History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 168

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 168

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INDUSTRIES .- " The first concernment of the early settlers was to provide for the three urgent necessities of human existence-food, clothing and shelter. They had no luxuries, and they resolutely set their faces against all 'foreign superfluities.' Their chief business was to till the soil. It was no easy task t) cut down the forests, dig out the stumps and stones and get the ground ready for the seed. In the early years little else was done, and the work required much hardship and self-denial. Yet there was a real joy in it, such as the pioneer feels when he starts out to make a home for himself with all its endearments and pleasures. Their houses were built for protec- tion, not for show ; their food was plain, but nutri- tious ; their garments were homespun, but neat; their hearts were true and their minds elastic and cheer- ful. Gradually, as the settlement went on, they gave attention to the manufacturing of such articles as they needed. The peripatetic cordwainer, or cobbler, with his supply of tools, made his annual visit to the scattered houses, at which time the 'rising genera- tion ' were appropriately shod.

" In 1669 the town of Chelmsford granted to Thomas Henchman, William Fletcher and Josiah Richardson a parcel of land to encourage the erection of another saw-mill. This was a tract of land now principally in Westford, but partly in West Chelmsford. In in- cluded the mill-site, now unused, on the tributary of Stony Brook, at Westford corner. The brook is the outlet of Nubanussuck Pond, and is called Saw-mill Meadow Brook in the old deeds. This was the first mill of any kind within the limits of Westford, and the second saw-mill in Chelmsford, the first standing on River Meadow Brook, in the southeast part. Neither of them were on Stony Brook. On this stream, from Forge Pond to its mouth, there are at least seven mill-sites, with a height of fall varying from eight to twenty-two feet, but not one of them had been used at this date, 1669. The water-power at Forge Village, then in Groton, was first used about 1680, and this was the first point at which a mill was built on the brook.

"Nearly all fabrics for garments were spun and woven at home on the hand-loom. The early deeds show that men were often weavers by trade. The

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cloth, after it was taken from the loom, must be dressed by thic clothier. The first fulling-mill was at Brookside. The first tannery was built on the east side of the town by Zaccheus Wright. Col. Wright, having no children, gave up his property and busi- ness by salc or will to Benjamin Osgood, who carried it on at the same place for many years. Another tan- nery was situated near the centre of the town, on Heywood Street. The first proprietor was Col. Abel Boynton. After him was John Osgood, then Ira G. Richardson. It is now many years since both of these were abandoned."

Thus early did the colonists begin to think of sup- plying their own wants, that they might be measur- ably independent of the Old World. As their wants increased they devised means of satisfying them, and thus grew up steadily and surely the various indus- tries of our country, including those of Westford. They did not wish to live in log-houses always, and soon began to cut timber in the various saw-mills erected, with which they built their framed and boarded dwellings, more roomy and healthful than those so hastily put together. Then, after the inde- pendence of the Colonies was assured, they began to see still more clearly that they must depend, to a great degree, upon themselves for the comforts and neces- saries of life, and hence an additional stimulus to in- dustrial pursuits was given ; and as the wants of a growing nation enlarged, the people realized that they could exchange commodities with other countries, and thus, by the medium of barter or sale, secure other things not so easily manufactured in a new com- monwealth. Thus steadily and rapidly grew up the vast industries which have made us not only self-sup- porting, but one of the most powerful nations in the world. Little did our fathers think, even in their wildest imagination, when they "moored their bark on the wild New England shore," that the land to which they had self-exiled themselves would grow to be what we see to-day. Many things have been ac- complished which would have seemed to them impos- sibilities. The progress of our nation has been a wonder to itself, while its progress in the arts, in lit- erature and in science has astounded the Old World. Think of our labor-saving machines and how much they have done for us. Who would have thought of all this 100 years ago? Think of the art of photog- raphy, and that of printing ; think of the schools, colleges and the associations formed for the advance- ment of science ; think of our railroads, steamboats and telegraphs ; think of the vast area of our culti- vated lands; of our cities, villages, schools and churches ; the products of our mines and quarries ; the progress in trade and commerce, which now, by the ocean cable (carried to success by an American), brings the whole world to our doors.

