Misplaced Pages

#872127

59-664: Myles Standish Monument State Reservation is a state-owned historic preserve and public recreation area in Duxbury, Massachusetts . The focus of the state park is a 116-foot granite shaft topped by a statue of Captain Myles Standish . Standish was military leader of Plymouth Colony . The park is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation . A dedication and cornerstone-laying ceremony attended by 10,000 people took place on October 7, 1872. The monument

118-412: A board of selectmen . The town operates its own police and fire departments, with the police station and central fire station located in the southeast and additional fire station in the northwest parts of town. There are two post offices in town; one is at Hall's Corner (near Goose Point) and the other is at Snug Harbor, along Duxbury Bay just south of Powder Point. The Duxbury Free Library is located in

177-490: A 19th-century Duxbury resident, it was once possible to "jump from stone to stone from one side of the graveyard to the other." With the disappearance of many stones, the existing markers are now sparsely scattered. The surviving gravestones date mostly from the 1760s and the 1770s. Only 34 stones pre-date 1750. Around 1707, the Town constructed a second meeting house "three or four rods," about 50 to 66 feet or 15 to 20 metres, to

236-558: A company of regulars to the town in response to pleas from the loyalists at Marshfield . When the Minuteman alarm sounded on April 19, 1775, with news of the Battles of Lexington and Concord , many volunteers mustered to the regiment of Colonel Theophilus Cotton from Plymouth , Kingston , and Duxbury, and headed for Marshfield to engage the British. The colonial officers held a council of war at

295-632: A former Duxbury Middle School student filed a $ 1 million lawsuit in March 2021 against the Duxbury Public Schools and a former gym teacher and hockey coach, accusing him of repeatedly raping their son in his eighth grade gym class. The school district received a request for information from the United States Center for SafeSport . In March 2021, the High School's Football Coach David Maimaron

354-449: A household in the town was $ 117,124; and the median income for a family was $ 136,245. Males had a median income of $ 77,228 versus $ 41,730 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 50,242. About 1.2% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over. On the national level, Duxbury is a part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district , and

413-411: A pine coffin, requested the construction of a vault beneath the memorial to better preserve their ancestor's remains. In 1931, they were granted permission by the Town to excavate the site. On this occasion there was a very large crowd present. Standish's remains were placed in a copper box, which in turn was placed in a cement chamber beneath the memorial. A copper tube containing time capsule material

472-570: A reputation as an idyllic summer resort . With the 1871 completion of the Duxbury & Cohasset Railroad, large numbers of city-folk from Boston could pay $ 1.50 for a round-trip ticket and enjoy Duxbury's refreshing environment. Boarding houses sprang up everywhere. The Miles Standish Hotel on the Nook soon became enormously popular. The Myles Standish monument, completed in 1898, was a result of this tourist influx. This pattern continued in Duxbury well into

531-516: A top 40 spot. Duxbury operates its own school system for the town's approximately 3,400 students, serving preschool through 12th grade. Chandler School is located near Tree of Knowledge Corner in the west of town and serves students from pre-kindergarten through second grade. The Alden Elementary School, near the John Alden House, serves grades 3–5. Duxbury Middle/ High School is located on Alden Street and serves grades 6–12. Duxbury High School

590-555: A two-lane freeway also known as the Pilgrims Highway, passes through the town, with exits 20 and 22 granting access to the town from it. Routes 3A , 14 , 53 and 139 also pass through the town. Routes 14 and 139 both end in the town, and Route 53 ends less than 1/2 mile south of the town line, at its intersection with Route 3A in Kingston . There is no rail or air service in town. There are no bicycle paths or bicycle lanes. A few of

649-564: Is Myles Standish Burial Ground , the final resting place for the Captain, with a second, smaller monument built over his gravesite. Duxbury, Massachusetts Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts , United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the southeast of Boston ,

SECTION 10

#1732876261873

708-514: Is a private, independent school located in the southern corner of town and serves Toddlers through grade 8. Good Shepherd Christian Academy is a private, Christian school which serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The nearest private high school is Sacred Heart in Kingston [now closed]. The town has no vocational schools. For buses in Duxbury, the local Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) bus passes through

