History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 170

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1034

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 170

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Rev. Wm. P. Bartlett followed him in a ministry of a single year, when he left for another field, finding it difficult to secure co-operation and harmony.

The present minister is Rev. Leonard B. Hatch, who was installed over the church in 1887. The society is now enjoying a good degree of harmony and pros-

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

perity. Many new families have been added to the congregation and new members to the church. A valuable organ has been purchased and placed in the audience-room beside the pulpit, adding much to the attractiveness of the'service. An earnest, religious spirit pervades the church, and frequent prayer and conference meetings are held. A warm and hearty social life is also maintained. The number of fami- lies represented in the congregation is about seventy. There is a flourishing Christian Endeavor Society of sixty-two members connected with the church and a Sunday-school of 124 members with eleven teachers. The ladies' sewing society is large and active in good works. Thus the ministry of Mr. Hatch has been peaceful and prosperous.

THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY .- The village of East Lexington and that portion of the town lying south and west of it, being remote from the First Parish meeting-house, naturally desired a place of worship more convenient of access. As early as 1833 they began to agitate the formation of a society in that village, and for this purpose they asked for one-half the income of the ministerial fund. The town refused to yield it and the demand was made and refused many times during the next ten years. Fi- nally it was determined to try the experiment of es- tablishing preaching in the east village. A hall was engaged for the purpose and a subscription opened to pay the expenses for one week. The first sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Charles Follen, on April 5, 1835. The subscription was again circulated for means to supply another Sunday's preaching and again for a third ; at the end of three weeks the people were so much encouraged that they made a subscrip- tion for six months and voted to employ Dr. Follen for that period. In this way the preaching was con- tinued for a year, and after that from one year to another by a new subscription, Dr. Follen, Ralph .Waldo Emerson and J. S. Dwight, being the minis- ters. In the mean time an organization was formed called " The Christian Association," for the mainten- ance of religious worship, and in 1839 a meeting- house was built costing about $4000. Dr. Folleu was chosen as their minister and was active in securing the means to erect the building and place the society upon a permanent basis. He was an able and fearless preacher, yet of a mild and gentle spirit. Driven from his native land for his devotion to liberal opin- ions in government and religion, he became an earnest advocate of the cause of the slave in this country and encountered great prejudice and opposition for that reason. But the people of East Lexington were heartily united in his support, and his influence in the village and town was steadily growing. Before the dedication of the new meeting-house Dr. Follen spent a few weeks in New York, where his wife was detained by sickness. On the night of January 5, 1840, while on his way home to attend the dedication, he was lost on the Sound by the burning of the

steamer "Lexington," that fearful disaster in which so many helpless people perished. It was a severe blow to the young society, by whom he was sincerely be- loved. The event cast a deep gloom over the village and the town, and indeed over all this portion of the State, where many of the lost were well known. It was a long time before the society recovered from this calamity. No attempt was made to settle another minister during the next three or four years, but ser- vices of worship were maintained regularly by differ- ent ministers ; among these were Revs. Mr. Burton, Charles Sewell and Samuel J. May, the latter at that time principal of the Normal School. After the di- vision of the income of the ministerial fund among the four churches then existing in the town, "The Christian Association " organized as the Second Con- gregational Society, and proceeded to settle Rev. Thomas H. Dorr as their minister. Hisinstallation took place on the 2d of July, 1845, and he remained until August 1, 1849. Mr. Dorr labored earnestly for the prosperity of the society, but it was difficult to raise the sum required for current expenses, and he felt that his salary was too heavy a burden for the people, as well as an inadequate support for his family. Ac- cordingly he resigued and left. In November of the same year William F. Bridge was ordained and set- tled as his successor, who also left after a ministry of two years. The pulpit was again supplied by a variety of preachers employed from Sunday to Sunday, until 1855, when Rev. E. P. Crufts became the stated supply. In 1860 Rev. Caleb Stetson took charge of the society and continued as their minister for three or four years, when Rev. William T. Stowe was employed.

