Scorton Creek Wharf Reconnaissance Report
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Introduction The Nye Family of America requested a non-invasive above ground survey be conducted at the site of architectural remains observed eroding out of the bed and adjacent salt marsh at Fisherman's landing on Scorton Creek in Sandwich, Massachusetts (Figure 1). It is known that the property originally belonged to the Nyes and it is also known or suspected that limited industrial activity in the form of shipbuilding and salt evaporation took place here in the nineteenth century. When first identified, most of the timber remains were buried in the adjacent salt marsh and were gradually eroding out. Following several storms in the past two decades, significant erosion of the salt marsh has occurred and continues to occur, threatening the remains (Figure 2). The present survey is an attempt to document what remains of the timber work in an attempt to record their condition as of Fall 2012, to identify their date of construction and abandonment, and to identify what type of construct they represent. Environmental Setting The surveyed area lies within and adjacent to the marshes associated with Scorton Creek. It also is possible that the wooden and cobble remains extend further to the south beneath the existing peat marsh. Approximately five to six feet of peat was found to overlay the surveyed remains. Soils immediately adjacent to the survey area are Ipswich, Pawcatuck, and Matunuck peats on 0-1 percent slopes which overly and are adjacent to Eastchop loamy fine sand. Eastchop soils are very deep and excessively drained, having formed in sandy glacial outwash on moraines and outwash plains. These soils typically have a 0-3% rock and gravel composition with 0-15% gravel in the substratum, making them very sandy soils. The presence of cobble and large amounts of gravel associated with the wharf indicate that soil was excavated elsewhere and was deposited here to fill the cribbing between the plank bulkheads. The fill soil was much more rocky and gravelly than the locally available soil and must have been transported from somewhere else. History of the Town of Sandwich The first reference during the Plantation Period (1620-1675) to the area that later became Sandwich was a voyage that the Plimoth colonists made to Manamet (West Sandwich/ Bourne) was near the end of July in 1621. At this time a young boy by the name of John Billington became lost in the woods outside of the plantation and eventually ended up at Manamet. Both Bradford and Winslow relate these events (Morrsion 1984: 87, Young 1974: 217). Canacum, the sachem of Manamet, sent the boy to Aspinet, the sachem of Nauset (present day Eastham). From this trip, Winslow described Manamet as thus: "This town lieth from us south, well near twenty miles and stands upon a fresh river...It will bear a boat of eight or ten tons to this place. Hither the Dutch or French or both use to come. It is from hence to the bay of Cape Cod eight miles out of which bay it floweth into a creek some six miles almost direct to the town. The heads of the river and the creek are not far distant." (Young 1974:307).
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Figure 1. Project area shown on USGS topographic map
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Figure 2. Project area looking east. Top: Late 20th/ early 21st century photograph of project area; Bottom: current (Fall 2012) photograph of project area. Note degree of erosion and exposure of wharf remains. 3
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This report fully supports the idea that the town lay between the two rivers at Bournedale. If the distances given by Winslow are compared to a modern map, then the present location is very near the present day Sagamore Bridge and Bournedale. The fresh river referred to by Winslow was the Manamet River and the creek that flowed to the town was the Monoscusset (Scusset). Following this voyage, the sachem of Manamet, Caunacum, and several other Natives from the southeastern Massachusetts area, signed a document dated September 13, 1621, making themselves subjects to King James of England (Morton 1855: 29). The first European settlers in the area were servants set out from the Plymouth Plantation who were charged with manning a house established within the Native territory of Manamet. This trading house, also called the house at Aptucxet, was likely located near the mouth of the present day Cape Cod Canal. This initial settlement was likely short lived and no further settlement occurred until the 1638 settlement of Sandwich by families from Saugus. During the Plantation Period (1620-1675) settlement loci were located at Manamet and Pocasset with the first meetinghouse being in need of repairs in 1644 and the first gristmill in 1648. Two missionaries, Thomas Tupper, Benjamin Nye's father-in-law, and Richard Bourne, preached to the natives of Sandwich. Bourne's work focused on the Natives living at what was left of the Contact Period community of Manamet around Great Herring Pond in present day Bournedale. Bourne established a meetinghouse here on the south side of Great Herring Pond in the early seventeenth century (MHC 1984: 4). The Town of Sandwich was established in 1637 and the bounds were laid out by Myles Standish and John Alden in the same year: "Beginning, westerly, by the dividing line between the town of Plymouth and the said town of Sandwich, and on the east by the line which divides the town last mentioned from the town of Barnstable, which runs north-east to the sea; and southwest into the woods; and is bounded northerly by the sea; southerly partly by the dividing line between them and Suckanussett and partly by the Indians' land, according to the known and accustomed boundaries." The western portion of Sandwich was settled during the Colonial Period (1675-1775) and County Road, running along Buzzards Bay, was laid out in 1684 while other overland routes were also improved (MHC 1984: 5). Buzzards Bay harbors at Buttermilk Bay and Pocasset became important during this period while as early as 1676 the Monoscusset-Herring-Monument River drainage was explored as a possible location for a cross-isthmus canal linking Cape Cod Bay to Buzzards Bay. The Native community at Herring Pond was said to number 226 people over the age of 10 years in 1693, and this population was recorded as close to the same in 1764 (Shaw and Merrick 1982: 11). Overall, in Sandwich 136 heads of households (exclusive of Quakers) were recorded in 1730 and by 1765, 245 households and 1,449 individuals were recorded (MHC 1984: 6). Grist mills were established in North Sandwich by 1695 (Elijah Bourne) and at Monument (Elijah Perry 1739) with corn being the main crop grown and ground (MHC 1984: 6). While herring were caught in the Herring River and sheep were increasingly becoming the most important livestock, the most significant industry for the town was wood exportation. Both Natives and non-Natives engaged in this trade which harvested wood for lumber as well as pine pitch for turpentine, tar and pitch (MHC 1984: 6). A meeting house for the Christian Natives at Bournedale was built in 1765, eventually being moved to Cataumet and used as a Methodist church. 4
