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1713 Map Uncovered February 2006 A fascinating document on heavy vellum (calfskin or sheepskin) was discovered this winter in an old florist’s box (does anyone remember Johnson’s Flowers on Elm Street?) at the King Caesar House. It was hidden, rolled up inside a 20th century plot plan of a Plymouth property. It is a document of tremendous historical significance to Duxbury. Even in the Society’s earliest days of collecting, accessions records were always kept. Unfortunately, not all the records have survived the decades. The result being that some fascinating items have lurked, unnoticed, in dark corners of the King Caesar House for many years. The various committees have rectified this problem with their comprehensive inventories as they dig into all those dark corners, organizing materials the Society has collected over the course of 123 years. The Collections Committee chaired by Bob Hale has recently finished a full catalog of all the museum artifacts in the King Caesar, Nathaniel Winsor, Jr., Drew and Bradford Houses. Bob, who has worked on this for years, has even meticulously cataloged “shards” and “fragments.” The Costumes Committee chaired by Madelon Ali continues to organize and document our wonderful collection of historic clothing. The Textiles Committee chaired by Penny Kriegel has set up an orderly work space over the Summer Kitchen at the King Caesar house and is organizing our collection of fabrics including bedhangings, curtains and rugs. And our Library and Archives Committee, chaired by Betty Hills, works each Wednesday morning to organize the backlog of historical papers and photographs. The information pertaining to all museum collections (excepting archives) is stored in one central database diligently kept by staff member Alison Arnold. Where our archival collection is concerned, there is much work to be done. The Library and Archives Committee does yeoman’s work, however they will be the first to tell you how much they look forward to having a paid archivist to orchestrate the full cataloging of our historic documents. The archivist will be hired this fall to manage the Society’s new facility in the Wright Building and to ensure that such rare and significant items as the 1713 Land Division Map receive appropriate care. At first glance, it is difficult to determine what area is depicted by the map. Neither shoreline nor town boundaries are shown. However, upon close inspection, the outlines of Island Creek Pond and Round Pond can be clearly identified. The map shows the central portion of Duxbury, much of which is now the Town’s central “Greenbelt.” The boundaries of roughly 200 farms are indicated as are portions of roads including what are now Mayflower Street, Elm Street, West Street and possibly Chandler Street. Among the catalogued portion of the archival collection is a handwritten book describing in great detail the various farms parceled out by the Town of Duxbury during the 1713 Division of Commons Lands. Prior to this time, most of the land west of present day Tremont Street was unsettled and owned in common by the Town. In 1713, due in part to population pressure, the Town saw fit to divide the Common Lands. More than 200 farms were allotted. The book describes the boundaries of each farm, most of which were roughly 40 acres, and also describes aspects of the terrain of each plot including swamps, hills, meadows and trees. Having been recorded in 1713, it is the Society’s oldest document. Amazingly enough, the plots on the map match the 1713 book perfectly. Indications are that the map and the book came to the Society from two different sources. That these documents should survive nearly 300 years is astounding enough, but that they should be re-united after that period of time is more amazing still. The map is the oldest Duxbury map known to exist (prior to this discovery it was believed that the oldest local map in the Society’s collection was the 1833 Ford map). There are many things we can learn from this fascinating document. Keep an eye on the newsletter for more information.### |
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