F 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 Clia^..7-4 Copyright No.. 
 
 Shells. J13.W5' 
 
 UNfTED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
^'^>r ^^ 
 
ANNALS 
 
 AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 OF 
 
 JAMAICA PLAIN 
 
 BY 
 
 HARRIET MANNING WHITCOMB 
 
 t 
 
 CAMBRIDGE 
 
 printed at t$e (Riijersifte (press 
 
 1897 
 
 Vv.' 
 
 \^, H ti r^ tr 
 

 Copyright, 1897, 
 By HARRIET MANNING WHITCOMB. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
This sketch was prepared by request 
 to be read before the Jamaica Plain 
 Ladies' Tuesday Club. Subsequently a 
 desire was expressed to have it put in 
 more permanent form and offered for 
 sale at a Fair for the benefit of the 
 Jamaica Plain Indian Association. Al- 
 though personally reluctant to appear 
 before the public in this way, I have 
 allowed my desire to aid a good cause 
 and give pleasure to friends who have 
 kindly received my paper to influence me 
 in its publication. 
 
 I am indebted to " The Memorial His- 
 tory of Boston," to Drake's "Town of 
 Roxbury," to Dr. Thomas Gray's "Half- 
 Century Sermon," and to the memory of 
 a few of the older residents for some of 
 the dates and incidents given. 
 
If any of these should prove to be 
 inaccurate, I must rely upon the charity 
 and courtesy of my readers for only in- 
 dulgent criticism. 
 
 H. M. W. 
 
ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES OF 
 JAMAICA PLAIN 
 
 To collect and review the circumstances 
 and events which have made our homes 
 and those of our ancestors for many gen- 
 erations is more than a pleasant service. 
 We find an interest and fascination in 
 every step of the way, leading us, as it 
 does, into one of the most delightful 
 portions of our country, and introducing 
 us to not a few of the most refined and 
 cultivated, as well as distinguished people 
 of New England. 
 
 There is ever a charm about old-fash- 
 ioned people and places, as about old 
 books and pictures, antique furniture and 
 china ; they affect us by the very contrast 
 they afford with ourselves and our sur- 
 roundings, even though it is with a touch 
 of pathos and sadness. 
 
 Long years ago a much traveled man, 
 
6 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 who knew our country well, said, "Jamaica 
 Plain is the Eden of America." He was 
 not a Bostonian, and our village was still 
 a part of Roxbury, so that the suggestion 
 of conceit and boasting over this small 
 portion of "the Hub" could not be im- 
 puted to him. 
 
 It has often seemed to us that the lov- 
 ing, favoring smile of heaven rested pe- 
 culiarly upon our plain, environed as it is 
 by gently rising hills, which, with their 
 robes of verdure and noble trees, shelter 
 it from harsh winds, and hold it in the 
 warmth and freedom of a pure health- 
 giving atmosphere. Our charming lake, 
 covering more than sixty-five acres, nestles 
 like a gem in its western borders, mirror- 
 ing forms and colors, all of beauty, and 
 holds upon its banks some of the most 
 delightful of our homes. 
 
 In early days it gave of its clear, soft 
 waters for the needs of the neighboring 
 city ; ^ while through the eastern portion 
 
 ^ The Jamaica Plain Aqueduct Company was incor- 
 porated in 1795, and was the first systematic water sys- 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN ^ 
 
 of our village the quiet Stony River made 
 glad the farms and yielded power for mill 
 and factory. 
 
 We find that the name originally given 
 our village was Pond Plain, but, as early 
 as 1667, it is referred to in an official 
 paper as the " Jamaica End of the Town 
 of Roxbury." 
 
 There are differing opinions as to the 
 origin of the present name; some have 
 so far reflected upon our colonial ances- 
 tors as to intimate that a decided fondness 
 for Jamaica rum suggested it, and it is 
 doubtless true that the punch bowl had 
 other uses than to be simply ornamental 
 on the sideboards of our grandsires. 
 Others, however, believe that it was given 
 to commemorate Cromwell's acquisition 
 of the island of Jamaica, in 1670, which 
 
 tern that the city of Boston had. It extended from the 
 Pond to Fort Hill, and had about forty-five miles of 
 pipes, made of white pine logs, nearly a foot and one 
 half in diameter, with a bore of five and three quarters 
 inches. The average daily supply was about 400,000 
 gallons. In excavating for the Subway, several speci- 
 mens of the old wooden pipes have been unearthed in a 
 good state of preservation. — From a recent number of 
 the Boston Transcript. 
 
8 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 secured to Boston numerous very valuable 
 products. There seems, to us, to be a 
 peculiar appropriateness to the name, as 
 it signifies in Indian " Isle of Springs," 
 because of the brooks and springs which 
 abounded here, making the land verdant 
 and fertile. If we cannot to-day boast of 
 grand and stately castles, reared in the 
 olden time, as in the mother country, with 
 guarding moat and bastions, loopholes 
 for crossbows and guns, — silent testimo- 
 nials of opulence and power, — we yet can 
 bring to view pictures of many a dwelling, 
 gray and brown with weather stains and 
 lichens and folds of ivy, which have held 
 within their walls of oak and cedar people 
 and events whose records thrill our hearts 
 with patriotic pride or affectionate rever- 
 ence. 
 
 In the early times our village was 
 chiefly an agricultural community, and 
 the cultivation of fruits and vegetables for 
 the city supply was the specialty; but 
 here and there were elegant country-seats 
 occupied by government officials, profes- 
 sional and literary men, and city mer- 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 9 
 
 chants. Some of these homes and people 
 we hope to see, by favoring records and 
 memory's aid, this afternoon. 
 
 Until within a short time, near the 
 Boylston Station, stood a very ancient 
 building, with a pitched roof in the rear 
 sloping nearly to the ground, known as 
 the " Curtis Homestead." It is claimed 
 that this was one of the oldest houses in 
 our country, and that, in 1639,^ William 
 Curtis made a clearing in the forest for 
 it, using the timbers in its construction 
 from his felled trees. The record is that 
 William Curtis married Sarah Eliot, sister 
 of Rev. John Eliot, in Nazing, England, 
 in 1618, and that, in 1632, they came 
 with their four children to Boston, and 
 it is believed that most of those who bear 
 the name of Curtis in our country are 
 direct descendants of this William and 
 Sarah. For about two hundred and fifty 
 years this house was the home of the 
 Curtises, the last occupants being the 
 widow and children of Isaac, seventh in 
 descent from William. 
 
 ^ The first dwelling, built in 1633, was a simple log 
 house, and was burned three or four years later. 
 
lO ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 During the siege of Boston, troops 
 were quartered here and added their 
 record of strife and suffering to that of 
 domestic peace and happiness, in which 
 the " Apostle EHot " and his estimable 
 wife often shared ; and possibly Winthrop, 
 Pynchon, and the Dudleys, and others 
 whose names stand as pioneers of religious 
 liberty in New England. 
 
 Emerson has aptly said, " There has 
 never been a clearing made in a forest, 
 that did not let in the light on heroes and 
 heroines." 
 
 A few years since, the march of im- 
 provement, so called, obliterated this gen- 
 uine relic of colonial days, with the fine 
 old elm, which for more than a century 
 had shaded it and wafted kindly breezes 
 over it. 
 
 Although we have no knowledge that 
 the Apostle Eliot ever lived in the " Ja- 
 maica End of Roxbury," he is closely 
 identified with our early history and 
 development, and deserves more than a 
 passing notice. In 1689 he gave some 
 seventy-five acres of land, including the 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN II 
 
 tract lying from Orchard to Thomas, and 
 from 'Centre to Pond streets, " the income 
 from which was to be used for the support 
 of a school and a schoolmaster." The 
 street, hall, and schoolhouse, which bear 
 his name, commemorate his generous 
 gift. This noble man stands out in those 
 early days as a beacon light, shedding an 
 influence for godliness, for education, and 
 for truest philanthropy. Perhaps, in no 
 sphere of his remarkable life does he more 
 command our admiration and reverence 
 than as the friend of the Indian and the 
 negro. His untiring zeal and self-deny- 
 ing labors in their behalf entitle him to 
 be called " the Apostle." 
 
