USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Athol > History of Athol, Massachusetts > Part 28
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Next on this stream is the mill site just east of South Athol Road and just north of Cummings Road. This is marked on the 1870 atlas "F. Oliver Saw Mill" and was in operation by Mr. Franklin Oliver well within the memory of the writer.
Franklin Oliver and James C. Meecham seem to have owned the mill for some ten years following 1837 which was the year when that entire area was taken from New Salem and attached to Athol.
After the death of Franklin Oliver in 1889 the mill and adjacent farm passed to his nephew, Willie T. Oliver, who allowed the old mill to fall into disuse. Today there is little to mark the site of this saw mill.
The next dam on the stream is the South Athol dam. This dam together with an adjacent mill was built by Abraham Taylor and Phineas Brook Clark in 1783. Succeeding owners in the next fifty years were Samuel Clark of Belchertown, 1785; Abel Drury of Framingham, 1803; Asa Broad of Holden, 1807; Gibbs Sibley and Joseph Hall both of Sutton, 1809; Estes Howe, 1819; John Whipple of Charlton; Naham Gale of Petersham; David Gross of Montague; Ebenezer Stowell of Ware; Ebenezer Smith of New Salem; Franklin Oliver, James C. Meacham and William Rice. Gradually acquiring outstanding rights Mr. William Rice before the close of his long life owned not only the saw mill and water power but a vast acreage in the surrounding country.
After his death in 1890 the control of the mill passed to his 'son, Henry H. Rice, who continued to operate the old yellow mill until it was burned.
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Some time before his death, Mr. H. H. Rice sold the old mill power to the Morgan Memorial who utilized the power for a few years in a rug factory which was burned in 1942. Since then no use has been made of this power.
While telling the story of this old water power we digress to tell of other industries in this territory nicknamed "Podunk."
About 1852 Foster & Chamberlain built a furniture factory on the County Road just east of the Rice Saw Mill and installed there a steam power, one of the first of its kind to be installed in Athol. In this factory they and their successors manu- factured furniture for more than a quarter of a century. Oc- casionally a pine bedroom set is to be found in an Athol home readily identified by our older citizens as a South Athol pro- duct.
The South Athol Manufacturing Company was incorporated March 21, 1872, a $15,000. corporation. In the spring of 1884, this company sold its plant and business to Cyrus B. Savage who continued it a few years eventually selling out to Henry H. Rice. This factory was burned January 24, 1899 and Mr. Rice built anew along the railroad right of way. After his death on June 10, 1914, this plant was sold to William G. Lord and N. D. Cass who operated a few years under the name of H. H. Rice Box & Toy Company, and then sold out to Charles Kumin and Jacob Garbose who later took Mr. George H. Hadley of Templeton into their company.
Out of this grew Athol Table Manufacturing Company which took over the newer Diamond Match Plant when that company combined its New England operations in the plant at Biddeford, Maine.
The Eagle Furniture Company was established at South Athol on February 13, 1873 and did business there for practically ten years. The active stockholders in this company were John A. Carter, Nathan B. Barker and Francis Colburn. In 1881 the company bought land at Number 55 South Athol Road and soon after that built the present large building at that number where they continued business until the later months of 1911 when the business was closed out and the factory sold to the Cass interests who use it as a warehouse.
Below the saw mill at South Athol was long ago a shop where blind slats were manufactured. This was operated at different times by J. Kitteredge Peabody, Levi Totman, James Oliver, and S. B. Briggs. Eventually (presumably by Mr. Briggs) this
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factory was moved to his home farm just east of where Morgan Memorial's Hayden Village stands.
From South Athol the waters of the Branch flow south, then west and then north under Branch Bridge into Eagleville Pond. This reservoir, some two miles in length, was developed in the years immediately succeeding the Civil War by John C. Hill who actively promoted the organization of Eagle Mill Company which was chartered in 1864. The officers of this company were John C. Hill, President, Abijah Hill, Secretary and Agent, with a Board of Directors consisting of J. C. Hill, George T. Johnson, Capt. C. C. Bassett and Joseph F. Packard. The pro- duct of the mill was advertised as "Horse Blanket Cloths" and woven into the fabric produced was a design of an American Eagle, hence the name of the corporation and of the hamlet.
