History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 230

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 230

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A serious accident happened during its construc- tion, by the partial destruction of the coffer dam. Two men were killed and five injured by the acci- dent, and the engineer, Capt. Bigelow, barely escaped with his life. He was temporarily disabled, and the coffer dam was repaired by Capt. Phineas Stevens.

The first stone of the dam was laid on the 19th of September, 1845, at five o'clock P.M., near the centre of the river, by John A. Carpenter, of the firm of Gilmore & Carpenter, the contractors, and the last stone was placed on the 19th of September, 1848, at 5 P.M.

The canal on the north side of the river, a little more than one mile in length, runs parallel with the river and four hundred feet distant, and on the space thus enclosed are constructed the large mills which occupy the entire territory as far as Union Street ; while below are the Lawrence Woolen-Mills, Law- rence Machine Company, Davis' Fonndry, Webster's Grist-Mills, the Wright Braid Company, Dustin & Webster's machine-shop and others. The Everett Mills receive their water from the canal and dis- charge into the Spicket, as does the Russell Paper Company in part, while below the terminus of the canal other establishments receive water by a penstock carried across the Spicket River, discharging into the Merrimac.

The total cost of the dam and canal, including in-

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

terest, damages, detention to fisheries and naviga- tion, engineering and general expenses was $525,- 773.76. The canal is one hundred feet wide at its com- mencement, narrowing to sixty feet at the waste weir, and 12 feet deep, and is connected with the Merrimac by guard-locks, made of hammered stone laid in cement, ninety-five feet by twenty-one feet each.

A smaller canal on the south side of the river, pro- jected to extend as far as Union Street, has been more recently built, which is sixty feet wide and ten feet deep, furnishing power to the Lawrence Bleach- ery, the Prospect Worsted Mills, paper-mills, leather board mills and other establishments.

Other larger enterprises of the company were the building of the machine-shop and foundry, the first stone for the foundry being laid July 10, 1846. The main building was four hundred by sixty, and four stories high, built of stone ; and the foundry, also of stone, was one hundred and fifty by eighty-six, two stories in height, the two giving employment to six hundred or eight hundred men.

The company also commenced building the Atlan- tic mills and boarding-houses in 1846, and have since built the Pemberton, Duck and Pacific Mills. They also excavated a lumber-dock, established the lumber- yard, with saw and planing-mills, which they owned and operated till they ceased building mills, when this property was sold.

Among those who were employed by the Essex Company to execute their plans were Hiram P. Cur- tis and Joseph Bennett, Benjamin and Thomas B. Coolidge, James K. Barker, among the early en- gineers, and in 1846 Captain Charles H. Bigelow be- came chief engineer, with the Messrs. Coolidge as assistants. Deacon William M. Kimball had charge of the company's lumber-yard, with Luther Ladd as foreman, the latter of whom after the sale of the yard became agent and treasurer of the Lawrence Lumber Company. The late Abiel R. Chandler had for twenty years the care of the dam and guard-locks (died May 28, 1887), and George Sanborn had charge of the company's repairs from the beginning and is still in service. Among those who as contractors or otherwise were engaged in building were John A. Carpenter, one of the contractors for building the dam, Morris Knowles, Harrison D. Clement and his partner. William R. Page, Levi Sprague, Isaac Fletcher, William H. Boardman, Stephen P. Sim- mons, William Sullivan and John Hart.

Of these Isaac Fletcher, born in Maine, 1809, was in partnership with William H. Boardman in Bangor till 1846, when they came to Lawrence and engaged in the quarries of the Essex Company, furnishing large amounts of stone for the dam, and continued in that business together or separately during most of the time of their residence. In 1846 Mr. Fletcher es- tablished the Monumental Marble Works, now con- ducted by John Leonard, was one of the building

committee of the First Baptist Church, and superin- tended its construction, and was one of the selectmen of the town in 1849. He died August 20, 1885.

