USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of its prominent men, Volume I pt 2 > Part 17
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In 1830 the population of the town was 2,649, of which about 1,100 were in North Adams, and the remainder were in South Adams. The number of dwelling houses in North Adams all told was eighty-seven, occupied by 105 families. At this time the only road to the " Union " in North Adams was the old " Clay Bank " road to Parker's mill on the site of which was built the old Slater mill, and where now stands the boiler house of the Eclipse Mill. Union street was laid out in 1832, and was afterward continued to the "Beaver" and Clarksburg. Pre- vious to 1826, when Artemas Crittenden and Salmon Burlingame built a small mill on the site of the Ingalls & Tyler mill, now remodeled and used for a school house there was not a building in the " Union " proper. It was a stony brush pasture. The district embracing all east of Eagle street and north of Academy Hill in 1860 contained 150 dwellings, 63 more than the entire village contained in 1829. It then had one large print works, two large woolen mills, one cotton mill, three saw mills, one tan- nery, one brick yard, one marble quarry, with stone sawing shops run by water power ; two planing and one box making establishments, two car- penter shops, three blacksmith's shops, three shoemaker's shops, three stores, and three school houses.
River street, including the Johnson Manufacturing Company's ground, was laid out in 1832. The first buildings erected were the stone factory and dwelling of Richmond & Hall, now owned by the Freeman Manu-
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facturing Company. There were on this street in 1860, fifty-six dwellings, one school house, two stores, one grocery, two cotton mills, one grist mill, and one cotton warp factory.
'State street was laid out in 1833. The first house was built by Ralph Brown, in that year. The street in 1860 contained sixteen dwellings, one grocery, one blacksmith shop, one wagon shop, one carpenter's shop, one school house, and one handsome church, the Universalist, erected in 1851.
Summer street was laid out in 1834. Most of the land belonged to the estate of the late Giles Tinker, and had been used for farming pur- poses. The first lots sold contained one quarter of an acre each, and the price was $150 to $200. Levi W. Stearns erected the first house in 1835. The same one twice remodeled is now owned and occupied by E. R. Tin- ker. George Whipple erected the second house. All the lots were occu- pied in 1860. There were then eighteen dwelling houses, two carpenter shops, and one church, the Episcopal, a neat edifice erected in 185S.
Quincy street was laid out in 1842. The land belonged to Captain E. Richmond. The first lots were of one quarter of an acre each and sold at $125 to $150. George Millard built the first house, in 1842. The same one greatly enlarged and improved is now owned and occupied by Wil- liam Burton. This street, in 1860, contained fourteen dwellings with level pleasant ground.
Holden street was laid out in 1844. the land formerly belonging to the estate of the late Caleb B. Turner. The portion lying north of Center street was purchased by Dr. E. S. Hawkes and John Holden in 1842. Lots of one quarter of an acre each at first sold for 8150. Mrs. William Mitchell built the first house in 1843. All the lots were occupied in 1860 with twenty-nine good dwellings and one millinery shop.
Chestnut street was laid out in 1849. The land belonged to G. W. Bradford. Lots of one quarter acre have sold at $200 to $300. The first house erected was in 1859, by Mr. James Crandall. There were in 1860 nine dwellings and one brick school house on this street.
Ashland street, running from Summer south to Quincy, contained in the same year seven dwellings ; and Bank street, running from Main south to Summer street, contained two dwellings and one paint shop.
Main street in the same year contained forty-four dwellings, thirty- seven stores, groceries, etc., post office, hotel, two printing offices, two express offices, three law offices, and some fifteen other offices, medical, dental, barber shops, millinery rooms, etc .; also two churches, one bank building, one public hall, engine house, armory, one cotton mill, two fur- naces, one machine shop, one shoe manufactory, one harness shop, two meat markets, two news depots, three book stores.
Eagle street also contained forty-five dwellings, nine stores and gro- ceries, one bakery, three shoe manufactories, one cabinet shop, one blacksmith shop, two tin and stove warehouses, one paint shop, and one millinery shop.
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HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
The "Wesleyan district," lying east of Eagle street and north of Eagle bridge, contained twenty-three dwellings.
Pearl street contained ten dwellings and three or four groceries. It was the "Five Points" of North Adams, and anything but a pearl in the diadem of village character.
Center street, probably laid out in 1817, contained twenty seven dwellings, one church (the Roman Catholic, formerly Methodist, also Universalist), one school house, one millinery shop, one candle factory, and a lock-up.
Marshall street contained sixteen dwellings, one shoe shop, and an antiquated factory building, the " Old Brick."
