USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Danvers > Danvers, Massachusetts : a resume of her past history and progress, together with a condensed summary of her industrial advantages and development : biographies of prominent Danvers men, 1899 > Part 11
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Hathorne Association.
The Hathorne Association was organ- ized in February, 1884, and occupies el- egantly appointed quarters in Porter's block. The membership is limited to forty persons and includes business men and representatives of every profession.
The first officers were : Ira P. Pope, President ; the late J. W. Derby, Secre- tary and Treasurer, and the late Dr. E. O. Fowler, Chairman of the Executive Committee. But few have been in- vited to become members and the ranks have been gradually depleted by death and other causes, so that at the present time there are only about twen- ty-five members in the association. It is one of the leading social organizations of the town. The present officers are : F. O. Staples, Presi- dent ; M. C. Pettin- gell, Vice-President ; and J. W. Woodman, Secretary and Treas- urer.
George C. Farring- ton.
The names of George C. Farring- ton and his insurance offices are well known in Danvers and Peabody and ad- jacent towns. He has offices at 93 Water street, Boston ; 8 Allen's block, Peabody, and in the National Bank building, Dan- vers. Rev. W. M. Ayres is manager of the Danvers office. Insurance against fire is placed upon every description of property, real and personal, in some of the oldest and most substantial insurance companies in the world, both old line stock compar 's and mutual companies. Fidelity t. u.e interests of the insured,
LOUIS BROWN. Manager Old Berry Tavern.
as well as to the companies which he rep- resents, the prompt payment of all losses, the scrupulous care shown in the wording of all policies and contracts, to prevent and guard against the possibility, even, of litigation or delay in the settle- ment in full, and promptly, of all just claims, have attracted to this office the attention of many people seeking safe and sure protection from losses by fire. These are the things which have been in- strumental in building up the large busi- ness transacted b y this office. Mr. Far- rington succeeded to the firm of Chadwick & Farrington, and has greatly increased the volume of busi- ness. He is one of the hustling, p r o- gressive business men of this section, and holds an enviable position in the busi- ness world. It is often said that if you insure through Far- rington's office, you may feel perfectly sure that you are in- sured, and that if your property is de- stroyed by fire, your losses will be prompt- ly paid. That is the kind of insurance which insures.
New Telephone Exchange.
At present writing, plans have been practically perfected for the installation of a local telephone exchange, to be a part of and to have all the facilities of the Salem exchange, including Salem, Danvers, Peabody and Beverly, with a central office in this town and an opera- tor on duty all the time. There will be about sixty Danvers subscribers at the start, and there is promise of the enter- prise being one of the most useful and popular advantages ever afforded in town.
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Frank E. Moynahan.
From the New England Printing Trades Journal.
One of the best representatives of the younger element of successful publishers and printers in this state is Mr. Frank E. Moynahan of Danvers, Mass., who is edi- tor and proprietor of the Danvers Mirror, correspondent of several daily newspapers, contributor to various trade publications, and conducts a reliable and satisfactory job printing plant, his motto being "A Good Printer Who Can Do You Good."
He was born in Dan- vers thirty- four years ago, and has never found occasion to seek a living elsewhere. He was grad- uated from the Holten High School of his native town in 1880, at the age of fifteen years, and after working four years for lo- cal store- keepers he entered the employ o f C. H. Shep- ard, owner of the Mirror printing plant, having previ- ously been the Danvers correspondent of the Salem Evening News.
In 1890, after having been associated with Mr. Shepard six years, he succeeded to the business. That he has been suc- cessful is self evident, but his progress has not been merely an accident, but is attributable rather to promptness and in- tegrity in his every business transaction,
close and practical application to all de- tails of his affairs characterizing his suc- cessful career. In the Mirror, the towns- people find a worthy and conservative representative of their interests. Mr. Moynahan's general printing business is kept in advance of the needs of the townspeople ; experienced and practical workmen are employed, new and modern type is adde I constantly, and every want of his customers is promptly met.
Mr. Moy- nahan has won many prizes in vari- ous competi- tive contests in connec- tion with his chosen work, one of the most n o t e- worthy being a gold eagle offered by the Boston Post for the best letter of less than two hundred words on "How to Run a News- p a p e r." From the United States, Eng- land, A u s- tralia and elsewhere the Post received two thousand and sixty- one hundred nine letters, and after thorough examina- tion of the contributions, the judges awarded him the prize.