 In a letter to a friend in 1659, he 
 writes : " Pity for the poor Indian, and 
 desire to make the name of Christ chief 
 in these dark ends of the earth, and not 
 the rewards of men, were the very first 
 and chief movers in my heart." Nor can 
 we question that these were the all con- 
 trolling motives, when we consider that 
 after acquiring their language, by the aid 
 of a young Pequot, he translated the 
 
12 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 entire Bible into their tongue, besides a 
 psalter, primers, grammars, and other use- 
 ful books ; and all this in addition to 
 faithfully fulfilling the duties of minister 
 of the First Church in Roxbury for fifty- 
 eight years, a record of devotion, diligence, 
 and scholarship almost unequaled. 
 
 One has beautifully summed up his 
 life in these words : ^ " His missionary zeal 
 was not less than Saint Paul's, his charity 
 was as sweet as that of Saint Francis 
 d'Assisi, and his whole life a testimony 
 that the call to saintliness has not ceased 
 and the possibility of it has not died out." 
 Eliot lived to see the fruits of his devoted 
 work in the changed character and life 
 of many of the Indians. More than two 
 centuries have elapsed since this leader 
 in the Indian cause went to his reward, 
 but his mantle rests to-day on some here 
 who deeply feel the need and love the 
 work in behalf of the poor Indian. 
 
 In 1663 our Centre Street was laid 
 out and called the Dedham road or high- 
 
 1 An historical sketch of the First Church in Roxbury, 
 by Dr. De Normandie. 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN I3 
 
 way, being a direct route from Boston, by 
 way of " the Neck " and Roxbury Street, 
 to Dedham. At that time and for more 
 than one hundred and fifty years after 
 travehng was by horseback, by private 
 carriage, and by the stage-coach. Those 
 who were unable to own horses or pay 
 staee fares walked to and from Boston, 
 often heavily laden. 
 
 The accommodation stages would stop 
 for passengers along the route, blowing 
 a horn as they approached the dwelling, 
 wherever a signal had been placed for 
 them. The express stages, used chiefly 
 by business men, running from Providence 
 and the New York boat, took no heavy 
 baggage, required double pay, and made 
 stops only as they needed relays of horses. 
 Four such changes were made from 
 Providence to Boston, and the journey 
 was completed in about four hours. In 
 1826 the first Jamaica Plain hourlies^ be- 
 gan to run ; the fare was twenty-five cents. 
 
 1 One of the old omnibuses was very long, and named 
 Osceola, for an Indian chief, a representation of whom 
 was painted on the side. 
 
14 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 They started from Mr. Joshua Seaver's 
 store, and would call for passengers in 
 any part of the village as requested in the 
 order-box. 
 
 Mr. Seaver's store, established in 1796, 
 stood on slightly elevated ground farther 
 back from the street than the one now 
 occupied by his grandsons, and connected 
 with his dwelling. 
 
 Here, also, was the village post-office 
 for many years, and the favorite meeting- 
 place of the townspeople to discuss local 
 interests, indulge in pleasantries, as well 
 as exchange their coins for fine groceries, 
 small wares, and farming utensils. Our 
 grandparents of that day folded their 
 quarto sheets, sealed, stamped, and ad- 
 dressed them, and paid twelve and one 
 half cents for the privilege of sending 
 them on their mission,^ The advent of 
 the two-cent postage stamp and the one- 
 cent card was not then dreamed of. 
 
 Entering Centre Street at the Railroad 
 
 ^ At the time to which we refer, postage was regu- 
 lated by distance. Thus, 6\, i2|^, i6f, and even 25 
 cents, were sometimes necessary. 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 15 
 
 bridge, frequently confounded with the 
 historic Hog's Bridge/ which formerly 
 spanned Stony Brook near Heath Street, 
 we see on the right all that remains of the 
 once extensive and very beautiful estate 
 of the Lowells, a family among the most 
 honored in our State for character, learn- 
 ing, and culture. The original house, 
 built of stone in the latter part of the last 
 century, was modeled from an old castle 
 in Europe, and became the property of 
 Judge John Lowell in 1785, who resided 
 here until his death in 1802. He was 
 President of the Massachusetts Society 
 for promoting agriculture, and his exten- 
 sive grounds were largely devoted to the 
 cultivation of a variety of the finest fruits 
 and plants. His son, Hon. John Lowell, 
 inherited this estate and the talent and 
 fondness for horticulture and agriculture, 
 and added several fine glass houses, which 
 he filled with rare and beautiful plants, 
 many of them imported from Europe and 
 
 1 For the origin of this peculiar name, see the inci- 
 dent which gave rise to it described in Drake's Town 
 of Roxbury. 
 
l6 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 other foreign lands. He erected the 
 present commodious mansion. The aged 
 lady who has occupied the house until 
 recently was a sister of Dr. Charles 
 Lowell, once minister of the West Church, 
 Boston, and father of Hon. James Russell 
 Lowell. The Lowell Institute for free 
 lectures on scientific, literary, and religious 
 themes was founded by John Lowell, Jr. 
 
 In 1S34 the Boston and Providence 
 Railroad cut through this estate, and from 
 time to time other innovations have de- 
 spoiled it of its grandeur and beauty. 
 
 We pass several ancient houses, with 
 associations doubtless dear to the descend- 
 ants of their first owners, but unknown 
 to us, and come to Hyde's Square, at the 
 intersection of Centre, Perkins, and Day 
 streets. The triangle in the centre, bor- 
 dered with shade trees, had a valuable 
 landmark on it, not a dwelling, but an 
 old pump, which, if it could voice its 
 memories, would tell us interesting tales 
 of weary, dusty travelers, in vehicles, on 
 horseback, and on foot, of stage-coach 
 horses, and those of heavy-laden teams 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 17 
 
 from far away, to which it had given its 
 cooling, refreshing waters, through nearly 
 every day and hour of bygone years. 
 
 And now, after a few rods, we come to 
 the well preserved old farmhouse, the 
 Joseph Curtis homestead, built in 1722 
 by Samuel Curtis, grandson of the first 
 William, for his son Joseph. A descend- 
 ant with the same name, and fifth in 
 line from William, now resides here, while 
 the broad acres adjoining, bordering the 
 street with graceful elms, smile with the 
 fruits of careful husbandry, and afford 
 ample space for the beautiful homes of 
 four generations of the same family. 
 During the war of the Revolution troops, 
 from Rhode Island, under General Greene, 
 used this house for barracks, the family 
 willingly giving up its space and comforts 
 for their accommodation. 
 
 On the corner of Centre and Boylston 
 streets one is attracted by a quaint and 
 picturesque dwelling, in style and setting 
 one of the most interesting of the older 
 houses of our town, which tells the story 
 of its age on one of its chimneys, 1738 
 
l8 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 being the date. It was erected by Captain 
 Benjamin Hallowell, who married a Miss 
 Boylston, of Boston, whose family was 
 prominent in its early history. He was 
 a hot-headed, active loyalist, and commis- 
 sioner of His Majesty's customs, as well 
 as mandamus councilor, which facts made 
 him obnoxious to the public, and in 1775, 
 during the siege of Boston, he found it 
 wise to hastily vacate his house and seek 
 refuge in the city. The house was then 
 appropriated by the patriotic troops for a 
 hospital, and some of the soldiers who 
 died were buried in the lot in the rear 
 of the house. Later the property was 
 confiscated by the State, and, in 1791, 
 bought by Dr. Leprilete, who resided here 
 until his death. He also was buried 
 in the garden, and a memorial tablet 
 marked the grave until the remains were 
 removed to a cemetery. Upon the death 
 of Captain Hallowell in England, the es- 
 tate was reclaimed by his widow. His 
 son, Nicholas Ward, then took his mo- 
 ther's name of Boylston and inherited the 
 property. Mr. Boylston was a gentleman 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 19 
 
 of true culture, education, and philan- 
 thropy, making valuable donations to 
 Harvard College, and to several schools. 
 He is justly honored by having his name 
 perpetuated not only by our street and 
 district, but by a bank, market, school, 
 and street in the city proper. Dr. Ben- 
 jamin F. Wing purchased this property 
 in 1845, and it has remained in his family 
 to the present time. 
 