THE FIRST UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY of Lexington was organized in the east village in the year 1845 ; but worship had been maintained for several years before this, and a meeting-house was erected as early as 1840. Rev. James M. Usher was the first minister, continuing about five years. He was succeeded by Revs. C. H. Webster, W. B. Randolph and J. A. Cooledge. The society, finding it difficult to raise the means for maintaining religious worship, was obliged to depend on a temporary supply of the pulpit, and finally united with the Second Congregational Society in the settlement of Rev. Mr. Stowe. A new organ- ization was formed under the name of' " The Church of the Redeemer ;" the Universalist meeting-house was sold, extensive repairs were made upon the meet- ing-house of the Second Society, and both congrega- tions united in worshiping there. These arrange- ments were finally consummated by an act of the Legislature in 1865, consolidating the societies. Under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Stowe the Church of the Redeemer was prosperous, and the attendance upon worship larger than ever before. Many new families were brought in, and there was a substantial increase of financial strength. In 1869 Rev. Mr. Stowe was called to the pastorate of the Unitarian Church in New Orleans, and the society reluctantly

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accepted his resignation after a ministry of seven years. He was succeeded by Rev. W. C. Gannett, who was employed until 1873, when Rev. E. S. Elder was settled, who continued to minister to the society with acceptance until 1880. The relation was harmo- nious, and Mr. Elder won many friends outside his parish, and rendered good service to the public schools. He resigned to accept a call to the Unita- rian Church in Franklin, N. H. After this the pul- pit was supplied by various ministers, among whom were Rev. C. J. Staples, of Reading, and Rev. Mr. Gray, of Arlington, who held service in the after- noon. In Oct., 1885, W. H. Branigan, a student from the Divinity School of Cambridge, was called to the pastorate and ordained on the 14th of that month. He remained for two years, and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Thompson, who came from Andover, N. H., and is still in charge. In 1886, by an act of the Legislature, the name of the organization was changed from the " Church of the Redeemer " to that of "Follen Church," in grateful remembrance of the noble Christian man who was the first minister. May it always bear that honored name, and prove by its good works and its earnest spirit a worthy monument to his memory !

HANCOCK CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. - This church was organized May 20, 1868, with twenty-four members ; fourteen families being represented in the congregation. The old Academy building was pur- chased by the church, remodeled and fitted up as a place of worship, making a neat and pleasant meet- ing-house. Mr. Edward G. Porter was employed to supply the pulpit during the summer. His ministra- tions proved so acceptable that in the autumn follow- ing he was invited to become the pastor, and on Oct. 1st was ordained and installed in that office. For the first four years the church received some pecuniary assistance in defraying the expenses of worship, but in the fifth year it became self-supporting. It has steadily grown in numbers, in financial strength, and in benevolent and missionary activity. The contri- butions of Hancock Church to various denominational organizations, outside of its own expenses, have been extremely liberal, and up to Jan. 1, 1890, amounted to $6761.65, an average of more than $300 per annum during the twenty-two years of its existence. The membership now numbers 169, and seventy families are included in the congregation. The system of weekly offerings has been in operation in the church for some time, and has proved very successful in raising funds for missionary and benevolent work. Connected with the church there are three ladies' societies engaged in home and foreign missionary enterprises. An active and flourishing Society of Christian Endeavor is also connected with it, having a membership of thirty-five. The Sunday-school contains sixteen classes, with a membership of 130 scholars. Many adult members of the congregation are connected with it as teachers or scholars. The

church is now about commencing to build a new meeting-house, having outgrown its present accon- modations. A site has been purchased on Monument Street, opposite the Common, and a large subscrip- tion made towards the erection of a handsome and commodious edifice. The location is a prominent and beautiful one. It is designed to build of stone, and the structure will undoubtedly be a credit to the church and an ornament to the village. Hancock Church has been fortunate in retaining the same pas- tor through all the years of its history-Rev. E. G. Porter. He has faithfully ministered to its people now for nearly a quarter of a century, and has been the leader in all its enterprises. And not only in the work of the church, but also in all matters pertaining to the welfare and progress of the town, the schools, the Public Library, the Historical Society and other organizations for the improvement of society. In many ways he has proved a patriotic and valuable citizen. His relations with Hancock Church have been harmonious and his ministry successful.