767-732: Is currently represented by Bill Keating . The state's senior ( Class II ) member of the United States Senate , elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren . The junior ( Class I ) senator is Ed Markey . On the state level, Duxbury is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Sixth Plymouth district; the Sixth includes the Town of Duxbury, and portions of the Towns of Hanson, Halifax, Marshfield, and Pembroke. The town

826-515: Is devoted to the town's nationally recognized public school system. According to Newsweek magazine's 2005, 2006, and 2007 rankings of the Nation's Top 1200 Public High Schools (the top 5% of public school systems), Duxbury was ranked at 246, 185, and 142 respectively. By 2013, it had fallen off of the Newsweek national rankings and locally, Boston Magazine 's yearly town/school rankings, dropped it out of

885-445: Is now Pembroke , was incorporated in 1637. Some of the most influential men in the colony received grants in Duxbury and became its first leaders. Captain Myles Standish , the military leader of the colony, lived in "the Nook," an area now known as Standish Shore. Elder William Brewster was for many years the religious leader of the colony, in which he led services to the colony until it received its own minister in 1637. John Alden

944-636: Is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Norfolk district , which includes the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth. The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police . Duxbury is governed by the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a town manager and

1003-463: Is the sixth largest cranberry producer in Massachusetts and has oyster beds and other shellfish . The town has many ponds and bogs throughout. The Back River lies along the western edge of Saquish Neck, and has many tributaries from the local rivers, brooks, and marshes. There are several sanctuaries, a conservation area and other forests within the town, especially in the western half. As of

1062-483: Is water. Duxbury is bordered by Cape Cod Bay to the east, Duxbury Bay , Kingston Bay, and Plymouth to the southeast, Kingston to the southwest, Pembroke to the west and northwest, and Marshfield to the north. The town's border with Plymouth is due to the town's having the only land access to Saquish Neck, a thin, hook-shaped strip of land along Duxbury Bay, at the tip of which is Saquish Head in Plymouth. Duxbury

1121-599: The Pilgrims established their colony in nearby Plymouth . Per the terms of their contract with financial backers in London , they were required to live together in a tight community for seven years. At the end of that term in 1627, land along the coast was allotted to settlers for farming . Thus, the coastline from Plymouth to Marshfield , including Duxbury, likely named after Myles Standish's ancestral home of Duxbury Hall in Chorley ,

1180-532: The census of 2010, there were 15,059 people, 5,344 households, and 4,162 families residing in the town. The population density was 632.7 inhabitants per square mile (244.3/km ). There were 5,875 housing units at an average density of 246.7 per square mile (95.3/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% White , 0.60% Black or African American , 0.30% Native American , 1.40% Asian , 0.10% Pacific Islander , 0.50% from other races , and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of

1239-427: The 1840s, Duxbury boasted about 20 shipyards and produced an average of ten large sailing vessels per year. The largest industry in Duxbury was owned by Ezra Weston, who came to be known as "King Caesar" due to his success and influence. Weston began building small vessels in 1764 and soon became famous for his successful merchant fleet. His son, Ezra Weston II , who inherited his father's kingly sobriquet, would bring

SECTION 20

#1732876261873

1298-406: The 1850s. Duxbury Bay was too shallow to build the deep-draft clippers and steamships dominating oceanic trade and railroads were competing for the coastal trade. While other Massachusetts towns grew, Duxbury went into a long economic decline. There was, however, a silver lining. By the 1870s, Duxbury's rural character and unspoiled bay began to attract summer visitors. Duxbury soon gained

1357-481: The 20th century. It was not until the construction of Route 3 that transportation to Boston became expedient and the town's population rose further with the arrival of thousands of year-round residents. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 37.6 square miles (97 km ), of which 23.8 square miles (62 km ) is land and 13.9 square miles (36 km ) (36.87%)

1416-420: The average family size was 3.23. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 15; 7.6% from 15 to 19; 5.3% from 20 to 29; 7.0% from 30 to 39; 17.5% from 40 to 49; 23.7% from 50 to 64 and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for

1475-486: The burying ground and thick brush obscured many of the markers for most of the 19th century. With the publication of The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1858, New Englanders began to take an increased interest in Pilgrim history. Duxbury, then suffering an economic slump after the loss of the shipbuilding industry, suddenly saw new business in the form of tourism. The Old Burying Ground became