 In 1797, just one hundred years ago, 
 was erected the stately brick mansion 
 which, with the ample grounds extending 
 to the pond, was called " Lakeville." Mr. 
 Du Ballett first resided here; later it 
 was the home of Horatio Greenough, 
 the sculptor, and it is said that he carved 
 his celebrated group, " The Chanting 
 Cherubs," while living here. In 1840 
 Lakeville Place was opened, dividing this 
 estate, and later made beautiful by the 
 several residences upon it. Since 1842 
 the Lakeville mansion has been the home 
 of Mr. Thomas W. Seaverns and family. 
 The inception of the Episcopal Church 
 in our village was largely due to Mr. 
 
20 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 Charles Beaumont, father of Mr. Frank 
 Beaumont, who resided in the Lakeville 
 mansion in 1833. The first services 
 were held here, and later in the Village 
 Hall on Thomas Street, Rev. Mr. Howe 
 of St. James Church, Roxbury, officiating. 
 In 1840 a lot of land was purchased of 
 Mr. Charles Beaumont on the site of the 
 present St John's Street, and a chapel 
 built which was consecrated in 1841 by 
 Bishop Griswold. The rectory was com- 
 pleted in 1849, and " was paid for, in large 
 part, with money raised by the exertions 
 of the Ladies' League." Many of us re- 
 member the attractive avenue, bordered 
 with greensward and graceful elms, which 
 led to the little brown church and rec- 
 tory, the retirement of its situation seem- 
 ing to be suited to its purpose of worship 
 and quietness. The membership was 
 very small at first, but in a few years it 
 became the church home of some of the 
 most influential people in our town. 
 Rev. E. F. Slafter was the first regularly 
 settled rector, assuming his duties Sep- 
 tember, 1846. The beautiful stone edifice 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 21 
 
 erected upon land bequeathed by General 
 William H. Sumner, son of Governor 
 Increase Sumner, was ready for the en- 
 larged church and congregation in 1882. 
 
 General Sumner's old residence on the 
 hill near the present church is beautiful 
 in situation, and still very attractive. 
 
 Near the north corner of Pond Lane 
 was built, in 1732, a plain, comfortable 
 house by Benjamin May, great grandson 
 of Captain John May, one of the earliest 
 settlers of our village. Captain John 
 Parker married the daughter of Benjamin 
 May, and afterwards resided here for 
 many years, which accounts for its still 
 holdins: the name of the " old Parker 
 house." Here were the high decorated 
 wooden mantels over large chimney- 
 places, the paneled wainscoting and or- 
 namented cornices, which adorned many 
 of the better houses of that period. The 
 grounds were ample, extending to the 
 pond, and covered with a variety of fine 
 fruit and shade trees. Now crowded by 
 modern buildings into the background, 
 deprived of its garden, gray with weather 
 
22 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 stains, this old house shows few signs of 
 its birthright. About the middle of this 
 century the small cottage still standing 
 on the lot adjoining the Parker house 
 was the quiet home of two much esteemed 
 old ladies, Mrs. Shepard and her daugh- 
 ter Abby. The mother was then totally 
 blind, but possessed the sweet content- 
 ment which not even so great a depriva- 
 tion and trial could affect. Miss Abby 
 devoted the little front room to a store 
 for small wares, school children's utensils, 
 and candies, and it was the delight of the 
 girls and boys to leave their coppers there 
 in exchange for her good things. 
 
 Some of you may recall an episode 
 connected with this home which might 
 have had a tragic ending. Because of 
 their unprotected condition, and the 
 drawer in which the small receipts from 
 the store were kept, an unworthy young 
 man, belonging to our village, planned 
 a midnight entrance. Miss Abby heard 
 the window raised, and, in her night robe 
 and cap, faced the intruder, just as he 
 had entered the room. She dragged the 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 23 
 
 surprised and struggling man into the 
 front room, and held him fast, meanwhile 
 calling loudly for help. The aged mother 
 secured a window stick, and dealt uner- 
 ring blows upon the youth. After a des- 
 perate struggle, he escaped, carrying a 
 window frame and many bruises with 
 him, but no money. The neighbors 
 were aroused by Miss Shepard's cries 
 and came to her relief. 
 
 We may safely say that not since the 
 war of the Revolution had the midnight 
 silence and peace of our village been dis- 
 turbed by so exciting an experience. The 
 friends of Miss Shepard presented her 
 with a large, illustrated Bible in apprecia- 
 tion of her courage and bravery. 
 
 On the west corner of Pond and Centre 
 streets stands a large mansion house of 
 colonial style, with an air of quiet dignity, 
 in the midst of attractive grounds. In 
 early days it was called " Linden Hall," 
 doubtless because of the magnificent lin- 
 den-trees which lined the walk to the 
 entrance and shaded the grounds. It was 
 erected in 1755 by John Gould for his 
 
24 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 son-in-law Rev. John Troutbeck, assistant 
 rector of King's Chapel, where he offici- 
 ated for twenty years. 
 
 He was an ardent loyalist and returned 
 to England in 1776. As an example of 
 the change in public sentiment with the 
 lapse of time, we learn that this noted 
 clergyman was a distiller as well, of whom 
 a witty rhymester wrote : — 
 
 " His Sunday aim is to reclaim 
 Those that in vice are sunk. 
 When Monday 's come he selleth rum, 
 And gets them plaguey drunk." 
 
 This fine estate, extending then in the 
 rear to the pond, was later owned by Mr. 
 Charles W. Greene, a descendant of Gen- 
 eral Nathanael Greene, of revolutionary 
 fame. He enlarged the house by the ad- 
 dition of another story and large wings, 
 and established a successful boarding and 
 day school for lads, fitting many of them 
 for college. Possibly some here may recall 
 that in the school building on the grounds 
 the first Papanti taught some of the 
 parents of the rising generation to dance. 
 
 Among the men, since famous, who 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 25 
 
 graduated from this school, are John 
 Lothrop Motley, the historian, and George 
 William Curtis, the elegant writer and 
 able editor. The scenes and characters 
 in Mr. Curtis's novel " Trumps " were 
 drawn from our village. Dr. Randall, of 
 Roxbury, but recently deceased, who be- 
 queathed $70,000 to Harvard University, 
 was early a student in this school, and also 
 the two brothers of Margaret Fuller, one 
 of whom was afterwards a clergyman and 
 a chaplain in the Union army. Mrs. 
 Greene is referred to in an interesting 
 article recently written by a graduate of 
 the school, as one " for whom no meed of 
 praise could scarcely be excessive, as she 
 was in sober truth a mother to every lad 
 committed to her care." 
 
 This property was next purchased by 
 the brothers John and George Williams, 
 who resided here for several years. 
 
 On the opposite side of Centre Street, 
 near Green Street, can to-day be seen a 
 two-story cottage, with pointed roofs and 
 dormer windows, which in our day has 
 been known as the Calvin Young house. 
 
26 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES ■ 
 
 This building with its fresh paint and 
 modern style can yet trace its history 
 through a century and a half of years. 
 It was originally owned by Eleazer May, 
 who sold it in 1740 to Benjamin Faneuil, 
 nephew of Peter Faneuil, and in 1 760 it 
 became the property of his brother-in-law 
 Benjamin Pemberton. 
 
 We may readily believe that Peter Fan- 
 euil — the Huguenot who in 1 740 erected 
 and gave to the town of Boston the 
 noted hall which bears his name — often 
 shared in the comforts and joys of this 
 home of his niece, Mrs. Susanna Pember- 
 ton. About the year 1802, this estate 
 was purchased by Dr. John C. Warren, 
 son of Dr. John Warren, and nephew of 
 General Joseph Warren, hero of Bunker 
 Hill, for a summer residence. He was 
 one of the most distinguished surgeons 
 of our country, and for many years pro- 
 fessor of anatomy and surgery at the Har- 
 vard Medical School. His name was 
 honored in the recent ether celebration, 
 he having performed the first surgical 
 operation under ether in 1846, and to his 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 2/ 
 
 sanction it owed its introduction through- 
 out America and Europe. 
 
