USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Athol > History of Athol, Massachusetts > Part 29
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In a little boot shop on Chestnut Hill, three Lord brothers, Gardiner, Jr., Franklin G. and Charles L., all learned the boot maker's trade.
Around the middle of the nineteenth century Gardiner went to Gouverneur, New York, where he found employment, Frank secured employment in Natick, for a time in the little shop still preserved there as a memorial to Henry Wilson once Vice President of the United States, and later in the Wolcott fac- tory. Charles found local employment and did not wander far afield. Before 1860 Frank Lord had erected a boot factory at 496 Main Street and taking his two brothers into partnership with him they formed the firm of F. G. & C. L. Lord & Co., carrying on business continuously until the financial recession of 1873 made operations no longer advisable. The factory building was moved directly north and converted into a barn for the late J. B. Cardany and the equipment disposed of.
In the busy days of the Civil War period, Mr. Charles God- dard with his son, Charles Virgil Goddard, came to Athol from
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Royalston and bought quite an area of the Asa Haven farm ly- ing in the general area of Silver Lake to Brattle Streets. One of the activities of this father and son was to build the house at number 434 Crescent Street, corner of Silver Lake.
FRANKLIN GODDARD LORD 1827 - 1917
Another of their activities was to organize Pioneer Mill, the plant of which was between Laurel and Brattle Streets about east of number 79 Laurel Street. This mill produced sash, blinds, etc., and operated with a modest success until July 28, 1876 when it was burned to the ground. No attempt was made to rebuild or continue the business.
With the spirit of optimism which pervaded the nation dur- ing Grant's first administration, enterprising citizens of Athol sought to increase our industrial life and finding a group of men manufacturing pocketbooks and the like in inadequate quarters at Montague induced them to remove here.
Addison M. Sawyer was then in most affluent circumstances and promptly offered to build a factory for them on upper Main Street. Preliminary agreements were made and a sizable fac- tory built at number 1859-63 Main Street. When this build- ing was practically in readiness the prospective tenants came here to make arrangements to set up business.
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Having a friendly acquaintance with Adolphus Bangs, then landlord at the Pequoig House, they registered at that hostel- ry. Mr. Sawyer had by that time become suspicious that his mortgage on the Summit House must eventuate in ownership and he was therefore most naturally partial to that hotel.
Furthermore, those were the days of the intense rivalry be- tween the Upper and Lower Villages and Mr. Sawyer was a strong Uptown partisan. In his naturally insistant way he de- manded that these men should take up their abode at the Sum- mit House, suggesting at least that they would not become his tenants in his new factory unless they acquiesced. This was salt in the already seriously sore relations between the villages and the downtown men resented this autocratic demand and backed up their resentment by offering to build a factory for the concern on Maple Street which was away downtown and this offer was accepted.
As a temporary factory room the business was installed in Ethan Lord's Block at number 52 Exchange Street and opera-
GEORGE D. BATES 1846 - 1914
tions began on the Maple Street building which was completed and occupied by December 1871. .
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The members of this Wallet Shop firm who came here were George K. Palmer, James P. Bates, George D. Bates, Charles A. Bates, with Arthur E. Caswell as Superintendent; and the firm name was Palmer & Bates.
For some seven years this industry was a valued part of our industrial life but the financial stringency of the late seventies was it undoing.
In early 1879 the plant was seized by Gardiner Lord, local Deputy Sheriff, and on June 5th Isaac Chenery of Montague, an old neighbor and friend of the operators, was chosen as- signee by the creditors.
It is a sad commentary on the stubborness of the parties in interest that neither the Sawyer building nor the Maple Street building yielded any sizable returns to the promoters and builders. The uptown building was occupied at short periods by struggling industries, one of them being a wallet shop pro- moted by one Charles E. Enniger, a "graduate" of the Bates shop. Finally after Mr. Sawyer's death the building was ac- quired by Edwin Geroy, the back portion of the factory demol- ished and the front section made into two tenemnts with a third apartment in the basement.
The portion intended for office space was removed to the northwesterly part of the lot and made over into the cottage house standing there, it being now numbered 1855 Main Street.
