History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 232

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 232

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In public, political life Mr. Tarbox was an earnest partisan; in his business transactions he was a man of strictest integrity and honorable dealing, and in his social relations warm-hearted and genial. Edu- cated only in the common schools of New England, but possessing a refined taste and poetic tempera- ment, he cultivated and improved his powers by ex-

1860. Dan. Saunders, Jr ..

Geo. R. Rowe

Nathaniel Wilson.

1861. James K. Barker ...

Geo. It. Rowe

Nathaniel Wilson.

Geo. R. Rowe

Nathaniel Wilson.

1863. Wm. H. P. Wright ..

1872. S. B. W. Davis.

Geo. R. Rowe

Robert H. Tewksbury.

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

tended reading of the best in literature. The key- note of his short life may be found in his own words in an address delivered before the Old Residents' Association. In speaking of Lawrence, his remarks were as follows : " Lawrence has no conspicuous his- tory to point at for the world's marvel. It came not ont from some mystic past of romance and tradition. It had no Theseus or Romulus of divine progeny for its founder. But it is nobler to make a history than to inherit one, to begin than to end an ancestral line, to set up a beacon of fame than to shine in its re- flected beam."

Lieutenant Tarbox never recovered from the ma- larial effects of the Louisiana swamps, and died in Boston May 27, 1887.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PARKS .- In 1848, the year following the incorporation of the town, steps were taken for the construction of a town hall, and the foresight of its projectors was manifested in the con- struction of a building which should be adapted not merely to the necessities of a township, but the wants of a future city. The plan of the present city hall was prepared by Ammi B. Young, of Boston, and the committee appointed to take charge of the construc- tion was Hezekiah Plummer, Wm. M. Kimball, Capt. Charles H. Bigelow and J. M. Stone. There was an angry controversy in regard to the location, some desiring to place the building at the corner of Law- rence and Common Streets, some on Jackson Terrace, others, who finally prevailed, in its present compara- tively central and convenient place. Had it been built on Jackson Terrace our citizens would have been deprived of one of the most quiet and beautiful spots for private residences ; the other location would have been a desirable one, but only a few fect farther west, and at this day it is difficult to understand how so much controversy could have taken place respect- ing the difference 'twixt tweedle-dum and tweedle- dee. The building, which is a very substantial one, of brick, with a basement story of granite, reflects credit upon the architect and builders. It is sur- mounted by a wooden tower of pleasing style, in which a fine-toned bell for many years summoned the peo- ple to church and school, and to fires until the intro- duction of the fire-alarm telegraph. The tower is crowned with a gilt cagle which is worthy of mention for its symmetry, designed and carved by Mr. John M. Smith, a member of the Board of Selectmen for that year. The eagle measures seventeen and a half feet from tip to tip of the outspread wings, and ten feet two inches from the beak to the end of the tail.

A great defect was found in the acoustic properties of the large hall, rendering it very annoying to public speakers. This was partially remedied in 1858 by hanging the walls with drapery. In 1872 the hall was entirely remodeled by building galleries, and the erection of stage scenery, and now, for its size; it is a pleasant hall for speakers as for other purposes; second only to the opera-house, a private establish-

ment owned by the Lowell Railroad Company, and located over their station-house.

Lawrence Jail was built in 1853 on the southerly bank of the Spicket River, on land purchased by the town, a substantial building of stone in a good location, and as well arranged in sanitary respects for its unfortunate inmates as the dictates of humanity can suggest, while the front portion, occupied by the keeper, opens npon spacious ground and has an out- look upon a public park of an acre in extent. The building has been severally in charge of Sheriffs Thomas E. Payson, James Carey, and the present sheriff, Horatio G. Herrick.

Lawrence Court-House .- For several years the peo- ple of Lawrence in civil and criminal cases were obliged, at considerable inconvenience, to attend courts either in Newburyport or Salem ; a term of the courts was established here for a time, and the ses- sions were held for a few years in Lawrence Hall, fitted up for the purpose by the city. The building was not suitable for the purpose, and after considera- ble opposition from the older parts of the county, a board of county commissioners was formed, who deter- mined that Lawrence furnished a sufficient amount of business to the courts to entitle it to some degree of consideration. Accordingly, in 1858, by united efforts, a court-house was built, the Essex Company giving the land, and the city building a foundation acceptable to the commissioners, and the commis- sioners erecting the building. The architect was James K. Barber (then city engineer). To two of the commissioners at the time-Mr. Wilson, of Marble- head, and Ebenezer B. Currier, of Lawrence (a major- ity of the board)-Lawrence is indebted for its con - struction. A term of conrt for civil cases is held here in March, and a term for criminal cases in October. The Probate Court also has sessions in January, March, May, June, July, September and November. The court-house was but just finished, when a de- structive fire, originating in the new United States Hotel, 1859, destroyed it completely. It was rebuilt in 1860.

