History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 130

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III > Part 130

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

sell their interest therein for such price as they may be able to get, or to recover compensation for property taken only by the vexatious process of law. The city of Boston, in accordance with the provisions of this act and the rules of law, has paid the price for lands bought and has satisfied the judgments ob- tained for lands and rights seized in the cases of those who by law were entitled to recover and who have brought suits. But the large indirect damage to the town, in the destruction of its business and taxable property, has not been paid, nor is it by law recover- able. The many and valuable rights of private owners to drain into the river and its tributaries, seized by the city, have not been paid for, and the right to obtain compensation is now irrecoverably lost, because the owners had received no actual notice of the seizure and did not bring their action for damages within the time allotted by statute. Under the guise of general legislation, the city of Boston has obtained the passage of punitive laws, restricting the rights of land-owners in the free use of their property and widely enlarging the sphere of the law of nuis- ance. The agents of the Boston Water Board have continually annoyed the owners of lands lying upon the banks of the river and the iu-flowing brooks, by com- ing uninvited upon their premises for the purpose of discovering sources of pollution to the water, and by issuing orders for removal of such causes of pollution without first having procured any authoritative deter- mination of what is a pollution of their water supply.

" Dam 2," of the Sudbury water system, which was built abont 1878, in the town of Framingham, flowed the river to the Shepard Dam. The city of Boston built an iron bridge just below this point, and also a bridge below the site of the Cutler Mills, and, by laying out and building snch parts as were necessary, opened two good roads to Park's Corner, in place of the one old road, in part submerged, which formerly crossed the river at the Cutler Mills.

Less than a mile up Cold Spring Brook the city, in about 1885, built a dam nearly half a mile long, for storing water on this brock. The lands covered by this basin were obtained from the owners by pur- chase, the deeds conveying full title. In 1890 the city of Boston began the dam on Indian Brook, hav- ing obtained title to the lands proposed to be covered partly by purchase and partly by seizure.

The agents of the Boston Water Board have for- bidden fishing upon the ice in their basins in the winter, though no prosecutions for that offence have yet been made. All persons are prohibited from bathing in the Sudbury or its tributaries.

In 1888 an act was passed by the Legislature for- bidding bathing in the Waushakum Pond, as the Sherborn prison takes water from that source ; but this act seems to be strictly confined to the waters of the pond; therefore, it is suggested that Ashland boys may learn to swim in the Bigelow Pond, on the afflu- ent brook, a mile to the southwest.

BOOT AND SHOE BUSINESS .- In the early years of the town the work of making shoes was not all done as it now is-in the factory-nor was the business all carried on by a few large concerns. There were small manufacturers, who would buy a few sides of leather in Boston, cut and make them into shoes in their shops in the country, and then return to the city, selling the products of their own labor. In those days there was no difficulty in finding a market for such goods at paying prices. Men, who, in the end, became large manufacturers, frequently began in this way, acquiring a practical knowledge of every part of the business, from the selecting of the stock, through the processes of manufacture, to the final disposition of the goods in the market. This manu - facturing in a small way was then common, and was often taken up by men, who, for the time being, hap- pened to have no other employment. In this way, too, work could be afforded for a whole family, as there would be some part that each member could assist in doing.

When the small shop began to enlarge and furnish work for persons outside of the family, the business was carried on in a way quite unlike the present. In 1846, and for a few years afterwards, there were no large gatherings of workmen in the shops of the manufac- turers; all the work, except the cutting of the leather, was done away from the shop. The shoemaker would come, often from a neighboring town, with his team, and take out stock enough to keep him in work for a week or more. Qnite far back, when shoes, rather than boots, were made in this section, the workman would take the leather just as it came from the hands of the cutter, who did his work without the aid of machinery. Going home with the stock, his wife would bind and close the shoes, while he did the bottoming. His boys would be taught while young to peg, and, later, to last, and, still later, before they had reached the age of twenty-one years, they would acquire skill in fitting and trimming, thus becoming expert in all the parts of the bottoming process. There were many farmers who worked on shocs in the winter, when they had nothing else to do; and, generally, the work of the shoemaker could be taken up and laid down to suit circumstances.

