Brant Rock History Slide Show
I want to thank Michael J. McDavitt of brantrockgreenharbor.com for
allowing me to share his extensive
research and photographs / postcards of Brant Rock's
past with all of you. His hard work has allowed me
to experience an era that most of us have little
knowledge of. I hope the following slide show will be something
that will help all of us relive the past of a place
where we spent our summer months.
I would like to thank all the other Photographers and
Researchers that have helped make this family website page
something very special to all of The Brant Rock Family
Clan.
Map of Brant
Rock 1838
The old mouth of the Green Harbor River , further south than
at present, was closed by a storm circa 1806.
For several years there was no outlet to the sea except through the
marshes toward Duxbury making the river stagnant. The present entrance was
opened by another storm in 1810 and further widened by local fishermen. Bluefish
Cove, then, was formerly not located near the entrance to Green
Harbor.
For Historical Information
Click : - - - - - - - Brant Rock
History
1840 - 1866
Stage
Coach services Marshfield
1855
Concord Stage Coach- Charles T. Hatch bought the Concord Coach from Abbott Downing Co in Concord N.H. for $ 675.00, it was called the Tally Ho, and was used for delivery service. Its route was the Marshfield to Hingham, and that is were the boat came in from Boston. Later on the town restored the coach and the town still owns it.
John H. Flavell bought the company in 1891 - 1926.
1861
The Pioneer Cottage was built. Renamed the Atlantic House in 1879. It
burned in the Ocean Bluff / Brant Rock Great Fire of 1941.
1862-1867
South Marshfield Farmer
Club ( Now Marshfield Fair )
Amanda of Boston, built in 1852
Tha Amanda was shipwrecked in Brant Rock Cove.
February, 1864
Map of Ocean Bluff / Brant Rock / Green Harbor with wreck of
the Amanda circa 1866
1866
Churchills Hotel, Brant
Rock. Built by George Churchill in 1866. Located between Island St. and Ocean
St. Burned in 1909
1867-1939
Railroad
serves town of Marshfield. Stations are at Green Harbor, Marshfield Center and
Duxbury.
Green Harbor Village & Green Harbor
Beach started being developed, Green Harbor Park started in 1947.
Brant Rock Ocean House & Peterson's
Store ( on what later in time will be called the Esplanade )
1870
( This will
become the Brant Rock Theater / Bowling Alley in the future )
1871
Railroad from Duxbury & Cohasset had extended service to; Littletown ( Sea View ), 53 Station Street South Marshfield Center in the town parking lot. Webster’s Place, North side of Careswell Street near the Duxbury line.
1872
Dyke Road was built - improved in ( 1879 ) . . . connecting Green Harbor to Brant Rock.
1874
Brant Rock House
was built., burned in 1938
Fairview Hotel
was built., burned in 1998
1875
Brant Rock Ocean House
was built., burned in 1973
June 4, 1878
Brant Rock built its U.S. Post Office, 02020
1879
Marshfield Company
Store was built on 52 Main Street. ( Reed’s Ark )
Charles Sear’s Store -
corner of Marginal St. & ( Center Street ) Landing Rd.
Hotel- Atlantic House was built
1879
Map
showing the railroad and depot. Brant Rock 1879 ( unable to obtain a clearer
picture )
Dirt roads from the Webster
Street Depot ( 10 o'clock on map ) to Brant Rock are seen above.
Brant Rock Stables
1885
1885
Brant Rock House with carriage
"After a railroad was built from Boston to
Cohasset, a stage coach ran between the two towns. The first driver of this
coach was Charles Hatch. The coach carried passengers, and the driver did
errands for people in this vicinity. One driver boasted that he could remember
the things ordered by 100 different people without making a list of them. This
old coach used in this Tercentenary parade, and borrowed by many other towns for
similar parades, is the original vehicle. It is the property of the Marshfield
Agricultural Society, and has been repaired by them, the Marshfield Board of
Trade, and the Tercentenary Committee".
Brant
Rock Ocean House circa 1890
1800's
" The
Chattanooga " off Hewitt's Point, Ocean Bluff
1888
Brant Rock looking from Ocean Bluff
towards Brant Rock House circa late
1800's
Brant Rock looking from Aunt Audrey's House towards
Life Saving Station circa late 1800's
circa
late 1800's
circa
late 1800's
Lover's Rock at Brant Rock Beach ( Is
that Aunt Audrey's House at 10 O'Clock ? ) circa late 1800's
Wooden Water Tank ( 50,000 gallons ) was built on Hancock Street.
