An old historian's view
In 1839 a book was published at Worcester, whose title was ‘Historical Collections.’ Its author was John Warner Barber. It contained a colored map of Massachusetts, a condensed history of the state, also devoted specially a page to each county, and covered the ‘histories [p. 63] and antiquities’ of the three hundred and sixteen towns in a greater or less degree. It was a substantial volume of six hundred and twenty-five pages, illustrated by two hundred wood engravings. But little more than one page and one illustration was devoted to Medford, whose population was given as 2,075. Its then northern neighbor, Woburn, with 2,643 inhabitants, had two pages and two excellent views given it. Eleven lines sufficed for Stoneham, which had but 932 people in its ‘village of about forty dwelling houses.’ Medford's western neighbor, then West Cambridge, had 1,308 of population, and was noted in eighteen lines. Charlestown, which then extended to West Cambridge, with 10,101 people, was of course given prominence by the historian. Malden had 2,303, and its story was told in two pages, including one illustration.The Historical Society has in its library a copy of Mr. Barber's work which is well worth examination. It was given by Mr. George D. Cummings, and was that of his father, the late Charles Cummings, long principal of Medford's high school. At the time of his donation, the younger Mr. Cummings remarked (of the view), ‘How does that street look to you?’ Mr. Barber said in his ‘Preface’
The drawings for the numerous engravings were, with few exceptions, taken on the spot by the author,and trusted that any critics would look from his point of view. He certainly did ‘some job’ in preparing this work, and must have traversed the state quite thoroughly to have sketched the two hundred views.
Recently the ‘wood block engravings’ made from his sketches, and from which his illustrations were printed in 1839, have come into the possession of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. By its courtesy, we present one on the register's frontispiece, and bespeak for it a careful observation.
Mr. Barber named none of the features of this ‘Southern [p. 64] view of Medford,’ as he did in many others, but the reader will recognize its foreground as the present Moore square. The third meeting-house, at the extreme left, was torn down in 1839, the year of Mr. Barber's publication, and stood on the site of present Unitarian church. The second meeting-house (site of Page & Curtin's store) and the Andrew Hall house (now standing) are in the center, backed by Pasture hill, on the slope of which is the Hall summer-house. Next in prominence is the town hall, the great sycamores across the street from it, and the old Dr. Tufts house. Stretching backward is a veritable forest—Forest street—and in the extreme right the Universalist meeting-house. The river and a schooner with sails set is also in evidence, but we look in vain for the branch canal which crossed the vacant space in the left lower corner of this view. The four-horse team is significant; but the artist should have made the turn in the fence behind the big wagon, and shown Main street extending to the town hall instead of to the left of the old meeting-house, the present Winthrop square.
But of course, allowance must be made for inaccuracies in sketching; and we do well to remember that it was only in 1839 that Daguerre's invention became known. It is a long stride from the wood cut to the half-tone.
Mr. Barber mentioned four industries of Medford: Ship-building, bricks, hats and linseed oil, but nothing whatever of a certain other noted product. On his title page he styled his work ‘a general collection of interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., with geographical descriptions.’ It certainly was, but in it we look in vain for any allusion to any ‘Cradock house.’ Absence of such (in view of the above title page) is good evidence that the widely circulated myth had not then been fabricated. [p. 65]