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The Federal Period (1775-1830), saw an increase in the role of shipping with a route for what would one day become the Cape Cod Canal being surveyed in 1824 and wharves being constructed at Buttermilk Bay and Red Brook Harbor (MHC 1984: 7). The population, as well as the role of industry grew during this time as well. Salt making gained in importance and a woolen mill and trip-hammer were built on the Herring River (MHC 1984: 8). The town was described by Wendell Davis in 1802 as a post town with light and unproductive soils in the peripheral areas but which had extensive tracts of woods composed of oak and pine which were being shipped to other areas that lacked wood for building, and a population of 2024 persons and 296 houses (per the 1790 census) (Davis 1802: 119, 124). Davis goes on to describe the various villages of Sandwich: Scusset, the Village of Sandwich, Spring Hill, the Woods, Pocassett, and Monumet. Scussett was described as the western portion of the Town where the soil on the east side of the road through it is "good, well cultivated, and productive" while that on the west side is "far less so" (Davis 1802: 121). The Village of Sandwich was notable for a "large and beautiful pond of water in the centre", a grist and a fulling mill, a number of shops "for the different mechanick arts", the meeting house, two public inns and the principal houses of the village (Davis 1802: 121). Spring Hill was where the meeting house of the Friends, described as a "considerably numerous and respectable class of the inhabitants", is located (Davis 1802: 121). The Woods was described as several small settlements and a few valuable farms located around Snake and Hog ponds (Davis 1802: 122). Pocassett had its own a meeting house and a small number of families, excellent and plentiful oyster beds, and wild deer that are protected by a recent law regulating their hunting to certain times of the year and in certain manners (Davis 1802: 122). Finally, Monumet had a small collection of houses and a meeting house and a wide variety of fish in the Monumet River (Davis 1802: 122). Davis described the people in the Spring Hill in greater detail than the other portions of town. He said that the principal employment of the people here was both maritime and agricultural and that the inhabitants were "substantial livers" (Davis 1802: 121). The inhabitants of Spring Hill generally occupy small farms and till them to the best advantage possible, due to the productive nature of the soils in this part of the town with a wide variety of grains being raised (Davis 1802: 121). In addition to the productive soils, the meadows and marshes in this part of the town were considered a great source of wealth to the inhabitants, allowing them to keep large stocks of cattle for the winter and to sell upwards of 100 loads of salt hay to towns west of Sandwich (Davis 1802: 122). This area was also considered excellent for raising "sheep of the best kind" which were allowed to run free in the forests and plains and then sold in the month of October to drovers from the north and west for about $1.00 per head, with Sandwich sheep meat being much preferred by connoisseurs (Davis 1802: 122). Other industries in the town included salt making (accounting for 25% of the annual income) and to a lesser degree fruit tree cultivation (of which there are found more than in any other part of the county) (Davis 1802: 122). One cider press, the only one on the Cape, is also located in Sandwich (Davis 1802: 122). The project area is shown just south of Scorton Harbor on the 1794 map (Figure 3). The Early Industrial Period (1830-1870), was one of rapid growth in the area. The population increased to 4496 people in Sandwich, the highway network was improved and in 1848 the Cape Cod Branch of the railroad arrived in Bourne and Sandwich (MHC 1984: 9). Industries in the Bourne area 5
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of Sandwich included a nail factory at Bournedale in the 1830s, a woolen mill at Sagamore in 1831, shoe making, which began in 1853, cranberry production in the middle part of the century, and the export of wood. The wood industry was begun by the Perrys of Monument in the 18th century, and was expanded in the 19th century into the Head of the Bay area (Keene 1975: 64). From the heavily timbered Head of the Bay, large amounts of wood were shipped out along the Manamet River. The town was described by John Warner Barber, a well-known engraver and recorder of local history, in 1839 as follows: "Sandwich is the most agricultural town in the county; the lands however in the extreme part of the township are light and unproductive There are numerous ponds, some of which are very large, which afford fine fishing and fowling: deer are also found in this vicinity. There are in the town 1 cotton mill, 1 woollen factory, a furnace, a nail factory, a number of carding-machines, ice., with an extensive manufacture of glass. There are 15 or 20 sail of coasting or fishing vessels belonging here, and a considerable quantity of salt manufactured. Population 3,579. The following is from the statistics published by the state in 1837. " Nail factory, 1; nails manufactured, 500 tons; value of the same, $57,500; hands employed, 20; capital invested, $13,500; glass manufactory, 1; value of glass manufactured, $300,000; hands employed, 250; capital invested, $250,000." (Barber 1839:51-52). The 1852 map of Sandwich shows the project area just south of the new bridge over Scorton Creek (Figure 4). Figure 5 shows two cartways leading down to the area of the dock. During the Late Industrial Period (1870-1915), the town of Bourne became a separate entity. The town proper did not exist until 1883. Before that date, it was considered the eastern village of the town of Sandwich and it shared in the growth of the town. The economic base of Cape Cod as a whole and of Sandwich in particular blossomed in the early to mid nineteenth century. The growth of Sandwich began with the founding of the Sandwich Glass Company in 1825 (Lovell 1984:279). The economy in the next 25 years was further bolstered by the whaling industry, the arrival of the railroad in 1835, the flourishing of brick kilns and the establishment and growth of mills. The peak of this economic growth was in the 1850s with most of the population working in the glass production, mills and maritime industries (Lovell 1984:319). The population began to decline in the 1860s foreshadowing the stagnation of the economy of the town. By 1870 the population had decreased to 3694 persons (Lovell 1984:319). Between 1860 and 1920 the Cape's population decreased by 26% (Brown 1995:204). While the population of the town as a whole was beginning to decline, that of the western village declined slightly from 1870-1883, but it appears that this portion of Sandwich was more isolated from
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Figure 3. Project area shown on the 1795 map of Sandwich
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Figure 4. Project area shown on the 1857 map of Sandwich.