Street Lights were installed in Brant Rock.
Estes Candy Kitchen ( Ocean Street ) opened., burned down in 1971
S. G. Capen Store - Ocean St at Ocean Bluff. 1900-1907
Where the World's First Trans Oceanic Radio Communications took place...
Where the World's First Radio voice was heard across any ocean...
Where the World's First Radio voice broadcast was made...
The tall stacks exiting from the building's roof are for the steam engine's boiler.
Brant Rock Pool Room 1890
Brant
Rock Fairview Hotel 1890
1892
Humarock Bridge was built, there was no bridge before this
date, joining Humarock to Marshfield
Topographical Map of Brant Rock Area
1893
Topographical Map of Brant Rock
Area 1893 ( same as map above, zoomed
out )
1893
US Life Saving
Station built on Ocean St.
1894
Brant Rock Fish Market opened. Charlie Phillips, owner, 1894 –
1960. Hank Dunbar, owner, 1960 - present
1895
Brant Rock
Union Chapel was built
Brant Rock
beach 1895
Brant Rock Life Saving Station ( built in
1893 ) circa 1895
In 1850 the Federal Goverment decided to build their own
lifeboat stations. The stations and shipwreaked sailors depended on volunteers
to perform the work. The early stations were small buildings housing a surfboat
and other material of the day.
In 1854, Keepers were appointed for the stations at an annual
salary of $200.00 and in 1871 Congress authorized funds to hire surfmen to man
all the Government stations.
1898
This is an example of a device that the U.S. Life Saving
Stations used to rescue people from
stranded boats / ships.
" Mertis H Perry " Gale of 1898
This fishing schooner was thrown ashore on the morning of
November 27th. 1898. Five of her crew of 14 were washed overboard and lost, but
the survivors crawled ashore by way of her bowsprit and found shelter in a
nearby farmhouse. Although she was wrecked only two miles from the Brant Rock
Life Saving Station, the storm conditions prevented her discovery by the
lifesavers until mid-afternoon of the 27th. Perry was a total loss.
The Gale of 1898
The Life Saving Station was
built in 1893
In 1915 it Became the U.S. Coast Guard Station, Closed in 1947, Razed in 1967
In 1915 it Became the U.S. Coast Guard Station, Closed in 1947, Razed in 1967
For
Historical Information Click : - - - - - - - The Gale of
1898
Peterson's Store 1900
1957 - 1987 Henderson Bros.
Plumbing & Heating Co. was in the old Peterson Store building.
1900
Wooden Water Tank ( 50,000 gallons ) was built on Hancock Street.
It was part of the Bradley Brant mineral spring and pumping
station.
Street Lights were installed in Brant Rock.
Estes Candy Kitchen ( Ocean Street ) opened., burned down in 1971
S. G. Capen Store - Ocean St at Ocean Bluff. 1900-1907
On " The Rock
" circa 1900
Ocean Cafe' and
Brant Rock House circa
1900
The Brant
Rock House built in 1874 and torn down in 1938
The road that leads to
the Brant Rock House ( seen above ) is South Street.
also the BR House was
located where the WW2 Tower ( built in 1943 ) now stands.
Fairview
House circa 1900
The Fairview Inn, built by Martin Swift in 1874
catered to Boston’s vacationing elite. Home to the elegant and exclusive “Como
Club” during the 20’s and 30’s, patrons enjoyed gambling and contraband liquor
smuggled in through an ocean tunnel. Over the years, the Fairview became famous
for wholesome food and hearty meals. It was destroyed by fire in late winter
1998, ending 124 years of continuous operation.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were the
pinnacle for the Brant Rock Inns. However, the advent of the automobile, the
lower cost of seasonal cottage rentals and the Depression, all led to a loss of
business that the large inns required to remain financially viable.
The Fairview Inn was originally established as a boarding house for the elite. It became the exclusive and elegant "Como Club" in the 20's and 30's, offering dining and strolling violinists, followed by gambling at the rear of the building. The Club was named after the ship Como, which ran illegal rum along the coast during Prohibition. It is rumored that a tunnel running from beneath the original structure to the ocean was used to deliver the contraband liquor.
