°o 1.^' CO"** '.»* *^ / . ^' ^ %>a&^.* <^^^ ^c*. ': '^ o«*«-» '^ <> *'TV O^ 'o L'l°v^ .' ->'- -^OV* :- "^^.^ o. '♦ .*" , o^ *o • * * A >\-j:^'. .-^ ., O 4w <5^ «' r Ik » * «^ V^ jp-n*.. V . ••' aP . *•*;?. • > -^ "ot? ■HOft . W^ « A'-' ^./ .'^' %.^" •»: "-^ .^'%. ;•• .#-v ^W .**^''^*, ■-•» ,/ '■ A GUIDE-BOOK TO NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND; OK, THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURES ALONG CHARLES RIVER. BY ELIZABETH G. SHEPARD. BOSTON: DAMRELL & UPHAM, PUBLISHERS, ^t)e <0lti (iCorncr iBoofiotorc. 1893. .S5 Copyright, 1893, by Elizabeth G. Shepard. All rights resijrved. S. J. Parkhili & Co.. Typography and Presswork. Boston, U. S A. \^- \^"^^(^ To THK MkMORV OF EBEN NORTON HOKSFOED^ THIS LITTLE VOLUME, AVHICH HE SO WARMLY WELCOMED AND ENDORSED, IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. ROUTE BY CARS. Site of Leif'a house. — Site of Thorfinn's house and of his huts. —Fish-pits. — Thorflnn's Landing-. — Promontory at the south-west. Cambridge car from Treinont House or Bowdoin Square, Boston, to Harvard Square, Cambridge. Cbange to Mt. Auburn or Water- town car, and get off at Elnl^yood Avenue. Fare five cents. Amphitheatre. Car corner Elmwood Avenue and Brattle Street ; get off at Mt. Auburn Station. Fare five cents. Norumbeg-a, — dam, docks and wharves. Car at IMt. Auburn Station to Watertown. Fare five cents. Tower. —Paved areas for fishing- industries. —Ditch. Train at Fitcbburg Station, Boston, to Roberts'. Fare twenty cents. Ditch and dam. Train at Fitcbburg Station, Boston, or at Roberts.', for Stony Brook. Fare twenty cents or five cents. A GUIDE-BOOK NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. From time to time the knowledge has come to us of wonderful archaeological discoveries made along the* Charles River, and from our conservatism and inertia we are only just awak- ening to the fact that they are most interesting and fascinating. We have become anxious to see the evidences that have lain so long at our feet, and which might have been forever un- heeded and unknown but for the patient and untiring industry of that eminent scholar, Pro- fessor Eben Norton Horsford, who has made clear and intelligible to us Avhat was hitherto obscure and uncertain, and who has warmed our indifference into enthusiasm. It is the purpose of this little volume to guide all who may wish to follow his footsteps over the ground he has opened and prepared for us, and enjoy the fruit of his labor and research. Sagas. Biarni's voyage. S A GUIDE-BOOK TO Just at this time, when Ave are in the midst of such stupendous preparations for the celebra- tion of the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of this continent by Christopher Co- lumbus, it in nowise detracts from his glory to contemplate the voyages made at a far earlier period by the Xorsemeii. The sagas tell us, that in the year 985, Biarni Heriulfsson, a merchant and ship-master of Nor- way, in sailing from Iceland to Greenland, en- countered a northeast storm, and, after many days, when the skv grew clear, lie found him- self off a coast wooded and low, Avith little hills in the interior. He did not land, as he had heard that Greenland was a region of ice and mountains, but rcA^ersed his course and sailed to the northeast. He sailed for two days Avith a fair Avind, and at the end of that time he sighted another pro- jection, also Avoodcd and Ioav, Avithout moun- tains. He continued on his course Avith fair weather and the same southAvest wind, until, at the end of three days, he came to land Avhich Avas high and had snoAv-covered mountains. He coasted along its sliores jjroving it to be an island, and after another sail of four days, the continued southAvest Avind becoming stronger NORUMBEGA AND YIXELAND. 9 he readied Heriulfsness, his father's residence, at the southern extremity of Greenhind. Tlie three points of hind he had descried . before reaching Greenhmd were Cape God, Nova Scotia and Neirfoundland. Leif Ericsson dwelt in Greenland with his LeJf Ericsson sails lu the father Eric the Red, and having heard Biarni's y^^^'^-^^ i^'^^. story, fifteen years after the voyage, in the year 1000, he purchased the ship, manned and equipped it and set sail. His crew was thirty- five men. He first touched the land that Biarni had last seen and in coasting had discovered to be an island. He noted the snowy mountains in the interior, and from the flat rocks along the shore he named it Helluland, now Newfoundland. He returned to his ship, and after a sail of three days, which was the same time that Biaini had consumed in sailing the reverse direction, he reached the low wooded shores of Nova Scotia with their white sand beaclies. He called the country jNIarkland (woodland), and again embarked. At the end of two days, having continued to sail with a northeast wind (Biarni had sailed the distance contrarily with a southwest wind in the same lene^th of time) he came to an island 10 A GUIDE-BOOK TO The land-fall at the northern r)oint of Cape Cod, now con- of Leif Erics- son. nectecl bj the drifting of the sands with that promontory, and with his ship's company went on shore. This was the hxnd-fall of Leif Ericsson. Leif sails into After a short stay they returned to their shii) Boston Bay. and sailed across a bay that opened out to the north. That is, they sailed across the mouth of Cape Cod Bay, up past the Gurnet and Cohasset Rocks into Boston Bay, where they ran aground at ebbtide. At flood tide the ship floated up the Charles River into the ancient Back Bay, Avhich Leif spoke of as '' a lake through which a river flowed into the sea." Later it was called by Thorfinn, Hdp^ a land-locked bay, salt at flood tide and fresh at ebb. Leif lands in The only practicable landing place was at a point in Cambridge once known as Gerry's Landing, near the bluff called S3miond's Hill. This bluff was originally thirty-five feet above high water, and was only taken away some forty years ago to fill in portions of the Back Bay. Here is the o\\\j point where the shore was bold and hard and where a ship could rest on an even keel, making it possible to land at high or low tide. lo'^' Lief's Route from Cape Cod. NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 11 There is the faintest suggestion of a landing ei bridge ,1 1 • 1 1 1 ii Gerry lived at now on the grass-covered river bank, and the Eimvvood. phice was called Gerry's Landing because all the the home ot land about was owned by Elbridge Gerry, who Lowell, lived at Elmwood, the estate Avhich afterwards came into possession of the Lowell family, and made famous as the home of James Russell Lowell. Here he was born, and here, where he passed nearly all his life, he died. In " Sweet Auburn," almost within sight of Elmwood win- dows, he sleeps. The house, surrounded by extensive grounds Situation of Avith beautiful English elms of ancient growth, is located at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Mt. Auburn Street, and but a short distance from Brattle Street. At Gerry's Landing, goods were unloaded Former use of from boats and skows and transported into the ing/^ country for the use of the early settlers and for traffic with the Indians. Here, too, in that far earlier period, Lief and his compau}', so the sagas tell us, " brought up from the ship their skin cots and made booths. After this they took counsel together, resolved Leif builds his to remain for the winter, and built tliere a large house." Booths were temporary abodes of a less sub- Booths, stantial nature than the later dwellings. 