Where the manufacture of boots was carried on, the crimping, closing and treeing, though at first done by the workmen at their own houses, was at length con- fined to the shop of the manufacturer. Slowly ma- chines were invented for doing the work at the factory ; but for a long time the bottoming was per- formed wholly by hand, and at the homes of the workmen. Finally, upon the introduction of the pegging machine, the bottomer was obliged to go where this was set up, as such machines cost too much for him to buy. The invention of other machines soon following, the employment of steam-power at the factory to run them finally required the assem- bling of all the workmen at that place. Now within

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the last twenty years the little shops, which so com- monly stood by the houses of the workmen and were used by them, have been abandoned, and the com- paratively free life of the shoemaker of thirty years ago has been exchanged for the routine work of the factory operative. Wages may have increased, and a better average living been gained, but the former freedom of the individual has been partly lost in the changed methods of doing work and especially in the surrender of rights to associations which have been established for the protection of the workingman.

As the manufacture of boots and shoes has been and still is the principal business in this town it will be proper to give a somewhat full account of this busi- ness, beginning at the time the town was incorporated and tracing the history of the different shops.

Calvin Dyer in 1846 was oceupying for his boot- shop the building on Main Street, which is now the stable of Mrs. John Phipps. He had a few years be- fore erected both the house and shop standing at this point. At an earlier date he had manufactured in the Mitehell and Bryant shop, to be spoken of later. He was very active in getting the town set off. He remained, however, only a year after that event, moving his family to Worcester, himself accepting employment as passenger conductor on the Boston and Worcester Railroad.

Daniel Morey followed Dyer in this shop, but did not continue long in the business. The buildings had been mortgaged to Lee Claflin, and the mortgage was now foreclosed.

In 1852 Simpson Jones bought these premises of Claflin, and moved in from the Broad barn, where he had started a few months before. The boots manu- factured by him were sold by Whitney & Hines, of Boston, on commission. Later he manufactured for Lee Claflin. In about 1860 the shop which stood at the corner of Union and Main streets, on land now owned by John Connor, had been vacated by William Wheelock, and as this was a larger and more con- venient building, Jones now occupied it, turning his former shop into a stable. About this time he be came a partner in the firm of Newhall & Company, of Boston, he receiving the stock and making up the boots, while the Boston partners attended to the buy- ing and selling. This substantial business was eon- tinued till his death, in 1865.

William Wheelock came from Mendon in 1857. John Clark built for him a shop at the junetion of Union and Main Streets, upon the Connor land, then owned by Clark. Wheelock, as a partner in the firm of Severance & Wheeloek, at once began manufae- turing boots in this building. This business lasted but a year or two. Wheelock then bought the land where now the Newhall shop is located, and moving there a small building from Hayden Row, made of this a nucleus about which a larger shop was built. As a partner in the firm of Boyd, Brigham & Wheelock, he here attended to the manufacture of shoes till

about 1871; when his, health failing, he was obliged to cease doing business. He died with consumption two years later. Wheelock introduced into his shop a calorie engine, which in that day was in these parts considered a novelty.

H. Newhall & Company, of Boston, bought this shop of Wheelock and carried on the business until 1882. They enlarged the building and put in steam- power. The factory was first in charge of Samuel Seaver until his death, in 1876. For the next four or five years C. M. Adams was superintendent, and dur- ing the last year a Mr. Godfrey, from Milford. The firm finally transferred its business to their shop in Woodville, giving as a reason that they could manu- facture there at a lower figure. The building has since remained unocenpied.

In May, 1846, the boot-shop of Edwin A. Forbush, which stood on the south side of Union Street, at what is now the Neff place, was totally burned. This shop was never rebuilt.

