J — 



214 HISTORY OF COHASSET. 



permanently solved by blasting out the face of the rocks 

 for a narrow way. 



The next road to be spoken of is King Street, which 

 had been given that important name because it was 

 intended by the surveyor to be a main street. It was 

 made six rods wide, while Main Street was only four rods 

 wide. Before the street was ever cut through it became 

 apparent that a large part would never be needed. All 

 that part from the present almshouse to Breadencheese 

 Tree Plain — a mile long — was never used, but was given 

 to private owners in exchange for roads that could be used. 



The settlers upon King Street at about the year 1730 

 included Hezekiah Tower, his son-in-law John Burbank,* 

 and his nephew Thomas James, also " King David " 

 Bates and John Beal, with probably two or three others. 



These all had access to their farms from the Hingham 

 highway as King Street now runs, besides having a 

 straight and steep road to the Cohasset plain, down Deer 

 Hill Lane, now Sohier Street. 



There was no highway connecting the King Street 

 settlers with Beechwood, neither was there any cartway 

 from Beechwood to Hingham. It was necessary for some 

 of the Beechwood people to travel nearly nine miles 

 through Cohasset to Hingham stores, when they were 

 only four miles distant. 



Such a ride to Hingham was no luxury in those days. 

 There was not a four-wheeled vehicle in the town. Their 

 heavy two-wheeled ox carts, without pretense of springs, 

 bumped over stones and slumped into holes along the 

 insufferably rough roads for three hours, until one's bones 

 cried out for a restful walk. Nowadays luxurious car- 

 riages bowl along the short cut of Doane Street in about 

 forty minutes, and even the jar of a pebble on the smooth 

 road is quenched by the soft rubber tires. 



*John Burbank appears to have come from Rowley, Mass. He married Eliz- 

 abeth Tower, daughter of Hezekiah, June 28, 1728. 



