Quincy History Spring, 1981
Quincy Historical Society, Quincy Massachusetts
Squantum, 1910: Turning Point In Aviation By Gordon F. Nelson
For seven years after the Wright
brothers '
first
flight ,
aviation
remained a minor novelty in this
country . But then , in September, 1910,
the nation 's second air meet was held
at Squantum. It proved to be a turning
point in the history of aviation in this
country.
Not until after Wilbur Wright's
success in Europe in 1908 did aviation
assume much importance in this
country . But early in 1910 Glenn
Curtiss and the fliers in his company
put on the country's first air meet,
held in Los Angeles. It drew huge
crowds.
A few months earlier, the Harvard
Aeronautical Society was organized, in
November , 1909, as an educational
and scientific group dedicated to
aeronautics .
And then, Sept. 3-10, 1910, the
society, which had prepared an
aviation field at Squantum, sponsored
its meet.
People from all walks of life
attended. They came by train, automo­
bile, carriage , streetcar and bicycle to
pay the entrance fee and sit in the
stands that could accommodate 20,000
people. Wide-eyed and spellbound
they viewed the great spectacle. Those
who did not pay to enter the grounds
This Farman biplane, flown at the 1910 Squan·tum air
meet by Claude Grahame -White , was also used to take
passengers for brief trips over the field . The photo was
jammed the narrow dirt Squantum
road or climbed the hills of the
peninsula , for even a distant view of
the activitie~.
President Taft was one of the many
dignitaries at the meet who expressed
appreciation of the great show . His
daughter, Helen, and son, Charles ­
who later became mayor of Cincinnati ­
were also present. With them was Dr.
Grayson , who became an admiral , and
later was personal physician to
President Woodrow Wilson .
Lost in the crowd was 22-year-old
Franklin D. Roosevelt , a representaContinued on Page Two
. taken at the meet by the late Dr. H . M . Stetson of
Weymouth . The original print of the photograph was
presented to Gordon F. Nelson by the late Harold
Wardwell of Hanover .
Page Two - QUINCY HISTORY
1910 Air Meet Continued from Page One
tive in the New York Senate, from
Dutchess County. As he stood and
watched the planes in the sky, little did
he realize that nearly 40 years later ,
two carrier groups of the Squantum
Reservists training over the same
area, would be ordered to duty aboard
the Navy's largest aircraft carrier, the
USS Franklin D. Roosevelt .
The military was well represented,
since they were keenly interested in
the potentialities of the plane as a
weapon of war. Among them was
Miles,
Army Gen . Nelson A.
distinguished commander of the
troops that captured Geronimo, the
elusive Apache Indian, on March 21,
1886. Geronimo later escaped, but
surrendered Sept. 4, 1886.
These people were but a few of the
many who enjoyed the exciting meet .
They thrilled to the realization that
within such a short time from the
creation of the airplane, they were
seeing man fly after centuries of
unsuccessful attempts.
They were not likely to forget the
sensations they experienced at this
meet as they watched the 17 airmen
compete in speed contests, duration
and altitude flights, accuracy in
alighting at a marked spot, and
shortest ground run and bomb
dropping. They saw the finest planes
of that time; the bi-planes of the
Wright brothers of the United States
and the Farmans of France - known as
"pushers" (having their propellers on
the back of the plane) , and the Bleriots ­
and Nieuports from France - known as
" tractors ."
Many of the names of those who
flew their planes at Squantum are
synonymous
with
flying.
Their
accomplishments and contributions in
aviation have been recorded in the
annals of aviation history .
One of the most colorful of these
airmen
was
England 's
Claude
Grahame-White, who came into
aviation prominence in 1910 as the
result of his great air race with
France's outstanding pioneer aviator ,
Louis Paulhan . The race from London
to Manchester was for the Daily Mail
prize of 10,000 pounds . Although
White lost the closely contested twoday race, his display of determination
Pioneer aviator Claude Grahame ­
White , photographed at the 1910
Brockton Fair. He had gained
prominence that year as a result of his
great air race with Luis Paulhan of
France and had made aviation history
with his flight over Boston Harbor
from Squantum in the nation 's second
air meet.
and ability marked him as a future
great in British aviation.
White was a graduate of the Bleriot
flying school at Pau , France, the
training ground for many outstanding
pioneer aviators.
He
competed
successfully in many European meets
and his popularity preceded him to the
United States.