Forbush after the fire, for a few months, did busi- ness in a part of the antiquated "Stone" house, which then stood on the opposite side of the street. He next formed a partnership with William Seaver, and for about two years they manufactured boots in the Seaver shop, to be referred to later. They also played cheekers very late of nights, if tradition may be trusted, both being experts in the game and quite equally matched. In 1849 Forbush bought one of the "Sullivan " houses and erected a boot-shop within the yard of the enelosure. It has always been sup- posed that this building was located very near, indeed, to the west line of the lot, as there was a sharp con- troversy in words about the rights of the respective owners, echoes of which have not yet wholly died away.

Forbush, after dissolving connection with Seaver, for a short time manufactured boots in his new shop. About this time he invented a machine for siding boots. He got Lee Claflin interested, and by his aid fitted up a foundry for the manufacture of machines in one of the Shepard Paper-Mill buildings, which were now owned by Claflin. After experimenting here at a cost of $40,000, Claflin having tired of the ven- ture, Forbush took his machine to Lawrence and there had castings made. Afterwards a Milford con- cern became interested, but at this point Forbush abandoned the enterprise, and nothing more was done to bring the machine into use. The model was burned in the Boston fire of 1872. It is said that at one time Forbush was offered one hundred thousand dollars for his invention. When Forbush returned to Ashland, as Thayer and Wiggins were manufacturing boots in his shop, he formed a partnership with P. Ware, Jr., and commenced on shoes in Leland's Bloek, of which building some account will be given later. The business was continued, either in this or his own shop, until after the coming on of the war. A sewed shoe was made by this firm for army use.

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Later, skins in the shape of the ordinary buffalo rohe were cut into uppers and made by them into mocca- sins, the fur side in. After dissolving partnership with Ware he continued in business alone, still mak- ing moccasins; now working for Wilson, Corey & Company. After North Carolina was opened at the close of the war he went to Winston, in that State, and leased a plantation for a term of years. He also opened a store in Winston. Meantime his shop in Ashland was occupied by his son, P. W. Forbush, who for about two years manufactured shoes, which were sold by P. Ware in Boston. E. A. Forbush re- turned to Ashland in 1869, and after running his shop one year, ceased work on account of failure of health. Ten months later he died.

George S. Downs, during the sickness of Forbush, carried on the business as his agent. After his death Downs began business for himself, manufacturing shoes for Potter, White & Bailey. This business was continued for several years, until receiving an offer of a lucrative position as superintendent of the shoe- shop in the State Prison, he moved away. That was the end of this boot-shop as such. About ten years ago this building was converted into a tenement- house. Forbush was an active, public-spirited man ; he was frequently elected to town office, for many years was chosen moderator of the town-meetings, and was a leading member in the Baptist Church.

William Seaver came to Ashland from Hopkinton about 1840. In 1846 he was manufacturing boots in the first shop built and occupied by him, the same building now standing on Front Street next to the hardware store of Perry & Enslin, and occupied as a dwelling. Seaver also built and occupied till his death the dwelling-house standing next door west. After the dissolution of the partnership with E. A. Forbush, spoken of above, he continued the business alone in the same building. About 1852, in this build- ing, George W. Jones was interested with him as a partner for abont three years. Later, Seaver moved into a shop across the street, standing on the present site of the barn of A. Greenwood & Son. After a time his sons, George and Henry, were admitted into partnership. They manufactured mostly small boots of cheap grade. In about 1863 Seaver accomplished some real estate exchanges, and as a result became owner of the whole land now covered by the Green- wood coal shed and Blake's building. He then sold off' the small buildings that occupied the ground, to be taken away and converted into dwelling-houses, and moved upon the spot now covered by Blake's building, a shop of about the same size, which had stood at the junction of Main and Union streets, and had been formerly occupied successively by Wheelock & Jones as before related. Ile sold to Blake and Bal- com the easterly part of the lot, and they erected a building of similar dimensions to his own, leaving between the two buildings a clear space of forty- eight feet. Here he and his sons, under the firm-

name of Seaver & Sons, carried on the business till 1872, when the Boston fire destroyed a large amount of goods belonging to them, and upon which the in- surance proved almost worthless, owing to the failure of the companies carrying the risk. This fire was the cause of finally closing his business as a boot manufacturer. For many years afterward he was en- gaged in the business of undertaker, keeping goods for sale and personally conducting funerals. He died in 1888, after a somewhat prolonged illness. From the first he was a prominent man in town affairs, holding various town offices. He was a deacon of the Congregational Church, almost covering its whole history. As a justice of the peace, he tried civil causes, while justices still had jurisdiction. Earlier, criminal cases also were tried before him. His judg- ment was often sought in matters having a legal bearing.