12 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Skin cots were sort of bags or envelopes in which a man could incase himself. Thej were made of coarse, heavy far on the outside with Skin cots. a lining of a softer, finer kind. Fastened down the sides and across the bottom, a man could slip into one, and, drawing over the flap at the to}), lie down anywhere in the coldest or most exposed place. The narrative goes on to say that half the company attended to the work of building, while the other half explored the country, Leif alternately assisting each set of men. After contemplating theii Leifs route from Greenland to his land-fall on Cape Cod, and his sail into Boston Harbor and up the Charles River, the next point of interest is the site of his liouse. Happily the remains have been discovered for us and we have only to go down Elmwood Avenue from Brattle Street, past " Elmwood," the Lowell estate, and across Mt. Auburn Street, continuing to the right of the stonecutter's, down the road or lane, until a pair of bars are reached. A short walk beyond, with the Cambridge Hospital Ijuildings on our left and Ave find our- selves upon the historic spot. Througli Professor NOKUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 13 Horsford's interest and liberality, it lias been enclosed with an iron fence carefully set on granite posts, a massive tablet of })olished granite On this spot . r\/\/\ ^'^ ^^® year denoting that " On this spot, m the year 1000, looo, Leif Ericsson built Leif Ericsson built his liouse in Vineland." his house in Vineland. It is the custom for Norse houses to be built loner and narrow with a lonof side towards the south. Leif's principal house faced in this way. The plan will show how carefully excavations have been made under the directions of Pro- fessor Horsford, and with what wonderful vivid- ness they reveal the past. The most distinctively characteristic feature Careful ex- cavations re- of Norse dwellinofs is the fire in tlie middle of veal the earth- ^ ern floor with the house. The earthern floor has been found ?^^"® hearth in centre. with the stone hearth in the centre. The stones are mostly split, showing that they have been heated, and cracked by the un- equal expansion. On the under part of the stones there are traces of the green protoxide of iron. On the top, Avhere they have been ex- posed to heat and air, this has become red (rust), the peroxide of iron. Charred wood or charcoal has been found by the hearth. On the side of the foundations towards the south two large stones were uncovered, the width of a doorway apart. 14 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Stockade and At the end of the house towards the river, arrow points. ^^•here the stockade woukl naturally be built, stone arrow points and spear heads were found in almost perfect condition. What can bring us closer to a time and people than to come to the hearth-stone around which they gathered, to the fireside where stories of home must have been told over and over again, and wliere plans for life in the new country were discussed and brought to an issue. The story of The storv of the namino- of Yineland has the naming of *^ ^ Vineiand. often been told. Let me repeat it : In Leif's company was a man named Tyrker, a German, who had been for a long time in the household of Leif s father, Eric the Red. One evening he was missing, and his absence caused Leif much uneasiness. Leif had cautioned his men not to wander far away, and his anxiety increasing, he started out with twelve of his companions to seek Tyrker. They had gone but a short distance when they met him in an exceedingly meny mood. He held in his hand a bunch of grapes and rolled his eyes, talking excitedly in German. He was small and ugly and had a little wizened face, so that his fan- tastic actions were all the more grotesque. As he approached Leif he addressed him in Plan of Site of Northman's Landing NORUMBEGA AND YINELAND. 15 the Norse tongue, exclaiming : '' I strayed not far away, but I have something strange to rekite. I have found vines and grapes such as grow in Germany where I was born." Thereupon he danced in great glee, and it was not strange, for the discovery had brought back the associations of Ins childhood. From this incident Leif named the country ^"ineland — a place Avhere vines grew wild, beaiing grapes. In the spring they sailed away to Greenland, Leif returns to Greenland. carrying with them a rich cargo of grapes and masur wood. The next expedition made to Vineland was in Thorvaid Ericsson sails the summer of 1002, when Thorvaid Ericsson, a to vineland. brother to Leif, made a voyage in the ship that Leif loaned to him. No particulars of this expe- dition are given until Leif's houses are reached. Thorvaid, with his company of thirty men, Thorvaid remained quiet through the winter, and in the ations. spring of 1003 explored the Charles, finding shallows and islands, with a corn-shed on an island far to the west. In the autumn he re- turned again to Leif's houses, and the following spring, in 1004, Avhile exploring the sea, he was Breaks oft tne driven upon Cape Cod, where he broke the keel ship. of his ship. 16 A GUIDE-BOOK TO He remained there for some time, repairing his vessel, and erecting the old keel in the sand called the point Kialarness (Cape of the Keel). He then sailed away to the eastward, into the bays along b}^ Plymouth, imtil he at length came to a point of land which was beautifully wooded. Thorvaid He moored his vessel and Avent with his men lands upon the Gurnet. Upon the shore. " Here it is beautiful,'' Thor- vaid exclaimed, " and here would I willingly set up my abode." The Skraei- Soou after their arrival they were attacked line's. by the Skraellings, the inhabitants wdiich the Northmen found here. They Avere in appear- ance short, with wide faces and high cheek- bones ; their eyes very large and set wide apart. Thorvaid's en- Thorvald and his comi^anions were walkinof counter with ^ the Skraei- dowu to the shore toward their ship, when they lings. ^ *^ descried three hillocks on the sand in the dis- tance. Upon approaching them, they dis- covered them to be skin boats with three Skrael- lings under each boat. They divided their forces and killed eight of them, one escaping with his boat. Then Thorvald and his men were overcome by fatigue and fell asleep. Suddenly they were awakened by a loud cry and these words: NORUMBEGA AND VIXELAND. 