His initial visit to this country was to
compete in the 1910 Harvard meet at
Squantum, where his continued
success- increased hi-s -popul-arity. -l=Ie
was first in points scored , and the
winner of $10,000 donated by the
Boston Globe for a flight from the
Squantum field around Boston Light ,
twice. White was the only contestant
to attempt this flight . Victories in the
speed and bomb-dropping contests
brought his total meet winnings to
$22,100.
The bomb-dropping contest created
tremendous interest, for it , was the
first meet demonstration in this
country . Glenn Curtiss , reputed to be
the first flyer to carry out bombing
tests , was entered in this event. He
had gained this reputation by dropping
dummy bombs on Lake Keuka, N.Y. in
July, 1910, aimed at the outline of a
ship marked by flaqs. At the
Squantum meet , contestants tried to
drop dummy bombs of flour and
plaster-of-paris from a height of 100
feet into the funnel of a mock battle­
ship on the field below . So great was
the interest in this event, the meet was
extended an additional day in order for
Secretary of Navy George von L.
Meyer to attend and see a mass
bombing from 1,800 feet. Again
Claude Grahame-White displayed out­
standing accuracy.
The accuracy with which bombs
were dropped was a great surprise to
all military officers present. As a ·
result, Adams Claflin , chairman of the
meet remarked, "the demonstration
proved concl,usively that the airplane
must be seriously reckoned with in any
future wars. "
During the ll-day meet, White took
passengers up in his Farman biplane ,
facetiously nicknamed the " Squantum
Bus." He charged up to $500 for a
flight conSisting of two or three trips
around the field. These flights added
thousands of dollars to his meet
winnings .
Mayor John F . Fitzgerald of Boston ,
grandfather of President John F .
Kennedy, enjoyed a ride with White
over Dorches·ter bay to Boston and
back to Squantum. Here the jovial
mayor was greeted by President Taft
with a handshake and smile as they
discussed the flight.
The prospect of the Boston Light
flight filled the air with expectancy.
For publicity had stirred the people to
a fever pitch. All precautions were
taken for safety; this included lining
the route to the Light with boats ready
to aid White if necessary.
. Thousands of eyes were focused on
White as he sat in his plane with his
large cloth cap on backward , a White
trademark which was to set the style in
this area for many years . On each wing
of the plane was a flag . British and
American , symbolic of the friendship
existing between these two great
nations . Amidst the resounding cheers
of a tremendous crowd he took off in
his French "Bleriot" monoplane.
The field was soon behind him . His
flight took him over the northerly end
of the Squantum peninsula and the
green
clad
islands
projecting
majestically above the bay , which
early writers described as among the
Co ntinued on Page Three
QUINCY HISTORY - Page Three
Aviator Grahame-White pilots Farman biplane over the
airfield at Squantum . Speck just below the lower wing is a
mock bomb thrown by Grahame-White at a target on the
ground to demonstrate the potential wartime use of
aircraft.
Historic Air -Meet Stars Grahame-White Continued from Page T wo
settle on its shore nearly 300 years
most picturesque in the world . The
before . Here in 1782, the British
name of the bay has varied as each
frigate Albermarle patrolled the
explorer placed upon his map the
coastal waters with one of White's
name of his choice . In 1527, Fernando
illustrious countrymen in command ,
Columbus named it the Bay of St.
later known as Lord Nelson , one of the
world's greatest admirals .
Antonio, others followed. In 1614,
Capt. James Smith of the Jamestown ,
White's goal , the historic Boston
light, is on one of a cluster of seven
Virginia colony, called it Massa­
chusetts bay, after the tribe of Indians · islands compnSIng the Brewster
living on its shore. It still bears this
. group , named after Elder Brewster ,
name .
teacher and preacher at the Plymouth
Claude Graham-White 's epochsettlement .
making flight looked down upon an
Nearing the Brewsters , White
area rich in history . The harbor had
focused his eyes on one of the oldest
sheltered the ships of many nations .
lighthouses in the country , that
through the years had flashed its light ,
Explorers had sailed in , followed by
traders , fishermen and settlers . Some ~ rning of the graveyard of ships .
