USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Hardwick > History of Hardwick, Massachusetts, with a genealogical register > Part 16
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In Hardwick, as elsewhere, there were doubtless some dema-
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HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
gogues and political agitators, who took advantage of the general distress for selfish and sinister purposes ; but most of this class soon left town. Of those who remained, the larger portion were, probably, as excusable in their resistance to the government now as they formerly were in resisting the authority of Great Britain. Goaded to desperation by the pressure of financial obligations which they could not cancel, they sought relief by the means which had previously been so effectual, namely, County Conven- tions, the obstruction of the Courts of Law, and at last an appeal to Arms. They made a sad mistake, not properly distinguishing between laws arbitrarily imposed on them by a foreign power, and laws enacted by their own representatives, and subject to amendment or repeal by the same authority. In subsequent years, they were peaceable, law-abiding citizens, trusted and hon- ored by their townsmen, and steadfast upholders of government ; yet, almost without exception, they maintained through life the political theory that the government should be clothed with no more power than is indispensable to its existence.
The proper " conclusion of the whole matter" seems to be this : Their financial distress furnished an excuse, approximating justification, to the insurgents. On the other hand, those who held fast their integrity in the midst of such wide-spread calam- ity, and supported the government in its terrible struggle to main- tain the supremacy of law, deserve the highest honor for their loyalty and true patriotism.
. CHAPTER X.
CIVIL HISTORY.
Boundaries. - Additions and Diminutions of Territory. - Incorporation of New Braintree, and of Dana. - Annexation of the Gore, now included in Gilbertville. - Four Bridges across Ware River. - Roads, hilly and difficult of Construction. - Sixth Massachusetts Turnpike. - Ware River Railroad. - Massachusetts Central Railroad. - Pounds. - Paupers. - Town Farm. - Proposal to maintain State Paupers. - Slavery. - Town House. - Bell. - Burial Places. - Epitaphs.
BOUNDARIES. - It has already been mentioned 1 that the sur- veyor, in delineating the township, inadvertently included at the northeast corner four hundred acres 2 belonging to the " Braintree six thousand acres," and three hundred acres at the southwest corner, being a part of the " Equivalent Lands," which had been purchased by John Read, Esq .; in consideration of which, the General Court, in 1733, granted to the proprietors the tract of land between Ware River and the "Six Thousand Acres," which now constitutes about one half of New Braintree. This grant, however, was only of temporary value. The inhabitants of that tract soon became weary of climbing the long hill to attend pub- lic worship and transact town affairs, and for this and probably other reasons, desired a separation. After some unsuccessful efforts their object was accomplished January 31, 1751, when that part of Hardwick which was east of the river, together with the "Six Thousand Acres " and a part of Brookfield, was incor- porated as a separate district, which subsequently became a town, by the name of New Braintree.
Half a century later, the town was again curtailed in its dimen- sions. The movement commenced as early as August 25, 1788, when the town "Voted, that they have not any objection to the . prayer of a petition being granted, which was presented to the General Court of this Commonwealth, at their last session, by a
1 Chapter iii., June, 1733. June 10, 1814. Mass. Special Laws, v.
2 This tract was annexed to Hardwick 10.
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HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
number of inhabitants in the northwesterly part of this town, praying to be incorporated, with a part of Petersham and Green- wich, into a distinct town by the name of Tolland." This peti- tion was not granted; but on the eighteenth day of February, 1801, substantially the same territory was incorporated into a town by the name of Dana.1
A small gore of unincorporated land was annexed to Hard- wick, February 7, 1831, described as follows : " Beginning at the northwest corner of said Hardwick, and running N. 70° E., 5 rods, to the southerly corner of Petersham; thence S. 414º E., 184 rods, on the line of Petersham, to the southeast corner thereof ; and thence N. 372° W., 186 rods, on the line of Hardwick, to the bound first mentioned." 2
This gore was included in the large tract of land annexed to Dana, February 4, 1842, and described as follows: "Beginning at the south west corner of Silas N. Johnson's land, on the line of said Hardwick and Dana; thence running S. 49° E., 204 rods, to the corner of Stephen Hillman's land ; thence N. 312º E., 543 rods, to Barre, Hardwick, and Petersham corner," 3 together with a part of Petersham. The portion of Hardwick thus annexed to Dana was estimated to be one seventy-fifth part of the whole town.
