#2. A town of firsts

The Town was first settled in 1629.  I love how Saugus is older than Boston.  when it was first settled, Saugus probably only had a few families, but in 1630, thousands of immigrants from England began to arrive in Massachusetts.  Many of them were Puritans.  These religious folks were looking to separate from the religion in England.  Not all of the settlers were Puritans, however, as many traveled here for jobs or land.  My initial post on Saugus Stories mentioned Thomas Dexter.  He is one of those people.  Dexter owned the land where the first successful Iron Works was built.  You've probably driven by, or visited the National Park, which stands on part of what was once Dexter's property.  

The Iron Works is not the only thing that Saugus was the home of...in fact, Saugus was home to many firsts.  Now, before I go further, if you fact check me, then you might see some of these examples are disputed, but I stand by my research.  

At the time of the Iron Works, many people who traveled to Saugus had specific jobs that they did.  One of those men was Joseph Jenckes. Jenckes was a blacksmith at the Iron Works. Mostly, it was his job to fix broken things.  He also made new things while in Saugus.  After someone invents something, they need to get a patent to protect their invention. It prohibits people from stealing their idea.  Jenckes was the first person in North America to file a patent for a machine he built. In fact, Jenckes filed quite a few patents:

• Machine Patent: Jenckes first patent was for a machine to help him make iron tools. 
• The Jenckes Scythe: A scythe is a farming tool used to quickly cut grain or wheat.  It can also be used as a weapon.  Jenckes created what we now call the American Scythe.  It is relatively the same tool today as what he created.
• The Pine Tree Shilling: Jenckes is not credited with creating this coin.  History knows the name of its creators, but Jenckes probably helped make the tools they needed to make the first English money made in America.
• The First Fire Engine in America: Not all fire engines are the same, Jenckes made this first engine for the city of Boston.  The engine was basically a giant tub with a pump on it.  Jenckes put it on wheels.  When a fire alarm was called, the tub was taken to the fire and the pump was used to put water onto the flame.
• Joseph Jenckes, Jr: This one is a bit of a joke, but the younger Jenckes left Saugus and help settle Pawtucket, Rhode Island.  He was also an ironworker and blacksmith.  The Jenckes family lineage still works in the American steel industry (according to legend) and adds credibility to the Saugus Iron Works being the birthplace of American industry.

An artists depiction of Joseph Jenckes, Jr. settling at Pawtucket, RI

Saugus history continued through the ages and many important events happened here, or near here, throughout the 16 and 17 hundreds.  Our next big first, however, was developed in the early 1800s.  Actually, within the first few years of the new century, Saugus saw two important firsts be established.  In 1803, the Newbury Turnpike was built to connect Boston to the ports north of the city.  Saugus held the first tollhouse on the new roadway.  It would be over a hundred years before automobiles would travel down Route 1, but the highway has been bringing business in an out of our town ever since.  One of those businesses, established as early as 1804 was created by the Tudor family of Boston.  Tudor is known as the Ice Prince.  He came up with a brilliant idea of cutting into New England ponds during the winter months and delivering the ice to warmer climates as far away as the Caribbean Sea.   Tudor's first expedition was reported in the Boston Gazette, "No joke. A vessel has cleared at the Custom House for Martinique with a cargo of ice.  We hope this will not prove a slippery speculation."  [First, I love the "no joke."  Second, congrats to the Boston Gazette for using a pun. Thirdly, they used speculation...that is a word we've used a lot in class]  The Tudor farm in Saugus was located at the site of Saugus High School and the Square One Mall.  Isn't that cool!

Photograph of the Tudor farm circa 1900.

In the Cliftondale area, formerly known as Sweester's Corner, Saugonians grew tobacco and carnations.  A relatively famous tobacco company, Waitt & Bond became one of the largest producers of Cigars after the Civil War and the Saugus Carnation was developed by William Sims up until the 1940s.  From 1912 through the 1920s, Saugus had an airfield.  Planes flew in and out of town, but he most important flight was by Harry Atwood. On May 30, 1912, Atwood carried the first delivery of airmail in American history.  He took off from Atwood Park (Saugus) and flew eight miles over Lynn.  Near Lynn Common, Atwood dropped a sack of mail that was then delivered by a postman.   

Harry Atwood.  He was married a total of five times!

Around the same time as Atwood's flight, a young man named William Moulton Marston, was accepted into Harvard University.  Marston has a very interesting past, but the only aspects of it that make sense to include here are his two greatest inventions.  The first invention was a product that he developed from the work of a friend of his.  It was the polygraph.  It is also called a lie detector.  While his version and the modern version are quite different, the connection between the two is undeniable.  Marston's greatest invention, however, was probably a fictional character known as Wonder Woman.  Using his knowledge of psychology and the nation's craze for comic book heroes, Marston and his wife worked together to give us this heroine.

Saugus was also the first community to adopt the Massachusetts Plan E of local government.  We are currently the only community that uses that same form, although it has been altered along the way.  Modern Saugus is still making history, but these early firsts helped put our little town on the map and into the history books.  From our first settlers to our most recent residents, Saugus people have contributed to the rich landscape of America's past.  In a future episode, I will dig further into some of the people who made Saugus famous, but for now, I thank you for your time. 