 The dweUing was at that time con- 
 structed after the West Indian style, with 
 one story and a half front and two in the 
 rear. An immense chimney buttressed 
 the north side ; a hall extended through 
 the centre of the house, with doors open- 
 ing on to piazzas at both ends ; the win- 
 dows in the front rooms extended to the 
 floor, all conducing to make it an ideal 
 summer home. The elm, linden, and 
 horse-chestnut trees near the house were 
 remarkable for size and symmetry. 
 
 Dr. Warren beautified the grounds with 
 rare plants and shrubs imported from 
 Europe ; they extended over many acres, 
 including the present Hill, Parley Vale, 
 Burraee, and Harris estates, and to the 
 line of the Providence Railroad. Captain 
 Charles Hill purchased a portion of this 
 estate about the year 1830, and Mr. Calvin 
 Young the residence in 1837, when the 
 radical alterations in the house, which are 
 apparent to-day, were made. 
 
 About the year 1828, the Warren 
 
28 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 estate became the property of Samuel G. 
 Goodrich, author of many histories, books 
 of travel, school and story books, the 
 kindly, well-loved Peter Parley of our 
 childhood. What a delight it would be 
 to welcome once more the monthly visit 
 of " Merry's Museum and Parley's Maga- 
 zine," to read the charming letters to 
 " Billy Bump," the adventures of Gilbert 
 Go Ahead, and puzzle out the charades 
 and enigmas which tested our youthful 
 wits ! It was Mr. Goodrich who cut the 
 fine avenue through the ledges and wood- 
 land, and erected the ample mansion in 
 the grove, which later, because of financial 
 embarrassment, he transferred to Colonel 
 Fessenden, and ultimately became the 
 property of Mr. Abram French. Then 
 it was that Mr. Goodrich enlarged and 
 improved the building which had been his 
 gardener's cottage, making the quaint and 
 unique house now owned by Mr. George 
 Harris. Here he resided for several years, 
 accomplishing a large amount of literary 
 work, which repaired his fortune, so that 
 on his return from Paris, where he was 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 29 
 
 United States Ambassador, under Presi- 
 dent Fillmore, he purchased a country- 
 seat in Jube's Lane, now Forest Hills 
 Street. Mr. Goodrich was in Paris at the 
 time of the abdication of Louis Philippe, 
 was an intimate friend of M. Lamartine, 
 and was of great service through his wise 
 diplomacy. Many of his works were 
 afterwards translated into French by M. 
 du Boisson. While a resident here he was 
 interested in our local affairs, and was 
 genial in his relations with every one. It 
 is related that, on an occasion of a Fourth 
 of July celebration, he gave an after- 
 dinner toast, " To the ladies of Jamaica 
 Plain, not so very plain either ! " 
 
 Here we are tempted to linger for a 
 little longer. We may not be permitted 
 'to enter within the precincts of many of 
 the old homes in our town, to view the 
 veritable memorials and relics of early 
 days, but such has been the privilege of 
 some of us in connection with the Harris 
 home. Through many generations of 
 education and culture, treasures in books 
 and music and pictures, in furniture, plate, 
 
30 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 and china, have been collected and pre- 
 served, until the home has become verily 
 a museum of rare and beautiful works, 
 whose possessor is eminently suited to 
 these delightful surroundings. 
 
 Nor can we fail to offer an appreciative 
 and loving tribute to the two sisters who 
 have been among our most learned and 
 accomplished women, and have exempli- 
 fied through their long lives the quiet 
 beauty and loveliness of true charity. 
 The beautiful hill with the adjacent vale, 
 now occupied by the fine estates of Mrs. 
 Hook, Mrs. Pratt, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Charles F. Sprague, was in the early days 
 the Harris homestead. Here Dr. Luther 
 M. Harris, the father, was born. Some 
 of us remember him as the valued family 
 physician, who, when burdened with the 
 infirmities of age, gave up his practice to 
 Dr. George Faulkner. 
 
 One of the most interesting and attrac- 
 tive of the ancestral homes still stand- 
 ing, in this vicinity, is the Greenough 
 mansion, finely situated on the curve of 
 Centre and South streets. It has an air 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 31 
 
 of dignity and spaciousness which many 
 a more pretentious modern country-seat 
 fails to match. Although it has been the 
 home of five generations of the Green- 
 ough family, — since about the year 
 1 780, — its history antedates their own- 
 ership by many years. This estate was 
 originally of royal dimensions, covering 
 about one hundred acres, and belonged 
 to John Policy. In 1752 it was pur- 
 chased by Commodore Joshua Loring, 
 one of the Tory gentry, who a few years 
 later built the present house (1758), 
 the frame having been brought from Eng- 
 land. Commodore Loring was a native 
 of Roxbury, and did gallant service in 
 the British navy, in the campaigns against 
 Canada. He was severely wounded at 
 the siege of Quebec while in command 
 on Lake Ontario, and was retired on half 
 pay when he came to live here. Al- 
 though probably at heart in sympathy 
 with those who resisted the injustice of 
 the English government, for personal 
 reasons he adhered to the royal cause, 
 and, on the morning of the battle of Lex- 
 
32 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 ington, he left his home and everything 
 belonging to it, and mounting his horse, 
 " with pistol in hand, rode at full speed to 
 Boston." He never returned, but sailing 
 for England soon after settled in High- 
 gate. During the siege of Boston this 
 house was the headquarters of General 
 Greene, and has the honor of having 
 been visited by General George Wash- 
 ington. Colonel David Henley, who had 
 charge of Burgoyne's captive army while 
 at Cambridge, also occupied this house at 
 one time. For a while, it was converted 
 into a hospital for the Roxbury Camp, 
 and some fifty of the soldiers who died 
 here were buried on the grounds, near 
 where the Hillside schoolhouse now 
 stands. The remains have since been 
 removed to the old burial ground on 
 Walter Street. This property also was 
 confiscated, by order of the General 
 Court of April 30, 1779, and was then 
 purchased by Colonel Isaac Sears, a suc- 
 cessful Boston merchant, who had been 
 one of the most active and zealous of 
 the Sons of Liberty, and a member of 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 33 
 
 the Provincial Congress. Soon after 
 (in 1 784) it became the property of the 
 first David Stoddard Greenough, son of 
 Thomas Greenough, who had been a mem- 
 ber of the Committee of Correspondence 
 in the Revolution. 
 
 It was in 1769 that the first church 
 in our village was built, upon land given 
 by Eliot, — on the site of the present 
 stone edifice, — and named the Third 
 Parish, from its relation to the First Par- 
 ish on Dudley Street and the Second or 
 Upper Parish on Walter Street. And it 
 was to Mrs. Susanna, wife of Benjamin 
 Pemberton, that it owed its origin. The 
 distance from the other churches, and 
 consequent inconvenience of regular at- 
 tendance, led her to desire a nearer church 
 home. She proposed to her husband, 
 who possessed large means and had no 
 children or near relations, that they 
 should erect a house of worship, princi- 
 pally at their own expense. He heartily 
 engaged in the project, "and in the 
 course of a year the house was com- 
 pleted, with thirty-four square pews, and 
 
34 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 three long seats for the poor on each side 
 the broad aisle next the pulpit on the 
 ground floor. There were five narrow 
 long pews [for the colored people, several 
 of them slaves] in the front gallery against 
 the wall, and long seats for the singers 
 below." ^ 
 
 The Rev. William Gordon, a Scotch- 
 man by birth, entered upon his duties as 
 first pastor, July 6, 1772. A few months 
 later Mr. Pemberton conveyed to the par- 
 ish the house which had been removed 
 from Commodore Loring's estate to the 
 site now occupied by Mrs. Dr. Weld's 
 house, next to the church for a parson- 
 age. It was occupied by Mr. Gordon 
 during the remainder of his pastorate, 
 and by Dr. Thomas Gray, the second pas- 
 tor, for sixty years.^ In 185 1 the old house 
 was moved to South Street, and later to 
 
 1 Dr. Thomas Gray's Half-Ce)ihiry Sermott. 
 
 2 Dr. Thomas Gray was born in Boston, JNIarch i6, 
 1772, and graduated at Harvard College in 1790. He 
 married a daughter of Rev. Samuel Stillman, D. D., 
 pastor of the First Baptist Church in Boston, by whom 
 he was prepared for the ministry, and entered the pas- 
 torate at Jamaica Plain, April 22, 1792. 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 35 
 
 Keyes Street, where it still stands. On 
 account of a disagreement with Dr. Gor- 
 don Mr. Pemberton altered his will, in 
 which he had first bequeathed all of his 
 property to this parish " for the support 
 of his future pastors," and left it " in trust 
 for the benefit of the poor of the town of 
 Boston ; " and the income of the fund is 
 still used for this specific purpose. Pem- 
 berton Square, once lined with many of 
 the fine residences in Boston, and now 
 the site of our new court-house, honors 
 his name. 
 
