USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Easthampton > History of Easthampton: its settlement and growth; its material, educational, and religious interests, together with a genealogical record of its original families > Part 5
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their expenditure amounted to $83,000 together with nearly $40,000 paid by the finishing department for the making up of suspenders from the webbing. Their revenue tax during the same year was $42,209. The number of hands to whom regular employment is given is 300 in addition to which about one thousand families are engaged, more or less in stitching suspenders.
In the spring of 1859, Mr. Williston commenced the erection of a building for the manufacture of cotton yarn, partly for the supply of the Nashawannuck Co. The location was about three fourths of a mile from the other factories in a northerly direction, on the same stream, where for many years a saw mill had stood.
The ground was very rough and uneven, and a large amount of grading was required to be done before the foundation could be laid. When this had been partially done, and work upon the foundation was progressing, an unexpected obstacle presented itself in the shape of a boil-
ing spring. This threw out large quantities of water, and for a time seemed to defy all efforts to lay a solid founda- tion, and to build a dam. At last this difficulty seemed to have been overcome, and work on the building went for- ward. In about a year from its beginning it was finished, and work commenced.
But this spring, and the surrounding bed of quicksand, were destined to give still further trouble. In consequence of these, the water in the pond undermined the dam, and carried it off, together with a part of the factory. This took place shortly after its completion. Thus, not only was a heavy loss incurred, but work in the mill was delayed several months. Mr. Williston, however, set resolutely about repairing the breach, which he completed by winter. This time, no attempt was made to build a dam in the old place, but it was constructed a short distance further up
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the stream, and the water brought to the mill in a canal. It seemed now that this arrangement might be permanent ; but here again they were doomed to disappointment. In March, 1863, the water burst through the bank of the canal, near the trunk which conveyed the water to the water wheel. It tore away the road, and did considerable damage. One engine was already in the mill, and another was immediately obtained, so that operations in the mill were only suspended for a few days. Repairs on the dam, which was at this time rebuilt in its original place, occupied four or five months.
Before this event, the cost of the establishment, including tenements, water privileges, &c., was upwards of $100,000. Since that time, the capacity of the mill has been more than doubled by large additions. It has eleven thousand spindles, and gives employment to more than 175 hands. The quantity of cotton consumed annually is about 550,000 pounds, and the capital invested, $250,000. The yarn spun is of the finest quality, equal to the best English. It is twisted under water. The mill, taken as a whole, is one of the best of its kind in America, probably the only one in the state. The machinery is of the most approved patents. Quite a village has sprung up about the mill, where, a few years ago, were no houses. About fifty tenements are owned by the company, which consists of S. Williston, J. Sutherland, and M. H. Leonard.
Their increasing business demanded the erection of a new factory, preparations for which were begun in the summer of 1865. On the 15th of August, the first stone of the foundation was laid, and in four months the walls were up, and the building covered. It is 200 by 68 feet, and is four stories high, besides an attic. It is the largest building in town, and its capacity is 18,000 spindles, and will give employment to about 200 hands. The
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estimated production of the new mill, when in full operation, is about the same in quantity as in the other, though the yarn and thread made is to be finer than in that. The working capital of the company, including the factories, tenements, machinery, land, &c., when the whole estab- lishment is complete, will be between $700,000 and and $800,000.
In 1861, the Goodyear Elastic Fabric Co. was formed, whose principal business was the manufacture of elastic cloth, to be used in shoes. They leased the mill, originally occupied by Williston, Knight & Co., and carried on their operations there until recently, when they sold out to the Glendale Manufacturing Company.
In 1862, a company, consisting of H. G. Knight and E. H. Sawyer, of Easthampton, and Wm. and C. G. Judson, of New York, was organized under the title of the Glendale Vulcanized Rubber Co., with a capital of $50,000. Their business was the manufacture of elastic cord, frills, &c., which they commenced at Glendale, on the Manhan river, in the western portion of the town. They enlarged and occupied a building which had been erected by Gregory & Wells, for the manufacture of twine and batting.