Many years ago, as indicated on the Ruggles map, several acres of land, measuring nearly seven-eighths of a mile in length, and about a quarter of a mile in width, were set off from Hard- wick and annexed to Greenwich.
More important than any other, indeed more important than all others, was the last addition to the territory of Hardwick. On the east side of Ware River, between the towns of Hardwick, New Braintree, and Ware, was a tract of unincorporated land, called "Hardwick Gore." Though separated from Hardwick by the river, in many respects its inhabitants were more closely connected with this town than with the others ; they voted here for state officers, their state tax was assessed here, and here they buried their dead. Attempts were made, from time to time, for the annexation of this Gore to the town. As early as March 2, 1807, the town " voted to postpone the taking of a vote upon the petition of the people in the Gore, so called, and choose a committee of three to see upon what terms the petitioners are willing to be annexed to the town of Hardwick." The desired
1 Mass. Special Laws, ii. 416.
2 Ibid., vii. 26.
8 Ibid., viii. 239.]
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CIVIL HISTORY.
object was not accomplished until a quarter of a century later, when the General Court enacted, February 6, 1833, "that the gore of land lying at the southeasterly part of the town of Hard- wick, and adjoining said town, called Hardwick Gore, containing about two hundred acres, and described as follows : beginning at a monument in the pond above Anderson's mill, at a place where the westerly line of New Braintree leaves Ware River, thence on the said westerly line of New Braintree, south, fourteen de- grees east, one hundred and twenty-two rods, to a stone monu- ment : thence south, thirty-seven degrees west, two hundred and eighty-nine rods, to another stone monument, at the southwest corner of New Braintree and northeast corner of Ware ; thence north, eighty-seven degrees west, thirty-six rods, to said Ware River ; thence on the said River, northerly, four hundred and twenty-one rods, to the southeast corner of Hardwick; thence sixty-one rods, to the place of beginning, -together with the inhabitants thereof, be and the same is hereby annexed to the town of Hardwick, in the county of Worcester ; and said inhabit- ants shall be liable to the same duties and entitled to the same privileges as the other inhabitants of the same town." 1
On this annexed territory, within the last twenty years, has grown up the larger part of the village of Gilbertville, now con- taining about half of the population of the whole town, and furnishing a convenient market for agricultural products. The annexation involved large disbursements by the town for schools, and for the construction of roads and a very expensive bridge ; but the advantages derived from the increased value of taxable property, and the incidental stimulus given to farming and other industrial pursuits, appear to be fully equivalent to the outlay. The " George H. Gilbert Manufacturing Company " deserve high praise, not only for erecting one of the most beautiful meet- ing-houses in the Commonwealth, but also for the extraordinarily neat and substantial character of their tenements, and generally for their well-directed and constant efforts to beautify the village, and to make it a pleasant home for those whom they employ.
ROADS AND BRIDGES. One of the earliest tasks to be per- formed by pioneers is the construction of roads and bridges. This task in Hardwick was one of more than ordinary difficulty. The largest and most expensive bridges were those across Ware River ; of which the earliest was that near the Old Furnace.
1 Mass. Special Laws, vii. 291.
10
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HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
At a meeting of the proprietors, October 30, 1733, it was ordered that a committee should allot certain lands on the east side of the river, and " agree with the settlers for a price for the same ; the produce of which to be laid out to build a good Cart Bridge over Ware River aforesaid against the highway lately laid out towards Brookfield; and the said committee to agree with per- sons to build the bridge, and take care that it be effected." This bridge has been several times renewed, and is a very important avenue. The present iron structure was erected in 1875. The " highway lately laid out towards Brookfield " was the road which, turning to the right, about a quarter of a mile east of the bridge, runs southeast to Ditch Meadow in New Braintree. It is re- ferred to in the laying out of a highway, August 3, 1747, " from Eleazar Warner's,1 through land of William Ayers and Josiah Barrett, to the road from Ditch Meadow to the Great Bridge, across the bridge, along the dug-way, across Moose Brook, in front of Nathan Carpenter's door, up the hill to land of Caleb Benjamin, through land of Zechariah Haskell, John Cooper, and John Roberts, to the highway 2 from Cornelius Cannon's to the Great Meadow Brook east of Joseph Ruggles's house."
