Zachary Lamothe - A History Lovers Guide to the South Shore

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2020 by Zachary Lamothe

All rights reserved

First published 2020

E-Book edition 2020

ISBN 978.1.43967.006.4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020930479

Print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.134.5

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book would not have been possible without assistance from a variety of individuals. Throughout the planning, researching, writing, photographing and editing process, I have had immeasurable assistance along the way.

A thank-you to these individuals for help with the research: Julie Burrey of the Plymouth Public Library, Donna Curtin of Pilgrim Hall Museum, Angela Halstedt, Bob Harris at the Braintree Historical Society, Merlyn Liberty and Doug Ulwick of the Dyer Memorial Library, Brendan Kieran at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Enzo Monti at the Plymouth Cordage Company Museum, Amy Sheperdson at the Carver Public Library and Claire Spatola at the Hingham Historical Society

Thank you to these folks for their suggestions of historic places or attractions that I must include in these pages: Linda Arnold, Chris Arouca, Katie Burritt, Adam Coletti, Meaghan Fitzpatrick and James Hutchinson (thanks for joining for a research trip too!), Carlo Lamagna, David Lehan, David and Ann Marie Lyons, Matt Pomella, Mike Ruuska and Jen Worden.

This group took the time to (which is much appreciated) edit through their towns chapter: Carol Anderson of the Kingston Historical Society; James Baker, historian and museum curator (your knowledge of Plymouth is truly incredible); Wendy Bawabe and Caleb Estabrooks from the Norwell Historical Society; and Samantha Woods of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association.

Thanks to Adam Mannar, who on assignment took the photos of the National Monument to the Forefathers for this publication.

These individuals need an extra tip of the cap for helping on all ends of this project, including the research, editing and suggestion giving: Kezia Bacon, whose assistance was invaluable; Tom Begley, executive liaison for admission research and special programs at Plimoth Plantation; Lynne DeGiacomo at the Cohasset Historical Society; Bob Gallagher of the Scituate Historical Society; and Miles Prescott of the Pembroke Historical Society.

Of course, thanks to my mom, who edits everything I write (and has for the last thirty years), and my dad for just being there.

An outpouring of thanks to my wife, Jaclyn, who dealt with me throughout the whole writing process, even when the books and our second sons due dates were within weeks of each other. (And she even took some photos for the book as well.) To my older son, Danny, who without (too much of) a fuss accompanied me to South Shore destinations near and far. And a special thanks to my editor, Mike Kinsella, for believing in this project.

INTRODUCTION

The South Shore of Massachusetts is constantly reinventing itself. It was the land of the Wampanoag and Massachusett tribes. Later, it was colonized by the English. A group of Separatists that eventually landed in Plymouth in 1620 settled the first permanent colony in New England. Soon, other colonies followed, such as Wessagusset (Weymouth) and Bare Cove (Hingham) to the north. During the seventeenth century, religion was an important part of the daily life of the citizens of the South Shore. Farming and fishing were vital. Some towns, such as Weymouth, Abington and Rockland, were highly industrialized. These three were important shoemaking towns. Others, such as Carver, Halifax and Pembroke, retained their rural feel. During the twentieth century, the major highway, Route 3, connected the South Shore to Boston. This helped the region grow dramatically. The northern towns of Weymouth and Braintree became bedroom communities of Boston. As the twentieth century progressed and Bostons allure grew even stronger, towns as far away as Plymouth and Kingston became part of the metropolitan Boston area, with a rise in population and suburban sprawl. The more things change, the more they stay the same, is the old adage. This rings true for the South Shore as well. In the twenty-first century, fishing remains important to the economy. Towns such as Hingham, Cohasset and Duxbury have kept the charm of a bygone era intact with quaint commercial centers and a small-town feel. Plymouth has become a destination not only for its history but also for its thriving downtown with independent businesses. Although the quest for religious freedom, a job in the shoe industry or the necessity to procure salt from the marshes are remnants of the past, the South Shore continues to be a major destination. From the fine sand beaches of Plymouth to the rocky coast of Cohasset, from the cranberry bogs of Carver to the streams full of herring in the springtime, the natural beauty of the region is topnotch.

Unlike well-defined regions such as the towns of Cape Cod, the neighborhoods of Boston or the municipalities that comprise Plymouth County, the South Shore is much more ambiguous. Some sources proclaim it as solely the coastal towns; others include farther inland. To the north, where does metropolitan Boston end and the South Shore begin? This collection includes all of the coastal towns and some farther inland such as Pembroke, Carver and Plympton. Quincy is the farthest north, and although the towns of Randolph and Holbrook were once part of Braintree, as was Quincy, the two first towns are not included, unless mentioned in reference to the historic Braintree.

Much of the history of the South Shores towns overlap. This is due to a few reasons. For one, the area of land is not huge, meaning if cutting down trees for lumber was a major source of income in one town, chances are it was the same in the surrounding towns as well. Industries such as shipbuilding were not pigeonholed to one town. Instead, wherever there was an appropriate river, in this case the North River, shipyards sprang up, whether in Pembroke, Marshfield, Norwell, Hanover or Scituate. Another reason for overlap is because many South Shore municipalities broke away from the town of which they were originally a part.

The journey in writing this book has been fun. The idea of not only giving a glimpse into the towns history but also providing attractions related to history has been rewarding.

PLYMOUTH

AMERICAS HOMETOWN

No other place on the South Shore would be as fitting as Plymouth to begin our trek through history. While Plymouth is world renowned for being the permanent settlement of the group of Separatists from England that would be known to posterity as the Pilgrims, its history runs much deeper than that. From its earliest incarnation as a village of the Patuxet people, a group in the Wampanoag Nation, through its tenure as the Plymouth Colony, flourishing through subsequent centuries, Plymouth is a town that has had to constantly reshape itself to fit the desires of its inhabitants. Its Indigenous population utilized the abundant natural resources, including its fresh water, wild animals for food and a plentiful amount of fish in its streams and ocean. For the Pilgrims, Plymouths steep hillsides, as well as its freshwater source, made a perfect location for a fort. Its proximity to water encouraged industry to thrive during the Industrial Revolution. In the modern day, oceanfront property, and with it, beaches and seafood shacks (along with historical tourism), bring the crowds. Whatever the decade, the area of land known as Plymouth has been utilized to benefit its inhabitants.