T HE S T O RY O F

M ART H A ’ S V I N EYA RD

F r om L i s of the p Its I nh abitants , N ewsp ape r F il es an d T h o s e W h o Have Visited I ts S S hore s , I n cluding tray N ote s on L oc al H istory an d I n dustrie s

C o ll e c t ed a nd a rr a nge d by C . G . H I N E

a n d

H S . l u C a n d T O . I l s tra te d by . G . A H I N E

PU B LIS HED B Y HINE B RO THERS

x oo W ILLIA M ST .

NEW YO R K U B RARYof CO NGRES S

w l wo Com es fl ece eu. MAY 2 8 1908

M C. NU: 2 0 7 384 CO PY B .

n e e n e . NE n e in th e 1908 G . I E t r d , accordi g to Act of Co gr ss , y ar , by C H , in th f h n n n n e e t e i e i . . o fic of Librar a of Co gr ss , Wash gto , D C BE FO RE PRO CEE D I N G .

1 8 : Professor Shaler wrote in 74 Of those who travel , by far the larger part are driven about the world by a hunger for the curious . The evil demon that pursues them hides th beauty of things near at hand with a veil of the commonplace , “ - and sets on the horizon beacons that seem to point to fresher i‘ ’ fields beyond . Martha s Vineyard gives a rich soil , beautiful drives , brooks and woods , features denied to its bleaker sister to the east .

‘ The Vineyard has never had its story told in a form that

one could be readily reached . For more than hundred years travelers and scientists have devoted a chapter or more to the is e island and newspapers have paragraphed it , but that pra tically all . — This book is an attempt to attach its stories historical , personal and legendary —to the particular spots to which they belong and to string them on a thread of description that will “ one carry the length of the island , in the hope that that hunger ” for the curious may be temporarily sated . ”3 1 2 2 1 0 7 3 8ber 7. This night about of the clock

Thomas Blair departed this life . He had gone some time ago " to the Jarsies and came home with a fever and ague upon him .

f . So says the diary o Rev . William Homes , of Chilmark It was ’ a 1 fever and ague th t , 47 years later , drove the writer s family “ i ” so from the J ar s es to the Vineyard for relief , and we came ’ IV . MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

to know and love this beautiful island . We being entirely in w ho 06 a o : accord with Mr . John Brereton , 3 years g , wrote “ For u s the agreeing of this climate with (I speake of my selfe , and so I may j ustly do for the rest of ou r companie) that we found our health and strength all the while we remained there ” “ to one ou r so renew and increase , and not of companie (God be thanked) felt the least grudging or inclination to any dis

or e ease sickn ss , but were much fatter and in better health ” as than when we went out of England . Even we than when

u we went o t of Jersey . For most of my material I am indebted to the files of the

Vineyard Gazette and the Vineyard Herald , and its predecessor the Cottage City Star ; of the New Bedford Standard and of the Mercury , and to the newspaper contributions of Dr . Charles

E . Banks . To Mr . Charles H . Marchant and those pleasant evenings spent within the hospitable Home Club ” of Edgar

e . town . To the writings of Mr . Richard L . Peas and to Mr

Beriah T . Hillman and the several friends in the Edgartown

T . . o . Court House . Mr and Mrs Howes Norris , of Eastville

M r s In Vineyard Haven to Mr . Charles H . Brown , . Margaret

Claghorn , Miss Margaret L . Norton , Mr . H . C . Norton , Mr . w ho or Lorenzo Luce , and others have dropped me a story T n o . helped to complete o e . Mr Joseph Mingo of Indian Hill ,

Mr . William H . Rotch of West Tisbury , Mrs . Rebecca H .

Manter of Roaring Brook , Mr . E . Elliot Mayhew , the D om inie and the crowd that throngs the store of evenings at “ Betel

Bung Corners Mr . Eddy C . Flanders and Mr . Daniel Vincent C l e ett Vand erhO O of at Menemsha , and Mrs . Mary A . gg p Gay

Head . My geology is lifted bodily from the writings of Prof . ’ N . S . Shaler , whose death was a great loss to Martha s Vine P R EEEDI O C NG . B E FO RE V . yard ; and beside those mentioned are many who have dropped l smal change into my ever ready cap . “ A recently published G uide to the Local History of Mas ” sach u setts a h as , rranged by county and town , made it easy to get at the printed records , but there has been no attempt to

for make an authoritative history , that being left Dr . Charles

E . Banks , w hose forthcoming volumes will cover the ground not as I could hope to do . While acknowledging help , it would be a sin against courtesy not to acknowledge that rendered by f of not the sta f the New York Historical Society , who could be

I a more willing to d o if w stheir rich uncle and a bachelor . O ur story will begin at the eastern end of the island and travel , as does the sun , toward the west , gathering as it goes all sorts of stray items from folks and books and personal ex

rien p e ce . Ac ross the sea s o f Wond er land

’ To M r h s I s e w e od d e d a t a l p l , Fo r ty singing sea m en

In an o ld b ck bar u e . , la q And w e land e d in the tw il ight

Where o l heni u s no d d e d a p yp , With his bu rnished fi re - eye w inking

Red and yell o w t hr ou g h the d a rk

d fl sh then hre e e o No w re . a a , t y ll w

’ ’ When it s hick the fo ho rn s be o t , g ll w B o o m s a cro ss the r e stl e ss wat er

To sa v e the v ent u ring cre w from sla u g h

ter ;

To s a v e all singing se a m en fr o m the

h ht r cru e l rocks t at s lau g e .

ie t M r A fr e d No es i h o s o . !W t ap ol g l y , the e a r l y ex p l orers and the. Gay i Head L ght . ! EAR LY V O YAGES AN D FIRST OWNERS .

- I N FI FTEEN TWENTY FO UR . It is difficult to go back in imagination to the loneliness of the time when our Summer Isle only knew the barbarism of

his of the red man and lack enterprise , but there was such a

the time , though barbarism seems to have been of a pleasant e kind , for the early explorers , before th y had taught the native to distrust them; appear to have met with nothing but hospi

1 2 tality along this coast . Verrazano , sailing these waters in 54, m — ay have landed here some think he did , but more believe his description fits Block Island rather better than it does the

Vineyard . Wherever he landed , however , his treatment by the

‘ to his Indians was much liking , at least until after he rounded a “ ” C pe Cod . And Mr . John Brereton , who wrote a relation of ’ Gosnold s Captain visit in these waters , referring to the abo “ ” r i ines eied g , speaks particularly of their quick and steadfast

“ fea rlesse looks , of others barmes , as intending none them selves they being exceeding courteous , gentle of disposition ” and well conditioned . N L D C APTAIN GO S O .

osnold 1 602 Next of record comes Captain G in May , , who of of was the author the present name the island , as he was of C od ou t Cape , though he applied it to that dash of solitude in t ’ the Atlantic known o us as No Man s Land , the name then ’ “ M arth ae s to being spelled Vineyard , according Purchas his ” Pil rim es one g , which may have been a compliment to of the ’ 2 MARTH A S V I NEYARD .

is so gentlem en accompanying the explorer . The name spelled both by Gabriel Archer and by John Brereton in their relations

Gosnold o . f the voyage , coming from the north , appears to have coasted outside of Nantucket and the

Vineyard , and possibly at that time of supposed them part the mainland , though The Relation of C aptaine

’ Gosnol s Voyage delivered by G a briel Archer , a Gentleman in the ” said Voyage speaks of doubling

“ ” of Il and the Cape another , refer ’ ring to the present Martha s Vine O n e of th e stateliest sounds that ” — in e h e . ev er I was . Gabri l Arc r yard .

M ARTI N PRING .

1 60 In April , 3, Mar tin Pring (or Prynne) w as sent ou t by Bris tol merchants with two small vessels for sassa

ac uir fras , which had q ed a high value for its s u p p o s e d m e d i cinal

virtues . He coasted from Maine to the

Vineyard , and entered

E d g a r t o w n h a r b or ,

hat part o C h ap p aqu id d ic sland which art n T f I M i calling it Whitson Bay , Pring is supposed to hav e nam ed

Mount Aldworth . and anchored under ' EARLY V O YAGES AND FI RST O WNERS .

ha a u id dic the shelter of C pp q Neck , which he called Mount

so Aldworth , at least it is claimed , though some think he went no f urther south than Plymouth harbor . The Katama woods t of were long famed for heir large supply sassafras , and Pring could have secured his supply here as readily as elsewhere . ’ For years the island was called Martin s Vineyard , the supposi tion being that Martin Pring named it after himself .

GO LD O N MARTH A ’ S VI NEYARD !

1 6 1 1 I n Captain Harlow , an Englishman , visited the Vine

a w one of y rd and took a ay with him one or more Indians ,

E enow whom , p , was the cause of the next visit , so far as the

1 6 1 . records tell , in 4 At this time Sir Ferdinando Gorges , head of w as the Plymouth company , brought in contact with Epe i i h . now , London , by Capta n Harlow The Indian told Gorges ’ - on t that there was g old Mar ha s Vineyard and he , in connec

s tion with the Earl of Southampton , fitted out an expedition , a in later days the Vineyard itself fitted ou t more than one ex p e

dition , lured by the gold of en hopes California . t ’ ” Iron pyri es , fools gold ,

ad is found at Gay He , and it is possible that the In dian was sincere in his

statement ; it is , however , also possible that he

wished to get home , and having learned the white

’ man s weak spot , took

i m eans accom l l Sh n n n th s to p Th e mystery of th e u k ow . ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

w as it . The ship put in the command of Captain Hobson , a ” grave gentleman , who in due course reached the place where “ ” w as Ep enow was to make good his undertaking . N o sooner the anchor down than the island Indians came on board , where E enow they were entertained . p seems to have improved the for occasion to arrange with his friends escape , it being decided that when next the Indians returned he was to j ump overboard “ and swim for it , while those in the canoes manifested them selves with arrows , like enemies as was once said of certain other savages . The English were suspicious of their Indian on friend , and not only kept a close watch him , but clothed him in flowing garments that would impede his swimming . When the time came he took to the water in spite of all obstacles , and the crew foolishly opened fire ; this the Indians promptly an sw er ed of by a shower arrows , wounding the Captain and many

E enow of his men . p escaped and the expedition came to naught , “ commenting on which Sir Ferdinando remarks : Thus were ” my hopes of that particular mode voide and frustrate .

Gold was the lodestone always . While the explorer was

or collecting sassafras or furs , any other commodity that could ' of b be turned into gold on the other side the water , e was ever inquiring for the precious metal . The Gabriel Archer , men tion ed W assad or above , states that these Indians call Gold ,

ar u eth which g there is thereof in the country But the fact is , we of to - day are after it in j ust as hearty fashion as were ou r forefathers three hundred years ago , and probably three hun dred years hence there will be the same scrabble , and in the same direction .

O TH ER EX PEDI TI O NS . From t his time on the island was visited by gold seekers “ F I R EARLY V O Y AGES AND S T O W NERS .

and explorers , who made small mention of what they found .

1 6 1 Among others was Capt . Thomas Dermer , 9, but the Indians

on - supposedly thought him a man stealing expedition , and f drove him off with numerous wounds . It is o this or some other like experience that we have a legend which , while there

s o is no written record thereof , com es very straight from those days of little recorded history that it seems worth while to of old make mention it . A very Indian squaw told the story , which she had from her mother (a girl at the time of the hap to pening) Aunt Rhoda Luce , who died aged ninety years , and

sh e . s o to D r Moses Brown , and he to my informant , that it

u s comes to through only five generations , though the incident must have occurred at least tw o hundred and seventy - fi v e i years ago . The story s that a vessel came into Vineyard Ha

r ven ha bor , and in seeking for wat er passed through into the

Lagoon and to its head , where d a beautiful spring was foun , the present source of the Oak

Bluffs water supply . While the casks were being filled the Indians suddenly made a fierce

one . attack , killing man They were finally frightened away by the discharge Of a cannon A v essel cam e i n to Vi neyard Haven ’ Harbor from the vessel s stern , which

sent them promptly to cover . Apparently this was a first ex of p erience of these Indians with firearms such calibre , and it ’ 6 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

evidently made a deep impression . Aunt Rhoda , in telling the to story , used conclude with an Indian sentence which , trans “ a : l ted into the Vineyard vernacular by her , was The white ” winged angel lets big noises .

TH E FI RST SETTLE M ENT .

The first settlement by white men was , according to tradi

1 6 2 — tion , about 3 , when four men Norton , Vincent , Pease and — Trapp and possibly others , are said to have wintered in

roughly built stone houses in the side of Green Hollow , a little

south of the oldest burial ground in Edgartown . Mr . Richard “ to u s L . Pease has written that this tradition has come through well - known sources The usual story explaining this settlement is that a ship bound for Virginia put in here through ’ of stress weather, and rather than longer face the Winter s of storms , part the company at least concluded to remain and t continue heir j ourney in the Spring , but finding the Winter of climate pleasant and all manner fish abundant , they decided

to remain permanently .

’ T H O MAS MAY H EW PURCHASES MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

1 6 In 35the Plymouth Company conveyed to William , Earl of Stirling , a certain part of the New World which included ’ 1 6 of Martha s Vineyard . In 37 the Earl Stirling appointed James Porrett his agent for disposing of the islands between

C od 1 6 1 Cape and the Hudson River , and in 4 , some twenty of years after the landing the Pilgrims at Plymouth , the latter sold for $2 00 the island of Nantucket with several small adj a

of s cent islands to Thomas Mayhew Watertown , Mas , and by a subsequent agreement he conveyed to Mayhew Martha’ s Vine

yard and the Elizabeth Islands . These islands being also of claimed under the grant Sir Ferdinando Gorges , Thomas

8 ’ , MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

O n the succession of William and Mary to the throne of

w as England , New England granted a new charter in which w as of Nantucket expressly declared a part Massachusetts , but the language of the charter was not explicit in regard to the ’ of ownership Martha s Vineyard , and this led to some dispute between New York and Massachusetts . D I NDIAN NAM E O F TH E I SLAN .

T he o- e true Indian name of the island was N p and no other ,

C a aw k though many have claimed that it was also called p oc . of Dr . Banks states that in spite the fact that the charter of “ ’ 1 692 Spoke of the island as Martha s Vineyard alias Capo

‘ wick , this was an error , and that that designation applied only

is to Cape Poge , which latter the final result of the various

C a oak C a oa . Spellings , as p and p g on From now it will be possible to individualize , and facts

‘ rou ed u nd er and legends will , so far as possible , be g p the vari ou s towns in which they belong . ED GARTO -W N.

ART W N ED G O .

TH E NAM ING O F ED GART O WN . It is claimed that this is the Whitson of Bay Martin Pring , but the name d id not

stick , and from the time of the first set tlem ent it was the

“ Towne u pp on the ” or Vineyard , Great

s o Harbor , and until

the time when Thos . Mayhew was called to New York to re e H and i th e nne Tow r ill a b t of i r harbor . ceiv e title from the new lord of the land , the Duke of York . No one had ever been of able to solve the mystery the name Edgartown , whence it

or came why, until D r . Charles E . Banks stepped into the breach and gave an explanation which is so well supported by probability that it has been readily accepted as final . ’ This is the Doctor s theory : When this was the only ” u on w as as Towne pp the Vineyard it known as such , but settlements multiplied and such general appellation was no 10 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

longer locative , o u r v i l l a g e was “ Great

” “ u Harbor , as the p island ” v i l l a g e was

Middletown . But in

1 6 1 7 , when Mayhew came back from his in t e r v i e w with the ’ D uke s representative ,

G o v e r n o r Lovelace , the place was offi cially d e s i g n a t e d Edgar T h e harbor light and th e lon g caus eway that l eads

th ereto . Town . Where did the name come from ? There is no other Edgartown on the face of

t w as the earth af er which it might be named , nor there any of great man that name and time . The conference in New

York was an amicable one , the elder Mayhew was commis ’ “ sion ed as governor of Martha s Vineyard d u reing his n atu rall ” of life , and patents incorporation were issued for the tw o on towns the island , then known as Great Harbor and Middle town . Tisbury was the name selected for the latter , possibly

Wh ere th e small boat rid es at anchor . 11 ED GARTO WN .

o old at the suggesti n of Mayhew , it being his home in England , and it may well be that he , wishing to compliment Lovelace , suggested that the latter name the older settlement , and what more natural than that the courtier select the name of his mas ’ son ter s only surviving and heir , Edgar , he being in line for the throne . The young Prince had died one month before his

w as name bestowed on the town , but those in New York prob

—h e ably knew it not was but four years old at his death , and — of was naturally little known but in the renaming things , the

ou t Dutch having been only just driven , every county in the province of New York was named a fter the Duke or some one of or his possessions kindred , hence Dukes County , and noth ing is more natural than that the chief town in such a county should be named after the D uke ’ s only

son . — N AND S O . TH O S . M AY H EW FATH ER The years of the Mayhew reign were

years of peace , signalized chiefly by

their work among the Indians . Thos .

r 1 6 2 Mayhew , J . , was a minister . In 4 the Indians resident on the island numbered about three thousand ; the younger Mayhew almost immediately undertook to Christianize these sav

w as u n r ece ages , and his success p

dented . He sailed for England in No “ M ayh ew fam il y relics Carve v em ber 1 6 , 57, and was never heard of ‘ n d n whal e s tooth , a to gs for n w hil e h h n hol di g coal g more . His father then took up the ’ m g l w e ' work that the son had left unfinished . M ittark Hiacoom es of Great Harbor was the first convert , and ’ ‘ M ARTHA S VI NEYARD . of Gay Head the second , and both in turn became Indian min i sters . ’ Yet , even that Indian s ear had heard The preaching of the Holy Word : ’ S anchekantacket s isle of sand ’ W as once his father s hunting land , Hiacoom es Where zealous stood , of The wild apostle the wood ,

Shook from his soul the fear of harm , ’ And trampled on the P ow w aw s charm ; Until the W izard ’ s curses hung

Suspended on his palsying tongue ,

And the fierce warrior grim and tall , Trembled before the forest Paul !” “ — M o M e one J . G . Whittier in g g

PETER FO LGER .

When Reverend Thomas Mayhew left for England , the “ of Indian work was put in charge an able , godly Englishman ,

named Peter Folger , employed in teaching the youth in read of ing , writing and the principles religion by catechizing ; being well learned likewise in the scripture and capable of helping ” them in religious matters . This Peter Folger was the father

of Abiah who , marrying Josiah Franklin , became the mother ! of Benj amin Franklin . Coincidence The first steamer that ever entered Edgartown harbor was the Benj amin Franklin !

TH E M AY H EWS AN D T H E MAY H EW H O USE .

’ The two Thomas Mayhews , the elder s grandson , Reverend

his John Mayhew, great grandson , Reverend Experience May

- - Z hew, and his great great grandson , Reverend achariah May

' of chu rches on hew, were all in turn pastors Indian the island

“ ” ’ — old M a hew hou se The five missionary Mayhews . The y ED GARTO W N . 13

( 1 698 on South Water Street is so noticeably old that the passerby cannot

but pause before it . It was

built by the Governor , and in the little room over the entrance he died some two

a o hundred years g , 93 years

of age . With his last breath the Governor is quoted as “ saying , I have lived by faith and have found G od in His S on , and there I find

Him now . Therefore if you God would find the , look for His S on Him in . There He is to be found and novvher e

th e n le t ” Gov er or ft on h e i sland . else . of The interior of the house shows very few signs alteration ,

l o l a the same little rooms and w cei ings s of yore , with numer ou s relics of the past . Somewhat north of the old house and of near the street is the burial ground the Mayhews , and here i the Governor s believed to lie . No stone marks his last rest

is ing place , it said at his own request , but there are a few stones of early generations of the family still left .

ED GARTO WN HARBO R.

Edgartown harbor is so eminently safe and secure , and car ries such good water that it is a popular spot with yachts and

of C ha a u id small craft . Once around the western point pp q d no of t dick Islan there is wind that blows , short the wildes 14 M ARTHA ’S

hurricane , that need cause the skipper to keep his weather eye “

. 1 80 out In 7 it was writ , Old Town (Edgartown) harbour

is safe and excellent , and is esteemed one of the best in the

s United States . It is o much better than the harbour of

Nantucket , that the whalemen of that island are obliged to

this l ace come to p , to take in ou their water , and to fit t their ” Ships . In those days vessels were often detained here by “ adverse winds . With a fair A corn er in th e Governor Mayh ew house ; 2 00 a n e e fi re e n wind sail , including many old l ath r buck t , warmi g d n an an e . p , chi a clos t large vessels , sometimes leave it at once .

Prof . Shaler says that this waterway was pre su m ably formed by the irregular whirling move ment of waters that were discharged into the s ea from a subglacial stream at a time when the base of the ice drift lay below the of level the ocean . For there w as a time when this island was hundreds A popular spot with small craft .

’ 16 MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

one l of cent coloring , where can f oat in the very midst the

his of picture , and loaf soul , as did the poet in the Bay Naples , who sings Over the rail My hand I trail of Within the shadow the sail , o A j y intense , The cooling sense

Glides down my drowsy indolence . The worker finds under these waters quahaugs which are “ ” worth probably a year in new money to the village .

- The beds of these hard shell Baptists seem to be inexhaustible .

' And that reminds me that quahaug is a com p ar ativ ely new

f r 1 o . 80 word for these parts , Dr Freeman noted in 7 that The o u a of p q g called the quahaug in the county Barnstable , is found

in Old Town harbour , Cape Poge and in Menemsha Pond , great quantities are exported Two thousand dollars worth of 1 clams at a barrel were sold in Edgartown in 807. The “ 1 80 Rev . Dr . Freeman visited the island in 7 to ascertain the spots proper for placing huts and other accommodations for ” shipwrecked mariners , and we shall have frequent occasion to quote him .

T HE O F AND M AT TAK ES ET T LEGEND KATAM A S .

Katama was a beautiful Indian maiden , even as are the

- young maidens of to day whose Sires have power or wealth . of W intu cket h r The chief , e father , seeking a proper alliance for old - his only child , betrothed her to a grumpy , straight hair ,

of Ah u am acha s who was the chief the proud q p , and the girl Sh e old — consented , not that loved the man her heart had never

sh no been stirred and e knew t what love was . ED GART - O VVN. 17

As in later d ays great stores of linen were spun and woven

to so In for the bride be , the dians wove grass mats in an tici ation of p the new wigwam , and Katama , seeking for the finest and most beautiful gras ses , wandered in her canoe as far u anom i u a as Q q , where t h hey grew , and here for t e fi r st time her heart was set a throbbing and the scales fell M . attakessett from her eyes . the young and handsome chief of the tribe that planted the I h eeil not if n ff My rippli g ski Great Plain , had also come to ‘ Float S wif t or slow from clin to cl itt — Qu anom iqu a tO hunt not for w — grasses , ho ever , nor yet for love but , peering from the w covert over the marshy aste , his heart was smitten as with the arrow of fate as he saw the fair vision pushing her canoe on of among the rushes , and there the shores the beautiful waters love came to both .

of The maiden , knowing well her father , said nothing her o new found j y, but met her lover in secret , drifting along without a thought of the future , and so the happy days ended

W intu cket all too quickly . Now the time came when the tribe conspired with other tribes to rob the maize fields of Matta kessett , and appointed a night when they were to surround the fields on all sides like a snare . Some passed down the Shockam oks ett Great Sands , South Beach , others by and Me ’ ‘ 18 M ARTH A S V I NEYARD .

hacket . one s Katama , knowing but duty , hastened to bear the

of v M attakessett news the in asion to , and he and his people r prepared t o meet the invade s . a of u of m The b nd robbers , uns spicious the trap laid for the , lost many a brave by a sudden and unexpected onslaught where

they thought to find nothing but fields of waving corn , but ’ M attakessett s line w as too thin and the opposing foe too

numerous . and though at first driven back , they rallied and , M att akessett pressing in from all sides , soon found himself sur rounded , where to fight longer were madness , and making his way to his lodge he took Katama in his arms and fled to the

so of bay . The poet Alfred Noyes nearly describes the ending the legend in his “ Silk O ’ the Kine ” that his words are here quoted Then S or ch the Singer came to the King as he stared in empty amaze ‘ su n And said , Oh King , as I watched the break through the

first gold haze , saw I those lovers pass to the shore , hand in clasping hand And they cast their raiment from them there on the golden sand ; And they waded up to their golden knees in the clear green

waves , and there ,

’ Clothed with the sun and the warm soft wind and Eilidh s

golden hair , I sla broke his sword and watched it heavily shimmering down Through the lustrous emerald gleam to the sea -flow er forests

of dim deep brown . on And they kissed each other , once , the mouth , and then , as I

stood in the heather , Eilidh I saw them and Isla , they swam out in the sunlight to gether 1 EDGARTO WN . 9

' th at d azzl ed Out , far out , through the golden glory the green of the bay

Two strong swimmers were they , oh King , that swam out in the sunlight together ; or Whether they went to life death , two strong swimmers were they ’ Two strong swimmers were they .

e M attakesset And thus cam death to Katama and t . It is fitting that their names Should be preserved in the waters that sheltered them from their enemies , while the name

’ ’ ’ of the girl s tribe now stands for the father of Edgartown s — waters W intu cket Cove . C SO UTH BEA H . And now we come to the ” Great Sands , South Beach , w here the mighty Atlantic k nocks unceasingly . At times th e roar of his angry knocking is carried to the farthest ex

tr em ity of the island , which e shakes and trembl s , but the

dO O I’ A bit of th e South B each as th e visitor , while sometimes splin

hop es to fi nd ‘t ' d . ter e , never opens This is one of the spots that is seldom free from visitors in the season , when they are like the sands for multitude . Here the dreamer nd or to c an sit and watch the steady roll a smash , listen the sigh of the Wav es when they are gentle , with the rattle and crash of the shingle as it is sucked back by the undertow .

There is little to find on this beach in the way of Shells , and one spot On its long , straight , sandy line is as good as another and for watching the onslaught , no better way can an hour be 2 0 ’ M ARTHA S VI NEYARD . spent than by sitting in the solitude of the sands and watching until it all seems a vision .

M AT TAK ES SETT ' TH E H ERRI NG FI SH ERY . On the way to and from the beach the traveler must cross a creek that is so straight as to suggest the cor r ecting hand of man . T h i s is the herring creek which connects the fresh waters of Ed gartow n Great Pond with the brine of Mat takessett Bay , and here in the season the her ring crowd to their own destruction . If the her ring but knew his im portance it might be that he would utterly refuse to travel such an unmitigated ditch as is n h S wayi g up t e foresail . for here dug him , and if he but knew that on the main his dried carcass was once known ‘ ” his a of as Old Town turkey , he d would be swelled out all proportion to this little string of water .

all a Not the inhabit nts , however , believe in this form of W l industry . It seems that the farmers hose ands border the R EDGA TO WN . 2 1

ov erflow ed i Great Pond , and are frequently by ts high water . prefer an outlet across t he beach direct to the salt sea that will

keep the Pond drained to a level below their pastures . This of course makes the herr ing creek useless and starts a feud that

only the courts can settle , for here the herring fishery is privat e

so old property , made by an grant from the State . The Ed gartown world awoke one morning to find that such

a canal had been dug , and the fishery proprietors were left with

a dry and useless ditch to contemplate . These immediately set ou t to secure evidence on which to convict , and soon hit on a e boy who was frightened into a conf ssion , whereupon damage

suits were started . The farmers employed Ben Butler to de to fend them , and he proceeded Show the court that the original

grant applied to land that was probably , by this time , a half

ou t sea to th e mile at . so great an extent has sand given way c of to the wash of the currents , and that onsequently the rights n in the proprietors had not bee , because they could not be , on w as so vaded , and top of this the boy who the chief witness completely lost his memory on the stand that the prosecution had not a leg to stand on and the embattled farmers w on the

day .

’ E il gar tow n s docki n g faciliti es . 2 2 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

T HE O L D B URY I N G G RO U ND .

