USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, vol 2 > Part 37
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CHAPTER X. NORTON
In Norton one wins enduring impressions of substantial homes col- onial; of the record of persistency of an early colonial settlement; of the work and worth of scholarly and progressive men and women; of the World War reminder of the Honor Roll on the Common; and by no means the least, of the presence of a certain William Witherell.
There was no celebration, no special commemoration, but the year 1919 marked the 250th anniversary of the year when William Witherel! first set foot within the borders of the township known today as Norton- the first white person, so far as known, to have arrived and actually made his home here-though his location at Winnecunnet lake was still Taunton. He came by devious ways, by Indian trail, and through woods primeval, and on the eastern side of the lake he delayed his steps, and, as the exact old historian has it, "20 rods northerly from the bridge, over the outlet of the pond, on the 5 acres, more or less, which was granted him by the town for a home lotte" -- the pond marking the bounds of the future between Taunton and Norton. Witherell set down nothing about his advent here; but the situation must have been a passably alluring one, as his descend- ants, eight of them in line, lived right around there, up to the time of another William Witherell, his descendant, about the year 1915. Yet the first settler of all stood by for more than two decades before the Norton township eventually was formed, which occurrence took place in 1711. William Witherell arrived at Taunton in 1643, with Captain William Dunn, whose name is to be found in the list of Taunton's original proprietors and whose vessel had sailed a distance up Taunton river. William had been a cabin boy aboard the vessel, but he had not been many years ashore, when in 1662 he was appointed a constable; and later, while living on his five-acre lot by the pond, he was again given that office. Again, in 1671 and in 1685, his fellow-townsmen honored him with the appointment of deputy from Taunton to the Plymouth Colony Court. He bought more land, both in the North and South Purchases, and in 1679 and 1680 he was
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one of the court's committee to bound Assonet Neck meadows. In 1685 he was keeping an "ordinary" on the Bay road. To crown the achievements of this pioneer, he joined the militia, was made a company sergeant, and received wounds at the Narragansett Swamp Fight when Chief Philip's people made their last brave stand, the court granting him fifteen pounds for his injuries.
Then, about fourteen years after this first settler, arrived Thomas Brintnall, who in 1685 commenced the second settlement, at what is now Mansfield, but within the former Norton bounds. Ten years afterwards, in 1695, Thomas and James Leonard came to their grant of 250 acres at Stony Brook, now Chartley, where they set up their iron forge, as Leonard men were wont to do at Saugus, Braintree and Taunton, and wherever there was bog iron to work with. George Leonard, son of Thomas and nephew of James, actually set up the forge, and when that was accomplished, there were forty families here to give welcome to the new town. George Leonard and Nicholas White were chosen, November 27, 1707 and, somewhat later, John Witherell, as agents of the forty-three male inhabitants for the forma- tion of a precinct "because of the very difficult circumstances that we are under in living so remote from the public worship of God."
Taunton did not grant the desire of the petitioners, so they preferred their request to the General Court at Boston. Twice the petition was opposed; but finally, after two years of further struggle, the triumph of the precinct folk was secured. Norton was incorporated a town June 12, 1711, so named for the Norton in England, seventy-four miles northwest of London. The present bounds of the town are as follows: north by Mansfield; east by Easton; south by Taunton and Rehoboth, and west by Attleboro-an area all told of 18,264 acres-the centre, Barrowsville, Chart- ley, Winnecunnet village-266 acres of the township being covered with water. Winnecunnet Pond (place of black geese) has 129 acres.
Heirs to a distinctive quality of persistency, the Leonard and Witherell branches have persisted and flourished on brave old trees. And other mat- ters that have not ceased to persist and progress have had their anniversary claims set forth within recent years, notably the establishment of the first school here in 1719, and the presentation of the first warrant for town meeting that year. The same urgent spirit asserted itself in Norton when later the Stamp Act was imposed, and when 300 men from here represented Norton in the Revolution; again, in 1861, when 155 Norton men answered the call to the colors; again, today, there are 112 names on the local honor roll, those of brave comrades in the World War.
