just before the Restoration. Some of the regicide's descendants settled in Maryland, and a branch is believed to be there no-w. To this same view, also, inclined Mr. John Houston Black- ston.e, of Orangefield, Antrim, in Ireland, who is the grandson of Sir Matthew, the Mayor of London, created a Baronet in 1763. He very courteously responded to my inquiries, but could not enlighten me as to what I wished to ascertain. 17 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 17 Information has been sought at Emanuel College by Mr. Tuttle, but nothing positive has been learned. The County Histories, Extinct Baronetcies, and other genealogical works, reveal, among the various pedigrees, but one individual who, in age and circumstances, corresponds with what is known of our sole inhabitant. The reasons which lead to my present conjecture that this was our William, have force. If so it should prove, it lends an additional interest — romantic or historical — to what is already known. It seems reasonable to assume that all of the name descend from the well-known stem in the palatinate of Durham, the earliest of whom mentioned — Hugh — was pro- prietor of Blakiston, about si.x miles from the episcopal city as early as 1341, and who married Cecilia Fitzralph. From Roger, his son, descended Sir William, 1388-1418, Lord of Blaxton and Coxhow, whose posterity have been prospered in fortune, and flourished in great honor, not only in Durham, but in many other English counties, and in this country. " Few families of private gentry," says Surtees (p. 16, Vol. Ill), in his Histor)' of Durham, "have spread more widely, or flourished fairer, than Blackstone ; but all its branches — Gib- side, Norton Hall, Old Morton, Seaton Hall, and Thornton Hall — have perished, like the original stock. One family alone remains which can trace its blood, without hereditary possessions ; and a dubious and distant kindred to the old tree of Blakiston, is asserted by some families who bear the name in the South." Surtees (III, 160) says the house of Blakiston reached the zenith of its wealth and honors under John (1535-1586), who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir George Bowes, and had ten sons and five daughters by her, and by his second wife, Barbara Lawson. He seems to have been the ancient esquire of the old ballad. His uncle was the ancestor of the Blakston of Gibside (Vol. II, p. 255). He made liberal provision for his numerous family. His eldest son. Sir William, born 1553, married in 1581, Alice Cla.xton, born 1558, and left six sons, all living in 1624, and three daughters. William was the i8 WILLIAM BLAXTON. i8 name of the fifth son, and, if born in 1595, his mother would have been thirty-seven years of age at the time of his birth. Sir WilHam seems to have been a bold, high-spirited, and somewhat lawless man, for he rescued his cattle from the sheriff's officers, when levied upon by authority of the high commission. His eldest son, Thomas, was created a baronet in 1615, one qualification for the honor being an estate of a thousand pounds a year, and another, payment of a thousand guineas into the royal treasury. He sold part of his patri- mony that very year, and, in 1634, conveyed away the last sweepings of the great Blakiston estate. His son, Sir William, the second and last baronet of this creation, is said to have spent himself for the king, and was at one time a prisoner ; but Sir Bernard Burke, a better authority than Surtees on the subject, says, the baronetcy became extinct on the death of Sir Thomas. Sir William, who died in 1418, was succeeded as lord of Blakiston by William Nicholas, 1418-1460, who married Fulthorpc ; William, 1438-1468, who married Sybel ; Thomas, 1438-1483, who married Killinghall ; William, 1465, who married Anne Conyers ; Thomas, (d. } 15 57), who married Elizabeth Place; John, 1535-1586, who married Elizabeth Bowes, who had fifteen children; Sir William, born 1533, died after 1624, m. Alice Cla.xton in 15S1. This Sir William of Blaxton and Wynyard, like the Grahams and Musgraves, and many more of the moss- troopers of the border, set, occasionally, even the sheriffs at defiance, when they disturbed his cattle, and, no doubt, maintained the reputation of his house for courage and hospi- tality. The house at Wynyard, which came with Alice Claxton, he preferred as a dwelling to that of Blakiston. It was one of the most convenient and handsome mansions in the district, with a fine piece of water stretching along the valley, edged with woods and lawns, with pleasing sheltered wood-walks. The approach was over a handsome bridge, crossing the head of the lake. 19 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 19 Sir William, of Gibside, was also a devoted royalist, as well as another Sir William, his nephew, and Surtees may have confused these many Sir Williams. Knights and beneficed clergymen abounded in the family, and, if as suggested, our William was the son of Alice Claxton, his declining, in the impoverished condition of the family, after having obtained a collegiate education, to conform to the ecclesiastical requisi- tions, and be beneficed himself, may explain the tradition in the Connecticut line, that their first American ancestor left home from some misunderstanding with his parents. Our Blaxton married, July 4th, 1659, at Boston, Sarah, widow of John Stevenson, Governor Endicott officiating. We know, from the Suffolk Deeds, that John held a power to collect a claim against persons here, from a lady of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Their only son John settled near New Haven, and his son John, of Branfort, was buried there in 1785, at the age of eighty-five. His son James was a person of official conse- quence, but did not know, in 1849, that he was descended from the first inhabitant of Boston. This branch have since emerged from comparative poverty, till Lorenzo, the gentle- man alluded to as once Mayor of Norwich, is now one of the most prosperous and influential of that city. If William belonged to the family of Blakiston and Wyn- yard — if he were the son of Sir William — or belonged to any other branch of the race in the County of Durham — (and I can find no William among their pedigrees who ap- proaches in age to his own, though William, son of William, of Gibside, was born in 1604) — it will be more eas}' to explain how he should have been so well skilled in woodcraft, venery, and horticulture, and in similar accomplishments, for which there could be no better training than to have been brought up on a large manorial estate in England. The chase and other field sports, in which, when not in war, consisted their daily occupations, prepared his constitution to cope with the exposures and privations of forest-life, and gave him the knowledge and experience required to obtain his food, and to take pleasure in its pursuit. Among the numerous names of 30 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 30 note in Durham at the time, we find Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, and many others famous in our American an- nals ; and there were, as we have seen, various branches of his own name and Icindred who occupied hospitable mansions surrounded by parks. In many and all — for such were the social usages of the period — he was a welcome guest; and, before ceasing to weary your attention, I propose to describe a few of them, if I may. Little remains of the old manor-house of Blakiston ; the hall was taken down during the last century. Its site was near the road, with deep meadows on the west, and broken ground sloping to the east. After his marriage with Alice Claxton, Sir William (15 50-1625) seems to have abandoned it for Wynyard, his wife's inheritance, and there, probably, his younger children were born. The property consisted of about two thousand acres, and though the Blakistons, from living there, were designated of Blakiston and Wynyard, the two sisters of Alice had an interest in this as well as in other parts of her inheritance. The most celebrated of the family mansions, however, was, no doubt, Gibside, of which I am tempted, if you are not wearied, to read you a description. Gibside lies on the Derwent, si.\ miles from Newcastle-on- Tyne, and a like distance from Ravensworth Castle. It remained in the name of Blakiston till the death of the last baronet of that creation. Sir Francis, in 171 3, and then passed with his daughter Elizabeth to Sir William Bowes. "It is difficult to convey any adequate idea," says another county historian, " of the beautiful and magnificent scenery of the place. The visitor enters these enchanting grounds by a serpentine road, which, for upwards of a mile, winds through the bosom of a thick forest, sometimes on the brink of a deep ravine, and, at intervals, descending on the easy inclination of the hill, but still embowered with venerable oaks. On issuing from this forest-road, a stately banqueting house appears, seated on a noble elevation. After passing a beautiful piece of water, a delightful landscape bursts upon the view. To the 21 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 21 right rises a sylvan scene of great extent, hanging woods on inclining grounds, from a lofty summit of the hill, to the very skirts of the vale. •'Rising over the woods, as a terminating object to the grand vista, appears a Doric stone pillar, 140 feet in height, surmounted by a colossal figure, the height of twelve feet, of British Liberty. Turning to the left, and looking westward, you behold a broad walk, or terrace, which, at a distance of a mile, leads to a chapel with a rich portico and dome, highly embellished, intended for a mausoleum. " On the north is a terrace, which only intervenes between the back part of the house and the steep descent into the Lady Haugh, a deep, rich area of pasturage, surrounded by a rapid sweep of the river. Across the Derwent cultivated lands, sloping gently to the water, and variegated with a lofty cliff with irregular swells, enclosures, and scattered woodlands, form a fine contrast to the deep forest masses that almost darken the southern bank. The sylvan beauties of this mag- nificent landscape are yet sufficiently grand and distinct to harmonize with the noble scenery that surrounds them. The gardens are spacious and well situated. The park is four miles in circumference. The whole scene is rendered more striking from the bleak country that surrounds this chosen spot. "The mansion-house displays the style of architecture that prevailed about the commencement of the seventeenth cen- tury. Over the entrance-porch are the royal arms of James the First, and, beneath, those of Blakiston, quartering Man- ley and Lambton, his mother's and wife's. In the interior the old drawing-room remains entire. Forms of Samson and Hercules support a large mantel-piece, above which are the arms of the founder. The south front was partially rebuilt by the Earl of Strathmore, his descendant, with a strict regard to its original form, being embattled, and with deep bay windows divided by stone mullions and transoms." This residence — the home of a family growing into life, consisting of seven young men and boys and four blooming 22 WILLIAM fiLAXTON. 22 maidens — must have been singularly attractive to a young collegian, and our Blackstone, if from Durham, must, at least, have seen it, if a near kinsman, as supposed. We have been tempted to select these descriptions at this time as bearing upon his probable parentage. Certainly no lovelier spot could be found along our own shore than the beautiful site of Boston, with its woods and hills and water, its fields, where the kings of the red men had planted their harvests. The place he selected in Attleboro' was equally beautiful, and such as a iover of nature would select. Study Hill, seventy feet above the river, near the site of his dwell- ing, commands a fine view of the valley of the Blackstone to the distance of more than a mile. On the east is another delightful and fertile valley which opens to the south on the borders of the meadow. Here was his orchard, and, near by, his grave. His selection of two such lovely homesteads — Shawmut and Attleboro' — indicates a practiced eye and culti- vated taste for beautiful scenery, and these he certainly may well have brought from this home of his fathers in Durham. In the works cited, the surname of our sole inhabitant is variously spelled. Blakiston, Blakeston, Blackstone are the usual modes. Blaxton was the spelling he himself adopted. The 'name of Claxton, identical with this but in the initial letter, strengthens the probability that William, as suggested, was the son of Sir William and Alice Claxton, as the mode before had been generally Blakiston. 