Church street, from Eagle to the David Richmond place, contained thirty nine dwellings, one church (the Methodist Episcopal, erected in 1844, enlarged in 1858), one cabinet shop, and two physicians' offices.
Furnace street, and the old road adjacent, contained nine dwellings and one blast furnace.
The Brooklyn district and Liberty street contained thirty-two dwel- lings, one soap factory, one turning shop, one pump and lead pipe shop.
At Orson Wells' place near Braytonville there were five dwellings, an acid works, a saw mill. and a school house.
At Braytonville there were sixteen dwellings, one cotton factory, and one store.
At Blackinton there were two large mills for the manufacture of woolen and cassimere cloths, one machine shop for repairs, one storehouse, one gas house, one store, one post office, one carpenter's shop, one black- smith shop, one school house. The number of dwellings in Blackinton then within the limits of Adams was twenty-seven, over the Williamstown line forty-one, total sixty eight. At Greylock there were thirteen dwel- lings and the cotton mill.
Recapitulation .- North Adams in 1860. Main street, 44 dwellings; Eagle, 45; Center, 27; Church, 39; River, including Johnson's, 56; State, 16; Union, Beaver, etc., 150; Summer, 18; Quincy, 14; Holden, 29; Mar- shall, 16; Furnace, 9; Pearl, 10; Bank, 2; Chestnut, 10; Ashland, 7; Wesleyan district, 23; Brooklyn district, 32; O. Wells place, 5; Brayton- ville, 21; Greylock, 13; Blackinton, 68. Total, 654.
This village proper, without the Union, Beaver, Braytonville, Grey- lock or Blackinton, contained about 400 dwellings and at least 4,000 in- habitants. In 1830, as stated above, the village contained 83 dwellings and about 1,100 inhabitants. In 1830 there were 15 factories in the whole town of Adams, 12 of them being cotton and three of them being woolen factories. Of the cotton mills two were not doing much, two made yarn; the eight which made cloth contained 164 power looms and 5,079 spin- dles. These manufactured annually 1,065,000 yards of sheetings and shirtings of course fabric. This was slower work than making print goods and, besides, the motion of the loom did not exceed ninety throws
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of the shuttle per minute, while as now accelerated the average number of throws per minute is 120 to 145. To exhibit the contrast more clearly it may be stated that Messrs. Arnold & Ray, in the Phoenix Mill, in 1860, with 92 looms, manufactured 93,333 yards more of cloth than 164 looms in eight mills manufactured in 1830.
Of woolen establishments in 1830 there were three: Wells, Blackin- ton & White, had nine looms. and manufactured 52,000 yards of sati- nets annually; David Estes & Son, with seven looms, made 20,000 yards; Ingalls, Wells & Burke, with six looms, made 30,000 yards.
The first bank was incorporated in 1832. It was styled the Adams National Bank. Its original capital was $100,000 ; the amount has been increased three times and it is now $500,000. The first banking rooms were located in the brick house of W. E. Brayton (now Hastings' store); the next place occupied was the Kimball house, corner of Main and Bank streets ; and finally in 1847 the old Savings Bank building was erected, under Mr. Brayton's supervision. In 1858 the interior of this building was improved and rendered more convenient for the enlarged business of the bank. This building was occupied by the bank until 1870 when the present Bank building was erected, at a cost of over $50,000. The presi- dents of the bank have been as follows: 1, Caleb B. Turner, 1832, manu . facturer ; 2, Nathan Drury, 1837. He was the wealthiest man in Florida, sometimes called the " King" of that town, and founder of Drury Acad- emy in this village. 3, Daniel Smith, 1839. He was the wealthiest man . in South Adams, and perhaps then the wealthiest in town. 4, Duty S. Tyler, 1842, a man of enterprise and sagacity as a manufacturer. 5, Wil- liam E. Brayton, 1857. 6, Sanford Blackinton, who was one of the first board of directors, and who is 'the only one of that board now living. Senator Henry L. Dawes was at one time a director. The cashiers have been as follows: 1, William E. Brayton, 1832; 2, Charles R. Littlefield, 1857; 3, Samnel C. Woodward, 1859 ; 4, E. S. Wilkinson began in 1863 and has continued until the present time. The bank was made a national bank in 1865.
In 1832 the first board of health was appointed by the town. It con- sisted of Josiah Q. Robinson, Isaac Hodges, George Hill, Nathan Put- nam, Jabez Hall, David Anthony, Fuellmer Babbitt, Robert M. Briggs, and Daniel Jenks.
