Discoveries

Interesting discoveries in the last few days as I try to finish my next book, a history of the North River.

I visited the Norwell Historical Society for my first time, made some new friends, and found at least one hidden treasure, with the help of archivist Janet Watson. In 1870 there was a proposal to dam the North River. A state agency hired a number of prominent engineers to study this, well documented in a report to the Massachusetts legislature. A missing piece was the plan developed by the local landowners' engineer Clemens Herschel, who became a world-famous hydrologist. The Society has a copy of that plan, in Herschel's handwriting. Wow! I look forward to studying it.

A few days ago I was digging into some research (I forget exactly which) and came across some astounding old photos of Scituate landscapes taken around 1900. One shows the shingle beach between Third Cliff and Fourth Cliff that was obliterated in the Portland Gale of 1898, creating the new mouth of the North River. Another photo shows what I am sure is Eaton's Hotel on the top of Coleman's Hills. The photographer was Nathaniel Livermore Stebbins, noted for his maritime work. Harvard has these in its George Augustus Gardner Collection of Photographs and they are online with an unconscionably long URL, but try this.

So, two discoveries of enlightening work by two major figures. Hard to beat that in my historical research.