23 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 23 NOTES BLAXTON IN " MERRYMOUNT." As the forms of " Blackstone, Boston's First Inhabitant," a poetical tribute to his memory, printed in 1S77, were going to press, " Merry- mount," read many years ago, came to light from an out-of-the-way corner of the writer's shelves. His attempt to render more familiar to present generations what has been transmitted of the hermit of Shawmut, would have been discouraged, had Motley's vivid and complete account of him been remembered. Some supposed incidents will be found both in the novel and poem ; but in the latter they were not borrowed from the former, but suggested by the subject common to both. The reader of the novel will take especial delight in this early scintillation of a genius which has since commanded the admiration of the world. The situation of Blaxton's abode in the book accords with that determined beyond all farther controversy by the deposition of Mrs. Pollard. For the moose- colored bull, on which the novel mounts the sole inhabitant, is claimed historical proof, and his solitude is cheered by a fawn, possibly no creature of the imagination, but an actuality, as the minotaur, supported by evidence. TRADITIONS. According to tradition, roses of English varieties adorned the garden of Blaxton. In " Merrymount," Motley describes him as riding on a bull. This is possible, since cattle were sent out to the colony at Strawberry Bank, on the coast of Maine, to Cape Ann and Plymouth, between 1620 and 1630; and Maverick, no doubt, had many on his island. That Blax- ton broke in a bull to bit and bridle, and scampered upon its back over his domain, then consisting of seven hundred and fifty acres, is not impossible, or. perhaps improbable ; but, as his" riding later about his new home at Rehoboth, and in visiting Providence and Boston, on such an animal of the color mentioned, is well authenticated, the earlier bull may be a myth. The text, endeavoring to be historically accurate, reluctantly refrains from an incident, which, if it rested upon more reliable tradition, would add another interesting association with the earliest settlement of our city. 24 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 24 PROMINENT RESIDENTS ON HIS ESTATE. '' Gleaner," speaking of Blaxton's estate, says "it must have been a sheltered and sunny enclosure of almost unrivalled beauty." In Blaxton's "vision" in the poetical tribute mentioned above, brief reference is made to a few of the distinguished Bostonians, who, in after years, resided upon portions of this estate. Copley owned a large part, including probably most of the "orchard." The house at the corner of Walnut and Beacon streets was built by John Phillips, first mayor of Boston, and father of the distinguished orator. The father of John Lothrop Motley, when the historian was a boy, lived on Walnut street, opposite the head of Chestnut ; Dr. Channing on Mount Vernon, Otis and Prescott on Beacon. Blaxton in his "vision" may be supposed to have recognized many other celebrities, local or world-renowned, connected with the future of his farm, whose names are household words. But too many are living to warrant an allusion to them. Francis Parkman and Charles Francis Adams are too widely known for reserve ; McLean, whose name attaches to one of our charities he contributed largely to found, and David Sears, whose generous benefactions relieve hundreds of the worthy poor, with scores of more, familiar from their munificence, public service, and local influence, have dwelt or dwell now within its limits. BLAXTON'S ESTATE IN RHODE ISLAND. Blaxton's orchard in Boston, which in a publication of 1765, is men- tioned as still bearing fruit, was well grown when he left Boston for Rehoboth, where, about his abode at Study Hill, he owned two hundred acres, and more in the neighborhood of Providence. His son John sold to Mr. Whipple, whose descendants still own, or did till recently. HIS INDIAN NEIGHBORS. Canonchet, soon after the battle of the plains, near Blaxton's abode, in March, 1676, left his army of fifteen hundred men, with a slender following, to procure seed-corn at Seekonk. The 7th of April he was surprised at Study Hill and captured, and was carried to Stonington. He declined all overtures for surrendering his own and his people's territory in exchange for his life, only praying his captors that his death-blow might be speedily given by Uncas, a sagamore of the Pequods. It was not so ordered; but. 25 WILLIAM BLAXTON. 25 in the presence of Major Denison, the Pequods shot him; Mohegans cut off his head, quartered and dismembered his body ; Ninnicroft's men burnt the remains, except the head, which they presented to the council at Hartford. His principal residence, as that of his father, IVliantonimo, is believed to have been Taminy Hill, in Newport, his dominions extending over the islands and westerly shore of Narragansett Bay. BLAXTON'S TOMB. In the little village of Lonsdale, R. I., for two hundred years has been seen a lonely grave, marked with two white stones ; the elements, long years since have obliterated the inscriptions upon them, but well-founded tradition has designated this grave as that of Rev. William Blaxton, the first settler of Shawmut. Recently, in the presence of Lorenzo Blackstone, of Norwich, a descendant, and President Gammell, of the R. L Historical Society, the grave was opened. A quantity of bones were found and placed in a suitable receptacle, and when the building, — a large cotton- mill, — is finished, which modern progress renders it necessary to place here, a handsome monument will also be erected over the remains of William Blaxton. Jv^- President. CURTIS GUILD. Directors. Thomas C. Amorv, Thomas J. Allen, William S. Appleton. John T. Hassam, Joshua P. Bodftsh. Hamilton A. Hill. Curtis Guild, Samuel H. Russell. William Wilkins Warren. Clerk and Treasurer. William Clarence Burrage. Co7ntnittee on Publications. Hamilton Andrews Hill, John T. Hassam, William Clarence Burrage. l$0!2iton antiauatian Club. Samuel M. Quincy, President, i8So. William H. Whitmore, President, 1881. Bojstonian ^octct^. Orgtziiized to pronwle titf study of tlu History of Boston, and the preservation of its A ntiguitizs. INCORPORATED DECEMBER 2, iSSl. Curtis Guild, . . President. PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY: PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOSTONIAN SOCIETY. 1883. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. ABEL BOWEN, ENGRAVER. Prepared by Wm. H. Whitmore, 1884. Second and Enlarged Edition, with original cuts and plates, now readv. FOR INFORMATION ADDRESS WM. CLARENCE BURRAGE, Clerk. COLLECTIONS BOSTONIAN SOCIETY VOL. I. No. 2 ABEL BOWEN WILLIAM HENRY WHITMORE PRICE SEVENTY- FIVE CENTS BOSTON OLD STATE HOUSE 1887 PROSPECTUS. Original contributions relating to tlie liistory of Boston, as rc-ad before the Society, will be, from time to time, published ; each monograph will be complete in itself, and will also be paged continuously in the series for binding. Members of the Association will receive the publications as soon as they are issued. Other persons may obtain them, each at its retail price, on application to the Society, or Damrei.i. & Upham. EXTRACT FROM BY-LAWS, ARTICLE IV. ADMISSION FEE AND ASSESSMENTS. Each member sh.ill pay tive dollars at the time of his admission, and five dollars each first of January afterwards, into the treasury of the Society for its general purposes ; but if any member shall neglect to pay his admission fee, or annual assessment, for three months after the same is due, he shall be liable to forfeit his membership at any time when the Directors shall so order. The payment of the sum of twenty-five dollars in any one year by any member shall constitute him a life member of the Society ; life members shall be free from assessments, and entitled to all the rights and privileges of annual mem- bers. The money received for such life memberships shall constitute a fund, of which not more than twenty per cent, together with the annual income shall be spent in any one year. €]^c l^oistonian ^ociet^ ABEL BOM^EN WILLIAM HENRY WHITMORE COPYRIGHT. I SS7. BOSTONIAN SOCIETY. COLLECTIONS OF TIIF, BOSTONIAN SOCIETY VOL. I. No. 2 ABEL BOV\^EN WILLIAM HENRY VVHITMORE BOSTON O L D STATE HOUSE ^ 1887 ABEL BOWEN. BY a fortunate accident the Bostonian Society has ac- quired a number of the copper-plates and wood-cuts engraved by Abel Bowen and used by him in his " Picture of Boston " and other publications. As these engravings are all of historical interest, and the books are all out of print, the Society has voted to republish the plates with explanatory notes. In pursuing this task the writer was insensibly led to in- vestigate the circumstances under which these engravings first appeared, and consequently, to learn somewhat of the life and work of a man who has peculiar claims to recog- nition by a society founded for the preservation of Bostonian mementos. Abel Bowen, for nearly forty years a citizen of Boston, was one in the chain of local antiquaries, beginning nearly a cen- tury and a half ago with Thomas Prince, and continued through Pemberton, Shaw, Snow, Quincy, Drake, and Shurt- leff, to the present time. In this band of earnest recorders 3<* ABEL BOWEN. g of our history, Abel Bowen belongs, not only as the artist who preserved for us these pictures of the past, but as the promoter and publisher of Snow's "History of Boston " and of various other similar books and magazines. As so little has yet been written about him, such details as have been col- lected may well be noted down here. The following memorandum preserved in the family (for a copy of which I am indebted to Mr. W. C. Burrage, Clerk of the Bostonian Society), gives the Bowen pedigree. ' I add a figure for each generation. " Thomas 1 Bowen was one of the three brothers who came to this country to settle. He was the father of John 2 Bowen, the father of John^, who was the father of John*, who was the father of Abel^ Bowen, my father. Tj , „ Abel« Bowen." Boston, June, 1824. I also find that Abel^ Bowen, Sr., was born Dec. 14, 1768 • married Delia Mason, March 31, 1789, and had Abel, born at Sand Lake Village in Greenbush, N. Y., Dec. 23, 1790; Delia born July 12, 1792, died July, 1793; Henry, born May 28,' 1794; Romeo, born Sept. 16, 1796; Juliet, born May 31] 1798; Sidney, born July 29, 1799; Sophronia, born July 25' 1801; Mason, born June 6, 1802; Lorenzo, born Feb. 28^ 1804; Eliza, born June 24, 1805; Mary, born Jan. i, 1807,' and Olonda, born June 6, 1809. He died Dec. 8, 181 1, at Otego, N. Y., leaving a widow who long survived him, dying in Milford, N. Y., Oct. 22, 1838, aged sixty-eight years. Abel Bowen, Jr., had ten children, of whom three sons were, Lorenzo, Daniel, and Edwin ; and three daughters, Mrs. Sanderson, Mrs. Phipps, and Mrs. Butts. 7 ABEL BOIVEX. ^i From a very interesting scrap of autobiography still pos- sessed by the family, (for which I am again indebted to Mr. Burrage), it seems that Bowen began his career as an engraver in 1805. The statement is as follows : " It is well known that Dr. Alexander Anderson of New York was the first to introduce the art into that City, and may be properly styled the father of Wood Engraving in the Uni- ted States. "The Introduction of Wood Cuts met with much opposition by Newspaper Printers and others, on account of the liability to warp and crack, they having been in the practice of using the Type Metal Cuts which had been the kind of engraving previously used. " In Boston, Type Metal Cuts were generally used, and no one attempted to make a business of Engraving on Wood till it was introduced by myself, although it is evident that others had made some occasional attempts to produce Wood Cuts. I have evidence that Dr. Franklin* engraved some devices on wood, and that some were used in the printing of the Conti- nental Money ; and after him a Mr. Aiken, Mr. Skillen, Mr. Callendar and several others executed Wood Cuts, not as a business, but as occasional experiments as suited their con- venience and the accommodation of others. "The first wood-cut I executed in Boston was a profile cut for W. M. S. Doyle, for his advertisement for cutting profiles, * It will be remembered that Franklin states in his autobiography, that when he started in business as a printer in Philadelphia, he "engraved several things on occasion," and especially "several ornaments and cuts for some New Jersey currency." These were doubtless in type metal. A late example is on the title- page of the Rev. Dr. Eckley's discourse before the Boston Female Asylum in 1S02. It was printed at Boston at the Ornamental Printing Office, under the Columbian Museum, and bears the monogram D. B. This doubtless refers to the Daniel Bowen of the text. At the end is a tail-piece of much inferior execution. I am informed that these were not engravings made on the type-metal, but that the matrix was cut in wood, and then a cast was made in metal. It seems as if there must have been two distinct systems, because while the earlier ornaments are very rude, some of the later ones are well and elaborately cut, suggesting the idea that they were regularly made types. 32 ABEL BO IV EN. which may be seen in the New England Palladium of Dec. 17, 1805.* " I engraved many cuts while an apprentice at the printing business, some of which were for my Uncle Daniel Bowen proprietor of the Columbian Museum in Boston,! and were used for his Museum bills as early as 181 1. " I made copiesj of some cuts by Thomas Bewick, the re- storer of the Art of Wood Engraving, which my uncle took pains to exhibit to the printers and publishers in Boston, * The following fac-simile is given. Wm. M. S. Doyle, jMiniaPurr d.ia I'm/U Paintfr, TtiMoMT ST«ect, B'^'ion, next Houn north otihe «<«/i.-Ciaft/,thel«ifresideMc;t)f RG AMoav.ejq. COINTINUES to ex- ecute Likenessei, in AfiK- ia^u/T and }'rqfilr[ at virionr «Ues, (Ihe 1 lltr irt sfude «r nxural colou rsl K a lyk pe- cuiiirlv stnk "? nd elef.nl. whtrrby ihf (or ible ani- malioii tl retB .n?d- Some ».