Old Roads in Hanover

By Barbara Barker
February 1999

The February calendar of the Hanover Historical Society shows a view of the Lone House at Cricket Hollow and the path (road) that led to it. I have written about Cricket Hollow in a past article, and so I thought I would concentrate on the other photo of the old pathway and other early roadways in Hanover. There were many old paths which led to early homes built by the first settlers in the area. Some became major thoroughfares and others became overgrown and disappeared through lack of use.

I will take you back in history along some of these woodland paths and roads that tell the story of our history. The first roadways in the area were those taken by the Indians on their way from one village or hunting area to another. The North River, itself, was the major route of travel, and if one is looking for Native American artifacts, this is the first place to explore. The South Shore Natural Science Center is presently presenting a new exhibit featuring artifacts from ancient hunting encampments of the first Americans who traveled and settled along the river.

Robert “Cornet” Stetson, who arrived in Scituate in 1634, was foreman of an early surveying team to lay out several of the early roads. Many of these followed the Indian paths which naturally avoided the lowlands and swamps and kept to the higher land. Consequently these early roadways were full of curves, most of which have been somewhat straightened as time wore on.

The first roadways were single lane. They were gradually widened so that two riders on horseback could converse, or a wagon could be pulled behind one or two horses. By 1669 it was enacted by the court that all of the King’s Highways should be 40 feet in width. These probably became the state highways. However, those roadways laid out by the selectmen of the town were made two rods in width.

The earliest main roadways were the Towne Way which today is now part of River St. in Norwell and Broadway in Hanover and the Country Way or the Bay Path which is primarily Washington St. It later intersected with the Towne Way at Four Corners. Heading west from the Four Corners towards Abington was the Drinkwater Road, now primarily Hanover St, Circuit St. to Summer St. Here on the Indian Head River, Cornet Stetson built one of his two mills. (The other being on East St. on the Third Herring Brook)

Charlie Gleason using information from a tract by Mercer V. Tillson of Hanson traced the early journey of James Luddam as he guided Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, back and forth to the Plymouth Colony in 1632. Mr. Gleason maps the path out as it went though Hanover using the transfer deeds of property in Plymouth County records which use the trail as land markers. “Coming down from the Bay via Neponset and what is now the Boston road to Assinippi (Route 53) and Rocky Swamp to Hughes Cross, then thru what is now Silver St. to the bottom of Dug Hill. Then across the woods to Turkey Plain , then again thru woods what is known as Lover’s Lane to a point near Liston Houston’s on Broadway. Then again cross country using probably a part of what is now Bardin St. to Water St. and from there to the Pembroke line at Luddam’s Ford. (Rubber Mill Bridge)” The above is taken from an article by Charles L. Gleason in the Rockland Standard, in 1930, but needs some clarification to make it meaningful in 1999.

Rocky Swamp is just south of the village of Assinippi through which the Third Herring Brook Runs, just to the rear of the Hanover Mall. In fact some of the old folks (and some not so old) say that the Hanover Mall was built in Rocky Swamp.

“Hughes Cross” is an old term for the cross way over Hughes Brook, now called Silver Brook, which now goes under Old Washington St. near the intersection of Silver St. and Old Washington St. John Hughes was supposed to be the first Catholic to come to the colony and legend has it that he set up a rude cross at this point.. The location is verified in a 1656 document that directed William Barstow to construct a suitable bridge across the North River and an ox cart road “as far north as Hughes’s Cross” Hughes Cross was also a stopping place in later stagecoach days. as the driver would water his thirsty animals here. Dug Hill is the hill on the way south on Silver St.

Turkey Plain was perhaps named for the turkeys that foraged there and was that area near the top of Folly Hill about where St. Mary’s Church is located today. Historians Barry and Deane differ and say Turkey Plain is near the Indian Head River. (I suppose turkeys could have been anywhere. Have you seen the those turkey’s which forage in the woods and yards along Union St. this winter? I have.)

Lover’s Lane wandered through the woods near the Legion Housing and exited on
Broadway “thru Liston Houston’s yard”. ( 607 Broadway) Then the old path went partly on the present Bardin St. to Water St. and thence to Luddam’s Ford.

Standing on the arched bridge that is the boundary between Hanover and Pembroke and looking down river I can imagine the shallow rocky place where James Luddam, in deference to Governor Winthrop’s position, carried him across the river on his back. In 1623 an earlier white man, named Phineas Pratt, made his way from Weymouth to Plymouth and probably followed many of the same paths. He described the night spent in the wilderness, probably in or near what is now Hanover,”The wolves began their howling …Was I in great distress…” Traveling along the early trails was certainly an adventure.

I have covered the old main routes, but there were changes on them, as well many small roads and lanes leading to houses off the beaten path. Next time I’ll tell about , , Birch Bottom Road, Curtis St., Purr Cat Lane, Hanmer Hook, Henry’s Lane, Indian Way Stone, London Bridge, Nick Hill, and Torrey’s Lane, and other little lanes that were named for the occupants of the houses to where they led.

