Massapoag House

The Massapoag House 

A recent column in the Canton Citizen commented on the fact that a new hotel is being built in Canton and that this was the first new hotel since the Massapoag House was built in 1789. And, while there is a long history of taverns and boarding houses in Canton, indeed the Massapoag House was a true "hotel" by all standards.  

The three-story Massapoag House was an imposing structure located on the land of the present day post office. For over seventy years this landmark was the center of social and Catholic life in our community. It is hard to imagine such a grand building imposing upon the streetscape, but Massapoag House was quite a special place.

The building began life in 1789 as a private residence for Jonathan “Quaker” Leonard. Quaker Leonard was, of course, a Quaker - a member of the Society of Friends, and a businessman and partner of Adam Kinsley. And at age 26, was building considerable wealth. Leonard descended from a family that hailed from Pontypool, England and when they came to America - they brought with them the knowledge of the working of iron ore. Leonard's father, Eliphalet began making guns for the American Revolution in Easton, Mass and it was here that Jonathan Leonard met Adam Kinsley. Leonard, known to be eccentric and bright, obtained even more insight into iron production when upon hearing that steel was being made in Pennsylvania he travelled there to investigate. Under the guise of being a simpleton he engaged in industrial espionage and worked as a menial employee at the furnace thus bringing even more knowledge to the business in Canton and Easton. 


As for the other half of the partnership, for folks who know their history; Kinsley is a name synonymous with iron in Norfolk County, and at the time in America. In 1788 Leonard and Kinsley erected a blacksmith's shop where the present day Centerfield's Restaurant now stands. The business was brisk and between 1790-1800 more than 200 mill-saws and 3600 scythes were manufactured, all implements of a growing post-colonial economy.


At the time the majority of iron ore came from Lake Massapoag in Sharon. This 353 acre spring fed lake was drawn down to expose bog iron that would be refined in Canton and Easton. It is no wonder that Massapoag House would have such a strong connection to the great pond in Sharon as the source of wealth was the raw material that would build a nation.


So, in 1789, Leonard built Massapoag House next to the factory and by all accounts a large and imposing two story building. The firm of Leonard & Kinsley continued until 1821 when they split and Leonard took the land on the easterly side of Washington Street and Kinsley took the land on the westerly side. Eventually the Kinsley Iron Works would come to own all of the land when Leonard's fortunes turned bad. Leonard believed that a rich mine of lead ore would be found in Easton and he pursued this search and in doing so exhausted his considerable fortunes. Massapoag House was lost to his creditors sometime between 1833 and 1835. Leonard left, some say in shame, and according to Huntoon, moved to New Orleans. Recent sources seem to indicate that he died on October 25, 1839 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Massapoag House became a public house managed by David Spaulding.


By the time the Viaduct was being built in 1834, James Bent was running his tavern at the site and he ran a stagecoach line from Canton to Boston. Bent was the son of Captain William Bent the landlord of the Eagle Inn, so in keeping with the family business, Massapoag House continued to be a tavern. A stop in Canton would have been on the route to Providence or Boston and the stage line would have several places to drop passengers. The building was remade as a public house and the Canton Lyceum (a literary society) met regularly at this tavern. In fact, the Canton Lyceum was the "salon" of Canton - where ideas were debated regularly and eventually the literary collection would become the Canton Public Library.The big change for Massapoag House would come in 1848 when Lyman Kinsley, Adam Kinsley's son, expanded, remodeled and added a third-story thus creating the finest county hotel in New England. The drawing (above) was featured on the opening playbill for the Grand Ball held on February 3, 1848. It was Kinsley that gave the house it's name, Massapaog House.


For many years the hotel flourished, but the smoke from the forges in the immediate vicinity would make a stay disagreeable. By 1909 the fortunes of the Kinsley Iron Works were dissolved an once again creditors would step in and sell the property. 

In 1909, the Catholic Church bought the building at auction. As such, in more modern times the association more closely recalled with this building is that of the Canton Catholic Club and Guild.  The basement boasted three bowling alleys, while a movie theatre showed silent films and in the rear of the first floor there was a large billiards parlor. Canton’s Catholic population had swelled during the late part of the 19^th century and to help occupy the attention and time, the Catholic Club offered many diversions. This was the home to the Canton Royal Rooters of 1915. 

Courtesy of the Canton Historical Society

The end would come more than 129 years after it was built. Early on January 5, 1918, fire destroyed the 130 year-old structure. "It was an absolutely fascinating thing to watch," recalled Town Clerk Carlton Taber, who as a young boy remembered being at the scene after hearing the fire alarm split the frigid morning air. "The water became ice in nothing flat." Judge Gregory Grover took this photo from his front lawn where the fire was fought.

