History of Charlestown, (Suffolk County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Local History Notes:

CHARLESTOWN, a city and seaport of Middlesex county [ed. note: Now part of Boston, Suffolk County], Massachusetts, is situated on a peninsula immediately N. of Boston, with which it is connected by the Warren and Charles River bridges. It is 237 miles by railroad N. E. from New York; 200 miles E. by S. from Albany; and 111 miles S. S. W. from Portland; lat. 42° 2´ N., lon. 71° 3´ 33´´ W. The peninsula extends from the mainland of Summerville about two miles in a south-easterly direction, between two small estuaries, formed by the Mystic and Charles rivers. These are crossed by two public bridges; the one on the right leading from Prison Point to East Cambridge, and the other to Chelsea and Malden. The surface is remarkably uneven, and near the centre rises into two prominences called Bunker's and Breed's Hills, the summits and slopes of which afford delightful sites for dwellings. The streets, though irregular, are generally spacious and finely shaded. Two broad avenues, Main and Bunker Hill streets, extend nearly through the entire length of the peninsula. These are intersected at various angles by those passing from the Mystic to Charles River, and others leading to different sections of the city. Charlestown is, for the most part, handsomely built, and contains a large number of elegant mansions. Its healthy atmosphere and proximity to Boston have made it a favorite place of residence to many of the merchants and business men of that city. The principal public buildings are the churches, 8 or 9 in number, a bank, and a State's prison. The latter is situated at the western extremity of the city, on what is called Prison Point. It consists of an octagonal centre, with four wings, having its interior arrangements upon the Auburn plan. The chief object of interest, however, to persons visiting Charlestown, is the Bunker Hill Monument, erected in commemoration of the first great battle fought between the English and Americans. It stands on Breed's Hill, usually called Bunker Hill, near the spot where the brave Warren fell. Its foundations, which are 50 feet above the level of the sea, are enclosed 12 feet under ground. The cornerstone was laid by the Marquis La Fayette, June 17th, 1825, the fiftieth anniversary of the battle. June 17th, 1843, the completion of the monument was celebrated, in the presence of the President of the United States, many of the members of his cabinet, and a vast concourse of citizens. It consists of a plain granite shaft, 220 feet high, 31 feet square at the base, and 15 at the top. Within is a winding stairway, by which it is ascended to a chamber immediately under the apex, 11 feet in diameter, containing four windows, which afford a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding scenery. In this chamber are two of the four cannon which constituted the whole train of field artillery possessed by the Americans at the [p.220] commencement of the war, in April, 1775. These two pieces are named respectively Hancock and Adams.

The United States navy-yard at Charlestown, established about the year 1798, is situated at the foot of Bunker Hill. It occupies an area of from 70 to 80 acres, extending from the mouth of Charles river to Chelsea bridge, and is enclosed on the land side by a high stone wall. The dry-dock, at its upper end, was completed in 1833, at a cost of $670,089. It is constructed of chiselled granite, 341 feet long, and 80 wide, having a depth of 30 feet. The first vessel received was the United States frigate Constitution. There are also in the yard four large ship-houses, a granite ropewalk 1300 feet long, the dwellings of the officers, and naval stores to the amount of some $2,000,000. Connected with it, is a naval hospital, located in Chelsea.

Charlestown is memorable far its sufferings during the Revolutionary war. In the early part of the battle of Bunker Hill, fought June 17th, 1775, the town was set on fire by the British and burned to the ground. Incorporated a city in 1847. Population, 17,216.

