History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 140

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1538

USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 140

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Milan Murphy, a veteran of the Revolution, and called "Colonel," a chronic victim of all sorts of pranks, was a prominent figure in these festivities. He marched wearing his old three-cornered hat, a blue coat with brass buttons, and accompanied his voice to an old fiddle on which he played his one tune, "sometimes on one string, sometimes on no string at all." Colonel Milan was great at butting, making nothing of going through the head of a mo- lasses hogshead. He found his match one day in an old ram, presently to be made, after the manner of his kind, into "spring lamb," at the butchery already mentioned. There was but one round, and the de- tails have not been so well preserved as the conclu- sive fact, that "the ram knocked Milan more'n a rod."

It was about 1830 that the Plains began to be some- thing. Then Samuel Preston was manufacturing shoes on the site of the present bank building; Eben Putnam, in a shop near his house; and others before long came in. Joshua Silvester moved his business from the little shop at the foot of Porter's Hill, and built a large factory and fine residence on the westerly side of Maple Street, in 1837. No man deserves more special mention in a history of Danvers than he, and a word might as well be written here as elsewhere. He was eighty-four years old, July 9, 1887, and is able to be about, though his sight is failing. He was born in Wiscasset, Me .; his family moved to Andover, Mass., when he was a child; he came here when he was eighteen to work at shoe-making; went with Frederick Perley one term at Atkinson Academy ; clerked a year or two at Jonas Warren's store ; began shoe-manufacturing in the shop at Porter's Hill, with a partner named Brickett, and remained after the dis- solution of the partnership until the date of his ie- movał to the Plains, as above. The fire which de- stroyed the new buildings at the Plains will be noticed. His numerous trips to England in connection with subsequent business enterprises, and his acquaintance there with Mr. Peabody, are spoken of in connection with the history of the Peabody Institute. He has served the town as selectman, in the legislature, and in other capacities, but what he is to be chiefly re- membered for, is the far-sighted public spirit which he has always shown in the matter of public improve. ment, and especially in encouraging the setting out of shade trees. He has lived long enough to see the sticks which he set in the ground by hundreds, years ago, transformed into bowers of beauty, and children, who have grown to manhood as the trees have grown, and who realize the richness of their legacy, rise up to bless this benefactor. Last winter a public testi- monial was made to him. (His death occurred, since writing, July 29, 1887).

Mr. Silvester married a sister of Francis Noyes, who had a large factory and dwelling just above Mr. Sil- vester's. Mr. Silvester's sister Mary married Thomas Bowen, the first post-master at the Plains, and his sister Sarah married Johu A. Learoyd. Mr. Learoyd

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learned the currying trade in Byfield, came here in 1829 and worked as a journeyman for Brickett & Sil- vester, at Porter's Hill, and boarded with Mr. Silves- ter. He soon came down to the Plains, bought and moved the Baptist meeting-house of 1783, and began in it the currying business, which he carried on through life, and which one of his sons continues. He was from the first a leader in the Maple Street Church. His own house was planned for the conve- nience of neighborhood prayer-meetings, when all went to Dr. Braman's church, and when the separation took place the new church was formally organized in his parlors. He died February 1, 1880, and his wife survived him but three weeks. They left a family of children trained after their own hearts, and strong in church work. Among them one son an Episcopal minister; a daughter, the wife of a minister; another son for nearly twenty-five years superintendent of a model Sunday-school.

Amos Brown's wheelwright shop and house were between Noyes' factory and the place where Cherry St. was soon laid out. He and his brother Samuel, mason, came from North Beverly. If the life of wheels de- pends on sound stock and honest work, every pair which ever came out of Amos Brown's shop is run- ning yet. Right across the street from Brown's shop was Deacon Frederick Howe's house and blacksmith shop. The Deacon was born in Methuen, in 1793, learned his trade of the Wilkinses, at the Centre, and at length established himself here. He died July 2, 1880, eighty-seven years old. He was a deacon of the First Church when he was made one of the first dea- cons of the Maple Street Church. He entered from the first into temperance reform, and early attached himself to the anti-slavery movement, without for a moment losing his interest, as many did, in the church. His blacksmith shop was naturally a centre for dis- cussion on such questions, and was one of the rallying- points of the Liberty party. "It is remarkable that a man so occupied and of so laborious a life found time and strength to do so much in so many good causes. Between his anvil-strokes rung out true words that formed opinions of other men, and the tired hand was never too weary to use the pen for the same pur- pose." None of Deacon Howe's family remain here. One of his sons, Joseph W., is a prominent member of the New York bar, and had a hand in the convic- tion of Tweed.

