USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Millbury > Centennial history of the town of Millbury, Massachusetts, including vital statistics, 1850-1899 > Part 17
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MAYO MILL No. 2
On the present water privileges occupied on the Single- tary, that of the Wheeler, or Mayo No. 2, mill is first on the stream. Although the present buildings are further from the road than the early mills built by the Singletarys, the privilege is the same.
In 1828 or 1830, buildings on the privilege were fitted up for the manufacture of cotton batting, under the direction of Deacon Henry Mills. After his occupancy the mill was operated by Isaac Hayden in making cotton prints.
Just previous to 1835, a Boston company manufac- tured woolen goods here, but after continuing for a few years, its affairs became straitened and the creditors formed the Singletary Manufacturing Company, for securing debts due to some of its members from the Boston concern. In their aims, however, they were partially disappointed and after a few years the company was dis- continued. Capt. Amasa Wood was president of the Singletary company and he, with Samuel Davis (one of
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THE MAYO WOOLEN COMPANY, MILL No. 2
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INDUSTRIES ON SINGLETARY STREAM
the earliest lessees of the Court Mills of Worcester), A. G. Stiles, Horace Waters, and Asa Hunting were directors.
Following the Singletary Mills, a concern called the "Boston and Millbury Co." occupied the site, but their mill was burned in 1843. Farnum and Jenks succeeded them and their mill was burned April 5, 1846. Indeed, the number of fires that have occurred here is noticeable. Then followed Mowry Farnum and, after him, Farnum and Wheeler. Jonathan D. Wheeler was next in possession and he operated the mill for many years. Later, the "Wheeler Cotton Mills Company" was incorporated with the following officers, W. H. Wheeler, president, and F. H. Wing, treasurer. The capital was stated to have been eighty thousand dollars. The company was prac- tically owned by Jonathan D. Wheeler, but on account of his ill health it was carried on in his interest for a com- paratively short time after which the building stood idle for some years.
April 20, 1894, the mill, tenement-houses, land, and rights were sold to Samuel E. Hull, Augustus S. Winter, and Thomas Windle. Later on, in 1899, they undertook the manufacture of linen goods, the first venture in manu- facturing that kind of goods in Millbury. J. C. Hall of Boston was superintendent. His plan was to incorporate the Union Linen Co. (a Maine concern) and to manufac- ture bleached linen cloth through a patent process for extracting the gum from the flax. A considerable quan- tity of goods were made, but the attempt was finally abandoned.
The Mayo Woolen Company was incorporated Oct. 30, 1897, and on Sept. 23, 1910, this company bought the mill of S. E. Hull, A. S. Winter, and Thomas Windle, and the mill was called Mayo Mill No. 2. The purchase included the mill, mill-privilege, and tenements, without any machinery, together with some of the product of the linen company. The Mayo Company thoroughly repaired the building.
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HISTORY OF MILLBURY
This mill has twenty-six feet head of water, the most of any mill on Singletary stream, so that the location is a valuable one on this account, as well as because of the purity of its water, which comes directly from the lake. Connected with the mill are fifty-five acres of land and seven houses containing eleven tenements.
WEST END THREAD COMPANY
General Burbank at one time owned a shop located on the present site of the West End Thread Co's plant. In early days, Samuel Marble also had a scythe-shop here. About 1828, a machine shop was built on the spot by Harvey Waters. Previous to 1837, the Woodward Bros. operated a small woolen mill which was Mr. Waters' machine shop enlarged, and shortly afterward Wood- ward & Gorton, who manufactured woolen and cotton goods, were located here until about 1842, when they were succeeded by Abijah Larned. He was followed by Jonas A. Hovey & Co. From them it passed to Jonathan A. Pope and from him to James Brierly & Co. Jonathan A. Pope again was located here, in 1851. Later on, Emerson & Brierly followed him. Some time later, Crane & Waters purchased the privilege which they sold, in 1877, to L. L. Whitney, who manufactured yarns until 1884, when the mill was burned. In 1886, Mr. Whitney built a brick machine shop on the old site, which he leased to the Stonemetz Printers' Machine Co., of which Mr. Whitney was president. This company later removed from town. In 1892, Whitney and McDuff began the manufacture of linen thread at this place and continued the business for some years.
Jan. 1, 1903, the West End Thread Co., a Boston con- cern, bought the property. The Boston Agents are Dean, Chase Company. The resident manager is Frederick W. Hooper and the superintendent is William Bright. The business of this company is the manufacture of linen shoe thread, carpet thread, and book-binders' thread. Since
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boot and shoe manufacturers require a thread that will last as long as the other parts of the shoe, the high standard of work done by this company is evident. Beside spin- ning from the flax, this company also does its own bleach- ing and dyeing.
