USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Gazetteer of Berkshire County, Mass., 1725-1885 > Part 46
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378
TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
though nearly two miles south of the present line between Tyringham and Monterey, it was nearly in the center of the original town. The Congrega- tional church was organized September 25, 1750, with eight members, Rev. Adonijalı Bidwell being the first pastor. The Congregationalists of Hop brook commenced a church building, but never finished it, and it was subse- quently completed by the Methodist and Baptist societies. The Baptist church, was organized in 1827, and the Methodist in 1844. Both have flourish- ing churches now, located at Tyringham village.
W ASHINGTON is an irregularly outlined town, its boundary line hav- ing no less than thirteen angles, lying in the eastern-central part of the county, in lat. 42° 22' and long. 3º 51', bounded north by parts of Peru, Hinsdale, Dalton, and Pittsfield, east by Middlefield, in Hampshire county, south by Becket, and west and southwest by Lee, Lenox and Pitts- field. The tract of land of which it originally formed a part. was called by the Indians Tukonick. In 1757-58, a company of gentlemen from Hart- ford and Suffield, Conn., were inveigled into buying the tract, of Robert Watson, of Sheffield, who, with the help of his attorney, David Ingersoll, succeeded in making them believe he had a legitimate title to the same, through purchase from the Indians. But in 1760 it was ascertained by them that Watson was insolvent and in jail, and that his Indian claim was only partially satisfied. Accordingly they decided to re-purchase the land of the Indians, which they did, contracting with three Indians, Benjamin Kokh- kewewaunaut, John Pophnehauauwah and Robert Nunghawwot. The town- ship now, which had borne the name of Watsontown, assumed the name of Greenock, from that tribe of Indians, and the proprietors began active pre- parations for settling the territory, and some of them had actually begun their settlement here, when a new difficulty arose ; the Province authorities laid claim to the territory, invalidating the proprietors title thereto. Accordingly early in 1762, Nathaniel Hooker, John Townley, and Isaac Sheldon, in behalf of themselves and fifty-seven other proprietors, petitioned the general court for a grant of the township, which was accorded them, in February of the following year. From this time until April 12, 1777, the township was called Hartwood, but on that day it was incorporated under the patri- otic name it now bears. In the petition to the general court the territory was bounded as follows :-
" Beginning on the east side of the Housatonic river, in the south line of Pittsfield, thence running east, nineteen degrees south, nine miles and a half; thence south, nineteen degrees west, 720 rods, to the north line of No. 4 township [Becket] ; thence west on said line four miles and three-fourths, to the northwest corner of said township; thence on the west line of said township south, nine degrees twenty-five minutes west, two miles and three- fourths to the north line of the township No. 1 [Tyringham]; thence on
379
TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
said line west, two degrees thirty minutes south, three miles, to the north- easterly line of Great Barrington, thence bounding on the north line of said Great Barrington west, seven degrees thirty minutes north, 600 rods to the southeast corner of the "Glass Works Grant," [see page 192]; thence on the east side of said grant 550 rods to the northeast corner of said grant, and east side of Housatonic river first mentioned; and thence bounding west- erly on said river to the first mentioned bounds."
The large tract thus described, however, has been greatly reduced in area by annexation to other towns, as follows: On the 21st of October, follow- ing the date of the incorporation of Washington, Lee was erected as a town- ship, taking the southwestern portion of the town towards forming its terri- tory, the tract being separated by the following line : "Beginning on the west side of Becket, about a mile south of the northwest corner thereof, thence running north, thirty and one-half degrees west, 454 rods ; thence west, thirty and one-half degrees south, 400 rods ; thence north, thirty and one-half degrees west, 1,236 rods, to the east bank of the Housatonic river." March 12, 1783, the eastern section of the town was taken, together with parts of Becket and Peru, to form, with parts of Worthington and Chester, and all of Prescott's Gore, in Hampshire county, the township of Middlefield, of that county. Again, January 31, 1795, a small part of the town was annexed to Lenox, which, February 12, 1802, received another tract, about half a mile wide, lying on the west side of the Housatonic, and extending from Pittsfield to Lee. This latter tract was for a long time known as New Lenox. These, we believe, are all the changes in territorial limit the town has undergone, leaving it an area of about thirty-five square miles.