The Fairview Inn was originally established as a boarding house for the elite. It became the exclusive and elegant "Como Club" in the 20's and 30's, offering dining and strolling violinists, followed by gambling at the rear of the building. The Club was named after the ship Como, which ran illegal rum along the coast during Prohibition. It is rumored that a tunnel running from beneath the original structure to the ocean was used to deliver the contraband liquor.
Brant Rock House 1900
The
Brant Rock House built in 1874 and torn down in 1938
Lover's Rock ( no jetty to Brant Rock ) circa 1900
For those of you that don't know, The Rock at 12
O'Clock in this picture is called " Brant Rock ".
Brant Rock
Beach circa
1900
View from " The Rock ". Brant Rock House is
on your right circa 1900
Brant Rock Beach looking toward Ocean
Bluff circa 1900
Ocean Bluff looking
towards Brant Rock circa 1900
Brant Rock Beach looking towards Ocean
Bluff circa 1900
Ocean Bluff looking
towards Brant Rock circa 1900
Lover's Rock ( on beach in front of Shirley & Kendall's House )
looking towards Blackman's Trailor Park circa 1900
circa 1900
The annual Illumination Day Parade was held on Labor Day and was quite an
event. It proceeded down Ocean Street from Ocean Bluff to Brant Rock.
circa 1900
As you can see on the postcard, this view is from the Ocean House ( Brant
Rock Bowling Alley ). There was no Esplanade at this time. In the center of the
photo you can see the Brant Rock Union Chapel and at ( 3 O'Clock ) is the US
Life Saving Station ( Coast Guard Station ).
View from The Brant Rock
House circa 1900
At ( 1 ) O'Clock-------Brant Rock Wooden Water Tower
At ( 2 ) O'Clock-------Brant Rock Union Chapel
At ( 3:30 ) O'Clock------Aunt Audrey's Back Porch ( I think I can see the cloths line pole behind Aunt Audrey's House )
At ( 8 ) O'Clock------South Street
At ( 9 ) O'Clock-------The Esplanade before it was widened
At ( 10 ) O'Clock-----The Brant Rock Ocean House
At ( 2 ) O'Clock-------Brant Rock Union Chapel
At ( 3:30 ) O'Clock------Aunt Audrey's Back Porch ( I think I can see the cloths line pole behind Aunt Audrey's House )
At ( 8 ) O'Clock------South Street
At ( 9 ) O'Clock-------The Esplanade before it was widened
At ( 10 ) O'Clock-----The Brant Rock Ocean House
View of Brant Rock from the
Tower circa 1900
Brant Rock Wooden
Seawall circa 1900
Brant Rock beach with wooden seawall circa
1900
Brant Rock with wooden seawall circa
1900
Lover's Rock looking towards Ocean
Bluff circa 1900
circa 1900
Lover's Rock looking towards Brant Rock " The Rock " ( Jetty to The Rock
was not built yet ). It must be high tide. I can not see tide rock.
Fishing from " The Rock ". I'll bet the fishing was
good in those days !
circa 1900
Piggyback ride from " The Rock
" circa 1900
Ocean Bluff looking south at Brant
Rock circa 1900's
Panoramic view of Brant
Rock circa 1900's
1903
Peace Haven Hotel & Annex built. In 1940
Building taken down to build houses in that area.
1905
Peace Haven Hotel, built
in 1903 and razed in the 1940s ( Annex is at 3 O'Clock )
Brant Rock Ocean House & Post Office in what will
be the Esplanade 1905
Ocean Street, Ocean Bluff looking towards the U.S.Life
Saving Station circa 1905's
Ocean Bluff looking down Ocean
Street circa 1905's
Brant Rock Life Saving Drill ( Union Chapel
in background ) 1905
It's out of focus but gives a good shot of " The
Rock " at high tide. 1905
circa 1905
The Peace
Haven Hotel was located up beyond the Fairview.