Biographies:

Francis Dana, jurist, was born in Charlestown, Mass., June 13, 1743; son of Richard (1700-1772) and Lydia (Trowbridge) Dana. He was graduated at Harvard in 1762, studied law with his uncle, Judge Edmund Trowbridge, and was admitted to the bar in 1767. He joined the Sons of Liberty, where he discussed with his fellow patriots the right of taxation, and his law practice consisted largely of causes involving civil and political rights. In 1773 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of William Ellery of Newport, R.I., afterward a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In April, 1774, he went to England, ostensibly to visit his brother, the Rev. Edmund Dana, settled there, but primarily to represent the patriots of Massachusetts among their friends in England, hoping thereby to avert a conflict by securing a modification of the oppressive laws. He prolonged his visit to two years, but finding no hope for an adjustment, he returned to America in April, 1776, and so reported to the patriots. He was a member of the Massachusetts council, 1776-80, a delegate to Continental congress after November, 1776, too late to sign the Declaration of Independence, but he affixed his signature to the articles of confederation. He was chairman of the committee on the reorganization of the army, of the committee to visit the soldiers at Valley Forge in 1778, and of the committee to consider the conciliatory proposals of Lord North, which were unanimously rejected. In 1779 he was secretary of legation to France, with power to treat for peace and commerce with Great Britain, and he accompanied John Adams on the mission, arriving at Paris early in 1780. They subsequently visited Holland to negotiate a loan for the United States and on his return to Paris he found his commission as U.S. minister to Russia and proceeded to St. Petersburg in the summer of 1781. The Empress Catherine did not receive him officially, fearing the displeasure of England and wishing to act as mediator between the two countries, but he was accorded access to the minister of foreign affairs and reported the political condition to Robert R. Livingston, the American secretary of foreign affairs. After two years' residence at the court of St. Petersburg, Mr. Dana, considering that he had remained as long as appeared to him compatible with the dignity of his country, obtained leave from congress and left St. Petersburg in September, 1783, returning to Boston. In 1784 he was again in congress as a delegate and at the beginning of 1785 he left congress, having been appointed to a seat on the supreme bench of Massachusetts. He was appointed a delegate to the Philadelphia convention of 1787, which framed the constitution, but ill health prevented his attendance. He was, however, a member of the Massachusetts convention of 1788 called to decide upon the adoption of the instrument and took a leading part in that historical gathering in advocating the measure. In November, 1791, he was appointed chief justice of Massachusetts. He was a presidential elector in 1789, 1793, 1801 and 1809. He was obliged to decline the appointment made by President Adams in 1797 as envoy to France with C. C. Pinckney and John Marshall, as well as to resign the post of chief justice in 1806, on account of his health. He was a founder of the American academy of arts and sciences and its vice-president. He received from Harvard the degree of A.M. in 1765 and that of LL.D. in 1792. He died in Cambridge, Mass., April 25, 1811.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Charles Devens, cabinet officer, was born in Charlestown, Mass., April 4, 1820; son of Charles and Mary (Lithgow) Devens, and grandson of Richard Devens, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and of Col. Arthur Lithgow of Augusta, Maine. He was graduated at Harvard in arts in 1838, and in law in 1840, and practised his profession first in Northfield and later in Greenfield, Mass. He was a state senator, 1848-49, and U.S. marshal for the district, 1849-53, under appointment of President Fillmore. In this position it became his duty to execute the process under which Sims, the fugitive slave, was returned to his owner, and in 1877, when attorney-general of the United States, he appointed Sims to a position in the department of justice. He resumed the practice of law in 1854 locating at Worcester, Mass. He enlisted in the Federal army in 1861, and on April 19 was made major of the 3d battalion rifles, and on July 26 was promoted colonel of the 15th Mass. volunteers. He was wounded at Ball's Bluff, Va., Oct. 21, 1862, and was with McClellan at Yorktown, where he was brevetted brigadier-general during the siege, and assigned to a brigade in Couch's division, 4th army corps. At Fair Oaks he was severely wounded; at Antietam he had a horse shot under him; for gallant conduct at Fredericksburg he received commendations from the division commander, and at Chancellorsville he commanded a division of the 11th corps and was again wounded. On his return to the field in 1864 he commanded the third division, 24th corps, and his troops were the first to occupy Richmond after its evacuation. Upon the recommendation of General Grant he was brevetted major-general of volunteers in April, 1865, for "gallantry and good conduct at the capture of Richmond." He commanded the military district of Charleston, S.C., 1865-66, was mustered out of service at his own request in June, 1866, and returned to the practice of his profession. He served as a judge of the superior court of Massachusetts, 1866-73, by appointment of Governor Bullock, and as a judge of the supreme judicial court of Massachusetts in 1873 by appointment of Governor Washburn. He resigned from the bench March 10, 1877, to become attorney-general of the United States in the cabinet of President Hayes. At the close of the administration he was appointed by Governor Long to the supreme bench of the state, and held the position at the time of his death. He was commander-in-chief of the G.A.R. in 1874; a member of the Massachusetts historical society; president and chief orator at the 250th anniversary of Harvard college, 1889; and received the degree of LL.D. from Columbian university in 1876, and from Harvard in 1877. He delivered noteworthy addresses at the dedication of the soldiers' monuments at Boston and Worcester; on the occasion of the centennial celebration of the battle of Bunker Hill; on the occasions of the death of Gen. George G. Meade and of Gen. U. S. Grant; and to his regiment after the battle of Ball's Bluff. A heroic size bronze statue by Olin L. Warner, sculptor, was erected to his memory on the state house grounds, Boston, by the state of Massachusetts, the legislature appropriating $15,000 for the purpose. His brother, Arthur Lithgow Devens, was graduated at Harvard in 1840; received his LL.B. degree in 1843, and died in Boston, Mass., in 1867. General Devens died in Boston, Mass., Jan. 7, 1891.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Gardner Maynard Jones, librarian, was born in Charlestown, Mass., June 27, 1850; son of Nahum and Lucy (Blake) Jones; grandson of Amos and Louisa (Maynard) Jones, and of Samuel and Betsey (Fay) Blake, and a descendant of Lewis Jones, who came to Roxbury, Mass., before 1640. He was graduated from the high school, Dorchester, Mass., in 1866; was employed in various book stores in Boston, 1867-87; attended the School of Library Economy at Columbia college in 1888, and was appointed librarian of the Salem public library in February, 1899. He was treasurer of the Appalachian Mountain club in 1885-86-87, and vice-president, 1889; became a member of the American Library association, 1887, and was elected treasurer in 1897, and president of the Massachusetts Library club in 1893. He married, in 1897, Kate Emery Sanborn , daughter of E. B. S. Sanborn. He is the author of: List of Subject Headings for use in Dictionary Catalogues (1895); Rough Subject Index to the Publications of the Essex Institute (1890), and various papers on library subjects, published in the Library Journal and elsewhere.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