Harrison D. Clement was born in Warner, N. H., May 17, 1809, a lineal descendant of Robert Clement. one of the earliest settlers of Haverhill, Mass. At the age of eighteen he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner at Peterboro', N. H., and in 1830 com- menced work on the old town-house on Merrimack Street, Lowell, and at the Merrimac Mills and Lowell Machine-shop. In 1831 he went to Baltimore, and thence to Washington, where he was employed on the old post-office, then being fitted up. Finding the moral atmosphere uncongenial he returned to Lowell in 1832, where he remained five years, assisting in building the Suffolk, Tremont and Lawrence corpora- tions, and ten years longer in repairs on the Lawrence corporation : removed to Lawrence in 1846, where he built for the Essex Company the fifty tenements forming the square bounded by Union, Orchard, Gar- den and Newbury Streets, and in partnership with Wm. R. Page (who died in Kansas October 19, 1879), also from Lowell, fitted up the shop over the Essex Company's Planing Mill. He continued in partner- ship with Mr. Page four years, engaged in building principally for the Essex Company, boarding-house blocks, also mechanics' tenements for the Atlantic cor- poration, the First Baptist Church and dwelling- houses. In 1851 the partnership was dissolved, and for five years Mr. Clement was engaged in building the boarding-house blocks and overseers' tenements for the Pacific, Pemberton and other corporations, a portion of the Oliver School-House, and private dwelling-houses in Lawrence and elsewhere. In 1856 he entered into partnership with Leonard F. Creasy, and continued and extended the building of board- ing-houses and tenements for the Everett and Wash- ington corporations, store-houses and tenements for the paper-mills, etc. They also extended their oper- ations beyond Lawrence, building the larger class of buildings, such as churches, school-houses, court- houses, hotels and bank buildings, and government buildings in the navy yards at Kittery, Charlestown and Norfolk, Va. The partnership with Mr. Creasy continued for twenty years, from 1856 to 1876. He remained, however, a silent partner in the firm of Creasy & Noyes, who built the Insane Asylum at Danvers, and a cotton-mill at Dover, N. H. After the dissolution of this late partnership, Mr. Clement engaged in rebuilding a portion of the Old Catholic Cathedral at Cape Haytien, for the Republic of Hayti, which had been in ruins for many years.

He had neither time nor ambition for practical honors, but served one year as an assessor of taxes, and represented the city in the Legislature in 1861 and 1862. Mr. Clement died 1886.

Hon. James K. Barker was born in Londonderry, May, 1817, removed to Methuen, 1838, where he was employed as a teacher in the public schools (and as

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master in one of the earliest terms of .the grammar- school in Lawrence), studied engineering and archi- tecture, and in 1845 removed to Lawrence and entered the service of the Essex Company, and after remain- ing with the company several years, opened an office on his own account. Most of the streets and building lots and sewers up to the time of his decease were surveyed and laid out by him, and he was the archi- tect of the Court-house and Central Block. He was several years a member of the school committee, and in 1860 was elected mayor, serving during the first year of the war. Died January 13, 1868.

Morris Knowles, born in Northwood, N. H., came hither, also from Lowell, where he had been employed, and superintended all the wood-work of the large machine-shop buildings, and of all the large mills except the Bay State, and during the past year has been actively at work for the Arlington Company.

Stephen P. Simmons, a native of Rhode Island, came to Lawrence in 1847. He assisted in work on the dam, built the stone chimney of the Lawrence Machine-Shop Company, and other large amounts of stone-work for the Essex Company. He also con- structed Grace Episcopal Church, the stone church at Methuen and the foundations of the Lawrence jail.

William Sullivan was contractor for most of the ex- cavation and filling during the construction of the large mills and boarding-houses.

Levi Sprague constructed the brick-work of the At- lantic mills and boarding-houses, and of the fifty brick tenements of the machine-shop, and was largely engaged otherwise in early building.

The first cashier of the company during its earliest and busiest years was Geo. D. Cabot, who resigned in January, 1853, and after a short period of rest became agent of the Lawrence Gas Company. He was suc- ceeded by John R. Rollins who remained somewhat more than eleven years till the summer of 1864, when Henry H. Hall became cashier, succeeded by Hon. Robert H. Tewksbury. Present organization,-Hon. Chas. S. Storrow, president; Howard Stockton, treas- urer ; Hiram F. Mills, chief engineer.

The first dwelling-houses erected after the incorpor- ation of the company, were built by them on the westerly side of Broadway-one of which was occu- pied by Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Osgood, who for many years, there and later in another part of the city, kept an exceedingly good and popular boarding-house.

The first sale of land was made in April, 1846, to Samuel T. Merrill, who came from Georgetown, and on this he erected the first dwelling-house in town after those built by the Essex Company-others fol- lowed rapidly. But many came without pecuniary means, among them many Irish laborers, who must in some way be provided for-for them the Essex Company furnished a large tract on the south side of the river near the dam on which they might erect shanties, only on condition that liquors should not be sold on the premises. And the settlement thus

formed with its quaint narrow avenues and rustic division fences was one of the most interesting spots in Lawrence, one which visiting strangers were al- ways pleased to see.