This cluster of rocky islands is said to
ships brought exiles to be sold as
slaves . For many years this harbor had
be the foundation of one of the
been
headquarters
for
ocean
harbor ' s largest islands , washed away
commerce and had seen ships from the
by the storms of the past. As the plane
smallest to the largest afloat .
circled the beacon for the homeward
It was perhaps ironic but yet fitting
trek , the lighthouse keeper and his
that an English pioneer of aviation
guests waved it on .
Seagulls,
placidly
riding
the
should be first to fly over the harbor
sparkling wavelets of the open waters
route that his countrymen followed to
of the bay , were startled into flight by
this strange "bird " in the sky . As
White 's gaze followed the flight of the
birds , he saw in the distance the
picturesque Blue Hills looming up
behind historic Quincy . Of these hills
President John Adams once said , " If
there is a Bostonian who ever sailed
from his own harbor for distant lands
or returned to it from them , without
feeling at the site of the Blue Hills
which he is unable to express , his
heart is differently cons~ituted from
mine . "
Soon White was over Long Island ,
Moon Island and Squantum where
during the Revolutionary War small
skirmishes between the Colonists and
the British took place. Below , on the
tip of the Squantum peninsula , where
in 1621 a small shallop from Plymouth
landed on its shore, White could see
, the famous "profile rock." The shallop
with Governor Bradford , Captain
Myles Standish and nine other men ,
Continued on Page Four
Page Four - QUINCY HISTORY
1910 Air Meet
Continued from Page Three
together with Squanto as interpreter,
were the first white settlers to visit this
area. Thompson Island lay across a .
narrow strip of water from "profile .
rock ". It is named after John,
Thompson who, in 1626, established
on the island the first trading post in
the Boston harbor area.
. Arriving over the Harvard air field,
White circled once, again headed for
the Light, seeing once more the beauW
of the bay below. His return from the
Light was in a blinding sunlight,
however , making it difficult for him to
keep a straight course .
Back at the field and on the
Squantum hills, the growing speck in
the sky quicke·n ed the heart beats of
the tremendous crowd. This was the
climax to the event they had waited
for , fully expecting White and his
Auiation Trophy, a siluer bowl presented to the
famed British auiator, Claude G ra hame· White at
the Brockton Fair in 1910.
In 1961, two years after the death of Claude
Grahame-White, Gordon Nelson of Squantum
wrote to Mrs. White seeking a memento that the
City of Quincy could haue as a reminder of her
husband's uisit to Squantum. Her return letter
mentioned that al/ his trophies and awards had
been giuen to museum and clubs be she did haue
a siluer bowl . After time -consuming
arrangements, John R. Herbert, then editor of
The Patriot Ledger, was able to make deliuery of
the bowl possible.
The Grahame-White trophy was presented to
the Quincy Historical Society, Friday, Nouember
30, 1963, by Mr. Herbert in behalf of Mrs . White.
The inscription on the bowl is: "Presented to
Claude Grahame-White by the management of
the Brockton Fair, Brockton, Mass. U.S.A. ,
October 7th, 1910. A Souuenir of your gal/ant and
daring flights in a 40 mile an hour gale and
torrential rain at Brockton Fair on the occasion
of the uisit of the gouernors and mayors of New
England."
(Oberg Photo)
!
Tri-plane is prepared for flight at 1910 air meet.
plane to crash into the bay. His safe
return set off . the emotions of the
spectators;
they
cheered
their
approval while the band played , "God
Save The King" .
It was a hazardous flight as
evidenced by the refusal of other great
flyers to attempt it. Even an offer of a
$1,000 each to some of the flyers just
to start the flight could not tempt
them . This was not the longest flight
record in this country at this time, but
it was full of danger and most exciting.
"The Squantum meet was the
turning point of . aviation in this
country, " wrote A. J. Philpot of the
Boston Globe , first New England
aviation reporter. Its sweeping success
greatly contributed to making the
October , 1910, Belmont Park (New
York) meet the greatest of the decade.
In addition to most of the great flyers
from the Squantum meet, others from
England and the United States
competed.
Again
Claude
Grahame-White
attra<::ted crowds by his captivating
personality and flying ability _ He
thrilled the nation 's capital, when on
Oct. 14, he flew his plane .from the
New York Benning race track, and
became the first flyer to land in
Washington, D.C . He met with many
prominent people and visited the War and Navy Departments before taking
off from Executive Avenue for the
return trip .
He climaxed his United States visit
by winning for England, on Oct. 29,
the Gordon Bennett speed trophy,
averaging 60 miles an hour .
