USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartland > History of Hartland, the 69th town in the Colony of Connecticut > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
In the early 1900's great interest developed among utility compan- ies in acquiring additional water power facilities to meet the growing demand for electric power. One of these was the Winsted Gas Company, later acquired by the Connecticut Light and Power Company.
Numerous offers were made to the Dean heirs for the Hogback property, but they had by that time come to realize the potential value of the spot and refused to accept any of them. In addition, they divided their interests into shares and formed a mutual pact in which they agreed that no one would sell without consulting all of the other broth- ers and sisters.
Upon the death of Mary Dean Nickerson, her share came into the possession of her son, Edwin Nickerson, who lived at that time on Smith Hill in Colebrook. Impatient over the delay of his aunts and uncles in selling the Hogback property, Nickerson, without consulting the others, consummated a deal for sale to the Winsted Gas Company of a one-sixth interest, apparently accepting a deposit of $1,000. to close the bargain .*
Although the details were never publicly revealed, the domestic scene which occurred when Nickerson informed his relatives of the action taken, must have been a violent one. Returning home the next day
144
History of Hartland
after a few hours absence, Mrs. Nickerson, the wife of Edwin, found a total of $1,000. in cash on the kitchen table with no note of explanation. Further investigation revealed that Nickerson had disappeared, taking his shotgun but no other personal belongings.
Suicide was apparent and for weeks a diligent search was conduct- ed in an effort to discover the "corpus delicti" or some trace of the miss- ing man. The known caves and rocky hillsides of both Hartland and Colebrook were carefully explored and large areas of thick underbrush combed foot by foot. In the forty-one years which have elapsed since his mysterious vanishment in "thin air", no trace has been found of his skeleton, gun or other evidence to indicate what may have happened to make his disappearance so absolute and complete. It still remains one of the unsolved enigmas of the Hartland Hills.
The remaining Dean heirs died, and it was their heirs who subse- quently sold their holdings. All of this area has now, of course, been acquired by the Metropolitan District Commission.
At this time it would appear that the potential water sources con- tained in Hartland have been exploited to their fullest extent. Most of its spring-fed streams empty into the Barkhamsted or Hogback Reser- voirs, and the Metropolitan District Commission is to be congratulated on the sparkling purity of its water supply system.
But there are many who, viewing the Barkhamsted reservoir from the height of the lookout on the new West Mountain Road, will still see mirrored in its silvery surface the former crops of tobacco, corn, and
Nhắc
-Courtesy Florence S. Ransom
Section of Spillway, Charles A. Goodwin Dam, at newly completed Hogback Reservoir
145
Reservoirs, Fields and Forests
potatoes as well as the outlines of those peaceful farms nestling so snug- ly in that place which for a time was known as Hartland Hollow.
Still others, gazing into the dark depth of the waters, now im- pounded by the Charles A. Goodwin Dam, will see the shades of those industrious individuals who spent their lives amid the rugged beauty of this remote region-a region whose greatest claim to distinction is the quaint appellation given to it by some carly unknown, who first described it as-
"The Hogsback"
Notes
*Used by special permission of the author, Odell Shepard.
** See Deed, dated June 3, 1920, Edwin S. Nickerson to Winsted Gas Com- pany, 1/6 Inte est. Recorded Hartland Land Records, Vol. 20, Page 131. Document Stamp $1.00.
FIELD AND FOREST
From the days of the first settlers forest and woodland have been of great importance to the residents of Hartland. The virgin timber con- sisting mostly of Pine, Hemlock, Chestnut, Ash and Maple, through which the early surveyors ran their tier and division lines, was cut and used in building their early homes and farm buildings.
By 1800, the peak of Hartland's population, the primeval forests had become the victim of the hewer's axe or saw mills located on the Hubbard Brook in the Hollow and the streams of the East and West Mountains. There is ample evidence to prove that some of these trees were of large proportions. Hemlock and pine roof and floor boards in some of the older houses show random widths of from 18" to 30". In renovating the Church building of the Second Society in West Hartland in 1953, it was discovered that the sub-floor consisting of pine boards salvaged from the original building erected in 1780 were no less than 18" in width - some as much as 28".
In addition to use for building, wood was the only source of fuel for both warmth and cooking purposes. The early fireplaces consumed large quantities, and the rigorous winters made it necessary to have a supply of dry wood always available.
