USA > Massachusetts > Gazetteer of the state of Massachusetts, pt 1 > Part 11
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The following are mentioned as eminent people of the town : Col. James Frye (1709-1776), Gen. Joseph Frye (1711-1794), John Phil- lips, LL.D. (1719-1795), Jedediah Foster (1726-1779), Samuel Abbot (1732-1812), Abiel Foster (1735-1806), Enoch Poor (1736-1780), Thomas Kittredge, M.D. (1746-1818), David Osgood, D.D. (1747- 1822), Samuel Osgood, A.A.S. (1748-1813), Samuel Phillips, LL.D. (1752-1802), Benjamin Abbot, LL.D. (1762-1849), Abiel Abbot, D.D. (1770-1828), Thomas Abbot Merrill, D.D. (1780-1855), Stephen Foster (1798-1835), John Alfred Poor (1808-1871), Elizabeth (Stuart) Phelps (1815-1852), Harriette Newell (Woods) Baker (1815), Gen. Isaac Ingalls Stevens (1818-1862).
Angier's Corner, a village in Newton. Annisquam, a harbor and a village in Gloucester. Annursnack Hill, in Concord, 370 feet in height.
Apponegansett, a village in Dartmouth.
Aquashenet, a village in Mashpee.
Argilla, a village in Ipswich.
Arlington is a pleasant suburban town in the southeastern part of Middlesex County, five miles northwest of Boston,-to which it is easily accessible by street railroads and by the steam cars of the Boston and Lowell system. On the north of it is Winchester; on the opposite side of the beautiful Mystic Pond of 232 acres is Medford, -which, with Somerville and Cam-
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bridge, forms a crescent boundary on the east; while on the south- west is Behnont, and on the west, Lexington. Arlington and Arlington Heights are the post-offices, also villages and railway sta- tions with Brattle Station and Lake Street.
Sienite is the principal underlying rock coming into view. The land is level in the southeastern part, but rises from the middle of the town northeast and southwest to an elevation of about 360 feet above sea-level, about which is the village of Arlington Heights (for- merly Circle Hill). There are a pretty church, good public schools, and upwards of 80 dwellings, with several societies or associations. It is a most convenient health resort. These heights are remark- able and delightful for the magnificent sweep of view, embracing the city of Boston with its familiar landmarks, the forests of Middlesex Fells, the mass of buildings forming the Danvers Asylum; the dim line of the beaches, the more distant Boston and Minot's Ledge lighthouses, the Blue Hills at the southeast, the high hills of Wal- tham four miles distant at the southwest. Westward thirty miles is Mount Wachusett; northwest forty miles away is the haystack form of Watatic Mountain; more to the north Monadnock lifts higher still the dim line between the earth and the sky. Next come a succession of the northward hills of Massachusetts, and the minor and nearer New Hampshire mountains ; then the gaze comes back to the winding Charles, to Fresh Pond in Belmont and Cambridge, and to Spy Pond at our feet in Arlington. This pretty sheet of water, of 150 acres, formerly furnished some water-power on its out- let, but is now drawn upon too heavily by the waterworks for such use. There are, however, some manufactures in the town, as musical instruments, cordage and twine, leather, metallic and wooden goods, carriages, food preparations, and others. The last named yield the largest return, the figures for 1885 being $118,575; wooden goods coming next, at $57,488; building and stonework, $54,793; wood and metal products, including carriages, $84,200; making in the aggregate, $419,298. The population in 1885 was 4,673; when there were 898 dwelling-houses in the town, but only seventy-nine farms. These contain scarcely half the assessed area, which is 2,853 acres, embracing 196 acres of woodland. Much of the agricultural area is used for market gardens, to supply the Boston market. The largest crop is vegetables, which in 1885 was $285,427; the total farm pro- duct being $334,470. The valuation, in 1888, was $5,133,554, with a tax of $16.25 on $1,000. The Arlington Five Cent Savings Bank had, on January 1, 1889, deposits to the amount of $975,772. There is a good town hall. The water-works have cost about a third of a million, and the fire department is fully equipped.