Police Station .- The building now occupied by the Police Court and police offices was built in 1867. Prior to this the headquarters of the police was at the city hall, and prisoners were confined in two lock-ups, miserable wooden buildings, confinement in which, before trial, was greater punishment than the guilty suffered subsequent to trial in the vastly better quar- ters to which they were sentenced. This building is well arranged, having cells in the basement, offices on the first floor, a court-room and offices on the second floor, and a hall which was at one time occu- pied as an armory ; now, convenient for many pur- poses.

Parks .- The largest of these is the Common, a fine tract of more than seventeen acres in the centre of the city, reserved by the Essex Company while mak- ing their plan of streets, and offered to the town, with

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the simple restrictions that it should not be diverted from its purpose, or built upon, that the town should expend a small sum, not less than two hundred dol- lars, annually for its improvement, and that it should be under the care of a committee consisting of the chairman of the selectmen or mayor, the agents of the Essex Company, the Atlantic and Bay State Mills. At a town-meeting in September, 1848, the town, ou motion of some scheming politicians, voted not to ac- cept the gift ! At a subsequent meeting iu October the people, awake to the ridiculous position in which the town had been placed, reversed the decision, for which action all who have since resided here have been grateful. The several committees have taken much interest in improving and beautifying it, and much larger sums of money have been appropriated for the purpose than were required by the terms of the gift. Perhaps no one in the earlier days devoted . more time and attention to the planting and rearing of the noble trees which now shade its broad avenues than Levi Sprague, one of the selectmen in 1848, 49, and Gen. H. K. Oliver, then agent of the Atlantic Mills; though others have in various ways contrib- uted their share. The trees around the pond were planted under the direction of Mayor W. H. P. Wright. The unsightly wooden fence was removed during the mayoralty of Hon. John K. Tarbox, and the present curbstone substituted. For the pond on the Common the citizens are indebted to the exertions of the late Dr. J. H. Morse, who obtained by suh- scription half of the cost, the city appropriating the balance in 1857.

Another tract of ten acres, Storrow Park, on Pros- pect Hill, was deeded by the Essex Company to the city in 1853. This is in part shaded by trees, young oaks of native growth, is on high land, and commands pleasant views of the busy town below.

"The Amphitheatre," so-called, sometimes named Happy Valley, was dedicated to public use in 1873, by the company. This is a beautifully located tract in the western part of the city, inclosed on three sides by a ridge of hills giving it the resemblance from which it was named. This tract embraces seven acres, and forms a pleasant and quiet retreat for the citizens of that region.

Another park, the finest of all except the Common, now owned by the Essex Company in South Law- rence, comprises eleven and a quarter acres, and is named Union Park; bounded by South Union, Os- good, Salem and Market Streets.

CEMETERY .- In 1847 the town purchased five acres of land in the western part of the city for burial pur- poses. This has been gradually enlarged until Belle- vue Cemetery has, by judicious management and con- stant, but continued, improvement by the city and the good taste of the citizens, hecome a very beautiful resting-place for the dead, a spot where the grave is robbed of half its horrors by the beauty of the sur- roundings, and where one, in the language of Bryant,

might feel that he " could wrap the drapery of his couch around him and lie down to pleasant dreams." West of this is St. Mary's Cemetery, and still further west, partly in Methuen is the cemetery of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, both of which have much improved.

The city also, in anticipation of prospective wants, has purchased in North Andover about ninety acres, at a spot known in the vicinity as Den Rock. This is somewhat difficult of access, but capable of becoming in the future an appropriate place, and from its natural scenery may be made, by the aid of art, a beautiful ground for the purpose intended.