These shanties were originally erected on the north side, but as the water was raised by the construction of the dam, and the territory west of the railroad was occasionally overflowed, the occupants removed to the south side to higher and dryer ground.

The writer has pleasant recollections of one of these men who was among the earliest to build a tasteful cottage, about which he arranged a pretty flower garden, and surrounded the premises with a neat, well-painted tence; the interior was as well arranged as the exterior, and he took much pride in this ef- fort ; some of his neighbors, however, thought he was "putting on too many airs," and annoyed him at first by defacing his work. This did not long continue ; their own ambition was stimulated, others purchased, new streets laid out, and the original shanties in a few years gave place entirely to substantial buildings.

The first brick store buildings were erected by J. N. Gage on the south side near the bridge in Septen- ber, 1846.

The first on the north side by Albert and Joseph Smith and Daniel Floyd, on Common Street, below Newbury.

Among the pioneers was Amos D. Pillsbury, of Georgetown, who came to procure a shop for the manufacture and repair of boots and shoes ; but find- ing no place wherein to commence work, he went to Newburyport, purchased a gondola, thirty-two by twelve feet, on which he built a "State-room," put in a stock of boots and shoes, leather, tools, cooking ap- paratus and provisions, arrived at the "New City " just before the first land sale, anchored in the river below the bridge, threw out his plank and commenced work. Here he continued till cold weather, when he removed to a store on Essex Street, which was then ready for his occupancy.

He built, in 1847, a building near the lower end of Common Street, and while Mr. H. D. Clement was building a house for his own use near by, he boarded with him for a short time. In a paper read before the Old Residents' Association, Mr. Clement thus speaks of him : " By persistent interviews with the proprie- tor I learned that the building was intended for the promotion of the arts and sciences, and for the physi- cal, mental and moral improvement of wayfaring men, and was to be called the Montezuma House. The builder himself was a problem past finding out. From his knowledge of ancient lore, and his love of the fine arts, he might have been a pupil of some of the old masters. From his apt quotations of Scripture, his fluency of speech and his broad philosophy, he might have been mistaken for a clergyman, while from his good looks, his pleasing manners and his generous sympathy for all man and womankind, he might have been taken for one of our pioneer physicians; and

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

from his knowledge of law and politics, and his skill in mystifying the truth, he might have been taken for one of our early Lawrence lawyers. He must have been intended by nature for one of our greatest men, with some unaccountable mistake made in fin- ishing. As the building progressed, I noticed the ab- sence of plan or system, and the eccentric oddity of its owner, conspicuous in all its parts. The frame from its odd appearance, might have done service at some remote age in the past; the usual order of proceed- ing was reversed by commencing at the top and leav- ing off at the cellar, it being raised and the roof cov- ered before the cellar was dug, and although I could not understand the principle of gravitation and cohe- sion that was to keep it up and together, yet he could explain it in the most satisfactory way. After a slight application of Spanish brown paint, and the word Montezuma in large letters somewhere, though not where one would expect to see it, the building was completed.

" I sought shelter there late one night, was kindly received by the proprietor, who seemed to combine within himself the offices of usher, steward, male and female waiters, and sometimes hostler, was shown to a very small room, and was soon asleep, without ex- amining the surroundings. On waking the next morning I found the room had been newly plastered the day previous, the bed clothes wet and slightly frozen, and myself with a cold in the head, but thought myself fortunate in being able to obtain such accommodations, and secured them until my own house should be finished.

" The furniture was of unique style and of ancient date, each piece having a history of its own. The ornaments were numerous and varied, consisting largely of mottoes and emblems, both sacred and pro- fane, usually a mixture of both which none could ex- plain or interpret so well as the host himself. He had also in and about the premises a good supply of cats, dogs, fowls of various kinds, also several kinds of wild animals, whose habits he could explain ad- mirably when he chose to do so, which was not often.

The tahles were an important part of the domestic arrangements, as all seemed to be hungry at that time, though there were not so many thirsty ones as ap- peared later, and although it was a mystery sometimes hard to solve whether our food was flesh, fish or fowl, and harder yet to learn how it was cooked, and though we could find no fault with the tea or coffee, not knowing the name of the liquid set before us, it all served an excellent purpose and was sure to find a ready market.

