Humarock
Encyclopedia
Humarock is part of Scituate, Massachusetts
, United States 42°08′10"N 70°41′26"W. Humarock is a pictureque seaside village surrounded by water and situated on Cape Cod Bay
midway between Boston and Plymouth. It was separated from the rest of the town
in the Portland Gale
of 1898 in which the mouth of the North River
shifted. Humarock is now accessible from Scituate only by boat
or from the Town of Marshfield
by bridge.
The common perception that Humarock is an island
is supported by the fact that the place is accessed by boat or by crossing bridge
s that span the South River. However, Humarock is clearly a very long, slender peninsula
rather than an island as can be seen on aerial images of the area.
To reach Humarock over land one would have to walk through a large dune or Rexhame Beach.
, running from First Cliff on the northern end of the town's coast down to Fourth Cliff in the southern end. Prior to the Portland Gale, Humarock was connected to the Scituate mainland
at Third Cliff. The North River flowed south between Fourth Cliff and Marshfield, joined the South River, and entering the Massachusetts Bay
several kilometers to the south of the current opening.
A thin strip of beach
which connected Third Cliff to Fourth Cliff was breached by the storm
, separating Humarock from the rest of Scituate. Eventually the old inlet
silt
ed in, forcing the South River to flow north between Marshfield and Fourth Cliff where it now joins the North River to enter the ocean
.
Although Fourth Cliff is now connected by land to the Rexhame section of Marshfield, there are no roads across the old inlet. As a result, Fourth Cliff and the rest of the Humarock part of Scituate are only accessible via the Marshfield Ave and Julian Street bridges from Marshfield.
The change to the course of the North River also increased the salinity
of the large marsh
the area surrounding the current outlet, resulting in the loss of the valuable salt
hay
ing business.
place" or "rock carving." However, this etymology
can be traced back to Edward Rowe Snow
, a Marshfield writer better-known for his imagination than his attention to historical accuracy.
The common belief that the name is a corruption of "Humming Rocks" (referring to the crash of the surf
) does not seem implausible, but historical records suggest that the origin of the name lies in the word "hummock
" i.e. a hill
near a marsh
. As early as 1732 town records refer to the Fourth Cliff area as "Humock Flatt" or "Hummock Flats" and other variants. The record of a shipwreck
by this spot in 1847 is noted as off "Hummock Beach." The Scituate town map of 1879 labels the peninsula south of Fourth Cliff as "Shore Hummock".
It may be noted that the shoreline of Humarock is characterized by the presence of innumerable roughly fist-sized, smooth, flattened rocks and these were even more prevalent before the Blizzard of '78
. It may be that the name "Hummock Rock-beach" became "Humarock Beach" and finally "Humarock".
Scituate, Massachusetts
Scituate is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 18,133 at the 2010 census....
, United States 42°08′10"N 70°41′26"W. Humarock is a pictureque seaside village surrounded by water and situated on Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west....
midway between Boston and Plymouth. It was separated from the rest of the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Portland Gale
Portland Gale
The Portland Gale was a storm that struck the coast of New England on November 26 and 27, 1898. The storm formed when two low pressure areas merged off the coast of Virginia and travelled up the coast; at its peak, it produced a storm surge of about ten feet in Cohasset harbor and hurricane-force...
of 1898 in which the mouth of the North River
North River (Massachusetts Bay)
The North River is a river, approximately long, in eastern Massachusetts, the United States. It is primarily a tidal river, formed by the confluence of the Indian Head River and Herring Brook. The North River forms the boundary between the towns of Norwell and Pembroke, Massachusetts, and...
shifted. Humarock is now accessible from Scituate only by boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
or from the Town of Marshfield
Marshfield, Massachusetts
Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on Massachusetts's South Shore. The population was 25,132 at the 2010 census.See also: Green Harbor, Marshfield , Rexhame, Marshfield Hills, and Ocean Bluff and Brant Rock....
by bridge.
The peninsula
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
is supported by the fact that the place is accessed by boat or by crossing bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s that span the South River. However, Humarock is clearly a very long, slender peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
rather than an island as can be seen on aerial images of the area.
To reach Humarock over land one would have to walk through a large dune or Rexhame Beach.
The separation
The coast of Scituate is marked by four distinct bluffsCliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
, running from First Cliff on the northern end of the town's coast down to Fourth Cliff in the southern end. Prior to the Portland Gale, Humarock was connected to the Scituate mainland
Mainland
Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
at Third Cliff. The North River flowed south between Fourth Cliff and Marshfield, joined the South River, and entering the Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay
The Massachusetts Bay, also called Mass Bay, is one of the largest bays of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Its waters extend 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts Bay includes the Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay,...
several kilometers to the south of the current opening.
A thin strip of beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
which connected Third Cliff to Fourth Cliff was breached by the storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
, separating Humarock from the rest of Scituate. Eventually the old inlet
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
ed in, forcing the South River to flow north between Marshfield and Fourth Cliff where it now joins the North River to enter the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
.
Although Fourth Cliff is now connected by land to the Rexhame section of Marshfield, there are no roads across the old inlet. As a result, Fourth Cliff and the rest of the Humarock part of Scituate are only accessible via the Marshfield Ave and Julian Street bridges from Marshfield.
The change to the course of the North River also increased the salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
of the large marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
the area surrounding the current outlet, resulting in the loss of the valuable salt
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
ing business.
The name
The name "Humarock" is often said to come from the Wampanoag language and have had a meaning like "seashellSeashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
place" or "rock carving." However, this etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
can be traced back to Edward Rowe Snow
Edward Rowe Snow
Edward Rowe Snow was an American author and historian.-Life:He was the son of Edward Sumpter and Alice Snow...
, a Marshfield writer better-known for his imagination than his attention to historical accuracy.
The common belief that the name is a corruption of "Humming Rocks" (referring to the crash of the surf
Breaking wave
In fluid dynamics, a breaking wave is a wave whose amplitude reaches a critical level at which some process can suddenly start to occur that causes large amounts of wave energy to be transformed into turbulent kinetic energy...
) does not seem implausible, but historical records suggest that the origin of the name lies in the word "hummock
Hummock
A hummock is a boss or rounded knoll of ice rising above the general level of an ice-field, making sledge travelling in the Arctic and Antarctic region extremely difficult and unpleasant....
" i.e. a hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
near a marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
. As early as 1732 town records refer to the Fourth Cliff area as "Humock Flatt" or "Hummock Flats" and other variants. The record of a shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
by this spot in 1847 is noted as off "Hummock Beach." The Scituate town map of 1879 labels the peninsula south of Fourth Cliff as "Shore Hummock".
It may be noted that the shoreline of Humarock is characterized by the presence of innumerable roughly fist-sized, smooth, flattened rocks and these were even more prevalent before the Blizzard of '78
Northeastern United States Blizzard of 1978
The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic and historic nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions to the New England region of the United States and the New York metropolitan area. The "Blizzard of '78" formed on February 5, 1978 and broke up on February 7, 1978...
. It may be that the name "Hummock Rock-beach" became "Humarock Beach" and finally "Humarock".
