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Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 22., William Gray of Salem and Samuel Gray of Medford. (search)
e; but one meeting-house, and one schoolhouse. Sea captains and Boston merchants found it a good residential place for the summer. Several who came for a short time became permanent residents. Salem was a thriving town, a well-known port with a large East India commerce; a place of many large and beautiful colonial houses, and of such business activity that perhaps the quiet of our town, and its nearness to Boston, drew this merchant and his family here for a few weeks. It was said of Medford as late as 1853, It was a quiet, restful place, withal, excepting in the ship-yards. Possibly the strongest reason that drew them was to be near their daughter Lucia, twelve years old, who was a pupil at Mrs. Susanna Rowson's celebrated private school. If class prophecies were then in order, and it had been foretold that Lucia Gray would have a daughter who would live beyond a century's mark, and a granddaughter who would be well known in the world of art and letters, it might have seem
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 22., A Medford centennial note. (search)
A Medford centennial note. A Boston daily recently noted the centenary of the launching in New York of the first steam vessel, that crossed the Atlantic the following year. This is timely, in these new ship-building days. The Savannah was a sailing vessel, and steam was used as auxiliary power but eighty hours of the passage, which took twenty-seven days. Incidentally we note that Medford was the scene of some steam navigation that same year, from which great things were expected, but was, like the Savannah, commercially a failure, though from different causes. The Register has told the story before (Vol. XVII, p. 92) in some detail, and now, because of its centennial, notices it again. Accustomed as we have become to the swiftly moving motor boats on our river, we would look with some curiosity on the nondescript that ploughed its way through the old town—not on the river, but where is now no vestige of water, nor has there been since 1852, when the Middlesex canal gave u
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 22., A Rill of water-troughs. (search)
A Rill of water-troughs. As a matter of history, be it noted that Medford has gone dry (this in 1914) in the matter of public watering places for horses. Within the memory of our oldest people the principal highways passed through Meetinghouse, Gravelly and Whitmore brooks, as well as over their various bridges. There horses and cattle could drink or the family carriage be washed. Mr. Woolley has preserved a view of the first-named in his picture of the second meeting-house. Time was when the town-pump was indispensable and its condition carefully noted by the fire engineers. To such, a necessary adjunct was the old-time watering-trough, kept full by the laborious effort of each comer, though some thoughtless ones did not fill it. After Spot pond water was introduced, the old troughs disappeared and drinking fountains of various patterns were installed. In the square, and at West Medford, a big iron vase with a lamp-post rising from its center made an ornamental feature,
Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 22., On one side of
Medford square
. (search)
, there printed, gave an account of its history. Its existence covers the period of constitutional government of our country. All our presidential campaigns, our wars and our politics have there been discussed. Past its old walls the Medford men of 1861, of 1898 and 1918 have marched away, the latter to help do away with the royal motto that so recently was Meinself und Gott. It was fitting that from out these old walls the following issue of the Mercury should send out the story of how Medford received the news of their success and of the retirement of the senior partner on November 11th, and how it celebrated Victory Day. Excepting the removal of the front door and the introduction of plate glass, the general appearance of the old Porter house has changed but little. Its builders did their work well, as time has proved. They had none of the modern appliances with which to work; a steam saw or planing mill was then unknown. All its timbers were hewn and its nails hand-made.