USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of its prominent men, Volume II pt 1 > Part 19
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146
HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
For nearly sixty years the educational privileges of the town were limited to the common district schools. The first movement in the direc- tion of higher education was made by Mr. Alexander Hyde, son of Dr. Hyde, who opened a private school in 1835, shortly after his graduation from college. This school, afterward transformed into a boarding school for boys, but to which day pupils from town were admitted, was main- tained in the Hyde parsonage for more than thirty years, to the great ad- vantage and credit of the town. In addition to the care of his own school Mr. Hyde devoted much attention to the public schools of the town, and did much to increase their efficiency. A boarding school for young ladies was established and successfully maintained for a number of years by Miss Lydia Barlow. afterward Mrs. S. S. Rogers, in the house now occu- pied by Mr. Frank S. Gross, which was built for the purpose.
In the conviction that still ampler advantages were demanded for the youth of the town. in 1837, was organized the Lee Academy. The build- ing now occupied by the high and grammar schools was erected for its accommodation, by a stock company formed for the purpose. The first principal was Mr. Israel W. Andrews, now Rev. Dr. Andrews, president of Marietta College. The academy was maintained with a good degree of success until 1851, when it was merged into the high school then estab- lished. The high school has had five principals. Those who have longest served in that capacity are Ephraim Flint, jr., afterward Rev. Dr. Flint, for many years the pastor of the Congregational church in Hinsdale, who was principal from 1856 to 1862, and Mr. Abner Rice, the present head of of the school, who has served with great success since 1862. The school has always had a high reputation among schools of its class as giving a superior preparation both for college and for practical life. The average attendance is about 75. A branch high school is also maintained a por- tion of the year at South Lee. The fortieth anniversary of the united academy and high school was observed in connection with the Centennial of the town, in 1877. The occasion was one of much interest, a large number of the former pupils of the two schools being present. An his- torical address was delivered by Professor E. HI. Barlow, of La Fayette College, and a poem by Mrs. M. M. Frissell, of Kingston, N. Y.
In 1876 the educational advantages of the town were still further in- creased by the establishment of a grammar school for the benefit of pu- . pils not able to avail themselves of the opportunities of the high school. It has an attendance of nearly 100.
The predominantly business character of the town has had the ten- dency to direct the ambition of its young men, as a rule, toward a busi. ness rather than toward a professional career. The paper trade, espe- cially, has drawn to itself very many of the most enterprising spirits, whose success has justified the wisdom of their choice of occupation. The town has, however, sent a goodly number of its sous to college ; as nearly as can be ascertained between fifty and sixty in all, abont forty
147
TOWN OF LEE.
being graduates of Williams College, to which the people of Lee have always been very loyal. Among the more prominent names in the town's list of college graduates may be mentioned Hon. William Hyde. of Ware; Alexander Hyde, Esq., of Lee; Hon. Addison HI. Laffin. mem- ber of Congress from New York ; Rev. Edward Taylor, D. D., of Bing. hamton, N. Y .: Professor William Porter, of Beloit College : Rev. Ed- ward P. Ingersoll, D. D., of Brooklyn. N. Y .: Professor John E. Brad ley, principal of the Albany High school, and Professor Elisha H. Bar- low, of La Fayette College. Several natives of the town, who have not had the advantages of a liberal education, have also distinguished them selves in professional life, notably three sons of Gen. Joseph Whiton, " of South Lee, all of whom attained to judgeships, and one, Edward V. Whiton, becoming chief justice of Wisconsin. Hon. Franklin Cham- berlain, of Hartford. Conn., though not a native of the town, was identi fied with it in early life, and began here the practice of his profession.