FRANK E. MOYNAHAN. Editor and Proprietor of the Danvers Mirror.
With characteristic enterprise and pluck he is now engaged in compiling a magnificent historical and trade book on Danvers, in the interests of the town's growth, involving a large expenditure of money in its production. The volume will contain about two hundred pages,
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printed on coated book paper, with over two hundred half-tone illustrations. A few years ago he published a neat vol- ume called " Historic Danvers," which had a ready and appreciative sale.
Mr. Moynahan has been a most en- thusiastic worker for the progress of the town, it being the first in the state to es- tablish a municipal electric light plant and the referendum system of voting on matters requiring money appropriations, in all of which his paper wielded a strong influence.
a view to join the Congregation of the Xaverian Brothers, was opened on Sept. 3, 1891 (solemnly on Aug. 17, 1892) and incorporated into the State of Mas- sachusetts on Oct. 9, 1891.
Promising young men (R. C.) fourteen years of age and upwards, after having successfully completed their grammar course, receive in this institution a thor- ough normal education befitting them for the profession of teachers in the vari- ous colleges and parochial schools of the order. The number of students resident
ST. JOHN'S NORMAL COLLEGE.
The Danvers Gas Light Co.
The Danvers Gas Light Co. was or- ganized in 1860, with a capital of $20,- 000, and has since been incorporated un- der the laws of this State. The plant is located at Danversport and has from time to time been considerably enlarged, and the company's local office is in Por- ter's block. The company is in a pros- perous condition.
St. John's Normal College.
This institution, which has for its ob- ject to train young men as teachers, with
at the college on Jan. 1, 1899 was twen- ty-seven.
The house stands on the summit of a hill. It is a splendid building, three stories over a solid basement, and in its construction forty varieties of stone, all of them found on the premises, were used. The same variety of stone, ranging from the pudding stone, found everywhere in Massachusetts, to brilliant gold and brown, and red and black granite, and pure white marble, is evident in the con- struction of the three massive gateways to the estate.
Nearly fifteen acres, immediately abou the house, are laid out in pleasure grounds ;
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a great lawn in front, studded with a vari- ety of rare and majestic trees, slopes gen- tly to Summer street, bordered by a neat hedge.
The interior of the mansion, from the basement upwards, is finished in the most solid and pleasing manner possible ; the halls, parlor, dining-room, drawing-room, hallways, bath and bedrooms,-in all eigh- teen spacious apartments-are all pan- eled in quartered oak, with ceilings fres- coed in the most varied and artistic style. The kitchen and other domestic offices occupy the roomy basement. The house is heated by both direct and indirect steam
by the then owner, Stephen Phillips, a retired sea-captain ; thirty-five acres of meadow, pasture and woodland, belong- ing to the same estate extend as far as Maple street, and are traversed by the Lawrence Branch of the B. & M. R. R. In the meadow, on the slope of a mound, is an old family cemetery, several tomb- stones of which bear dates as far back as 1748.
The Windsor Club.
The Windsor Club grew out of the as- semblage of a number of congenial ones
WINDSOR CLUB PARLOR.
heat. The aggregate cost of this man- sion amounted to about $75,000.
At about a thousand yards southwest from the mansion is the historical Beaver Brook farm-house, a frame building, now somewhat modernized, which dates as far back as 1670. Here lived in 1692 Sarah Osburn, a victim to the witchcraft delu- sion ; at first imprisoned in Salem Village church, she was afterwards transferred to Boston jail, where she died, supposedly of a broken heart.