That portion of North Adams lying north of River street. and known as "Brooklyn," was, until about 1833, a dense forest of valuable pine and oak timber, being a reserved lot of about seventy acres, retained by the heirs of the original owner, Elisha Brown, of North Providence, R. I. It was all the pine lot left in this section. About the year mentioned, Joel P. Cady, a man of shrewd judgment, purchased, in connection with his brother, the entire seventy acres of valuable timber land, for the low price of $2,000. Mr. Cady eventually became sole owner, cut and sawed the lumber, and sold the same-a portion of it for building shafts, etc ..
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HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
of water wheels. About 1846 Mr. Cady began to sell building lots, at $50 to $100 or more per acre. Messrs. Leonard erected the first house and also a turning shop. Liberty street was laid out about the year 1853. A portion of the land where this street runs was sold to a Mr. Meyers for $42 per acre. This section afforded excellent building sites, as it was high and dry and overlooked the village. The district known as " Brook- lyn " in 1860 contained about thirty two dwellings, one machine shop, one wood turning shop, one soap and candle factory, one pump and lead pipe factory.
CHAPTER XXV.
ADAMS AND NORTH ADAMS (continued).
Newspapers .- Hotels .- Pittsfield & North Adams Railroad .- Berkshire and California Mining Company .- Troy & Greenfield Railroad .- The Hoosac Tunnel .-- Police Court,-Gas and Water .--- Flood of 1869 .- Militia Company .- Incorporation of the Town of North Adams and First Town Meeting .- Berkshire National Bank .- Boston, Hoosac Tunnel, & Western Railroad .- Sewers in North Adams .- North Adams Club .- North Adams. Town Hall .- Hospital .- Public Library .- Building in North Adams. -- William C. Plun- kett .- Growth of North Adams.
NEWSPAPERS.
T THE Berkshire American has already been mentioned.
In May, 1828, the Socialist was commenced by Asa Green. It in- cluded the miscellaneous reading matter of the American on a much smaller sheet. without advertisements. Terms $1.00 per annum. It evinced good literary taste and a humorous style of composition by the editor. It had only one hundred subscribers and was starved out with the American in 1829.
The Berkshire American (No. 2) was commenced in 1830 by Atwell & Turner. They introduced a very respectable sheet for those days, with the same old Ramage press, and a few additions to the type. This paper was issued for about two years with 500 subscribers. Heman At- well. the editor, was an industrious, practical man, but had a heavy load to carry in " slow pay " patrons and a shiftless partner. He relinquished the enterprise having had a severe experience-" worked for nothing and found himself."
The Adams Gazette and Farmers' and Mechanics' Journal, a neutral sheet, was issued about 1832, by William M. Mitchell, who had acquired a knowledge of the printing business in Greenfield and Northampton, and possessed good abilities as a writer. This paper had about 450 sub- scribers, and for eighteen months the publisher managed to keep it alive, by arduous toil and self-sacrifice. He had purchased the type and press of the American, and the location of his office was in the old yellow building on Main street, whence all the previous newspapers had been issued.
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HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
The Berkshire Advocate was started in 1833 as a whig paper, by the aid of some enterprising citizens, Alexander H. Wells, editor. A new press and modern styles of type had been procured, and the paper pre- sented a handsome appearance. It had 400 subscribers and lived one year. Mr. Wells, was a bold, vehement, and sarcastic writer, and after emigrating to the State of New York, he ent quite a figure in politics.
The Greylock Mirror, a semi-monthly paper, in quarto form, was the next candidate for public support. It was printed and published by W. M. Mitchell, John Holden proprietor, for six months, commencing June. 1836, and had about 400 subscribers. It contained interesting stories, anecdotes, and poetry, a variety of general news, about one column of local matter and two columns of advertisements. Among the familiar names of some old residents that were found in the advertisements were W. P. Brayton. Alpheus Smith, E. D. Whitaker, Dr. H. P. Phillips, Joel Bacon. F. O. Sayles was the agent for the Mirror at South Adams. For seven years after the Mirror was broken up, no person had the courage to start another newspaper here. The dignity of the editorial chair was not sufficient to offset the certainty of " hard work and poor pay." The early newspapers had enjoyed but little advertising and their job print- ing was very limited, as were their facilities for executing it. The times were not ripe nor the population large enough to support a journal.
