USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of its prominent men, Volume I pt 2 > Part 16
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The first stage which passed through North Adams for the convey- ance of mails and passengers was established about the year 1814 by a Mr. Phelps of Greenfield. The citizens subscribed liberally in aid of the enterprise, and the stage ran once a week between Greenfield and Albany, via Williamstown, Hancock, and Sand Lake. The first vehicle used was an uncovered two horse wagon with the body suspended upon leather springs. The stage coach with four horses was regarded as a wonderful - improvement and the blast of the driver's tin horn announcing the arrival as he pulled rein in front of the .. Old Black Tavern" never failed to cause a commotion. This building, which was then situated on the east . corner of Main and State streets, was the first hotel of consequence in North Adams. The rear part was built by Samuel Day, and afterward occupied by Abiel Smith, one of the early settlers. This was probably previous to 1780 as the front east wing was erected by David Darling in 1788. In 1705 Mr. Darling opened the same as a public house. It was
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afterward sold and occupied by Roger Wing. About the year 1804, Bethnel Tinney purchased the premises of Mr. Wing and erected the upright part of the building. He kept it until the year 1808, when Rich- ard Knight purchased the building and forty acres of land adjoining for the sum of $4.000. The boundaries included all the then vacant land, from a point below the Richmond House, east on the south side of Main street to the property of the North Adams Savings Bank, thence south, embracing a large share of what is now Summer, Quincy, and a part of Chestnut street, including all of State street to the bridge, and the grounds where the Pittsfield & North Adams Railroad depot is located. Mr. Knight kept the house for several years and then leased the same to George Whitman, who kept it from 1812 to 1814. In 1814 W. E. Brayton succeeded Mr. Whitman as lessee and occupied it until the spring of 1816, when Alpheus Smith, who had formerly kept a house at Cheshire Corners, leased the premises and occupied the same uninter- ruptedly-with the exception of a short time in connection with O. C. Smith-until it was closed, a period of twenty years. There was formerly a long row of tall Lombardy poplar trees in front of the old " Black Tavern." outside the sidewalk. This was the only public house kept in North Adams until the erection of the Berkshire House in 1815. As a matter of course it did a large business, especially after the war with Great Britain, when emigration from New England to the " Genesee country " and the Western Reserve in Ohio was at its height. Ox teams were then the principal motive power for heavy loads; and two and three yoke of oxen were attached to a large canvass covered wagon, labeled " Ohio," and accompanied by a one or two horse vehicle with the family. The emigrant family was generally well supplied with cooking utensils and provisions and camped out nights when distant from hotels. The distance occupied from forty to sixty days.
The " Old Black Tavern " through all its vicissitudes maintained a high reputation, and was not only the resting place of the weary traveller, but was the center of attraction for conviviality and social gatherings. It was the regular resort of local politicians to decide their miniature vic. tories, and to discuss events big with importance.
In those days it was customary for all men to drink in a social way. Spirituous liquors were regarded in the same light as tea and coffee are at the present day, and the rattling of the toddy-stick, and the hissing of the flipiron-a red hot poker-were heard in every public house. It was not uncommon, in calling upon divines of former days, to see the de- canter set upon the table, and be invited to take a social glass ; and the old fashioned punch bowl was in frequent use.
The "Berkshire House" was originally a small two story building. It was erected in the year 1815 by Colonel William Waterman and was designed as a stage tavern. Mr. Waterman owned and occupied the house for six years, and then disposed of the premises to George Whit. man, who added aboat twenty-five feet to the east end of the building.
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In a few years it again changed hands. Rufus Westcott became proprie- tor and with his son occupied it two years. They then leased it to Henry Jenks who kept it for two years. It was next carried on during the year 1828 by Nathaniel G. Waterman. In 1829 James Wilbur became pro- prietor and occupant. He greatly improved the premises by adding eight feet to the west end, putting on another story and raising the roof, add ing a dining room, piazza, and pillars, and repairing the outbuildings. While Colonel Waterman owned and kept the Berkshire House he be- came a large owner in the stage line, which eventually made three trips per week, and by which it was intended to convey passengers through between Albany and Boston in forty-eight hours. Many changes in ownership occurred up to the year 1825, about which time there was a revival of manufacturing enterprises ; and the natural increase of travel, the larger compensation for carrying the mail, and the awakened spirit of improvement, led to better facilities. Staging was evidently a profitable business. Colonel Waterman not only carried the mail, but he distrib- uted it also, although he was not the first postmaster.