The continent blooms with its gardens, shines with its cities, roars with its wheels of labor, sings with its joyful congratulations, and throbs with its 65,000,000

hearts. Such has been the progress of the descend- ants of the early colonists, and Westford has had its full share in it all, as, let the various industries of the town attest. Some of the industries that were early started were given up after a time for others more re- munerative.

" Brick-making .- This was early begun in the south part. The clay-hills on the farms of George H. Elliott and John Wilson furnished the materials for the purpose. The business was carried on by Aaron Parker and his successors, and by Captain Jonathan Minot and his sons. The last men who were con- cerned in it were Addison Parker and David Whit- ney. The old house, torn down not long since by George Hutchins, and the house now occupied by Wayland F. Balch, were built of brick burnt near by. The last kiln was burnt by Samuel Wiley.

" Coopering .- This has been done here, but never on a large scale. The town annually goes through the form of choosing a 'culler of hoops and staves.'

" Pottery .- There was once a yard for this in the rear of the residences of Nathan S. Hamblin and John W. Abbot. The clay was dug for a while on the north side of Prospect Hill, where the pit is still to be seen. As this did not prove to be of good quality, clay was afterward brought from another source. Mr. James Burns was the first and perhaps the only pro- prietor. He lived, it is said, on the farm lately owned by Samuel N. Burbeck, and died at a very advanced age. Fragments of pottery have been found on the site of the old yard.

" Lime-burning .- This has been practiced on a very limited scale. Limstone is found in Chelmsford and Carlisle, and perhaps occasionally crops out in the south part of this town. The ruins of a lime-kiln are to be seen near the so-called Carter place.

" Carpet-weaving .- The house at Westford Corner, lately occupied by Frederic Parker, was once used for this purpose. This was before the invention of power-looms, when all weaving was done by hand.

" Potash .- A building with its necessary append- ages for the manufacture of potash stood on the old road from Asaph B. Cutter's to George Yapp's house, which was once a tavern-stand, at the junction of the two roads."

In 1680 the water-power at Forge Village was first utilized. Hon. Caleb Butler, in his "History of Groton," says:

" After King Philip's War and the resettlement of the town, Jonas Prescott built a mill at Stony Brook, near its issue from Forge Pond, now in Westford. Previous to the erection of Prescott's mill, an Indian by the name of Andrew sold his weir at Stony Brook, as appears by the following record: 'The twenty shillings due to andrew, the Indian, from the town for his warre at Stony Brook, assigned by said Indian to Richard Blood, the said Richard Blood assigns it over to James Parker.' ' Prior to 1730, Jonas Prescott had ' greatly enlarged and improved the works on

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Stony Brook by erecting forges for manufacturing iron from the ore, as well as other purposes.'

" It is difficult to fix the precise date of the build- ing of the forges, but it was perhaps as early as 1710. This enterprise of working iron was the fourth or fifth of the kind in New England. The ore used was the variety known as bog-iron, and was procured in Gro- ton. The 'Groton iron,' produced at the forge, was not of very good quality, being brittle, and it was not extensively used. The business was carried on until the year 1865, when the Forge Company ceased to ex- ist. It was not exclusively the process of smelting, bnt of manufacturing forks and other implements. During this long period of 150 or 160 years the Pres- cotts, descendants of Jocas of Groton, held a control- ling interest in the company and managed its affairs, except during the last few years of its existence. Jonas, who died in 1870, five years after the forging ceased, was the owner of forty shares in 1863, and was the last who worked at the business.

"The Forge Village Horse-Nail Co. was formed January 5, 1865. It succeeded to the franchises of the Forge Company, used the water-power and build- ings of that company, and put in machinery for mak- ing nails. The capital stock was $30,000, with the right to increase it to $100,000. The officers were John T. Daly, president ; John F. Haskins, secretary, and Alexander H. Caryl, treasurer. The capital was increased to $100,000 in 1868. The business was pros- perous and remunerative for some time, but it gradu- ally declined until 1877, when it came to an end."

Granite Quarrying .- Of the several villages in the town of Westford, Graniteville leads as a manufactur- ing centre; its very name suggests one of its earliest industries. There are several quarries in town, and three of them are in Graniteville. The business of quarrying granite began in 1826 or '27 ; ledges were not worked at first, but the large granite rocks in the north part of the town, already on the surface, were first used.

