99-559: Wright Memorial Library, more commonly known as the "Wright Building," is a historic library at 147 St. George Street in Duxbury, Massachusetts . The Wright Building was donated to the Town of Duxbury by Georgianna Wright (1837–1919), an influential citizen of Duxbury and philanthropist. In 1890, Wright had donated her guest house to serve as the first Duxbury Free Library . The wooden building soon grew too cramped and by 1906, Wright decided to fund
198-412: 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
297-558: 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
396-524: A dangerous threat to the Plymouth-Pokanoket alliance and decided to act quickly. On August 14, 1621, Standish led a group of 10 men to Nemasket, determined to kill Corbitant. They were guided by Hobbamock who quickly befriended Standish, and the two men were close for the remainder of their lives. In his old age, Hobbamock became part of Standish's household in Duxbury. Reaching Nemasket, Standish planned
495-651: A farmer in Duxbury, Massachusetts , where he was one of the first settlers. He remained nominal commander of the Pilgrim military forces in the growing colony, but acted in an advisory capacity. He died in his home in Duxbury in 1656 at age 72. Standish supported and defended the Pilgrims' colony for much of his life, though there is no evidence to suggest that he ever joined their church. Several towns and military installations have been named after Standish, and monuments have been built in his memory. He appears as lead character in
594-632: 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
693-467: A group of men to find that the small band at Merrymount had barricaded themselves within a small building. Morton eventually decided to attack the men from Plymouth, but the Merrymount group were too drunk to handle their weapons. Morton aimed a weapon at Standish, which the captain ripped from his hands. Standish and his men took Morton to Plymouth and eventually sent him back to England. Later, Morton wrote
792-472: A house and settled there around 1628. There are indications that Standish began to seek a quieter life by 1635 (after the Penobscot expedition), maintaining the livestock and fields of his Duxbury farm. He was about 51 years old at that time, and he began to relinquish the responsibility of defending the colony to a younger generation. A note in the colony records of 1635 indicates that Lieutenant William Holmes
891-449: 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
990-491: A letter: "As for Capten Standish, we leave him to answer for him selfe, but this we must say, he is as helpfull an instrument as any we have, and as carefull of the generall good." In 1625, another group of English settlers established an outpost not far from the site of Wessagusset, located in Quincy, Massachusetts , about 27 miles (43 km) north of Plymouth. The settlement was officially known as Mount Wollaston, but soon earned
1089-472: A meal in one of Wessagusset's one-room houses. Pecksuot brought Wituwamat, Wituwamat's adolescent brother, and several women. Standish had three men of Plymouth and Hobbamock with him in the house. On an arranged signal, they shut the door of the house and Standish attacked Pecksuot, stabbing him repeatedly with the man's own knife. Wituwamat and the third warrior were also killed. Standish ordered two more Massachusett warriors to be put to death, then went outside
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#17328697403101188-438: A militia on February 17, 1621, consisting of all able-bodied men, electing Standish as their commander. The leaders of Plymouth Colony had already hired him for that role, but this vote ratified the decision by democratic process. The men of Plymouth Colony continued to re-elect him to that position for the remainder of his life. As captain of the militia, he regularly drilled his men in the use of pikes and muskets. Contact with
1287-484: A much larger vessel for the voyage to the New World. Another 90 passengers would board the 180-ton Mayflower . The Speedwell had some significant leaks while in port that caused delays, but both vessels departed Southampton on August 5. The leaders of the colony decided to leave the smaller Speedwell behind after numerous delays caused by leaking, which had caused them to return to port twice. The Standishes and most of
1386-408: A night attack on the shelter in which Corbitant was believed to be sleeping. That night, he and Hobbamock burst into the shelter, shouting for Corbitant. As frightened Pokanokets attempted to escape, Standish's men outside fired their muskets, wounding a Pokanoket man and woman who were later taken to Plymouth to be treated. Standish soon learned that Corbitant had already fled the village and Tisquantum
1485-457: A patent to settle. Myles Standish was one of the 41 men who signed it. The Mayflower was anchored off Cape Cod when Standish urged the colony's leaders to allow him to take a party ashore to find a suitable place for settlement. On November 15, 1620, he led 16 men on foot in exploration of the northern portion of the Cape. On December 11, he led a group of 18 and made an extended exploration of