Another bridge is here indicated. Cornelius Cannon resided on the east side of the river, opposite to the late residence of Mr. Reed S. Ruggles, marked " A. Rich " on the R. map. The town voted, May 14, 1744, " to build a horse-bridge over the River, near Cannon's." In my boyhood, vestiges of this bridge, and of a roadway leading to it, were visible ; but the bridge itself had dis- appeared. A wooden structure was placed here in 1845, which was succeeded by the present substantial iron bridge in 1857.
Another bridge was early erected about half a mile above the crossing at Gilbertville. A reference to it is found under date of March 4, 1765, when the town " voted to Mr. Isaac Thomas the sum of £26. 13. 4., said Thomas having engaged to build a sufficient bridge over Ware River, near his iron-works, at the most convenient place, and to the acceptance of the town, and to be completed at or before the first day of September next." The
1 Eleazar Warner resided about a mile the Common to Gilbertville, a few rods east of the river, at the junction of the east of the present residence of Captain roads leading to Rutland and to the Orin Trow.
meeting-house in New Braintree. The highway described had for several years previously been a " country road," and was that which afterwards became a turnpike through the Furnace Village to its junction with the easterly road from
2 This highway passed up the hill to the house of Mr. George Warner, marked "Mr. Bolster " on the R. map, and thence northerly to its junction with what after- wards became the turnpike, near Great Meadow Brook.
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CIVIL HISTORY.
form of this vote indicates that no bridge had been previously erected at that place. Mr. Thomas did not fulfil his contract, but sold his "iron-works " to Abraham Savage and Joseph Blake. The town, May 19, 1766, " voted to Mr. Savage and Mr. Blake £40. 0. 0., to enable them to build a bridge over Ware River near their works, . . . to be completed at or before the first day of November next." The treasurer's account for the same year exhibits a payment "to Lot Whitcomb, for build- ing the bridge over Ware River, at Messrs. Savage and Blake's works, £40. 0. 0." This bridge was rebuilt in 1814, and prob- ably again rebuilt at a later date.
The bridge in Gilbertville was erected in 1871. It took the place of an ordinary structure, built a few years earlier, and was much more expensive than either of those before mentioned ; but it was so thoroughly and firmly constructed that it may be ex- pected to resist all the ordinary processes of decay and destruc- tion for many years.
The construction and maintenance of highways in this town in- volved great expense from the beginning. Twenty years after the settlement commenced, it was represented in a petition to the General Court, heretofore quoted, that the inhabitants are "obliged to expend yearly large sums in making and repairing their highways, and even this year [1754] are at the expense of a hundred pounds, lawful money, for that purpose ; and must be at the expense of some thousands of pounds upon their roads be- fore they will be brought to be as good as most of the roads in the province are by nature." Not only was almost the whole township covered with a heavy growth of timber, but the surface of the ground was very uneven and hilly, thickly sprinkled with rocks and ledges. The hills and valleys run chiefly in a north- erly and southerly direction ; and the highways running across them from east to west are far from level. Between the Com- mon and Muddy Brook, on the roads leading to Enfield and Greenwich, and on the old road to Greenwich Village, the hills are both long and steep. The old road from Mandell Hill to Ware River is yet visible, and affords a specimen of the difficul- ties originally encountered. Indeed a portion of it, near the Old Furnace, still open but disused, was said by teamsters, half a cen- tury ago, to be more difficult of ascent than any other hill be- tween that point and Boston. This difficulty is now avoided by a comparatively new road, which, by a long detour to the north, as-
.
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HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
cends the hill more gradually. Relief has been obtained also on the old road (or turnpike) to Greenwich Village, by opening a new highway between Muddy Brook and the Common, which both diminishes the steepness of the ascent and shortens the dis- tance. But notwithstanding these and other similar changes, the Hardwick roads generally remain hilly, and their maintenance re- quires much care and expense ; and yet it should be said that in few if any towns, at the same distance from Boston, are the roads kept in so good condition. For more than a century a " highway tax " was annually assessed, which was " worked out " by the in- habitants and their teams, under the direction of " Surveyors of Highways; " but recently all the roads are placed under the su- pervision of a single person, who employs all necessary assistance. Thus far, the new system has given general satisfaction.