So, as you climb the stairs to the Post Office, it is hard to imagine that the center of social life in Canton was here on this site. If you pause for a moment you might hear the laughter of children, or catch a whisper of a lover, perhaps the music of dance hall where Nathaniel Bent would cut the "pigeon's wing." As Huntoon writes: "The happy nights passed in the old hall will linger in the memory till time with us shall be no more."

Walpole Street - Circa 1900

Walpole Street looking towards Neponset Street circa 1900

As part of a larger project, I began working with large-format glass plate negatives from the basement of the Canton Historical Society. The boxes that contain several dozen of the plates are made of old cardboard and have become quite musty over the years. The last time someone looked at these plates was the mid 19070's - small handwritten notes are in each box describing the contents and each plate is wrapped in thin tissue with the date and time of the exposed photograph.

What is beautiful about these plates is the wonderful views that have long since vanished from our memory. The view of Walpole Street is another superb example of the major changes that our town has undergone as progress marches us forward. In this photograph is the Neponset Woolen Mills which many folks referred to as the "Stone Factory" owing to the impressive stone walls that stood here for almost 175 years. In the distance is the Canton Viaduct. And, to the right of the frame is an ancient small house that certainly dates to well before the American Revolution.

Walpole Street is one of our most ancient ways. As early as 1733 it was described as the road leading from "ye bridge by ye old forge." The road ran through the land of Timothy Jones and Joseph Hartwell. In fact, Jones and Hartwell petitioned the town (then Stoughton) to erect gates for passengers to open and shut as they passed - it is likely this request was not granted. By 1840, the road was designated "the road leading from the Stone Factory by Thomas Kollick's to the Sharon Line." Perhaps the small house is a remnant of one of the early landowners of record - Jones, Hartwell, Jordan, Comings or Kollick. More research will most certainly yield an answer.

Today, it is the road to Sharon. The factory has been replaced by a condominium complex that gives a nod to the past with a copy of the original tower. The small house has been lost long ago, and today an automobile repair shop is approximately where it once stood. The Viaduct is the lone survivor in the image - built in 1835 - just a few years after the factory was constructed.

So, what is there to fall in love with in this image? The superb tones, the sharpness of the building, and the factory and house balanced along the country road. The current project that I am working on takes advantage of enormous advances in high-resolution scanning to rediscover long lost images and see new pieces of the image that would not be evident if we simply printed the image on photo paper. In 1976, Ed Bolster carefully held each plate up to the light and made the small notes that are tucked in each box. Almost 35 years later, we hold the plates up to a new light and discover all that is wonderful and all that is lost in Canton.

Reservoir Pond

The Canton Reservoir from Pleasant Street

So much discussion is presently raging surrounding the possible loss of the Canton Reservoir - or the Rez - as it is affectionately known. Many people may not realize that in fact this is a man-made pond, built to serve industry in Canton and part of a rich history tied to the need for water and power.

Daniel Huntoon starts the conversation in his History of Canton. "Reservoir Pond is situated at the geographical center of the town, and is a modern pond, having been raised to its present size, about three-hundred acres, by a dam erected in 1827. In 1832 the land was sold to the Neponset Woolen Company for $314, and subsequently became the property of the Revere Copper Comp

any. A dam was erected before 1720. To build this, several of the inhabitants affirmed that they had been at great trouble and charge to flow their swamp lying on Pequit Brook, and were much provoked when the town, in 1722, used their dam as a roadway. This dam was usually known as Hartwell's dam, from Samuel Hartwell, who resided on the southerly border of Pequit Brook, on the site now occupied by Mr. Pitcher. The meadows, known as "Crossman's" meadows, because Dr. George Crossman at one time lived near them, were flowed by the Neponset Woollen Company in order to form a reservoir in case of scarcity of water, and the water can be retained of allowed to flow at option."

So, in a nutshell we see that there is a 288 year history of holding back the water of Pequit Brook at Pleasant Street. And, while the water was used primarily for power needs further downstream, in fact it is hard to imagine the 200 acres of open space

as anything other. The recreational uses have been plentiful and many residents both old and young recall skating, swimming, boating, fishing, and even ice sailing on the Rez.

So, what is all the controversy today? And could we lose our beloved Reservoir? The answer is complicated. The roadway is owned by the Town of Canton, but the Dam and the body of water (and land underneath) is owned by a private development company which purchased the Reservoir when they purchased the Revere Copper & Rolling Mill. In 2007 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts inspected the Dam at Pleasant Street and classified the condition as poor and posed an extreme hazard for the residents and property to the south of the dam. There is a great issue across Massachusetts whereby more than 60 "high hazard" dams are in danger of failure. In some case the wholesale breaching of the dam - thus allowing the water to return to the natural boundaries is being contemplated. This is the case at the Canton Reservoir, where one option to simply remove the Dam rather than repair the structure. The owners, businessmen from Chicago, will choose the least costly method of solving this problem. The residents who have for years enjoyed the recreational and natural uses of the pond may find declining values and perhaps future development in their backyards. Stay tuned as the history continues.