1584-532: A pleasant little fairystory, and as an entirely misleading sketch of men and matters in old Plymouth." However, the book elevated Standish to the level of folk hero in Victorian America. In late 19th century Duxbury, the book generated a movement to build monuments in Standish's honor, a beneficial byproduct of which was increased tourism to the town. The first of these monuments was the largest. The cornerstone
1683-407: A raid on the village of Nemasket and a conflict at Wessagusset Colony . During these actions, Standish exhibited skill as a soldier, but disturbed more moderate members of the colony due to his brutality toward Natives. Standish led a botched expedition against French troops at Penobscot in 1635, one of his last military actions. By the 1640s, he relinquished his role as an active soldier and became
1782-520: 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
1881-532: A settlement could be reached and the Pilgrims could pay off their debt to the Adventurers, then the colonists would have new rights to allot land and settle where they pleased. Standish was not successful in his negotiations and returned to Plymouth in April 1626. Another effort was successful later in 1626, this time negotiated by Isaac Allerton , and several leading men of Plymouth, including Standish, ultimately paid off
1980-516: 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
2079-555: 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
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#17328697403102178-514: 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
2277-467: Is a short passage recorded by Nathaniel Morton , secretary of Plymouth Colony, who wrote in his New England's Memorial (published 1669) that Standish: was a gentleman, born in Lancashire, and was heir apparent unto a great estate of lands and livings, surreptitiously detained from him; his great grandfather being a second or younger brother from the house of Standish. In his younger time he went over into
2376-779: 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
2475-515: 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
2574-612: Is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Myles Standish Hall is a dormitory at Boston University , originally constructed as the Myles Standish Hotel in 1925. In 2024, Boston University removed Standish's name from the building, citing his brutality. In 2020, Chorley in Lancashire commemorated 400 years of Myles Standish's Pilgrim journey. However, many elements of its planned year were postponed due to
2673-501: 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
2772-636: 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
2871-463: 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
2970-483: 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
3069-565: The American Civil War , and a larger cement fort built on Lovells Island in Boston Harbor in 1895. Both forts are now abandoned. Camp Myles Standish in nearby Taunton was also named for him. Myles Standish State Forest is located in the towns of Plymouth and Carver in southeastern Massachusetts, approximately 45 miles (70 km) south of Boston. It is the largest publicly owned recreation area in this part of Massachusetts, and
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3168-600: The Mayflower . Standish's wife Rose died in January. Standish was one of the very few who did not fall ill, and William Bradford credited him with comforting many and being a source of strength to those who suffered. Standish tended to Bradford during his illness, and this was the beginning of a decades-long friendship. Bradford held the position of governor for most of his life and, by necessity, worked closely with Standish. The two men were opposites in terms of character; Bradford
3267-516: The Myles Standish Cemetery . Myles Standish married: Children of Myles and Barbara Standish: Standish's true-life role in defending Plymouth Colony and the sometimes brutal tactics that he employed were largely obscured by the fictionalized character created by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his narrative poem The Courtship of Miles Standish . Historian Tudor Jenks wrote that Longfellow's book had "no claim to be considered other than
3366-599: 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 ,
3465-777: The Speedwell passengers crowded into the Mayflower , and the Speedwell went on to London to be resold, now with only a few passengers. The Mayflower passengers, meanwhile, sold some valuable supplies such as butter to pay the mounting port fees, and finally departed Plymouth , England, on September 6, 1620, bound for the northern part of the Virginia Colony . On November 9, 1620, lookouts spotted land, but they discovered that they were near Cape Cod and about 200 miles (320 km) east-northeast of their planned destination of northern Virginia. They tried briefly to sail south, but strong seas forced them to retreat to Cape Cod to harbor near
3564-532: 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
3663-427: 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
3762-406: 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
