F. Jane Baker, 1986
German
Holiday
Park
(Members
Only)
These reminiscences of life at Jabez Corner were delivered as a lecture at Pilgrim Hallin 1986 to accompany an exhibit of pictures and documents put together by Marian Sears Chaffin. Frances Jane (Cooper) Baker who grew up at Jabez Corner and lived there much of her life amid family traditions extending back to the early 19th century and before. "The Little Town" together with notes by Mrs. Chaffin will soon be published by the Old Colony Club of Plymouth as Wellingsley: A Plymouth Suburb in the Mid to Late 1800s.
Part One: Wellingsley
Part Two: The General Store
A Note on Place Names: Wellingsley, Hobs Hole, and Jabez Corner are used somewhat interchangeably by the natives, but they refer to separate if overlapping localities. "Wellingsley" is the official name of the neighborhood between Hobs Hole Brook to the north and (roughly) Jordan Hospital to the south along Sandwich Street. The local school and chapel were the Wellingsley School and the Wellingsley Union Chapel. "Hobs Hole" is the name given the small brook that rises on Nook Road between South Street and Sandwich Street, the salt marsh (also called Cornish's Meadow) into which it flows, and the channel in the harbor that extends out from the marsh. "Jabez Corner", the bend where Sandwich Street turns inland at the start of Warren Avenue, is the heart of the community where the shops, school and chapel are or were located.