BlockBefore

Wollaston, Massachusetts

46 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Quincy City. It lies in ZIP code area 02170. It lies near Forbes Hill. The Survey maps it on the Boston South quadrangle.

Wollaston within Norfolk County

Then and now

1893 to 1989

The same ground, surveyed 96 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Wollaston, surveyed 1989
Topographic sheet of Wollaston, surveyed 1893

On record in Wollaston

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 12 of 37 shown

The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.

Every listing in Norfolk County

Topographic sheets covering this place

17 surveys from 46 printed sheets

Matched 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.

In the county-history sources

94,488 words on this township

History 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.

At the time of Standish's visit the territory since called Quincy was occupied by a poor remnant of the Massachusetts tribe of Indians, some forty to sixty in number. The them. Some years before he had dwelt at Mount Wollaston, which had then been cleared and cultisachem Chickatabot ruled over vated, and the shell-heaps still to be found thereabouts indicate that it was a favorite Indian resort. North of Mount Wollaston, and between it and the Neponset, in that region since locally known as '"' The Farms," was, and still is, a broad, open plain called the flourishing days of the tribe to have been its gather- their time in games and feasting. Indeed, the name of the tribe is supposed to have been derived from the small savin-crowned hummock, lying between the Fields and Squantum, and bearing in its shape some more or less fanciful resemblance to an arrow's head.* It would thus appear that not only was the name of the commonwealth derived from a spot within the limits of Quincy, but it was within those limits also that the Massachusetts tribe found that common gathering-place which was to them what the Isthmian fields were to the Greeks. The eastern slope of the Blue Hills and the shores of Quincy Bay were the cradle, the home, and the grave of the race.

Passage source: History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1884.

It was their numbers which in all probability led The filthiness of the Indian and the Indian village does not need to be here described. It is sufficient to say that New England savages lived more like swine than like human beings, and their habitations, reeking with smoke and alive with vermin, were surrounded with every description of decay- ing matter. to epidemics than were Europeans. followed that increase of numbers meant an increase of those conditions which are sure to breed disease, and the breaking forth of pestilence became a mere question of time. In 1615 the tribe was in its most flourishing state ; in 1616 a terrible mortality developed itself which raged for two years, and then seems which to feed. It left behind only a crushed and broken-spirited remnant of the Massachusetts. Nowhere does the pestilence seem to have done its work driven from his plantation at Passonagessit, as Mount Wollaston was called, and apparently took refuge at Squantum. Of his followers few survived ; for the wigwams were " full of dead corpses," and " they died in heaps as they lay in their houses ; and the living that were away and let them die, and let their carcasses lie above the ground without burial. For in a place where many inhabited, there hath been but one left alive to tell what became of the rest. The living being, as it seems, not able to bury the dead, they were left for crows, kites, and vermin to prey upon. And the bones and skulls upon the several places of their habitations made such a spectacle after my coming into those parts, that as I traveled in that forest near the Massachusetts, it seemed to me a new found Golgotha."

Passage source: History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1884.

He accordingly saw with much disfavor every ar- Meanwhile, supplies were running short, and a spirit of Of this Morton took advantage, and gradually instilled into the minds of the few servants who were left the suspicion (for which there was undoubtedly excellent ground) that it would be their turn next to go to Virginia and be of the plantation, they might all dwell there together | Maremount, which, while it bore evidence to Moras equals, and not only enjoy life, but derive large profits from planting and trading. Exclusive of Fitcher, there were but seven men now left. All of these Morton seems to have won over, and at last to shift as best he could. Wessagusset, and thence found his way to Plymouth. Neither he nor Wollaston are again mentioned, nor do they seem to have made any attempt to re-establish themselves at Passonagessit.

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 33 more 33 times.

