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M. L'
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01100 1820
THE
HISTORY OF PAXTON
MASSACHUSETTS.
BY LEDYARD BILL; AUTHOR OF " A WINTER IN FLORIDA," " CLIMATES FOR INVALIDS," AND A WORK ON " GENEALOGY."
WORCESTER, MASS .: PUBLISHED BY PUTNAM, DAVIS & Co. 1889.
Entered according to Act of Congress in 1SS9, BY LEDYARD BILL, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress in Washington.
1254248 PREFACE.
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THIS volume is the outcome of an engagement with the publishers of the History of this County, to furnish a sketch of Paxton for that work. Having finished the undertaking with them, and believing that the citizens of the town would kindly welcome any effort on the part of any one to rescue from ob- livion interesting data, whether skillfully set forth or otherwise, we concluded to prepare for publication in a separate volume the material supplied for the work above named, together with such additions as seemed essential to greater completeness.
Of course, a much larger volume than this might easily have been made, more easily than otherwise, in fact, and perhaps all in all proved more satisfactory. We have, however, endeavored to embrace within these pages the essential facts, and any enlargement would have involved, not only a greater labor of love, but an increased cost, which, in view of all the circum- stances would not be justified.
It is to be regretted that a volume of this charac- ter had not been undertaken at an earlier period, and by other hands, and thereby much of special interest that is now lost to us might have been preserved, since within the past few years several aged people who had treasured up a great store of anecdote and incident, have passed away. Had we even dreamed of this task falling to our lot, we should have eagerly garnered much of the now lost material.
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Finally, this brief volume is submitted with its many imperfections to the people of whom it treats, believing they will excuse all errors and omissions, and exercise that charity which is demanded in the premises and which much of historical statement seems to require.
In the mention of families, we have for the most part confined ourselves to such as were long resident here, or have had some prominence, and thus con- nected themselves with the history of the town.
PAXTON, MASS., Feb. 14, 1889.
L. B.
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
IF lines were drawn diagonally across the Com- monwealth, from and to each of its four corners, the point of crossing would be within, or nearly so, the borders of the little town of Paxton ; hence it might be truly said, speaking geographically, that this town is the " axis " of the State, and that the high point of land known as Asnebumskit Mountain is the " hub" itself; thus may the least of towns aspire to rival, in some senses, the greatest !
This town lies about fifty-five miles west of Boston, and some seven miles from the city of Worcester, and is bounded and described as follows, namely: On the north by Rutland, on the east by Holden and Worces- ter, on the south by Leicester, and on the west by Spencer and Oakham. The town is situated upon high and rugged lands, and belongs to that class of towns known as the " hill towns " of the State. The general elevation above tide-water would not be very far from eleven hundred feet; indeed, the village " common " is, to be tolerably exact, eleven hundred and thirty-five feet above the sea, while the southern- most spur of the White Mountain range, Asnebum- skit, is about fourteen hundred feet above water level,
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
and is, with the exception of Mount Wachusett, the highest land lying east of the Connecticut River. The land surface is not so broken and irregular as might be inferred from its considerable elevation, but is rather a succession of rounded hills on which are situated some of the best of farming lands and farms, and again the valleys stretch away, here and there, into level tracts both fertile and pleasant, and between the hills and valleys of this town are found many thrifty homes and a comparatively contented popula- tion.
This town does not rank among the ancient corpo- rations, but yet it has passed its first century, and may be said to have seen "generations come and go." The reasons which moved the early settlers to ask to be incorporated were various, but chief among those they gave in their petition was " the great difficulties they labored under in attending public worship, in consequence of the great distance they were from its places in the towns to which they belong." The fore- going petition was presented to the Legislature in 1761, and was unsuccessful, as nearly every petition of this nature is apt to be on its first presentation.
