diary that on August 14, 1632, "the windmill was brought downe to Boston, because (where it stoode neere Newtown) it would not grind but with a westerly winde." It was set up on the summit of Copp's Hill, where for years it ground corn for the settlers and served as a landmark to skippers working into the harbor. The windmill also gave its name to "ye Mylne Field."

As the old windmill thus lost its uniqueness, the name it had given the north hill also lost its hold, being supplanted by that of "Snow Hill." This title is now kept only in Snowhill street near by. The name may be due to the drifts that successive northeasters left piled upon the hill late into the spring, but is more probably derived from a certain Snow Hill street in London.

In its turn this second name gave way to Copp's Hill, so called after William Copp, who from about the time of the settlement owned and dwelt upon a half-acre lot on the southeast corner, near Prince street. The possessions of William Copp, who was a worthy shoemaker and an elder in Dr. Mather's Church, as set forth in the Boston Book of Possessions, were "One house & lott of halfe an Acre in the Mill field bounded with Thomas Buttolph southeast: John Button northeast: the marsh on the southwest: & the River on the Northwest." The date of this change in name is not precisely known. Some of the maps made at the time of the Revolution have the name Copp's Hill attached to that part of the hill northwest of Snowhill street, where Copp dwelt.

The present aspect of Copp's Hill and its surroundings differs considerably from that of the early days. Like the other two hills, Copp's Hill was quite bare, there being scarcely a tree on the peninsula. Dr. Snow, in history of Boston, gives the following description of the hill as it appeared in the early days: "The hill at the north, rising to the height of about fifty feet above the sea, presented then on its north-west brow an abrupt declivity, long after known as Copp's Hill steeps. Its summit, almost level, extended between Prince and Charter streets towards Christ Church; thence south a gentle slope led to the water, which washed the south side of Prince street below, and the north side above Thacher street as far as Salem; eastward from the church, a gradual ascent led to the North Battery, which was considered the bottom of the hill. Southeasterly the slope was still more gradual, and terminated at the foot of North Square, leaving a knoll on the right, where at present stands the meeting-house of the Second Church."

"On the southerly slope of this hill," says Dr. Shurtleff in his "Topographical Description of Boston," "was Stanley's pasture, extending to Hanover street, and covering the large tract of land lying between Prince and Charter streets, the

westerly end of Bennet street at its junction with Salem street being the centre of the lot." The owner, a tailor, who died in March, 1646, deserves to be remembered as the first person to bequeath the town property for the support of public schools, one of the items of his will reading, "I give to the maintenance of the free schools of Boston a parcel of land lying neere to the waterside & foure roads in length backward."

In the early days, Copp's Hill and the land around its base were formed almost into an island by the two coves running up into the peninsula-Mill Cove or Pond, or North Cove, as it was first called, on the north, and Town Cove on the south. The North Cove stretched over to the point extending northwest from the Tramount, or Beacon Hill, and high tides often swept over the intervening lowlands. The Town Cove, on the other side, reached inland almost to the foot of Brattle street. At the foot of the headland was a small stretch of beach, where Commercial street (formerly Lynn street) now runs, the material for the street being taken from the summit of the hill, where Snowhill street was cut across.

Three of the half-dozen points then prominent in the shore line were grouped in the Copp's Hill promontory. Where the gasometer now stands, Windmill, later Wheeler's Point, projected. At the junction of Charter and Commercial streets was "Ye Mylne Point," so called in 1635, and later known as Hudson's Point, whence Francis Hudson, the fisherman who became a ferry-man, ran his ferry to Charlestown and Chelsea. Merry's Point, whereon the famous North Battery was built, was situated between the Winnisimmet Ferry and Battery Wharf, and was so called after Walter Merry, the first Boston shipwright, who there built his wharf a few years after the settlement.

Around these points gradually grew up a considerable shipwrighting industry, many grants to "wharf out" being recorded by 1660. Most notable of the shipyards was that of Joshua Gee, as prominent a ship-builder in his day as later was "Billy" Gray. In 1698 Governor Bellomont said that Boston owned 194 good ships, or more than were possessed by all Scotland and Ireland.

