Ancient Landmarks. 187 



Rev. Dr. Gay, long the celebrated pastor of the First Parish. 

 Immediately west of this stands a building which, now enlarged 

 and rebuilt, was in its original condition the home of the Rev. 

 John Norton, the second pastor of the First Parish. 



Opposite this spot, South Street enters North Street diagonally. 

 This road also was termed Town Street when laid out by the 

 first settlers. At its very beginning it crosses the Town Brook 

 by Magoon's Bridge. 



Passing on a few rods more, we come to Main Street, which 

 runs south from the railroad depot. On the easterly corner of 

 Cottage Street, which enters North Street opposite Main, stands 

 the dishing House, formerly the Union Hotel, and earlier yet, 

 Little & Morey's Tavern. This was a noted old inn in its day. 

 Next east of it is a very old house, which was one of the " Gar- 

 rison-houses " of the time of King Philip's War. 



Main Street crosses the Town Brook by Broad Bridge.. The 

 old bridge, notwithstanding its name, was formerly hardly wide 

 enough for two teams to pass abreast, and a watering place for 

 horses and cattle existed by the roadside where it crossed the 

 brook. It is related that a worthy citizen, hurrying in a violent 

 thunder storm to fetch the doctor, was obliged to wait for a flash 

 of lightning to show him the bridge, which in the darkness was 

 quite invisible. There is no locality in Hingham of which the 

 name has a more familiar sound than that of the " Broad Bridge." 

 Very near it, on both sides of the road, stood many of the shops 

 where the town wits and celebrities used in the old times to 

 gather in the winter evenings to talk over news and politics, 

 crack jokes, and tell stories, some of which have come down to 

 posterity with all their pristine savor. Pertinent to this subject 

 may be a little circumstance which took place at a fine colonial 

 mansion hard by, where dwelt in former days a gentleman of the 

 old Hingham school, Squire Blank. Some French officers who 

 had served with General Lincoln under Washington, were travel- 

 ling in this country, and came to Hingham to pay their respects 

 to the old general. Squire Blank gave a soiree in their honor, 

 and considered himself in courtesy bound to converse in French 

 instead of the vernacular. Consequently, after welcoming his 

 foreign guests, he launched into a general conversation with the 

 most prominent Frenchman, who stood gracefully bowing and 

 smiling, and using the most agonized endeavors to comprehend 

 the SquhVs French. At last, in despair of coming at his enter- 

 tainer's meaning, he broke out deprecatingly but vigorously, and 

 in the Squire's mother tongue, " For Heaven's sake, Mr. Blank, 

 speak English if you can ! " 



On North Street, facing Broad Bridge, where the Catholic 

 Church now is, there stood until recently a fine old colonial 

 mansion, having tapestried halls, and with some of the door- 

 panels decorated by sketches painted by the celebrated Madam 