3861-889: The 1858 poem The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , a highly fictionalized account which presents him as a timid romantic. The poem was popular in the 19th century and played a role in cementing the Pilgrim story in American culture. Little is known of Standish's origin and early life: his place of birth has been debated by historians. Standish's will , drafted in Plymouth Colony in 1656, claims rights of inheritance to property in several locations: I give unto my son & heire apparent Alexander Standish all my lands as heire apparent by lawfull decent in Ormskirke [Ormskirk] Borscouge [Burscough] Wrightington Maudsley [Mawdesley] Newburrow [Newburgh] Crowston [Croston] and in
3960-525: 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
4059-481: 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%)
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4158-578: The Indians came in March 1621 through Samoset , an English-speaking Abenaki who arranged for the Pilgrims to meet with Massasoit , the sachem of the nearby Pokanoket tribe. On March 22, Plymouth Colony's governor John Carver signed a treaty with Massasoit, declaring an alliance between the Pokanokets and the Colonists and requiring the two parties to defend one another in times of need. Governor Carver died
4257-631: The Isle of Man, among other places. According to historian Tudor Jenks , Standish came to the Netherlands around 1603 and may have seen service during the siege of Sluis in 1604, which involved Vere's English troops. The subsequent Treaty of London (1604) ended English involvement in the war; if Standish was a mercenary he might have continued to serve with the Dutch until the Twelve Years' Truce brought fighting in
4356-478: The Isle of man [ sic ] and given to mee as Right heire by lawfull decent but Surruptuously detained from mee My great Grandfather being a 2cond or younger brother from the house of Standish of Standish . All but one of the places named in Standish's will are in Lancashire , England, with the exception being the Isle of Man . Some historians have concluded that he was therefore born in Lancashire – possibly in
4455-454: The Pilgrims chose a location in Plymouth Bay in late December 1620 as the site for their settlement. Standish provided important counsel on the placement of a small fort in which cannon were mounted, and on the layout of the first houses for maximum defensibility. They had built only one single-room house when illness struck. Only 50 survived the first winter out of the 100 or so who arrived on
4554-476: The Plymouth Colony militia elected him as its first commander and continued to re-elect him to that position for the remainder of his life. Standish served at various times as an agent of Plymouth Colony on a return trip to England, as assistant governor of the colony, and as its treasurer. A defining characteristic of Standish's military leadership was his proclivity for preemptive action. He led at least two attacks or small skirmishes against Native Americans in
4653-565: The Town of Duxbury undertook the extensive restoration of the building. The 1909 portion of the library was outfitted for use by the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society for their Drew Archival Library where historic documents are preserved. The 1968 addition was refurbished for use by the Duxbury Student Union Association. The Wright Building was re-dedicated on September 22, 2007, just slightly over one hundred years after
4752-420: 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
4851-747: The book New English Canaan in which he referred to Standish as "Captain Shrimp" and added, "I have found the Massachusetts Indians more full of humanity than the Christians." Standish's last significant known expedition was against the French who had established a trading post in 1613 on the Penobscot River in Castine, Maine . English forces captured the settlement in 1628 and turned it over to Plymouth Colony. It
4950-544: The colonists in Wessagusset had been repeatedly threatened by the Massachusetts, that the settlement was in a state of constant watchfulness, and that men were dying at their posts from starvation. Bradford called a public meeting at which the Pilgrims decided to send Standish and a small group of eight, including Hobbamock, to Wessagusset to kill the leaders of the plot. The mission had a personal aspect for Standish. One of
5049-436: The colony from 1644 to 1649, and on various committees to lay out boundaries of new towns and inspect waterways. His old friend Hobbamock had been part of his household, but he died in 1642 and was buried on Standish's farm in Duxbury. Standish died on October 3, 1656, of "strangullion" or strangury , a condition often associated with kidney stones or bladder cancer. He was buried in Duxbury's Old Burying Ground, now known as
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#17328697403105148-577: The colony in Boston for help in reclaiming the trading post, but the Bay Colony refused. The incident was indicative of the rivalry which persisted between Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies. In 1691, the two were merged to become the royal Province of Massachusetts Bay . In 1625, Plymouth Colony leaders appointed Standish to travel to London to negotiate new terms with the Merchant Adventurers. If
5247-435: The colony's debt to the Adventurers. The leaders of Plymouth Colony were now free of the directives of the Merchant Adventurers, and they exerted their newfound autonomy by organizing a land division in 1627. Large farm lots were parceled out to each family in the colony along the shore of Plymouth, Kingston , Duxbury, and Marshfield, Massachusetts . Standish received a farm of 120 acres (49 ha) in Duxbury, and he built