In 1864, a large brick factory was erected near the rail- road depot in Easthampton, by the Rubber Thread Co., the two upper stories of which the Glendale Co. rented, and now occupy. In April, 1865, the capital of this com- pany was increased to $100,000, and in June of the same year, to $250,000, at which time they bought out the Goodyear Elastic Fabric Co. They now employ about 350 hands, and consume stock at the rate of about $250,000 per annum. They manufacture elastic cloth for shoes, all kinds of elastic cord, frills, &c. They now occupy four mills with the exception of the lower story of one of them. Their business is rapidly in-
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creasing, and quite likely will soon call for a further in- crease of capital. The President of this company is C. G. Judson, of New York, and its Treasurer, J. S. Lovering of Boston. Both the Glendale and the Nashawannuck companies now obtain their rubber from the Easthampton Rubber-Thread Co., which was formed in the fall of 1863, with H. G. Knight as its President, and Seth Warner Treasurer and general Agent. Its capital is $100,000. They carry on work in the lower story of the factory erected by them, employ about twenty hands, and supply nearly all the manufacturers in the country, who employ rubber thread in their business. The amount of rubber consumed during the last six months has been about 100,000 pounds.
Mention should be made of the Gas Co., which was organized September 7, 1864, with a capital of $20,000. On the 23d of April, 1866, it was increased to $30,000. E. Ferry is President of the company, and Horace L. Clark, Treasurer.
Thus, in less than twenty years from the erection of the first factory by Mr. Williston, a manufacturing interest has grown up here, which employs, or will probably soon employ, $1,600,000 capital, and which paid during the year 1865, not less than $100,000 revenue tax. By the census of May, 1865, it appears that the manufacturing concerns in the town, employed $850,000 capital, con- sumed stock annually to the value of $1,247,000, and pro- duced goods to the value of #1,675,000. The increase of capital since that time, will be attended by an increase of consumption and production, though, perhaps, not in a full ratio of that increase. These amounts appear some- what larger than they otherwise would, from the fact that a portion of what is given as manufactured product by two of the companies, appears as stock consumed by two others.
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The figures are, of course, further enhanced by the present "igh prices ; but the quantity of stock consumed, and of oods produced, will, no doubt, go on increasing with the material growth of our country.
As intimately connected with the manufacturing interest we may with propriety notice here the First National Bank of Easthampton, which was organized April 29, 1864, with a capital of $150,000. Mr. Williston has held the office of President, and Mr. Knight that of Vice President since its organization. E. A. Hubbard was the first Cashier, a position which he resigned on his appointment as superin- tendent of the public schools in Springfield. Chas. E. Williams is at present its Cashier.
There is another enterprise, which, though not strictly connected with manufactures, may yet be mentioned here as properly as anywhere.
Upon the south end of Mount Tom there are two springs, which discharge daily between six and ten thou- sand gallons of exceedingly pure cold water. It is proposed to bring this water into the village, both for the use of families and travellers, and to furnish protection against fires. The springs have been purchased, and preliminary surveys have been made by which it has been found that they are at an elevation of about seventy feet above the plain on which the churches and other public buildings stand. This elevation would carry the water about to the height of the face of the clock on the Payson Church, and furnish abundant head for the distribution of the water all over the village to any required height. The matter is in the hands of energetic men, and this desirable work will no doubt be soon accomplished.
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CHAPTER VI.
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OTHER INDUSTRIAL INTERESTS.
AGRICULTURE.
Agriculture has, until recently, been the employment of a large majority of the inhabitants of the town, and an occupation so conducive to health and morality has not been without its good effect on the character of the people. Nature has not perhaps favored us more highly than other portions of our own New England; her gifts have not fallen here in greater profusion than in some other parts of our state; our soil has none of the bountiful fertility of the western prairies, or the sunny south ; but the native energy of the New England character, combined with im- proved methods of culture, have in some measure compen- sated for this deficiency. Though the farming population here, as elsewhere, cannot boast of such rapid accumulation of wealth, as many engaged in other occupations, yet, when once acquired, it is not so uncertain as theirs, nor so much affected by those changes in government and trade, which occasion fluctuations in the mercantile and commer- cial world. The improvement in farming implements has been steady and constant. Where in the days of our ear- ly fathers, we saw the huge, unwieldy, inefficient wooden plough, requiring an expenditure of considerable force to draw it, when not impeded by the soil, now we see the
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most improved patterns of light, easy draught, and skill- fully adapted for lightening the soil. Mowing machines are coming almost universally into use. The sickle has long ago been superseded by the cradle, and that in turn may give place to the reaper. Through the agency of machines, horse-power is being substituted for that of the hand. The old wasting systems of culture are giving way to more economical ones, and products which were once considered useless, are now turned to valuable account.
