Dukes County, Massachusetts - The whole text, 1911 (part 12 of 15)

Marine Hospital Service

This town was the first on the Vineyard to have a public hospital. The harbor of Homes Hole was much frequented in colonial days by sailing craft from all ports on the north and south Atlantic coasts, and diseases of a contagious character, like small pox, were frequently spread by the crews of vessels riding at anchor here, while weather-bound. In August, 1763, the town gave Dr. Samuel Gelston of Nantucket permission to ''Cary on and Practice Inoculation of the Small Pox in Soume Suitable Place at Homeses hole" under certain provisions and restrictions. He was obliged to treat all cases of small pox landed here, "without any Demands from the Town their for," and further required to pay six shillings for every person inoculated "While he Practices in that Distemper." How long he carried this on is not known, but this arrangement was renewed the next year.^ The location of the hospital is not of record, as it was only a temporary structure in all probability. In 1 798 the Justices of the County Court petitioned the General Court of Massachusetts to erect a hospital for contagious diseases on the Vineyard, and suggested "that the West side of Homeshole Harbour would be much the most Convenient place for such a Building." But after securing an appropriation the committee located it at

Voted to Petition Congress to erect a Hospital in this Town for the reception of Distressed Seamen or make Some Provision for Seamen that may be landed here destitute of the means of Support.^

This failed to accomplish any result, and another was sent, April, 1826, to Congress, ''praying that some provision might be made for the relief of the sick and disabled seamen arriving at this port."^ The Secretary of the Treasury, who had charge of such matters under the law, directed the Collector of Customs at Edgartown to make some suitable arrangements. This was done immediately, and Dr. Daniel Fisher contracted to furnish subsistence, lodging, medical attendance and nursing for all cases that might be brought into port for the sum of $300 per annum. This arrangement apparently lapsed or was not properly carried out, as on Dec. 24, 1836, the Secretary wrote the Collector that "Complaints are made to the Department that no provision is made for the relief of sick and disabled seamen in that part of your District in which the harbor of Holmes Hole is situate."^ He ordered the Collector to make the necessary arrangements, but it not known how the directions were carried out.

The Secretary of the Treasury, Hon. Levi Woodbury, on Dec. 11, 1837, in a report to the Senate on the subject, recommended that "a Marine Hospital be located at Holmes Hole or Edgartown or some other convenient point in the neighborhood of Marthas Vineyard." From 1853 to 1861 Dr. John Pierce had the contract for medical services, but his appointment caused dissatisfaction because of his residence in Edgartown. Numerous petitions were sent to the Department in 1854, asking for his removal and the appointment of Dr. Moses Brown, who resided here.^ In 1856 Dr. Ralph K. Jones was an applicant for the appointment, but Dr. Pierce survived the campaign against him until 1862, when Dr. D. A. Cleveland obtained the office.^ He was followed by Dr. William Leach, who erected a small hospital on the Edgartown road in 1866, especially for the treatment of sick seamen. This was an improvement over the old method of "farming out" these cases, but it was still unsatisfactory, from an administrative standpoint, to the Department. Accordingly, in 1879, the late Surgeon General Hamilton, in charge of the Marine Hospital Service, made a personal visit to Vineyard Haven to inspect the situation. He secured as temporary quarters for sick seamen the abandoned lighthouse building at the head of the harbor, and converted it into a hospital.^ It was opened on Nov. 28, 1879, under the charge of Acting Assistant Surgeon W. D. Stewart of the general service, and became a marine hospital and a station of the first class officially. This officer, who had greatly endeared himself to the community through a period of seven years, died October 30, 1886, and was succeeded temporarily by Assistant Surgeon Seaton Norman, and later as a regular detail by Passed- Assistant Surgeon R. P. M. Ames (1886- 1889). From this time forward the hospital has been under command of regularly commissioned officers as follows: Surgeon Charles E. Banks, 1889-92; Passed Assistant Surgeon Elisha R. Houghton, 1892-6; Passed Assistant Surgeon J. C. Perry, 1895 (temporary); Passed Assistant Surgeon Duncan A. Carmichael, 1896-7; Passed Assistant Surgeon Wm. J. S. Stewart, 1897-8; Assistant Surgeon Sherrard Tabb, 1898-9; (temporary)^ Surgeon Frank W. Mead, 1899-1901; Surgeon Duncan A. Carmichael, 1901-5; Assistant Surgeon William C. Rucker, 1905-7; Acting Assistant Surgeon E. P. Worth, 1907 (temporary).

The present hospital building is of modern construction and recently built on additional land adjacent to the old lighthouse grounds. The following extract from the report of the Surgeon- General conveys particular information as to the new structure : -

Through the assiduous efforts of Surgeon Charles E. Banks, then on duty at this station, Hon. Charles S. Randall, member of Congress from this district, and the Surgeon General, an item of $20,000 was included in the Sundry civil bill for the erection of a new hospital at this station, which bill became a law on March 4, 189 1.

'This officer will be kindly remembered by the residents of Vineyard Haven for his bravery and untiring efforts in the dangerous work of rescuing shipwrecked sailors in the terrible storm of November, 1898, when 26 vessels were driven ashore and a number of the crew perished from cold and exhaustion in sight of the beach, almost beyond human help.

The hospital station now incorporates the old lighthouse building and ward as a part of the establishment, these original buildings serving as apartments in the rear for employees, storerooms and other adjuncts of a hospital.

In the twenty-five years since its establishment, this hospital has treated about 6,500 sick and disabled seamen, an average of about 250 cases annually.

U. S. Weather Bureau

A station of this service was opened here in November, 1886, and the office established in the Mansion House by H. H. Curley as Observer. The headquarters for this meteorological district were at Nantucket. The late Lieut. Max Wagner, U.S.V., then in the Weather Bureau, succeeded as officer in charge, and he was followed by William W. Neifert (1890), Harvey B. Dick (1893), and Cornelius J. Doherty (1900), all of the general service. In 1895 the telegraphic business w^as sold to the Martha's Vineyard Telegraph Co., and the meteorological work discontinued, June 18, 1900, after being in existence fourteen years. The records of the station were sent to the Bureau in Washington, and an" abstract copy deposited with the late Thurston W. Tilton for convenience of reference locally.

West Chop. - Under provision of an act approved March 3, 181 7, by which the sum of $5,000 was appropriated therefor, a lighthouse was built on the point of West Chop, on the bluff. ^ Constant erosions of the shore by the swift tidal action at this exposed locality caused the government to remove it further back in 1830, and again in 1846 to its present position, for similar reasons.^ Since the latter date the tower has been increased in height. It is a fixed white light, with a red sector, and a steam fog whistle is an auxiliary part of this important aid in the navigation of the Vineyard Sound.

Harbor Light. - In the appropriation act of March 3, 1 85 1, the establishment of a harbor or range light at the head of Homes Hole was authorized, and $3,500 made available therefor.^ Jurisdiction was not ceded for two years by the state, and then a two-story house with a small lantern tower^ was iDuilt in 1854 on the edge of the bluff, in front of the U. S. Marine Hospital. Originally there were three range lights connected with the house, but they were abandoned for one in the cupola. Matthew P. Butler was the first light keeper, and he was succeeded by Moses T. Cromwell. It was abandoned about 1875, and in 1879 was transferred to the Marine Hospital service. In recent years a red lantern, suspended nightly from a flag staff of the hospital, acts as a substitute range light for entering the harbor.

Salt Works. - At the time of the Revolution there were large pans on the shores of Bass creek, where salt was manufactured by the ancient method of evaporation of sea water. They were in existence in 1840, and others at or near the herring creek, owned by Isaac Luce, were erected at least twenty years previously.

Whale Fishery. - This town had an indirect connection with this business through its seafaring men, who went out as masters or sailors of vessels outfitted elsewhere, but there was no local establishment for the accommodation of whalers.^ In 1850 three vessels engaged in this industry were owned here, the ships Ocmulgee and Pocahontas and the bark Malta, representing an investment of $68,000, which had brought a return of $125,378 that year. This industry has today its representatives resident in Vineyard Haven, Captain Leander Owen, a whaler of the old sailing craft days, survivor of the great Arctic disaster of 1871, whose eyesight was permanently injured by Arctic "ice blindness," and Captain Hartson H.

^There was a Try house near Beach street before 1800, but it had become disused by that date. It was probably erected for trying out the oil from whales.

The merchant service, however, has been the principal field of activity for this community from the earliest times. The men of Homes Hole, young and old, have ventured afar on the seven seas for generations, have carried our flag to the most distant parts of the navigable globe. To name them would be almost a census of its male inhabitants in every decade.

Herring Fishery. - The fine herring run and fishery at Ashappaquonsett has been a famous and prolific domestic industry from time immemorial, and it is a common heritage of the townsmen unto this day. But it represents a century of wasted opportunity for the development of an industry productive of revenue for the town. As an annual free-for-all spoliation it neither benefits the few nor profits the town as a whole, as managed in the past.

Harness Factory. - In 1872 a harness factory was established by R. W. Crocker and from small beginnings, grew to be a large and valuable industry. At times nearly a hundred people found employment through its operations, directly or indirectly. It was incorporated in 1892 as the Crocker Harness Company, under new management, but after a short career suspended operations and finally went out of business. The building remained unoccupied for a number of years, and was finally destroyed by fire.

Corn Mill. - A steam grist mill was established on Water street in 1881 by William J. Rotch and is yet in operation, under the management of William P. Bodfish.

Leather Embossing. - A factory for the embossing of leather in artistic designs for ornamental purposes was established by the Luxemoor Co., operating under letters patent. The head of this enterprise was William Barry Owen as financial backer. It closed down in 1908, and is now a thing of the past.