BANKS .- The first bank, the Bay State, incorpor- ated February 10, 1847, was located at a point very nearly corresponding with the geographical centre of the city, the junction of Lawrence and Essex Streets. Its capital was originally two hundred thousand dol- lars, increased to five hundred thousand dollars, and subsequently reduced to three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, the par value of the shares being at present seveuty-five dollars each. The first president was Hon. Charles S. Storrow, who resigned after twenty years of service, and was succeeded in 1867 by Hon. George L. Davis. Nathaniel White, the first cashier, was previous to this cashier of the Powow River Bank at Salisbury, to which office he was ap- pointed on the organization of the bank in 1836. He was succeeded by Charles A. Colby, who had been several years teller of the bank, and on Mr. Colby's resignation and removal to New York City, Mr. Samuel White, then of Haverhill, was elected cashier and is still in service.

Intimately connected with this bank was the first institution for savings in Lawrence, the Essex Sav- ings Bank. This bank was incorporated in March, and organized September, 1847, and for a long period its business was managed by the president and cash- ier of the Bay State Bank at their rooms. James H. Eaton was appointed assistant treasurer in 1865, and on the decease of Mr. White he became treasurer, 1866. George D. Cabot succeeded Mr. Storrow in the presi- dency, and after faithful service of about twenty-five years, including eleveu years as president, he re- signed, and was succeeded by Joseph Shattuck, who has since remained in office. This savings bank is the oldest in the city, its deposits amount to more than four millions of dollars, and it has never omit- ted a dividend.

The National Pemberton Bank was organized in 1854, Levi Sprague being the president from the be- ginning to the present time. The first cashier was Samuel C. Woodward, who was succeeded by Wil- liam H. Jaquith. James M. Coburn followed Mr. Jaquith, and remained till 1879, when he went to a more promising field in the West, and J. A. Perkins has been cashier since that date. The capital of this bank is one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Number of shares, fifteen hundred.

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

The Lawrence National Bank was organized in Feb- ruary, 1872. Dr. A. J. French was president till 1878, when he was succeeded by Artemas W. Stearns, who yet retains the office. P. G. Pillsbury was cash- ier till 1879, when, having been turned from the path of duty by the glittering allurements of Western min- ing schemes, his connection with the bank ceased. No loss was incurred by the bank, however, as the directors paid personally all remaining deficiencies. John R. Rollins, who had been thirteen years cashier at the Pacific Mills, succeeded Pillsbury, and after a service of nearly eight years was succeeded in 1887 by H. Leslie Sherman. The capital stock of this bank is three hundred thousand dollars, in three thousand shares. -

The Pacific National Bank was organized January, 1877. President, James H. Kidder ; Cashier, William H. Jaquith, formerly of the Pemberton. Fifteen hundred shares, one hundred dollars each.

Lawrence Savings Bank, organized 1868. Milton Bonney was its first president. Mr. Bonney died, and Hezekiah Plummer has since been president, while William R. Spalding has been the treasurer from the beginning.

The Broadway Savings Bank commenced business in 1872. John Fallon, then agent of the Pacific Mills, was chosen president, and so remains. The treasurers have been James Payne, John L. Brewster and the present treasurer, Gilbert E. Hood.

All these banks have in the main been jndiciously managed, and have met with a reasonable share of suecess.

FIRE DEPARTMENT .- Before the organization of the town the Essex Company took early steps to protect themselves against fire by purchasing the engine "Essex," which was manned by persons in the employ of the company. As soon as the town government was fairly started fire-wards were ap- pointed, viz. : William M. Kimball, Josiah Johnson, Nathaniel Wilson, Charles Smith and Samuel I. Thompson ; and a committee consisting of William M. Kimball, Nathaniel Wilson and Caleb M. Marvel was appointed to purchase engine and apparatus, and erect a house for the same.

In 1848 the Legislature passed an act establishing the Fire Department of Lawrence. In November, 1847, the committee above named purchased two en- gines-" Rough and Ready," located on Newbury Street, afterward removed to Garden Street (and at a still later date the name was changed to " Niagara "), and "Syphon," located on Oak Street. In 1850 a fourth engine, "Tiger," was placed in South Law- rence.