’ ” th e Beyond Tower Hill lies old God s Acre , containing many stones dating back two hundred years and more , with

u many a q aint epitaph to reward the searcher . Here was buried

son of Joseph Chase , that Lieutenant Isaac Chase who was one An of the first settlers of Holmes Hole . d it was in this neigh

rh od of 1 6 2 bo o that the settlers 3 fixed their dwellings .

C HAPPA Q UI DDI C K .

Chappaquiddick is an almost u nknown country to the Sum

mer visitor . A ferry takes one across to the shore , where is ’ so Edgartown s bathing beach , and if the traveler is minded he

’ 2 4 MARTH A S V I NEYARD .

or so —or to Here fifty years ago , be more exact , in the

1 8 6— of to year 5 lived a family Smiths , whom a visitor was a to streak of rare good fortune , and particularly so was it the lesser Smiths , as playmates were scarce indeed . Now , upon a time there came among them a little girl whom we will call

as of Carrie , such was her name , a daughter the Cross Rip t lightship and a great favori e with all , though something ven tu resom e - - sh e , for during a game of hide and seek took it into

ou the th e her small head to push t from shore in family boat , only one for miles around , a thing that the children had been cautioned many times not to do .

Immediately was there great excitement . Father was down on u m Chappaquiddick , fo r miles away ; mother , was called fro

sh e her dinner preparations , and promptly plunged into the

out . one water , but the currents had set the boat of reach The heavy oar in the boat w as lost Overboard by the child on her

first attempt to use it , and things were by now looking like a set off on tragedy . Finally the small boy a run for father , but

- - n ot ten year Old legs are very long , and four miles was a weary

ou t distance . The boat drifted and out , being soon lost to the h sight of t ose on the beach , and only mother up in the tower , of with the strong glass , could keep track the little one bobbing up and down among the waves .

They were long moments and anxious ones , but the young

and on lungs were sound , at last a dusty boy rushed in the two

ou t fathers , as it happened , and managed to pant the story . The fathers were soon in a boat and pulling for the Open sea for , knowing the wind and the currents , they had no need to of be told the direction , and one can imagine the Sigh relief that went up from th e lighthouse as the glass picked up the two EDGARTO WN . 2 5

on strong men pulling for the life fast going out the ebbing tide .

That is all of the story . The rescue and home coming were of mere matters detail to men used to the sea , and even if the of ? dinner was burned to a crisp , what that Were not all safe

and sound once more , though father cried like a child when he stepped on shore again . Chappaquiddick furnishes the only Simon - pure brimstone

a s o as legend th t the island has produced , far my knowledge of the subj ect goes , and I have asked some questions . Here it

I S

T HE F B LUE RO CK O CHAPPAQ UI DDI CK . On a dark and stormy night an unknown vessel dropped in . f anchor the surf , which is forever beating at the foot o “ W as u e f sea on q Blu f , where the rolls like moving mountains ” the shore , and the surf breaks in a terrible manner , and a mysterious personage landed in a small boat with a strong box

six r u ffi ans and sturdy , who trooped inland to where stood a

- lone bluish colored rock . Here a deep hole was dug and the chest placed therein . Then the sailors stepped back and stood with bowed , uncovered heads while the stranger drew from his bosom a small green package which , with a muttered invoca on in tion to the father of pirates , he threw the box , when stantl of y with crash and roar a blinding , lurid flame pale green ou t of for Shot the hole , and a moment lit up all the country round . The blackness of the stormy night succeeded , and when the sailors recovered from their confusion and prepared to fill 10 !no the hole , hole was there ; only the scorched and black O ff ened earth . Then the little procession silently filed into

the gloom , returning whence it came , not a sound having been ’ uttered from th e time the boat s keel first grated on the sands . ’ 2 6 MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

of The lone spectator this frightful scene , the only white man on the island , arose from his hiding place in the grass and fled , but he handed the story of that night ’ s horrid work down to later generations , who have sought for the treasure in vain . The ex periences of such of the treasure seekers as have dared to tell them have been quit e as terrible as were those of Tw o the peeping Tom who saw the pirates bury their gold .

to one such adventurers agreed meet night at the rock , the “ hour being that when the ghost from the tomb affrighte d Shal l ’ ou t to come , cal d by the clap of the thunder The first arrive leaned up against the great stone and , being tired with his tramp , was fast falling to sleep , when a noise came to him from O ff the waters (for the haunted spot is close by the shore of

his m Cape Poge Pond) and , opening wide eyes in astonish ent , ” all set he saw a great big Old Ship , with sails , standing straight in toward the rock . No man was at the wheel , nor a

S he h soul in sight , yet dodged the s oals and shallows like some old fisherman , and just as She must have grounded , down came every sail , and the vessel drifted gently in until her keel touched on lightly the sandy shore .

of i hor ri Then a mysterious plank ran out itself and , w th a off on th e ble yell , the hatch was thrown , and the instant deck ’ - fi red was swarming with skeletons . Twas an all dark night , but it seemed as if t hem critters carried their light with them , ’ ” for . I could see em plain enough , says the treasure hunter

Now they come filing down the plank , bearing a dead body and begin to dig , but the earth seemed to come up of itself , for almost instantly there was a deep hole and the spades were striking something that gave back the ring of metal , which a off peep showed was a big iron pot with lid half , and filled to EDGARTO W N . 2 7

i and s the br m with gold ilver . O n top of this the corpse is t h e is tumbled and hole being filled when , for the first time the

skeletons catch sight of the intruding human , who has been h “ scared so stiff t at he could not run , and they came for him as ” thick as bees , grabbing him with intent to put him in the hole to keep company with the corpse . But if his legs would not

work his lungs would , and he gave such a ghastly screech that even the ghosts were frightened and dropped him so that his “ head fell with a bang against the rock . When he ris to his ” feet not a phantom was in sight , the ship was gone and all

signs of digging obliterated . Our adventurer had had enough,

however , and when his companion arrived all was dark and

. one w as not lonely The deserted , however , the kind to take two such treatment quietly , and when next the met he gave his terrified friend such a drubbing that in order to justify his

to his run away he was compelled tell experiences , and so the

facts , which would otherwise have been lost , have been pre served for posterity . ot Others have tried , and even reached the p , but always is of there a horrible flash and a cave in , shadowy forms threat cu of ing aspect and the blackness darkness , with the hole lev ’ eled and no sign of digging to Show for the night s labor . Some there be who claim that a stranger whose heel prints

u showed a c rious cleft did secure the pot , and transported it and himself to unknown parts on a mysterious vessel that had so been hovering on the horizon for days , and it may be , for

recent digging fails to cause any unusual disturbance , except

possibly in the backs and muscles of the diggers .

EARLY I NDUSTRIES . One hundred years ago there were fou r windmills for grind 2 8 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

of on ing corn in Edgartown , one them Chappaquiddick , but the great industry of the island at that time would appear to have been the knitting of stockings , of which about pair were knit per year by the women . S o much was knitting in vogue that it used to be said that those rounding Cape Poge could hear the click of the knitting nee dles before the lights of Edgartown hove in sight . Of mittens

er ” e e th e n e pair p year T h e Four Corners . Wh r Mai is cross d

by ater Street . W a S h e W t average , of e 600 while wigs for seamen (whatever th y were) , were “ added to the annual output . The people , and particularly the ” women are remarkable for their industry , says D r . Freeman . of I n Edgartown were also three sets salt works , for which fi the cod sh w as no doubt largely responsible .

REVO LU TIO NARY NO TES .

Quiet times are prosaic times and , while preferable to live in , are apt to be uninteresting to dwell upon in detail , and now from Indians and treasure seekers we will turn ou r faces toward

. so war and the days of the Revolution ! Not many stories of that period have to do with this part of the I sland as with

Holmes Hole and the North Shore , they having been rather more in the track of the marauder , but Edgartown thought it all had the trouble it needed . W EDGART O N . 2 9

’ At the time of Gray s raid one of his frigates lay off this to village , which was compelled furnish its share of plunder for

the enemy , as the following verses from the Gazette , written “ ” of by a descendant grandmother testify, and while they have been published before , they are good enough to print once more

’ GRAN D M O TH E R S C O URAGE ; A TRUE STO RY

B L P Y . . SELO VER .

Fall of In the seventeen seventy eight ,

When we were at war with Britain great , The Tisbury folks one morning bright

Looked out on a scene that unnerved them quite , For anchored sure in her waters blue

- Of British warshi ps lay eighty two .

A brave three hundred had marched away T foe o help to conquer the at bay , And those who stayed to till the soil

Were left no arms their foes to foil . And then the wisest held their breath ? Had they come for plunder, or battle and death

Ten thousand sheep they drove to the shore , Of cattle three hundred head and more ; Their fields are swept of the new - mown hay

' B y thousands of Britains under Gray , And from their homes on baking day

They took their puddings and pies away .

In a low , green valley , three leagues away,

Just overlooking Katama Bay , b There stood the home of a soldier rave , u W ho had marched away his co ntry to save , ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

And left his wife to bake and brew of d o And most the farming work to .

flax seed Her she sowed for her linen web , ’ And combed and spun and wove it , tis said ; While wool was carded the patient reel

Stood waiting the work of the spinning wheel ,

Then looms were set and the web was made ,

The garments were cut and stitches laid . And Matty w as often heard to say of She spun , wove and made the suit gray That her husband wore when he went out

To help to put the Britishers to rout .

She was singing one morn the harvest home ou t When , looking on the soft , green loam , She saw in front of her open door of A band Red Coats on the shore . ’ n They wa dered round through barn and field , And took the most of her precious yield ; But two good cows were feeding still

In the pasture behind a hiding hill .

Soon came the British and asked for meat ,

And Matty brought it with nimble feet , And left them greedily taking their fill For the pasture land behind the hill .

Little she reeked that her head w as bare And the wind made sport with her loosened AS she bounded across the acres wide

To the spot where Molly , her pet , was tied ; sh e And as sped across the wold , Repeated the law as she had been told “ A barrel of beef and a single cow

I s what the laws of the land allow ,

32 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

The soldier looked in her earnest face , to And back the sword went its place , “ ’ of Saying I , who ve stood storming shot and shell ,

N ow quail before a Vineyard belle . ’ ’ You re the pluckiest woman I ve ever met ; ” or No harm shall come to you your pet . And soon he w as marching across the Plain ’ With a kettle of brown bread from M atty s crane , While Matty w as having a little talk - About the dear new fashioned clock .

I do just hate to disturb it sh e said ; But I must have those weights of lead !” And replacing with iron spikes their weight

She soon consigned them to their fate , “ Saying , Little I thought , at fifty years I ’ d be running bullets for musketeers

Then working as with a purpose true ,

She conquered , as was her wont to do ;

‘ And soon the bullets were on their way

To . General Wolfe , across the Bay “ ’ When word came back : They ll be sure to hit When mixed with such metal as Matty ’ s grit !” is to This the story as told me ,

When the British were here by land and sea , Of Grandmother ’ s courage at threatened fate

In the Fall of seventeen seventy eight .

F A S CRAP O MARCHANT FAM ILY H I STO RY .

Grandmother was Matilda Dunham , and Miss Seventeen

- year old was Mat ilda I I an only child . She married John a Marchant , private in the Revolutionary ranks and a lieutenant

of 1 81 2 . in the War He was taken prisoner at Newport , and ED GARTO WN . 33 again at Sierra Leone whither he sailed in the privateer “ Rambler The vessel never returned . A man was taken from a vessel in Edgartown harbor and f imprisoned for some o fense . While in jail he asked to s ee a

son of member of the Marchant family , and Seth , the youngest

on : John , above , called him and was told the following story I am from Sierra Leone and can tell you the particulars of ’ your father s imprisonment and death . He made a miniature sawmill for pastime ; t he officials saw it and told him if he would construct one that would s aw logs they would give him

2 $ 00 and his liberty . The mill was completed and proved , they hi w s . gave a party in honor , and hen the wine was poured Mr ’ ” Marchant s w as poisoned and he died before morning . This interesting bit of information comes from the author of the poem .

’ O F - S I ! M O RE NO TES SEVENTY . D uring the Revo lu tion Edgartown is said to have had an a p p r o p r i a t i o n for building a fort , but no one seems to know about it , and it is probable that no fort was built .

The f o l l o w i n g, copied from the Acts and Laws of the C o m m o n w e a lth of

‘ . e Ma S S a C h u S e t t S O f Wh ere thin gs com e in hot ofi th e g ri d dl . ’ 34 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

R 1 8 1 8 : . 1 1 8 . e 7 4and 7 5needs no explanatory note Jan 3 , 7 5 solved excepting such s u m of money as was taken from the collector of the town of Edgartown by the British of troops , being part the monies collected to pay their public taxes for

O F TH E WAR O F EI G H TEEN TWE LVE .

Of the War of 1 81 2 I have but one incident connected with al the name of Edgartown . The inhabitants were , of course , on ways the alert , as they were liable to a raid at any minute t from British war vessels pa rolling the coast , and usually the family plate and val u ables were buried outside of the house or in the cellar . Many houses were provided with hiding places in the chimney or under the hearthstone , but the soldiers were

re apt to pry into such places , and the sand was generally garded as the safest bank .

ie f . S w a z Capt Robert lived on the blu f , facing the water , n where now ru s South Water Street , and his valuables had been carefully buried near a side door , in a spot that would of about come in the middle the present street and , say , fifty feet south of the Home Club . Notice of an intended raid had been received and the Captain was caught with a schooner in the harbor, a trapfrom which he could only run into the j aws of the Lion and so he did the next best thing by taking his vessel down through Katama Bay and hiding it behind the trees of Quahaug Point . Here , with her topmasts housed , she was completely concealed .

’ In the meantime the soldiers had landed from the man - o war , possibly the N imrod which was the chief scourge of these waters , and in small bands were marauding through the vil lage , as was their custom , and the Captain was not at home to W ED GARTO N . 35

w azi protect his house ; but Mrs . S e had wit enough and to spare for the outmanoeuvering of the pillagers . These , know M ing the trust placed in other Earth , were in the habit of idly ’ prodding the old lady s bosom with their bayonets as they — went along , j ust on general principles no harm to them could

o As come f it and much good might . they neared the dwelling i h o . Sw az e w o u t Mrs , had her eye , fearing lest some stray bay

onet might strike the hidden hoard , determined to try a little

of . game diplomacy and , even as Mrs Murray entertained the British offi cers while Washington ’ s army was escaping across

of sh e the island Manhattan , appeared at the door and invited

all in for refreshments . Of course they came , and when the entertainment was over and they were ready to bid the hos p itablelady good bye she kindly let them ou t of a door on the other side of the house from the buried treasure and sent them

' on w a re oicin ow n . their y j g, while she rejoiced in her way

But the Captain hardly fared as well , for the British tars ,

with an instinct that savored of foreknowledge , made straight down the bay for Quahaug Point and promptly found the

schooner, which they as promptly burned . Now the ease with which they found him out convinced the Captain that some one among his neighbors had been playing the spy , but he was

never quite sure who the villain was , and was fain to content himself with expatiating on how many kinds of things he would

. do to the culprit , should he ever have the opportunity It is on said that he w as quite emphatic the subject , but modesty or something else forbade the gentleman making himself

known .

WHALES AND WHALI NG . No account of Edgartown would be complete which left ’ 36 MARTHA S VI NEYARD . unsung praise of t h e whale and whaling , the industry that made the place a busy and import ant port , and yet it can be bt lightly touched on in such brief space . This service made the American seaman the best in the world , and this was so well recog niz ed that the g r e a t Burke paid him the fol lowing compliment

“ No ocean but what is vexed with their fi sher ies ; no climate that is not witness to their toils . Neither the persever ance of Holland nor . the activity of France nor the dextrous and firm sagacity of English em

hal ers ly ng at t h e ock . ter rise W i d p , ever carried this perilous mode of hardy enterprise to the extent to which it

t —a has been pushed by this recen people people who are still ,

r the of as it were , in the gristle , and not yet ha dened into bone ” manhood . C A O M PLI M ENT T O VI NEYARD M EN .

r Here is another compliment from the pen of Mr . J . Hecto ED GARTO WN . 37 — . 1 82 ail orm St John in 7 this time paid direct to Vineyard s en . He observes no great amount of drunkenness and debauchery “ on the part of 1 et ur ned whalemen : On the contrary all was peace here , and a general decency prevailed throughout ; the reason I believe is , that almost everybody here is married , for they get wives very young ; and the pleas u re of returning to their families absorbs every other desire . The motives that lead them to the sea are very different from those of most

nor r i other seafaring men . It is neither idleness p ofl gacy that t sends them to hat element ; it is a settled plan of life , a well of founded hope earning a livelihood .

“ Here I found without gloom a decorum and reserve , so ” natural to them , that I thought myself in Philadelphia . It is “ r a Pennsylvania farme who is writing . Never w as a bee hive more faithfully employed in gather - an ing wax , bee bread d honey from all the neighboring fields i“ than are the members of this society . “ They were once nearly related ; their different degrees of prosperity is what has caused the various shades of their com f munity . But this accidental di ference has introduced , as yet ,

nor neither arrogance pride on the one part , nor meanness and ” on And - servility the other . this holds as good to day as it did

2 1 5years ago . On the Vineyard

“ ’ ’ A man s a man for a that .

EARLY DAY S .

A dead whale or a sto v e boat was the popular song as the crew pulled away for the chase , and the spirit typified by the song ran through the entire business . At first whales were

1 1 2 fi sher pursued in small boats from the shore , but by 7 the “ ” men were building vessels to w hale ou t in the deep . The ’ 38 MARTHA S VI NEYARD . writer has heard somewhere of folks w ho whaled out in the f woodshed , but that may have been for some wholly di ferent purpose , and curiously enough , as we understand it , the more “ ” “ Pil rim es success the less joy or , as Purchas his g puts it , the

“ ” - - G Th e e i n e i . Whaler rayhoun d . last whal sh p to carry si gl top sa ls

1 6 0 miserable , disastrous success thereof By 7 the great fish had become so scarce that shore whaling was abandoned . Between 1 771 and 1 775the Vineyard had twelve vessels en

so te n gaged in the industry , but hard had been their luck that to fifteen years later the islanders gave up all pretense of own ing vessels and turned to farming . In fact Hudson ( N . Y . ) was one of the results of this depression . It was settled in

’ 40 MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

Edgartown has furnished the following five quartets of brothers who were whaleship masters

Ariel , Gilbert , John N . and Philander Smith .

C . . Thomas H Henry , Jeremiah and Shubael Norton

N . D avid . , Benj amin , Tristram P . and William Ripley F u . . . Ruf s , Francis , Josiah C and George Pease

John , Owen , Gamaliel and Charles W . Fisher .

1 8 6 The industry reached its zenith about 4 , when Edgar “ ” town had nineteen vessels engaged therein . The Apollo w as the first whaleship owned in Edgartown ; sh e sailed July

1 81 6 old 5, , but proved to be a rotten hulk , which was only o kept alive by the constant use f a stomach pump .

i R I T HE P O S PERO U S DAY S O F O L. One who wrote much for the Gazette of his “ Boyhood memories of Edgartown naturally has considerable to say

Nan concerning the prosperous days of oil . Nearly all of the

’ tucket whalers used to unload and fit ou t at the : Edgartown wharves . Vineyard men were in great demand for captains , f o ficers and crews , they being considered the best navigators

a and whalers in the world . In fact this w s the port of that “ ” flu ke- tailed island (Nantucket) . I n those days the New Bedford packet would signal good ’ or bad news by flying a large Ship s flag if she brought home

W a the captain and crew of some returned h ler , or if the news of was disaster her flag was at half mast . Then was there an anxious hour for every family in the place as sh e slowly made

for her way into and up the harbor , all had friends and rela tiv es on the deep .

of of oil on Wharves were filled with long tiers casks , and the fields were stored more casks , covered with bleaching sea 41 ED GARTO W N .

weed , ships were coming in and ships were weighing an

chor , vessels were freighting oil to Nantucket and New

of r e Bedford , and a mob turned sailors and green hands just starting on a first

voyage was everywhere . The result was activity in every branch of business : The old

bake house was in full blast , baking hardtack by the cask

full , and the stores then were mostly below the “ four cor ” ners , hugging close to the

harbor Shore ' How different now from th e busy days of n Whali g . TH E SEAM Y SI DE . There are a number of well -known disasters in which Ed

artow n one or of g men were interested , concerning two which no more than the briefest mention can be made . On Septem “ ” 2 1 8 2 ber 5, 5, the wh ale ship Citizen , Capt . Thomas Howes of Norton Edgartown , master , was wrecked on the icy shores of the Arctic Ocean , and captain and crew lived for nine months f of with the natives , su fering the tortures starvation and of

freezing , until those who remained alive were reduced to the last extremity

The ship Globe commanded by Capt . Thomas Worth , son of the Mexican War hero , sailed from Edgartown in the

twenties . In the Pacific the crew mutinied and killed the cap fi tain and of cers . 42 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

N FIS H O TES . D uring the Summer of 1 852 553 swordfish were taken by ‘ 1 8 codfi sh Edgartown fishermen , and in March , 53, a weighing off 75pounds was caught the south side .

1 8 8 2 8th 1 st of In 5, from May to July , pounds fresh blu efi sh were sold by local fi shermen to vessels from Con n ic no ect u t ; this did t take into account home consumption .

Fish Not es .

NO RTH WATER ST REET . On North Water Street all the older houses on the west of side the street , and there were only houses on the west side N old set . o in the days , are at a slight angle with the roadway one so is knows why it is , but the theory that this was originally done that each might have a better view over the harbor , and ' so the more readily see returning whalers as they rounded

Cape Poge .

ANECDO TES .

The Ed gartown poorhouse once had an inmate , an old lady ED GARTO W N . 43

who had outlived her i fam ly and friends , but one who was evi d ently not anticip at

ing an early demise , for She steadfastly refused to sit in cold weather by the warm

fire in the living room , always remaining in her ow n cheerless

a p a r t m e n t . When

pressed for a reason , the only reply was that “ the time may come when I shall ” have no fire to go to . Just what her process of reasoning was is not clear , but it was evidently satisfactory

to herself .

One of the ancient ne th e few fi ne O n North Water S treet . O of ol d d oor n standard village j okes ways that hav e been pres erv e d to E d gartow . referred to those who worshiped in a building unadorned with “ u n - any steeple . These were said to belong to an towered ” generation .

STO RIES O F FO LKS .

Peter Folger , before mentioned , once addressed the court as “ : ou follows Your Honor , if y knew the witness as well as I ’ 44 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

d o as , or half well as God does , you would not believe a word he ” says .

Richard E . N orton , a g r e a t exhorter

among the Baptists , could only speak in the weekly prayer meeting if he had a handkerchief in his

hand to flourish . If by chance he had

w a H ere Squire Cook e lived and h eld p etty Court . It s his ow n none of , he oncec om m oih ‘em ar k that so and so woul d e hav e their rights if th ere w as any must borrow befor ’ ” l a w in Cook e s hous e . he could proceed, when he would walk up and down the aisle waving his danger flag while warning of trouble to come . It is related how one n eve ing , arising to speak he said that he had had a bad dream and its r e l a t i o n m i g h t help some poor sinner present , w h i c h m a y have been a sly dig at the boys who regularly crowded in to hear what n e w t h i n g T h e form er home of Squire Harrison Mayh ew . 45 ED GART O W N .

Richard had to say . He dreamed that he died and presented

: f to . w ho an himsel St Peter , said that he did not know him d “ ”

. a li that there was no place there for him Why , says the pp “ ? of cant , not know me I am Richard E . Norton , Edgartown , for forty years a leader in the Baptist Society . There must be some ” “ ” “ N n . o ot ou mistake , came the answer , we do know y and ” so as have no place for you here , he turned sadly away , tou nd ed and dej ected , and started slowly down the hill , but on a sudden came an inspiration , and he hurried back to the

“

: . guardian of the Heavenly Gates and said St Peter , it has

to . . ou come me why you do not know me Now , St Peter , do y ” not thi nk you have mixed me up with my brother Jim ? And “ : then , looking around the audience I awoke and was glad ” enough to know that it was but a dream . The joke lay in the fact that brother Jim was something of a backslider and a thorn in the side of good

Deacon Richard .

REV . J O SEPH TH AXTER . The Reverend Joseph Thax ter of blessed memory served as chaplain during the r ev ol u

tionar 1 80 y struggle , and in 7 became pastor of the Edgar

on e town church . At time he was the only clergyman and on physician the island , for he healed both bodily and spirit

‘ R v . e e u al ills and for he e Jos ph Thaxt r , , many years once each week walked the eight miles between Edgartown 46 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

to and Holmes Hole preach on Sunday evening . H e w as the , “ - on Hi best bone setter the island . s charges were : If rich ” -fi v — seventy e cents ; if poor nothing . His salary was at first “ 00 . 2 but $5 per annum This was later reduced to $ 75, as he did ” not preach for money , the cut in no wise made him discon

“ his tented . In fact wants were few ; he believed that brown bread and black tea were good enough for ministers “ ” Parson Thaxter was one of the best beloved men that on - ever put foot the island , and was a well known and honored man beyond its borders . At the laying of the corner stone of the Bunker Hill monument he w as not only invited to be pres f ent , but asked to o fer the prayer , and that prayer has been quoted many times . He was at times frank to a degree , as , w hen one of his deacons being asked concerning the weather

” not prospects and rej oining that he did not know , as he was “ - : No oth very weather wise , the Parson rejoined , nor much i ” erw se .

’ The Parson s granddaughter , who still of lives in Edgartown , has a large number f interesting relics o the man , including a small oil painting that is a t reasure . From his tomb we learn that the Rev . Joseph

Thaxter was born in Hingham , May 4,

1 1 68 744. In July , 7 , he took his first degree at Cambridge College . After having made considerable attainments in the study and

of arson haxter 's watch practice medicine , he was induced to de P T k e and n y guard ’ a d vote himself to the study of divinity . He a charm contai ning io d o l 1 1 on “ P u s ub e commenced preaching in 77 , and the poi nted instru 8 1 80 n th of November , 7 , he was ordained m e t .

48 ’ MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

From 1 859 to 1 86 1 m Raphael Se mes , of the United States

Navy , was secretary t o the Lightho use

Board , and during this period he spent considerabl e time at and in the neighbor of hood the Vineyard , making his h ead qu ar ters so far as possible

at Edgartown , and

Th e e n e 1858. Duk s Cou ty Court Hous , ‘ naturally his p O S itIO Il of brought him in contact with the best people the place , and a among others with the Osborn family , where there was quite in flock of young folks . Semmes was a man of education and “ t elli ence g , made friends easily, and became quite popular with the Osborn household .

ou t of When the Civil War broke Semmes , being a native

" Maryland , cast in his lot with the South , and in due time was “ ” of given command the cruiser Alabama , which was fitted out o n in England t prey o Northern shipping . About this time the ” O cm u l e e w as whaleship g , in which Mr . Osborn a large share for of holder , was fitted out a voyage and placed in command son a , Abraham O sborn . And fate decreed that the paths of

- the one time friends should again cross , though under very dif fer ent a W circumst nces . The haler proceeded to the neighbor hood of the Azores , where she had a captured whale alongside ,

w as t 1 86 2 and cut ing it in ( September 5, ) when a strange ves W EDGARTO N . 49 sel hove in sight . She attracted notice from her peculiar manoeuvers , but all hands were busy , and no great attention

” . I O cm u l ee was paid to her t seems that the g , like many; of another vessel those days , had painted ports along her sides in order to make her appear

like an armed ship , and the

' ” Alabama , for such w as the

stranger , spent some time in ascertaining the true character of the whaleship . Finally a boat was dis

patched which , learning that the vessel was of American

register , notified Captain O s born that he was a prisoner of

war . It was a good deal of a

shock , but there w as nothing

to be done , and the officers and

“ crew were taken to the Ala bama ” while the pirates pro n h apta n Osbor and t e qu arterboard of ' C i cee d ed S . O th e cm u l e to burn the Ship O g e . of 1 born , course , had no dea

of who was in command his captor , and his surprise can safer be imagined than expressed when he was confronted with

w ho u Semmes , no doubt was eq ally surprised at the identity of “ ” O cm u l ee this his first victim , for the g was the first prize taken by the rebel cruiser .