By its natural water power Lee was predestined to be mainly a man- ufacturing town. The first enterprises of this kind, as in all pioneer communities, were saw and grist mills. The saw mills were very numer- ous and lumber was the principal article of export to other places. It was transported by horse power as far as Hudson, and there shipped to New York and other cities. Under the impulse of the war of 1812 the manufacture of woolen goods was started in small factories, one on the outlet of Laurel Lake, owned by Ball, Bassett & Co., and another at South Lee. The manufacture of cotton duck was established at about the same time by Foote & Hinman, all the work, however. being done by hand. In 1817 the manufacture of gunpowder was begun by Latlin. Loomis & Co., near the Center, and shortly afterward at South Lee, by Captain Abijah Merrill, on what is known as Powder-mill Brook. Though a profitable business, the repeated explosions of the mills, with attendant loss of life, led to its discontinuance. Among other enterprises in the earlier history of the town were turning shops, of which, in 1828, there were four large ones in operation. The manufacture of Navarino bon- nets and of chair stuff was also at one time carried on extensively. A pottery was maintained for some years in connection with the clay de. posit of South Lee, and there were several iron furnaces in different parts of the town. In 1820 the Hulbert brothers, Samuel A. and Amos G., be- gan the manufacture of carriages and sleighs at the north part of the vil- lage, and built up a large business. Their carriages had a high reputa- tion and were sold extensively in all the large cities, and in some cases exported to foreign countries. The building of the Housatonic Railroad. the route of which ran directly through their shops, compelled the dis-
* Gen. Joseph Whiton. a native of Middletown, Conn., settled in Lee soon after the Rev- olution. He entered the army at the age of 16 and rose to the rank of major-general. He had three sons. Joseph Lucas and David Garfield settled in Lorgine county, Ohio. The former was several times a member of the Legislature. Edward Vernon died while chief justice of Wisconsin.
148
HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
continuance of the business. The Hulbert brothers were both men of mark ; Samuel A., especially, is regarded as one of the most powerful men in the history of the town. He was for many years a deacon in the Congregational church, held many political offices, and was a leader in every enterprise connected with the welfare of the town.
In 1828 Beach & Royce began the manufacture of carding machines and other machinery on the spot now occupied by Tanner's machine shop. They also built, a few years later, 1832, the stone mill now owned by George M. Bostwick. for the manufacture of cotton cloth, afterward grain bags, and at last transforming it into a pulp mill.
But the industry destined to surpass all others, and almost to monop olize the resources of the town, was the manufacture of paper. It was begun in 1806, by Samuel Church of East Hartford. Conn., at South Lee, where the large paper mill of the Hurlbut Paper Company now stands. The work was all done by hand, the rags being pounded into pulp in mortars. It took twenty mortars to reduce 100 pounds of rags to pulp in one day. Mr. Church afterward built another mill where the Eagle mill of the Smith Paper Company now stands. From as small beginning the busi. ness spread into all parts of the town, until, in 1877, there were no less than twenty-five mills in town, with an annual production of $2.000.000. Until the establishment of Holyoke, Lee was the leading town in the country for the manufacture of paper and is now surpassed only by that city, Philadelphia, and Appleton, Wis. The number of mills is now less than formerly, but through the improvements in machinery the produc. tion is greater than ever. The firms most prominently identified with the manufacture in former years, some of them being still in the business. were Brown & Curtis, J. & L. Church, Owen & Hurlbut. Laflin Bros .. Platner & Smith, Benton & Garfield. Chaffee & Hamblin. May & Rogers. Whyte & Hulbert, Blauvelt & Gillmour. Platuer & Smith were for years the largest papermakers in the country. They also carried on the busi- ness of woolen manufacture, but not so successfully. The present Smith Paper Company is the successor of this firm, Hon. Ehzur Smith of the former company being founder of the latter, having associated with him his nephews, Wellington and De Witt S. Smith. He has been successfully identified with the business interests of the town for more than fifty years. Platner & Smith have the credit of first bringing wood pulp into practical use in the manufacture of paper. Hon. Harrison Garfield, who began business in 1836, is the oldest manufacturer of fine papers in the country, now in active business. The business of Owen & Hurlbut, of South Lee, is continued by the sons of the latter, under the name of the Hurlbut Paper Company. E. S. & S. S. May have been identified with the business since 1840. The paper mills are all owned in town, and have escaped reverses in an unusual degree. There are at present, 1855, ten firms engaged in the manufacture of paper, the leading facts of whose business are as follows :
›
ESTABLISHED 1822.
HURLBUT PAPER CO., SOUTH LEE.
140
TOWN OF LEE.
Firms.
No. of Mills.
Kind of Paper.
Daily Product.
No. of Employes.
P. C. Baird
3
1000
35
Benton Bros
1
Collar, Chromo-plate, Bristol-Board. Writing
1500
30
Harrison Garfield
1
Writing
1000
20
MeAlpine Bros. & Co.
1
Book and News
E. S. & S. S. May.
2
Bond, Writing. Chromo-plate.
2500
50
Smith Paper Co
4
Book. News, Manilla,
50000
300
Smith Paper Co
1
Manilla
7000
30
John Verran.
1
Ledger, Writing
Huilbut Paper Co.
1
Bond. Writing.