The capacity of the plant has been many times enlarged by the addition of several fine brick structures where, at the birth of our town, only a little one-story shop marked the place. Improved machinery and new steam facilities have been added; a new water-way has been constructed from a good sized pond; and, in 1911 and 1912, five addi- tional comfortable houses were erected on the company's land. This concern is taking a foremost rank among the industries of Millbury and it pays the second largest tax in town.
MAYO MILL No. 1
The privilege now occupied by Mayo Mill No. 1 is the one that has been most closely associated with the Bur- banks, although the Burbank paper mill stood over one hundred feet farther up the stream. It was at this privilege that, in 1776, Abijah Burbank, in response to a request voiced at a county convention, held May 31, 1775, began the manufacture of paper. After the paper mill had become well established, five men and twelve women were employed. By operating the two engines to their full capacity for the accustomed fifteen hours a day, about fifteen hundred pounds of paper were produced in a week. It was hand labor, however, that was chiefly instrumental in producing the writing paper in this mill. Each sheet of paper was treated separately five or six times before it was ready for the market and three months were required in making the paper from the time that the rags were received until the finished product was ready for the market.
As stated above, about 1812, the Burbanks controlled the water on Singletary stream and, as they apparently decided to give special attention to the manufacture of
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HISTORY OF MILLBURY
paper, they either took others into partnership with them at the other privileges or sold the rights entirely. In view of this retention of the paper-mill, other water rights were sold in terms of water sufficient to run two paper machines in the Burbank paper mill, so that enough water was granted to the privilege, now occupied by the West End Thread Co. and to the privilege now occupied by the Mayo Mill No. 3, sufficient to keep the two paper machines running in the Burbank paper mill within certain working hours.
Caleb Burbank continued to operate the mill until the latter part of June, 1836, and, as there was need of having a definition of the amount of water required to run the paper machines, a legal deposition was given by him which declared that, though more machines were used in the mill at that time, than formerly, the amount of water required to operate them was no more than had previously been necessary to run two machines. Similar depositions were given by Gardiner S. Burbank, by Isaac Goddard who had "the general superintendence of the business," by Abial Jacques, a hydraulic expert, by Benjamin F. Martin, an engineer, and by William Hall, a mill-wright.
The two engines which have meant so much in the water rights on the stream were estimated to have a capacity of six horsepower each. In the summer of 1831 two larger ones were installed and, in 1833, a third engine was put in. At this time an apron was put under the water-wheel to save water which wasted from the bucket and with this apron in place the three engines could be carried as well as the two could previously. Thus it is established that water rights granted in terms of the two former engines would mean that the whole amount that was needed to carry more engines at a later date, because of the improvement secured by the addition of an apron at the water wheel, was needed to carry the two engines when the water privileges were sold.
THE MAYO WOOLEN COMPANY, MILL NO. 1
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INDUSTRIES ON SINGLETARY STREAM
The following deposition by Mr. Jaques, the mill- wright, gives us an accurate description of the water- wheel of those days. He stated as follows:
"measured the main water wheel and found it 20 ft. in dia- meter and about 6 ft. wide including the rims and the top of the wheel which is on a level with the top of the permanent flash boards of the Dam . . . Flume is in two sections. The larger part next below the Pond is 30 ft. 7 in. long and 5 ft. 812 in. wide inside and 4 ft. high to the top of the flash boards measuring inside the flume. The lower section next to the wheel is 8 ft. long, same width as the first section and the bottom of it is 20 in. below the top of said flash boards. . . Gate hole for main wheel is in bottom of lower end of the lower section of the flume and is 5 ft. 212 in. long and 412 in. wide. The water is let on to the wheel 20 in. below the top of the wheel. The actual head under which the water operates upon the wheel with a full pond is 22 in. as the narrowest part of the gate hole is 2 in. below the bottom of the flume."
The deposition of General Burbank is in part as follows:
"I have occupied the Paper Mill which I formerly owned in Millbury up to about a week ago. I put what is called the Cylin- der machine into that Mill about eight years ago. I had then but two engines in the Mill. I had also a duster which was carried as it is now by a small Tub-Wheel. The Cylinder machine was carried as it is now by a breast wheel of the diameter of eleven feet. The two engines were carried also by the Maine wheel just as they are now with the same geering and the same pitch of water but there was no Apron. . . . . Those two Engines continued in until about six years ago when I took them out and put in two new ones that are longer. The old engines were of two feet rolls and the new ones were of 30 inches rolls the diameter of the rolls the same.