Educational Matters

There is nothing in the tow^n records, or other documents to show that the schools had any place in the thoughts of the town before 1737, though we may surely suppose that something had been done in this line which is not of record. One of the West family, Thomas (20), had been graduated from

Harvard in 1730, and he must have received his preliminary education here. The first town record, under date of Feb. 14, 1736-7, provides a school "the Remaining part to Compleat a year (two months) to be keept at some Convenient place at Homeses Hole," and Abner West was the committee man for that year,^ No further reference occurs till 1749, when a similar provision was made,^ and again in 1752 the school was ''to be keept at Homeses hole two Months."^ A quarter of a century elapses before another allusion is made to schools, in December, 1776: -

Thirdly it was Likewise Voted at Said meeting that the People of Homseshole in the Districts of Tisbuary are to be provide a School for themselves to Extend Westward as far as Thomas Smiths sam'l Looks Silvanus Luces and to Draw their proportion of Monney Out of the Treasury for Said School for Three Years Ensuing the Date hereof *

In 1792, the next record, this village was made the 4th School District of Tisbury, and the ensuing year Samuel Look, Timothy Chase and Abraham Chase were appointed the school committee.^ These infrequent references, half a dozen in a century of existence, give meagre details on this topic, but the context implies continuity.

The location of school-houses, like all matters pertaining to the early annals of education in the town, is lost in the obscurity of the past. Probably the first school-house was erected at the junction of Beach street and the County highway, but when it was built is not of record. It was called the South school after 1829, when the town was divided into two districts, and the second school-house was built, probably in that year or the next/ This new school building was the "Chapel" so called, now the home of the Sea Coast Defence Chapter, D.A.R. In 1850 there was a third school-house built on the West Chop road, opposite the Slough. The present commodious building on Church street accommodates the primary, intermediate, grammar, and high school grades. It was enlarged in 1900, fitted with modern sanitary and hygienic furnishings, and is a model suburban school, houses all the scholars in town and furnishes instruction in the highest grade for pupils from other towns.

The names of teachers employed in the early times are not recorded. Joseph Claghorn (162) was the first known "Schoolmaster" in the town, probably from his coming here (about 1788) to his death (1805), and he taught in the old South school. Nathan Mayhew (801), a native of Chilmark, born 1798, was the next school-teacher of note. He had removed with his father to Farmington, Me., about 1808, but returned about 1825, and settled in this town as a teacher in the public school. He ovmed and occupied the house recently in the possession of Captain James Lawrence Smith, and the new school-house across the lane was the scene of his labors as a pedagogue for a quarter of a century. He removed to Norton, Mass., about 1853, and later lived in Boston. He died in 1865 at Milton, Mass. at the residence of his son, Rev. Wm. H. Mayhew (now of Yarmouth Port), and his body was buried in Milton cemetery.

Contemporaneously, the Rev. Seth Ewer, the Baptist preacher, taught the South school and subsequent to them came J. Dana Bullen, John Gower, Rev. J. C. Boomer, George B. Muzzey, S. W. Hathaway, E. K. Parker, Charles E. Mosher, Judge Hammond, now of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, Thurston W. Tilton (1874 to 1898 at intervals), H. H. Lovell, Timothy P. Weeks, Louis A. Fales and Arthur C. Clarke.

As in the other towns, there were many teachers of private schools in the course of the past century. Chief of these must be mentioned the late Abigail W. Daggett (b. 1798), who taught in the forties and fifties.

Grove Hill Seminary

Baptist church in this village. The venture was only partially successful after several years' trial, and the building passed into the possession of the late Joseph Nickerson and his wife, Love (Robinson) Nickerson, who used it as a hotel. It was called the Grove Hill house during this period, and after the death of the proprietors became the property of the late Major C. R. Barnett, U.S.A. It was then remodeled for a private residence, and is now a part of the Barnett estate.

The first practitioner of medicine on the Vineyard, Dr. Thomas West, was a resident of this town, and three of his descendents in the male line have followed in his professional footsteps here, Elisha West, Elisha West, Jr., and Silas West. Dr. Benjamin Trask came here from Sandwich before 1800, and practised until his death (1821). He resided on Main street, on the site of Eagleston Block. Dr. Rufus Spalding (1800-1812) was his contemporary and rival in medicine, politics and religion. Dr. Forsyth was settled here before 1832, and about the same date Dr. Leroy Milton Yale, father of the late distinguished New York physician of the same name, came to practise here. In the next decade came David Crossthwaite, a native of England, who died (1849) early in life. In 1850 there were five physicians resident in town, George N. Hall from Baltimore, Md., Moses Brown from Kensington, N.H., Nathaniel Ruggles from Rochester, Mass., and his son, Charles A. Ruggles, and Ralph K. Jones, a young graduate from Stockbridge, Mass. Ten years later George T. Hough was the leading physician. Following him came William Leach (1863) and Winthrop Butler (1868), the latter a native of the village and fresh from arduous duties in the Civil war. Of him it is a duty and a pleasure for the author to record a brief narration of his life and labors in this community. He was born June 25, 1838, the son of Matthew P. and Martha Allen (Robinson) Butler, and received his preliminary education here in the public schools. One year was spent at Cushing's Family school in Middleboro, Mass. (1858), and another (1859) at the Dukes County Academy in V the completion of his education in the higher branches. He chose the medical profession for his life work, but his studies were interrupted by the Civil war, and he entered the Navy for service in the medical department, ranking as an Assistant Surgeon. He served three years in the Gulf Squadron, until the close of the war. Then he resumed his course, and was graduated March 6, 1866, from Harvard Medical school. After practising for one year in Groveland, Mass. (1867), he returned to his native town, and thenceforth devoted himself to a practice which covered the western half of the Vineyard.

In 1903 he suffered a paralytic stroke, and it was the warning signal to him to lay down the exhaustive work of a widespread country practice, and do for himself what he had for thirty-five years so ungrudgingly done for others. Thenceforth he lived in quiet retirement, greeted daily, as he was able to go about, by the affectionate salutations of all who knew him, until on April 22, 1907, a career narrowed only by the natural opportunities of its insular limits, but none the less noble by its perfection of achievements and ideals, passed into the memory of his friends and became a splendid heritage for this community. He was the typical physician of the. "old school" of gentlemen, courteous in every relation of life, generous to a fault, charitable in his estimates and splendid in his standards of action. His portrait opposite this, gives an index of the handsome head, which was well carried by his tall graceful figure, and it will serve to us of his day and generation as a reminder of this fine, gentle, manly spirit, this skilful, loyal, well beloved physician.^

Crossways. - This "acre" contains the oldest interments in the town, beginning with the year 171 7, the date of the earliest remaining stone, but it is probable that it was in use some years before that, although Dr. Thomas West, who died here in 1706, and his wife (d. 1724) are buried in West Tisbury. It was located on the West property, and probably was given to the town for a public burial place. In 1756

'The Duodecimo Club of Vineyard Haven, of which he was the president, contributes this portrait to the Annals of Tisbury as a tribute to his memory.

^Dr. Frank B. Look (1858-1908), a native of West Tisbury, established a sanitarium in this town in 1905, remodeling the Owen house for the purpose, but his death in 1908 terminated his career after three years of labor in founding the institution.

Abner West donated an acre to the "People of Homes Hole" on the Edgartown road, "to build a meeting house upon, or Scoule house or to bury our dead in."^ It is not known whether this gift was accepted for the purposes specified.

Franklin Street. - In the rear of Association hall is a burying ground on the corner of Centre and Franklin streets, occupied as such before 1800, and increased in size in 1803 by a gift from Abraham Chase. ^ The oldest stone in this ground is that of Abigail, wife of Isaac Daggett, who died in 1770, but the inscription states that the body was removed, in 1805, from the family burying ground. The oldest stone, after this, is dated February, 1803, and most of the older stones range from 1805 to 181 7.

Oak Grove. - This latest addition to the town's cemeteries is on the old highway from the village to West Tisbury, and was first acquired in 1863 and plotted for use. The original owner, Edward T. T. Smith, engaged in this as a private venture, and in 1869 he sold his interests to James Lyon Luce. In 1886, the heirs of the late James Lyon Luce sold it to Stephen Carey Luce and Henry H. Smith, and acquiring adjacent property laid out additional lots according to plans drawn by John H. Crowell.^ On May 2, 1900, this was conveyed by the owners to the Town of Tisbury, and the ground is now under the care of commissioners elected by the town. Since then additional land has been acquired, the ground suitably fenced, and an ornamental stone gateway completes the attractiveness of this resting place for the town's dead. The cemetery now contains about twenty-four acres.

Private Grounds. - The Holmes-Dunham plot on the West Chop road, has been occupied since 1791. The famous John and Lydia Claghorn stone is in a separate enclosure on the heights back of the hospital, and a stone to Seth Daggett, who died of small pox in 1779, is on the Tashmoo farm.

There are no annals of a military nature in connection with this town that are worthy of record, except some earthworks constructed during the Revolution. They were situated

'Ibid, XV, 27. The deed of 133 rods began at the "corner of the Land now and formerly occupied as a Burying Ground." ^Dukes Deeds, LXXVI, 572.

just north of the Seamen's chapel (Stevens) on the harbor side, and a similar breastwork was thrown up on the Sound shore. It is probable that they were nothing more than trenches for the protection of musketeers.^

King Solomon'' s Lodge in Perfection iy8^. - The first lodge of Free and Accepted Masons to be organized on the Vineyard was chartered in this town under the title of ''King Solomon's Lodge in Perfection" in 1783, by the thrice illustrious Bro. Moses Michael Hayes, Deputy Inspector General, S. R., for North America.^ It was authorized to confer fourteen degrees through the Royal Arch, in addition to its functions as a lodge of Master Masons.