A large proportion of its inhabitants are occupied through the day in or about the business centre of the region, and are an active, soc- ial and kindly people. The town has graded schools, with six ex- cellent buildings and other school property to the value of $79,875. There are seven libraries, containing nearly 15,000 volumes, - of which the town public library has in its fine building about 10,000; the public schools nearly 1,000; the balance being made up by the
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ARLINGTON DISTRICT - ASIIBURNIIAM.
Sunday-school libraries. The " Arlington Advocate," with its office, has a good patronage considering its nearness to a large city.
There are churches of six religious denominations here : the Bap- tist, organized in 1781; the Congregationalist, in 1842; the Protes- tant Episcopal (St. John's), in 1875 ; the First Congregational Parish (Unitarian), in 1733; the Universalist, in 1842; and there is also a numerous Roman Catholic congregation, under the name of Saint Malachi.
The locality now bearing the name of Arlington was originally known as Menotomy, from Menotomy River (now known as Alewive Brook), which, for a number of years, was the boundary line between the first and second parishes in Cambridge. This western parish was, in 1807, incorporated as the town of West Cambridge, the name being changed to Arlington in 1867. Part of Charlestown was annexed to it in 1842; in 1850 a part of it was taken with other territory to form Winchester ; in 1859 another portion was taken to form Belmont; and in 1862 it received an addition from the parent town of Cambridge. The first church was organized here in 1733.
Arlington sent 295 men into the army and navy of the Union in the last war. There were, in 1885, 38 residents who were over 80 years of age, which is further confirmation of the wholesomeness of the place. The summer house of the late Hon. Edward Everett is in this town, below the bluffs on the western shore of Mystic Lake; and the popular author Mr. John T. Trowbridge has a resi- dence near by. It is also the residence of Governor John, Q. A. Brackett. Ebenezer Smith Thomas, an able journalist and author, was born here in 1775; and Convers Francis, D.D., was born here in 1795, and died in Cambridge in 1863.
Arlington District, a village in Lawrence, Arnoldsville, in Adams.
Arrowhead, a village in Pittsfield.
Arsenal Village, in Watertown,
Artichoke, a village in Newburyport.
Asbury Grove, a village in Hamilton.
Ashburnham is a thriving town in the northern part of Worcester County, on the water-shed between the Connecticut and Merrimack rivers, and sixty miles northwest of Boston by the Fitchburg Railroad. Its stations on this road are Ashburnham - the central village - on a short branch, and Ashburnham Junction, where it connects with the Cheshire Railroad;
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the last having a station here and at Burrageville (Ashburnham sta- tion) in the western part of the town. Its post-offices are Ashburn ham, North Ashburnham, and Ashburnham Depot .. These, with Lane Village and South Ashburnham, constitute the villages. The population in 1885 was 2,058; and in 1888 there were 467 dwelling- houses. The town is bounded on the north by Rindge, in New Hampshire, east by Ashby, south by Westminster and Gardner, and west by Winchendon. From precipitous and rocky Watatic Moun- tain, in the northeast, 1,847 feet above sea-level, is obtained a most splendid view of Monadnock, Wachusett, and other more distant mountains, together with a vast panorama dotted with lakes, woods, and villages. At the northwest is Rocky Hill; Mount Hunger, een- tral on the east side, commands beautiful views of the large ponds on either side of it; and Brown Hill overlooks the central village. Meeting-house Hill, where the first house of worship was placed, is 1,280 feet high. The average elevation of the town is about 1,000 feet above sea-level. The railroad station at Ashburnham Junction is said to be the highest point on the railroad line between Boston and the Rocky Mountains.