The people thus petitioning for a separate munici- pality were citizens of Leicester and Rutland, and the tract of land desired by the petitioners was that por- tion of the two towns lying contiguous, viz .: the southern part of Rutland and the northern portion of Leicester, making a tract of about four miles square. They complained in their first petition and subsequent appeals to the General Court that the distance to places of worship was great, and doubtless the same
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
reason held good when it came to the transaction of the business of the two towns, since the centre of each of these towns was full five miles distant, and we can well imagine the condition of the highways in those early days, when the best were but very indifferent roads, while the side-ways were mere bridle-paths, making it quite a task in the inclement season to perform those public duties incumbent upon them.
The inhabitants, however, had the merit of per- sistency, and the following year they again petitioned and were agaiu rejected; but nothing daunted, they still worked for the accomplishment of their final pur- pose ; so in 1763, feeling, doubtless, the inconvenience of their position more and more, they again renewed their importunities and received some support from one of the towns, but the other (Rutland) opposing, the case was still deferred.
The following petition was presented to the authori- ties of Leicester by the undersigned, and this town, at a town meeting held on May 16, 1763, voted affirmatively on the petition, which was the first favorable action looking towards the establishment of the new town :
To the Selectmen of the town of Leicester, and the other inhabitants of the same :
The petition and desire of the subscribers hereof humbly showeth,- That whereas, in the government of Divine Providence, our inhabitants are at a great distance from the place of public worship in this town, which, together with the snow and moisture of the land, it is exceed- ingly difficult, a great part of the year, to attend on the public worship of God in this town ; We look upon it as our bonnden duty to endeavor to set up the Gospel among us, by which we, with our families, might more constantly enjoy its means of grace.
In order to accomplish the good end of setting up the Gospel, we pro-
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
pose, if possible to obtain leave so to do, to erect a town or district be- tweeu the towns of Leicester and Rutland, by taking two miles off each town to make up the contents of four square iniles. Wherefore your petitioners humbly and earnestly desire that, for the good end above proposed, you would now sett off, by a vote of this town, two miles at the north end of this town, the lands with the inhabitance thereon, tu be laid out and connected with the south part of Rutland that is adjoin- ing the same, to be erected into a town or district by order of the Great and General Court of this province, as soon as may be, that we may set up u Congregational Church and settle a gospel minister, according to the constitution of the churches In the land ; which we judge will be for the advancement of religion and our comfort if it be obtained in the way of peace. So wishing your health and peace, as in duty bound, we sub- scribe your petitioners :
Leicester, May 13, 1763.
Oliver Witt,
James Thompson,
Timothy Barrett,
William Thompson, Jr.,
Abraham Smith,
Abljah Bemis,
AbDer Morse, Daniel Snow, Jr.,
William Thompson,
James Nichol,
Jason Livermore,
Isaac Bellows,
Nathan Livermore,
Daniel Steward.
Finally a fourth attempt was made by these people, and the petition this time headed by one Oliver Witt, followed by many others, was duly presented to the Legislature, and this time with better results, for it was ordered " that Jedediah Foster, of Brookfield, and Col. Williams, on the part of the House, and Benjamin Lincoln, of the Council, be a committee in the recess of this court to repair to the place petitioned for to be erected into a parish, at the charge of the petitioners, and that they liear all parties interested for and against said corporation, and report at the next session whether the prayer thereof should be granted."
This committee held several meetings, at which there were hearings of all the parties interested, and
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
at the succeeding session of the General Court re- ported, on June 23, 1765, a bill entitled, “ An Act for Incorporating the Southerly part of Rutland and the Northerly part of Leicester, in the county of Wor- cester, into a District by the name of Paxton." This bill, after brief reference to the appropriate com- mittee, was reported back to the full house and speedily passed both branches of the General Court, and received Governor Francis Bernard's signature on the 12th of February, Anno Domini 1765. Thus was the frail bark of Paxton duly launched, possessing all the rights, privileges and immunities of any other town, except the right to send a representative on its sole account, but gave the right to "join with the town of Leicester and the precinct of Spencer" in choosing a representative to the Legislature.