The advent of stoves lowered the consumption considerably-but on the hottest day of summer, it was still necessary to have a fire in the kitchen for preparation of the daily meals. Until very recent years, enor- mous wood-piles have been a component part of the Hartland scene for Church, School and Home life.
From the forests and woodlands came the products so necessary for existence in the early days, now all but forgotten. Josiah Bushnell had a Dish-mill located on the stream in West Hartland near the over- flow of the present Howell's Pond. Here he made trenchers, bowls,
146
History of Hartland
spoons, and other utensils from beech and maple - now collectors' items, but the "China" of the first inhabitants.
Without the ever-ready and abundant supply of wood, survival in the early years would have been impossible. The native ingenuity dis- played in converting wood to every purpose is astounding. It supplied their needs for housing, furniture, kitchen utensils, transportation, fuel, fences and farming tools and equipment. Circular discs cut from huge logs formed the wheels of the early ox carts and the wood-shod sled and "pung" continued until the present century. Wooden stone-boats, ploughs and V-shaped drags all played their part in carly farm life and even the tools of the joiner and carpenter utilized wood, only the cut- ting edges being made of steel.
Chestnut trees whose trunks sometimes measured four feet in diamn- ter, grew in the uplands and pastures. The wood was more resistant to weather and rot than most, and was used in making shingles, shad- rail fences, fence posts and sills for barns and houses. When the M.D.C. removed the Hartland Hollow Cemetery to a new location in 1940, one of the graves contained the body of a "town pauper" buried in 1820. The rough chestnut coffin was in a good state of preservation after 120 years. Consultation of town records revealed that a local carpenter had been paid $3.00 to make the box of 2" Chestnut Plank. Identification was made by the brass tacks driven in the cover spelling out in crude fash- ion the incumbent's name.
In later years, Chestnut was used in large quantities for telephone poles and railroad ties. Shortly after 1900, a blight struck all the Chest- nut trees of Hartland and by 1920, the forests were filled with the still- standing dead skeletons of these former "Monarchs of the Forest".
Hemlock, which the early settlers found in abundance, was used in building to some extent, but the bark became more important than the wood. As soon as tanneries had been established in East and West Hart- land, quantities of Hemlock bark were used to prepare the hides for the local cobblers. It was a wood which "splintered" easily and found little favor in some quarters, which may account for the following vote at the Town Meeting of November 2, 1818: "Voted that no Hemlock Plank chall ever be laid on any bridge in town." The bark, however, was still being peeled and shipped to tanneries in Winsted as late as 1905.
After 40 years of intensive labor in clearing and construction, the year 1800 found most of the land in a cleared state. The Hartland Hollow section had been entirely denuded of forest and the inhabitants were dependent on the rocky hillside on either side of the river for their future supplies of fuel and timber. The East Mountain had been divided into farm and pasture land with some wooded sections still remaining in the North and East part of the Town. After the formation of The Sec- ond Society in 1780, the development of the land on the West Mountain proceeded at a rapid rate. The Northwest section in the Hartland Pond area contained some of the better land for farm purposes and was quickly cleared and settled.
Certain woods were associated with use for special purposes: Hick- ory for axe-helves, ox-bows, and tool-handles; Ash for any farm imple-
147
Reservoirs, Fields and Forests
ment where strength was required, and the Swamp-ash for baskets and chair seats. Each product of the forest, by trial and error on the part of the settlers found its own special niche in their estimates of values.
By 1830 the land had been cleared for farm and pasture to such an extent that deer and bear had disappeared entirely. The game found in abundance by the early inhabitants no longer had sufficient wood to offer them protection. Tradition has the last wolf shot in the year 1837, but there is no documentary evidence to support the claim. Fox, rac- coon, rabbits, squirrels, and other lesser game have always remained on the native scene, but the wild turkeys soon were exterminated, leaving partridge and quail the only game-birds of the swamp and forest.
The "neat" cattle, oxen, horscs and especially sheep cropped the pastures closely in summer and, once cleared, the sharp scythes of the farmers cut the rocky meadows or "mowin's" clean to the last wisp of red-top or even "pollypods". This continued for generations. Each farm, however, had its own woodland area, usually situated beyond the fields and pastures, occupying rough and rocky sections whose terrain pre- cluded the possibility of their ever being cleared for other purposes.