The first post office in Adams was established at South Adams and it retained the name of the " Adams" post office long before the setting off of the town of North Adams from the mother town. South Adams, as is well known, took precedence, in the early years, of North Adams in busi ness and population. The communications by mail to persons in Adams were at first brought from Pittsfield by private hands. About the year 1814 the North Adams post office was established, and the first postmas- ter appointed was Nathaniel Putnam, grandson of the old hero Israel Putnam. Ilis office was kept in Mr. Putnam's law office in the upper story of Giles Tinker's yellow building. The gross receipts for postage for the first quarter were $1.50. Mr. Putnam's only inducement to take the office was the franking privilege which it conferred.
About the year 1815 the manufacture of hats had become well estab- lished in the town. Charles Peck and Henry Crittenden had commenced the business about the year 1804, in a building on Eagle street, and it was carried on quite extensively for several years, and the product re- tailed, furnished to order, or carried to Troy and Albany and sold to country merchants. Enoch Chase purchased the premises and succeeded to the business in the year 1816. He made hats to order for many years until the new inventions and cheaper methods of manufacturers in the large cities ruined his business. In olden times the common stiff felt hat -which, it may be supposed, succeeded the famous cocked-up hat of the Revolutionary era-was considered a stylish article of dress; while the high crowned all-fur beaver was, and lasted for many years as, a go-to- meeting article, the fashion not then changing like the moon. Next came the napped fur hat, with its broad brim and flat crown, followed by the high crown, with either narrow or wide brim, the sugar loaf shape, the half bell crown and full bell crown, with brim an inch and a half wide, and the double flaring bell crown with brim only one half inch wide. The
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silk plush hat was not introduced until a more recent period, and cloth and fur caps came later still. About 1812 or 1814 a style of hats for ladies was introduced, which were very becoming. They were of fur, black colored, with straight upright low crown and narrow brim just covering the head. while two or three black plumes bent over the crown. The making hats for the female portion of the community was usually done in private houses. Then came a moving shop from Troy for the sale of bonnets, and finally a millinery shop was opened in a small dwelling house on the south side of Main street, near the bridge. Here were fitted up some of the celebrated " Navarino bonnets," manufactured in the south part of the county, entirely of paper. of various colors. The finish was in imitation of the Leghorn hats, an article much worn at that time. The " Navarino bonnets" were first sold in New York and Boston as high as ten dollars apiece. but they had a brief run, as the first mist or dew took the " shine" off, and a shower wilted the whole gear.
But comparatively little attention was paid to dress or to the furnish- ing of dwelling houses. There were no mahogany tables, sofas, pianos, or Brussels carpets in those days. The matter of furnishing the "best great rooms" was a minor consideration, for generally one or two rooms constituted the whole premises. But in cases where a " great room " was set apart for company or festive occasions, the clean smooth floor was sprinkled with white sand, laid in spots, or regular or waved lines or crosses, or various shades or figures drawn with a broom. This formed the ornamental carpet for many years, and woe to the youngster, or care- less spouse, who with bare feet tracked the floor and erased or distorted a fancy figure. The musical instrument of every dwelling was the spin- ning wheel. and it produced all the yarn from which all the garments and bed clothing were woven in hand-looms. All houses had fire-places, stoves being almost entirely unknown. Home-made furniture accompa- nied the home-spun clothes, pine tables, benches, stools, splint chairs for beaux. wooden trays and trenchers, pewter plates and spoons, and the bright pewter basin of ample dimensions. The latter dish, filled with luscious milk and hasty pudding, was in many instances the depository of supper for the entire household, each one dipping in his spoon and all eating from the same dish. Bean porridge, being a " lawful tender," was served up in the same way and the dainty urchin who refused it went supperless to bed. Plain fare made sturdy men, and the war of 1812 found the citizens of Adams ready and willing to do their share.