17 " Awake, Thorvald, and all tliy companions, if thou wilt save thy life ; go on board thy sliip with all thy men, and depart from this country at once." This cry is surmised by Professor Horsford to come from one of Leif's party who remained in Vineland. They all hastened to the ship and raised their war screens, planks that could be arranged around the deck on the gunwale, as a protection from arrows and stones. A great number of the Skraellings in their Thorvaid T . , mortally boats bore down upon them, and m the en- wounded. counter Thorvaid was mortally wounded. He was buried on the Gurnet, at the point he had considered so beautiful, and he requested that a cross be put at his head and one at his feet, and the place be called Krossaness (Cape of Krossaness. Crosses). This ness or projection is known on maj^s as late as 1543 as Cape St. Croix. Thorvald's wishes were carried out and after the winter had passed, his men returned to Greenland, taking with them a cargo of grapes and masur w^ood, and bearing the sad news of his brother's death to Leif. 18 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Thorfinn Karlsefni. The celebra- tion of the Yule feast. Gudrid. The most interesting and important voyage to Vinelancl was made by Thorfinn Karlsefni, a man from No^^yay, rich and distinguished, and descended from an ancient and noble family. Karlsefni went from Norway to Iceland, and from there made a voyage to Greenland. He had in his ship a crew of forty men, and another ship accompanied him with as man^^ more. This was in the autumn of 1006, and when they arrived at Ericsfiord, Leif invited the prin- cipal men of both ships to spend the winter with him at Brattahlid. As the time for the Yule f^^^st approached, Leif became silent and oppressed. Karlsefni noted it and questioned him. Leif confessed that he could make but a poor festival that year, whereat the goods from both ships were freely offered him, and a bounteous feast pro- vided. In the household of Leif there dwelt the beautiful Gudrid, daughter of Thorbiorn, with whom she had come from Iceland to Greenland. Her father had undertaken the voyage for the purpose of taking her away from suitors whom he deemed unworthy of her hand. One of them had been scornfully described by him as " noth- ing but a gatherer of taxes." Since Gudrid's NORUMBEGA AXD YINELAND. 19 arrival in Greenland she had married Leif's brother Thorstein, and become a widow. Soon after the festivities of the Yule feast Thorfinn weds Gudrid. were over, Thorfinn Karlsefni sought Gudrid in marriaofe, and winninof her consent and that of Leif, the ceremonies of their betrothal and mar- riage were both celebrated that winter. Conversation often reverted to Yineland and Thorfinn and Gudrid with a the richness of the country. Uro-ed by Gudrid, large company -^ ^ -^ sail for Viue- Thorfinn decided to undertake the voyage, and land, in the spring of 1007, accompanied by her, he set sail. He was joined by two or more ships, one of which was loaned for the occasion by Thorbiorn, Gudrid's father. Thorfinn used the vessel that had brought him from Iceland. There were one hundred and sixty people in all, seven of Avhom were women, and they were supplied with cattle and everything necessary to settle a new country. They reached Yineland in May or early June, occupied Leif s houses and built additional ones " some nearer, others farther from the water." After remaining here tw^o months or more. They sail upon exploring ex- tAvo of the ships bearing a part of the company peditions> wdth Thorfinn for one commander, sailed away on an exploring expedition past Cohasset and 20 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Wonder- strand. Scituate Beach to Cape Cod, where the broken keel was found, and the pomt was called Kialar- ness, the name which Thorvald had already given it. They pursued their way around the outer side of the cape, passing long stretches of sand to which they gave the descriptive name of Furdustrand (Wonderstrand) because they were so long in sailing by, and for the reason that the shore being curved convexly was con- stantly retreating before them. Then they ran into a cove and anchored. Leif had loaned Thorfinn two Scots, a man named Haki and a woman named Hekia, slaves Avhich had been given him by King Olaf, of Norway. They were swifter of foot than wild animals, and they were j^ut upon the land and commanded to run three days and report what they might see. They wore a kind of garment called kiafal. It had a hat on top, was 023en at the sides w^ithout sleeves, and fastened between the legs with a button and strap. When they returned, one bore in his hand a bunch of grapes, the other brought a white ear of corn. They had found these growing wild, both unripe, as it was still early in the season. Thorfinn goes Thorfinn continued his journey as far as as far south as ^,- , , , , , i • i • -i i Chatham. Chatham, and tlien the other ship, having sailed Slaves find corn and grapes grow- ing wild at Nauset. NORUMBEGA AND VINELAXD. 21 to the nortlnvard and encountered a storm, Thorlinn retraced his course to seek it. But it was blown out to sea Avith its commander Thor- hall and a crew of nine men, and Thorfinn re- turned to his houses, handing upon the south- Thorfinn re- 1 1 c 1 T 1 -1 1 turns to his Avestern bank oi the little tributary stream that houses in Vineland. floAVS down from Mt. Auburn, emptying into the Charles. Here a cove was made where a vessel could lie safely through the winter. Then Thorfinn directed wood to be cut and hewn into blocks and piled upon the cliff to dry. But before pursuing the thread of this industry let us find evidences of his sojourn in Yineland where he occupied Leif's house and built addi- tional ones of his own. If we walk back from the site of Leif's house From Leif's house to Thor- along the faintly discernible road, Ayhich was finu's. the ancient highway from Gerry's Landing, until we get to the bars again, turning to the left, we find ourselves upon what is known as Bank Lane, a narrow road skirting the meadows and used in the early days of Cambridge by the owners of riparian rights in the grass of the marshes for the removal of their liay. On the left of this grass}" lane, if one stands faciiiG^ the Cambrido^e Cemetery, can l)e seen, if 22 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Thorfinn's long house. Thorfinn's huts or booths. Burial place or foundation of tower. Fish-pits and salmon fish- ing. one looks