The Weekly Transcript, a whig paper, was commenced September 7th, 1843, by John R. Briggs, with 600 subscribers. In April, 1844, he associated with him Henry Chickering, and in the following December Mr. Briggs retired from the concern, leaving Mr. Chickering sole propri- etor. For several years Hon. H. L. Dawes had charge of the editorial department. In 1853, Mr. Chickering having been elected a member of the Executive Council, and requiring a resident partner, he received H. A. Marsh (now of the Amherst Express). In 1855 Mr. Marsh retired, and James B. Davis became a partner with Mr. Chickering. In January, 1856, the entire Transcript establishment was sold to William S. Burton and Robert Winton. Mr. Burton was owner of the Free American, and the two concerns were united. Mr. Winton had been foreman and as- sistant editor of the Transcript for about a year previous. The copart nership of Burton & Winton was dissolved in October, 1856, and Mr. Burton continued the paper as sole proprietor until July, 1857, when he sold it to W. S. George, by whom it was published regularly, excepting for five weeks subsequent to the fire which consumed his office in Octo- ber, 1857, until November, 1866. The paper was recommenced under the title of Adams Transcript and has since been published by Hon. James T. Robinson & Son. The Transcript was started as a political paper, and throughout all its change of publishers and editors, it ably and firmly maintained the principles of the whig party, so long as that organization lasted. It has always been an indefatigable advocate of temperance, good order, wholesome reform, village improvements, and the business
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interests of the town and vicinity. It was one of the earliest journals to espouse the republican cause after the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and has labored zealously to promote the success of the party of freedom and progress. It has been continued so long here on the same platform, under the able management of Hon. James T. Robinson and his son, Arthur Robinson, as to have become an institution. The title was changed to the North Adams Transcript after North Adams was incor porated as a separate town ; it has been twice enlarged and is now a model weekly paper.
The Greylock Sentinel was commenced as a free soil paper February 15th, 1851, A. J. Aiken, editor. Hon. James T. Robinson was a frequent contributor to its columns. The Sentinel raised loud alarms and fired sharp volleys. It was in fact a vigorous, thorough going advocate of freedom. After one year Mr. Aiken was succeeded as editor and publisher by Aloin D. Brock. In the autumn of 1854 its name was changed to the Free American, and it advocated the principles of Know-Nothingism un- til the summer of 1855. Upon the nomination of Hon. Julius Rockwell for governor, the Free American supported him, to the great disappoint- ment of Governor Gardner's friends. About the same time it was pur- chased by William S. Burton, a school teacher. After three or four months the Free American and Transcript were consolidated as above stated.
The Hoosac Valley News was commenced as a neutral paper by Messrs. J. P. Clark and W. H. Phillips, in August, 1857. They had carried on a job printing office for about six months previous. In the spring of 1858 a new press was purchased and the paper was enlarged. In 1859 H. L. Phillips became a partner in the establishment, and the firm was entitled W. H. Phillips & Co. About the first of January, 1860, Mr. Clark sold his interest to the other partners and removed to South Adams to act as printer of the Berkshire Post. Mr. Phillips afterward sold out his interest to James C. Angell, who published it alone and with various partners until 1883 when H. T. Oatman & Bro. succeeded him. The pa- per is now published by Hardman & McMillan.
In the year 1835 the old " Black Tavern" having become too small, inconvenient, and dilapidated for the public necessities, and the increas- ing business of its popular landlord, Alpheus Smith, he, in connection with O. C. Smith and Walter Laflin, purchased the private residence of Jeremiah Colegrove, on Main street, afterward known as Thayer's build- ing, and added twenty-one feet front of brick, three stories high, raising the roof of the rear part to correspond and completing the whole in good shape for a hotel, with piazzas to each story, eight feet in width. The new hotel was opened in 1836 and kept by A. & O. C. Smith. A few years later, Alphens Smith purchased the interest of O. C. Smith, and kept the hotel until 1847. Alpheus Smith well deserved the name of a model landlord, for he was prompt, accommodating, and courteous, in fine, a perfect gentleman of the old school. The hotel changed hands
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several times after Mr. Smith sold out. Arthur F. Wilmarth leased the premises and kept the house in 1848. William R. Snow succeeded Mr. Wilmarth as lessee, and kept the house during the years 1850 and 1851, when he retired to accept from President Pierce the post of steward of the White House.
The Berkshire House was rented in 1850 and 1851 by Phineas Cone, who left it in 1852, and leased the North Adams Hotel, which he kept for three years as the only hotel in North Adams, the Berkshire House hav- ing been closed in 1852. In 1856 the North Adams Hotel was sold to Shepherd Thayer and Edwin Thayer and was afterward used for stores and offices. R. D. Hicks, the last lessee of the North Adams Hotel, purchased and reopened the Berkshire House, which became in its turn the sole hotel in North Adams.