Quite as distinct and clear is that other leading impression of Nor- ton-that of the influence of woman here, and the generous and graceful attention she has given to a number of institutions whose development has accorded the community far more than local repute. Wheaton College, beautiful for situation, ideal for collegiate advantages, once the struggling seminary, is now everywhere known and honored. Wheaton has made its home here since 1834, through the influence and direction of Mrs. Eliza B. Wheaton, who for seventy years sustained and advanced the noble foun- dation of the late Judge Wheaton, his memorial to a cherished daughter. The constituency of the college represents young womanhood from all sections of the country, and they have shared in the maintenance and honor
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of that foundation. Nearby is the evidence of the results of lifework of other women, the Misses Hyde and Cornish, their "House in the Pines," a home school for girls, being near the college. Norton people see their pres- ence with gratitude, as they do also the gift of the Norton Public Library, built and presented the town in 1887 by Mrs. Wheaton; also her gift of the chapel of the Trinitarian Congregational Church. The town hall itself was a woman's gift. In 1882 Miss Harriot A. Newcomb, carrying out the wishes of her father, presented the town with that structure for its prin- cipal public building. Such impressions of Norton are not haphazard ones, neither are those of the commodious and hospitable homes of Nor- ton-those built by Rev. Joseph Avery and Rev. Pitt Clark, the Major Leonard house, and many others. And as we catch glimpses of some of the fifty farms along the borders of good roads, among them those of Alden G. Walker, Virgil Leonard, Alfred B. White, Charles H. Freeman, Homer Lane and George L. Jackson, the passing sight of them is evidence of the fact that Norton is an agricultural town of excellence. The population of Norton in 1923 was 2,374. The total valuation of real estate in 1922 was $1,574,300; personal estate, $628,800; the number of polls assessed, 734.
Churches .- There was no delay on the part of the townsmen to organ- ize their church, and the very year of the town incorporation, Rev. Samuel Phillips began to take charge of the Congregational flock. Like the first ministers in Attleboro and Mansfield and elsewhere throughout the county, Mr. Phillips had not been ordained when he preached his first sermon here, January 1, 1710. Fifty men of the new parish gave contributions of land for the use of the minister, Judge Thomas Leonard being particularly active and generous in that regard. Mr. Phillips did not remain as a settled minister, however, and Rev. Joseph Avery received the call of the congregation December 23, 1710, the church then being organized as a society. The first meetinghouse stood on the Common, a tablet being placed there within recent years to point out the spot. Rev. Mr. Avery's house was built to the west of that. He remained as pastor until 1748, and several men supplied the pulpit to the year 1752. Rev. Joseph Palmer was ordained here January 3, 1753, and remained until his death, April 4, 1791. It was during his pastorate that the society was incorporated as a parish in 1783. Rev. Pitt Clark was ordained July 3, 1793, and he continued until his death, February 13, 1835; during that year the present church was erected. The church bell was cast by Paul Revere in 1810. Settled pastors since that time have been: Revs: A. M. Briggs 1836-40; William P. Tilden, 1841-44; Amory Gale, M. D., 1845-48; Frederic Hinckley, 1848-50; George Faber Clark, 1852-61; (he wrote the "History of Norton") ; Daniel S. C. M. Potter, 1863-69: Isaac Kelso, 1869-70; John B. Willard, 1870-71; J. E. Bruce, 1871-72; S. C. Beach, 1873-76; J. M. Trask, 1876; L. W. Manning, 1876-80; W. H. Reeby, 1880-84; C. F. Nicholson, 1887-92; C. A. Young, 1893-96; Francis W. Holder, 1896-98 and 1899-1906; J. H. Weeks, 1907: Herbert H. Mott, 1912-21; Walter A. Tuttle, 1922 --.
The Trinitarian Congregational Church was organized April 3, 1832, first meetings having been held at the home of Mrs. Eliza B. Wheaton, and among those who first conducted the services being Dr. Lyman Beecher, Dr. Richard S. Storrs, and Rev. John West. The church building was
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dedicated January 1, 1834, due to the generous gifts of Hon. Laban Wheaton, his son Hon. Laban M. Wheaton, and others. That was the year of the founding of Wheaton Seminary, the present Wheaton College, and from that time to the present the interests both of the church and the college became closely identified. The chapel, formerly the gymnasium of the seminary, was dedicated September 18, 1878, the gift of Mrs. E. B. Wheaton; it was re-dedicated November 26, 1882. The following-named have served as ministers: Revs. Spencer F. Beard, Cyrus W. Allen, Homer Barrows, William Barrows, Franklin Holmes, Samuel Beane, Henry C. Fay, Henry K. Craig, Timothy Atkinson, William N. T. Dean, James P. Lane, George H. Hubbard, Vernon C. Harrington, Charles E. Harris, Charles A. Ratcliffe.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was organized May 3, 1850, and the church building was dedicated May 8, 1854. The Methodist Episcopal Church was established as a mission, at Lane's station, the present Bar- rowsville, about the year 1874, by Rev. E. D. Hall, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Attleboro. First meetings were held at residences, at the depot, and in a jewelry shop, since destroyed by fire. A chapel was dedicated in February, 1876. A separate church organization was secured June 10. 1876.
