USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Tyringham > Hinterland settlement Tyringham, Massachusetts and bordering lands > Part 7
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Kitson was an artist and needed to live in an art atmosphere, so it seemed. But some of his ideas augured well the examples of modern art seen today inside the studio. Townspeople called him a "bit titched in the head", for to them his home and studio, inside and out, even his few acres, were plain crazy.
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Although Henry Hudson Kitson produced many beautiful me- morials throughout the east and south, he expended his energies and finances in producing this art about him, and died penniless. Like the genius he was, Kitson was temperamental. Uncouth in many ways, cruel if he disliked you, amiable if he liked you, he was shunned by town's people and seldom understood. His last days were lonely and barren.
Just beyond and across the road lies Sunset Farm, owned by Arnold and Willis Hale. From a record, Abram Howk owned this property in 1780. Previously he had ventured briefly on East Moun- tain. Doubtless, he built the oldest part of the Hale house. In a sermon preached by Tyringham's third minister, Rev. Dow, in 1831, is men- tioned that Abram died from effects of flesh wounds inflicted by his brother. No one knows if intentional or accidental. Howk sold to a Wilcox and from him it went to Alviras Heath. In 1862 John Hale acquired the property which has been in the Hale family ever since. It is now one of the few productive farms in the valley, producing milk for Crescent Creamery in Pittsfield.
Lady Salter's Hickory Farm was owned by the Cone family in the early 19th century. Then it came into possession of Mrs. Nellie Fuller, daughter of Lucian Moore. During the summer-boarder era, Mrs. Fuller followed the trend and took in summer guests, often the overflow from Riverside Inn. For a time Fred Moore lived there and after that William Tiffany and his brother-in-law, Van de Mark, owned the farm. The little house across the way was always a part of the property. It was built by Cone for Lucian Moore and his wife to start housekeeping in.
Buel Bettis came to town as an itinerant musician. Born in San- disfield, he had been a roamer all his life. He was tall, jolly, good looking and a "gay blade" as there ever was. He had traveled with Turner's Circus as a clown, later with the J. W. Holtz circus and then with Yankee Robinson. He could play most any kind of musical in- strument. In his white beaver hat, long tail coat, polished boots, with a voice of pure Yankee twang, he could easily pass for Uncle Sam. Imagine the swath he cut with the young girls in that country town! They flocked to him like bees to a honeysuckle! Among his ad- mirers was the spinster, Jemima Stedman, daughter of Capt. Tom Stedman on East Mountain. Jemima, slightly deformed since child- hood, nevertheless was well educated for that day, and a successful school teacher. School books were as scarce as dashing young men and expensive. She solved the problem by making up her own text books. Intact is one she used in 1825. Although older than Buel, her brilliant mind, quick wit and thriftiness caught the stranger. They were married and lived in the cottage where Raymond Smith lives. Buel had considerable mechanical skill and started in business tinker- ing watches and clocks, even made clocks. He never was prosperous; the couple never had children of their own but their home was a mecca for groups of youngsters to gather and listen to Buel's fascinating tales of circus life and songs. He lived long after Jemima and died in 1899, age 84, a town charge.
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On the same side of the road, beyond, was the Hiram Dorman Farm. William Hale, son of John Hale, married Dorman's daughter, Henrietta, and through a swap of interests in the George Hale farm obtained the Dorman property. William Hale lived there until his re- tirement in 1896 when he bought the present John Heath home of Marshall and Libbie Stedman. The farm changed hands until James Clark moved off the Webster place on East Mountain and took posses- sion. During his tenure the old house burned and Clark transformed a small building in the rear into a comfortable home. Lady Salter acquired the place a few years ago.
The red house across the road was the George Gardner place, and Gilder Palmer now owns it.
At the foot of the hill, beyond Breakneck Road, stands the old Northrup house. Amos Northrup came from Dutchess County, New York State, and for a short time settled at Deer Horn Corners near Goose Pond. He later bought this land for a farm and built this house. The exact year is not known but in 1793 he petitioned the town for a road past his dwelling house in Hop Brook. It remained in the North- rup family many years. In fact, Wellington Thompson, who married Laura Northrup, lived there one hundred years later. It is now known as the "White House" and owned by Adele Chapin Alsop de Selin- court of England.
The Shaker House at the foot of Canon Hill was moved to its present location by the Loring Brothers. This was the Shaker seed house at Fernside as described under the chapter, Shakers.