On the 24th of July, 1812. it was voted in town meeting " that each soldier now detached from the town of Adams shall receive a sum in addi- tion to what they now receive from the national government, enough to raise their wages to $11.00 per month while in actual service, and should they die in action or otherwise the sun: shall be paid to their legal representa- tives." It was also voted "to choose a Committee of Public Safety and Correspondence, to consist of eleven, John Bucklin, John Waterman, Elisha Wells, Henry Wilmarth, Joseph Howland, Joel Richardson, John
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Brown, Charles Wells, Isaac Brown, Charles Walker and Joseph Wads- worth." This committee were directed to correspond with the committees appointed for the same purposes in the different towns in the common- wealth. On the 12th of Angust in the same year the town voted "to give a bounty of $15 to each soldier belonging to either the companies of militia in the town of Adams who shall volunteer their services as sol- diers at the present time, and who shall be actually embodied and serve according to the act of Congress, and shall likewise receive an honorable discharge from said service, shall be entitled to payment by an order on the treasurer of said town for their term of service."
It is not known how many men enlisted, but the quota of the town was evidently filled, as on the 14th of September, 1814, the town voted " to raise 8500 for the purpose of defraying the charges already accrued for furnishing our quota of troops detached, and procure our deficiency of camp equipage including tents and ammunition. Voted to choose a committee of five to draught resolutions expressive of our sentiments of our duty in relation to the present situation of our country, chose Arthur F. Field, Josiah Q. Robinson, Jeremiah Colegrove, jr., John Waterman, jr., Daniel B. Bush this committee. Voted to raise $400 for the purpose of making such soldiers' wages amount to $15 per month with what Gov- ernment pays, who is detached and personally served."
For several years prior to 1822 the proposal to build a town house for the purpose of holding town meetings occasioned a bitter controversy between the inhabitants of the villages of North and South Adams. For many years the town meetings had been held at private houses. On May 10th, 1784, the town voted to pay Joseph Sole " the sum of £3 for the use of his home in the time past in holding town meetings in it." In the . article calling a town meeting on the ninth of March, 1808 " to see if the town will raise money to build a town house, and take measures to carry it into effect." No action was taken, however, until March 16th, 1811, when Elisha Wells, John Waterman, John Brown, James Mason, and Jesse Whipple were chosen a committee " to take into consideration the propriety of building a House for the purpose of holding town meetings in, and to agree on the place where it shall stand, and to calculate the size and cost of the house, and report at the Representative meeting in May next." On the 6th of May the report of the committee, which fa- vored the building of the house, was not accepted. ' The war of 1812 diverted the attention of the town from the town house for several years, and it was not until April 1st, 1822, that the town " voted to build a town house," and to raise 8500 for that purpose. A long debate followed as to where the house should be located. A majority voted that it should be located at the " corner of Doctor Cummings' orchard," but the advocates of the site near the house of Abraham Howland succeeded in reversing this decision, and the meeting finally voted to leave the matter to a con- mittee of disinterested men living out of town. A building committee, consisting of Elisha Wells, Richmond Brown, and Elisha Kingsley, was
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then appointed, and the meeting adjourned. At the next meeting, Octo- ber 19th, 1822, there was another hitch, and the matter was postponed, and nothing came of it until the 2d of May, 1825, when William Water- man, Samuel Jenks, Samuel Bowen, Josiah Q. Robinson, and Elisha Kingsley were appointed a committee to report a plan and the probable expense. This committee reported a plan calling for a building 44 by 32, with a hall 16 by 8, at a probable expense of $500, on the 16th of May, 1825, and their report was accepted. This report occasioned a long and acrimonious debate, and so much ill feeling was stirred up, that the 24th of December, 1825, a committee who had been appointed to take into consideration the division of the town reported favorably, and the town voted in favor of division by a vote of 90 to 76, and it was voted to sus- pend the building of the town house until March, 1826. Better counsels prevailed, however, and on the 9th of January, 1826, the town voted not to divide by a vote of 158 against division and none in favor. The town house was built midway between North Adams and South Adams, on land of Abraham Howland, and the first town meeting was held in it on the 6th of November, 1826, to vote for a representative.