CHURCH OF OUR REDEEMER .- The last of the Lexington churches to be organized was the Episco- pal. There had been families of this faith in the town for some years before religious services were held. They worshipped with the other churches, or with the Episcopal Church in Arlington. But at length, after several accessions to their numbers from new families moving into town, it was thought advis- able to begin services of worship. Accordingly the Town Hall was opened for that purpose, and the first service held there on April 8, 1883. The meetings were continued in the same place for a few Sundays, when, feeling much encouraged by their success, the congregation hired a hall on Main Street, near Vine Brook, and fitted it up for their use. After two years it was resolved to erect a house of worship ; a lot was purchased at the corner of Merriam and Oakland Streets, and work commenced on the foundation in November, 1885. The building, a neat and attractive edifice handsomely furnished, was completed the fol- lowing summer, and the first service held in it on the 24th of June, 1886. The cost of the building was about $5000, including the site, and was paid for in full by the generous contributions of the people and their friends. It was formally dedicated by Bishop Paddock, June 16, 1887. The building is of wood, and has a seating capacity of about 150. The first organ- ization as an Independent Mission was effected in April, 1884. Subsequently the members of the con- gregation organized as a corporation according to the laws of the state under the name of the " Parish of the Church of our Redeemer." This was effected on October 15, 1885, and the following officers were elect- ed, viz .: Senior Warden, Robert M. Lawrence; Junior Warden, Albert Griffiths ; Clerk, Alexander S. Clarke; Treasurer, George S. Jackson. The Rev. Wilford L. Robbins was ordained and installed as the first rector June 22, 1884. He remained in office

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

above three years, and resigned November 27, 1887, to accept an invitation to become the dean of the Epis- copal Cathedral at Albany, N. Y. Mr. Robbins la- bored earnestly to build up the church, and was regarded as a man of rare gifts as a preacher and of fine culture.

The Rev. Gustavus G. Nicolls succeeded Mr. Rob- bins, and remained in charge until April 1, 1889, when he left. Since that time the church has been without a pastor but services of worship are maintained regu- larly, the pulpit being supplied from Sunday to Sunday by young men from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. Various organizations for charitable and social purposes are counected with the church, and a Sunday-school is maintained. The congregation is considerably enlarged during the summer and autumn months by transient residents in the town, many of whom are of that faith.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH .- The preaching of this faith appears to have been established iu Lex- ington nearly twenty-five years ago, or about 1865. At first, services were held in private houses, by Father John Qualey, now of Woburn. The move- ment was organized as a mission annexed to the church in Arlington, and ministered to by the priest of that parish. When the Universalist meeting-house in East Lexington was sold, it was purchased for the use of the mission and worship was hield there until the erection of a church building at the central vil. lage in 1876. The mission steadily grew in numbers and activity under successive priests, among whom was Fr. Harkins, now Bishop of Rhode Island, who was greatly respected and beloved by the people,- and Fr. Sheehan, his successor. In 1886 the mission was detached from the Arlington Parish and organ- ized as a church under Fr. P. Kavanaugh, who was ordained and placed in charge that year, and who still ministers to this people. At the same time a mission in Bedford was organized and attached to the Lexington Parish, to which Fr. Kavanaugh, also min- isters, holding services in both places each Sunday. The church edifice in Lexington is a large wooden structure, of Gothic architecture, substantially built, in the basement of which the services have been beld The audience-room above is now being finished and will be spacious and handsome, with a seating capac- ity of 700. The church building occupies a pleasant and prominent site on Monument Street, a little west of the Common, and has large grounds around it. Near it is a parsonage erected in 1885, and occupied by Fr. Kavanaugh. The church numbers about 160 families, and the congregation is undoubtedly the largest and the most regular in attendance of any in town. A temperance society is connected with it which holds its meetings on the first Sunday evening of cach month. The church has been very active in various enterprises to raise money for the completion of its meeting-house, and its people have been most generous and successful in their efforts. They cherish

the expectation of being soon rewarded with an at- tractive aud commodious place of worship.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

LEXINGTON-(Continued).