1534-512: The burying ground, however, due to the lack of markers, their exact resting places are unknown. The oldest extant carved gravestone in the cemetery is that of Captain Jonathan Alden, who died in 1697. He was the youngest child of Mayflower passengers John Alden and Priscilla Mullins Alden . The second oldest grave is that of Rev. Ichabod Wiswall , who was the second pastor of the Duxbury church from 1676 until his death in 1700. Wiswall

1593-548: The burying ground. The burying ground is now owned and maintained by the Town of Duxbury. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. Duxbury was settled by inhabitants of Plymouth Colony in 1627. In that year, the first land division was held and the shoreline of the present-day towns of Plymouth , Duxbury and Marshfield was divided into farmsteads. The families who settled in Duxborough, as it

1652-518: The cemetery to ward off cattle. The burying ground has been maintained as a local historic site ever since. As interest in the Old Burying Ground increased during the late 19th century, visitors to Duxbury frequently inquired after the gravesite of Captain Myles Standish, leader of the Pilgrim militia and one of the first settlers of Duxbury. In the 1880s, there was considerable debate as to

1711-468: The colony's charter . The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has owned the monument and grounds since 1920. The monument was refurbished in 1988. The tower's 125 steps can be climbed when open, yielding views from the top of 19th-century lighthouses, Duxbury Beach , Plymouth Harbor , and the Blue Hills to the northwest. The park offers walking trails, picnic tables, and seasonal interpretive programs. Nearby

1770-426: The course of the 1891 investigation, the graves of four individuals were uncovered: an elderly man alleged by Huiginn to be Myles Standish, two adult women alleged to be Lora Standish (Myles Standish's daughter) and Mary Dingley Standish (Myles Standish's daughter-in-law), and a boy conjectured to be either Charles or John Standish (Myles Standish's sons) who both died young. A physician, Dr. Wilfred G. Brown of Duxbury,

1829-431: The course of the exhumation, the skeleton of an elderly male and a young woman were discovered. A newspaper reporter present for the exhumation wrote that, "nothing definite came of the effort" and the remains were re-interred. In 1890, Rev. Eugene J.V. Huiginn came to Duxbury as a new minister of the local Episcopal Church . An avid antiquarian , Huiginn was fascinated by Pilgrim history and disappointed to find that

Myles Standish Monument State Reservation - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-467: The east of the original meeting house. A stone marker indicates the approximate location of the second meeting house which stood from c. 1707 to 1786 on a 0.5-acre (0.20 ha) lot adjacent to the burying ground. In 2008, the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society undertook an archaeological dig, locating the remains of the second meeting house foundation. When the second meeting house became outdated,

1947-491: The fact that Standish, in his will, requested to be buried between his daughter and daughter-in-law. Measurements and photographs were taken of the remains and Myles Standish was re-interred in a new pine coffin. Huiginn led an effort, following this project, to have a substantial memorial placed over the Standish family plot. Constructed in 1893, the memorial is built around the two, small pyramidal stones which originally marked

2006-507: The final resting place of Capt. Standish. After much research, it was generally agreed that Standish was buried beneath two pyramidal fieldstones in the center of the Old Burying Ground. To determine for certain whether the strange stones in fact marked the Standish family plot, the Duxbury Rural Society decided to exhume the graves beneath the stones in 1889. The project was controversial and proceeded only after lengthy debate. In

2065-473: The focus of new attention in the late 19th century as the community sought to explore and reclaim its colonial past. In 1887, the Duxbury Rural Society (now the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society ), which had been established a few years earlier to improve and beautify the town, embarked on a major project of reclaiming the Old Burying Ground. Brush was removed, gravestones repaired and a fence built around

2124-415: The graves of the earliest settlers could not be decisively located. He came to the conclusion that the 1889 exhumation had not adequately investigated the site and should have opened more graves. Huiginn obtained permission from the Town of Duxbury to open the graves again and, on April 25 and May 12, 1891, Huiginn and a small team excavated two different portions of the purported Standish burial plot. In

