USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Greenfield > History of Greenfield : shire town of Franklin county, Massachusetts, Vol. I > Part 26
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
May 5. The town voted to accept the act for the erection of a county poorhouse, provided that four other towns accept said act.
June 1. Smallpox at Northampton. Greenfield selectmen order all persons to be vaccinated. An association, represented by Elijah Alvord, Franklin Ripley, E. A. Gould and H. G. Newcomb, have purchased the premises of Colonel Spencer Root to devote them to the purposes of a first class high school for young ladies (Hollister place).
Reverend Titus Strong and L. Tenney have secured the Hart Leavitt place (William E. Traver's) for a school for boys.
July. A great freshet in Connecticut river. A part of the bridge at Montague City was carried off.
August. Another flood. The rest of the above bridge is gone, and every bridge over Fall river, in Bernardston.
As David Wait, 2d, of Greenfield, was driving on to the ferry boat at Montague City, the horses being on the boat, the rope broke and the boat sank about six rods from shore. Four horses were drowned. He lost seven hundred pounds of cheese, and ninety-one firkins of butter and eight hundred pounds of tallow went into the river but was recovered. No lives lost.
September 30. Isaac Newton opened his new hotel (Man- sion House), 3 story brick building, 64×49 feet, cellar under
318
FIRE AT FACTORY HOLLOW
all. Ell 68 feet long, 2 stories high ; contains a hall 46× 52, 8 parlors and 50 rooms.
November 19. The satinet factory at Fall river was burned. Two large buildings containing 24 looms and other machinery and 6,000 lbs. of wool. Eighty hands were thrown out of employment. Estimated loss $30,000. N. E. Rus- sell, Levi P. Stone and A. & J. Spaulding, owners.
April 6, 1829. The committee appointed at March meet- ing to report in regard to the causeway near Captain A. Ames's house, recommend that a new water course six feet high and three feet wide be built, and that the west wall of the cause- way be put upon the street line, it being now six feet into the street. The estimated cost was $290.
January 20, 1829. The Franklin Mutual Fire Insurance Company was organized with Elijah Alvord, President, H. G. Newcomb, Secretary, Alanson Clark, Treasurer.
January, 1830. The Greenfield Lyceum is organized. Almon Brainard, Secy.
Census of the village school district, pop. 677; males 306 ; females 371 ; families 95.
March 29. Elijah S. Alvord takes the Newton Hotel.
Dennis Cooley, a physican, formerly a resident of this county, lately residing in the west, returning to this vicinity, was ar- rested and tried before Elijah Alvord, Esq., for taking from the grave the body of Pierce Chase who committed suicide in 1824. He was held in the sum of $400. James H. Coffin announces the opening of the Greenfield Boarding school for young men. There are 25 lawyers in Franklin County. A full grown bear was killed at the middle of the town of Ash- field, June 25.
January 26, 1831. Roswell Purple of Gill and General E. Gilbert of Deerfield, drove one horse from Deerfield to Bos- ton between the hours of five and a quarter A. M. and eight o'clock P. M. of one day ; the horse was not injured. Dis- tance 95 miles.
319
FELLENBERG ACADEMY
January 29. The dry house of the Green River Hemp Co. was wholly consumed by fire. Loss $600. The efforts of the citizens and the engine company saved the mill. (Near where the gas works now stand.)
At this time there existed state, county and town ly- ceums. Rev. T. Strong was vice president of the state ly- ceum.
May II, 1831. The town offers a bounty on all crows killed in town before July Ist next.
No tything men were elected at the annual meeting this year. Every other year since the organization of the town these officers have been chosen.
At the April meeting it was voted to have all the people of the town vaccinated at town expense.
At the June meeting a sum of money was raised and a com- mittee appointed to take measures to prevent the introduction into the town of Asiatic cholera, and ascertain the best method of its treatment, to guard against its spreading, and to miti- gate its severity. At a large meeting of the citizens money was raised and Dr. James Deane was sent to Quebec to study the disease.
Fellenberg Academy was incorporated February 25, 1832. In April proposals for building were advertised, calling for a three-story building, 73 X 39. The school was advertised to open the second Wednesday of May, James H. Coffin, principal. (See Private Schools.)
The Greenfield Hemp and Flour Company was incorpo- rated.
Francis Lester died November 21, aged 94. A Revolu- tionary pensioner.