Once he understood the situation , however , Captain Osborn proceeded to relieve his mind in a way that was highly d is tasteful to Semmes , who did not enj oy being taunted in such ’ 50 MARTHA S VI NEYA RD . h earty fashion for thus returning the former hospitality of the

Osborns , and he promptly clapped the Captain in irons , where

off . he could cool at his leisure , and thus closed the incident It is some satisfaction to know that the scandalous manner

- neu tralit l aw s in which England broke the y , principally in the ‘

Alabama case , cost her

’ TH E MARTHA S VI NEYARD RAI LRO AD . There is n ot much left in these days to show for the Martha ’ s Vineyard

Railroad , which once con nected O ak Bluffs with the South Shore by way

of Edgartown , and there will be still less by the

time this book is written , T u e sad e i n th e . . . last r ma s of M V R . R for the dilapidated re f mains o the Edgartown station are already on their way down .

The railroad was opened with a great flourish , the trial trip

on 2 2 1 8 being made August , 74, when it is said that even the horses along the route turned somersaults and climbed trees ! in their enthusiasm as the engine went snorting by . But , oh

what a difference now . Enthusiasm is a mighty good thing , not but it does pay expenses or dividends , and while the whole

island was j ubilant , and wanted to ride once , folks got over f the novelty of it in short order , and tra fic during the short Summer season was not sufficient to meet the demands of cred

itors - . In other words , it did not figure out such a long felt

want as was hoped . ED GARTO W N . 51

TH E H O M E CLUB Every place has

- its talk centre . I n the old days this was the s o- called

C o r n Exchange , where the principal c o m m o d i t y w a s language and every member a capital

ist , but of late the Home Club h a s

come into being , a n d t h o s e with T h e comfortable Hom e Club . ideas to exchange naturally drift through its welcoming doors a nd gather on the

r its shady veranda o around blazing hearthstone , according to

is -fi v e or season . The building probably seventy eighty years

old for . , and was long the home of Capt Alexander Fisher, an

~ old time whaleman . The writer has an O ctober memory of the ample hearth and its bright wood fire that invites to social converse and com o fort galore . Much f the material in this volume is due to a of series evenings Mai n Street from th e wharf . ’ 52 MARTH A S VI NEYARD . thus pleasantly spent within the circle of its generous hospital ity , a circle where even the stranger is allowed to poke the fire . The club is accessible to Summer residents as well as to those to the Vineyard born , and thus is both a popular and of populous centre attraction the year round , with interests

on e to that radiate from end of the country the other, while . of “ ” on af course , y bark that goes where tr fic blows , or where ’ old blows that greasy friend of Edgartown s prosperous days , i s a never ending source of story and reminiscence . ’ Among the club s treasures is an interesting reminder of the — late unpleasantness with Spain the masthead light of Admiral ’ C erv er a s f lagship , which was done to death in a shell game on o the southern coast f Cuba .

C . M R . RI HARD L . PEASE While the limits of this book prohibit the taking up all of the notable characters the island has produced , the writer feels

for so indebted to Mr . Richard L . Pease the many facts he has stored in the pages of the Gazette that it is but fair to give him

2 1 888 due credit . Mr . Pease died September , , aged 74years , o after a l ng and varied career as teacher , Representative in the — f Legislature and after having filled numerous town o fices . ’ His r eputation as a historian was not confined to Martha s “ Vineyard . Prof . Alexander Graham Bell found him a perfect ” isbu r mine of information . His mother was Polly Luce of T y,

I D . f . his father saiah Pease , forty years sherif of the county

’ 1 of At the age of 9 Mr . Pease took charge the town school , leaving that to represent the town in the Massachusetts House of i his Representatives , then learned the art of survey ng from uncle , Jeremiah Pease , and followed that business . Was

Register of the Probate Court , a Justice of the Peace , clerk of EDGARTOW N . 53

of . of 1 86 the courts the county At the time the drafts , in 3, one of Mr . Pease was the three men who had charge of the

drawing of names in New Bedford . He was a Grant presi dential elector , was Commissioner for the Indians at Gay Head , of and surveyed their lands ; was Postmaster Edgartown ,

Auditor of Town Accounts , and with it all found time to be the

of . historian , antiquarian and genealogist the island

Th ey christened my broth er of old A nd a saintly nam e h e b ears Th ey gav e him his place to hol d th e e th e e At h ad of b lfry stairs , Wh ere th e m i nster t ow er s stan d A nd th e breedin g k estrels cry Woul d I change with my brother a l eagu e inl and l ’ ( S h oa l ’ l l a rc sh oa l 1) Not I ! K IPLING . ’ 54 MARTHA S V I NEYAR D .

ED GARTOWN T O O A K B LUFFS .

I N T HE DI RE CTI O N O F W EST TI SB URY . now And we will move afield . As we come to the burial ground on the one hand and the little park wherein stands the monument to the Civil W an on tw o heroes the other , we find a guide board pointing ways ff West Tisbury and O ak Blu s , or Cottage City, as the old board of ff still reads , and as we shall travel by way O ak Blu s , it will be necessary to digress for a few moments along the older road toward the west . The writer has a very distinct recollection of the mean trick he played on himself in the days of the bicycle,when he at-i

is u r tempted this road from Edgartown to West T b . It may — — y be better now he has not been over it since but then it was a series of deep little gullies where horses or wagon wheels on went , with the beginnings of a scrub oak forest each small ’ no ridge . One could t only not ride a wheel along this bicycler s inferno , he could not even push it , because narrow was the way im and deep were the tracks . Mere words fail to express the ’ pression left by that day s experience . By consulting the road map on e will find a track that w or

to W intu cket ries down the head of Cove , from whence Edgar town draws its water ; in fact there is a network of farm roads, with occasional gates to open and close , all through this south of of d o on ern part the i sland , many which not show any map ,

’ 56 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

TH E T H O M AS M AY H EW TAB LE T .

About half way to West Tisbury on the south side of the road stands the tableted rock marking the spot where Thomas r Mayhew , J . , took leave of the Indians when about to start on

for his fatal trip England .

LI TTLE PO N D . Another track through this scrub oak wilderness is a half ’ of moon known as D octor Fisher s Road , built by a gentleman to the name connect his mill in Tisbury , where water power is to be had , with Edgartown . Along this is situated a . drop of water known as Little Pond , which has a somewhat fabulous interest through its legendary ability to reverse the laws of i n . s 1 2 0 a d nature The p ond about feet above high water , though small for its age , has never been known to go dry ; there " is no fresh or salt water near it and not a brook1et runs into or

articu out of it . N ow the legend is that when a Summer is p l arly wet the pond is some two feet lower than is the case in a

is particularly dry spell , and the cause thought a very pretty mystery . D r . Freeman rather attempts to break the spell when “ : he says Those , who during a hundred years have conveyed

one it from mouth to another , have probably been too much pleased with the wonderful tale to give themselves the trouble ” to examine into its truth .

T H E O LD RO AD TO H O LM ES H O LE .

Now if we start once more from that double - pointing guide f on board , this time for O ak Blu fs , there shortly appears the

one to left the time main road to Holmes Hole and Eastville , which , once safely passed , we can nowhere go but to Oak

Bluffs . O AK ED GARTO WN T O B LU FFS . S7

B Y WAY O F TH E STATE ROAD . Professor Shaler says that S e n g e k o n t a c k e t Pond was originally a broad bay which has been barred from the s ea by a ” of wall beach sand , and it is along this beach that our highway proceeds with

water close on either hand . The road has one and only one drawback : It is a

con good road , and se

m U C ’l aHC Cted G e n s ea ee th n t quently by ath ri g w d ou e shore of S e gekontack e . l i l n the automob le , whose decent haste prevents its occupants from enj oying the view and fills the eyes and clothes of less rapid citizens with dust‘ and distress . However there are moments when , free from this annoyance , we can look off over the great ex panse of Vineyard Sound across the watery waste of Squash Meadow and

Hedge Fence , or , on the other hand , across the lesser waters of the pond

its and to further shore ,

Weeks Neck , Majors

Cove or Farm Neck ,

n where formerly stood on The great expans e of Vi eyard Sou n d . 58 ’ D MARTH A S V I NE YAR .

- o a r the Butler mead w mill fo grinding tanbark , and still stands n the o e time home of Ichabod Norton .

I N PRAISE O F CUNNERS . As the bridge over the pond ’ s outlet is crossed we are likely one of to see or more fishermen pulling in great store cunners . Some folks eat these things under the impression that they are ? intended for food , and I have heard them called salt water of fi perch by such , but in the Opinion the writer they are only t

t as for the food of their betters in watery socie y , and the catch ing of them consists in a twit ch of the line and the pulling up of n an undemonstrative wiggle , there is no great exciteme t about it or sport , but already the cunner occupies more space than he is entitled to .

l Abide W l ll m e . O AK B AND T HE LU FFS CAMP M EETI NG GRO UNDS . 59

OA K B LUFFS A N D TH E CAMP M EETIN G GROU ND S .

Soon Oak Bluffs begins to Open ahead ; that O ak Bluffs w as now which once a Butler sheep pasture , and that the sheep are gone , grown thick and rank with the cottages of the Sum mer population . of This is the natural growth the camp meeting , started in ’ 1 8 a 35, which has spread from a pre cher s platform and a few to rough seats a community where , during the Summer , many w thousands d ell together in unity . Jeremiah Pease . of Edgar “ ” ir of town , was who selected the site the Wesleyan Grove “ a camp go nd , a grove of venerable oaks the property of li Wil am Butler . Such another spot can hardly be found on earth so nearly resembling Eden in its primeval beauty and ” 2 loveliness . The first meeting was Opened here August 4,

1 8 35, and since then meetings have been held yearly with the

1 F or . single exception of 845. a long time Mr Butler made no

- for f . charge the u se o his grounds It was an open air meeting , with rough board seats , the people sleeping in church tents placed in a circle around the main meeting place . The first

-fi v e service was conducted by Rev . Thomas C . Pierce ; sixty persons were converted during the week . At the meeting of 1 844an appeal was made for money to enable a colored woman present to purchase the freedom of her

son . 6 . About $ 0 was secured , more than was asked for In 1 850 the grounds were r e-leased for a term of eleven; ’ 60 M ARTH A S V I NEYARD .

f 1 8 1 1 00 years at a yearly rental o $30. In 5 there were about “ tents and from to worshipers . At this meeting an

aged sea captain of the vicinity , who owned much of the land ” of ou r leased for the convenience meetings was converted ,

“ while on the other hand a few of the baser sort occasionally ” gave some slight intimations that the old man still lived

1 8 2 00 1 0 I n 55some tents dotted the grove , about 5 being “ family tents , but this year it was voted That no one hereafter be allowed to have a family tent on this ground unless he be approved as a suitable person to do so by the church in his ” not in vicinity, he being a member or as the case may be , this order that the family tent custom be not “ abused by irre ” li i o 1 6 g ou s persons to the injury f the camp meetings . In 85 the ownership of the grounds changed hands and the good brethren in 1 857 considered the advisability of a change of loca

of l 1 8 8 tion in View the high va ue . set by the new owner , but in 5 matters were adjusted and a new lease effected to commence

of 1 86 1 for at the termination the old in and to run ten years ,

with privilege to buy at the market value of the land . By 1 860 t his had become th e largest meeting of the kind in the world , streets were being regularly laid out and permanent

tent frames erected . The place began to take on the appear of ance a health and pleasure resort , and numbers of people

f t s et for came weeks be ore the ime the meeting . A new organization w a s recommended with a committee “ ’ of laymen A name w as chosen - the Martha s Vineyard ” Camp Meeting Association .

In 1 86 1 seats with backs were the innovation .

“ ” 1 86 2 In the Camp Meeting Herald was issued , the first of paper the kind in the world . O AK B LU FFS AND TH E CAM P M EETI NG GRO UNDS . 6 1

In 1 864 acres of grove south of the old encampment laid

” “ ” ou t and lotted for hundreds Of tents and cottages

1 866 In more than persons were present , and people

1 0th of began to come by the July .

In 1 869 the oaks in the grove being old and having lost much

w as foliage an awning constructed over the seats . This ap pears to have been the first year the Hutchinson family sang

many will recall them . “ The Vineyard Grove Company ” was formed and “ The Vineyard ” Highlands named . Since then progress has been steady and

rapid . A high picket fence was built around the grounds and dur ing the meeting week the gates were closed at an early hour each

evening . N o stores , ex cept for absolute neces

sities , were allowed within the fence—hence

Circuit Avenue , which

skirted the outer walls. O AK B LU FFS . Those c o m i n g t o T h e n e e ” ee O Co s crat d tr , Hartford Park , ak meetings , seeing that i e en in 1884. Bluffs . P ctur tak the land was good for ’ 62 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

f 1 86 Summer purposes , formed the Oak Blu fs Association in 7, o and the land nearer the water was laid u t in streets and lots .

The first time the writer visited the island , as a very small boy

his with parents , a cottage on Circuit Avenue was occupied , “ on and that year lots Hartford Park , almost opposite the Con secr ed at Tree were purchased and a cottage erected . At that

one th e time this cottage was the nearest to the water , but region began to fill up so rapidly that in three years it was be too coming crowded , and a new dwelling place was selected on

of the the borders Lagoon , near Vineyard Haven .

1 868 In the first hotel , the

O a k B l u f f s House , was

erected . In 1 869 the first illumina tion ” occurred and the Fox boro Brass Band added to

the commotion . The scene and sounds are said to have

n th e e . Watchi g bath rs “ s u g g e s t e d the shining shore

Then came the Sea View Hotel , the Union Chapel and the railroad to Edgartown , and life was full .

’ 64 MARTH A S V I NEYARD .

ff varied as the Atlantic coast a ords and , including as it does

and of the legends and history local lore the harbor, the Lagoon l and o d Holmes Hole , can furnish forth many an attractive hour . The short cut as the trolley goes to Eastville is merely a means to an end . F T HE B ATTLE O H ED GE STAKES .

’ At the very start we pitch into the midst of war and war s

for the alarms , where is now Highland bathing beach , once “ ” raged The Battle of the Hedge Stakes , an incident of the War of 1 81 2 . Here , in an inauspicious moment , a coasting schooner stranded when a British man of war was hovering ou t in the

Sound . As the enemy made a point of destroying all shipping in the effort to cripple the colonies , the Englishman was prompt to seize the opportunity offered and lowered away a boat for the plunder and burning of the helpless schooner . But word of the impending trouble was carried throughout the country , and before the boat could reach its intended victim the farmers

on or . were flocking in horseback afoot Few had arms , but

f its a hedge fence bordering a nearby field o fered stakes , and these were promptly distributed to the resolute islanders , who reached the schooner before the attacking party could do any

off u damage , and literally clubbed the British , for so impetuo s was their onsla ught that the single boat load of tars was forced f to retire defeated o its purpose . Every island man was a sailor as well as farmer and wi th so many willing hands the vessel w as of soon floated and out danger .

FRO M EAST CH O P . Now a fight does not put us in a proper frame of mind for what is to come s o we must mount the hill slowly in order to O AK T O B LU FFS VI NEYARD HAVEN . 65

h N w T e e Y ork Y acht Club passing East Chop .

cool off and be prepared for the beauty and magnificence

ou r the view for , as we reach the higher level , at feet is the vast expanse of Vineyard Sound , an enchantment of opalescent of of color , white caps or doldrums , catboats and steamers and h tows and sc ooners , and across the five miles of water the scat

a tering villages of the Cape . Never twice like and ever beau tiful .

THE WASTI NG O F EAST CHO P . h t h a a C O . . On e e stern side of E st p Prof Henry L Whiting,

1 8 - 6 f who first mapped the island in 45 , found that the bluf , 80 be which has a height here of about feet , retreated 75feet

1 8 1 8 1 or . tween 45and 7 , at the rate of 3 feet per annum In these years cubic feet of earth and stones were washed away by the strong currents a large portion being

carried into Vineyard Haven harbor . TH E VI NEYARD SO UND RIVER Professor Shaler writes that the streams of the northern shore of the island suggest that when the land was at a higher level they entered a large stream occupying the central part of ’ 66 MARTH A S V I NEYA RD .

the broad valley now covered by Vineyard Sound , this valley being presumably excavated by river action , which river prob n of ably had its source o the southern side Cape C od . And that the position of another stream is perhaps traceable in the

M ke e u s t . g Channel , which separates this island from Nantucket “ It is likely that to the inosculation of the headwaters of these two ri vers we ow e the formation of the channel which now a separates the islands from C pe Cod . Though N antucket may ” have been cut out by the tidal currents . It can only be a coincidence that an Indian legend should seem to bear out the ’ i s one . Professor s theory , but it interesting to note such a The

M osho legend has to do with the fabled giant p , and is to the effect that in the long ago this island w as j oined to the main M osho m land and that p , coming ho e after a long and weary

’ one of tramp , dragged his heavy feet upon the ground , and that his great toe cut a deep channel to the sea which the tidal waters filled and soon began to wash ou t the land until it became as

at present . The In dian legends have at tach ed themselves to Gay Head and the

South Shore , but this one seems to fit in

here fairly well .

T HE VI STA .

Nothing can cut out th e View . The way lies S O O AK B LU FFS TO V I NEYARD H AVEN . 6 7

of ff close to the edge the blu that nothing can cut out the View, where the great ships go sailing by and where the many tints

of h . the water suggest to the practical mind its depth , to t e f poetic the home o mystery and wonder . It is interesting to close one ’ s eyes and imagine what this road would have been

- like in pre Vineyard Sound days , even before East Chop was the sheep pasture of Ebenezer Smith , and when this was of m merely a swell land and no salt water within any miles . Before we reach the lighthouse a glance across the mouth of the harbor shows the tower of the West Chop light glistening

in the morning sun , while Falmouth , the old mainland port of “ a 1 80 the Vineyard , whence a ferry bo t (in 7) conveys the trav ” f eler to Holmes Hole , crowns a sand blu f across the waters .

T HE EAST C H O P LIGHT . How much of in terest and romance has swept up and down this highway of the coast d u ring the past four hun

dred years , and what legends cling to it of Norsemen , Dutch

men , Spanish pirates and prowling Eng lish war vessels that scourged these is ’ Li . East Chop ght 1 1 2 lands in 76 and 8 .

The history of the East C hO p Light is an interesting one . But long before that time a semaphore stood here that gos 68 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

C ha a u idick siped whaling news with pp q , and so to Nantucket . The government long refused to consider the placing of a light at this spot , but finally granted permission to private enterprise , and when Silas Daggett took hold and began to l push the scheme went through . Mr . Daggett secured smal subscriptions from the s everal steamship lines passing through

as the Sound and from such sailing vessels entered the harbor ,

w as visiting each and explaining the situation . The response prompt , as the warning was needed , and when the Lighthouse

ou t Board concluded to take it over and bought its proprietor ,

is that gentleman said to have retired with quite a snug sum .

T HE D O U B LE SH O RE LI NE . The road winds back of the light h ouse , and as we b e g i n t o descend there is the pano rama of the harbor

s s An pread for u . d now we can see gin th e double shore line w hat has become of m uch of that sand that East Chop has

b i or Th e e een depr ved Of, Th e double shore li n e near Eastvill e . out r strip f Wh ere t h e road run s accoun ts for part of b a elow is small , t h e wash from East Chop . f resh water pond ,

w as now whose southeastern bank once the harbor shore , while the road travels the new made shore some hundreds of feet

ou t further . O AK B LU FFS TO VI NEYARD H AVEN . 69

T HE HARB O R . In the good old days the coasting t rade was handled almost of exclusively by schooners , and all it went through Vineyard — Sound a great fleet daily . Thus every shift of wind meant a filling up of the harbor with vessels that wished to go the

for other way , and thought it well to wait a favoring breeze . Methods of transportation have changed during the past thirty years and the picturesque sailing craft are steadily disappear ing . S trings of barges are now more frequent and the sails

so d less , though occasionally even now a long continued hea wind will temporarily bring back the old times . While vessels are less numerous the carrying capacity of those now doing the business is so much greater that the values ’ Ga transported are colossal . D uring last Winter s ice age the zette reported 41 loaded barges with over tons of coal 2 0 - under t h e hatches , and ocean going tugs stalled in Vine yard Haven harbor at

ne o time , representing a value of A coal barge may be a dirty and unpicturesque on old thing to gaze , but it seems to repr e sent a considerable in

vestment . When one looks down on such a fleet at night with all its riding lights

gleaming it seems like I n a refl ective mood . a city set on a hill Slope ’ 70 M ARTH A S V I NEYARD . and the ghostly uncertainty of the few sails left up help along the delusion . The sounds that are brought by the gentle i of of breezes , the vo ces the birds in the trees and the cries the feathered fishermen mingled with calls from the vessels or the laughter of a party on the road below (for we are still looking down from East/ Chop) transforms even the most prosaic trav eler into a dreamer . Even the roar of the trolley is turned to ’ is of music . It a Summer day s dream peace and beauty , with the distant village sleeping on the western s10pe and the o foreground a moving scene f vessels and laughter . M R . CO USI NS . too Before we become peacefully hilarious , however, it may f to . of o be well introduce Mr Cousins , Eastville , a patriot the too Revolution , but delicate to stand the hardships of a ’ w soldier s life . The fact that he could not go hen men were so needed at the front wrought upon his sensibilities (for they were as sensitive as his body) until he was almost as hamed to

' hi hl S u fi n ll f n meet s fellow man . But pent p feelings a y ou d an outlet in a British war vessel which one day dropped anchor

w a to . about half y over Falmouth Mr . Cousins then got ou t

flint - on his old lock and , proceeding to the nearest point the to shore , began blaze away in right good earnest , loading and

firing as rapidly as possible all day long , not that it would dis — turb the enemy h e knew his old blunderb us s could not reach half the distance , and that he could not by any possibility harm

— w a ; the ship but , when asked why he s wasting so much good “ ” powder and lead , he responded that it was to show his colors . The poor fellow could no doubt have faced death in such a cause with a smile and yet have been as tender as a girl over

of . the hurt a kitten Of such fine clay are few men made .

72 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

lives only in story books . Her floors were washed once a week

- with skim milk that they might shine as her floors must shine , and the way she brought up her fifteen children shown forth gloriously in the result , and if result is the thing to look at , t certainly the Smi h family was a satisfactory example , for of the sons four were masters of ships to the P a cific O cean and

h one of - in - a fift made voyage , while the sons law three were masters of ships to the Pacific O cean and a fourth made one voyage . Of the grandsons five were masters of ships and of the grandsons - ih - law (if such there be) three were masters of ffi ships . It would have been di cult to throw a stick into a crowd in these parts and not hit a Captain Smith , or his Captain

-ih - brother law .

H E W H O CO M M A N D E D T H E C H E S A P E AK E .

Capt . James Lawrence was once the guest of Mr . Smith . At the dinner table , where Mrs . Smith presided , he was greatly impressed with the way in which the good lady ruled over her

- — flock of growing u ps she w as known in her family as the “ general When sh e did not appear at the breakfast table next morning the Captain inquired after her , to be informed n that a so had arrived during the night . The Captain immediately asked the honor of naming the ow n n boy and that being gladly granted , gave him his ame , at the same time stripping the buttons from his vest and present l ing them . For a ong time these buttons were held among the sacred family treasures , being kept in a teacup in the cupboard . where reposed the best china ; but much to the regret of the present generation they have disappeared . Would even one of them bob up now to be cherished as a memento it can rest assured of an O ld age of ease and comfort . OAK B LU FFS TO VI NEYARD H AVEN . 73

WASH FRO M EAST CH O P . The strip of ponds and marsh land that extends j ust inside this shore line to the Lagoon is all accounted for by the wash S o from East Chop . recent is some of this dry land which has arisen from the depths that Mr . Howes Norris has talked with those who used to speak of a stone west from the corner of the Oliver L inton house as the “ landing stone This is now 2 00 of buried in the grass some feet east the Beach Road , and possibly 6 00 feet east of the present shore line .

O LIVER LINTO N H O USE . The Oliver Linton house is so sensitive about its age that no one really knows

when it w as built . Some claim that it is the oldest house on

the island , but this claim seems to b e chiefly based on a brick in the chimney b e a r i n g the date

6 1 1 5. T h i s ante dates the Mayhew T h e O e n n e e . liv r Li to Hous , Eastvill coming by so many — l em a . years that that brick w ou d s e to be well , mistaken

T REASURE B URIED O N T HE SH O RE O F T HE LAGO O N . And now we come to the margin of the Lagoon and another

is , story , for here the spot where the treasure was buried just

' ’ as the end of th e inside of Quay s Neck , point at the east Lagoon ’ 74 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

bridge was then known . But we must begin at the beginning or we sha ll have ou r treas ure discovered before the pirates o have had an opportunity t bury it . " About 1 850 the ship Splendid ? (ther e is some doubt abou t the name) from the East Indies dropped anchor in Holmes

so Hole harbor and stayed long as to excite comment , allowing h . S e several favoring gales to pass unheeded finally sailed , however , leaving two captains who had come as passengers , and bit by bit the following interesting situation was devel oped

Two schooners were sent ou t from the D utch East Indies to the Spice Islands for cargo , each having on board a consider of able quantity of specie . O ne these was wrecked in a ty m on phoo , but the money was saved and taken board of the

other schooner . Then the cap tains of both conspired to ap pr op r iate the money and report

its loss . But when they fell in “ with the Splendid in the In dian O cean they seemed to have realized that two birds in

one the hand were better than , and that they might just as

well have it all , and the cash was transferred to the ship and the second schooner aban d oned . Holmes Hole was the first

port the vessel made , and with

Th e b‘m es Of a fi Sh erm an ’ ’ the connivance of the ship s B U E 5 O AK L FFS T O VI N YARD HAVEN . 7 captain they buried the treasure just inside of the opening into

as the Lagoon and the ship sailed , leaving behind the two p “ ” sen ers . g , who stopped down the Neck The pirates soon en of f on gaged the services Cli ford D unham , and the first con v enient night they sailed to the Lagoon in D unham ’ s open — boat there was no bridge or Beach Road in those days dug up the cash and crossed to the Sound Falmouth . The night was a bitter and

one tempestuous , and all were

- severely frost bitten , so much so that they made a bad mess of landing and attracted con sid er abl one e attention . Some saw them bury the gold and , place a flag over it , while they went to a nearby farmhouse e e h y made a bad m ss of land ng . o T i to thaw u t . The news was on spread that there were pirates the beach , and a party was organized which dug up the money , deposited it in the Fal mouth Bank and then arrested the two captains . Dunham re ceiv ed a six - quart tin pail full of silver dollars for his share of

’ sa the night s work , but they do y that the pirates stole some of it back before landing ; other tellers of the story say that when it was discovered that the money was stolen the au thori ties took away from him what little his passengers had left . All agree that the ferryman got little but experience for his ’ night s work . 76 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

Som remember that one of the men confessed that only half of the m oney had been removed from the Lagoon ’ s shore by the pirates ; others that the fact that treasure had been buried thereabouts leaked before any of it

had been taken away . At ot any rate , the story g out at some point in the game

and excitement ran high . Men swarmed all along the shore with - iron rods

or or bean poles , other handy implement for tak

ing soundings in the sand . One man tells me that he

so dug near it that , had A Vi neyard Haven racing Cat . the sand not been frozen , it must have caved and exposed the treasure , but the money h was not found until the aut orities came with a chart , giving

’ the proper bearings feet due noth e from Rufus Davis s of boat house now gone , this being not five rods from the end the present bridge . The fact was that Peter West had pulled his boat up over the exact spot and painted her , and though the

w as beach prodded full of holes and dug up all around the boat , of no one thought moving her . Those were great days for East

and ville ; people flocked from all parts of the island , the store O AK B LU FFS TO V I NEYARD HAVEN . 77 on the beach was a buzz of excitement . The two pirate cap

w x — tains , Pitman and Bro n (or Di ie) here again people insist f — on being di ferent were taken to Salem , tried and convicted .

