16. Gilbert S. Tower

Gilbert S. Tower was born on February 15, 1888, and was best known as a cartographer who drew and annotated eight comprehensive historical maps of Cohasset still referenced today. He was born to Daniel Nichols and Alamatia Josephine Smith Tower, a direct descendant of Ibrook Tower, one of the first settlers of Cohasset. As a young man, he joined the Endeavor Cadets in 1897, a group formed by Reverend Edwin Victor Bigelow to teach boys how to play and work together. It was the town's first attempt at organized recreation for young people and a forerunner to the Boy Scouts. Near the close of the century, Tower was a baritone member in The Tower Orchestra. During WWI, he served as a Naval engineer and later was a mechanical engineer on the Panama Canal building project. Tower lived in Cohasset with his wife, Elizabeth Osgood Collier, a granddaughter of Joseph Osgood, and her three children. From 1939 to 1943, he was the town fire chief. He was a prolific writer and frequently spoke at town meetings on planning and zoning issues. The Cohasset selectmen named him honorary town engineer in 1970, a title he proudly held until his death in 1984 at age 99.