The mill was carried on by a succession of textile operators for a generation, finally passing into the hands of Edward S. Handy during whose ownership the mill was burned. As an extreme illustration of the shrinkage in real estate values, especially in vacant manufacturing villages, the writer tells without great pride of achievement of having officiated as auctioneer selling this entire village of some thirty acres with five dwelling houses standing thereon for one hundred twenty- five dollars.
Next in our journey downstream we come to the Partridge- ville Mill site. As this was clearly in the Fairbanks grant and not officially attached to Athol until 1829, the search for early data regarding it is not an easy task.
As the present Rohunta dam and power house involve three original powers we will treat them as one, although the story of the upper or southerly power at Eagleville has already been told.
Apparently the first of the three to be developed was the most northerly one. In 1812 one Stephen Randall acquired from Benjamin Read two tracts in the general location of the Rohunta power plant with two dwelling houses and a barn on the 30-acre or south lot.
May 14, 1814 Mr. Randall conveyed about two acres of his north lot to Jacob Bassett and Adin Manley, the latter con- veying his interest the next year to Mr. Bassett.
There were numerous conveyances of the land south of the road but no mention of a mill in any of them until 1841. How- ever, in a mortgage of 30 acres north of the road extending
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to Millers River is found "excepting 11/2 acres sold to Jacob Bassett for a mill privilege and a leading way thereto."
In 1841 Adin Bridge sold the lot south of the road to William B. Whitney, Oliver Adams and George H. Lee, and in this deed mention is made of a dam and mill on the south lot
Whitney, Adams & Lee were quite extensive lumber opera- tors and it is likely that this mill was needed to saw some acres of timber acquired in that area. Apparently having accom- plished this purpose they resold the mill to Adin Bridge in 1845 who in turn sold to Elias Bassett in 1847.
Evidently Mr. Bassett improved the power by building a new dam for on December 15, 1847 in a conveyance of the area to Stillman Knowlton he refers to "where the dam has been lately built," and of the north power he says "where a saw mill lately stood."
In 1849 Mr. Knowlton conveyed to Dexter and Lyman Collins.
In 1854 Edward E. Partridge came here from Templeton and acquired these powers, and after suffering from a fire in their woodworking plant he built a woolen or shoddy mill which he and his son, Edward E. Partridge, Jr., operated there until about 1885 when the business was sold to E. S. Handy who after two years was succeeded by one St. George who, after two years, was succeeded by Mr. Partridge, Jr., and his brother-in-law, Warner Munn. The long connection of the Partridge family with this power explains the name "Partridge- ville."
The 1870 map shows the northerly power as a saw mill possibly owned by Mr. James Goodell but in the latter years as an independent power it was a "shoddy" mill operated at times independently and at other times in conjunction with the south power.
In 1872 and again in 1901 the Partridge mill was burned. After the 1872 fire it was rebuilt but subsequent to the 1901 catastrophe it was idle for a time.
In 1907 the Rodney Hunt Company at Orange bought all these powers, constructed a new dam south of the road high enough to all but cover the Eagleville dam, and by dredging and excavation lowered the tail race of their power house to absorb the northerly plant. By this operation they have a huge reservoir some 21/2 miles long, an efficient hydro-electric
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power house just north of the road and a power line extending into their plant at Orange.
Early in their development they built a sizable building as an inn or restaurant and made the surrounding grounds most attractive as a recreation place with a sandy beach in the edge of the mill pond, but since about 1940 the recreation park has been closed and the building used as a factory for pen holders, pencils and the like.
Only four more water powers occur to the writer. One called "Little Mill" was built many years ago on a brook near Riceville Road on the Hiram H. Gage property.
Another was on the road to Orange at 431 South Main Street. In times of plentiful water there is a beautiful water cascade as the brook tumbles over the rocks. On this small brook, high on the western hill above the highway, long ago two reservoir dams were built to control the flood waters and certainly as early as 1838 a shop stood by the brook and next to the highway. It is said that about 1851 a steam plant was installed there which may have been the first use of that kind of power for industrial purposes in the town.
It would appear that the shop was first installed by Henry Lee and was materially improved by John H. Waite who ac- quired title to the farm a year or more after Mr. Lee's death in July 1845. Mr. Waite not only installed a 12" United States Water Wheel, he also put in the steam power mentioned above.
Other owners of this small shop were Abel and Ethan Lord, C. W. Moore, C. W. Woodward, Peter Moore, Silas Sawyer and Jonathan Sawyer, who eventually obliterated this mill power.