" The granite pillars of the Market-House in Bos- · ton were hewn of huge boulders left ages ago on a lot of land lying northwest of the old school-house in district number seven, on the old stage road from North Chelmsford to Groton, and were hauled through the centre of the town by twenty yoke of oxen. They were obtained by Charles Hollis.

" Isaac Carkin was the first man to open the ledge on Oak Hill. The quarrying began there fifty-five or fifty-six years ago, that is, in 1826 or '27. After Mr. Carkin, Major Jesse Colburn carried on the business for many years, and more recently George W. Merrill. Much of the stone from this source is drawn to the stone-yard at North Chelmsford, but some is hauled into Lowell."

"The first quarrying from the ledges on Snake Meadow Hill was done by Benjamin Palmer, a native of Camden, Maine. In the summer of 1847 the rail- road bridge across the brook was begun, and there

was a demand for split stone on the spot," and it was furnished by several parties. "Benjamin Palmer came to this town in March, 1847. At first he worked on boulders or cobbles, as the quarrymen call them, and his stone was drawn by team to Lowell. He soon be- gan to work on the ledges," quarrying the granite in large quantities. He died May 19, 1888, but his son, Lewis Palmer, carries on the business, furnishing about the same quantity of stone as his father. About twenty men are employed, also four horses and a yoke of oxen. Some stone is furnished to private parties by filling small orders for people in the vicinity, but the greater part is furnished to railroads and corpora- tions. Stone is sent " to numerous cities and towns of this Commonwealth, which make the chief demand for it ; but it is sometimes sent to New York, New Orleans and Chicago. It is used for paving, for en- gine-beds, foundations for buildings, street curbing, flagging for city sidewalks, windows and door-caps, door-sills and caps, bridge-building and various other purposes. Being free from mineral substances, it holds its color for a long time, and seldom shows any rust or stain ; but being hard to bring to an edge, it is not much used for monuments, although it is often prepared for edge-stones around lots in cemeteries. The traffic is an important source of income to the town.'

Mr. Palmer has furnished stone to the Hamilton Mills, Lowell ; caps and sills to the Lawrence corpora- tion, as well as underpinning. He furnished founda- tion stones for the Stevens Central Block, Lowell ; also for the locks and canals, and for the Hamilton corporation.

" In 1848 Samuel Fletcher, a native of Groton, en- gaged in the business and hired a ledge on the hill. During the summer of that year he drew a large quantity of stone to the landing near the railroad, and had it all ready for transportation when the rail- road was opened. It was carried to Lawrence and used in the construction of the dam across the Merri- mack River at that place. Mr. Fletcher now owns a quarry on the hill, and two quarries elsewhere. He employs fifteen or twenty men, and the amount of his annual sales is $10,000.

" March 1, 1853, William Reed (1st), a native of Ac- ton, bought of Thomas Hutchins sixty-one acres of land on Snake Meadow Hill, and, in connection with his brother, David Reed, began the business of quar- rying. The lot lies on the crest of the hill, and is long and narrow. In a year or two the lot was di- vided between the brothers, William taking the por- tion on the top of the hill, and David the western part, toward and including some part of Cowdry Hill."

Mr. David Reed died on February 5, 1885, but Mr. Samuel Fletcher works his ledge, having hired it for a term of five years.

Mr. William Reed still continues to do an increasing business ; it has been larger this year than for the two years past. He furnishes cut stone for founda-

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

tions, dams, bridges, underpinning, sills, etc., as well as all kinds of rough-hammered work. Before the Civil War he furnished stone for the pavement of the streets in New Orleans, La., much of which General Butler took up and made his fortifications with it. He furnished the first paving-stone ever laid in Wor- cester, Mass. Stone has been purchased of him, by the city of Lowell, for foundations of bridges, also edge-stone for the sidewalks. The corporations of Lowell have bought of him underpinning, window- sills, door-caps, edge-stone and dimension-stone. In 1888, $1200 worth of stone was sent to Leominster to be used as underpinning, steps and large paving- blocks. Headers and covering-stone was sent to Cliesham, wall-stone to Belchertown, dimension-stone to Marlboro', headers to East Harrisville, pinners to Winchester, foundation-stone for the water-tank at Portsmouth, N. H., and junk-stone to Hardwick, Mass.