The Scottish Rite Masons in America derived their authority from the order in France, established in Paris, under the title of The Sovereign Lodge of St. John of Jerusalem. The Grand Lodge of Free Masons of France, in conjunction with this Scottish Rite body, issued to Stephen Morin, in 1761, a joint warrant to establish symbolic and Scottish Rite lodges in America. Morin first went to the West Indies, where he instituted lodges and granted charters in several of the colonies belonging to this archipelago. In Jamaica he met Moses Michael Hayes, a Portuguese Jew, and Morin conferred upon him the title and powers of Deputy Inspector General of the Scottish Rite for North America. Hayes first went to New York and later to Newport, R. I., where he instituted a symbolic lodge called King David. Little was known then about Free Masonry, and the higher degrees were looked upon with suspicion, even by the Blue Lodge Masons. Hayes finally removed to Boston, where he soon became identified with the existing order, working under the Grand Lodge of England, and through the influence of John Warren (brother of Gen. Joseph) he dropped the new-fangled Scottish Rite work and was made Grand IMaster of Massachusetts in recognition of his labors for the craft.

'In a remarkable document prepared for English reading by Col. Beriah Norton when he was prosecuting the claim for repayment of the value of cattle, &c., taken by General Grey, and trying to impress the British authorities with the loyalty of the people of Martha's Vineyard, he stated that these works were constructed by soldiers from the mainland, to keep the people of the Vineyard under subjection to the rebel government ! !

The earliest documentary evidence of the hfe of this Royal Arch lodge has recently been found, dated May i6, 1787, and is a certificate of membership, engrossed, and signed by the Master and Wardens. It is worth printing verbatim because of its prime importance as establishing the status of the lodge so early.

Wee the Master, Wardens, and Secretary of the Royal-Arch King Solomon's Lodge held at Edgartown in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts do certifie that the bearer hereof our worthy Brother Arthur Fenner has been Regularly Initiated into the third Degree of Masonry.

As such he has been Received by us; and being a True and faithful Brother, he is hereby recommended to the faver and prote'n of all free and accepted Masons wheresoever Dispersed.

In witness whereof we have Caused the Seal of our said Lodge to be afixed this sixteenth day of Mav in the year of our Lord 1787 and of Masonry

The language of the certificate raises some interesting questions. It will be noticed that the location of the lodge is omitted, while the meeting was "held at Edgartown," and that all the officers are residents of that town. It is not supposed that there was a lodge room or building used exclusively by Masons for their meetings at this time. It was customary elsewhere to hold these communications in taverns or private houses, and doubtless this was the situation here, and we may suppose the lodge met both at Edgartown and Homes Hole to accommodate the brethren. The lodge is specifically called *'of Homes Hole," in 1797, and for that reason it may be assumed to have always belonged here by its official location, and that the brethren met in Eastville and Tisbury at the taverns of these locahties. Both towns bordered on Homes Hole, but the settlement on the west side was always known as the precinct or village of Homes Hole/

No records of this lodge are known to be in existence, and but fragmentary references to it remain. In 1797 a new charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and in 1799 a complaint was filed against it with the supreme officers, but nothing is known of its character and nothing appears to have been done.

In 1798 Abijah Luce was W. M. and in 1802 the following officers are of record: W. M., Dr. Rufus Spalding; S. W., Elijah Hillman; J. W., Jonathan Luce; Sec, Benjamin Smith; Treas., Jesse Luce; Tiler, Jesse Luce, Jr. Other known members at this period were David Pease, Levi Pease, Thomas Cooke, Paul Dunham, Lot Luce, Samuel Luce, Silas Daggett and John Pease. These names include residents of Edgartown as well as Tisbury. Dr. Spalding was the Master in 1807, and it is probable he continued as such until his departure from Holmes Hole five years later.*

The lodge was represented in the Grand Lodge each year, at the annual communications, usually by a proxy, but after 181 2 it ceased to send anybody regularly and fell into arrears. This condition lasted until 1820, when the report of the District Deputy of the 12th Masonic district states: "King Solomon's Lodge in Perfection at Holmes Hole is 8 years in arrears and has manifested a spirit of insubordination inconsistent with their obligations and the known and acknowledged principles of Masonry." A committee was appointed to investigate the status of the lodge and they reported that it had held no meetings for about eight years. Elijah Hillman, who was probably the W. M. in succession to Dr. Spalding, in a letter to the D, D. G. M. for the 12th District, admitted the conditions reported, but threatened, by implication, if the Grand Lodge

^Masonic Observer, March 7, 1910. The original certificate is in the possession of the Masonic Library Association, of Minneapolis, Minn. The name of the Master, John Cooke, is believed to be an error for Thomas Cooke, who is known to have been a member of the lodge in later years. There was no John Cooke then residing in Edgartown. The size of the document is about six by eight inches, and the seal referred to is a square piece of paper, affixed diagonally to the upper left corner by a wafer. The text is enclosed in a border of double lines. It is not known to whom the certificate is made, as no person of that name resided here as far as can be learned. There were several Arthur P^enners living in Rhode Island in 1790, but why the person came to the Vineyard to join a lodge when one existed in Newport, is not understood.

At the quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge held December 27, 1822, it was reported that this lodge, after being many years in arrears, had finally surrendered its charter and gone out of existence. The records and jewels of the lodge were surrendered to the Grand Lodge, and were destroyed at the burning of the Masonic Temple in Boston.

Martha's Vineyard Lodge, 1859. - Twenty-five years elapsed before the interest in the craft was revived. At that date (1852) but three members of the old King Solomon's Lodge survived, and when approached by a recent arrival in the town, a Mason, Mr. Joseph T. James, with a proposition to reorganize, they could not be persuaded to join the movement. After some time this zealous brother interested Captain Benjamin Clough, Henry Bradley, Alexander W. Smith, Dr. William Leach, Daniel F. Worth and Alexander Newcomb to apply to Marine Lodge, Falmouth, for the necessary degrees. After these men were made Master Masons in that Lodge, application for a dispensation to work was presented to the Grand Lodge and granted.^ A lodge -room was fitted up in Hiram Nye's paint shop (near the Martha 's Vineyard Bank building) at a cost of $1000, and in September, 1859, these seven brothers, with James as W^orshipful Master, Clough as Senior Warden, and Bradley as Junior Warden restored speculative Masonry to its respected place in the community. A charter was granted Sept. 12, i860, and from that time the growth of the lodge was rapid, until at the close of the term of Mr. Jam.es as Master in 1863 it had about seventy members. In the half century of its life the lodge has prospered through much adversity and many discouragements. In 1883 a new lodgeroom was just completed at large outlay, when the great fire of that year swept it out of existence after one meeting had been held in it. With it went the records and jewels. After recovering from the disaster a room was fitted up over Swift Brothers' store on Main street, and there the regular meetings were held for twelve years. In 1895 a charter member, Capt. Daniel F. Worth, who had returned to his old home after an absence of thirty-five years, urged the acquisition of a building which should be owned exclusively by the lodge, and as a result of his efforts the old Capawock hall was pur-

*Mr. James states that he "labored hard to have the old records and jewels of King Solomon's lodge restored, but the Grand Lodge would not give them up."

chased and remodeled interiorly to meet the special needs of the order, at considerable added cost.^ It was dedicated Oct. 25, 1895, with the elaborate ritual of the order by the Grand Master of Massachusetts, assisted by other Grand officers.

Submarine Telegraph, 1 856

,The first cable to be laid between this island and the main land had its shore connection at West Chop, and it was constructed by the Cape Cod Telegraph Co. as a part of their existing system.^ This was in 1856, and the particulars of this important event are here detailed.

The steamer Neptune with a party of invited guests sailed from Boston, and on the following morning, July 16, 1856, took in tow, in Homes Hole harbor, the schooner Wm. T. Conquest of New York. The schooner was placed in position at Woods Hole and commenced paying out cable, which in two and a half hours was satisfactorily laid from Woods Hole to the West Chop, a distance of five miles.

Upon its arrival the village presented a scene of unwonted animation and excitement. The connection of the island with the main was celebrated with various festivities, and more than a thousand persons were gathered to participate in the enjoyment of the occasion. At two o'clock a procession was formed under the direction of Mr. Thomas Barrows, marshal of the day, which, escorted by the New Bedford Brass Band,

'The lodgeroom on the second floor is 34 x 48 feet, with the usual anterooms. On the ground floor there is a banquet hall 25 x 34 feet with kitchen, toilet, coat room and smoking room. The interior is finished throughout with southern pine, and ample heating arrangements make this one of the best suburban lodge buildings in the State. The name of Capt. Gilbert L. Smith should be associated with that of Capt. Worth in the project of acquiring and improving the property.

marched through the principal streets of the town to the grove where the tables were laid for the dinner. About four hundred ladies and gentlemen sat down to the tables, more than twice that number being assembled in the grove. After the viands had been fully discussed, the president of the day, Capt. Thomas Bradley, briefly addressed the assembly, tendering those who were strangers a hearty welcome to the Vineyard, and congratulating all upon the successful completion of the union of the island and the main. He then introduced the toast master, Capt. Enoch Cook, Jr., who read the first regular toast, as follows: -

''Our Prodigal Sons, we hail their return from much wandering with joy and to-day greet them with the best the house affords." This toast was responded to by Chas. A. Luce, Esq., of New York, a native of the Vineyard.

The next toast was: "The memory of Franklin. He aided in our political separation from our Mother country, may his more modern successor in electric science soon unite America, not only with England, but with all the world." This toast was eloquently responded to by James B. Congdon, Esq., of New Bedford. Mr. Congdon alluded to the fact that Franklin was connected with the Vineyard through his grandfather, Peter Folger, who was the first schoolmaster on the Island.

The third toast : "To the inventor of the system of electrotelegraphic communication," called up Dr. Chas. T. Jackson of Boston, who gave a succinct and lucid history of the electric telegraph.