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Figure 5. U.S. Coastal Survey of 1860-61, showing the center of old East Sandwich Village (Nye Homestead and grist mill) and the cart-way to Scorton Creek. Note: The cluster of buildings at lower right were the house and shops of Jabez and Zenas Nye, boatbuilders 9
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the general population trend affecting Sandwich and Cape Cod in general. The western village maintained its own share of town industry and economic growth. The Keith Car Company, which began in 1847 by making tools, axles and ironware, expanded its operations throughout the century and eventually focused its production on Pullman cars for the expanding railroad (Lovell 1984:394). Coupled with the growth of the Keith Company was the expansion of the railroad on Cape Cod and specifically its expansion to Woods Hole. The line traveled through the western village and contributed to the tourist trade beginning in the late nineteenth century (Lovell 1984:370). The main industry in Sandwich was glass making, but by the 1870s this business was becoming increasingly unprofitable. This was the trend on all of the East Coast as the markets favored the glass producers in the Mid-West (Lovell 1984:381). The depression of 1874 with its financial panic and associated business depression, as well as the power of the unions in creating strikes among workers, marked the end of the Sandwich Glass Factory. The factory, which at its height employed 520 workers, placed a for sale sign outside of its main factory on October 16, 1888 (Lovell 1984:385). Out of work glass makers tried to form their own company, the Cooperative Glass Co., which had limited success until it too went under in 1911. The failure of the Sandwich Glass Factory was also paralleled by the Cape Cod Glass Works of Sandwich, which closed its doors in 1892 (Lovell 1984:388-389). The railroad business peaked in the 1890s when Eben Keith was expanding his car works, but at the turn of the century Bourne, as well as Cape Cod faced an uncertain future. The population of Sandwich as a whole continued to decline until 1930 when it stabilized and grew (Lovell 1984:515). Bourne's population, while never as large as Sandwich's, grew throughout the century, especially after 1920 (Lovell 1984:515). The economic base of Sandwich in the early years of the twentieth century was somewhat uncertain. Manufacturing, the marine industries and farming all experienced substantial losses. Industries continued to close down in town, many of which were reopened by new owners just to be closed down again. Industry always appeared to town planners to have the potential to save the town. The great boom times for Sandwich had been during the Sandwich Glass Company years, and it would appear that many saw the potential for a return to the glory years by encouraging new industry. The potential was never realized and industry never again played a major role in town economics. The savior of Sandwich was the increase in tourism and summer residency in the early twentieth century. As early as 1903 summer residents paid seventy five percent of the town’s taxes (Lovell 1984:435). Along with this influx of tourists went the need to house all of them. Many towns along the west coast of Cape Cod were able to accommodate the tourists. Bourne participated in the building boom from the area around the presumed location of Aptucxet to the southern end of the Cape Cod Canal. Sandwich, on the other hand, was not as affected by the building boom because of the previous population decline. Many of the new residents merely moved into vacant houses in the town (Lovell 1984:499). The economic gain to the town was accompanied by a cultural loss felt by the year round inhabitants. The small town atmosphere was lost for several months out of the year as the summer residents returned. The local history of the town began to be researched, polished up and put on display for the summer residents. By 1930, two historical businesses formed the core of the historical tourism aspect of Bourne and Sandwich's tourist industry. The Sandwich Historical Society began to make the Sandwich glass industry the main thrust of its new museum in 1925 (Lovell 1984: 450). 10
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No evidence of structures or a boatyard are shown on the 1893 topographic map of Sandwich (Figure 6). The Early Modern Period (1915-1940) saw the completion of the Cape Cod Canal in 1935, significantly shortening the route from Buzzards Bay to points north. This period also saw the construction and improvement of roadways leading to Cape Cod, encouraging tourist traffic to Cape Cod and away from the Town of Bourne (MHC 1984:14). This led to some population decline and economic difficulties. Bourne did remain the most industrial town on Cape Cod during this period. The Keith Manufacturing Company as well as foundries at Bournedale and Pocasset provided the majority of the economic base for Sandwich and Bourne. Unfortunately, the Keith Company closed in the 1930s and the economic base of the town quickly shifted to cranberry growing, dairying and the tourist trade (MHC 1984:15). No evidence of structures or a boatyard are shown on the 1943 topographic map of Sandwich (Figure 7). Scorton Harbor It is not known exactly when Scorton Harbor was first used but it is believed that it coincides closely with early settlement in this section of town, which would be in the mid 17th century. All along Cape Cod Bay there were once small harbors like Scorton that were used by the local populace to transport goods from their homes and farms to and from the larger town harbors, like the one at Town Neck to the west. While there may have been other docks and landing places along Scorton Harbor and Scorton Creek, the only one that we currently have any evidence for is the one located at Fisherman's Landing that this report documents. This suspected dock lies nearly a mile and a half from the mouth of Scorton Creek. It is believed that the inhabitants of the Old County Road area, especially the Nyes, Crockers, Halls, Goodspeeds, and Hoxies used this dock to transport goods such as firewood, hay, timber, salt, and other goods. A great deal of information about the use of the dock and possibly the adjacent shipyard can be drawn from the account book (1790- 1866) (owned by Rosanna Cullity) kept by Jabez Nye (1749-1827) and his son Zenas (1792-1869). According to Nye Family of America Association historian John N. Cullity, these Nyes “were boat-builders (mostly 5-handed whale boats) carpenters, farmers, and blacksmiths who did all manner of repairs and work for the neighborhood and beyond.” (Cullity personal communication 