C-S-6 WM - Cohasset-Scituate 6 Witness Mark - U.S. Historic Survey Stones and Monuments on Waymarking.com

At the boundary between Cohasset and Scituate, near an old gristmill, there is a stone monument by an old gristmill. This monument is a witness mark, which is near the location where the border enters and turns north following Bound Brook.

The monument is a roughly hewn stone marker located in an evergreen bush on the edge of a grassy area by the mill. One side has an "S" and the other has a "C." The grassy area seems to be a kept area, and flowers are at the base of the monument. There are no signs that mark that it is either a public or private area, so I recommend that you respect the area and not stay too long. Parking is an issue here - there are spots along the road that are signed saying 'No Trespassing.' I parked in a commercial parking lot in the center of North Scituate, then walked to the spot. The road doesn't have sidewalks, so be careful walking there.

MassDOT has a web site devoted to survey control points. There are several tabs that includes one for town corners. If you click on that and select the town of Scituate, the viewer will redraw, showing all the corner points. The one closest to the location is named, "C-S-6 WM," which is "Cohasset-Scituate-6 Witness Mark," located at the stream. A witness mark is usually used as a mark that is offset from the true corner, especially when there are inaccessible areas to the actual corner, such as a stream. The viewer has features that include roads, water bodies, and borders; however, the features at this location are roughly shown. For instance, Mordecai Lincoln Road is shown as two segments not joined together, when it is really one road with a right angle by the mill.

On the same viewer page is a link to the Historic Town Atlas Series. The web page allows you to select the town you are interested in, then select from a list of points for that town. I selected "COHASSET-SCITUATE 6 WM" to view the page that is linked, below. On this image, which is a drawing from 1902, shows mark, number 21, very near the location where I had found a monument, by a building marked as the gristmill, which is by the brook. There are two other buildings in this area, neither of which are here today. One is marked a stable, the other, marked "store ho." (likely store house), where the monument is located. Mill Street is still there, though it is now called Mordecai Lincoln Road, named for the man who built the gristmill in 1691.

I am not sure when this stone monument was placed here. The location of the witness post has been there since at least 1902. The date is for when the line was first established to define the boundary between Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies. A marker along Main Street about 133 ft away relates the history. In general, the line started at bound rock and ran to Accord Pond, then generally in a straight line to the angle tree in Plainville. The monument is on a high area compared to the brook; however, there is no obvious landmark that would be 'Bound Rock.'

Source:

MassDOT Viewer site:
(visit link)

Monumentation Type: Stone post Monument Category: County/Municipal boundary marker Accessible to general public: yes Historical significance: This monument is near Bound Rock, which was an important landmark used to set the boundary between Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies in 1640. Monument Website: [Web Link] County: Norfolk and Plymouth Counties, Towns of Cohasset and Scituate USGS Quad: Cohasset Approximate date of monument: 01/01/1640 Monumentation Type (if other): Not listed Monument Category (if other): Not listed Explain Non-Public access: Not listed NGS PID: Not listed Other Coordinates: Not Listed Other Coordinates details: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1. A closeup photo of the monument is required.
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2. A 'distant' photo including the monument in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.

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