 The first bell on the old church was 
 presented by Governor John Hancock, in 
 1783, then a resident here, and bore the 
 inscription, " Thomas Lester, of London, 
 made me, 1 742." We can readily appre- 
 ciate the happiness of the people when 
 first called to their house of worship by 
 the voice of this bell, and can weave 
 threads of joy and of sadness around its 
 echoes. In 1852 this old church was 
 dismantled of its spire and removed to 
 the site of the present Eliot Hall. It 
 was subsequently destroyed by fire. While 
 
36 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 the stone edifice was being erected the 
 congregation occupied the Baptist Church 
 one half of the Sabbath. 
 
 We find Dr. WiUiam Gordon a very 
 interesting character of the strict Puritan 
 type. In a word-picture drawn by a 
 friend, we see him when commissioned 
 by Congress to secure Governor Hutchin- 
 son's letter-books, " as he ambled on his 
 gentle bay horse, in his short breeches 
 and buckled shoes, his reverend wig and 
 three-cornered hat, worthy the spirit of a 
 native-born patriot." It may not be amiss 
 to add that with all Dr. Gordon's admi- 
 rable characteristics, his faithful work as 
 a minister, his active interest in the cause 
 of American liberty, his unwavering ad- 
 herence to his convictions as an opponent 
 to the slave trade, and a champion of the 
 negro, he frequently lacked prudence and 
 good judgment in speech and action. It 
 was because of his severe and public 
 criticism of John Hancock that the gov- 
 ernor gave up his summer residence here ; 
 it was because of his attack upon the 
 proposed Constitution of Massachusetts, 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 3/ 
 
 in 1778, that he was summarily dis- 
 missed from his office of chaplain in both 
 houses of the Legislature. There is a 
 tradition that the Doctor was somewhat 
 strict and severe in his requirements of 
 the young catechists, and on occasions he 
 resorted to the birch to enforce his teach- 
 ings. " After punishing several of them 
 one winter day, his feet slipped as he 
 stepped from the icy threshold of the 
 school, and he fell at full length, his hat 
 and w^io: rolling off his head. There- 
 upon the boys shouted in high glee, and 
 gave three cheers." The rod gave place 
 to persuasion after that experience. 
 
 The little cemetery in the rear of the 
 church was consecrated in 1785. A quiet 
 walk through this " garden of the dead " 
 is full of interest, awakening memories 
 and associations of the past. There are 
 twenty-four tombs and many graves, upon 
 whose ancient, moss-covered headstones 
 we trace familiar names and some un- 
 usual epitaphs. The tombs of Dr. Thomas 
 Gray and of the Greenough family, side by 
 side, are particularly noticeable, as, unlike 
 
38 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 the others, they have a large bull's-eye of 
 ground glass inserted in the doors, evi- 
 dently to admit light into "the chamber of 
 death." Very few interments have been 
 made here since the consecration of For- 
 est Hills Cemetery in 1848. Upon the 
 small triangular lot at the junction of 
 Centre and South streets the first school- 
 house in our village was erected in 1676. 
 The land was the gift of John Ruggles, 
 and John Eliot and Hugh Thomas were 
 the principal benefactors of the school. 
 In early days this spot was the muni- 
 cipal centre of our town ; and here, in 
 1 87 1, was dedicated our beautiful Soldiers' 
 Monument, in affectionate, grateful re- 
 membrance of our heroic dead, who gave 
 their lives in the service of their country 
 during the Rebellion (1861-65). Eliot 
 Street was opened to Pond Street in 
 1800, and at the corner still stands an 
 old milestone, inscribed : " Five miles to 
 Boston Town House, 1735. P. Dudley." 
 The Eliot School was incorporated in 
 1804, and later, January 17, 1832, the 
 brick building was dedicated which now 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 39 
 
 stands on Eliot Street in the centre of 
 ample grounds. 
 
 Within a few months we have witnessed 
 with feelings of regretful interest the de- 
 cay and removal of the old house known 
 to us as the Nathaniel Curtis homestead. 
 This estate once belonged to Dr. Lemuel 
 Hayward, a physician of high repute, and 
 one of the first to practice inoculation for 
 small-pox in this vicinity. He practiced 
 medicine here for several years. About 
 the year 1780, John Hancock, after he re- 
 signed the presidency of Congress, pur- 
 chased this place of Dr. Hayward for his 
 summer residence. He paid for it seven 
 or eight shares in Long Wharf property, 
 amounting then in all to about $400, but 
 at the time of Dr. Hayvv^ard's decease, 
 in 1 82 1, valued at $100,000, — a striking 
 evidence of growth and financial prosper- 
 ity in less than fifty years. We learn that 
 the house was, like many of that period, 
 one story and a half in height, covering 
 much space on the ground, and shaded by 
 fine linden-trees. We love to tarry here 
 and do grateful honor to this first gov- 
 
40 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 ernor of our new State, who, during our 
 country's struggles for freedom, was one 
 of the most fearless opposers of British 
 tyranny, one of the most active of patriots, 
 and the first signer of the Declaration of 
 Independence. He was of fine, dignified 
 presence, six feet in height, with a very 
 handsome face and gracious manners. In 
 public speaking he was eloquent, graceful, 
 and accomplished, and plainly formed by 
 nature to act a brilliant part in the affairs 
 of his time. According to the customs 
 of that period with men of fortune, his 
 apparel was very elaborate and costly, of 
 velvet and satin, embroidered with gold 
 and silver lace. " His equipage was splen- 
 did, and on public occasions he rode with 
 six beautiful bay horses and attended by 
 servants in livery." Much of his large 
 fortune was spent for benevolent and use- 
 ful purposes, Harvard College coming in 
 for a share. In the year 1800, Thomas 
 Hancock, nephew of the governor, built 
 the house which has recently been de- 
 stroyed, and resided here until 18 19, when 
 the estate was purchased by Mr. Nathaniel 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 4I 
 
 Curtis, fifth in descent from the first 
 William Curtis. He was a merchant of 
 Boston, highly esteemed, and filled vari- 
 ous positions of trust in our town. He 
 resided here during the remainder of his 
 Hfe, a period of thirty-eight years, and 
 died in 1857. He married for his second 
 wife the widow Leeds, who at the time 
 was living in the old Stephen Brewer 
 house, still standing at the end of Thomas 
 Street, and which was afterwards for sev- 
 eral years the home of Mr. William D. 
 Ticknor, of the publishing house of Tick- 
 nor & Fields. Mrs. Curtis lived in the 
 old house for many years after her hus- 
 band's death, until we missed the gentle, 
 sweet face, and the kindly, cordial greet- 
 in s^s — and the home was desolate. 
 
