USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, vol 1 > Part 38
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The paper mills referred to were continued by Richard Park, then by Park, Lincoln and Park, by Caleb M. Lincoln and Edwin Park, associates, the machinery finally being sold to Caleb M. and Lorenzo Lincoln for their North Dighton mill. The cotton mill was in the control of Crocker and Richmond up to the year 1837; then of Etheridge Clark and of George and Jonathan Bliss and Alexander Hodges. The entire property then went into the hands of the Lovering Brothers, and the mills became converted into a spinning mill to supply yarn for the Whittenton mills. In May, 1904, the concern became the property of the Westville Spinning Company.
Cotton Manufacturing .- Close to the old Lincoln and Crossman mill privilege, to the east of it, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, was located the old "Green Mill" at the junction of Hill and Weir streets, on Mill river, and this was the first manufactory for cotton goods in Taunton. Captain Silas Shepard coming from Wrentham in 1806, saw the advantages of this manufacturing location, and he purchased of Judge Samuel Fales his share in the mill privilege at that point. Associated with Samuel Leonard and Samuel Crocker, he built the Green Mill, and there Jesse
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Hartshorn and Thomas Bicknell, expert manufacturers, for a dozen years assisted Captain Shepard in the manufacture of cotton yarn; and during the War of 1812 hundreds of women in the vicinity wove ginghams and tickings for the yarn. An addition was built to the mill in 1818. In 1824, the Green Mill was made an appendage to the print-works where machines were introduced for printing calicoes. In 1844 the mill was again remodeled into a bleachery for the Taunton Paper Manufactory, by William A. Crocker and others, and eventually Samuel L. Crocker came into possession of the property and dismantled the mill.
The old brick mill location on Mill river held much industrial interest in its day. It belonged to Rev. Samuel Danforth, fourth minister here, who purchasing in 1688 of Bartholomew Tipping, willed it to his son Samuel. In turn, Thomas Cobb of Attleboro purchased in 1760 and built a rolling and slitting mill. In 1799, his son Jonathan came into the property and in 1801 his son Jonathan B. Cobb became the owner. After 1803, the business was carried on successively by Samuel Fales, his son Samuel, and Job King. Samuel Crocker and Charles Richmond here built, in 1823, the brick mill for the manufacture of printing cloths for the new calico works. That year, the brick mill property was merged in the Taun- ton Manufacturing Company, so remaining until 1834, when the brick mill reverted to Charles Richmond and his associate Samuel Crocker. After the reverses of 1837, Crocker and Richmond again resumed business here; and afterwards in 1843, Robert S. Dean and Lovett Morse had charge of the plant. Charles Richmond built a brick mill in the rear of the old one in 1845 for the manufacture of cotton ginghams, which business afterwards was transferred to Thompsonville, Connecticut. The old brick mill was burned in 1845 and rebuilt in 1846. The Dean Cotton and Machine Com- pany with a capital of $100,000 was started here in 1848, to manufacture cotton cloth and machinery. Again, in 1872 the Taunton Cotton and Mach- ine Company took control, which was succeeded in 1882 by the Park Mill Company.
The Dean cotton mill, fifty feet in length, two stories in height, was built on Littleworth brook at Barehole Neck in 1812, for manufacturing cotton yarn, the members of the joint stock company being Robert Dean, Jesse Hartshorn, Joseph Dean, jr., William Strobridge and Caleb Turner. This was known as the third cotton mill in Taunton, it being built upon the site of a grist mill formerly the property of Moses Cain, Joseph Dean, sr., Caleb Turner, Henry Strobridge and Robert Dean. Mr. Hartshorn retired in 1818, and he was succeeded by Benjamin Lincoln and he by Harvey Hartshorn. Robert Dean died May 24, 1822, and he was succeeded by Robert S. Dean. Charles R. Atwood and Charles H. Stephens followed in succession, after which the Dean mill was closed as a cotton manufactory. The factory was purchased in 1838 for a box board and stave mill by James Sproat and Eleazer Richmond, Charles Richmond continuing the business more than forty years till his death October 19, 1876, Charles R. Rich- mond succeeding his father in the same business.