Before you go...do you have any questions for me?  Want to see me answer questions about Saugus' past while I eat hot wings.  In an effort to make this separation from school more fun for my students, I am going to make a Saugus edition of YouTube's "Hot Ones."  Feel free to contribute by submitting a question here: Hot Wings Questionnaire

Activities:

1. Choose one of Jenckes first inventions and research it further.  How important was it for an early blacksmith to fix broken things and invent new things in colonial America?
2. Invent something of your own.  Draw it, write about what it would do, and deliver a sales pitch to someone at home.  Do you have the next great thing...submit it to Shark Tank.
3. Write a newspaper article from Martinique upon the arrival of Saugus ice. What would people think?  Who bought the ice?  Did Tudor make a lot of money selling the ice to the people on that island?  Create an advertisement for his ice.
4. Find another first from Saugus or Massachusetts.  Tell a friend about it or someone at home.

#1. What's in a name? (Early Saugus edition)

A Saugus Story #1

A wise man once said, "All words are made up."  This is true when you think about it.  What do your names mean?  Richard means strong in rule.  Lavoie refers to the way one might travel along.  The meaning of our words give them value.  In today's blog, I wanted to explore the words surrounding Saugus and its history.  I hope you enjoy and learn from it.

The town of Saugus was first established in 1629.  Settlers from Salem moved to the Saugus River looking to build farms and eventually a community.  These early settlers established their homes near the river.  In the area, there were few Native Americans.  Many had unfortunately died due to disease.  The English settlers took a native word and began using it to describe where they lived.  The word Saugus, according to some sources, comes from the Algonquin (Al-Gone-Quinn) word meaning great or extended.  If you live in Saugus, California, however, they tell you that the word is actually from the Narraganset (Na-rah-ghan-sut) tribe.  They claim it means a "sandy spit of land."  Either way, the word Saugus seems to connect to the river or the land connected to the river.  

Back in 1629, the river looked a lot different than today.  It was most likely wider and deeper.  It flowed into the Atlantic Ocean and was well protected from enemy fleets. It became an important early trading port to get things to Boston or to bigger ships floating near the mouth of the Saugus river.  The English settlers encountered the Native peoples and had many interactions with them.  Some were friendly, but not all were so good.  On the Saugus town seal (pictured above), you can see a Native American man standing in front of the river.  Behind the man, in the distance, you can see a round hill.  That hill is actually named "Round Hill."  You can visit it today.  It is next to the Police station off of Hamilton St.  

This photo shows "Round Hill" long before the Police station.  Notice how there are very few trees in the photo.  Saugus, for most of its history, was the home of farmers.  You can see several cattle and even some people in this photograph.  I don't have a date for this picture.  I am not sure, but I think the photographer is probably standing over by Pearson or Jasper Sts...maybe near where the Hammersmith Restaurant is today.  The land, where Round Hill is located, was once owned by a man named Thomas Dexter.  He owned all of the land where the Iron Works, Saugus Center, and Round Hill are located.  He was a farmer in town, but he also got into a bit of trouble now and then.

I will write more about Dexter in the coming weeks, but I wanted to give you a sense of how different times were back then.  Dexter and other early Saugonians (people from Saugus) lived in a time where many people were deeply religious and some were not.  Dexter was not a Puritan, but many of his neighbors were.  These folks left England for North America searching for a place to call home and where they could practice their religion.  In England, many of the Settlers came from about 3 hours north of London (by today's car ride).  Their home was a city called "King's Lynn."  They would have just called it "Lynn" though.  The word "Linn" is from the Celtic language and it meas lake or pool.  Just like Saugus, Lynn is named after a water source and the land that surrounds it.  The Native Americans and the Celtic people named things the same way as each other...interesting.

The Native man pictured in the Town Seal above was named "Sagamore James"  by the English settlers.  His native name was Montowampate, but he was sometimes known as Winnipurket or Winnepurgit.  His story is fascinating too and I will tell you more later.  Montowampate was most likely the son of Nanephashmet and the Squaw Sachem (whose real name is lost to history).  He had at least two brothers.  Their names were Wonohaguamham and Wenepoykin.  While these names all sound funny to us now and may be hard to pronounce, we should use their names and not the names the English used back then...Sagamore John and Sagamore George.  What is a Sagamore though?  

The image above shows an Abenaki couple walking during the 18th Century or the 1700s.  While neither person is Montowampate, you should take note of their clothes.  They look much different than the image on the town seal, don't they?  These would be more accurate.  Montowampte and his brothers inherited land from their father and they each became chief of that land.  Sagamore is the Abenaki word for Chief...although it might have sounded more like "sogomo."  

Montowampte was the Sachem of Saugus in 1629 when English settlers first moved here.  His was married that same year to Wenunchus.  He unfortunately died in 1633 after catching smallpox.  He was roughly 23 years old.  People did not live as long back then and many Natives caught illnesses brought over from Europe.  The couple, as far as history can tell, did not have children.  Wenepoykin, however, had children.  The younger brother of Montowampte, he eventually became Sagamore of the whole area and earned the nicknames of "George No Nose" and "George Rumney Marsh."  His face was disfigured by the pox and he lived near the marsh in East Saugus.  In a source I read many years ago, but cannot find right now, I found that his daughter's name was Tontoguonian.  This is the same name used for the Saugus High School yearbook.     

Activities

1. Hop online.  Read a bit more about Montowampate, Wenunchus, and all of the others.  Write a short story about the time Wenunchus was kidnapped, the first time Thomas Dexter and Montowampte met, or the exploits of other early settlers from Linn, England.

2. Draw a picture of what you think early Saugus, early settlers, or Montowampate looked like.  Post those pictures in the comments below!

3. Write a poem or song trying to use a mix of the Native and English words.  Perform these for your parents, guardians, friends, and social media followers.

4. Use GoogleMaps, GoogleEarth, or a similar website to travel "digitally" to King's Lynn, England. Compare their buildings to those in Saugus today.  Their city turns 800 years old while ours is only about 400 years old, lol.