THE END O F T HE AND C NO RTH LAGO O N DADDY RI H ARDSO N .

This curving bit of Lagoon shore is quiet enough now, but it was not always thus , for where the bank begins to rise was for old once a windmill grinding corn , and there is yet a little graveyard whose wooden headstones were the marvel of my

” youth , for all around the painted letters the weather had worn

the d isa away . wood until by the time the paint itself had p p ear ed the lettering was raised ab ove the surface . This was used principally for th e burial of those brought on shore from vessels and who died in the Marine Hospital which stood close “ ” low by, a double house kept by D addy Richardson , a charac of ter, whose chief occupation was the making seines which were “ ” w as not of everywhere and over everything . D addy much a talker , but he could repeat the Bible from cover to cover . The trouble with the old gentleman w a s that while it was easy to enough to get started , he never knew when stop , and when

so one in class meeting he had run about far , some must drop an extinguisher on him in the shape of a lustily sung hymn or other diversion . Still nearer the bridge was a shipyard where

I chabod Norton built his vessels .

I C HAB O D NO RTO N . Suppose we digress to Ichabod himself for a moment

Born in 1 76 1 he died in 1 847 full of years and honor . His mon ument in Edgartown tells us that His house was open to

for . travelers , and his hand ever open the benefit of others He

arrived at a good old age , was at last gathered to his fathers , his noblest of mottoes , an Honest Man . Endeared to his fel ’ 78 MARTH A S VI NEYARD . low beings by firmness and fidelity in public f a fairs , and his honesty in all his private deal ings . By prudence and economy he amassed a large fortune , which he w isely distributed for t h e b e n e f i t o f h i s ”

. friends e As ev enin g com s . The motto which he

fi re l ace had cut over his p D eal j ustly , Love mercy and pay ” — of w as all debts was the keynote his life , but as he one of the w as few men on the island who had money to loan , in fact “ ” as of known the bank Edgartown , there were naturally some who were not quite as charitable in their expressions of opin ion as the good book counsels . Like many strong men he had hi old s odd side . It is said that in his age he sent for a friend f and , remarking that he already had his co fin in the house , asked the friend to write an epitaph for him . This the friend ff to declined to do , because he was his friend , but o ered find

one to some who would do it , and this is what the two brought Uncle Ichabod '

Here lies old Twelve -and -a -Half Per Cent The more he had the less he spent ;

The more he had the more he craved . ?” Oh , Lord , can Ichabod be saved

It is not on record that the epitaph was used .

I chabod “ lived in the Farm N eck or Pokoy neighborhood of et and his old homestead , that Nicholas , the first Norton s tler ,

80 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

cease . With a sea wall at East Chop and spur j etties along the Eastville shore to stop the further wash into the harbor (and this must be done sooner

or later anyway) , and with some little initial

dredging , the work could be accomplished G n ood hol g grou n . di d without a too great

expense , and once done , should take care of itself . This would

articu l arl be a great boon , p v to small boats and yachts , and would unquestionably induce many more of the latter to use

sh the harbor , of which yachtsmen are inclined to fight y, owing to the exposed anchorage under certain weather conditions w hich are diffi cult t o

foretell . A l r e a d y a short breakwater h as been built as a shelter

for small boats , but this is wholly inad e quate to the needs of on the place , those first

t h e g r o u n d have ,

rightly enough , appro p r iate d all the good moorings ; t h u s the Th n r e result of a ortheast sto m . Summer visitor and the E O AK B LUFFS TO VI N YARD HAVEN . 81

cruiser can find no anchorage that will put his mind at ease . Consequently Vineyard Haven harbor has a bad name among as yachtsmen , the owner of course gives heed to what his

skipper says , and the skipper , being responsible , naturally pre

. on fers not to take chances If , the other hand , there was a place where the yachtsman knew he would be safe and snug

of for he would , as a matter course . drop in a look around , and this class leaves money wherever it goes . Stewards have a free for hand purchases , while hotels , livery stables and souvenir

W for shops ould come in their share , and all manner of repairs for are called .

of This would , course , destroy the drive along the beach ,

' but a drive could be constructed from Vineyard Haven to

so Chunks Hill on the Lagoon , and up and around its eastern bank , that would be quite as beautiful and still more varied .

As of of a matter fact , the region about the upper waters the Lagoon is one of the most beautiful and least Visited of any on i of the sland , Still another suggestion is a road by way the Marine Hospital to t h e shore of the Lagoon Opposite Robins Rock and a bridge across w the water , as the deep a ter here is comparatively

narrow .

O UT ! , DAM NED SPO T The writer would like to express his disapproval of t h e telegraph - telephone trolley poles and wires that line so many public high S choo ner load ed With lim e on fi r e . ways to the serious d etr i ’ 82 MARTH A S V I NEYARD . ment of their beauty ; the generation is probably not far off

u d isfi u r em ents that will wonder why s ch g were allowed . This n f abomi ation is particularly o fensive along the Beach Road , and is the only fly in the ointment until we reach the borders of

Vineyard Haven , where some careless citizen has allowed the dump ing of rubbish and par ticu l arl y papers , that blow all over the lot . a most disagreeable in tr od u ction to the vil lage . Few people real ize the money value of

S ea W eed Hall . beauty . Why not make n a good impressio on folks when they enter the town ? M osr. of u s are careful not to dump ashes and garbage in our front halls : why sho uld Vineyard Haven allow it ? The village de of of serves better its fathers , for it is one the most beautiful

of on and sightly places , situated as it is a wooded slope and em of bracing the head the harbor in a gentle curve . So great an authority as Richard Watson Gilder writes as follows on much the same subj ect

“ One of these days the people of a commercial community i w ll appreciate the fact that , to put it commercially , beauty is a ‘ ’ ad v er valuable asset , as well as a j oy forever ; and then the tisem ent fiend will not be allowed to go up and down the land n — destroying views , which means destroyi g values values that belong to the entire population , and that no individual has a ” right to ruin . N O AK B LU FFS TO VI EYARD HAVEN . 83

B C AND T HE H B ASS REEK I NNER AR O R .

The former entrance to the Lagoon was Bass Creek , which at one time cut across the beach just west of the present marine railway . The creek , however , steadily cut away the sand on l on the west and fil ed in the east , thus sidling along the beach

no to a point just beyond where the village wharf w puts forth , and Bass Creek then followed the course now taken by Water

S ; 1 80 6 or treet in 7 the creek carried 7 feet of water . The

Th e a n e i M ri Ra lway . great storm of 1 81 5carried a brig into and partially down the creek where it grounded , and in doing so drove its j ibboom into of - the side the Great House . The scar is there to day , under the sheathing . The western arm of the Lagoon was in those days an inner harbor . This is now so shallow that only an occasional row ’ or u v boat Ben Luce s flock of d cks na igate it , but within the m of w ho emory Philander West , died within a very few years , 84 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

a brig has anchored there off the Marine Hospital . The larger of the two gras sy islands is Ferryboat Is

land , because Isaac Chase , who established the ferry between Holmes Hole and

Falmouth , was in the habit of bringing his boat inside

its and anchoring under lee . A pamphlet published in 1 879 contains a woodcut of V i n e y a r d Haven with sloops and a schooner an chored inside of the Beach Th e V i e llag blacksmith . Road . The writer can tes tify that nothing of this sort has occur red so recently as that year , and it is probable that the sketch is of earlier date . O LD H ARB O R

LI GH TS . The commanding position now occu pied by the Marine

a h ” th e Hospital was within Wreck ge from t e City of Columbus . Just to

th n th e n e th e . ’ l eft of e riggi g dista c shows old mill the writer s memo O AK B LU FFS TO VINEYARD HAVEN . 85 r o y the site of a lighthouse that marked the head f the harbor,

saw v though it never active ser ice within his time . This must

i i 1 or have been in comm ss on by 858 9. The light keeper was

Moses C . Cromwell , who lived in the next house toward the vil ’ lage at the water s edge . Before this lighthouse came into “ ” or one being there were here three Bug range lights , situated on either side of the hospital site and on one of the islands be

a . low , probably Ferrybo t Island The list of lighthouses pub lish ed for 1 857 has this to say concerning these “ Holmes Hole Beacons , at Holmes Hole Harbor , ranging : with the two channels to the anchorage 3 fixed lights , red , 1 8 for white and green ; 6th order lens ; built in 54. Ranges

entering the harbor at Holmes Hole . Red and white lights range for the western entrance and green and white lights ” range for the eastern entrance . ' 86 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

N . VI N EYA RD HAVE N , EE H O LM E S H O LE

T H E V I LLAGE . Suppose we quote Pro fessor Shaler concerning this our village : It is “ one of those accidental villages with none of the premeditation belonging to the towns which h aVe straight streets and well of aligned houses . One t h 0 s e natural asylums where old sea captains

tO d a s, Evening silhou ette of th e v illage . come end their y and to—day we can say old captains of finance come to prolong them . Here still flows the ol of s e old d blood the a kings . The salt is the best specimen of the retired man of small means the world can show . of Very many the old salts have been whaling captains , and have been brought up in the best school of courage the ” world has ever known . The evening silhouette of the village as one approaches of along the Beach Road will , seen under proper conditions light and shade , be long remembered , with its trees outlined of of against the dusk coming night , the shadowy forms its

’ 88 MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

themselves , when , on passing this house , he discovered it to on m an and be fire . Being a deliberate young , not readily ex

his cited , he carefully picked way to the door , lest the brush of a leaf might discommode the polish on his shoes , and tapped of gently with his cane . When the lady the house answered the summons he informed her in graceful phraseology that her

on his house was fire and , having done whole duty , took his not departure . It is related whether the lady expressed full i d appreciation for his k n thoughtfulness or not , but let us hope h that s e did .

SE TH DAGGETT H O U SE .

h t O n the righ t stands t e house b uilt by Capt . Seth Dagget

1 801 son of a w ho in , William D ggett , was active on the Sea

’ 6 w ho of Coast D efense in 7 , and also gave his worldly goods to help the cause along . Captain Seth was a noted pilot and was frequently kidnapped by the British , and compelled to

h e take their frigates over the shoals . One night was awak ened by a neighbor with the news that the English were after him again and , scrabbling up an armful of clothes , fled from

t he the back door for the woods , even as enemy was thunder of ing at the gate . Once safe within the shelter the trees , and ob congratulating himself on escaping an obnoxious j . he pro ceed ed to dress , only to find that in the excitement he had of picked up the garments belonging to his wife , instead those he usually wore .

T HE GREAT H O USE .

to Along Water Street , j ust before we come the flour mill , “ ” stands the Great House , a rather large square frame house one well back from the street . This is of the very old buildings and, as its name indicates , an important building in its day , E V I NEYARD HAV N NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 89 w hich was probably

1 2 begun about 7 7, it having been built possibly by I saac

son of Chase , Lieu of tenant I saac Chase , th e Royal N avy , and sold to his brother Abraham shortly af

ter . Lieut . C h a s e w as one of the first s i x proprietors t o w hom were granted

“ . i ” all the lands ly ng T h e Great Hous e . northeast of a line

T hm oo running from the head of the Lagoon to the head of as . The Lieutenant received as his share of this the land now occupied by the village .

’ SEAMAN S B ETH EL AND T HE VI LLAGE WHARF . ’ Situated on the shore end of the wharf is the Seaman s “ Bethel , whose power boat , the Helen May is ever cruising around the harbor gathering up sailors who will come to the on evening meeting and setting them board again at its end .

This is a very busy wharf, where lumber laden schooners are unburdening their minds , and with its outer end piled high off — with freight just the steamboat , or island products cran berries , quahaugs , fish , etc . , waiting to emigrate from their native heath .

HE W H EN T H E STEAM B O AT PASSED B Y O N T O TH ER SI D E . It sounds c urious to read that as late as 1 830 there w as no ’ 90 MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

f ss s on h whar here , and that pa enger were landed the beach ; t at

- t boat ' w ou ld is , when the New Bedford Nantucke take the trou

- — ble to stop its paddle wheels ou t in the Sound not come into

ou ou t the harbor , mind y , j ust slow down in the Sound and transfer passengers to any small boat that happened by . The

of 1 2 1 8 2 New Bedford Mercury October , 3 , noted the fact ‘ ’ that an elegant new steamboat , the Telegraph , had been put ” on Now the line . listen to this and hear how Vineyard folk t “ ” were treated by Capt . Edward Baker of hat same Telegraph “ to off line , who had to be coaxed stop the engine Holmes Hole and transfer passengers for the Vineyard to some small boat which happened to be on hand ; it was quite a con

‘ ’ ’ descension for the Telegraph ! to run in to John Holmes s

sh e wharf , provided a flag was set , and was not behind time

u n So says the Gazette , which further records that it was no common thing for those from Ed gartown to see the steamboat

l to re go by , unheeding the signal , whi e they were compelled f turn home and come another day . Things are quite di ferent n ow t h e - of , with the village port of entry for two thirds the l is and . T HE M O DERN B U M B O AT .

The harbor floats a modernized relic of the old bumboat

F or days in the Susie D . that is very interesting . the benefit l n l h of the a dsman , it may be well to exp ain t at a bumboat is to the coaster what the pack - ped dler is to the country house wife . Loaded with every imaginable thing that the sailor old might wish to exchange his hard money for , it used , in the off days , to put from shore , speak each incoming vessel and sell its inhabitants sweet potatoes or tobacco or socks or anv other luxury .

’ 92 M ARTH A S VI NEYARD .

tive the Bishop being introduced about town with much eclat . Uncle Peter comes intd the story when he lands one day on the village wharf where the two were standing . The local member of the firm promptly stepped up as Peter climbed over “ ” the stringpiece , and with the Bishop a close second , started “ : the usual introduction Uncle Peter , I want to introduce to

ou y our distant relative the Very Reverend D octor West , i B shop of the Church of England etc . , etc . It certainly

shou ld ' hav e sounded fine , and made a profound impression ; but whether Peter had heard stories about the visitor, or what it so ever the cause , is said that he never much as looked at his “ ou t : celebrated , if distant , relative , but growled D istant rela tiv l off es . are ike distant thunder , the further the better Rev ” erend ! D octor be damned And up the wharf he went , leaving the reverend gentleman somewhat dazed . ’ i Peter s repartee s the talk of the town . He had been stock

one on to his ing up in the village day , but the way boat re called a forgotten errand and stopped in a convenient shop to

t e leave a parcel of beefsteak while he went back . Upon his turn the shop was closed and a glance through the window no showed that the steak was t there . Peter soon learned that

’ “ the party in charge had gone home , and that he lived down ” of off the Neck , and in no very pleasant frame mind started to learn what had become of his dinner . Arrived at the house

to and knocking he was told come in , whereupon he discovered th e sh O pkeep er j ust sitting down to savory meal of steak . Peter opened the conversation with a brief statement of the case and a request for information as to the whereabouts of his

- — steak . His one time friend guessed it was in the shop but no ,

Peter convinced him that that could not be . Then he guessed VI NEYARD HAV EN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 93

some dog must have got it Yes says Peter , a damned dirty dog, and he is eating it now On one occasion at sea a sailor fell overboard and Peter on to came deck ascertain what the noise was all about . Learn

f r ing this he then asked what the man was hollering so o , and being informed that the sailor had a cramp and could not keep “ : W afloat long , Peter said ell , call to him and tell him that it — is no time to have the cramp now it is no time to have the ” now cramp .

ANO THER PETER WEST . A rather interesting bit of superstition is told of another

Peter West . Captain Peter sailed into the harbor one day , and that same evening married the girl of his heart , Mary

Chase , but the next morning the wind served and he must up t to or d anchor and away , whe her he wished not As he stoo on the deck just before leaving he produced a quarter of a dol lar from his pocket and tossed it overboard saying as he did “ so : I have married the best and handsomest girl in the world ' and am master of this vessel . I cast my last bit of money over ” And board and begin life anew . they say he prospered ever after .

- SIX TEEN SEVENTY TH REE .

a h Au Gov . Thom s May ew , in an instrument bearing date

2 1 6 of gust , 73, recites the fact that land there (the vicinity Vineyard Haven) is “ being purchased and like to be inhabited

' ” of by Englishmen . And he then grants the said neck land

th e (all that included between Lagoon , harbor , Sound , Tash m oo Pond and a straight line from the head of T ashm oo to the

“ ” Stepping Stones at the head of the L a goon) to Lieut . Isaac

Chase , D r . Thomas West , John Pease , Richard Sarson and two " M RT ’ V 94 A HA S I NEYARD .

others . They were at first merely granted the right to settle , but later secured an absolute grant of the land which , about

1 00 7 , was partitioned among them . Mr . Richard L . Pease says that so far as he could ascertain only the Chase and West families were residing here some twenty years after the grant . The Indians called this place Nobnocket and Ponit was their sachem , and the bounds of his territory were exactly those

so mentioned above , that the eastern line of that arrow point of of f section the town O ak Blu fs , which penetrates far into the of on Vitals Tisbury , is possibly the oldest boundary line extant the Vineyard .

H O LM E S H O LE . Tisbury is the name the white man gave it and the v i l l a g e was known as “ holmes his ” hole . There are all sorts of explanations of this name , but none that on satisfies every e . O ne simple excuse is that

Mr . Holmes died and w as buried in a hole ; Mai n from B each Street . others that the man killed in the fight at the head of the Lagoon , mentioned in the of first chapter as legendary record only , was named Holmes ; still others that it is from a grove of Holm oaks that grew along a stream that once ran through the village . The first record of so the name , far as I am informed , either appears in early

of or deeds property around Brush Pond in Eastville , in the

96 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

u s tion of lovers and yet ,

ou madam , y have not vouchsafed to express the least compa ssion for my f su ferings , although you

are the cruel obj ect of them . Why should beauty ef

fect arbitrary sway , or take delight in the ruin of the most faithful adorer ? O r why should such a passion ate heart as mine is be re n - Moo shine . warded only with scorn and contempt ? 0 !let me conj ure you by those dear killing eyes that have of to of robbed me my repose , let me know my crime , and where

f ou of in I have o fended y , that the whole service my life should ou atone for my transgressions ; and yet , madam , if y mean to make me your victim , do but let me know it , and I die with the of ! eagerness and resignation a martyr . For , alas my despair so f has e fectually mortified me that , should you continue to be u n severe , death would be a welcome deliverer to the most ” fortunate .

she And after all that , married the other fellow .

PATRI O TIS M .

of In roving from one end the island to the other , as we are f doing , it is di ficult to always treat a subj ect or period in proper order, and hence a little mixedness and occasional reiteration

. so must be pardoned As we had the Revolution in Edgartown , “ ” on will we have it in Holmes Hole , and later further up island . V INEYARD HAVEN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 97

About the first move made in the beginning of those troublous times was a meeting of protest by all D ukes County

a s at the Tisbury Courthouse , the following taken from the town records shows

Entred on the Town book of Records in Tisbu ary April ye l gth A D 1 775 Ezra Athearn Town Clerk

Tisbu ary December ye 6th A D 1 774Attest Ezra Athearn in Tisbu ary by Adjournment on Tuesday the Sixth day of D e cem ber A D 1 774to Recieve the report of the Above Said C om m itt ee and at Said Meeting the hereafter Recorded resolves were read Examined Unanimously Voted by the Inhabitants of said Town And Ordered to be Recorded on the Town Book .

“ Tisbu ary December ye 6th A D 1 774Attest Ezra Athearn Town Clerk

“ At A Convention of the Committees of the Several Towns in the County of D ukes County in the Province of the Massa ch u setts Bay : Held by Adjournment at Tisbu ary in Said County on the 9th of November 1 774The Said Committee after Serious Consideration of the unhappy State of the Province in general of s aid County in Particular ; by means of Certain Acts of the Brittish Parlim ent more especially A Late Act Entitu led an Act for the better Regulating the government of the province of the Massachusetts Bay : Resolved as follows That by the Emigration o f Our Ancestors from great Brittain into the parts of America of which the Province of M assachu setts Bay consists : When thare ware Uncultivated Regions Inhabited only by wild Beasts and Savages in human form ; by ’ 98 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD . their Establishing them selves here at their own great ex pence Submitting to and Enduring with most Remarkable fortitude and Patience the most grevions T o i l s a n d hardships . Amidst the greatest dangers : by the great cost and la bor of the People of this province Clearing Inclosing C u ltiv at ing their Lands here ( After a fair purchas hereof of the Indian Prop riators ) And in Th e Mansion House . Erecting Necessary C onv eniant Buildings thereon : And by this Peoples D efend ing at A Vast Ex p ence of their Blood and Treasure their P os sessions and Properties thus Aquired . “ The Territories I ncluded within this Province which would Otherwise have belonged to no Prince or Princes but Indian Sachems ; or which would have been much worse for Grea t Brittain would have been Posses sed by the Subj ects of S ome Rival European Prince or State) Are now with but verry Li ttle if any Ex p ence to the Crown or People of Brittain be come a verey Vall u abl e Part of the Dominions of the Brittish M onorch which from the first P eop eling thereof by his Sub j ects hath been Continually Increasing in v allu e to the Vaste a nd growing Emolumen t of the Crown and People of ye M other country by A Great Increas of the Trade commerce and Naval Powers .

’ M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

THE C O F THE M I RA LE FI SH ES . In December an extraordinarily cold and protracted north east snowstorm swept over the island , and immense quantities

on of snow fell . After the storm some e wandering about th e Eastville shore of the Lagoon discovered a large number of striped bass frozen in the ice and snow . The news was spread and th e people were soon busy taking the fish out with pitch

forks or any other implement that could be used , they being stacked in great heaps along the shore . The British had burned all the salt works and there was little salt to cure the catch with , but fortunately there was abundance of cold stor

age , and these , supplemented with such eels , clams and wild fowl as could be p r o

cured , formed the main sup

port of the people . The the ory advanced to account for this wonderful fall of manna

is interesting . It is supposed that as the waters chilled and the ice and slush formed and

n d n h . was driven to leeward , the Wi d up an dow t e mast fish naturally sought warmer and clearer w ater ~ gr ad u ally working their way to windward

‘ esca e and as h until the shore barred p , their last refuge filled wit ice , they were imbedded therein . 1 1 VINEYARD HAVEN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 0

T HE LAST TI M E B RI TI SH SO LDIERS TRO D

M ASSACHUSETTS SO I L . h After thoroug ly scouring the island , the British troops , to

n at the umber of possibly rendezvoused Holmes Hole , camping for some days j ust across Church Street from the

st ffi c present p o o e . The site was particularly suitable for a ’ n camp in an enemy s country , though the poor inhabita ts stood in as much awe of the armed troops as did Rob the Grinder of ’ D ombey Son s manager , Mr . Carker . Church Street was

in those days a deep gully more or less blocked by boulders , t and with his on their right , the forest at the rear and left and ow n their ships covering their front , they could easily con struct a fortified c amp that would have satisfied even a Roman

general .

- Thi s is Manter Hill , and it is claimed that when the troops ' t e- rnbar ked broke camp here and e from the beach below, it was the last time the soil of Massachusetts was pressed by the foot

of a British soldier . The islanders were theoretically treated as neutrals by the

British cruising in these waters , and while there were a few

of . home companies for local protection , such as those Capt

Nathan Smith , Capt . Benjamin Smith and Capt . Jeremiah Man

ter , those who were willing to enlist for the war did so under

some other banner than that of the exposed Vineyard , and thus

did not subj ect their beloved island to Open hostility .

O F AB NER LUCE .

Here is a story of one man who did his share . Abner Luce ,

grandfather of Benj amin N . Luce , enlisted probably from the

town of D artmouth , as during the Revolution New Bedford

n , was a part of that tow , and his grandson likes to tell how at 102 ’ MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

had of Valley Forge , Abner . who somewhere captured a brace w as chickens and carrying them to his mess , was stopped by an

f of his l n o ficer who , in virtue superior rank , demanded the p u der , and when refused attempted to take it . Abner was a husky as well as a hungry lad , and not only refused to let go , his but thrashed superior in short order , and his mess ate the chickens . fi The of cer , instead of tak ing his punish

m e n t quietly , made a charge Of ‘ assault , and of course our h e r o w a 5 brought before

a Court Martial . n A fish pocket on th e Vin eyard Have Shore. W h e n the in d ictm ent was read to him and he was asked what he had to “ s a for y himself , he promptly responded that the man who ’ ’ ” d fi l for t woul n t ght for his grub wou dn t fight his coun ry , and the Court thought his View of the situation the correct one and discharged him .

Valley Forge , as we all know , was a bitter school . Owing

uf to an ins ficiency of clothing , the men were in the habit of

t for sleeping in hrees warmth , and drawing lots to see who would be the fort unate one for the middle . O n a particularly ’ severe night it was Abner s luck to draw the warm berth .

When he arose in the morning . either one or both of his com panions were frozen to death . Abner lies in the West Tisbury

104 ’ M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

fo e . were little better than pirates , robbing friend and alike

or These marauders usually came in launches whale boats , and a constant watch was kept at many points to give early i notice . I t s said that a watch tower was erected for this pur

pose , and several earthworks were constructed for purposes of o defense . Until recent years the remains f some of these

i v on fortif cations were isible , notably the southern slope of ’ Hu zzl eton s Head and on the Sound shore about half a mile

beyond the West Chop Light . “ The next august the Pickeroone say small v essells they had taken from us and armed with swivels and sometimes a

he 1 th 1 t . War Brig would accompany them . about 3 Sept 775 a Large number of ye above description made their appear for cear ai os S ance holme s hole : a t m Mr . J . mith who always

’ ' u s E a on no i o gave in d g t t s f the Enemys approach . it seemed next morning the whole shore of Holm ses was covered with men : Coll B arakiah Bassett who Recommended keeping up Volinteer s and w as as good as his promis : a Signall had been agreed on that when we wanted a reinforcement he would send

ou r r el af w as 011 to e . a great pine Torch made and the C sent a member of Boats well filled with men and officers Commanded ” - by the Brave Capt . Grannis and the next morning they and

there the fragmen t ends abruptly . W H E N I T I S NO T RO B B ERY !

or 1 to In O ctober November , 777, two vessels belonging B m f oston Tories na ed Holmes and Co fin , and laden with stores

for . the enemy, lay in Holmes Hole harbor Washington , learn “ of t ing this , sen an order to M ajor Tupper to capture them for ” the use of the United Colonies , and this he did , receiving the

thanks of the General for his enterprise . 1 VI NEYARD HAV EN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 05

- TH E O UT SKI RTS O F PATRI O TIS M .

Everything was turned to account during those days , even the clock weights were requisitioned and melted into bullets . Considerable munitions of war had at one time been accu m u for of lated the use the Sea Coast D efense , but how to get them safely to the main was a question . The waters between were

v patrolled by the enemy and e ery boat stopped and searched .

It was a case for brains and nerve rather than brawn , and the h emergency broug t forth the woman for the hour , for a good dame of Holmes Hole v illage came forward with a promise to get the precious cargo across safely . Then she built her an immense hoop skirt and , the supplies being placed in the stern of sat on a boat , she down them , disposing her ample skirts in of such manner that , like charity , they covered a multitude sins , at least sins in British eyes , and thus freighted the boat ‘ n i was allowed to go o ts way unmolested .