With few exceptions, each farm had the traditional "Sugar-bush"- a grove of hard or "rock" maples, with a sap-house for storage of wooden sap-buckets and other equipment when not in more practical use. The first thaw, however, usually found the shack enveloped in clouds of sweet-scented steam, children scuttling here and there dumping buckets of sap in an old hogshead, and oxen standing at attention, awaiting the "gee and haw" of their master or the sharp smack of the blue-beech ox-whip on their rump.
In later years some sections developed sizeable stands of second growth timber and saw-mills were in operation at various locations. These were of the portable type and never remained for more than a year or two at one spot.
The second Exodus from Hartland farms began in 1900 and con- tinued until 1930. From a population of 592 in 1900, exactly one-half of the inhabitants had left for greener pastures by 1930, when the cen- sus for that year showed an all-time low of 296. One after another, many of the old ancestral homes and farms on both the East and West Mount- ains were deserted or abandoned. Pasture land, no longer close-cropped by sheep, cattle and horses, soon grew up and blueberries flourished for a few years. Sheep, so necessary and raised in such large numbers in the early days, disappeared entirely. The fields and meadows were no longer mowed, and after a year or two became filled with young brush intermingled with juniper and white pine seedlings. These soon reached the height where it was impossible to see over them and the long vistas of fields and farms from the more elevated hill-tops were gone forever.
In the decade 1900-1910, as the natives moved away a small group of "city people" bought an old farm here and there, and after remodel- ing and restoring the buildings, spent most of the summer amid the rest- ful atmosphere of the Hartland Hills. These became known as "Summer Residents". In time they became generally accepted and an important
148
History of Hartland
Courtesy Georgiana Feley Rebillard
Cattle Show, East Hartland, Connecticut, about 1908.
addition to commuity life. Their number was so small, however, that it could in no way compensate for the number of native born who, tired of the meager existence which had been their lot in Hartland life, now sought more rewarding experiences in other fields.
The West Mountain area suffered more from abandoned farms and departing citizens than did the East Mountain or Hartland Hollow. Hartland Hollow's turn was to come later. It was at this time (1910) that West Hartland received the blow which left it off balance, and from which it has never fully recovered.
Shortly after 1910, Thomas A. Howell, an official of a large Sugar Company and a millionaire, purchased from Dr. James Baldwin the large brick house on the south side of Hartland Pond. Using this as his headquarters or Club House, he began acquiring all the farms which had been abandoned, as well as those whose occupants still remained, until he had accumulated the entire northwestern part of West Hartland and equal acreage in southern Massachusetts as well. The area was to be developed as a private preserve for hunting and fishing. Consequently the old houses and farm buildings soon fell to decay. Of the 28 farms which were located in this section over the years, the houses of five were retained and still remain. Those, for present identification purposes, are the ones now occupied and owned by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Charles W. Stipek and Nelda Stipek; Mrs. Mary Vrijmoet; Mrs. Anita Holt; Dr. Helen Watts; and the family of the late Colonel Marteney. The large brick club-house subsequently burned and was replaced by a caretaker's cottage.
The Howell operation continued into the 1920's, and the open fields and pastures grew into brush and finally woodland. Some of the older roads were abandoned to the new wilderness, and the village on the
149
Reservoirs, Fields and Forests
West Mountain never regained sufficient population to offset the loss. It became a miniature community of widely separated homes and a few isolated farms.
The East Mountain had similar developments, but on a much smaller scale. The "Lost Acres" of Horace B. Clark may be mentioned as an example. The Hartford Girl Scout organization also purchased large tracts and established camping areas, preventing the possibility of future residential development in that vicinity.
STATE PARK AND FOREST
Even before the Water Bureau of the Metropolitan District Commis- sion had indicated its designs on Hartland Hollow, the State Park and Forest Commission had acquired sizeable areas of Hartland acreage for forest and recreational use. In 1921 the State Park and Forest Commis- sion was by legislative act empowered to acquire land for public owner-
-Courtesy Lewis S. Mills
Typical of the abandoned homestead of the early 1900's. This house located in South Hartland Hollow may have been the boyhood home of Asher Benjamin.
150
History of Hartland
ship. The first land purchased in Hartland was in July 1923 when James B. Hall, Administrator of the Estate of A. J. Hall, sold the "Morrison Hill' area consisting of 428 acres. This was the beginning of "The Tunxis Forest" which lies largely in Hartland, small portions, however, extending into Barkhamsted and Colebrook. The Forest was named for the Tunxis Indians, a tribe which inhabited the towns of Farmington and Simsbury, with hunting and fishing grounds along the upper reaches of the Farmington River and its branches which they had named "Tunxis".