April 12. Benjamin Bullock was instantly killed in the wheel pit of the sawmill which formerly stood a half mile be- low Leyden Glen. Mr. Bullock went into the wheel pit to make some repairs, and the young man in the mill misunder- standing his orders hoisted the gate, with a fatal result.
320
JOHN RUSSELL & CO.
May I. Charles Smead, son of Colonel Asaph, takes the Newton Hotel.
October 23. Cattle Show in Greenfield, of the H. H. & Franklin Society.
February 21, 1834. John Pinks, one of Burgoyne's men, died, aged 79.
March 20. Moses Newton, a Revolutionary pensioner, died, aged 78.
John Russell & Co. have had their chisel works running (the works standing just west of the Germania House) for several weeks. The machinery is propelled by a sixteen horse power engine, driving grindstones, lathes, trip hammers and a bellows, which supplies air to all the fires through a funnel nearly the whole length of the shop. They have orders for their beautiful and excellent tools, for many weeks ahead.
John Newton, a Revolutionary pensioner, died Septem- ber 22, aged 84.
At the meeting in May to vote for county commissioners, twenty-one candidates for that office were voted for, and fif- teen different candidates for special commissioners received votes.
The law requiring a majority of all the votes cast to elect, the towns of the county were obliged to hold four meetings before the board of commissioners was filled.
The town raised $400 to purchase a new suction fire en- gine and hose.
Voted, " That it is expedient to build a good and suffi- cient house where the Town Hearse shall be kept, and that the same be located in or near the place of the former meet- ing house & Long & Flagg's house."
November 12, 1835. A great railroad meeting was held in Greenfield by citizens of Franklin county. General Asa Howland presided. Speeches were made by Richard E. Newcomb, George Grennell, James C. Alvord and Pliny Merrick. George T. Curtis drew the resolutions.
321
THE MULBERRY CRAZE
Benjamin Hastings, aged 75, died October II. He was a prominent man in public affairs for many years.
March 16, 1836. The town chose a committee to sell out its interest in the Franklin county courthouse, for the sum of $ 500.
Daniel Wells made a proposition to the town to furnish for the use of the town as good accommodations as they had in the courthouse, in the basement of the 3d. Congregational church (Unitarian), in perpetuity, for the sum of $ 500.
Propositions were also made by the Methodist Society, and a committee was appointed to consider the subject of providing accommodations for the use of the town, who reported at an adjourned meeting that "in their opinion it is inexpedient and unnecessary for the town to accept of any pro- posals which have been made, or may hereafter be made to the town by any parish or individuals, offering the basement or cellar of any church or other building for the purposes aforesaid." The committee recommended that the town hire the hall over the schoolhouse in School street (the second story of the George W. Avery house) which can be had for town meetings for fifteen dollars per year, where they can be comfortably accommodated.
Abel Shattuck, owner of the mills at the old Iron Works, petitioned the General Court to have a little corner of Green- field set off to Bernardston, which petition was allowed April 14, 1838.
About this time the mulberry tree craze was at its height. Thousands of dollars were invested in the setting out of mul- berry trees, and every one was to make unlimited money in raising the silkworm. Dr. Alpheus F. Stone of Greenfield set out about twelve hundred trees, and almost every farmer had a mulberry orchard of an acre or more. The excitement soon died out, and twenty years later was followed by the white willow hedge plant. The farm fences were all to be re- placed by white willow hedges. The fine trees upon the
2I
322
THE SURPLUS REVENUE
Colrain road in the upper meadows were set out at this time.
April 17, 1837. The town adopted fourteen resolutions concerning the reception and care of the town's proportion of the surplus revenue to be returned as a loan to the town, from the Treasury of the United States. A committee was chosen to loan the money to individuals of the town, in sums of not more than $ 200 to any firm, or $ 100 to any individ- ual, at six per cent interest. Ample security for each loan was to be provided.
April 2, 1838. A new school district was formed called Nash's Mills.
At the December meeting the town voted to call in one half of the surplus revenue, in six and twelve months, and apply the same on the town debts; and the other half at the same time, and deposit the same in the Franklin Savings In- stitution.
As Mr. Lyman A. Nash was plowing in his field in May, one of his oxen began to sink in the ground. He detached the sinking ox from his fellow and it sunk to a depth of about fifteen feet. The cavern was only four or five feet wide, the walls being perpendicular and of stiff clay. An old log house formerly stood near, and possibly this may have been an underground passage. Mr. Nash's ox was rescued by digging an inclined plane to the bottom of the pit.