Another small power was in the extreme southerly part of the town adjoining Petersham Line, there was a small wood- working mill which existed early in the nineteenth century. Here Chester Crawford, John Stockwell and John Harvey Humphrey made boxes and other wooden ware items, and there Lyman W. Hapgood, coming here from Barre, associated himself with the Stockwell family in the manufacture of match splints some years before the Chestnut Street Match Factory came into existence. Perhaps the last industry there was Reuben Stratton's woodworking shop which was moved to the Spooner Shop at 1665 Main Street.
In the southerly part of Athol is a comparatively insignifi- cant brook known as Thrower Brook which has its source on the Stratton farm and flows northerly, emptying into Millers
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River near the covered bridge site at Gage Road. On this brook just south of Partridgeville Road once stood a saw mill which for a long period was owned and operated by Rev. Lysander Fay who lived not far west of its site at Partridgeville and Gage Roads.
REV. LYSANDER FAY 1805 - 1881
To augment the flow of water to this mill Mr. Fay acquired flowage rights and impounded flood waters of this brook just south of Carpenter Road.
This reservoir is still maintained but the saw mill with its dam and pond have bowed to the march of time and become all but obliterated.
And now, having finished our story of the water powers of our town, we will tell something of those industries which through the years have flourished under other power than water.
First we would mention Daniel Batchelder's woodworking shop which stood on the north side of Batchelder Road a few rods west of Pleasant Street. When it began or when it ended is not to be chronicled here, but we do know that one of his shops was destroyed by fire April 26, 1841 and was soon re-
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built. One careful chronicler of local events notes that steam power was introduced there in 1851 making this about the first industrial steam power in town.
Another small shop that should be mentioned is the building now a dwelling now numbered 1550 Main Street. This is a very small part of a ten-acre lot conveyed by Moses Marble to Kimball Wood September 18, 1790, and is a part of Lot num- bered 25 laid out to Isaac Ball on the right of John Grout. It is not improbable that Kimball Wood built the house numbered 1562 Main Street soon after this purchase. Kimball Wood died September 22, 1805 and Gen. James Humphrey administered his estate, selling this immediate area to Abraham Derby. Evidently during Mr. Derby's occupancy there were both a house and a barn on the lot. This immediate area Mr. Derby conveyed to Amos Carruth and in 1811 Mr. Carruth passed title to Henry Lee, and through him title passed to James Jones and by him to Dr. Ebenezer Chaplin in 1815.
In 1818 Dr. Chaplin conveyed a small area to Loring Haskell "also the shoe maker's shop now occupied by Dexter Lee to move the same on to the aforementioned premises on or be- fore May 1, next."
From that long ago day to this, there have been numerous conveyances of this spot of land, title to which is to continue "while the same (shop) shall stand." In succeeding years the shop now numbered 1550 Main Street was designated as a hatters shop, a goldsmith shop, a silver smith shop, a beating shop, and a tinsmith's shop, but for a long period it has been a private dwelling.
The dwelling house south of this little shop remained in Dr. Chaplin's estate after his death in 1844 until his widow's death in 1883 when it passed to George W. Rickey, an old time jeweler, and from him to Richard W. Waterman. It is now owned by H. Lee Mott.
The Boot and Shoe Industry
We find no actual date when our townsmen began making footwear for sale outside our borders but we do know that it was a gradual evolution from the lone worker in the home to the present modern McElwain plant, but we fix the approx- imate date of its beginning at 1825 and name Jones & Simonds as the pioneer manufacturers.
In 1834 Ozi Kendall, grandson of one of the pioneers on Chestnut Hill, began the manufacture of boots in a small shop
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which stood at about 280 Main Street, and for full fifty years was an Athol industrialist. He had learned his trade in the small boot shop on his father's farm and persisted throughout his long career in keeping his output of the highest quality.
As he prospered he first removed his house to number 169- 73 Walnut Street, building on its site the pretentious home now standing at number 274 Main St. Despite the severe financial depression of Grant's second administration he con-
DEACON IRA Y. KENDALL 1831 - 1914
tinued to grow. First he took in his son, George N. Kendall, into the business and later his nephew, Ira Y. Kendall, and Mr. George S. Pond, a boot maker from Hubbardston.