West of the above house is situated a stone barn, 60 x 100 feet, built in 1827
among the young business men of the town who felt the necessity of having a place where they could meet with more or less regularity to discuss public matters and enjoy social intercourse. They de- termined finally that it would be advisa- ble to form a social organization and with that end in view the Windsor Club was established. That was several years ago, and rooms were occupied over the post- office, the club largely increasing its mem- bership and growing into a prosperous and popular organization. In 1897 it was decided to take new apartments and
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the present desirable quarters in the Richards block were taken and fitted up in a luxurious manner. The five rooms consist of a large parlor and reading room, billiard and pool room, a large hall for meetings, kitchen and janitor's room. The present membership num- bers sixty and is composed of the leading business and professional men of the town, and as the management is pro- gressive and alive to the needs of mem- bers, the future of the club is very bright. Last year the club was incorporated un- der the laws of the State of Massachu- setts. The present officers are : Presi- dent, Andrew H. Pa- ton ; Vice-President, Horace O. South- wick, Peabody ; Sec- retary, George Lit- tle ; Treasurer, C. Dexter Richards ; Executive Commit- tee, Jay O. Richards, Walter J. Budgell, Walter T. Creese ; Janitor, John H. Moser. The advan- tages presented to the business or pro- fessional man of Dan- vers by membership in this club are num- erous. He is not only thrown into as- sociation with the best and most pro- gressive element in our citizenship, and has, at the small annual cost, all the priv- ileges of the club rooms at any time, but he will become a participant in all the club's future benefits. The Windsor club has in prospect numerous additional features which go to make up the mod- ern men's club. As fast as it seems prac- ticable these improvements will be made. It may justly be considered an honor and a rare privilege to be a member of the club. The elegance of its apartments and the high standing of its members
commend it to the favor of the best and most desirable elements in the social life of Danvers.
Bernard, Friedman & Co.
The firm of Bernard, Friedman & Co., manufacturers of fancy leathers, has its extensive plant on Ash street, and its products go all over the civilized world. This firm has won the distinction of be- ing the first to ever induce the United States government to put colored leather into army shoes, and during the past year there have been gov- ernment contracts made with shoe man - ufacturers, one of the provisions of which was that the stock used should be as good as Bernard, Friedman & Co.'s Titan calf stock ; and in a total of con- tracts aggregating 300,000 pairs of shoes, this firm fur- nished all the stock put into colored army shoes. The firm of Bernard, Friedman & Co. is composed of Albert Bernard and Max Friedman, o f Boston, and Henry Creese, of Danvers, and was organized in 1889. Business was carried on in Peabody for about a year and was then removed to Danvers and occupied a build- ing erected for the firm by the Danvers Building Association. The firm has since purchased the building. The plant has been enlarged as the business grew until the present immense plant has succeeded it. The first year scarce a score of men were employed. Today more than 250 men are constantly employed. Last year the output of this factory was worth more than one and three-quarters millions of
HENRY CREESE.
1
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DANVERS.
.W.Y. POWERS & CO
BERNARD. FRIEDMAN & CO.18 FACTORI
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dollars. Of the plant itself it may be said briefly that the new building, so- called, is 250 × 40 feet, 5 stories in height ; there is another building 284 x 40, 5 1-2 stories ; a storehouse 200 x 40, 2 stories, a machinery storehouse, 45 X 65, 2 stories ; a repair shop, 75 x 45, 4 stories ; a lime, or beam house, 65 x 40, one story ; these are the principal build- ings.
The power is furnished by boilers of 300 horse power, with engines of 350 horse power. A description of the pro- cesses and the machinery used in them in
nected with the factory. The lines of goods made by this firm have established a world wide reputation and are ex- ported to all parts of the world where leather is used. Immense quantities of genuine kangaroo skins are imported from Australia direct in the raw state by this firm. Among its most noted products are Russia Zulu storm calf and Black Titan calf, which have become, as stated, the government's standard of excellence in making contracts. Messrs. Bernard and Friedman attend to the Boston end of the business, with offices at 10 High street.
RESIDENCE OF HENRY CREESE.
transforming raw hides and skins from all parts of the globe into the fancy leathers made by this firm, would require more space than can be given here. The factory is equipped with the Sturtevant ªsystem of dryers, the Grinnell system of sprinklers, and has an independent water system of its own, in case of failure of the town water. It is also fully equipped with hundreds of electric lights. Two night watchmen are always on duty at night, and the Seth Fowler clock system is used. There are vacuum condenser pumps, and also large water and sewer pumps con-
The factory is under the direct supervis- ion of the other member of the firm, Mr. Henry Creese, who is a tanner by trade, and, one might say, by birth and inheri- tance also. Mr. Creese learned the tan- ning business in England, going to work at it when a small boy. His father, grand- father and great grandfather were expert tanners before him. After serving his apprenticeship he remained with his em- ployer 17 years. He came to the United States in 1872 and went to work for White Bros. & Co. of Lowell, remaining there 18 years, the last ten years being
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superintendent of the works. Ten years ago he entered the firm of which he is still a member, and the business has grown and prospered under his personal management from the small beginning to its present status. Mr. Creese is assisted in the management of the factory by his son, Mr. Walter T. Creese, and his son- in-law, Mr. Henry W. Cook, both wide- awake, enterprising and up-to-date busi- ness men. All three gentlemen reside in Danvers and are counted among the town's progressive, public spirited citizens.
