History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 198

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1818

USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 198

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4 The " orchard" occupied the east side of the river (Warren Bur- bank's place), at Britanniaville, now largely covered with spacious build- ings of Reed & Barton's Works.

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were cut by crude machines compared with the pres- ent, and the heading was done by hand; the nails being taken out in job lots by farmers for that pur- pose. It was a slow process, but soon after machines were invented for heading by a jerk of the foot and blow of a hammer. A few years later machines were made by Rogers and Odeon, which greatly improved the process of manufacture by cutting and heading the nail at one operation. Melvin Otis, of Warcham, invented a machine, improved by Jesse Reed, of Marshfield, in 1815, which made still further im- provements, superseding the former by gripping and spring nippers to complete the heading as well as pointing of nails. These machines are in use at the present day in all nail establishments. There was some controversy as to whom the merit of the patent belonged, but both have shared the honor and benefit.

In 1807 the above firm added another story to the Whittenton Nail-Mill, and put in machinery for spin- ning cotton yarn. This was packed in skeins and taken out by farmers' families within a radius of one to fifteen miles, to be woven into cloth by the domes- tic hand-loom and shuttle generally in vogue in those days, which gave employment to hundreds of women at their looms.

In November, 1811, the yarn and nail-mill was burned and the machines destroyed. The enterpris- ing proprietors immediately erected another factory on the same site, seventy by thirty, three stories, with mule-room attic. It was said that the timber growing two months before was converted into lumber for the factory ready for the machinery for spinning cotton yarn. It was then war embargo time, and cotton fabrics were in quick demand.

A few years later some forty power-looms were added, of the Slater construction, recently imported by patterns from England, and this was the first mill in this region, it was said, which made good cloth by the power-looms. Barney Lincoln, now an octo- genarian of eighty-five, was an overseer in the spin- ning-room in 1818, and Elijah Caswell, since an in- genious tack mechanic, now in his seventy-fifth year, but then a lad of ten years, worked in that mill.

Meanwhile another nail-mill had been built on the east bank of the dam, the site of the old saw-mill of a century before, a short distance above the present office of the Whittenton Mills Company. An avenue, with dwellings thereon, led up to the mill, where nails were made in 1821 by the modern machines super- seding the former slow process. Elisha Gilmore had charge of the mill and the previous one destroyed by fire for eighteen years. Albert Field, Warren Bur- bank, and others were employed, and made their first nails there by the modern process; the former has passed away, the latter is a veteran of seventy-eight. The nail business was relinquished over fifty years ago, and the old buildings then occupied by that de- partment have been removed some distance to the rear, and are used for storage by the company.

Whittenton Mills .- In 1824 the Whittenton Mills became incorporated with the property of the Taunton Manufacturing Company, but under the management of James K. Mills & Co., of Boston. In 1831-32 a new - stone mill was built a short distance east of the former, containing seventy looms for making finer goods. This mill may now be seen segmented between the large brick structures more recently erected. The property remained under the control of the Taunton Manufac- turing Company until May, 1835, when Mills & Co. severed their connection, and resumed proprietorship of the mills and appurtenances.

In September, 1836, the late Willard Lovering, a practical manufacturer, was called to the agency of Whittenton Mills, and becoming joint proprietor, made many improvements in the manufacture of goods. In January, 1839, the older mill referred to was destroyed by fire. A building for mule-spinning now occupies the site and raceway of the old grist- mill and forge of two hundred years ago, and where stood the original nail- and yarn-mill of 1811, and subsequent cotton-factory built by Crocker, Bush & Richmond seventy years ago.

The legitimate manufacturing business of the last proprietors had been successful and prosperous under Mr. Lovering's management; but James K. Mills & Co., of Boston, having embarked in larger enter- prises elsewhere, which proved unfortunate in the tidal wave of disaster of 1857, they yielded to the pressure and closed their business.

In 1858, the estate having been settled, Mr. Lover- ing, associated with his sons, purchased the franchise, property, privilege, dwellings, and appurtenanees of the Whittenton Mills Corporation, and under their management commenced a career of improvement and enlargement of unprecedented record in manu- facturing enterprise. A few years before the death of the senior proprietor, Willard Lovering, which occurred Dec. 15, 1875, his sons, Charles L., William C., and Henry Morton Lovering, succeeded to the proprietorship of Whittenton Mills, which now in- cludes one of the largest and most capacious estab- lishments in New England.

