Announcing, the Essay Contest Winners for Duxbury’s 375th Birthday.

The 375 Committee sponsored an essay contest for all Duxbury students, grades twothrough 12, to commemorate the long and rich history of our town. The theme was “What Makes Duxbury Unique to Me.” The Committee received 154 thoughtfully written essays from all age categories. We are happy to announce the winners:

Grade 2 category: Caroline Eldredge, a second grader at Chandler School

Grades 3-5 category: Chasey Sampson, a fourth grader at Alden School

Grades 6-8 category: Lila Jones, a sixth grader at the Middle School

Grade 9-12 category: Cameron Myette, an 11th grader at Duxbury High School.

The winners were awarded cash prizes, as well as medals with the Duxbury 375th logo imprinted on them, at the town-wide picnic on the town green on Sunday, June 17.

My top five favorites, by Lila Jones, Grade 6
Hello and welcome to Duxbury, Massachusetts. Today we will be discussing my favorite attractions in this great town. You may have even have been to some yourself. Today I will be specifically focusing on my top five favorites. Let’s begin.

One amazing attraction in Duxbury is difficult to overlook, Duxbury Beach. Enter the beach by traveling over the half-mile long Powder Point Bridge; built in 1892 it became the world’s longest wooden bridge. After you cross the bridge, follow the path onto the beach. The path is bordered by a wooden fence, and lacy, bright pink beach roses. When you are finished walking the path, spread out your towel, lather some sunscreen on, and enjoy the beauty of the beach. The roar and crashing of the waves as they forcefully slam against the sand, their white tips perched on the denim blue surf. You will hear seagulls chattering and cawing above you, and squeals of laughter from delighted children splashing, boogie boarding, and building sand castles.

I know you’ve had fun on the beach, but now it’s time to move on to our next attraction, Bluefish River. Here at the Bluefish River you can let the tides casually propel you down the winding river or you could sit and fish. You can even jump off the Bluefish River Bridge, when it’s high tide of course. Not in the mood for getting wet? That’s all right, too. Just take the roughly five-minute walk to Snug Harbor. You can check out the boats, go whale watching, or get an ice cream from French Memories Bakery. You can check out some of the other shops also.

You might want to dry off for our next destination because unlike our first two, you won’t be swimming here. You may have guessed it, our next stop is Hall’s Corner. Halls Corner has been a very important crossroad since the days of the Pilgrims. It is named after Captain Daniel Hall, the owner of a tavern in the 1800’s. There is a gas station currently sitting where the tavern used to be almost 200 years ago. At Halls Corner you can explore the shops like Dunkin Donuts, Cottons, Scoops, One, Rock Paper Scissors, Westwinds Bookshop, and several more.

Our next destination is the Myles Standish Monument. The Myles Standish Monument sits on Captain’s Hill. When the people of Duxbury decided to make the monument, they received funds from Mr. J. Henry Stickney from Baltimore, Maryland. Building was started in 1871. When the monument was 70 feet tall, they ran out of funding. By the time they had enough funding to continue it was 1889. The granite on the lower part of the monument is slightly lighter in color, so today you can still see where the construction was delayed.

Next stop, the John Alden House Museum. John Alden was a ship carpenter and a cooper. He married Priscilla Mullins on May 12, 1622. John and Priscilla had 10 children. Today the house is owned by the Alden Kindred of America Family Association. You can tour the house and learn about what life was like then. I think the coolest thing about the Alden House is that it is one of the only houses from the 17th century left today that has been “untouched” in a sense. What I mean is that the Alden House hasn’t had any changes to keep up with modern times, like plumbing, electricity, modern kitchens, etc. Although these might be considered “improvements,” it takes away from the historic factor of the house, which I think is the coolest part. Unfortunately, this is the end of our tour, but not the end of this paper.

