d that the first passes through the site of the First Parish Church, where the third meeting-house was built, the Brooks and the Cummings Schools; the second, or halfmile, through the city farm, Hall road, Medford square, Cradock school, and West Medford R. R. station.
The three-quarter mile radius reaches the Brooks Farm building, the site of the Wheeler mill just above Menotomy river, the end of Woburn street at Playstead road, the old mill site on Whitmore brook and also the one on Meeting-house brook, Gravelly brook at Forest street, the Everett school and the Royall House.
One mile is just beyond Wear bridge, the farther corner of Oak Grove, Bear meadow, Earl avenue and Fulton street at the Fellsway, Park street, Mystic park and Tufts College. One and a quarter miles would reach the old Powder House in Somerville, and one and a half the so-called Cradock House.
With the latter exception, the spot selected for its building was central then.
Ye olde meeting-house of Mead
pass through than for watering cattle.
They were located on Main street, foot of Winter hill; High street, foot of Marm Simonds' hill; another on High street near Canal street; one also at Weir bridge; a second over Gravelly creek on Salem street, near our present common; and one on Winthrop street near the estate of the late Peter C. Hall, commonly called Chardon Hall, whose dwelling-house is now the farm-house on Gen. S. C. Lawrence's estate.
The streams thus utilized were Winter, Meeting-House, Whitmore brooks, in addition to Gravelly creek, before mentioned.
When the increased demands of modern living made it evident that a better supply of pure water was needed in Medford than that furnished by wells and cisterns, it was natural that the attention of our citizens should turn to that fine body of water partly within the limits of the town.
The Spot Pond Water Company had been incorporated in 1867 by a committee from the towns of Medford, Malden and Melrose, with a view to
with comments on the sermon and notices of the week's events beneath, and then, in business style, a horizontal line under the whole.
The title of the various volumes, which were kindly loaned me by the present owner, was as follows:—
An Account of all the Texts preached in our New Meeting House on Sabbath Days, Fast Days, and Thanksgiving Days, and also all the Baptisms.
By Thomas Seccombe.
The record begins with September 3, 1727, when the first sermon was preached in our new Meeting House by Mr. Ebenezer Turell, and ends with the following entry: The owner of this book died about 11 o'clock this night, fast day, April 15, 1773.
Another hand continued the journal for two years longer, when death terminated the labors of a pastor signalized by having such an annalist, who was a highly respectable, intelligent, and pious man, a true specimen of the old Puritanic stock, whose unfailing attendance upon public worship, unless forbidden by uncontrollable circumstances, and his
Medford reminiscences.
My mother (who was formerly Harriett Todd of Medford, and who was born and brought up there) lived on High street opposite the old Meeting House (Unitarian) until she married Jeremiah Jordan.
She had many a time told us of Lafayette's visit to Medford; that he was entertained at the Governor Brooks House (later occupied by Samuel Blanchard in my day); that the Medford Company, of which my grandfather, Henry Todd, was Captain, assisted in receiving the visitors, and that the school children, including herself, were lined up in front of the house and each shook hands with Lafayette.
It was a memorable occasion to them.
Mother and father attended school in the old brick schoolhouse back of the Unitarian Church.
Mother's teacher was Jane Symmes and father's was Luther Anger.
Although father was lame and walked with a crutch, it was said he could run and jump better than the other boys.
He was a natural born musician and could play on any instrument.
later occupants.
The gambrel roof was a feature of Colonial architecture, in favor in the first half of the eighteenth century-and now again largely used.
One of its early examples in Medford was the Turell-Porter house, (See Vol.
V. No. 1 Register for view). Built not long after Parson Turell's settlement, (1725) it was duplicated by the Watson house (1738-1912) in its original construction.
It occupied a conspicuous position at the turn of highway ere descending the hill to cross Meeting-house brook.
There it faced both the road, and the sun at noon, and before it were planted the usual New England elms.
It differed from the Watson house, in that there were three dormer windows in its steep roof, which also projected more over the front wall.
It had the same elaborate finish around the entrance door, and substantial window frames with heavy blinds on all.