During the early days of White's
flying career, he founded the Hendon
airport near London , and later sold it
to the English government for 21Jz
million dollars .
He was the first qualified airmail
pilot in British history , and at the
second Squantum meet in 1911 he
competed against Earle OVington,
America 's first airmail pilot.
White is likened to America's Glenn
Curtiss in that each believed the
success of any endeavor depends upon
man ' s confidence in his ability , and
faith in his enterprise. Where .Curtiss
helped convince the United States
Navy of the practicability of aircraft as
a weapon of war , White proved this to
the British government. He flew
members
of
Parliament,
and
accurately dropped dummy bombs on
targets below. Previously, England
had considered the aircraft ineffective
as a weapon , and contrary to inter­
national propriety.
World War I found White among the
first aviators in air raids over
Germany, demonstrating in actual
warfare the belief and faith he had in
the planes as a weapon of war . Claude Grahame-White's devotion to aviation ended with his death in August, 1959, at the age of 80. [The author of this article , Gordon Nelson , is a longtime resident of Squantum whose hobby is the history of North Quincy . It first appeared in
the December 5, 1963, issue of The
Patriot Ledger and is reprinted here by
permission of the author and the
newspaper.]
QUINCY HISTORY - Page Five
Hancock Cemetery: The Old Burying
By H. HOBART HOLLY
Hancock Cemetery represents the
history of Quincy for over two hundred
years , a history of far more than local
interest. Further it is part of the
Adams story for which Quincy is
known the world over. Here lie those
who made our history from the earliest
settlers down through the colonial
period, those who brought this country
into being , and those who in years
after 1800 made their town and
country develop and prosper. It is a
monument to Quincy's past. The .
original facilities of the town of 1640,
and it was typical of all , consisted of
the meeting house , the schoolhouse,
the training field , and the burying
ground . Of these , only Hancock
Cemetery remains to represent our
earliest heritage.
History
This was the only burial place in the
old Town of Braintree , incorporated
1640, for its first 75 years . There may
have been some burials on farms but it
is unlikely in the close-knit New
England town of that time. All the
burials of record were in the town
burying place. It was not a burial
place , it was the burial place for the
area that is today the City of QUincy
and the towns of Braintree, Randolph
and Holbrook. Many of the early
burials did not have headstones , and
of course many have been lost over the
years. The tombs , some around three
hundred years old , contain many
bodies. Thus the number of burials
here is far greater than the surviving
stones indicate .
The burying ground and the training
field across the road were not planned
by the town; there is no mention of
them in the town records . These
essential facilities appear to have
happened by permission, principally
on the part of William Tynge, a
prominent citizen and large land
owner. It is quite possible that there
were burials here before Mr. Tynge
acquired the property around 1640.
There must have been deaths in the
settlement that started in 1634, and
there has never been a suggestion of
another burial place. In any case , the
burying ground and the training field
(Capt. Tynge was the second
commander of the local militia
company) were within the boundaries
of Tynge 's property. After Tynge 's
time , adjoining property is described
as bounding the burying place , thus
shOWing that it was then recognized as
an established entity. From the
distribution of early graves, it appears
that its area was always close to what it
is today . The only addition was a strip
at the south end in 1819 when the town
house was built on the adjoining lot
Late afternoon sun and a blanket of snow delineate
headstones in this photograph of Hancock Cemetery
~lace and a piece of land was made available
for tombs . It was not until 1809 that
the town officially took custody of the
old burying ground . Up to that time
cattle had been allowed to graze there
and the toppling of gravestones had
become a concern to the townspeople .
Accordingly the town tool< custody and
erected a protective fence. Ladies of
the Church were responsible for
erecting the ornamental iron fence
along Hancock Street in 1844, the year
present City HalI to the north was
built.
Those Buried Here
Here lie the early inhabitants of Old
Braintree bar.k to the first settlers. The
oldest identified grave is that of Henry
Adams , progenitor of the famous
family , who died here in 1646. The
monument now marking the grave was
placed there by his great, great
grandson, President John Adams, who
Similarly honored his father, grand­
father and great grandfather. These
monuments have recently been
restored by the family . Here too is the
Adams family tomb in which the
Presidents and their wives rested ul)til
moved across the street to the crypt
beneath the church ; and here today lie
other members of the presidential
family. Thus the old burial ground is
part of the unique Adams story that
Con tinued on Page S ix
taken from the Adams Building across Hancock Street.