Frederick Perley, a brother of " Uncle Proc," lived and manufactured shoes opposite Ezra Batchelder's. Joseph W. Ropes came here from Salem in 1838, and engaged in the tinware and stove business, which his son carries on. In subsequent pages will be found a sketch of Alfred Trask, who came to the Plains about 1835, and built up a large and prosperous business as a drover.

The establishment of the Village Bank here in 1836 was brought about by the efforts of leading shoe manu- facturers, Elias Putnam foremost, and tended very

much to the making of the Plains the business centre of the town. The new church was organized in 1844, there were better and larger schools, lands which had long been used only for farming were laid open for building, and the prosperity of the place may be judged from this clipping from the Courier, May 18, 1845, a paper published for a few years at South Dan- vers :

" But the greatest improvements seem to have been made in North Danvers. New streets bave been opened, old ones built up, old houses transformed to new, and the whole village presents a thrifty and go- ahead appearance to the occasional visitor-not appreciated by the con- stant resident. The beautiful church, the noble public house, the large shoe factories and long ranges of handsome dwellings seem to have arisen by magic. High Street is so filled up that we can hardly tell where the New Mills village leaves off and where the 'Plains' begins. They are fast joining hands, and when they come together they will have quite a city-like appearance."

But a few months later a different story appears in the files of the same paper.

" DISASTROUS FIRE IN DANVERS !

"A very alarming hire took place in the North Parish, in Daovers, at the Plains, last Tuesday afternoon (June 10, 1845), commencing at 2 o'clock.

"It broke out in an outbuilding belonging to the dwelling house of Mr. Joshua Silvester, and was said to have been occasioned by some chil- dren playing with friction matebes. The fire spread with great rapidity, and seemed at one time beyond human control. The onmber of build- ings of all sorts destroyed is said to be eighteen.

"These consisted of the dwelling, extensive store and barn of Joshua Silvester ; the building ocenpied by John Hayman, painter, and F. E. Smith, tailor ; the large building occupied by Francis Noyes as a shoe manufactory, together with his dwelling and stable ; the building occu- pied by Amos Brown, wheelwright; and Coffin & Co., painters ; two dwelling houses, shoe manufactory, barn and store house of Samuel Preston, who saved nothing but a couple boxes of shoes ; Fran- cis (Frederick) Howe's blacksmith shop ; barn and store bouse belonging to A. Proctor Perley ; a new building occupied by the post-office, and Clough's restorator. The Village Bank Building was a good deal in- jnred by fire and water, and most of the furniture of W. L. Weston, the cashier, was greatly injured ; but all Bank property was saved. The goods of Henry T. Ropes, who occupied part of the building as a tailor's shop, were saved. Mr. John Page's house was completely emptied, but noinjured by fire. The streets were filled with property taken from the stores and houses. A. P. Perley & Co.'s store was saved by unparalleled exertions, thongb for a long time in imminent peril. The stock wae removed.

"There was a great scarcity of water, it being necessary to connect eight engines to obtain a single stream of water npon the fire. The Dearest body of water was Frost Fisb Brook, over a half a mile distant, at the Beverly line.

"The aların reached Saleni about a quarter past two o'clock, and sev- eral engines and fire companies immediately started, guided by the di- rection of the smoke, although it was not then koowo where the fire was, nor how imminent was the danger. Express messengers arrived some time afterwards for assistance, when the alarm was again sounded, aod several more engines were despatched, making seven in all from Salem, preceded, accompanied and followed by great numbers of our citizens. The progress over the length of dusty road was exceedingly toilsome, with the almost vertical sun beating down upon their unshel- tered beads, at a temperature of 120 to 130 degrees. Some were very much overcome by tbe exposure and fatigne. Ooe mau fell at the brakes of No. 6, and when the engine, having exhausted the water at the cistern where it was posted was withdrawo, he was lying upon the grass insensible, under the care of the physicians belonging to the company.