O F SU CH STU FF WAS O U R GRAND M O TH ERS MADE . l/ At the top of Manter Hill stood the famous Liberty Pole

1 of 775. When it was erected the women poured all their tea into the hole to commemorate the Boston Tea Party . Shortly “ ” after the British ship Unicorn came in , needing a new mast , ff and tried to buy the flagsta , and when the people refused to it sell , the Captain swore he would take next morning , with or without their leave . — During the night three of the village daughters Polly Dag — gett , Parnel Manter and Maria Allen gathered at the pole , which they proceeded to bore full of holes and then fill with powder , and after building a fire about the base of the pole , of the girls retired to the house Maj or Norton , which was

of 1 88 burned in the fire 3, and from there watched until the 106 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

blaze exploded the powder . The pole was shattered and the " w for Unicorn went else here her mast . The deed has been

. R commemorated by the D A . . , who have placed a tablet

of around a pole in front their headquarters .

o f The home the D . A . n R . o Manter Hill was built about 1 82 5f or Na than Mayhew as a school It house . was later the

first town school , and was then used as a Unitarian

meeting place .

PO L LY DAGGET T . As time went on Polly Daggett became Aun t

e th e Hillman to a younger Hom of D . A . R . of generation . A woman strong character and great ability , she left a lasting impression on those who came in contact with her .

M rs . Hillman had a gift of prophecy or second sight that was altogether incomprehensible . Several stories are extant showing this peculiar ability . Capt . William D aggett was ex

el pe ed home on a certain day , but did not come , and his family i was greatly worr ed . Finally Aunt Hillman went to his wife ’ to as of b and told her prepare dinner , the masts her hus and s

’ vessel would be seen rounding West Chop by 3 o clock , and so it happened .

Another time Aunt Hillman saw her brother , Silas Dag

on his . gett , lying the shore with a bruise on forehead He was

108 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

or and fines , imprisonments years of detention of their vessels , or perhaps confiscation . w ho Those were Masons sometimes found it of service , valu a able aid being received t times through this influence . For this reason an organization was effected under the name of “ ’ ” of l ot King Solomon s Lodge Perfection . A was purchased l and building material hauled to the spot , but ocal feeling was

for very strong against the order , and this or some other rea son , the building was not constructed , the members meeting in ’ each other s houses .

’ - B ETWEE N SEVENTY S I ! AND EI GH TEEN TWELV E .

of 1 81 2 The War brought much the same distress , though ’ w ff 6 in a some hat lesser degree , as had been su ered in 7 . Again was the Sound patrolled and the island blockaded , and again ffe l were its inhabitants put to much su ring and oss . As early as 1 807 the Secretary of War had recommended the prote ction of fi a the Vineyard by means of a forti cation , but nothing p to pears have been accomplished . The following letter recently republished in the New Bedford Mercury gives an idea of what ou r f shipping was su fering , though the outcome this time was rather more fortunate than usual

“

2 1 808. Holmes Hole , Feb . 3, “ i on 1 1th of Sa led from Salem , the D ecember , in bark ‘ ' th . Active , bound for Malais . O n the 4 Jan . lat . N long

I W w as of 4 . , boarded by the British letter marque Lord ’ i C ranstow n n . , G bson , from Liverpool , bou d for Nevis who

ix on put a prize master and s men board , and took out my two and one mates and five men , leaving me a cook , steward man , h and ordered us to keep company with him , w ich we did until 2 8th n the , when we parted compa y , and the next day I rose , V INEYARD HAVEN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 109

re- confined the prize master and crew below , and took the ves sel , and arrived here yesterday .

W . P . Richardson .

STO RIES O F EI GHTEEN TWELVE . Possibly a story or two of these war times will be enough for this part of the island . Capt . David Smith kept the tavern in Holmes Hole , a place of first and last resort for all the old ff hi salts w ho were o duty . The Captain was proud of s repu tat ion r to for hospitality , but it was ha d work to live up it on

a son this blockaded isl nd , and finally he and his Nathan must

r in needs j ou ney to New York their Open boats for provisions .

The trip had been a great success , both boats had rounded on West Chop the return , laden with delights for the palate and the two men wer e thanking their lucky stars that they had “ ” of escaped the watchful eye the British war brig N imrod , when of a sudden two barges full of armed m e n w e r e

seen approaching . The Smiths had rounded up to the beach preparatory to

discharging cargo . but hastily got u n

der way again and , making for Bass

Creek , sailed down where now the trol

' ley skims W a t e 1 Water Street Wh ere once flowe d Bass Creek dow n which th e Smiths escape d th e pursui ng B ritish . so on Street , and 11 ’ 0 MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

into the Lagoon . The barges kept down outside , and landing their marines in the bend of the beach these opened fire on th e

t M rs . fleeing boats . Then it was hat Polly Smith , wife of Na “ : than , handed her babe to a girl in the house , saying Hold this se e - child , Sallie , while I go upstairs and those red coat devils

cannonade Nathan . But those marines were not used to i shooting from such firm foundat on as mother earth, and did

no damage worth mentioning , and the fugitives soon rounded b Cedar Neck , placing its ulwark of sand between them and w ho b not the enemy, presuma ly did care to get into such a trap

as the Lagoon might prove to be , should they venture inside r b with . thei arges . The fire burned bright on the tavern

w as of for a hearth that night , and there plenty good cheer ll old of the old salts who dropped in . The Smith Tavern , one

t he i of notable bu ldings Main Street , was destroyed in the

confla ration 1 88 great g of 3. Being held up and robbed by those highwaymen of the seas was such a common occ urrence that little or no note was made

or on of it , but an escape a successful retaliation the part of the f ha assed people was made much o . Such a story h as been ‘ “ ” f a o o C t . f preserved p I saac Winslow , father old Capt . Lean “ ” hi a d er s . Winslow, and bo t , the Old Kite The Captain w as ? bac from New of k Y , on his way ‘ ork with a boatload provisions y

‘ when he i w as held up and robbed by a small war vessel lying in

' Tair aul in . w as p Cove . He finally turned loose in his boat , and

of instead going home , proceeded to Falmouth where was a

w ho certain Captain Jinkins , owned a wood sloop and was

’ ready for an adventure . O n hearing Captain Winslow s story

w as i the wood sloop immediately put nto commission , two small cannon were placed on deck well hidden under a quan

’ 112 MARTHA S V I NEYARD . the course of some remarks he was making in meeting the n potatoes sudde ly occurred to him , and without changing his “ of he : tone voice , said By the way , Sister Manter , I have some sweet potatoes for you and continued on with his ex

i t he r hortation , the good s ster in meantime secu ing a pan from the closet and holdin g it while the potatoes were slowly pulled ou of of t pocket and dropped therein , during the entire course w as which proceeding there was no break in the talk . There no of thought irreverence in the action , which was accepted by

s 0 ~ the congregation as a matter of course . I t was imply a c m of pany friends met together . C APT . B ENJ AM I N CLO U GH . Here is the story of a Vi neyard Haven man which has been

too : told many times , but none Often What has been called a piece of cool daring which was ” never surpassed on the ocean stands to the credit of Capt . “ ” m t Benja in Clough, then hird mate of the whaling ship Sharon

1 8 2 which in November , 4 , was cruising for whales in the vicin

of w as ity the Caroline Islands . The crew short handed , con

six 6 h sisting of eleven white men and natives . On November t whales were raised , and both boats lowered in chase , leaving ’ the Captain a boy and three King s Mill Islanders on board . -

‘ Soona and the ship ran down to and took i o f . it alongside , the boats continu ng in pursuit others Some ’ time later the ship s signal was discovered at half mast , and the boats drew near to find that the C ap tain had been killed n a d . by the natives that the boy was in the rigging This boy ,

“ under directions from the boats , cut the halyards and sheets , that the ship could not be handled , but the boats dared not approach , as the mutineers had every advantage both of posi VI NEYARD HAVEN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 113

tion and arms . Mr . Clough ,

third mate , seems to have taken

the lead in suggestions , and finally offered to swim to the t ship af er dark . This he did with nothing but a boat ’ s knife in his t eeth to defend himself

against sharks , two of which accompanied him all the tim e

he was in the water , over an

hour and a half , but did not

molest him . He could not

swim , as the commotion would cause a sparkling of the water

and betray him , but finally

u ns worked to the vessel , dove

der her stern , climbed the rud ~ der to the cabin windo w s and!

of ol - entered . She was d fash ioned build with windows in

the stern .

He then stripped , that the

no ad A n old timer showi ng stern wi n d ows naked foe might have a n such s e j . lou h clam B C g vantage in a hand-to - hand b ered through .

grapple , satisfied himself that his presence was unsuspected , searched the cabin in the dark for arms , found two cutlasses and two muskets , and loading the latter, placed all at the foot of the cabin stairs . While loading

e one a fowling piece he h ard a step in the gangway , and some descended the stairs , hit the arms and fell with them . Mr . ’ 114 M ARTHA S V I NEYARD .

lough jumped forward and groping about the intruder ’ s feet

secured a cutlass with w hich he ran the man through the body . it f As he withdrew a struggle ensued and both fell , the o ficer ’ on uppermost , then planting his knee the Islander s breast

he attempted to saw his head off with the weapon . The native in his struggles seems to have caught the cutlass by the hilt ’ and turned the weapon in Mr . Clough s hands , cutting them badly , but he finally lay still and , supposing him dead , the vic no t he tor arose . But sooner was he up than other also arose

and began to slash in blind fury , hitting Clough at almost — he . every stroke finally fell , however , exhausted At this mo ment a second man appeared in the gangway with a cutting f spade . The o ficer snapped one of the muskets at him twice

and finally shot him through the heart , but the spade was either ’ n an or . d thrown fell , striki g Mr Clough s left arm cutting it to

such an extent that he could not thereafter use it .

Now the third mutineer appeared in the gangway , also

armed with a spade , and peered into the darkness . Clough

f u se made several ine fectual attempts to the other musket , but both his right hand and left arm had been put out of commis

sion and he was bleeding furiously . The man , afraid to de

scend in the dark , finally dropped his spade and walked for f d. . ward , and the O ficer hailed the boats , which he hear outside t of The crew , however , in spi e the fact that they were told that

tw o of one the natives had been killed , believed that only was

as one dead , they had heard but gun , and for more than half

u n an hour refused to come to his aid . H is right hand being

of usable , he could not staunch the flow blood from his left

arm , and he all but bled to death when help should have been s o ready .

11 ’ 6 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

Captain Clough finally made up his mind that something

r t h e must be done , and done quickly , and di ected other cap tain to begin t o edge around the hut for the door the min ute he ou t his knocked the light with shoe , while he , Clough , would t figh his way down the middle , and whoever escaped was to

r bring assistance fo the other . Then making motions as

his though shoe hurt him , he stooped down and removed it and ,

straightening up , threw it at the lamp , leaving the room in a sudden darkness . With a heavy lignum Vit e cane which he always carried he literally mowed his way through the group of surprised natives . It was slow work , or seemed Slow, but he reached the door by the time the other captain did, and both

for . ran their lives , ran as they never ran before O f course the ’ cannibals were after them hot foot , but the boat s crews were met coming to look for them and the natives took a discreet view of the situation .

Another time , this in the Arctic Ocean , the Captain had of e t charge a boat which had driv n a harpoon in o a whale .

d of floe The whales keep along the e ge the permanent ice , and

when wounded are apt to dive under it . In this instance the harpoon line caught around the Cap

' ’ ou t of tain s leg and pulled him the boat and under the ice .

r of his He had p esence mind enough to put his hand in pocket ,

pull out his knife and cut the rope , and then , having kept track

of for floe the direction , swam under water the edge of the . The last t hing he remembered as he lost consciousness was f flo seeing the edge o the e j ust above him . Fortunately his

body floated to the surface and w as seen .

The Portland (Me . ) Bulletin described Captain Clough “ s hortly after the Sharon incident as a young man of good VI NEYARD HAVEN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 117

i d iifi d ent exterior and qu te in manner , mild in voice and hardly to be suspected of that spirit of indomitable daring which he so well exhibited in action . In form he is manly and well pro of portioned , and is possessed a temperament of great endur ance . There is about the mouth an expression of firmness the ” most marked .

CAPT . O BI D LUCE .

on Another Holmes Hole man , this time e who gave his life his f o . h for sense fair play , was Capt Obid Luce , master of t e “ ”

r . . 1 8 8 whaleship Bay , of Wa ren , R I In 4 , while cruising F ” among the iji Islands , a boat from the Bay was trading in the surf with the natives when a sudden squall coming up , the Captain w as obliged to put to sea before paying for the goods

AS he had received . promptly as possible he worked back and

and ~ ood s landed with five men g with which to square accounts . But the cannib als apparently not understanding the reason of his had return and believing they been unjustly treated , seized all hands and took them back to the village .

The mate , after waiting all night and hearing nothing from ’ of the missing men , fired the ship s gun in the direction the of village , and it is supposed that this caused the massacre f captain and crew . The firing not having the desired e fect of bringing the natives to the beach to beg for mercy and to give ” u p the prisoners , the Bay then sailed for the Windward ’ - o - I slands , where an American man war was found and also a whaleship , commanded by Capt . Grafton Luce , brother of Obid .

These returning to the island , landed and attacked the village ,

- f capturing a number o the cannibals , who were promptly swung

fi fe from the yardarm , as a large on the beach and other indi cations showed only too plainly what had been the fate of the 118 A’ MARTH S VI NEYARD .

murdered sailors . The descendants of Captain Luce still liv e

in the village . W AR C IVI L TI M ES .

“ ” t 1 86 1 In the latter par of the U . S . frigate San Jacinto ,

commanded by Capt . Charles Wilkes , dropped anchor in on on Holmes Hole harbor her way to Boston , having board d n the Confe erate diplomatic agents James W . Mason and Joh

‘ w ho h ad Slidell , been taken from the British mail steamer “ on to Trent while her way St . Thomas .

ne n and e ee t 11 1 n h S e h fi r e . e 883. O th e t e n Cor r Mai B ach tr ts aft r of Aug , right rui s th e n t n e w h e e e ne th e . of Ma sio Hous , to ard l ft what r mai d of Baptist Church

T HE O F B URNI N G VI NEYARD HAVEN . A very important and a very sad event in the history of the

confla ration of I I 1 village was the g August , 883, Saturday night . The fire started in a harness shop , about where the

’ 12 0 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

cover them and the street has long since built up again and bu s1ness is out its bustling in and of doors , but it will be many a generation bef ore the clapboards and the paint have melted o ow n int one another and the street has come into its again , if ever it does .

T H E S R M O F N M B 2 8 1 8 8. G R E A T T O O V E E R , 9

is to It a pity wind up with disasters , and yet such seem to now be the later innovations , for we have Main Street built

of 2 8 1 8 8 up again , along comes the hurricane November , 9 , and of almost lays it low . This the greatest storm the century , before which even the famous storm of 1 81 5pales into insig ifi n n ca ce . The harbor was strewn with w recks and a few lives were l ost , but the small death rate was due largely to the cool b of ravery Isaac C . Norton ,

Alvin H . Cleveland , Frank GO

lart , Stanley Fisher and F

Horton Johnson , and not to any lack of violence on the

o W part f ind and wave . The writer can never be made to believe that men as fearless After th e blow was over . and absolutely brave as these n “ ” were could be other than ho est and true . With Ike Norton

as captain , the first three mentioned put out in a dory from the boathouse of Walter Luce and took five men from the schooner

” h on Hamilton , w ich had gone the flat near the new break VINEYARD HAVEN NEE H O LM ES H O LE . 12 1

water ; coming down be fore the wind they man a ged to make the shore

i a near the marine ra lw y , w here the rescued sailors w ere taken into Chad wick ’ s blacksmith shop a nd resuscitated along

of - side his red hot stove . The schoon er Thur ” V ‘ S e th e e n th e l O V W e l l t ashore near till mor of d vastatio wrought by

e e e 1898. gr at storm of Nov mb r , i h the old Norr s w arf , and t on see hose the beach could a man lashed in the rigging , and

w a s h th again the dory launched , t is time being towed to w t indward of the wreck by a tug and cast O ff. This ime the h c w of . re consisted Isaac C Norton (captain) , Stanley Fis er ,

F . Horton Johnson and Alvin H . Cleveland . The man in the r igging was dead from exposure , but the remaining five men on the vessel were landed safely . A third time the dory put ou t of from shore , and this time against the judgment all those

and t s ea present , af er a fearful struggle against wind and , saved

fi v e more men from almost certain death . The crew of the dory

of . . this time consisting Isaac C Norton , Alvin H Cleveland and

ol ar t u Frank G . S ch superb bravery and magnificent endur a nce as w as shown by these men have seldom been surpassed . ’ As one drives along the Beach Road of a pleasant Summer s day it is impossible to realize what they faced ; no ordinary m an , even had he been willing , could have undertaken such an

or enterprise . Some fifty vessels were driven ashore went to t he bottom of the harbor . ’ 12 2 M ARTHA S V I NEYARD .

‘ N T W K ~ T H E PO O R O AL AY S WI T US .

a l c of The almost tot l a k penury on the Vineyard is notable . Now and then some old and feeble person outlives all friends

or on not and relatives , some e who is quite right aloft requires

u nfor assistance , and then a paper is passed around and the tu nate promptly and willingly cared for . The opportunities for at least earning a living are much greater in a place l i ke

t or h . t e this han inland , in large cities For instance , herring fishery of Tisbury is worth anywhere from $2 5to $50 per sea son to any inhabitant who may choose to avail himself of it then the cranberry picking in the Fall is worth possibly twice as u ah au in much more , while the q g g , scalloping and fishing are

open to all , and though hard work is very profitable ; then in

I did not always stand idl e as this ; for once th e risi ng s u n Shone bright and gay on my long white sails n ei e S n As rou d to th r work th y pu , A nd I sang in joy to th e favoring gal es e e en ru n That gav th ir str gth till my grist was , ’ now e and n and th e in su n . But I m ag d gau t, dull must I look to ris g

’ 12 4 MARTHA S VINEYARD .

A M I STAKE .

n of This is down the N eck which remi ds me S arah Bark , w ho once kept a private hospital for sick mariners hereabouts . ’ one re The lady s chief factotum was Becky , and her chief

son sponsibility her Ben , who was best known for his won d er ful ability to sleep , a natural gift highly cultivated , from

of u which no ordinary methods proced re would arouse him . Sarah once had a sailor patient who was expected to pass

‘ ‘ rnom ent away at any , and undertaker Johnson took a lively

e so so fre personal int rest in the result , much that he was a at quent caller, and last was told by Becky that the sailor was

for ready his hands , but being somewhat deaf , mistook the number o f the r oom and entered that wherein Ben lay sound asleep . Proceeding without delay to prepare the supposed

o bl ack ‘ su it h corpse , he cl thed it in the whic had been brought for the purpose , during which proceeding Ben Slept peacefully

as on . His feet , however , were refractory , they would insist on falling apart , and our mortuary friend finally tied his big of toes together with a bit twine . he also propped up his chin of with a brick , as the j aw had an unpleasant way dropping down . The result was S O e x ceedingly happy th at Becky w ascalled saw up to admire , but when she what had happened the good n woman fell o the sleeping Ben and lifted up her voice , ex

“ ’ ’ ” claiming He s got my Benny ! He s got my Benny ! And straightway Ben awoke and being as yet not fully sensible of

s t h e the ituation , though alarmed at commotion , he attempted to spring from the bed , but with his toes tied made a bad mess of o it , landing on the fl or in a heap that further augmented

’ n b Becky s consternatio . Ben was very much awake V this time “ HO LM ES VI NEYARD HAVEN NEE H O LE . 12 5 and himself added to the confusion with many words and much adj ectiv ed inquiry as to the reason - of his being trussed up in not such fashion . It is stated whether anything further hap no pened . Much depended doubt on the relative size of the undertaker and the undertaken .

HUZ Z LET O N’ S H EAD AND TH E H O USE O F TH E T O RY . D escending the hill that lets one down from the more thick

ly settled parts - of the

village , we glance a c r o s s t h e l o w ground of Frog Al ley scooped ou t pre sum ably by the a c tion of water in pre

historic times . Here is one of those e n ticing views of the Th e e H u zzl eton ’ s e e e th e Tory Hous of H ad , wh r harbor punctuated British officers were captured . with one of the Vine ’ yard s old homes which reclines on a Spur of the higher ground that walls us in . ’ A bit further is Hu zz l eton s Head a bold bluff that seems to take delight in facing down the northeasters that come howling into the Open mouth of the harbor during the months of of bluster . On the southern slope this once stood a small earthwork , while toward its northern bounds stands a house of mystery , whose shuttered windows no longer search the

r one on v er d e of horizon . He e lived Daggett . a Tory , the y e g 12 ’ 6 M ARTH A S VI NEYARD .

ff the blu , from which he could see a vast

n of expa se water , an d here the British resorted , being sure of a friendly wel It come . is told how t h e E n g l i s h had seized a Falm ou th pilot to take them

C I' OV the Shoals Of n n e C h O e e th e m en Poi t Po d , W st p , wh r of Falmouth

in land e d in their whal e boats . N antucket safety , but before leaving some of the officers came across the Sound to and f bid good bye to their hospitable friend the Tory , riends of the pilot , learning of this , crossed in two whale boats and t of landing in Point Pond , on he outer extremity the Chop , they marched down the Shore and surrounded the D aggett

. f fi house Two British O cers were captured , tied hand and foot

th e and bundled into the boats , return trip being made in safety . Then were the Falmouth men in a good position for a dicker , and soon were able to exchange their friend for the f captured O ficers .

CO N CERNI NG T H E H O LLO W , M I NK M EADO WS AN D

M R . WI LLIAM D O W NS . ’ The Hollow j ust above Hu zz leton s Head affords a broad of h View the water and t en we have more woods , the lighthouse and Point Pond with the Sound at ou r feet and clustered along

f W C hO its Shore the cottages o the est p settlement . This of Chop has been wasted by the action the currents , much as

a so . has East Chop , though by no me ns to great an extent

’ 12 8 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

The fishery is open to every inhabitant of the to w nship who may wish to come in ; all over 1 6 years of age secure a full of share the catch , those between 1 2 and 1 6 a half

r sha e . One has but to show himself on the beach at a certain hour in the morning to be counted in , after W hich he can go Th e fish huts at th e H errin g Creek . about his ow n business

to r e and never attend the fishing at all , those who really fish ceiv in g two shares . The writer has talked with a man who , ou t as a boy , used to hustle in the early morning , Show himself at the counting in and then get back in time for school . The money thus received , together with that earned by cranberry ’ for picking and in other ways , paid the lad s education and put him on his feet . T T O HE LAGO O N .

“ ” Now come we back to the village for the start up island .

“ ” at least for up island after we get through with the Lagoon and round there . One of the most attractive views to be had in all this region is offered by Mount Aldworth ” as the knoll just southeast of “ ” n the State Road and o the edge of the village is called . At our feet is spread a wonderful panorama beginning with the vil ’ lage tucked into the cove of which Hu z zl eton s Head is the far point , then the harbor with the distance bounded by the Cape , H H V INEYARD AVEN NEE O LM ES H O LE . 12 9

the Beach Road and the beach foreshortened until it looks like the scratchy attempt of a child that for the first

time tries a pencil , while distant Eastville saws

the skyline . Still to the right lies the Lagoon and Cedar

N , Th e B each Road fro m Mount Aldworth . eck and more Lagoon and b e y o n d the far f country which rolls over to Oak Blu fs and Farm Neck . In the

as foreground swells the land , still much the ice age left it , seamed with walls , whose stones came down with the ice from Boston way , making one think that some giant Bos ~ tonian has spilled his Sund ay m o r n i n g breakfast of baked beans . This neigh borh ood ‘ is really the Site of the earli est settlement on the

th Th e rowell ouse . lose by stood e hous e of harbor , and two of C H C a e th e e ne Dr . Thom s W st, first whit ow r h nd the old houses stand of t e la . ’ at the water s edge , 130 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

the Crowell and the , C r o m w e l l h a bita

tions , both interest ing dots on the page of history . A bit further stands the

Marine Hospital , a Government institu tion for the care of sick and i n j u r e d

sailors , and beyond

T h e Cromwell Hous e . the arm that was once Bass Creek and n down which fled Natha Smith from the British , are the beach of n houses the fishermen , the marine railway and all the e

chanting clut ter of the village shore . We are standing beside a small deserted burial ground of of less than a dozen visible graves , some whose stones are still of of in a good state preservation . One these reads “ Lydia the Wife of John Claghorn

r st 1 0 a r d She died in Child bed December 3 , 77 , in ye g year of

John and Lydia , That lovely pair

A whale killed him , Her body lies here

There souls we hope , With Christ now reign , ” So our great Loss , is there great Gain .

Another close by bears this inscription :

“ Here lies the body of Francis West Doct Son to . Elisha Mrs . Abigail h . 8t 1 60 West Died February the , 7 ” 2 0th In the year of his Age .

132 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

from Edgartown on account of his reli — th gion 7 D ay , or Saturday Baptist — though even 2 00 years ago there w as a b r a n c h o n t h e V i n e y a r d of the Newport Church to which the Wests be

longed . S . A . De vens notes the fact in 1 838 that many of

n ’ nd h a th L Chu k s Hill a t e upp er r e ch es of e agoon . the vessels engaged in the Vineyard fi sh

a eries were owned by the Saturd y Baptists of New London , and that these kept th the 7 day strictly, the crews holding regul ar s e r v i c e o n a bo rd .

CEDAR NE CK . As we gaze down the Lagoon the eye roams the length of “ Cedar N eck or The Cedar Trees ” as it f was ormerly known , on w hose e a s t e r n a n Distant view of Cedar N eok from across th e L goo . w as shore there. once D H O LM ES VI NEYAR HAVE N NEET H O LE . 133

a shipyard , and along whose western margin grows an inter

of of esting fringe Cedars great age , where the youth and beauty of a generation that is now grizzled and rheumatic were

on wont to promenade . This is e of the greatest places for song birds that ever w a s ; so far as possible the small boy with his gun is kept at a distance and the happy birds are ever giving thanks . Across the waters is Eastville , and back the eye comes

u f of along the high bl f opposite , formed what geologists call kame and terrace drift , where the materials have been collected

of su b- by the action violent currents of water , such as glacial

or streams , were formed by tidal action at some distance from

the ice front . This gouge in mother earth which we now call the Lagoon was presumably cut by a swift current from the

face of some glacier .

W EB ATAQ UA . The old N o r t o n house at the head of the Lagoon is one of the very old build o ings f the region . As far back as about

1 6 0 7 it was moved , b e c a u s e o f t h e crumbling o f t h e

bank , and it had been a home for one or two generations be e th e e th e a n Th e old Norton Hous at h ad of L goo , fore that . W ebataq u a . I n the midst of the ancient apple orchard can still be found the grass - grown cellar 1 ’ 34 M ARTHA S V I NEYARD .

of hole marking the former site the old house , when it was the

r e r l t home of the P sbu y family . The one fami y treasure in hose ’ early days of plain living and hard work was Mother Pr esbu ry s too wedding ring , which , precious to wear , was kept to be gazed at by the younger members of the tribe . O ne day temptation overcame one of the girls and sh e slipped it on a finger as she went off to Holmes Hole on some of errand . Somewhat late in returning , the hurry the evening meal made her forget the ring , and its loss was only discovered on a return from the woodpile with chips . to A long search failed show its hiding place , and her trou of ble was finally confessed , but every effort failed success , though succeeding generations spent many a vain hour about of old of the site the house , until a youth the sixth following generation turned up the long lost treasure with his plough

t for share . Then was here great rej oicing , it was now become an heirloom beyond price still bearing the motto engraved so many years before

I love none B u t thee alone .

The lucky finder presented the ring to a favorite sister and ! it again reposed in ease and comfort . But , alas a daughter of arose whose love splendor overcame all else , and again the ! golden circle decorated the finger of youth and again did it ’ a — of v nish this time in the sands Edgartown s harbor shore , its where the ferryboat for Chappaquiddick made landing , and its loss is still mourned .

Here also are those famous springs , where the white man and the Indian fought before history was writ , now reduced to a state of vassalage and furnishing inexhaustible refreshment

13 ’ 6 MARTH A S V I NEYARD . — plies the old time pronunciation of the Indian name of this — part of the Lagoon W ebataqu a

“ Here lies poor Jenny , faithful slave . Who trusted in her works to save h a Who s paid the debt we all must pay . ” W a a She lived and died at eb t qu a .