2012). Jabez's father Benjamin was a known shipbuilder who lived at 108 Old County Rd. The first reference in the account book to the dock is in 1803 when it was recorded that John Crocker paid $70.50 to have two boats made and carried down to the dock in May of that year. The dock appears to have been used by local business people to transport goods from Town Harbor to their businesses in the Old County Road neighborhood as well. Joseph Hall , a tavern owner, had flour and other goods transported from Town Harbor presumably to this dock in 1809 while Joseph Nye 3rd, a merchant living at 82 Old County Rd, also had goods transported from Town Harbor in 1811. Beginning in 1814 the term “dike” is used in the account book. It is believed that this term refers to the dock that this report documents. A dike is defined most basically as an earthen embankment constructed to redirect water. As the dock at Fisherman's Landing is interpreted to have been earth filled and projected a fair way across Scorton Creek, it is possible that the Nyes felt that it qualified as
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Figure 6. Project area shown on the 1893 topographic map of Sandwich
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Figure 7. Project area shown on the 1943 topographic map of Sandwich
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dike. A complete account, as culled from the account book by John Cullity, of the possible references to the use of the dock or dike, as it appears to have been also called, is presented in Appendix A of this report. A second account book is in the possession of the Nye Family of America Association, Inc. This account book covers the farming, milling and other business interests from 1812-1854 of Deacon Silvanus Nye (1744-1820) and his son Deacon Samuel Nye (1789-1867). This book refers to the salt works as well as the use of the dock. References include landing and carting rails for Jabez Nye in 1819, the use of oxen by Zenas Nye in 1823 to cart material from the dock, drawing boards from the dike in 1826 by Joseph Hoxie 3rd, drawing hay and good from the dike in 1829, 1832, and 1837 by Joseph Hoxie 3rd, drawing goods from the dike in 1820 by Joseph Hall, drawing hay from the dock in 1840 by Levi Goodspeed, and finally drawing hay from the dock in 1854 by Owen Phinney. The reference to dock may refer to the Town Harbor dock while the reference to the dike may refer to the Fisherman's Landing wharf. Regarding tavern/store owners Joseph Hall Jr. and his mother Abigail, it appears from the Jabez/Zenas Nye account book that they owned the sloop Liberty, which was kept at the dock. A complete account, as culled from the account book by John Cullity, of the possible references to the use of the dock or dike, as it appears to have been also called, is presented in Appendix B of this report. The area around the dock is believed to have been used for shipbuilding, salt hay harvesting, and salt manufacture. It is probable that every available portion of salt marsh in Sandwich was once cut for hay which was stored in haycocks called staddles, which were groups of posts set in the marsh (Cullity 2001). The hay was then transported along the creek on barges, possibly the scows referred to in 1815 and 1820 in the Nye account book. As mentioned earlier, Jabez and Zenas Nye appear to have been shipbuilders, probably building scows, sloops and whaleboats in the years before the bridge was built across the creek in 1847 or 48, effectively ending the use of this area for shipping and shipbuilding. State Game farm worker John Prouty once related that he had found numerous bronze or copper spikes, chips of wood and other artifacts along the creek that are indicative of shipbuilding activity (Cullity 2001). There also exists a deeply work trench running from Hoxie Hill to the creek that is clearly visible on the 1943 topographic map. East Sandwich native Alfred Fish, Jr. (1919-1998) told John Cullity that ‘old-timers said that the trench was made by ox-drawn timber being brought out of the woods down to the shipyard’. John also heard about the shipyard from his grandfather Samuel D. White (1890-1974), who was told about it by Joshua Holway (1849-1928) who grew up a half-mile from the supposed shipyard site. As stated earlier, the construction of the bridge over the creek probably spelled the end of shipbuilding and the arrival of the railroad into Sandwich and from there to Hyannis between 1848 and 1854, probably spelled the end of coastal transportation of goods. As a result, by ca. 1860 when Reverend Frederick Freeman wrote that the Scorton area of Sandwich had “ an apology for a harbor” he was referring to a harbor that was probably little used except by fishermen but one that a generation earlier would have been very active. Colonial Wharfs Early colonial wharves were built in the crib fashion of alternating rows of timbers laid in headers and stretchers forming a box-like frame and often filled with material such as mud or sand. The bottom of 14
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the crib had a floor that served as a platform for the fill that anchored the wharf in place (Rosen and Vine 1995: 241). Cobb wharves were of crib construction and were filled with cobblestones, ballast rock, brush, tree stumps, and refuse. The cobb wharf had an open framework and could be floated into place and then weighted down with the cobble (hence the name cob) and brush fill. It is believed that cobb wharves were the earliest form of wharf used in Massachusetts with solid cribs becoming more common as large fill materials became scarcer over time (Rosen and Vine 1995: 239). Another form of wharf construction was the solid crib wharf. This wharf type had a series of closely fitted together interconnected cells that prevented finer materials such as mud or sandy silt from being washed out of the wharf. This is generally believed to be a later type of wharf that was used as the available sources cobbles and stones of the area had been exhausted. Wharves and seawalls were built in towns by merchants and those in need of waterfront facilities as a response to economic expansion and the need for more ways to quickly transport and receive goods. The Revolutionary War is believed to have been a great stimulus for waterfront facility construction because colonists were forced to expand and create new trade routes and markets (Rosen and Vine 1995: 240). Until the mid 1700s the maximum ship draft were between 10-15'. This allowed for docking at simple wharf and dock structures that rose just above the mean low water level (Rosen and Vine 1995: 240). Ships would berth at high tide and at low tide their keels would rest on the muddy