A Baptist church was organized here in 1761 by parishioners of the First Church. The church was dissolved in 1835, and a new Baptist parish organized that year.
The Catholic church building, St. Mary's, on the Taunton road, was built in 1865 by Rev. Father Shahan. Alternately it was supplied by priests from the Taunton and the Attleboro parishes. Rev. Father Cain of Oakland has been the pastor in recent years. Rev. Fathers O'Connell and Fox were former pastors.
Educational .- As early as the year 1791, Thomas Skinner was ap- pointed schoolmaster, and the same year Patience Leach taught school. Abigail Morey taught school in 1793. In the year 1923 there were four schools in the town-the high school, Center, Chartley and Barrowsville, with a total of 588 pupils. The appropriation for school maintenance that year was $30,500. The total amount in the school savings bank was $901.41. The high school started the school year of 1922-23 with ninety- five pupils. The high school principals have been Harry E. Gardner, Miss Bertha E. Piggott, A. W. Hopson, Ralph B. Farnum, Kent L. Sanborn, Earl Thibodeau, Charles R. Randall.
Wheaton College .- The town of Norton has justifiable pride in the fact that Wheaton College, one of the small but progressive colleges for women in this country, and the only institution bearing a college charter within the limits of the original territory controlled by the Pilgrim Fathers, has its location within the town's limits. It is an old institution, having been founded in 1834 as one of the pioneer schools in the higher educa- tion of women. Established by Judge Laban Wheaton as a memorial to his only daughter, the college was opened in 1835 as Norton Female Seminary, the incorporation of the institution taking place in 1837. The seminary began its existence at the suggestion of Judge Wheaton's daugh- ter-in-law, Mrs. Eliza Baylies Chapin Wheaton, then a young woman of
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twenty-five, who outlived the other members of the family, and for more_ than seventy years, or until her death at the age of ninety-six, made the institution the object of her care and benefactions. The name of the school was changed to Wheaton Female Seminary in 1839, but it was commonly known as Wheaton Seminary, until it became Wheaton Col- lege, February 12, 1912. Miss Mary Lyon superintended the organization of the institution and she directed its work for the first two years, or until she entered upon her duties at Mt. Holyoke College, to which she had been pledged.
Rev. Joseph Emerson, of Beverly, whose initiative prepared the way for the higher education of women and who was the teacher and inspirer of Mary Lyon, was intimately associated with the life and history of Wheaton, one of the buildings bearing the family name. The school was never co-educational, but from the first gave itself wholly to its distinc- tive work. It stood in the front rank, and, until the rise of the women's colleges, offered as good an opportunity as could be had from any institu- tional source for the education of women. In the year 1897, for the sake of a better adjustment to the new educational conditions, Wheaton under- went a reorganization, and this resulted in many important changes during the succeeding years. Building after building was erected or otherwise acquired; the material equipment was added to in various other ways; and the departments of study were enlarged and strengthened. The col- lege occupies a most attractive location in the town of Norton, and in one of the most healthful regions in New England: The extensive grounds include a beautiful strip of woods on the south of the Campus, known as College Pines, and an area on the north devoted in part to the college farm. Covering about one hundred acres, diversified by gardens, lawns, hedges, trees and meadows, containing an athletic field, tennis courts, bas- ket-ball standards, and other equipment for out-door sports, they give the student a sense of freedom. The college has twenty-four buildings, not including the farm buildings. Eleven of these are modern brick buildings in the colonial style of architecture, and seven are dwelling houses just out- side the campus. The buildings are heated by steam and lighted by elec- tricity from a plant owned and operated by the college. The new halls of residence, constructed of brick, contain both single and double rooms, with bath and toilet rooms on each floor.