It is proper to make some reference to the name given the town by the act of incorporation, and per- haps no better account can be given than the follow- ing, which has come under our observation, viz .: "When the bill for incorporating this town passed the House of Representatives no name was inserted ; the blank was filled in the Council by the word Paxton, in honor of Charles Paxton, who at that time was marshal of the Admiralty Court and a friend and favorite of Francis Bernard, the Governor, and of Thomas Hutchison, the Deputy-Governor. It is said that Paxton promised the town a church-bell if it was named for him; this promise was never ful- filled. Charles Paxton, although polished in manners and of pleasing address, was an intriguing politician and a despicable sycophant ; 'every man's humble
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
servant, but no man's friend,' as his paper figure was labeled, when, on Pope's day, as the anniversary of the gunpowder plot was called, it was paraded through the streets of Boston standing between the effigies of the Pope and the devil. He was the tool of Charles Townsend, the Chancellor of the English Exchequer, and with him devised the scheme of raising a revenue from the colonies by a tax on glass, paper, painter's colors and tea. The passage of this bill by the Parliament of England was greatly aided by Paxton, and returning to Boston, he was put at the head of this internal tax system, and made himself especially obnoxious to the people by reason of his issuing search-warrants to discover sup- posed smuggled goods, and his course was so insolent and tyrannical that he became an object of public hatred, was even hung in effigy upon Liberty Tree, and was subsequently, by the wrath of the people, driven into Castle William, and finally, at the evacu- ation, he departed with the British troops and went to England, where he died in 1788."
The course of this man, who had christened the town with his own name, was such that the bad odor of it reached the inhabitants of the newly- fledged district and they were intensely disgusted, and among the earlier public acts of the citizens was to petition for a change of name, and why the Legis- lature did not grant this reasonable request is a mar- vel. It should be attempted even at this late day, and there is no good reason why a new name would not be readily granted.
There have been several additions at sundry times
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
to the territory of Paxton. At one time, on the peti- tion of John Davis, Ebenezer Boynton, Nathan Har- rington, Samuel Harrington, Micah Harrington and Ephraim Harrington, of Holden, their estates were set off from Holden on February 13, 1804, and attached to the town of Paxton, and, by this act, the town line was extended so as to border on Worcester. Still another addition from Holden was made in April, 1839. Again, in 1851, a small strip was added from the same source, and there is still room for improv- ing the present zig-zag boundary line between Holden and Paxton. The total acreage is now about eight thousand five hundred acres. The population of Pax- ton at the time of incorporation is not known, but it is presumed to " have been some hundreds," says an unknown writer in the Worcester Magazine, pub- lished a half-century or more ago. It is quite likely that the settlement of this portion of the country was well under way the latter part of the first century after the landing of the Pilgrims. It was, indeed, about 1720 that Rutland was incorporated and Leicester settled, and all this region of country taken up grad- ually by natural gravitation of the population west- ward, this section being at that period of time the "great west," and had its border-wars and conflicts with the aborigines and their allies. Doubtless there were wise men in those days who were wont to say to the wayward and the self-aspiring in the crowded centres of population along the seaboard : "Go west, young man, go west." And so, in the lapse of time, these hill-towns, with those in the valleys, have filled up and the great army of emigrants has continued
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
from that day to this to flow westward, founding new States, enlarging the boundaries of civilization and establishing both law and liberty, on firm foundations, over a vast territory.
Thus these hill-towns, so despised in the eyes of some ephemeral writers who draw distressing pictures of " abandoned farms, dwindling villages, decayed meet- ing-houses, diminished schools and poor highways," have contributed largely to the public weal.
The marvelous strides this country has made in the last century are chiefly by reason of the inexhaustible supply of men and women drawn from the hills and valleys of New England, where they have been trained in the schools of industry and frugality. These have given direction and force to the upbuilding of the great region of the West. Thus, while it is true that the populations of the hill-towns, with some of those even in the valleys here in New England, have dim- inished, the cause is not permanently disturbing- since the era of cheap lands is about closing and the reflex tide cannot be far distant when New England will be filled to overflowing, and then this assumed prophecy of a premature decay will have been forgot- ten. The country is to be taken as a whole and not judged by any of its minor members.