About two years after that a Rag Cutter was put in which was carried by the same wheel as the Duster. A third engine was put in about the first of October, 1833. I tried to operate the three engines without an Apron to the wheel and found they would not operate. This was while I was preparing the Apron. I then put in the Apron and they operated well. The same head of water which would not carry the three Engines without the Apron carried them with full spead with the Apron. My opinion is that the Apron made one thirds difference in the power . . . . The pond has always been kept about full ever since previous to 1828, because I was able to supply it from a reservoir above . . . . I added a Dryer about a year ago . .The head and fall at the Mill was twenty feet."
In 1834, Caleb Burbank became financially involved with his brother Elijah at Quinsigamond village, Wor-
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HISTORY OF MILLBURY
paper mill dam to the fulling mill pond and about four rods below the road above the top of which pin the water is never to be raised" by grantees ... "also with the right to the Grantees their heirs and assigns, when necessary to drive their works, to hoist the gate at said Crooked Pond so as to let as much water run as shall be equivalent to carrying two engines in the Grantor's paper mill when the Grantor does not suffer so much to pass at his paper mill &c." $2500.00 was paid for land, buildings, priviledge.
MAYO MILL No. 3
John Waters and Simeon Waters were in the clothier's business here before Braman and Benedict built their mill.
From a letter of Mr. Charles Munroe who lived opposite the paper mill from 1828 until 1832 we learn that "the Braman factory was next below the paper mill." At various times the mill has been operated by Jonathan A. Pope, Smith and Pratt, Emerson and Brierly, and J. M. Mason, & Co. After the death of Mr. Mason, John Rhodes took the mill, about 1872, and oper- ated it in the manufacture of cotton warp. Later, the machinery in the mill was sent south. June 4, 1904, the building and privilege was purchased by the Mayo Woolen Co. and it has since been known as Mayo Mill No. 3. The building was renovated and it has been used as a stock preparing mill for the other mills of the company.
POWDER MILL
Below the fulling mill site was the old powder mill of Revolutionary days, operated at least part of the time by Asa Waters, senior. This building stood back from the road on the stream by the store of A. S. Winter and extended over what is now part of the W. W. Windle Co's pond. Abijah Burbank conveyed to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay the privilege of a powder mill at this place. Nov. 23, 1779, a committee, appointed by the General Court, consisting of Amos Singletary, Seth
THE MAYO WOOLEN CO. MILL NO. 3
THE MAYO WOOLEN CO. MILL NO. 4
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INDUSTRIES ON SINGLETARY STREAM
Washburn, and Edward Davis, Esqrs., made sale of the powder mill "with all the Appurtenances & Priviledges thereto belonging" and gave a quit-claim deed to Samuel Waters. (At the time he offered ten dollars a pound for salt-petre.) March 11, 1782, he, in turn, sold the powder mill "together with all the out Buildings and property of the Stream of water and all other of the appurtenances & priviledges thereto belonging" to Abraham Waters for one hundred and twenty pounds.
It has been stated that the building was blown up.
On this powder mill site, or near it, Asa Waters main- tained some sort of works for, Feb. 18, 1788, for seven pounds, ten shillings, he secured from Abijah Burbank a "right to erect floom and take water out of Mill Brook between the Oyl mill and fulling Mill & to make a ditch from sd floom across Burbank's land to Waters' land."
THE W. W. WINDLE CO.
The next privilege on this stream is that now held by the W. W. Windle Co. The earliest mill erected here was used for the manufacture of linseed oil. At one time, paper making of a coarse kind was done on the site. In 1836, we have record of a building on the spot which was used as late as 1851 by Leland & Sabin for machine work in the manufacture of looms and other machinery. Later, Benchley & Jackson occupied the site. About 1854, a mill was erected which was operated by J. C. Howe & Co. For a long time afterward Nelson Walling occupied the mill in the manufacture of fancy cassimeres. After Mr. Walling's death, and until the building was burned, another company operated the mill when it was known as the Iona Woolen Mill. In the spring of 1904, the privi- lege was purchased by William W. Windle who erected a new mill. A company was formed, known as the W. W. Windle Co., and in the fall of that year his business at West Millbury was removed to this location. Power is furnished by water, steam, and electricity. Three large
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HISTORY OF MILLBURY
storehouses stand in the rear of the main building. This company deals in wool, waste, and material for other fabrics. The mill is used for scouring, dusting, carboniz- ing, and otherwise fitting wool and waste for manufactur- ' ers' use and it is equipped with improved machinery for this purpose.