The Maple Street plant was acquired by Hollis M. Slate and by him divided into three parts. The office is now the dwelling at 20 Maple Street, while the main building was cut in two, the front half being now the tenement house numbered 40-42 Maple Street, the other half being in its rear, bearing the num- bers 36-38 Maple Street.
After some twelve months of idleness the business was re- opened in a wooden building built for it and attached to Upham Machine Company, 195 Hapgood Street. By this time Mr. Palmer had sold his home at 161 School Street and removed from town but his brother, Luther K. Palmer, remained here several years. Mr. Caswell also accepted a position in Phila- delphia.
After some ten years occupancy of this Hapgood Street plant, the company abandoned it and erected a factory on the east side of Island Street.
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After a few years the Hapgood Street factory was sold to Don. W. Campbell and moved to 134-136 Sanders Street and converted into the two-apartment home standing there.
The business prospered in the Island Street location, factory expansions were frequent, finally making a request for the re-
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BATES BROS. SHOP AND "LOCK UP,“ 1890
moval of the town lockup advisable. To this the town agreed and the building was demolished in 1893 to be supplanted by an ell to the factory.
Charles A. Bates, superintendent of the plant died December 3, 1894, James P. Bates, the salesman, died November 26, 1901, and George D. Bates, the financial man, died February 6, 1914. Arthur E. Caswell returned here and succeeded Mr. Charles Bates, Albert N. Ellis, son-in-law of George D. Bates, succeeded James P. Bates, and finally Robert L. Dexter, another son-in-law of George D. Bates, came into the management, but changing times and severe competition reduced the business as. well as the net profits. Family disagreement eventually ef- fected a radical change of management but not for long, for the new management only too soon found no profits existed and liquidation ensued.
On October 14, 1932 the plant was sold at auction to Charles W. Bachelder and Thomas S. Dillon who have since utilized it largely for storage purposes.
In 1934 one Howard T. Judd installed a paper box factory
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there and under the name of White Paper Box Company it still carries on.
Arthur Fitz Tyler was born in Lexington on March 12, 1852. When fourteen years of age he came to Athol and worked a year as a clerk in the dry goods store of T. W. Savage. For the succeeding eight years he was variously employed in the east- ern part of this state. In April 1876 he came to Athol and forming a partnership with his brother-in-law, Wallace Cheney, began the manufacture of blinds in the J. M. Cheney plant where the Union Twist Drill Company now is.
This partnership was dissolved at the end of a year but Wal- lace Cheney continued in the Tyler employ until old age over- took him.
In 1883 Mr. Tyler bought the "Estabrook Lot" (which Benjamin Estabrook and others bought long ago for a depot site) and erected a wooden factory there.
There Mr. Tyler continued in active control of his business until his death. In 1905 he incorporated the business under the name of Arthur F. Tyler Company. After his death on October 4, 1934, the family continued the business for a time and then in 1946 sold the entire capital stock to J. Wilfred Anctil of Nashua, New Hampshire. Subsequently Edward H. Gunter became associated with him as Vice President and Local Manager. Eventually in 1951, co-incident with the sale of the Tyler plant to the Union Twist Drill Company, Mr. Anctil sold to Mr. Gunter his entire interest and retired from the business. Almost immediately after acquiring control of the company Mr. Gunter bought the Upham Machine Company - Harold L. Peckham factory on Hapgood Road, and is continuing the business there but on a very much reduced scale. The glazing part of the business was retained by Wallace C. Tyler who continued at the old factory until after the sale of the plant, removing it at that time to Church Place where he now con- tinues the business.
The Union Twist Drill Company has built a foot tunnel under the Boston & Maine tracks, razed all the Tyler factory buildings except a brick warehouse fronting on Chestnut Hill Avenue, which is now an operatives' club, and acquired and demolished adjoining tenement houses at 848 and 858 Main Street. The dwelling at the corner of Chestnut Hill Avenue was moved to 923 Petersham Road. The entire area has been levelled and hard-surfaced for an operatives' parking lot with two entering drives from Main Street.
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HISTORY OF ATHOL
Another industry that is contributing materially today to the prosperity of Athol is Athol Table Company which has been mentioned in connection with the industries once at South Athol. The owners and operators of this business are members of the Hadley family who came to us from Templeton. There at Templeton Depot for many years the firm of Bourne & Hadley operated a factory but eventually there was a division in the firm and the Hadley family retired from the business.
