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Photos Parkers Revenge to Ebenezer Fiske House

pmclaine

Gunny Sergeant
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Minuteman
  • Nov 6, 2011
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    A lot of shit happened in this area so there are a lot of pictures...I couldnt make it through the woods from Parkers Revenge as the colonists did....too many residences and "No Tresspassing" signs. I cut back down to the road and came into the back yard of the Whittemore House

    @gayguns any relation...

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    Looking toward the west and Parkers Revenge area...

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    The road east....

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    Fields such that the whole area probably looked like...

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    This stone marks a black smiths shop that was on the road...

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    A depression in the ground is all that shows it was there....

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    This feature was significant....its kind of an odd rock for the area, reminds me of something southwestern...it looks much like it did in 1775. The dirt road you see follows the original route and the modern road was laid to the right of it....

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    From up on top of the bluff where the colonists could have shot the column in the face...The Blacksmith's shop is in the little stand of hardwood.....

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    The Bluff is the end of a stretch of high ground that heads north and bounds the west side of the road....the colonists peppered the column from the high ground...

    The Old road below the Bluff..

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    The road turning north in front of the Bluff..

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    Across from the Bluff is wetland....Im thinking what is now wetland today back than was impenetrable swamp...

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    The Bluff from the north side....

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    Across the street from the Bluff...

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    After turning north the road is bordered by high ground to the west...

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    and to the east....

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    There would have been no trees, just clear fields of fire.
     
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    Fiske Hill to the East...

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    The Colonists moved along the top of the hill firing at the column. Its not mentioned much but the hill on the west side of the road was likely full of marksman also...

    Between the Bluff and Fiske House the column started to lose their shit, discipline began to break down with heavy fire coming from both sides of the road.

    A Brit flag on top of Fiske Hill, no stone so I dont know if it marks the grave of a flanker...

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    Top of Fiske Hill looking west toward the road, now covered with trees...

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    From Fiske Hill looking down on the road at a section where the Old Road leaves the new road and goes back to the historical bed...

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    How the heights would look to the Brits...

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    The trees screw up the idea of it, even worse when leaves break out, Things would have looked more like the cleared field but where the forest is the ground is even more broken and better for cover...

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    From the hill where the colonists would have been firing on the column

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    Getting back on the Road...

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    On the west side of the road extends the ridge from the Bluff...

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    This is probably legit Old Road stone edging, most of the other is rebuilt...

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    New Road and Fiske Hill to the east....

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    Old Road joins with new, Fiske Hill to east...

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    Leaving new to the original bed...

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    Fiske Hill....

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    Old Road...

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    Twelve miles to Boston Harbor...

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    A bit of high ground where the ridge of Fiske Hill ties in to the Old Road....would have been a good place to shoot the column in the face....

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    Where the Old Road crosses the new to get to the Fiske Property...

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    Burial area for Brit soldiers that died on the Fiske property...

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    Looking at the Old Road from the Fiske property...

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    Road leading to Fiske House

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    The remains of the well beyond the stone...

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    Remains of the Fiske House...

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    Heading back west the ridge that follows the road and dead ends at the Bluff....

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    Flankers would have had a hard time clearing that shit and the continual rotation exhausted everyone over the course of the retreat.
     
    At the visitor center....would you expect Federal workers to drive anything else....

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    Some of the few displays in the center...

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    Unsure what the provenance is of this Brown Bess, pretty neat if it is legit, doubt it was owned by a Pvt.

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    Details of the Smith House..

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    Hand forged nails, unsure if these are original, when they restored the Hartwell Tavern the saugus Iron Works provided new hand forged nails...

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    I have asked rangers at the park if any trees exist from April 19, 1775 in the park and was told no....This big bastard couldnt have been born much later....

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    Hartwell Tavern, Usually a scene of a lot of activity on April 19.....nothing. To scared of WuFlu to honor guys that risked all.

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    In the fireplaces/chimneys of the Hartwell House and Smith House, do all of the little inner hearths vent into a central flue? Or, are they more of a warming pocket without holding a fire?

    Some are fuel storage, some are bee hive ovens...probably could of made fantastic pizza in the day.



    That was a lot of radiation once you got it heated up.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Jonny_
    Some are fuel storage, some are bee hive ovens...



    That was a lot of radiation once you got it heated up.

    Huh, how bout that; I wouldn't have guessed it would be for fuel storage but it makes sense. I appreciate the links.
     
    Huh, how bout that; I wouldn't have guessed it would be for fuel storage but it makes sense. I appreciate the links.

    Check out the pics....if you see sloping brick leading up to the next feature above I believe that is the flue receding back behind the chimney above where it than opens to take the smoke from the chimney above.

    In a picture of the Smith House one of the square cubbies has a metal door....guessing that would be your oven...put coal or small wood in the back to heat it up. Use a peel to load in your pot of beans, keep fire fed, end of day you have baked beans.

    I think both these houses have the equivalent of something better than todays Wolf/Wiking appliances. Community ovens were a money maker back than, People would bring their beans/breads to a common bakery and pay for oven useage.
     
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    • Like
    Reactions: lash and Jonny_
    Check out the pics....if you see sloping brick leading up to the next feature above I believe that is the flue receding back behind the chimney above where it than opens to take the smoke from the chimney above.

    In a picture of the Smith House one of the square cubbies has a metal door....guessing that would be your oven...put coal or small wood in the back to heat it up. Use a peel to load in your pot of beans, keep fire fed, end of day you have baked beans.

    I think both these houses have the equivalent of something better than todays Wolf/Wiking appliances. Community ovens were a money maker bake than, People would bring their beans/breads to a common bakery and pay for oven useage.
    Yep, the little door on the Smith house was the one that prompted the question, I was guessing it would be more suited for lower temperature cooking but wasn't sure.

    Your historical photo threads are fascinating; always interesting and spur learning more U.S history.