Toasts were given also to the " Cape Cod Telegraph Co.," to the "Press," the "Union," "Massachusetts" and "New York," all of which were fittingly responded to, the last two by Mr. Bates of Plymouth Rock, and Mr. W. L. Burroughs of New York, vice-president of the New York and Washington Printing Telegraph Company, "a man of infinite jest and most excellent fancy," well known upon the Vineyard, "where he has troops of friends," as appears by the contemporary account of the celebration.

Numerous volunteer toasts were made and responded to. The last sentiment was given by Mr. J. T. Allen of Dorchester, who, with characteristic gallantry, gave "The Marthas of the Vineyard, the true galvanic power that moves the world."

The Great Fire

On Saturday night, Aug. ii, 1883, occurred the greatest disaster in the history of the town. A fire started in the harness factory, and before it could be smothered the whole building was ablaze. Quickly the adjoining structures caught fire, and before an hour had elapsed it was seen that a disastrous conflagration was in full sweep. The destroying flames took a southerly direction, burning many buildings on Main street on both sides its entire length. A property loss of more than $100,000 was - involved in this conflagration, a terrible blow to the small village. It was the greatest disaster in the annals of the island.

When the last embers had died out it was found that the Baptist meeting-house, 32 dwelling houses, 26 stores, 12 barns, and 2 stables had been burned to the ground. A damage more irreparable was done to the beautiful shade trees on the Main street and others covered by the burnt district, as these noble trees were all killed by the flames. Such a blow might well have staggered and discouraged any community, but the present beautiful village arisen from the ashes is an evidence of the bravery of its people. Having little outside assistance except for temporary necessities, the residents got together to restore their destroyed buildings. With characteristic energy Mr. R. W. Crocker, the proprietor of the harness factory, began work on a new structure whfle the unburnt timbers were yet smouldering, and others followed in quick order. The quaint street had vanished, but a new line of buildings soon arose on the old thoroughfare.

Social And Literary Organizations

A number of organizations in this town, having for their object the direct personal benefit of the members and the general welfare of the community indirectly, merit brief mention in its annals.

^Boston Traveller of July 17, 1856, abstracted from a letter giving an account of the celebration of the laying of the Submarine Telegraph to Martha's Vineyard, dated at Homes Hole, July 16, 1856.

the first public collection of books in the town. In the autumn of 1878 Miss Hannah T. Bradley organized a number of young ladies into a society called the Ladies' Library League, and in March, 1879, their books (71 volumes) were first made available for public use upon payment of a weekly charge for each loan.^ Four years later, at the date of the great fire, they had accumulated 483 volumes, with necessary library furniture and equipment, and these were all lost in the night of that disaster. The members took immediate measures to replace their loss, with the aid of a small insurance, and in May, 1884, new rooms were opened, specially fitted for their use by the late Dr. Winth'rop Butler, over his ofiice and drug store. In the spring of 1895 steps were taken to dissolve the League and turn over the collection to the town as a public library, under the provision of the statutes governing such matters. The library numbered at this time about 2500 volumes, the accretions of the past eleven years. ^ With appropriate exercises, participated in by some of the original founders of the League, the Public Library of Tisbury was formally opened, July 31, 1895, and since that date it has grown in usefulness and strength. It now numbers 3000 volumes on its shelves.

Mrs. John R. McArthur, a daughter of the late Judge Arnoux has announced her intention this year (1909) of donating land on Main street for the uses of a public library.

Duodecimo Club. - This organization, composed of twelve gentlemen, as its name indicates, was launched in the spring of 1891, through the efforts of Dr. Charles E. Banks, to bring together the leading men of the community for mutual improvement. The club meets monthly, usually at the residences of the members in rotation, and the members present papers "" on subjects selected by themselves, and the meeting is then open for general discussion. This is followed by a light lunch and social intercourse. The club has been in existence for eighteen years, maintaining with continued vigor and activity a high standard in the literary life of the town.

Sea Coast Defence Chapter, D.A.R. - This flourishing chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized in 1896, after preliminary interest in the movement had been aroused by Mrs. Florence M. Banks, a member of the organization in another state. It was chartered Oct. 30, 1896, and now numbers 62 members. In 1904 the Chapter acquired the old Mayhew school-house, the "Chapel" of 1830, and converted it into headquarters for the organization, and a museum of historic and local relics. It has now a large and valuable collection of such articles, which is constantly increasing in interest by the donations of members and friends. In 1898 the Chapter erected a flag staff in front of this building, on which a bronze tablet was placed, commemorative of the Liberty Pole incident of Revolutionary days. This tablet bears the following inscription : -

Is Erected By The

Nohnocket Club. - A social club for gentlemen was organized Oct. 4, 1902, under the name of Nobnocket Club. It has a commodious house fitted for this special purpose on the harbor front, containing billard room, card room, reading room and sleeping chambers for guests.

This town is now two hundred and thirty-seven years old, and although but a moiety of the original territory is now comprised in it, yet it has prospered and developed wonderfully in that period. The following statistics show the material condition of the town as it exists at this time: personal estate assessed, $154,475.00; real estate assessed, $1,178,667.00; total, $1,333,142.00. The total tax assessed May i, 1908, was

The town has real and movable property to the value of $11,900.00, including schools, fire apparatus, etc. In addition to this the town owns, by purchase in 1907 at a cost of $95,000.00, the public water works, the Tashmoo Spring, the purest water supply in the state, which is one of the town'smost valuable assets.

Annals Of Oak Bluffs

The Algonquian name for this tract, above described, was Ogkeshkuppe (Agescape, 1660, Aukeshkeppe, Ogkeshkupbeh, etc.), the definition of which is ''the WTt or damp thicket, or woods," probably referring to the swampy grounds bordering on Squash meadow and Farm ponds, in the eastern part of the town. The equivalent name is found in the Massachusetts dialect, Ogqush-kuppi (Eliot), Agkess-cuppi (Cotton).^ It was later called Sanchacantacket neck, but this appellation was evidently given to it by the English settlers, from the pond on the southern border.

The meaning of Sanchakantacket is believed to be "at the bursting forth of the tidal stream," having reference to the opening of this pond at the bridge, where the tides are so strong. In the Abnaki, a dialectal form of the Algonquian tongue, the form Sanghe dentegge is found, meaning I'embouchere, sortie (of a river), which is probably parallel to our Sanchakantacket. The word first occurs in the records as relating to the region about the pond (Edg. Rec, p. i), and by the settlers was applied to the land adjacent as well as to the pond itself. In 1663 Sanchacantacket pond is first mentioned (ibid., i), and in a deed dated 1660, "Wabamuck alias Samuel, son of Autumsquum, sachem of Sanchacantacket, alias Akeshkeppe neck," shows its use as applied to the region bordering upon the pond (Deeds, I, 289). Other deeds refer to the "place" called Sanchacantacket, and farm or Sanchacantacket neck (ibid., I, 89; III, iii; IV, 94).

Another name, Quasquannes, was once used, in 1660, to designate this region (Deeds, II, 253), but it probably referred to Squash meadow only, or the territory which comprised the "farm" purchased by John Daggett.

^The tov.-n clerk of Edgartown, in his copy of the old records, about 1720, made one of his usual blunders, and wrote it Ogisket (Records, I, 131).

East Chop And Farm Neck

The earliest English name for this territory was given in 1646 by Thomas Mayhew, when he called it the "Eastermost Chop of Homses Hole," as distinguished from its fellow Chop on the west side. The word is a variation of chap, the jaw of a vise or clamp. In the plural, it signifies the mouth or entrance of a channel, as the chops of the English Channel. It was called ''Farm Neck" for the first time in the records, February 2, 1703-4, and this name has clung to it with a tenacity which time and a newer and more fancy name cannot sever. ^ This name was derived from the first grant of five hundred acres, made in 1642 to John Daggett "for a farm," which covers the present settlement of Oak Bluffs.

Beginning at the middle of the bridge over Sengekontacket, opening and running by the centre of Sengekontacket pond and Major's cove to Miobers bridge, so called; thence due west to the Four Town bound; thence to the Stepping Stones at the head of the Lagoon; thence through the middle of the Lagoon and middle of the Lagoon bridge; thence by the harbor of Vineyard Haven and the Vineyard Sound to the first mentioned bound. ^

There are no records of enumeration for a census of this region prior to 1880, but a few scattering data will enable us to estimate the population. The map of Des Barres (1781) shows thirty-two houses, probably containing thirty-five families, or about 180 souls, at that date. The majority of these were located in Eastville. In 1850 a map shows twentysix houses, or thirty families (estimated), with a probable total of 180 souls, most of whom were still located in Eastville. The first census (U. S., 1880) showed a population of 672, at which time Cottage City was then the largest settlement. In 1890 it was 1,080; in 1900 it was 1,100 and the state census of 1905 showed 1,138 souls resident in the town. Probably ninety per cent, resided in Cottage City.

Anassanimsuh. - This was referred to in a deed of land dated 1691, and is in the Sanchacantacket region. Ezekiel to Isaac and Joseph Norton (Deeds, I, 88; IV, 119). It was on some portion of the earhest Norton purchases.

Assanootacket Pond. - It is recorded (1685) that Puttuspaqun, of Sanchacantacket, sold to his ''cousins Hester and Ellis Daggett" a certain meadow ... on the north side of Ohkeshkepe Neck lying between Quaniamo and the western end of Asanootackett Pond" (Deeds, I, 251), and on June II, 1703, Elhs Daggett sold to Samuel Sarson "a certain parcel of meadow being about two acres .... bounded north westerly by the beach by holmses hole harbor: Southeasterly by the westward end of Asanootakut pond" (ibid., I, 89). This describes the small salt pond emptying into the Lagoon at Eastville. There was in the early days "a bridge to pass from the upland to the beach." The definition is ''at the alienated tidal stream" alluding to the sale of some property, of which this was a boundary, probably the sale by Wampamog to Alice Sissetom, the mother of Ellis (Alice) Daggett.