The growth of the town of Adams for the first fifty years after its in- corporation was exceedingly slow. The population in 1790 was 2.040 ; in 1800, 1,6SS : in 1810, 1,703 ; in 1820, 1,836 ; and in 1830, only 2,649. About the year 1825 manufacturing received a new impetus and a steady growth began which has continued with few interruptions ever since. In 1825 in North Adams two factories were built and in oper- ation, the "Old Brick." and the "Eagle Mill." There were also at that time two carding and clothing works, two grist mills, the saw mill. one oil mill, one machine shop, and one tannery. There were but two churches, five stores, two hotels, two blacksmith's shops, one wagon maker's shop, one tailor's shop, one milliner's shop, one cabinet shop, one harness shop, three shoemaker's shops, and but few other mechanics. Main, Eagle, and Center streets then comprised the whole village, and there were not more than fifty residences. Only two dwellings stood on Church Hill. Summer, Quincy, and Chestnut were pasturage and tillage land. River street was considered a waste and worthless tract. All east of Eagle street, excepting a small furnace, was a bush pasture for cows. with a most forbidding display of boulders and hillocks. The trade of the manufacturers and merchants was all with Troy and New York city. and the freighting was done by teams, of course. No bank existed in Adams, and financial facilities were sought at Pittsfield, Troy, or by an adventurous trip " over the mountain " to Greenfield. Dollars looke ] as large as sauce plates in those days, and ninepences were not so common a method of payment as hemlock boards, spruce shingles, and green wood. In South Adams at this time the roads to Cheshire were three ; one passed over Stafford's Hill. another by the Quaker meeting house, and the third over Fisk Hill. All freight transported to and from Albany was sent by the last mentioned route. The east road into the village ran past the
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watering trough and up Fisk Hill. There was no road corresponding to Commercial street, and the old Plunkett mill stood at the end of a road which now leads to Cheshire. The first mill in South Adams was a grist mill which stood nearly opposite the watering trough. The next mill was the old Plunkett mill. The stores were few and small. Mr. Sayles' store was one, and another stood on the site of the old Registry of Deeds, a third nearly opposite this store, and two others occupied the site of Collins' block. There were two hotels, one where the Greylock House now stands, and one on Park street. The churches were the Quaker meeting house and the old brick church. The old house where Governor Briggs was born was built in 1795, and was moved to make room for the Universalist church.
About this time the question of the carriage of freight from Boston to the West was the subject of earnest discussion. For some years prior to 1825 the project was seriously contemplated of running a canal through the county of Berkshire from Boston to the Hudson River. Nothing came of this plan until the 6th of July, 1825, when a party of gentlemen from various towns in the county met at the village of North Adams to consider it. The record made by William E. Brayton of the primary meetings of those concerned in the project is as follows : " At a meeting of a respectable number of gentlemen from various town in the county of Berkshire convened by public notice and holden at Adams, North Vil- lage, on the sixth of July, 1825, for the purpose of aiding the canal commis- sioners in making a survey for a canal from Boston to the Hudson River, Hon. Daniel Noble, Esq., was chosen chairman, and William E. Brayton, secretary. Voted-that a committee of five be appointed to view and ex- plore the land and streams, between the head of the north branch of the Hoosic and the northwest branch of the Deerfield and also the ponds in that vicinity with a view to ascertain whether in their opinion it is prac- ticable to make a canal over the Green mountain, whereupon the follow- ing gentlemen were chosen : Jeremiah Colegrove, William E. Brayton, William Waterman, Thomas A. Brayton and Benjamin Sibley.