Some say that our fabulous friend M oshop was more or less h of about the ead the Lagoon , but as he always had his seven

league boots with him , it was but a step from Gay Head, and there is no reason why he should not have been found occa sionall h y in t ese parts ; in fact , the small pond here once known “ ” as the Oyster Pond may be the print of his foot for all I know ; n they d o say there are several such prints about the isla d .

. Rev Such authorities as Professor Shaler and the . Hebron Vincen t agreed that this island w as once covered with pine

trees . A Vineyard Haven man who is himself 80 years of age remembers to have heard his grandmother tell of gathering in pine knots when a girl in the fields about these head waters ,

ica in o d t g the former existence f extensive pine forests .

T HE - WH ERE I NDIANS FO RE GATH ERED . These shores w ere evidently a great gathering place for the I ndians ; frequent evidence of this is found in the heaps of rot w in ting shells here they had their feasts , arrow flints picked up a t odd times and in a most symmetrical stone pestle found on Cedar Neck . Some fifteen years ago the skeleton of an Indian giant in almost perfect preservation was dug up in the same locality ; the bones indicated a man easily six feet and a

half , possibly seven feet , high . An unusual feature was a com

p lete double row of teeth on both upper and lower j aws . After e all the bones w re removed the place was carefully dug over , E ‘ HO LM ES V I N YARD HAVEN NEE H O LE . 137

u but no implements were found , a sing lar fact , as the Indians were supposed to always bury his implements with the dead . In the bank between Chunk ’ s Hill and

Cedar Neck was found , not long ago , what was evidently at one time a pack oi age arrow and spear heads . there be ing twenty-two packed together so snug l y as to suggest that , when dropped , they had been tied up for transportation ; and

of im le pottery , pipes and all manner p ments have been found from one end of ’ the Lagoon s shore to the other .

A “ “ P Along the eastern side of the Lagoon the Indians made their last stand in this l neighborhood . Here ived a group of Christian aborigines whose weekly prayer meetings were even attended by the whites and graced with occasional visits from Parson Thaxter .

These were usually held in the kitchen of Massy Mony . Those who recall them dwell on the picture of Basha Mony, when to dressed receive the worshipers . She invariably wore a red camelot cloak and placed herself before a dresser covered with freshly polished pewter , where with her bright eyes , jet hair ,

s he or i red cloak and flashing background , looked like some ental queen on her throne .

TAY LO R B RADLEY DIGS C LAM S .

There is proba b ly no one point from which so much of the ’ Lagoon can be comprehended as at Chunk s Hill , from the calm of the upper pond to the long reach below . Where the fishing on i — once a time was a th ng to yarn about , and clams well , they come even within the memory of the writer ; and that reminds ’ 138 M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

lo ra me of Tay r B dley ,

“ w ho dearly loved clams . Taylor was somew hat odd—said he came from

Connecticut . T h a t

however , does not nec essarily make a man

for e odd , I am a Con n e c t ic u t p r eparation

myself . He accounted for his

on t e nd V dropping in h A fore a aft i ew . Vineyard a f t e r t h i s fashion : Being very religious he had dreams and saw visions . In one of these he was commanded to go to the seashore and take a vessel and when the vessel next dropped anchor he was on to to land the beach , and as he walked he would come a

e one ex ce house wher were several girls , all of whom , with p of tion , would make fun him , and that one exception he was

to take to wife , and so it fell out even as he had been promised

in the vision . Whether the vision got down to such definite

a a a details s Mr . B . furnished fter it all happened does not p

of . pear record , but he thought it did

Mr . Bradley comes in here because of his propensity to dig

one clams in the Lagoon . At time our hero needed rubber boots that he might secure the basis for his beloved clam

chowder in reasonable comfort , but rubber boots hung high that season and he was fain to content himself with some make

shift ; thus he secured two shoe boxes , and pitching them with in and without and arranging straps at the bottom he had what

’ 140 MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

VI NEYARD H AVEN T O P RO SPE CT H I LL .

O UT TH E STATE RO AD O F VI NEYARD HAVEN .

And now we come to an extremely attract ive p art of the

to one island geologists , the North Shore , of the most interest ing spots in New England . But which , to quote the New Bed

not its ford Standard , has as yet come into own . The State Road ou t of Vineyard Haven immediately

the oak plunges into woods , an woods , always beautiful , whether it be in the Spring with its budding leaves of delicate ’ u of pink and soft green , or nder the canopy Summer s full leaf , of or the rich , dull reds Fall . This stretch lends a variety to the drive that no other part of the island quite

gives , and then there are so many little enticing by ways leading off into the

cool , leafy depths , and the curious tree trunks that here and there line the

a o way, trees that long g were hacked and bent to help ou t the wayside fene ing and have never recov

n ered from their stoop As th e twig was b e t .

shouldered youth . VI NEYARD H AVEN TO PRO SPE CT H I LL . 141

TA HM S O O .

T raveling thus we come suddenly on T ashm oo the beauti i n of ful , awed into s le t admiration the picture , a picture which includes the rolling land of the golf links , the wooded shores of the lake , the Sound and the distant Cape . From here Vine n yard H aven receives its good and abu dant supply of water , a never failing spring that long a go fitted itself into Indian

t h ow P oho anot legend and s ory , for it has been handed down g , the old S achem who o nce ruled over the sand dunes of Squib

his Tashm oo nocket , gave to son this distant portion of his

ashm oo u am eeche e w as domain , and how T , whose mother , Q p , of of a seeress possessed the gift knowing things , was told by the old lady of beautiful springs of pure water which would of h mark the end his j ourney , and given a white shell with whic he w as to drink therefrom and give his name to the land

T ashm oo to of , bidding farewell the friends his youth , plunged ’ w his f t t o into the dense woods , here ather s braves were won seek for game , and following a trail that led toward the rising n su across the level country of the south shore , he came to a on of hill and looked down a broad sheet water , but this was

o W ebata u a the salt water f q , and while there were beautiful springs of sweet water at its head , an inward Spirit , or pos — — sibly a larger I ndian it is not quite clear which whispered for that they were not him , and so he turned back into the depths of th e forest and soon came to that land which he knew f t for his own , a land lowing wi h water brooks , where he knelt and drank of the pure water dipped up in his snow white shell .

u s Tashm oo The unsentimental geologist tells that Lake , or C ha a u onsett , as it is also called , was originally an arm pp q — of the sea that recently (geologically recently for to geology a ’ 142 MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

thousand years are as a day) has been barred from the Open water by

walled beaches , and that

this valley , the bottom Of which is filled with the

sweet waters , and whose

higher depression , cross

ed by the highway , con n tin es to the southward , w a s probably carved by e C h O G in T ashm oo. W st p olf L ks , the erosive action of a su b- glacial river .

TH E T REASURE I S STI LL T H ERE .

Aunt Rhody , who lived to a great age on the banks of

T ashm oo w ho , and died many years ago , used to tell how from

a vessel lying in Tarpaulin Cove , across the Sound , came a o small b at with two men , and that they poled up the herring

n T ashm oo creek i to and , proceeding to a great rock which

stands upon its eastern shore , buried a large bundle . The n strangers claimed , when questio ed , that they had buried a of of mem ber the crew who had died smallpox , but unbelievers thought they could have as well buried the man on the shore

or of Tarpaulin Cove where the vessel lay , have dropped him

w as overboard , and it began to be hinted round that here buried

treasure .

v or Howe er , while we are none of us afraid Of ghosts hob f goblins , few like to tri le with a case Of smallpox , and the spot

for was not disturbed many years , until three adventurers were

t one found who feared nei her spirit nor disease , and dark night ,

144 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

’ as toward Lambert s Cove , and the writer inclines this way , this one so is the quiet way , and which the automobile does not much frequent . of This is the usual attractive woodland road this region ,

clean and solitary, arched with oaks beneath whose branches is Spread a variegated carpet O f huckleberry and other bushes ; when conditions and season are right Indian pipes may be glimpsed among the lower foliage or the brilliant yellow-red of of the wood lily , but mostly the road is a bower living , spar

- kling green , streaked by the gray brown Of the tree trunks .

MAKO NI KEY . On the way we pass the entrance to that monumental fail

ure, Makonikey , Of which many a Vineyarder can truly say , we

ou r . mourn loss This is a sightly spot , the eastern point of ’ t Lambert s Cove , w h e r e i seems as though a Summer

colony should thrive . Here is found a very fine variety of

clay which , converted into

h as t pottery , dispor ed itself in shO p windows all over the l island , and here is a so found “ ” of brown coal , an outcrop

one lignite , that at time was t hought O f value .

’ LAM B ERT S C O V E . Just before we reach the road to Lambert ’ s Cove beach

‘ ’ the highway GI O S S C S Black By this tok en shall ye k now Lambert s

c ove ’ ictu r water Brook , whose p P VI NEYARD HAV EN TO RO SPE CT H I LL . 145

e s q u e surroundings catch the eye Of an

occasional artist . Lombards it w a s

originally , b u t t h e n a m e has p a s s e d through the various

of L u m ber d s stages .

Lu m ber ts Lumbers , ,

to Lamberts , as we

know it . The scatter ing little village here was of more conse n n S ’ e ni e Captai Natha mith s Hous , Mako k y, ’ u ence Lambert s Cove. q a hundred or more years ago than is now the case , and the cove was some thing of a resort for

vessels . The British and Picaroons fr e quently landed here for the purpose Of raiding the adjoin ing country during th e struggle for free dom and the War of

1 81 2 . B RI TIS H WATERLO O L ’ e e n n S e amb ert s Cove . H r Captai Natha mith sav d a ’ C ptain N a t h a n his and his neighbors cattl e from British raiders .

Smith , whose dwell ’ 146 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

w as ing still stands at Makonikey, the foremost military man O f on the island during the Revolution , a man character and ready wit , as the following story will illustrate He chanced near the beach one day and discovered boats and British soldiers who had gathered some O f his and his ’ neighbors cattle , preparatory to removing them to their ves sels , and hurried back for help , but could secure none . All felt t hat it was hopeless and might bring down a worse ven h n eanc on . so . g e t eir defenseless heads Not N atha , however his He donned regimentals , and with plumes flying paraded

- behind a breast high beach hummock , and when he had the attention Of the marauders , turned his head toward the rear “ and shouted to the empty air , Infantry Open right and left ; ” f cavalry charge ! The e fect was magical . The enemy scram “ for sea bled their boats and put to , a jumping at their shad ” ow s . , and the day and the cattle were saved

.

TH E DI SAPPEARIN G PI G .

t Of M r Then here is the story the woman and the pig . s . ’ of son Luce , Lombard s Cove , had a little Joe , who had a little pig of which he was very fond . One day when the British landed for a forage they spied the pig and started into the yard

sa to make his acquaintance . Joe w them coming and knew too i only well what they were after , and as the p g dodged ou t Of sight behind the hou se he grabbed it and took it inside to t his mother . Tha good lady had no time to think twice and no one sh e place Of safety but for the pig , and promptly stowed him under her skirts and held him tight between her feet . The soldiers , with roast pig in mind , made diligent search inside of ou t the house and , but that pig which , a moment before , had m been seen in the flesh , sca pering around the house , had to all

’ 148 MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

B u t l e r believing that all men were at on least equal shore , stamped his foot im patiently and cried I command you to ” surround my table , and the Officer then repeated the order . They related that they had been sent out from a British

brig then stationed ’ n and e on th e e e e. A fish pou d dori s b ach , Lamb rt s Cov in the Sound , to chase a vessel , but were unable to overtake her , and night , on with a heavy , cold northwest wind , coming , they were

e driven ashore nearly perished . In the afternoon the men wer to h ad allowed return to the brig . In the meantime news reached Holmes Hole that a boatload Of men from the hated “ ” to Nimrod had landed at the Cove , and a party came over be take them prisoners . The seamen had departed , however , fore the party arrived , and it was fortunate that the adventure as of h ad turned out it did , as the captain the brig stated that , his men been captured , he would have laid the village in ashes ,

s a thing he could easily have done , as the islanders had no mean of defense . ’ FR O M LAM B ERT S CO VE .

’ From Lambert s Cove we look across the Middle Ground , that curious shoal which Professor Shaler calls a bit of sub “ the merged land . In Letters from Chilmark published in VI NEYARD H AV EN TO PRO SPE CT H I LL . 149

1 86 Gazette in 7, the statement is made that a sunken forest is found in the Sound where tops and branches O f trees

have been repeatedly taken up , and that this sunken forest extends far out among

’ Nantucket s Shoals . An attractive cross country drive can be taken from here by way O f Old House

Pond , which will land one in the State

Road once again . O r Indian Hill is

is handy by , though the road somewhat

circuitous . But when you go to Indian

Hill , be sure you get there , for the hack e e th e To Indian Hill . L av State Road h ere and follow drivers will one and all take you to what a tel ephone Wire to th e n ext I l the e e they call ndian Hi l , because going guid board ( which r ads , H ' . . m . . C . 7 111 V , ; C , is easier for them .

T . l 5 . m . . T . 2 N , s ; W , 5 th ere turn sharp to th e I NDIAN H ILL e cr e and right to a disus d at , it ’ n Hm I i i i oe s In dia or Eack ou t , The true nd an H ll s where J n Mi g o lives , and where the Coast Sur ’ is vey tripod planted . From here not only is the Sound at one s “ ” — one l a s feet Of the state iest Sounds th t ever I was in , say — Gabriel Archer but all the land across to the south shore . The view Of the Sound and the Elizabeth I slands is prob ably better from this spot than any other , as this is the nar row est point , it being less than four miles from Cedar Tree

to Neck Tarpaulin Cove light . As we stand and gaze into Tar of paulin Cove from here , it is legitimate to tell its story treas

as ure trove , those who had to do with the not finding of the gold were Vineyard men . ’ 150 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

U - TARPA LI N CO VE AND I TS T REASURE T RO VE .

Seth D aggett , pilot , while bringing in a New Bedford whaleship , was unable , owing to head winds , to enter Buz ’ zard s Bay , and anchored in

Tarpaulin Cove . While here he was approached by Cap tain Hillman Of the W haler and a sailor, the sailor having previously inquired Of the captain as to whether the pilot was trustworthy . He told t hem that years before he had visited this place in a

French privateer , and that Boomin g dow n th e Sound . they h ad buried treasure ; that at the first Opportunity , when unnoticed , he made a plan O f the place : that he had shipped on this W haler in order to be get back , as he knew the privateer had been captured , and li ev ed to . how the money have been undisturbed He feared ,

a w ever , that when ashore t New Bedford he ould get drunk and might lose his plan , and wanted Silas D aggett to keep it for him , promising that he would come over to the Vineyard as soon as he could , and suggesting that they then make a search .

The sailor never came , and finally D aggett and Hillman went to New Bedford , to learn that he had been shanghaied . They then believed that it was legitimate for them to seek the treas

so ure and did , but found nothing .

t. Capt . William Cleveland, when a boy , worked for Cap

’ 152 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

meeting house at which one of the missionary Mayhews

preached , and there still lies in the woods adjoining a great

square stone , said to have been placed there by the Indians for

u se of the the missionary , and known as the Mayhew horse block . The Dancing Field is a level bit j ust under and east of the hilltop . Here the Indians are said by Mr . Mingo to have held their dances when preparing for war or the chase ; on these occasions the musicians placed themselves on the slightly higher ground where the survey tripod stands .

WH ERE TREASURE LIES .

O f Due north from Indian Hill , possibly within the limits ’ 0 a Lambert s Cove and some 5 feet back from the w ter , stands “ ” 8 1 0 Money rock, to feet high ; what the legend is I know not . And on the Mayhew Luce place near by is a great flat

so rock , under which pirates are said to have buried gold , says

. fi Mr Mingo . The nearest he ever came to nding buried treas ure himself was when he thought he found it . He was plough

a s ing on the D aggett place on West Chop , and the furrow saw was turned something round which shone in the light , but before the oxen could be stopped he was 2 0 feet or so beyond the spot . Going back he and Daggett pawed the furrow over

end in very earnest fashion , but found nothing . And that is the of that story .

B LU FFED AGAIN .

in Somewhere along the North Shore , but j ust where my formant does not know , a party Of British landed in an Open one h boat and legend tells how true heart , after attempting u successfully to arouse the neighbors and secure a party to t e

u sist the invasion , fo nd himself finally with only two others VI NEYARD H AV EN TO PRO SPE CT H I LL . 153

to Oppose the landing force , but , equal to the emergency , he

appeared from behind a beach hummock , and in a loud voice ” : ! of ou ou called Halt Two y step t here and bind t hese men .

And the enemy quietly submitted to capture , supposing a con sid erabl e body of troops to be held in readiness behind the hillock .

THE ATHEARN FARM . We will now regain the State Road and j ourneying on

or through Middletown , North Tisbury , which does not fur nish forth much in the way of story so far as I have been able

S O to learn , proceed down the North Road , but before doing will sidestep for a moment to the Athearn farm , crossing the of bridge our picture . This farm lies in the corner formed by

the State Road and Mill Brook , west of the road and south

T h e State Road crosses M ill Brook .

Of the brook . Formerly it was the Hezekiah Luce place , whose

1 s owner moved about 784to Conway , Mas , and became the 154 ’ MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

t f of ances or o Admiral Stephen Luce , now Newport , R . I . The

“ is as farm also celebrated the birthplace of Prince Athearn , who w as second in command Of the construction Of the frigate “ ” “ — —C ol Constitution Old Ironsides . George L . Claghorn , also a Vineyard man , being his chief .

T H E N . S . S HALER ESTATE . Now returning to the North Road we soon come to “ Seven ” Gates , the estate of P rof . N . S . Shaler , a man who will long be remembered for his geniality a n d ability ; his interest in the Vineyard was unlimited and the island is greatly ih

debted to him . Long ” ’ O ne th e S e en G e e S h al er s e. of v at s , Prof ssor plac ago the Professor

a O f ex lor recognized the be uties the North Shore , and after p ing its length settled on this spot as that more nearly meeting i of his ideals . He purchased seven farms , possess ng himself a large tract extending from the road to the water .

O ne Of the farms purchased was the Lot Rogers place . Lot bu t was a Revolutionary soldier , his chiefest claim to glory lies

- of . in the fact that he is the great grandfather Henry H Rogers , of Standard Oil fame .

Visitors are permitted to roam at will over the place , and probably will be permitted so to do as long as they behave

’ 156 M ARTHA S VI NEYA RD .

u B u t a s ccessful finish . all that is the lesser side of him , for he is one of the best known and most highly respected of whale ship masters of the present generation . The following story shows why In 1 898 the whaling fleet was caught in the ice pack off

Point Barrow , and it became necessary to summon help , lest “ ‘ ’ of all perish , therefore Tilton (then mate the Belvedere ) filled his pockets with crackers and , with the Arctic night closing in upon him , he walked miles to civilization and carried ” “ the message he had promised to deliver . As he said , if any one m can ake the trip , I can At Point Barrow he was fitted ou t with a sled drawn by eight young dogs and a sail to help when the wind favored , and with two Indian runners made a

a th e start O ctober 7 , the general conviction b ing that he would

. s e on perish by the way His feet and hand wer frozen , the the twelfth day shelter tent was lost , the fierce winds at times

on I th blew them from the path , the s day provisions gave ou t t l on and hey ived a few frozen fish and their dogs , which were n killed o e by one . After days of starvation a village at Point 6 00 i Hope , m les from the start

ing point , was reached . Here

a the Indi n runners deserted , but a small quantity of food

w as secured , and an Indian and his wife volunteered to accom

- pany him . Then twenty nine days more of suffering ; many days a single frozen fish was all — i i h e not w as . Th s s what must live ou do there to eat Finally , on “ S“ “ m h m 2 2 d s 1 March , Kodiak I a n d s VI NEYARD H AVEN TO PRO SPE CT H I LL . 157

were reached , and a month later he arrived at San Francisco .

He has been in more than one tight squeeze in the Arctic , is but if there a way out he finds it . S o used is he to banging his way through ice floes that a

v mere human , e en though he be a prize fighter , s tands small ’ Show in Tilton s grip , as instance the way he took a fall out of o J e Choynski . It was in a San Francisco bar room where

a company of whalemen were pledging good voyage . A big

h e brute somewhat under the influence of liquor , swept all t h t e . glasses from bar Tilton ordered them filled again , and when the drunken man was about to repeat his performance

ti on Tilton picked him p and threw him on his back the floor ,

and the prize fighter knew when he had enough .

GEO LO GY . Professor Shaler says that the pre -glacial topography of the island has been but little disturbed either by glacial erosion

or l by resu ting drift coating . A close inspection makes it evi dent that all of the brooks of considerable size follow at the

present time the channels they occupied before the ice came .

In only tw o cases have I found that the morainal or other ac e cumulations have changed in an important way the course of ” the w aters . It is assumed that the hills are the result of internal upheav

f of . als , rather than the erosive e fect the glacial epoch Along this north side of the island are to be found morainal accu m u

l ations which have in places a thickness of from 2 0 to 50 feet . Fronta l morain deposits formed where the materials have be been pushed before the glacier , exist along the north shore of tween Menemsha Pond and Tashm oo. The greater part

this section evidently lies on top of the tertiary beds . From 1 ’ 58 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

Prospect Hill to Indian Hill this frontal morain is singularly

a re massive . These ridges in great part composed of large blocks of syenite and other rocks derived from the main land which could o nly have been brought to their present position on the top of the tertiary beds by the shoving action of an ice sheet . The accumulation of dri ft on the northwestern face of the island marks the place occupied by the ice front for a consid

er bl f o a e t . period , rom years In the central part of this northern belt the massive blocks of syenite are so numerous that on the steeper part of the hills the bare masses of angular fragments remind the observer of ruined cyclopean of masonry . Over scores of acres in the central portion this district the large fragments ar e so thickly packed together that there is hardly any place for soil . The total amount of detritus material in this belt of morains between Gay Head and Tashm oo is greater than in any other

e can e e. T he North S hore hills fro m th e North Road . No pictur do th m justic

’ 160 MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

having first to wait on Roaring Brook and Prospect Hill .

’ B E C K S B EACH .

As o the road starts up a long , sandy hill a turn t the right ’ on e in takes down to Beck s Beach , and a very attractive and in ter est . g drive it is, though we are not going down there now Rebecca Amos lived on the shore here in the days when the

r saw B itish were marauding these waters , and the good lady

on l sh e e day a British f eet headed in her direction . N ow had a few pieces of gold and silver that were very precious in her

eyes, and she made up her mind that news of her wealth had been conveyed to the enemy and that they had sent a few men ’ 0 - war to capture it . The money was kept in a tin cup in a dark

. to or sh e corner She had think quick , thought did , and con of cluded to bury it outside the house , so carefully keeping the

building between herself and the graceless rascals , that they see sh e might not what was up to , she dug a hole in the sand ,

put in her treasure and , smoothing the earth over, went back to

the house . The English never had the remotest idea of landing

at that spot , but by the time Becky decided the danger

sh e was past , had complete ly forgotten where the gold

was buried , and having carefully a v o i d e d any

marking of the spot , was o never able t find it again , of infor A brigantine u nder full sail . and to the best my m a t i o n a n d belief the C VI NEYARD H AVEN TO PRO SPE T H ILL . 16 1

money is still there . We stopped for a moment near the foot of ' ’ to d ow n the the hill look cart track that leads to Beck s Beach .

n on and stood longer than was inte ded , but now we plod up through the sand , and just over the brow find another turn to

for the right and this leads on to Roaring Brook , a fine place a ’ day s outing , and where it is possible to secure a little added not provender should the sandwiches go around . C O L . L C GEO RGE . LAGH O RN .

I t t ol eo was probably in his immediate vicinity that C . G . L .

son 6 1 8 Claghorn , of Shubael , was born July , 74 . Chilmark , t of for we are now wi hin the confines that town , furnished very

of 1 81 2 substantial aid to the government during the War , first

son of she so through this , whom is justly proud , the designer “ ” of and constructor the frigate Constitution , that nearly drove the British Navy off the ocean . Colonel Claghorn was active during the Revolution , having served in that war as lieutenant , captain and major . After the Revolution the Colonel appears of n to have turned his hand to the building vessels , for we fi d “ 1 1 w as Re that the first whaler to round Cape Horn , 79 , the ” becca , built in New Bedford by Colonel Claghorn .

B O G -O RE D I D F O R I TS C WHAT V INEYARD O UNTRY .

old of 1 82 ~ An map 7 , published in Letters from an Ameri ” “ or e can Farmer , locates near Prospect Hill an iron mine , the o f which is carried to the forges in Taunton It is quite prob able that it was from this mine that bog ore w as shipped to

Colonel Murdock at Carver, Mass . there to be smelted and cast into shot for the Constitution when she w as fitting out

1 1 of or e on in Boston in 8 4. Every pound the was weighed and the Holmes Hole beach by Mr . Jonathan Luce , Sr then ” shipped in small wood sloops to Wareham and thence taken 1 2 ’ 6 MARTH A S V I NEYARD .

No i to Carver . sooner did the Constitut on receive these balls

than she sailed , under command of Capt . Charles Stewart , for

Madeira , where she attacked and captured the two British ships ” “ ” “ of e r war, the Cyane and the L vant It was V ineya d bog ” ore that did the j ob .

ROARIN G B RO O K .

Roaring Brook roars you as gently as any sucking dove ; those w ho named it must have come from a flat country where any sort of babble from a brook seemed ferocious . Thus the name may arouse expectations t hat lead to disappointment though it is a beautiful little brook all the same . Here stands the old

1 8 grist mill , built in 49 on by Francis Nye , the site of a still ear one lier . When pushed it could grind thirty of bushels corn a day . but grist mills do not pay in these days , and it is some time since the mill has done busi

r e ness , though as centl 1 06 y as April , 9 , T h e i n 1849. old gr st mill , Roari g Brook , t h e o w n e r s e t t h e wheels in motion for the sake of having a little real corn meal

such as cannot be bought in these pure food days . Paint was

f r o , o soa . als ground here to some extent and clay x p makers

When the mill ceased to pay , Mr . Manter , the miller , kept a grocery store when the brick works near the beach were going

164 MARTHA ’ S VI NEYARD;

B r o o k a b o u t fifty years ago and manu

factu r ed pressed brick . He did very well until all the available wood

w as fi n used up , but ally gave u p the busi f ness for lack o fuel . Nothing has been done for here thirty years , and now all that r e mains is a brick smoke

stack , a great water n th e n . Rui s of brick works , Roari g Brook

wheel , broken down.

n . k walls , a dwelling and an unlimited qua tity of clay . Chilmar contains beds of alum clay which yield 30 to 35per cent of um pure al . An antiquated aqueduct which once carried water from th e brook to the deserted kaolin works a quarter of a mile below u on the shore is interesting for its cr dity. It is an abj ect ruin now , looking as though it might have been constructed a thou sand years ago .

PRO SPE CT H I LL .

is Prospect Hill but a half mile west . and from its summit is to be had another extensive view much the same as Indian

G a Hill gives us , only this time there is more water and y Head lies as a map below . During the War of 1 81 2 a British war brig entered Me nem sha Bight and the inhabitants were greatly alarmed , as in imagination they saw their sheep and c attle on the way to 1 5 VI NEYARD HAV EN TO P RO SPECT H I LL . 6

T o of f B . o ut ritish bellies fight was the question , but a blu f m So one ight work , and Simon Mayhew , Clifford and others , “ ’ ” ou t old no got their King s arms , and those who had guns t ook rails from nearby fences , and proceeding to Prospect Hill t hey took up their line of march around its summit . This they

th e be kept up all day . appearing and disappearing , until to

enern v wildered y it seemed that a ast army was collecting , and .

Prosp ect H ill from Ro ari n g Brook .

as discretion is always the better part of valor they spread t their sails and silently stole away . There is a local belief tha t hose w h o participated in this bloodless victory received a pen

s ion from the government .

T HE NAM ING O F T EA LANE .