Chqudeetussos. - Two Indians in 171 7 concluded a land transaction covering a tract on the west side of Farm neck, called by the name just quoted.

Onkaw - Unkaw. - Under the above variations, as well as Ankaw, a "place" of this name on East Chop is referred to in several deeds, as Cathcart to Norton, 1699, Joseph Daggett to his daughter Alice, 1698, and same to his granddaughter, Esther Cottle, 171 5 (I, 26; III, iii, 112). It is described as between a place called "Quanyamoo" and a small neck called "Oohquees," or "Ukquiessa." This name is the same as Onkokemmy, in Tisbury, and probably has the same significance. Esther Cottle, daughter of Edward, above mentioned, sold the tract given to her by the grandfather Daggett to Thomas West, Jr., innholder of Edgartown, in 1724, and it was then described as in the possession of John Talman, an "Indian man of Edgartown, but formerly belonging to AUis Daggett" (ibid., IV, 107). This passed to the heirs of West, after his death in 1728, and was by them sold to various purchasers (ibid., VII, 500, 502), the name "Unkaw" being retained then (1747) as belonging to the land.

Oohquaess. - First mentioned in 1715 in a deed from Joseph Daggett to his granddaughter, Esther Cottle, conveying land at Onkaw, and "a small neck called Oohquaess being the southermost part of the meadow divided between my 2 daughters Esther Cottle and Ellis Daggitt" (Deeds, III, III). This word has many variations, Ohqueehesoo, Ocquays, and finally Quays, which is the modern form (ibid., V, 31; VII, 4, 294). There was a Quaise in Nantucket, with an alias of Masquatuck. It is probably the same word as Ukquiessa, the name of Tisbury Great pond and denotes, "as far as," or "the end," a boundary term. In full it would be Uk-qui-es-et, "at the ending place," the last or terminal point of Ogkeshkippe neck.

Ohhomeck. - In a deed from the Indian Wabamuck to Joseph Daggett, of Tisbury, dated June 18, 1689, a certain neck, "neer Sanchakantacket harbor," called "Ohhomeck," is mentioned (Deeds, I, 16). A place called Ahomma on Dagget's farm is mentioned, probably a variation of Ohomeck (ibid., VI, 495). John Daggett of Edgartown sold, in 1734, to John Talman, Indian, a point called "the hommok" bounded northeast and west by "the Pond," southerly by a pole fence adjoining to "an island commonly called and known by the name Watchee, the olde Indian name" (ibid., V, 405). Joseph and David Potumpin sold to Elijah Butler a small island called "the Hummock" at Farm neck, Feb. 6, 1743-4 (ibid., VII, 37). The modern designation of "Hummock" is undoubtedly derived from this Indian word.

Pecoye. - This was the name of a small neck in the bounds of Farm neck, and the name survives to the present time (Deeds, IV, 114). It is derived from Pohqu-auk, meaning "open land," or land naturally fit and clear for cultivation. This is a common Indian place name throughout New England. In a deed from the Indian Ezekiel it is written Pokoiauk (I, 88).

Pateche. - In a deed, dated June 28, 1683, Thomas Sussetum, an Indian, sold certain land to Joseph Daggett, and describes it as bounded on the southeast by "Pateche pond" (Deeds, I, 15). The name is now extinct, as it is believed the pond has been filled up in cultivation of the region.

Quinnaamuk. - This name occurs in an Indian deed dated March 14, 1669, and appears later also as Quinniummuh. (It designated a beach "commonly called the long beach" and may refer to the long strip of sandy beach separating the Lagoon and harbor at that time. Deeds, II, 51; VI, 412.) Quinniaamuk was one of the Indian fishing stations. The meaning of the word is "place where the long fish (lamprey eel) is taken. At certain seasons of the year, when an inlet is cut through some of these beaches, there is a rush of these eels for the salt water.

Quanames. - This was described in a deed (I, 251), dated March 25, 1685, and also again in 1693 (III, 23); in the latter document the text is as follows: "all that upland which from the other lands lyeth and leadeth as a way to the Hand quanaimes." It is the small island off Pecoy point, on the west side of Sanchacantacket pond, northward of Major's cove, as indicated on a map of Edgartown, 1830 (Mass. Arch., vol. VII). This name occurs in a deed, dated 1759, when Isaac Norton sold one half "a certain island called Quanaimes."

Quasaquannes. - In a deed from Wampamag to John Daggett, dated March 3, 1660, he conveys a tract of land "upon the East side of the Eastermost Chop of homes hole called by the English Quasaquannes" (Deeds, II, 253). This was the tract granted by Thomas Mayhew, Senior, and Thomas Mayhew, Junior, to John Daggett, "for a farm," and probably referred to Squash meadow in its limits. This is possibly an Indian personal name, because the place was so "called by the English."

Quatapog. - This is a small pond on Farm neck. It is a derivative of the Algonquian word Wquahti-pog, meaning "the end of the pond, or water place," and probably refers to some boundary point, known to the Indians. Eliot in his Indian Bible, Genesis, XXIII, 9, uses Wquahti-konit, "end of the field," the character W is used by him as the prefix of the third person singular, and also for the whistled sound of W, as in "with."

Sepooisset. - Thomas Sussetum, an Indian, sold to Joseph Daggett of Tisbury, June 28, 1683, twenty acres of Farm neck, and refers to "his meadow lying at Sepooisset," on the northwest corner of Daggett's land (Deeds, I, 15). Isaac Norton, in a deed dated 1759, sold "one half a certain island called Quanaimes, and the islands hard by, also a tract of land and meadow called Seaquaneck and Sepueset." The meaning of the word is "at the little river or brook," a compound of Sepoe-es-et.

Seqiianeck. - This word is referred to in the preceding paragraph, and belonged to a tract of land at the head of Sanchacantacket pond. It may be derived from Sequnan, remnant, what is left and auk (ack, eck) the generic term for land, meaning a portion remaining after some previous sale. It is also possible that it may be a personal name.

Tikhomah. - This was the name of a place near the head of the Lagoon, and is referred to in a deed, or Indian writing, conveying certain property at Weaquitaquayage (Deeds, IV, 348).

Waptesim Pond. - In 1686 this is first mentioned in a deed from Wabamuck, the sachem, to Richard Sarson, when he sold a tract of land "adjoyning near the Eastermost end of that Pond called Waptesun Pond, It being that salt Pond next ajoyning at the East side of the said [Homes Hole] harbor and att the place called onkaw" (Deeds, V, 413). It is probably the pond later known as Rufus' pond (q. v.).

BouWs Farm. - This is one of those curious survivals of place names derived from transient settlers, who owned this land in 1686, ''lying on the North side of Edgartown, at a place called Sanchacantacket," and known by the name of Boult's farm, containing about 100 acres, bounded as follows:

Beginning at a small black oak tree by Myober's Bridge; thence about Northwest 215 rods to a small white oak bush or sapling, marked; thence Northeast about 80 rods to a rough oak tree formerly marked and now marked, and for a corner bound; thence Southeast 80 rods partly by the old ditch to the pond or water; thence crossing s'd water about Southeast and by South to a white oak tree marked; thence Southeast and by South 61 rods to the Old Mill dam; thence South and by East 41 rods to the gate post; and from thence from said gate post to the Horse Pond; thence to a black oak stump newly cut down; thence to the river; thence Westerly by said river to the fence of said Norton that runneth into said river; and from and by said fences to the first mentioned black oak tree by the said Myober's Bridge.

Burial Hill. - First mentioned in 1713 as part of the Isaac Norton property on the northwest shore of Sanchacantacket, and again in 1723 (Deeds, III, 197; IV, 149). The ground is on the knoll (66 feet high) near by.

The Gore. - A tract of land lying to the northwest of Boult's farm (now belonging to Henry Constant Norton) and west of the road to Eastville.

Great Woods. - The tract of about two or three hundred acres extending from the Gore to the old Homes Hole road, formerly belonging to Bayes Newcomb, and later to Peter and Ichabod Norton.

Isaac^s Neck. - First mentioned in 1752 as a "little neck," in the Onkaw tract, and as late as 1810 (Deeds, VIII, 307; XVII, 463). It may have received its name from Isaac Norton, who had property in that vicinity quite early.

Middle Line. - Marked the division between the "Daggett Farm" and the lots which extended to the Lagoon. The southerly end of it is indicated now by a ditch for about half a mile.

Majofs Cove. - The inlet north of Felix neck, so-called in allusion to Major Peter Norton (1718-92), one of the early settlers on its shore.

Rujus^ Pond. - This is a little pond just north of the Rufus Davis place, and has been so called since the first of that name lived in Eastville. Its Indian name was Waptesun (q. v.).

Tackenashh Field. - An Indian, named John Tackenash, living about 1680, probably gave his name to a tract cultivated by him on the northwest side of Sanchacantacket pond. (Deeds, I, 88; II, 119: Comp., Edg. Rec. 34). Also a second field, a tract of about fifteen acres on the east side of the Lagoon, midway its length, deriving its name from a squaw called Tockinosh, who lived there early in the i8th century.

Tyler^s Creek. - A small brook, which runs out of a swamp between the Benjamin Davis and Christopher Beetle farms into Sanchacantacket pond. Tyler's Field bordered on this creek, and both derived titles from Tom Tyler, the Indian.

Wading Place, (1676). - The shallow water connecting a small salt pond with Major's Cove (southern shore) west of the inter-town bounds. (Edg. Rec, 21).

