History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 25

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 25

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Instead of improving the mills, as at first intended, they sold it to Messrs. William S. and Frank Cord- ingly in 1864. The new firm made thorough repairs and built additions to the buildings, and put in special machinery for the manufacture of wool ex- tracts, and have done a large and properous business since their occupancy of the premises.

A difference in opinion as to the ownership of the fulling-mill water-rights had existed for a long time between William Hurd, Allen C. Curtis and others, which finally resulted in a lawsuit between them in 18.15; and in the April term of the Supreme Judicial Court it was agreed between the parties to refer the whole case to three arbitrators-the decision of any

103

NEWTON.

two of them to be binding on the parties, not only as to the questions in controversy, but in award of dam- ages to either party, if any may be found; and they shall further arbitrate and determine finally the future respective rights of both parties in the use of the water forever. The result of this arbitration was re- ported to the Court, and in the October term of 1847 Chief Justice Shaw decided the said fulling-mill water-rights belonged to the Messrs. Curtis and others to be used at their pleasure. New and more accurate water-gauges were now placed in position along the water-courses to distribute the water proportionately to its several owners; and all interested parties upon either side of the river acquiesced in this adjustment of the difficulties heretofore existing.

The mills upon the Needham side were owned suc- cessively as follows : The upper mill by Amos Lyon & Co., Wales & Mills. Thomas Rice, Jr., and the Thomas Rice Paper Company. The second mill, owned by William Hurd, Charles Rice, Jr., and Moses Garfield, Thomas Rice, Jr. and Thomas Rice Paper Company. The third or lower mill, on the upper dam, owned by John Rice and Moses Garfield, Thomas Rice, Jr., and the Dudley IIosiery Company since 1862.

The machine-shop built by Mr. Reuben Ware and William Clark in 1832 went into the hands of Mr. Joseph Stowe in 1846; and in 1850 Messrs. Henry P. Eaton, Rufus Moulton and Harvey Eaton formed a co-partnership and bought the shop of Mr. Stowe. In the autumn of 1853 the present stone-shop building was put up to replace the old wooden one, burnt the preceding June.

Mr. Harvey Eaton died in 1852. In 1876 Mr. Adam Beck, who had been a partner in the business since 1858, by purchase became the sole owner of the works, and still continues in the business.

The second, or lower dam, at the Lower Falls, was probably built by Mr. William Hoogs about the year 1800. He started the leather tanning business about ten years before, near the ford across the river, below Pratt's Bridge (now Washington Street Bridge). Mr. Hoogs next built a paper-mill, which he ran in con- nection with his tannery, until he sold out to Mr. Peter Lyon, June 21, 1809. Mr. Lyon increased his business by building a grist-mill. In 1809 he con- veyed the paper-mill to Mr. Joseph Foster, with one- half of the water-right, and reserved the other half for the grist-mill. March 8, 1822, Mr. Allen C. Cur- tis bought the paper-mill, and in 1823 he re-conveyed the same to Mr. Foster. On the same day Mr. Foster conveyed it to Mr. Peter Lyon and William Parker. Parker and Lyon sold to Amasa Fuller, January 28, 1824; and on September 3, 1830, the paper-mill was sold to Mr. Joseph H. Foster by the executors of the estate of Amasa Fuller, deceased. Mr. Foster con- tinued the paper-making business until his death, December 7, 1853. His son, Joseph Foster, Jr., then ran the mill for two or three years, when it was sold

to Thomas Rice, Jr., who rented it to Mr. Charles Rice for a term of years, and finally sold it to Augus- tus C. Wiswall & Son, who still continue the paper manufacture.

On the Needham side of the river there are two or three mills that depend upon the water from the lower dam for their power, but the complications in relation to the division of water have been compara- tively few and far between.

It would be impossible to enumerate the different varieties or kinds of paper manufactured at the Lower Falls for the past century. Prominent among the varieties are wrapping papers, book-binders' board and cardboard. The Messrs. Crehore have always made the manufacture of Jacquard cards and press papers a principal business, while the Messrs. Curtis gave their attention to a fine quality of book paper. Three or four other mills have been kept busy on newspaper work. Great quantities of this paper have been printed by the daily press and popular journals and magazines of the day, that have been scattered broadcast all over the civilized world.

While the manufacturers have been busily engaged in the daily routine of their duties, many of them have found time to serve the State and the town in public capacities with credit to themselves and with honor to their constituents. Mr. William Hoogs, Joseph Foster and Thomas Rice, Jr., have been placed upon the Board of Selectmen and School Com- mittees. Mr. Allen C. Curtis, Joseph Foster, Lemuel Crehore and Thomas Rice, Jr., have been honored with seats in the popular branch of the General Court of the Commonwealth. Mr. Rice was twice a Senator and twice in the Governor's Council.

