Chapter 12: civil History.
For more than a century and a half after the settlement of Cambridge, with slight exceptions, that part of the town lying eastwardly from Quincy and Bow streets, generally denominated the “Neck,” consisted of woodland, pasturage, swamps, and salt marsh. In chapter II. an account is given of the first division of land on the northerly side of Main Street, into small lots in “the old field” and “small lot hill,” and larger lots, varying in size from six to one hundred and thirty acres. Gradually these lots passed into fewer hands, until at length the larger portion of the whole was embraced in three and subsequently four farms.
The “old field” early became the property of Edward Goffe1 and John Gay; by sundry conveyances the larger portion became vested in Chief Justice Francis Dana, who subsequently purchased the whole tract formerly called “small lot hill” (except, perhaps, a few acres in the northeasterly corner), and several other lots of land on both sides of the highway now called Main Street. Judge Dana erected a spacious mansion on the westerly side of “the highway to the common pales,” 2 now called Dana Street, about midway between. Main and Centre streets, which house was destroyed by fire Jan. 19, 1839. The Judge fully appreciated the beauty of the scenery visible from his residence, as is manifest from his care to prevent any obstruction to the view in one particular direction; in an agreement with Leonard Jarvis, concerning an exchange of lands, Jan. 3, 1797, it was stipulated that said Jarvis should “forever hereafter keep open the way3 of forty feet wide, lately laid out by the said Jarvis over and across Pelham's Island (so called) to the canal cut by him through his marsh, for the mutual benefit of both parties ”
