Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-25
OLDEST HOUSE IN THE LAND.
Standing After More Than Two Centu-
ries and q HaIf of Existence.
FROM tAe Boetoa Globe.


dome, know that scarcely four miles from
its shadow is standing to-day in a good
state Of preservation the oldest house in
the United States. The writer visited 1t
one day last week and found it most
/ interesting relic. Getting OF the cars at
/ GienwoOd on the Medford branch of the
! Boston and Maine, he walked perhaps a
/ quarter OF a mile TO the south and found
] himself at the northern edge Of the
meadows bordering the Mystic river.
I Here on the left on a slight elevation
stands what is known as the old Cradock
house, Just where it has been standing for
over two centuries and half.
.Justtbin 6eflt-two centuries and half,
! Think ofatl the world has gone through
since its bricks were first laid Then
Charles the First still had his head on his
! Shoulders. Then Wallenstein had Just
won his last victories in Germany, and
the news of mis- death had not vet crossed
the water. In France RichelIeu was in
-the heighEo ~ bis glory, and Louis XIII
was dreaming OF becoming an emperor.
This house was already old when George
Washington was born. IL had become
antiquated when Paul Revere made his
famous ride along the opposite shore. 1t
has seen Boston grow from a mere ham,
let 10 a mighty city. II has seen mighty
Y WilderEass converted into the most beau
tiful sJourhs on the face Of the earth.
Aud it sui stands. old and hoary, yet so
strong and stout that with proper care 1T
NAV see what another quarter Of thou
sand years NAV bring forth
1t was a beautiful scene that morning
on the banks Of the Mystic. Haze shut
of the view OF the great city down the
river, and one would never suspect
metropolis was so near. The high fall
tide
COVERED THE MARSHES
and with its motionless surface concealed
the muddy banks OF a stream that. az low
tide, is far from attractive. Reflected IN
the water were the hills on the opposite
shore. and toe tail elms scattered along
the edge OF the meadows. The marsh nay
stacked here and there looked like mon
strous brown ac0rns floating IN the water.
Over beyond it all the BUILDINGS OF c llege
bill, with their outlines mellOwed b. the
hazy atmosphere, might have been taken
for some medieval castle. And were II
not for a factory here and there, one might
easily have imagi ed himself locking at
some beautiful landscape of the old coun-
try. AS | looked at the marshes and the
haystacks, and the broad, smooth river,
and remembered that the men who built
this old house probably came from Lin
cOlnshire, the thought came that it must
look something like this on the banks of
the Cam o" the Trent. Perhaps it made
these pioneers feel at home to live in the
midst Of marshes on the bank Of such
river.
Theirs was a big farm, or plantation, as
they called it, First and last Matthew
CradOck got hold of about 800 acres
nearly six square miles. He must have
owned about all Of the eastern part of
Medford, and the land where Maiden is
now most thickly settled. 1t was a fine
estate, but Matthew never came over to
see il. He was the first Governor of the
Massachusetts colony in England, and
was a shrewd, energetic man. but he did
his governing by proxy. At first, you
know, this colony was nOminallv mere
business affair, with a home office and
plantations. Matthew ran the home
Office till the bold little colony usurped
the right Of home government, and set
up governing for itself. John Winthrop,
you remember, was the first Governor to
live with the Massachusetts, bay people.
He had farm
JUST ACROSS THE RIVER
from the grant of his friend Cradock,
which, because of ten little eminences
be called the Ten Hills Farm, and so it is
known to this day. He had 800 acres,
which must have taken in that tract
which has cost SOmerVile so much for q
public park, as well as a good part oil
Winter Hill and East SOmerville.F 1t was
here that Gov. Winthrop built the Bless
ing Of the Bay, the first English boat built
in the Jurisdiction OF the Massachusetts
colony. and launched her on the 4th OF
July, 1881. Auspicious day, that 4th of
Julyl
Perhaps it was the success Of this boat
that put the notion of shipbuilding into
Matthew Cradock's head. At any rate,
his artisans built two ships-one OF the
goodly size Of a "hundred tunne." This
was the beginning OF that shipbuilding
which brought prosperity 10 so many
Medford people in after days. Now it is
| all gone, and Medfords fame rests no
longer on ships, but on rum.
Cradock's people, you must remember,
| came into a wilderness peopled only by
wild beasts and Indians. 1t is likely that
they ciassed these together, and Thought
/ them all wild beasts. But they deemed
the Indians the more dangerous, and they
/ built he house accordingly. Ii was OF
| brick made on the spot, roughly but well.
! These bricks are only little larger than
| those made to day in the yards close by,
and one finds IL hard TO believe that they
Rave laid there POL years. The walls have
that sire aked look which all our very old
brick houses have, just as ii some Titan
had thrown half dozen hogsheads Of
whitewash at the house for the fun of it,
But the most interesting thing about the
walls Is their thickness--lS inches solid !
/ This, OF course, WAS for protection against
the willy. savage. In either end were huge
/ chimneys. but one of these has made way
for "A modern chimney. In the other the
! freplaces are just AZ they were made,
BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD HUGE LOGS.
The brick oven close by still bakes well,
| or did the last time it was used. The
! crane on which were hung the pots and
! kettles is still in its place. Underneath
| part of the house Is q small cellar, with
] heavy arches here and there. The writer's
! stiff hat bears testimony that tail man
/ had better stoop when he walks about in
! 1t. The beams show in all the
! rooms. The largest, OF them are
/ held 20 the walls bv iron braces. The
/ garrett is unfinished, aud is lighted
/ only nv a small skylight and two win
/ dows in one end. The tmbers seem
/ sound enough, but one end OF the house
Il decayed so that II had 10 be rebuilt a
II while ago and one story additions mt that
i end destroy somewhat the antique effect.
I Toe oval portfolios have been stopped up.
H The windows are small and there are half
" a dozen panes in each sash. The roof has
Il sWeryed little, and dormer window is
I gone. But all these changes have not az
( fected the exterior TO any great extent,
/ and II looks to-day much as il did when
\ Mathew CradOck's plantation was iiour-
I ishlng; much as it didwhen Gen .Sullivan's
/ New Hampshire boys looked over al 10 from
0