"The amonot of loss is varionsly estimated, some going 96 high as 880,000. There was insurance in varions offices-mostly of mntnal com- panies -to the amount of over $30,000."

The work of rebuilding went speedily on, but, with the exception of the new bank building, there was a

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lamentable want of anything like architectural de- sign, and it must be confessed that from this want of foresight our main street presents a shambling and irregular appearance, not worthy of the general ap- pearance of the town. There is not space to speak of the later development and prosperity of the Plains. Suffice it to say that Farmer Porter's fields are so well built up that few desirable house-lots remain unutilized, and, generally speaking, Danvers Plains is a beautiful village, and its residents have many rare advantages.

DANVERSPORT comprises two peninsulas, formed by three divergent forks of tide water, into each of which flow inland streams, known, commencing with the most southerly, as Water's, Crane and Porter's Rivers. As the highway across them runs, the main road to Salem, these rivers are about a third of a mile apart .; at each bridge, tide-gates and mills. It is the lower peninsula between Water's and Crane Rivers that formed Governor Endicott's orchard farm, the first settled land in Danvers. The upper peninsula- Skelton's Neck, wherein · came to be much commer- cial activity, and for many years the principal village of the town-was for a long time wild and unsettled. It was quite a hundred and twenty years after the Governor had broken ground on his grant that Arch- elaus Putnam went down through the woods and se- lected as a site for a tide-mill the place where the out- curving banks of the Crane River make the stream quite narrow. From his father, Nathaniel's, farm (the Judge Putnam place) he floated dowu the stream, or moved down its frozen surface, a cooper- shop, landed it about where the railroad station now is, moved it across the point made by the sharp bend of the river, and near the present location of Aaron Warren's brick store he made it into a dwelling, wherein, with his wife Mehitable, he lived, the pioneer of Danversport. Soon after the settlement of Archelaus, his brother John moved down, and to- gether they built a grist-mill. Tradition is that the whole district was covered by a dense thicket, in which foxes abounded. This was a path through the neck to the upper settlements, marked by blazed trees, by which wood was taken to the water-side and boated to Salem. A more respectable way, two rods wide, was soon laid out from Porter's Plains to the mills, the origin of High and Water Streets. In 1760 this road was pushed on over Endicott's Neck, across Water's River, and so on to Salem. It was welcomed by land-owners on the lower side of that river, who conveyed to Samuel Clark, Jeremiah Page, Benjamin Porter and others for the benefit of the public "two rods wide through our land in a straight line as may be from the Bridge when built to North Field Pro- prietors' way, so called, at the Gate going into said Small's land." But there was almost no end of trouble within the town. The road was strongly op- posed. For one thing the New Mills, as the little

community soon came to be called, belonged terri- torially to the south parish, and the people there were unwilling to see the diversion of business and interest which the short cut to Salem would render in- evitable. This is what Colonel Israel Hutchinson meant when he wrote in his private papers, "After they found they could not get it discontinued, they proposed to make it a toll-bridge. We found that would not by any ways do, as those people (of Salem and Marblehead) who had assisted us in repairing the way and building the bridges would be great suf- ferers, and it would promote traveling that way, which was what the leaders, who were sellers of rum, tobacco, etc., wished to prevent." Application was made to the North Parish "if they were willing to take us with all ways and bridges, but they (the South Parish) would not let us go. We then, after contending in the law more than seven long years, and although we had gained our cause in every case, being almost ruined, were under the necessity of pro- posing to the General Court that we would take all ways and bridges on ourselves." And the General Court looked on the proposition with favor, and in 1772 passed "An Act for the subjecting the Inhab- itants of a Part of the Town of Danvers, called the Neck of Land hereafter described, to the charge of maintaining and supporting certain Bridges and Highways." . After reciting the unhappy divisions and controversies, and the final and amicable com- promise in ratification of which the act was passed, it was provided that the inhabitants of the Neck should constitute an independent highway district to main- tain existing highways and bridges therein, and also any others constructed at the special instance and re- quest of the inhabitants. The district, containing about three hundred acres, was bounded by a line commencing at Crane River Bridge on the Ipswich Road (Ash Street) ; thence following the river chan- nel to Lieutenant Thomas Stevens' land (about at the southerly end of the railroad bridge) ; then straight across Fox Hill to the high-water mark on the south side of Water's River, a little west of the bridge ; thence across the further end of the bridge to Porter's River, up the whole length of Porter's River, to the Ipswich Road again at Frost-fish Brook Bridge ; and so on by the Ipswich Road (Conant, Elm and Ash Streets) to the place of beginning. These limits embraced a large tract now included in the Plains. The act remained in force nearly seventy years, until its repeal March 7, 1840. Evidently matters, however, had not been conducted in strict conformity to requirements, for in 1836 the Legisla- ture confirmed the recorded proceedings, giving them the same effect as if the officers had been proprietors and all meetings called by competent authority.