The Taunton Manufacturing Company was organized in January, 1823, with a capital of $100,000 in real and $400,000 in personal estate, the incor- porators being Samuel Crocker, Charles Richmond, Israel Thorndike, Ed- mund Dwight, John McLean, Harrison Gray Otis, William H. Eliot, Wil-
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liam H. Prescott, Israel Thorndike, jr., Samuel Henshaw, Harrison Gray Otis, jr., for the purpose of rolling copper and iron, and manufacturing cotton and wool. The company owned the Whittenton Cotton Mills prop- erty, the Hopewell Mills property and the calico printing works property. In 1827 the business was conducted under the firm name of Crocker, Richmond & Company. In 1823, again, the Crocker and Richmond firm had started the calico printing works under the auspices of the Taunton Manufacturing Company. In 1833 the Calico print works were printed by the Bristol Print Works for the purpose of manufacturing delaines and calicoes. The business was brought to a close in 1845. The Taunton Manufacturing Company was transferred to Cyrus Lathrop of Easton in 1840, Charles Richmond having retired in 1834. James K. Mills & Com- pany, who had been associated in the company ten years, retired, receiving the Whittenton Mills estate as their share. In the year 1818, Charles Richmond purchased the old properties of Samuel Leonard and of Leonard and Dean at Britanniaville, and built a cotton factory of stone and brick, one hundred feet in length. In 1821, another mill about the same size was built here, "to make Hopewell shine with industry," as Mr. Richmond phrased it. In 1823 the Hopewell Mill property was merged with the capital stock of the Taunton Manufacturing Company, and after a brief control of William A. F. Sproat, in 1844 Cyrus Lothrop obtained posses- sion. Successively, the property then passed into the hands of Charles Albro, in 1844, Charles Albro and Porte W. Hewins in 1883, and L. Beebe & Company of Boston in 1888.
The originator of the Oakland Mills was Captain Silas Shepard, of Wrentham, who was early associated with Samuel Crocker and Samuel Leonard with the beginning of cotton manufacturing here. He purchased an old privilege on Rumford river in 1827, and in 1828 he had completed a stone mill, one hundred and sixteen feet in length, where cotton yarn was manufactured at first; but in 1831, Captain Shepard added looms for making cloth, and so continued for several years thereafter. Then, cotton or can- ton flannels were manufactured, this being the first mill in the Old Colony to make that sort of goods. With his son-in-law, Lewis Chesbrough, he enlarged the factory, and Captain Shepard continued in the business until his death, which occurred in 1864. Mr. Chesbrough continued the business a number of years, and in 1869 the Oakland Mills were purchased of Mr. Chesbrough and his heirs by Amos F. Howard and his son Bion, who further improved the property in 1880, when two buildings were con- structed and much machinery added, the capacity of the plant for manufac- turing fabrics being doubled. Both Mr. Howard and his son died in 1881, and since that time the mills were conducted by Joseph S. Tidd, son-in-law of Amos F. Howard. Denims and tickings are the product of the mills, the capacity of the plant being about two and a half million yards a year.
In 1823, under the management of James K. Mills and Company, of Boston, the Whittenton Mills were incorporated with the property of the Taunton Manufacturing Company, and in 1831 a new stone mill was built. In May, 1835, James K. Mills & Company severed their connection with the Taunton Manufacturing Company and assumed proprietorship of the mills. Willard Lovering became joint proprietor in September, 1836, and many improvements were made. Fire destroyed the older mill in January,
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1839, and a large weaving mill was built in its place. In 1857, James K. Mills and Company closed out their proprietorship. In 1858, Mr. Lovering with his sons purchased the Whittenton Mills property, and then began the improvements which have made these mills the most extensive in this city. A few years before the death of Willard Lovering, which took place December 15, 1875, his sons Charles L., William C. and Henry M. Lover- ing succeeded to the proprietorship. The Whittenton Mills Manufacturing Company became incorporated in January, 1880, with a capital of $600,000, the officers being William C. Lovering president; Charles L. Lovering treasurer; Henry M. Lovering agent and clerk. The business was sold to the Lyman family of Boston in 1910, and the officers for 1923 are: President, Arthur Lyman; treasurer, Ronald T. Lyman; agent, Frederick H. Gooch; superintendent, Ernest K. Vanderwarker. The product is dress ginghams and cotton blankets, and eleven hundred and fifty hands are employed.