Mary Lyon Hall, on the site of the original building erected by Judge Wheaton, contains class rooms, faculty room, studios, and a large lecture hall. Metcalf Hall consists of two buildings, erected at different times, and connected by an isthmus; it contains public parlors. the adminis- trative offices, and, above the first floor, rooms for students. Chapin Hall was erected in 1900 as the first of the new halls of residence, it being con- structed of brick, with trimmings of cream-white Vermont marble. Lucy Larcom Hall, also a hall of residence, is a larger building than Chapin Hall, and is connected at one end with Emerson Hall by means of a per- gola of brick piers and by a granolithic walk. Cragin Hall is a companion building to Lucy Larcom Hall; it is located at the south of Emerson Hall. with which it is also connected by a pergola.
Stanton Hall, opened in the fall of 1921 as a hall of residence, with a dining room of its own, is a dignified structure of brick, in the late
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Georgian style, like the other buildings of the college; and it stands at the southern end of the campus, just beyond Cragin Hall. The building was named in honor of Miss A. Ellen Stanton, who was a teacher in the insti- tution for twenty-six years, during seventeen of which she was principal of Wheaton Seminary. Barrows House, standing at the corner of Main street and Mansfield avenue, on land adjoining the holdings of the college, was acquired by purchase in the spring of 1922; and with its annex it has been remodeled to serve as a small hall of residence. Emerson Hall con- tains the general dining-room, the kitchen, with its various appointments, and in the second story the living-rooms of the matron and her assistants. This building also is of red brick in the late Georgian style. The Chapel, dedicated in 1917, occupies a site between the Gymnasium and the Science building, and completes the easterly side of the quadrangle; the spire rises. 147 feet from the ground. The combined seating capacity of the main floors and the galleries is about 900. An organ occupies two sides of the chancel. The Library building stands at the southern end of the campus; and completes with distinction the main quadrangle. The corner- stone was laid in June, 1922. Other structures are the Science building, the Observatory, first opened in February, 1917; the Gymnasium; the Infirmary ; the President's House and the Power House. The chapel is regarded as one of the finest examples of New England architecture. Holmes Cottage and Carpenter House are ready for occupancy for overflow from the college dormitory.
When Rev. Samuel V. Cole, D. D., LL.D., became president of Wheaton in 1897, that college was given a new and a larger lease of life, and its modernization and growth have been marked from that time. The change of the name from seminary to college was suggested by Dr. Cole, and it met with no opposition, the policy of the new president being to build up the preparatory work, and eventually to eliminate preparatory work altogether, which has been done, to the end that in November, 1922, the college received the approval of the Association of American Universi- ties, and was placed on the accredited list of colleges recognized by that institution. The college also has been rated with Class A in the Uni- versity of Illinois, and in 1923 was admitted to membership in the Ameri- can Association of University Women. The class that entered for college work in 1912 numbered only fifteen, and it required both courage and faith to come to the new college, then, as the other two hundred students in the institution were either college preparatory, regular seminary or special students. At the end of 1914 all preparatory work had vanished, and no new students were received who could not profitably pursue college work. In 1921 the college enrolment had increased from fifteen to 309, every student having met the admission requirement of fifteen units, and become regularly classified in courses leading to the A. B. degree.
In the fall of 1923 the college had over 400 students, with everyone regularly classified for the A. B. degree, the students coming from twenty- five different States, and some of them from abroad. The college motto. established in 1912 by President Cole, is, "That they may have life, and have it more abundantly", and the institution throughout all handicaps, and even through the blighting influence of the World War, has lived up to the significance of the motto, so that the achievements of the college
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have been considered miraculous. Dr. Cole, who has worked steadily and perseveringly to bring about these changes in the institution was for several years a member of the board of trustees of Bowdoin College, his alma mater, and he has received honorary degrees from colleges. The faculty of the college now consists of thirty-five members, both men and women, and among the features are the Academic Council, the College Government Association, the departmental clubs, the Bureau of Voca- tional Opportunities, and a system of college preachers. There is a strong Christian Association, out of which has grown the Intercollegiate Com- munity Service Association. President Calvin Coolidge delivered the com- mencement address in 1923, and at that time received the honorary degree of LL.D., the first man to receive an honorary degree from Wheaton.