The statement that there " were some hundreds " of people in the district of Paxton at the time of incorporation could hardly have meant more than two or three hundred at the most, for in 1790 the number was but 558; in 1820 it rose to 613 and in 1850 to 870, while in 1880 it had fallen to 592, and in 1885 the State census gave the town ouly 561.
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
The population in 1870 was, we believe, well towards nine hundred, but, in part owing to the destruction of one of the chief industries by fire, which, unfortunately, was never re-established, it has gradually fallen to a point in numbers to about what it was one hundred years ago.
The town is at the present time purely agricul- tural, there being no manufacturing of any descrip- tion carried on here.
In former years the boot and shoe industry was the principal business, or, at least, monopolized a very great share of the attention of the people; and the product of the shops was equal, if it did not greatly exceed in value the products of all the farms in town.
In 1820 John Partridge established the boot business in Paxton, and continued in the same line to the time of his decease, which occurred some fifteen years since, having been in business over half a century. The next notable firm to follow in the same line of industry was that of Messrs. Lakin & Bigelow, and they were succeeded by R. E. Bigelow & Son. All of these parties accumulated quite large fortunes, but none of their descendants reside within the town at the present time.
The town of Paxton is so situated, and has such natural beauty of landscape, and from its summits such extended and charming views of the surround- ing country, that its ultimate destiny is by no means uncertain. Already many scores of visitors rest here during the summer months, and annually come back to "view the landscape o'er" and
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
breathe again the wholesome and health invigorat- ing air of these primeval hills and valleys. From the top of Asnebumskit, on a clear day, a score of towns may be seen, and from its summit a fine bird's- eye view of the city of Worcester can be obtained, which alone well repays the tourist for all his labors. There is still another eminence, known as Crocker Hill; this swell of land lies a few rods east of the village, and from the top there is a fine view of Wachusett, also of Monadnock and the Hoosac Mountains. This point is a charming spot to all who have any taste for the beautiful in nature. The wonder is, that some capitalist does not secure it, pitch his tent on the same and invite the world to dine with him and spend all of the "midsummer nights" at this breezy and delightful place. On " Christian Hill," west of the village church, is an- other landscape to the northward which is unsurpassed for quiet loveliness. Some day an artist will discover it, and it will then be famous for its exceeding beauty.
It may be thought unusual for elevated lands to hold many ponds or lakes ; but, however that may be, Paxton has a goodly supply, inasmuch as there are some half a dozen artificial or natural ponds within the town's boundaries.
Of these, Lake Asnebumskit is by far the most interesting. This is located at the northern slope of the mountain whose name it bears, and covers, per- haps, sixty acres, " more or less," as the legal phrase is. It is elliptical in form and has an average depth of perhaps seven feet. All the sources of supply for this attractive sheet of water come from the springs
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
in and around it. These springs are uniformly cold and clear ; especially is this true of one at the south- ern shore, near the present carriage-way to the lake. The outlet is at the extreme northern end, and the flow is considerable. It supplies the Haggett Pond, and in its rapid descent furnishes power for Harring- ton's grist-mill, planing-mill and saw-mill, and then turns abruptly eastward, flowing through Holden, and on to the Quinepoxet and Nashua Rivers, and thus to the sea.
This lake has been famed for its fine pickerel and perch, and for many years afforded most excellent fishing for many people far and near. Latterly, however, its supply diminished, and some dozen years ago a few citizens formed a club and, securing a lease from the Commonwealth, stocked it with black-bass, and these were left for several years to increase, but when fishing was recommenced it was discovered that the bass had destroyed the most of the native fish, and, as many of the bass made their escape through the lake's outlet, little headway was made in stocking the pond. The club subsequently relinquished to the town all their rights, whereupon the town took out a lease, and all have the old-time privilege restored, but the fish are not plentiful in the lake at this time.