MISCELLANEOUS.

INDUSTRIES .- Lexington has always been chiefly engaged in agriculture. At the beginning it was known as The Farms, and it has remained almost ex- clusively a community of farmers until within the last twenty years, during which time a considerable addition has been made to the population of people engaged in business in Boston and other cities, who now make it their home. The products of the farms are chiefly hay, vegetables, fruit and milk. In the production of milk it stands among the highest, if not the highest in the United States, as shown by the census of 1880, when it reached a total of 721,000 gallons. A large quantity is sent from the railroad station in the central village to Boston. Some of this, however, is gathered in from the adjoining towns. But the number of men and teams engaged in collecting milk from the farms and retailing it to customers in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Woburn, Newton and Waltham, is very large. Indeed, it may be said to be the most prominent industry of the town. On some of the farms there are from twenty- five to fifty cows, kept for making milk. The exten- sive production of milk, of course, causes a large consumption of hay and grain, and much of this is brought into the town from other States. It is a branch of farming which continually enriches and improves the land, preparing it to yield more abund- ant crops of hay and vegetables. Considerable quantities of fertilizer are used, and the manure wagons are running half the year bringing the pro- duct of the city stables to increase the fertility of the fields. Lexington farms, on the whole, are well tilled, and rank among the most productive in Mid- dlesex County. What profit is received from this industry in our town it is impossible to say. Few farmers keep accounts of receipts and expenditures in a manner which makes it easy to form any esti- mate of the balauce. But it is not difficult to see that the profit is small and uncertain. The higher wages paid farm laborers, the large increase of taxes, the severe competition with the farms of the West and the vegetable gardens of the South, bear hard on the farmers of New England and reduce their profits to the minimum. Yet it is evident that the farmers are living in better style than ever before ; their dwellings are more comfortable, their stock is better housed and cared for, their tools and vehicles

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are more costly and convenient, their fields more productive and their life more enjoyable than that of the farmers of a hundred or even fifty years ago. This is especially true in the vicinity of cities and large towns. They may not be growing rich as rap- idly as some others, but their condition is certainly improving, and their life probably has in it as much freedom and happiness as that of any class in the country.

There has never been much manufacturing in Lexington. No doubt this is due to the fact that it has very little water-power ; none, indeed, that is permanent and reliable. In the early history of the town we find that saw-mills and grist-mills were built on Vine Brook and Munroe Brook, and for a long time were maintained there. A saw-mill was erected near East Lexington as early as 1650, proba- bly by Edward Winship, who owned large tracts of land in that vicinity, a portion of which is still owned and occupied by his descendants. It must have been one of the earliest saw-mills erected in this part of the country. The privilege was occu- pied by a mill or a shop of some kind until quite re- cently, when the construction of the Arlington water- works rendered it no longer available. Other mills for simple mechanical work have been built in va- rious parts of the town. Near the Burlington line, on Vine Brook, is a privilege used for a long period to run a grist and saw-mill ; but all these have been abandoned. and now there is no mill in Lexington of any kind run by water-power. In the east village formerly an extensive business was carried on in the dressing of furs. Mr. Ambrose Morrill was engaged in it for about forty years, employing many people, and Mr. Eli Robbins carried on the same business for a time. The tanning of leather on a small scale was likewise established in that village, but was long since given up. None of these industries now remain in the town.