It includes some twenty substantial brick and stone buildings two to four stories, besides ten or twelve smaller ones, comprising four hundred thousand square feet, or nine acres of flooring. The model weaving shop occupies fifty-five thousand square feet, over an acre and a quarter of flooring, and contains in one room, lighted by electric lamps, nearly one thousand looms, and over three hundred in the room beneath. The machinery in these large structures is moved by five Corliss engines aggregating twelve hundred horse-power, in addition to the water-wheels of two hundred and fifty horse-power, requiring in the establishment the consumption of about eight thousand tons of coal, and consuming about eight thousand bales of cotton annually in producing the great variety of textures of fabrics of innumerable

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styles,-cottonades, ginghams, dress goods, fancy tickings, shirtings, canton flannels, denims, etc.,- providing employment for eleven hundred hands, a large portion of whom reside in the dwellings be- longing to the company, of which there are over a hundred, and two hundred tenements, comprising a large village of residences. The yard exclusively of their manufactories occupies an area of fifteen acres, and about eighty acres, conveniently laid out in avenues, is the area for the dwelling-houses and appurtenances, a vast change from the modest Whit- tenton Mills village of half a century ago. The Old Colony Railroad curves directly through the village a convenient distance from the manufactories, affording ample facilities for delivering coal, cotton, and other materials, and transporting thence the thousands of cases of goods annually which find a ready sale in all the markets of the country.

Britanniaville .- The location of this prosperous village of industrial enterprise on Mill River, half a mile below Whittenton, was occupied a century and Britannia Street dam, and a saw-mill a few rods below, owned by Capt. James Leonard3 and others. He conveyed his portion of the privilege and mills in 1776, for one hundred and sixty pounds, to John Adam, an enterprising merchant of Taunton, who built a dam, rolling- and slitting-mill, some distance below the above mills, by Danforth Street crossing. There was also a small saw-mill and fulling-mill above this bridge. The enterprise of Mr. Adam did not prove successful. In 1791 he disposed of the slitting- mill, dwelling-house adjoining, privilege and appur- tenances (a portion of which he had previously pur- chased of Abiather and Samuel Leonard) for three hundred and thirty-seven pounds.

The purchasers were Josiah Dean, of Raynham, and Samuel Leonard, who continued the business several years. Deacon Lemuel Leonard had charge of the mill where Russia and Swedes iron, imported in bars, was rolled and slit into rods, from which wrought or hammered nails were made in scores of small shops, or smithies, in the surrounding towns many miles distant. Messrs. Dean and Leonard finally abandoned the iron-works as an unprofitable enterprise. Nothing now remains to indicate its existence but the foundation and dam, submerged by back water from the Hopewell Mills below, which may be seen at low water at said crossing. The grist- mill above referred to was attended a hundred years ago and over by Abram Lincoln, and being a devoutly religious man, with his band of friends held meetings in the mill, humblest of all places, except a stable, for worship. Mr. Lincoln removed to Tiverton, R. I., and died there. These mills were finally owned by Hora- tio and Gustavus Leonard, until they gave place to the extension of the buildings of the Britannia Works.

A rolling- and slitting-mill was built about 1800 by Samuel Leonard, at the dam north of the street, and

Samuel and William A. Crocker, Sr., were copartners. It is a well-founded tradition that, as the former mill below had not been a lucrative investment, when the latter was completed Mr. Leonard remarked to a friend, " I hope well of this enterprise," thus origin- ating the historical name of "Hopewell" to the near locality.

In this mill Messrs. Leonard & Crockers prosecuted a large business in rolling plates and slitting rods, which were packed in bundles and taken out to be hammered into nails by hundreds of farmers and mechanics, as before mentioned, who had their little shops in the surrounding towns. The rolling-mill of that day was of crude construction,-the rolls set in a massive wooden frame and gearing of wood, the fur- nace of huge dimensions, of sufficient capacity for a ton of iron and a cord of pine wood to a heat, re- quiring five men to run four heats per day ; while the iron was heating the men bundled the rods of the previous heat ready for delivery to nail-makers.