"Voted-that said committee be requested to view the route as may be and report at the next meeting. Adjourned to the 13th inst., met according to adjournment and heard the report of the committee. Voted-that said report be forwarded to the canal commissioners. Voted-that the chairman and secretary together with J. Q. Rob- inson, Nathan Putnam and C. A. Drury be a committee of cor- respondence to communicate with the canal commissioners and others-adjourned to the 10th August, 1825." The report of the committee referred to was as follows: "The committee to whom was assigned the duty of exploring the land streams between the head of the north branch of the Hoosic and the northwest branch of the Deerfield and also the ponds in that vicinity with a view to ascertain whether in their opinion a canal could be made over the Green mountains, have at- tended to that duty and ask leave to report. That they consider the
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principal object would be to ascertain whether a sufficient quantity of water could be conducted to the summit level. With this view they commenced at the summit and leveled through to the branch of the Deerfield, being about one mile. They found that the water in said branch, below the outlets of several ponds in this vicinity, may be con- ducted to the summit level. The high ground at this place is a ridge of land about forty rods wide and appears to be free from stone. This probably may be lowered very considerably. It is now about 100 feet higher than Finney's flat so called which is a large tract of level land eighty rods north through which the Deerfield branch passes. There are several ponds from one to three miles distant whose banks are so situated that dams might be constructed at a moderate expense converting them into reservoirs, which ponds altogether would flow 100 or 150 acres with a head of twelve feet. The ground on the summit level is favorable for the construction of a reservoir. The Readsboro pond is also in the vicinity ; it is on high ground and supposed to cover 300 acres. It has an outlet on which are grist mills and saw mills. The committee, believing there is sufficient water exclusive of this pond, did not visit it. It is, however, the opinion of several gentlemen acquainted with the pond's adjacent ground that the outlet can be conducted to the summit level if necessary. The committee are therefore unanimons in the opinion that there is suf- ficient water to feed and support a canal through said route-all of which is submitted." The substance of this report was sent to Hon. Nathan Willis, Hon. Elihu Hoyt, and Hon. H. A. S. Dearborn, canal commis- sioners at Boston. But the first railroad in America, built in 1825, having been put into operation, and having proved a success, the canal project was abandoned, and the idea of tunnelling the mountain was conceived. But nothing further was done until a quarter of a century had elapsed.
In 1827 the question was agitated of establishing a newspaper press in the northern part of Berkshire county. The people of North Adams, South Adams, and Williamstown each wished it to be located among them. It was then considered "a prize," and there was much jealousy and strife fanned by jealous politicians between North and South Adams to see which should gain an advantage in this respect. The result was the establishment about the same time, of a press in each of the three places mentioned, when even one could not be permanently sustained, as it afterward proved, without much nursing.
The committee of North Adams to negotiate and procure the imme- diate establishment of a press, were William E. Brayton, Thomas Hig- ginbotham, and Caleb B. Turner. They went to Pittsfield, and it might be said with truth, they contracted with and brought back in one day the editor, journeyman, " devil," press, type, and fixtures. The whole con- cern was removed in a large sleigh, it being winter and fine sleighing. The removal took place so suddenly that the first news the Pittsfield sub- scribers had of it was through the columns of the paper. It was called the Berkshire American, the first number being dated February 23d,
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1827, published by sa Green, terms $2.00 and $2.50 per annum. The paper was of coarse quality, the sheet only 29 by 20 inches, the type large, and only five columns on a page. The editor, Dr. Green, was a ready writer, deservedly popular, well educated, and having both tact and talent. His articles were racy and ingenious, and of good moral tone. The paper reached a circulation of about 400. It was neutral in politics, and proved an unfortunate undertaking pecuniarily. It lived only two years and the entire capital invested in it was sunk.
There was little speculative movement in real estate in Adams until after the war of the Rebellion, as the following incident will show. In 1828 John Waterman, a man highly esteemed as a neighbor, as well as for his sound practical judgment, was the owner of a large farm in North Adams, five minutes' walk from Main street, known as the Whitman farm, including about 250 acres. At the same time, Giles Tinker, who then owned and operated the Phoenix Factory, and George Whitman, who owned the saw mill opposite, in order to obtain more water power, com- menced raising the dam and caused the water to "set back " still more upon the Waterman flats. This land, being already filled to overflowing with water, the new movement did not contribute very much in the own . er's opinion, to the growth of anything except rushes and bull frogs. Therefore Mr. Waterman sued Tinker and Whitman for raising their dam. While this suit was pending, a settlement was brought about, and Messrs. Tinker and Whitman, in order to maintain their dam, purchased the entire property for 86,000, then considered to be its full value.
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