bottom of the river, creek or harbor. Because of the abundance of timber in the colonies, this was the favored material for early wharf construction with most being joined with wooden trunnels versus iron spikes. Following the initial construction, these maritime structures were rebuilt and repaired regularly as a result of storm and wood boring worm damage (Rosen and Vine 1995: 240). As late as the twentieth century it was noted that portions of timber wharf structures needed to be replaced as often as every 12-15 years as a result of wood-boring worms (Rosen and Vine 1995: 242). Field Survey From what is visible at low tide, the timber structure at Fisherman's Landing appears to be a wharf of cob or solid crib construction style. The crib was made of squared oak timbers laid horizontally parallel with the creek. Upright squared timbers were mortised into them at regular intervals and these were topped with a top plate. There were at least three and more probably at least six of these cell walls present with the three southern one still remaining. The walls of the cells do not appear to have been joined to any other timbers at their sides, although evidence of this may remain buried. Alternately the timber walls may have been free standing within the wharf box to which the plank sides were attached, being anchored in place by cobbles and fill. The sides of the wharf were faced with off cuts of pine planks to prevent the outwashing of fill material. The floor of the interior of the wharf was covered with brush and branches. The brush and branches would have prevented the fill material from sinking into the floor of the creek. The fill placed on top of the brush appears to have been locally derived cobbles, gravel, and possibly soil. The soils in the immediate area of the wharf are sandy Eastchop soils with little gravel or cobble, so the fill, while local to Cape Cod, did not come from the immediate locality of the wharf. The use of a soil and not just a cobble fill is suggested by the presence of small gravel and the the plank facing which would have held the fill in place. The use of soil for the fill may have been why the wharf was referred to as a dike in the Nye account books. The soil fill would have reached to the top of the wharf and formed the surface which carts and wagons would have driven on. When the wharf had been abandoned the sides eventually gave way, the fill spilled out to the north, east and west with the soil being quickly washed away and the cobbles being left. Over the years the 15
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northern portions of the wooden frame were washed away leaving just traces of the brush floor and th overlaying cobble portion of the fill. It is expected that continued erosion of the wharf will eventually result in the washing away of all traces of the wharf except for the cobble portion of the fill. The field survey was carried out at low tide in November 2012. The total area surveyed measured 32 meters (105 feet) north to south by 17 meters (56 feet) east to west (Figures 8 and 9). Several features related to the wharf were located within this area: three worked horizontal timbers; a row of upright planks; a layer of brush; concentrations of cobbles; and a number of posts placed upright into the creek bed. The three timbers appear to be in their original locations. These timbers were all oriented at 120° off north, being oriented with their long axes parallel with the creek. Each timber was three meters (10 feet) long and ranged from 20 to 30 cm (8-11”) in diameter. The timbers lay equidistant from each other at 2.25 meters (8 feet). Timber 1 (Figure 10) was three meters long and 30 cm in diameter and retained the truncated remains of two upright posts, each 20 x 30 cm and each mortised to the horizontal timber by means of a tenon fastened with a wood trunnel. A third post had been removed previously by John Cullity and is currently curated by him. This timber also bears a socket for a fourth post. Timber 2 was the southernmost timber and was completely submerged during the period when the survey as completed (Figure 11). It measured three meters long and 20 cm in diameter. Mortises for two upright timbers were visible and other are suspected to have been present but not visible. The fact that this timber was buried beneath peat until relatively recently but does not have its uprights present may indicate that parts of the wharf were dismantled and salvaged at some period after it ceased to serve as a wharf. Timber 3 was the northernmost timber (Figure 12). It measured three meters long and was 20 cm in diameter with three mortises visible. Trunnel holes were present on the outer and inner faces of the timber. It is believed that these three timbers represent the remains of crib walls associated with the wharf. Other timbers are suspected to have been located to the north but have been washed away in the past. All of the timbers were made of oak. A 1.5 m (5 feet) long section of outer wall planking was identified at the eastern edge of the wharf remains (Figure 13). The plank wall consists of seven pine planks that appear to be off cuts from logs (as at least two bear curved outer log surfaces). The planks range from 30 to 40 cm in width and had been placed vertically along what is believed to be the outer edge of the wharf. These planks would have kept the cobbles and soil within the wharf crib. The planks are believed to be anchored into a horizontal timber buried beneath the creek bed. Sections of brush and branch flooring were found adjacent to and just above the level of the horizontal timbers. Exposed concentrations of brush were located to the west of the plank wall, adjacent to the north side of Timber 1, and to the east of the northern end of the wharf. It is believed that this brush was used as flooring within the wharf structure upon which the cobble and soil fill was placed. The brush ranged in diameter from 5 to 10 cm (2-4”) in diameter and appeared to be a mixture of oak, maple and pine. Scattered pieces of buried brush were observed across the survey area supporting the idea of a brush floor.
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Figure 8. Wharf remains at low tide, Scorton Creek. Top: Looking northeast; Bottom: Looking west. 17
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Figure 9. Measured drawing of wharf remains visible in November 2012. 18
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Figure 10. Timber 1 photograph and measured drawing. 19
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Figure 11. Timber 2 photograph and measured drawing. 20
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Figure 12. Timber 3 photograph and measured drawing.
