Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1915-07-09


to Summer this extension later being calieu
Marlborough street, in commemoration OF the VIC
tory of Blenheirc. In few years third street
was added toward Essex and Boylston streets'
named NeWbury The "sea" then came up IN the
Great cove from the harbor fairly close to the
present square Of state street. for highwater
mark was at the present Kilby street on the
South side and Merchants row on the North sue.
The Great cove swept inside OF these streets.
Merchants row followed the shore nortnWaro 70
smaller cove stretching from where Is nov
North Market street and the Quincy market tine
first Mayor Quincy's monument) ana over Tue
site of Faneuil hall to Dock square, which De-
came the Town dock Other pioneer highways
were the nucleus Of the present fremont street,
originally running along the northeastern spurs
of the then broad-spreading Beacon nil anu pass
ing through the Common; Hanover street. at nrst
a narrow lane from what is now Scollay SQUARE
and Ann. afterward North street, from DOCK
square both leading to the ferries by Copps NIL
where tradition says the Indians had their Terry.
Court street was first Prison lane, from the MAI
ket place to the prison, gruesome uuhseon'
early set up, where now stands the MODERN Cley
Hall annex In it's day it harbored pirates ana
Ouakers and Hawthorne fancied 1t for the open
ing scenes of his Scarlet Letter. Scnool street
took IFS name from the first schoolhouse and the
fret school whence sprang the Boston Latin
school which feicitates itself that 1t antedates
the university at Cambridge and "danded Har-
ward college on it's knee" Milk street.. nrst Fort
lane" was the first way to Fort hill on the naIDor
front Summer street, first "Mylne lane, lea 10
.eWidow Tuthlls Windmill" near where was
Church Green, up to which the water came
"cow lane" now High street, led from Churcn
Green. or Mill lane to the foot Of Fort hill Essex
street was originally at Its eastern emu part OF
the first cartway to the Neck and hoxDury'
beach road that along the south shore OF the
South cove another expansive 1ndentatlon, eX-
fTn
Fort hill to the Neck. Boylston street, originally
.Frog-lane" and holding fast to this bucoic ap-
nellation into the nineteenth century was
swampy way running westward along the south
side of Boston Common toward the open BACK Day
the back basin Of the Charles-then flowing up
to a pebbly beach at the Commons western edge
and to the present Park square.
Here. then, on the levels about the Great cove,
In the form of a crescent, facing the sea and
backed by the three-peaked hill the town was
established.
The first occupation was within the scant ter
ritory bounded generally speaking, on the ease
side by State street at the high-Water line OF
the Great cove; northerly by Merchants row
around to near the site of Faneuil hall; north
westerly by Dock square and Hanover street;
westerly by the great hill and fremont street;
southerly by School and Milk streets; and Milk
street again to the water, then working up toward
the present Liberty square at the junction OF
Kilby water and Batterymarch streets. Soon,
however. the limits expanded. reaching southwark
to Summer street, and not long after to Essex
and Roylston streets; eastward, to the harbor
front at and around Fort hill westward and
northwestward, about another broad cove-this
the North cove later the Mill cove" with busy
mills about it, indentation on the north OF
Beacon hill by the widening of the Charles river
at It's mouth, and covering the space now Hay
market square; and northward. over the pc
ninsulas north end which early became the seat
of gentiity
No further expansion of moment was made
through the colony period. and the extension was
slight during the Province period. Beacon hill,
except it's slopes, remained till after the Revolu-
ton In It's primitive state its long western reach
q place Of pastures over which the cows roamed,
and the barberry and the wild rose grew.
The foot of the Common on the margin of the
glinting Back bay was the towns west boundary
till after the Revolution and into the nineteenth
century. Till then the tide of the Back bay
flowed up the present Beacon street. some 200
feet above the present Charles street. The towns
southern limit, except a few houses toward the
Neck on the fourth link of the highway to Rox-
bury (called Orange street in honor OF the house
or Orange), was still Essex and Boylston streets
The one landway to the mainland till after the
second decade of the nineteenth century, remained
the long, lean Neck to Roxbury The only water
way at the beginning Of the town, was by means
Of ships. boats, afterward by scows. No bridge
from Boston was built till the Revolution was two
years past.
SO the "storied town" remained, till the close
of the historic chapter, little one the built-up
territory of which could easily be covered In
stroll of a day or two
From its establishment as the capital Boston's
history was so interviewer with that OF the Colony
that in England the Colony came early to be desig
mated the "Bostoneers and the charter which
the founders brought with them. and for the
retention Of witch the colonists were In an
almost constant struggle, was termed the Dos
ton Charter"