Spring Pond (Massachusetts) Explained

Spring Pond
Location:Essex County, Massachusetts
Coords:42.4958°N -70.9469°W
Basin Countries:United States
Cities:Lynn, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts
Pushpin Map:Massachusetts
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of the pond in MAssachusetts, USA.

Spring Pond, United States, (formerly known as "Mineral Spring", "Mineral Pond" and the "little lake of Lynnmere")[1] abuts the three cities of Lynn, Peabody (formerly Danvers) and Salem. In the center of these townships "is a beautiful pond".[2] It is a secluded lake known by residents of the three cities and visitors who come to enjoy the camps, trails and natural environment of the woods. "It is in fact one of the most picturesque and romantic lakelets in Massachusetts".[3] Stretching from Spring Pond to Marlborough Road in Salem, the pond and woods form a microcosm of beauty. On the edge of Spring Pond was once the Fay Farm, an English manor estate in New England. The mansion of Fay Farm was a well-known hotel in 1810, when the springs of these areas were believed to possess medicinal qualities. People visited the springs near Spring Pond to restore health, and worship the goddess Hygeia (health) and drink from the rusty iron-rich water trickling from the foot of a bank. Later, some traveled there solely for fun and frolic. The hotel was then converted into a private residence. The waters of Spring Pond are conveyed by springs from an aquifer lying below Spring Pond (and its surrounding area) through Peabody, Lynn and Salem.[4] Spring Pond is listed as one of the "Massachusetts Great Ponds".[5] [6]

History

In 1669 (and again in 1793), colonial divisions between townships were drawn using the spring at Spring Pond as the benchmark to create the city boundaries; Spring Pond supplied water to Danvers (now Peabody), Lynn and Salem. In 1669, the spring was used to establish the boundary between Lynn and Salem; in 1793 (when Salem divided, forming another township) the borders were redefined based on the spring. The stone benchmark remains in the water of Spring Pond, engraved with the initials of each township: L (for Lynn), P (for Peabody) and S (for Salem).[7] In 1793 Spring Pond was divided among three towns: Peabody (once Danvers), Salem and Lynn (once Saugus). The spring was the boundary of the colonial division line of the townships. The dividing line left valuable, arable land on one side of the town boundary and separated the Mansion House and buildings in Lynn.[7]

"Lo", a Native American, was killed around 1676 by John Flint, a soldier in the war against King Philip by the Wampanoags, near the pond (at the present border of Lynn and Salem). Legend says that he was the first (and only) Native American killed in the area; his body and bones nourished the shrubs and trees near Spring Pond.

Before 1704, early settlement of the area included Jacob and Elizabeth (John Clifford) Allen of Salem (and their daughter Elizabeth) as recorded landowners near what was then known as Lynn Mineral Spring Pond.[8]

During the Third Plantation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (in about 1704) John Casper Richter Von Crowninshield (Johannes Kaspar Richter Von Kronenscheldt, as first spelled), a German physician, settled on the hillsides near Spring Pond on land purchased from Elizabeth Allen (partly in Salem and partly in Lynn).[8] [9] Among Crowninshield's descendants were George Crowninshield, who founded the Crowninshield & Sons shipping business and whose family built Crowninshield’s Wharf in Salem. Benjamin Williams Crowninshield served as United States Secretary of the Navy, Representative in Congress, member of the Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives, and became one of the first directors of the Merchant's Bank of Salem; he founded East India Trade of Salem, and the USS Crowninshield naval destroyer was named in his honor.[10] [11] George Crowninshield Jr. built and sailed the yacht Cleopatra’s Barge. Louise E. du Pont Crowninshield, wife of Francis Boardman Crowninshield, was one of America's first historical preservationists and a founding member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.[8] [9]