There was a furnished room in the basement front, hut for what purposes it was used were beyond my ability to discover. Some inquiries were made if liquor was not sold there, but I think there could not be, as liquor selling and liquor drinking seemed to be the special abhorrence of the proprietor, and I looked in several times without seeing any sigus of the traffic;

besides there was an emblem hanging on the wall which forbade such a conclusion : it was a painted circle with a black dot near the lower edge, which by his interpretation signified departed spirits. From some of the religious mottoes on the wall, and the free quotations of Scripture by the proprietor, the company might sometimes he taken for a religious class-meeting; from the pictures of fast horses and rare animals, and the appearance of the company at other times they might have been considered sporting characters; while from the mysterious emblems around, and in connection with remarks and expla- nations thereon by the owner, they might have been mistaken for a branch of the Concord School of Phil- osophy.

Horace Greeley visited the new city about this time, and on inquiring for the first class hotel was referred by the backman to the Shawsheen house, and asking if they sold liquor there was answered "yes." On iu- quiring for the second class hotel he was referred to the Oak Street House, and repeating his inquiry was again answered in the affirmative, and on inquir- ing for the next house was referred to the Montezuma, and asking the same question was answered in the negative, and the coachman was ordered to drive him there. I did not witness his reception, but it must have been interesting if the host knew his guest. If this original genius did not know how to keep a hotel he certainly knew many other things, and I feel sure we shall never look upon his like again. After leav- ing Lawrence he purchased an island near where Rowley River enters Plum Island Sound, where he spends his later days with some congenial spirits and calls it the Isle of Patmos.

The first dry goods dealer on the ground was Arte- mas W. Stearns (born in Hill, N. H.), who opened a store on Amesbury Street in 1846. Mr. Stearns erected the building on Essex Street in 1854, which he still occupies, actively engaged in business. The building was enlarged in 1877, and is being still further en- larged and improved, 1887, presenting one of the finest fronts on the street.

The oldest clothing dealer in the city is Captain William R. Spalding (born in Milton, N. H.), who came also in 1846, and still continues in the business.

Another early trader was John C. Dow, who opened and conducted for several years a book and stationery store. John Colby opened one a few months pre- viously. Mr. Dow subsequently (1872) changed to his present business, a dealer in crockery and glass- ware.

Among the early physicians and surgeons the first to settle here was Dr. Moses L. Atkinson, born in New- bury, Mass., July 14, 1814, graduated at Dartmouth College, 1838, and Harvard Medical School, 1844 ; commenced practice in Lawrence, 1846, and died July 13, 1852, aged thirty-eight. Others early on the ground were J. S. Curtis, E. W. Morse, G. W. San- born, J. Brown, Charles Murch, E. B. Allen, A. D.

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Blanchard, who relinquished practice for other busi- ness; William D. Lamb, who has retired from prac- tice and removed to Southbridge ; Julius H. Morse, deceased ; Seneca Sargent, born 1803, commenced practice 1826, one of the first settlers of Lawrence, where he died August 7, 1873 ; Isaac Tewksbury, born 1795, studied with Dr. Robinsou, of West Newbury, and Kittredge, of Andover, commenced practice iu New Hampshire, 1817, cameto Lawrence 1847, was in continuous practice between sixty and seventy years ; Aaron Ordway, born 1814, came to Lawrence, 1847, as an apothecary and botanic physician, and con- tinued iu the business for about twenty-five years, re- tiring and devoting himself to other pursuits; David Dana graduated from Harvard Medical School 1847, aud after practicing a year in public institutions in Boston came to Lawrence, and is the only one re- maining of the early physicians now in active prac- tice. He served in the Civil War two years as sur- geon of the First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery ; he was the first city physician of Lawrence, and also the first appointed for the jail and house of correction.

Among the early attorneys were Daniel Saunders, Jr., who was on the ground before the Essex Com- pany was formed, mayor in 1860; Joseph Couch, the first trial justice; Henry Flanders, afterwards some- what prominent in Philadelphia; Charles Stark Newell, who removed to New York City ; Dan. Weed, who removed to Washington, where he died September 5, 1884; Perley S. Chase ; Joseph F. Clark ; Thomas A. Parsons, retired to a farm in Derry, N. H .; David J. Clark, graduated at Dartmouth College 1836, came to Lawrence 1847, removed to Manchester, N. H., 1850, in partnership with his brother, Hon. Daniel Clark, was postmaster at Manchester 1866, deceased; Ivan Stevens, graduated at Dartmouth College 1842, read law with Hon. James Bell and Hon. Amos Tnck, commenced practice in Lawrence 1846, died April, 1880 ; Thomas Wright, born in Lowell, educated at Harvard University, studied law with his father, a very prominent lawyer in Lowell, came to Lawrence 1846, represented the city in the Massachu- setts House of Representatives, and the district four times in the Senate; W'm. H. P. Wright, brother of the preceding, educated at Cambridge, came to Law- rence 1847, continued his studies with Hon. Daniel Saunders and with Wright & Flanders, was in partner- ship with his brother till 1861, when he was elected mayor and served with earnestness and marked abil- ity during two years of the war, represented the city in the Legislature 1867-68, and was one of the asso- ciate justices of the Police Court; Benjamin Board- man; Benjamin W. Ball; Nathan W. Harmon.1

None of the preceding now remain in Lawrence except Mr. Saunders and Judge Wright.

