Norwich bulletin., 1922-03-04
BISHOP DAVIES WRITES OF
JOG IN STATES NORTH LINE


Rt Rev. Thomas F. Davies, Episcopal
bishop Of Massachusetts, and a former
recor of Christ Boiscdcad church, Nor
widh, has contributed an article on The
Curious jog in Our Southern Boundary In
the current issue of The Pastoral Staff,
the official organ of his diocese, In which
he gives some interesting facts about the
peculiar jog in the Connections assachu-
sets state line at Suffield. He writes:
If you look at a map OF Massachusetts il
Its southern boundary line, in Hampton
county, YOU will notice a. strange little
jog jutting down into Connecticut. Tn
history Of that bit of our territory is an
interesting one. 1t is almost Two niles
square and along its eastern boundary
line are the Congamond OF Congamuc
lakes, sometimes called the Southw. ok
ponds. have lately made a trip down to
see them and they are really beautiful, COW
ering about 500 acres, with well wooded
billy banks. These ponds had much effect
IN determining the present boundary. Aft
er a line was run between the two colonies
in 1872 by two surveyors, Messrs Wood
ward and Saffery, employed by Massachu-
sets, there was much DISPUTE about the
boundary, causing considerable animosi-
ty; and several other surveys were made.
For a long time the towns Of Woodstock,
SomeTS, Enfield and Suffield, now in Con
necticut were claimed as a part of Mass
achusetts- Even after it was shown in
1713 that they lay within the territory
of Connecticut, Massachusetts still claim
ed jurisdictioG over them, but made a
compensatory grant Of an equal extent Of
her own territory to Connecticut. This
grant was known as the Equivalent
Lands" and the towns of Beichertc wn,
Ware and Pelham were origna y in
cluded in 1t.
Sold Nearly All OF 1t.
I'm 1716 Connecticut sold most Of all
this land to individuals in MaSsachus etts
among whom was Gov. iona han Beicher
for S2,274, which sum was given to Yale
college. About 174O the towns mentioned
in Connecticut were Incorporated into
that state Before this was done, how
ever, it is said that the tract of land
protruding into Connecticut was twice as
wide and was divided by the Congamond
! lakes But the people who lived to the
! east Of them found difficulty in getting
over to Southwick for business and tbs
people who lived to the west Of then
| the same inconvenience in going to Suf
! field and Enfield. So the ponds wert
made the eastern boundary, the tract OF
| the west beng left to Massachusetts anC
| that portion of the town of Southwick L
/ the east of them ceded to Connecticut
| so fewer trips across the water had II
| be made.
While the boundary of this tract wa
| In dispute, several curious things hap
| pened. A Mr.. Moore who lived Their
was notified to come to militia train
! Ing in Connecticut. He declined on tn
| ground that he lived in Massachusetts
| in which the Connecticut legislator
sustained him! Another still more in
| teresting thing was this: Somewher
| about 1920 Il quote from Hollands His
tory of Western Massachusetts,, a vii
was brought from Southwick to Spring
field to be proved, Of man who wa
born on this tract of land. ana hat
| lived to old age and died upon the sam
spoil But during this time he had live
in two, states. three counties and fou
towns. He was born in the town o
Westfield county of Hampshire, an
state (should be colony of Massachu
sets. Then the tract was thrown with
in the town of Simsbury, county O
Hartford and state of Connecticut l
was subsequently embraced within tn
lines Of CRANKY in the same state an
county.
Landed Next in southwick.
The next change threw it into South
|
in the county of Hamp en-. Thus was
man, who never left the place OF hi
birth, a citizen of two states, a vote
in four towns and a resident with
three counties" According to Wet
ster's history of the United States tn
boundary was definitely settled in Ma
1904.
There Is a road in this tract Gale
the canal road, which name must CON
from one or two facts. Either from tn
New Haven and Northampton cana
which was completed northward as ia
as Westield in 1880 and to NorthamI
ton in 1894 and which has long bee
disused, or from a canal begun muC
earlier. A company was formed in Ell
gland, at what date does not appear,
finance the draining of these ponds I'M
the Westf1eld river, in order to gain fl
agriculture the land covered by the
/ waters. 1t being thought that it won
be very rich and much easier to dig IL
canal than to clear 500 acres of 9th,
land. The work awas commenced h
never completed. Traces Of It are sa
to be still visible. but do not Sc
them"