While our fathers appear thus at a disadvantage by com- parison, we must bear in mind, that in the main, it was their misfortune and not their fault. Manufactures had scarcely sprung into existence, and necessity compelled them some- times to provide implements for themselves as best they could. They did not at first fully realize the importance of enriching the soil; their principal care had been to clear up lands and prepare them for tillage. Gradually, however, they began to see that those elements must be returned to the soil which the plants abstracted from it. Soils which had hitherto produced good crops of wheat, were now found to be capable of yielding only rye, and lands on which the grass had grown spontaneously, became less productive, and needed re-seeding. Twc products, wheat and flax, which have been cultivated quite exten- sively, have almost ceased to be raised. The lands seem better suited for other grains than for wheat, while the cultivation of flax has gone entirely into disuse. With the former cheap prices of cotton, and the immense facili- ties for the manufacture of cloth, flax, and the hand-looms of fifty years ago, were ruled out of existence.
Potatoes were not formerly cultivated to any extent. In 1744, Benjamin Lyman raised six bushels of potatoes, and it was a topic of remark all over Northampton. People wondered what he could do with so many potatoes.
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Fruit has not received that attention which its impor- tance demands, yet we are happy to record the fact, that lately there has been an improvement in this respect. Within a few years a large number of apple-trees have been planted, while the pear and the grape are receiving more attention.
In February, 1858, the Easthampton Farmers' Club was organized to promote the interests of the farming commu- nity, by the holding of meetings, and interchange of views and experiences. The meetings of the society have since been attended by many, with much interest and profit. Several exhibitions of fruit, vegetables, and stock have been held, which were very successful, and reflected great credit upon the members. We hope that in the future, as in the past, the association may be the means of stimu- lating its members to carry the department of agriculture to a still higher degree of perfection.
Rev. Luther Wright, C. B. Johnson, Esq., Ahira Lyman, and Quartus P. Lyman, have successively held the office of President of the Club, and Ansel B. Lyman, Henry Ly- man, Daniel W. Lyman, and James H. Lyman, that of Secretary.
The following statistics, taken from the census of 1865, will be interesting :-
The number of farms of five acres and upwards is 135, containing 5,828 acres, of which 3,524 are improved. The total value of the farms, including buildings, is $385,550. The total value of the agricultural products is $123,000. The number of persons employed in farming, 177. The principal farm products are corn, of which there were raised 7,447 bushels ; rye, 3,255; oats, 2,217 ; potatoes, 9,889 ; tobacco, 136,946 pounds ; hay, 1,162 tons. Val- ue of horses, $25,899 ; cattle, $8,080; cows, $13,060. Butter and milk, $5,608. Pounds of dressed meat, 149,-
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028. The value of the tobacco crop, we are sorry to say, exceeds that of any other. We sincerely hope the day may not be distant when our most fertile lands may be devoted to the production of some crop useful rather than deleterious to man.
THE MERCANTILE INTEREST.
One of the first, if not the first store in town, was kept by Joseph Clapp, Jr. He commenced trading in 1792, in his house, nearly opposite the store of A. J. Lyman, on Main street. He was a brother of Dea. Thaddeus, son of Capt. Joseph, and grandson of Maj. Jonathan Clapp. He married Susannah, daughter of Timothy Lyman, of Ches- ter. On the day of his marriage, Mr .. Lyman said to him; " You are now going to trading ;. the maxim of the world seems to be, trade so that you can live by it ; my advice is, trade so that you can die by it." If this advice were fol- lowed by all, whether engaged in mercantile or other em- ployments, there would be much less reason for distrust in business circles, and greater stability in financial affairs.
In a few years Mr .. Clapp erected a building for his ac- commodation, on the top of " meeting-house hill," where the hotel now stands. He was for a time one of the most influential men in town, and filled the office of town clerk: longer than any other man, with one exception.