The last house before entering Lee was the old James Gardner home. Only a small portion of the present building was the original house. Nathan Canon owned it afterward and shortly before Mr. and Mrs. Canon celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, Nathan built a sizeable addition on the north side and turned the attached woodshed into a kitchen. Nathan lived and died there about 1923. The present owner, Gilder Palmer, rents the house.
There is a letter written at the close of the Civil War by a mem- ber of the Cone family which describes the state of the village and its inhabitants during that period. Quotes from parts follow: "We have had a number of deaths in town. Silas Hall and his children, Gramp Hall also Samuel Hall lost-all with dipthery. Mrs. George Kilborn has gone to her rest. George Sweet is very sick, he has been sick about a year. There has been some births here-Charles Slater's wife had a pair of twins in November last. (1863)
Now you wish to know how the people prospered here. I will begin at James Gardner's place where he used to live. (Lee line). He has left it to the Shakers and has stood empty a few days. It is now oc- cupied with an Irish man. Now I will move down to John Northrup's. He is well and family (White House) but he has run ashore. He can- not own property in his own hands so you see how he is. (Northrup failed up in East Lee Paper Mill). Now to James Gardner's (Palmer red house). They are smart, they are cheese making and drawing wood. -to the widow Dorman's (Dyer) They carry full sail at present. Munk Baird is still laboring for her.
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So we come to Buel Bettis (Raymond Smith), his family is well. He gets a good living tinkering clocks and watches .- to Cone's (Hick- ory Farm). He lives there just as he used to. Things go with him as well as usual. Lucian Moore is living in my house, (R. Logan) and works the farm and is well. His wife has got a little boy two weeks old. So you see all is right there. Now we come to John Hale's (Arnold Hale's) they are well at present .- we'll go to the Veditoe place (Davis). Thomas lives there and works out, wages are high and he receives $1. and board .- pass over to John Sweets (Gilder-Palmer). John's the same he was when you were here. Burt Garney's on the farm. Now to Burt's house (Perkins) that is empty. Now Boss Howland (Miller). He's flying around as usual. Now Asa Judd's (Riverside) Edmund Heath lives there on the farm. Now for the City, Simeon lives in the red house (gone). Now comes the Old Turkey. She has lain still ever since Link (Lincoln) was elected. It looks like Destruction no puffing nor blowing with the Old Iron Horse as there was when you and I used to be their, all has been silent, but there is talk of starting in the spring. There is nobody in the boarding House (Day), the sawmill you can hear sometimes .- the old Johnson house (Orchard House) nobody but Daniel and his little family. Now to Mr. Vedditos (gone) him and his wife occupies the hole house. The house on the hill (Darey) is empty. Now the Dorman house has laid empty until a few days ago. (Adams gone). Then to the shop (blacksmith, gone) their is no change. The hammer is to be heard.
Now over to the Wicksher place (Reber) there's nobody their. Philinda Northrup (Rouse-Olds) the place sold for 700 dollars. Mr. Webster is working on the frame.
Lucian Heath is in that Fargo house. The widow Baird is dead (N. Canon) Daniel McCollum lives upon the lot. Monk has gone to his old farm. Now for the Old Gospel Shop, they cannot get up steam enuff to start the wheel (Baptist). Chaflin is tinkering around as usual. Duglas Spineer has bought the Elder Phippen place (Gilmore). Now for the Paper Mill. Mr. West is the most independent man there is in town. He runs his own mill and wheel -. Lorenz Stedman has left town. W. Turner has bought the place (Warren-Cabral). We have no store except the Post Office and that is one horse. Now there's nothing encouraging in this part of the County and I do not expect anything while I live. I have given you a short sketch of the situation of things here. They have preaching in the Methodist church every Sunday. They had a great singing Conversion there and the house was crowded. They came from all parts of the County. They run the Conversion fore days and then plowd out".
There was once a road and row of farm homes leading from the first knoll on the George Canon Road, along the side of the hill into Lee, entering the main road by the old slaughter house north of Cold Spring. The first house above Arnold Hale's pasture was owned by a man named Mori; the second, back of Dyer's house, belonged to the
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Hulett family. On the hillside above the Nathan Canon or Palmer property lived the Driscoll family. In 1930 one could discern this road by stone walls and cellar holes.