( I think this
picture was taken standing at the long jetty off Blackman's Point )
circa 1905
Brant Rock, Blackman's Island ( Blackman's
Point Trailor Park ). See the Peacehaven Hotel in the distance. The Peace Haven
was built in 1903 and razed in the 1940's
Ocean Street in Ocean Bluff looking from
Brant Rock towards Fieldston ( notice dirt road ) 1906
Ocean Street looking North towards
Fieldston circa 1906
View of Brant Rock House, " The Rock " and the beach
near Charlie's 1906
Brant Rock Wireless Tower shot from
Blue Fish Cove Entrance 1906
Transmitter in the Wireless
Station circa 1906
Steam Engine driven AC Generator and 500 CPS Synchronous Rotary Gap
Transmitter at Brant Rock, Ma. The drive belt is in the foreground, the
inductors are near the roof, and the high pressure capacitors are to the
right.
Alternator at the Wireless
Station circa 1906
Early form of Alexanderson Alternator under test at the Brant Rock Station
of the National Electric Signaling Company. The Alternator spun at 20,000 RPM
and generated a 80 KHz signal.
1907
1907
1907
Brant
Rock Wireless Tower from Bluefish Cove
On 24 December 1906, Reginald Fessenden,
a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio programme, which included him
playing " O Holy Night " on the violin. The carol therefore appears to have been
the first piece of music to be broadcast on radio.
Where the World's
First Trans Oceanic Radio Communications took place...
To Listen to his Historical Broadcast from Brant Rock,
Click on this Link - - - - - - - - - December
24, 1906 Broadcast !
Brant Rock Union Chapel and
Life Saving Station 1907
1907
Ways Webster Park ( Number Roads area ), builders Bradley Brant
( Marshfield ), John Foster ( Hanson ), Hoarse Maglathlin ( Kingston ) and in
1918 H.S. Kelsey.
Webster Park House Lots : - - - - - - Water Front- - $
250.00
- - - - - - Rows
back from the Ocean - - $175.00, $150.00, $100.00
- - - - - - Rest of
the lots were - - $1.00
- - - - - - Houses
cost - - $ 1,600.00
1908
The U.S. Life Saving
Station Crew with Brant Rock Union Chapel in background
Station : Brant Rock, Massachusetts
Coast Guard Station : # 29
Location: At Brant Rock, near Marshfield on Green Harbor Point; 42-05' 30"N x 70-38' 40"W
Location: At Brant Rock, near Marshfield on Green Harbor Point; 42-05' 30"N x 70-38' 40"W
Date of Conveyance : 1891
Station Built : 1892-1893
Fate : Turned over to GSA ( U.S. General Services
Administration ) in 1953. Sold to Town of Marshfield, Plymouth
County,
in 1963 for use as public park and recreation
purposes.
Brant Rock Station ( #29
). A station was built and placed in operation "at Brant Rock, on Green Harbor
Point" in the 1892—1893 time period. Mention is made in 1919 that the station
was extensively repaired and, in 1921, the building was repaired and remodeled
and heat, light, and water systems were installed. Also in 1921, a new well was
driven. The first keeper, Benjamin B. Manter, was appointed on January 3, 1893
and retired at age 64 with more than thirty years service on March 22, 1915. He
was succeeded by Cyrus H. Merrit ( acting until his appointment on September 5,
1916 and retiring on May 10, 1928 ). Next, Chief Petty Officer R. W. Cahoon is
shown as being in charge in 1928, having been transferred from the Monomoy Point
station. He was relieved by Chief L. S. Baker. On November 4, 1937, Everett M.
Mills assumed command after being reassigned from the Straitsmouth station. The
station was still listed in 1945; subsequently the property was turned over to
the GSA in 1953.
1909
Ocean Bluff
Hotel 1909
A view of Brant Rock coastline from "
The Rock " 1910
If my memory is correct, this is the location where Uncle
Lenny did most of his fishing for Tautog
A day at the beach, looking toward Ocean Bluff circa
1910
Brant Rock Life Saving Crew during a storm circa 1910
Brant Rock Life Saving
Crew circa 1910
Brant Rock Life Saving Drill on Ocean Street in
front of the US Life Station circa 1910
Ocean
Street in Ocean Bluff looking from Brant Rock towards Fieldston ( notice dirt
road ) circa 1910
Ocean Street looking from Main Street towards
Fairview Hotel 1910
Hewett's Point, Ocean Bluff looking towards Brant Rock (
notice Horse & Carriage ) 1910
Souvenir Folder of Brant Rock and Ocean Bluff. Sold at Peterson's
Store ( next to The Ocean House ) circa 1910
Lover's Rock, The Brant Rock House & The Wireless
Radio Tower in the distance 1910
Brant Rock Wireless
Station
1910
circa 1910
Blackman's Point
Trailer Park occupied the site of the Wireless Station
The tall stacks exiting from the building's roof are
for the steam engine's boiler. 1910
The dirt road leading up to the Wireless
Radio Tower 1910
Brant Rock Wireless Station viewed form Blue Fish
Cove circa 1910
The old mouth of the Green Harbor River, further south than at present, was
closed by a storm circa 1806. For several years there was no outlet to the sea
except through the marshes toward Duxbury making the river stagnant. The present
entrance was opened by another storm in 1810 and further widened by local
fishermen. Bluefish Cove, then, was formerly not located near the entrance to
Green Harbor.