May 1, 1877, the following-named gentlemen met and organized the Elizabeth Poole Mills: Albert E. Swasey, Ira F. Lawry, Charles A. Law- ry, Charles L. Lovering, William C. Lovering, Henry M. Lovering, William Mason, Saul W. Eddy, Henry L. Breed. At a later meeting the first officers were elected as follows: Charles A. Lawry, clerk; Albert E. Swasey, treas- urer; Ira F. Lawry, Charles A. Lawry, Albert E. Swasey, William C. Lov- ering and Henry M. Lovering, directors; Ira F. Lawry, president. At this meeting the capital stock was placed at $75,000, and the mills were equipped to make both cotton yarns and cloth. During the early years the mills manufactured canton flannels, tickings, domets and velvets. Wide looms were installed in 1895, and cotton blankets were added to this list. In 1891 the capital stock of the company was increased to $100,000. In 1903 the management of the mills passed from the stockholders to the selling house, Faulkner, Page & Co. In 1910 the mills were reorganized under the name Old Colony Manufacturing Corporation. Faulkner, Page & Co. having dissolved partnership, the mill was sold in 1912 to Henry S. Culver, Henry H. Culver and Walter A. Merrill. At this time the capital stock was reduced from $100,000 to $15,000, and new money added so that the capital stock stood and still stands at $60,000. The larger part of the looms were disposed of when this change of ownership took place, and yarns became the chief product of the mill. The number of employees is one hundred and twenty-five. The present officers of the corporation are : Henry S. Culver, president, who is also treasurer of the Westville Spin- ning Co .; Henry H. Culver, treasurer and superintendent, who has been connected with the company since 1883; Walter A. Merrill, clerk and assist- ant treasurer. These three also comprise the board of directors.
The Taunton Cotton Mills Company, manufacturers of cotton goods, were incorporated in 1916, with Obadiah Butler as general manager and Charles E. O'Gara as superintendent. About three hundred hands are em- ployed.
The first of the extensive plants upon entering the business section of East Taunton is that of the Corr Manufacturing Company. The busi- ness was incorporated December 5, 1895, Colonel Peter Corr, president, and H. H. Shumway, treasurer. The plant commenced manufacturing cotton cloth and yarn in 1896, with about 40,000 spindles and 1000 looms. Since
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that time the number of spindles has increased to 64,800, and the number of looms to 1260. The number of hands employed in 1923 was 475. The officials at that time: President, Peter Corr; treasurer, James A. Boynton. The board of directors, the above-named and Frederick Mason, A. Cleve- land Bent, Thomas G. Cox and James P. Corr.
The Taunton River Mills plant began operations in the year 1906 by the D. G. Dery corporation, as manufacturers of broad silks. The plant has a capacity of 350 looms, and employs 250 hands.
The Cohannet Mills were incorporated in 1874, with a capital of $100,- 000, and located on the Mill river, Adams street. A brick mill was then erected, three hundred and thirty feet in length and fifty feet in width, for spinning cotton yarn. The officers at that time were: President, John E. Sanford; treasurer, C. L. Lovering, who resigned in 1878, when E. B. Maltby was elected, who was also clerk. The capital was increased to $200,000 in 1881, when No. Two Mill was erected, three hundred and sixty- five feet in length, seventy-two wide. In 1890, No. Three Mill was built in Weir Village, four hundred and twenty feet long and one hundred seven feet wide.
The Taunton Oil Cloth Company was incorporated in 1850 to manufac- ture pebbled and enameled oil cloth. The capital was $25,000. President, John E. Sanford; treasurer, Thompson Newbury.
The Canoe River Mills, built in 1882, spin cotton yarn, the owners being Mrs. John C. Sharp, John C. and Arthur R. Sharp.
The Taunton Knitting Company are knitters and manufacturers of men's and boys' union suit underwear, which is sold direct to the retail stores. It was incorporated August, 1905, by Charles L. Macomber, presi- dent; Abbott F. Lawrence, treasurer; and the following directors: Charles L. Macomber, Abbott F. Lawrence, Franklin D. Williams, and Frank L. Cady. The present officers are: Franklin D. Williams, president; Charles R. Hodges, treasurer; directors: Franklin D. Williams, Charles R. Hodges, George F. Williams, Edward H. Shive, and Thomas H. Caswell. Of nota- ble interest is the office building, which is practically the unchanged home- stead of the late Captain Fish.
The Nemasket Mills organized in 1890 with a charter for spinning cotton and woolen yarns. President, Lewis B. Williams; treasurer and clerk, Abbott F. Lawrence; directors: Lewis B. Williams, Wm. H. Bent, Peter H. Corr, Nomus Paige, Enos D. Williams, Arthur M. Alger, Frank L. Cady, Chas. L. Macomber and Abbott F. Lawrence. Charles L. Macom- ber was agent, and Gilbert Broome superintendent. In 1900 Nemasket Mill was sold to the New England Cotton Yarn Company.
The Winthrop Cotton Yarn Company was organized in 1900 with charter the same as Nemasket. Officers: President, Charles L. Macomber; treasurer and clerk, Abbott F. Lawrence; directors: Charles L. Macomber, Abbott F. Lawrence, Frank L. Cady and Franklin D. Williams. Orville Macomber, superintendent.