175
--
Total
18
89000
720
lbs.
Decker & Sabin
1
Book
20
Pulp
Tanner & Faxon
1
The other manufacturing enterprises of the town are mostly auxiliary to the paper business Among them are two machine shops for the man- ufacture of paper machinery, one owned by E. P. Tanner, whose pro- duction in prosperous times is upwards of $100,000 annually, and the other by John MeLaughlin, who does a smaller but profitable business. Couch & Oakley manufacture water wheels and other wooden machin- ery at East Lee to the amount of from $10, 000 to $15,000 per year. John Dowd, also at East Lee, manufactures engine knives, to the value of $20,000 and upwards. George M. Bostwick has a small factory for the manufacture of flocks. Bricks are made quite extensively at South Lee by C. C. Ball, and David Dresser and T. L. Foote do considerable busi- ness at their grain mills.
By far the most important natural product of Lee is marble, the quantity of which is inexhaustible. The Lee marble, though not fine of grain, is so hard as to adapt it admirably to building purposes. It will sustain a pressure of 26.000 pounds to the square inch, while ordinary marbles crush at 12,000 or 13,000. This marble first came into public no. tice on the opening of the Ilonsatonic Railroad in 1850. After the se- verest possible tests, both mechanical and chemical, it was decided by a government commission to be the best marble known for building pur- poses, and was therefore selected for the enlargement of the Capitol in Washington. Mr. Charles Heebner, the first owner of the principal quarry, contracted with the government to furnish half a million cubic feet for that purpose, a contract which it took twelve years to fulfil. A similar contract running through ten years, was made by the present owner. Mr. Frank S. Gross, to supply marble for the new City Hall in Philadelphia. That contract is completed, about 700,000 cubic feet hav. ing been furnished. Mr. Gross also supplied the marble for the enlarge- ment of Girard College, and for other edifices in various cities. He uses a large number of channeling machines, each one of which will do the work of twenty men, and avails himself of all the modern improvements for the most successful prosecution of the work. The blocks of marble
150
HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
are lifted from the quarry, by steam power, directly upon the cars, a branch track having been built for that purpose from the Housatonic Railroad. Mr. Gross now has a contract with the government to furnish several thousand marble gravestones for the national cemeteries. There is operated in connection with the quarry an establishment for sawing marble into slabs and sills for building and other purposes. Mr. Gross employs about 100 men, and the business has been a profitable one to himself, while it has contributed much to the prosperity of the town. A large lime kiln, managed by Mr. Jolin Stallman, is also ran in connection with the quarry, the product of which is about 100 bushels a day, which finds a ready sale in the paper mills of the town.
Another quarry, operated on a smaller scale, and without steam power, is owned by Mr. Warren W. Wilde. He supplied a large part of the marble for the new Roman Catholic cathedral in New York city.
The first merchant of Lee was Nathan Dillingham, who kept a small store in one of the rooms of the Red Lion Tavern. The trade was at first mostly by barter. He afterward associated with him Cornelius T. Fes- senden, and the firm of Dillingham & Fessenden continued in business un- til 1812. Their store stood opposite the present residence of W. J. Bart- lett. . About the close of the century another store was opened, on Howk's Hill, by John Howk, in connection with a Mr. Hall, and another on the site of the residence of De Witt S. Smith, by Ebenezer Jenkins, who had moved into the Center from Dodgetown. Mr. Jenkins was succeeded by John B. Perry, who continued in trade until his death, in 1843. Mr. William Taylor began business in 1837, and continuel it at the same stand, now occupied by Barnes & Bassett. until his death, in 1878. He was the most permanent, and. on the whole the most successful merchant in the history of the town. Mr. Edward Bosworth was a prominent mer- chant. either alone or with partners, for thirty years, until his death. in 1883. Other individuals and firms prominently identified with the mer- cantile interests of the town at varions times, are : Laflin, Loomis & Co., W. W. & C. Laflin, John Nye, jr .. & Co .. Ives, Sturgess & Co , Henry Sabin & Co., Gibbs & Smith, Taylor & Eldridge, T. A. Oman. Albee &- Moore. Besides those at the Center, stores have been maintained at East Lee and South Lee, and in connection with many of the paper mills. There are now in town eleven stores for the sale of dry goods and grocer- ies, and abont fifty mercantile establishments of various kinds, all branches of trade being represente.l. J. H. Casey & Co. do a business of $112,000 annually : Sparks & Avery, 840,000; J. W. Ferry. $40,000 ; Barnes & Bassett, $35.000 ; W. H. Theker has a prosperous trade in dry goods exclusively. Lee has become of late years the center of trade for all the surrounding towns, and its business is constantly increasing. The total is estimated to be at present considerably over half a million yearly.