Kumin & Garbose were attempting to expand the business then recently purchased at South Athol but sadly needed expert advice and cooperation.
Thus we find Mr. George H. Hadley associated in that business. Soon the comparatively modern Diamond Match Plant on Electric Street came on the market and negotiations were opened by these partners looking to its purchase. To encourage this industry our citizens subscribed quite liberally to an issue of preferred stock which it offered the public.
This enabled this company to acquire the idle match plant, selling the South Athol buildings to Morgan Memorial Co- operative Industries and Stores.
Both Mr. Kumin and Mr. Garbose soon decided that they were better qualified as merchants than as manufacturers and they withdrew from the firm. Their places were taken by other members of the Hadley family.
The entire issue of preferred stock has long since been re- purchased by the firm and cancelled.
While not one of our largest industries, this business has furnished steady employment to a considerable number of our citizens and its personnel has been most helpful in our civic activities.
It was said two generations ago that the strength of Athol lay in its numerous and diversified industries, almost every re- quirement of the civilization of that day being produced here.
In addition to the many items mentioned above, there were a half dozen or more cider mills and long ago at least two brandy "stills." There were numerous grist mills equipped to grind all kinds of grain produced on these farms. There were more than a score of little boot shops on the farms in which the farmer and his children either manufactured footwear in its entirety or "bottomed" boots for the numerous factories; there were hat shops and bonnet shops, one of the latter being now the Congregational Church Parsonage at 99 Liberty Street.
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One small industry was the making of ink, while another- claimed to have perfected a perpetual motion machine.
Most of these little industries have disappeared, many being; made obsolete by changing conditions, while others have suc- cumbed to "big business", but the general ability to do many, things still persists here and should necessity again appear there would doubtless be many small shops springing up,. manned by competent mechanics, to meet the special need.
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CHAPTER XXI MERCANTILE
I SURMISE that many of the readers of this book may ex- press the criticism that in one respect at least the work is unbalanced in that industry and the professions are covered in much detail while only a short story is told of the mercantile establishments. My excuse is, if any be needed, that through public records of various kinds the industries and professions have left behind them a rather complete story while no exten- sive record can be found of the various stores which have served our community.
In the State archives we find the very early people here telling of the hardships they are enduring, one of which is that they are eighteen miles from a stock of merchandise and I assume that this means that Hardwick was their nearest trading center.
The regulation of the traffic in strong liquor was a problem even in Colonial days, thus among the early lists of innholders' licenses granted were certain grants to retailers who well may have been store keepers of some sort.
Local tradition has long asserted that the first general store worthy of the name was that of James Humphrey, Jr., which was in a building standing at about 1025 Pleasant Street. The proprietor of this was long Athol's leading citizen. He repre- sented us in the County management for a half dozen years or more, sat in the House of Representatives for ten years, and served two years as a State Senator. Prominent in military circles he attained the rank of General in our State Militia.
About 1792 Samuel Sweetzer who had for a comparatively short time been a storekeeper in Warwick moved here and pre- sumably opened a store near the Common, but he soon saw brighter prospects in operating a tavern and his store became of secondary importance.
John Chandler, an outstanding citizen of Petersham, ap- pears to have opened a store near the Common, taking in first as manager and later as partner one Theodore Jones who eventually acquired full control of the business.
April 1, 1814 Mr. Jones acquired of Gen. James Humphrey
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the Dr. Rice home at 1591 Main Street and by the same deed became the owner of a small tract of land "with an upright store and shed thereon" at about 1590 Main Street. There for nearly a half century he conducted a general store incidentally acting as banker for the younger people of the town long be- fore there was any banking institution here. He died January 5, 1863. His widow Marcia, daughter of Rev. Joseph Estabrook, survived him a full quarter of a century.
About 1834 Timothy Hoar constructed the building num- bered 1706 Main Street using it for a time as a match shop and other industries. There the first public bakery in town was established. Probably because it was long ago occupied for a time as a unit of the New England Protective Union it acquired the title "Union Store" by which name it is still occasionally called.
Sumner R. Morse was a merchant at South Athol soon after that area came over to us from New Salem. Subsequently he transferred his operations to that location. Later for twenty- two years Othello A. Fay with his brother, Sereno E. Fay, as an inactive partner conducted a grocery store.