The completion of the Boston & Albany Railroad in 1843 suggested the idea of building a railroad from North Adams to Pittsfield. The entire mercantile trade of North Adams was with Troy instead of Bos- ton. Then, as now, short distances and facility of intercourse, not State boundary lines, controlled the current of business. By the opening of the Boston & Albany Railroad North Adams was only twenty miles dis- tant from Pittsfield, a station on that thoroughfare, and for the first time a feasible route was offered to the merchants and manufacturers of Adams to avail themselves of the Boston market. This new channel of communication was of vital importance to the interests of the town and vicinity, more especially as regarded the heavy freights of manufacturers, who labored under disadvantages in this respect as compared with those in other sections of the country nearer to tide water. The attention of the Boston & Albany Company was directed to the importance of secur- ing all the freight and passenger travel from Northern Berkshire, and it was evident from a casual survey of the line, and estimates of the probable business to be done, that the route was not only feasible, but would be eventually profitable as a feeder to the main track.
In 1845 a committee, consisting of several prominent citizens, was ap- pointed to confer with the directors of the Boston & Albany Railroad Company as to the advantages of an immediate construction of a branch road between North Adams and Pittsfield. After two preliminary meet- ings the above directors estimated the cost of constructing and equipping the road at $400,000, and inquired if the citizens of Adams would sub- scribe for $100,000 of the stock in it. Notwithstanding very few of the merchants and mechanics of the place felt really able to subscribe, yet by active effort about $90,000 was secured. While the matter was pending several meetings were held of the different committees appointed to ne- gotiate in behalf of the town with the Boston & Albany Railroad direc- tors. The latter body finally referred the whole matter to the president of the road, George Bliss. Josiah Quincy, jr., and William Jackson. They met in Boston on the 3d of July to consider the subject and de- clined to undertake the enterprise. Mr. J. E. Marshall, being one of the
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most earnest and efficient laborers for the new road, learned this adverse decision by calling upon the directors while they were in session. At a later period, upon further consultations with a committee from this town, the directors entered into an agreement which resulted in furnish- ing this new avenue for travel and traffic. It was as follows. The cost of constructing and equipping the road was estimated at 8400,000 (it actu- ally cost $450,000). The citizens of Adams were to subscribe and pay over at an early date the sum of $31,000 cash. as a pledge or guarantee fund. The Boston & Albany Railroad Company, on the other hand, were to build, equip, and put in operation the entire line between North Adams and Pittsfield as soon as possible. If, during the first ten years, the road should pay a dividend of six per cent., the surplus was to ac- crue to the contributors of the $31,000. The Boston & Albany Railroad Company at the same time guaranteed dividends of six per cent. per annum to the subscribers for stock, with the privilege at the end of thirty years, of paying but five per cent., or of reimbursing the stockholders at par at the option of the company.
The following gentlemen were members of the various committees appointed by the citizens of Adams to effect this arrangement, viz .: James E. Marshall, W. E. Brayton, W. C. Plunkett, Stephen B. Brown, Harvey Arnold, and Sanford Blackinton. There were perhaps other names, but they cannot now be ascertained.
The subscribers to the guarantee fund were : James E. Marshall, $6,000; S. Blackinton, 83,000; Rice, Bly & Co., $1,500; Ingalls & Tyler, $3,000; W. C. Plunkett, $1,000; George Millard, $500; Isaac Hodges, $300 ; Pollock & Hathaway, $300; Brown, Harris & Co., $5,000: W. E. Brayton, $2,500: O. Arnold & Co., $2,500; Arnold & Jackson, $1,000; T. A. Brayton, $800; E. S. Hawks, 8500; Alpheus Smith, 8300; others in sums of $100 to $300 amounting to $2,800; total, 831,000.
It will be noted that this amount was subscribed by a few public spirited individuals most of them residents of the north part of the town. The construction of the Pittsfield & North, Adams Railroad was com- menced in January, 1846, and completed in October, 1846. The first train of cars was run from here to the agricultural fair at Pittsfield. This was a day of general rejoicing, and probably at no previous time since the settlement of the Hoosac Valley was there ever congregated such a mul- titude eager to witness the performances of the "iron horse," and enjoy a ride through his instrumentality. To accommodate the masses all the available cars, including many open freight cars rigged with benches, were sent up by the Boston & Albany Railroad Company, and the trip passed off pleasantly and without accident. The consummation of the enterprise was worth all it cost the town, in arduous effort and money contributions. It gave the manufacturing establishments-cotton, wool- en, iron, and marble - the benefit of competition in freight and enhanced the general prosperity of all classes, and the valuation of the town three- fold.
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