Bourne High School - Canal Currents Yearbook (Bourne, MA)

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10 APTUCXET From a report in the Rijks Archief (National Archives) at the Hague, it has been learned that here, in October, 1627, the Dutch West India Company, through its representative, Isaac De Rasiere. then Secretary at New Amsterdam, first introduced to the New England colonists the use of which for years was legal tender in business transactions throughout the colonies — an event of much historical interest, as it marks a preliminary step in the develop- ment of our currency. The Bourne Historical Society, which owns the ancient site, believing that every opportunity should be embraced to preserve landmarks of our earliest history as an aid in inspiring future Americans with gratitude to the founders of the Republic, has, with the generous support of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and many friendly citizens, erected. on the original foundations a permanent replica of the old building as a “memor- ial to the early traders who, by their tenacity of high purpose here blazed a definite and successful beginning of the trial of the na- tion’s commerce.” — Quoted from a pamphlet by the Bourne His- torical Society. Nellie Dill j i THE BUILDERS j Isn ' t it strange that princes and kings | And clowns that caper in sawdust rings, | And common folks like you and me, j Are builders of eternity? To each is given a bag of tools; A shapeless mass and a set of rules; And each must make, ere life is flown, | A stumbling-block or a stepping-stone. | (“Auto-Brik Magazine”) | Anon I I i !

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BOURNE HIGH SCHOOL 9 APTUCXET Plymouth Colony’s First Trading Post T his ancient landmark was established in 1627 by Gover- nor William Bradford and others of the Plymouth Col- ony, at the beginning of the ancient Manamet. Portage across the isthmus of Cape Cod near the mouth of Manamet River (now the western end of the Cape Cod Canal at Bourne, Massa- chusetts) for the purpose of more conveniently and safely carrying on trade with the people to the southward. Here, for many years the Dutch from New Amsterdam, now New York, used to bring sugar, tobacco, linen cloth, “Holland finer and coarser stuffs” to trade with the Plymouth colonists. The Englishmen, by another creek on the north side of the Cape (the Scusset River) brought their furs to within four or five miles, at what is now Sagamore, and then portaged them to their Man- amet store — APTUCXET — to “avoyd the compassing of Cape- Codd and those deangerous shoulds; and so make any vioage to ye southward in much shorter time, and with farr less danger.” From the correspondence of Governor Bradford, and from his history “Of Plimoth Plantation,” it has been found that this Trading Post not only played a most vital part in the financial struggles of the early settlers, but appears to have been what truth- fully may be called the Cradle of American Commerce. In the spring of 1627 the leaders of the Plymouth Colony de- cided that if the debts of the plantation were to be liquidated, the trade of the colony would have to be placed in the hands of a syndicate which would and could control the entire situation, assume all debts and pay them off in a much shorter time than if each member of the company were to trade on h’S own account. They drew up what has, so far, proved to have been the first business contract written and signed in America. This contract (given verbatim in Governer Bradford’s Letter Book), specifically referring to th is country. Because of this and the present world- wide development of our great industries and the creation on this side of the Atlantic of the world’s financial center, this little trad- ing post at once assumes a unique position of national historic in- terest. From it, as one of the very first of the important outposts in New England — and hence in America — has developed the world commerce of the nation. It comes near being zero mile- stone, if not THE zero milestone of our commercial progress.

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BOURNE HIGH SCHOOL 11 SCHOOL NEWS W E, the Juniors of Bourne High School explored the school as soon as we arrived. The first place we went was to the sophomore room where we had enjoyed many pleasant periods with our dear friend and adviser, Mr. William Nagle, who has left us this year, we regret to say, to teach in Belmont High School. We were very much surprised to find the sophomore wall coming to meet us as we finished our journey. Our sopho- more room was cut absolutely in half and the office had placed it- self in the front-half of our room. Of course our next thought was what had happened to the old office in back of the building? We were greatly surprised to find a sink and some stoves there. Our first thought was that the teachers were trying to save some money to keep up their new cars and that they started by cooking their own dinners. But later we found out it was the Home Economics room. This is a great improvement because it was a nuisance in previous years to “tramp down to the B. G. S. in all kinds of blizzards and storms for our lessons. We noticed new radiators in all the rooms but we did not ap- preciate them until cold weather when you could very nicely take lessons in any room without supplying your own heat, — (by wearing all your outdoor apparel.) Mr. Coady has established an office upstairs so that he may hear all the “racket that the pupils make. He has had frosted windows put in it and an uncompleted wall which very stubborn- ly stops about two feet from the ceiling. Of course we have found out that all this was for HIS convenience and not ours. The missing wall aids him in hearing better our conversations and keeping us from causing any trouble. The frosted windows keep us from knowing where he is. Our next step was to find what teachers had returned and what new ones we were to meet. We found Mr. Peebles, Mr. Coady, Mrs. Moody, Miss Tapper, Miss Mills, Miss Dexter and Miss Bowman had returned. Miss Elizabeth Dill has taken Miss Mir- iam Bond’s place, since Miss Bond has gone to Cornell University to receive a “Master’s Degree. Miss Eloise Comtois has taken Mr. Nagle’s place. Mr. Walter Stahura has taken Miss English’s place and we can assure you he is a second Mr. Nagle. Of course we were very sorry to lose these teachers, but we are sure these new teachers are taking their places satisfactorily. As we continued down to the lunch room we found that they had remodeled the High School Lunch Room and had made it a great deal larger and more convenient.