-f finis 1«1 on com- rtintiini. in 1 ic m npi Dr uf the Ctrlebinlcd M iE«f 01 £..»rf«-i.. ".♦ Fricc ..fp rafiUs—fr^m. 55 emit to 1. '-X 5 JMc'l. Mtiiiaiurci \S IS afii< io dollar'- The same engraving retouched, i D«- '7- t Daniel Bowen established a Museum here in 1791 at the .American Coffee House, opposite the Bunch of Grapes Tavern, State street. He soon removed to the hall over the School House in Hollis street, and in 1795 '"'^^ established on the corner of Tremont and Bromfield streets. The building was burned January 15, 1803; renewed on the corner of Milk and Oliver streets, and removed to the lot north of the King's Chapel yard in 1806, where William M. S. Doyle was his partner. There the collection was again destroyed January 16, 1S07, but they rebuilt and opened June 2, 1807. Mr. Bowen soon after left Boston, and Mr. Doyle continued until January i, 1S25, when the collection was sold to Mr. E. A. Greenwood. In 1841 Moses Kimball brought back to the old site on the corner of Bromfield street, the remains of this Museum and several others. { Mr. Burrage has called my attention to Low's Almanac, printed at Boston, by Munroe & Francis. In the issue for 181 1, is a cut signed with Bowen's mon- ogram; in that for 1817, is one signed Bowen, and another marked N. D., doubt- less Dearborn's. In 1819 there are several cuts as headings in the months marked Bowen, or B, and they continue through 1822. They seem to be copies or imitations of Bewick. ^ ^. JOSEPH K\LE, PIN,\ ABEL BO WEN. IZ many of whom were pleased to express compliments in favor of the specimens, and a desire to have me make it a business, for there was no one established in the Art in the City. "This* led me to engrave and issue a Cut, (the Tiger Hunt) for a Card, in the early part of i8i2f, soliciting patronage at the Museum while I executed my Engravings at Brighton, where my uncle resided. After engraving a number of Cuts and finding a ready sale for them, I determined on making Engraving a business, took a room in Tudor's Building in Court street, and commenced in August, 1812, by doing a cut of a Model of a Boat for Mr. Frederick Tudor, and advertised to do Engraving on Wood in Boston. " I immediately received orders from the principal pub- lishers in the City, such as Messrs. T. B. Wait, Caleb Bingham, Cummings & Hilliard, Munroe & Francis, Lin- coln & Edmands, West & Richardson, Adams & Rhodes, Benjamin Russell, and others, most of whom had urged my making Wood Engraving a business, as no one, as they said, had ever attempted it in Boston. • He forgets to mention an earlier specimen, being a ticket for a Ball at Hud- son, N. J., September 14, 181 1, where he was one of the managers. It bears his initials, A. B., as engraver. t See the annexed fac-simile. 34 ABEL BO WEN. lo "The patronage thus bestowed on me, led Mr. Gershom Cobb, a writing master, to issue a card, as he had made cuts occasionally, by way of experimenting. "This was soon followed by N. Dearborn,* originally a book-binder and book-seller, then a grocer, to issue a Hiero- glyphical Card, as having opened in Water Street. Mr. Cobb soon relinquished the business altogether, leaving the whole to Mr. Dearborn and myself. After this a degree of rivalry ensued between us, and the progress each made may be seen- by the work produced. "Mr. Shaw when about to publish his Description of Bos- ton, gave each two cuts to do, the Church of Christ in Salem St., and the Triangular Ware House, to Mr. Dearborn ; and the Old and New State House to me ; f and any one who wishes can see the state of the Art in Boston at that period by examining the work. " And to show the progress I made in Engraving on Wood, I would refer to a Cut placed at the head of an Elegy on the Death of Lawrence, killed in the battle between the Chesa- peake and Shannon, the cuts in the Naval Monument, Snow's History of Boston, the Picture of Boston, and The Young Ladies' Book, all of which were published by myself. J * Nathaniel Dearborn is best known by his volume entitled "Boston Notions," published in 1848. In the preface he reprints an advertisement of a similar work which he projected thirty years before. This notice, from the New England Palladium of June 24, 1S14, has a wood-cut of a painter's pallet, and below it is the inscription : " Nathaniel Dearborn, Engraver on Wood, School Street, Bos- ton." The circular refers to "the new style of engraving in this part of the country," which Mr. Dearborn explains in a foot-note as "that of Engraving on Wood, introduced into Boston in the latter part of the year iSii, by the Author of this work." It will be seen that this claim was not made till 184S, and I pre- sume it led Mr. Bowen to write out this statement. Bowen's date of 1805 for his first work ante-dates Dearborn by six years. However the first efforts of both artists were quite trifling and obscure. Bowen seems however, best entitled to the credit of priority. t Mr. Bowen neglects to add that he also engraved for this book a View of Faneuil Hall, and that all these cuts were the size of the page. In addition, Dearborn engraved a view of the Julien House. Bowen's cut of the Old State House was afterwards used as the frontispiece to Hale's " Survey of Boston, "^ in 1821. J These are noticed later. II ABEL BO WEN. 35 " Soon after the latter book appeared, Mr. Dunlap's work on the 'Arts in the United States' was issued, in which he gave me the credit of introducing the Art of Wood Engrav- ing into Boston.* The statement made by Mr. D. was from a knowledge of the circumstances I have here related, obtained from what was generally understood in Boston, not from any information he got from me, for he made no application to me on the subject. The public must judge whether Mr. Dunlap's statement is correct, and who was the first to introduce the Art of Engraving into Boston, and bring it forward to take rank with other cities in the United States. " Much credit awarded to me in the Art, is no doubt due to the pupils who have been in my employ, some of whom I am proud to say have become distinguished Artists, and do great credit to the country ; Croome, Hartwell, Devereux, Brown, Billings, Kelly, Andrews, and several others. f "Abel Bowen." The tribute to Lawrence, mentioned by Bowen, is a broad- side J about 13 inches by 8 inches, the lower half being an • See Dunlap, Vol. II, p. 9: "Of the introduction of wood engraving into Boston, the credit is due to Mr. Abel Bowen, who began there in 1812, and has continued the pursuit successfully ; he has had several pupils o£ ability, (Mr. Hartwell and others) who now that the art is becoming more generally under- stood, receive every encouragement in their professional practice." See also. Vol. II, p. 254. t This list can be extended by the following undated memorandum found among Bowen's papers. " Persons who have received instruction in the art of engraving. Charles Putnam, George Fowle, Sidney Bowen, Childs, Swett, Kelly, [S. S.] Kilburn, Joseph Andrews, Alonzo Hartwell, Crosman, Ruggles, Brown, Hammatt Billings, D. Bowen, Wait, Lloyd, William Munroe, Mudge, George Willis, Devereux, Emmons, Brown, William Croome, Hall (at Cooperstown), and Perkins." X The copy in the possession of the Bostonian Society has the following ([uaint note printed on a slip of paper. "I wish you to take the Proposal and go round evenings, or when Mr. Clark can spare you, and get what subscribers you can, and then let me know what No. of copies I must send. The Satin comes very high, and I do not wish to send any more than I am sure to get sale for. I will make a present of one to Mr. Clark, and, if it should be agreeable, I should like to have him put his name 36 ABEL BOWEK. elegy (two columns of verse), and the upper half representing a monument, being a square base with an oval vase thereon, surmounted by a bust of Lawrence. A weeping female proba- bly personifies Columbia, and the usual accessories, flags, etc., complete the picture. The block is about eight inches by six, and is entirely creditable to the artist. It is marked " Published according to the Act of Congress. A. Bowen, Printer." As to the " Naval Monument," of which Bowen speaks, it was published by him in 1816, and sold by Cummings and Hilliard. The illustrations are : Subject. 1* Frontispiece. 2* Constitution escaping. 3 Constitution and Guerriere. 4 do. do. 5 Wasp and Frolic. 6 United States and Macedonian. 7 Java and Constitution. 8 Hornet and Bonne Citoyenne. 9 Hornet and Peacock. 10* Chesapeake and Shannon. 1 1 Enterprise and Boxer. 12* 1st View of Perry's Victory. 13* 2d do. do. 14 Capture of the Essex. 15 Peacock and Epervier. 16 Wasp and Reindeer. 17 Wasp and Avon. 18* McDonough's Victory. 19 President and Endymion. 20 Constitution, Cyane and Levant. 21 Hornet and Penguin. 22 Hornet's escape. 23* Bainbridge's squadron. Designer. Engraver. J. R. Penniman. W. B. Annin. M. Corne. W. Hoogland. do. A. Bowen. do. do. do. do. A. Bowen. do. M. Corne. do. do. do. M. Corne. do. Wightman. do. A. Bowen. do. W. B. Annin. do. do. do. A. Bowen. T. Birch. do. E. Corne. do. do. do. do. W. Hoogland. do. A. Bowen. M. Corne. A. Anderson. do. A. Bowen. do. do. J. B. Fanning. G. G. Smith. on, for a beginning, and present it to the patrons of the Reading-Room. The Proposals have done very well in this town. It is probable I shall do tolerably well in N. York. You will have 12 cts. for each sub." 13 ABEL BO WEN. 37 It will be noticed that seven are copper-plate engravings, marked with a star in this list, and fifteen are wood-cuts, made by Bowen. They are all very good works of art, and, had the art of printing wood-cuts at that time been well understood, these cuts would bear comparison with work done now. In 1836 a new edition of the book was announced, con- tinued down to that date ; but the volume is only a reprint of the old work. It is not a re-issue, but a reprint. The cuts and plates seem to be the ones used before, but they are very badly printed, and have apparently been injured in parts. Very curiously, among the wood-cuts bought of Bowen's heirs by the Bostonian Society, are several reproductions of these cuts on a reduced scale. I have not yet found them in use in any book, and very possibly they were intended for some enterprise which never succeeded. Among the miscellaneous cuts done by Bowen, probably before 1820, I would mention one of the Exchange Coffee House in Boston, which building was burnt down Nov. 3, 1818. This is marked " S. Dearborn, del., A. Bowen, sc." A copper-plate engraving " Wightman, sc," was used on the paper of the hotel. I have also a wood-cut of the " Columbian Hotel" — locality unknown — -from the Bowen family papers. Mr. F. Blake, of Boston, has a large cut made by Bowen, for Elijah Fairbanks of Worcester, to be used on a wrapper for writing paper. It has a view of an old mill, which was burned in 1827. He also made a cut of the Bible and Heart for Charles Ewer, of 51 Cornhill, a well-known publisher, a copy of which is in a publication dated 1818. The Bostonian Society has a number of blocks by Bowen, some of which may belong to this period, but none seem deserving of reproduction. Bowen, also, during this period, practiced his art on copper plates. I have noted a portrait of Wesley, prefixed to "Extracts from his Journals," etc., Boston, 1819. This is engraved in line and stipple. 38 ABEL BO WEN. 14 IJowen came to Boston in August, 18 12, and it appears that he immediately made plans to begin the printing business with his uncle Daniel as a partner, and a cousin, Abel Bul- lock, as an apprentice.* It is not probable however that the arrangements proposed resulted in success, or were of long duration. In 1 8 16 the Directory names Abel Bowen as an engraver on wood. In 1821 Abel Bowen and Alexander McKenzie were associated as copper-plate printers ; but the partnership was brief, though the latter is named in the Directory until 1833. In 1823, George P. Bowen, copper-plate engraver, is at the same address as Abel. * We insert the following interesting letter, written on his arrival at Boston, from the original, belonging to Mrs. Benj. Phipps. Boston, Aug. 27, 18 1 2. To Miss Eliza Healy, Hudson, N. Y. I have had a pleasant journey of four days to this place, arriving on Friday, the 2ist inst. On Saturday I went to the Museum, and inquired for Daniel Bowen, my uncle; was informed he lived in Brighton, to which place I went in the stage; was introduced to a cousin, Abel Bullock, who lived with him. Sunday, the 23d, went to church with them. On the 25th Mr. and Mrs. D. Bowen expressed their anxiety to have me start the job and ornamental printing business in Boston, under the firm name of D. and A. Bowen, and take my cousin and teach him the trade. On Wednesday, the 26th, Mr. and Mrs. Bowen, Mr. Bullock and myself took a hack and went to town to make further arrangements. We spent an afternoon with Capt. Moore, of the Navy. On the 27th arrangements were made. My uncle is to have a room leading from the hall of the Museum and move his office in there. Then I am to take the office with a bedroom, with my cousin to help, and do the best I can with it. He is to furnish paper and other things to commence with. My uncle and myself are to share equally in all we make by printing, and all I receive from painting and engraving is to be my own. This P. M. went to Commencement. I left Capt. Moore in Boston, who is to sail in a few hours with Mr. Bullock on board, who goes to Hillsdale to see his parents, and return the next trip. To-morrow go to prepare for removing the press. Shall have no rent to pay, and every convenience for keeping bachelor's hall, and I think I shall do well, if I keep my health. Let it be as it may; I think it will be better than to have gone a soldiering. I date my letter in Boston because there is no post-office in Brighton. » » * • A. B. The lady to whom this was addressed subsequently became his wife. From the letter it would seem that his proposed office adjoined the Museum. His reminiscences quoted on p. 33 supra, written much later in life, differ slightly from the statements here ; but these, having been made at the time, are no doubt more correct. 