It is easier to designate the first land holders than the first settlers, because the territory was owned by men who also had lots of land in the village at Great Harbor at the same time, and it cannot be said with surety in which place some of them actually resided. The first record relating to Ogkeshkuppe occurs under date of May i6, 1653, when it was ordered that "Mr. Mayhew is to Purchase part of Ogisske (ppe) neck of the Indians for the town."^ This was in line with Mayhew's policy of satisfying the native owners of the soil whenever the whites enlarged their sphere of improvement beyond former acquisitions, and it is presumed that Mayhew carried out the town directions. It is not known what "part" of the neck was secured in this way.

On Dec. i, 1642, probably after their first visit to their island domain, Thomas Mayhew, Senior, Thomas Mayhew, Junior, and John Smith, granted to John Daggett, a neighbor of theirs in Watertown, the following lands on the Vineyard :

.... twenty acres of land upon the point beginning at the great stone next to my lot, and twenty acres of meadow: and also five hundred acres of land for a farm: he have liberty to take up wherever he the said John Doggett wishes, only provided he take not up his farm within three miles of the spring that is by the harbor in my lot aforesaid, before I that is Thomas Mayhew the elder have made choice of twenty acres of meadow and a farm of five hundred acres for myself, the which choice not being made within one year insueing the date hereof, then the said John Doggett have liberty to chuse for himself.^

When John Daggett came to the Vineyard cannot be accurately stated, but the first time his name appears of record is in 1 65 1, though it is to be supposed that he had been here for some time previous.^ He had a home lot in the village of Great Harbour, and there is nothing to indicate that he did not reside there, as the most desirable place for residential purposes at that time. With his early grant, just referred to, he followed the custom of the patentee, and after locating to his satisfaction, the tract of five hundred acres, three miles from a spring near Mayhew's house, he proceeded, in 1660, to buy the sachem's "rights" to the soil. On March 3rd of that year Wampamag, the chief of the Sanchacantacket tribe, sold to Daggett, "a certain tract of land which was granted by Mr Thomas Mayhew Sen, and Mr Thomas Mayhew Jr, for a farm, I say a tract of land lying upon the east side of the eastermost Chap of Homes Hole, called by the English Quasquannes, butting down to the sea on the east, being bounded on the east side by the sea, and on the north side with marked trees, running into the woods three hundred and twenty rods, and on the north side from the sea three hundred and twenty rods and on the west side three hundred and twenty rods."^

For reasons not now known. Governor Mayhew refused to fulfill his early grant, and Daggett thereupon purchased the "rights" of the Indian sachem to the soil on the date above mentioned. Acting under the influence of Mayhew the town voted, Oct. 3, 1660, "that John Daggett, the elder, hath broken the order of ten pounds upon every acer In purchasing a farm at Sanchacontackett at the hands of the Indians without the towns consent."^ On December 17, following, the townsmen proceeded to collect the fine by the passage of the order here quoted :

These are to warne you by the authority of this town to levie upon the estate of John Doggett, the elder, upon Martins Vineyard the sum of five thousand (pounds) upon the breach of order in purchasing lands.^

A penalty of five thousand pounds was a little too much for John Daggett to pay for obtaining a title to a farm which had been granted to him in due and legal form, and he resisted this absurd levy. It was not only confiscation, but it meant banishment, the favorite method of Mayhew in dealing with his enemies. As the case could not be adjudicated in the local court, because of the interest of Mayhew in the result, the parties agreed to refer it to the Plymouth Colony court for arbitration. The records of the town state "the names of those that Doth try for the farme with John Daggett:"

'Dukes Deeds, II, 253. Quasquannes is probably an Indian personal name. ^Edgartown Records, I, 133. A town order dated Jan. 4, 1652. ^Ibid., 130.

Thomas Mayhew for My self and all Relations in the town that is eight lotts; Mr. Butler 2 lots; William Vinson his lot & his mothers; Thomas Trapp i lot; Robert Codman, i; Nicholas Norton & 2 sons; Thomas Bayes 2 lots; Thomas Burchard; Nicholas Butler; William Weeks; Goodman Jones; James Covel one half lot/

This list comprises most of the resident land owners, though the names of Arey, Bland, John Burchard, Eddy, Folger, Lay and some others are not included. Of course his son, Thomas Daggett, could not be identified with the case, on either side. The town appointed Nicholas Norton and John Pease to conduct the case in its behalf, and on Oct. 2, 1662, the trial was held in Plymouth. The following is the record in the archives of that colony:

Att the Court John Doged of the Hand called Martins Vineyard complained against the towne of the said Vineyard in an action of the case for the title of a certaine prcell of land graunted unto the said John by Mr. Thomas Mayhew &c, which the said inhabitants doe unjustly and illegally disturbe him in his quiett injoyment of the same, which said case is by joynt consent of both prtyes refered to the determination of this Court.^

It is not known whether John Daggett had any legal counsel to assist him, but his cause was so clear that it did not require any, and the verdict was as follows:

John Boult

With that paradoxical tendency in the perpetuation of names of persons whose stay here was the briefest, the subject of this sketch will always be associated with a farm he bought over two centuries ago, and doubtless a century hence, as at this day, the name of "Boult's Farm" will be a local place name. He came here from Boston, where he had been received into the Old South church, March 14, 1686,^ but as he had

^Ibid. The Mayhews never became reconciled to this defeat. When John Daggett's will was offered for probate in 1673 it was accepted, "with this proviso only: that the farm is to contain 500 akers of upland and 20 akers of meadoe and no more." It was Mayhew's last thrust at Daggett.

^Sewall's diary, I, 127. "Mr. Bolt mentioned profane courses he had been entangled in after Conviction." In a later entry Sewall records the following notes of a conversation with Boult: "I mentioned the problem whether should be white after the Resurrection: Mr. Bolt took it up as absurd, because the body should be void of all Colour (ibid, II, 305), taken the oath of allegiance in November, 1678, he must have been a resident in that place for some years before that date. He was, probably, a Cheshire man, as he had relatives in that county. His first purchase of land was Sept. 20, 1686, when he bought a hundred acres at Sanchacantacket, in the region now covered by the farm of Henry Constant Norton, of which it is a part. His occupation of it is somewhat uncertain, as he appears to have retained a residence in Boston, and while he was constructively here in 1688 (witness) and 1 69 1 (ensign of the Edgartown militia), yet in 1693 he is called ''merchant of Boston,"^ and in 1694 was chosen constable of that town.^ In 1696 he appears here as a witness to a will, in 1698 as a juror, and in 1702 as plaintiff in an action of trespass, but further doubt would seem to be removed on Oct. 29, 1703, when he sold his farm to Israel Daggett and all his rights in commons.^ He was a plaintiff, however, in 1706, in an action for debt and is called "of Edgartown."^ On March 10, 1706-7, he was elected overseer of the poor in Boston, and reelected the three following years, which definitely places him there. ^ His will was made June 9, 1710, and he died Jan. 29, 1711, in Boston. He was either a widower without issue, or a bachelor, as all the bequests are made to other kinsmen and friends. He mentions his sister, Rebecca, wife of John Bruen of Chester, England, chirurgeon, and their three sons; his nephew, Andrew Boult, merchant of London; and his niece, Elizabeth Sharp, widow, daughter of his deceased brother, Joshua Boult, druggist of London. To the pastors and teachers of the South and North churches, Boston, and the poor communicants of both he leaves various sums, and to his friend, Jonathan Mountfort of Boston he bequeaths his gun, silver hilted sword and silver tobacco box. The money bequests amounted in all to £160, and no real estate was mentioned.*^ He called himself a "merchant." The local tradition here is that he was a tanner of moleskins, and returned to England after he left the Vineyard, but both of these tales may be safely ignored in view of the facts shown by the records.

John Trumble

This person was one of those early residents or lot owners whose coming and going left only a trace on the town records. Whether he lived here or was simply a transient proprietor is not known. The occurrence of his name in a deposition of John Daggett, in 1659, just discloses the fact that at some time before February 15th of that year he had a lot in this town. Daggett testifies that "Mr. Mayhew did Reserve the Land Between his Lott at the ffarm and that which was John Trumbles" and this is the first as well as the last we hear of him.^ Who he was is not certain as there were two of his name in New England, both of whom on May 13, 1640, became freemen of Massachusetts. One lived at Roxbury, 1639, and later removed to Rowley, almost in the immediate neighborhood of Salisbury, where Robert Codman and Richard Arey resided, and it is of record that Trumble and Arey were in court together at Salem in 1646 and personal acquaintance may be presumed.^ The other John Trumble lived at Cambridge, 1636, and later at Charlestown, where he was engaged in coastwise trading. For this reason the author feels inclined to place the identification on him, as one whose seafaring occupation would bring him to the island for a harbor, and probably in one of his trading trips he became interested in the new island colony.^

Division Of Sanchacantacket Neck

Up to 1664 the most northern section which had been divided for the use of the settlers in this region was at Weenomeset, or Felix neck, but ten years later another move northward was made. The following votes of the town show what action was then taken to develop the new tract:

February 15, 1673-4. Voted the Day and Year above writen that the freeholders have made choice of Joseph Norton, Capt. (Thomas) Daggett, Isaac Norton, Mr Benjamin Smith and Thomas Pease according to their best Judgment, for to divide the Neck called Sanchacantackett Neck.

^Savage Gen. Diet., IV, 336. Essex Antiquarian, V., 169. This John Trumble is the ancestor of the famous Connecticut family of Trumbulls. The name is often spelled Thromble.

^Conn. Col. Rec, I, 162; comp. 3 Mass. Hist., Coll., X, 7. In 1650 John Trumble, of Charlestown, called himself "seaman in the good ship called the Wm. & George" (Aspinwall, Notarial Record, 363).