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Figure 13. Plank wall photograph and measured drawing. 22
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Concentrations of upright stakes measuring on average 10 cm in diameter were identified in the southern portion of the wharf area adjacent to the exiting salt marsh, to the immediate west of the plank wall, and to the north and east of the plank wall beyond the maximum area of exposed brush. The stakes located to the north and east of the plank wall appear to have placed in an X-fashion with stakes being angled to the east and west and overlapping in the center. These stake concentrations may be related to the brush floor of the wharf, possibly being used to affix the brush in place before the cobble fill was applied, or they may be associated with an earlier or later construction. The cobble concentrations are believed to represent cobble fill from the interior of the wharf that spilled out of the sides when the walls of the wharf collapsed after it was abandoned. The cobbles all appear to be roughly round glacial cobbles of granite which, due to their relatively rough appearance, were probably collected from cultivated fields versus from the beach shore. The maximum extent of the wharf, as extrapolated by the distribution of the cobbles and wood remains is believed to be 30 m (100 feet) north to south by 9 m (30 feet) east to west (Figure 14). It is believed that the wharf rose originally at least six feet above the creek bed, placing it just out of the water at high tide. It appears to have extended just over half way across Scorton Creek (Figure 15). Portions of the wharf may remain beneath the salt marsh to the south. John Cullity has recovered several artifacts from the area of the wharf (Figures 16-18). Artifacts consist of a wooden disc, made from maple, that is theorized to have possibly been part of a piston or pump valve, pitch pine torches, and rusted iron concretions that may be nails. All of these objects were picked up near the center of the site, on the mound of stones. Conclusion The remains of what has been determined to likely be a wharf are rapidly eroding out of Scorton Creek in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Background research conducted by John Cullity of the Nye Family of America determined that this structure was most probably built by the Nyes and their neighbors during the 18th to 19th century. It is probable that it was no longer functioning as a wharf by the middle of the nineteenth century. From what is visible at low tide, the timber structure at Fisherman's Landing appears to be a wharf of cob or solid crib construction style. The crib was made of squared oak timbers laid horizontally parallel with the creek. Upright squared timbers were mortised into them at regular intervals and these were topped with a top plate. There were at least three and more probably at least six of these cell walls present with the three southern one still remaining. The maximum extent of the wharf, as extrapolated by the distribution of the cobbles and wood remains is believed to be 30 m (100 feet) north to south by 9 m (30 feet) east to west. It is believed that the wharf rose originally at least six feet above the creek bed, placing it just out of the water at high tide. It appears to have extended just over half way across Scorton Creek. Portions of the wharf may remain beneath the salt marsh to the south. The dock site is owned by the Massachusetts Division of Fish & Wildlife, part of the former East Sandwich Game Farm, and is co-managed by the Thornton W. Burgess Society. We hope the site will be respected by visitors. If remains are seen to be dislodged or threatened with tidal action, please call John Cullity at (508) 888-7629, and an arrangement will be made for preservation and curation.
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Figure 14. Conjectural reconstruction of wharf extent. 24
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Figure 15. Conjectured reconstruction of Nye Wharf as shown on Google Earth.
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Figure 16. Three views of a carved wooden (maple) piece that seems to be half of a disk with a hole in the middle. Possibly from a piston or pump valve. Size 7 3/4” x 3”.
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Figure 17. Pitch pine knot torches, charred.
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Figure 18. Encrusted iron pieces, possible nails.
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References Barber, John Warner 1839 Historical Collections. Dorr, Howland & Co., Worcester, MA. Brown, Dona 1995 Inventing New England: Regional Tourism in the 19th Century. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Cullity, John 2001 An apology for a harbor. Sandwich Enterprise 1/12/01. Davis, Wendell 1802 Description of Sandwich in the County of Barnstable. Volume 8 in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Munroe and Francis, Boston, MA. Keene, Betsy D. 1975 History of Bourne from 1622 to 1937. Bourne Historical Society and Wm. S. Sullwold Publishing, Taunton, Massachusetts. Lovell, R.A. 1984 Sandwich: A Cape Cod Town. Sandwich Archives and Historical Center. Sandwich, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) 1984 Reconnaissance Survey Report: Sandwich. Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston, MA. Morison, Samuel Eliot 1984 Of Plimoth Plantation. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Morton, Nathaniel 1855 New England’s Memorial. Congregational Board of Publication. Shaw, Leslie C., and H. James Merrick 1982 Phase I, Step 1 Archaeological Reconnaissance for the Route 25 and Route 28 Ingersoll Alignment, Plymouth and Barnstable Counties, Massachusetts. Report on file at the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston, MA. Rosen, P.S. and D. B. Vine 1995 Evolution of seawall construction methods in Boston harbor, Massachusetts. Proctor Institution of Civil Engineers Structures & Buildings. August. pp. 239-249 Young, Alexander 1974 Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, Maryland. 29
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APPENDIX A Ship, Dock, and Dike references from the account book (1790- 1866) kept by Jabez Nye (1749-1827) and his son Zenas (1792-1869). Note: Dr. stands for debtor and not doctor. Page
Account
2
John Crocker Dr (His farm location unknown) 1803 May too boats & carrying them down to the dock 70 dollars 50 cents
3
Schooner (This un-named vessel seems to have been built by Jabez and Zenas.) May 1806 to one cedar board to carrying up boats ? & thiking them to going after timber to on loading plank to 27 poals to 90 feet plank (crossed out) to making a chip hook to the hors to go to Barnstable, to carry iron to going down to Barnstable, to get iron to going after spars to getting chips out the _ide ? to goeing after a corker to 24 plank white pine to rebeting 60 bolts to cutting brest hook to corking - to poles ? to cutting bolts to 301 fet plank $16.26 to geting the scooner down myself & Zenas to boting 2 caps
1 7 2 4 13 1 1 6 1 6 4 7 6 2 0 6 6 4 14 5 4 3 4 10
$3 (pounds) 3 (shill.)