15 ABEL BOWEN. 39 Not long after Shaw's book appeared, Abel Bowen con- ceived the idea of a new history, in which the illustrations were to be a marked feature. He had been collecting mate- rials for some time, and, in the spring of 1822, he arranged with Mr. John Foster, Jr., to compile the text. Disputes occurred between the partners, and, in April, 1824, Bowen, who had bought the copyright of Shaw's book, and engaged the services of Dr. Caleb H. Snow, as editor, issued proposals for his new history. Mr. Foster attempted to prepare a rival issue, to be printed by Mr. Edward Cotton, but it seems to have been unsuccessful. Snow's history was issued in parts, and a copyright was obtained for the whole book, Nov. 28, 1825. Great as is the praise due to the compiler of this admirable history, at least equal honor is due to Bowen, as the originator and supporter of the scheme, and as the artist who selected and prepared the valuable illustrations. These comprised seventeen full- page views (nearly all copper-plates), three maps, and nine wood-cuts, and they give a very favorable impression of Bowen's skill both as an engraver and as an artist. In 1825 quite a stimulus was given to local art, by the introduction of lithography. In the Boston Magazine for December in that year, pp. 378-384, is an account of Sene- felder's discovery of the process. It adds that nothing had been done to introduce it in this country, unless a few at- tempts in New York may be verified, " until within a few months, when Mr. John Pendleton commenced an establish- ment for lithography in this city." He "is a young gentle- man of taste and talents, from the State of New York, who was on a visit to Paris, on business of an entirely different nature, and, becoming pleased with lithography, put himself immediately under the first artists of France, and acquired, as we believe, a thorough knowledge of the art and the prin- ciples on which it is founded. With this stock of informa- tion, and with a great love of the profession, and in addition a good supply of the proper stone and other materials for the pursuit of the art, he came to Boston and engaged with his 40 ABEL BO WEN. i6 brother, a copper-plate printer of established celebrity. With great liberality he has furnished stone, chalk, and pencils to several painters, who are making great progress in litho- graphic drawing. The sketch which is given in this number of our magazine is merely a specimen of the art amongst us. Messrs. Edwards, Johnson, Hoogland, Penniman, and Alex- ander, artists well known in this city, are engaged in doing something in lithography to exhibit to the public, which may soon be expected to appear, and others will, no doubt, follow their example. We shall, from time to time, not only keep our readers apprised of the progress which our enterprising and gifted artists are making, but also of what has been done and may be doing ; and often present our patrons with speci- mens of the art itself in our pages." In this magazine appeared lithographic portraits of Jacob Perkins and Eleanor Davis, both drawn by [Thomas] Edwards ; and of Maria Edgewood, drawn by [P.] Alexander ; all litho- graphed by Pendleton. In the Boston Neivs-Letter of Nov. 5, 1825, mention is made of the new art, and notice given that an edition of Sir Astley Cooper's Lectures would soon appear with plates " which have been drawn on stone by A. Bowen and litho- graphed by Mr. Pendleton." Bowen was, in 1825, a partner of William S. Pendleton, and the firm was dissolved Jan. 31, 1826, evidently amicably. Pendleton continued lithographing, with his brother, and Bowen returned to engraving. This is not the place to trace the history of lithography, but it may be added that William and John Pendleton adver- tised in the Directory through 1830, being then in "Graphic Court, Washington street, opposite the end of Franklin street, and near the Marlboro' Hotel." From 1831 to 1836 (in the latter year at 208 Washington street, between Frank- lin and Summer streets) William S. Pendleton continues alone, and his name disappears in 1837. On the cover of the Directory for 1837, Thomas Moore, of 204 Washington street, advertises as the successor to Pendleton. 17 ABEL BO WEN. 41 In 1830, in the Directory, is an advertisement of the Sene- felder Lithographic Co., of 123 Washington street, signed by Hazen Morse, Thomas Edwards, William B. Annin, George G. Smith, and John Chorley. We may here note, on the evidence of the Directory, that John Cullum was, in 1826, a copper-plate printer, William Hoogland an engraver from 1 822-1 828, and William F. Stratton an engraver from 1829-1833. In the years 1825-6 Bowen published two volumes of " Bowen's Boston News-Letter and City Record," edited by Dr. Jerome V. C. Smith, afterwards mayor. It was an antiquarian journal of much merit, as well as a useful com- pendium of the doings of the City Government. In 1828 a second edition of Snow's History was issued; but it was merely a method of disposing of the remaining copies of the first issue, as the preface shows. Pp. 393 and 394 were reset, pp. 395-424 added, and a new Inde.x, pp. 425- 427, prepared. In 1829 Bowen issued the first edition of his "Picture of Boston, or Citizen's and Stranger's Guide to the Metropolis of Massachusetts, and its Environs," a duodecimo volume of 252 pages. Although the title says it is "embellished with engravings," only a few little cuts are to be found in it. •■Tlw yjory of children are their father* •• fRlMOUNTAm IN 1630. Sacoad Centennial Celebration of the Settlement of Boctoa. Sent. 17. 1830. In 1830 at the time of the celebration of the Bi-Centennial Settlement of the town, Bowen prepared a badge, a copy of which is in the cabinet of our Society. The cut is given above. 42 ABEL BO WEN. x8 In 1830 Dr. Snow issued "A Geography of Boston," with " Historical Notes .... for the Younger Class of Readers," which he intended to be an abridgment of his larger history. To this Bowen contributed various cuts, some new and others perhaps reduced from his larger plates. The best one, perhaps, is a view of the Old State House, under its new name of the City Hall, it having been so dedicated on Sept. 17, 1830. In the foreground, on State street, is a pump, concerning which the following note from Bowen's manu- scripts is in place : "The Old State House was painted white in August, 1825, by the city, and in the same month a well was dug at the east end, and good water found, and a plenty, after digging 18 or 20 feet." Before this time there had been a flight of steps at the east end which must have nearly covered this spot. The " old Town Pump " can therefore hardly be located here earlier than 1825. The annexed cut is also from the Geography, and represents the birth- place of Franklin, on Milk street. Another noticeable picture is that of the Tremont House, then just built, showing a cupola on it, which was soon removed. The Great Elm on the Common, near " Crescent Pond," is shown, and also the monument to the parents of Franklin. Another cut shows the first few feet of Bunker Hill Monument in process of erection; and on p. 159 is one representing the Ouincy Railway employed for the carrying of stone. In 1833 Bowen issued the second edition of his "Picture of Boston," wherein, besides wood-cuts, appeared several of the plates of churches, which are appended to this pamphlet. Four of these plates (sixteen subjects), and also the two beginning respectively with the City Hall and the Odeon, were in this edition. It is interesting to note that the third subject on the first plate, in 1833, was "Merchants' Hall," which was effaced and replaced in the later edition by the "Bethel." Merchants' Hall, Bowen states, is "at the corner »9 ABEL BO WEN. 43 of Congress and Water streets ; it is a large, plain building of brick, four stories in height. The lower floor is occupied as a market, and the upper stories for printing-offices and various other purposes." On p. 209 is a cut of the Warren Theatre, corner of Portland and Traverse streets ; on p. 289, a view is given of the Savin Hill Hotel, both of which seem peculiar to this edition. For a long time, Bowen was engaged in preparing a new edition of Snow's History, of which the two cuts here given are perhaps the only remaining memento. They are numbered " No. 9, p. 17," and " No. 10, p. 18." The first, the interior of Faneuil Hall, is quite interesting, and far less common than the exterior views. Bowen used a very similar view of the second, Ouincy Market, on a larger scale, perhaps more than once. It is very irrita- ting to think that the great number of drawings, and other materials, collected with so much care by Bowen, were ut- terly dispersed and lost after his death. From an undoubted authority it seems that enough manuscripts to fill several barrels were thus allowed to be ruined by neglect and event- ually to be burnt. To this loss the antiquary has also to add 44 ABEL BO WEN. 20. that caused by the great fire of 1872, when all the wood- cuts used in the old Almanacs and early periodicals also disappeared. The present generation must treasure its recollections for the benefit of posterity. In 1834 Bowen entered upon an enterprise which must have taken the greater part of his attention for several years. By chap. 124 of Acts of 1834 there were incorporated as the Boston Bewick Company, John H. Hall, Abel Bowen, and John C. Crosman, with their associates, " for the purpose of employing, improving, and extending the art of engraving, polytyping, embossing, and printing," with power to hold real and personal estate to the extent of 5i20,cxx). The act is dated March 27, 1834. In their advertisement, a month or two later, they state that the company is named in honor of the late Thomas Bewick, " the restorer of the art of engrav- ing on wood." Freeman Hunt was made their agent, and the following artists state that orders for them may be sent to him : Abel Bowen, Alonzo Hartwell, John H. Hall, William Croome, George W. Boynton, John C. Crosman, Daniel H. Craig, and N. B. Devereux, Jr. In the fire of Sept. 24, 1835, o'l Court street, the Boston Bewick Company was burned out ; but its advertisement remained in 1836. In 1835 the company began to publish The American Magazine, a periodical, which for several reasons deserves to be carefully considered. It lived through three volumes, the first two, at least, being issued under the control of the Bewick Company. In Vol. I, page 508, it is stated that " the company of engravers on wood in Boston and by whom those for this magazine are prepared, under the superintendence of Mr. A. Bowen, have taken the name of Bewick, from respect to the person above named," i. e., Thomas Bewick. Again, in the valedictory address of the anonymous editor, in August, 1836, at the end of the second volume, he complains that "the embellishments have chiefly been selected by the executive ofificers of the Boston Bewick Company, or by the engravers themselves." The third volume begins with October, 1836, and ends with September, ABEL BO WEN. 45 1837, the publisher being John L. Sibley. In the last monthly part (p. 459) is a full-page engraving by A Bowen, of " Ma- zeppa " ; and on page 397 is a large cut of an " American Short-Horn Bull," likewise signed by him. These furnish the proof that Bowen's interest in the magazine continued to its close. His initials are on the portrait of La Fayette, on p. 21 of the first volume, thus identifying him with the entire enterprise. The magazine was intended to be instructive, and its range embraced everything but fiction. The wood-cuts were numerous, and especially illustrated articles on zoology and botany. But there are also many views of noted places and buildings in our own country, not a few being those in Bos- ton and its vicinity. A list of the latter is given to aid the students of our local history, and for the further reason that Bowen is certainly entitled to the credit of this department. In the first volume are the following wood-cuts, all relating to Boston when not otherwise specified : p. 9, Entrance to Mount Auburn ; p. 17, large view of Trinity Church ; p. 18, small view of Old Trinity ; p. 51, House of Industry, South Boston; p. 81, Hancock House; p. 83, Unitarian Church, Cambridgeport ; p. 86, ship " Constitution," at the Navy-yard ; p. 157, Massachusetts General Hospital ; p. 183, Bunker Hill Monument; p. 201, Harvard College; p. 221, Boston Massacre ; p. 254, Durant's Balloon Ascension from Boston ; p. 279, ruins