The numerous streams afford many small powers, and their flow is regulated by the storage afforded by not less than ten ponds, mostly beautiful. The largest is Naukeag, containing 302 acres, and varied with many charming islands. Phillip's Brook runs through the centre of the town, furnishing motive power for extensive chair and other factories. Another branch of the Nashua enlivens Ash- burnham Depot and South Ashburnham ; while Bluefield Brook, and other tributaries of Miller's River, furnish water-power in the north and west. The largest product of the factories is furniture - mostly rattan chairs, amounting in 1885 to $349,576; food preparations were $32,201; wood and metal goods, $6,000; and there are made, also, shoes, cotton goods, clothing, carriages, leather, children's toys and games ; and in the northerly part of the town are still several lumber mills. The aggregate of manufactures was $418,815.
The assessed area of the town is 23,336 aeres, of which 7,275 acres is woodland. The land is broken and rocky, but the soil is strong. There are 176 farms, yielding a product valued in 1885 at $111,454; the dairy furnishing $30,303 of this sum; other farm items being in proportion. The valuation in 1888 was $992,400, with a taxation of $17.50 on $1,000. The First National Bank of this place, on Dec- ember 31, 1888, had assets to the value of $145,373, of which $50,- 000 was paid-up capital. The schools are both graded and mixed. There are ten school-houses, valued, with appurtenances, at upwards of $7,000. There is also a well-endowed private school -Cushing Academy, - which has a fine building, and is unusually furnished with a library of upwards of 2,000 volumes. The town public library contains nearly 1,500 volumes ; and there is a· private circu- lating library and Sunday-school libraries.
The churches are the First Congregational, the Methodist, the Roman Catholic and the Second Congregational at North Ashburn- ham.
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ASHBY.
This place was originally called "Dorchester Canada," because the land was granted to Thomas Tileston and other soldiers of Dor- chester for, services in the expedition to Canada in 1690. It was incorporated February 22, 1765; being named in honor of John Ashburnham, second Earl of Ashburnham. In 1815, part of Gard- ner was annexed; and in 1824, part of Winchester. The first church (Congregational) was organized here in 1760, having Rev. John Winchester for its first pastor. He was succeeded in 1768 by the Rev. John Cushing, D.D., who died in 1823, and was followed by the Rev. George Perkins. The town, in 1885, had thirty resi- dents who were over 80 years of age.
Thomas Parkman Cushing, a public-spirited merchant of Boston, was born here in 1787, and died in Boston in 1854. He bequeathed a large sum to establish a school in the town of his birth; and Cush- ing Academy (previously mentioned) is a noble monument to his memory.
Ashby, distinguished for its beautiful hills, clear streams, and valleys, occupies the northwest extremity of Middlesex County ; having for its bounds, New Hampshire on the north, Townsend on the east, Fitchburg on the south, and Ashburn- ham on the west. It was taken from the three above-mentioned towns ; named, perhaps, in honor of the tenth Earl of Huntington, whose family seat was Ashby, in England; incorporated March 5, 1767. It contained, in 1885, 244 dwellings and 871 inhabitants. In it are Mill Village and South Village. The post-office is Ashby, simply. The nearest railroad station is at West Townsend, on the east, four miles distant.
Prospect Mountain is the highest elevation within the borders of Ashby, unless it includes a spur of Watatic Mountain, whose summit (1847 feet high) is just within the line of Ashburnham. The sur- face rocks are chiefly granite, found in nearly cubical blocks. The land is generally elevated, the soil strong, and the air healthful. From the bases of these mountains flow Trapfall, Willard and other brooks, through pleasant valleys, easterly into the Squannacook, which meets the Nashua River at Groton. Wright, Watatic, and Neejeepojesne ponds adorn the town in its several quarters. There are saw mills and two tub factories in the town ; the various mann- factures aggregating, in 1885, $74,698. The number of farms is near 200; and they are generally well managed and productive. The largest product is that of the dairy, which was $36,384. Fruits, berries and nuts yielded $14,155; the aggregate value of farm products being $138,604. The total valuation of property is about $600,000. The area of the township is stated at 23,040 acres, of which upwards of 4,000 acres are woodland, mostly elm and rock maple. There are nine public schools, with property valued at upwards of $4,500. There are a public library and three Sunday- school libraries, aggregating above 2500 volumes. The Congrega- tionalists and Unitarians have church edifices. The first church was organized June 12, 1776; and the first minister was Rev.