The pilgrims came here because they wanted a better life. A couple years ago, my family moved to Duxbury for the same reason. My parents thought it would be good for us to grow up near the ocean, and obtain our education in great schools, two things Duxbury has willingly offered. We have enjoyed living here so much. Everyone here is so nice. Duxbury is more than a town. We’re more like a family. You feel as if you know everyone. We love the safe and fun atmosphere Duxbury offers us. Even though I’ve just listed some of the main attractions in Duxbury, that isn’t the only thing that makes Duxbury what it is. There are plenty of equally great places to visit. Coastal Living magazine voted Duxbury on the Top 3 list for “cute, quaint beach towns”, and as flattering as this is, Duxbury is even more than that. It’s hard to describe what a great place this town really is, you have to visit us and find out. Living here, I can definitely understand why the pilgrims came here so many years ago.

Duxbury through the season, by Caroline Eldredge, Grade 2
Duxbury is unique to me because there is always something to do in every season. Every season brings changes to Duxbury. In winter Duxbury has the best sledding hills. To sled I like to go to Miramar. A lot of my friends go to North Hill. Maybe next year I’ll go. Duxbury has great places to ice skate, there are bogs and ponds everywhere. Who could forget the Christmas tree lighting on the Town Green? Hot chocolate and visits with Santa what fun. Duxbury is so beautiful around the holidays. I like driving around Tinker Town with my family on Christmas Eve to see the luminaries. Don’t get me wrong, winter isn’t the only great season.

When the weather warms up, Duxbury has so many things to do. Duxbury has the best playgrounds. My favorite is the one behind the Library. On the weekends you can find me playing sports. There are so many choices in Duxbury. When school is out, Duxbury is the place to be. No other town has a beach like ours. If you want ice cream, check out FarFar’s and Scoops. The toy shop, Once Upon a Time is next to FarFar’s. My mom used to work there. They have great toys. I’m always excited for the 4th of July parade. I love to see the parade and catch the candy. This year I am going to Camp Wing, it’s so cool that there are camps right here in Duxbury.

When the weather cools down again, it’s back to school. This time of year I like to sign up for classes at the Duxbury Art Association. I’ve taken Animal Art and Sewing already and I can’t wait to try more. This is when the leaves start to fall. I love jumping in the leaf piles my parents rake up. I also love to walk on the trails and around the bogs to see the fall colors. Duxbury is beautiful in any season.

A town full of camaradie, by Cameron Myette, grade 11
In the state of Massachusetts, every town is unique. One might have a history of  trade while others could be the birthplace of important people. The town of Duxbury is steeped in rich tradition and history in many ways. It was the second town incorporated into the commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was a producer of ships during the 17th and 18th centuries. Duxbury has been around for many years. And in those years, Duxbury has been a place I call home now.

The amount of camaraderie that Duxbury has is what makes Duxbury unique to me. When I came to Duxbury as a freshman, I was new and didn’t know anyone. I kept in mind that everyone in my grade was new to the high school but they had their group of friends and I had no one.

 I will admit, I thought the kids in Duxbury wore high class clothing to school and I thought I wouldn’t fit in. I strongly disliked middle school when I was living in my old town. I was bullied for stupid reasons, even by some of the girls. For me, it was not a good situation to be in. To my surprise and relief, the school had a day that was hosted by the link-crew to get all new students comfortable with the high school. Granted I still got lost sometimes but it did help. That same day, one student actually welcomed me to Duxbury. It was just a quick handshake and a few words, but it meant a lot.

The majority of students made it easy to fit in and by the second week, I had someone to sit with at every lunch and I was just like everyone else. It is this sense of camaraderie that makes Duxbury unique to me.

When my family and I moved to Duxbury, our new home was situated next to a cemetery. It was a little cemetery named Dingley Cemetery. I would have never thought that I would be living next to a cemetery. I quickly got used to it and later found out that it was the resting place of four Veterans of our past military. They fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

My mother later informed me that every Memorial Day, the American Legion comes to the cemetery and takes part in a ceremony honoring the memory and sacrifices that each of them made. So on the morning of Memorial Day, out of respect, I put on my uniform and stood at parade rest at the entrance waiting for the American Legion to arrive.

I did not know what to expect so I made sure I looked good and ready. They arrived and asked me if I wanted to be in their formation. I immediately responded with a confident “Yes Sir” and joined them in the ceremony. I had never met them but because we shared a common purpose, to respect the ones who sacrificed everything, we trusted each other. It is this sense of camaraderie that makes Duxbury unique to me.