Decon Nye Dr (Nye Homestead) 7
13
1809 April to work on the salt works
3 (shillings)
Joseph Hall Dr. (tavern owner) June To boating up flour, etc. Dec to carting gods from town harbor
1/ 2 (shillings, pence) 6/0 30
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Timothy Goodspeed (121 Old County Rd) 1822 Septr to the oxen to draw 2 loads of hay from dock
17
1.00
Joseph Nye 3rd Dr (He is Dea. Samuel’s brother, living across the street at 82 Old County Rd. He lived 1786-1821, and by all appearances was a merchant who used Scorton and town harbors to ship in goods). 1811 July to getting up molasses from the vessal Septr to hanging store dore Septr to the horse to go to town harbor twice Octbr to going to town harbor after goods
.50 .17 .50 1.50
27
1813-1821 numerous references to “mending his boat”, Scow, oars, etc.
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Abagail Hall Dr. (I believe she is mother of Joseph Hall Jr.- Her husband Joseph Sr. bought 108 Old County Rd. from Benjamin and Mary Nye in 1794. The Nye genealogy describes Benjamin as a “shipbuilder”. The Hall family ran a tavern and store here into the 1850s, and sold the place to Samuel H. Nye, son of Deacon Samuel, in 1866.) 1814 April 11 to carting wood to scow May 15th to carting 18 cord wood to the dike July 22nd to mending an ancor August 2nd to carting wood to dike Septr to carting wood dike 3 1/2 cord 1815 March Novr 1816 Feby June 12 June June July 5th Augst
.75 3.11 .17 .75
to work on the scow to work on the scow
to making dogs for shipyard to making crain eyes for the sloop Liberty to work for sloop Libty to vessel worke do (ditto) to 2 hand pikes to the oxen & cart to draw hay from the Bootioses ??
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.34 .25 .17 .12 .25 .18
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1816 A. Hall credit Febry 1st by 34 feet oars 6 cts foot April by 18 ft oars more
2.04
1816 Septr Novr
1.08 .78
1818 May June
A. Hall Dtr to 18 foot oars 6 cts foot to 13 foot oars for sloop
to the oxen draw shipyd load to the oxen to go “ By W Robinson one load
.14 .34
1818 J. Hall Esqr Dtr (Joseph Hall, Jr.) nd Sept 22 to carting stones Octr to work aboard the Liberty 2 days April to the oxen ¾ day dike August to the oxen to draw stones Novr to carting goods from dike
42
.75 .20
1819 Octr
J. Hall for the Liberty to mending blocks
.83
1818 June
William Homer Dtr to the oxen to draw 2 load from the dike
.34
1820 Joseph Hall Esqr Oct to the oxen and James to draw wood the dike 1821 May 12 to drawing down wood from the dike 1824 May to scow boat goods 87
.14 2.00
Vessels Acoomset for 1808 ..?.. 1808 June to rafting timber & hauling out To carting oars To rafting clabboards To rafting boards Augt to hauling out timber & ribs ?
.60 .36 .50
1.00 .75 .25 .58 .75
Vessels Acoomset Credit 1808 March by boat sail & ancor 32
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April May “ “ June July Septr 94
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by 44 ¼ of cheese by 10 gallons of molasses by 1 barrel of flour by coopers adds by 2 ½ gallons of oil by 100 herrings by ½ thousand of shingles 14/ per thou
1823 Dimentions of Brig Clioe (Chloe) Boat feet in boat on the top From end keel to forward mould From that to next From that to next Juck* ? deep Juck wide After thought from juck After timber “ “ 2 plug (or play) •
15-10 2-10 3-3 3-5 2-3 3/7 ½ 4/0 0/14
This first letter looks like a backwards p – I can’t figure it out. It’s written the same way three times.
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APPENDIX B Extracts from the account book (1812-1854) of Deacon Silvanus Nye (1744-1820) and his son Dea. Samuel Nye (1789-1867) pertaining to the Scorton Creek dock, dike, saltworks or shipyard. The book is owned by the Nye Family of America Assn., Inc. In transcribing from this book I am using spelling as it occurs. Entries from September, 1820 on are by Samuel, following his father’s death in August. In this account book a “page” equals two pages, in modern thinking. Not all references are necessarily connected with the dock – some of this is guesswork (John Cullity 2012). Page
Account
10
John Launders Dr
1818
paid Joseph Hoxie for carting through land To my carting wood on board the scow
11
Acct of salt sold for John Dillingham Esq (Possibly the owner of the salt works, not necessarily the land.)
