Seeking Docents

If you'd like to share the rich history of Old Newbury with others, please consider joining our docent program. Open season at the Cushing House begins June 2. Please call or email Kristen for more information about upcoming trainings 978-462-2681 or info@newburyhistory.org.



Dr. John Clark: Newbury’s First Doctor and Groundbreaking Surgeon

By Dr. Marc Cendron

Note: Dr. Marc Cendron, a practicing pediatric urologist at Boston Childrens’ Hospital, has studied the history of his specialty in detail. He was excited to discover that Newbury’s first doctor had a role in early surgical treatment for kidney stones, a common and painful medical issue then and now. Marc is a longtime member of the Museum of Old Newbury and co-chair of its Collections Committee

Evidence of treatment for kidney and bladder issues, the specialties of urologists today, first appeared in New England in 1643. On receiving a request for medical information from Governor Winthrop, Dr. Edward Stafford wrote a long letter that is considered to be the first medical text written in Colonial America. In the letter, Dr. Stafford touched on urologic matters by giving recommendations regarding “disease of ye bladder” and “for ye stopping of ye urine.” These recommendations involve the preparation and ingestion of “emulsions,” attesting to the fact that diseases and conditions of the urinary tract were generally handled medically, rather than surgically.

Surgery to remove kidney stones, known as lithotomy, had been practiced in antiquity by specially trained physicians even though it was proscribed by the Hippocratic oath and was shunned because of the risks involved in poorly understood, unsanitary operations. In the Middle Ages, the procedure was rare, and considered distasteful, and its practice was relegated to “barbers and low persons, rustic idiots and imbeciles and it is even worse, to base and presumptuous women who are not afraid to perform it”. Quite surprisingly, if you happened to live in Newbury in the 1630’s and experienced the painful effects of a kidney stone, Dr. John Clark, whose portrait now hangs in the Countway Library at Harvard Medical School, may have come to your aid.  

Dr. John Clark, physician in Newbury from 1635-1651. Attributed to Augustine Clement, an artist who arrived in Boston in 1635. The portrait is believed to be the only surviving portrait of a 17th century American physician in Massachusetts. Courtesy of Countway Library, Harvard Medical School.

The portrait of Dr. Clark is not only fascinating for its depiction of an early New England physician, but also for the garb Dr. Clark wears (a dark robe and a skull cap), and for the surgical instruments depicted. In his right hand he holds a trephine, which he has placed on a skull secured by his left hand, calmly meeting the eye of the viewer. He is reported to be the first to use such an instrument in the new World. Beside the skull is a surgical saw. Both instruments were used to make holes in the skull of patients that had suffered head trauma. The goal was to relieve pressure caused by accumulation of blood (hematoma). Regrettably, no inventory of Dr. Clark’s surgical is provided in his will; they are simply reported as “books and instruments” with “several Chirurgy materials in a closet, (valued at) 60 pounds.” 

Tools from a 17^th Century naval surgeons kit. Image courtesy of MIT press.  

In one notable case in 1676, Dr. Clark was called on to operate on a young man from Plymouth who had suffered a grievous head injury. “Thomas, (who) was left for dead, but afterwards recovered, had a silver plate put over his exposed brain, by the celebrated surgeon Dr. John Clarke, of Boston. He ever afterwards was known as ‘Silver-headed Tom.’”

John Clark was born in England around 1598. Little is known of his life prior to making the voyage over to the recently founded Colony of Massachusetts Bay. His lineage would have possibly been Scottish and he was known to have received his medical education in Edinburgh. According to a brief family history dated 1731 and hand written by his grandson William Clark Collin, “ Dr. John Clark was a younger brother of a good family in the North of England, had a collegiate education, took the study of physics, and had from the college a diploma for a practitioner, and on his successful cutting several of the stone (sic) he had a separate diploma as to that faculty…both which I have seen in parchment with their seal”.

What motivated Dr. Clark to venture across the ocean, “to make settlements in this desert wilderness” is a matter of conjecture, but Dr. Clark’s presence in New England is documented as early as 1637. The town records of Newbury state that “it was granted that Mr. Clark, in respect to his calling, should be freed and exempted from all publick rates [taxes] for the town or county so long as he shall remain with us and exercise his calling.” Joshua Coffin’s History of Newbury, Massachusetts (1845) further states that Dr. Clark was “as tradition asserts, the first regularly educated physician who resided in New England.” He was thus admitted as a freeman in 1639 and was considered one of the richest men in the area. John Currier states in his Ould Newbury account of the history of Newbury that the town “laid out…to Mr. Clark 540 acres.” Family history indicates that he may have travelled back and forth to England. He also did stay in Newbury for an extended period of time as he moved to Ipswich in 1647 and then ultimately to Boston in 1651, where he achieved prominence in the field of medicine, being the first to perform trepanation of the skull (a procedure aimed relieved pressure of the brain from internal bleeding caused usually by trauma to the head). He married Mary Saltonstall of Boston, and they had one child, John Clark, who was the progenitor of seven generation of physicians who all practiced in Boston.

