Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-02-05
THE OLD 10 BILL ROAD.
Chapter in Local Nomenclature ard a
lea for the Landmarks.

Chaptef IN Local Nomenclature ara
Flea for the Landmarks.
The action of the city government in
giving to the extension of Institute
road, west of Park avenue, the same
name as was given to the street be-
tween Salisbury street and Park ave-
nue., when the old name, 10 Bill road,
commended. A great many persons
strongly objected to the change as that
old name, the original one, carried with
it history But there was no excuse
for still another name for the section
west of Park avenue. Some Of the
builders on the line of this extension
had sought to have the name Mt.
Hope street, given to the extension, but
the correct name, Institute road, ap-
pears on the new directory map for
1898, in accordance with the action of
the aldermen. An equally important
move with the proper and correct
names Of the streets, giving them such
names as may be most naturally sug
gestive Of their history and that of
their surroundings, is the naming of the
most prominent Of the old hills after
the names of the most noted owners of
the land, or some special points con-
nected with their history.
To begin with, the old Indian names,
which have become historic, should be
preserved intact on the maps and re-
cords, such as Pakachoag hill, Sagatab-
scot hill, Wigwam HILL Tetaeset or
Tatnuck hill Winter hill, Maiden hill.
Among the hills called after noted or
longtime owners may be mentioned
Green hill, Chandler hill, Hancock hill,
Bancroft hill. All these historic hills
should appear with their names affixed
on the new maps or plans Of the city,
with their height, and other statistics.
These facts preserved tend to create
knowledge of the local history Of
place, and the promotion of that kind
of true patriotism which consists in
good neighborhood and true fellowship
with each other Of all the old residents
of a town or city. On the new maps of
the city directory will appear the cor
rect names of these old historic hills,
and the names of other old landmarks
of the city.
The Old 10 Bill road, now Institute
road and its extension with the same
name, was the dividing line between
Bancroft hill and the old Aaron Ban
croft estate and the estates south Of
it, or rather between the land of the ORR
gtnal proprietor of whom the old Ban
croft farm was purchased and the es-
tates south of it, and history of the
origin and first name of this ancient
old way will be interesting in this con-
nection
The first person to settle in that
vicinity or on the line of this old road
was Joshua Rice, cousin Of the first
Jonas and Gersham Rice of Worcester,
on grant Of land which Joshua re-
ceiyed as early as 1714 from the town
committee. His land included the High
land estate" of the late William T. Mer-
rified, now being cut up into house lots
and built upon. Joshua Rice did not
remain here long, but returned to MARI
boro, where he died in 1874, aged 70
years, and his son, Samuel Rice, died
here in 1881, aged So, and his son, DR..
Samuel Rice, was a physician in Wor-
| cester till 1898, when he married Nancy
WOODBURY. and removed to Athol, where
his wife died in 1907, and he afterwards
removed to New Salem and thence to
Maine
The family estate here came into the
possession of Isaiah Thomas, whose
heirs or executors sold it to Oliver Hall,
and the latter to William 7. Merrifield
| in 1S49, with this old 10 Bill road as his
northern boundary Several years later
Mr. Merrifield purchased of John Ham
mond a six acre strip adjoining on the
Z
the present Park avenue, at that point
being nearly the dividing line between
the old Joshua Rice estate and the 10
Bill estate, which adjoined it on the
west
The 10 Bill farm, westerly of the
Joshua Rice estate, and located south of
the extension westward of the old 10
Bill road. consisted of SIS acres of land
which Joseph Bill, from Roxbury, pur-
chased in 1888 Of Thomas Stearns, and
the latter previously Of his brother,
John Stearns, noted real estate opera
tors Of those times. 1t was to accommo-
date Joseph Bill who resided here IS
years, that this old road or way was
used, 1t having its terminus on his es-
tate, and hence the name given to it.
He had a daughter, Rebecca, many
years school teacher in Worcester, and
daughter, Hannah, wife of Daniel
Ball. The melancholy part Of the story
is that Joseph Bill was obliged through
poverty to give up his farm few years
before his death in ITS, and spent his
last days on a quarter Of an acre Of
land elsewhere, on which he had a
blacksmith shop.
The 10 Bill farm south of Bancroft
hill, bordering on Institute road, soon
afterwards came into the possession of
the first Governor Levi Lincoln, senior,
from whom it passed to the late Cover
nor Levi Lincoln, and from him TO the
late John Hammond, whose heirs have
sold it ALL This old 10 Bill road though
only a narrow lane Of some 20 feet or
more. does not appear to have been
opened to the public as town way till
1749 About 1854 an attempt was made
by the town to discontinue it, but the
owners on the line objected. In 1886 the
city relocated it from Salisbury street
to Boynton street, to the width of forty
feet with the name Institute road, and
during the year 1897, after the sale and
putting into the market Of William T.
Merrifield's Highland estate, Institute
road was extended with the same width
from Boynton street to Park avenue,
and it has since been farther extended
up the hill west to the Withereil farm
estate, c. A. w.