Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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Next time you are asked to leave the Peggoty Beach area when a group of you have gathered to have a little get together, ask, Why were the men of Kent allowed to congregate in this area? . . . The first community settlement was along Kent Street. Their reasons for being there were a little different than ours today, pro- tection being the main one. In 1 895 a dark pink carnation, called the Mrs. Thomas Lawson, was invented. Thomas Lawson went out and spent $30,000 to buy all of these flowers, which he wanted exclusively for his wife. Scituate and Plymouth county officials wanted to ensure that all the towns ' lands were legally acquired. To do so, Wampa- tuck, a Womponoog Indian, was asked to put in writing the transfer of lands to Moth- erly, Lawson, and other settlers. Whether it was under force or not, this paper was signed. Beautiful red roses and stately white fences were the trade-marks of the Lawson estate. There were some people who bor- rowed the red rose bushes to brighten their own lawns. Lawson did not despair. He just replaced each bush with a new one, which was just as beautiful. In 1656, the first Quakers came to Sci- tuate. The town branded these peace-lov- ing people OS evil because they did not share in the Puritans ' beliefs. Anyone who tolerated the Quakers was considered evil also. James Cudworth, a prominent man in the town ' s affairs, was removed from all offices he held for being tolerant of Quak- ers. The influential Thomas Lawson paid 1,000 men to build his estate. It was so large when it was finished, that it took 1 50 men to take care of it. 5

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Do You Know Your Scituate? Did you know that the father of our town arrived in Scituate in the early 1600 ' s and left shortly after his arrival? The father of our town, better known as Timothy Motherly, did not leave out of dis- like or hardships. No, he went back to England to ask for a land gran? in the Sci- tuate area and so that people could come to settle here. Do you want proof that there were peo- ple in Scituate as early as 1 628? Well, there is a piece of paper concerning the transfer of land from a Henry Merrit to Nathaniel Tilden bearing that dote. Edward Foster, nephew of Tim Motherly, was left in charge of Scituate while his uncle returned to England. Me and five others ore all known to hove settled here around 1628. The others are William Gil- son, Anthony Annable, Thomas Bird, Nathaniel Tilden, and Menry Crowley. Are any of these men your relatives? Those of you who got to the Musquosh- cut-Minot area, consider yourself among the braver set. Bock in the early days. Timothy Motherly was certainly brave when he chose to settle there. Once the Scituate Militia, under the command of Coptoin Pierce, was ordered to pursue a group of hostile Indians. With fifty men and twenty friendly Indians, there were no encounters until Pov tucket. This was the scene of a courageous but losing battle. Captain Pierce and his men, not knowing the numbers that awaited them, fought back-to-back in the river until the lost man fell. Three men lived to tell of the battle.

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You might find it inlVmiil miiyu g that the North River bridge charged otol The coslflSil o man and his horse was higher tfiorv for a man on foot. Two prieSl traveling in opposite directions, set up a system to beat the high cost. Each would leave his horse on his own side, cross the bridge, paying for himself, and ride off on the other ' s horse. What a way to econonj izei Many of you think tha urpo! the Lawson Tower is to cover an ui H water tower. Did you know that it keeps the water colder during the sui months than most water towers? The extravagant Tom Lawson hod a very original hobby. He owned a large collection of lucky elephants. Thre H still standing on the Common today | | :ommon knowledge that i.iuch of this town. Is it to knowledge thot he also owned the world ' s only seven-masted schooner? If not for the industrious men of the North River, the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition might never hove occurred. The ship Columbia, built in 1 773 at Briggs Landing on the North River (just up from the Route 3A Bridge) gave its name to the Columbia River in Oregon, which her cap- tain discovered during a voyage along the past. This discovery subsequently PRothe Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Columbia was, also, the first ship to carry the U. S. flog around the world, and to countries such as China, Great Britain, and Canada. For those who would like to see the ship, there is a full size replico of her in Disneyland.