156 History of Hingham. 



Thomas Andrews and Joshua Bate were the proprietors of a 

 saw-mill in the second precinct of the town (Cohasset), probably 

 at or near Gannett's Corner. The tax lists for the year 1737 

 show that Thomas Andrews and Joshua Bate were each taxed for 

 one half a saw-mill, and Aaron Pratt was afterwards the proprietor 

 of one half a saw-mill in this locality. In 1737 Isaac Lincoln was 

 taxed for one half a corn-mill at Cohasset, and in 1754 Isaac Lin- 

 coln and his brother Jacob were taxed as the owners of this mill. 

 Twenty-five years previously it was taxed to Mordecai Lincoln, 

 the father of Isaac and Jacob. 



There was a saw-mill at Saw-mill Pond (now known as Trip- 

 hammer Pond) at the commencement of the last century. The 

 exact date of its erection, however, is uncertain ; but as Matthew 

 Cushing, the original proprietor, who was born 1605 and died 1715, 

 was the owner of a large estate, I conclude that the mill was estab- 

 lished shortly before 1700. Boards, clapboards, and shingles were 

 prepared here for market from trees grown in the vicinity, and 

 the property was improved for the same or similar purposes, and 

 in the same locality, for many years. Jacob dishing, the oldest son 

 of Matthew, came next into possession, and in the town rates for 

 1737 he is taxed for "1 sawmill, £0-00-00." His son Jacob and 

 grandson Jacob were probably the successive owners or part own- 

 ers of this mill, which was destroyed by fire about the year 1823. 

 A new mill was afterwards erected on the same spot, probably by 

 Benjamin Thomas, Sr., for the manufacture of ship-chandlery work, 

 including windlasses, etc. Reuben Thomas and Moses Jones car- 

 ried on the business, and to facilitate production a trip-hammer was 

 purchased for the mill ; hence the present name of " Trip-hammer 

 Pond," from which source the power for this industry was ac- 

 quired. The mill building has since been sold and removed. It 

 is now a farm building on Union Street. 



The mill at Shingle-mill Pond (next above Trip-hammer Pond) 

 was probably erected by Isaac Cushing at or about 1800. It is 

 recorded in Suffolk Deeds, vol. cxcii., p. 253, that, Oct. 8, 1799, 

 Charles Cushing sold to his brother Isaac his privilege in the old 

 mill stream, etc. Charles and Isaac were sons of Jacob and grand- 

 sons of Matthew, previously mentioned as the early proprietor of 

 the mill at Saw-mill Pond. John Leavitt, who married Isaac Cush- 

 ing's daughter Sally, afterwards occupied the older part of this 

 mill as a grist-mill ; but at the time box-making was a prominent 

 industry here, the work at the mill was principally sawing shingles, 

 box-bottoms, and headings for hoop-boxes. More recently, John 

 and Thomas Leavitt, sons of John, manufactured ships' pumps 

 and other articles of marine merchandise. Thomas J. Leavitt, 

 the present occupant of the old mill, is still engaged in the pur- 

 suits followed by his father and grandfather. 



A saw-mill, formerly known as the Stockbridge Mill, on or near 

 Union Street, is still in working order near the boundary line be- 

 tween Himrham and Norwell. 