2183-941: The heart of town, next to the John Alden House , and is a member of the Old Colony Library Network. The town also has a highway department, located behind the Town Hall, and a harbormaster, whose office is located next to the Duxbury Yacht Club near Snug Harbor. Duxbury is located within ten miles (16 km) of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station , and as such has a well-organized emergency management agency. The nearest hospitals are Jordan Hospital in Plymouth , South Shore Hospital in Weymouth , and Brockton Hospital. Over $ 26 million of Duxbury's annual budget

2242-732: The home of Lt. Col. Briggs Alden in Duxbury. Duxbury's shipbuilding era began immediately after the end of the Revolutionary War with the Treaty of Paris . The new nation was granted fishing rights on the Grand Banks , and several families took advantage of the new opportunity and began to build large fishing schooners . The schooners built in the 1790s gave way to larger brigs and eventually three-masted ships . As several merchant families began to amass large fleets, shipyards and other ancillary industries flourished and Duxbury prospered. By

2301-453: The industry to its height. Lloyd's of London recognized Weston as the owner of the largest fleet in America , and this judgment was confirmed by Daniel Webster in a speech in 1841. His empire, a fore-runner of vertical integration , dominated the town. The King Caesar House is now a museum owned by the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society . By 1837 there were nearly 40 shipyards along

2360-431: The original meeting house. A stone marker within the burying ground designates the approximate location of the first meeting house. With the meeting house in place by 1638, the burying ground came into use shortly thereafter. The earliest graves were marked with simple fieldstones or wooden markers that have since deteriorated or vanished. It is believed that most of Duxbury's 17th century residents were interred within

2419-471: The plot and consists of a castellated stone wall with cannons mounted on each corner. Three large boulders bear the names of Myles Standish, Lora Standish and Mary Dingley Standish. The cannons, dating to 1853, were purchased from the Boston Navy Yard . There would be a third exhumation of the remains of Myles Standish. Some of his descendants, unhappy with the fact that Standish had been re-interred in

Myles Standish Monument State Reservation - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-554: The population was 16,090 at the 2020 census. Geographic and demographic information on the specific parts of the town of Duxbury is available in the articles Duxbury (CDP) , Green Harbor , and South Duxbury . The area now known as Duxbury was inhabited by people as early as 12,000 to 9,000 BCE. By the time European settlers arrived here, the region was inhabited by the Wampanoags , who called this place Mattakeesett, meaning "place of many fish." In 1620, English settlers known as

2537-404: The population. There were 5,344 households, of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and

2596-452: The roads in the town have sidewalks. Myles Standish Burial Ground The 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) burying ground is the final resting place of several well-known Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620, including Captain Myles Standish . The site was the location of Duxbury's first meeting house . It was in use from approximately 1638 until 1789 at which point the cemetery

2655-503: The town elected in 1785 to build a third meeting house in a location about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) from the Old Burying Ground. A new cemetery, now known as the Mayflower Cemetery , was established next to the new meeting house on Tremont Street. Consequently, the Old Burying Ground fell out of use by 1789. In time, the original burying ground of Duxbury's first settlers became overgrown and all but forgotten. Cattle strayed over

2714-740: The town on the SAIL line (Seaside Area Inter-town Link) and it stops at Halls Corner shopping district ( South Duxbury ), Island Creek, Millbrook Motors (Cox Corner), and the Duxbury Free Library (Millbrook). Another Bus Line that goes through Duxbury is the P&;B Line (Plymouth & Brockton) which stops at Millbrook Motors (Cox Corner). The last bus line that goes through Duxbury is the Greyhound Bus Line which runs national service and into Canada , which stops at Millbrook Motors (Cox Corner). Route 3 ,

2773-591: The two main family headquarters of Standish Hall and Duxbury Manor , in Lancashire, since before the Middle Ages. Myles Standish's will delineates his inheritance rights to very particular lands near and around Standish and mostly Duxbury Manor, stating his descent from both lines of the Standish family; and so it has been suggested that he named the new town in Massachusetts after the estate where he grew up. Duxbury