In 1851 the Essex Company, the Atlantic and Bay State Mills, for still further protection, built a reser- voir on Prospect Hill, holding one million gallons, and connected it by proper pipes with pumps oper- ated by the mills ; a company wassubsequently formed under the name of the Lawrence Reservoir Associa-

tion, and operated by associated corporations. The reservoir was designed for the benefit of the corpora- tion solely, not being of sufficient capacity for general use ; but the company generously allowed pipes and hydrants in several of the principal streets to be used exclusively in case of fire, and they also allowed the use of water without charge for the pond on the Com- mon. Edward B. Herrick, of the Bay State Mills, was agent for the company from the beginning till his death, November, 1878; he was succeeded by Mr. Rollins, who served till June, 1879, when the care of the reservoir was placed in the hands of Mr. Rogers, the agent of the City Water Works.

The first chief of engineers was William M. Kim- ball,-others have been James D. Herrick, Samnel I. Thompson, Luther Ladd (who had been connected with the Fire Department from the beginning, and served in all seventeen years as chief), Colonel L. D. Sargent, Benjamin Booth, George K. Wiggin, Albert R. Brewster, Colonel Melvin Beal, Michael F. Col- lins, Dennis Wholley and William E. Heald. The present chief is Z. Taylor Merrill.

Under the former organization, with the hand en- gines, about two hundred and fifty men were em- ployed, and in their trials of skill, as well as at fires, there was a friendly rivalry among the companies, each striving to be first on the ground and earnest to get the first stream upon the fire, plenty of noise and fun, not only among the firemen, but from their ad- herents, who, proud of the " machine" from their own district, nsually accompanied in crowds to cheer them on, so that, whether by night or day, with bells ringing and the cheers of crowds, pandemonium seemed to have broken loose.

After the invention and introduction of steam fire- engines, " those fleshless arms whose pulses beat with floods of living fire," all this was changed, and while by no means depreciating the promptitude and effi- ciency of the older department, fires are now managed with much less confusion, with far greater efficiency, and with less than half the number of men.

The department now embraces five powerful steam- engines (the first purchased in 1860, two more in 1862, the fourth in 1864, fifth in 1871), one chemical engine with double tanks of seventy-five gallons each, built in 1880, two hook-and-ladder companies ;- four engines and one hook-and-ladder company in active service, the others held in reserve. The fire-alarm telegraph was introduced in 1859, and the apparatus was put up by Mr. J. H. Stevens, under contract with the Gamewell Fire-Alarm Company, at a cost to the city of eight thousand dollars. This has been grad- ually extended, until now fifty alarm-boxes warn the department of the locality of a fire, and avoid many fatal delays.

WATER-WORKS .- As early as 1848 a plan was formed for supplying the town with water, and a charter was granted that year to John Tenney, of Methuen, Alfred Kittredge, of Haverhill, Daniel

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Saunders, of Lawrence, and others, under the name of the Lawrence Aqueduct Company. The plan of introducing water from Haggett's Pond was found impracticable and the enterprise abandoned. In 1858 a petition from prominent citizens was laid be- fore the city government, requesting that steps be taken for a supply of water. The formidable ex- pense that would be incurred led the government to consider the petition as premature, and nothing was done.

In 1871-72 the subject was again agitated, and with good reason; in twenty-five years of rapid growth large numbers of the wells had become mere cesspools, and the water unfit for drinking or culina- ry purposes, especially in the compact portions of the city. A petition to the Legislature resulted in an " Act to supply the city of Lawrence with water " was passed and approved by the Governor March 8, 1872. This act was accepted by the legal voters, twelve hun- dred and ninety-eightvoting in favor and eight hundred and thirty in opposition. In June a joint committee, consisting of Aldermen James Payne and James A. Treat, and L. D. Sargent, Henry J. Couch and George W. Russell, of the Common Council, was ap- pointed to obtain estimates of cost, etc. An engineer, L. Frederick Rice, of Boston, was consulted, the com- mittee made an elaborate report, and in April, 1873, an ordinance was passed providing for the election of water commissioners, and in May the Board of Com- missioners was organized, with William Barbonr chairman, Patrick Murphy clerk and Morris Knowles.

Walter F. McConnell, of Boston, was appointed chief engineer and James P. Kirkwood, of Brooklyn, N. Y., consulting engineer.

The water is taken from the Merrimac River at a point about three-quarters of a mile above the dam, where, in a building of brick, are placed two pump- ing engines, built by I. P. Morris & Co., of Philadel- phia (Leavitt's patent), capable of forcing two hun- dred thousand gallons per hour each, from the river to the reservoir on Bodwell's Hill, about a mile from the centre of the city, the water being conveyed in a pipe thirty inches in diameter and about five thou- sand feet in length.