The first cabinet maker of Lee was Abner Taylor, who came to town in 1806. He was an active and public spirited citizen until his death in
11,
IA
RESIDENCE OF F. S. GROSS, LEE.
151
TOWN OF LEE.
1853. He brought up a large family of children ; among them Rev. El ward Taylor, D. D., of Binghamton, N. Y. He was succeeded in the business by Joseph Bassett.
The tin business was begun in 1835, by A. & E. Comstock, who were soon succeeded by George H. Phelps, who continued the business until his death, in 1875, when he was succeeded by his son, Henry C. Phelps.
The first printing office was established in 1840 by E. J. Bull. Several newspapers have been published in town, the most of which have been very short lived. Among them have been the Berkshire Democrat. The Lee Home Companion, The Central Berkshire Chronicle. The Valley Gleaner, however, established in 1857, has had a prosperous history. Its successive editors have been Joseph 1. Royce. Alexan ler Hyde. Robert C. Rockwell, James Golden, and Edward S. Rogers. It has a circulation of 1,500.
The first hotel of the town was the " Red Lion, " built in 1778, near the present residence of the Pease brothers, and kept by Nathan Dilling- ham. In 1834 the " Housatonic" was built on the site of Memorial Hall. It was burned in 1867. In 1868 Edward Morgan opened the Morgan House in the residence of the late William Porter, Esq. In 1854 a hotel called the Center Hotel was opened at the north end of the village. Be- sides these public houses at the Center, in the days of turnpikes and stages, they were found in all parts of the town. In 1803 Jedediah Crocker opened a tavern in Cape street, on what is known as the Baker place, now owned by John Morin. In 1815 Pliny Shalor establishel one about two miles further east. on the Becket road, the place now owned by Mr. Belden, and in 1820 still another was opened at East Lee, by Sam- uel Sturgess, in the house lately occupied by Watson Strickland. At South Lee there were formerly two taverns, one kept by William Merrill. and the other by Nathaniel Tremain. The houses now owned by T. L. Foote and Jared Bradley were also at one time. early in the century, used as taverns.
The Lee Bank was established in 1835 with a capital stock of 850,- 000, afterward increased to $300,000, and then redneed to $210,000, and in 1885 to $200,000. Its presidents have been : George Hull. William A. Phelps, Walter Laffin, Leonard Church. Thomas Sedgwick, Harrison Gar- field. The cashiers : John C. Furber, Thomas Green, Edmund D. Chapin. Edward A. Bliss, John M. Howk, and John L. Kilbon. The Lee Savings Bank was chartered in 1852, and it is administered in connection with the other bank. The amount of deposits, October 31st, 1884, was 8568, - 791.14, and the number of depositors 1, 780.
The Pittsfield & Stockbridge Railroad, from Van Deusenville to Pittsfield, was opened in 1850. giving to Lee its first communication by rail with the rest of the country. The result was a great impuls to the business of the town. This road is now operated under a perpetual lease, by the Housatonic Railroad Company, at a rental of seven per cent. on the cost. The freight business at the Lee station is greater by far
152
HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
than that of any other station on the Housatonic line, and is constantly increasing. In 1871 was incorporated the Lee & Hudson Railroad Com- pany, for building a road from Lee to West Stockbridge, there to con- nect with the Boston & Albany, and thus to open a competing route to New York, the expectation being that the road, when completed, would be operated by the Boston & Albany Company. The town was bonded to the amount of $85,000 in aid of the enterprise, and the road bed was nearly completed, when the panie of 1873 put an end to the enterprise. The franchise of the road has since been sold to pay its debts. Though the object of the enterprise was in a degree gained by the reduction of freighis over the Housatonie Road, the debt contracted by the town has been quite a burden on its prosperity. A similar enterprise in the oppo. site direction, called the Lee & New Haven Railroad, and designed to give a new eastern outlet, also failed after much work had been done. through the withdrawal of the State aid originally promised. The fran- chise of this road also has been recently bought by private parties in the hope of the ultimate renewal of the enterprise.