After the death of William A. Crocker, the junior a half ago by a grist-mill, situated on the south of | partner, which occurred Sept. 20, 1805, and that of

Samuel Leonard, the senior, in 1808, Crocker, Bush & Richmond were successors to that business. Capt. William Danforth, who formerly owned the State Hospital farm, had charge of the mill, and his son, Horatio L. Danforth, employed there lost an arm, (referred to in a notice of Mr. Danforth in the Bristol bar of Taunton). The plates and rods for the Whit- tenton Nail-Works were rolled and slit there; the mill was afterwards used by Crocker Brothers & Co. many years for rolling their copper and zinc plates, also for making copper shells, or calico rolls, a few years previous to the erection of their works at Weir village. The old slitting-mill was purchased by Ben- jamin Ingell, and converted into a furnace for the casting of small wares. After the death of the latter, the building was sold to Reed & Barton, who removed the last vestige of the old mill except the dam.

Britannia Works .- The britannia and plating- works of Reed & Barton, which occupies the site and privilege of those ancient mills, is the oldest estab- lishment of the kind in the United States. The bri- tannia business was commenced in Taunton nearly sixty years ago by Isaac Babbitt, in a small shop rear of his watch-maker's store, now City Square, its loca- tion about midway of the present Union Block, where he experimented with block-tin and other metals. Being a very ingenious mechanic, Mr. Babbitt enter- tained the idea that many articles of britannia ware for domestic use could be manufactured in Taunton instead of importing them from Europe, and he ac- cordingly was successful in his experiments. He en- tered into copartnership with William W. Crossman, another practical mechanic, and leased a room and power of Roswell Ballard in his fulling-mill (formerly the elder James Sproat's snuff-mill), below the dam on Spring Street, and commenced the business in a : small way.

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Babbitt & Crossman there produced, in 1824, the first britannia articles manufactured in the United States, inkstands, shaving-boxes, looking-glass frames, etc., furnishing stores with a stock of these useful American goods. The ware for tea-pots and other britannia articles was afterwards rolled in plates. Nathaniel Leonard, in his shop on Weir Street, over fifty years ago made the first set of rolls for that use. These rolls may now be seen in Reed & Barton's works, and there was first made the first wrought metal goods. Specimens of the Babbitt & Crossman manufacture may still be occasionally found in use. They received awards for their productions at several of the Bristol County exhibitions, and their success in competing with foreign manufactures in this small way. They soon required larger quarters for their business.

A brick manufactory was built in 1827 for their use on School Street, and they removed from their more humble quarters. The location is now " Leo's build- ing," and was once occupied by William Mason, in making his first "ring speeder," and afterwards by Dixon, Atwood & Vickery, in developing their cruci- ble business. In 1828, William Allen West and Zephaniah A. Leonard associated with Mr. Cross- man, under the firm of Crossman, West & Leonard, Mr. Babbitt remaining as metallurgist. All these per- sons connected together in the early days of the bri- tannia business have passed away, Mr. Crossman, the of finish, and I beg leave to express my firm convic- last one, about a year ago.1

In the above manufactory, Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton, about seventeen years of age, com- menced their apprenticeship in 1828, in the room of which William W. Porter, the retired veteran bri- tannia worker, now in his eighty-sixth year, had charge as foreman. The company increased their business, manufacturing coffee- and tea-pots and many domestic articles, but perhaps owing to inex- perience in the combination of metals in the infancy of the business they were not fully successful in se- curing the market.

To obtain a more economical power in rolling and finishing their goods, in 1830 the company erected a brick manufactory on the west side of Mill River, opposite Leonard & Crocker's slitting-mill (the oldest of the present cluster of buildings now comprising Reed & Barton's works, but much enlarged), and soon organized the " Taunton Britannia Manufactur- ing Company," and enlarged their business. After a few years of unsuccessful experimenting to compete in the great markets with the productions of skilled labor of foreign manufacturers, the company suspended business and disposed of their stock, leaving a por-

tion of their manufacturing tools in the custody of their former apprentices, REED AND BARTON. These young men, uniting their industry, ability, and prae- tical experience in the business, with a small capital and an agent, hired a portion of the building and power in 1835. They labored patiently under the ineffective discouragements of their predecessors, but they experimented successfully. Associating with them, after two years' trial, Gustavus Leonard, they purchased the buildings, implements, and privilege, enlarged their business, making a new departure, under the firm of Leonard, Reed & Barton, employ- ing a dozen or more hands, still laboring themselves at the bench, Mr. Leonard as the outside business man.

With Mr. H. G. Reed as metallurgist their wares gradually obtained a high reputation ; their efforts were no longer a doubtful experiment; their "metal had the right ring." Their wares were exhibited at the exhibition of the American Institute of New York in 1838.