Sensing the inadequacy of his factory which he had enlarged from time to time he sought a new location and in 1874 built the substantial brick structure numbered 25 Exchange Street.
After a full fifty years of active management of his business he retired in 1884, dying November 16 of that year. His part- ners carried on the business until 1887 when they ceased operations, but it was some years after manufacturing ceased that rural New England began to forget the Kendall boot.
And now I come to a family which is in many ways truly
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remarkable. This is the Lee family, descendants of John Leigh who settled in Ipswich in 1634.
Two Lee brothers came to Athol from Marlboro in the earlier years of the nineteenth century. Henry Lee lived for some years in the house still standing at 1142 Chestnut Street. His family was not extensively engaged in the footwear in- dustry.
William Dexter Lee found his home over on the Bearsden Hills at the west end of Dike Road and there in obscurity and much poverty his family of at least twelve children were born. It is a sad commentary on the times that of this twelve only seven grew to mature age.
But of that seven, four sons made a phenomenal advance- ment.
The oldest of the four, James M., spent most of his long life around his livery stable at number 1521 Main Street, but he operated in real estate extensively as well as loaning his funds much like a banker of today.
Charles M. Lee was born May 23, 1828. He early learned the shoemaker's trade. Amassing a capital of a hundred dol- lars he walked to Boston, purchased leather and other items necessary and returning ot his father's farm on Dike Road began the making of shoes, marketing his product in Athol and surrounding towns. Becoming more affluent he acquired a horse and wagon and peddled his product over an enlarged area.
His first "factory" was at approximately 95 Exchange Street where he expanded so as to employ before he abandoned that location some twenty hands. In 1858 he bought an area of land on South Street and built for a home the building still owned by his daughter at 460 in that Street.
That same year he entered into a partnership with his broth- ers, John Howard and Merit L., under the name of C. M. Lee and Brothers, and this firm bought a dwelling house, called the Flagg House, at approximately 349 Main Street and erected a sizable shop on the rear of this lot, later building some half dozen houses on the southeasterly portion of the lot. By 1869 the business had outgrown its factory and the firm acquired of Pierce & Tyler the "New Block" now known as the Brock Block at 564 South Street.
Soon after this expansion the firm was dissolved, J. Howard Lee removed to Boston taking with him his younger brother,
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Solon W. Lee, while Merit L. Lee took over the South Street plant, operating it for a quarter of a century. He also operated, for a time extensively, in Union Block. This left Charles M. Lee in full control of the Main Street business and there he continued until his death, June 29, 1896.
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C. M. LEE'S SHOE MANUFACTORY
By 1881 Wellington Star Lee, son of Charles M., was grown to manhood and had personal ambitions, then his father re- moved the dwelling houses on the southeasterly part of the lot, once called Stockwell Place, to an area adjoining lower Main Street naming the new location Linden Park, and on the vacated sites erected the present southeasterly factory of the McElwain plant. The tall chimmey and present power plant date from that time. His wooden factory was burned beyond repair on December 26. 1883, and the Flagg house was so seriously damaged that it too was razed.
Without delay Mr. Lee began the erection of a more modern plant, the southerly end of the present westerly building being built in 1884.
Following closely on this rebuilding came the erection of the present center building on the south end of the lot. This was built for another son, Auburn W. Lee.
By June 1885 all three factories were operating substantial- ly at full capacity, then came rumors of labor demands which Mr. Lee was determined to forestall. Although there was usually no seasonal slow-down in these plants yet in the early autumn of 1886 notice was given that the plants would be
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closed for two weeks and that upon re-opening all who wished to return to work would be required to sign an agreement that he did not belong to any labor union nor would he become so affiliated while in the Lee employ.
An organizer of the Knights of Labor promptly appeared on the scene and organized a group of shoe shop employees. Excitement ran high with the terms "lock-out" and "scab" being quite openly spoken. After a few months of agitation and acrimony the Lee shops had a full complement of work- ers and the Knights of Labor gradually died.
In the later years of his life Mr. C. M. Lee acquired title to the Dr. Colony house which stood in front of his westerly fac- tory and removed his residence there.
The passing of Charles M. Lee in 1896 precipitated much family disagreement and the plants were all closed for a con- siderable time. At length Mr. W. Starr Lee gained control of the plants and being assisted by a long-time acquaintance, George S. Perry, organized Perry-Lee Company and took over the business. In 1906 George Marshall Lee, the eldest son of Charles M., acquired the Perry interest and the firm name be- came Lee Brothers.
