Squantum (Quincy, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Squantum is a neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts
. Located in the northernmost portion of the city on the Squantum Peninsula, it is bordered on the north by Dorchester Bay and Boston Harbor
, on the east by Moon Island and Quincy Bay
, on the south by Quincy Bay and North Quincy and on the west by the Marina Bay
development. The population of the neighborhood in 2000 according to the United States Census Bureau
was 2,626.
who valued it as a fertile mollusk harvesting site. Moswetuset Hummock
, a hill located at the head of the present day causeway
leading to the neighborhood, is by one account the origin of the name of the Massachusett
tribe of indigenous people for whom the state of Massachusetts
is named. In 1621 the tribe's chief, Chickatawbut
, was visited there by Plymouth Colony
commander Myles Standish
and Squanto
, a native guide from whom the peninsula and neighborhood take their names. In the early years following colonization Squantum was part of Dorchester
before joining Quincy when it was incorporated as a town separate from Braintree
in 1792.
By the middle of the eighteenth century Squantum had become a resort destination and was eventually connected to the area's trolley system. By the end of World War I
, the neighborhood had formed as a year round residence. Also around this time Squantum had been part of early aviation history as an airshow put on by Harvard University
's Aeronautical Society was held on the peninsula in 1910. In 1927 Dennison Airport opened at the lower end of Squantum Peninsula with Amelia Earhart
as a chief employee and pilot. The Naval Air Station Squantum
also began operations on the peninsula in the 1920s as a naval reserve training base. The base was used until closing in 1954 and eventually was developed into the neighboring Marina Bay section of Quincy in the 1980s, with some opposition from Squantum residents who feared traffic congestion
and noise pollution
.
, controlled by the city of Boston
and not available for general public access. Squantum is served by bus route 211 of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) with connections to the regional subway at North Quincy station
on the MBTA Red Line
.
, MA, and owned by Thomas B. Wales & Co. of Boston. She was wrecked at Coorla Burla
, India with three lives lost, on June 14, 1860, enroute from Boston to Bombay.
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. Located in the northernmost portion of the city on the Squantum Peninsula, it is bordered on the north by Dorchester Bay and Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
, on the east by Moon Island and Quincy Bay
Quincy Bay
Quincy Bay is the largest of the three small bays of southern Boston Harbor, part of Massachusetts Bay and forming much of the shoreline of the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Locally in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy it is known as Wollaston Bay...
, on the south by Quincy Bay and North Quincy and on the west by the Marina Bay
Marina Bay (Quincy, Massachusetts)
Marina Bay is a mixed-use development neighborhood of condominium, commercial and entertainment facilities in Quincy, Massachusetts. It includes five housing complexes and one assisted living complex, office complexes, numerous restaurants, a 685-slip marina and a seaside boardwalk...
development. The population of the neighborhood in 2000 according to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
was 2,626.
History
Before the arrival of English colonists in the seventeenth century, Squantum was populated by Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
who valued it as a fertile mollusk harvesting site. Moswetuset Hummock
Moswetuset Hummock
Moswetuset Hummock is a wooded historic place in Quincy, Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.The site is located at the northern end of Wollaston Beach along Quincy Bay on East Squantum Street near the junction with Quincy Shore Drive...
, a hill located at the head of the present day causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
leading to the neighborhood, is by one account the origin of the name of the Massachusett
Massachusett
The Massachusett are a tribe of Native Americans who lived in areas surrounding Massachusetts Bay in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in particular present-day Greater Boston; they spoke the Massachusett language...
tribe of indigenous people for whom the state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
is named. In 1621 the tribe's chief, Chickatawbut
Chickatawbut
Chickatawbut was the sachem, or leader, of a large group of indigenous people of what is now eastern Massachusetts, United States known as the Massachusett tribe, during the initial period of English settlement in the region in the early seventeenth century. Chickatawbut maintained a base at a...
, was visited there by Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
commander Myles Standish
Myles Standish
Myles Standish was an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for Plymouth Colony. One of the Mayflower passengers, Standish played a leading role in the administration and defense of Plymouth Colony from its inception...
and Squanto
Squanto
Tisquantum was a Patuxet. He was the Native American who assisted the Pilgrims after their first winter in the New World and was integral to their survival. The Patuxet tribe was a tributary of the Wampanoag Confederacy.-Biography:Squanto's exact date of birth is unknown but many historians...
, a native guide from whom the peninsula and neighborhood take their names. In the early years following colonization Squantum was part of Dorchester
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
before joining Quincy when it was incorporated as a town separate from Braintree
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
in 1792.
By the middle of the eighteenth century Squantum had become a resort destination and was eventually connected to the area's trolley system. By the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the neighborhood had formed as a year round residence. Also around this time Squantum had been part of early aviation history as an airshow put on by Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Aeronautical Society was held on the peninsula in 1910. In 1927 Dennison Airport opened at the lower end of Squantum Peninsula with Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
as a chief employee and pilot. The Naval Air Station Squantum
Naval Air Station Squantum
Naval Air Station Squantum was an active naval aviation facility during 1917 and from 1923 until 1953. The original civilian airfield that preceded it, the Harvard Aviation Field, dates back to 1910. The base was sited on Squantum Point in the city of Quincy, Massachusetts...
also began operations on the peninsula in the 1920s as a naval reserve training base. The base was used until closing in 1954 and eventually was developed into the neighboring Marina Bay section of Quincy in the 1980s, with some opposition from Squantum residents who feared traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
and noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
.
Transportation
East Squantum Street enters the neighborhood from North Quincy and Quincy Shore Drive, heading northeast before turning south into the neighborhood at Dorchester Street. Dorchester Street continues northeast to the Moon Island Road causeway to Moon Island and Long IslandLong Island (Massachusetts)
This article is about the island Long Island, Boston. For other islands called Long Island, see Long Island .Long Island is situated in the middle of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The island is part of the City of Boston, and of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area...
, controlled by the city of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and not available for general public access. Squantum is served by bus route 211 of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
(MBTA) with connections to the regional subway at North Quincy station
North Quincy (MBTA station)
North Quincy is a station on the Red Line subway at East Squantum Street between Hancock Street and Newport Avenue in Quincy, Massachusetts, and serves North Quincy High School, the State Street Bank complex, and the North Quincy and Montclair neighborhoods. Its other facilities include bus...
on the MBTA Red Line
Red Line (MBTA)
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...
.
Historic ship
The 1846 ship Squantum, 646 tons, was built by J.T. Foster in MedfordMedford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, MA, and owned by Thomas B. Wales & Co. of Boston. She was wrecked at Coorla Burla
Kurla
Kurla is a suburb of Mumbai. It is also the name of one the busiest railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway on the central and harbour railway lines of Mumbai...
, India with three lives lost, on June 14, 1860, enroute from Boston to Bombay.
External links
- Quincy, Massachusetts official site: http://www.quincyma.gov/Living/neighborhoods.cfm
- United State Geological Survey Geographic Names Information Service:613008 Squantum