 More than two hundred and fifty years 
 have passed since the first John May, 
 master of a vessel, came from Mayfield, 
 in Sussex, England, and became a resident 
 of Jamaica Plain, and the ancestor of the 
 many who bear the name of May in this 
 country. In 1650 the old house on May's 
 Lane was built by Mr. Bridge, and since 
 
42 ANNAL^AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 1 77 1 it has been owned and occupied 
 by the direct descendants of John May. 
 It has always been a typical New Eng- 
 land fruit farm, noted for the fine quality 
 of its cherries, peaches, pears, apples, and 
 berries of various kinds. In the early 
 days it covered many acres, including the 
 beautiful hill now occupied by the fine 
 estates of the Bowditch family and others, 
 and the lowlands, extending north and 
 east to Pond and Eliot streets. During 
 the siege of Boston the house was given 
 up to soldiers for barracks. Captain Lem- 
 uel May was one of the minute-men 
 who responded to the reveille at the break 
 of day on the 19th of April, 1775, and 
 fought valiantly for his country at Lex- 
 ington and Concord. This house, of the 
 seventeenth - century pattern, has main- 
 tained its original features until very re- 
 cently, carefully preserved from any sign 
 of neglect or decay. Possibly a hasty 
 view of the interior of the old homestead 
 will interest us. Entering by the front 
 porch, we find the small, square entry 
 opens through narrow doorways into low- 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 43 
 
 studded, irregular shaped rooms, with 
 overhead and corner beams and wain- 
 scoted sides, triangular cupboards and 
 dressers, and convenient little shelves. 
 There are high wooden mantels, adorned 
 with specimens of antique china and 
 brasses over the large bricked fireplaces. 
 In one room an iron crane, with kettles 
 suspended on chains, swings over the fire- 
 dogs piled with logs, and on both sides 
 hang quaint domestic utensils. The nar- 
 row stairway, from the little entry, has a 
 halfway landing to economize space, and 
 leads to cosy apartments above, all inter- 
 esting for their antique furniture and fam- 
 ily relics. 
 
 And now a glance at the old square 
 barn east of the house, and more preten- 
 tious in size than the dwelling, with wide 
 doors opening at both ends, and lofts 
 stacked with fragrant hay. This is the 
 comfortable home of faithful horses and 
 gentle kine, who looked from their stalls 
 and stanchions on the youths and maidens 
 who often made the walls resound with 
 their merriment as they were borne 
 
44 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 quickly past in the old swing hanging 
 from the creaking rafters. 
 
 The well-curb, with its long sweep and 
 old oaken bucket, brings memories, to 
 some of us, of refreshing draughts of pure 
 water, and of delicious cream and butter 
 rolls, which the moss - covered stone 
 shelves far down the well held securely 
 from possible taint. Back of the house 
 ran the babbling brook and emptied into 
 " the ditch," which was often broad and 
 deep enough to merit a more comely 
 name, and was the favorite resort of the 
 young in winter for skating and sledding. 
 But this ancestral home, with all its 
 charms, has passed from view, like many 
 others, leaving but cherished memories. 
 
 Captain Charles Brewer, whose fine 
 estate on Pond Street was originally a 
 part of the May farm, was a lineal de- 
 scendant of Captain John May, on his 
 mother's side. He was born in Boston 
 in 1804, and received his education there, 
 but early developed a fondness for the 
 sea, and for several years was a success- 
 ful ship-master in the Pacific and East 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 45 
 
 India trade. In 1836 he established a 
 shipping business in Honolulu, and in 
 1846 returned with his family to this 
 country, and became a resident of the 
 Plain.^ Soon after he erected the com- 
 modious mansion in the midst of highly 
 cultivated grounds, which was his home 
 during the remainder of his life. 
 
 Mr. Edward Bridge was one of the 
 earliest settlers of the town, and it is be- 
 lieved that he built the house, which has 
 recently been taken down by the Park 
 Commission, near the corner of Centre 
 and May streets. The date 1710 was 
 found cut into one of the old timbers, 
 which is still preserved. 
 
 Mr. Abijah Seaverns, grandfather of 
 our townsman, resided here with his 
 family for many years. The original 
 Seaverns homestead, owned by Mr. Joel 
 Seaverns, the ancestor of the family, 
 was upon a farm of some fifty-five acres, 
 now included in Forest Hills Cemetery. 
 In this old house, during the later years 
 
 ^ His mother, Mrs. Abigail May, widow of Moses 
 Brewer, was then living in the old homestead, and died 
 April 24, 1849, aged 80 years. 
 
46 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 of Mrs. Abijah Seaverns' life, a small 
 band of the Baptist faith met frequently 
 for religious meetings, and in 1840 took 
 steps to form a church. Soon after they 
 began worship in the Village Hall, and 
 in 1842 the public services of their 
 recognition were held in the Unitarian 
 Church, in which Rev. Dr. Gray then 
 ministered. On October 4, 1843, the 
 new house of worship was dedicated, and 
 on the same day Dr. John O. Choules, 
 an Englishman, was installed as pastor. 
 The little church stood on elevated 
 ground on the east side of Centre Street 
 near Star Lane. On September 26, 1856, 
 this church was destroyed by fire, with 
 its furniture, library, and records. For 
 two years the congregation used the Uni- 
 tarian house of worship one half of the 
 Sabbath, and the Mather (now Central) 
 Church for evening meetings, accepting 
 the very kind invitations which came 
 from both societies while the fire was 
 still burning. In August, 1859, the pre- 
 sent house of worship on the corner of 
 Centre and Myrtle streets was dedicated. 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 47 
 
 Following May Street to Pond Street, 
 we come to the beautiful estate now 
 owned by Mr. Edward Rice, and formerly 
 by Mr. John J. Low, and here ready fancy 
 rears again the vanished walls of a stately 
 mansion, three stories in height, first oc- 
 cupied by another of the Tory gentry. Sir 
 Francis Bernard, the royal governor of 
 Massachusetts from 1 760 to 1 769, — the 
 period of our greatest historic interest. 
 The beautiful sloping lawn, shaded with 
 lofty English elms, gave a charming set- 
 ting to the house, while broad acres, 
 highly cultivated, filled with choice fruit 
 trees, plants, and shrubs, including orange, 
 lemon, fig, cork, and cinnamon trees, and 
 other rare exotics, added grandeur and 
 beauty to the landscape. One can easily 
 call back the old-time scenes within this 
 mansion, of stately official pomp, of social 
 gayety, of dinners and balls, where the 
 dames and maidens were magnificent in 
 brocade and satin and lace, in towering 
 head-gear, and ample panniers; and where 
 the cavaliers rivaled the ladies in their 
 powdered wigs, gorgeous velvet coats and 
 
48 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 satin waistcoats, ruffled shirt-fronts and 
 cuffs, small breeches and silken hose. 
 We catch a glimpse of them as they troop 
 through the broad hall (fifty-four feet long 
 and twenty feet wide), and the wainscoted 
 tapestried rooms, in the stately minuet or 
 the livelier contra-dances, and possibly 
 recognize the forms and faces of Adams, 
 Hancock, Otis, Warren, and Quincy. 
 Governor Bernard was an Englishman, 
 a graduate of Oxford, a man of erudition 
 and large wealth. He had remarkable 
 conversational powers, and so tenacious a 
 memory that he boasted he could repeat 
 all of Shakespeare's plays. He was a 
 zealous advocate of the claims of the 
 Crown, and though professing to sympa- 
 thize with the men associated with him 
 in their resistance to unjust taxation, and 
 other coercive measures of the royal gov- 
 ernment, he secretly w^orked against them, 
 and used his influence to have the British 
 regiments sent to Boston, and thus ini- 
 tiated the war. After holding his high 
 ofHce for nearly ten years, he was recalled 
 to England, in response to a petition from 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 49 
 
 the House of Representatives that " he 
 might be forever removed from the gov- 
 ernment of the Province." As he de- 
 parted from Boston the bells were rung, 
 cannon fired from the wharves, and the 
 Liberty Tree hung gayly with flags ; so 
 great was the joy of the people to be rid 
 of him. Lady Bernard did not leave 
 Jamaica Plain until a year later — in 
 1770. Sir William Pepperell was the 
 next resident of this house for about 
 three years. He was a graduate of Har- 
 vard, and, in 1776, became a member of 
 the Council, and was avowedly in sym- 
 pathy with the royal cause. During the 
 siege this house was also occupied by the 
 patriotic troops, and later used as a hos- 
 pital. The soldiers who died here were 
 buried on the hill in the rear of the house. 
 This property was confiscated in 1779 by 
 the State, and purchased by Mr. Martin 
 Brimmer, a Boston merchant, who died 
 here in 1804. Captain John Prince next 
 owned it, and took down the old house, a 
 part of which had stood one hundred and 
 forty years, and erected the very attract- 
 
50 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 ive mansion which has recently given 
 place to the one now occupied by Mr. 
 Rice. Mr. Prince opened the street which 
 bears his name through his estate to Per- 
 kins Street, and it has since been the seat 
 of several beautiful residences. 
 
