USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume II > Part 23
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Alexander Gordon married the sister of James Holland and lived on what is known as Gordon Hill. His son, John Gordon, was one of the brightest young men ever raised in Chester. A career which promised to be one of great usefulness and even brilliancy was cut short by death just as he attained to manhood. While still a youth John Gordon went to the Den, two or three miles distant, to assist a neighbor in slaughtering some swine. It was in the short days of December and it was twilight before the work was completed. Fast- ening some of the meat to his saddle he prepared to return home. Before mounting his horse, as a matter of precaution, he took a blaz- ing brand, three or four feet in length, from the fireplace. He had proceeded but a short distance when his horse manifested symptoms of uneasiness and presently his ears were saluted by the ominous baying of a pack of wolves that had been attracted by the scent of the meat. The wolves were upon him a minute later and for two miles it became a race for life. The trusty horse knew the enemy he had to contend with and put forth all his powers. Gordon dropped the reins upon the neck of the horse, grasped the blazing brand with both hands and met the assault of the hungry and ferocious brutes. The pack divided, about half on each side. The wolves would spring forward to fasten upon the horse's flank, to be met by the blazing firebrand which Gordon thrust in their faces. Then they would recoil for an instant, preparatory for another rush. On either side it was alter- nately the recoil and the rush. It was a fearful and terrific ride -- the horse exerting every ounce of strength in a steady gallop to reach his home, and John Gordon waving the brand of living fire, swaying from side to side to meet the onset of the foe. Home was at last reached in safety. But the wolves followed him to the very door of the dwelling.
During the whole period of his life there was no more prominent citizen of Chester than Samuel Bell. He came to the town among the very first of the settlers, cleared land, built houses and barns, and for the times and locality, achieved an enviable measure of prosperity. While clearing his land, which was situated about one mile west of James Holland's place, he would labor until late in the evening, then, taking a firebrand in his hand as a protection against the attacks of the
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wolves, would pick his way with some difficulty through the forest, guided only by blazed trees, to the home of Mr. Holland, who was his brother-in-law. One day in midwinter, in company with a settler who had located in his neighborhood, he started on a hunting expe- dition. Presently the sun disappeared, a blinding snowstorm set in, and the two hunters became bewildered and lost. To add to their perplexities, the obscurity of night closed upon them. It was found impossible to kindle a fire and to proceed in the darkness would be a useless waste of strength. Observing that his companion was becoming stupified by the intense cold, Mr. Bell, after concealing the guns, cut a stout birch rod and laid it smartly over his friend's back and legs. This irritated him and he started in pursuit of Mr. Bell, who led him in a circle until he became warm and good-natured. This was repeated at intervals during the long, cold winter night and was the means by which their lives were preserved. When the sun rose clear and bright in the morning they found that they had passed the night on the banks of the west branch of the Westfield River, about midway between the present villages of Chester and Huntington.
When the three-year agreement about the place of holding preach- ing services was over, the town, which had been growing stronger in the region of Chester Center, refused to renew it and this led to an appeal to the General Court for a division of the town. John Kirk- land was a leading man in the eastern part and aided by Timothy Smith he pushed the matter forward until the District of Norwich was incorporated June 29, 1773. It took a number of town meetings before all affairs of the daughter town were properly separated from the mother. Lines had to be shifted because people living near the border had a preference one way or another. Norwich wanted her share of the seals and measures and got them, but Murrayfield eventually decided she had given up enough, for a committee of adjust- ment was instructed to use its influence "to hinder the town of Norwich from obtaining one inch more than the line already fixed."
The northwest part of the township was annexed to Middlefield in 1779 by desire of the inhabitants in that vicinity, but by vote of the General Court against the vote of the town.
Like many other country towns Murrayfield suffered from the scourge of smallpox and yet was slow to take up inoculation. Cap-
Hamrden-53
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tain Shepard was given permission in 1778 to have his family inocu- lated in his own house "if he will give good obligations for his good behavior" and he was allowed to let in others of the town as long as the first day of May, and no longer, "if there is room for them." Another vote said that any person "may have smallpox by inoculation in the fall at proper places as the town shall judge best." For a time inoculation met with bitter opposition based upon all sorts of grounds, moral, religious and political.