A great change in the surroundings of Copp's Hill was inaugurated by the chartering on March 9, 1804, of the Boston Mill Corporation, successors to Simons, Button, and others, for the purpose of filling up the Mill Pond. After 25 years' work, an area of 70 acres was thus added to the town. Beacon Hill was mainly resorted to for filling, but beginning with 1806 earth was also taken during several years from Copp's Hill, lowering its height about seven feet.

At the northeastern base of the hill dwelt Boston's first colored colony, then called "New Guinea." Inland, as far as the

It

neck crossed by the Mill Creek, ran the quaint, garden-fringed streets of the Old North End, the good end of the town. was then of limited area, containing, according to Shurtleff, but 680 houses at the beginning of its social decay at the end of the Revolution, and measuring but 803 yards in length and 726 yards in breadth. From this territory, during a century and a half, came most of the tenants of Copp's Hill.

The burying-ground itself comprises four successively acquired parcels of land, and is the largest in the city proper, the total area aggregating 88,800 square feet, or about two acres. It lies to-day between Hull, Snowhill, and Charter streets, the exact boundaries being as follows: On the northeast, about 314 feet by Charter street; on the north-west, about 324 feet by Snowhill street, above which the burying ground rises twenty feet, being supported by a granite wall; on the southwest, about 330 feet by Hull street; on the northeast about 120 feet by Marshall place and about 127 feet by private property; and on the southeast, about 123 feet by private property and the Hull-street Primary School.

The land for the North Burying-Ground was purchased of John Baker and Daniel Turell, and in 1735 the transaction is recorded as follows, under date of February 20, 1659, in the Suffolk Deeds, lib. 53, fol. 153: "John Baker and Daniel Turell, sell to the Selectmen of Boston, a lot of land, 294 feet on the northerly side, 252 feet on the southerly side; in breadth on the easterly end 126 feet. Butting on the way that leadeth from the new meeting-house in Boston towards Charlestown Ferry, on the north; on the land of William Phillips, southerly; on the land of John Baker and Daniel Turell, easterly; and on the way that leadeth from Senter haven to Charlestown Ferry, westerly."

The North Burying-Ground is thus second in point of time to King's Chapel, although the Granary is practically contemporaneous with it. Concerning the piece of land that had been bought, the town passed the following order November 5, 1660: "Itt is ordered that the old burying place shall bee wholly deserted for some convenient season, and the new places appointed for burying onely be made use of." The only entrance at the time was from Charter street until the next addition was made, forty years later.

By the beginning of the eighteenth century, enlargement had become necessary, but, as was usual with the town buryinggrounds, was effected only with difficulty and when it could no longer be postponed by overcrowding the existing space. The town had voted for enlargement some time before it was accomplished, appointing a committee which seems rather to have neglected its duty. It was discharged and another appointed, consisting of Hon. Thomas Hutchinson, Timothy Thornton,

and Edward Martyn, by whom the necessary land was promptly purchased, January 7, 1708. It was sold to the town by Judge Samuel Sewall and his wife Hannah, and formed a corresponding section to the old ground on the southwest, fronting on Hull street. It was part of the pasture which Mrs. Sewall had inherited from her father, John Hull, master of the mint. The deed is dated December 17, 1711 (Suffolk Deeds, lib. 26, fol. 97). The tract thus added was nearly square in shape and on three sides was bounded by streets. It was included in the old North Burying-Ground. The principal path on the east hill, east of the tool house and parallel to Charter street, follows approximately the boundary separating the Sewall purchase from the original burying-ground.

The tract long known as the New North Burying-Ground, and now called simply the Small Ground, was added by purchase in 1809. The deed is recorded as follows under date of December 18, 1809: "For $10,000, Benjamin Weld, and his wife Nabby, sold to the Town of Boston a parcel of land, bounded south-west on Hull street 148 feet; north-west on the buryingground, 148 feet and 6 inches; north-east on land of Goodwin and others, 153 feet; south-east on land of Jonathan Merry, 123 feet; being land conveyed to Weld by Merry, October 21, 1809, recorded lib. 230, fol. 191."