Danvers Co-operative Association.
This association had its inception in 1871, when it was formed with the object of dealing in groceries and provisions on the Co-operative plan. The premises occupied at that time were located in the Putnam building near the Eastern R. R. station. The rapid growth of the busi- ness, however, necessitated its removal to more commodious quarters which were secured in the Essex block and here the Association occupies a commodious and excellently equipped store measuring twenty by sixty feet. In 1882, the con- cern was incorporated under the laws of this State, with a capital of $2,500. The officers are :- President, Samuel C. Put- nam ; Directors, Samuel C. Putnam, Al- fred W. Bacon, Lewis W. Day, Joseph P. Tufts ; Clerk of the Corporation, Henry B. Learnard ; Treasurer and Storekeeper, Herbert S. Tapley. The Corporation deals in fine groceries and provisions, of which a heavy stock is carried, the lowest prices compatible with superior goods prevailing. The trade has increased steadily and not only covers Danvers but branches out to Middleton, Wenham, . and other places within a radius of ten miles. Three assistants are employed in attending to the requirements of mem- bers. The officers of the Association are all well known business men and deserve much credit for the success their enter- prise has attained.
E. & C. Woodman.
The conservatories of E. & C. Wood-
man at Tapleyville form one of the most extensive and best equipped establish- ments of the kind in the county. There are six glass houses and large office, cover- ing a ground area of 7,500 feet and having a lineal frontage of 130 feet. These are heated throughout by steam and an equa- ble temperature so essential to successful growth is always maintained. It would be difficult to name any member of the floricultural kingdom worthy of a place and capable of cultivation in garden or conservatory that is not represented in the plant-houses. The stock is replete with cut flowers, ferns, palms, plants and roots, a special feature being made of floral designs for weddings, christenings, funerals and decorations for festive occa- sions. The product of the conservatories finds a ready sale not only in Danvers but in the surrounding cities and towns, and a large business has been built up. The partners in the concern are Edward E. and Charles W. Woodman, both natives of Danvers. They are both highly es- teemed. E. E. Woodman has occupied several important positions in town affairs.
Samuel M. Hill.
Wenham Lake ice is known throughout the whole of New England for its clear- ness and purity and as a consequence is largely purchased by the better class of ice users. The demand, in fact, exceeds the supply and all that can be harvested meets with a ready sale. Samuel M. Hill has four ice-houses with a joint storage capacity of four thousand tons and em- ploys from four to one hundred men ac- cording to the season. The business was established over thirty years ago by Henry Patch and was purchased by Mr. Hill in 1893. A valuable trade has been devel- oped and four wagons are utilized in dis- tributing the product of the winter's work on the frozen Lake. Mr. Hill is a native of Nova Scotia having been born at Econ- omy in that Province in 1868. He came to this state in 1887 and in 1893 went to Wenham to engage in his present busi- ness. Mr. Hill is well and favorably known in this and the surrounding dis- tricts where much of his trade lies.
DANVERS.
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E. & C. WOODMAN'S GREENHOUSES.
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DANVERS.
WILLARD HALL.
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DANVERS.
Willard Hall School.
Willard Hall School for girls furnishes thorough preparation for college, a pre- scribed course for those who wish to grad- uate, and excellent opportunities for advanced work in French, German and music for those who come from high schools and do not wish to take the regu- lar course.
The school was opened in September, 1887, and removed in June, 1893, to a much larger and more suitable building, having outgrown its former accommoda- tions. The present structure contains forty-two rooms, well arranged for the purposes of a private school and is steam heated and lighted by electricity. The number of family pupils is, however, still limited, as it is believed that a large num- ber of pupils takes away the special home character of the school which is so much valued. The class-rooms and bed-rooms are large, airy and pleasant, with excellent sanitary conditions. Every arrangement is made to secure the best results with the least possible nervous strain. No rules are made prominent, but a spirit of ear- nest faithfulness is cultivated. During the study hours for the family pupils a teach- er is present and the scholars feel assured of the ready help and sympathy of the teachers at all times. Those who are advanced in French sit at a table where the conversation is conducted in that lan- guage. The pupils of the music depart- ment give a recital before the school several times each term, and once a year a public recital before invited guests. The literary work is stimulated by the occasional evenings given to the reading of compositions. The school being only eighteen miles from Boston, pupils can attend the best concerts and become familiar with the museums and other places of interest. A chaperone accom- panies the young ladies to those concerts in Boston and Salem which it is considered desirable they should attend. The work of the school is fully illustrated, the col- lection of photographs, fossils and miner- als being very complete.