2832-500: The west shore of Duxbury Bay between Captains Hill and the mouth of the Bluefish River . These shipyards were supported by a foundry , a sail loft , a ropewalk , and a spar soak where masts were stored in a pool of salt water to prevent warping before they were stepped as ships' masts. Inland farmers provided food for the ships' crews; and a bank handled the shipbuilders' money. Demand for shallow- draft ships declined by

2891-473: Was abandoned. It was reclaimed in 1887 by the Duxbury Rural Society , generating a widespread interest in locating the resting place of Duxbury's most famous colonist, Myles Standish. After two exhumations in 1889 and 1891, it was generally agreed that Standish's remains had been located and a memorial was built over his gravesite. The Standish gravesite memorial is today the most prominent feature in

2950-589: Was also placed within the chamber. In 1930, the Alden Kindred of America, a non-profit organization composed of descendants of John and Priscilla Alden, placed slate gravestones to mark the approximate location of the resting places of John Alden, who died in 1687, and Priscilla Mullins Alden, who died around 1680. The markers were erected close to other Alden family stones, including that of their son Jonathan Alden, presuming that John and Priscilla were buried nearby. Descendants of George Soule, another passenger of

3009-619: Was another important settler. His house, now a museum on Alden Street, was the site of many important meetings of the colony's leaders. The graves of some of Duxbury's first settlers can be found in the Old Burying Ground on Chestnut Street, next to the site of the original meetinghouse . Theory has it that the town was named by Myles Standish after the family estate of his childhood in Lancashire . The ancient Standish family in northern England owned much land and large estates, including

SECTION 50

#1732876261873

3068-543: Was fired, despite an exceptionally strong football record, when it was exposed that the football team was using anti-Semitic language (including terms like "Auschwitz") as "audibles" during game time. As audibles must be known and agreed to by players and coaches, it was assumed that there was staff approval of seriously racially inappropriate language, and the Coach was fired and the team was disciplined. There are two private schools located in Duxbury. Bay Farm Montessori Academy

3127-400: Was not completed until 1898. The monument was built on Captain's Hill, the highest point, 200 feet above sea level, on what was once Standish's farm. The monument rises 116 feet from its foundation to a small viewing parapet that offers panoramic views over the original Plymouth Colony. The 14-foot statue that surmounts the tower has Standish gazing eastward across Massachusetts Bay and holding

3186-435: Was parceled out, and many settlers began moving away from Plymouth. At first, those who settled in Duxbury came to work their new farms just in the warmer months and returned to Plymouth during the winter. It was not long, however, before they began to build homes on their land, and soon requested permission from the colony to be set off as a separate community with their own church. Duxbury, which originally included land that

3245-484: Was part of a three-man delegation, including Rev. Increase Mather , sent to London in 1691 to petition for a new charter for Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colonies. This effort resulted in the 1692 charter which established the Province of Massachusetts Bay , merging the two colonies. In all, there are approximately 130 marked graves in the cemetery. Tradition suggests that there were once many more and, according to

3304-402: Was present and was able to identify the gender and age at death of the subjects. These apparent ages were consistent with the historical death records of the above-mentioned members of the Standish family. These consistencies were Huiginn's primary evidence in identifying the remains of Myles Standish. Other evidence included the burial of the elderly male between the two women, consistent with

3363-591: Was primarily a farming community throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Its quiet history in the 18th century was interrupted only by the Revolutionary War . In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, opposition to the British was quite fierce in Duxbury, with crowds meeting regularly at Captain's Hill to burn effigies of British officials in protest of the Stamp Act . In 1775, General Thomas Gage dispatched

3422-567: Was rebuilt into a combined building along with Duxbury Middle School, called the 21st Learning experience. Duxbury's athletic teams are known as the Dragons, and their colors are green and white. Their chief rival is Marshfield High School , team mascot the Rams, and they play against them in the Thanksgiving Day Tournament. It is a local event whose rivalry goes back 30 years. The parents of

3481-418: Was then called, petitioned in 1632 to be set off as a separate town. The petition was granted in 1637 and Duxbury was permitted to build its own meeting house. The meeting house was constructed on a knoll overlooking an inlet of Plymouth Bay known as Morton's Hole. The small path that once ran alongside it is now a modern road known as Chestnut Street. The town's first burying ground was located adjacent to

#872127