The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-05-03
Letter from Helen L. Manning.
SoMERvILLE, MASS.

-
IL Lee Street, April 20, 1895. !
Somerville is one of the many pretty
suburban towns which nestle among the
hills around Boston. The part of it in
which am now living is known as Win
ter Hill and the air here is delightfully."-
fresh and salubrious. Winter Hill is it.
self quite famous in its connection with
the early history of our country. 1t was
on its brow that sturdy old Israel Put
nam made stand and threw up earth
works after the battle of Lexington, and
later, during the siege of Boston, the
French army planted a redoubt upon it.
A part of the hill is now reserved as a
public park, while to. one side are two
large public school buildings and the
town hall. In about the center of the
open space are several large guns used
during the late war, mounted on heavy
iron frames with rotary semicircles for
changing the direction of the aim. These
were donated by congress, as tablet in
the stone wall in front of them states. At
the base of the declivity is located the
passenger depot for Winter Hill station
on the Boston and Maine road.
Not far from my presnt abode is an old
house which at one time during the
revolutionary war was used as army
headquarters. 1t is a large od-fashioned
two-story frame house with hip roof, and
its windows are still filled with small
panes of glass, although the outside is
taking on some undermining in the way
of paint and repairs.
Somerville is said to contain about for
ty thousand inhabitants and has been
built up largely within the last four years.
The houses are thus mostly new, are
built OF wood and are two and half to
three stories in height. But sprinkled in
among those OF modern type are found a
good many very old ones, representing
various kinds of colonial architecture. 1t
has numerous fine churches, the most of
them so far as l have seen being modern.
Yesterday l had delightful carriage
ride, passing over the road which Paul
Revere is said to have taken in his IA
nous midnight ride across the Mystic
River, through Medford and into the
MiddleseX Fells. A stone bridge over
which we passed bears the date of 1888,
when built, and 1888, the date of its only
renewal. A schooner with bare masts
was rocking idly in the Mystic, probably
awaiting some errand of merchandise. |
had good view, too, of the buildings
comprising Tufts college, as they occupy
a commanding position on the summit of
a hill in Medford. Hills are too numer-
Gus to mention in and around here.
To describe the metropolitan park sys-
tenn of Boston and cities adjoining would
take long letter by itself. Suffice it
now to say that it is acknowledged to be
the finest in America-natural features
being included which are unrivaled and
for which no artificiality can compensate.
Middlesex Fells is portion of the sys-
tenn, and is the grandest in natural feat
ures, but as yet not very much has been
done to open it up beyond some charm
ing driveways among the steep, rugged
hills and around two or three good-sized
sheets of water which would be called
lakes in Michigan, but which are modest
ly called ponds in Massachusetts,.
Middlesex Fells are in Middlesex coun-
~ and embrace territory about four
square miles in area. The reservation is
surrounded by the cities of Stoneham,
Melrose, Maiden, Medford and Winches-
ter. The jagged, rock-crested hills have
not sufficient depth of soil to support
heavy timber, but scraggy, dwarf pines,
larches, birches, naples and other trees
and shrubs lend them life and brightness
and soften their outlines into picturesque
ness and beauty. An observatory is be-
ing planted on one of the hills and it GER
tainly will give grand outlook. 1t is a
quiet, peaceful, restful landscape, and,
though in the midst of populous cities,
its great area affords solitude and COM
munion with nature, where the urban
dweller may gladly withdraw from the
noise of the city and the cares of business
to seek and thus find his true self and
his God. Here the soul may awaken and
assert its supremacy over the body and
its environment, and know its blessed
oneness with the Father; then treasured
of its vital relations with its Creator, be
ready to take up the business of life
anew. HELEN l.. MANNING.