At a town meeting held June 17, 1776, the citizens of Murrayfield voted "that it is the mind of this town that the Continental Congress declare independence from Great Britain, to a man, at a full meet- ing." This was not their first interest in the coming struggle as the militia had been drilling and the town had voted two years before not to "purchase, buy, or consume any goods or wares that shall be imported from Great Britain." During the war soldiers were sent to various campaigns, money was raised and clothing and food were furnished. In 1780 the town raised £5,000 to purchase beef for the army; another big sum was gathered in the next year, but finally at a town meeting in August, 1782, the town decided it had done all it could and refused. The people were patriotic enough, but poor. Abner Smith, the wealthiest man, who in 1776 was rated at £119 and 15 shillings, in 1781, though still the wealthiest man, had a rating of only £31 and 6 shillings.
Currency depreciated and prices went up, as the records show when, in 1778, soldiers' shirts were $6, stockings $4.50 and shoes 40 shillings. A year later a county committee was appointed to fix prices for the necessaries of life and Timothy Lyman was Murrayfield's delegate to Northampton. The prices were decided on and then the town appointed a committee of three to see that they were adhered to.
The plotted center of Murrayfield was on a plain, 1,300 feet above sea level, and is known as Chester Center. Here was church and school, tavern and store and burying ground. The Boston and Albany stage route and freight routes went through this village and until the coming of the railroad, which diverted industry and travel, it was a thriving community. Another early village was Littleville on the Middle Branch, which grew up around the first gristmill, a sawmill and a tannery, which later manufactured twenty tons of sole leather annually. Littleville had its post-office, store and meetinghouse, which
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was built by the Congregationalists and then taken over by the Bap- tists. Later it became known for its yearly agricultural fair.
North Chester, sometimes called Plunkettville for Thomas F. Plunkett, who manufactured cotton goods there, is on the Middle Branch about two and one-half miles out of Chester Center. Brown sheetings and slat curtains for windows were also made here and at one time forty people were employed. But the village is seven miles from a railroad and was at a disadvantage for that reason.
Dayville, a small hamlet which received its name from the Days, who ran a sawmill and made shoe pegs there, had also the less prosaic industry of manufacturing wintergreen essence.
Huntington was formerly known as Falley's Cross Roads and the post-office there bore that name as late as the 'forties. The Falleys came there in the latter part of the 1800's and kept an inn and a store. They also had a potash factory. It was an important center and also a source of trouble, as here met the corners of three towns, Chester, Blandford and Norwich. An effort was made in 1843 to form a new town here by adding portions of Montgomery and Rus- sell and the battle went on for some years. Friends of the meas- ure argued the difficulty of handling the schools and of administering justice. A Blandford constable attempting to serve a warrant would suddenly find his man in Chester, or if a delinquent desired to get out of the county he had only to go six or eight rods farther and step over the line into Norwich. Falley's Cross Roads, which was also sometimes called Chester Village in those days, prospered in spite of such difficulties. A hat factory was carried on for a time and cotton mills were erected.
Soon a meetinghouse was desired and in 1836 it was built by sub- scription with the decision to call it by the name of whichever denom- ination gave the most money, but to allow other sects to use it at certain times. The Methodists proved to be the most numerous, or the most prosperous, and controlled the church. Twelve years later the Congregationalists organized a society and built another church.
An abundance of beech timber in the vicinity attracted Melvin Copeland, of Hartford, to transfer his business of making planes to Chester Village. He brought ten or twelve of his skilled workmen with him and for several years did a prosperous business. The first floor of the old cotton factory was used by his brother, Alfred Cope-
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land, who came from Columbus, Ohio, and established a wood-turning business and made bedsteads. Two Hannum brothers used part of the water privilege in making axes. On the second floor of the ax factory, doors, sash and blinds were made. Other industries were a wagon shop and a basket factory. There were also three general country stores started, a stove store, shoe store and a tailor's shop.
It was in 1853 that parts of Blandford and Chester were annexed to Norwich and, in 1855, when the name was changed from Norwich to Huntington, Falley's Cross Rroads, or Old Chester Village, became a thing of the past.