The Fabric Weaving Company was incorporated in December, 1919, to manufacture curtain cloth. The officers : President, W. R. Pepler; treas- urer, W. S. Pepler; clerk, H. H. Pepler.
Brick-Making .- This began as an industry in early times, but the first to go into the business by the wholesale was Francis Williams, who was
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born in Raynham in 1779. For more than a quarter of a century he was a manufacturer of brick. He died in 1868, and his son, the late Alexander Hamilton Williams, who was born in Taunton in 1823, succeeded his father in the business. He brought the enterprise to its highest plane of activity in his day, in his association with other Taunton men for corporative business. Together with Jonathan Macomber in 1868 he was one of the originators of the Taunton Brick Company, that was started with a capital of $75,000. Hon. Edmund H. Bennett was president of the company, and Hon. C. F. Johnson treasurer. In 1872, Mr. Williams organized the Wil- liams Brick Company, whose production amounted to about 4,000,000 annu- ally. Mr. Williams was a direct descendant of Richard Williams, one of the first settlers, and he owned ninety of the original one hundred acres that constituted the homestead of his ancestor. On Linden street stood the brick kiln of Deacon John Godfrey, who was succeeded in the business by his son John, and later by his grandson Horatio. Other brick manufac- turers of early days were George W. Godfrey, Isaac Howland and Com- pany, Abial Staples, Philip E. Williams and Company, John W. Hart and Company,-where the Stiles and Hart branch yard now stands,-John Hall Staples.
The clay deposits in and around Taunton from early times have been the source of a very practical industry on the part of Taunton townsmen. Of the many brick-making concerns that once existed, however, there is now but one, that of the Stiles and Hart Company, which with its capacity of 10,000,000 bricks annually does more business with its modern machinery annually than all the older concerns combined. This firm, now the only ex- ponent of the machine-made brick hereabouts, has a plant and equipment more extensive than any of the groups of the old style, and with a source area of the materials for the finished product that will far outlast the present generation. The company has but recently installed new machin- ery which with the aid of the industrial railway is now able to turn out two hundreds bricks every minute. The carrier system that has been in- stalled takes the brick from the brick-making machines by means of cables, thus entirely replacing the former manual labor. The clay in the adjacent pits is excavated by means of electric shovels. In the course of a season, about four thousand cords of wood are used at the kilns, the wood being cut on the company's own properties. There is shed room for the drying of 7,000,000 brick, and a rack-drying room for 1,000,000. The Hedge-Hog machine, the first used in mixing the clay, was introduced about the year 1835; and in 1854, the Hall machine, the first to hold a mould, replaced the Hedge-Hog. Ten years later the Martin machine, run by steam power, revolutionized the industry. The officers of this company are as follows: President, E. G. Stoddard, New Haven; vice-president, David B. Andrews, New Haven; treasurer, Henry W. Redfields, New Haven; manager, John J. Mansfield, Taunton.
The Shipping Business .- One might have stood on the bridge at Weir Village on any day of the past century, with unobstructed view of the lively shipping activities of this, the port of Taunton-a port, though many miles from the seaboard. There was then unceasing movement, with the coming and going of a fleet, at the time when the freighting departments of the steam railroad were in the making. Down stream from the brick
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grain house of John J. Paull to the last storage warehouse in sight, there was always a parade of masts; their noisy decks below, often two or three abreast, alive with crews and stevedores, loading or unloading their cargoes. The grain that was then imported into Taunton for further transportation amounted to a quarter of a million of bushels annually; about ten thou- sand casks of lime, cement, plaster and moulders' clay were on their way here, season after season; many thousand tons of coal, as well as materials for copper production, and thousands of bales of cotton. Here was a great outlet for the product of nail and tack factories, the iron piping and anchor foundries, and small iron wares of a great variety; and five million of bricks were being annually shipped from this port. Immense amounts of grain were deposited in the John Paull storage warehouse, and in the build- ings of C. A. Briggs, LeBaron Church, William Church, Church and Allyn, and Joseph Dean, while at the Briggs elevator building thousands of bushels of grain were ground into meal.