George Martin Lane, teacher of Latin, was born in Charlestown, Mass., Dec. 24, 1823; son of Martin Lane, whose ancestors came from England in 1636. Hewas graduated at Harvard, A.B., 1846, A.M., 1849, and was a tutor there, 1846-47. He studied philology at the universities of Berlin and G?ttingen, Germany, 1847-51, and received the degree of Ph.D. from G?ttingen in 1851. He returned to Cambridge, Mass., was university professor of Latin at Harvard, 1851-69; Pope professor of Latin, 1869-94, and Pope professor emeritus of Latin, 1894-97. On his resignation from active work and his election as professor emeritus, he was voted a retiring allowance of two-thirds of his salary, a striking departure in the annals of the university. He exerted an influence upon the instruction of Latin, not only at Harvard, but upon the schools throughout the country, in being the first to introduce the true pronunciation in the United States. He was married to Frances Eliza, daughter of Samuel Smith Gardiner, of Shelter Island, who died in 1876, and in 1878, to Mrs. Fanny (Bradford) Clark of Cambridge, Mass. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and received the degree of LL.D. from Harvard in 1894. He published little under his own name, but freely lent his knowledge in correcting or amending the works of others. He aided in the revision of Lewis's (known as Harper's) Latin Lexicons, one of which was dedicated to him by its author. He is the author of the popular college song, The Lone Fishball, and of Lane's Latin Grammar, published posthumously. He was also a correspondent for the Nation, and wrote articles and reviews for that and other periodicals. He died in Cambridge, Mass., on Commencement Day, June 30, 1897.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor