A portion of the street heading west from the town common was a swamp in the
eighteenth century, with a "corduroy" road of logs making the street
passable. A pond was built on the south side of the street, near St. John's
Church, and was used for washing laundry by the community. A gate at the end
of the street allowed passage through the Common Fence.
The current name was given to the street in 1849, by which time the swamp had
been drained and filled.