[p. 37] about ten feet wide at that time.
The town of Charlestown brought a suit against Mr. Davison for stopping up Mistick river with a bridge, to the hinderance of boats, and for taxing cattle that go over the bridge.
July 17, 1688, the board of selectmen of the town of Charlestown and commissioners from the towns of Medford, Maiden, Woburn and Reading met to consider measures for a division of Mistick bridge among the several towns required by law to mend and maintain it. These commissioners agreed that Medford, Malden, Woburn and Reading should pay to the town of Charlestown, five pounds in ‘good pay,’ viz.: in corn or the like, for the present amending of the southerly half of Mistick bridge, and that in the future and for all time to come, the said southerly half of said bridge (being seventy-seven feet two and one-half inches in length), should be mended and maintained by the said town of Charlestown, and the northerly half thereof (being of like length) should be mended and maintained by the other towns above named.
These four towns, charged with the care of the northerly half of the bridge, made a division of the same so that each town had a specified share to care for. The record of this division is lost, but it appears from other documents that Medford's share was next to the open arch.
From the records of Malden we learn that, November 29, 1689, Malden worked at Mistick bridge, with cart and four oxen, and three hands to gravel the bridge.
[Register, Vol. 2, p. I.]
The renowned Sachem of the Pawtuckets, Nanepashemit. . . [P. 72.]Mr. Brooks places the residence of the sachem on Rock hill. Of this there is no evidence. He also quotes from Winslow (see page 73 of the history), but he omits a very important part of the narrative. Winslow says, ‘We discovered Mistick river but did not explore it.’ Some historians locate the places described as being in Medford. It would have been impossible for these explorers to stand on Rock hill and ignore the presence of