carefully, a ridge of earth, grass grown and uneven, where it is conceived that Thor- finn's long house, his most pretentious one, stood. There has been digging done here very re- cently, which will serve to verify the location. It is the custom now, in Norway and Iceland, as well as nine hundred years ago, that when a company of explorers settle in a new countr}', a large or principal house is built with smaller huts near at hand. On the opposite side of Bank Lane, near to the site of Thorfinn's house, may be seen the sites of several of these huts, some showing a sort of terrace thrown out in front of them. Towards Elmwood, opposite the tenement houses, and just behind an elm tree, is a circular mound which may have been a burial place or the foundation of a tower. Returning to the site of Thorfinn's long house, there will be observed beyond, to the right, a large fish-pit, and to the left, towards Leif's house, several smaller ones. The sagas tell us that Thorvald Ericsson remained quite all win- ter at Leif's house and lived by fishing. Thor- vald mentioned the great size and abundance of salmon, and Professor Horsford has in his pos- \^^p I HK NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 23 session a salmon sinker picked up on the banks of the Charles and four more have been found near the memorial terrace in front of Long- fellow's house. In the saga of Thorfinn it is related that pits Avere dug at extreme high tide where the land was highest, to catch the fish in spawning season, the fish going up the rivers and smaller streams to deposit their spawn. They were also duof where the land besran, " Sacred fish" . or halibut. and when the tide went out there were " sacred fish " or halibut in the pits. In the autumn of 1007, little Snorre, the son Snorre, son of Gudrid and of Gudrid and Thorfinn, was born. Thorfinn, bom As Thorfinn had been made aware of the Skraellings, to protect his household from any attack, especially during his absence on his ex- pedition to Cape Kialarness and down past Wonderstrand, he had a strong stockade built about his dwelling. It is written that Gudrid once sat within the door of her dwelling by the cradle of lier sleej)- ing babe. Gudrid is always described as very beautiful, large and fair, Avith luxuriant golden liair, and as good as she was beautiful. As she sat near her babe, sweetly singing a in Vineland. 24 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Gudrid is visited by another Gudrid. lullal)y, or with thoughts wandering to northern hinds mayhap, the doorway was darkened sud- denly, and a female figure had glided in beyond the palisade of upright logs. Startled, Gudrid glanced up and beheld a Avoman, rather short of stature, wearing a black woven kirtle or gown, her yellow hair bound by a snood. Her eyes were large, so large that never had such eyes been seen in human face before. " AVhat art thou called ? " the stranger asked in the Icelandic tongue. The mother replied, " Gudrid. What art thou called? " questioning, and holding out her hand in Avelcome. '' Gudrid," the strange one replied and van- ished, for at the same time there was a loud crash outside, and a Skraelling, in attempting to seize a weapon, was killed by one of the house guards. What wonder that Gudrid marvelled at the strange apparition she alone had seen ! Who was this barbaric creature born of an alien race yet speaking her own tongue and possessing strong Norse characteristics. Even bearing her own name. Daughters of Northmen were already in the land! About the fields of Cambridge little Snorre r i- I 1 NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 25 played, ruiiiiina- off, no doubt, to pluck tlie Where Sriorre ^ -^ ' ^ ^ played. yellow daisies on the promontory to the south- west of his father's settlement, where the ox- eyed daisies grow even to this day. Cape St. ]\[argharita this point was called by Verrazano in 1524. A small, pure white stone cup, gracefully Small white stone cup proportioned and well preserved, has been un- found. earthed near the grounds, and is now among the possessions of Professor Horsford. JNIio-ht it not have belonofed to the fair Gudrid and it is not impossible that little Snorre lost it. From this Vineland-born boy have descended Icelandic genealogies- man}^ distinguished men and bishops in Iceland. Ko genealogies were better kept than those of the prominent Icelandic families, and as the Rev. Benjamin De Costa says : '' There can be no reasonable doubt cast upon the record which attests the family line of Gudrid, the founda- tion of Avhich was begun in New England, fur- nishing an important part of the Episcopal succession in Iceland." A descendent of Snorre's in the ninth genera- tion was Her Hauk, the Lagman or Governor of Iceland in 1295. He was one of the compilers of the Landnama-bok, similar, but of greater value even, than the Encrlish Doomsday Book. 26 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Thorvaidsen, It is also recorded that from Snorre is de- the great Danish sculp- sceiided Tliorvaldscn, the s^reat Danish sculptor. tor, descended ^ ^ from Vine- Jt ^yas not Until after the first winter of Thor- land born Snorre. finn's sojourn in Vineland that he Avas visited by the Skraellings, and then these swarthy little Settlement of men, pointinsf to the sun as a sign of peace, Thorfinn x o or visited by the came to g-aze and wonder and then sail awav Skraellings. ° -^ around the jJi'omontory to the southwest. After a time the Skraellings came again, ap- pearing from around the southwestern promon- tory in large numbers. Thorfinn raised his white shield of peace and when they met they began to trade. They trade The Skraellinsfs brouo'ht rich furs and skins with furs. ^ ^ ^ which they bartered for red cloth. They would take long strips of it and bind it around their beads as a snood. When it grew scarce, it was cut into small pieces, but the Skraellings would give as much for it as before. They also received products of the dairy which they greatly relished. In the midst of these transactions the bull of Thorfinn's herd ran out from the woods, and, frightened, loudly roared. With howls of terror the Skraellings rushed to their boats and tumbling into them, rowed away. NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 27 Thorfinn was apprehensive that the Skrael- The Skraei- lings become lings would come in hostility the next time, hostile, and hardly more than three weeks later they appeared in vast numbers, their paddles turned from the sun, and uttering prolonged howls of rage. They assailed the newcomers with a hot A battle ensues. shower of missiles sent from slings, and fasten- ing a large stone in the skin of an animal they attached it to a long pole and hurled it among the Northmen. The Northmen were much alarmed and fled along the