Fires near this place

215 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 215 fires within 5 miles of Wollaston between 2015 and 2020, burning about 129 acres in total. None started naturally. None 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 ceremony159
Smoking35
Missing data/not specified/undetermined17
Debris and open burning3
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBRAINTREE
7 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBRAINTREE
5 September 2016Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlQUINCY
29 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBRAINTREE
28 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBRAINTREE
23 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
22 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBRAINTREE
22 September 2015Recreation and ceremony1.5 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlBRAINTREE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Norfolk County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 11,610 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 11,610 specimens collected within 10 miles of Wollaston between 1810 and 1975: 5,355 Plantae, 2,874 Fungi, 2,750 Animalia, 352 Chromista, 195 Protozoa, 54 Unrecorded, 30 Bacteria. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by (MARSDEN, H W), ?, A C Gibson 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 SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Lysimachia × producta (A.Gray) FernaldLysimachia × producta (A.Gray) Fernald1900A. P. Chute
A photograph of the species Thalictrum L., not of this specimenThalictrum L.1810Boott, J.W.Near Boston.
A photograph of the species Anemone L., not of this specimenAnemone L.1815Boott, J.Andover Turnpike, 7 miles from Boston.
A photograph of the species Corylus L., not of this specimenCorylus L.1815not recordedCambridge Port, 2 miles from Boston.
Ericaceae1815BoottBoston, U.S.A.
A photograph of the species Hepatica Mill., not of this specimenHepatica Mill.1815Boott, F.M.B.Sweet Auburn.
A photograph of the species Limonium vulgare, not of this specimenLimonium vulgare Mill.1815not recordedOn Cragies Road [=near Cragies Bridge], 1 1/2 miles from Boston.
A photograph of the species Mollugo verticillata, not of this specimenMollugo verticillata L.1815Boott, F.M.B.Boston.
A photograph of the species Nuphar Sm., not of this specimenNuphar Sm.1815Boott, J.W.Worcester Turnpike 6 miles from Boston.
A photograph of the species Persicaria Mill., not of this specimenPersicaria (L.) Mill.1815Boott, J.W.Craigie's Road, 2 miles from Boston.
A photograph of the species Populus L., not of this specimenPopulus L.1815not recordedCambridgeport, 1 mile from Boston.
A photograph of the species Ranunculus L., not of this specimenRanunculus L.1815not recordedThicket at South Boston.

All 11,610 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Wollaston: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Granite, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Braintree PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Old Colony Crushed StoneGranitePast ProducerGranite
Old Colony QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every working recorded in Norfolk County

Storms near this place

12 since 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wollaston in 12 storm reports between 2009 and 2023: 5 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 2 flood, 2 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2016LightningWollaston$50,000Lightning struck a house on Buckingham Road, setting it on fire. The fire shut down a portion of Hancock Street from Wollaston Center to North Quincy High School for more than an hour.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindWollaston$30,000Numerous trees were downed throughout Quincy.
September 2017FloodWollaston$10,000At 915 AM EST, the Wollaston MBTA (Rapid Transit) Station in Quincy was flooded. At 920 AM EST, the intersection of Centre Street and Vernon Street was flooded and impassable. At 925 AM EST, Cedar Street was flooded and impassable. The Automated Surface Observation System platform in Milton reported a storm total rainfall of 2.44 inches.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindWollaston$10,000Trees were downed on Endicott Street and Curtis Avenue in Quincy. Wires were downed on Bradford Street.
September 2013LightningWollaston$10,000Lightning struck the bell tower at Bethany Congregational Church in Quincy, damaging one of the pinnacles and sending stone debris to the ground and through the ceiling of the church.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindWollaston$5,000A large tree limb and wires were downed onto a car on Rice Road by thunderstorm winds.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindWollaston$1,000Large limbs and wires on Elm Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindWollaston$500In Quincy, a tree was down blocking MBTA train tracks.
September 2018Flash FloodWollaston-At 10:50 AM EST, the Southern Artery at Greenleaf Street in Quincy was closed due to flooding.
August 2012FloodWollaston-Standish Avenue near Wollaston Beach and Hancock Street was closed due to flooding.
June 2010HailWollaston-Ping pong ball size hail fell on Beale Street in Quincy.
June 2010HailWollaston-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Norfolk County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Norfolk Downs0.6 miles46
Montclair0.9 miles46
North Quincy0.9 miles46
West Quincy1.0 miles46
East Milton1.2 miles46
North Commons1.2 miles42
Atlantic1.2 miles46
Quincy1.3 miles46

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 613031. 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.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.