The first physicians of Lee were Dr. Gideon Thompson and Dr. Rath- bun, but little is known of them except their names. The first permanent physician was Dr. Erastus Sergeant, jr.# Dr. Nathaniel Thayer settled here shortly after Dr. Sergeant came, but remained only a few years. Dr. Hubbard Bartlett settled in town in 1810, and remained until his death, at the age of seventy seven, in 1859. Besides his professional practice. he held the office of postmaster for twenty seven years, kept the first, and for many years the only drug store in town, represented the town two years in the Legislature, and was for thirty years justice of the peace. He was also for thirty years a deacon in the Congregational church. Few citizens of the town. in all its history, have been so useful in so many lines as Dr. Bartlett. Dr. Asa G. Welch# came to Lee in 1827, and prac. ticed here until his death in 1852. Dr. Corydon Gniteau# was a physi. cian in Lee from 1830 to 1853, and was sneceeded by Dr. J. B. Whiting, who, in 1860, removed to Janesville, Wisconsin. Dr. John B. Gifford. a native of the town, followed the homeopathic practice from 1850 to his death in 1866. Dr. Charles McAllister practiced many years at South Lee. The present physicians are: Dr. Eliphalet Wright, who has been in practice in town most of the time since 1841 ; Dr. C. C. Holcombe, since 1854 ; Dr. D. M. Wilcox. since 1872 ; Dr. C. E. Heath, since 1873 ; Dr. C. W. Stratton, homeopathie physician, since 1868.
In natural advantages Lee falls somewhat below the average in adap- tation to agriculture. The bottom lands on the river are of quite limited extent, and on the hills in the east part of the town there is much land capable of but slight improvement. There are, however, very valuable intervals in the. Hopland Distriet, and good farms are to be found in all parts of the town. The soil differs quite deride lly in quality and productiveness on the two sides of the river, that on the east side being
* Spe Volume I., Chapter XVIII.
153
TOWN OF LEE.
quite light and gravelly, while on the west it is heavier, with an admix- ture of clay, and with proper cultivation very productive. The enterprise of the farmers, stimulated by the good market for their products among the manufacturing population, has overcome in great measure the natural disadvantages, and given to the town a leading place among the towns of the county for agricultural production. A specialty of late years has been fine cattle and horses, of which few towns of the size can boast so many. Mr. Elizur Smith's farm, " Highlawn." in the northwest part of the town, containing about 700 acres, is one of the finest in Western Massachusetts, no pains or expense being spared to bring it to the highest possible state of productiveness. He is now devoting special attention to the breeding of blooded horses. and his stables contain some of the finest animals to be found in the country. Mr. Frank S. Gross is also engaged to some extent in the breeding of horses. Mr. Alonzo Bradley has engaged extensively in the importation of Holstein cattle. for his own use and for sale. The farmers of Lee are somewhat noted for the num- ber of prizes which they carry away from the agricultural fairs of the county, both for stock and crops. A creamery has been established in town, which enlarges materially the home market for milk. The monthly prodnet is from 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of fine butter. A Farmer's Club was established in town more than twenty years ago through the agency of Alexander Hyde, Esq., which has contributed much to dignify the agricultural occupation, and to improve its methods. Its meetings are held once in two weeks during the fall and winter and are attended not only by most of the leading farmers, but also to some extent by the citi- zens generally.
In connection with agriculture may properly be noticed the green houses of De Witt S. Smith, which contain, besides the usual green-house plants, one of the largest collections of orchids in the country. The spectacle presented by them when in full bloom is one of surpassing beauty, and attracts many visitors.
The leading agricultural statistics of the town, according to the cen- sus of 1880, are as follows: No. of farms, 149 ; No. of persons engaged in agriculture, 226 ; tons of hay, 4.087 : gallons of milk. 81.905 ; pounds of butter, 57,315 ; pounds of cheese, 500; bushels of potatoes, 10.978 ; of corn, 11,647. Total value of agricultural products, 896,820. In 1884 there were reported by the assessors: 582 horses, 790 cows, 314 sheep, and 15,582 acres of land taxed. Something over 2,500 acres are in tillage.
The patriotic action of the town of Lee, in the town meetings that were held during the war of the Rebellion, is spoken of in the chapter on Berkshire county in the Civil war.
The soldiers from this town had their full share of the hardships and dangers of the war. Thirty eight laid down their lives on the battle field or died of disease contracted in the camp. Rev. Thomas Scott Bradley, a native of Lee, left the pastorate of his church in Lebanon Springs. N. Y .. to enter a New York company of sharpshooters, of which he was made
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