Five teachers are resident. Many of the graduates are in positions of impor-
tance and homes of prominent influence. Certificates of the school are accepted at Smith, Wellesley and other colleges. -
Miss Dawson took a five years' course at the Lay Institute, Montreal, and was examined for a Boston public school at seventeen, and given a position, which she retained until invited to become a teacher in the Lyons Female College, Lyons, Iowa. Near the end of the third year she was summoned to Boston by her father's death, and soon obtained, by examination with forty competitors, the position of head assistant in the boys' grammar school, Burroughs street, Jamaica Plain. In the third year there she was urgently invited by Dr. Samuel G. Howe to fill a vacancy in Perkins Institute and at the end of one year he gave her the opportunity to go to the " Royal Normal College for the Blind " in London. The steamer ticket had come to him along with the request to select a teacher, and he yielded Miss Dawson, saying he would not disturb his own classes in January for any less cause, but his sympathies were with the great effort to establish American methods in the work for the English blind.
During two years in London Miss Dawson had very large experience in class exhibitions before distinguished audiences in homes of influential Englishmen, and by command at Windsor Castle before Queen Victoria and her household.
The Glasgow committee studied the London work and asked the Royal Col- lege authorities for an American teacher to put the Glasgow school for the blind on a new basis, and Miss Dawson was sent. One strong and eminently success- ful year was given to this work, including the training of a successor.
Called home to Boston again by her family, she entered the Institute of Tech- nology for chemistry. This first year of rest from teaching was given to severe study of natural science. The summer course of three hundred hours, in Boyls- ton Laboratory at HarvardCollege,followed, under Professors Cook and Mabery.
Miss Dawson re-entered the Institute of Technology in the fall, for quantitative work and blow-pipe analysis.
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In December she became teacher of Natural Science in Bradford Academy for seven years. All these years she was a contributor to newspapers and magazines, an active member of the "Rome Art Club" of Haverhill and in the year 1880 was elected a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Sci- ence. Leaving Bradford in '83, Mrs. S. D. Merrill founded Willard Hall School for girls in '87, having a successful school from the first. The teachers and lecturers are secured from the best sources and no effort is spared to make it in every way, one of the best home schools in New Eng- land.
Late Hon. John D. Philbrick, LL. D.
John Dud- ley Philbrick was born at Deerfield, N. H., May 27, 1 818, and died at Dan- vers, Feb. 2, 1886, at the age of sixty- seven. Mr.
THE LATE JOHN D. PHILBRICK.
Philbrick was educated in the common schools and academies of his native state, and gradu- ated from Dartmouth College at the age of twenty-four. He received the honor- ary degree of LL.D. from Bates College in 1872, and from St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1879 ; he was also honored with the title of the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, France, 1878 ; and with the Gold Palm of the University of France, with
the title "Officer of Public Instruction,' in 1878.
Mr. Philbrick held various positions as teacher, superintendent and supervisor o: educational interests. He taught in four different district schools and an academy in New Hampshire ; for three college winter vacations, in the district where he resided at the time of his death ; for two years in the Roxbury Latin School, 1842- 44 ; for one term in a private school in Roxbury, 1844 ; for one year in the English High School, Boston, 1844-45; was master of the Mayhew Gram- mar school for boys, Boston, for two years, 1845-47 ; of the Quincy Grammar School for boys, Boston, five years, 1847-52 ; prin- cipal State Normal school, Connecticut, two years, 1852-54 ; Su- perin tendent Public Schools, state of Con- necticut, two years, 1854-56 ; of City of Bos- ton, twenty years, 1 8 5 6 - I 874 and 1876-1878; agent of Massachusetts Board of Educa- tion 1875, in preparing the State Exhibi- tion of Education at Philadelphia ; State Educational Commissioner and United States Honorary Commissioner to the Vienna Exposition, 1873 ; United States Commissioner of Education at the Paris Exposition,- so called, but in fact, only appointed by the Commissioner General to take charge of the educational depart-
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