The surface of the town, rough and mountainous, lying as it does almost entirely upon the Green Mountain range, being the highest land between the Connecticut and Housatonic on the route of the Boston & Albany railroad. Between its mountains and hills, however, are many fertile valleys, and here dwell most of the inhabitants, and here are located most of the productive farms, the soil being in general too wet and cold for grain-raising purposes, though good grazing land is plentiful. The high altitude affords a very salu- brious climate, while the diversity of mountain-top and hill-slope, nestling valley and smiling lakelet, form altogether a scenic picture exquisitely charm- ing, with here and there a point which borders on the sublime. Five dimpling lakelets are discoved here, the largest of which is Ashley lake, in the northern part, while West pond lies in the western part, Basin pond in the southern, and Moody pond, with another small sheet near it, in the eastern part of the township. The streams are all small, though pure and clear, Ashley brook, the outlet of Ashley lake, Roar- ing brook, the outlet of West pond, and Basin brook, draining the western part of the town, while some of the head waters of Westfield river drain the eastern section. Gushing springs of pure, cold water are numerous.
The rocks entering into the geological structure of the territory are princi- pally of gneiss formation, with considerable quartz rock in the western por-
380
TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
tion of the town. Plumbago has been discovered in the northeastern part, and glass-sand of a superior quality is found.
In 1880 the town had a population of 493, and in 1883 the town employed two male and nine female teachers in its public schools to whom was paid an average monthly salary of $24.00 to the males, and $19.32 to the females. while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending April 2, was $743.33. There were 94 school children in the town.
WASHINGTON DEPOT (Washington p. o.), a hamlet and station on the Bos- ton & Albany railroad, located in the northern part of the town, consists of about half a dozen dwellings.
WASHINGTON CITY is a hamlet of about half a dozen dwellings, located about a mile south of the depot. These are the only points approaching the dig- nity of a village, and the town has no shops or mills and no store. Formerly, however, a branch of Westfield river, in the eastern part of the town, afforded power for driving the machinery of the saw-mills and a clothier's works, while in the western part were three saw-mills. The manufacture of charcoal is carried on to a considerable extent, there having been manufactured here as many as 77,000 bushels in a single year.
Originally the town was surveyed, or laid out, into lots of 200 acres each ; but these were subsequently cut into fifty-acre and one hundred-acre lots, the two hundred-acre lots proving too large. One sixty-third of the grant was re- served as a bounty to the first settled minister, one sixty-third for the use of the ministry forever, and a like quantity for the support of the common schools. The first settled minister received his share, but the other reserva- tions were so managed and disposed of that the town has long since ceased to receive any income from them. The settlement was commenced about 1760, the first ten settlers being George Sloan, Andrew Mumford, William Milekan, Elijah Crane, Amos Beard, William Beard, Joseph Knox, Nathan Ingraham, Joseph Chaplin, and Matthew DeWolf. When the troubles rela- tive to land titles was finally settled, immigration became quite rapid, so that the first census, taken in 1791, shows a population of 588 souls, which in 1800 had increased to 914, and in 1810 to 942. About this time, however, occidental fever struck the town, many of the principal farmers exchanging their improved lands here for wild farms in Ohio, on the St. Lawrence in New York, and elsewhere, removing thereto, so that between 1810 and 1820, the population decreased to 750.
The first record of a meeting on the town book of records is dated April 16, 1778, when George Sloan was chosen town clerk and Asa Stevens and David Ensign, selectmen and assessors. Rev. William Gay Ballantine was the first settled minister, ordained June 15, 1774, and on the 27th of the fol- lowing month he united the first couple in marriage, making one John Phelps and Mary Ashley. The first church building was erected in 1773.
Elijah Crane born in Lebanon, Conn., February 22, 1746, was one of the ten who first came to the town. He located on road 16, near the place now
381
TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
occupied by Curtis Messenger, and married Sarah Hill, about 1770, rearing a family of three sons and five daughters. Amos, his second son, located in Washington, off road 29, and married Martha Remington, who bore him seven children, three, Amos L., John M., and Martha, locating in town. John M. resides on road 14. Amos L. afterwards removed to Suffield, Conn., where he now resides.
Moses Ashley, one of the early settlers in Washington, located near the outlet of the lake which bears his name. He died April 29, 1789, at the age of eighty-one.