Hiram Temple came to town about the time of its organization, and commenced manufacturing boots in the second story of the passenger station, which then stood on the north side of the track near the Main Street crossing. Temple seems to have suc- ceeded to the business of Montgomery Bixby. While in this building George F. Seaver joined Temple, first as an employee, later becoming a partner in the busi- ness. When the Baptist Society, moving into their new church, abandoned their chapel on Front Street, Temple bought and fitted this building for a boot shop and store. George Brewster was put in charge of the store, which occupied the front part, while the boot business was carried on in the remaining por- tions. After two or three years a fire totally con- sumed the building. Temple then erected a build- ing on the south side of Railroad Street, near where now stands the store of Mrs. McPartlin, which, in connection with his partner, Seaver, he occupied for the boot business. In a short time, selling out to his partner, he moved to Marlborough where he still re- sides.

Seaver soon left this location and started business at Park's Corner. Returning after about a year, he joined his father in the partnership spoken of above. After the dissolution of this business connection, about the time of the Boston fire, he manufactured boots as a partner with one Thompson in a building owned by Ezra Morse, situated near Morse's lumber- yard on Front Street. Within a year or two a fire occurred, by which this building was consumed. Seaver, then going West, closed his business connection with this town. In 1888 he died iu Chicago. He served as town clerk for several years.

Albert Leland came from Holliston and set up the manufacturing of boots shortly before the establish- ment of the town; his first shop, now known as the " Light-House," and situated near Cold Spring Brook, on Main Street, was located in the rear of the Grout & Enslin Grocery. From this buikling he moved into Broad's barn, where he was manufacturing about 1849,

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when it was burned. In 1850 he erected the building now owned by Mrs. Ann Manning, situated on Summer Street. Here he manufactured boots in the rear, while he kept store in the front part of the building. S. F. Woodbury became a partner with him in the store business in 1852. In 1853 he and Woodbury bought the corner lot on the opposite side of Summer Street, extending from Main Street to what is now the market of A. W. Eames. The southerly part of the land was sold to Charles Wenzell. Upon the front part Leland & Woodbury erected the building since known as Leland Block, or Central Block. The first building was begun in 1853, and the work had pro- ceeded as far as the roof-boards, when a violent wind blew down the whole structure. Some defect in the foundation contributed to its fall. It is said that there was scarcely a whole timber left in the mass of ruins.

With the aid of contributions from citizens who sympathized with them in their misfortune, funds were secured again to set up the building, which was now carried to completion. In 1858 Woodbury conveyed his interest to Leland. The building, as first erected, stood too high for convenience, so it was lowered some six feet, to its present level. The shingled roof was afterwards covered with slates, and the homely columns, which for many years stood at the front, were removed. In this form, substantially, the build- ing stood till June, 1889, when, catching fire from the blazing livery-stable of W. A. Scott, the high-pitched roof was burned off. Later in this year, B. C. Hatha- way, of Westborough, became owner, and added to the attractiveness of the building by putting on the present flat roof, and otherwise changing the external appearance.

Albert Leland moved into this building about 1854, and afterward carried on the manufacture of boots, for the most part alone, till about 1870, when the second and third stories of the building were changed into tenement dwellings, and the two floors in the roof into halls and bed-rooms. About 1857 Leland rented all ofthe building, which had before been occu- pied for manufacturing boots, to P. Ware, Jr., who, with E. A. Forbush, manufactured shoes for some two or three years. When this firm moved out, Leland again took up the boot business, taking into partner- ship George B. Cole, his son-in-law. The building was now divided up, several concerns occupying dif- ferent floors and carrying on business at the same time. In 1864, besides Leland & Cole, Blake & Bal- com were occupying.