 The summer home of Francis Park- 
 man, LL. D., on Prince Street, deserves 
 more than a passing notice, not only be- 
 cause of his great prominence as an his- 
 torian and writer on scientific horticul- 
 ture, but for the remarkable beauty of the 
 grounds lying along the shores of the lake 
 and covered with luxuriant and rare 
 shrubs, trees, and plants, many of them 
 models of symmetry and loveliness. One 
 cannot but regret that this homestead has 
 not been preserved in its completeness, 
 as a memorial of this distinguished man. 
 
 The old Jonas Chickering estate ad- 
 joining Mr. Parkman's, with its lovely 
 water-front, its unique gothic buildings, 
 its vine-covered lodge, and its deer-park, 
 was, in our early days, one of the most 
 charming of our country-seats. 
 
 Pinebank, the home of the Perkins 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 5 1 
 
 family for nearly a century, with its 
 broad, winding avenue, beneath noble 
 pines and larches, its stately mansion, its 
 many rich landscape features, claimed ad- 
 miration for its grandeur and nobility.^ 
 
 Returning to South Street, we find 
 that in early days different branches of 
 the Weld family owned and lived upon 
 estates in this portion of our village. 
 The largest and most important of these 
 was the estate which was given to Cap- 
 tain Joseph Weld, by the Province, about 
 the year 1660, in consideration of services 
 rendered. It was bequeathed by him to 
 his son John, and was the home of seven 
 generations of that family, until about 
 the beginning of this century (1806), 
 when it became the property of Mr. 
 Benjamin Bussey. During the Revolu- 
 tionary War, Weld's Hill was selected by 
 Washington as a rallying point for the 
 patriot army to fall back upon in case of 
 disaster, as it protected the road to Ded- 
 
 ^ Perkins Street, known in early days as Connecticut 
 Lane, was named for William Perkins, who came to 
 Roxbury in 1832. 
 
52 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 ham, the depot of army suppHes. Mr. 
 Bussey, after a few years, erected the fine 
 mansion, still standing, and resided here 
 until his death, in 1842. The late Mr. 
 Thomas Motley, brother of the histo- 
 rian, was the husband of one of Mr. 
 Bussey 's granddaughters, and occupied 
 the house with his family until his decease. 
 This magnificent estate of three hundred 
 acres was bequeathed to Harvard Uni- 
 versity for the establishment of a semi- 
 nary " for instruction in practical agricul- 
 ture, useful and ornamental gardening, 
 botany, and such other branches of natu- 
 ral science as may tend to promote a 
 knowledge of practical agriculture and 
 the various arts subservient thereto and 
 connected therewith." The Bussey In- 
 stitute was built in 1871, and the beauti- 
 ful Arboretum, embracing one hundred 
 and sixty acres, has been in process of 
 development since that time. During 
 Mr. Bussey's life, and for years after, the 
 public enjoyed the freedom of these 
 charming grounds. There were lovely 
 wood paths, carefully kept, in all direc- 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 53 
 
 tions. Here was a rustic bridge spanning 
 the jocund brook ; there a willow-bordered 
 pond, the home of gold and silver fish. 
 This path wound back and forth to the 
 summit of Hemlock Mountain, where 
 was an arbor with seats for resting, sur- 
 rounded by majestic trees, and where 
 lovely vistas of the distant hills and nearer 
 valley could be enjoyed. On the gray 
 rocks yonder were nature's moss-clad 
 seats, where one listened to the endless 
 whispering of the leaves, the prattle of 
 the happy brook below, and the ever- 
 changing songs of birds. 
 
 " up springs, at every step, to claim a tear, 
 Some little friendship formed in childhood here; 
 And not the lightest leaf but trembling teems 
 With golden visions and romantic dreams." 
 
 Mr. Bussey's life is a remarkable illus- 
 tration of the success which results from 
 natural ability and persevering industry. 
 With very small pecuniary means in early 
 life, he made the most of every condition 
 and advantage, and ultimately acquired 
 large wealth and influence. Possibly 
 some here may remember the family 
 
54 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 coach, with its yellow body and trim- 
 mings, drawn by four fine horses, in which 
 Mr. Bussey and his family rode to church 
 each Sabbath. There is a pleasing tra- 
 dition that the old gentleman had the 
 unusual but very gracious habit of bow- 
 ing to the people near him on all sides 
 in the church before taking his seat in 
 his square pew. On the occasion of Pre- 
 sident Andrew Jackson's visit to Boston, 
 accompanied by Vice-President Van Bu- 
 ren, in June, 1833, Mr. Bussey joined the 
 grand procession in his yellow coach, 
 drawn by six horses, richly caparisoned, 
 and attended by liveried servants. 
 
 On the opposite side of South Street 
 one sees the very attractive house known 
 to us as the Peters homestead, which, in 
 1 799, was built by Captain William Gor- 
 don Weld. About three years after mak- 
 ing this home, Captain Weld was lost at 
 sea, leaving his widow, who was a sister of 
 Judge William Minot, with a large family 
 of sons and daughters, who have been 
 very prominent in the interests and devel- 
 opment of our town. Mrs. Weld is re- 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 55 
 
 membered with great respect and admira- 
 tion for her character and life-work. She 
 Hved to a great age, happy in the pro- 
 sperity and the loving devotion of her chil- 
 dren. We recall the beautiful and touch- 
 ing scene when her form was carried on 
 the bier by her noble sons, followed by 
 the other mourners, all walking from her 
 house to the family tomb in the little 
 church cemetery, and lovingly laid at rest, 
 without the touch of a stranger hand. 
 
 Soon after Captain William Weld's 
 death, the estate was purchased by a Mr. 
 Wilson, who resided here for a few years. 
 Mr. Horatio Greenough, the sculptor, also 
 lived here when young, and it is believed 
 that he took his first lessons in art of Bi- 
 non, the French sculptor, in this house. 
 In 1829 Mr. Edward Peters purchased 
 it for a summer residence, and it is still 
 occupied by his descendants. This house 
 is the finest specimen of the West Indian 
 style in this vicinity. Stony Brook runs 
 through the dell back of the garden, with 
 a line of fine old oaks and butternut-trees 
 on its banks. Years since, when trench- 
 
56 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 ing the land, the smooth bed of the broad 
 Stony River was reached, into which some 
 of the large trees had fallen and lain im- 
 bedded in the mud, well preserved. A 
 perfect beaver dam was also discovered 
 there, and marks of beavers' teeth on some 
 of the trees. Various Indian relics have 
 been unearthed in different parts of the 
 place. 
 
 About the year 1827, Mr. Stephen M. 
 Weld, son of Captain William G. Weld, 
 established a boarding-school for young 
 men on the site of the present residence 
 of his family, the corner of South and 
 Centre streets, which was very successful 
 during thirty years, pupils coming from 
 many of the States and from Mexico, 
 Cuba, and Yucatan. Weld Hall, con- 
 nected with Harvard College, was erected 
 by William F. Weld, in memory of his 
 brother Stephen Minot Weld. Dr. Chris- 
 topher Weld, another son of Captain 
 Weld, was the first homoeopathic physician 
 here, and was much esteemed and beloved 
 during his long practice. 
 