river, but near some rocks they made a bold stand and fought val- iently, so that a large number of the mob was killed and but few of their own men perished. The Skraellings found a dead man with an axe laying beside him. One of their number picked up the axe and struck at a tree with it. One after another they tested it and thought it a treasure, and that it cut well. Then one of them struck at a stone and the axe broke, whereat they concluded it w^as useless, because it would not cut stone and threw it aw^ay. Although Vineland was fruitful and at- Thorfinn leaves Vine- tractive, Thorfinn began to feel that he Avould land. be liable constantly to attacks from the natives, and for this reason reluctantly abandoned the 28 A GUIDE-BOOK TO idea of remaining in the country. The follow- ing spring, in 1011, he sailed for Greenland, loading his ship Avith masur wood, rich furs and skins, grapes dried, and doubtless corn which the Xorthmen found growing wild in the low- lands. Other voyages Subsequent voyages were made to Yineland. to Vineland. i i • Soon after Thorfinn's return to Greenland, it is related that Freydis, a natural daughter of Eric the Red, and who, it is said, had accom- panied Thorfinn on his expedition, prevailed upon Helge and Finnboge, two brothers of Ice- landic descent, to join her in an expedition. Freydis and They had come from Norway to Greenland in two brothers Helge and their ship, and ijassed a winter there. The Finnboge, sail with two ships yoyasfe promised P-reat o^ain, and there was to be to Vineland. J & i & & ' an equal division between Freydis and the brothers. They came directly to Leif's houses, each ship with thirty men, besides the Avomen. Con- tentions soon arose, and Freydis had her hus- band with liis men put the brothers to death and all their followers, Avhile she slew the five women of their party. She bestowed man}' gifts upon her own followers for them to conceal her cruelty, and returned with both ships richly laden to Greenland. After a time her wicked- HP NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 29 ness was revealed, and '' nobody thought any- thing of them, save evil, from that time." About the year 1070 the King of Denmark About 1070 the King of told the Prelate, Adam of Bremen, about Vine- Denmark teiia of Vineland land, visited half a century after Thorfinn was visited by his subjects. here. " It was called Vineland," he said, " be- cause grapes making excellent wine grow there spontaneously, and cereals without planting." Tliis testimony is independent of tlie Ice- landic literature, and the king assured the Dig- nitaries of the Church that it was trustworth}-, as his subjects, the Danes, had been in Vine- land. In 1121, Bishop Eric Gnupson, of Greenland, 1121 Bishop ... Gnupson un- resigned that bee to undertake a mission m dertakesa mission in Vineland. Vineland. There are records of voyages in 1285 and 1288, and in 1357 a ship went to Iceland from Greenland that had been to Markland (Nova Scotia) for wood. This was the masur wood tliat formed so large a part of Thorfinn's cargo when he left Vineland. What was masur wood ? We are told that Leif took it away from Vineland. Thorvald's men, too, after his death, returned to Greenland witli their ship richly laden with grapes and masur wood. Thorfinn 30 A GUIDE-BOOK TO doubtless took away the richest cargo of all, and an important part of it Avas masur wood. Masurwood. We Can find it to-day. It is the burr or warty outgrowth on oaks, maples, hickory, ash and other trees. It has a beautiful curly grain, and is so tough that it can be Avorked into ex- tremely thin forms without danger of warping or cracking. It is capable of receiving a high polish and is very decorative. The collecting of masur wood from these primal forests was an important industry of the Northmen, and we find constant evidences of it in the dams, ditches and canals, which in great numbers have been brought to our notice by Professor Horsford. Thorfinn's directions to his men to fell the wood, hew it, carry it to the ship and pile it on the cliff near by to dry, is more descriptive than we at first realize. The tree was first felled and then the valuable Avood cut off or hewn into blocks of convenient size to handle. As there Avere no means for transportation other than Avater, thC/ blocks had to be floated doAvn the streams to the ships at Gerry's Land- inp-. But the Avood AA'as Avet and must needs be piled upon the cliff to dry. The cliff Ave do not find, but aa^c haA^e ac- NOllUMBEGA AND VINELAXD. 31 counted for its removal for tlie purpose of filling- in new lands. You will observe a ridge of earth across Bank Lane, obliquely crossing the little stream that flows down from Mi. Auburn and stretchino- off o to the rioht. This served to confine the waters that brouo'ht down the Avood. To illustrate how o highly prized was the masur wood of Vineland, a stor}^ of Thorfinn is worthy of repetition. In the spring of 1011 he sailed away from a story of the TT- 1 1 1 c 1 • /-^ 1 1 value of masur Vineland, and soon alter reachmg (jrreenland wood, he ag^ain embarked and carried his rich stores to Norway, where he disposed of them to ad- vantage. He passed the winter in the court of the king with Gudrid and his son Snorre, being highly esteemed, and in the spring of 1012 made ready to go to Iceland, their future and permanent home. While he was waiting for a favoring wind, a Thorfinn sells Bremen merchant came to him and Avished to suotra. buy his husa-snotra. There have been many speculations as to the meaning of this word, l)ut tlie research of Pro- fessor Horsford determined it to signify a jDair of house-scales. Thorfinn at first refused to sell, but Avhen the merchant offered a pound of gold, eicfhtv dollars of our monev, and far more 32 A GUIDE-BOOK TO in present valnes, he closed the bargain. The scale-pans were made of masur wood. Other sped- History tells us of its worth. It was used mens ol masur "^ wood. ij^ ii^Q manufacture of communion-cups, chalices for church services, and is mentioned in inven- tories of ancient cathedrals. It was also em- ployed for making drinking-cups, flagons, beak- ers, tankards, often mounted in silver, and kept b}^ kings with the royal treasure. " A miglity mazer bowl of wine was set," says Spenser; and one quotes from Ben Jonson: "Their brimful mazers to the feasting bring." Professor Horsford has pictures of elaborately carved tankards plating back to the eleventh century, and also possesses several handsome drinking-cups, which are duplicates of more re- cent date. We shall find growing evidences of the im- portance of the masur-wood industry as we pro- ceed on our way towards Norumbega, the ancient city of history, tradition and song ; indeed, we do not at any time Avander away from them. But let us visit tlie amphitheatre which is