The manufacture of sulphuric acid (oi! of vitriol) was started in Waltham by Mr. Patrick Jackson, in 1819. About the year 1825 the works were removed across the Charles River, into the town of Newton, very nearly opposite to the Waltham cotton factories and were incorporated as the Newton Chemical Com- pany. The chemistry buildings covered a large area of land upon the rising ground about an eighth of a mile distant from the river. Under the excellent man- agement and excutive ability of Horatio Moore, Esq., resident agent of the company, the works were en- larged to a capacity that made it one of the leading vitriol manufactories of New England.

Mr. Moore was a leading and much respected citi- zen of the town, and was frequently appointed in town-meetings upon important committees, and occu- pied a chair in the Board of Selectmen of Newton. The business of the chemical company was so com- pletely identified with the town of Waltham that it was deemed expedient by them to be set off to that town, which, by act of the General Court, was done in April of 1849.

After a continuous and successful industry of more than half a century, the business was discontinued and the buildings removed in 1872.

104

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

The late Hon. William Jackson, of Newton, when Nonantum House, and about on the dividing line at eighteen years of age, was apprenticed by his between Newton and Watertown. Before the ex- piration of two years he was obliged to seek more convenient and commodious quarters for his busi- ness, and built a new shop on Washington Street, near the Brighton line. He continued in the manu- facture of furniture until 1846. Mr. Smallwood was one of the leading builders of hair-cloth and plush parlor furniture in New England, and probably in the country. He had in his employ about sixty workmen most of the time. His son, Edwin A. Smallwood, was his successor. Ile built another factory in the valley, on Waverly Avenue, and more than doubled the production of goods. Still another factory was built by him on the corner of Waverly Avenue and Washington Street in 1848, which he rao for a few years, and then rented to Mr. George F. and William Whall for about two years. This building was destroyed by fire September 29, 1857. Previous to the Rebellion of 1860 Mr. Smallwood had regular trade customers in every State in the Union, as well as from Egypt, Australia and else- where. The march of local improvements made in- roads upon his premises, and he abandoned the business in that neighborhood in 1875, and the shop buildings were removed to Brighton. father to a Boston firm to learn the soap and candle business. At the age of twenty-one years he started a small factory in his own name in that city. As he depended largely upon the Southern markets for the sale of his goods, he concluded it would be more profitable for him to transfer a branch of his business to the South, and in 1813 he built a factory in Sa- vannah, Ga., and the next year he built another one in Charleston, S. C. The wars of 1812 made these factories profitable ; but when peace was restored, in 1816, the profits dwindled away, and they were given up. In consequence of the death of his parents, Mr. Jackson sold his Boston manufactory in 1820, and re- turned to the old homestead to take care of the farm. The monotony of farm life was insufficient to satisfy his aetive business habits, and in 1823 he built a fac- tory near his residence, and continued the candle business until his death in 1855. Mr. Jackson had already erected a factory building in Brighton, for doing a portion of his coarser work, and after his death the whole business was transferred to the Brighton factory. A very large proportion of his goods were consigned to the West Indies and most of the principal Southern ports of this country. Large importations of tallow were made from Russia and England to make up the deficiency in home produc- tions for supplying his works.

Mr. Jackson became a leading and honored citizen of the town ; he was a true philanthropist and bene- factor. He occupied a seat in the National House of Representatives at Washington from 1832 to 1836. He was a strong Abolitionist, and a friend to the slave ; a member of the first temperance society organized in Newton in 1826, and ever after kept the pledge. As was the custom fifty years ago, Mr. Jacksou kept his grog in the factory for his employees, and regularly at half-past ten he dealt out to each one his ration. This custom of grog- drinking so antagonized his prin- ciples that he offered his workmen an advance in wages if they would give it up; and it was not very long until it was his privilege to remove the accursed thing from his sight.

A few rods to the west from Mr. Jackson's works there was a small calico printing works, and near by a large laundry builling and small mill-pond. Very nearly upon the same site Mr. Artemas Murdock had a chocolate factory a hundred years ago. These build- ings long since were removed, and the land is now occupied by the Roman Catholic Church of "Our Lady, Help of Christians," corner of Washington and Adams Streets.

Mr. Thomas Smallwood, an Englishman by birth, and a cabinet-maker by trade, came to this country with his family and landed in Boston July 4, 1817. After a few months' residence in Charlestown he re- moved to Newton, and started the furniture business in a small building a little way north from the

The north village of Newton, bounding upon the Charles River and Watertown-now called Nonan- tum-is another locality of considerable historic interest in manufactures. Like the Lower Falls, this water-power is available upon both sides of the stream. It was first utilized by Mr. David Bemis, who owned the adjacent land in Watertown, and Dr. Enos Sumner, the proprietor on the Newton side. There seems to be a little uncertainty as to the exact date when these gentlemen first com- meneed business. Mr. Jackson, in his " History of Newton," informs us that the Bemis dam was built about 1760, and at the same time a paper-mill was built there.