After his retirement, Bohan Clark kept a store in the same building. He was an enterprising man, and accu- mulated considerable property. Fon a time he owned and carried on the grist-mill, and also a share in the saw-mill, lately owned by Edwin S. Janes, which was torn down to give place to the cotton mill of S. Williston & Co. He finally went to Northampton and engaged in business.
He was succeeded in business by Eldad Smith, a young man of. good moral and religious principles. He was one
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of those who were engaged in the establishment of the Sabbath school here. About 1821 he sold out and remov- ed to Granby. After this the business was carried on successively by Baxter Burnell and William R. Gillett.
In 1841 the building was sold out and removed to Union street, where it was remodeled and enlarged, and since that time it has been used as the seminary boarding house.
In the early part of the present century, Asahel Janes, and after him Obadiah Janes, kept store in the house for- merly occupied by Capt. Ferry, near the hotel. He, in common with his cotemporaries, kept and sold ardent spirits. This traffic was not considered disreputable in those days. It was countenanced by men of the highest standing in society. Public opinion had not been aroused to a sense of the baleful effects of spirituous liquors upon the whole man, physical, intellectual, and moral.
The universality of the use of these liquors in those days astonishes us. Although the people of this town were not uncommonly addicted to their use, yet, then, if a person went to a raising, a husking, or an apple paring ; if he chanced to step into a neighbor's as a hog was being weighed, or anything unusual being done; at every quilt- ing party, wedding, or even funeral ; in short, everywhere that neighbors or friends met together, they were treated with spirits in some of its various forms. We have reli- able authority for saying that at that time not less than twenty-five hogsheads of spirituous liquors were retailed annually in the town. In one year there was manufactured more than a hundred barrels of cider brandy. There were four distilleries here and as many as six cider mills. Sure- ly no one familiar with these facts, can say with sincerity, that there is as much liquor drank now as then though not so openly.
We rejoice to see that a deeper interest is at present
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manifested in this important subject, and that more earnest efforts are being put forth by the friends of temperance, to stem the increasing tide which has threatened, or we may say, even now does threaten to engulf us in its desola- ting waves. In order that these efforts may have their ful- lest degree of efficiency they must be as persistent and un- remitted as this depraved appetite of man is constant. We shall have great hope of the glorious temperance cause when every little child is taught to avoid the evil, to pass by it, to turn from it and pass away ; when they are led to the altar, like the Carthagenian Hannibal, and made to swear eternal enmity to King Alcohol; when they are taught by precept and example at every step of their prog- ress from infancy to manbood, to shun it entirely, in all its forms, as they would the venomous cobra or the deadly upas tree. Till then we almost despair of any radical and lasting reform.
The building in which a store was kept by Obadiah Janes, was afterwards occupied by Ebenezer Ferry; who commenced store-keeping in 1843, at which time he received the appointment of postmaster. In 1850 his in- creasing business demanded more ample accommodations, and he accordingly hired a room in Knight's block, which had just been erected. He has occupied this place until his recent retirement, when he was succeeded by F. H. Putnam. Capt. Ferry is a native of the town, and has been in public business considerable ; was town clerk for twenty-one years, and has been justice of the peace for a long time.
In 1835, Mr. Williston opened a store near his residence, more particularly for the purpose of paying his employ- ees, although he sold goods to other people. For several years H. G. Knight was employed by Mr. Williston as a clerk. In this capacity he so won the esteem and confi-
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dence of his employer, that, at the age of eighteen, and after, he was entrusted with the purchase of goods, and soon came to manage nearly all the affairs of the firm, whose sales were considerable, in some years amounting to $40,000. In 1842 or '3, Mr. Williston sold out to Mr. Knight and E. L. Snow, who carried on the business two years, when the copartnership was dissolved and the busi- ness closed, and the building used several years as a ware- house ; but on the transfer of the button works in 1848, it was moved to a location near the factory.
At this time, the firm of John H. Wells & Co. was formed. With Mr. Wells were connected, as special partners, Mr. Williston and Mr. Knight. Mr. Williston retained an interest in the concern till 1858, when he sold out and Odel Gregory became a partner, and the business was conducted by the firm of Gregory & Wells, until the death of Mr. Gregory, since which time it has been carried on under the old name of John H. Wells & Co.