House in the Pines was established in 1911 by the Misses Althea E. Hyde and Gertrude E. Cornish, the latter of whom had previously been a teacher at Wheaton College and Miss Porter's School in Farmington. It was opened primarily for girls of high school age, but a small number of younger children was also accepted. During the second year of the school, Miss Hyde was married, and since then the school has continued under the efficient and successful guidance of Miss Cornish, a woman of great understanding of and love for girls. Originally the school property con- sisted of a main house of fine, colonial architecture and a recitation build- ing, but during the succeeding years other buildings and land were ac- quired, until in 1923 the school grounds, which include pine groves, athletic fields and farm land, cover an area of eighty acres. There are six build- ings: the Main House, the recitation building; the Cottage, a dormitory for girls of the Upper School; the farm house, the infirmary and the Hedges. The Hedges, a large estate opposite the Main House, was added to the property in 1921 and opened as a school for girls under the age of fourteen. This has its own playgrounds and outdoor equipment. The school is supplied with vegetables and eggs from its own farm. It also has a large herd of Jersey cows and a stable of well-trained saddle horses. From the beginning the school has offered a peculiarly homelike atmosphere and high standards and ideals for the development of the girl as well as sound academic training. The number of pupils is limited, so that it may be possible for the principal to know each girl individually and to give her the personal touch often needed to bring into the fore- ground the qualities that are the attributes of the best self. In the Upper School, college preparatory and general courses are given. In the former course. girls are thoroughly prepared for all the best colleges for woman. Since 1918 a two-year diploma course of advanced work for high school graduates has been a strong feature. In this course special advantages are offered in languages, music, drawing and painting, household arts and secretarial work. In the Junior School, primary and grammar grade work is provided and there is a country-day department for children livinig near.
Public Library, etc .- The Norton Public Library had its origin with the Norton Magazine Club that was formed, in 1879, to secure to its mem- bers and their families the reading of the principal magazines, reviews, and other publications, each member paying two dollars annually to meet the cost. For several years the headquarters was at the Town Hall, Mrs .. E. T. Wetherell acting as librarian. Miss Ann E. Carter made the sugges-
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tion that from this beginning there should come a free library for the town, and just before her death a gift and bequest was made by Miss Carter to further the project. The room at the Town Hall was main- tained as a public reading room from 1883, Miss Emily A. Titus succeed- ing Mrs. Wetherell as librarian, and the Magazine Club voted to turn over to the Public Library all their bound volumes and all their magazines to January 1, 1885. The Library was incorporated April 7, 1886, by William E. Payson, Arthur M. Round, Davis Gregory, E. T. Wetherell, James P. Lane and Emily A. Titus. The present library was built in 1887, the gift of Mrs. Eliza B. Wheaton, wife of Judge Laban Wheaton. There are 9,225 books on the shelves. The board of trustees in 1923: President, Miss Mabel H. Perry; vice-president, Rev. M. J. Creeger; secretary and treasurer, Walter C. S. Wood; Miss Clara V. Coyle, G. H. O'Brien, C. S. Randall, Dr. Arthur M. Round, Mrs. Walter S. Williams, and the select- mnen ex officio. Librarian, Miss Marion E. Clapp; assistant, Miss Nina Leonard.
Norton Grange Hall is the meeting place of Norton Grange. The master of the grange in 1923 was Albert Jenks.
The Norton Home for Old Ladies, on Newland street, was formally placed in the hands of a board of trustees early in 1923 by the executors of the will of the late Harriot A. Newcomb-Judge Charles C. Hagerty, of Mansfield, and Charles S. Newcomb, of Torrington, Connecticut. Among the provisions is that no admission fee shall ever be charged to any appli- cant desiring to enter the Home, but that by-laws may provide that appli- cants possessing property be required to give same to the Home. The trustees are: Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Newcomb, of Torrington, Connecti- cut ; Mr. and Mrs. Edgar M. Holmes, Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Wood, Miss Mabel H. Perry, Mr. and Mrs. George E. Smith. The officers: President, Edgar M. Holmes; secretary, Mabel H. Perry; treasurer, Charles S. New- comb; directors : W. C. S. Wood, Mrs. W. C. S. Wood, George E. Smith, Mrs. George E. Smith, Mrs. Charles S. Newcomb, Mrs. Edgar M. Holmes.
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