Anthony Eames, with his brother Mark, was among the early settlers of this town, coming here from Connecticut. Anthony cleared a place on road 10, and built a cabin, afterwards erecting the first framed dwelling in Washington, which house still stands, and is retained in the possession of the Eames family, being owned by Edwin H., a grandson. On September 12, 1781, Anthony married Lydia Mattoon, who bore him six children, Mark, Viley, Philip, David and Sally, being five of the number. On the death of his father, February 24, 1808, he being killed by the overturning of a load of shingles upon him, Philip succeed to the farm and in the care of the family. He was thrice married, and had, by his first wife, Beulah Messenger, six children, Henry, Beulah, Edwin A., Harriet E., and Alonzo being five of them ; and by his second wife, Hannah H. Messenger, five children, Albert F., Edwin H., Milo A., George D., and one dying in infancy. Five sons grew to manhood. Edwin H. resides on the old homestead, dwelling in the house built by his father, the stone for which he quarried from Summit Rock, in 1843. Edwin has been a selectman for several years, and was recently appointed justice of the peace. Milo A. was killed by train robbers, while engineer on the Vandalia road, at Effingham, Ill. Henry P., Albert F., and Edwin H., are still living. Philip Eames, their father, was appointed a selectman in 1813, and from that time until his death, May 20, 1873, held some town office. He was a member of the State convention to revise the Constitution of Massachusetts, in 1820, and represented the town in the leg- islature many times.
Benona Messenger came to this town, from Becket, about 1800. He mar- ried Serena Fowler, and reared a family of eleven children, two residing in Washington-Mrs. Nancy Savery, on road 34, and Curtis, who has reared a family of seven children, three, Myron C., Caroline L., and Mrs. Harriet F. Middlebrook, living on road 16.
Oliver Pease, born in Lebanon, September 5, 1777, immigrated to this town about the year 1801, locating in the western part. In 1804 he mar- ried Catherine Chapel, the union being blest with a family of ten children, eight of whom lived to maturity, and resided in town for a time. But one, however, Spencer, remained here, permanently. He married Sepha French, of Norfolk, Conn., and had a family of two children, one son, William, resid- ing on the homestead. Spencer died January 23, 1882, at the age of sev- enty-three, leaving a widow, who resides with her son William.
382
TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
Alanson L. Pomeroy, a native of Southampton, came to Washington with his parents about 1820, when but nine years old. He has buried two wives, the first being Mary E. Chanter, by whom he had two children ; and his sec- ond, Anna Brown, who bore him four children. Four of his six children lived to maturity, and one, Edwin S., resides in town. Mr. Pomeroy has held nearly all the offices of trust, serving in the legislature.
William Beach came with his father, Ransford, to this town, in 1822, at the age of eleven, and located on the farm now owned by his son, A. K., on road 8, where he reared a family of eleven children, eight of whom are sur- viving. Two of these, A. K. and Royal J., reside in town.
John Coates, a Revolutionary soldier, enlisted from Lenox, and removed, after the war, to Middlefield, rearing a family of eight children, three of whom located in that town. One of these, Theodore, reared a family of eleven chil- dren, three surviving, and one of whom, Charles, removed to Washington in 1845, and located on road 29, where he now resides, at the age of eighty years. His son, Oliver C., succeeded to the management of the farm.
Robert Delaney, came to this country in 1851, and to Washington in 1852, locating on road 25, where he now resides. He came from Kings county, Ireland, and was the first native of Ireland to locate in this part of the town. He reared a family of five children, two sons, Thomas and Michael, residing at home. Robert has been selectman four years.
George H. Hubbard came to Washington, from Boston, Mass., in 1873, and located off road 29, a very pretty place about one and a fourth mile from Becket depot, where he accommodates city boarders. The water upon his place contains a medicinal property, which makes it desirable for invalids.
Philip Eichelser, a native of Baden, Germany, immigrated to this country in 1856, married Angeline Bolton in 1861, and reared a family of seven children. In 1875 he came to this town and located on road I. He was appointed a selectman in 1884.
The late ex-Gov. E. D. Morgan, of New York, is one of the men whom Washington is proud to own as her son. He was born in an old tavern, near the center of this town, and but a short distance from the Congregational church, February 8, 1811. Here he received his early education, remaining in the place until seventeen years of age, when he went to Hartford, Conn. carrying all his goods in a bundle under his arm. He was governor of New York from 1859 to 1863, and United States Senator from 1863 to 1869.
The Washington Union Society. - The Congregational church in Washing- ton was organized as early as 1772, Rev. William Gay Ballantine being the first pastor, and a church edifice was built the following year.