In Amherst Mr. Reed built a large drainage-ditch, having the walls three feet wide, and covered by stone five feet in width. Recently, edge-stone has been furnished to Arlington, and also underpinning for the new hospital of the State almshouse in Tewks- bury, also caps and sills for Lexington and Revere, rubble for Amherst and Winter Hill, edge-stone for Harvard, stone for the dam in Nashua, N. H., catch- basins and bound-stone for Stoneham, bound and covering-stone for Weston, and underpinning for the Fairchild Paper Company, of East Pepperell. He has furnished stone to the railroads for the repairs of the wall at West Chelmsford, the cost of which was $585.49. Even his chips have been sold for ballast.

Mr. Reed employs about twenty men, and uses six horses and a yoke of oxen. His sales have recently amounted to about $10,000 or $12,000 annually. The competition has been so sharp recently that more stone was furnished for the above compensation than formerly. Once the price of the stone per yard was $3, while now it is- only $1.25. One of the reasons why Mr. Reed has been able to compete with other companies is that his quarry is near the railroad, ne- cessitating the drawing of the stone only about a third of a mile.

This granite ledge is large enough to give employ- ment to seventy five or one hundred men-it is not yet half uncovered. As it is in a hill, the drainage is easy, and an engine is not necessary for the hand- ling of the stone-a simple hand-derrick is all that is required for the purpose. It is casily seen that such an industry is an important one to the town, and must continue to be for a long time to come.

N. P. Prescott & Son have been quarrying granite in Westford since 1871, about nineteen years. They worked in the north part of the town till 1882, when they began to obtain the stone from Oak Hill, where they now have a stone-yard, shipping their work from Brookside, two and one-half miles from the hill. They cmploy fourteen men and use four lorscs ; their sales amount to about $9500 per year. They quarry

mostly rough, hammercd work, selling edge, bridge and paving-stone. The larger part is sold to the citics and corporations, going to Lowell, Worcester, Lawrence, Boston, Brockton, Newton and Taunton. They furnish caps, sills and underpinning. Teams from Lowell sometimes come out for the chips and grout. The granite at Oak Hill can be cut to a finer edge than that from Snake Meadow Hill; but even this cannot be cut into any monumental work, as it "flies," or chips as soon as a sharp edge is cut.

Fifteen years ago it sold for fifty cents per foot, now for only thirty cents. When Mr. Noah Prescott began quarrying he did the whole of the work him- self and without derricks-everything was hand-work. He then hired two or three hands, and the work has gradually grown to its present proportions. He has cut down into the hill about twenty-five feet, and drains it by a siphon. The granite in the hill is practically unlimited, and the firm of Sweat & Davis are working a different part of it.

Sweat & Davis have worked here for twelve or fif- teen years and have got out more stone than Mr. Prescott, selling not only cap, sills and paving-stones, but also building material. They have a "yard" in Lowell, where they ship a part of their stone and cut it in the city instead of at the quarry. They employ twenty men and use four horses and two yoke of oxen. They have a steam-engine with which they operate their derricks and drills. They get out many large stones-some pieces weighing as much as ten tons.

Worsted-Mills .- "The Abbot Worsted-Mills began business in 1855, with John W. Abbot as managing partner, and John W. P. Abbot and Charles G. Sar- gent as special partners. At first they manufactured fine worsted yarns for the making of braids and up- holstery goods, employing about twenty hands. In 1857 Mr. Sargent retired from the firm, and Mr. Allen Cameron became an active partner," purchasing the interest of Mr. J. W. P. Abbot. "On December 5, 1858, their works, as well as those of Mr. Sargent, were entirely destroyed by fire; but in January, 1860, they again began business in one-half of a large stone mill, built by Mr. Sargent about one-eighth of a mile below the former site. These premises they have continued to occupy to the present time, with fre- quent additions to give increased facilities for production. When they started anew they began the manufacture of worsted yarns used in making carpets." In 1873 Mr. Abial J. Abbot was admitted as a part- ner to the firm. "In 1878 Abbot & Company leased the part of the mill formerly occupied by Sargent & Sons, and also built a stone addition to the mill occul- pied by themselves, sixty feet long and two stories high, and proceeded to fill it with machinery. Find- ing this still insufficient to meet the growing wants of their customers, they purchased, in October, 1879, the buildings and water-power at Forge Village, formerly occupied by the Forge Village Horse-Nail Company, and filled the buildings with improved machinery.