The settlement now known as Chester, or Chester Village, was then called Chester Factories. It was not much settled until after the Revolutionary War. It received its name from the Chester Glass Company, incorporated in 1814. A large tanning business was car- ried on here for many years. The abundant waterpower attracted many other industries besides the sawmills so plentiful in the early years. Wooden pocket combs, bedsteads, bobbins, padlocks and card- boards were made. The hillsides were heavily wooded with maple, beech and birch, as well as the hemlock necessary for tanning. The railroad came to Chester Factories in 1841 and in order to make the next steep grade up to Washington extra engines were kept at Chester, which aided in the growth of this part of the town. The village is now a business center for parts of four surrounding towns.
To Dr. D. C. T. Jackson goes the credit of the discovery of emery in Chester, though Dr. Heman S. Lucas, who was interested in min- eralogy, discovered the vein which contained it about 1850, but sup- posed it to be magnetic iron. The Hampden Emery Company was formed in 1868 and with various changes in ownership became a leading industry, sometimes producing over two hundred tons a year. The mines are not operated now, as corundum has partly replaced emery and because of water in the mines it was found more economical to get both corundum and emery ore shipped into the local plants.
The manufacture of grinding wheels has been the leading industry in Chester since 1870. At the Hamilton Emery and Corundum Com- pany's plant twenty-five men are employed. The Cortland Grinding Wheels Corporation is another large concern, which employs sixty- five men.
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The granite industry, formerly very prosperous, has experienced a decline. The Chester Granite Company, successors of the formerly widely known Chester Granite and Polishing Works, employs thirty- five men during their working season. The Chester Granite Quarries Company operates on the same seasonal basis with a slightly larger number of employees.
Chester's second Congregational church is located at Chester Factories and Methodist classes were organized as early as 1800. The Baptists came in later. A union church was built, but the accom- modation became too small and the Methodists built a church for themselves in 1847. Some years later, at the time of an intense excite- ment on the subject of temperance, with a crusade against liquor sell- ers, this Methodist meetinghouse was blown up with powder in revenge for the part taken by some of its leading members. But the building was soon repaired and reopened.
A Catholic church was built in Chester in 1914, services having been held previously for some years in various halls. A new cult which has sprung up rather recently and has but few members is called Jehovah's Witnesses.
Dr. T. K. Dewolf, who came to Chester in 1832, was one of its outstanding men. He was a staunch Democrat, yet was a leading citizen in a strongly Republican town. He is still remembered for his generosity, rough capability in all kinds of sickness, and political leadership.
His son, De Witt Clinton Dewolf, was a colorful figure in Massa- chusetts political history. He had a gift for oratory of the old- fashioned style and knew how to use ringing phrases and rounded periods. When he made his first political speech in the Walsh cam- paign at Pemberton Square in Boston, he held the crowd and drew cheers, though few knew who he was.
Mr. Dewolf was born at Chester Center on February 10, 1864, in the same house in which he died seventy-one years later. He was the son of a doctor, and at the age of fifteen went with a brother to Chicago and remained there for thirty-five years, largely devoted to the coal business. On his return to his old home in his native town he became interested in town politics and later in matters pertaining to the State. Mr. Dewolf was regarded as the original "Ely for Governor" man and took part in every political campaign from 1918
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until his death. He was at one time executive secretary for Governor Joseph B. Ely and at the time of his death was State Commissioner of Labor and Industries. He was three times a delegate to the Demo- cratic National Convention.
Commissioner Dewolf owned a long string of driving horses and for years drove a pair from Chester Hill to Huntington almost daily. There he would stable them and take a trolley car to Westfield. His old house and little law office with name over the door occupy a com- manding site on Chester Hill.
Dr. H. S. Lucas, who came later to Chester as a general physician, had a keen interest in mineralogy. Failing in an attempt to smelt ore which he thought was magnetic iron, he was largely responsible for the development of the emery business in Chester. He traced the vein of Chester emery as far as Georgia, where he began manufacture of grinding wheels from the ore called corundum. When that business failed he returned to Chester, planning to live a life of comparative leisure as a lecturer for which he built the Lucas Museum, which still stands, but is now an apartment house. His large collection of min- erals is in the library.
