The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

HISTORY OF DORCHESTER. 583
to Mr. Vose. At first a small store was opened,
which rapidly increased in size. A chocolate, grist,
paper and saw mill, a lumber wharf, and a distilhouse, were gradually added to the concern. A
wharf was built upon the landing place, and several
store-houses were required for the business of Mr.
Vose. His sloops were running to Boston, Salem,
Gloucester, and other places. He supplied most of
the traders of Plymouth County with West India
goods, and took in pay their articles of trade, a great
staple of which was flax-seed and hoop-poles. The
transportation of these made quite an item of navigation. In 1765, before the death of Mr. Fenno,
two vessels were built by the firm on the landing
place - one a schooner, being launched May 8th,
and the other a brig, launched October 29th.
In the severe winter of 1780, the deep snows cut
off nearly all communication between Boston and the
surrounding country, and the inhabitants of the
former place began to suffer from want of fuel. The
farmers of Milton, reinforced by gangs of hands
from Boston, laid the woodlands of Milton and
Quincy under heavy contributions, the wood all being carted to the landing place, and from thence, by
way of the river on the ice, to Boston. Gov. Hancock
sent out hands from the latter place, to cut the wood
from his lot in Milton, and had it carted by way of
the river to the metropolis, where he gratuitously
distributed it among the poor. For the convenience
of travellers and teamsters upon this new route to
Boston, a building, which had been used as a barber's shop, was removed on sleds from the landing