Taken from Blue Fish
Cove
1910
1905 - 1915
Professor Reginald Fessenden makes the World First Radio Voice Broadcast ( 1906 ) at Brant Rock-Part of Marshfield, Massachusetts
Professor Reginald Fessenden makes the World First Radio Voice Broadcast ( 1906 ) at Brant Rock-Part of Marshfield, Massachusetts
1906 Radio Broadcast
From his experimental station at Brant Rock, MA, Reginald Fessenden broadcasts the first radio program. He plays two songs, a poem, and a brief talk. Fessenden's broadcast is picked up by ships on the Atlantic hundreds of miles away.
From his experimental station at Brant Rock, MA, Reginald Fessenden broadcasts the first radio program. He plays two songs, a poem, and a brief talk. Fessenden's broadcast is picked up by ships on the Atlantic hundreds of miles away.
" Brant Rock covers a mere 4 square miles, yet it holds
the distinction of being the location where
one- way amplitude modulated voice broadcasts first
took place ".
The Western Tower : Brant Rock on the Massachusetts sea
coast
The Eastern Tower : Machrihanish, Scotland
Where the World's First Trans Oceanic Radio Communications took place...
Where the World's First Radio voice was heard across any ocean...
Where the World's First Radio voice broadcast was made...
For interesting facts, click on link below
:
World's First Trans Oceanic Radio Communication
World's First Trans Oceanic Radio Communication
Fessenden Group 1910
Brant Rock
House circa 1910
Peace
Haven Hotel, Brant Rock circa 1910
Ocean Street, Brant
Rock 1911
Ocean Bluff
Casino 1912
Ocean Bluff Casino 1912
Brant Rock U.S. Life Saving Station viewed
from the beach 1912
Brant Rock Wireless
Station shot from Green Harbor Beach 1912
The tall stacks exiting from the building's roof are for the steam engine's boiler.
Ocean Bluff on Ocean Street (
Looks like the Post office ) circa 1913
Main Street ( Esplanade in 1927 ) looking south
towards The Ocean House ( Brant Rock Bowling Alley ) circa 1913
Brant Rock House
Hotel 1913
• 2 - Way Transmissions between Scotland and Brant Rock - Marshfield, Massachusetts
• Demonstrations between Brant Rock and Plymouth - heard as far away as Guantanamo Bay Cuba - Voice
• The Brant Rock Wireless Tower was dismantled in 1917
• Brant Rock Inventions include the electrolytic detector, heterodyning , alternator development, efficient tuned
This Hotel stood where the WW2
Tower now stands. You can see Shirley & Kendall's
and also Aunt Audrey's Houses.
( Tide Rock too ! )
Brant
Rock House circa 1913
1913
Post Office in Ocean
Bluff established, July, 14
Blue Fish Rock at the Green Harbor Entrance with the
Wireless Tower in the background 1914
Brant Rock Wireless Station from
Bluefish Cove
1914
• Brant Rock Wireless Tower completed December 1905
• World's First TransAtlantic Public Voice Broadcast on
Christmas 1906 and New Years 1907
• 2 - Way Transmissions between Scotland and Brant Rock - Marshfield, Massachusetts
• Demonstrations between Brant Rock and Plymouth - heard as far away as Guantanamo Bay Cuba - Voice
heard in Scotland
• The Brant Rock Wireless Tower was dismantled in 1917
• Brant Rock Inventions include the electrolytic detector, heterodyning , alternator development, efficient tuned
antenna circuits and Continous Waves..