From the beginning made by Archelaus Putnam, other mills were in a few years established on Crane River-wheat-mills in 1764, and a saw-mill in 1768. Associated with him in ownership were John Buxton,

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Samuel Clark, John Pickman and Israel Hutchin- son.

In the mean time other dwellings were erected along the new highway, the woods were cleared away, and a little village speedily grew up at "New Mills." On the banks of Porter's River sharp-eyed men from the ship-building towns saw excellent facilities for that business. The pioneer of ship- building here was Timothy Stephens, of Newbury, an enterprising and skillful builder. Presently a number of young men came down from the North, worked with Stephens and learned his trade, and permanently established themselves here. Some of these will be mentioned again.

For nearly half a century after the first mill on the Crane River the tide-power on the other two rivers remained unutilized. About 1798 Nathan Read en- ters into the history of Danvers. He was a graduate of Harvard, 1781, a tutor there of Harrison Gray Otis and John Quincy Adams, and afterwards studied medicine and kept an apothecary store in Salem. There he married, October 20, 1790, Elizabeth Jaffrey, and built the house in which the historian Prescott was born, on the present site of Plumer Hall. Among the achievements of his inventive mind was the first machine for cutting nails. He purchased the water- power on the Water's River, and with associates erected the Salem and Danvers Iron Works. At the same time he purchased part of Governor Endicott's old Orchard Farm, and on a sightly eminence overlook- ing the river built a mansion, which, after the suc- eessive ownership of Captain Crowningshield, Cap- taiu Benjamin Porter and the heirs of the latter, still retains much of its original stateliness. When the company were incorporated, March 4, 1800, Nathan Read is described "of Danvers;" seventeen others, of Salem. The corporation was authorized to hold thirty thousand dollars of real and three hundred thousand dollars of personal property, and reference is made in the act to the date of the original partner- ship, May 5, 1796.

In the mill-pond, in front of his residence, Read experimented by applying steam to the paddles of a small boat long before the Hudson was the scene of Fulton's larger results. He was the first man to ap- ply to the government for a patent, and himself framed the first patent law. He represented the dis- trict in Congress, 1800-03. A political jeu d'esprit was current at the time of his candidacy for re-elec- tion to Congress, when his party, the Federalists, were called "Jacobins" by their opponents, the Re- publicans, and the candidate of the latter party was the Hon. Jacob Crowningshield :

To THE FEDS.

With disappointment how you'd pont, With joy how we should grin, Should we keep Federal NATHAN out, And get a JACOB in.

Soon after his service in Congress he removed to ! 31号

Maine, where he had purchased a large tract of land. He was there appointed a judge of Common Pleas. He died in Belfast, January 21, 1849, in his ninetieth year, leaving a numerous family. Nathan Read's petition :

"To tho freeholders & other inhabitants of the Town of Danvers the Petition of Nathan Reed respectfully sheweth that he has it in contem- plation to build certain Mills near Water's bridge, so called, on Wa- terses river, so called, & requests the Town to grant, convey & quit claim to him, his heirs and assigns forever its consent, license, right & permis- sion to erect a dam or dams on & across said River ; to build mills, piers and wharves & to construct a lock & flood gates any where nigh or ad- joining said bridge, & to do every thing necessary for compleating & using said mills without any let, hindrance or molistation whatsoever of said Town.

"Salem, March 9th, 1795.

" NATHAN REED.

"At a legal meeting of tho inhabitants of the Town of Danvers, March 9th, 1795-voted that the prayer of abovo Petition of Nathan Reed he granted.

"Att. : GIDEON FOSTER, T. Clerk."

