hide Sorting

You can sort these results in two ways:

By entity
Chronological order for dates, alphabetical order for places and people.
By position (current method)
As the entities appear in the document.

You are currently sorting in ascending order. Sort in descending order.

hide Most Frequent Entities

The entities that appear most frequently in this document are shown below.

Entity Max. Freq Min. Freq
New England (United States) 26 0 Browse Search
John H. Hooper 20 0 Browse Search
Massachusetts (Massachusetts, United States) 20 0 Browse Search
Marshall Symmes 18 0 Browse Search
Benjamin Floyd 17 1 Browse Search
Peter Chardon Brooks 14 0 Browse Search
John Winthrop 14 2 Browse Search
Thomas P. Smith 14 0 Browse Search
Eliza M. Gill 12 4 Browse Search
Fish 12 0 Browse Search
View all entities in this document...

Browsing named entities in a specific section of Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 15.. Search the whole document.

Found 65 total hits in 46 results.

1 2 3 4 5
Mystick River (Massachusetts, United States) (search for this): chapter 24
children hurt in the schoolhouse wreck, as it was vacation time, but the school was to have opened two days later. It is said, however, that the great September gale of 1815 blew down the chimneys and broke the almshouse windows badly. In 1853, Medford having built a new (the present) almshouse, this house, with its land, was sold for $3,690.10. Thomas P. Smith was the purchaser, and he had also acquired all the territory in Medford lying westward there — from between High street and Mystic river. Traversing this had been the Middlesex canal, but this had been discontinued in the preceding year. Mr. Smith was a man of much public spirit and enterprise, and had planned here a suburban village to be called Brooklands, with numerous streets and two parks, Gorham and Lakeview, therein. His residence and great barn was on High street, just westward from the parochial residence of the present St. Raphael's Church. He had erected several first-class houses, and in 1852 the substant
Harper's Ferry (West Virginia, United States) (search for this): chapter 24
e modern languages were taught, some of the instructors coming from Harvard, and the French language only, used at table. Mrs. Smith herself taught in general literature and science, working out her elaborate plan. After four years of apparently successful operation she deemed it advisable to remove the school to the national capital, expecting a greater Southern patronage. This she did, reopening there in the autumn of 1859. Her expectations were not realized; the John Brown raid at Harper's Ferry proved disastrous to her hopes and plans. During the following year the seminary was in operation and was visited by the Prince of Wales and suite, this being the year of their American tour. Leslie's Weekly of that date gives an account thereof, and has an illustration showing the prince (later King Edward) exercising in the gymnasium of the seminary. The outbreak of the Civil War blasted all hope, and the school closed. For a time thereafter, with her father, Ebenezer Smith, Mr
Massachusetts (Massachusetts, United States) (search for this): chapter 24
ere has recently come the building of the modern motor boats; the other famous product (no longer made) is becoming rare, the real article commanding a high price; but the old houses are well holding their own. The subject of this sketch is not one of the oldest, but attains the century mark this present year, and is now generally known as the Mansion House. Now in private ownership, it was at the time of its erection a public building, the Medford almshouse. The Puritan settlers of Massachusetts had little need for almshouses, for idleness was whipped out of the men by the magistrates and out of the boys by their parents; at least so says the historian. It was not till a hundred and sixty years after the town's settlement that an almshouse was provided, and then by the purchase of a house and three acres and a half of land, barely enough for a vegetable garden, as was said; and this house served for twenty years, till it became unsuitable. At the March meeting, in 1811, steps
Chelmsford, Mass. (Massachusetts, United States) (search for this): chapter 24
ress. When its substantial walls were erected our country was engaged in war with England, over which the third George was then reigning sovereign. Communication was so slow in those days that the battle of New Orleans was fought after the treaty of peace had been made. Only five years had passed since Fulton's steamboat, but no such one had dared the stormy Atlantic. The stagecoach was then the only public conveyance overland. Since 1803 it had been possible to journey from Boston to Chelmsford by water through the Middlesex canal, but the travellers were few. Lowell was yet to be. The dwellers in the almshouse doubtless looked with wonder on the novel sight of Captain Sullivan's steamboat Merrimack as it passed through the canal, but a few rods away, in 1818 and 1819, its noisy engine and the smoke of its wood and tar fire very noticeable. Then again, seventeen years later, there came the snort and neigh of the iron horse at their very door, that must have created great excitem
Fulton, Mo. (Missouri, United States) (search for this): chapter 24
ity. It was then repaired to some extent and has since been used as a boarding-house. The old mansion, erstwhile the almshouse, has been a silent witness to the march of a century's progress. When its substantial walls were erected our country was engaged in war with England, over which the third George was then reigning sovereign. Communication was so slow in those days that the battle of New Orleans was fought after the treaty of peace had been made. Only five years had passed since Fulton's steamboat, but no such one had dared the stormy Atlantic. The stagecoach was then the only public conveyance overland. Since 1803 it had been possible to journey from Boston to Chelmsford by water through the Middlesex canal, but the travellers were few. Lowell was yet to be. The dwellers in the almshouse doubtless looked with wonder on the novel sight of Captain Sullivan's steamboat Merrimack as it passed through the canal, but a few rods away, in 1818 and 1819, its noisy engine and the