5346-571: The construction of a new building. Sparing no expense, she hired a well-known architect, Joseph Everett Chandler , to design a brick library in the colonial revival style. Other projects by Chandler include the Frederic Adams Library in Kingston, Massachusetts and the restoration of the Paul Revere House in Boston, Massachusetts . The cornerstone was laid in 1907 and the building completed in 1909. A newspaper reporter present at
5445-472: The construction of strong gates and platforms for shooting over the wall. The colony had recently been reinforced by the arrival of new colonists from the ship Fortune , but there were still only 50 men to work on the task. Despite the challenges, the settlers constructed the palisade per Standish's recommendations in just three months, finishing in March 1622. Standish divided the militia into four companies, one to man each wall, and drilled them in defending
5544-616: The cornerstone was laid. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2007. 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 , the population was 16,090 at
5643-455: The day after Standish's arrival. Standish claimed simply to be in Wessagusset on a trading mission, but Pecksuot said to Hobbamock, "Let him begin when he dare; he shall not take us unawares." Later in the day, Pecksuot approached Standish, looking down on him, and said, "You are a great captain, yet you are but a little man. Though I be no sachem, yet I am of great strength and courage." The next day, Standish arranged to meet with Pecksuot over
5742-583: The dedication noted some of the library's impressive features, including electric lighting and a reading room paneled in black cypress with gilded accents. In 1997, the Duxbury Free Library moved to new quarters, leaving the Wright Building empty. Used sporadically by various organizations for a few years, by 2004 the Wright Building was vacant and suffering decay. By a vote of Duxbury Town Meeting , Community Preservation Funds were appropriated and
5841-537: The gravesite monument. His burial site is located in Myles Standish Burial Ground in Duxbury. The site of Standish's house reveals only a slight depression in the ground where the cellar hole was, but it is now a small park owned and maintained by the town of Duxbury. Standish, Maine is named for him, as well as the neighborhood of Standish, Minneapolis . At least two forts were named after him: an earthen fort on Plymouth's Saquish Neck built during
5940-941: 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
6039-732: 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
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#17328697403106138-463: The hook of Provincetown Harbor . It became apparent that the weather would not permit the passage south, so they decided to settle near Cape Cod. Shortage of supplies (including wood and beer) and the roaring Atlantic made it too dangerous to press on for a Virginia landing. They anchored at the hook on November 11, and the leaders of the colony wrote the Mayflower Compact to ensure a degree of law and order in this place where they had not been granted
6237-404: 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
6336-418: The low countries, and was a soldier there, and came acquainted with the church at Leyden, and came over into New England, with such of them as at the first set out for the planting of the plantation of New Plymouth, and bare a deep share of their first difficulties, and was always very faithful to their interest. Standish's early military career in the Low Countries is unclear. At the time, the Dutch Republic
6435-422: The monument is 116 feet (35 m) overall, and at the top stands a 14-foot (4.3 m) statue of Standish. A second, smaller monument was placed over the alleged site of Standish's grave in 1893. Two exhumations of Standish's remains were undertaken in 1889 and 1891 to determine the location of his resting place. A third exhumation took place in 1930 to place his remains in a hermetically sealed chamber beneath
6534-404: The more powerful tribes in the region. Bradford sent back the snakeskin filled with gunpowder and shot in an effort to show that they were not intimidated. Standish took the threat seriously and urged that the colonists encircle their small village with a palisade made of tall, upright logs. The proposal would require a wall more than half a mile (or 0.8 km) long. In addition, he recommended
6633-403: The name of Duxbury was given by Standish in honor of Duxbury Hall, near Chorley in Lancashire, which was owned by a branch of the Standish family. The coincidence would suggest that he had something to do with it, though no records exist to indicate how the town was named. During the 1640s, Standish took on an increasingly administrative role. He served as a surveyor of highways, as treasurer of
6732-403: The nickname "Merrymount." Their leader Thomas Morton encouraged behavior that the Pilgrims found objectionable and dangerous. The men of Merrymount built a maypole , drank liberally, refused to observe the Sabbath, and sold weapons to the Indians. Bradford found the weapons sales particularly disturbing and ordered Standish to lead an expedition to arrest Morton in 1628. Standish arrived with