of the Convent at Charlestown ; p. 289, Adams Temple at Quincy (J. Kidder, del.) ; p. 373, portrait of Gov. Bowdoin ; p. 408, Mr. Bennet's house at Brighton ; p. 479, large view of New South Church ; p. 492, large view of Tremont-street Mall ; p. 512, Braman's Bath-house. In Volume II there are the following: p. 34, large view of the Seamen's Church ; p. 35, small view of the Old Seamen's Church; p. 42, State Prison, Charlestown ; p. 55, large view of Faneuil Hall ; p. 68, large view of the State House ; p.. 80-81, Old Feather Store, Triangular Warehouse, and the Julien House; p. loi. Fort Independence ; p. 155, Fresh Pond,. Cambridge; p. 157, Tremont street, west from School 46 ABEL BO WEN. 22 street ; p. 234, view in Mount Auburn, Cambridge ; p. 237, the Hutchinson House; p. 316, large view of Destruction of Tea in 1772 (sketched by G. L. Brown) : p. 413, large view of Grace Church ; p. 497, Trinity Church, from the west corner ; p. 501, Suffolk Bank. Volume HI opens with a large view of Boston, from South Boston (Brown, del) ; other cuts are : p. 65, Monument to John Harvard ; p. 89, large view of the New Court-House ; p. 129, large view of Mt. Washington House, South Boston; p. 140, Worcester R. R. Depot ; p. 169, large view of the Maverick House ; p. 244, McLean Insane Asylum ; p. 325, U. S. Marine Hospital, Chelsea ; p. 404, Bunker Hill Monu- ment in its unfinished state ; p. 432, Washington Elm, Cam- bridge ; pp. 449 and 45 1, large views of the Adams houses in Quincy. We have been thus particular in noticing these engravings, because the magazine seems to have dropped out of sight of collectors. Undoubtedly its success among the young, and its wealth of illustrations, led to the destruction of copies at an early date. The Bewick Company issued in 1835 a map of Boston, 31 by 22 inches, and the border enclosing it is made up of neat outline views of various public buildings in the city. Late in 1837, or early in 1838, Bowen issued the third edi- tion of his "Picture of Boston," rearranging and increasing its contents. In this edition he seems to have added the last two plates, which are herewith reissued, viz., those beginning respectively with the Brattle-street Church and the New North. A ninth plate is also found in this edition, the sub- jects being the Tremont House, Norfolk House, Nahant Hotel, and Bunker Hill Monument ; but this plate has not been recovered. In 1849 Bowen prepared his " New Guide to the City of Boston and vicinity," published by James Munroe & Co. It was a small affair, only filling thirty-six pages, and refers inquirers to his History and Picture. In the preface he men- tions that a new edition of the History is in preparation. It 23 ABEL BO WEN. 47 is understood that the late Samuel G. Drake was to be the editor of the re-issue ; but the long-continued illness of Mr. Bowen put an end to that project. Later on Mr. Drake began the issue of a new history, the first part appearing September I, 1852. Although that gentleman had acquired Dr. Snow's manuscript collections, since transmitted to the present writer, he constructed his history on an entirely different plan. Whatever may be the merits of Mr. Drake's unfinished work, neither that book nor the more miscellaneous collection known as the "Memorial History of Boston" can obscure the merits of Snow's volume. One of the survivors of the artists of the last generation has kindly favored us with his recollections of our subject. "Bowen," he says, "was the real founder of the art of wood- engraving here, not so much by his own productions as by the stimulus he gave to the subject. He was an enthusiast, always projecting works to be illustrated in this manner, and, though rarely making a profit for himself, he was thus the cause of much being done. He was self-taught, copying the designs and methods of those English examples which in- spired him. Before his time engraving on copper and type- metal had been done here with fair success. But the aims, processes and results of wood-engraving were so well perceived and achieved in this city, that for years it possessed almost a monopoly of the business. And," our informant adds, "the work done a half centur\' ago was really good in style and manner; so that to-day the greatest advance noticeable is mainly due to improvements in printing, paper and ink. That Bowen was unable to command the means to succeed largely was the misfortune of the times; that he should have strug- gled on, year after year, in the face of reverses, poverty, and long-continued illness, is the highest proof that he possessed that spark of vital energy which we call genius." Abel Bowen died March 11, 1850. In one of the newspapers of the date appeared the following brief notice : '' Although a sketch of the life of Mr. Bowen 48 ABEL BOWEN. 24 will undoubtedly soon be published, yet we cannot allow this opportunity to go by without bearing our tribute to the memo- ry of the Man, the Philanthropist, and the Christian. For two years he has borne, with hopeful yet resigned patience, the progress of the disorder, which was to him only as the gradual opening of that gate by which he should pass in, joyfully and triumphantly, to the full radiance of the Eternal Presence. No murmur ever escaped his lips, no discontent appeared on his countenance. ' It is pleasant to see your faces,' he said to the group around him, a few hours before his death ; 'but I shall soon see the face of my heavenly Father.' And joyfully indeed did his long-imprisoned spirit seem to burst from the helpless and shattered frame. He died without a struggle, and with a calm smile, which told of trust in God and peace with all mankind." Mr. Burrage has obtained from Mrs. Phipps, miniatures of Abel Bowen and Eliza (Healy) Bowen, his wife, finely painted on ivory, heliotype reproductions of which form the frontispiece of this paper ; the portrait of his uncle Daniel, who is mentioned on page 38, is reproduced from a painting by Kyle, and has until recently been in the possession of a descendant, Mrs. Isaac T. Jones, of Philadelphia. On the following pages will be found brief descriptions of the plates mentioned on page 42, and impressions from electrotypes of selections from Bowen's original wood-cuts in the possession of the Society. Droj^^and l^ttara3>ed tor ^oinenif IKcUtrc cf^st 25 ABEL BO WEN. 49 1. The C\T\ Hall, better known as the old State- House, built in 1 7 1 2 on the site of a still older house ; injured by fire in 1747; disused by the State, Jan- uary II, 1798; occupied as a City Hall 1830- 1840; used for business purposes till 1881 ; renovated and restored in 1882. The halls, of the greatest histor- ical interest, are now in charge of the Bostonian Society. 2. Faneuil Hall, given to the town Sept. 10, 1742, by Peter Faneuil; greatly injured by fire, Jan- uary 13, 1761 ; rededicated March 14, 1763 ; rebuilt in 1805, doubling the width of the area, and adding a third story. 3. The Bethel Church, North square, was founded by the Rev. E. T. Taylor, a Methodist minister, in 1829. The foundation of this building was laid Octo- ber 3, 1832. Father Taylor was especially devoted to the spiritual care of the seamen of this port, and was very successful. 4. CusTOM-HousE. In 1 8 10 the Custom- House was removed from the corner of Flag alley and State street to a new building in Custom-House street. In 1847-9 the present building was completed and occupied, but the former edifice retains nearly the appearance here presented. so ABEL BO wen: 26 5. The Odeon. This is the Federal-street Theatre. The first building was opened Feb. 3, 1794, burnt and rebuilt in 1798, closed in 1833, and its name changed to the Odeon. In 1846 it again became a theatre, and in 1S52 it was torn down to make room for stores. A narrow alley behind the theatre and the other buildings on Federal street, from Franklin to Milk street, was widened, and became Devonshire street. 6. Tremont Theatre, on Tremont street, built in 1827, sold in 1842 to a Baptist Society; it was thence- forward known as the Tremont Temple. It was burnt in 1852, and again in 1879, but has maintained its present front for some thirty years. 7. The Athenaeum. This view represents the dwelling-house of James Perkins, on Pearl street, given partly by him, in 1822, in aid of the society. In 1849 the library was removed to its present building on Beacon street. Business changes and the great fire have removed all traces of the Pearl-street building. 8. Statue of Washington. This statue was made by Chantrey, at the request of an association formed for the purpose, and was first shown in November, 1827. It is now deposited at the State House, on certain conditions. 'ii'jii^Jiii/iVii' 'ii'MAtiVSdJjL^ 37 ABEL BO WEN. 51 9. Pine-street Church. No chronological order has been observed in these engravings, this church being the fortieth on the list. It was founded in 1837, and was given up a few years since, when the building was altered for business purposes. It stands on Washington street, corner of Pine. 10. King's Chapel. One of the best-preserved and best-known memorials of old Boston. The first building, built in 16S8, was of wood ; the present, of stone, was built in 1753. 1 1 . New Brick. This society was formed of seced- ers from the New North, in 1720. The Rev. William Waldron was its first minister. The Rev. Ebenezer Pemberton preached there from 1754 to 1775; at his death, 1779, the society united with the Second Church, or the Old North, the church of the Mathers, whose edifice had been destroyed by the British in 1775. Becoming Unitarian, the pastors were Henry Ware, Jr., Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Chandler Robbins. The house stood on Hanover, near Richmond street. In 1844 it was torn down, and a new building placed there, which was afterwards sold to the First Methodist Church, and later the building has been given up to business. The Second Church then settled in Freeman place, leading from Beacon street; in 1854 it united with the Church of Our Saviour, on Bedford street. This edifice was subsequently taken down and rebuilt on Boylston near Clarendon street. 12. Chauncy-place Church. This house belonged to the First Church in Boston, originally located on State street; then, from 1640 to 1S08, on Wash- ington street, where Joy's or Rogers' Building stands ; then on Chauncy place, from 1808 to 1868. The old building is entirely destroyed. The present church is on the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley streets. 52 ABEL BOWEN. 28 13. HoLi.is-sTREET Church. Founded by the Rev. Mather Byles in 1732; it was first built of wood, and burnt in 1787. The second building, of wood, was removed in 18 10 to Weymouth. The church then rebuilt, of brick ; it has had for pastors John Pierpont and Starr King. In 1882 the building was sold, the society built on the corner of Newbury and Exeter streets, and the old edifice has been altered into a theatre. In 1887 the parish united with the South Congregational Church, the two occupying the New- bury street building. 14. Christ Church, on Salem street, near Copp's Hill, was built in 1723, for the Rev. Timothy Cutler. It still remains an Episcopal church, and preserves all the evidences of its antiquity. 15. St. Paul's Church, on Tremont street, be- tween Winter street and Temple place, was built in 1820, and has suffered no exterior changes thus far. 16. Trinity Church, Summer street, was estab- lished as an Episcopal church in 1734, under the Rev. Addington Davenport. The old building was replaced, in 1828, by the one here represented, which last was destroyed in the great fire of 1872. Its representative is the noted building on Boylston street, or Copley square, under the charge of the Rev. Phillips Brooks. ■7f Jfratrn an^ £mirave3 rorjlotvtn'sj'uiun ofjiostaiv. 29 ABEL BO WEN. 53 17. Federal-street Church was built in 1730, for a number of Presbyterians, (Scotch-Irish,) under the Rev. John Moorhead. The engraving represents the third edifice, which was dedicated in 1809. In the building which preceded this sat the Convention which adopted the Constitution of the United States in 1788, a circumstance which gave its name to the street. The Unitarians held it under the Rev. William Ellery Channing and the Rev. Ezra Stiles Gannett. The society removed to Arlington street, and the old building was taken down some years ago. 18. The Old South, on the corner of Washing- ton and Milk streets, remains as a landmark. The first house, of wood, stood from 1670 to 1730, when the present church was built. In 1874 the society removed to a new house, on the corner of Boylston and Dartmouth streets, but the old building has been preserved as a relic. 19. The New South stood on Church Green, at the junction of Summer and Bedford streets, and was founded in 171 7. In 18 14 the church here shown was built. It has been removed, and the society is practically defunct. 20. R\RK-STREET Church, Still a distinctive feature on the side of the Common, was built in 1809. 54 ABEL BO WEN. 30 21. The Federal-street Baptist Church, estab- lished in 1827, sold its building in 1845, ^'^d built a church on Rovve, corner of Bedford street. The Rev. Baron Stow was long the pastor of this society, which now has a church on Clarendon near Tremont street, 22. The West Church, on the corner of Cam- bridge and Lynde streets, bears witness to the time when that locality was the westerly end of the town. The first building stood from 1737 to 1806, when the present edifice replaced it. It has hardly changed since its erection, and Dr. Bartol, its pastor, was settled there in 1837. 