The Springfield herald., 1902-03-21

CIV e'4'S Of Boston," oss"s u whoever aoSsr
has tried to find out
something about landmarks that
come his way has been compelled to
be content with good deal of hearsay
unless blessed with abundant leisure
and gifted in the methods of historical
inquiry. The facts are, of course, eX-
tant somewhere, but where? Not
everybody knows the solution of these
puzzles. and Mr.. Stark's book is the
first answer to the inquiry.
The quaint efforts of the earlier
artists to leave picture of momentous
happenings do not compare with the
sophisticated skill of our day, but are
exceedingly matter-of-fact, and to the
historical student appeal with the
force of an honest, albeit blundecinS
statement.
mo city," observes the author,
gathers within it's limits more matter
of national historic import than the
city of Boston. There is not a foot of
its original territory (original from the
fact that more than two-thirds of its
present territory is made ground) but
what is associated with our country's
struggle for independence, or the trials
and privations of its early settlers.
ITO the antiquary it presents an in
exhaustible store of surprises and a
veritable mine of pleasure. In compil-
ing the matter accompanying each il
lustration, every endeavor has been
made to give clear, concise and
truthful description of the subject in
hand
Every authority on any one subject
has been carefully sought out and con-
suited, and it is believed nothing has
been neglected which would tend to
make the work a most valuable ac-
QUESTION to the history of Boston in
its letterpress. as well as in the pres
ervation to posterty of the rare old
prints here incorporated"
A measure of how far this aim has
been carried out appears in commen-
datory note by DR.. Samuel A. Green.
eX-mayor of the city and librarian of
the Massachusetts Historical Society.
than whom probably no one is better
qualified to speak. He says;
y am familiar with many of the old
prints copied in your book, and can
testify to their careful reproduction.
The work will be a great help to the
local antiquary, and the interest in 1t
by no means confined to Bostonians.
Some of the views are taken from en-
cravings now exceedingly rare, and all
of them have an historical value"
Needless to say that Mr.. Stark be-
gins at the beginning. reviewing the
evidence for the first" discovery of
the city, in which the claims of Lief,
the son of Eric. of John and Sebastian
Cabot, of Bartholomew Gosnold and
Capt. John Smith. the latter of whom
discovered the city in 1914. while on
fur trading tour of the coast. and is
the authentic first Bostonian."
The early history need not be re-
counted here. except in some of the
principal points, particularly the re-
solve of Gov. Winthrop to settle on a
point of land that he called Charles
town. in honor of Charles l.; the dis
content of the colonists on the
Charlestown peninsular on account OF
the lack of fresh water added to their
general desttution: their ultimate de-
termination to move over to the neigh
boring peninsula of Tramount, where
water was plentiful, at least. This
was also known as Shawmut.
A cut of the then embryo city shows
the three hills that earned for it the
"Tramount." or "Thimount," name
and is the beginning of Mr.. Stark's
long series of pictorial contributions
to Boston history.
The picture of Mr.. Blackstone's
house is given next, the first one
erected in "Shawmut." supposed to
have been near the corner of present
Beacon and Charles streets. Mr.
Blackstone invited his countrymen
over from inhosptable Charlestown
and they came, promptly naming their
new home Boston. after Boston in
England from whence many of the
settlers came.
Early maps of the city are fairly
familiar in reproduction, but Mr.