In 1895 Elijah B. Newton and Ulysses G. Call bought the grocery business of Edward E. Kelton located at 1463 Main Street and moved it to this Union Store. After nine years the firm was dissolved, Mr. Newton continuing at this stand while Mr. Call returned to the former Kelton stand and bought the business of Ball Bros. & Young.
Just north or down the street from the "Ahern House" at 1694 Main Street was long ago a blacksmith shop with its ox- sling. This was owned by Asa Hill and later by Moses Hill. The last remembered occupant was Mr. James D. Ahern who later carried on in the Alden Spooner house in Mechanic Place.
Next was the John S. Lewis place, the first story of which was long ago a store with a tenement above occupied by Mr. Lewis and his two maiden daughters, Maria L. and Sarah A. Lewis.
Likewise in the building still standing at 1650-54 Main Street there was a store at one period.
Next below this last named building was the old toll gate house which stood until around 1875 occupied as a private dwelling.
Standing on the ledges at about 1616 Main Street was a three-story block, the street floor being a meat market once
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HISTORY OF ATHOL
operated by Samuel T. Drury but later by John E. Goodnow. In this building was the early hall of Parker Post, G. A. R., and here Athol Grange first met.
In the next block at different times were various smaller establishments of whom only one, Stutson D. Bruce, is remem- bered.
Likewise in the "Humphrey Block" next below have been stores at various times but it was largely used as a boot factory.
Numbered 1576 to 1588 in Main Street was Union Block erected in1863 by a group of enterprising citizens and long occupied on its street floor by various stores and shops, while the second and third floors were a boot shop for many years. Tenants in this street floor were numerous and with varied oc- cupations. Among those remembered are Crossman & Stevens, later George W. Stevens, grocers; Joseph A. Holton, footwear; and George W. Rickey, jeweller, who sat at his bench for half a century where he could look across the Common to the town clock which he built many years ago. In his old age Mr. Rickey retired and went to Grand Rapids to live with his daughter, whereupon the old clock began to act up and no one seemed able to adjust it. Soon Mr. Rickey returned here for a visit and despite his ninety years climbed into the steeple and soon had the old friend running again.
The story of Union Block is an interesting one. When the men decided to embark upon the enterprise they deemed it best for the orderly conduct of their mutual affairs to organ- ize a corporation. Therefore they met, signed the necessary preliminary papers, and then their secretary took these docu- ments and filed them with their records. All assumed they had legally organized a Massachusetts corporation. By-laws were adopted, regular meetings held, a stock certificate book was purchased, and certificates of stock issued and re-issued as transfers were made by the various owners. On several occa- sions these stock certificates were held by local banking in- stitutions as collateral for loans.
Athol Grange in 1899 took from the "corporation" a long term lease of one first floor unit and the entire building above that floor space. The Grange proceeded to remodel this in- terior thoroughly into a commodious lodge hall on the third floor with a dining room and kitchen on the second floor.
Gradually as the Grange prospered it invested its surplus cash in shares of this "corporation" until by 1930 it owned fully forty per cent of the outstanding stock. Desiring more
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latitude in the management of the building it arranged to pur- chase the outstanding interests. To do this it had to borrow funds and it applied to Athol Co-operative Bank which speed- ily granted the loan. This involved a mortgage on the prop- erty. A search of the title brought to light the fact that no corporation existed. Wise legal minds differed as to the course to pursue in this case. The original promoters of the enterprise were all dead and in some cases the stock was held by the third generation of a family. At length all living who seemed to have any equitable interest in the real estate deeded their claims to Henry D. Cheney, Treasurer of the Grange, and he proceeded to register the title in the Land Court. After two years or so a Land Court Certificate was issued, Athol Grange No. 175 was legally incorporated, and the title transferred to it.
One exceedingly hot night in August a few years later, the Grange was called in special session to consider an offer to purchase this entire property and in due time it was sold to non-resident interests, the tenants were all ejected, and the building demolished to make way for a modern gasoline sta- tion. On the northerly edge of this Union Block lot a small building had been erected a half century before the demoli- tion and this was also removed. In this building Festus G. Amsden, M. T. Savage, Susie (Wiley) Davis, and Grace E. Pitts had each conducted stores and finally Osmond H. Casavant had established himself there in an Automobile Sales Room.