Well up the George Canon Road leading to Goose Pond, was the Snow-John Canon Farm. All the buildings are gone. Near the corner by Goose Pond the Jones families lived about 1907.
WEBSTER ROAD
Just north of the Rake Factory, off Paper Mill Hill, Webster Road starts and runs over East Mountain to Otis. The mountain today is a desolate region, seldom traveled beyond the former Leupp property except in blueberrying time. Yet this once was a populated section of Tyringham. The farms were settled mostly by families from Rhode Island, about 1800. Much like the Pied Piper, the first invader seemed to call all of his neighbors from back home until his "Rhodie" pals were congregated about him on his mountain refuge.
The first house was on the north side, higher on the hill from Dr. Salzmann's. After this house became a bit decrepit, Myron Johnson built the present Salzmann house. Myron was the son of Jonathan Johnson who came from Rhode Island to settle in Stockbridge, then on into Tyringham about 1832. Father and son had a sawmill in the deep ravine across the road from the house. He had a brother and sister who lived in the valley. Previous to the Johnsons, Ezra Howk owned the property. Ezra was cousin to Albert Howk of Lee, and the son of Abram, first owner of the Hale Bros. farm. James Taylor bought the property of the Johnson descendants and lived there ten years. In 1899 Taylor sold to the Hon. Francis E. Leupp, our first Indian Commissioner. Although the Leupps used it as a summer home, Mr. Leupp built another house in the rear, for his year-around farmer. Next came the Jacksons who occupied the place only a month or two in the summer, and some not at all, and let the farm land grow to brush. He finally sold to Mrs. Osborne who kept it as a resort home until sold to the present owners.
Beyond this farm, near the top of the hill, was the cabin of John Doyle, father of eleven children born on this mountain. Three of his daughters married prominent Lee business men-John Cormick, Michael Kennedy and John Norton. Mr. Doyle could beat all records at ditching lands and drained all the Shaker meadows. The Shakers were so pleased with his work that they gave him a house from their property on the opposite mountain. Several of the neighbors held a "bee", took down the house, moved it to this location and rebuilt it. Mr. Doyle's widow died in Mittineague at an advanced age.
On up the hill, on a sort of plateau, on the left, was the home of Dr. Mary Sweet, called Widow Sweet. She was a descendant of the famous bone-setter Sweet family of Kingston, R. I. She had no M.D. degree but inherited the family ability, making her own medicines from wild herbs and concoctions from her own ingenuity. She was called upon by the people of both Otis and Tyringham to set their
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broken bones and cure their ailments. In 1897 Thomas Duffy was living in the house. Then Attorney George Tiffany of Brooklyn used it for a summer home. Finally bought by a lumber company who de- stroyed the buildings, the old farm reverted to nature.
Above this, on the same side of the road, is a caved in cellar wall where once was the home of Egbert Webster. His father, Lyman Webster, lived next beyond. Lyman was a prominent business man of his day. The school house was on his land and later moved to the upper corner of Morrison Road. This was known as the Webster District School and Estelle Dorman Stedman taught there. This Morrison Road led south along the side of the mountain to the Morrison farm, where it turned down the mountain entering Main Road between the present McCarthy and Du Vernois farms. Around 1900 a cloud-burst washed out the lower part and it was never rebuilt. The old house burned and the whole road was then abandoned.
The Lyman Webster house was owned by James Clark for several years when he sold it about 1907 to the Eisenberg family from New York. The original Webster house burned in 1844 and the second house, built on the same site, burned since the Eisenbergs sold to The Peck Lumber Co.
On the opposite side of the road, beyond, was the home of Samuel Hall, son of Thomas Hall, who lived there before him. The first house, occupied by Thomas Hall, stood farther back from the road. His brother, Albert, who was a carpenter, helped Thomas build a better house close to the highway, which was standing in 1909 but not now.
Then came Capt. Thomas Stedman's farm, later known as the Whalen place. Capt. Stedman was one of the dignitaries of his day. Patrick Whalen bought the farm of Mrs. Sarah Cone, daughter of Capt. Tom, in the 1850's. A descendant of Mr. Whalen, Joseph Jr., lives in the village and a descendant of Capt. Thomas Stedman, Walter Stedman, lives next to the Post Office.