June 22. A yoke of oxen belonging to Russell Hastings were killed by lightning. In August when workmen were digging a canal at Russell's factory, a hemlock log ten inches in diameter was found in a good state of preservation ten feet below the surface.
March 4, 1839. The town passed the following resolution : " Resolved that the town will build a Town Hall." A locat- ing committee of five were chosen, and were instructed to report with a plan at an adjourned meeting to be held the first Monday of April. At the adjourned meeting the com-
323
HENRY W. CLAPP'S PROPOSITION
mittee reported orally that they could not agree upon a site for the said house, " Whereupon Mr. Henry W. Clapp made the following proposition to the meeting in writing, to wit :
" Whereas the town at their last annual meeting in March, having voted to build a Town House, and the Site whereof to Erect the same, not being yet decided on, I beg leave to ask the town to hear & act on the following proposition, viz :-
" For the purpose aforesaid, I will convey by deed of War- ranty, my lot on Federal street adjoining the premises of Mr. David Long, to the town, free of expense.
" I will build the House on said ground for the unappro- priated balance of the Surplus Money, now belonging to the Town.
" The House shall be built in a durable, neat, workmanlike manner, of Brick, with Slate or Tin roof, agreeable to the plans now before the town.
" I will give a bond to the acceptance of the town, obligating myself to perform as above stated, if the town shall think best to accept the same.
" Greenfield, April 1, 1839. HENRY W. CLAPP."
The town voted to accept the foregoing proposition, and the selectmen were chosen a committee " to carry the same into full and legal effect."
The selectmen were instructed to see that the Town House be built fireproof. (Now the fire department building.)
July 4. The Young Men's Whig Association kept the national birthday. George Grennell presided and Robert C. Winthrop delivered the oration. The following named Revolutionary patriots graced the platform : Captain Calvin Munn of Putney, Vt., formerly of Greenfield ; Captain Gid- eon Tenney of Gill; Dan Townsley and Stephen Allis of Buckland; Captain George Shaw, Stoddard Totman, and Jona- than Peterson of Colrain ; and Russell Lanfair, of Deerfield. Captain Shaw, above named, was born in Middleboro in 1763,
324
A NEW TOWN HALL
and entered the army in 1777, before he was fourteen years of age. He was present at Burgoyne's surrender, received a sabre cut at White Plains, but returned the attack by a gun shot which killed his assailant. He was in the army four years.
March 2, 1840. The town holds its first meeting in the new Town Hall.
This year the stage road between the four corners and Bernardston line was relaid by the county commissioners, and straightened in several places.
January 14, 1840. The steamer Lexington was burned on Long Island Sound, and Miss Sophia T. Wheeler of this town, aged eighteen, a teacher in Middletown, N. J., was among the many lost.
A history of Greenfield would be hardly be complete with- out some mention of the great Whig convention of the Harri- son campaign, in 1840.
At this time the railroad was not cut through Main street, and the grounds for the celebration were directly west of the Second Congregational church, and extended to where Miles street now is. Directly in the rear of the old brick church and about fifty feet west of it, stood an old building which was formerly a cider mill. Between this and the church was built a "log cabin" which, with the cider mill, made a room a hundred feet long. A table extended the whole length of this room and thirty or forty feet beyond into the lot. At the farther side of the lot was erected a large stand for the speakers. The buildings were decorated with banners bear- ing mottoes, "The string is never pulled in ;" " Welcome to all Whigs ;" " Soldiers' fare for old soldiers' friends," etc.
The appearance of the Hampshire and Hampden delega- tions, together with those from the southern towns of Franklin, as they came up the hill, is described as "grand, if not sub- lime.". Springfield, Northampton, Amherst, Hadley, Goshen, Cummington, Brattleboro, and nearly every town in Franklin
325
WHIG CELEBRATION IN 1840
county was represented by large delegations. Deerfield came up in the morning with a wagon thirty-one feet long drawn by thirteen yoke of cattle, and returning to Deerfield the wagon was quickly loaded with one hundred young ladies, and their twenty yoke of cattle were preceded by twelve men in white frocks, carrying agricultural implements ; their ban- ners were inscribed, " Deerfield Whig team ;" "The people are coming." On the team, bearing the young ladies, was the motto, " Union to a man," and "Union is strength," which some of the young ladies declared themselves not to be held responsible for. It was estimated that there were eight thousand people in attendance, and everything passed off to the entire satisfaction of the participants. Honorable George Grennell, Jr., presided, and among the officers of the day can be read the names of the principal men of the county.