In 1866, Leland & Cole having dissolved, were running separately on different floors, and on a third floor C. M. Adams was doing business. Nearly all the time in connection with the making of boots, Leland had carried on a store chiefly with others, of which some account will be given later. He was a man of solid proportions, physically and mentally, and by his enterprise accumulated a snug property,

part of which he left to his favorite church, the Baptist. He died in 1877.

George B. Cole was at first in partnership with Albert Leland, and later was doing business for him- self in Central Block, as has been stated above. In 1868, when Blake & Balcom vacated the Clark shop, now standing on the east side of Main Street, a little south of Union Street, Cole began occupying and afterward bought it in 1872. In the same year he built the house next beyond, where he resided for a time. In this shop he continued the manufacture of boots, either alone, or in connection with his brother S. Augustus Cole, until 1876. In that year, while returning from the Centennial Exhibition at Phila- delphia, he took a violent cold, which shortly after- wards resulted in his death, he not having yet reached middle age. He was an active, courteous man, who took an interest in the affairs of the town, and of the Baptist Church, of which he was a mem- ber.

Shortly before 1850, Sylvester Hartshorn and Abra- ham Tilton formed a partnership, under the name of Hartshorn & Tilton, and fitted up for a shop, the old William Greenwood blacksmith building, which stood on Cherry Street, a few feet south of the pres- ent dwelling of A. T. Jones. This firm manufac- tured boots for only a year or two, and then dissolved.

Abraham Tilton went on with the business in con- nection with Charles H. Tilton two years longer. Abraham had before manufactured boots at the place of his former residence in the westerly part of the town. About 1853 he built a shop near his house on Pleasant Street, in which he manufactured boots some eight or ten years. After his death the shop was altered into dwelling-house tenements.

Charles H. Tilton, in 1853, bought a lot of land on the bank of what is now the Dwight Printing Con- pany's Canal, at a point opposite Dea. Perry's house, and built a frame shop abont 23 by 28 feet. In that building he commenced the manufacture of boots, which was continued by him at this place three years, after which this building was moved a short distance up Pleasant Street, and converted into a dwelling- house. In 1856 he purchased a quarter of an acre of land on the south side of Pleasant Street, where his present shop stands, and erected a two-story building of moderate dimensions, here entering upon business on a larger scale. The war coming on, he engaged in making army shoes. Larger quarters were now called for. In 1862 one hundred feet were added to the buildings. The processes of making shoes were now rapidly changing. Machinery was added year after year, Tilton being always ready to try any new machine that promised success. Stcam-power, being required to run the machinery, was next introduced. All parts of the manufacturing were now done in the factory, very little of the bottoming even after this time being put out, and a few years later none at all. The work was principally upon boots of medium

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

weight, for which a market was found throughout the country, and especially in the West. The name of the maker was stamped upou the best qualities of the goods. About 1874 another one hundred feet was added to the main building, and a factory was built to supply the shop with lasts. This latter business was given up in 1880, that this building might be added to the capacity of the boot-shop, and at the same time two hundred feet more were built on, and a large store-house erected, the latter being connec- ted to the main building by a foot-bridge. Previous- ly a side-track had been laid to the factory by the Boston & Albany Railroad Company; so that now hand-trucks, for carrying stock or goods, could run from the railroad freight-platform to all points in the buildings. These building operations resulted in es- tablishing in Ashland one of the largest and most convenient boot-shops in the State. Meanwhile there had grown up along with the shop a whole neighbor- hood of houses, Tilton having erected many of them, and himself owning twenty-five tenements ; he also added two large frame barns, in which were kept blooded stock. Having retired from the boot busi- ness in 1885, he is now giving attention to his farm and to the improvement of his stock.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 130

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278