.10 .12
1815 Novr 22nd had sold 3 pecks at 7/6 per bushel One peck to myself Decmbr 22nd a peck to John Bodfish Mr. Goodue ½ bushel February 25 ½ a peck to Josiah Meggs April 25th a bushel to John Bodfish June 1st a peck of salt to Mrs Bursley And ½ a peck to Jos. Nye 3rd th 29 a peck to Lemuel Bursley And ½ a peck to Jos Nye 3rd th July 5 ½ a bushel to John Bodfish 8 ½ a bushel to Levi Goodspeed 16th a peck to Joseph Jones 17th ½ a peck to Saml Freeman 26th a peck to Josiah Fish 29th 3 quarts to Joseph Hoxie 31st a peck to Ezra Crocker August 2nd a peck to myself 24th 6 quarts to Lemuel Bassett Decmbr 6th ½ a peck of salt Nathan Goodspeed 23rd 6 quarts to Sara Hoxie 1817 April 9th a peck of salt Jos Hamblin
0.94 .31 .31 .62 .15 1.25 .31 .16 .33 .16 .66 .67 .33 .17 .33 .12 .33 .33 .25 .32 .25
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May 20th ½ a bushel to Mrs Goodwin And ½ a bushel & ½ a peck to Mr Chipman ½ a peck to myself June 2nd 6 quarts to William Atkins 7th ½ a bushel to Josiah Bodfish 14th a peck to James Fuller 21st ½ a peck to Jos Nye 3rd 25th a peck to Joseph Jones Septr 1817 the above account settled in full 16
16
Jabez Nye Dr 1819 to landing 600 rails and carting them through my lower land
.50
Joseph Nye 3rd Dr To carting load of goods from Town Harbour 10/6
1.75
18
Barnabas Holway Dr 1822 Cr to 2 ½ bushels salt at 4/
18
1816 Joshua Freeman Cr To work upon my house 44 days at one dol pr day To boating lumber
21
29
.62 .83 .17 .25 .62 .33 .17 .32
Zenas Nye Dr Sept 4 1823 an account brought over from page 19 5th to oxen one day 1824 January 29th to carting load & oat ? stuf Town Harbor August 25th Credit by calf $3.00 July 30 to horse & chaise to Jabez Sept 6th oxen to cart from Percivals marsh Oct 5th oxen to cart from ram past (ure) Nov 13th to oxen to cart from dock Nov 28th to oxen to cart from dock April 26 to horse to Jabez Jany 27th oxen 2 days to cart dung 1827 settled & paid
44.00 1.25 45.25 1.67 .50 1.50 1.00 .33 .50 .50 .33 .50 1.00 8.33
Account of wood carryed by Capt Edmond Freeman April 13th 10 cords & 6 feet green wood X at $5-50 cord 6 cords of seasoned wood at $5-75 cord th April 24 17 cords & 2 feet carryed $5-50 cord July 15th carryed 20 cords $5-75 cord Oct 15th carryed 21 cords to the Cape $5-50 35
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June 1st to carrying – 19 ½ cord wood Cape J Meiggs cutting 1825 Sewell Fessendon 26 cords 1826 18 ½ “ 32
Joseph Hoxie 3rd Dr 1826 Nov 25th to drawing boards from dike
00.67
Josiah Meiggs 1825 June 7th Cr to cutting 19 ¼ cords wood carryed by Capt E Freeman to the Cape 37
Account of wood landed at Joseph Hoxie landing 1824 April 13 to 8 cords by E Freeman July 15 to 20 cords wood by E Freeman 1825 April to 9 ½ cords wood E Freeman June 1st to 19 ¼ cords wood E Freeman Nov 26th to 26 cords wood S Fessenden 1826 Oct 8th to 18 cords wood S Fessenden 1827 April 10th to 18 cords carryed to Cape S Fessenden August 3rd to 16 ½ cords carryed by S Fessenden Cut by Cabbage Towner Boston Nov 15th to 17 cords sent Boston E Fessenden 1828 May 12 to 16 cords sent to Cape E Freeman Novr to 15 cords sent to Boston 1829 Novr to 18 cords sent to Boston G Atkins 1830 Novr to 6 + 2 feet sent by G Atkins 1831 Dec 16th to 22 cord wood sent by G Atkins June 2nd Settled & Paid Joseph Hoxie Cr 1834 Oct 23 to 11 cords+ 6 feet wood drawn through field 1836 to 10 cords wood drawn through the field Carryed forward 36
$11-16
.48 1.20 .57 1.15 1.56 1.08 1.08 .99 1.02 .96 .90 1.08 .37 1.32 13.96
.70 .75 1.45
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Joseph Hoxie Dr 1829 August 6th to drawing hay from dike Sept 2 to drawing hay from dike
1.50 .80
(These entries may refer to salt hay harvested, but the dike reference is interesting – JC)) 38
Betsy Nye Dr (widow of merchant Joseph Nye 3rd) May 20th to one barrel flower + the freight August 5th paid George Atkins fr flower
6.25 .42
(note above entries regarding G Atkins) Zenas Nye Jr Dr (I believe the “Jr” is an odd error) 1827 June 15th to carting through field 1828 to carting through field 1829 to carting through field 1831 to drawing through field 1833 to drawing through field 1834 to drawing through field
.50 .50 .25 .50 .50 .50
(Though it seems that there would have been a “public” cartway to the dock, perhaps a fee was charged by Joseph Hoxie or Samuel Nye for large scale carting. JC) 40
49
Joseph Hall Dr (Tavern, store) 1829 Novr 5th to drawing one load of goods fm dike Joseph Hoxie Dr 1832 Sept 8th to drawing hay from dike Sept 17 to drawing hay from dike
.50
1.50 1.00
I’m really not sure if the dike was the same thing as the dock, or exactly what these charges mean – just thought I’d include them – JC) 57
Zenas Nye Dr Account brought forward 1835 to drawing through fld 1836 to drawing through field
19.94 .50 .50
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(Zenas Nye may have used Nye’s field to bring his finished five-handed whale boats to the marsh, not necessarily the dock, for launching and rowing to destinations such as Plymouth or Barnstable – just a guess. JC) 58
Levi Goodspeed (Nye neighbor) Dr 1840 to drawing hay fm dock
1.17
Joseph Hoxie 3rd Dr 1837 (3 September references to drawing hay from the dike) 72
Owen Phinney Dr (close neighbor) 1854 Nov to drawing ld hay from dock
1.50 (seems like a lot)
After this I have not found other references to the dock or dike. - JC
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