The business at the foundry brought up from the towns of the south shore, nurseries of iron-workers, several men who established families here. John Joselyn was one of the earliest of these, among whose children was Edwin Joselyn, who for thirty years was a noted teacher in Salem, and among whose descend- ents are the wife and children of Hon. Augustus Mudge. John Bates who followed an older brother here from Dedham a few months after he was twenty- one, is still living within sound of the machinery, and on the 20th of this present month May, 1887, will be ninety years old. Besides the foundry on the north bank of the river there was a nail-shop, and also an anchor-shop on the south bank. In the latter were forged the anchors of the frigate " Essex," an occa- sion celebrated by much punch. Work was steady at the anchor-shop, the plan being to manufacture a supply for some time ahead, mostly of a size for fisher- men and coasters, and when the stock was too much reduced, a gang of expert anchor-men were called up from the south shore who kept the one trip-hammer and the two pairs of bellows husy until anchors were sufficiently plenty again. One of these anchor-men, John Silvester, after a progressively successful career in the iron business, about 1858 bought the works at Danvers, and it is his son Benjamin Silvester who is at present carrying on the business of rolling iron at the old stand. The nail and anchor shops have long since been removed, the former fulfilling a mission of usefulness at Calvin Putnam's lumber yard, the latter now a barn in the neighborhood. Before Mr. Silves- ter's purchase the works were carried on by Matthew Hooper who built the large brick residence on the Salem side of the river. Within a few years a spur track has been laid from the railroad to accommodate the works.

The old-time ferry between Salem and Beverly, some two miles down the river, gave place to the Essex Bridge, now "Beverly Bridge," the proprietors of which were incorporated November 17, 1787. The people at New Mills were much opposed to the new

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

bridge for more reasons than one. It interfered somewhat with free navigation, in compensation for which the proprietors were required to pay £10 an- nually to the town treasurer ; then travel from Ryall Side and the back country would naturally be more diverted from New Mills, and for this, while there was no compensation, the energetic inhabitants attempted a remedy. They built a bridge of their own across Porter's River in 1788. The land on the other side of the river then was a part of Beverly. Later, some three years after the incorporation of the iron works at Water's River, Samuel Page, Thomas Putnam, Caleb Oakes, Samuel Endicott, John Page and Ileze- kiah Flint were, June 23, 1803, incorporated as the Danvers and Beverly Iron Works Company. They were authorized to build a bridge of stone, thirty-two feet wide, for which Captain Burley furnished the material from his land on the Beverly side, to erect and use forever an iron manufactory and any other mills for useful manufacture, and to hold property to the value of three hundred thousand dollars, in two hun- dred shares. Option was given to Beverly to build the bridge, but the committee of that town preferred to relinquish the right of improving the river for a mill-pond and to pay twenty dollars annually towards the support of the bridge. Both the original structure and the stone bridge were for a long time called "Spite Bridge." Those who built it gave the name of "Liberty Bridge." By an act, February 8, 1811, the company having "lately discontinued their oper- ations," the Salem establishment was sold to the com- pany at Water's River. Nathaniel Putnam was many years agent and manager of the works. Subsequently the works were changed into a grist-mill, were long known as "Fowler's Mills, then " Richards' Mills," and within a few years have entered a new stage of usefulness, that of grinding up old rubber.

A man withont a handle to his name must have been at a discount in New Mills. The busy little port was thick with "Cap'ns," with here a "Colonel," there a "Major." It was the home of a considerable number of men who were masters of ships out of Salem, of others who were prosperous ship-owners, merchants and millers. Such families were not nu- merous, and they naturally became connected and inter-twisted by marriages in a way perplexing to unravel.

Among the young men who were attracted by the ship-building at the new settlement was Samuel Fow- ler, of Ipswich, born there January 9, 1748-49. He was but seventeen when he came. At that time a young girl was just entering her teens who had the distinction of being the first white child born at New Mills. She was Sarah Putnam, daughter of Arche- laus, the pioneer, and step-daughter of Colonel Israel Hutchinson. Two years before the battle of Lexing- ton Samuel Fowler and Sarah Putnam were married. She is said to have heen a very handsome woman, " with a snowy complexion and black eyes and hair."

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 140

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1 Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1538

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1538