Shortly before the commencement of the present century, an effort was made to improve the great thoroughfares of public travel by the construction of turnpikes. The " First Massachu- setts Turnpike," in the towns of Palmer and Western (now War- ren), was chartered by the General Court, June 11, 1796, on petition of the veteran stage-driver Levi Pease and others. So popular did this movement speedily become, that at the end of nine years (June 15, 1805) there were sixty similar corporations in this Commonwealth. The corporators were required to con- struct and maintain good roads for the convenience and advan- tage of the public, and were empowered to erect gates thereon, and to receive toll from all who passed through them with vehi- cle or beast, for their individual emolument.1 Among the earliest was the " Sixth Massachusetts Turnpike," which passed through Hardwick. The indications are unmistakable that General War- ner 2 was the leading spirit in this enterprise ; and sixteen of the twenty-nine petitioners for the charter were Hardwick men. The petition so vividly describes the condition of the roads at that period that I insert it in full : -
" To the Honorable the Senate and the Honorable House of Representatives in General Court assembled, May, 1798.3 The
1 The experiment proved to be more profitable to the public than to the corpo- rators ; and before the introduction of rail- roads, almost all the turnpikes in the Commonwealth were surrendered to the towns wherein they were located, and be- came public highways, by permission of the General Court.
2 Although his name is the seventeenth on the petition, yet in the Court Records it is styled " the petition of Jonathan Warner and others :" he is the first per- son named in the charter, and was the first president of the corporation.
3 Probably the petition was prepared too late for presentation at the summer
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CIVIL HISTORY.
subscribers, inhabitants of the counties of Hampshire, Worcester, Middlesex, &c., humbly shew, that the road leading from Hadley, through Amherst, Pelham, Greenwich, Hardwick, New Braintree, Oakham, Rutland, Holden, and Worcester, to the great road in Shrewsbury, which leads from New York to Boston, are at pres- ent very bad, and almost impassable for carriages, not from the negligence and inattention of the said towns through which they pass, but from the roughness of the country which is in many places uneven, hilly, and very rocky, and that they can never be properly repaired by the aforesaid towns without distressing them with a very great and unreasonable burden ; 1 but that with suf- ficient labor and expense they are capable of being very much im- proved ; and that as the route from Albany to Boston is in a di- rect line through the aforesaid towns, by a proper improvement the travelling to the western part of the County [country ?] may be greatly facilitated, and the distance very considerably curtailed. Your petitioners, therefore, from the fullest conviction of the im- portance of the measure to the trade and agriculture of the County [country ?] pray that your Honors would grant to the sub- scribers and such as may associate with them an Act of Incorpo- ration, empowering them to make a good Turnpike Road from the town of Hadley in the county of Hampshire to the town of Shrewsbury in the county of Worcester, through the aforesaid towns, with all such powers, rights, privileges, and tolls, as the subject matter and the situation of the County [country ?] may render necessary. And as in duty bound will ever pray,2 Fran- cis Blake, Moses White, Richard Kelly, Joseph Chaddock, Jesse Allen, Artemas Howe, Roger West, Robert T. Field, Moses Man- dell,* James Paige, 2d,* Jason Mixter,* Samuel Beals,* Jonathan Warner, 2d,* Timothy Paige,* James Lawton,* Nathaniel Whit- comb, Jonathan Warner,* Stephen Rice,* Nehemiah Hinds, John Rinker,3 Lemuel Willis,* Seth Hinkley,* William Cutler,* Seth Peirce,* Jonathan Danforth,* Abner Conant,* Joel Marsh,* Thomas Powers, Zebina Montague." On this petition an order of notice was issued February 25, 1799, returnable at " the first session of the next General Court."4 The charter was granted session of the General Court, as no action ought to be required of the inhabitants of was had on it until the following winter.
1 The preamble to the charter also sets forth that the present highway " is rocky and mountainous, and the expense of making and maintaining the same, so that it may be convenient for horses and car- riages, is much greater than reasonably
said towns." Mass. Special Laws, ii. 327.
2 The names marked with a star (*) in- dicate inhabitants of Hardwick.
8 This name is spelled Rankin in the charter.
4 Mass. Spy, April 3, 1799.
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HISTORY OF HARDWICK.