Every other home in Weir Village at that time was that of a sea- captain, and among the men of those times who commanded sloops and small schooners were: Captain Seth Presbrey, of the Peace and Plenty ; Captain William Presbrey, the Ranger; Captain David Vickery, the Han- nah; Captain Sylvester Jones, the Union; Captain Benjamin Cooper, the Sally; Captain Peter Hall, the Industry; Captain Daniel R. Presbrey, the Samuel Crocker; Captains Hodges Lincoln and Eugene Lincoln, the Sally W. Pounder; Captains Barney Presbrey, John O'Keefe and George E. Paull, the Roanoke; Captains Frank Bugbee and Andrew Deering, the J. C. Chew; Captains George Coleman, sr., and George Coleman, jr., the Sylves- ter Hale; Captain Joseph Ashley, the Charles; Captains Samuel Simmons and George O. Trefethen, the Sally Y. Chartre; Captain William Dean, the Messenger; Captain George Phillips, the C. C. Smith; Captain William H. H. Dean, the Abel A. Parker; Captain Willis Morris, the Noantic; Cap- tain James Witherell, the Virginia; Captain James Phillips, the Dart; Captain Abiathar Staples, the Harriet; Captains Hiram Burt and John P. Staples, the James Nelson; Captain Albert French, the Oliver Ames; Cap- tain Noah Thrasher, the W. D. Wagnum; Captain John Sullivan, the Mount Hope; Captain George A. Norcutt, the Clio; Captain Miller, the Bristol; Captain King, the John W. Parker; Captain Abiathar I. Staples, the Wild Pigeon; Captain Charles Strange, the Emma; Captain Samuel Tisdale, the Clarissa Allen; Captain Jacob Phillips, the Albert Field; and many others.
In the course of a past generation, more than one hundred schooners of the deep water type, from two to six-masters, were owned and operated by Taunton men. For years, Gardiner D. O'Keefe, Esq., has been com- piling data concerning that notable fleet of schooners that had not its like anywhere in the world for speed, beauty and tonnage. The complete story of those notable vessels as told by Mr. O'Keefe would fill a volume of the size of the present one. Their author, who is the son of one of the most widely known of the sea-captains of his day, has made a very valuable and extensive survey and study of the formerly fine fleet of Taunton-owned vessels.
The Grain Business .- The Stanley Wood Grain Company may be in- cluded with the leading and rapidly expanding industries of the city. In-
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corporated in 1912, during ten years it enlarged its working territory over twelve hundred per cent. Previous to the introduction of the railroad through New England making connections with the grain-producing sec- tions of the country, the city was one of the leading grain centers of South- ern New England. Its waterway made possible the shipment of large quantities of grain from the West by means of the Great Lakes, Erie Canal, Hudson River and Long Island Sound. Weir Village was the scene of con- siderable activity in the industry. From this section of the city much of the surrounding country less fortunately situated was supplied with grain; and farmers from Brockton, Mansfield, Middleboro, Attleboro and Bridgewater drove their horses, oxen or mules to the Weir for their supply of feed. By the advent of the railroad into New England, opening a cheaper means for shipping grain, the Taunton grain industry was reduced to a local affair with a radius of working territory limited by the advances of dealers from nearby cities. But after several years of slackened business, it became evident to a group of six men under the leadership of H. Stanley Wood that there was a future for grain in this section of the country, if properly handled. A company, the Stanley Wood Grain Company, was formed, with Mr. Wood as treasurer and manager, George H. Schefer president, Elisha E. Walker vice-president, and Dr. Charles R. Borden, clerk. The place of business when the company was formed in 1912 was a short dis- tance from Broadway, near Taunton Green. The floor space was limited to about one thousand square feet, including with the main building a building known as the Gifford store on Porter street, where the grain and feeds were unloaded from the cars and stored until they could be carted to the down-town storehouse. All deliveries were made in horse-drawn ve- hicles, and an area of approximately one hundred forty-four square miles was supplied from this store-house. It was but four years later when the need of more floor space and an elevator was felt, and land was purchased on Harrison avenue, running west along the railroad tracks. The work of building a large warehouse was completed in July, 1917. In 1919, in spite of opposition on the part of residents of the neighborhood, an elevator was completed. Since that time the business has continued to grow rapidly. A branch store was opened at Weir Village by the acquisition of the property and business of J. Paull & Company, one of the leading grain dis- tribution concerns during fifty years when Taunton's shipping industry was at its height. Another branch was established in June, 1922, in the town of Middleboro, by the purchasing of the Bryant and Soule busi- ness with a retail store on Wareham street and an elevator and warehouse on Cambridge street. In March, 1922, the same group of men formed an- other corporation, the Stanley Wood Milling Company, and purchased the property and business of the Skinner Milling Company of Pawtucket. The four stores of the two corporations opened a working area of over seven- teen hundred forty square miles, an increase of sixteen hundred square miles over the area covered by deliveries when the company was first formed. A fleet of eight trucks cover this territory. The business line of the concern, which during the first few years of activity consisted of the selling of poultry, stock and horse feeds manufactured by larger concerns, has given way in a large part to the manufacturing of its own brands of feeds and, since milling machinery has been installed at Taunton, Middle-
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