A Methodist class was formed about 1815, in the eastern part of the town, and also one in the northern part in 1831, and a house of worship built in the valley in 1832.
A Wesleyan church was organized in 1844, and the third house of worship erected. This church was ere long given up and the building purchased by the Methodists. The church property is valued at about $1,300.00.
383
TOWN OF WEST STOCKBRIDGE.
Early in 1859, the town having been for some time without regular preach- ing, the two societies, Methodist and Congregational, both being in a low state, made a union effort, and March 3d, unanimously elected Rev. M. M. Long- ley pastor for one year, the meetings to be held alternately in their respective houses of worship. To sustain this movement, " The Washington Union Society " was legally organized July 13, 1859.
W EST STOCKBRIDGE lies in the western part of the county, in lat. 42° 18' and long. 3° 38', bounded north by Richmond, east by Stockbridge, south by Great Barrington and Alford, and west by Alford, and Austerlitz, N. Y. It originally formed a part of the township of Stockbridge, so its history, down to February 23, 1774, the date of the division, is incorporated with the history of that town, and written on page 356. Before its division and incorporation, it was known as Queensboro, and like its parent town, belonged to the Stockbridge Indians, who sold por- tions of its territory to individual purchasers. At incorporation it had an area six miles long and two and one-half broad, containing about 9,600 acres. It was increased March 2, 1793, by the annexation of a small gore on the west, left on the establishment of the boundary line between New York and Massachusetts. February 12, 1824, about 930 acres were added to the northeast corner of Stockbridge, and February 6, 1830, the boundary line between the two towns was changed, so that West Stockbridge now has about 11,000 acres of territory.
The surface of the town is, in common with all the towns of this vicinity, replete with charming scenery, being broken into hills that vary from 500 to 900 feet above Williams river, the principal stream, while between them lie valleys whose beauty cannot fail to charm even the most careless and unro- mantic. Between Stockbridge mountain on its eastern border and Maple hill and Tom Ball mountain, which extend nearly through the whole length of the central part of the town, lies the beautiful valley of Williams river, with that stream gracefully winding through it, and threaded by the silver-like rails of the Housatonic railroad. Between this central range of highlands and a range of hill on its western border, lies another comparatively level tract of land, drained to the north by a large branch of Williams river, and to the south by a stream that flows into Alford. In these sections there is much arable land, while the many hill-sides afford large areas of pasture land.
But to the treasure that "lie hutched in the own loins of mother-earth " the town owes its principal source of wealth. Geologically, its rocks are mostly of talcose and mica-slate, and limestone formation, or by some classed as Levis limestone and Lauzon schist. But among these are found hematite, fibrous pyrolusite and spathic iron, while the limestone is in many places in the form of a beautiful marble of a fine texture. The first quarry opened was
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TOWN OF WEST STOCKBRIDGE.
on the west bank of Williams river, and is now known as the "old quarry." This was operated until 1790, since which time many other quarries have been opened. Much of the marble used in the structure of the State House, at Boston, the old City Hall, in New York, and of Girard college in Philadel- phia, came from this town. In 1828, at the quarries then owned by Messrs. Boynton, an immense blast was made, by charging a fissure about eighteen feet deep and from four to eighteen inches in diameter, with 204 pounds of powder. A mass of marble about sixty feet square and eight feet thick was raised, while as much as twice that quantity was loosened. In 1826 the first iron mine was opened, upon the farm then owned by Dea. Nathan Leet, since which time many others have been opened and thousands of tons of ore mined. Traces of lead ore are also said to have been discovered.
In 1880 West Stockbridge had a population of 1,923. In 1883 the town employed three male and fourteen female teachers in its public schools, to whom it paid an average monthly salary of $43. 11 to males and $29.66 to females. There were 397 school children in the town, while the entire amount raised for school purposes was $3,500.00.
WEST STOCKBRIDGE, a pleasant little post village, lies in the northeastern part of the town, at the base of Stockbridge Mountain, on Williams river. It has two churches (Congregational and Methodist), a fine graded school, town-hall, three dry goods stores, hardware store, furniture store, drug store, two meat markets, bakery, harness and wagon shop, a hotel, two or three groceries, a tailor shop, and the usual complement of dwellings. It is a sta- tion on the Housatonic railroad.