In 1911, Mr. Windle visited England and other parts of Europe for the purpose of looking over similar estab- lishments and gaining new ideas of the business. By order of President Taft, through the State Department, he was furnished with documents which caused these places to open their doors freely to him.
MAYO MILL, No. 4
This privilege was first developed in 1825 by the Longley brothers who built a dam here and a small mill. In 1831, Waters and Goodell made broadcloth at this privilege. The next in possession were Hosea Crane and Horace Waters who under the firm name of "Crane and Waters" for many years manufactured hosiery and knit underwear. During the years following the Civil War this mill was one of the most successful in the entire region and became specially famous for its manufacture of men's ribbed blue woolen underwear which had an unusual reputation on the market, not only in this country but also abroad.
In 1885, Osgood H. Waters, a son, and Royal Thayer, a son-in-law, of Horace Waters, formed a corporation and operated the mill, as successors to Crane and Waters.
Later names in connection with this privilege were "The Koted Silk Co.," "The Portsmouth Mill," and "The Worcester Knitting Mill." The mill with its rights was bought by the Mayo Woolen Company, Feb. 20, 1912, and became Mayo Mill No. 4, thus making four mills owned by this company on Singletary stream.
The location is one of the best in town. The mill-yard contains two acres of excellent land. In addition to the
1
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INDUSTRIES ON SINGLETARY STREAM
improvements already made by the new occupants, still more are intended. The growth of the Mayo Woolen Co. is shown by the following figures: One year after it took possession of No. 1 mill, in 1898, the number employed was seventy, the production was one hundred seventy-five thousand yards of cloth, and the pay-roll of the company amounted to thirty-four thousand dollars. For the year 1912, in all the mills of the company, the number employed was two hundred twenty-five, the production was six hundred thousand yards of cloth, and the pay-roll amounted to one hundred twenty-five thou- sand dollars. The capital stock of the company is one hundred thousand dollars, and the officers are: President, Thomas P. Curtis; treasurer, Edward J. Mayo.
Mr. John R. Greenwood is resident agent of all the company's mills.
REVOLUTIONARY ARMORY
Just in front of the dam at the stone mill of Edward F. Rice & Co. on Singletary stream, was situated the trip- hammer building connected with the armory of Asa Waters, senior, in Revolutionary days. Mr. George W. McCracken, at the age of eighty-seven, definitely located the old structure and stated that the timbers on the old trip-hammer shop were the largest that he ever saw in any building. Shortly before his death, Colonel Waters spoke of seeing, when young, ruins of other buildings still farther down the stream. The region about the stone- mill and the Crane & Waters privilege has changed in the location of dams and trenches since the existence of the old armory, where Asa and his brother Andrus established their early gun-works. The latter lost his life in the iron mines of Connecticut from which metal was procured for the works on Singletary stream. At the first armory in Millbury muskets were made for the soldiers of '76. Flint-lock guns made at this armory compared favorably with those produced at the same time in England.
17
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HISTORY OF MILLBURY
EDWARD F. RICE & Co. (sixth privilege)
Edward F. Rice & Co. now occupy the last water-power site on the Singletary Stream. The property, together with the Crane & Waters privilege, was for many years in the hands of the Waters family. About 1827, an old building stood near-by in which Timothy Longley manu- factured hoes and scythes. The stone mill now owned by the Rice company was built by Elder Samuel Waters, in 1828, who installed machinery for the manufacture of cotton thread. In 1833, Jonathan A. Pope was agent at the mill. On this spot, in 1850, Russell Phelps & Co., of which Horatio Phelps, the old loom manufacturer of Worcester, was a silent partner, manufactured hosiery. The next one to operate here was Jonas A. Hovey. It was next occupied, in 1854, by Rhodes & Murray and later in the manufacture of cotton warp by John Rhodes, who carried on business here for many years. After his decease, the mill was operated for some years by his son- in-law, Henry M. Wilcox, who built the wooden addition to the stone mill. In the spring of 1892, the John Rhodes Warp Co. sold the property to the Holbrook Mfg. Co., which operated the mill for a year. In 1904, the Holbrook Mfg. Co. sold the privilege to the present owners, Edward F. Rice & Co., who manufacture cotton napkins. Busi- ness has so increased that now, instead of the twelve Jacquard looms with which the company started, one hundred are in operation. In 1911, the company intro- duced electricity in addition to water power. The goods made by this firm are of beautiful patterns designed by the firm and they find a ready market. Mr. Edward F. Rice is general manager.