There were numerous speeches, after which came the " soldiers' fare," in the shape of boiled ham, boiled beef, crackers, cheese, eggs, bread and especially hard cider, which flowed freely all day.
It was a day long to be remembered, and the story has been told and retold from that day to this.
September 8. Died, Elijah Alvord, Esquire, for many years clerk of the judicial courts for this county.
October 28. Hooker Leavitt, for many years Register of Deeds and County Treasurer and also Clerk and Treasurer of Greenfield, died, and on the 14th of November Lewis C. Munn was elected Clerk and Treasurer of the town to suc- ceed Mr. Leavitt.
February 7, 1842. James Taggert takes the Greenfield (Mansion) House from Charles Smead.
A very tall flag staff stood upon the common, which was so arranged that the top mast could be raised and lowered. September 26, as James R. Scoby was standing upon the top of a long ladder, engaged in raising the top mast, by its sudden
ʻ
326
RAILROAD MEETINGS
turning he was struck and fell to the ground. His neck was broken by the fall.
November 21. Alvah Crocker of Fitchburg delivered an address in town concerning the advantage of building a rail- road from Boston through Fitchburg to Greenfield.
The town raised one hundred dollars for the purchase of a new hearse.
Voted " that it is expedient to make choice of Tything men for the year ensuing. Richard E. Newcomb, John J. Graves, Ebenezer Thayer, David S. Jones and Almon Brainard were chosen Tything men."
April 17. Great flood in the Connecticut river. The water set back in the Deerfield river as high as the floor of Cheapside bridge, but fortunately the water was still. Mon- tague bridge was injured.
The public are much agitated in relation to securing rail- road facilities. Meetings are frequently held and addresses made giving information concerning the desirability of rail- road construction.
March 4, 1844. The use of the west room on the lower floor of the town house was voted for the use of the Green- field Artillery Company.
January 2. A great railroad meeting was held in Green- field for the purpose of inducing the managers to build the road between Fitchburg and Brattleboro, via Greenfield.
March 8. George Grennell, senior, died, aged 93, the oldest man in town.
March 22. Railroad meeting advocating building between Northampton and Greenfield.
Priestly Newton's house on Silver . street was burned, March 26.
April 22. County R. R. convention of Greenfield.
July. Daniel Wells of Greenfield was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.
August 31, 1844. Charles Devens was elected Third Lieu-
327
VILLAGE IMPROVEMENTS
tenant of Greenfield Artillery Company. This was probably the beginning of General Devens's military career.
April 7, 1845. " Voted to sell the poor house & land be- longing to it at auction, first giving notice of the time and . place of sale &c.," a committee of the town having reported in favor of purchasing in another location.
The Springfield & Northampton and the Northampton and Greenfield consolidate as the Connecticut River Railroad Company. The road is being graded between Greenfield and Northampton, and the stonework for the bridge at Cheapside is being put in. ‘
Great improvements are in progress about the village. The store occupied by William Elliot (George Hovey's drug store) has been made into a beautiful room with granite front, and is occupied by Strong & Ripley, Grocers. Across School street the building lately George C. Munsell's jewelry store is being repaired and P. T. Sprague will have the east part for a shoe store, and D. N. Carpenter the west part for the post-office. Further west a beautiful building has sprung up in place of the little one story one occupied for two years past by Jerome Ripley (the Long building which stood east of a driveway between the Dr. Hovey property and the Pond property). The old Ripley mansion is being made into two nice stores by Dr. Daniel Hovey. On the Newton corner (Arms corner) where stood two or three small stores a few years since, a large store has been built and is occupied by Jones & Paige. (The building moved by George A. Arms to Chapman street lately Green & Vosburg's store.) The store under the Ga- zette office (Lowell & Fiske's) has been fixed up and Thomas O. Sparhawk will occupy it for a drug store. The other two stores will be occupied by Allen & Root and S. Maxwell, Jr., & Co. Sylvester Allen has built a large house on Main street (W. E. Woods.) Mr. Bird of Bellville, N. J., has built a fine house at the east end of Main street (Judge Fessenden's house), and the old Hart Leavitt house on Church street has
328
FRANKLIN STREET
been put in excellent shape (W. E. Traver place). The Connecticut River Railroad Company found it necessary to purchase the following property for depot purposes : House of . S. P. Moody (then building), Elisha Wood, Ansel Bullard, Widow Temple, John Ortt, Mrs. E. Sweet, Allen Jones, Levi Jones, John Logan, Portel and the big Spencer stage barn.