 

FOCUS ON HISTORY (February 1999 part 2)
By Barbara Barker

More Old Roads in Hanover

As I suggested in my last article many of the early houses were located on secluded ways. The House at Cricket Hollow was located on such a lane and the path can still be found today in the woods behind the Cardinal Cushing School. However not known to many is an ancient highway from Scituate to Abington which led by this house. According to Charles Gleason it branched off the Towne Way (River St./Broadway)) and crossed the Third Herring Brook on the Mill dam at the Stockbridge saw and grist mill. (Some know this location as Tiffany Pond (Norwell). This ancient road crossed the Country Road (Washington St.) near Al Sullivans and on through the woods passing the old Randall house (now gone) avoiding Randall’s Swamp, coming into the Drinkwater Road (Hanover St.) near the “Beehive” (an old house located about where the tennis courts are now situated) The highway then continued along the old Drinkwater road.

Another ancient road described in one on Charles Gleason’s notebooks is one that “led from Scituate to the ‘Indian Ponds’ in Hanson. …this roughly hewn out road came across what is now Norwell to Mill St. in Hanover, then across by Pine St. to what is called Birch Bottom Road , to the north end of Grove St., following that street to its end on Center St., then across thru a wood road to the Morrill Phillip’s place (947 Broadway), then across to the Joe Church place(1010 Broadway) and thru his woods to the river. (Indian Head) across this bridge (long gone) and following the ridge thru the door yard of the once Dwelley place , following the higher levels across to the Indian Ponds.” Gleason explored this route in his wagon and on foot. finding several cellar holes, once homes of early settlers. Much of the this area is in back of the Morrill Phillips estate and is now a Wild Life Conservation area. Parts of Birch Bottom Road are still visible as a path opposite the north end of Grove St.

Another early roadway went south from Plain St. over Brisco’s Plain and the long gone Hanmer’s cellar to join the above mentioned roadway near the present Grove St.
Hanmer’s Hook was another little path in this area.

Mr. Gleason also mapped out the Four Corners as it looked before 1734. The Towne Way (Broadway) was 50 yards east of its present location.The oldest house still standing in Hanover (168 Broadway) built in 1693 or before, faced the old highway. But now Broadway passes the back of the original old Cape, and that is what we view of the house from Broadway today.

That Curtis St. (now Main St.) was one of the earliest laid out roadways is evident by the houses still standing built in the early 1700’s, many of them by Curtises. It met the Drinkwater Road (Hanover St.) near the geographical center of the town, and that intersection became the governmental center of the town. Going south the land rises, and just beyond the big curve is a hill called Sullivan Hill by those around in the early 1900’s, and Nick Hill by those here in the 1800’s.

Another old street on which many old families lived was Torrey ’s Lane, now called Winter St. Several families of Torreys, Wings, and Tildens lived here, but most of the old houses are long gone.

Dwelley and Simmons say that Indian Way Stone is located “on the hill back of the house of the late William Whiting.(Whiting St.) It is said to have marked the Indian Trail from the Bridgewaters east, across the ‘Stepping stones’, past the spring at Assinippi…”

Purr Cat Lane, now know as Spring Street was probably the home to a few wild cats, whose purring may have alarmed the early settlers on that street. At the end of Purr Cat Lane another lane provided a way to the mill at Project Dale on the Indian Head River. (It is shown by a dotted line on the Henderson/Phillips 1850 Map of Hanover)

If you study that 1850 Map, you will note that the present Webster St. in North Hanover was reconfigured to include part of North St, including the so called “London Bridge” (which crossed Longwater Brook) and Walnut Street. North and Walnut Streets are just short little roads now, and a great part of each has been incorporated into the present Webster St.

On the 1850 map you can find the dwelling place of R. Shimmon on the Country Road near Mill St. on the corner of Henry’s Lane. Henry’s Lane headed west to another little dwelling then unoccupied. Just when this old lane disappeared I do not know, but the name and approximate location has been resurrected in the Old Town Way/ Acorn Circle area.

In 1904 the first so called paved or tarred roads were begun. Washington St. starting at the North River bridge was paved by the State to the end of Rockland St. at the top of Folly Hill. The paving was planned to continue to Hanover St. and thence Main St. to Boston. However the State changed its mind and the paving stopped at Spring St. and went back to Washington St. and headed toward Boston on the old Country Road.

To bring us to closer to the present time, we must mention Columbia Rd. which was put through by the State about 1930 cutting a more or less straight line from near Dr. Robert’s Animal Hospital to the top of the hill in Pembroke crossing the North River with a new bridge (recently repaired) at the Pembroke line. This road cut through the Sylvester’s pasture, and the state built a tunnel for the cows to get from one side of the street to the other. It was not too successful, however, as it often filled with water and was not of much use. Who knows exactly where this tunnel was?

Roads and by-ways have interesting stories to tell. One observation by John Goldthwait: Wherever the old roads curved, there was often an old house. Did they built their houses on the curve of the road so they could see who was coming and going?

(The 1850 Maps to which I have referred have been reproduced and can be purchased for $5 at the Stetson House, as can the Historical Society Calendars, which picture many of the old scenes of Hanover of which I write)