In 1910 the Dr. Colony house was sold and removed to 260 Exchange Street and the 1884 brick factory extended to Main Street.
George Marshall Lee died October 31, 1916 and W. Starr Lee took over his interest in the business, but he did not long survive, passing away September 25, 1918. Starr Lee's widow at once assumed control of the company calling to her assist- ance her brother, Charles L. Wade, Treasurer of the Palmer Savings Bank, but Mr. Wade did not succeed in operating the plant profitably and by 1924 had persuaded his sister to liq- uidate the business. This seemed to Athol Board of Trade to be a calamity that should be averted if possible, and to obviate the loss of this, the third largest industry in town, it organized Athol Industrial Corporation, raised some $75,000. and ac- quired title to the plant. As the owners of a large shoe plant this corporation negotiated a lease to Marston & Tapley who operated here for a time, being succeeded by Merit Shoe Com- pany and eventually for upwards of ten years by the Ansin family under the name of Ansin Shoe Company and Anwelt Shoe Company.
The final period of leasing to the Ansin interest expired July 1946, the rental paid had fallen somewhat short of up-
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keep expense and the officers of the owning company felt an increase of rental was in order.
Then followed months of negotiations and dickering. In the midst of this, information came that McElwain Shoe Com- pany, with principal offices at Nashua, New Hampshire, would purchase the plant at a price which would return to the con- tributors of 1924 their full initial payment. Armed with this information which had not been public, the directors made an honest attempt to deal with Mr. Ansin on a sale basis but he, apparently thinking that he was the only customer in sight, declined to consider the price asked him.
Thereupon an agreement was speedily entered into with the McElwain interests. Then followed weeks of uncertainty as to the control of the Athol Industrial Corporation, both the Ansin and McElwain interests offering to pay par for the stock, but the directors were strongly for the McElwain Company and eventually that company had bought a controlling interest in the corporation and Mr. Ansin reluctantly removed from town.
By much investigation and searching, those legally entitled to the shares of stock in this company have nearly all been lo- cated but a small percentage is still held in escrow and will probably eventually escheat to the State.
The McElwain interests spent money lavishly in renewing and modernizing the plant and are now doing a comparatively steady business here and carrying on in a way pleasing to our townspeople.
I should properly now complete the story of these four Lee Brothers. James M., as has been said, continued in his livery stable and financial dealings until his death November 10, 1893.
John Howard in his later years acquired the Estabrook Mansion on Royalston Common occuping it as a summer home until his death. He acquired a sizable block of Athol National Bank stock as well as the Starr Hall Block and adjoining build- ing built by Charles M. Lee in his seasons of prosperity.
Solon W. Lee remained in Boston associated with his brother, J. Howard, until that firm's physical assets were wiped out by the Boston Fire of 1872. Taking his share of the insur- ance adjustment he returned to his native town and built the dwelling now much remodelled standing at 1333 Main Street, corner of Liberty. He leased a portion of his brother C. M. Lee's old homestead on South Street and began the retail lum-
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ber business which was bought after his death on November 2, 1906 by Mr. Winfield W. Woodward and which still carries on under his name.
In 1861 the firm of Adams & Leonard removed its boot manufacturing business from Montague to Athol locating at 1616 Main Street and continuing until 1865 when the firm was dissolved; William M. Leonard removing from town and Hiram B. Adams associating himself with Andrew Atwood, a native of Warwick, then living in Phillipston. After a year had elapsed Mr. Adams removed to Worcester and Mr. Atwood became the local manager of a factory operating here owned by Lindsey & Shaw, later Lindsey & Wood of Boston.
In 1869 this firm built for a factory the structure now a dwelling house numbered 159 Central Street, Mr. Atwood building for himself the house numbered 183 Central Street. January 1, 1872 Mr. Atwood in company with one Charles T. Wood took over the Boston office as well as the Athol factory under the name of Atwood & Wood but these men soon became the victims of adversity. They lost heavily by the Boston Fire, November 9, 1872, and the financial panic of 1873 all but bankrupted them. However, Mr. Atwood managed to keep the Athol factory operating on a limited scale for a time, event- ually in 1876 being offered much financial encouragement by the village of Groton Junction, then the newly incorporated town of Ayer.
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