A
Descriptive trolley tour through Mattapan, Milton, Canton and Sharon in 1904.
Originally
published by Robert H. Derrah, By Trolley through New Eastern New England.
(Boston, Mass., 1904),
"The
Reservation Route", pgs. 55-60.
The
Trolley Route From Boston to Sharon and connecting points, past the state
reservation and under the shadow of the Great Blue Hills.
Almost
at the door of
Boston
, easily accessible by trolley, lies
one of the greatest recreation grounds in the world, in scenery far superior to
the parks of
Paris
and in its refreshing value
surpassing
London
's famous
Epping Forest
. Just over the Neponset valley from
the city lie the Blue Hills of
Milton
, the " mountains " of the
metropolitan district. The trolley tourist from
Boston
to
Sharon
, famed far and wide for its
healthfulness, passes along this great reservation, owned by the Commonwealth,
and by a diverting side trip is able to reach its most beautiful parts. Taking a
Mattapan or Blue Hill car at the Dudley Street terminal of the Elevated and
riding out through " Unquity-quisset," as the Indians called this part
of Dorchester, the terminus of the Boston line is at Mattapan, beautifully
situated on the Neponset River, but the car runs through to Canton and
Stoughton. Soon after leaving Mattapan the cars pass the residence of Arthur
Merritt, owner of the famous Savinhurst Kennels, where a fine view is had of the
Blue Hill range. Running between giant elms, one comes to the beautiful
residence of Park Commissioner E. P. Whitney, with a fertile valley off
to the left. From here the car speedily descends the hill, only to ascend
another, from which a wider view is had to the right of the elegant residences
of
Brush Hill Road
and other parts of
Milton
. On a street bordered by elms of
giant proportions the car passes near the fine residence of W. E. C. Eustis
and runs into another valley, where a glance to the right reveals Readville and
buildings and track of the Trotting Association. Passing the Rotch estate
on the left, with its ornamental pagoda, near which the line leads off to
the right to Readville, the car leaves the fine residences, with their
windmills scattered among the trees, and goes through another shaded section to
Canton Avenue, the westerly entrance to the Blue Hill reservation, containing
4,857 acres and stretching away for miles on the left. At the base of the Great
Blue Hill it is worth while to pause in the journey and make the climb to this
peak, which commands such a magnificent view. The Great Blue Hill is 635 feet
above sea level, and the road to the summit passes the Casino buildings and then
leads off through a beautiful grove known as the Wolcott Pines, winding to the
right up the hill through a growth of oaks and birches to come out upon the
summit. Here is the Rotch Observatory, world-famous for its
meteorological experiments made with kites, and from the bald summit on which it
stands the eye roams over the wilderness to the eastward, the great city on the
north, the seeming plains of southern and southwestern Massachusetts on the
south, and with the opalescent sea shining in the far distance over the
reservation takes in a range of scenery almost unsurpassed, all of which is
described in an illustrated booklet for sale at the Casino building, entitled
" Great Blue Hill and the Reservation."
Houghton's
Pond Charles River at Mattapan Bridge - Walcott Pines - Blue Hill Observatory
A
little beyond the Administration Road, after skirting the reservation for some
distance, the traveler comes to Blue Hill Street, which leads off to
Hoosic-Whisick Lake, or Houghton's Pond, with its picnic ground, half a mile
from which is Ponkapoag Pond.
Going
on with the trolley journey, the car passes, on the left, the fine stables and
race track of the late J. Malcolm Forbes, where some of the most noted
blooded horses - Arion, Nancy Hanks, Binger and others - have been bred,
conspicuous objects in a charming landscape, and passing the old "Cherry
Tavern," on the top of Cherry Hill, on the right, one soon comes to the
little village of Ponkapoag, located among the rolling hills as they lead down
to the valley, being part of the Ponkapoag Plantation, a grant of six thousand
acres of land set apart for the Ponkapoag tribe of
Massachusetts Indians in [1657]
by the town of Dorchester; on the left, partly hidden by a high fence, is Redman
farm, the summer home of Thomas Bailey Aldrich, the well-known poet and
author, where was written "From Ponkapoag to Pesth," "Ponkapoag
Papers," etc. Passing the old burying ground, dating back to 1700,
where " Ye English Church" stood from
1754 to 1796, the
car comes
to Canton
Corner.
Entrance
to Blue Hill Reservation
Here
on the right may be seen the Protestant burying ground, church, parish hall and
public school, while on the opposite side is the Catholic cemetery. As the car
enters
Canton
, the
fine residences of Charles H. French and the Hon. Elijah Morse are
passed on the right. Here a line runs off to the right to Canton Junction,
connecting
Norwood
and other inland towns of
southwestern
Massachusetts
by trolley.
Canton
, set off in 1797, occupies the site
of one of the Christian Indian villages established by the Apostle Eliot.
Here is the estate of Augusuts Hemmenway, whose gift of the Canton Public
Library, which the car passes, is a testimonial to his public spirit. Passing
the post office, the car soon comes to " Cobb's Tavern," the
junction of two trolley lines.
The
one running off to the left takes one through
West Stoughton
to
Stoughton
, once a part of
Dorchester
, which gave up part of its domain to
form the town of
Canton
. The early settlers once knew these now thriving towns as
"Mount Hunger Fields," but there are today ample evidences of
prosperity on every side. At
Stoughton
connections are made for
Brockton
,
Randolph
,
Easton
and other points in all sections of
the Old Colony.
Houghton's
Pond
From
"Cobb's Tavern" the car gradually ascends through a most
delightful country until
Sharon
is reached. This town is famed for
the charm of its scenery, the purity of its atmosphere and the longevity of its
residents. The original name of the town was Massapoag, and later it was called
Stoughtonham, taking its present Scriptural name in 1765. Its highest land is
Moose Hill, which commands a fine view off to the right, but it has many other
hills, most of which are wooded with pine and hard woods. The flora of
Sharon
is extensive, and its wood violets
are of remarkable size and fragrance. Besides its millponds there are two lakes,
Wolomolopoag ("sweet water") and Massapoag ("large water"),
the latter containing 435 acres. The remarkable healthfulness of
Sharon
is by many attributed to the fact
that no water runs into the town from any other town, while its own streams flow
directly into several towns. This is because
Sharon
is situated on the highlands which
form the watershed between the
Neponset
River
and
Narragansett Bay
.
Massapoag
Lake
, within a few minutes' walk, is a
most beautiful sheet of water, surrounded by summer residences and large hotels,
and the drives and walks which can be reached from the terminus of the electric
lines are many and varied.
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