June 22, 1799, omitting the names of some of the petitioners and containing several additional names. The provisions of this char- ter may be interesting to the younger portion of the present gener- ation, who do not remember the period of turnpikes. Among other things, and principally, the corporators were authorized to construct " a turnpike road from the east line of Amherst .. . to the great road in Shrewsbury, . .. which road or turnpike shall not be less than four rods wide, and the path for travelling not less than eighteen feet wide in any place ; ... the said corpora- tion may and shall be authorized to erect five turnpike gates 1 on the same, . . . and shall be entitled to receive of each traveller or passenger, at each of said gates, the following rate of toll, viz., for every coach, phaeton, chariot, or other four wheel carriage, drawn by two horses, twenty-five cents, and if drawn by more than two horses, an additional sum of four cents for each horse ; for every cart or waggon, drawn by two oxen or horses, twelve and a half cents, and if drawn by more than two oxen or horses, an additional sum of three cents for each horse or ox ; for every curricle, sixteen cents ; for every chaise, chair, or other carriage, drawn by one horse, twelve and a half cents ; for every man and horse, five cents ; for every sled or sleigh, drawn by two oxen or horses, nine cents, and if drawn by more than two oxen or horses, an additional sum of three cents for every horse or ox ; for every sled or sleigh, drawn by one horse, six cents ; for all horses, mules, oxen, or neat cattle, led or driven, besides those in teams or car- riages, one cent each ; for all sheep or swine, at the rate of three cents for one dozen. . . . Provided, that nothing within this act shall extend to entitle the said corporation to demand or receive toll of any person who shall be passing with his horse or carriage to or from public worship, or with his horse, team, or cattle, to or from his common labor, or to or from any mill, or on the common or ordinary business of family concerns within the said town, or from any person or persons passing on military duty." 2 And it was " further enacted, that the first meeting of said corporation shall be holden at the house of Jonathan Warner, in Hardwick aforesaid, on the tenth day of September next, at ten of the clock
1 One of these gates was to be erected "near the house of Zephaniah Spooner in Hardwick " (near Muddy Brook) ; but it was soon afterwards placed near the Old Furnace, between Moose Brook and Ware River ; where toll was gathered for many years by Mr. Ebenezer Cobb, a
very honest though somewhat eccentric man.
2 The town of Hardwick had previous- ly (April 2, 1798) "voted, to let a Turn- pike Road go through the town, if the in- habitants of the said town may pass and repass free of any expense in said town."
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in the forenoon, for the purpose of choosing all such officers and establishing such rules as said corporation may think proper." 1
The corporation, when organized, issued an "advertisement," describing in strong terms the advantages which would accrue both to the public and to the stockholders from the execution of their design, and soliciting subscriptions : - "The Public are informed that a Company has been incorporated by a late Act of the legislature of Massachusetts, for the purpose of making a TURNPIKE ROAD from Amherst in the County of Hampshire to Shrewsbury in the County of Worcester, and that agreeably to the act of incorporation the Company have proceeded to lay out the road and make an estimate of the probable expense. The object of this association is to establish a direct line of communi- cation from Boston to Albany, and to facilitate the travelling from Connecticut River to the Capital of Massachusetts. It is a well-known fact that the trade of this wealthy and flourishing part of New England has for many years past (in consequence of the roughness of the roads and the difficulty of communication with the town of Boston) been gradually diverted from our metropolis to Hartford and New York. To the mercantile interest of Boston this has become a very serious injury, and with their brethren in the country a subject of very serious re- gret. It is presumed, therefore, that an enterprise, the object of which is to remedy this evil, as well as to promote the conven- ience of the public, cannot fail to meet the approbation and encouragement of the citizens of Boston in particular, and the inhabitants of Massachusetts in general, even without the pros- pect of private emolument. But the proprietors, feeling them- selves authorized, from a due attention to the subject, to state to the public a rational prospect of individual emolument to be derived from an interest in this undertaking, calculate with con- fidence upon receiving such pecuniary aid from the patriotic and liberal citizens of New England as will enable them to carry into immediate effect the object of their association. They therefore inform the public that the proposed Turnpike comprehends a distance of about forty-three miles, beginning at Shrewsbury, on the great post road from Boston to New York, passing through a fertile and flourishing country in the counties of Worcester and Hampshire, and terminating at Amherst, on Connecticut River, where it will connect with a turnpike already established from Northampton to the line of the State of New York. It is well
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