A 16th century depiction of a trephination by renowned Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516).

Outside of his calling as a physician and surgeon, Dr. Clark was involved in politics as a local representative. He was also interested in husbandry and horse breeding. As documented in his will, he had stoves constructed to save wood, for which the General Court of Massachusetts had awarded a patent for life in 1652. In his medical biography of Dr. Clark, James Savage states, “how much these anticipated Dr. Franklin’s inventions, I suppose will never be learned.” Of special interest is that Dr. Clark willed to his son, besides his book and instruments (“unto my sonne, John, all my books, instruments and materials, whatsoever I have at the time of my Decease, belongings to the art of Physicke and Chirurgy”), “horses, mares and colts both in this Colony of Massachusetts and in Plymouth County”. Though it is clear that Dr. Clark provided surgical care, the details are lost to history.

The fact that Clark received a diploma for his ability in “cutting of the stone” would indicate that lithotomy (surgical extraction of bladder stones) may have been part of his practice and performed in this country earlier than previously thought. Whatever technique Dr. Clark used, however, it would have been intensely painful without anesthetic, and the surgical removal of kidney stones remained quite rare. In fact, urology was virtually unknown in America until 1760, when John Jones is reported to have carried out the first lithotomy in New York City, but the evidence indicates that in the 1630’s, Newbury’s own resident doctor was an experienced urologist and surgeon. 

R. Michael Fosburg (1940-2023)

We'd like to take a moment to remember Michael Fosburg, former president of the Museum of Old Newbury. He was an active member and often the best-dressed guest at our events.

Guests at Michael's memorial service gave him a standing ovation. Please join us in doing the same for a life well lived.

Obituary included in this link.

Photo by Bob Watts

Added Night! Fashion Night Out: Girls' Style from the Civil War to 1900 Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 6:30 pm

Museum of Old Newbury, 98 High Street, Newburyport

We've added another night! Our ever-popular fashion series continues with a focus on Girls' Style from the Civil War to 1900. Free for members, $10 for non-members.

The 44th Annual Newburyport Garden Tour

June 10 & 11, 10am -4pm

Above is a glimpse of just one of the gardens on our annual garden tour! Enjoy exclusive access to a new selection of 11 private gardens in Newburyport, Amesbury, Newbury, and Rowley. Early bird pricing through May 31: $20 members, $35 non-members. One ticket is good both days. Get your tickets today.

For the Love of Cars

a blog by Kristen Fehlhaber, Assistant Director

This rare, low-number plate with Newburyport roots was recently donated to the Museum of Old Newbury by the Dodge family.

The recent article on Christiana Morgan elicited several interesting responses from readers. Will Rogers of Newburyport wrote to us, remembering his aunt fondly. Thus began a conversation about Christiana and her sisters Elizabeth and Isabella. Will’s mother was Dr. Elizabeth Councilman, a practicing physician in Newburyport from the 1930s-1970s. Her office was in her home at 83 High Street, right across the street from the Museum of Old Newbury. In addition to his mother the physician and his aunt the Jungian analyst, I asked Will about the third sister, thinking she must have led an interesting life as well. This led to a vivid memory of his “Aunt Bay,” an accomplished musician with peculiar car.

Aunt Bay played concert bass and when Will’s high school orchestra performed, she’d drive out from Cambridge to accompany them. The bass poked out of the roof and it was Will’s job to help her bring it in. The car was a tan 1960s Saab 96 with a rag top. It also had an engine that Will remembered as “silly:”  a two-stroke that required the owner to mix oil with gas before filling the tank.  

“That’s it!” said Will. A 1961 Saab Model 96. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

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Filling the tank might become a thing of the past. The first rumble and roar of classic cars out for Sunday drives started here in New England a few weeks ago, but how much longer will we be hearing those engines? Electric cars are becoming more common and a new EPA proposal announced this week would make gas engines increasingly rare. The first car dealership in Newburyport, opened in April 1905 on Liberty Street, actually featured an electric Pope Waverly car. They were largely marketed to women drivers because of the ease of operations (no gas or steam engine to mess with).