not far distant. The araphi- A short ride of less than a mile in the horse- theatre. cars, up Brattle Street to Mt. Auburn station, Drinking Cup. NORUMBEGA AXD VINELAX'D. 33 or by carnage up Mt. Auburn Street to Brattle Street and Belmont Street, thence to Gushing Street ; and, turning down the first street to the left, the splendid amphitheatre lies before us. Here, too, we meet with the care and sur- veillance of Professor Horsford, for he has purchased the property, and enclosed it with square-cut granite posts linked together by a heavy chain. This is conceived to have been a gathering place of the Northmen. Here, perchance, came the Althino' or Gen- Althing or ■^ _ ^ General As- eral Assembly, to maintain a republican form sembiy. of government such as was held at home. The Althing, in Iceland, made the laws, and the strictest justice prevailed. A man was ap- pointed to remember and recite these laws, and " the edicts of the Althing, the decisions of the courts, the chronicles of kings and people, the ofcnealoofies and histories of families, the titles to estates, as held by the Sagamen, were trusted implicitedly." Or, peradventure, the Norsemen on our shores Pastimes, came to this spot for their pastimes, as in their country great stress was laid upon bodily strength and prowess. They might have had wrestling, jumping, or exercise in the use of 34 A GUIDE-BOOK TO arms — swords, spears, battle-axes. It would be very natural for men of wealth and distinc- tion, as tbey were wlio came to Viiieland, to participate in the sports to which they were accustomed. Horse fighting was also much indulged in ; and this amphitheatre with no less than eight terraces for the spectators, may have been formed for any of these purposes. To Water- If horscs be waiting, let us on to Watertown, town, the ancient city of to the ancicut citv of Norumbef]^a ; or, if we Norumbega. "^ ° have wandered more slowly from one point to another, a few steps back to Mi. Auburn sta- tion will take us to the horse-cars, whose tracks border the beautiful road with a charming view of hill and country on either side, that vdth sweeps and curves enters the little town. From the bridge which spans the Charles, once known as the Norumbega River, a fine view may be obtained of the dam, docks and wharves of the olden city. Tablet on the A liaudsome tablet on the bridge will assure us that we have not mistaken our way, for Pro- fessor Horsford's care still forestalls us. The tablet is thus inscribed : " Outlook upon the stone dam and stone-walled docks and wharves of Norumbega, the seaport of the Northmen in Vin eland." bridge. KORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 35 On the opposite side of the bridge, the town Tablet erected by the town ol has erected a similar tablet, which reads : " 'The Watertowu. old bridge by the mill ' crossed Charles River near tliis spot as early as 1641." The story of Norumbeo-a is not a long" one. The story of «^ ° o ' Norumbega. tliougli very old — for Massachusetts. Vemzano, an Italian explorer under Francis I, of France, in 1521 sailed into the mouth of a river named Norumbega. In 1543, Allefonsce, a pilot u der Koberval, . found in the forty-third degree, between Cape Ann and Cape Cod, a river with a city on its banks, both bearing the name of Norumbegue. At the mouth of this river were rocks and islands, and about fifteen leagues up from the mouth was the city. " There Avas a fine people at this city ; and the}' had furs of many animals, and wore man- tles of martin skins." Thevet saw Norumbega in 155(3, and de- scribed it as situated on the l)anks of "one of the most beautiful rivers in all the world." Wytfliet in 1597, Douay in 1607, and Lescarbot in 1610, all quote the statement that " to the north of Virginia is Norumbega, which is well known as a beautiful citv and a irreat river.'' 36 A GUIDE-BOOK TO But there is a still more Avonderful story : In 1569, David Ingram, an English sailor, reached a beautiful city called Xorumbega, after having wandered across the country from the Gulf of Mexico. He had sailed from England under Sir John Hawkins, and been set on shore at Tampico with a hundred or more others, owing to lack of provisions. He visited many large Indian towns in his journey over the country before reaching Xorumbega, and soon after his arrival he sailed for England from the harbor of St. Mary's (once a name for Bos- ton Bay), not far from the Norumbega he had visited. Upon his return, he A^-as kindly re- ceived by Sir John Hawkins. He told stories that passed belief. He had looked upon houses with pillars of crystal and silver, and had seen pearls measured by the peck. He was taken into council ' by Dr. John Dee, concerning a contemplated expedition to Norumbega by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and The vet, who was pres- ent, conlirmed his relations in part. ]\Iuch of wliat he told he liad only heard, and his wanderings, deprivations and hardships had brought confusion to his memory. But he had seen the city, and the pearls — from fresh Avater clams — and there were furs and precious stones. NORITMBEGA AND VINELAND. 37 Sir Humphrey Gilbert sailed with the hope of finding Norumbega ; Champlain sought it vainly, and CaiDtain John Smith hoped to reach it. A mythical city could hardly have gained credence with men of so mau}^ nationalities. And whence the name Norumbega? From Norumbega means: be- Norwav. It means : Belonmngf to Norway, longing to ^ ^ / Norway, once called Norvega or Norbega. The native Indians could not pronounce h Avithout putting m before it, so that Norbega became Nor'mbega or Norumbeo-a. o The country to Avhich the Northmen came they first called Yineland. But many years after when they had become merged more or less in the Indian people, and other explorers came, the answer to incjuiries concerning the country would naturally be : Norumbega^ in the sense of belonging to Nor'mbega or Norway. We have seen how well known was the countrv of Norumbesra, extendino" from Rhode Island to the St. Lawrence. AVe have heard the Norumbega River described by all who saw it as one of the most beautiful in the world. The city of Norumbega figures on innumerable maps, and Ingram, the sailor, in 1569, tells that it was three-quarters of a mile long. Then with the dilution of the Norse blood 38 A GUIDE-BOOK TO came tlie decline. In 1583 Bellinger, a friend of Hakluyt, visited the city and found eighty houses covered with bark of trees ; an extensive commerce still beincv carried on there. In 1604 Champlain was conducted b}- the natives of the neighborhood to the remains of Norumbega, but with visions of Paris and the cities of the old world to recall, he refused to believe in the place, and having sought it vainly on the Penobscot in Maine, he struck out all mention of the city and country