Billington Sea, Plymouth, Massachusetts Billington Sea is a large shallow kettle pond situated the westerly side of the town of Plymouth. It is located at 41' 56' 4" latitude, 70' 41" 16" longitude, at an elevation of 81' above sea level. It has a surface area of 269 acres, a shoreline of 7.3 miles and median depths of from 7 to11feet and is considered by the state to be a great kettle pond. A kettle pond is formed during the retreat of glaciers when large blocks of ice become buried in the outwash deposits and over eons of time the ice eventually melts leaving large depressions which are referred to as kettles. The pond is recharged mostly by surface water from tributaries and groundwater sources. Studies show that the pond replaces itself every 55 days with over 400 million gallons of water. On December 5, 1620 a fire was created on board the ship Mayflower when a 14-year-old young man named Francis Billington accidentally discharged his father's gun in the cabin of the ship. Fortunately, the fire was brought under control with no serious damage done. He seemed to have a propensity for violating the rules and was fined (ten shillings) later on for violating an ordinance against smoking. His disregard for the law maybe a family trait because his father John Billington was the first man in Plymouth to be hung for murder. The Billingtons were, however, a hardy group as they were the only family that had not lost at least one member during the first winter in the colony. They were considered "profane" by the more orthodox of the pilgrims. Shortly after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, on January 1, 1621, Francis Billington (1606-1684) climbed a tree located on top of a high hill. He saw a large body of water in the midst of a thick forest. On January 8th he and one of the ship's mates went to see the lake. After walking about 1.5 miles to the south and west and probably following the brook they came upon two lakes separated by a narrow strip of land. One was a small clear lake, now known as "Little Pond" and a much larger lake now known as "Billington Sea". In the large lake there were two islands, one containing about two acres and the other very small. There were two peninsulas that protruded into the lake, one on the northern side and the other on the southern side. They almost divide the east and west basins but are interconnected by a shallow narrow channel. They found that the lakes had fine fresh water and were full of perch, pickerel, loon, and wood ducks. They also found seven or eight Indian houses that had not been inhabited for some time. Having but one musket between them they explored the area very, very cautiously. For a century after its discovery was known as "Fresh Lake" and was later named after Francis Billington, its discoverer. It was probably called a sea because Billington thought he had discovered an arm of the sea, or possibly because in Europe many lakes are called See's or Zee's. Billington Sea is the headwaters for Town Brook which rushes from the northeast shore of the lake and flows though Jenny Pond and Brewster Gardens and empties into Plymouth Harbor near the site of Plymouth Rock. The brook was historically very important to the town as several excellent mill sites were established along its course. There was Plymouth Mills, Standish Worsted Mills, Donnel and Shaker Flannel Mills, Tack, Rivet and Washer Manufacturing Works, a grist mill, a tannery, and the Robinson Iron Company which manufactured shovels. The first illuminating gas on this side of the ocean was made and used at the iron works as mentioned. A replica of the 1636 grist mill was erected on the brook in 1970 and is a busy tourist attraction today. In 1797, a private aqueduct company, the first in the country, took water from a spring called "Pilgrim Spring" located across from the town brook to supply the families in the center of town. Later, water for town use was obtained from "Billington Sea.” As the second largest recreational resource in the town, Billington Sea has been very popular for both lakeside residents and visitors from around the state. Fishing, boating, swimming, canoeing, water skiing, and ice fishing enthusiasts have enjoyed the lake for many years. In the 1800's this beautiful lake was a favorite resort for many social parties and a pleasure boat was available on the lake for tea parties and the like. The state recognizes the value of these waters and stocks the lake with yellow perch, large and small mouth bass, hornpout, sunfish, brook trout, bluegill, and silver perch. The lake also contains eel, crayfish, turtles, and fresh water mussels. In years past, eagles were frequently seen soaring over the lake and building their nests in the branches of the trees. Wood