Chester's leading benefactor is Frank D. Hamilton, founder of the Hamilton Emery and Corundum Company. He built and endowed the Hamilton Memorial Library and established a scholarship fund to enable Chester students in continuing their education after high school.
Round Top, a hill in the southwestern part of Chester, reaches up to about 1,800 feet, and there are other elevations nearly as great. Between the hills run countless brooks which drain into the Westfield River and its branches. Sanderson Brook has the largest waterfall in the county. Recently the Civilian Conservation Corps has opened trails along the brook to both the lower and upper falls. The upper fall drops into a circular pool which, with the surrounding rocks and trees, makes one of the loveliest spots in Hampden County. "Brook- side," a Young Woman's Christian Association camp, is beautifully situated in the western part of the town.
Chester has thirteen cemeteries, more than half of them being private ones belonging to one or two families. Northeast from Ches- ter Center in a wooded pasture is an interesting tomb. Hiram Smith, a farmer of the region, did not take kindly to being buried in the
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ground and, accordingly, had a cavity hewn in a huge boulder and arranged to have his sister and himself buried there. The rock is about ten feet high and thirty feet wide and a double aperture cut in one side is sealed up with slabs of the original stone on which are these inscriptions : "Hiram Smith, died 1873"; "Sarah Toogood, died 1869." Hiram left directions in his will that a road should always be kept open to his last resting place, but now it is a pleasant half mile walk from the highway.
The southern point of Gobble Mountain, just behind the village, gives a splendid view of Chester and the West Branch Valley. The slope and grove at the crest is park-like in appearance and includes a cave in the face of the cliff. A short distance from the crest are the ruins of one of the six abandoned emery mines in the township. Another is close to Austin Brook, a few hundred feet north of the Jacob's Ladder Highway. The largest mines are just south of the highway. The horizontal adits extend many hundred feet in the north slope of Round Top Hill, but are now dangerous to enter because of many cave-ins.
Two important and picturesquely named automobile routes pass through Chester. Jacob's Ladder, the most southern route, hardly merits the name since its grade has been eased and its curves have been straightened and widened. But you can still drink out of Jacob's Well on the way up and the view from the summit is very fine. The Skyline Trail goes through Chester Center toward Middlefield and is increasingly popular.
East Longmeadow, and the Brownstone Quarries
CHAPTER VIII East Longmeadow, and the Brownstone Quarries
East Longmeadow was a part of one of the oldest settlements in Massachusetts and yet is the youngest town in Hampden County. The town of Springfield, in which it was formerly included as part of the "Inward Commons," was incorporated in 1636. Longmeadow was set off from Springfield as a parish in 1713 and was raised to the dignity of a town in 1783. East Longmeadow was separated from Longmeadow and set apart as a town by itself through an Act of the State Legislature on May 19, 1894. The township covers thirteen square miles and has a population of 3,375 people. Its territory is more diversified than that of Longmeadow, hills of moderate eleva- tion rising on the eastern side. Of these McCarthy's Hill on the road to Wilbraham is perhaps the most important. Billings Hill lies more southerly on the road to Somers, Connecticut.
The region is drained by several small streams. Watchaug Brook flows toward the south and a branch of Mill River flows toward the north, but eventually they both reach the Connecticut River, as does Pecowsic Brook, which rises near the center of the town and flows westerly. Another small stream crosses the State line into Connecti- cut and empties into Shaker Pond. Seven roads come together like the spokes of a wheel in the center of the town, a very unusual arrange- ment, but whether by chance or design, no record tells us.
Agriculture was the basis of the settlement of East Longmeadow and quarrying spread its fame abroad, but it has become a quiet resi- dential district.
The town now known as East Longmeadow was originally an almost unbroken forest, infested with bears and wildcats, which were a serious annoyance to the early settlers. The region was also filled with deer, turkeys, pigeons and other wild game. Pastor Williams,
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in his diary, alludes to the bear hunts which were organized to pro- tect the cornfields in the clearings from the pilfering beast, and also to make more welcome the flocks of wild turkeys which used to emerge from the forest into the pastor's home-lot. The countless pigeons that thronged these woods induced the woodland owners to spread their nets and furnished them with cheap game in great abundance. So extensive and intricate was the forest that a wild hog imported from Smyrna, which escaped from his enclosure, gave an exciting chase of several days to a company of expert hunters.