Date is uncertain, but print appears to be from early in the
century. (Society files)
./
Page Six - QUINCY HISTORY
Burying Ground Continued from Page Five
attracts thousands of visitors to Quincy
annually. Along with the birthplaces ,
the Old House, the First Parish
Church, and some lesser sites, it
presents the visual legacy of one of
America's foremost families.
The prominent Quincy family from
early colonial days had this as their
burial place. Famous members here
include Josiah QUincy, the Patriot and
great orator of the Revolution ; and
Col. John Quincy, prominent leader in
the Province of Massachusetts and
grandfather of Abigail Adams, for
whom both John Quincy Adam_s and
the Town of Quincy were named . In
one Quincy stone is a recess from
which the lead plaque bearing the
family coat of arms was pried and
melted into bullets after the battle of
Lexington .
The oldest surviving stone is that of
the Rev. William Tompson, the first
minister of the town, who died in 1666.
The first teacher and second minister,
Henry Flynt lies nearby. . In the
ministers' tomb is the Rev . John
Hancock, father of the Patriot, for
whom the third meeting house and the
Hancock Cemetery were named. The
poem inscribed on the ministers' tomb
was written in 1708 by Benjamin
Tompson, son of the Rev . WilHam,
who is considered to have been
Quincy History
Publis hed by the Quincy Historical
Society at Adams Academy, 8 Adams
Street, Quincy , Massachusetts, 02169.
This is the fourth bulletin published under
this name. Previous issues were Spring,
1980, Fall, 1980, and Winter, 1981.
Dr. James R. Cameron
President
Richard W. Carlisle
Editor
Lawrence J. Yerdon
. Executive Director
The Quincy Historial Society,
incorporated November 16, 1893,
maintains the Adams Academy Building as
a museum, library, visitor information
center and place of meeting. The purposes
of the Society are: to represent historical
interests in the community, to preserve
materials and information related to
Quincy history through exhibits,
programs and educational activities, and
to publish materials of historical
significance.
Veterans in uniform and civilians line a path in Hancock Cemetery for a 1931
Memorial Day ceremony. The younger soldiers wear uniforms of The Great
War (now called World War I), older, bearded men wear uniforms of the
Spanish-Amerian War, with at least one of them an aged survivor of the Civil
War. (Snapshot from the Society's files)
America's first native-born poet .
There is an impressive monument to
Dr. Leonard Hoar, the colorful third
President of Harvard College. The
large number of Revolutionary War
soldiers buried here are commemo­
rated by a modern monument bearing
their names .
Many visitors come here to view the
burial place of their ancestors. Few
graves anywhere have more reason for
such visitation than that of early
settler , Samuel Bass who, when he
died in 1694 at the age of 94 , left one
hundred and sixty-two descendants .
His daughter-in-law , Ruth Bass ,
daughter of Pilgrim John Alden , lies
nearby .
The Stones
The gravestones themselves tell
much history through their epitaphs
and carving .
The designs and the epitaphs tell
much of the people's experiences and
their philosophies toward life and
death , and thus present an insight into
life in those days. The changes in
thought and experience through the
years can be traced from the styles and
messages of the stones.
Here too are presented examples of
the stonecutter's art for over two
hundred years, reflecting not only the
changes in styles but also the develop­
ment of the art in this country. The
latter point is particularly significant in
Quincy which for many years was
known nationally for its granite , and is
still a granite cutting center. Best
known of the stones are the Cleverly
peacock stone and the Deacon Joseph
Penniman stone, both of which are
depicted in books.
In 1854, the Hancock Cemetery was
succeeded as town burial ground by
the Mount Wollaston Cemetery. This
was at a time when Quincy was
supplying the finest of monuments to
many parts of the country. At Mount
Wollaston Cemetery are monuments
to the granite men, their families and
friends . It is only natural that these
should be second to none as examples
of the stone cutters ' art at that time
and later. Thus the stones in the
Hancock Cemetery become part of a
larger story and of even greater
significance to· those interested in the
stonecutters' art .
(Mr. Holly, author of this article, is the
society's historian and served as its
president for two decades.)
Quincy Savings Bank a part of Quincy life since
1845, is pleased to
sponsor this issue of
Quincy History