6831-430: The poorly managed colony infuriated the Massachusett tribe through theft and recklessness. By March 1623, Massasoit had learned that a group of influential Massachusett warriors intended to destroy both the Wessagusset and Plymouth colonies. He warned Plymouth to strike first. One of the colonists of Wessagusset named Phineas Pratt verified that his settlement was in danger. He managed to escape to Plymouth and reported that
6930-404: 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
7029-409: The position would be taken by Captain John Smith , who had been one of the founders of the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia , and had experience exploring and mapping the American coast. The Pilgrims approached Smith and he expressed interest, but his price was too high and the Pilgrims feared that his fame and bold character might lead him to become a dictator. They appointed Standish instead; he
7128-528: The region to a halt in 1609. Standish's activities and whereabouts are unrecorded until 1620, at which point he was living with his wife Rose in Leiden , Holland and using the title of "Captain". There he was hired by a group of refugee Puritan dissenters from England who intended to form a colony in North America (the Pilgrims ). Standish was employed as their military adviser. The Puritans had previously hoped
7227-480: The roads in the town have sidewalks. Myles Standish Myles Standish ( c. 1584 – October 3, 1656) was an English military officer and colonist. He was hired as military adviser for Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts , United States by the Pilgrims . Standish accompanied the Pilgrims on the ship Mayflower and played a leading role in the administration and defense of Plymouth Colony from its foundation in 1620. On February 17, 1621,
7326-599: The same year and the responsibility of upholding the treaty fell to his successor William Bradford. Bradford and Standish were frequently preoccupied with the complex task of reacting to threats against both the Pilgrims and the Pokanokets from tribes such as the Massachusetts and the Narragansetts . As threats arose, Standish typically advocated intimidation to deter their rivals. Such behavior at times made Bradford uncomfortable, but he found it an expedient means of maintaining
7425-540: The ship Good Hope captained by a man named Girling. Standish's plan appears to have been to bring the Good Hope within cannon range of the trading post and to bombard the French into surrendering. Unfortunately, Girling ordered the bombardment before the ship was within range and quickly spent all the gunpowder on board. Standish gave up the effort. By this time, the neighboring and more populous Massachusetts Bay Colony had been established. Bradford appealed to leaders of
7524-516: The shore of Cape Cod by boat, spending their nights ashore surrounded by makeshift barricades of tree branches. They were attacked one night by a group of about 30 Indians. They panicked, but Standish calmed them, urging them not to fire their matchlock muskets unnecessarily. The incident took place in Eastham, Massachusetts , and came to be known as the First Encounter . After further exploration,
7623-677: 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 ,
7722-508: The treaty with the Pokanokets. The first challenge to the treaty came in August 1621 when a sachem named Corbitant began to undermine Massasoit's leadership. Corbitant worked to turn the people against Massasoit in the Pokanoket village of Nemasket, now the site of Middleborough, Massachusetts , about 14 miles (23 km) west of Plymouth. Bradford sent two trusted interpreters to determine what
7821-482: 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
7920-417: The vicinity of Chorley , where a family named Standish owned a manor called Duxbury Hall . However, there is no conclusive evidence linking Myles Standish to that family. A competing interpretation is that he belonged to a Manx branch of the Standish family. No definitive documentation of his birth exists in either Lancashire or the Isle of Man. The next earliest source on Standish's family and early life
8019-644: The village in the event of attack. A more serious threat came from the Massachusett tribe to the north and was precipitated by the arrival of a new group of English colonists. In April 1622, the vanguard of a new colony arrived in Plymouth. They had been sent by merchant Thomas Weston to establish a new settlement somewhere near Plymouth. The men chose a site on the shore of the Fore River in Weymouth, Massachusetts , about 25 miles (40 km) north of Plymouth, and they called their colony Wessagusset . The settlers of
8118-495: The walls of Wessagusset in search of Obtakiest, a sachem of the Massachusett tribe. They soon encountered Obtakiest with a group of warriors, and a skirmish ensued during which Obtakiest escaped. Having accomplished his mission, Standish returned to Plymouth with Wituwamat's head. The leaders of the plot to destroy the settlements had been killed and the threat removed, but the action had unexpected consequences. The settlement of Wessagusset, which Standish had been trying to protect,