The abandoned farms on the East Mountain were quickly acquired and added to the State's holdings. Mr. W. F. Schreeder, State Forester, in a report dated March 17, 1954, states:
"The interest which Mr. David Gaines took in this For- est was rather unusual. He had been Town Clerk and Post- master in East Hartland for many years, knew which par- cels of land were for sale, the value of each, and approxi- mately where they were located. He knew much of the history of each piece of land and of each land-owner. Through his efforts much of the land was acquired and located.
"On bad fire days he would climb the town's church spire and scan the countryside for any indications of for- est fires. On the other side of the valley, north of West Hartland, the State has maintained a lookout tower since 1934."
The depression of the 1930's provided the opportunity for develop- ment of the forests and recreational areas on a large scale, and again we quote from Mr. Schreeder's rport:
"The Saville Dam, which flooded the valley between East and West Hartland, made the area more picturesque than ever and resulted in the relocation of the road between the two villages. The new road, located along the slope of both sides of the valley, circled the upper end of the man- made lake and greatly increased scenic properties of the Forest for the motoring public.
"Other scenic spots in the Forest are the beautiful Falls Brook, and the two ponds in the western part of the town frequented by fishermen.
"Although this Forest has many recreational attrac- tions-fishing, hiking, blueberry picking, and skiing, it is also a Forest which is rapidly coming into productivity. The hardwood stands have a good representation of hem- lock growing in them and this composition, which existed when the Whites first settled the town, is considered the best possible combination of species.
"In spite of the ice breakage which has damaged the Forest on several occasions, this Forest is improving in quality and unless set back severely by some catastrophe, it will be an excellent forest before many years.
"During the time of the C.C.C:, Camp Robinson was located about one mile north of East Hartland village and most of the development work which was done on the Forest was accomplished by the boys from this camp:
"(1) 11.9 miles of vehicle roads were built.
3.3 miles of products roads were built.
151
Reservoirs, Fields and Forests
(2) The dam on the Emmons Pond was repaired.
(3) The entire area was worked over silviculturally.
(4) 713 acres were planted with conifers.
(5) For several years a small picnic area had been maintained at Bragg Pond, but the dam went out in the flood of 1938 and was not rebuilt, due to the Metropolitan Water Board Reservoir into which the outlet to Bragg Pond emptied."
During the past two decades the State Park and Forest Commission has purchased large tracts in the North and Northwestern part of Hart- land, including practically all of that contained in the previous Howell tract. Two Ponds are located in the area: No. 1, Howell's Pond, named after the man who originally converted the section into a private pre- serve-is a favorite spot for trout fishermen; No. 2, Tunxis Pond, named after the Indians who frequented this area-is now dry and awaits the rebuilding of the dam which gave way in the Flood of 1955.
On Hartland's Tax List of 1960, the State Park and Forest Commis- sion shows a total of 7,550 acres in the Town of Hartland, for a value of $298,738. The Metropolitan District Commission lists 5,137 acres for a value of $989,550. Combining these two for a total of 12,687 acres rep- resents slightly more than 56% of the entire acreage comprising the Town of Hartland, which, according to the Connecticut State Manual, is 22,300 acres. The nature of present ownership precludes the possi- bility of so much as a building lot being acquired by an individual for residential purposes.
After 200 years much of Hartland is slowly returning to forest and wilderness. The cleared fields have, for the most part, been filled with pines and spruce. Deer returned to their native habitat shortly after 1900, and bear are reported to be seen occasionally. The monumental stone walls still bisecting the woodland areas, are about the only re- minders left of those generations who brought the rugged terrain to fruition. They reaped the reward of their intensive labor for a few gen- erations. Now, all those who have such easy access to the scene of their labors marvel that so many found so much content amid the toil and hardships which they accepted and considered-"Their lot in Life".
CHAPTER XII
Biographical Vignettes
ASHER BENJAMIN
The name. Asher Benjamin, may mean little to those who are un- acquainted with the history of carly American Architecture and the development of the building profession as it expanded in the Colonial period.