in his map of 1(332. The dam. In 1631, when Winthrop came, he found the falls caused by the dam Avhich is now before us at Watertown. It is constructed of rounded field boulders, as the Avater breakino^ throuo-h ' (DO several years ago, exposed the structure to view. Docks and The docks are plainly discernible. Availed wharves. channels betAveen the islands, these islands once being Avharves Avhere the masur Avood Avas load- ed, the dried salmon and the furs and skins. While historically inclined Ave can look over A house where behind US as Ave stand facino^ the dam, and the AVashington ^ slept. fipyt house beyond the bridge is the one in Avhich Washington slept the last night before he took command of his forces in Cambridge. This is said to be authentic. NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 39 Still facinof the dam, if one looks iii) AVater- House where ^ ^ Paul Revere town Street that borders the river on the left, made conti- nental paper the third house Avill present a blackened and mouey. Aveather-beaten corner. It is opposite the junc- tion of Watertown and California Streets, and in this house continental paper money was man- ufactured by Paul Revere. Then leaving the bridge, and walking down past Lewando's Dye Works, turning around the corner to the ricfht, one soon reaches the flour- ing mill on the exact spot where a flouring mill The flouring has always stood ever since the days when the first one in New England, and possibly in America, was set up there. It is dependent upon the same water-power that was made use of in the first instance from the Norse dam. There are accounts of weir-fishing ; one hun- AVeir-fishing. dred thousand fish being reported to have been caught in two tides, or one day. Roger Clapp, in 1630, bartered with the Indians for iish caught at the falls, before Winthrop found them in the following year. All these accounts presuppose the dam, with- out which the river would have glided along as smoothly as above. The dam Avas there, and had been built by a people who had come and gone. 40 A GUIDE-BOOK TO Soldiers' mouument. Waltham watch factor On to Fort If ^ye are to accomplish the tower m an jNorumbega. ^ afternoon Avith what we have already seen, we must turn away from AVatertown, with its mar- vellous stor}' and archaeological interests, and wend our way through the picturesque little towns of Waltham and Weston. The drive is a delightful one, and the distance not more than five miles. When leaving Watertown Square we drive up ]\Iain Street with the Soldiers' Monument on our right, and as we continue, we pass, on our left, the first cotton mill of this country. A little farther on and Ave leaA'e the watch ^®^' factories of Waltham to our left, the great brick buildino^s reachino^ to the edo^e of the river. Upon arrival at the stone Avatering-trough in Waltham, ^^ou turn aAA^ay from the Lincoln road and the one leading to Weston and Wayland, and take South Street. On the left, some little distance up, is the j\It. Feake Cemetery and on the opposite side, after Beaver Brook, passing BeaA^er Brook, so named l^y Governor Winthroj) in 1631, " because the beavers had shorn doAvn divers great trees there, and made diA^ers dams across the brook," is the handsome estate of Dr. Wm. Baker. Upon his grounds, discernible from the high- NORUMBEGA AND VENELAND. 41 way, is a great rock u[)Oii wliicli is a large high Adams' chair, stone, cleft asunder. Tliis is historical and once lost has recently l)een found again. In the early colonial days, Governor John Winthrop witli three com})anions, one time journeyed np Charles River. As they pursued their way along the Indian trail the}^ observed this cleft stone and found that four men could just pass tlirough abreast. In honor of the youngest member of tlieir party, Adams Winthrop, the eldest son of the Governor's third wife, they named it " Adams' chair." This event was recorded, and then Adams' chair was lost. One read of it in history l)ut it could not be found, until Professor Hors- ford, with his genius for revealing the secrets of the past, discovered it afresh l^efore our e3'es. Boston Rock is also upon Dr. Baker's estate, Boston Rock, and was thus named by Governor Winthrop because it was the first point from which Boston could be descried in his route from Framing- ham. The tower is easily reached, for crossins^ The tower on ^^ ^ the site of Fort Stony Brook and passing the paper mill, the Norumbega. first mill where asbestos paper Avas made, one turns into the short private roadway to the left 42 A GUIDE-BOOK TO that leads directly to it. One can go by train from Boston by way of Fitchburg railroad to Robert's station near the tower. The remark was once made by a student of Nature rather than of Norse literature, that he supposed Professor Horsford chose that particu- lar spot for the tower because of the beauties of the site. How beautiful it is indeed ! And as we slowly mount the tower steps the view is charm- ing beyond description. The gentl}^, undulat- ing country, the trees with their varying foliage and the river flowing by, reflecting the loveli- ness of shores and sky. Ever and anon a light canoe steals softly along, or a fleet of boats. Professor Horsford has erected the beautiful stone tower on the site of Fort Norumbega, for a time occupied by the Bretons some four hun- dred 3'ears ago, and as many years earlier as the seat of extensive fisheries and a settlement of the Northmen. The old fort was described to be at tlie junction of two streams, the Charles and Stony Brook. It was surrounded by a stockade, and a ditch which still remains. If you start from the tower and go down to the left, you can follow the ditch nearl}^ to the paper mill, indeed it curves around and is con- NORUMBEGA AND VIXELAND. 43 tinued across South Street, tlie road past tlie mill, towards tlie reservoir. Then retracing your steps ; from the tower to the right, you can follow it until it finally ends in a delta five hundred or more feet away. Tliis ditch is in places ten or twelve feet deep, much of it graded and carefully paved with rounded boulders on the bottom and sides. From the literature on the subject and his own deductions, Professor Horsford drove from his home in Cambridge to the spot, nine miles awa}^, and found the remains of the fort on his first visit. He has purchased a number of acres of land, so that the historic spot is safe and the beauti- ful Norman tower stands as a magnificent and graceful monument to his convictions. At the base of the tower is set a stone mortar A stone mor- tar found which was unearthed U]:)on the j^rounds, and is upon the ^ grounds. such as the Northmen used in Norway in very early times to grind their corn. The evidences of an extensive industry in Paved areas used in the fishery are revealed in the PTaded areas, some