The reservoir is constructed in two divisions, either of which may be used independently of the other- both having a capacity of thirty-nine million gallons. From this reservoir cast-iron pipes convey the water to the various parts of the city, on both sides of the river.

In 1875 an ordinance was passed establishing rates and providing for the permanent management of the works ; and a Water Board was appointed, consisting of Milton Bonney, Robert H. Tewksbury, N. P. H. Melvin, William Barbour and James Payne -one member retiring each year.

works have proved of great value to the city in fur- nishing an abundant supply of water for domestic purposes, and in the protection afforded against fire. On Jannary 4, 1886, nearly five hundred hydrants had been placed (Lowry pattern), seventeen drinking fountains established, fifty-two miles of main pipe laid, and a supply of water furnished to about thir- ty-five thousand persons in families and boarding- houses.

SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS .- Early provision was made by the corporation for the cleanliness of their premises and the sanitary condition of dwelling- houses. In the construction of sewers the Bay State Mills expended thirty thousand dollars; and in the construction of other blocks, the first thing was to build beneath the cellars a sewer, through which a swift current of water flows, carrying away at once all waste into the Merrimac River. In the construc- tion of sewers, however, some mistakes were made by the different city governments. Several sewers and many drains opened into the Spicket River; this being a sluggish stream, especially between the dams, and oftentimes low, became in time an open sewer, rendering the valley in its neighborhood not only of- fensive, but dangerons to health. One of our local poets (truly not a very poetical subject) thus wrote of it :

"It is not claimed that power divine Did wash Cologne's foul river, Rhine ; Nor will benign Supernal powers Conspire to cleanse this Rhine of ours, Whose sickening tidee, it is well known, Are foul as ever washed Cologne .-

They scored but two and seventy stenches there,

4 So the old rhymister in the canto tells ; We count a hundred, with enough to spare To hold high carnival of extra smells !

* *

Saints dwelling on the river's bank Blaspheme its flood like impious Thugs ! With smelling all its impious scents Our nosee all are turned to puge. Surely the witches of Macbeth Ne'er told of caldron'e mixture worse, For blind-worm'e sting, and adder'e breath Combined, would prove a lighter curse."

A large sewer now receives all these drains, and the river has resumed its nearly normal condition.

For several years the selectmen and Board of Al- dermen were the health officers. With all their other duties, proper attention could not be given to sanitary matters. Since the organization of a special Board of Health much more time has been devoted to this subject, and the city will compare favorably in this regard with other municipalities.

POLICE DEPARTMENT .- In the early years of Law- rence every one was too busy to be engaged in roguery, and in subsequent years a vigilant and efficient police has preserved good order, seldom disturbed by any very notable events. One of the earliest attempts at burglary was an effort to rob the Essex Co.'s safe.

The total cost of the water-works was not far from one million five hundred thousand dollars. The | The company at that time occupied the one-story 56

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building near the guard locks. The plan was frus- trated by Marshal Tukey, of Boston, and two notori- ous burglars, who for a considerable period had baffled the marshal's efforts, were captured.

In the second year of the city government (1854) a disturbance occurred which came near proving a seri- ous riot. A flag had been discovered, Union down, on a building on Oak Street, supposed to have been raised purposely by an Irishman (really by an Amer- ican) as an insult to the flag. A crowd soon assem- bled composed of the more excitable element of the Know-Nothings (literal know-nothings, since they had not taken the trouble to ascertain truth) ; collision ensued, and on Common Street the front of one building (Bangor Block so-called) was considerably damaged. Stones were freely used, and some shots were exchanged; the riot act was read by Mayor Bartlett and the crowd dispersed. Fearing further trouble, about three hundred extra policemen were sworn in, but no further disturbance occurred, and the skies once more shone benignantly over a blood- less field.

Again, in 1875 a small body of Orangemen, return- ing from a picnic, were assaulted by a crowd of the thoughtless and reckless portion of the people, for- getting (if it ever occurred to them) that it is a free country, where all have equal rights. Seeking pro- tection at the police station, the mayor, R. H. Tewks- bury, and some policeman escorted them to their des- tination. Stones and other missiles were pretty free- ly used and some pistol-shots discharged. Some were slightly wounded, but nothing of a serious nature re- sulted.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 232

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