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Samuel Whitman, who settled here in 1778. Ashby was patriotic in the Revolution, and has a monument to hier sons who then fell. In the last war 97 of her citizens went into the Union service, of whom 17 were lost. Her most eminent names are Cushing Burr, Levi Burr, Luke Wellington, Hobert Spencer, Stephen Wyman, Howard Gates and Martin Howard.
Ashdod, a village in Duxbury.
Ashfield is an uneven and hilly grazing town in the south- western part of Franklin County, having Hawley and Buckland on the north, Conway on the east, Goshen on the south, and Plainfield and Hawley on the west. It lies at an elevation of about 1,200 fcet, on the highlands midway between Dcerfield and Westfield rivers, sending to the former, as tributaries. Clesson's Brook, Bear and South rivers ; and to the latter, Stone's Brook and Swift River. Peter's Hill, Ridge Hill, Mill Hill, and Mount Owen are prominent elevations. Great Pond, near the centre of the town, covering sixty acres, is enclosed as a beautiful gem between them. From it runs romantic South River, flowing through the central village on the plain, then winding southward about the base of the hills, to South Village on the eastern side of the town; whence it turns northward again to meet Deerfield River. Ground laurel and bay are common herc. Calcareous mica-schist forms the geolog- ical structure.
The town has 24,097 acres of assessed land, of which 6,517 acres are woodland. The population in 1885 was 1,097, with 259 dwellings. The 245 farms yielded in that year $231,894; the dairies contribu- ting $93,122; wood products $19,885, meats and game $13,857, vege- tables $7,856, and hay, straw and fodder $55,621. The town had 1,728 neat cattle (all kinds and ages), 1,135 slicep and lambs, 786 hogs, 254 horses, 4,290 hens and chickens and 61 swarms of bees. Tobacco, also, has been cultivated with profit.
The principal manufacture is wooden ware; for which the ash, birch, and maple of the forests furnish ample material. There were by the last census 18 manufactories, consisting of lumber, carriage, clothing, straw, and others. Building materials and stone yielded $1,197; food preparations, $32,666; metals and metallic goods, $2,424; and wooden ware, 11,396. The aggregate of manufactured goods was $51,592. The valuation of the town in 1888 was $472,034, with a tax of $20 on $1,000. The post-offices are Ashfield and South Aslı- field. Bardwell's Ferry, about three miles eastward of the town,. and Shelburne Falls, about the same distance north, and both on the Fitchburg Railroad, are the nearest railway stations.
Ashfield has thirteen school buildings, valued with appurtenances at $3,500. The Sanderson Academy, established in 1820, is located here. There are four libraries having upwards of 3,500 volumes; of which the Ashfield Library Association, established in 1866, has nearly 1,000 volumes; and the balance is possessed by the Sunday
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ASHLAND.
schools. The Congregational church here was organized in 1763, and a Baptist church in 1761; but the present Baptist society was estab- lished in 1867. The Protestant Episcopal church at the centre (St. John's) was 'formed in 1820.
This place was granted to a company, or the heirs of a company, commanded by Captain Ephraim Hunt of Weymouth, for services in an expedition to Canada in 1690; and, to honor him, was called Hunt's.town. The first settler was an Irishman named Richard Ellis, who came here about 1745. Thomas Phillips, his brother-in-law, soon followed. The town was incorporated under its present name in 1765, and was probably so named in reference to Lord Thurlow, of Ashfield, in England, of the king's council. It took an active part in the war of the Revolution; one vote being to give twenty calves, by way of encouragement, to any one that should enlist for three years, and to keep them at the town's expense until the time should expire.