The Waltham Sentinel of April 29, 1864, in an his- torieal article, gives the time of building the dam as 1778. Which of these dates, if either, is correct, we have been unable to ascertain. It appears that Dr. Sumner sold his interest in the enterprise to John McDougall, of Boston, Michael Carney, of Dorchester, Mass., and Nathaniel Patten, of Hart- ford, Conn., who erected a paper-mill in 1779. A large proportion of the requisite machinery for paper- making was imported from Europe.

About two years later Mr. David Bemis acquired a controlling interest in the business, and, in con- nection with his son, Captain Luke Bemis, carried it on until his death, in 1790. By this event the property passed into the hands of his sons, Luke and Isaac Bemis.

In the winter of 1792, or the early spring of 1793, the paper-mill was burnt, entailing a total loss upon the owners. The rebuildling of the factory was con-

105

NEWTON.

sidered of so great importance by the community at large that a petition was presented to the General Court, on June 19, 1793, representing the great suf- ferings of Luke and Isaac Bemis in the loss of their paper-mill and stock by fire, and praying for aid to rebuild the same; and, in consideration of the public advantages to be derived from the encour- agement of the manufacture of paper within the Commonwealth, it was,-

" Resolved, That there be loaned from the treasury of this common- wealth the sum of one thousand pounds to the said Luke Bemis and Isaac Bemis, upoo their bonds, with good and sufficient collateral secur- ity to this common wealth for the repayment of the same sum at the end of five years ; and also to be conditioned that the said Luke and Isaac shall rebuild or canse to be rebuilt, within two years from the making of such loan, suitable paper-mills of at least equal size and extent of the mills lately destroyed by fire, and by themselves or their assigns shall prosecute the manufacture of paper therein."

Supplementary resolves were passed January 30, 1799, and June 17, 1799, in relation to the detail of payment of said loan.

The work of rebuilding the mills was hardly com- pleted before there was another interruption in the business, caused by the death of Mr. Isaac Bemis, in 1794. After this, Mr. Luke Bemis continued the busi- ness, either alone, or in partnership with his brother- in-law, Mr. Caleb Eddy, of Boston, until 1821, when the whole property was purchased by his brother, Mr. Seth Bemis. Soon after this time the Boston Manu- facturing Company, who were using the water-power of the river in the manufacture of cotton cloth in Waltham, were considerably annoyed by the water from the Bemis dam backing up to their water-wheels, and interrupting their works ; and for a relief to their wheels, they offered Mr. Seth Bemis a thousand dollars an inch, for each and every inch he would reduce the height of his dam. This very tempting offer induced him to take off twelve inches,-for which he received twelve thousand dollars.

Mr. Seth Bemis became interested in the cotton and woolen manufacture, and built a factory on the Water- town side. The paper business was abandoned on the Newton side, and the buildings were used for the manufacture of dye-woods and drugs by Mr. Bemis, until 1847, when he sold out the logwood business to Messrs. William Freeman & Company, who continued in the dye-stuff business for a number of years. In 1860 the Messrs. Freeman & Company purchased the Watertown mills, and soou after sold the whole plant on both sides of the river to the Etna Mills Manu- facturing Company, for the manufacture of woolen goods.

Before the days of bells and steam whistles in New- ton, Mr. Bemis used to give a shrill blast upon a huge tin horn to call his workmen together at the appointed hours for resuming their labors; hence the name of " Tiu Horn " by which this section of Newton was called for several years, but now obsolete.

The small factory near the Watertown line, vacated by Mr. Smallwood, was occupied by Mr. John and

Ebenezer Bilson, church organ-makers. They built a very good instrument, and filled a number of orders, The first organ placed in the New Baptist meeting- honse at Newton Centre was made by the Messrs. Bilson in 1836 : and at that time it was considered to be one of their best productions, both in volume and mellowness of tone. This whole business enterprise went into history between thirty and forty years ago.

Nearly a half-century ago, the manufacture of glue in Newton employed considerable capital, and in the season of making it, several workmen were employed at the factories. The Hon. Edward J. Collins was one of the first men to start the business. A few years later, his brother, Frederick A. Collins, built a factory. Mr. Samuel N. Woodward was another of the prominent manufacturers of glue.

The season for glue-making was limited to the sum- mer and early autumn months, when it could be dried in the open air, protected from the rain or night dampness by a shed covering, while drying.

