Plymouth, Massachusetts: 1825–1852. Twenty-five documents totaling 44 pages. A full inventory is available on request. Generally excellent to Near Fine condition. Item #BK0216

A very early Army Corps of Engineers collection, concerning the conservation of the eroding Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts. Plymouth Beach, on Massachusetts’s South Shore, is a barrier beach that protects the shoreline from the effects of severe storms and high tides. The importance of the beach has been long recognized, including by the area’s legal bodies; a 1702 law passed in Plymouth provided for a five-shilling fine to anyone destroying trees or lighting fires given “the grat damage likly to accrew the harbour.”[1] Nonetheless, as Barnstable physician and historian James Thacher put it, by 1805 “the beach was in such ruinous condition that the tide swept over it and boats actually crossed at the breaches,” and though a “promiscuous wall of stone” was constructed, it was “soon entirely demolished by the surges of the sea, as if composed of pumpkin shells.”[2]

In 1824, Plymouth petitioned Congress for help repairing the beach, having already spent more than $40,000 on its own attempts.[3] Congress granted the town $43,566 for the project, which was to be overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers. Offered here is a collection of documents, particularly reports, pertaining to the project. Dating from about 1825 to 1852—the Army Corps of Engineers in its current form was established only a few decades prior, in 1802—the documents consist mainly of annual progress reports to the Corps, agreements with local contractors, and statements of accounts. They provide detailed descriptions, along with a few diagrams, of the methods used in protecting the beach, the budget involved, and the status of the repairs.

The project used a mix of what has more recently come to be called “soft” and “hard” engineering: soft engineering involves protecting shorelines using natural materials in a way consistent with the shoreline’s natural features, whereas “hard” engineering involves using sturdy materials like concrete, metal, or stone to construct seawalls, breakwaters, and so on. Here, they mix the use of more durable constructs like stone and timber breakwaters with fascines of “swamp whortleberry, black & white pepper, laurel & birch bushes” and packed in seaweed. An 1830 report describes the strategy:

“In filling this work the following order has been observed. Upon the flooring stone was first placed one foot high the whole width; sand was then thrown in to make the work level, the whole then filled with sea weed on which was placed as much as could be conveniently done, after being settled a second layer of sea weed, sand and stone placed thereon, again fascines and stone which now entirely fills the work. On the harbour side of this work a heavy strata of fascines has been placed and secured with stone, on the inner or beach side of this work sea weed in large quantities has been placed and sand thrown thereon [...].” (Oct 1, 1830)

The idea was “principally to collect the drifting sand” (October 24, 1825) to provide land on which to plant beachgrass, which would naturally prevent erosion—which the town’s 1702 law had recognized. An 1831 report states:

“At this point from 10 to 1200 feet sea weed has been placed from time to time, and is now raised sufficiently high to set grass, which will be done the coming spring. — From K to L [referring to a diagram that is not included] 1000 feet a double strata of fascines have been laid 15 feet toward the sea from the fascines laid at this point last season, and which has been done to give greater width to the Beach, and the places between the work of last year, and that of this year, has been filled with sea weed to prevent sand drifting into the harbour, and also aid the growth of grass, which will be planted thereon next spring. — Last March grass was set over the whole distance from K to L, which was raised by sea weed and fascines last year and the grass is in fine condition and bearing a good crop of seed.” (October 1, 1831)

Though the term “ecological engineering” would not be coined until nearly a century and a half later, this is a clear early example of the approach.

The collection also preserves the interaction between the local and federal economies. While the project was funded by a federal grant and conducted under the auspices of the US Army, the work was carried out at least in part by local civilian contractors. The collection includes an 1826 list of proposals for construction and delivery of fascines and stones, giving names and prices per ton. Different individuals promised different tonnage, from fifty tons (at between $2.75 to $4 per ton) to 500 (at between 75¢ to $2.80 per). It also contains several years of budgets, and contracts with four of the contractors: Winslow Wright, John Ransom, Sylvanus Ripley, and Thomas C. Standish. Interestingly, though these four made offers on the cheaper end, the government seems to have turned down the cheapest proposal of 500 tons for 75¢ per; at least, a contract with the man offering this deal is not present in this collection.

Reports are sent from local superintendents Zabdiel Sampson, Joseph Bradford, and Schuyler Sampson (seemingly no relation) directly to the Army Corps of Engineers’ chief engineer; during this time, these were Alexander Macomb, Charles Gratiot, and Joseph Gilbert Totten. Other major figures in army engineering are involved as well, such as Zealous Bates Tower, who writes to Schuyler Sampson:

“Any information that you may possess in connection with the past expenditures for the strengthening of Plymouth Beach will be useful to me. Your practical experience as Agent for the works of improvement upon this Beach together with your close observation of the effect produced by the various plans adopted to widen & raise it will give much value to any account you may choose to furnish me. As I informed you to day I would like to ascertain how the different appropriations have been expended & what has been the general effect of the structures erected by those expenditures.” (October 11, 1852)

The collection also occasionally records unusual weather events in the bay. Sampson writes to Army topographical engineer John James Abert about a major storm affecting the beach:

“Sir: I would beg leave to report to the Department that this region has recently been visited by a most severe Easterly storm of wind and rain which continued ten days, and the effect of which on Plymouth Beach has been very injurious – the tide rose to an unusual height, and the sea forced through the Beach in two places of about one hundred and twenty yards each.
          The Storm of December 1839 injured the Beach at the point, above referred to, and made considerable inroad which was reported at that time to the Department, – and I would now advise that a further sum of 400 dollars be added to the Estimate I forwarded to the Department dated August 12, 1840, of 1000, – making the sum necessary for the service of 1841 $1500 –” (November 16, 1840)

He mentions in a later letter to William H. Swift that the destruction was “so great [...] that I deemed it prudent to make an entire sketch of the beach which was done – after repeated visits to the Beach for survey” (July 16, 1841). He reports that “no appropriation was made for the works, and of course no repairs have been made,” and asks that Swift forward the report to the Chief Engineer.

Overall the collection provides an in-depth look at an early, major, and long-running public works project, which used ecological knowledge and engineering strategies long known about but only more recently returned to. Of interest to researchers of Massachusetts history and the Army Corps of Engineers, and also those studying the history of ecological engineering and conservation.

[1] As quoted in Howard P. Barnes, “Eel River & Plymouth Beach,” Pilgrim Society Note 1, no. 8 (1958).
[2] James Thacher, History of the Town of Plymouth, Third ed. (Parnassus Imprints, 1972), 328.
[3] Thacher, History, 329.

Price: $3,000.00