In 1885 there were thirty residents of this town over 80 years of age. W. R. Curtis and Professor Norton have residences here.
Alvan Clark, who, as a maker of telescope glasses, has a world-wide fame, was born in Ashfield, March 8, 1804.
Ashland is a brisk and beautiful town in the southwest of Middlesex County, on the Boston and Albany Rail- road, about midway between Boston and Worcester. Southboro lies on the northwest and Sudbury on the southeast; on the north and northeast is Framingham, and on the south, Hopkinton and Holliston. From the last three towns its territory was taken. It was incorpo- rated March 16, 1846. Its area is near 7,832 acres (about 14 square miles, including highways); of which 1, 774 acres are woodland. The inhabitants number 2,633, having 447 dwelling-houses. The valua- tion in 1888 was $1,340,107 ; and the rate of taxation, $14 on $1,000.
The Sudbury River runs through the town from west to east, afford- ing seats for several factories. Indian, Wiremill and Cold-Spring brooks, its tributaries, are noted for trout. There are a woollen, a cotton, and several boot and shoe factories in the town, affording em- ployment to about 600 persons, and having a yearly product (1885) of $1,261,358. The largest item is boots, shoes, andslippers, $1,026,370. The emery mills here have for many years prepared more than one half the emery used in the country. The largest agricultural product is that of the dairy, $16,841; the total product being $80,604, from about 100 farms. The soil is chiefly loam, and the surface rock is gran- ite. Wildcat Hill in the northwest part of the town, and Bullard's Hill in the north, are the principal eminences. A wooded eminence on the west of Ashland centre bears the Indian name of Magunco, where John Eliot once had an Indian church, and where eleven Indian families resided. The name is said to signify "place of great trees," and an old chestnut here a few years ago, 22 feet in cir- cumference, seems to justify the application. On the southwest declivity of this hill, now crowned by a fine growth of chestnut, is " The Frankland Place," described by Dr. O. W. Holmes in his fine poem of " Agnes," and by Mrs. H. B. Stowe in her " Old-Town Folks,"
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and also in the " Life of Sir Charles Frankland " by Rev. Elias Nason. The railroad to Hopkinton passes eastward of this hill. and through the Valentine and Frankland farms. The tract of land included between the Wiremill Brook, Indian Brook and Sudbury River, was granted to Hon. William Crowne in 1662 for services rendered by him in England. It was conveyed to Saville Simpson, a cordwainer in Boston, July 4, 1687. The Indian title was relinquished June 20, 1693; and it was set off to Hopkinton December 13, 1717.
The post-office is Ashland (centre), which is also the railroad sta- tion and the principal village. Other villages are Chattanooga, Lincolnville and Oregon. The centre village was formerly called Unionville. The town has eight public school buildings, valued at about $18,000. The schools are graded, and include a high school. There are five public and society libraries ; the town public library containing about 2,000 volumes. The papers are the " Ashland Ad- vertiser " and the " Ashland Advocate," both weekly.
A Congregational church was organized here January 21, 1835, and the edifice dedicated just one year later; when also Rev. James McIntire was ordained pastor. The succession was Rev. Joseph Haven (ordained 1839), Rev. Charles L. Mills (ordained 1847), Rev. William M. Thayer (ordained 1849). There are also a Baptist (organized in 1843), a Methodist, and a Roman Catholic church, each having sub- stantial edifices.
Wildwood Cemetery, occupying a beautiful grove on the right bank of the Sudbury River, and commanding a fine prospect of the village, streams and surrounding hills, was dedicated June 24, 1870. There is an old Indian burial place upon a sandy knoll intersected by the main road from Ashland to Hopkinton, near the Valentine Place, from which several skeletons have been exhumed.