One great chimney with cavernous fireplaces was in the middle of the house, which sat low on the ground and was doubt
ce its course in Medford as far as may be seen, and incidentally to think what the development of Medford territory might have been had the railroad been built.
Twenty years before, Purchase (now Winthrop) street was built from the old Woburn road, just north of Whitmore Brook, in a comparatively straight course to the angle of old High street now called Winthrop Square. This formed a shorter and more level route from Medford's adjoining town of Woburn, and led to the building (across Meeting-house Brook and the marsh) of Winthrop street, where were the upper ship-yards.
In the fifteen years since the Boston and Lowell railroad was built, rapid strides had been made in engineering, and this new road was to overcome as much elevation in three miles as the former did in twenty.
Its steepest grades were at its northern portion, in the adjacent border of Stoneham and Woburn, then through the level of South Woburn, which had just been incorporated as Winchester, along and across t
any changes during its existence, but the original portion must have been built by Jonathan Nutting soon after the land came into his possession.
The highway on the northerly boundary was the way to John Albree's farm and mill.
In the year 1720 John Albree purchased of Percival Hall the following described estate, Thirty-two acres of land with house and other buildings bounded westerly on land formerly of Deacon John Willis; north on woodland laid out to Major Jonathan Wade's heirs; east on land of John Bradshaw; south on land of Ebenezer Nutting, excepting one-fourth of Mill.
This estate comprises a considerable portion of the Lawrence farm being that portion upon which the farmhouse and other buildings connected therewith are located.
Marble, or Meeting-house brook runs through the southerly portion of the estate, and the mill of John Albree, weaver, must have been located upon this brook near the location of North Winthrop street (formerly Purchase street). —John H. Hooper
es which suggest two of our following articles.
Our correspondent, a former Medford boy, writes I was familiar with [Meeting-house] brook in 1840.
It was a capital smelt brook, and we caught many in our hands.
In another letter he says, I used tore brook.
Another and older Medford boy, Caleb Swan, has left the following written record of December, 1855:—
Meeting-house brook rises north of Mr. Dudley Hall's land, and east of Mr. Swan's woods called Ram-head.
It runs through Mr. Peterentirely in its lower reach.
Should our correspondent, the Medford boy of 1840, visit his early haunts he would find Meeting-house brook but little changed, but Whitmore brook at its best he would not recognize.
The city has put some fifteen rods ice have there done much to beautify its course, but what it needs most is water.
Different conditions exist along Meeting-house brook, though its head waters of 1840 have long since been diverted by the south dam of the Winchester Water Works.
next, and lower down a white and newer cottage after a sudden descent, then a great outcropping ledge, and farther back the quaint gambrel-roof cottage of Mr. Gillard, and then the meadow through which flowed the brook we know by the name of Meeting-house.
Pausing beneath the grateful shade of the big elm, that in the sidewalk still remains, the writer took in the view for a time, and then walked along the slightly upward grade.
Vacant land then as now across the way, but on the left a largech below the street, whose retaining wall and sidewalk was fenced for safety.
Large elms were noticeable, and cows were pastured in the enclosure.
A big double house that looked substantial stood here, then another field that sloped away to Meeting-house brook and the river.
Next was Grace Church, but without the chimes or the chapel extension.
It was then but a few years built, as also the Tufts residence that adjoined it. This had then no outer chimney, but there was a massive fence along
e quarry, then across Hall road to Pasture hill, or the hill pasture, as it was known in the early days of the plantation.
What is called Pasture hill at the present day is the easterly portion of a hill that extends westerly to Marble or Meeting-house brook.
The crest of the hill is but a short distance from Medford square. The extreme southerly portion thereof, that centers where the old high schoolhouse is situated, formed the bank of the river.
From this point, where the width of the his point of the hill that formed the bank of the river, the elevation sloped down, both east and west to the line that separated the upland from the marshland.
At several places it was quite abrupt.
This line on the west began at Marble or Meeting-house brook near Winthrop street, and ran along in the rear of the estates that front on High street, substantially as it exists today, until it reaches St. Joseph's church lot. Then it crosses a portion of that lot just west of and adjoining the A