In 1830, Luther Clapp erected a building just north of Manhan river, on the banks of the old Farmington canal. This he used for a store ten years, when he sold out to Harris Bartholomew, who retained the place till 1850, when he removed to Northampton.
In May, 1855, John Mayher opened a tin shop in the place. That business had been started here by Miletus Parsons, but he died shortly after, and was succeeded by S. W. Lee, Jr., who however continued here only one year. Since Mr. Mayher came here his business has stead- ily increased, so that it is now perhaps larger than that of any other similar establishment in the county, if we except the trade in stoves. He is now engaged in the manufacture of an improved oil can, patented by himself, and which has given good satisfaction wherever used. He gives constant employment to nine hands, and does quite a large business in the course of a year.
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The mercantile business of the town is now done by R. M. & J. E. Lambie, dry goods ; Winslow & Ward, drug store ; John H. Wells & Co., and A. J. Lyman, dealers in dry goods, groceries, hardware, crockery, etc .; F. H. Putnam, dealer in groceries, medicines, books, stationery, etc .; John Mayher, plumber and stove dealer ; L. Preston, D. Machol, and J. E. Miller, merchant tailors ; Rust & Marsh, dry goods, ready made clothing, groceries, crockery, etc .; C. W. Langdon, Arlow Hannum & Son, and Stratton & Parsons, groceries and provisions ; C. H. Chapman, watchmaker and dealer in jewelry; B. W. Hutchinson, boots and shoes ; Hawkins & Kent, millinery and dress goods ; Misses Thrall, millinery ; D. S. Jepson, flour, meal, and feed ; R. E. Strong, toys, confectionery, etc.
MILLS, TRADES, &C.
First and foremost among these is the saw and planing mill, until recently owned and carried on by the late L. P. Lyman. His business in lumber has been probably quite as extensive as that of any other man in the county. His lumber has, most of it, been used in the town, yet such has been the demand for building materials within the last few years, that large quantities, both of lumber and brick, have been brought from other places. His mill stands on the Manhan, near the center of the town. Upon the op- posite side of the river, and drawing their supply of water from the same pond, stands a tannery belonging to Hora- tio Shoals, and a flouring mill owned by Edward Clapp and the heirs of L. P. Lyman, where a good business is carried on.
With this mill is connected quite a history.
" In 1676-7, Northampton gave Samuel Bartlett liber- ty to set up a corn mill upon Manhan river, below the cart- way, un the falls of the river." He probably soon after
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built it. In 1705, he gave it to his son, Joseph Bartlett, who took charge of it till his death, which occurred in 1755. He, having no children, gave it to his nephew, Jonathan Clapp, who lived with him. He also carried it on till his death, when it fell into the hands of two of his three sons, Jonathan and Joseph. About 1810, the for- mer sold out his interest in the concern to Joseph Clapp, Jr., the store-keeper. The latter gave his interest to his
sons. On the failure of Joseph Clapp, Jr., Bohan Clark came into possession of his share, and carried it on in com- pany with the other partners, until about the year 1815, when Ahira Lyman purchased his interest. It was owned by Messrs. Clapp and Lyman, till their death, when it fell into the hands of their sons, who have since owned it. It has been rebuilt twice since its erection by Samuel Bart- lett. It will be noticed as somewhat remarkable, that for more than one hundred and seventy-five years the owner- ship of the mill has continued in the same family. In the aggregate, an immense amount of grain has there been ground.
In 1803, a company consisting of Jonathan Strong and brother, Jonathan Bartlett, John Phelps, and Simeon Clark, built a saw-mill on Saw-mill brook, about a mile above its junction with the Manhan. For fifty years, without much interruption, it was worked, but in the spring of 1854, during the time of the famous " Nebraska Del- uge," the dam was carried off, and has never been rebuilt. The saw-mill standing where the cotton mill of S. Wi!",3. ton & Co. now stands, built in 1797 by Bohan Clark, has before been alluded to. There have been two saw-mills on Broad brook, in the south-east part of the town, one of which still stands, owned by Benjamin Strong. The other was owned by Stephen Hendrick.
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