BlockGermantown, Massachusetts
41 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1892 and the latest in 1997. It stands in Quincy City. It lies in ZIP code area 02169. It lies near Bass Rock. The Survey maps it on the Hull quadrangle.
Then and now
1892 to 1997The same ground, surveyed 105 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
On record in Germantown
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register within a mile 3 records
The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.
Brown-Hodgkinson Houselisted 1989 · 0.3 miles away
Fore River Club Houselisted 1989 · 0.9 miles away
Quincy Point Fire Stationlisted 1994 · 1.0 miles away
Topographic sheets covering this place
17 surveys from 41 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1892 USGS Boston Bay quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1903 USGS Boston Bay quadrangle1:62500, 9 printings
- 1944 USGS Hull quadrangle1:24000
- 1946 USGS Hull quadrangle1:31680, 4 printings
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1948 USGS Hull quadrangle1:25000
- 1949 USGS Hull quadrangle1:24000
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Hull quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1971 USGS Hull quadrangle1:24000
- 1971 USGS Hull quadrangle1:25000
- 1977 USGS Hull quadrangle1:25000
- 1984 USGS Hull quadrangle1:25000
- 1984 USGS Provincetown quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1997 USGS Hull quadrangle1:25000
In the county-history sources
94,488 words on this townshipHistory of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1884 names this settlement in its chapter on Quincy City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Boston, that the need of supplies would oblige Gen. Gage to send out parties along the shore. the salt-water neighborhoods, the North Precinct was accordingly in great and perpetual terror of forays. On the 4th of May, Mrs. Adams wrote: '" There has been no descent upon the sea-coast. regularly kept." who had died only a few weeks before, was then at the house of her father-in-law in the North Precinet, - the house, already referred to, in which President Josiah Quincy, of Harvard College, subsequently lived and died. to see her there, " and in the afternoon, from an alarm they had she and her sister with three others of the family, took refuge with [Mrs. Adams] and tarried all night." Deacon Holbrook, of the Middle Precinct, for a place of retreat, if he needed one; and Mr. Cranch, who lived at Germantown, did the same with Maj. Bass.
Passage source: History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1884.
All this was in May. At last, on the morning of Saturday, June 17th, a heavy cannonading to the The British ships of war in Boston Harbor were firing at the breastwork which had been thrown up the night before on the crest of Bunker's Hill. The only records which have come down to us showing how that day was passed by those dwelling in Braintree are found itable conflict drawing always nearer. At last, on Sunday morning, May 21st, Braintree had a veritable alarm, - the enemy was actually at its door. Three sloops and a cutter had come out from Boston Harbor and dropped anchor in Weymouth fore-river, not far from Germantown. Before six o'clock alarm-guns were heard, and shortly after the bells began to ring. Then the minute-men fell in at tap of drum on the the distant cannon, the mother, then a woman of a little more than thirty, taking with her the child of eight, went out to the neighboring Penn's Hill, and, climbing to its summit, looked towards Boston. It was a clear June day of intense heat, and across the blue bay they saw, against the horizon, the dense black volume of smoke which rolled away from the burning houses of Charlestown. Over the crest of the distant hill hung the white clouds which told of the was taking place before their eyes, and now of the husband and father so far away at the Congress, they dreamed not at all of the great future for him and for the boy to be surely worked out in that conflict, the first pitched battle of which was then being fought before them.
Passage source: History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1884.
During the night of the 9th of July a body of three hundred volunteers put out in whale-boats from Germantown, and crossed over to Long Island, where they seized some cattle, sheep, and prisoners, and brought them off without being discovered from the vessels lying near. Their emulation being fired by this achievement, a few days later another party put off from the Moon Island, opposite Squantum, in open day, and fired the house and barn which the previous party had spared. Though exposed to a sharp fire from the enemy's ships, the whole force returned in safety, and only one of the,covering party on the Moon was killed. Then all the companies guarding the south side of the bay were ordered to go to Nantasket, and cut and bring away the ripened grain. While there, and under the eyes of several men-ofwar, they crossed over in their whale-boats and set fire to the light-house. Returning, they were fired upon and pursued, but got back without loss. Gen. Gage thereupon sent a force of carpenters, under and caused a new lamp to beset up. In consequence of this, on Sunday evening, the 29th, a body of men went off from Squantum in the whale-boats, surprised and overcame the guard, killing the lieutenant in command and one man, and completely destroyed the killed. Two days after he was buried from Germantown. These were the only military operations undertaken during the siege of Boston from Quincy Bay ; and though, as Mrs. Adams wrote, they were in themselves but trifling affairs, yet they served "to inure our men and harden them to danger."
Passage source: History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1884.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Quincy City - it names this place 3 more 3 times.
Fires near this place
322 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 322 fires within 5 miles of Germantown between 2015 and 2020, burning about 149 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Recreation and ceremony | 177 |
| Debris and open burning | 49 |
| Smoking | 44 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 41 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 6 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | WEYMOUTH |
| 7 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | BRAINTREE |
| 7 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | BRAINTREE |
| 5 September 2016 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | QUINCY |
| 5 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | WEYMOUTH |
| 4 September 2016 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | HINGHAM |
| 29 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | WEYMOUTH |
| 28 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | BRAINTREE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Specimens collected near this place
12 of 9,091 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 9,091 specimens collected within 10 miles of Germantown between 1810 and 1975: 4,918 Plantae, 2,351 Animalia, 1,316 Fungi, 370 Chromista, 69 Protozoa, 53 Unrecorded, 14 Bacteria. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by (MARSDEN, H W), A C Gibson, A Loveridge and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.
| Image | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lysimachia × producta (A.Gray) Fernald | 1900 | A. P. Chute | |
 | Reboulia hemisphaerica (L.) Raddi | 1900 | Frad G. Floyd | Western boundary Stony Brook Reservation |
 | Thalictrum L. | 1810 | Boott, J.W. | Near Boston. |
 | Anemone L. | 1815 | Boott, J. | Andover Turnpike, 7 miles from Boston. |
| Ericaceae | 1815 | Boott | Boston, U.S.A. | |
 | Limonium vulgare Mill. | 1815 | not recorded | On Cragies Road [=near Cragies Bridge], 1 1/2 miles from Boston. |
 | Mollugo verticillata L. | 1815 | Boott, F.M.B. | Boston. |
 | Persicaria (L.) Mill. | 1815 | Boott, J.W. | Craigie's Road, 2 miles from Boston. |
 | Ranunculus L. | 1815 | not recorded | Thicket at South Boston. |
| Cistaceae | 1816 | Boott, J.W. | Boston. | |
| Dianthus armeria L. | 1816 | Boott, J. | Boston. | |
 | Fallopia Adans. | 1816 | Boott, J.W. | Andover Turnpike, near Boston. N. America. |
All 9,091 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 11 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Germantown: 6 past producers, 5 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Granite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshfield Sand and Gravel | Granite | Past Producer | Granite | |
| Old Colony Crushed Stone | Granite | Past Producer | Granite | |
| Ernest Minelli Inc Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Hingham Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Margetts Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Old Colony Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Braintree Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| J F Price Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Liberty Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| R D Margetts Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island | 0.5 miles | 41 | |
| Post Island | 0.8 miles | 41 | |
| Houghs Neck | 0.8 miles | 41 | |
| North Weymouth | 1.1 miles | 38 | |
| Quincy Neck | 1.1 miles | 38 | |
| Old Spain | 1.3 miles | 38 | |
| Quincy Point | 1.3 miles | 38 | |
| Adams Shore | 1.3 miles | 41 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 614073. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.