23. The Masonic Temple was dedicated May 30, 1832. After about twenty-five years' occupancy, the Masons sold it to the United States Government for a Court-House. It has since been raised a story, remodelled, and fitted for business purposes. 24. M.\riners' Church, Purchase street, was built in 1830. It was near the summit of Fort Hill, and well adapted to attract the class for which it was designed. The church was burnt about 1852, and the society then bought the building of the First Christian Church, on the corner of Summer and Sea (now Broad) streets, while the latter society built a new house on the corner of Tyler and Kneeland streets. The Mariners' Church united with Salem street Church in 187 1 ; both are now extinct. _Dran-n mul Mn^ravi'tf frr Jicwm's At^u. j m ..^^^1 a^^H 7> If V * '"Tint iliit jiiA:?3i^ ; 31 ABEL BO WEN. 55 25. Brattle-street Church, established in 1699, like the other old churches has occupied several buildings. The first, of wood, was replaced in 1772 by the long- familiar church here shown. A few years ago the old house was sold and torn down, the society removed to the corner of Commonwealth avenue and Clarendon street, and subsequently dissolved, the First Baptist Society purchasing their building. 26. The Catholic Church, on Franklin street, called the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, was conse- crated in 1803. The building stood long after business had invaded the street, but was sold some twenty years ago and gave place to stores. 27. Bowdoin-Street Church was built in 1830 by a society formed under the Rev. Lyman Beecher, only five years before, and which had built and lost a house on Hanover street. After the long pastorates of Dr. Hubbard Winslow and Dr. Jared B. Waterbury, the church dwindled and dissolved. The house was bought by the parish of the Episcopal Church of the Advent, and subsequently passed into the hands of the " Mission Church of St. John the Evangelist," and remains without external changes. 28. The Central Universalist Church, corner of Bulfinch street and Bulfinch place, was formed in 1823. The Rev. Paul Dean was its first pastor. 56 ABEL BO WEN. 32 29. The New North Church, corner of Hanover street and Clark street, was established by the Rev. John Webb, in 17 14. Andrew and John Eliot were successively settled here from 1742 to 1813. When Hanover street was widened, this building was set back and enlarged. It is now St. Stephen's Church (Catholic). 30. The First Methodist Church, built on North Bennett street in 1828. The society had previously worshipped on Hanover street. In 1849 it returned to that street, purchasing the edifice of the Second Unitarian Church (Dr. C. Robbins'), and sold this building to the Freewill Baptist Society, formerly located on Richmond street. Later it was bought by the Catholics, and is now called St. John the Baptist, and occupied by the Portuguese. Nos. 31 and 32 not being situated in Boston, it may be thought unnecessary to trace their present condition. It is evident that the artist did not try to give a full list of all the churches in Boston, at the date of his book. Fortunately, in the "Boston Almanac" for 1843 and 1854, the task was acceptably performed, and in one or two later guide-books these cuts have been reproduced. A careful history of our churches is much to be desired, especially in view of the great changes made in the last ten years. Tl' Drm^n ,md Kiujrmri for Sowms ficUa-r a( So. REDUCED FROM THE FRONTISPIECE TO "THE NAVAL MONUMENT." [See page 37.] THK rijXSnTI'TliiN lAKlXG IMI ( VAXK ANI) l.KVAM. LsLAl'E Ul- TH1-, CO.NjlU L 111 i.\ 1 KU-M 1111. liKllljU syLAlJ THE HORNET SINKING THL PEACUCK. ESCAPE OF THE HORNET FROM A BRITISH SEVENTY-FOUR. ©^EIi5I(£)ID(DIB'13i3 lET mum ^ssEsm® saii'siis sss^yvp FITCHEURG RAILROAD UKPOl'. QUrNCY HOISK, BRATTLE STREET. MAINE RAILROAD DEPOT. I'kdViDKNcE RAILROAD llKPoT. )LD COLONY KAIl.Ki lAIi lU I'm| WORCESTER RAILR<_IAI) DEPOT. BOSTON MUSEUM (Exlerior, with one of the Paddock Elms.) i 111 ill: 111 liiijiiiiilli I III III III i!l|UI I 111 11 1 1:111 ill If ^ if! ri ii [jiiwlff I lll[ II ^g|liiiil|l!jll|^ AD\ERTISINC, LAKIi, IN IHh BOSTON DIRECTORY, 1R20. EASTERN RAILROAD DEPOT. '■-ffljg- g iA«!«,'A A^^.fc Impressions of the above cut will be found in some copies of The Young Lady's Book, printed !n 1S30. Subsequently Bowen engraved color blocks for this cut, which was perhaps the earliest use of wood cuts for color prmting in Boston, impressions from which form the title for " Bowen's Picture of Boston." III (' \ * DR. FAUSTUS. FROM THE VOINC L\DY'S BOOK, iSio fv. iil 1 i^i glxc gostontau ^ocietij. President. CURTIS GUILD. Directors. Curtis Guild, Thomas C. Amorv, John T. Hassa.m, Joshua P. Bodfish, Samuel H. Russeli,. \Vm. Wilkins Warren, Hamilton A. Hill, Thomas J. Allen, JoHxV Lathrop. Clerk and Treasurer. William Clarence Burrage. Committee on Publications. Hamilton Andrews Hill, John T. Hassam, William Clarence Burrage. laoieiton antiquarian Club. Samuel M. Ouincy, President, i8So. William H. Whttmore, President, 1881. I3o0tonian ^octct^. Organized to promote thf study of the History of Boston, and the preservation of its A ntiquities. lNi;ORPOKATF,D DKCEMRER 2, tS8l. Curtis Guild, . . President. Pl'PLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY: PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOSTONIAN SOCIETY. ILLUSTRATED. 1883. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. PROCEEDINGS AT THE SPECIAL MEETING, "Eulogy on Samuel Miller Quincy,'' with Portrait. May 24, 1887. Bv Samuel A. Bent. COLLECTIONS. No. I. WILLIAM BLAXTON. V>\ TiiiiM.is CoKFiN A^l.lR^. No. 2. ABEL BOWEN, ENGRAVER. Kv William H. VVhitmore. Sfioiid and enlars^ed Edition, with ori,^ittal Cuts, Heliotypes /^ COLLECTIONS BOSTONIAN SOCIETY VOL. I. No. Changes of Values IN REAL ESTATE IN BOSTON THE PAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS RKAD BY ALEXANDER S. PORTER Al'RII, 13, 1SS6 PRICE THIRTY CENTS BOSTON OLD STATE HOUSE 1888 13,27 PROSPECTUS. Original contributions relating to the history of Boston, as rt-ad before the Society, will be published, from time to time ; each monograph will be complete in itself, and will also lie ])aged continuously in the scries for binding. Members of the Association will receive the ]3ublications as soon as they are issued. Other persons may obtain them, each at its retail price, on application to the Society, or to Damrell & Upham. KXTRACT FROM BY-LA W.S, AKTICLK IV. ADMISSION FEE AND ASSKSSMEN'ls. Each member shall pay five dollars at the lime of his admission, and five dollars each first of January afterwards, into the treasury of the Society for its general purposes; but if any member shall neglect to pay his admission fee, or annual assessment, for three months after the same is due, he shall be liable to forfeit his membership at any time when the Directors shall so order. The payment of the sum of twenty-five dollars in any one year by any member of the .Society shall constitute him a life member of the Society ; life members shall be free from assessments, and entitled to all the rights and privileges of annual members. The money received for such life memberships shall con- stitute a fund, of which not more than twenty per cent, together with the annual income shall be spent in any one year. Cl^e 150)3101X1311 ^ocictv CHANGES OF VALUES IN REAL ESTATE IN BOSTON THE PAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS Alexander S. Porter COLLECTIONS BOSTONIAN SOCIETY VOL. I. No. 3 Changes of Values IN REAL ESTATE IN BOSTON THE PAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS READ KY ALEXANDER S. PORTER April 13, 1886 BOSTON OLD S T A r E MOUSE 1888 CHANGES OF VALUES IN- REAL ESTATE IN BOSTON THE PAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS. WHEN I was informed a few weeks ago that I was to have the privilege of addressing the Bostonian Society on the change of values of real estate since the war of the Revolution, it was with feelings of satisfaction that I set about the task of gathering such information as seemed most fitting to emphasize these changes. But on looking into the records and attempting to study the history of the various properties that I had selected as examples of the wonderful rise in values that has taken place, I was overwhelmed with the gigantic nature of the task; for at every step and every turn I found our records full to overflowing with accounts of the most intense historical interest, and became really at a loss where or how to begin. It seemed to me that every stick and stone in the old quarter of the town was closely identified with the early struggles of our ancestors, and that every house had a history of its own ; so that in starting to follow up any particular point, I found myself delving deeper and deeper into the history of the lives of the people who were identified with it. I became as it were absorbed in reveries of the past and 6o CHANGES OF VALUES IN S of prosperity on every hand. By 1810 the population had in- creased to 34,000. In 1820 to 43,000. In 18301061,000. In 18401093,000. In 1850 to 137,000. In i860 to 177,840. In 1880 to 362,839, with outlying wards acquired by annexation. Real estate has steadily risen in value along with the increase in population, as I will presently show you by a care- fully prepared schedule. By 1830 the population had increased so much that it was felt that the time had come when more room was needed, and soon afterwards the first grand real estate enterprise was inaugurated by the filling up of the South Cove. The company was chartered Jan. 31st, 1833, and $415,000 was subscribed. The work was begun May 3d, 1S34, under the management of Mr. Francis Jackson, and finished in November, 1837. Seventy-seven acres of good land were thus added. This land was laid out into streets and building operations were at once begun. The Worcester and Western Railroad had just been finished, and of this land it acquired seven and three-fourths acres. The seventy acres of flats acquired by the South Cove Corporation cost on the average only 12^ cents per square foot. By this time, or after the panic of 1837, the merchants had outgrown their business quarters, and during the next ten years there was great activity. Whole blocks of stores and warehouses, mostly built of granite, sprung up in every direc- tion, and although many that are left seem now dilapidated and old-fashioned, yet many wise men shook their heads when they were originally built, and predicted wreck and ruin to those who had been so adventurous as to put up such palatial structures. In 1S45 the Cruft Block on Pearl Street was built. This comprised four four-story granite stores. The whole area had been previously occupied by Mr. Cruft as a residence. The Ouincy and Brooks blocks on Pearl Street were built in 1847, each comprising four four-story granite stores. Milk Street Block, Bowdoin Block, Sewall Block, Morton Block, Lawrence Block and Old South Block, a block on the corner of Milk and Hawley and another at the corner of ]\Iilk 9 BOSTOX REAL ESTATE. 6i and Atkinson (now Congress) Streets, comprising in all twenty-four stores, were all built in 1845 and 1846. Two large granite blocks on Federal Street were built by Abbot Lawrence in 1844- 1845. Sanford Block on Federal Street, consisting of six stores, was built by Samuel Sanford in 1846. A large granite block was built on Congress Street by Thomas Wigglesworth in 1845. The building at the corner of Washington Street and Spring Lane was erected in 1845 by Ozias Goodwin. A large block was built in 1845 on the corner of Washing- ton and Boylston Streets by David Mosely, and the granite building on the corner of Washington and School Streets, now occupied by Richard Briggs, was built by David Greenough in 1843. The building known as Amory Hall, on the corner of West and Washington Streets, was built in 1835, while the building next to it, cornering on Temple Place, was erected the year before. In 1835, twenty-eight brick stores were built on Tremont Street — opposite the Museum — between Beacon Street and Scollay Square. Temple Place was completed in 1844, and consisted of twenty-two fine houses. The first house, No. i, was built by the Hon. James Savage. The granite block on the corner of Washington and Winter Streets was built in 1846. Indeed, from State to Boylston Streets, Washington Street was the scene of great activity. Yet this activity was not confined to this section alone, for while all this work was going on, Fulton, Ferry, North, Union, Hanover, Ann, John, Barret, Court and Sudbury Streets were all alive with busy mechanics, and beautiful buildings were going up on every hand. It seemed as if Boston had worn out all its old clothes by 1840, and was determined to replenish its entire wardrobe. The following facts and figures will show the changes in value in Boston since 1800 — taking the assessors' estimates as a basis, and giving these values at intervals of twenty years. It has not been possible, however, to ascertain in every instance the estimates of 1800 and 1820. 