Fast-forward to August 2011 and we received the news that a West Point graduate from Duxbury had passed away while serving our country. As a town, we came together and supported Lt. Steele’s family and honored his memory admirably. The amount of respect and pride that I saw was strong, so strong that I have seen it this whole school year. As a student body, we created posters to remember him. The Duxbury football team dedicated their season to Lt. Steele’s memory. We will never forget his service to us. It showed me that this town of Duxbury is one unit, one team ready to support anyone in their time of need.

It is this sense of camaraderie that makes Duxbury unique to me. The town of Duxbury, Massachusetts has been around for a long time, 375 years to be exact. It is small in size but the hearts of the citizens that live here are huge in the idea of camaraderie. I was welcomed with open arms when I came here. We remember those who have fought for our freedom and support those in a time of need. We are one unit, one team with the colors of green and white. I am proud to be a Dragon, now and forever. Happy Birthday, Duxbury.

A very unique town, by Chasey Sampson, 4th Grade
Duxbury is a very unique town. Long, long ago, settlers came here on a ship called the Mayflower. They did not want to live in England because King James made unfair laws about churches and religion. The pilgrims did not like him, so they got on the Mayflower and they left. Two people on the ship were Captain Myles Standish and Henry Sampson. I am related to both of them. Henry Sampson was one of the first settlers of Duxbury. His nephew married Myles Standish’s granddaughter, and they had a son named Myles Sampson. This is my little brother’s name now. Henry Sampson owned the land where my church is now (Pilgrim Church). To me, it is unique that my relative owned the land where I now go to church! Myles Standish was also one of the first settlers of Duxbury. Now there is a monument dedicated to him. You can go up to the top and see almost all of Duxbury. There are 147 steps to reach the top, we counted.

The beach is another thing about Duxbury that makes it very unique. At Duxbury Beach the water is very cold, but I love to swim in it anyway. You can drive your car onto the beach. When I go to Duxbury beach, we stay until night time and we have barbeques. While I am at Duxbury Beach the sun beats down on my back and I feel the sand between my fingers and toes. I hear seagulls squawking and the sound of many people enjoying the beach. The beach definitely makes Duxbury unique.

Bluefish River and Powder Point Bridge are two things that make Duxbury unique. Bluefish River Bridge is a bridge you can jump off at high tide. Whenever we drive past the bridge, we look to see if it is high or low tide. Sometimes it is dead low tide and the boats are sitting in the mud. At high tide you can jump off the bridge. I have done this a couple of times. I swing my leg over the railing. I gracefully leap off the ledge and fly through the air and land with a pleasing splash in the freezing water below. The Powder Point Bridge is a long, long wooden bridge. When we drive over it, we try to hold our breath the whole time. You can either drive over it or walk over it to get to the beach. Those are two fun things that make Duxbury unique.

The library makes Duxbury unique to me. The Duxbury Free Library is a huge library filled with any type of book you can imagine. The shelves seem to touch the sky filled with books for all to enjoy. There are special rooms where you can do your homework or do an after school group activity. I do Junior Garden Club and knitting at the library. My favorite books to get at the library are Nancy Drew mysteries.

Another thing that makes Duxbury unique is Bumpus Park. With its luscious green grass, tall climbing trees, and the ocean right next to it, Bumpus Park is very unique. My family calls it “Daredevil Park” because we always climb trees and jump off them like daredevils. Sometimes we have picnic lunches or dinners at Daredevil Park. At Daredevil Park the trees are so close together that I try not to touch the ground and jump from tree to tree. It is a very unique place in Duxbury.

Lastly, Duxbury is unique because of the King Caesar House. I did a camp called Time Travelers Camp this past April vacation at the King Caesar House. We learned how to make paper, do calligraphy, make tin art, and make butter, ice cream, and “1,2,3,4 cake.” It’s amazing how hundreds of years ago people used to live in that house and that it wasn’t always a museum. At one time, it was Powder Point School for Boys. The King Caesar House makes Duxbury very unique.

Duxbury is a very unique town, and I feel glad to live in it. Duxbury is a town full of history. When we walk around Duxbury, we are walking where the Pilgrims walked. In most places you can’t walk around history all the time. Duxbury is a unique town. Happy 375th Birthday, Duxbury.