Whittier Tollhouse & Shoeshop a.k.a Rocks Village Tollhouse and Shoe Shop
Along the gray abutment's wall The idle shad-net dries; The toll-man in his cobbler's stall Sits smoking with closed eyes. You hear the pier's low undertone Of waves that chafe and gnaw; You start,--a skipper's horn is blown To raise the creaking draw. ( verses 5 and 6 from "The Countess" by John Greenleaf Whittier 1863 ) John Whittier, the author of the above poem, lived just four miles from where this structure originally stood. The tiny, seemingly insignificant shack, which served as the toll keeper's stall, was built in 1828 in Rocks Village, East Haverhill (pronounced HAY-vruhl ), Massachusetts, on the banks of the Merrimac River, near a draw bridge that connected the towns of East Haverhill and West Newbury. The one room building was erected after the original crossing bridge was swept away in a storm in 1818. For ten years a ferry was used to cross the river until a new bridge was built. This building's purpose was for collecting tolls from thos...