fisheries in- •^ ^ ^ ^ dustry. four acres in extent, carefully paved with rounded field boulders. These are on the opposite side of the road from the tower, ad- jacent to the Cambridge Water Works, and in a 44 A GUIDE-BOOK TO To the stone- walled ditch at Stony- Brook. great measure submerged b}- the Avater of the reservoir. Upon this pavement the fish were spread to dry ; and the stones heated all day by tlie sun retained much of the warmth throuo-h the night and kept the fish at a more even tem- perature with less danger of spoiling. It was by the old fort that Professor Hors- ford entered the pathway that led him to the vast secrets which he has unfolded to us one after another. If one has time to continue his drive a little, let him go on from the tower up Summer Street until he reaches Stony Brook station on the Fitchburg railroad. This will allow one to make nearly a circuit of the water-works and the trip is just so much the more enjoyable. Or a pleasant excursion can be made b}" tak- ing a train in Boston at the Fitchburg depot for Ivoberts, and after a visit to the toAver, board the train again for Stony Brook, the next station. Upon arrival at Ston}^ Brook, a short walk up the road that leads past the station brings one to a wooded hill on the right, and ascending this for a few steps one comes almost imme- diately upon a stone-walled ditch which one can follow through a charming l)it of wood for some distance. XORUMBEGA AND VIXELAND. 45 It finally leads up to a dam and tliese ditches and dams can be found all through the valley of the Charles, serving as they did the miisur- A\'Ood industry. The blocks of wood were floated down the streams or their tributaries and then canals or ditches were dug to transport them to the hirger streams and ultimately to the Charles, where, stopped by the boom dam, they were dried and stored for shipment at the city and seaport of Korumbega. There can be no lovelier excursion for a fair ■Down the river by boat day in sprinn^-time or in the brigcht autumnal from Fort •^ -^ ^ ^ Norumbega. weather with its unbounded wealth of color, than to take a boat at the landing on the river bank near the tower. One may be procured on the opposite shore of Xewton, at Riverside, if you have not your own, and leaving Fort Norumbega with its paved ditches and evidences of extensive fisher- ies, you can go down our Charles, the Xorum- bega River of other days, until, with a carry around the dam at Waltham, you approach the site of the olden city on its banks. The boat, if a light one, can also be carried around the Watertown dam, the Norse dam of rounded field boulders, and continuing past the 46 A GUIDE-BOOK TO docks and wharves, passing under the bridge where the tablet is placed, a little farther on you can obtain an unobstructed view of the stone Stone walls walls below Watertown, and extending: to the and terraces ° below Norum- opening meadows near the United States Arsenal. They are better preserved and repaired on the north side, although in places they have been removed or undermined. The terraces which rise above the walls are Avell worthy of inspection and are extremely in- teresting. They are sharply defined, and here and there very old trees grow out from their edges, having sprung from seeds that lodged there. The distance from the Avails to the first ter- race is quite enough to have given space for games, wrestling, or other pastimes, and as the Northmen were exceedingly fond of swimming, performing wonderful feats of strength and endurance under water, these terraces might have afforded opportunity for an extended view up and down the river during such performances. One can also land near the Arsenal, and half Remains of a mile away to the east, towards West Newton, ancient . „ . , theatre. there are the remains oi an ancient theatre with terraces nearly as well defined. Then, returning to 3'our little craft once more, continue down the river until, approach- /t^- NORUMBEGA AND VINELAND. 47 ing Cambridge, you round "the south-western promontory," from be3^ond which the Skrael- lings issued upon their visits to Thorfinn. Down the bit of river that flows from "south- east to north-west," as required by the saga of Thorfinn, you come once more to the site of Leif's house and his hxnding-phace, all these points being the only ones on the river to which the language of the sagas fit. Then lazily float down through the marshes that in the sunlight have all the glory and color of autumn foliage. As Lowell sung: " Dear marshes . . . From every season drawn of shade and light. " In spring they lie one broad expanse of green, O'er whicli the light winds run with glimmering feet. Here, yellower stripes track out the creek unseen, There, darker growths o'er hidden ditches meet ; And purpler stains show where the blossoms crowd, As if the silent sliadows of a cloud Hung there becalmed, with the next breath to fleet." A little farther on, and Boston, reminding one of Venice, is before you. Only the most salient points of the North- men's sojourn in this country have been touched upon, and all these, if one does not loiter too long, may be accomplished in a day. A visit to the points that have been made 48 A GUIDE-BOOK TO NORUMBEGA. permanently secure to us through the love and labor of Professor Horsford, will incite a desire for further kno\Yledo'e and investio^ation, and all our thanks are due to him for clearing- away the mists that huno^ over the sacf-as. Let every one read his " Discovery of the Ancient City of Norumbega," " The Land-fall of Leif Erikson," " The Defences of Norum- bega," and "The Problem of the Northmen." They will bear most careful and thorough study, and are grown almost priceless, since he who wrote them has so suddenly and recently left us. Another very precious book is, " Vineland the Good," by Arthur ]Middleton Reeves, a young and gifted linguist and author, who was the victim of a dreadful railroad accident a little more than two 3'ears ago. The volume is handsomely and expensively brought out, and contains translations and fac- similes of the original sagas after they were 23ut upon parchment. A posthumous work of Professor Horsford, soon to be issued from the press, is entitled " Leif's House in Vineland " ; and this will give an account of tlie excavations that have been made and what they have disclosed. 1 04 W "^o >°-n>., V v-tt; •'.**' '.» JP-^K '. «>.. ♦. v**^-' .*•«• ; .5.^"-, \ \ 'n^.o^ V <.^^ -4Q>v 'a - . • . .V ■^^v **- * aV •^•^ 'o . . * •o^ 'o , » • J\ /^,'&kX. .. j^,'-"-'^ J'" •'<*-. V r- "^..0^ .•1°^ .. •' -f o. •, ;♦ o.t "^ %.^" ^^^ 3^^. ». .^'-. V ^^^ %./ ^'"-^^ -.W-' /\ °»^^* /% \-^, ^. -j^^ ^ <,«"•» . V \^ J^ .-^^^ -^ 0^ ♦'•«- *> BOOKBINDING H ,/>; «• •O. A V •■ ^^iS^ • <*•% C^ ♦ ftCCsS A*V <«* Jufv Aurjst I98S » - ' « J ». « y:?5wr-H^^ * * v "* \>$^*°-%i^ * 7