Ebenezer Smith (search for this): chapter 24
y. The outbreak of the Civil War blasted all hope, and the school closed. For a time thereafter, with her father, Ebenezer Smith, Mrs. Smith resided in the Mystic Mansion. The town of Medford still held a mortgage on the property and had taken pMrs. Smith resided in the Mystic Mansion. The town of Medford still held a mortgage on the property and had taken possession thereof. The elder Mr. Smith died in August, 1864, and in 1866 the claim of the town was satisfied by the payment of nearly $3,500.00, and the property came into the hands of trustees under the Smith will. Early in 1870 the entire estatMr. Smith died in August, 1864, and in 1866 the claim of the town was satisfied by the payment of nearly $3,500.00, and the property came into the hands of trustees under the Smith will. Early in 1870 the entire estate came into new ownership, and after lying dormant for seventeen years the enterprise of building a village, begun by the younger Mr. Smith, was commenced anew. During later years the Mansion House had been neglected. It was in 1871 repaired andMr. Smith, was commenced anew. During later years the Mansion House had been neglected. It was in 1871 repaired and three quarters of the dormitory extension removed, the latter made into a comfortable dwelling. The owners, however, found the proximity of the railroad detrimental to its occupancy as a high-class residence by any one able to maintain its style,
Timothy Bigelow (search for this): chapter 24
by their parents; at least so says the historian. It was not till a hundred and sixty years after the town's settlement that an almshouse was provided, and then by the purchase of a house and three acres and a half of land, barely enough for a vegetable garden, as was said; and this house served for twenty years, till it became unsuitable. At the March meeting, in 1811, steps were taken to build a new one. The committee chosen to attend to this duty was a notable one. The chairman, Timothy Bigelow, was for many years Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The others were Dr. John Brooks (afterward and for seven years governor); Abner Bartlett, Medford's noted lawyer; Jonathan Brooks and Isaac Brooks, the latter an efficient Overseer of the Poor. This committee reported their plan, which was to build a three-story brick building on the lane leading from the great road from Maiden, to Turner's ship-yard. This lane is now known as Cross street, and the acre and a
Dana Bickford (search for this): chapter 24
latter made into a comfortable dwelling. The owners, however, found the proximity of the railroad detrimental to its occupancy as a high-class residence by any one able to maintain its style, but planned to make it a genteel boarding-house, as they termed it. After a few years it fell by foreclosure of mortgage into the possession of a Boston bank, and later into ownership of Olin O. Foster, who for several years resided there. During his occupancy there was a plan formulated by a Mr. Dana Bickford (himself an inventor) of obtaining it for a home for aged and indigent inventors, and he secured an option on the same in 1902. He was unable, however, to interest great capitalists, as he hoped, and the project failed. A few years since, Mr. Foster sold the property and removed from the city. It was then repaired to some extent and has since been used as a boarding-house. The old mansion, erstwhile the almshouse, has been a silent witness to the march of a century's progress.
Gorham (search for this): chapter 24
(the present) almshouse, this house, with its land, was sold for $3,690.10. Thomas P. Smith was the purchaser, and he had also acquired all the territory in Medford lying westward there — from between High street and Mystic river. Traversing this had been the Middlesex canal, but this had been discontinued in the preceding year. Mr. Smith was a man of much public spirit and enterprise, and had planned here a suburban village to be called Brooklands, with numerous streets and two parks, Gorham and Lakeview, therein. His residence and great barn was on High street, just westward from the parochial residence of the present St. Raphael's Church. He had erected several first-class houses, and in 1852 the substantial building of classic design (that has ever since had a prominent place in the public thought—educational, religious, social, fraternal, political—as well as of business use), the Mystic Hall building. All this has been in accordance with his design, as time has proved, t<
Isaac Hall (search for this): chapter 24
812. Medford's streets (roads they were then called) were few, and had not the specific names they now bear until 1829. Then the selectmen took action and named the various public ways that radiated from the town pump or from the hotel. That high way to Menotomy they called High street, and the almshouse was somewhat back from the village street that was appropriately named High as its course lay over Marm Simond's hill. This road was the one taken by Paul Revere after he awakened Capt. Isaac Hall of the Medford Minute Men on April 19, 1775. From the earliest times there had been near the river a dwelling, with a brick yard between it and the bend opposite the mouth of Menotomy river. A lane had led thereto, and on the opening of the Middlesex canal, nine years before the building of the almshouse, the canallock, tavern, and landing number four made this lane something of a thoroughfare. Its proximity, and the more remote course of High street, probably caused the fronting o
1 2 3 4 5