ducks, eider ducks, swans, and Canadian geese raise their young in the hidden retreats around the lake. On the north shore of the lake lies "Morton Park", consisting of approximately 240 acres, was once known as "Forest Park." The first section of the park was established in 1889 when land given to the town in 1776 by a Mrs. Mary Dunham was appropriated for a public park at town meeting. Mrs. Dunham had donated the land so a Pestilence Hospital could be built for those suffering from small pox and other contagious diseases that would not be to distant from the town but far enough not to pose a threat to the town. Dr. Lebaron Russell, a land owner, had the foresight to set aside land bordering Little Pond and most of the land on the north side of Billington Sea. Dr. Russell sold the land to Nathaniel Morton for $1,500.00 with the understanding that Mr. Morton would ask the town to accept the land as a park. Land owners abutting the Russell property willingly gave their land to the town to complete the park. Some of the trees were thinned to give better growth to those remaining and opening better views of the pond and hillsides. Sweet chestnut trees were planted as well as shellback walnut, butternut, black walnut, Norway maples and sugar maples. Every variety of native tree, shrub and wildflower that was indigenous to this area were planted. Morton Park exists today because of the dedicated people who believed that close association with natural beauty was one of the most necessary elements of human life. It has been enjoyed by thousands of people annually, much as it was originally envisioned. The park has public access to both Little Pond and Billington Sea for many types of recreation. The large island in the lake is now known as Big Island or Seymour's Island. Along with the landing on the shore of the lake, this island was sold by Mr. Harold Whiting to Benjamin Seymour in 1897. Apple trees were planted and are known to have produced an abundance of fruit. A summer house built on the island consisted of two buildings with a covered porch connecting the two. Unfortunately, the house was consumed by a disastrous fire in 1980. Fannie Seymour in her will bequeathed the island and landing to the town as of January 1, 1981, 25 years after her death. The little island has a very, very small cottage on it. There are five inlets and one outlet on the lake. The inlets serve as an irrigation source and a discharge basin for the cranberry bogs. The bogs have used the lake water since the early 1900's. As mentioned earlier, the only outlet from the lake flows 1.5 miles to the ocean. Although the lake is large and relatively free of underwater hazards there are two rocky shoals located in the western basin and lay just beneath the surface and are a serious navigation hazard to those not familiar with their location. More than a few boaters have ruined their propellers on these rocks. To illustrate the impressions that the lake imposes, we offer the following: While visiting friends at the Watson estate which bordered Morton Park on February 22, 1852, Henry David Thoreau is known to have walked the shores between Billington Sea and Little Pond. He wrote of renewing his acquaintance with the trees and birds about Billington Sea. On May 23 rd, at sunset while roaming the area and listening to the purple finch, he called the lake the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. Much of the land around the shores of Billington Sea was owned by a Charles Hathaway. Joseph Schubert and Henry Walton bought large parcels of the Hathaway land and they in turn divided the property into smaller lots. Leslie Wood built his cottage on Prospect Hill in 1906 and Joseph Schubert built a cottage known as Wachusett in 1910. Many of the summer cottages around the lake have been converted into year round homes. In many instances cottages have been in the same families many years and some families have been going to the lake for five generations. Cottages were identified by name rather than by the property owners. There were names such as Hiawatha, Sunset, Webster Maple, Robin's Roost, The Knoll, The Oaks, The Cedars, Wachusett, Wabasso, Camp Wa Wa, Waters Edge, The Billington, Island View, Whippoorwill, Sawangatha, The Birches, Rubber Inn and Kinkaid to name a few. Registered deeds very often referred to the names of cottages as boundary marks. Coves around the lake also have names identifying them. Spooners Cove is also known as Turtle Cove because of the large amounts of turtles that could be found sunning themselves on submerged logs and tree stumps in the shallow waters of the cove... Curley's Cove was so named because a Peter Curley of Boston owned the whole north side of that cove. At one time there was an ice house located on