This old stone mill built by Elder Waters is almost as old as the town itself, but from all appearance seems capable of witnessing not only the first, but the bi-cen- tennial of Millbury.
THE HOLBROOK MILLS, EDWARD F. RICE & CO.
THE W. W. WINDLE CO. MILL
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INDUSTRIES ON RAMSHORN STREAM
CHAPTER XVII
INDUSTRIES ON RAMSHORN STREAM
The first water privilege on Ramshorn Stream is at an old dam over which a discontinued road once ran and is situated three-quarters of a mile from the pond. This is the third dam on the stream. The first, or upper, dam holds back the water at the pond and maintains a reservoir for equalizing the amount of water flowing in the stream and therefore also regulates the volume of water in the Blackstone River. Below this, at a distance of half a mile, is a coffer dam that was erected to assist in reserving the rain fal. of the basin below the large pond. This third dam, site of the upper privilege, is not used at present but the water courses through it. At this place stood the old scythe shop of Follansbee and Chase, erected many years ago. The privilege next passed into the hands of Noah Crossman who carried on the same business and operated in addition trip-hammers, so that the place was known as "the upper trip-hammer shop."
Associated with Mr. Follansbee at one time was Mr. Phelps. Later, at this location Perley Whipple erected a small building which he leased to Bigelow & Mann, for making stocking yarn, though Mr. Whipple also worked here as a scythe maker. The mill was burnt in 1839. From an old deed we learn that Peter Trask and Jonathan Holman at one time were both interested here. It would now be considered a small affair.
The second privilege is located where the Hoyle mill now stands. At this place a mill was erected by Mr. Whipple which was used by Amos Eddy and others as a grist-mill. The property later passed to Elisha Jacobs
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HISTORY OF MILLBURY
from whom it went to Simeon S. Waters, who was followed by H. D. Tripp. He was succeeded by Charles and William Lombard. Upon the retirement of William Lombard it continued to be used by his brother Charles until the Ramshorn dam gave way, in 1873. In 1877, the privilege was bought by Charles Buckley for Hoyle & Windle (Edwin Hoyle and Thomas Windle) who rebuilt the old mill, which had been badly wrecked, and used it for wool-scouring. After the retirement of Mr. Windle in 1879, Mr. Hoyle, in 1880, erected a brick mill and later a storehouse, for his increasing business in wool and, in 1884, another story in which yarn was made was added to the building. Mr. Hoyle manufactured hosiery for about two years, after which he began making mackin- toshes, but changed to the manufacture of woolen goods. Later, the mill was leased to E. E. Hoyle and Mr. Ram- seyer, who operated it for a short time. Wm. Lowenthal then occupied the place for about one year. The next occupants were Edwin Hoyle and Thomas Windle, manu- facturers of woolens, but this partnership was brief, Mr. Hoyle retiring in 1903 and Mr. Windle operating the mill until January, 1904, when it was partly destroyed by fire. Shortly afterward, the mill was rebuilt and Mr. Hoyle manufactured woolen yarns. In 1905, the mill was operated for a brief period by the Arconia Company in making worsteds. The next firm to operate here was the Millbury Mills Co., A. C. Neff, superintendent, a branch of the C. A. Root Co. of Uxbridge, who leased some looms, though the upper story of the mill was still run by Mr. Hoyle. Since his death, in 1910, the plant has been operated for the manufacture of woolen goods by his estate, under the direction of Charles F. Day, a son-in-law, who is superintendent and general manager. In 1912, the Millbury Mills Co. removed its operations to Millbury Center.
The next privilege, the third, on this stream was the old scythe-shop of Amos Eddy. Here, Noah Crossman
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operated "the lower trip-hammer shop." Capt. Joseph Griggs next occupied the place and operated a fulling-mill for leather and tanned sheepskins. Across the way he had a shop for stripping bindings for the tops of shoes. From Mr. Griggs the Eddy privilege passed to Bainbridge Morris who had a wood-working shop. Again it passed to the Griggs heirs and from them to Stephen A. Savary, who was a blacksmith. He built the present brick block, the lower story of which was used for blacksmith work and the upper story as a planing mill and for other wood- working machinery. During his proprietorship, the upper story was for a time operated by Warren Glover. On the death of Mr. Savary the privilege went into the hands of Henry Glover. The small shop opposite was for some years owned and occupied by Hiram Kenney for wood- work, especially in the manufacture of carts and wheels of superior merit.
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