Henry W. Clapp has opened a new street from nearly op- posite the Methodist church on Main street to Church street, to be called Franklin. (The Methodist church stood very near where the W. W. Davenport house is now located, and was moved by W. T. Davis to its present location, forming the block in which Kellogg's store now is.) Davis street then was opened only to the top of the hill on the south side of the ravine. In November, W. T. Davis extended it north to the present location of Pleasant street, then east to School street, calling the new street by its present name.
This year the Greenfield Aqueduct Company purchased a large spring on the Colonel Russell Hastings farm (Maynard place) and will conduct its waters through three inch pine logs to the village. The spring is of sufficient elevation to take the water into the second stories of houses on Main street, and " will furnish a never failing supply."
January 31, 1846. At a special meeting the town voted to sell the large suction fire engine, and the money received for it be turned into the treasury.
March 2. David Aiken was chosen agent of the town to look after the interests of the town in the Oliver Smith will case at Northampton.
The town raised $600 for the purpose of purchasing a new fire engine, the committee appointed to use the money when the proceeds of the sale of the old engine and subscriptions shall make up $ 1,000.
The meeting voted to pass over the article respecting the acceptance of the provisions of the will of Oliver Smith.
January 20. A fire occurred in Jones & Paige's store.
329
ST. JAMES CHURCH
March. W. T. Davis purchased the Newton corner as far down as the present Cohn block.
August 31. William Merriam was caught by a belt in Russell's factory and died from his injuries.
October 17. The barn and shed of Cephas Root was burned together with a yoke of cattle, buggy, sleigh, harness and several tons of hay.
November. George Field and Elijah Coleman become the owners of Chase's hotel (Mansion House).
The Episcopal society decide to build a stone church. They have sold their old building to the Methodist society, who will remove it to a lot they have purchased of Colonel Phelps. The cornerstone of St James was laid May 6, 1847, by Rt. Rev. Bishop Eastburn.
The Connecticut River Railroad was opened Monday, No- vember 23, 1846.
March 1, 1847. The town by-laws were adopted, and H. G. Newcomb appointed a committee to present them to the Court of Common Pleas for approval.
Lyman Kendell, an old time merchant of Greenfield, died in Ohio in February. He built the "Corner Store," in 1815.
Connecticut River Railroad will be extended to Brattleboro. The house of S. P. Moody on the south side of Main street and of Henry Chapman on the north side will have to be re- moved.
December 15. Samuel Willard, Epaphras Hoyt, Stephen W. Williams, John Wilson and Pliny Arms issue an address calling upon the people to save the old Indian House, in Deerfield.
December 22. The house of the late Elijah Alvord was destroyed by fire.
March 6, 1848. The town voted to have all the people vaccinated at public expense.
April 29. The town accepted the provisions of the will
330
FRANKLIN COUNTY BANK
of Oliver Smith, and General David S. Jones was chosen the first elector.
November IO. Volunteer cattle show in Greenfield. A large attendance. One hundred pairs of cattle were exhibited on Main street.
November 20. The dam at Holyoke was finished and the water shut off at IO A. M. Thousands of spectators lined the river banks, and at 3.20 P. M. the dam gave way, caus- ing a great flood below.
March 5, 1849. The town chose a committee to purchase a farm and equipments for the support of the poor, the sum to be expended not to exceed the sum of five thousand dol- lars.
That portion of Chapman street between Allen and Silver streets was laid by the commissioners and built this year.
Franklin street was accepted as a town way.
May 10. The new St. James church was consecrated. Thirteen clergymen were present. The stone work was con- tracted to Colonel Daniel Clay ; the wood work was done by Phil. Holden ; the chancel and gallery by James Avery. The entire cost of the building was about $11,000, of which Henry W. Clapp contributed $8,000.
May 24. The Franklin County Bank was organized. The directors purchased from Lewis Merriam the old court- house, Mr. Merriam reserving a building lot on each side of the building sold. Price paid, $3,600.
W. T. Davis builds the west half of the Mansion house block this season. A. E. Reed purchased the building which stood just south of the old courthouse and moved it down near Russell's factory where it was burned June 27. Loss to Mr. Reed $800.
February 7, 1850. "Voted that the town do consent to the annexation of Cheapside to this town, according to the prayer of D. R. Wait & others."
March 5. Francis Russell died of apoplexy.
331
GREENFIELD LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ORGANIZED
The town held meetings to sustain the town representative in his efforts to forward the interests of the Troy & Greenfield Railroad.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.