Three hundred eighty-six years have passed since Samuel Maverick established a settlement on the southern side of what is now known as Admiral’s Hill. The year was 1624 when Maverick came from England, landing at Dorchester Bay. From atop Admiral’s Hill, at the location where the flagpole now stands and where a notable plaque once commemorated Chelsea’s founding, Maverick surveyed a pristine Boston Harbor. The vista before him must have been remarkable. The landscape remained untouched, with abundant fish and game, ducks and geese, beaver and deer, clean fresh water in every direction, clear harbor waters and forests extensive enough to supply heat to all of London for a century or two. Maverick constructed a hut known as a Palisade’s Hut, resembling the shelter Robinson Crusoe built for protection from both the elements and Indians. The Indians with whom Maverick made peaceful contact were the Sagamore Indians. For 500 years prior to Maverick’s arrival, these people had hunted ducks and geese in the region – a timeline reaching back to the era of Lief Ericsson, whom many historians believe reached America around the year 1000, a full 500 years before Columbus. The Sagamore Indian empire extended from Chelsea along the Mystic River’s edge to the Saugus River and encompassed the Saugus Marshland. Now, 386 years later, conditions have transformed dramatically. The inner harbor water, while cleaner than it has been in the last 50 years, remains unsuitable for swimming. Boston’s expansion, nonexistent in 1624 and not settled until 1629, has strained the natural landscape beneath it – and forest cover is scarce, offering little reminder of the past. When Maverick arrived, he stood alone on a land devoid of people. The Sagamore Indians have become memory, largely eliminated by typhus and smallpox introduced by European settlers. At 386 years and counting, contemporary Chelsea represents a living embodiment of the American Dream. The city’s population comprises people from around the world, most striving to build successful lives. The city retains the basic appearance and character it has maintained since the 1908 Chelsea Fire. One can only speculate about Chelsea’s condition at 500 years. Will this current chapter in the city’s history remain memorable or warrant historical examination?
Chelsea at 386