In 1810 the Twin Springs Hotel (later known as the Mineral Spring Hotel, part of the Crowninshield estate and the Fay Estate Mansion of Lynn) was built near the spring, whose water was rich in iron and believed to possess medicinal qualities. Patients traveled great distances to drink the water and, for a time, to worship the goddess Hygeia to restore their health. This "classical worship" damaged the hotel's reputation, and it was later converted into the private summer residence of Richard Sullivan Fay.[9] [12] From 1847–1865 Fay (an Anglo-American farmer, merchant and manufacturer) lived on a 500acres estate on the hillsides surrounding Spring Pond partly in Lynn (the present Fay Estate), partly in present-day Salem (the present Camp Lion and WalMart, extending to Danvers Road),[8] [9] growing in his arboretum (which was open to the public) a variety of rare and exotic trees and shrubs imported from other parts of the world; many arrived here first in the United States, among them the American tulip tree. Some descendants of Fay's trees and shrubs continue to grow near Spring Pond, although most of the rare trees were cut by a lumber company in 1910.[13] In 1862, Fay commissioned an army at his own expense. Officers and members of the 38th Regiment of Massachusetts named the company the “Fay Light Guard”. It was attached to the 39th Massachusetts Regiment and fought at Port Hudson, Cane River, Mansion Plains, Winchester, Fisher’s Hill and Cedar Creek.

Drinking water

The Journal of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers (vol. 3) reported that "In 1851 a 12inches main 1600feet in length was constructed to bring water by gravity from Spring Pond in Peabody, one of the present sources of supply of that town. This pond is about 40feet above the central portion of Salem".[14]

Notable residents

Writer, poet, teacher, reporter, artist, surveyor and Lynn's first historian, was strongly attracted to Spring Pond (or Mineral Spring, as it was then known). Lewis published a drawing and published articles about the Mineral Spring Hotel and its surrounding wooded areas.[15] Lewis wrote The History of Lynn, which was sold in four parts; the third is entitled Lynn Mineral Spring Hotel, or (as modern Lynn calls it) the Fay Estate.

Increase Mather's Diaries of Spring Pond

Parentator or Remarkables of Dr. Increase Mather, by Cotton Mather, was published in 1724.[17] In his book, Cotton Mather shares excerpts from the diary of his father, Increase Mather, concerning the latter's recovery from illness due to the healing waters of Mineral Spring Pond (as it was then known). Some excerpts follow:

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bronsdon and Box Families: Part I. Robert Bronsdon, Merchant, and His Descendants. Part II. John Box, Ropemaker, and His Descendants . 1902 . Nicholes Press . en.
  2. Book: Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society for the year 1799 . Massachusetts Historical Society . Boston . 214 . 1800 . VI . 2010-04-24.
  3. Book: The Register of the Lynn Historical Society, Volumes 15-16 . It is in fact one of the most picturesque and romantic lakelets in Massachusetts.. . 109 . Lynn Historical Society . 1912 . 2010-04-24.
  4. Book: Lynn Historical Society . The Register of the Lynn Historical Society . 1913 . The Society . 16–18 . en.
  5. Web site: Massachusetts Great Ponds List | Water, Wastewater & Wetlands | MassDEP . Mass.gov . 2010-05-22.
  6. Book: <!-- Massachusetts Historical Society --> . Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society . 1835 . Massachusetts Historical Society. . 230 . en.
  7. Book: The Register of the Lynn Historical Society . 1913 . The Society . en.
  8. Book: The Register of the Lynn Historical Society . 1913 . The Society . en.
  9. https://books.google.com/books?id=l0i6AAAACAAJ&dq=the+lynn+album&ei=9enkS9vDPISuzASOj_HxCQ&cd=1| The Lynn Album: A Pictorial History, 1990, by Elizabeth Hope Cushing, page 60
  10. Book: The Fifth Half Century of the ... - Google Books . 2008-01-08 . 2010-05-22. Institute . Essex .
  11. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000946|Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to the Present
  12. https://books.google.com/books?id=zMAWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA109-IA2&dq=%22spring+pond%22+hygeia&lr=&cd=2#v=onepage&q=%22by%20the%20ruddy%20spring%20upon%20an%20estate%20partly%20in%20Salem%2C%20partly%20in%20Lynn%22&f=false| The Register of the Lynn Historical Society, Volumes 16-18 By Lynn Historical Society (Lynn, Mass.), page 107-109
  13. The Daily Item, Lynn, Ma Independent Newspaper, written January 24, 1952
  14. https://books.google.com/books?id=VJkZAQAAIAAJ&q=%22spring+pond%22+ Journal of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, Volume 3, page 2
  15. https://books.google.com/books?id=zMAWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA109-IA2&dq=%22spring+pond%22+hygeia&lr=&cd=2#v=onepage&q=lynnmere&f=false|The Register of the Lynn Historical Society, Volumes 16-18 By Lynn Historical Society (Lynn, Mass.), page 96
  16. https://books.google.com/books?id=pSkWAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA107&dq=%22spring+pond%22+salem+ma&lr=&cd=31#v=onepage&q=Caspar%20Van%20Cawninshield&f=false|The Register of the Lynn Historical Society, Volumes 15-16 By Lynn Historical Society, page 104-107
  17. https://books.google.com/books?id=pSkWAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA107&dq=%22spring+pond%22+salem+ma&lr=&cd=31#v=onepage&q=cotton%20mather&f=false|The Register of the Lynn Historical Society, Volumes 15-16 By Lynn Historical Society, page 105
  18. Book: The New England historical and ... - Google Books . 2010-05-22. 1902 .
  19. Book: The Diary of William Bentley: 1803-1810 - Internet Archive . 236 . spring pond . . Essex Institute . 1911 . 2010-05-22. Bentley . William . Waters . Joseph Gilbert . Dalrymple . Marguerite . Waters . Alice G. .
  20. Book: Heritage and habitat lost: A collection of thoughts and photographs of the Spring Pond area of Lynn, Salem and Peabody Massachusetts: Amazon.co.uk: Leslie Courtemanche: Books . Amazon.co.uk . 2009-09-09 . 2010-05-22.
  21. Web site: "Quest for Survival" Presented at Membership Meeting . Flw.org . 2002-09-04 . 2010-05-22.
  22. Web site: Special Guest at April Meeting . Flw.org . 2010-05-22.
  23. Web site: The Writers of Lynn . Writersoflynn.blogspot.com . 2010-01-01 . 2010-05-22.
  24. Web site: Susan Babb . May Newsletter . Nmrls.org . 2010-05-22.
  25. Book: Heritage and habitat lost: a ... - Google Books . 2010-05-22. Courtemanche . Leslie . 2002 .
  26. Book: The Register of the Lynn Historical ... - Google Books . 2008-03-10 . 2010-05-22.
  27. Book: spring pond lynn ma - My library - Google Books . 2010-05-22.
  28. https://books.google.com/books?id=9MAWAAAAYAAJ&dq=spring+pond+lynn+ma&pg=PA71 ge&q=spring%20pond%20&f=false
  29. Book: The history of Salem, Massachusetts - Google Books . 2009-05-04 . 2010-05-22. Perley . Sidney .
  30. Book: History of Essex County ... - Google Books . 2008-02-28 . 2010-05-22. Hurd . Duane Hamilton .
  31. Book: History of Essex County ... - Google Books . 2008-02-28 . 2010-05-22. Hurd . Duane Hamilton .
  32. Book: Collections of the Massachusetts ... - Google Books . 2010-05-22. 1835 .
  33. Book: Bulletin of the Essex County ... - Google Books . 2010-02-17 . 2010-05-22.
  34. Book: Massachusetts wildlife - Google Books . 2010-02-09 . 2010-05-22.
  35. Book: The flora of Essex County, Massachusetts - Internet Archive . 70 . spring pond. . Essex Institute . 1880 . 2010-05-22. Robinson . John .
  36. Book: The Diary of William Bentley D.D ... - Google Books . 2007-11-27 . 2010-05-22. Bentley . William . Waters . Joseph Gilbert . Dalrymple . Marguerite . Waters . Alice G. .
  37. Book: The physical geography, geology ... - Google Books . 2008-08-14 . 2010-05-22. Sears . John Henry .
  38. Book: The Peabody story: events in Peabody ... - Google Books . 2007-09-05 . 2010-05-22. Wells . John Andrew . Essex Institute . 978-0-88389-049-3 .
  39. Book: Historical collections of the Essex ... - Google Books . 2010-05-22. Salem Mass . Essex Inst . 1859 .
  40. Book: Rhodora - Google Books . 2010-05-22. Robinson . Benjamin Lincoln . Fernald . Merritt Lyndon . 1902 .
  41. Book: The diary and letters of Benjamin ... - Google Books . 2007-09-06 . 2010-05-22. Pickman . Benjamin .
  42. https://books.google.com/books?id=na8EAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA360&dq=%22spring+pond%22+salem+ma&lr=&cd=80#v=onepage&q=%22spring%20pond%22%20&f=false| The New England farmer, Volume 10 By Samuel W. Cole, page 360
  43. Book: Recreation in and about Boston: a ... - Google Books . 2007-11-29 . 2010-05-22.

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