Beyond Prospect Hill lies Menemsha and Menemsha Pond ,

but we will get at that later from Chilmark , for we are now

- about to zigzag over to West Tisbury by way of Tea Lane ,

- - - dl ets one of the most attractive little out of the way roa on the

island . ’ MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

TH E BALLAD O F TEA LANE . This is how Tea Lane

Came by its ancient name , ’ 6 In the strenuous days of 7 . When drinking tea got folks in

’ Twas Robert Hillman , he From London brought some tea To his -ih - on sister law who dwelt the lane ,

' h h er health That s e might drink and regain .

The general sentiment said no tea , And the general public was true to the plea

ff ou r To ban the stu till rights were assured , of And the King his taxing distemper cured .

When the neighbors called to inquire her health ,

ff saw They could sni the tea , but none on the shelf .

And it was friendly gossip O ver the lea , w as That Mrs . Hillman drinking tea .

The friends all thought th e sick should be Exempt from the ban against drinking tea ; And quite forgot in their gossiping round w ho t o Those enforce the law were bound .

But these in their m ight came down one night

- u e sid e And turned the house p down quite , In their quest for the contraband ed tea

sh w as That rumor said e drinking free .

168 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

M rs w as t So . Hillman lef quite free

To drink her fill of the London tea . And thus came the lane by its well -earned name Though my search for the reason had all been in vain

Till I found Mrs . Manter , whose mind is well stored

With legends and tales and facts , a great hoard she w ho Which freely dispenses to all may seek ,

D own in the mill by Roaring Brook Creek .

M r s . Manter , you know , comes straight down the line O f that very Hillman who from over the brine Brought London t ea ; and so you see ’ sh e That s how knows the truth to be .

Th n n e house that gave T ea La e its am e .

of ou r At the time story the Hillman house , which is the one on of 2 00 s only the west side the lane , and is possibly year old w as , was occupied by Silas Hillman , whose wife Eunice

M r s . an invalid , and the story told above is said , by Rebecca

a - M nter , to be literally true . She is the great granddaughter VI NEYARD H AVEN TO PRO SPE CT H ILL . 169

“ ” of the Robert Hillman who brought over 4 pounds of tea

f . h as rom London The story been handed down in the family .

TEA LANE I N PRO SE . of The story its naming is told , but the story of Tea Lane can never be adequately told

in words . Starting amid the swampy head of Paint Mill

' Brook it offers all the luxurious of rankness the marshes , with their many flowers and grace

ful grasses . Sweet P epp erbu sh or W hite Alder lines the way the m o ment the ground becomes a bit

r a firm , its white clustered cem es catching the eye as its incense does the nostril ; the air is suffocated with its sweet

perfume . T h e n c o m e s the

e e A d corative sugg stion from T ea Lane . higher ground and close con tact with the hills that the east a nd -a of west roads do not give . It is matter common remark that a specimen of every wild growth on the island can be

on old of e found Tea Lane . A few skeletons cherry trees shak t one heir withered fingers at , for all the world like some grumpy o ld chap , filled with dyspepsia , who thinks the world Should be on of as gloomy as he . Beyond these we pass the left the house

of . Granville Manter , a man prominence in his day Near the top of the ridge is an intimate little view of the fi elds that is like a friendly introduction . It is a great place to 1 0 ’ 7 MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

’ get in close touch with the Chilmark country , a farmers road

little used , and that carriages seldom travel ; in fact there are be many places where teams cannot pass each other , the track as ing as narrow as the road to Paradise , though far from ’ on straight . One is tempted to throw the reins the horse s back and let him browse along , and so comes the Middle Road , long ’ before it s needed . Just before the Middle Road comes into view the house that gave Tea Lane its name is seen standing well back from the byway . Around the corner on the Middle Road stands the Chilmark h of e ar e c urch with its surrounding settlement hous s , but we going the other way .

172 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYA RD .

discover them . I n 1 737 the Rev . Mr . Homes wrote that in consequence of a long continued rain the Vineyard rivers ov erflow ed t h e i r banks and the near by mowing grounds were “ very much ” d am nifi ed . Short ly after the l ast crossing the way climbs a gentle hill and from its top looks down on a typical New Eng

' e . H ere ly es buri e d th e body of D oct . Thos . W st d VI11 1 e an age and e S e . 6 th 1706 in th e 6 0th e a e . Di d pt Y , . y ar of his g scape ; West Tis

1 86 that e the bury village lies before us . In 7 it was written West Tisbury end of the Middle Road w as s o crooked that it would puzzle the great Path Finder himself to get into it .

T H EARLY RO AD S O N E VI NEYARD . t o The first public road the westward from Edgartown , and

for the only one a hundred years , was that now called the South w Road ; it as probably the trail of the Indian in earlier times . This was the only open road ; on others the equestrian is said to have Opened gates and let down bars at the rate of about

five in every three minutes . It must have been some such way

M r 8 our . . 1 8 that friend S A D evens traveled in 3 , for he notes B U WEST TI S RY . 173

that in going from E d g a r town t 0 Gay Head it was necessary to pass t h r o u g h some t h i r t y pairs of b a r s although D octor Freeman speaks in 1 807 of a public road that extends from Ed gartow n to within six miles of Gay

Head . Apparent ly the two gentle

’ e e e B u uied th e d l d HO t r l s e o y of ev r . Jo e l ah orrey H i B d y R d M T , men go ’ w h o e in e e e 1 2 in e 2 n d c d c mb r , 7 3, y 4 d year 01 h is D 12 h 6 w a same y . a e . Th e e o th e s e g m m ry of ju t is bl ssed . The second east and west road was the M iddle Road , and last came the North

1 Road . In 807 the other roads were f rom West Tisbury to

’ Holmes Hole , from which branched a third to Lambert s Cove , while a fourth ran from Holmes Hole to Edgartown , with a Ed branch through Farm Neck to Eastville , the first being the artow n- - g Tisbury South Road .

T HE TISB URY REDEE M ED FRO M H EATH EN .

2 1 66 August , 9, Tisbury was purchased from the Indians

P abod ie by William , Josias Standish , James Allen and James T akem m kiff . S e. The Indian name of the region was y Wil liam Pabodie (Peabody) was from Plymouth . He married the

first white child born in New England , Elizabeth Alden , ’ 174 MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

daughter of John and

o s Priscilla . J s i a Standish was a son o f the famous Capt .

Miles Standish . July

8 1 6 1 of , 7 , the town Tisbury was incor p orated by Governor

New Lovelace , of

York , it being named after the birthplace of Governor May hew ,

e e th e e e . th e e TI SB URY N O TES . Wh r powd r was stor d Just to l ft , bor e i n th e W e e th e r h d r g brook , is h r B itis N a d eal ot great und er G ray camp ed . has been gathered in of the way incident connected with West Tisbury village , but ! what I have is freely given . There still stands within the vi lage and on the road which makes for Vineyard Haven a well “ ” kept house known as the house where the powder was stored . t w as t Tradi ion says that when the island raided by Gray , par

r off of the cellar unde this dwelling was hastily walled , thus

of . secreting a quantity powder , guns , and possibly valuables By the time the soldiers arrived the mortar had dried so that the new work looked like part of the foundation walls of the house . The then occupant was Capt . Samuel Cobb , who died

1 1 86 6 . September 7, 7 , aged 9 years The troops while here ’ of camped along the brook within a stone s throw this house . W Josias Standish owned the present hiting farm , where are located the racetrack and Congregational parsonage , a

176 ’ MARTHA S V I NEYARD .

claimed what a bad man was that druggist who sold the hair

dye . AM ES T J A H EARN J O NES . James Athearn Jones was

r 1 1 1 bo n O ctober 7, 79 , in West

Tisbury town , in a house near the seashore and directly on the

Edgartown boundary line . He arly gave evidence of literary ability , and studied under Rev .

'

Joseph . Thaxter and others . F or years he traveled among the Indians and elsewhere , making a study of Indian leg ends and wrote considerable prose and poetry . The follow ing verse from the “ Storm at S ea ” is said to be a good exam ple of his work

n e . I n m emory of Mr . Joh P as i e 16 99 in e 33r d e I r de along the dark blue ocean Di d March , , y y ar of ’ On the sportive dolphin s his age ’ back ; And I sink to rest in the fathomless caves ’ sea- Beyond the shark s track . I hide my head in the pitiless storm In caverns dark and deep ; is My couch of ooze pleasant and warm ,

And soft and sweet my sleep .

I rise again when the winds are still , And the waves have sunk to rest ; - And call , with my conch shell , strong and shrill , ’ ” My mate to the Salt Lake s breast . 1 WEST TISBURY . 77

He finally returned to Tisbury and lived in the old house , astonishing his neighbors with the crops he raised . Once when he was working in a field near his home with others who were ot of ploughing , the ploughshare turned up a p money , but

Jones , who was in another part of the field , knew nothing of the find , and his friends neglected to tell him . When they o o f ff , reached the end the furrow they knocked work though , the hour was unseasonable , and persuaded him to leave the

col ~ of . field with them , and when rid Mr Jones came back and

ot , , l ected the cash . The story g out in due time when Jones “ hearing of it , quoted at himself the old proverb that He that ” or , by the plough would thrive , himself must either hold drive which seemed to fit the case about as well as need be . This is said to be the only case actually known where buried gold h as ’ 178 MARTH A S V I NEYARD .

of been found . Tiring r e the farm , Mr . Jones moved to West Tis bury village W here he built a store which is now used as the post f o fice , and here he lived for a number of years . D uring this period he wrote , among other of things , a narrative the shipwreck in 1 842 “ of the William and

Joseph Capt . Elisha Dexter (o f Holmes

Hole) , master . From here he moved to Buf

e ere ly es bo y of r . John a h eW that worthy Y H y d M M y , , falo , N . . , and thence laboriou s m i nister of y e gO S p ell to ya inhabitants u n i e and e to Brooklyn , where he of Tisbury Chilmark t d to y Chris n n n w h o e e e 2 tia I dia s , di d F bruary y ud , . Etati died 1 . J 688 s 37 .

ES . J M T H , Q Th e e e ne on th e n A ES A EARN old st grav sto Vi eyard . A document has r e c ntl 1 8 e y come to light , dated 77 , wherein a number of West E m en s . Tisbury made James Athearn , q , their attorney for the collection of any prize money they might be entitled to on their contemplated cruise against the enemies of the United States

“ ” in the privateer Sally . I t is signed by Manters Cases , Peases , N of Luces and others . othing is known as to the identity the “ ” s Sally or the outcome of the trip . Thi James Athearn was

one of the foremost men of the island in his day . O n a map

’ 180 MARTHA S V I NEYARD . my time murdered of so much . One her orders ‘ for fuel “ was 2 barrels coke

cole , that sort the kerosene is all took ” o ut of it .

GEO LO GY . The south side of the island is largely composed of what the geologist calls t e r r a c e deposits ; n Th e ol est house in est sbury v ll age, k now as ! d W Ti i that is the finer m a n n e . th e John E . Joh so hous ter ial brought down by the glaciers and formed by tidal action or by the action of

- the waves at some distance from the ice front . On the Vineyard this has resulted in a nearly flat surface cast in gentle u nd u l a

tions . through which run shallow valleys that extend from the of of base the kame deposits , coarser material , in a nearly s southerly direction to the shore line , the e generally termin ating in the various pond s or coves which indent the southern i shore of the sland . The only explanation which can be given of these troughs is that they were the channels through which

- the sub glacial streams found their way seaward . The Vineyard was under possibly 300 feet of water when

on e this was going , the whol being suddenly elevated by

“ ” - for t mountain building forces , if exposed o the action of the

for of a waves , even a month , much the s nd formation now ex

tant would have been destroyed . WEST TISBUR Y . 181

’ EARTH Q UAKES O N MARTH A S VINEYARD . It is interesting to note in this connection that the D iary of m H 1 2 in 1 Rev . Willia omes records in 7 7, and again 737, that earthquake shocks were felt on the island , of the first of which “ ” he says it was considerably great .

PRO FESSO R SHALER DES C RI B ES TH I S PART O F TH E ISLAND .

h of Professor S aler wrote much of this part the island , and he knew his subj ect so well and his rendering of the English language is so beautiful that I am tempted to quote at length from an article of his which appeared in the Atlantic Monthly

of 1 8 . December , 74 He says To the south (from West Tisbury) the valley sinks in widening fields that merge in a vast open wold . The beautiful brook which gathers its pure waters in the hills to the west

ward , and becomes in a few miles a little

river , expands into a great pond with ir regular shores and a

n a r r o w c h annel . through which it es a capes into the se . Th e air here

is of liquid purity, though lucent f r o m the great store of

moisture it receives .

O n th e S . T h e nn e outh Road Ha ah Look hous , a The soft air ,

n en ne . gay , dashi g widow with pl ty of mo y “ the 5 0 0 t h K now n as th e Q u een broad m

fields , t h e rounded ’ 182 MARTH A S VI NE YARD .

t domes of foliage , and the universal green , together wi h the ou r drowse in which all is steeped , carries us irresistibly to ‘ l of o d home It needs the glaring white yon church tower . which comes as a tower should from the leafy tents of some

u s of - noble trees , to tell that it i s in the kingdom white painted

New England that this scene belongs . “ From all points this island is more like the Isle of Wight than things are often like each other in thi s world . “ A little mill sits astride the dancing brook with a business m ’ like air, but the grass and bushes of any years growth gath

bu t ered around its doors suggest anything work . Some of the fields of maize and wheat are a s - goo d as one ‘

finds in the Connecticut Valley . I have never seen better

r ground fo the gardener . Strawberries grow as in Southern France ; roses have a glory unattainable anywhere else in New n E gland . “ The Summer climate at least is the freest from exaspera tion , the most calming I have ever felt , without producing las situ e d . It brings a physical repose which it is impossible to

ou r r get in mountains o northern seashores .

“ The expectancy of life is about dou ble what it is in B os

“ of From Tisbury westward we have a range hills, monu ments to the old glacial sheet which once bridged the gap be tween the island and the main shore . Over it were carried the enormous boulders of puddingstone and syenite from the neighborhood of Boston and other parts of the continent to the ” northward .

TI SBU RY RIVER .

” of of Professor Shaler speaks the Tisbury River , the bed

184 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

CH I LMA R K .

O N T HE SO U TH ROAD . The South Road out of West Tisbury is in the begin ning m uch like other Vine yard roads until we come within sight of Chilmark Pond and the ocean and then

begins a wonderful . living ,

m o v i n g picture . A fore ground of pasture lands dot ted with sheep and occasional

homes , with here and there a well or some other homely suggestion off in a field by it

self . Beyond are the quiet Door of th e only d es erted house on th e , South Road . waters of the pond the strip of sand beach and the limit

l a less At antic , vast desolation where no living thing shows ,

sea su n and yet a silver with the bright on it , sparkling and

v f air now o . flashing with e ery breath Though solitary enough , there have been moving pictures of great excitement within sight of this shore .

CHASED B Y A PRIVATEER . From Voyages of an Old Sea Captain we have the f ollow K 185 CH I LMAR .

. a 1 1 ing story , told by Capt Jeremi h Holmes himself . In 8 3

C onnecticu t sailorm an . Captain Holmes , a , was given the com “ ” of sl oo w h mand the famous p Hero , in hich e left Charleston with a load of cotton and other articles for the north in Pebru

1 81 d ary, 3, and odged the English blockading squadron until ’ “ o n near N Man s La d . when I discovered a brig on my weather ” “ quarter , and at once sp read all my canvass and squared away before the wind . The brig came bounding after me . on I now made two English frigates directly my bow . I jibed and stood to the eastward but I shortly headed ’ toward Martha s Vineyard . “ The wind now died away , and we were close in to No ’ M an s Land . The brig lowered her boat armed with muskets ” “ so and prosecuted the chase . The small boat pressed closely upon me that the man in her bow with a musket fired upon me con and put a number of balls through my sails . But for my sideration this bowsman would have lost his life . I had three

on w as . . passengers on board ; e of these a Mr Spencer , of Ver mont , who had a prime rifle , and proposed to prove his expert ness with his piece at the same time that he should evince his patriotism by laying this armed bowsman in the bottom of the boat . I requested a little delay . Counting upon what might

“ ”

. as occur , I made the Hero ready for defense I said to my p

‘ sen ers : Now to g , gentlemen , you have got fight or go to ’ . Halifax . We had no relish for Halifax I had the men and passengers at work at once , and I locked the companionway to of cot hold all the strength on deck . We arranged the bales of ton in tiers like a bulwark . I then had a quantity ballast stones and all available arms ready to give the privateer a

, suitable reception . Fortunately , however , at this moment when 186 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

ff a airs were about to come to arms , a breeze sprung up , and I soon left the assailant with no other choice than to return to the brig.

“ ’ I now ran between No M an s Land and a reef and stood

on to the northward . The brig dared not follow , but remained

outside and wa s becalmed . " ‘ ’ The brig (an English privateer , the Sir John Sherbrook ) had an American Jack from her fore - topgallant masthead for a of pilot . Nearing land we fell in with a number small ‘ ’ of of Ed fishing vessels . One these , the smack Fair Haven ,

”

artow n . g , ran down and furnished the brig with a pilot

Th e great wav es roll with solem n regularity on th e shore ; th ey are never still .

188 ’ M ARTHA S V I NEYARD .

osedl stor w ill p y for treasure . Their y be told when we reach

Squibnocket .

O F FISH I N G .

But there are other forms of wealth here besides that th buried in e ground by man , and it comes quite as u nex p ectedly at times as would the of discovery pirate gold . So recently as D ecember of last year 2 0 barrels of perch w ere shipped from Chilmark , and as a previous shipment had netted at the rate of $2 5

" b t a arrel , that is qui e a nice

sum little of money to find , for it w as about as accidental Th e ff I n th - “ Chilmark Cli s . e dim distance as . S n a find could happen The quib ock et . fishermen had seined the pond twice with no success . At last they put the seine in the

pond to clear it and then to go home , and drawing it to the fi h ” t s . shore , to heir astonishment the net was filled with It

was indeed a miraculous draught . A N R T Y S B URY M N O .

Tysbu ry M annor was incorporated by Governor Love

on 8 1 6 1 lace July , 7 , as well as Edgartown and Tisbury . This of Manor contained several parcels land , which had been pur “ of chased the Indians by Thomas Mayhew , together with two i‘ e of the Elizabeth Islands . and several oth r small and ” inconsiderable islands in Monument Bay . All of these lands K CH I LMAR . 189 lying westward of the Tisbu ry town line were embraced in the

1 1 town of Chilmark upon its incorporation in 7 4. Chilmark

u on adj oins Tisb ry the Vineyard even as it does in England . The name was evidently in u se a long time previous to its in

“ corporation , as old documents refer to The Manor of Tisbury " alias Chilmark THE H ERE ALSO CAM E B RITISH .

A Chilmark echo of the Revolution is found in the Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of 1 784- 5

“ 1 0 1 8 of m June , 7 5, O n the petition Elij ah Smith of Chil ark Collector of taxes for the year 1 777 that he had collected thereon about £ 390 which was taken from him ff f o . by a British o ficer , who carried them

Resolved , that the Treas " ut er be i ordered to credit the said Elij ah Smith the su m of etc .

2 8 1 8 . And again , O ct . , 7 5

The petition of Ezra Tilton , Collector for the town of

Chilmark , was granted ; it setting forth that in June ,

1 82 7 , he was forced by the enemy to deliver up his tax

£ 1 0 lists , warrants , and 5 in money which be placed to his credit .

W I NDY GATES . As we enter Chilmark vil Looki ng east along th e Chilmark C l l fl s . IS i lage , a road seen lead ng 1 ’ 90 MARTH A S V I NEYARD .

to the Summer estate known as W indygates which covers

ff of W es u abs u e or i f the blu s q q Ch lmark Cli fs , from which can of — be had a magnificent survey the ocean far , vast and dim . of w on The cliffs lack the colors Gay Head , but are quite as d erful , rough , full of gullies and crevices , steep , wild and " in r irregular their appea ance , while the undulating land above is being rapidly redeemed from a windswept sand dune by the

j udicious planting of trees , shrubs and groundlings , heather ,

broom and the hardier grasses that will tie the sand down .

T HE F THE WASTI NG O C H I LMARK C LI FFS . Professor Whiting noted that during the forty years be

1 8 6—86 tween 4 , a period during which he frequently surveyed of the island , the shore in the central part these cliffs moved 2 2 0 of into the island feet , an average 5% feet per annum . The detritus from these cliffs forms the extensive shoals and beaches along the

South Shore . While it is not safe to con sider the vario us evi d ences of erosion as indicating the long continued wearing of the land at any thing like such a rate as is now going on , still Doctor Free man notes in 1 807 that “ this part of

eculiar mark ng on th e slop ng sands of hilmark the Ger P i i C shore , from ’ ' C l itts . i IS ta n marks , known

192 ’ M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

M O SHO P’ S B ED AND PI LLO W S .

' One of the m ost p e cu liar of the large rocks on the island is known as the “ D evil ’ s ” bed and pillows , to reach which from the village w e ' take the North Road back a half . s o mile or , and after passing the first house

’ on M osh o s b ed and . O n th e p pillows rigi ally pillows the west or north , lay on th e bed as th ey were placed wh en ascending a brief hill t h e glaci er made it up . and dipping down to the bottom of the next hollow we st0p at a pair of bars on the left and climb these and the hill straight up to a stone wall that looms overhead , so stiff is the upness of the hill . And just over this wall do we find the Old Boy ’ s resting place w i t h the pillows on the ground at its head and the bolster ly

. ing off by its side Th e s h e and l I n Chilmark village . c oolhous E liott ’ The od d com bina Mayh ew s store . tion of the flat rock K CH I LMAR . 193

0 t d r about 3 fee long , with its roun ed edges , which was p esum ably rafted to the spot by ice and the two singularly round

“ ” “ ” pillow stones that once stood on one end of the bed is very

striking . Professor Shaler believed that the distribution of the drift ’ in the southern part of Martha s Vineyard is such as to su g “ a not - gest th t the glacier did , save in certain small , tongue like ” t of isbu r a projections , extend sou h T y River , and th t the drift s of t w as - outh that s ream all ice rafted to its present site , while

for the island was under water , such materials appear on its very highest land . — — This part of the hilltop Peaked Hill is a wilderness of old M osho tumbled stones , and looks as though p might have dusted them o ut of his salt-shaker some time when the earth

needed a great deal of seasoning . The numerous walls attest

the number of lesser stones , while the fields are strewn thick with the greater ones . Down in the valley , from whence we

is or came , or was Balanced Cradle rock , but some inquisitive gentleman with a crowbar once thought to have the secret of its rocking motion and so completely up set was the stone that it has never quite regained its equilibrium .

T HE V IEW FRO M PEAKED H I LL .

Peaked Hill is 31 1 feet high, being superior to Prospect Hill by 3 feet , and being in the centre of things it furnishes forth a much more extended view , covering a tremendous reach of

, water and land . Far to the east and south sweeps the Atlantic of whose surges thunder at ou r very feet , while the waves the f of ocean are continued by the waves o the land , very little ‘ which is level . Chilmark Cliffs and distant No Man s Land

stand out in the strong glint of sun and water . ’ 194 M ARTHA S V I NE YAR D .

Squibnocket , Gay Head , Menemsha Bight and the Sound , Cuttyhunk and other of the Elizabeth I slands all follow as one s wings from south to west and north , while across the level plains toward the east gleam the white homes of West Tisbury .

A M ENE M SH . The road for the picturesque fishing village of Menemsha

r o offi ce on starts f om Chilmark p st . It looks the map as though

the South Road had taken it into its head to go north . Here

the fields are covered with drying nets , when they are not in “ u se sea fi u reh ead s , and old captains looking like the animated g ” - r an of old fashioned ships everywhe e abound . The Pond is other of those arms of the sea shut in by a walled beach of sand and forming a snug harbor for the small boats engaged in fi sh

ing outside . Its shores are cluttered with dories and piles of

and a li lobster pots , in fact all sorts of interesting fishing pp

an s ce . While down the shore of the Bight lies Lobsterville , whose cause of being is so well told in its name that no further explana

tion is needed .

Mr . Edward Augustus

’ Kendall , who explored the 1 80 island in 7, gives his theory of the mean ing of Menemsha as being probably on ac count of the cranberries that cover its marshy borders M onam sha E el pots sunning on th e. b each . or M inam sh a : minac ,

196 ’ MARTHA S VI NEYARD .

hill , and continues through the same delightful country t h a t w e h a v e ' all

along been enj oying,

b u t t h e , extreme beaut y disappears as one penetrates Gay

Head , w h e r e f o r h i - hat t e ce a e d d to h lmark . ould anyth ng W g i C i C i i be boulder ! some distance it s sandy roads and brushy roadsides , and even after we are out in the Open again , “ ” the weather stained dw ellings of the snarly haired Indians by the way are particularly unattractive . It seems that a hundred years or so ago the Indians were r ot c om all straight hai ed , but a certain squaw g into bad pany consorting much with witches and other adepts of the and black art . Her curiosity , however , finally led her too far, there came a time when she saw more t han her friends thought it her good , whereupon the w ches clawed her hair over eyes and snarled it all up , and ever after the race has been snarly haired . But we are getting ahead of ou r story for we are not quite d in Gay Head yet . The road passes between Stone Wall Pon “ ” — and Nashaquitsa Pond to Q u itsa short for Nashaquitsa or “ — Nasha u eed see f e q , meaning between two waters rom whenc we look across to Squibnocket , where stands the life saving he an station on Money Hill , presumably the adquarters for other buried hoard . F A TRUE STO RY O PIRATE GO LD . There is a story of pirate gold connected with the South H R C I LMA K . 197

Beach that has largely to do with known facts . In August ,

1 81 y b 5, William Ma hew and a neigh or named Hancock , while on u eenam e s the beach at Q , found a boat from which men had evidently landed , as tracks led to the marsh nearby , where they were lost . That same night two men stopped at the house of Abner

Mayhew, who lived on the beach at Squibnocket , some 5miles west from where the boat was found , and there spent the night .

They were a rough lot , and Abner fastened the . door between of the room they occupied and the rest the house , but an In dian girl who slept in the attic above saw through a crack in the floor that they had quantities of gold ' pieces which they were dividing and sewing within the lining of their coats . to The next morning they asked how far it was New York , and when told the distance expressed great surprise , saying

c . they supposed they were on Long Island , and ould walk Shortly after they left , going to Me nem sh a , where they persuaded George West to take them across to New Bed f ford . They o fered so much money that West felt he could not afford to r e w as fuse , though he suspicious of them and took his son “ Fiddl er crabs on th e san d . along to help in 1 ’ 98 MARTH A S V I NEYARD .

n emergency . Duri g the trip over the strangers acted in such a way that the boatman was convinced they intended to kill son him and take his boat . He then gave the tiller to his , and of with an extra tiller for a club , made heavy oak , compelled the supposed pirates to get up in the bow and stay there until

N m hu s he landed them . Rev . y p Hatch recorded in the West Tisbury church records under a certain date that George West “ ”

tw o to to . this day carried men Bedford , supposed be pirates A day or two after the men left the island the body of a u eenam es murdered sailor was found buried in the sand near Q , but nothing further w as discovered and the - fa cts were almost

“ forgotten when there came a stofy to t he Vineyard of a dying sailor who had confessed that he and oth ers com ing from the on south a brig carrying considerable specie , had conspired with the mate to murder the captain , passengers and crew , scuttle the vessel and escape with the gold in a small boat to the shore .

In due course they sighted land , which the captain said was

Long Island , and the pirates then put their plot into execution , o reaching the shore successfully and burying most f the money .

Then came a quarrel . The mate wished to go one way , the others another , and after high words they separated , but the tw o , fearing the mate might betray them , turned back and

his killed him , burying body in the sand . In the confession the ranges were given whereby the money could be located , but the changes in the coast line , and the fact that sand had washed up over the marsh made the search of the many treasure hunters who swarmed the region a vain

one .