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They now employ at Forge Village 200 hands, and make 1,200,000 pounds of worsted yarn per aunum. About the same number of hands are employed at the mill in Graniteville, and about the same quantity of yarn is produced,-making at both of the mills 2,400,000 pounds of yarn annually, using for the same 5,000,000 ponnds of wool. About fifteen years ago they began using camel's hair, making it into yarn and mixing it with the wool for carpets and other worsted goods; they did this to supply orders from some of their customers who wished that kind of yarn. They are using now about 80,000 pounds of camel's hair each month, or 960,000 pounds a year.

They were the first in the country to use this hair for worsted yarns, and they used it for three years be- fore any of the other manufacturers ascertained the fact. The wages paid the employés amount, collec- tively, to $100,000 each year; and $100,000 is also paid the United States Government for duties on the wool. The price of the wool averages fifteen cents per pound, thus making the total cost of the wool used in both mills to be $750,000. It is evident that a large amount of machinery is required for the run- ning of these two mills, and it is all of the most im- proved and recent manufacture ; if they hcar of any- thing new and highly recommended they immedi- ately try it, and if found satisfactory it is bought at once. All of the machinery needs renewing every twenty years. They use two engines at Graniteville- one of sixty, and the other of 175 horse-power; one is used at Forge Village, which is 650 horse-power.

Their markets are in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey, but chiefly in Philadelphia ; they sell to the weavers, and always by wholesale. These yarns are not shipped to foreign countries, but are mostly kept here in our own country, and used for the manufacture of ingrain carpets, Wiltons, Brus- sels and tapestry. Only foreign wool is used, and is purchased in nearly every wool-growing country in the world. Their agents are the wool brokers at Liverpool, Marseilles, Russia (near the Black Sea), Smyrna, Palestine, Buenos Ayres, Scotland, Valpa- raiso, Bagdad, Mossoul and even in the old Mesopo- tamia of the Scriptures,-well named from "mesos" and "potamos," between the rivers, viz. : Tigris and Euphrates. MIr. J. W. Abbot attends principally to the mill at Forge Village, and Mr. A. J. Abbot to the one at Graniteville, while Mr. Cameron attends to the bnying, selling and the finances. Nearly every day cablegrams are received from Liverpool, giving the firm the market prices of the world, so far as wool is concerned; their business is much facili- tated by this means, as the following incident will show. A few years ago they gave their broker in Liverpool orders to buy wool for them at a given limit; the auction sale opened above that limit, and the broker cabled to know if they would advance it; they concluded to do it, and so informed him, and the wool was bought before the closing of the sale, prob-

ably within two hours. Abbot & Co. take a personal interest in all their employés, and do their utmost to promote their welfare. A club-house has been built near each mill expressly for the help. Libraries are connected with them ; lectures are given and dra- matic entertainments are held,-the actors composed of the hands in the mills. Every man with a family is encouraged to own his own house, and he is as- sisted financially to that end; many do own them, and some of them own other houses than their own and have become quite wealthy. There are no labor strikes in these mills. Let any one, who wishes to study the relation of capital to labor, aud learn how to settle differences between them, come to Westford and find out what has made the relationship exist- ing between the company and the help so pleasant and profitable to all concerned. For the reasons given above, as well as others that might be stated, the men find it more profitable to follow the plans of the company than any directions given by officers of league or labor organizations. Educated, skilled labor-hands generally know what is for their interests financially, and these men never join in labor-strikes. They feel that they have an interest in the success of the company's business, well knowing that the com- pany's success means their own advancement ; they, therefore, become trusted workers and earnest men. Some of them have been in the employ of the com- pany for twenty or twenty-five years. It should be stated that before the new school law came into ef- fect prohibiting children working in the mill during the school terin, the company employed children of fourteen years of age and under, allowing them to work half of the day and attend school the other half.

The State police, visiting the mills during the time the children were thus employed, for the purpose of seeing that, they attended school, and learning that they complied with the law as it then was (attending school every day, though but half the time), and after talking with the teachers, came, it is said, to this con - clusion : that the children learned as easily as those who attended the whole day, and kept up evenly with their classes. The inference has been drawn that the plan devised by the company for the children to help themselves and the families to which they belonged, was a better one than is now in operation throughout the State, and that this company is the only one which tried the plan and found it a success and had it indorsed by the State authorities.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 168

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1226

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226