The first grocery store was opened in 1845, on the south side of the river, by Josiah Crosby, of Billerica.

This was the only store of its kind for nearly six months, and its ledger contained upwards of six hun- dred names before another store was opened. In ad- dition to groceries Mr. Crosby appears to have been the first ice dealer, offering to supply ice from his two ice houses, one situated on the south side of the river below his store, the other at his farm in North An- dover, filled with "lake ice." This store and stock was purchased in 1850 hy Joseph Shattuck, who, with his brother, Charles W. Shattuck, have conducted the business since, first at South Lawrence, and later in a new brick building built by them on Essex Street, till 1887, when they retired, and were suc- ceeded by Henry A. Buell & Co., who had elsewhere in the city been long engaged.

Another early dealer was Charles Smith, who came early from Lowell and yet remains here, having also retired after a very active and busy life.

The first lumber dealer, Mr. Hezekiah Plummer, born in that part of Andover now included in Law- rence. He was engaged in the manufacture of sashes and blinds, &c., in 1846, but soou erected asteam mill in South Lawrence for supplying lumber for the growing wants of the new town. Besides those not elsewhere mentioned many others have been promi- nent, many of them residents for a long period and actively engaged in business, contributing their share to its material growth and prosperity. Among them may be named one of the earliest dealers in dry goods, Joseph O'Hea Cantillon, born in Ireland, 1810, came to Lawrence, 1846, was a leading spirit among his countrymen and popular with all classes ; he was a very active man in temperance work and public af- fairs, and was one of the board of assessors in 1854. He removed to the West, was at one time mayor of the city of Dubuque, Iowa, died in 1879. John J. Do- land, born in Derry, N. H., August 29, 1826, came to Lawrence, 1849, from Manchester, where he had been employed in the Amoskeag Mills. He was an over- seer in the Atlantic Mills till 1871. Mr. Doland was a descendant of patriotic ancestors, and is the oldest lineal descendant of one who fought in the Revolu- tionary War. He was a member of the distinguished military order of the Cincinnati. Eben L. Chapman, J. Merrill Currier, Milton Bouney* (mayor in 1865), William P. Clark, Peter Holihan, Patrick Sweeney, Jordan Bros., Henry M. Whitney, J. P. Kent,* Wil- liam H. Bridgman,* Dana Sargent (afterward mayor of Nashua, died November 23, 1884), John Beetle (died June 20, 1879), John F. Biugham, George B. Smart, John Kiley,* John B. Atkinson,* Alonzo Briggs (deputy sheriff), Martin Bros., Albin Yeaw, Charles R. Mason, E. J. Mason (died December 4, 1880), David S. Swan,* James A. Treat (died April 24, 1886), Henry Barton, Byron Truell (House of Representatives 1875, 1876, Senator 1877, 1878), Simpson & Oswald, Rufus Reed (died 1886), Charles

* Deceased.

1 Sce Chapter II. Bench and Bar.

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

A. Brown (now of Portland), Joseph Norris,* Carney Bros., William A. Kimball* (died March 6, 1880), J. Smith Field, Horatio Smith,* Amasa Bryant,* John Gale,* A. A. Lamprey, James R. Simpson (mayor 1878, '79, '80, '85), J. G. Abbott, J. Clinton White, M. P. Merrill* (many years an assessor, died June 14, 1886), Levi Emery,* George W. Hills, John F. Cogs- well, William E. Gowing, Lawson Rice, Robert R. Whittier, Robert M. Bailey, N. B. Gordon. Another of the oldest residents is Samuel M. Davis, who was an engineer on the Boston and Maine Rail- road, came to Lawrence in 1847, and ran the first lo- comotive into town over the new railroad bridge. Captain John Smith, one of the earliest, who came in 1845, died September 19, 1879, aged eighty-seven. Ford Bros., Joseph Stowell, Albert Emerson, G. W. Chandler, Walker# and Freeman Flanders, H. J. Couch, Alonzo Winkley, John Daly, Henry A. Pres- cott and Moses Wingate.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 230

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