62 CHANGES OF VALUES IN lo To begin with, let us take the well-known Concert Hall Estate, at the corner of Court and Hanover Streets. A large part of the estate was taken off by the widening of Hanover Street, but proper deductions have been made from the figures given. For 2525 square feet, the assessment in 1800 was $6,000; in 1820 it was $21,000; by 1840 it had still further advanced to $36,000; in i860 to $75,000; and in 1880 the assessors marked it up once more to $108,000, or eighteen times its value in iSoo. Concert Hall was owned by the family of Deblois until 1769. Before the Revolution it was a resort of the "Friends of Liberty." The American prisoners captured at Bunker Hill are said to have been tried here by a military court. Concerts were held here as early as 1755, and it was here> too, that Governor Hancock gave in 1778 his famous ball to the officers of D' Estaing's fleet. The Massachusetts Chari- table Mechanics' Association had their first meetings in Con- cert Hall. It was kept as a tavern in 1792 by James Vila, but in later days it passed into the hands of Peter B. Brigham, who had charge of it for forty years. In 1800, we find the value placed on the estate No. 23 Court Street, belonging to Charles Francis Adams, at $12,000 ; 1840, $19,000 ; in i860 it had reached $50,000, while in 1880 the land alone was assessed at $118,000, or just fifteen times as much as in 1800. The Sears Building covers 11,000 square feet. The prop- erty was assessed in 1820 at only $24,200; In 1840 it was marked at $169,000 ; i860 at $258,000, while in 1880 the land alone was assessed at $490,000. Thus it will be observed that the value changed from a little over $2 per foot in 1820 to $44* per foot in 1880. This estate, formerly the property of Peter C. Brooks, was sold at auction March 15th, 1868, at $32 per foot, or $353,000. There is a memory that lingers around this spot which still remains dear to many a brother of the legal fraternity. The portion of the old building having its entrance at No. 4 Court Street, was occupied in times gone by, by many distinguished II BOSTON HEAL ESTATE. 63 members of the bar. In 1837 here were found Rufus Choate and F. W. Crowninshield (partners,) Chas. Sumner and Geo. S. Hillard (partners,) Theophilus Parsons and Wm. G. Stevens, Horace Mann, Edward G. Loring, Benjamin Guild, Luther S. Gushing, John O. Sargent, P. W. Chandler, John Codman, T. P. Chandler, John A. Andrew and others. When Mr. George S. Hillard left the building in 1856 he bade fare- well to Number Four, in these graceful lines : The child that in the cradle slept. When first upon the stairs I stepped, Now strongly stalks across the land, With beard on chin and vote in hand. And I have passed from Summer's prime To Autumn's sober shadowy time. And felt the throbs and known the strife. That slowly rear the dome of life. I hear no more the well-known feet. The kindly looks no more I greet ; But, ere I part from Number Four, I leave my blessing at the door. WASHINGTON STREET. The estate at the corner of Washington Street and Temple Place, known as the Charles Blake estate, comprising 8650 square feet, was assessed in 1840 at $48,000; in i860 at $90,- 000; in 1880 the valuation was placed at $360,000, while in 1885 it had increased to $425,600. This estate is now rented for $35,000 and ta.xes. An offer of $450,000 was refused in 1884. The prominent estate known as the Richard Briggs corner, at the junction of Washington and School Streets, was assessed in 1800 at $10,400; 1820, $38,800; 1840, $58,000; i860, $96,000; but in 1880 the value had climbed to $190,000, or nineteen times the value in 1800. The Old Corner Bookstore on the other corner, containing 3S00 feet, was assessed in 1800 for £7,000; in 1840 at $40,000, 64 CHANGES OF VALUES IN 12 in i860 at $75,000, while in 1S80 the valuation had reached ;^i40,ooo, just twenty times the value of 1800. The Joseph T. Brown apothecary store on the corner of Washington and Bedford Streets, was assessed in 1840 at g7,ooo; i860, $32,500; in 1880, land alone at $53,000. Tuttle's shoe store and adjoining estates on Washington corner of Winter Streets, 7,500 ft. ; 1800, $2,400; 1S20, $7,800; 1840, $22,600; i860, $96,000 ; 1880, $350,000; 1885, $436,000. (Land alone $350,000.) A most remarkable advance. Joy's Building, now known as Rogers' Building, comprising 5,200 square feet, was assessed in 1820 at $42,000; in 1840 at $75,000; in i860 at $160,000; 1880 at $262,000. As the site of the Old Brick meeting house, this estate is one of the most memorable in our early history. If I had sufficient time I would give you an account of the building of the Old Brick, and of the removal from the old church where Brazer's Building stands. But, while I shall not be able to do this, I cannot pass over this estate without reminding you of one interesting fact. The Old Brick stood for ninety-five years, till the year 1S08, when it was deemed advisable to build a new edifice. The proprietors, owning an estate on Summer Street, em- powered two of the deacons to contract for the building of a new house, and on the 22d of September, 1808, they,— David Tilden and James iVIorrill, — made a contract with Benjamin Joy to erect a meeting house and four dwelling houses on Summer Street and Chauncy Place, in payment for which the deacons were to convey to the said Joy the estate on Cornhill, now Washington Street, known as the Old Brick. Mr. Joy immediately went forward with the work, and when the church in Chauncy Place and the four houses were completed, the conveyance was made, February 22d, 1809. The property remained in the Joy family till April 6th, 1870, on which date it was sold to Charles O. Rogers for $280,000. Meantime Chauncy Street, and indeed all the neighboring streets, had been converted to business uses, and the First Church was forced once more to seek a more eligible site. 13 BOSTON REAL ESTATE. 65 The proprietors bought a lot on Marlborough Street and the present beautiful church was erected. The old church in Chauncy Street then coming into the market for sale, was purchased by Mr. Joy, the grandson of the same Mr. Benj. Joy who had built it in 1808. The fine granite warehouses now standing on the site of the old Chauncy Street Church were built soon afterwards by Mr. Joy, who owned them till 18S1, when they were sold to Mr. Moses Williams. The Nath'l Curtis Estate, on the northeast corner of Washington and Dover Streets, has been in the Curtis family for at least one hundred and fifty years. It comprises about 24,000 feet. It was assessed in 1800 at ;$7,ooo; in 1820 the value was marked down to $6,200 ; in 1840 it was put up to $15,600; in i860 to $40,000, and in 1880 it had reached $124,000, nearly eighteen times its value in 1800. Washington Street, corner Summer, occupied by Shreve, Crump and Low; 1820, $10,200; 1840, $37,000; i860, $155,- 000; 1880, land alone, $268,000 — 6,740 feet, $40 per foot. All are familiar with the Deacon Estate, Boston Neck, and no doubt remember how long it was completely shut up, and shut out from public view. It comprised 24,600 square feet, and in 1850 it was assessed at $60,000 ; in i860 at $75,000 ; and in 1870 at $98,400. It was sold in 1870, after the death of Mr. Peter Parker, for $125,000 for the land alone. The building which originally cost upwards of $60,000, was sold at auction for $6,000, and was purchased by the person who had bought the land. The Child Estate, corner of Washington and Hollis Streets, was assessed in 1840 at $9,000; i860, $20,000; 1880, $45,600. No. I Temple Place, the Hon. James Savage's estate, 1840, $15,000; i860, $17,000; 1880, $54,000; (worth now $100,000.) The Tudor House, Beacon Street, corner Joy, covering three lots on Beacon Street, and four on Joy Street, sold in April, 1791, for $2,665; 1832. $98,000; in 1885, the Tudor House covering two lots, $102,000. No. 58 Beacon Street, formerly the residence of Mr. William Minot, was assessed in 1820 for $9,000, in 1840 at $19,000, i860, $30,000, and in 1880 66 CHANGES OF VALUES IN 14 at $44,000; about five times the value in 1820. The David Sears Mansion House on Beacon Street, now the Somerset Club, assessed in 1800 at $16,000; in 1820, (when the pres- ent building was in process of construction,) land assessed at 520,000; 1840, with the building, $48,000; i860 the value had risen to $110,000, and in 1880, to $172,500. It was pur- chased by the Somerset Club for $210,000. The Warren Estate, No. 2 Park Street, 1820, $15,000; 1840, $24,000; i860, $28,000; 1880, $65,000. The Union Club House, on Park Street, which was bought in 1840 by Abbot Lawrence, was valued in 1840 at $45,000, in 1880 at $77,000. The Ticknor House, corner of Park and Beacon Streets, in 1830, $30,000; i860, $45,000; 1880, $70,000. The Puritan Club House, Mt. Vernon, corner of Joy Street, the mansion of the late Joseph lasigi, 1840, ^24,000; i86o> $33,000; 1880, $37,000. TREMONT STREET. Tremont Street, corner Temple Place, the old Masonic Temple; 1840, $34,000; 1880, Si8o,ooo for land alone. It was sold in 1885 for $255,000. Tremont, corner West Street, F. H. Bradlee estate; 1840, $21,000; 1880, $107,000. The Tremont House, 29,000 feet; 1840, $190,000; i860, $200,- 000; 1880, $400,000, including Tremont Place additions made to the property. Tremont Street, corner Pemberton Square, (long occupied by Rogers' Shoe Store) ; 1840, $35,000 ; 1S80, $130,000. Tremont Street, opposite Park Street Church, the granite block and Hamilton Place, formerly Phillips Garden, owned by Wm. Phillips ; 1800, $20,000 : 1820, $46,000 ; 1S40, $127,000; i860, $175,200; 1880, $521,000. This does not include the north corner of Hamilton Place, for which the Phillips family paid $190,000. On Sept. 14th, 1795, the estate 163, 165, 167, 169, etc., Tremont Street, was sold by the city at auction. It was 70 feet front by about 100 feet, running through to Mason Street, and containing about 17,000 square feet. The consideration cited in the deed is ^1,940 of 15 BOSTON REAL ESTATE. 67 late lawful money, 56,466.66, or about n cents per foot. It is now assessed at $22. per foot. It is just about fifty years ago that the Gardner Green es- tate, now known as Pemberton Square, came into the market, for the erection of elegant dwelling houses on the hillside and for stores on the Tremont Street frontage. It was the most princely place in Boston previous to that time. The grounds were laid out in terraces, and there were pleasant walks, summer houses and rare plants. It was last opened to the public on the occasion of General Jackson's memorable visit during the second term of his Presidency. It was really a magnificent old place, and was made historical in Cooper's novel of Lionel Lincoln. Estate No. 7 Pemberton Square, formerly the residence of John A. Lowell, was assessed in 1840 at $32,000, and in 1880 at $46,500, which was far below its value. The C. F. Adams estate, Tremont Street, corner of Boylston, was purchased in 1806 by J. Q. Adams of John Lowell for 521,000. In 1820 it was taxed for $12,600; 1840, $14,000; i860, $70,000. In 1880 the land alone, $134,000. STATE STREET. The estate No. 40 State Street, known as the Union Build- ing, covering 11,000 feet; in 1800, $30,000; 1820, $62,000; 1840, $151,000; 1S60, $320,000; 1880, $430,000 ; (building $100,000 and land $330,000.) No. 66 State Street, formerly the Massachusetts Bank, containing 5,45 1 feet ; 1800 ; $30,000 ; 1820, $52,000; 1840, $75,000; 1 860, $ 1 30,000 ; 1880, $195,- 000. The marble Building, corner Devonshire, occupied now by First National Bank and others, 1800, $12,000; 1820, $24,- 800 ; 1840, $42,000; i860, $90,000 ; 18S0, land alone, $302,000, or twenty-five times as much as in 1800. The City Bank, State Street, next to the corner of Kilby Street, 1840, $60,000 ; i860, $86,000; 1880, $129,000. It was sold February 6, 18S6, for $200,000 ; (building assessed $25,000.) Brazer's Build- ing, No. 27 State Street, covering 2,600 feet, 1820, $22,000; i860, $125,000; 1880, $175,000. The Old State House, 68 CHANGES OF VALUES IX i6 covering 4,571 feet, 1820, ;§28,6oo ; 1880, $235,000. No. 120 State Street, 1820, $5,600; 1880, $22,000. The Merchants' Exchange, 16,900 feet, 1840, $115,000; i860, $360,000; 18S0, $488,000, (the building $150,000,) land $388,000. The New England Bank Building at the corner of State and Kilby Streets, was valued in 1820 at about $30,000. It has just been sold to the Washington Insurance Co. for $250,000. On this site stood the famous old tavern known as the Bunch of Grapes, and few inns of that day had a more illustrious patron- age. In 1712 it was kept by Francis Holmes, afterwards by Wm. Coffin, Joshua Barker and Col. Joseph Ingersoll, and at last by James Vila in 1789, who removed the same year to Concert Hall. It was here that in 1728 Gov. Burnett was received on his arrival in Boston. In 1776, after the reading of the Declaration of Independence, the Lion and Unicorn from the Town House, Court House, Custom House, and all other British emblems that could be found, were made into a bonfire in front of the Bunch of Grapes. Gen'l Lafayette was entertained here in 1784, and without doubt enjoyed a glass of punch, for which the house was specially noted. In the year 1650 this estate belonged to one Lane, who sold it to one Leverett in 1656. It passed through several hands after this, and in 1774 was purchased by John Erving, who sold it to Gov. James Bowdoin in 1788. The Governor dying in 1790, it passed to his wife and to his son James. At the death of James the estate was sold to the New England Bank, by his executors, T. L. Winthrop and Richard Sullivan. The city has always placed a valuation on its public build- ings, and the old Cradle of Liberty in 1820 was valued at $7,200, but had risen in 1880 to $250,000. T Wharf, called on the assessors' book Brimmer T; in 1800, $10,000; 1820, $43,600; 1840, $200,000; i860, $314,500; 1880, $291,500. Long Wharf, 1800, $60,000; 1820, $90,000; 1840, $325,000; i860, $507,000; 1880, $486,600. Niles's Stable, School Street, 15,220 feet, 1840, $40,000; i860, with new building, $115,000; 1880, $350,000. The property on the corner of Rowe and Essex Streets now 17 BOSTOX REAL ESTATE. 