and dredged was purchased on July 13, 1804,
from Abram and Lois Bowerman by Watson Jenkins, Joseph Mayhew,
Stephen Davis, Consider Hatch and Joseph Davis, Jr., and used as a
site for salt works by the whole or part of them. On August 1, 1805,
the same Abram and Lois Bowerman deeded additional land to Joseph
Davis, Jr., and on June 17, 1816, the same parties sold more land to
Nymphas Davis, the son of Joseph, Jr.

As Joseph Davis, Sr., the father of Joseph, Jr., was then a deacon
in the Congregational church, the name was gradually changed from
the old name of "Bowerman's Pond" to "the deacon's pond" and it
finally became Deacon's Pond. Later, when the name did not locate
the harbor sufficiently, it was officially changed to "Falmouth
Inner Harbor."

There were formerly two outlets from the pond into Vineyard Sound,
and some of the old deeds refer to the East and West rivers. There
was also a ditch across the marsh, probably through the land now
owned by Edward Gallagher.

In 1870-1 the land about the pond and also "Great Hill" was sold by
George H. Davis, the son of Nymphas Davis, to the Falmouth Land and
Wharf Company, and remained in its possession several years, later
becoming the property of G. Edward Smith, the president of the
company.

In 1888 Mr. Smith sold the beach, extending from the line of the
Falmouth Wharf Company west to the land now covered by the harbor,
to George H. Davis.

One of the old rivers had long since been filled and the other
changed its course so often through the beach that the town was
obliged to set stone posts to define the middle line and establish a
definite boundary.

When the land was finally acquired by the State, the channel was cut
through the land of the widow of George H. Davis on the eastern side
and a small triangular piece on the western side belonging to
Henrietta F. Goodnow.

On February, 18, 1909, the harbor and Land Commissioners advertised
another hearing in regard to the "Improvement of Deacon's Pond Harbor"
and still another on February 24, 1910.

After these hearings had been held and improvements made, the
channel was wide and deep enough to permit schooners to enter.

However, the sand drifted in and on March 11, 1911, there was
another hearing called in regard to removing a "shoal at the
entrance to the harbor" and about 32,000 cubic feet of earth was
then removed.

Since then other deepenings have been made until now, during the
summer season, it