 Upon the site of the present Seaver 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 5/ 
 
 mansion, on Morton Street, near Wash- 
 ington Street, stood the old house, now 
 a few rods further on, the home of the 
 gifted and scholarly Margaret Fuller be- 
 tween the years 1839 and 1842. Her 
 father had died a short time before, and 
 her mother, sister (the late Mrs. Walter 
 Channing), and two brothers made with 
 her the household. In this quiet, rural 
 home, Margaret found time and inspira- 
 tion for many of her charming outdoor 
 sketches. She often wandered through 
 the lovely walks in Bussey Woods, soft 
 with fallen needles from pine and hem- 
 lock, and bright with abundant wild flow- 
 ers, and drew glowing pictures from na- 
 ture's wealth which her pen has preserved 
 for us. It was while living here she in- 
 augurated the literary conversations which 
 produced such a marked effect upon the 
 young and old of the women of that time. 
 They were weekly meetings for free con- 
 versation on literary and ^Esthetic topics 
 at which she was the principal talker. 
 They began in the autumn of 1839 at the 
 home of Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody, on 
 
58 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 West Street, Boston, and continued 
 through five successive winters. It was 
 also while here that she edited " The 
 Dial," a quarterly journal, in which she 
 was aided by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 
 Theodore Parker, George Ripley, and 
 others. In this old house Ralph Waldo 
 Emerson boarded for a time with a Mrs. 
 Tilden, who afterward had a young la- 
 dies' boarding-school at the Cold Spring 
 House on Washington Street, opposite 
 Green Street. In Franklin Park, on 
 Schoolmaster's Hill, may now be seen 
 a bronze tablet, inserted in a boulder, 
 which records the fact that Mr. Emerson 
 lived in a farmhouse on that spot for two 
 years, from 1823 to 1825. The home of 
 Rev. James Freeman Clarke, D. D., on 
 Hillside Avenue, has a lasting interest, 
 because of the noble, beautiful souls who 
 thought and worked there, and gave by 
 spoken and written words strength and 
 counsel and comfort to m.any. 
 
 Returning to Centre Street, we pass 
 south from Eliot Street, and look with 
 interest upon the old Williams house, a 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 59 
 
 commodious, square building with central 
 porch and balustrade along the roof-line, 
 built in 1805 by Stephen Gorham, a Bos- 
 ton merchant. It was for many years the 
 attractive home of Mr. Moses Williams 
 and family, and is still in their possession. 
 The old Hallet, Seaverns, Balch, and 
 Louder homes, all suggest interesting and 
 valuable memories, which we would gladly 
 record did our limits permit. But we are 
 tempted to spare a few moments for a 
 stroll through Louder's Lane. Many times 
 have we proved the truth of Young's 
 words : "How blessings brighten as they 
 take their flight ! " and they ring in our 
 hearts to-day as we wander into this pic- 
 turesque old way; and we love even more 
 dearly than of yore the quiet, the grassy 
 sides, the wild growths of roses and black- 
 berry-bushes, the tangle of ivy and wood- 
 bine, and the lovely vistas through leafy 
 framings of sunny hillsides and Vv^oods, of 
 pastures dotted with grazing cattle, and 
 of peaceful farm homes. It is a country 
 idyl, sw^eet and restful ! We may slacken 
 our horse's reins while he crops the way- 
 
6o ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 side grass, or we may sit on a fallen stone 
 from the old wall, while we muse of early- 
 days when there was no turnstile to block 
 our path, but we could wander on around 
 the loops of Sargent's woods, and gather 
 at will the blue and white violets, the 
 anemones and columbines and cowslips, 
 without a fear of brass-buttoned monitor 
 or coasting wheelman. 
 
 We see again the dignified form of 
 Manlius Sargent on his stately horse, as 
 he rode through his wood-roads, and many 
 another familiar face of those who sought 
 these rural paths, and cared not yet for 
 " rapid transit," with its spectral accom- 
 paniments. And our hope is akin to a 
 prayer, that what is left of Lender's Lane 
 may be spared to us yet many years. 
 
 The old Winchester house, on the hill- 
 side of Centre Street, was built in the 
 year 1800 by Captain Artemas Winches- 
 ter, grandfather of the third Artemas, now 
 residing here, for his young bride. Miss 
 Anna Fuller, and it was their home 
 through their long lives. 
 
 In early days, whenever a new dwelling 
 was begun, the neighborhood volunteered 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 6l 
 
 their services, prepared and stoned the 
 cellar and well, often giving days of labor 
 to help on the work. Then at the time 
 of raising the house, as in the case of the 
 Winchester dwelling, — an unusually fine 
 one for the times, — the relatives and 
 friends came from near and far to show 
 their kindly interest and enjoy the tempt- 
 ing: and bounteous collation. 
 
 This farm originally belonged to Mn 
 John Morey, who in 1771 presented the 
 clock, which for many years ornamented 
 the front gallery of the First Church, and 
 is to-day faithfully meeting its duties in 
 the Parish House. 
 
 Greenbank, a quiet old home overlook- 
 ing the Arboretum, holds among its trea- 
 sures a record of a few years, when Rev. 
 William Ware lived there, after resign- 
 ing his ministry in New York, and wrote 
 those remarkable works, "Zenobia" and 
 " Probus." Mr. Ware was a man of 
 great learning, of classical culture, and 
 elegant accomplishments. His mind was 
 a gallery of pictures which he portrayed 
 in his writings for the profit and delight 
 of others. Dr. Bellows, in his memorial 
 
62 ANNALS AND REMINISCENCES 
 
 sermon of Dr. Ware, writes of these books : 
 " They evinced talents, resources, and 
 tastes, which could not be traced to any 
 known writer, while they seemed wholly 
 beyond the reach of any unknowjt one." 
 On the corner of Allandale Street and 
 Centre Street, Peacock Tavern stood a 
 century ago. It was kept by Captain 
 Lemuel Child, distinguished for having 
 led the Minute Company of the Third 
 Parish in the battle of Lexington. This 
 tavern was a somewhat noted resort at 
 that time, being on the direct highway 
 from Boston to Dedham and Providence, 
 a stopping-place for travelers and stages 
 and factory teams. We learn that when 
 the British officers were in Boston they 
 frequently made up sleighing and skating 
 parties, and after exercising on the pond, 
 came to " The Peacock " for their late 
 suppers. Doubtless Generals Gage and 
 Burgoyne indulged in bumpers there, to 
 help their drooping spirits. The records 
 state that during the siege of Boston, Gen- 
 erals Washington and Knox and other 
 distinguished officers were frequent visit- 
 ors, the former stopping on his way to 
 
OF JAMAICA PLAIN 63 
 
 New York after the evacuation of Boston. 
 In May, 1794, Samuel Adams, the grand 
 old patriot, purchased " The Peacock " 
 tavern and forty acres of land, and resided 
 here during his term as governor, and 
 during the remainder of his life made it 
 his summer residence. We are proud to 
 add this name to our list of honorable 
 and distinguished men. It stands insepa- 
 rably with Washington, Jefferson, Frank- 
 lin, and Hancock, and they form together 
 the brightest constellation which illumines 
 the Revolutionary annals of our country!^ 
 Some of the most apparent and plea- 
 sant indications of growth and progress 
 in our town have been the establishment, 
 from time to time, of the churches, which 
 represent the faith and worship of our 
 people, the erection of the commodious 
 school buildings, and the various chari- 
 
 1 Within our recollection, a very small, old house, on 
 the opposite side of the street, almost hidden from view 
 by shrubbery and trees, was the humble home of old 
 Simeon Giles, a negro, who made a precarious living by 
 wood-chopping and like service for the neighbors. He 
 was the son of old Peter, who was a slave of Governor 
 Adams, valued and kindly treated, and who lived to 
 number one hundred years. Long, long ago their tired 
 bodies were laid at rest in the little graveyard on the hill. 
 
64 ANNALS OF JAMAICA PLAIN 
 
 table institutions. Strongly as we cling 
 to much that makes the past dear to us, 
 we rejoice in all that is making this the 
 golden age of our country. 
 
 Within the limits given, it is impossible 
 to review all of the homes and characters 
 which have left their impress on our vil- 
 lage and made it worthy to be a part of 
 the admitted " Athens of America." A 
 long line of names comes at memory's call, 
 in the various walks of life, — clergymen, 
 authors, teachers, physicians, lawyers, and 
 merchants, men and women whom we 
 delight to honor. 
 
 " They hurry from out the forgotten past, 
 Through the gathered mist of years, 
 From the halls of memory, dim and vast, 
 Where they have buried lain in the shadows cast 
 By recent joys or fears." 
 
 More than three hundred years ago the 
 poet Drummond wrote : " It is a great 
 spur to virtue to look back on the worth of 
 our line. In this is the memory of the 
 dead preserved with the living, being more 
 firm and honorable than an epitaph, and 
 the livins: know that band that tieth them 
 to others." 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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