--- Courtesy Florence T. Howe
Asher Benjamin
153
Biographical Vignettes
His fame evolves from the fact that he is the author of the first book published in America devoted to the subject of building and ar- chitecture. This book, entitled "The Country Builder's Assistant", pub- lished in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 1797, became the "Builder's Bible" of the day. (The writer has in his possession a copy of Asher Benjamin's book, entitled "The Practical House Carpenter"; the title page states that it is "published in Boston by the author, R.P. and C. Williams and Anni & Smith, 1830", the author being "Asher Benjamin, Architect". It also states that he is the author of "The American Build- er's Companion" and "The Rudiments of Architecture".)
His reputation as an architect and an author of note on architec- tural subjects is secure. The extent of his activities was great and com- prised such notable examples as: The stairway of the Old State House in Hartford; the Academy at Deerfield, Massachusetts; a number of Beacon Hill houses in Boston; Center Church, New Haven; the Meet- ing House in Windsor, Vermont; the Coleman-Hollister house in Green- field, Massachusetts; Alexander house in Springfield, Massachusetts, and many other similar examples in New England and elsewhere.
Asher Benjamin II was born in Hartland, Connecticut, in 1773, (the exact date being unknown) , the son of Asher Benjamin I and Eliz- abeth - Benjamin. For some years Samuel Benjamin, grand- father of Asher II, had been settled in Granville, Massachusetts, just over the state line from what later became North Hartland Hollow. When the first division of Hartland was made, the 49th Lot became the prop- erty of Thomas Olcott, and this section was devoted to a combination of farm and mill-sites, it being directly south and adjoining the Gran- ville property of Samuel Benjamin. Samuel Benjamin bought the Hart- land property from Thomas Olcott and built a house on it which be- came known as the Benjamin Farm. Asher Benjamin I was living on the Hartland Farm and also working in the mill at various times when Asher II was born. There seems to be no deed on record of where Sam- uel Benjamin transferred this property to his son, Asher I, but on the grand levy of Hartland for the year of1774, Asher Benjamin is assessed at £21, and for the year 1775, his assessment was £23, 6-d, indicating that the property must have been in his name (Key HH-159). He is also listed as being one of the Hartland men participating in the Revolu- tionary War. Asher Benjamin I died January 2, 1777, aged 25, leaving his wife, Elizabeth, and three young children, George, Asher, and Lois. (While the documentation is incomplete, there is little doubt that Asher Benjamin II was born in Hartland, Connecticut.)
Elizabeth, widow of Asher I, subsequently married Elishama Por- ter who lived in South Hartland Hollow (Key HH-220 approx.). He was originally a member of the First Society in East Hartland, but when the Second Society was formed on the West Mountain in 1780, he was one of the original subscribers to the "Covenant and Confession of Faith" of the Second Society. On page 47 of the Second Society's Rec- ord Book, under the heading of "Baptisms", is the following entry: "July 4th, 1784,-George, Asher and Lois, children of the wife of
154
History of Hartland
Elishama Porter by former husband", which indicates that Asher II was approximately eleven years old at the time.
The Probate Records (District of Simsbury) show that Elishama Porter was officially appointed guardian of Asher Benjamin II on Aug- ust 15, 1791, stating Asher's age as "a minor of about seventeen years". It would appear that Asher was still living with his step-father at that time.
His formal education inust have been intensive and acquired with- in the next few years after 1791, for by 1800 he had already become distinguished in his chosen field.
Hartland is proud to claim Asher Benjamin II as one of its native sons whose fame, as an architect and builder, rests upon the influence he brought to bear upon others in his profession in developing the late Colonial style of architecture.
SALMON BENJAMIN GIDDINGS
Salmon Benjamin Giddings, pioneer missionary of the State of Con- necticut in Illinois, Missouri and the middle west. was born in Hartland March 2, 1782, the son of Benjamin and Afiah (Holcomb) Giddings. He became a member of the Congregational Church in 1807, and was early interested in the ministry. Completing his education at Williamstown, Mass., and Andover Theological Seminary, and being ordained to the Gospel Ministry in 1814, he decided to devote himself to the work of Missions in the region of St. Louis, Mo., and left Hartford at once to make his winter journey of 1200 miles on horseback through the wilder- ness, to arrive at St. Louis April 6, 1816, preaching all along the way. The old settlers in Ohio called him the Father of Protestantism West of the Mississippi River. He helped organize the First Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Nov. 15th, 1817, and, during his lifetime, he helped gather a total of 17 Presbyterian Churches, which were considered children of the Connecticut Home Missionary Society, which is a Congregational institution.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.