The principal manufacturing establishment in Lexington now is that of Mr. Matthew H. Merriam for making strip or ribbon trimmings. His mann- factory is on Oakland Street, a one-story building, 200 feet in length, erected in 1882. The business was originally established in Charlestown in 1857, where it was conducted for more than twenty- five years under the firm style of Merriam & Norton. After the death of Mr. Norton, in 1880, Mr. Merriam purchased his interest, and, erecting a convenient building for the purpose, removed the business to Lexington, which had previously been his liome for some twelve years or more. The articles made at this establishment embrace a great variety of goods adapted for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and articles of clothing, and are auxiliary to many other industries. They are made from fancy leather, morocco and textile fabrics of various kinds. The establishment is said to be the largest and best equipped of its kind in the country. Its goods find a

ready market not only throughout the United States, but also in foreign countries. The warehouse for the sale and distribution of these goods is located on High Street, Boston. From thirty to thirty-five hands are employed in this establishment at the present time. About half a million square feet of fine leather and morocco, and two hundred thousand yards of cotton cloth, including enameled cloth, sile- sia and fine cambric, are used in this manufactory an - nually, producing about eighteen million yards of goods. Mr. Merriam has associated with him in the management of the business his two sons, N. H. and E. P. Merriam. The work in the factory is light and pleasant, and many women and girls are employed who make excellent wages after learning to do it.

The Lexington Gear Works, belonging to Mr. George B. Grant, have been recently established in a building on Fletcher Street, erected for the purpose. This establishment manufactures all kinds of iron and brass gearing, from that having a diameter of an inch to that of six feet. The business requires a large amount of costly machinery and the best skilled labor. Mr. Grant is an educated and practical me- chanic, and has built up an extensive business in Boston, where his works were originally established, and where the larger portion of them still remain. The plant in Lexington is now doing well, and he is receiving constant orders from many other depart- ments of machinery business. He makes it a spe- cialty, and the manufacture of gears is brought to a high state of perfection. It is designed to gradually enlarge the business by adding a foundry for the cast- ings and other branches to make it more complete. It bids fair to bring considerable business to the town and add many skillful mechanics to the population.

The Lexington Grain-Mill of Mr. B. C. Whitcher is located near the central railroad station, and does a large business in preparing all kinds of grain and feed for market. This business has been established for several years, and has been steadily enlarged un- til an extensive trade has been built up in supplying the surrounding country. A steam mill was erected a few years since, and large quantities of grain are ground and retailed to the farmers of this and the ad- joining towns.

Near the grain-mill is the lumber-yard of Mr. George E. Muzzy, where all kinds of lumber and building material are kept on sale. This business has been steadily growing, until it has become quite ex- tensive and prosperous. It has stimulated building enterprises in the town, bringing the frames of houses and barns directly from the mills of Maine and New Hampshire, and rendering their erection more expe- ditions and economical. A large amonnt of building has been done in Lexington during the last few years, and Mr. Muzzy has been prompt and earnest in meet- ing the wants of builders. The ontlook for continued and enlarging prosperity in his business appears most encouraging. He has recently associated with him as

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

a special partner Mr. J. W. Skillings, of Wiuchester, a man long engaged in the lumber trade, and bring- ing to the business valuable experience.

In the central village of Lexington there are three retail grocery-stores, two dry -goods and notion-stores, two tin aud sheet-iron shops united with a general plumbing business, one dealing in furnaces and stoves, two meat-shops, also running peddling carts, one harness and hardware-store, one boot and shoe store, with a newsdealer's department, and one drug- store, two wheelwright-shops and two blacksmith- shops. These comprise the chief business establish- ments of the place. In East Lexington there are two retail stores, two blacksmith-shops, a meat market and a post-office. In the east village there is a pop- ulation of several hundred. They are engaged in gathering up and retailing milk, in raising vegetables and fruits for the city markets, in the cultivation of plants and flowers, and in such industries as have been already mentioned. Several of the neighboring farms and residences are the country-seats of men do- ing business in Boston. The diversified and pic- turesque scenery of this section of the town makes it desirable for summer homes or for permanent resi- dences.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 170

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co Number of Pages: 1034

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1034