part of that same property where ice was stored which had been cut from the lake the previous winter. It was called, at that time, Ice House Cove for obvious reasons. Other coves and areas located around the perimeter of the lake were named at the whim of the owners in the area or as stipulated on the town’s topography maps. Names such as Dunham Neck, Knights Point, Prospect Hill, Red Springs, Sunset Knoll, Hospital Cove, Hospital Point (also known as Hathaway Point ) are a few you will encounter around the lake. Cottage owners rowed their small boats over to the ice house and purchased ice to fill their iceboxes. The wooden trim on the bottom front of the ice box had a hinge so it could be lifted up to allow a pan to be placed there to collect the water from the melted ice. If the ice box was not in the cottage but out on the porch there was a hole cut in the floor beneath the box so the melted ice could drain into the ground. Some cottages had metal boxes buried in the ground at the waterfront where an underground spring was located where the water temperature remained steady at 55 degrees. There were shelves on all sides to store food and the wooden lid was set flush with the ground. This was a manufactured chest that was made for that purpose and kept the contents nice and cool. Three or four cottages had canoes and almost everyone had a row boat. Two or three of them had 5 HP outboard motors. It's hard to believe we enjoyed the cottages as much as we did without all of today’s modern conveniences. The installation of electric power in 1932 made it possible to have electric lights instead of candles and kerosene lamps but it was many years before most cottages had refrigerators. The Oaks was the first cottage to have an indoor toilet. The other cottages had outhouses and chamber pots for nighttime use. Water was obtained from hand pumps that had to be primed quite often. Baths were taken in the lake or in large oblong tin tubs. Cooking was done on smelly oil stoves that were hard to regulate. Small tin ovens were set over the burners for baking, especially for pies made with blueberries that were picked along side the cottages. Our first refrigerator was installed in 1950, running water in 1955 and indoor plumbing was installed in 1966. Telephones were a rarity until the late 1970's. Picnickers and fishermen were able to have fresh spring water from the hand pump at Hospital Point. Some July 4ths were celebrated by having a bonfire. Old wood from discarded boats and any other unwanted wood was piled upon the rocky shoals a set afire. Some of the cottages and land around the lake was owned by people who lived in the town. In the 1920's and 1930's cars were not commonplace and whoever had one did limited driving. There was seldom more than one car per family. Most mothers and grandmothers that stayed at the lake with the children for the summer had to depend on their husbands to come down on weekends or occasionally stop by to replenish the food supply along with other essentials. The closest store was Clough's Market which was located across the street from where the Spring Hill Garden Apartments are today. Luckily, the Lodi farm was nearby, on the crest of Sparrow Hill, where one could buy eggs, milk, chickens, corn, and other farm products. The Lodi children walked along the western shore on the path near the waters edge to deliver fresh un-pasteurized milk every evening during the summer months. Residents of the area could walk that same path to the cottage called Hiawatha to buy penny candy that they sold from their living room. In the early 1940's during WW II marine pilots stationed at Plymouth Airport flew over the lake and seemed to enjoy buzzing anyone that was out on the lake, especially the teenage girls. The airport was near enough for the girls to walk to cheer up the pilots. At that time, the airport road was dirt and had no houses on it from the airport to the Lodi Farm. In the middle 1960's and 1970's there were one or two teenagers in nearly every cottage on the western shore of the lake. Together with a few other teens from around the lake, these young people formed a strong and active community. Many became proficient water-skiers; some even accomplishing bare foot skiing. Quite a few of the boys had hydroplanes and scooted around the lake like water bugs, very often with a girl or boy sitting on the bow. There was something doing all the time---including dancing, beach parties, swimming, fishing, always busy, and loads of fun for them. On occasion, the "Supremes" entertained the teens while visiting their friends on the lake. Looking back on these time, one resident reminisced: "It was like growing up in the movie "Beach Party.”
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