The next house was the home of Nathan Stedman, son of Capt. Tom. The cellar hole was visible in 1909. It was pleasantly located on the north side of the road. The farm was later owned by Milton Judd, father of Mrs. Lucian Moore. Milton Judd was a millwright and walked back and forth daily, seven miles each day, to his work in the Owen & Hurlburt paper mill in South Lee. Walking was not a fad in those days either. Lucian Moore, who gave this information in 1897, could never remember when the house was standing.
Just within the Tyringham boundary line stood the home of Daniel Dorman. The story of these families and their homes, can best be told by quoting from a letter written in 1909 by Mrs. Estelle Dor- man Stedman, his daughter. "Daniel Wells Dorman and his wife Mary Perry Remington, a niece of Commodore Oliver Perry of Lake Erie fame, came to Otis from Tolland some time in the early part of the last century, and made a home for his family at the place now known as Hogencamp's. They at first lived in a log house a few rods east of the present homestead. There was a huge pile of stones that
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told where the chimney was, a few years ago. Then, when the frame house was finished they moved into it and lived there many years, rearing a family of seven children. Daniel Dorman also planted an orchard of apple trees just below, which was opposite the site of the log cabin. He brought young trees home on his back from the Kendall Baird place in West Becket. Dorman took much pride in the row of maples which he planted in front of the house.
If we should follow an old road leading from the highway near the house, down through the pasture, we would find the remains of a sawmill, and the raceway leading to it from the dam, which has long since gone. The reservoir was converted into a meadow and now has grown to bushes. In this mill Alva G. Dorman, the eldest son, turned out many thousand feet of lumber with an "up and down" saw, with one arm.
Tragedy stalks through each generation, stopping at homes along the way, for long or short periods. He always leaves his mark, which breaks or makes a character. He first visited Alva in his youth when he lost one arm in an accident. In later life tragedy met the man again. Alva's young wife was stricken with an incurable disease that left her bedridden for five years. Their young devoted son cared for his mother constantly during that time but when she died the seventeen-year-old lad was so grief stricken that he went to her room and shot himself. Alva was left alone with his memories and the sawmill where he and his father made pine shingles, shaving them out. Many a time have I watched my father, to see the beautiful wide shavings curl up and drop. Shingles lasted in those days. Alva married again and sired three sons but when the boys were young the mother disappeared and was never heard from again.
Then there was a large sugar orchard west of the farm buildings where the maple sweet was converted into syrup, then carried into the house to be finished off into sugar.
Daniel Dorman sold his farm in 1856 or 57 to Isaac Hall, and moved farther west, just over the line into Otis, in fact, up in the pas- ture just inside the fence, was the boundary line and a stone marker written on three sides: Tyringham, Otis, Becket.
The house on this place was built by Addison Stedman, late deceased in Monterey and was struck by lightning and burned a few years ago. It stood on the opposite side of the road from the Alva Dorman house. Addison Stedman traded his place with Samuel Fargo for one on Chestnut Hill in Monterey, and went there to live with his son, Henry, who was nine years old at the time.
The house east of Daniel Dorman's was owned in those early days by Julius Beach, father of Edmund Beach and grandfather of Gilbert Beach of the upper Tyringham Valley. Erastus Cone's wife (of Hickory Farm) was one of his daughters. I well remember those old people. The house was at the intersection of two roads. It burned many years ago.
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The house just west of the Dorman place was built by Richard Chase before Dorman built his house and was occupied alone by a daughter of his, Sarah Chase, until some time near 1860. It has been owned by different parties and the house has been gone for some time. There used to be a path leading through the woods from these places, over to what was called North Street (Goose Pond) to the Hunt and Watson farms, then owned by Deering and Cheney, where people used to pass over to visit their neighbors. The last person to occupy the Chase place was Henry Phillips now living at an advanced age in East Lee. His daughter, Laura, married Edward Gardner".
In Otis not far from these farms, was the Wells Forge. In 1909 E. S. Wells wrote from Chicago, "In this furnace was made malleable iron into drills, sledges etc. for the contractors building railroads in- cluding the Boston and Albany. Also sold iron to blacksmiths and wagon makers throughout the section. Also, clappers for bells for a company in Troy. Did a big business under the firm name of M. & M. Wells about 1834. Its decline was caused by the defeat of Henry Clay in 1844 and the lack of protection to American manufacturers, so the owner claimed, but the letter writer believes it due to causes like the encroachment of the railroads, scarcity of timber, etc. The business came to a close in 1849 or 50." This section of Otis, in those days, was called Bethlehem.