69 Chauncy and Essex, was sold, Jan. 15th, 1S06, by John Rowe to John W. Bradlee, 3,200 feet, for $3,200. The land is now- assessed at §15.50 per foot. (Sold January ist, 1853, $13,200.) The mansion occupied by Montgomery Sears, Esq., corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Arlington Street, i860, $4 per foot ; 18S0, $9.50 ; 1885, $13. This property, it will be remem- bered, can not date back beyond 1856; previous to that time it was occupied by tide water. No. 13 Louisburg Square, 1840, $12,000; i860, 18,000; 1880, 14,500; No. 99 Sud- bury Street, corner of Court, was assessed in 1840 at $7,000 ; 18S0, the land alone, $45,000. No. 133 Summer Street, cor- ner of South, stood in 1840, $8,000; but in 18S0 the land alone was marked at $58,000. The estate at the junction of Merrimac and Friend Streets, sold July, 1843, 3,000 feet, $5,935; August, 1854, $18,000; September, 1868, 32,500; November, 1885, $35,000; Feb- ruary, 1886, $40,000. Corner of Cambridge and North Russell Streets, 1840, $6,400; 1880, $14,700. The highest price ever paid for land in Boston, as far as I can learn, was that paid by Harvey D. Parker to Mr. T. O. H. P. Burnham, for the estate at the corner of Tremont and School Streets. There are 1,984 feet, and it brought $200,000, or a little over $100 per foot. The cheapest land ever acquired, as far as I have ascer- tained, was acquired by Harrison Gray Otis, on the westerly slope of Beacon Hill, said to have been obtained by right of squatter sovereignty. TOTAL VALUATION, CITY PROPER. The following figures from the assessors' books will show the advance in real estate valuation from 1800 to 1885 : iSoo $6,901,000 1875 411,618,200 1820 21,686,000 1879 340,480,900 1840 60,424,200 iSSo 346,222,900 i860 163,891,300 18S5 390,815,700 70 CHANGES OF VALUES IN i8 Of this last amount, the Back Bay property so-called,) is $43,000,000. Real estate has always been a sure and safe investment in the long run. The old families of Boston owe much of their wealth of to-day to the steady, and in some instances enormous rise in the value of their houses and stores. To be sure there have been, and will be, periods of depression, when it would seem that the more real estate one has, the worse it is for him ; but during all these depressions there is an undercurrent of growth that is quietly going on, which is sure to make itself felt when the tide turns and the clouds pass away. I could go on indefinitely, giving examples of the great rise in the value of real property in Boston during this century. The assessors' valuation is not, indeed, a true valua- tion, but it is a guide, and the total valuation of the whole city tells the interesting story. For the causes which have led to this result, we have not far to seek. With the opening of new lines of travel and the building of bridges to the neighboring towns, the trade and population at once began to increase. In 1800 there were but twenty stages running out of Boston; in i8c6 there were thirty-five stages, and in 1847 two hundred and fifty stages and omnibuses. This appears to be the greatest number reached, for by that time seven railroads had forced their way into the city, and people from remote country towns found their way here every week instead of once a month as before, so that in that year, by both stages, omnibuses and railroads the passengers numbered daily 12,800. Thus a new life was imparted to the growth of Boston, and this growth has been still further augmented each year up to the present time. The advent first of the bridges, and afterwards of the stages, omnibuses, railroads, street-cars, the telegraph and telephone, have all united to build up this prosperous city. The more people, the greater the demand for our houses, shops and warehouses. Moreover, it did not take long for the wise men of Boston to see that it was destined to be the tentre of trade for all 19 BOSTON REAL ESTATE. 71 New England. Taking advantage of the great water courses that were close at hand, they acquired them, and built up prosperous towns and even cities, that have been, and are still, by their manufacturing industries, contributing to our own wealth. And is not our future still as promising as the past .' Are we not sure to go on growing and increasing in prosperity.' Look around and see how we are pushing out in every direc- tion. Go where you may, and you will see new streets, new blocks of houses, new shops, new life, a busy, bustling throng. Everything new ! Yes, it seems the spirit of the age ; the old must be forgotten. But no, let us not forget all of the old. Shall we ever lose the feeling of delight that we have, when by chance, we find the gates open so that we may quietly step in to the Granary or King's Chapel burial grounds, and linger over the quaint inscriptions on the headstones there .'' We have little left to remind us of our fathers and their early struggles, but let us hold fast to what we have. It is the instinctive love for these few relics of the memor- able past, that forms one of the well-springs of prosperity. They serve ever to remind us of the heroic period in the history of our native city, and as such ought to be preserved for the benefit of our children and future generations. Our landmarks we must preserve. This venerable house, the old Church at the North End, Faneuil Hall, the Old South Church, the Granary, King's Chapel and Copp's Hill burying ground, — they are historical monuments and memen- toes of Boston's past progress, patriotism and glory, that should never be effaced. THE CURTIS HOUSE AT JAMAICA PLAIN, AND THE APOSTLE ELIOT. Within an easy walk of the centre of the city there still stands a relic of the past — an ancient residence, one of the oldest inhabited dwellings of the country. I refer to the Curtis house at Jamaica Plain. 72 CHANGES OF VALUES IN 20 Believing that a brief sketch of it may be interesting to the Society, I have gathered some information concerning it vifhich I take pleasure in giving. The story has been told me by a member of the Curtis family, but for the most of it I am indebted to the notes of Benson J. Lossing, who has given such pleasant and faithful accounts of so many his- torical buildings and personages of America. The Curtis house, shaded by a gigantic elm tree, stands on the banks of Stony Brook, near the Boylston station on the Boston and Providence Railroad. On March 13, 1638, the town of Boston gave William Curtis permission to build his house, which was finished and occupied by him in 1639. From that time till 1883 William Curtis's descendants have resided there. It is doubtful if there is another case on record where the same dwelling has been occupied by the same family for almost two hundred and fifty years. The region in which the Curtis house was built was then a heavily wooded country, abounding in wild deer, bears and wolves. In the old house, until a short time ago, might have been seen a pair of antlers, taken from the head of a buck that was shot from the door yard. Twenty years after the house was built twenty shillings were paid to William Curtis for for shooting a wolf. The great elm, it is said, was planted by one of the family a hundred years ago, but its doom is undoubtedly sealed, and like the Paddock elms, and those that have just been snatched from us in Pemberton Square, it soon must go. The timbers of the Curtis house are of massive oak, cut from the farm, and put together with wrought-iron nails. The building is two stories high, the roof sloping to the ground in the rear. The windows are small and set with small panes of glass, although originally the glass was diamond-shape and set in leaden sashes. The furniture was massive, and much of it came down from Pilgrim days through six generations. It is well known that the Curtis house was the rendezvous of the distinguished men of the time, and no doubt John Winthrop, Thomas Dudley, Richard Bellingham, John Endi- wr=^ vl "& l—^x. ^'•^'^- M THE OLD CURTIS HOUSE, (Near Boylston Station,) JAMAICA PLAIN. 2 1 BOSTON REAL ESTATE. 73 cott, John Leverett, William Dinsmore and Simon Biadstrect were frequent visitors there. Certain it is that the Apostle Eliot was closely identified with this famous mansion, as we shall presently see. William Curtis, the original owner, was a native of Nasing, Essex County, England. He was born near Waltham Abbey, the remains of which stand on the banks of the Lea near London. This abbey and its neighborhood have a peculiar interest to American students of New England history. In the parish of Nasing, John Eliot, the apostle to the Indians, the translator of the Bible into the Indian tongue, who labored so long and faithfully among the heathen of New England, was born in 1604; and there William Curtis and Sarah, sister of the apostle, were married in 1618. Mr. Cur- tis and his family came to Boston in 1632, in the ship Lyon. They were acccompanied by Mary Eliot, a young sister of Mrs. Curtis. There came also another young woman, who was a neighbor and friend of the Curtises. This was Anne Mountfort, the afifianced of John Eliot, who had come over the year before. Believing in his goodness, she followed him, and they were married soon after her arrival. The Curtises and Eliots were thereafter closely identified, and the great preacher was a constant visitor at the Curtis mansion. I will not venture to go into an account of the earnest and faithful career of the good John Eliot, but an exceedingly interest ing history of his life and labors was published in 1828, by William Oliphant, Edinburgh, to which those who are in- terested may refer. As before mentioned, the Curtis house was built in 1639. General Washington occupied it for a short time at the beginning of the Revolutionary war. Among the numerous ancient dwellings still standing in New England may be mentioned the Craddock house at Medford, built in 1634; the Mudge house at Swampscott, also built in 1634 ; the Whittier house (the birthplace of the poet), Haverhill, and the Saltonstall house at Ipswich, both built in 1635 ; the Fairbanks house at Dedham, built in 1636; the Pierce house 74 BOSTON REAL ESTATE. 22 at Dorchester, built in 1640; the Aspinwall house at Brook- line, built in 1660; the Adams house at Ouincy, built in 1720; the Longfellow house at Cambridge, built in 1735, and the "Old Manse" at Concord, built in 1775. William Curtis was the ancestor of most of the persons of that name in the United States, and from him and Eliot have descended many persons of distinction. In every war of our country, descendants born in the old mansion have partici- pated. Its association with remarkable events, its great age, and its perfection as a specimen of the second period of New England architecture, give to the Curtis house a rightful claim to a place among the historic buildings of America. It stands as a precious relic of the heroic age of our republic, and as such it ought to be preserved. Let us while we may, do what we can to save it. Will not the lovers of these picturesque reminders of bygone days join in the effort .'' Note. The appeal was in vain, for since the above was writtten this famous old mansion has been demolished and the Curtis house is no more. But the beautiful elm still stands, and let us hope that it may long remain as a reminder of the past. JIxc gostonian J»ocicty. J'lYsii/e/if. CURTrS GUILD. Dimtors. Curtis Gi'ii.n, Thomas C. Amor\'. John T. Hasswi. Joshta P. Bodfish, SAMUEI, \\. RusMvl.!,. Wll.l.lAM VVir.Ki\s W'akren. Hamilton A.. Hill, |oh.\ Iaitirop. (Iko. O. Caki'kn ii-.k. Cliii; and Trra surer. William Ci.arf.nck BirRKAHK. CoiHiiiittcc on Pid'licatiims. Hamilton Andrews Hill, John Tyler Hassam, William Clarence Burrac.e. BojStou antiqua Samuel M. Ouincy, President, 1880. TaStSHfash; . • ^Jf^sas William H. VVhitmoke, President, 1881. 13o0tonian ^octct^. ■ iidy ,/ I he History of Bos/aii, and the /irfservidioit iif its A itliqiiitit INCOKl'ORATKD DKCE.\n;KR 2, iSSl. Clfrtis Guii.n, . . President. PCBLJCATIONS OF THE SOCIETY: PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOSTONIAN SOCIETY. ILLUSTRATED. 1883. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1888. PROCEEDINGS AT THE SPECIAL MEETING, Eulogy on Samuel Miller Quincy, with Portrait. May 24. 1887. Bv SAMri:!. A. P.knt. COLLECTIONS. No. I. WILLIAM BLAXTON. r.\ Thomas Coitin A-\n>R\. No. 2. ABEL BOWEN, ENGRAVER. liv William IL Whitmukk. Secoiiil iiitd ,-ii/uKx.::l Edition, 'nit/t oriffiiiii/ Cuts, Helioly/'cs and Copper Pl.it.s. No. 3. CHANGES OF VALUES IN REAL ESTATE IN BOSTON THE PAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS. I!v .Alk.xandku S. Portkr. FOR INFORMATION ADDRESS \VM. C'LARKNCK BURRAGE, Clerk.