This town seems a wholesome one, as there were reported, in 1885, 25 persons over 80, 16 over 85, and 2 over 90 years of age. Among the eminent citizens of Ashland should be mentioned Benjamin Horner, William F. Ellis, Charles Alden, Adrian Foote, S. W. Wig- gin, Charles H. Tilton and Albert Leland.
Ashley Falls, a village in Sheffield. Ashleyville, a village in West Springfield.
Asnybumsket Hill, in Paxton, 1407 feet in height.
Asnyconic Pond, in Hubbardston.
Assabet River, in the western part of Middlesex County, joins the Concord River in the town of Concord.
Assinippi Village, in Hanover; also one in South Scituate.
ASSONET - ATHOL. 123
Assonet, a village in Freetown.
Assonet River, in Freetown.
Assowampset Pond, in Lakeville and Middlebor- ough.
Asylum Station, a village in Danvers.
Atherton, a village in Tewksbury.
Athol is a very active and flourishing town of 4,758 inhabi- tants and 1,116 dwelling-houses, lying in the north- westerly section of Worcester County, 83 miles from Boston by rail. The Fitchburg Railroad passes through Athol village; where is also the terminus of the Springfield and Athol Railroad, connecting with southern towns. It is bounded on the north by Royalston, on the east by the same and Phillipston, on the southeast by Petersham, and on the west by New Salem and Orange. The post-offices are Athol (depot), Athol Centre and South Athol. The villages are these and Eaglesville, Partridgeville, Riceville and Wheelerville. The area is 20,411 acres, or about 36 square miles, including high- ways and water surfaces. About 7,523 acres are forest, mostly of pine, chestnut and oak. There are some old maple and elm trees. along the highways ; and the town reports 11,606 fruit trees. The underlying rock is calcareous gneiss, in which occur specimens of allanite, fibrolite, epidote and babingtonite. The principal eleva- tions are Chestnut Hill, a long eminence in the north; Round Gap, an abrupt hill in the east; Pierce Hill, northwest of this; and High Knob, near the centre. Miller's River and its tributaries reach well over the town. Local mention is made of Setin Lake. Lake Ellis and Eagle Mill Pond; the names given on the county map are White Pond, in the southwest part of the town (containing about 100 acres), and Babcock Pond, in the northwest (containing 44 acres).
The soil is rocky, but, being sandy loam, is easy to work, and is strong and productive. The product of the 225 farms reported in the census of 1885 was $143,653,-of which the dairy products formed the largest item, being valued at $43,252. But the prosperity of the town is owing largely to its manufactures, of which the largest were textiles (woollen, cotton and silk) $228,884; wooden goods, $204,310; metallic, and wood and metal goods, $122,929; straw goods and clothing, $35,225; shoes, $388,849; the total pro- duct of that year being $1,323,948. Smaller products which go to make up this aggregate are hollow ware, scythes and other agri- cultural implements, paper, cabinet ware, palm-leaf hats, pocket- books, boxes, lumber and builders' furnishings. There are two national banks, and a savings bank having deposits and undivided
.
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GAZETTEER OF MASSACHUSETTS.
earnings, on January 1, 1889, to the amount of $1,348,650. The town's valuation in 1888 was $2,773,692, with a tax of $16 on $1,000.
Athol has eight churches. The Unitarians and the Methodists have two each, one of the latter being located at South Athol. The Baptist Society was organized in 1813, the Congregationalist (Trini- tarian) in 1750, the First Congregational (Unitarian) in 1750, and the Second Unitarian society in 1877. The new and beautiful church edifice of this society was dedicated September 7, 1881. There is also a Second Advent society, which has a church edifice. Athol has graded schools, and six school buildings valued, in 1885, at $13,000. Eight or more libraries furnish entertainment and instruction to in- habitants. The aggregate is about 7,000 volumes; of which the town public library has about 2,500. There are two printing offices, and two weekly papers,-the " Athol Transcript" and the " Wor- cester West Chronicle."
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