This Capt. Thomas Stedman, previously mentioned as living not far from the Tyringham-Otis line, was a true individualist-a man with broad ideas and interests, one who had the courage of his convic- tions. His was a colorful, long life. He was born and raised in South Kingston, R. I., followed the calling of the sea, and became Captain of a sail boat, carrying produce from Narragansett to Newport.
News had trickled in from Trustum Stedman, the Sweets and others, telling of the glories and advantages of life in the newer settle- ments among the hills of western Massachusetts. Being one with a venturesome spirit, Capt. Tom persuaded his brother-in-law, Wil- liams, to pool their resources and start for Tyringham. Traveling on horseback, they stopped along the way in Connecticut to call on rela- tives, the Sweets and Champlins. Eventually they landed in Hop Brook and took over the saw and grist mills there. Williams was lost track of but Stedman stayed on for six years. During this time, his father, Ensign William Stedman, appeared and bought a farm on East Mountain (Webster Road). Then Capt. Tom received word that the sailing fleet back in Rhode Island was in dire need of a ship mas- ter. Would he return to help them out?
So back to his old home he went and remained three years. He was in charge over the pier boat off Point Judith. "During his first voyage from the Point to Newport he encountered a heavy gale and was driven upon an island near the mouth of the Bay and subjected to great hardships". When no word was heard from the Captain or his ship for three days, his relatives and friends believed him drowned. They gathered in the Baptist church where his cousin preached his funeral sermon. Imagine that dumbfounded community when he ap- peared the next day, somewhat the worse for his experience, but quite alive.
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Again, Stedman decided he'd had enough of the sea, so he gathered up his family and headed back for Tyringham. It took the little pro- cession four days on horseback to reach his father's farm. His daugh- ter, Sarah, was six weeks old. For her he made a sling of his big ban- danna, tied it around his neck, and placed the baby in this makeshift. cradle across his chest. Thus, he led the way, followed by his oldest son, Benoni, on one horse, then his uncle with the younger boy, Robert, and last his wife, Lydia, on her horse alone. This time Capt. Tom came to the mountain to stay. He must have been fairly prosperous for in a. Discharge of Mortgage dated Apr. 16, 1816 it says, "Adonijah Bidwell for James Wadsworth to Thomas Stedman" discharges all claims on a "tract of land, known by the name of Stephen Heath farm, containing about 60 acres, lying partly in town of Becket and partly in town of Otis, formerly District of Bethlehem, for $400." Evidently this was an addition to the farm on Webster Mountain Road which his father first owned.
Tradition fails to denote how successful a farmer this man was, but it does show us that the "call of the sea" was always in his blood. During his residence there, he built two large sail boats and other small ones. One was large enough to accommodate fifteen persons. Wishing to visit friends near the sea, he placed it on the cars and transported it to Bridgeport where he set sail with his son, Robert, for Guilford, Conn. He landed near the door of his nephew, Dr. Sweet, the Bone-setter. The other boat he launched on Lake Garfield. At the age of 90 he walked two miles to Goose Pond and sailed around all day in his boat there. The next year he took a party from town to Scott Pond (Laurel Lake) in Lee and managed his boat there with great "power and skill" all afternoon. But the following day when he re- turned again with two colored men and one white man he was over- taken by a gale. The two colored men were drowned-not so Capt. Tom! He lived to be ninety-two years and five months.
Capt. Thomas Stedman was proud to be an American, proud of his father, Ensign William Stedman, who fought in the Revolution. He considered it the duty of every man to stand ready to fight for his country if need be, and above all, to go to the polls and vote. Born in 1766, he could remember various incidents of the war. At the age of twenty-one he joined the militia in South Kingston. He voted on the adoption of the Federal Constitution, cast his vote for Washington as President and voted at every presidential election as long as he lived. He was a democrat of the old school. In Tyringham, he voted regu- larly in town elections for fifty-five years. Although, from records written in his own hand, it can be sensed that the opposition party endeavored to deprive him of his last vote. The old man was game and beat them to it. Here are excerpts from that record, written in Nov. 1858, three months before he died: "I have never failed paying all the taxes required of me every year since living in Tyringham. I paid a poll tax for all my boys from 16 to 21, sick or well, I never asked for any abatement or for any favors of the town or ever received any. Being overtaken with unavoidable misfortune and stript of all my property,
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