During that exhibition a prominent member, Charles H. Delavan, sent several pieces of the Reed & Barton ware, with the same number of English man- ufacture to Mr. Wakeman, the secretary of the insti- tute, accompanied by a note, saying, "I am satisfied that the Taunton ware will bear a favorable compar- ison with any in Europe for neatness and elegance .tion that if such specimens of American manufac- tures are properly encouraged it will lead in a few years to the entire independence of foreign nations for articles of necessity and use, and I trust the time has arrived when the experiment should be made." In a postscript Mr. Delavan compared the cost of each set of ware,-Taunton ware. coffee-pot, $2.65; sugar- and cream-pots, $2 40; tea-pot, $1.78; total, $6.83. English ware (similar patterns, no better quality), coffee-pot, $4.06; sugar- and cream-pots, $2.57; tea-pot, $2.53; total, $9.16, a saving of $2.33 in favor of the Taunton set, which, he added, " every American ought to be proud of." A gold medal was awarded the latter, and the reputation of the Taunton ware established. That ware was exhibited and letter written forty-five years ago when the works were in their infancy. Since that time the company have in- vested half a million of dollars, made extensive im- provements from time to time in the manufacture, quality, and style of their goods, which have entirely superseded foreign wares in the leading markets of this country, and found their way in successful competition in many of the markets of the Old World.

After the decease of Mr. Leonard in April, 1845, llenry H. Fish purchased his interest, and succeeded him in joint proprietorship in the firm-name of Reed & Barton. In 1859, George Brabrook, who had been intimately associated with the business transactions of the firm, was admitted as a joint partner. After

1 Isaac Babbitt, after retiring from the Britannia Works, was a number of years superintendent of Alger's foundry, at South Boston, and pro- duced the first brass cannon cast in the United States. He was also in- ventor of the well-known "Babbitt metal." A man of remarkably mechanical and ingenious mind. lle died -, 18-, from over-activity of a prolific brain. He deserves more than this tribute as a testimonia from Tauntonians.

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the death of Mr. Barton, Sept. 13, 1867, Messrs. Reed, Brabrook & Fish purchased the interest of their late associate, and became sole proprietors, still retaining the widely-known firm-name of Reed & Barton. After the decease of Mr. Fish, occurring Jan. 13, 1882, his sons, George H. and Frank L. Fish, succeeded to the management of their father's interest in the firm and business.

We have in the foregoing sketched one of our lead- ing industries from its humble origin in that little workshop to Deacon Ballard's mill, more than half a century ago, thence to the room where Reed & Bar- ton first worked in metal, to their present manufac- tory of vast proportions, forming a cluster of sixteen spacious and substantial brick buildings, erected from year to year, as the exigencies of their in- creasing business required, from one to five hundred feet in length, three to four stories in height, also a dozen lesser appendage buildings, all comprising two hundred and sixty thousand square feet, or about six acres of flooring, and covering an area of territory within their yard of ten acres. Besides their supply of water-power, an engine of three hundred and an- other of one hundred horse-power moves the costly scientific machinery of that great hive of industry, thus furnishing employment of eight to nine hun- dred persons, including some of the most skilled artists in the metal line in the world, many having been upon the rolls twenty, some thirty, years, while Deacon Barnas L. Burbank, Luther Babbitt, N. Brad- ford Leonard, William W. Thayer, and their senior book-keeper, Alfred Brabrook (now a salesman), over forty years, and Nathan Lawrence, superintendent, J. A. B. Woodward, John C. Macdonald, Peleg Francis, Charles H. White, Abel Palmer, and Edwin Reed, nearly that length of time, in their employ. Such has been the success of their experimental improve- ments in metals the past twenty years, since britan- nia ware was their chief production, that they now i manufacture annually hundreds of thousands of dol- lars' worth of the richest patterns in nickel (or Ger- man) silver electro-plated, gold-lined ware of rare artis- tie designs, and manifold descriptions, to be found in any market of the world.

A visit to the departments of this model establish- ment, and an inspection of the interesting processes of production of the many articles in use in every family residence or humble cottage in the land, will confirm all we have said of its merit as an ornament to the industrial achievements of our city and county.

Hopewell Mills .- About a hundred years ago, a third of a mile below the old grist-mill dam (now Britanniaville), on Mill River, was another dam, and a small "cutting-mill," owned by Samuel Leonard,1 where, a few years later, Joseph Burbank, with a few ancient machines and two or three men, cut nails, such as were headed by hand in those days of simple

machinery. It was said to be the first nail-cutting mill in Taunton. The site had no special history ; there was a small waterfall and a rocky ravine. It was the site of the present Hopewell Mills and sur- rounding buildings. Charles Richmond, with his ir- resistible energy and enterprise, conceived the plan of building cotton-mills there, in his own emphatic words, " To make Hopewell shine with industry."