Just north of this Union Block on Athol Common there was built immediately after the Music Hall fire a temporary struc- ture called the Centennial Building to house the mercantile refugees from the fire. After a time this was removed to the back end of the Music Hall lot facing Grove Street where it long stood being occupied by Frost & Bemis, later Frost & Whitcomb as a tinshop. Thomas F. Lemis did a plumbing busi- ness there until engaged with Flagler in his Florida East Coast enterprises.
At the corner of Main and Grove Streets Dr. William H. Williams established the first drug store in town. Authorities differ as to the actual continuity of this business, reliable au- thority claiming that from John H. Williams, the son of Dr. William H. Williams, the drug stock and business passed to Albert Ellsworth and through him eventually to United Drug, while perhaps equally reliable authorities state that from Dr. John H. Williams it passed to his kinsman, Dr. Henry Martin Humphrey, and from him through Lord & Howe, Guy P. Howe, and F. Leon Bruce it has come down to the present owner,
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Lyndon H. Lincoln, thus giving it well over a century of con- tinuity.
Of Music Hall and its tenants on the site of the old Dr. Wil- liams Store something has been told in another chapter of this work.
On the westerly side of Main Street above Chestnut there has been little mercantile business. With the coming of the automobile as a generally accepted means of transportation George S. Brewer abandoned his other lines and opened a Ford Salesroom in the old Spooner & Fitts shop, later removing that building and erecting the present modern salesroom and repair shop there. Under his management, later that of his widow, Mabel (Lee) Brewer, and now their son-in-law, Carl S. Carlson and still later his son, Robert L. Carlson-using the name of Brewer & Carlson, Inc., this enterprise is an active part of local business life.
Next below this was blacksmith shop once carried on by Joseph G. Cobb and later by George W. Hughes. Since the disappearance of horses and horse-drawn vehicles this like most other village smithies has suspended and the building has been used for storage if at all.
The old grist mill at 1629 Main Street for seventy years carried on by the Boutelle family, is now the only commercial laundry in town.
The next sizable building was the school house built long ago on Main Street near Grove Street superseding the older building, now the residence at 2 Morse Place. In 1871 this was moved to Upland Place where it stood until 1890 when it was sold to George S. Brewer who moved it to its present loca- tion. No long standing stores are remembered there.
At the corner of Main and Chestnut Streets a widening of the County Way in 1868 necessitated the demolishing of the old Jones & Baker store at that site. In 1883 George S. Brewer erected the present block standing there. Charles B. Bemis has long conducted a bakery and the like in the corner store.
The story of the Summit House has been told elsewhere in this work. No long standing tenants are remembered. In the later years of the last century John H. Humphrey had a groc- ery there selling it to Fred H. and Charles L. Fay in 1895. Mr. Charles L. Fay soon retired from the business but Fred H. Fay continued until his death in 1900, the last eight months of his business in the new Cummings Block.
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In the next building north the drug business of Henry M. Humphrey and his successors was long carried on. In the block which Fletcher Brothers built so long ago, John F. Hum- phrey and Samuel Lee as Humphrey & Lee, later Mr. Lee alone, his son Frederick H. Lee and last Richard W. Waterman as Highland Hardware have sold building supplies, etc. for three generations.
ATHOL COMMON, 1912
On a lot not many feet larger than the building, Athol Na- tional Bank built its brick banking house in 1874 abandon- ing it for quarters in the Starrett Building downtown in 1914. In 1918 the building was sold to George H. Donah who soon transferred title to Thomas S. Dillon, its present owner. A chain grocery store and recently a new building supply store have been its tenants during the Dillon ownership.
Below Athol National Bank was the store and business of Edward E. Kelton. This real estate was sold in 1898 to William T. Cummings of Winchendon, the residence moved to the rear, and a three story block built there. In October, 1899 when this block was completed Fred H. Fay removed his store there, being succeeded by Ball Brothers & Young and in 1904 by Ulysses G. Call and by him, his son, Percy G. and his grandson, Percy G., Jr. the business still continued there. In 1908 title to this real estate passed to George F. Lord and by his nephews it is owned today.
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