Gradually daring pioneers penetrated the wilderness and located their homes. The first settlers from Longmeadow Street appear to have been Jonathan Burt and his brother Elijah and Silas Hale. This was about 1740, but the land had been apportioned to individuals sometime previous, when fear that Edmund Andros, Governor of New England, might sequester the commons, hastened the division.
The old church on Longmeadow Street remained for many years the place of worship for the people of the eastern part of the town and they faithfully made the tedious journey to services in all weathers.
In 1796 the inhabitants of the eastern part of the town of Long- meadow were given leave to erect a "horse house" fifty feet long on the north side of Meetinghouse Lane for the protection of their faith- ful steeds while they were listening to the preacher.
But in the southeastern corner of the town a different religious belief began to manifest itself and that section came to be known as "Baptist Settlement." These people for a long time worshipped with their Connecticut brethren in Enfield, traveling back and forth over what is appropriately called "Baptist Road." But in 1807 they peti- tioned the Baptist Church of that place and the Congregational Church of Longmeadow for permission to have "Elder George Atwell officiate with them as preacher of divinity one-half of the time." This petition was granted much to the joy and satisfaction of the people, but proved to be only a temporary measure. After holding services as a branch of the Enfield Church for a little over ten years, the First Baptist Church of East Longmeadow was established on June 23, 1818. The house of worship was built about 1830 in the south- eastern corner of the town. Their early baptizing place was in a dammed up pond near the churchyard.
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One of the old-time citizens of East Longmeadow, in recording his early impressions of the region, says :
"There was a large extent of woodland, poor roads, some stone wall and Virginia rail fence, but more of hedge fence, or piled up staddles and brush. The people were honest, indus- trious, capable, hospitable, obliging, and Sabbath-keeping. On a Sunday morning a long string of wagons would file into the highway leading to the old meetinghouse in the street; gen- erally two-horse farm wagons with boards across for seats. There was one covered carriage and Deacon Burt had a chaise.
"Boys and girls went on foot and sometimes with their shoes in hand to be put on when they neared the meeting- house.
"Elisha Dwight used to bring his family to meeting in an ox-cart and some others did likewise. In his old age he joined the Baptists, and one of his 'dislikes' came near preventing his profession of faith. When it came his turn to go into the water for baptism he seemed strangely reluctant. There he stood on the bank of the Scantic River, with his gaze fixed on the stream, shaking his staff in a mysterious way.
"He would not move. 'Come,' said Elder Atwell, in a persuasive tone. But the old man, still gazing into the untried depths would not stir. However, he finally broke the mys- terious pause, saying, 'Paul Langdon killed three big water- snakes right there last June !'
"Then, after reassuring himself by vigorous splashes with his staff, he submitted to the proprieties."
As late as 1820 the town had only five painted houses and these were red. Carpets were unknown and stoves very rare. Coopering was carried on by Solomon and Luther Hills, who also ran a sawmill. A fulling-mill and several cider-mills were numbered among the manu- factures and cider brandy was not neglected. The ministers fre- quently held preaching services in this portion of the parish and often these were in private houses.
An eccentric character who dwelt alone in a forest clearing in East Longmeadow was a hermit, Aaron Burt. He had a vineyard
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and an orchard that supplied an abundance of fruit, which he gener- ously gave to his curious visitors. His hut was surrounded with bees, which rendered him honey and never stung him. He had a family of domestic animals whom he petted and bathed and talked to as if they were human friends. He had trained them to follow him and when he went to Springfield, or visited the village street, the bullock, the heifer, the sheep, the calf and the pig decorated with ribbons all fell into line. Burt, clad in sheepskins, would stride along in front with a serious dignity, looking like some old prophet. People said he had been disappointed in love. He usually behaved well when attending divine worship, but sometimes the tithing men had to put him out. He might suddenly feel called upon to preach and make a loud harangue denouncing the sins of the times, or break into the midst of the service with a wild song. When Pastor Dickinson tried to dissuade Burt from his preaching one day, Burt replied: "You and I are engaged in the same business. We both preach the same gospel; only I go ahead with the breaking-up drag and you follow with a fine-tooth harrow to cover the seed."
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