168 History of Hingham. 



On the north side of Beechwood Street, and about a third of a 

 mile east of Doane Street, is Rattlesnake Rock, or Rattlesnake 

 Den, formerly a haunt of these reptiles, although they are un- 

 doubtedly extinct there now. 



Souther's Hill is a short distance east of Doane Street, and 

 Joy's Hill, or Captain Pratt's Hill, is on the south side of 

 Beechwood Street. There is a fine view from this hill. About 

 a mile east of Doane Street, on the north side of Beechwood 

 Street is a great ledge, having a large bowlder on it, which 

 is called Mount Pisgah. Turtle Island is near Beechwood 

 Street where it crosses a branch of Bound Brook. The old Iron 

 Works stood here. 



Pratt's Rocks form a ledge near the road, nearly two miles 

 from Doane Street. On the south side of Beechwood Street, 

 near King Street, is Widow's Rock, which is shaped like a hay- 

 stack. The property about this rock was once sold for exactly 

 one thousand dollars. When the deed came to be passed, and 

 payment made, the buyer offered the seller a one-thousand-dollar 

 bill, which was contemptuously refused. " What," cried the 

 seller, "I. sell my land for one little bit of paper like that! No 

 sir ! I will have a good pile of bills for it." And the buyer had 

 to give him a sufficient quantity of small bills to the amount of 

 $1000 to make the transaction look " big " to him. A short dis- 

 tance east of Widow's Rock is Governor's Hill. The name has 

 no special significance in this connection, however. 



We will turn northwest into King Street, and proceed along 

 this ancient road, the original boundary of the First and Third 

 Divisions, and the dividing line which separates the Second into 

 two parts. It is a hilly and pleasantly wooded road in places, 

 and borders Scituate Pond, also called 'Kiah Tower's Pond, of 

 late years sometimes Lily Pond. It was named Scituate Pond 

 by the first settlers because it was on the road to Scituate ; and 

 'Kiah Tower's Pond afterwards because land about it was owned 

 by a Mr. Hezekiah Tower. This land, or a portion of it is still 

 held by his descendants. By the latter name the pond is known 

 in the country adjacent. It is a very beautiful sheet of water, its 

 banks being composed of both high and low lands, and heavy 

 woods, always such an indispensable adjunct of fine scenery, 

 covering a large proportion of its shores. 



How exquisite it is now, in the quiet afternoon sunlight, its 

 unruffled waters reflecting a white feathery cloud lazily drifting 

 across the deep blue sky, and the scarlet and yellow forests 

 about it contrasting so brilliantly with those rich, deep-green, 

 pine woodlands ! 



That great rounded gray ledge rising out of its bosom, Pond 

 Rock, has looked the same to every race of men which has dwelt 

 about these shores or fished in their waters, since the melting 

 away of the great glacier first let in upon it, as it is now, 

 the light of day. It echoed the war-whoop of the red man 