He purchased the old cutting-mill dam and privi- lege, with surrounding land, ravine, and rocks, of the heirs of Samuel Leonard. Then he purchased the old Leonard & Dean slitting-mill, and saw-mill dam and privilege above, to enable him to make baek flowage without damage. and then raised the dam ten feet. With the aid and experience of Silas Shepard and Samuel Crocker he erected a cotton-factory (stone and brick) one hundred feet in length, completing it the season of 1818. The basement was a machine-shop and nail-factory, and in the upper stories looms and cotton machinery. In 1821 another mill was built, near the dam, about the same size, both containing about one hundred and fifty looms. Some years later an addition was built, connecting the Mills, for a weave-shop. Silas Shepard had the superintendence, until he left for building his Oakland Mill in 1827, and was succeeded by Ezekiel B. Leonard and Elisha Copeland. Elias Strange had charge of the machine- and nail-shop before he removed to the brick mill. Horatio Leonard & Co. built a small rolling-mill at the west end of the dam, under the brow of the hill (now hospital farm), which was operated a few years, when the machinery was disposed of.

This mill property was merged in the capital stock of the Taunton Manufacturing Company in 1823, and was managed in that interest until 1843, when, after a brief control by William A. F. Sproat, it came into the possession of Cyrus Lothrop in 1844, for about ten years thereafter. After the accidental death of Mr. Lothrop, May 21, 1854, the property, by will, passed into the hands of Charles Albro, who had been super- intendent nearly ten years previously. Mr. Albro has been the manufacturer of various cotton fabrics about twenty-eight years.

In June, 1883, a new arrangement was made in the proprietorship of Hopewell Mills. A company was organized with Charles Albro a third, and Porte W. Hewins two-thirds interest in the property ; Enoch Hewins as superintendent. They have two hundred and twenty-five looms, employ about one hundred and fifty persons, and manufacture jeans, satteens, and shirtings.

Over sixty years have passed away since the in- domitable spirit and energy of Charles Richmond originated the enterprise of the Hopewell Mills, the Brick Mills, the Calico Printing-Works, and other lesser enterprises, which have made Taunton what it is in prosperity and wealth, furnished employment for thousands, built up hundreds of comfortable homes, and made many wealthy. But he had not the

I " Squire Sam. Leonard" was his familiar title. He was largely en- gaged in iron-works and was a large real-estate owner eighty years ago.

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million reserved to carry through his great projects amid the reverses and misfortunes which beset many human undertakings, and his remains now rest with- out a tablet to indicate the spot where they were in- terred in the far-off land whither he went in 1849, hoping to repair his fortunes. Charles Richmond deserves a monument at home contributed from the wealth he was instrumental in building and making.

Brick Mill .- This manufacturing location, on Mill River, is one of ancient origin, almost coeval with the settlement of Taunton. It was a portion of the prop- erty sold by Bartholomew Tipping, a merchant, to Rev. Samuel Danforth soon after his settlement in 1688, as the fourth minister of Taunton, for his homestead. He died in 1727. He had a grist-mill at the dam, and a malt-house, which he gave in his will to his son Samuel, including the house he resided in and surrounding land.

In 1760, Samuel Danforth, Jr., sold to Thomas Cobb, of Attleborough, his " new dwelling-house, grist-mill, fulling-mill, dam, and appurtenances, with ponding and flowing, with the utensils of both mills and four acres of land, for four hundred and sixty- five pounds." Capt. Thomas Cobb was the father of Gen. David Cobb. He returned to Taunton in 1762, and was probably engaged in the iron business in At- tleborough with Thomas Leonard. He built a roll- ing- and slitting-mill at the Danforth dam, and fol- lowed the business until his death in 1779, leaving the mills and privilege to his son, Jonathan Cobb. He also engaged in the iron business, and died in 1801, leaving the iron-works and mills to his widow, who gave the property to her son, Jonathan B. Cobb. In 1803 the latter sold the mills and privilege to Sam- uel Fales, whose son, Sam. Cook Fales, carried on the iron business a few years. Job King occupied the old Danforth Fulling-Mill for cutting nails several years with the original machine.

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History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 198

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1818

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1818