Granted unto Joseph Daggett, of Tisbury, By the Proprietors of the town of Edgartown that when the neck of Sanchacantackett Comes to be Divided that Joseph Daggett shall have his Part in the place he formerly purchased, so far as his part Comes to in the Place as he shall Chose, he allowing for the goodness of it/

Granted the Day and Year above writen unto John Daggett that when the New Purchase is lay'd out that John Daggett shall have his half share Joyning to his land there, that is to say att Waketequa.^

The limits of this sub-division were afterwards described as "bounded by the road that now goes from the head of Wakequataqua (Lagoon Pond) to John Bolte's, including all the land to the Northeast of said road,"^ which is practically the line now dividing Oak Bluffs from Edgartown. Some years later there was a "misapprehension" of the exact bounds of Sanchacantackett neck as "bounded by a certain path which was then lately made and used, when indeed the said path was new and not the true boundaries which was an ancient foot-path by which the Sachem bounded Sanchacantacket by his gift to the Indians," and a committee was sent to settle the matter. Joseph Norton, who lived on the southermost lot next this path, may have had the original "misapprehension," for he entertained the committee, according to neighborhood tradition, fed them well, gave them plentifully of good old New England rum, and when they had viewed paths, devious and otherwise, they came to the following conclusion: "that the said words - as the road now goes - shall intend the old path, not then wholly disused, and partly still known, especially at both ends, and not the new one."^ This was a little mixed and might mean anything, but it went the way Norton intended. Thus this territory finally came into the hands of the settlers, the freeholders of Edgartown agreeing, in 1673, to divide all of Ogkeshkuppe neck, except the "Farm," which they had endeavored to keep from Daggett.^ This was the beginning of the development of this town as a separate settlement.

^It is difficult, at this distance, to know the motives of Mayhew in resisting this grant to his old neighbor, and until some musty document of the past turns up with the necessary evidence, we can only surmise the cause of his obstinacy when such a clear title rested in Daggett.

Voted that Benjamin Smith, Samuel Athearn and Samuel Smith are chosen to divide Sanchacantackett Neck, purchased and unpurchased, esteeming the land as if lying vacant and unpurchased; and where no grant of the proprietors hath been made shall come int6 a common division, the whole being twenty-six shares, saving always to such as have purchased so far as their rights are to the lands in general on said Neck.^

These were known as the ''Sanchacantackett Shares," and comprised the land west of the Middle line the entire length of the neck from the Gore to the county road leading to Eastville. They were about forty rods wide and extended east and west from the "farm" to the Lagoon.

It is doubted whether the owner ever resided on his "farm." He had a home lot, as previously stated, in the village, and his son Thomas also resided near by, but the son's relations with Mayhew did not permit him to be independent. It is the author's belief that the youngest son, Joseph, was placed upon the farm as soon as he became old enough to attend to business affairs, probably about 1667, when he was twenty years of age, and that he made it his home, and here married his Indian wife. The litigation had driven the father away from the island, and in that year he had taken a second wife at Plymouth, and ever after that resided there, and died in that town. In so far as a guess is of value, Joseph Daggett was the first white man to reside in the present limits of Oak Bluffs, and here, in all probability, his half breed children were born, Alice, Hester and Joseph. He remained here until about 1673, when he removed to the new settlement at Takemmy (West Tisbury).

In this year the father died, and bequeathed the "Farm" in equal shares, to his sons John (of Rehoboth), Thomas and Joseph of the Vineyard. Nothing was done by them, as far as known, to improve this property until 1677, when the three brothers agreed to divide it, on September 6th of that year. The instrument of division is as follows:

^Edgartown Records I, 89. April 14, 1707. The town had confirmed, March 31st, previously, "several tracts" of land purchased by Joseph Norton, Thomas Daggett, Matthew Mayhew, Thomas Harlock, Benjamin Smith, and James Pease of "divers Indians."

Oak Bluffs, Martha'S Vineyard

Know all men whom it may concern that we, whose names are underwritten, have jointly agreed to divide the farm that our father gave to us, lying upon the eastermost Chap of Homes Hole, which farm we, that is John Dogget, Thomas Daggett and Joseph Dogget, have divided, both upland and meadow. The first lott came to John Daggett of upland and meadoe, uppon the northeast, or north northeast: the second division fell to Thomas Daggett, bounded by a marked tree, standing near the head of a meadoe, commonly called the fresh meadoe : and from that tree bounded by marked trees running nearest a north west and by west course, from the aforesaid marked tree the meadoe is bounded by marked trees between the meadow and the foresaid John Daggett's upland, and so to a stake near the pond uppon the meadow, which hne runs towards the northeast; and on the southwest bounded by Joseph Daggett's land and meadow, which bound runs from the westermost side of the cove commonly called the Muddy Cove, where the fence stands at the day of this writing, which fence is the southermost bounds of Thomas Daggett's meadoe: and from the aforesaid fence runs upon the upland, with a straight line towards the southwest, by marked trees, about fifty or sixty poles to a stake or post that is there set down: and from that post upon a northwest and by west line to the uttermost bounds of the farm: which northwest and by west line is the bounds between Thomas and Joseph Daggett: and from the foresaid fence upon the meadoe southerly, with the lands and meadoe upon and about the hummocks, southerly, belongs to Joseph Daggett, with all the upland southerly from the hne that runs northwest and by west, as aforesaid, so far as the bounds of the farm southerly.^

Subsequent Owners Of The Farm Before 1800

This tract of land which was thus divided was situated, roughly speaking, between the head of Squash meadow and the lower part of Farm pond, extending a mile in a north and south line, and a mile into the middle of the neck, forming a square, as near as it could be surveyed and measured in those days. The accompanying map will show the location accurately, and it will be seen that it covers half of the present site of the village of Oak Bluffs. Thomas Daggett, a month later, sold his part to his brother John, of Rehoboth, Oct. 9, 1677,^ and on July 20, 1686, the two joint owners procured from Wampamag the sachem, a confirmation of the original sale.^ He describes the tract as "by the sea, in length, one English mile," and extending three hundred rods from the beach ''into the island." This is a reduction, probably by agreement, of twenty rods in width from the first grant, probably to comprise five hundred acres, as the mile square would make 640 acres. Meanwhile Joseph Daggett was adding to his portion by successive purchases of the Indians, by permission of the town/ but whether the land was occupied by any resident at this period is not known. It would not seem that the land was allowed to go to waste, and it is possible that there were Indian tenants who cultivated it for the owners. On Aug. 5, 1692, John ofi Rehoboth sold his two-thirds to James Allen of Chilmark, estimated at three hundred and thirty acres, ^ and Allen in turn, on March 31, 1703, sold this portion to his son Ebenezer Allen. ^ Neither of the two last named were occupants, as they were land speculators. On Dec. 5, 1707, Ebenezer Allen sold one-third of his tract, or one hundred and ten acres, being the western part, to Joseph and Isaac Norton, who had already become identified with Sanchacantacket property about the Major's cove, and were living there.* Isaac Norton sold the south half of this purchase to his son Isaac, Junior, July 8, 1713,^ and Joseph sold the north half to his son Ebenezer, Feb. 28, 1734, with reversion to his grandsons, Eliakim and Peter, sons of Ebenezer.^ On Nov. 16, 1727, Ebenezer Allen disposed of the eastern part of the two-thirds which he once owned, to John Butler, Jr.,"^ and this last owner, on Nov. 26, 1733, sold this to Simeon Butler, his brother.^ Here Simeon Butler carried on a tannery for a number of years, until 1750, when he disposed of it all to his two sons Ebenezer and Thomas Butler, the former acquiring the northern moiety.^ The northwestern section, which fell by reversion to Eliakim and Peter Norton, was sold by them to Matthew Norton on Dec. 11, 1747,^° and a year later, on Dec. 3, 1748, the last named owner sold this part to Malatiah Davis (one-half), Thomas Claghorn (onequarter), and Benjamin Claghorn (one-quarter).^^ By successive purchases of the first two, Benjamin Claghorn became full owner of this parcel, estimated to contain sixty-five acres, in 1750 and 1758.^ Isaac Norton at that time still held the southwest section, which had been in his possession since 1713. Thomas Butler by his will of 1780 bequeathed his share in equal parts to his sons, William and Levi,^ and the latter, in 1795, sold his share to William.^

Meanwhile, by the will of Joseph Daggett, who retained his original southern third till his death, this division fell to his son, John Daggett, of Edgartown, in 1718/ This portion of the farm remained undivided until after the death of John, when his heirs sold at various times (i 767-1 782) their shares (in sevenths) to Malatiah Davis, and it later descended to his son Benjamin and became known as the "Ben Davis Place. "^

The oldest known name for the region which became the site of the camp meeting, and later the settlement of Cottage City, was of record, in 1660, as Quasquannes. This is probably an Indian's personal name, because the place was so ''called by the English," for it is well understood that the native never bestowed personal names on places. It covered the region comprised in the "farm" of John Daggett, while just north of it was the body of water which was designated by the whites, as early as 1684, the "Squash Meadow" pond and swamp. On the fertile ground surrounding this pond the Indians doubtless had fields of squash growing here when the whites came. The word squash is derived from the Algonquian noun askutasquash, which was the name for this vegetable cultivated by them. The English adopted the plural asquash as a singular noun and formed a new plural, squashes. The portion covered by "the farm" was in the dominion of Wampamog, the sachem, in 1660, who sold it to Daggett, and in 1682 the "Squash Meadow" was the individual property of that Indian from Ipswich, son of the Sagamore Masconomet, known here by his English name of Tom Tyler. Liberty to purchase this from him about that date (April, 1682) was granted to Andrew Newcomb g»nd John Coffin, one-half, and James Covel, James Pease, Isaac Norton, William Vinson and Joseph Norton, the other half. The

The successive chain of ownership of the "farm" down to 1800 has been shown. The possession of the northern part devolved upon William Butler, and he also inherited the Squash meadow tract through purchases by his father and grandfather. He was therefore at the beginning of the nineteenth century the sole owner, and almost the sole occupant, of the territory now covered by the village settlement of Oak Bluffs. His next neighbor to the south was Benjamin Butler (282), who lived at the lower end of Farm pond, and still farther south near the head of Sanchacantacket pond, Benjamin Davis (34) shared with them the solitude of these vast acres of uncleared land. To the northward of him lived Ebenezer Smith on the highland of East chop, while westward on the shores of the Lagoon were the dingy wigwams of the remnants of the Indian race. Over all this section great groves of tall pine and spreading oaks furnished welcome shade to the herds of cattle that browsed in the "Great Pasture" on the borders of Squash meadow, and the only sounds that echoed through these woods were the calls of lowing kine, the bleating of a stray sheep, and the occasional crack of a woodman's axe. This condition lasted for a generation in the first third of the nineteenth century, before its primeval stillness was invaded by a throng of people who were destined to turn it into a "city" of paved streets and electric lights.