8217-605: The war, but Justin Winsor claims that Standish received a commission as a lieutenant in the English army and was later promoted to captain while in Holland . Historian Jeremy Bangs argued that Standish likely served under Sir Horatio Vere , the general who led the English troops in the Netherlands at this time. Vere is known to have recruited soldiers for the expedition in both Lancashire and
8316-424: The warriors threatening Wessagusset was Wituwamat, a Neponset who had earlier insulted and threatened Standish. Standish arrived at Wessagusset and found that many of the colonists had gone to live with the Massachusetts, and he ordered them to be called back to Wessagusset. Pecksuot was a Massachusett warrior and leader of the group threatening Wessagusset; he came to the settlement with Wituwamat and other warriors
8415-500: 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
8514-421: Was a valuable source of furs and timber for the Pilgrims for seven years. However, the French mounted a small expedition in 1635 and easily reclaimed the settlement. Bradford ordered Standish to take action, determined that the post be reclaimed in Plymouth Colony's name. This was a significantly larger proposition than the small expeditions which Standish had previously led and, to accomplish the task, he chartered
8613-505: Was all but abandoned after the incident. Most of the settlers departed for an English fishing post on Monhegan Island . The attack also caused widespread panic among Indian tribes throughout the region. Villages were abandoned and the Pilgrims had difficulty reviving trade for some time. Pastor John Robinson was still in Leiden, but he criticized Standish for his brutality. Bradford, too, was uncomfortable with his methods, but he defended him in
8712-567: 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
8811-657: Was apparently already known to the Pilgrims. On July 22, 1620 ( Old Style date), the initial group of English Dissenters living in Leiden boarded the Speedwell , which was meant to accompany another ship to be hired in England. This initial group included the mostly Brownist congregation. Myles and Rose Standish were aboard, along with the Bradfords , Winslows , Carvers , and others. The small, 60-ton pinnace sailed to Southampton with about 30 passengers, to be provisioned and join
8910-518: Was appointed to train the militia as Standish's immediate subordinate. When the Pequot War loomed in 1637, Standish was appointed to a committee to raise a company of 30 men, but it was Holmes who led the company in the field. The families living in Duxbury (sometimes "Duxborough") asked to be set off from Plymouth as a separate town with their own church and minister; this request was granted in 1637. Historian Justin Winsor and others have insisted that
9009-654: Was embroiled in the Eighty Years' War with Spain. Queen Elizabeth I of England supported the Protestant Dutch Republic and sent troops to fight the Spanish in the Netherlands, as part of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) . Historians are divided on Standish's role in the English military. Nathaniel Philbrick refers to him as a "mercenary", suggesting that he was a hired soldier of fortune seeking employment in
9108-543: 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
9207-669: Was happening in Nemasket: Tisquantum (known to the English as Squanto ) and Hobbamock . Tisquantum had been pivotal in providing counsel and aid to the Pilgrims, ensuring the survival of the colony. Hobbamock was another influential ally, a high-ranking advisor to Massasoit and a warrior who commanded particular respect and fear among the Indians. When Tisquantum and Hobbamock arrived in Nemasket, Corbitant took Tisquantum captive and threatened to kill him. Hobbamock escaped to warn Plymouth. Bradford and Standish agreed that this represented
9306-738: Was laid for the Myles Standish Monument in Duxbury in 1872, with a crowd of ten thousand people attending the ceremonies. It was finished in 1898, the third tallest monument to an individual in the United States. It is surpassed only by the first dedicated Washington Monument (178 feet (54 m)) in Baltimore, Maryland (finished in 1829) and the Washington Monument (555 feet (169 m)) in Washington, D.C. (dedicated in 1885). The top of
9405-435: 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
9504-409: Was patient and slow to judgment, while Standish was well known for his fiery temper. Despite their differences, the two worked well together in managing the colony and responding to dangers as they arose. By February 1621, the colonists had sighted Indians several times, but there had been no communication. The men of the colony were anxious to prepare themselves in case of hostilities, so they formed
9603-591: 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
9702-567: 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
9801-585: Was unharmed. Standish had failed to capture Corbitant, but the raid had the desired effect. On September 13, 1621, nine sachems came to Plymouth, including Corbitant, to sign a treaty of loyalty to King James. In November 1621, a Narragansett messenger arrived in Plymouth and delivered a bundle of arrows wrapped in a snakeskin. Tisquantum and Hobbamock told them that this was a threat and an insult from Narragansett sachem Canonicus . The Narragansetts lived west of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island and were one of
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