A 1905 electric car from the Pope Motor Car Company catalog. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.  

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A recent visitor to the Museum shared some stories of his great-grandfather's place in Newburyport’s automobile history. Laurence Paine Dodge (1885-1965) known as “L.P.,” grew up in a mansion at 71 High Street, the youngest child of shoe manufacturer E.P. Dodge. 

Built in 1885, this house left the Dodge family in 1926 and was torn down in the late 1930s.

L.P.’s father died on September 30, 1902 at age 54. Just ten days later, on October 10, the 17-year-old became the owner of Newburyport’s first gas-powered car. It was a 1902 Oldsmobile, the first car produced on an assembly line, sporting a curved dashboard and a tiller instead of a steering wheel. We don’t know if this was a gift to comfort the newly fatherless youth; we do know that L.P. remained passionate about cars and driving for the rest of his life.  

L.P. in his 1902 Oldsmobile. Top speed was 20 mph. Photo courtesy Laurence P. Dodge II.



In 1902, Newburyport wasn’t prepared for gasoline powered automobiles. There was no filling station, so L.P. fueled his car with five-gallon cannisters that he filtered with chamois cloth, both bought from William Dole at the corner of High and Parker Street in Newbury. L.P. didn’t have to tolerate this inconvenience for long; a gas tank was soon installed at his mother’s house on High Street.   

L.P. got his gasoline at Dole’s grocery. The other ads on these pages show that the horse-drawn era was still going strong. 1901-02 Newburyport City Directory. 

L.P. got a two-digit plate for this car when license plates became required in 1903. At some point, he lost the rights to the number due to a paperwork issue. However, in 1932, he finagled a way to get plate number 696, which he held onto for the rest of his life.  

Based on the number, this plate comes from 1904. Image courtesy porcelainplates.net

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L.P.’s granddaughter, Adelaide, remembers that in the 1950s, L.P. lived at 106 High Street and had a pink Nash Rambler convertible, nicknamed “the Shrimp Boat.” 

A fine sight on High Street! The Nash Rambler featured bright colors and was compact compared to other American cars at the time. Image courtesy of amcrc.com. 

The 696 license plate was even mentioned in L.P.'s obituary! The plate passed down to his daughter Mimi, his granddaughter Anzie, and currently belongs to great-grandson Laurence P. Dodge II of Melrose who said his great-grandfather might not be pleased about his own choice of car. 

Laurence P. Dodge II and his 2019 Honda Fit on Fruit Street, sporting the family license plate. Laurence is holding a cup given to L.P. from the Tuesday Night Club. He donated the cup and a license plate to the Museum of Old Newbury. 

Laurence says that rules have become stricter and plates can only be passed on to immediate family, meaning that he will be the last Dodge to have plate 696. 

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Back to Will Rogers – he reports that he and his brother Henry, both still living in Newburyport, have their parents’ original license plate numbers from when they moved here in the 1930s. Will has 66132 (his father’s), Henry has 66137 (his mother’s). How Will, the younger brother, got the lower number is a question for another time! 

If you covet a low-number plate, you don’t need L.P.’s friends in high places – the allotment of these sought-after numbers is controlled in Massachusetts by an annual lottery . With thanks to Laurence P. Dodge II for his generous help with this story. Some details of L.P.’s early driving career come from an interview with him from the Newburyport Daily News, October 2, 1962. 

Spring Asparagus Tart

This recipe is so easy but tastes elegant and complex, thanks to a kick of lemon and gruyere and/or fontina cheese. I like to add roasted onion, but you may prefer it without. -Bethany Groff Dorau

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh spring asparagus, trimmed

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

2-3 cups grated gruyere and/or fontina cheese (I like a blend)

Juice of one lemon

Zest of one lemon

1 TBSP butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400°.

Steam asparagus until tender – 3-5 minutes. Roll out the pastry sheet on a floured surface to the size of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake pastry for 10 minutes. If you want to add roasted onions, cut thin rings, coat with olive oil, and roast while the pastry cooks. Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese over the pastry. Add asparagus atop the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the asparagus. Combine butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest and drizzle over asparagus. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and beginning to turn golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.  

Click the image to do the puzzle

1902 Oldsmobile Curved-Dash Runabout. Vintage Postcard from the Henry Austin Clark Jr. Collection at the Long Island Auto Museum. Additional information on the 1902 Olds can be found here.

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