The First Camp Meeting

The origin of the town of Oak Bluffs dates from the establishment of the annual "camp meetings" held in an oak grove on the shores of Squash Meadow pond. This location was discovered and recommended to those who had been previously attending similar meetings at Falmouth, Sandwich and Monument, by Jeremiah Pease (776), an enthusiastic Methodist "brother" and local exhorter, and by him it was surveyed and laid out. This grove was on the south side of the pond, and open fields bordered it on all other

'William Vinson sold one-tenth of Squash meadow in 1684, a division consistent with the number of grantees, Newcomb and Coffin owning five-tenths.

sides. It was a part of the Butler estate, heretofore described, and at this period in the possession of William Butler, from whom it was leased for this temporary occupancy.

The first camp meeting held in this beautiful grove was in 1835, and began on Monday, Aug. 24th. The area cleared for this purpose was quite limited in extent, about half an acre. A small rough board structure had been erected with an elevated seat and stand in front to serve as a pulpit. This was called the "Preacher's Tent." In front of this was a temporary altar, consisting of a railing, enclosing a space about twelve by twenty-five feet, with seats to be used mainly by the singers in time of public worship, and as a place for penitent "sinners" to come into from the congregation for prayers, following the afternoon and evening meetings. Beyond the altar were some plain board benches for the seating of the congregation. Nine tents were pitched in a semi-circle around this amphitheatre, together with some canvas shelters for cooking and dining purposes. This was the physical aspect of the first camp meeting at Oak Bluffs.

The Rev. Thomas C. Pierce, a Methodist clergyman was elected superintendent of the meeting, in the absence of the presiding elder of the district, and with a secretary to record its doings the session was opened by Mr. Pierce on Monday evening with an address. Meetings were held daily, morning, afternoon and evening, at which preachers of the Methodist denomination held forth, and the contemporary accounts in Zion^s Herald, the organ of that sect, testify to the success of the encampment from the standpoint of public "conversions" and reclamation of "backsliders." The report of the meeting concludes with a survey of the event in the following words:

We think the number converted during the meeting is very safely computed at sixty-five. The work is spreading on the island. Among those converted during the encampment were men of high respectability. On the morning of the close, when assembled near the stand, some two or three hundred brethren and sisters in the Lord arose from their seats and stood awhile in testimony that God had deepened the work of grace in their hearts during the meeting. Six souls were reclaimed.

The meeting lasted through that week, closing Saturday morning. By a unanimous vote it was decided to purchase the lumber which had been used in the construction of the camp, in order that it might remain on the ground for per- manent use. Collections for this object secured the necessary funds and the owner freely gave his consent to the continuance of the meetings in this grove.

Annually for ten years, in the last week of each recurring August, these meetings w^re held in this grove (1835-1844), of which it will not be necessary to relate the details of each encampment. The general schedule of services was the same every year, in which there were two particular ceremonies, known as the "love feast" and the "parting." At the former all the campers assembled at the preacher's tent and "testimonies" of personal experiences in the religious life were spoken by as many as could be heard in time. The "parting" ceremony w^as thus described: "It consists of walking in procession, two and two, around the area within the circle of tents, singing at the same time some appropriate hymn, and finally all halting, and then each passing by every other one, taking them by the hand and bidding them 'farewell'." This ceremony was most impressive and one which was always attended by a crowd of spectators, who looked on with the deepest interest and emotion.^

Indeed the whole series of meetings was calculated to play upon the sentiment and excite the sympathy of the participants, and often the entire assembly w^ould sit out the night, singing and praying. On one occasion in the early morning during one of these nocturnal "revivals" it is recorded that "several of the companies left the ground in marshalled procession, and moved to the shore singing the songs of Zion." These spiritual exaltations were productive of strange exhibits of religious manifestations. A veteran "brother" solemnly announced that he had seen Wesley in a vision and conversed with him, and in the official report of one meeting we read: "Numbers who are not easily excited were shorn of their strength, and lay for hours without the power either to speak or move. Some who had doubted the reality of such exercises looked on in amazement and exclaimed with the psalmist, 'This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes'."

These meetings grew in attendance both of the campers and spectators in this period. The greatest number of tents was forty, accommodating 1,189 persons, and the greatest attendance of visitors at one service was estimated at three thousand. The management of these immense crowds called for a firm executive hand and an organization to carry out the orders. Rules for the camp were rigorously enforced, and to aid in the protection of the worshippers a state law, approved April 17, 1838, making it a misdemeanor to carry on peddling, gaming or horse racing within a mile limit, punishable by fine or imprisonment, was secured by its friends. In 1838 a lease for five years, beginning Nov. i6th, was signed which secured additional ground embracing the "Great Pasture" on the Butler estate. A name for the camp ground was also selected in 1840, when the campers voted "that the grove be called Wesleyan Grove" and the secretary was authorized to procure and keep a record book for the permanent minutes of this camp meeting. The presiding elder of the district was the superintendent of each meeting each year.

Succeeding Annals, 1848-1858

The meeting for 1845 was held near Westport, Mass., because many thought this island grove had become "an old story" and that amid new scenes the interest and enthusiasm might be increased among the campers. It was felt that the experiment of a change would test this idea and that if it proved a false notion the return could easily be made the following summer. This change of location was also consequent upon the expiration of the lease of the ground in this year. In 1846 the meeting was to be held in East Greenwich, R. I., by vote passed, but enough were wedded to the original location at Wesleyan grove to determine upon a return hither, despite the decision of those assembled at Westport. A new lease was obtained from Stephen H. and Harriet Bradley, the successors of William Butler as proprietors of the land, and the annual pilgrimage hither was resumed.

The annals of this decade are a repetition of the preceding years, with some additional developments and changes. The times of meeting varied from between Sabbaths to a period including that day, and during such times the steamboats would bring large parties for a Sunday "excursion" from New Bedford and the surrounding towns. At first this was objected to by the promoters of the meetings (1847) and the transportation company was requested not to run their boats to the island during the time of the encampment, but this came to be ignored as time went on, and the Sunday services grew to be a feature of the affair. The crowds of spectators increased yearly from about three to twelve thousand on that day, and as a rule excellent order and respectful attention was observed.^ In this period the number of tents in the encampment gradually increased from fifty in 1848 to 320 in 1858,^ the number of occupants correspondingly multiplied and an increase from fifty to a hundred ministers of the gospel. Distinguished visitors also came to see this unique spectacle. In 1858 Governor Banks of this state and Governor Harris of Rhode Island honored the meeting with their presence at different times accompanied by many prominent officials of both states. This same year the famous negro Henson, said to be the original "Uncle Tom" of Harriet Beecher Stowe's well known romance, visited the meeting and "exhorted." It was estimated that there had been up to 1859 over eleven hundred "conversions."^

This settlement of white canvas, laid out in regular form and policed, came to be spoken of as the White City, Canvas City, and similar appellations, and the communicating streets to have fancy or biblical names, much to the disapproval of the elders who saw in these signs the growth of a social and "picnic" spirit that was to be deplored.* This spirit increased despite the frowns of the elders, and in the crowds which came here yearly many converts were made not to the religious features of the meeting but to the beauty of the grounds, and the general attractiveness of the island as a resort for rest and recreation. The temporary tents began to be replaced by small board structures, a combination of wood and cloth on the sides or top, and permanent locations were asked for in the camp ground each recurring year, until the campers finally felt a degree of proprietorship in the spot which they had occupied continuously for a number of seasons.^

^This great increase was due principally to the segregation of families in smaller tents. These "family" tents gave rise to some trouble for the management, and none was allowed to be set up without a letter from the pastor of the church whence the family came.

^Pardon M. Stone of Providence, R. I., spent sixty consecutive summers at the camp meetings, beginning in 1846, a record which is probably without parallel.

by other parties for $6 per annum. This long lease prompted the idea of permanent improvements, and a committee was appointed to arrange a new plan for the encampment, new seating for the worshippers and other necessary fixtures.^ The management varied somewhat, but an ''agent" chosen yearly was the executive head, and as the crowds grew, committees on finance, order and similar apportionment of duty were formed to aid him. In 1856 the ownership of the grounds changed hands and the new proprietor began the demand for a higher rental.^ In 1857 this situation became more acute and a committee was appointed to secure another site for the following year, and purchase it for permanent occupancy. This had the effect of bringing about a compromise. The property was reconveyed to the original owners, Stephen H. Bradley and wife, and a new lease for a term of ten years, beginning at the termination of the current lease (1861), with privilege of renewal or purchase at market value, was secured by the committee of campers. Thus protected the meeting in 1858 authorized the borrowing of a thousand dollars for use in permanent improvements on the grounds, and incorporation was agitated by a considerable number. This was the inception of the settlement which afterwards became Oak Bluffs.