Again years passed and the story had become a fireside

’

2 00 . . MARTHA S VI NEY ARD land states that the Indian worship consisted of singing

e and dancing , followed by a p tition to the su n or moon to send the desired favor , most

or generally rain fair weather , or freedom from their enemies or from sickness . For such a

O e i n e n een service a hilltop W O Uld seem ff r g p titio for gr grass , pl enty Of I t to be a most excellent place .

B IRD S THAT C O M E AND G O . A word concerning Vineyard birds should be tucked in and somewhere , as this is near .unto the South Shore , and a i s . spot much haunted by gunners , possibly this the place A sportsman who has made a study of the island birds states that probably over 2 00 varieties of all kinds have been seen on the

Vineyard . This seems to be about the farthest south reached by such northern birds as the Snowy Goose , the Northern Pha l aro e p , Little Auc , Swan , Eider Duck , King Eider , Harlequin ,

and of Snowy Owl , Hooded Merganser Pine Grosbeak , all n which have been seen o the island . While those from the southland numbered among ou r visitors are the Little Blue

G al al ul e Heron , Snowy Egret , Purple , Gray Pelican , Turkey

u . B zzard , Gray Crested Fly Catcher and others

EX CI TI N G TI M ES FO R TH E B RI TI SH .

of al A series scraps have been collected which , while not in ways agreeing detail , apparently started originally from the same source and , pieced together , make the following story D uring the War of 1 81 2 Joseph Mayhew discovered a boat ’ an -o - or on from English man war, a privateer , coming in the CH I LMARK . 2 01

Squibnocket beach , and hastily summoned the neighboring farmers who dug rifle pits or sheltered themselves behind hum mocks of sand and as the boat approached the shore began to off pick its crew . The steady firing from so considerable a space as the rifle pits covered seems to have given the enemy an impression that a large force was concealed among the sand dunes and after losing several men the boat drew O H and re turned to the vessel which then stood down the shore toward fo Gay Head , running into a g, and probably on the Peaked

for sh e of Rocks , went down with part the crew , while those who reached shore were made prisoners . About in a line from the Gay Head light to N o Man ’ s Land a brass cannon has more than once been brought nearly to the surface on the fluke o i f an occasional anchor, and th s is supposed to have been part of the outfit of the Englishman . 2 02 ’ MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

GAY H EAD .

AT NO O N O F NI GH T .

Shortly after crossing into Gay Head , the highway passes of over Black Brook , a haunt witches and goblins , where ghosts

of . have been seen even late years The swampy , overgrown , nature of the ground affords ample opportunity for hiding and no no places , there seems good reason why ghosts should t of abide here . The water the brook is said to be particularly palatable to horses .

GAY H EAD . One -third of the Gay Head peninsula belonged to the L on “ d on Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Indians ” and others in North America , and Gay Head is an Indian res e rv ation o- t day . Professor Shaler writes that Gay Head presents by far the

ou r most striking geological features on eastern shore . These beds contain a greater variety of fossils than can be of obtained in any other part of the coast region New England .

A series of great cliffs leading down to sea ; these are ! the of sands and clays having an amazing variety of colors , giving

the to whole a brilliancy unexampled except at Alum Bay , of l Isle Wight . Red , black , yel ow , green and white , with many

a intermedi te tints , are blended in bands which stand nearly ’ i on th f of th e vert cal e clif . Some sands abound in sharks

2 04 ’ MART HA S VI NEYARD .

There is an indescribable loneliness in this rugged land , with i i s . s t sullen , helpless struggle against the sea It indeed a fitting

for m of . too home the re nant an Indian tribe They, have waged a losing fight against the fates and have nothing but ex ” tinction before them .

l of ecu l ar f The geo ogical formation these p cli fs , according His to Professor Shaler . has never been accounted for . theory is that the erosion work which removed the materials of these n f strata from their pare t rocks was e fected by glaciation , the not of ice attaining to the place deposition , but delivering the detritus to streams one or more of which debouched near this

r se pa t of the coast into the a or perhaps at times into a lake .

These streams bearing the detritus to its present resting place . to ff According this theory , the Gay Head cli s were built up as delta formations at the mouth of a great river of the tertiary age , each color representing the deposit of material from a certain region . O ccasionally subangular masses of sandstone are found

or s ix embedded in the strata . Professor Shaler noted five such fragments which cannot be classed with the ordinary glacial boulders that often w ork down the slopes so as to ap i pear as f they were embedded in the strata . These sandstone

ice ~ r afted C onnec i pieces were apparently , possibly from the t cut Valley .

’ f a w hitish First among the colors of the cli fs is sand , gen erall y composed of coarsely powdered quartz , feldspar and m of mica , such as ight have been derived from the destruction granite . Beds of red clay often containing masses of sand stone , which have a resemblance to the red sandstone of the

Connecticut Valley . Brown and green deposits known as GAY H EAD . 2 05

greensand —these are limited to the northern end—that in of certain parts contains numerous fossils , vertebrae whales, ’ et c of sharks teeth, . Beds dark brown or black lignite in which u of are found fragments of tr nks and branches trees . Here are found iron pyrites and frequent crystals of selenite and very occasionally small fragments of a fossil resin in the uppermos t beds . This resin is indistinguishable by ordinary tests from amber . Early explorers generally seem to have taken it for granted ’ that the Devil s D en is the extinct crater of a volcano , and the inquisitive visitor can still hear such statements made . Rev A erend D . Samuel West , D . . , F . A . , of Dartmouth , with Dr .

B a lies William y , of Dighton , and others visited Gay Head in

1 86 of v ol June , 7 , and found many signs which to them were canic action , citing the fact that they found masses of charcoal under their feet , large stones whose surfaces were vitrified , and great numbers of small ones cemented together by melted sand ; also cinders were to be seen in many places , etc . , etc . of And then there were the fireside stories the oldest inhabitant , whose mother had seen in her youth a mysterious light upon

Gay Head . There are several small and unnoticed mineral springs on

Gay Head . Some contain iron , some are charged with alum , and yet others are weakly tinctured with sulphuretted hydro ou r gen . This is the only part of northern seacoast where min eral springs are found .

’ NO MAN S LAND .

’ “ Some six miles south of Gay Head lies No Man s Land , a ” “ M arthae mass of glacial drift , the original s Vineyard , ’ “ which coasting along (Nantucket and south shore of Martha s ’ 2 06 M ARTH A S V I NEYARD .

Vineyard) we saw a d isinhabited Is land which so afterwards appeared to it us : we bore with it , and named

’ M arthae s Vineyard heere we

fathom e n eer e shoare rode in eight the ,

took r eat C od where we . g store of , as ” b—efore at Cape Cod , but much better so reports Mr . Gabriel Archer .

Nominally the island , which is

1 miles long and mile wide , is part of

"

the town of Chilmark , but the tax col one lector, it is said , never calls . Only or two families inhabit the island the

year around . There is no wood , but an

‘t r f nd e a m s abundance of peet which is used for is l’ e e b s s n nn after b ei g sk i ed . 1 02 fuel , though i n 7 Judge Sewall “ ’ wrote : No Man s Land is well watered and wooded and in h ” t . is habited by 7 day Indians The land very fertile , some so i of it extraordinarily . It s claimed that one field of grass has yielded so large a crop that it could not be cured on the of surface the field . Large white owls abound in the Winter

season .

’ The fishing about No Man s Land attracts many boat s dur - od ing the season . When the Gay Head braves hear the sea g “ ” uttering his cry Wee -wank ! Wee - wank ! then is it known

fi sh ou t that the have come , and the boats push from shore for fi the shing grounds . O n Stony Point , whose five acres are

all . th e cod fi sh covered with nothing but clean stones , caught

a s bout the island are placed , after being dres ed , and cured by

the su n . At times the entire five acres have been completely

2 08 ’ MART HA S VI NEYA RD .

and cost Every ten seconds a flash , every fourth flash

- w as 1 8 . being red . The present tower built in 57 9

F GAY I NDIAN LE GEND S O H EAD . Gay Head has been so long identified with the Indian that about all of the legends which have survived have been fit ted to of this end the island , which has been well supplied with a names by the aborigines , who at various times h ve called it C atack utcho or W u htu hqu ehtunt or W annu m m u sit or Aquin nah . The Indians appear to have had two fabulous giants or

h e ii h C e M os o . devils , p and p Not much has been handed down concerning the former , and what little there is would indicate M osho that he was a very bad and mischievous deity . About p most of the legends cling , and there is j ust enough in them to make it seem probable that the original M oshop was a real of w ho his Indian , a man parts left impress , and about whose memory was gradually collected the legends of the region . HEEPI I C . Near where the Peters house now stands once stood the ’ f of o . habitation a great chief Twas dug in the side a hill , with a warm southern exposure , walled up with stones , well

w as an roofed with wreckage from the sea , and at one end i immense stone fireplace with ts broad hearth . The floor was of beautifully pounded earth kept in a fine state of firmness and black polish by constant sweepings with the wonderful pock web brooms . of Here one night , in the midst a dance , came a horrible ou t noise from the adj oining cornfield . The Indians rushing of doors charged the field on all sides , but were repulsed at every point by a fearful shape that seemed to be everywhere GAY HEAIl 2 09 at fi discom fi t once , and they nally retired ed from before this ih foe o comprehensible to await the coming f the dawn .

‘ u nbrok n By daylight all was quiet and peaceful , the e corn w as waving in the gentle breeze ; only around the edges of the

field where the Indians had ventured close , was it broken down , t no on and here was sign the ground but their own footprints .

Then they stood amazed , and looking at each other muttered

“ ” C h eepii! C heep ii!

M O S HO P .

M osh0p i s sa i d to have originally held sway on the main his land where , after a fierce battle and the loss of nearly all

w as . to braves , he defeated and forced to fly Then he came

A u innah e q , and in a well watered place called the Den he mad ’ of ff his home . The Devil s D en is a hollow in the edge the cli

of ~ about 1 00 feet deep , and several hundred feet south the light

is of x t house . It claimed by some to be the crater an e tinc volcano . ’ S u ant now 1 To this dwelling he brought his lovely q , 0

u ant S q , and their twelve b e a u t i f u 1 daughters . Standing at his door he would catch a whale , or

fi sh other great , by the tail and swing it up to his hearthstone where a fire always burned , constantly replenished by large for eS t W trees hich he pulled e l en T he G ay H ead shore . Rocks that hav fal ne up by the roots for the as th e cl iff has b een u nd ermi d . purpose . ’ 2 10 MART HA S VI NEYARD .

When the whales failed to approach near enough M osh0p would throw great rocks into the sea on which to approach his — ’ victim hence the D evil s Bridge . M oshop appears to have been a kindly disposed old fellow

and a hard worker when it was necessary . The following legend tells how he was outwitted and his work brought to ol naught by the cunning of an d woman . Those living on the Vineyard wished to secure easy access to the island of Cutty

M osho hunk , and begged p to build a bridge across , while the

C u tt h u nkers w ho y , were satisfied with their home trade , and

desired not the intrusion of foreigners , as earnestly begged him

not w as tw o to build ; thus he torn between opinions , until

finally his home friends prevailed and he consented , the only stipulation being that he w as to begin at sunset and stop at r how w as o . cockcrow , whether the bridge finished not This ,

ever , would give ample time .

of Then were they Cuttyhunk much alarmed and exercised , being wholly unable to devise any means to stay his hand until an old woman came forward and said that if watch was kept M osho sh 0 and she informed when p began , e would st p him .

Her friends thought her crazy , asking how a poor, weak woman could stop such a great giant , when the strength of all the men

' u she of Cuttyhunk co ld not prevail against him . But per

. w as sisted , and they finally agreed Thus a sharp watch kept every sunset until finally M oshop was seen to approach the

as su n shore with a great rock in his hands and , the took his

t ou evening dip in the western waters , to hrow it far t into the

Sound . t Then came rocks in a shower , some as large as the greates

e to . wigwams , and the bridge b gan rapidly grow All Cutty

2 12 ’ M ARTHA S V I NEYARD .

The lovers , after talking the situation over, concluded that

M osho their only help lay in p , and the girl , as the best pleader ,

n t et r was chose o bear the p ition . Then watching her opp o tu nit h y when the chief, her father , had gone on a long unt , the

on A u innah its girl started her j ourney to q , and toiling up

10 in 00 or steep s pes , for the heights those days were 5 feet more h sea s e . above the , came into the presence She was much

to so frightened see the great man loom tall above her , but he

sh spoke gently and e finally found courage to tell her story , of receiving a prompt promise aid . It was appointed that the t w o lovers should meet the Giant ’ on Sampson s Hill , Chappaquiddick , and there they came . While discussing the matter and canvassing every possible ex

ed ient his b p , the elder took out pipe and egan to smoke . Now you must know that the pipe was in accord with the size of so the man , and that it took many bales of tobacco to fill it , that when he was through and proceeded to knock the ashes ou t into the s ea there arose a tremendous hissing sound and great

‘ clouds of smoke and vapor which filled the whole region with ! a dense fog .

on of M osho h There was method in all this the part p , but t e not lovers , who did appreciate it , only thought he was a poky old giant and very slow to suggest a remedy for their t as v ery real woes . Imagine then heir fo tonishment when , as the g lifted , they

' l sea beh e d a beautiful island in the , gild n ed by the rising su . Thus was Nantucket born to meet the p A spider “ a“ wants of a pair of Vineyard lovers . The GAY H EAD, 2 13 m arriage portion being now provided the hard hearted parent relented and there was nothing to longer delay the ceremony M osho r which p himself performed , and afte celebrating the n uptials at his royal mansion in a fitting manner , he dismissed to the pair their new domain with his blessing . So in Nantucket we have the authentic proof that the great

M osho l i ou r p once ved , and while it may gall little neighbor t o know that it was never intended in the original order of

things and was merely created to fill a sudden emergency, it i yet seems best togive the facts w thout bias . “ ’ Som e there be who call Nantucket The Devil s Ash Heap but the reader can readily see that this is a deliberate slur born o f malice and all manner of uncharitableness . The facts are as above stated .

T HE END O F T HE GIANTS .

' ‘ The time came when lVl oshO p felt he was being crowded

‘ ‘ w ou ld soon out , and that there be no room for such great fel lows as himself . He was too good to attempt the destruction f to a sad com o others and too proud compl in , and after many m u nings with himself made up his mind to a course of action his which , while it might remove the last remnant of gigantic tribe from the earth , yet seemed for the best . By this time he had an infinite number of sons and daughters ; these he sent ’ to play on a beach which in those days j oined No Man s Land to

Gay Head . He then made a mark across the beach at each i end with h s toe , and so deep that the water flowed through and —so th e rapidly cu t away th e sands rapidly , indeed , that chil dren were in danger of being drowned . The boys held their

“ M osho sisters above th e water . Then p called and told them on to act as though they were bent killing whales , whereupon ’ 2 14 MARTH A S VI NEYARD .

s they were all t urned into killers (a fish o called) . For you m ust know ou r giant w as a magician as well as the fountain of all wisdom . Then he and Squ ant took the trail along the beach toward ’ su n M olitiah s the rising , and they passed Ledge , and the Z aces ff Peaked Rocks and Black Rock to Cli s , and here they sought repose in a beach hummock and have never been of seen more , though it is said the smoke their camp fire is now sometimes seen by those gifted with acute vision , and and “ ’ ” then 01 Squ ant is said to appear to certain merry gentle

at to or men returning late night from a visit the sick , other

wise .

I NDIAN NO TES .

M ittark son was the first Indian minister at Gay Head , the

Noh o ks t a aet . of , a sachem who came from Massachusetts Bay

M ittark 1 6 6 of embraced Christianity in 3, and after the death

on I O 1 68 his er his father sold , M ay , 7, all rights in the t ritory ,

. of . o to Gov Thomas D ongan , New York The first rec rded

deed of Squibnocket was signed by D ongan . s It is claimed that the first church here was Pre byterian , but the Baptist records show that that church was organized on Gay Head by Thomas M ayhew , Peter Folger and others ,

1 6 about 93. The Gay Head Indians spend their life on the water and f of become the most expert o boatmen . During the days whal ing they were in great demand among the whalemen as boat steerers ; several have become mates and a few masters of

w hal eshi s p .

’ t on There is a grea Indian burial ground Able s Neck , where i m H acoo es . it is supposed , the first converted Indian , was buried

2 16 ’ D M ARTHA S VI NEYAR .

o or resembling his can e , skin , whatever his riches were , he

’ threw it up in the air ; and whoever of the poor without could

' r es m bl e b ecam e take it , the property it was intended to e for or ever transferred to him her . After the rich had thus given

away all their movable property to the poor , they looked out the handsomest and most spright ly young man in the assem i f h m . o bly and put into an entire new wigwam , built everything

new for that purpose . They then formed into two files at a

“ small distance from each other . One standing in the space at of W w each end put fire to the bottom the i g am on all parts , and l’ fell to singing and dancing . Presently the youth would eap out of a the flames , and f ll down to appearance dead . Him

to for they committed the care of five virgins , prepared that

t o for purpose restore to life again . The term required this

t six - would be uncer ain , from to forty eight hours ; during which

u time the dance m st be kept up . When he was restored he would tell , that , he had been carried in a large thing high up in of the air , where he came to a great company white people with whom he had interceded hard to have the distemper

layed ; and generally after much persuasion , would obtain a w promise , or ans er of peace , which never failed of laying the ” s di temper .

W RE CK O F T HE CI TY O F CO LU MB US . — The unfortunate side of Gay He ad is under water the Devil ’ s Bridge and lesser reefs and rocks left by the washing

a the ff . aw y of cli s , that make navigation of this coast dangerous “ The most terr ible disaster here was the destr uction of the City ” of 1 8 w as one u nfortu Columbus , January . It of those

nate errors that sho u ld never have happened . The night w a s

unusually clear , but at Friday morning the man at the A GAY H E D .

w heel h eard the order “ ” a- hard port , and a mo m ent later the vessel

struck on the rocks . She immediately filled for

ward , careened toward

the port side , leaving her ou t of b ow water . As the passengers rushed on deck they were swept o ff by the waves , for a hurricane w as blowing though the moon shone b e rilliantly . The s a was

m i a C sw ee ak ng lean p For signal and humane exertions in attempt over the Ship only one ing to save th e passengers and crew of th e steam er City of Columbus off i 3 G a ea n sh p boat , and that con y H d , Ja uary

taining but four men , succeeded in reaching the shore after battling with the waves ’ one from 4o clock until nearly 7, and of these men died from exposure before landing , and only one was able to crawl to the n earest house and send help to the others .

’ The wreck was not discovered from shore until 5o clock .

of v olu n Then Horatio N . Pease , keeper the light , called for

of w a . . at teers , which there s no lack A crew in a whaleboat

six on tempted to rescue men seen a raft , but their boat was stove almost before they were off shore and they barely es c — f aped themselves they were Thomas C . Je fers , captain ;

Henry H . Jeffers , Raymond Madison . Thomas E . Manning ,

C m 0. . harles Stevens , Si eon D ivine and John Anthony ’ MARTHA S VI NEYAR D .

~ The sea w as so he avy that it . . w as an im po ss ibility to launch ’ ’ 1 0 the lifeboat until 9 o clock . At o clock the boat returned

consisted ~ entirel of with seven rescued men . The crew y Gay n d a Head India s , who lived up to their best traditions that y.

They were Joseph Peters , captain ; Samuel Haskins , Samuel

n rhoo n Va d e . Anthony , James Coo er , Moses Cooper and John p The second crew that manned the lifeboat also consisted of h w o . Indians , except the captain , was white This crew was

of . . composed James T Mosher , captain ; Leonard L Vander f hoop , Thomas C . Je fers , Patrick D ivine , Charles Grimes and

Peter Johnson . They had rescued thirteen men when the reve “ ” nue cutter Dexter came up and the saved were transferred to

u her . A boat from the c tter , captained by Lieutenant John U .

Rhodes , succeeded in rescuing four more . i It seems hardly fair , where every man was taking his l fe

his his to in hands and doing utmost , single out any individual , “ ” but the Col umbus wreck can hardly be passed over without “ of of particular mention Lieutenant Rhodes , a man quiet man ” ners and faithful to every duty . It was impossible to rescue men except as they would jump and be picked up ; no boat could approach close to the wreck without being stove . The last tw o men hung i n the rigging unable to move from ex

i n as h au st o . The Lieutenant waited until his boat w within

0 of the - about 3 feet half submerged hull , and with a line about w W him j umped into the icy waters and s am for the vessel . hen almost there a piece of timber struck him and he sank and was hauled back to the small boat , taken to the cutter , revived and his wound dressed ; he determined to try it again , and this time succeeded in reaching the ship and getting the men out of the

i . rigg ng, taking the last living soul from the wreck We seldom

2 2 0 ’ MARTHA S V I NEYARD . nishes a wealth of View that is worth a trip of many miles to enjoy . no No more , more The worldy shore Upbraids m e with its loud uproar ! With dreamful eyes My spirit lies ” Under the walls of Paradise ! I NDEX . 2 2 1

I N D E !

A Chilmark 184 il i ff ’ Ch mark cl s 190 Alabama s (th e reb el cruiser ) first pri ze 48 h lmark Village 191 l n C i A dworth , Mou t 3 C h r istiantow n 151 mos , eb ecca A R ’ hunk s ll 131 ne e n C Hi A cdot s , Edgartow vi l ar, tale of th e 47 n n e Ci W A A tho y , Lak Civil War note 118 rch er , G abr el . A i “ ” zen W e en t , hal sh p , t on of . 41 thearn farm Ci i i M i A “ ” ty of olumbus , reck o th e 2 16 e n Ci C W f th ar , Jam es A n laghor , ol . G eorge 16 1 e n n e C C L Ath ar . Pri c Class m eeting 111

. en n Clough , Capt B j ami 112

. S e Cobb , Capt amu l 174 n e Bala c d Rock “ ” Constitution Th e builder of th e frigate 16 1 apt st ineyard ssoc iat on B i V A i C otiss1m o 143 ass reek B C Coun ty of Duk es Coun ty 7 ’

e e . B ck s B ach n Cousi s , Mr 70 eetl e un g orners B B C nne I n e Cu rs , prais of 58 Birds that com e and go G H e Black Brook , ay ad D Bog-or e aggett, L eand er, Stor es by e D i Bradl y , Taylor, digs clams agg ett, olly . e e n n D P Br r to , Joh e S e e ne en Dagg tt, th , hous Vi yard Hav Brick yard at Roaring Brook e S i Dagg tt, las British camp ed on Manter Hill D ancm e n n g Fi ld, I dia Hill British done brown eep otto m . . e n D B Bumboat , A mod r erm er, apt . homas e Th e D C T Butl r farm . ’ D evi l s Bridge ’ n C D evil s D e . n Dow s , William ee n n e n n Camp m ti g grou ds Duk s Cou ty , Cou ty of Camp M eeting Herald C ap aw oc e e A n n en Cap Pog , i cid t of Early roads e e O n n e E e on th e ne Cap Pog , rigi of am arthquak s Vi yard Ce dar N eck Eas t C h Op light C h O n Chappaquid dick East p , Wasti g of e i e Chappaquid dick , Blu Rock of Eastv ll

i n n . C h eep i Edgartow , Nami g of 2 2 2 ’ M ARTHA S VI NEYARD .

Edgartown H arbor J dgartown s oldest burying ground ne Jo s , Jam es thearn Ep enow A n Jorda , Lake F

e e th e Fish s , Miracl of K atama ay . e e e B Folg r . P t r K and M attak essett e en e S e e atama , L g d of For sts , ubm rg d K ni e Th e e e n e tt rs , Forr st r, A dri s

P orrett. Jam es n n en n Fra kli , B jami agoon D r L Fr eeman R ev . n end Lagoo , North of L n e e e n e G agoo , a propos d r fug from orth ast " ” G al en a , Wreck of th e n Th e n e an inne G e e S e on Lagoo , , o c r harbor ay H ad, Prof ssor hal r Lambert’ s ove G ay H ead light C

en e . e 14 5141 157 1 Lawr c , Capt Jam s G eology . 6 , , , 80, Lib erty Pol e i ncident in n O e e G e” W l e en n 41 L to , liv r hous lob , ha ship , M tio of ’ ttle ond G ol d on Martha s Vineyard 3 Li P

e ne n n n n n n n n n n n n n G e S e n n Luc , Ab r n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n org s , ir F rdi a do e en in G osnol d n Luc , B jam N , Captai e n G -G ene th e i n Luc , Na cy ray , Major ral , raids sla d uce apt . Ob d Gr eat Harbor L , C i G e e ne en r at Hous , Vi yard Hav G e m e e 1898 r at stor of Nov mb r, n e Mako ik y o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o n e ne H Ma t r , Par l M n or n archa t family history , A scrap n n n n n n n n Harlow , Captai ’ ne N ew Y e e S e e Martha s Vi yard a part of ork H dg tak s , Battl of ' n e ee n e n e M at tak essett Martha s Vi yard Camp M ti g Associ H rri g fish ry ,

n . 60 e n e i b atio H rri g fish ry , T s ury ’ ne a 50 H iacoom es Martha s Vi yard R il Road M arth ae’ s ne T he n 1 2 05 n n Vi yard, origi al , Hobso , Captai . . art n ’ s neyard 3 Holm es Hol e M i Vi ason c Order on artha’ s neyard 108 Holm es Hol e harbor lights M i M Vi e e en e e i 187 e Th e n Mayh w , Exp ri c , hous , Ch lmark Hom Club, , of Edgartow e e r n 12 Mayh w hous , Ed ga tow n . Y Hu dso , N ea n S n e ’ ayh ew co mo , hous , h lmark . 191 Hu zzl eton s H ead M , D i C i

e . 11 Mayh w , Thomas e e th e n 6 Mayh w, Thomas , Purchas of isla d n n e e 56 I dia Hill Mayh w , Thomas , tabl t n n e en G e e Th e fi v e i n 12 I dia l g ds of ay H ad Mayh ws , m ssio ary n n n e th e n ene n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n 194 I dia am of isla d M msha n n n n n n n n n n e n o o o o o o o o 1 e G o 48 I dia ot s Middl rou d o o o o o o o o o o o o o o n n e n I dia r mai s . Middletown 10 n n . n 162 I dia worship Mill at Roari g Brook o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o I n n S n i d o d a s arly ha re e o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 177 i Mill , W st Tisbury n i e n 2 ne o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 05 I dustr s , Early Mi ral spri gs o o o o o o o

2 2 4 ’ MARTH A S VI NE YARD .

W ebataqu a 133 136 V , n z n e e G e o o o o o o o o o o o o Ver a a o o o o o o o o o o o o W sl ya rov o o o o o o 59 ne e Un e e e 79 91 Vi s , Richar d W st, cl P t r , ne G e n e e e n e 9 Vi yard rov Compa y W st, P t r , A oth r 3

ne en e . 131 Vi yard Hav W st, Dr Thomas e n o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 1 1 e en n n o o o o o 7 Vi yard Hav , Bur i g of W st Tisbury ne en t e e W e d e 41 Vi yard Hav , firs s ttl d hal ship isast rs i e n - Q Vineyard Haven harbor : Whal sh ps of Edgartow . 39 Vineyard Highlands Wh ales and Whalin g 35 ne m en i en ne en 89 Vi yard , A compl m t to . . Wharf , Vi yard Hav ‘ ine S n e ” W n : en 6 5190 V yar d ou d Riv r hiti g, Prof H ry L , h tson ay 2 W W i B n l O ne r en 12 2 Wi dmil , ld , Vi ya d Hav 1812 e on th e 34 88 109 Wind ates War of , Not s , , , yg 189

'

n . c 110 Wi slow , Capt Isaa e S ee n W intu k 42 c et e . Wat r tr t, North , Edgartow Cov 54 e n e ater Stre t, o c ass reek neyard W m en n M a or o G eneral 47 W B C , Vi Worth , illia J ki s, j Haven