This lot also is nearly square, and somewhat less than onehalf the size of the old yard. It comprised part of Jonathan Merry's pasture, Merry selling it to Mr. Weld, who disposed of it to the town. It was long known as the New North BuryingGround, and is now called the Small Ground.

In 1814 Hon. Charles Wells, later mayor of Boston, built 52 tombs around the sides of this enclosure, and in 1827 Edward Bell built 15 more on the site of the gun-house of the Columbian artillery. The new ground was laid out symmetrically in tiers and several bodies were interred in each grave. The first interment was that of John Richardson, July 6, 1810, who had been drowned a few days before.

Again, in 1819, Hon. Charles Wells became the owner of a small tract, usually called the Charter-Street Burying-Ground, between the old and new grounds and Marshall place and fronting on Charter street. The purchase is recorded as follows in Suffolk Deeds, lib. 262, fol. 296: “June 3, 1819, John Bishop, of Medford, sold to Charles Wells, for $1,051.30, land in Charter street, bounded north-east on said street 20 feet; north-easterly on the burying-ground 20 feet wide; then continuing westerly, 70 feet on the burying-ground 20 feet wide; then continuing 50 feet more, 28 feet wide; south-west 28 feet on land formerly of Dr. Wm. Clark, but now a burying-ground; then south-east 50 feet, 28 feet wide, then continuing 70 feet more, 20 feet wide, on land formerly owned by William Fowle;

being the land which Stephen Gorham, as administrator of Nathaniel Holmes, sold to said Bishop, December 14, 1791, recorded lib. 184, fol. 59."

This small lot Mr. Wells had fenced in, and upon it, with the consent of the town, he erected 34 tombs. The intervening fence was later removed, and the yard became part of the old cemetery.

In 1832 a final purchase was made by Mr. Jacob Hall and others of a strip of land adjoining the northwestern side of the old burying-ground, which was given the title of "HullStreet Cemetery.' "In 1853 this section was discontinued, and the bodies it contained removed to Mt. Hope in February, 1861. This strip was on the present site of the gasometer and contained several rows of tombs. The proprietors at the same time relinquished certain rights of way to that part of Snowhill street, from Hull to Charter street, which had been merely a private foot-passage, and the City agreed to maintain here a public walk 33 feet wide.

A similar private burying-ground of much more ancient date and of smaller extent is still kept intact in the very centre of the cemetery. Judge Sewall and his wife, on January 7, 1708, sold to Joshua Gee, the noted ship-builder, a small portion of their pasture "one rodd square, in consideration of two and thirty shillings paid them, being part of their pasture adjoining to the north burying-place, in which parcel of ground Mrs. Mary Thacher now lyeth buried; bounded northerly by the said burying-ground and on all other sides by the land of the said Samuel and Hannah Sewall, with no right of way except through the old burying-place." Mr. Gee bought it at the urging of his wife, who did not care to be buried among the common multitude. The only restriction was that he should maintain one-half the fence. The Mrs. Thacher who lay buried therein was the wife of Judah Thacher of Yarmouth, and had died November 30, 1708, aged 68. Her gravestone is standing in the northeast corner of the little plot.

This enclosure later became the property of Deacon Moses Grant, one of the leaders of the Boston Tea Party. It is yet held in the family, being in possession of the heirs of the late Moses Grant, the temperance lecturer, and contains the remains of three generations. The spot is still private property, quite exempt from control of the burying-ground authorities.

By 1840 burials on Copp's Hill had become comparatively infrequent, and there was no further need of expansion. Beside the changes during 180 years, there were minor alterations in the appearance of the burying-ground.

When Snowhill street was cut through the edge of the old bluff and extended northerly to Charter street it encountered a row of old tombs, having a walk leading from end to end, with