Bottomly Pond is the largest body of water in the town. It is about one mile in length, has irregular shores, and is of varying width, while its depth must average ten feet or more. It is for the most part an artificial pond, and is used as a storage-pond for the mills below, of which there are quite a number.
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
This pond lies just south of the village and west of the Worcester and Paxton county road, but only the southern end is in view from the highway mentioned. It is there that the joke concerning the "Paxton Navy-Yard " was perpetrated, which is so frequently mentioned even to this day. It was some years ago, and in the late autumn, as the stage-coach with its com- plement of passengers reached this place in the high- way (Arnold's Mill), where there was afforded a toler- able view of the lake. A sailor passenger, who had at least " three sheets in the wind," on gazing out and see- ing the forest trees at the left, with their bare trunks and branches in close proximity to the water, recalled his wandering senses sufficiently to exclaim "Is-hie-this -hic-the navy-yard ?" The solemn quiet which had prevailed with the passengers in the coach up to this time was suddenly broken. The ludicrous remark, and the very absurdity of the whole subject, as applied to a section of country twelve hundred feet above tide-water and fifty miles inland, and coming, too, from a furloughed sailor just off'ship, was too much, and all, as it were, "tumbled " to the same, and the joke seems ever fresh in the mouths of men inclined to poke a little fun.
Turkey Hill Pond is a natural body of water near the Barre county road, about two miles north of the centre of the town. It is perhaps a fourth of a mile in width. Its waters are dark and the fishing is fair, though not nearly as good as in former years. The outlet is at the southern extremity, and forms what was once known as Jennison's Brook, crossing the highway near what is now known as the "town-farm,"
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
and empties into Comins' mill-pond, formerly Jen- nison's mill-pond, and thence southwesterly through Spencer and the Brookfields to the Chicopee River. Formerly there was at the outlet of this pond a fulling- mill and carding-factory.
There are several small streams flowing into this Jennison Brook within the limits of the town. One of these rises in the southwesterly part of Rutland, passes into Paxton, and unites with the brook above named in the meadow below Comins's mill. Another rises about five hundred yards southeast of the meet- ing house, on lands owned by the late John Partridge, and flows southerly across the village farm of the writer into Lakin's meadow and thence northwesterly to Howe's meadow, where it unites with the brook above named. The third takes its rise in the south- westerly portion of the town, and joins the above brook just over the Spencer line. These three forks are the head-waters of the Chicopee River, that rising on the Partridge land being the most easterly, and, perhaps, is the true head of the Chicopee.
The head-waters of the Blackstone River are found on the old Col. Snow Farm, and near the road leading from Paxton to Holden. The spring is on land now owned by Peter Daw. There are numerous other springs lower down the brook which is known as Ar- nold's Brook. The stream was given the last name of Oliver Arnold, who lived in the present old red house, adjoining the highway at the junction of the Worcester and Leicester roads ; he kept a saw- and grist-mill there, and had an artificial reservoir, which has since been enlarged and repaired, and, like the brook flow-
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THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
ing into it, was and is called Arnold's Pond. The old saw-mill site is still visible, a few rods west of the county road. Mr. Arnold had a son Elisha, who is living in this town at the present time. The pond last named is used as a storage reservoir for the mills below, and its waters flow into Bottomly Pond, pre- viously mentioned.
There is another small stream, which has its source in a spring on the southeast face of Asnebumskit Mountain, and flows across the county road souther- ly, and is the head-water of Lynde Brook which forms a source of supply for the city of Worcester.
While speaking of these brooks, we are reminded of a house in this town, owned and occupied by Tyler S. Penniman, situated about a mile east of the village.
This house stands on a slight rise of ground, in such a way that rain falling upon the roof flows away into the waters of the Blackstone River on the one side, while upon the other the water goes to the Chicopee. There is, too, a well-known spring, famed for its cool, sweet water, which bubbles up near the trunk of a large tree just west of the Rutland highway, and less than a mile from the centre, where the water flows a short distance into a marshy tract, out of which two streams come, one going northerly into the Quine- poxet, while the other goes southierly to the Chicopee.
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