WILLIAMSVILLE is a small village located in the southeastern part of the town, on Williams river. It has a paper-mill, machine shop, grist-mill, and about a dozen dwellings.
WEST STOCKBRIDGE CENTER is a hamlet located on a high hill just west of the central part of the town. It has one church (Congregational), and about half a dozen dwellings.
ROCKDALE MILLS (p. o.) is a hamlet located about a mile north of Will- iamsville, on the Williams river, and is a station on the Housatonic rail- road.
STATE LINE (p. o.) a hamlet and station on the Boston & Albany rail- road, is located in the extreme northwestern part of the town. It has a gro- cery store and a few dwellings.
The Hudson Iron Co.'s ore bed, located on the south side of road Io, in the northern part of the town, gives employment to 125 men, who mine about fifty tons of ore per day. This company purchased their property, about sixty acres, of Chauncey Leet, in 1849. Their vein is from twenty- five to seventy-five feet in width and from nine to 250 feet in depth.
The Richmond Iron Co.'s ore bed .- In 1832 the Stockbridge Iron Co. ac- quired an ore bed of Nathaniel Leet, and continued mining until 1858, when they leased the property to the Richmond Iron Co., who now employ seventy-
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TOWN OF WEST STOCKBRIDGE.
five men and mine forty tons of ore per day. The bed is located on the north side of road 10, where the Stockbridge company owns 200 acres of land. The vein is from two to twenty feet in width, and has been worked to a depth of 160 feet.
The Pomeroy Iron Furnace was established in 1854, by the Troy Iron and Nail Factory, of Troy, N. Y., Stephen R. Gay, of West Stockbridge, being the prime mover in the enterprise. In 1868 the property was purchased by the late Theodore Pomeroy, of Pittsfield ; in 1872 the works were destroyed by fire, rebuilt during the same year, and were kept in operation until Sep- tember, 1881, since which time they have been idle. While the furnace was in operation it gave employment to about fifty men and turned out thirty tons of pig iron per day.
The Potter ore bed is situated just south of the Leet ore beds. It was first opened by Willlam M. Kniffen, but is now owned by stockholders in Boston, New Bedford and West Stockbridge. The vein is fifty feet wide. The com- pany employed twenty-five men and mined about twenty-five tons of ore per day, but has done no mining since September, 1883.
John G. Wilson's saw and grist-mill, located in the southwestern part of the town, cn road 23, was built by him about fifteen years ago. The first mill on this site, however, was built by Rufus Wilson, about one hundred years ago.
O' Neill & Arnold's paper-mill, located at Williamsville, on road 312, was built about 1870. They manufacture manila wrapping-paper. The water- power at this point was first used for turning a saw-mill, about one hundred years ago.
Henry J. Dobson's grist-mill, located at Williamsville, has been owned by Mr. Dobson, of Great Barrington, three years, though the building was erected about 1850. The first use made of this water-power was for sawing marble, in 1820.
The Rockdale Mills, for grinding buckwheat, rye, corn and oats, is owned and operated by Platt, Barnes & Co. It is located on Williams river, road 26. The company employs from seven to eleven men. The water-power here was first used in 1800, in operating a forge.
M. Truesdell's Sons' lime kiln, located at West Stockbridge, near the depot, makes about ninety barrels of lime per day, employing twenty men. The kiln was established by Perley Truesdell, in 1856. The firm manufac- ture the barrels used for shipping.
Fuary & Gaston's lime kiln, located a little west of West Stockbridge village, gives employment to about fifteen men, turning out fifty barrels per day. The kiln was first started by Nichols & Thompson, in 1867.
Kniffin & Son's grist-mill, located at West Stockbridge village, gives em- ployment to three hands.
Lawrence Moffatt's grist-mill, located at West Stockbridge village, just be- low "Shaker Mill Pond," was built in 1805, by E. W. Thayer. This mill-
25*
386
TOWN OF WEST STOCKBRIDGE.
site is one of the oldest in the town, having been originally bought of the Indians by Elijah Williams, in 1763, the sale being in the form of a lease for 999 years, upon payment of one barley corn per year, if demanded. Here Mr. Williams erected a forge, selling it to E. W. Thayer, who erected the mill. From Mr. Thayer's hands the mill passed into the hands of the Tyringham Shakers, hence its name of "Shaker Mill." Mr. Moffatt has. owned the mill since 1867, having in partnership with him Isaac M. Rees, until his death in July, 1882.
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