For a period of from thirty to forty years the glue- makers reaped quite a harvest in the business. Of late years, with improved facilities, glue can be made in winter as well as in summer, and the old methods of manufacture have been discontinued.

Since the year 1825 quite a number of small factor- ies and workshops have started business in Newton, some of which are worthy of brief mention.

Dr. Samuel Clark, of Boston, built a small chemis- try building on Cold Spring Brook, a half-mile above the John Spring grist-mill; but beyond a little ex- perimental work, nothing was done. Perhaps the most important result of his effort was to successfully bleach bees-wax to a pure white. The factory was burnt in 1830, and a few weeks later the doctor died.

Mr. Rufus Bracket purchased the property, and built a morocco factory upon the same site; he made a good quality of morocco for a number of years. Nothing now remains of the works but the ruins of the old dam, within the Newton Cemetery grounds,

Sixty years ago there was a demand for iron ore to supply blast furnaces in Eastern Massachusetts. Sev- eral pockets of bog ore, or limonite, were found in the meadows and swampy lands of Newton; and consid- erable quantities were dug in the more southerly dis- tricts of the town and sent to Walpole or Foxborough furnaces for smelting.

Mr. Joshua Jennison was a successful manufac- turer of bar soap of superior quality for a period of fifty years ; and since his death the business has con- tinued in the hands of his son, Edward F. Jennison, in the northern part of the town, near the Watertown line.

Mr. A. Hayden Knapp, an inventor of a lamp for burning rosin oil, started a small laboratory for gen- erating oils from crude rosin. The project was aban- doned within two or three years, however, as the in- troduction of kerosene oil superseded the rosin oil.

A large factory building on Cherry Street, West

106

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Newton, was occupied by Messrs. James H. Bogle & Co., for making oil-cloth carpeting. At the end of five or six years they removed from Newton, and in 1861 this building was burnt.

Mr. Bradstreet D. Moody, from Bangor, Maine, came to Newton in 1859, and built a large hat factory on Pearl Street, where they employed a large num- ber of workers on gentlemen's hats.

Mr. Joseph White, of English parentage, had a small factory on Brookline Street, and employed a number of weavers and knitters in the manufacture of gentlemen's underwear and hosiery ; this business he carried on for a period of thirty years or more, and at the time of his death, about thirty years ago, it was discontinued.

The Silver Lake Company was chartered for man- ufacturing solid braided cord and steam packing, and commenced operations with a paid-up capital of $80,- 000, in 1866. They built a large four-storied brick factory with buttressed walls and mansard roof, on Nevada Street, near Newtonville. Charles C. Burr, Esq., was its first president, and Mr. Charles Scott, treasurer. The general management of the factory was placed in the hands of Mr. William J. Towne. Financially this company was not a success, and closed up their books in 1869, and the original stock became worthless. The next year a new company was formed, with more capital. They bought the old factory and machinery, and started business upon a firmer basis; and since that time they have been suc- cessful, under the management of Henry W. Welling- ton, Esq., treasurer and selling agent. A large ad- dition was made to their factory in 1880, which about doubled its capacity for business. This company has an extensive trade throughout the United States and Canada, and a share of the patronage from European and Australian consumers.

Window-weight cords, curtain cords and numerous other varieties of lines. and small rope. and steam packing are annually shipped from this establishment, to the value of $300,000 or more.

Mr. Thomas Dalby, an Englishman by birth, came, to this country when a young man, and in 1852 he started a few hand-looms for knitting or weaving hosiery in the north village of Newton. He found ready sale for his goods as fast as he could make them, and pressing demands caused him to import more machinery, and build larger work-shops to enable him to fill his orders. In 1858 he built a large fac- tory building at a cost of about $12,000, and put in machinery adapted to making a greater variety of goods. When the Rebellion broke out, in 1860, he had a large lot of woolen yarn and manufactured goods on hand, which he sold at a high rate, and from the profits upon these sales he built a large brick factory with heavy buttressed walls, in 1862, and put in carding and spinning machinery for mak- ing woolen yarn. On February 1, 1865, he sold all of his factory property to the Dalby Mills Company, a

corporation organized with a capital of $200,000. The new company, unfortunately, was of short duration, from shrinkage in values and other reverses. After the Rebellion they were compelled to make an as- signment to their creditors, and the property was sold in 1867 to Lewis Coleman, of Boston. The large wooden building erected in 1858 was destroyed by fire on August 5, 1871.

The most extensive manufactory at the north vil- lage of Newton, and one of the most important, is that of the Nonantum Worsted Company, a corpora- tion organized under the State laws, in 1867, with a capital of half a million of dollars, for the manufac- ture of worsted yarn. Mr. George S. Hall was its first president, and Mr. George F. Hall its first and only treasurer. This company purchased the factory property vacated by the Dalby Mills Company, and at once started business by putting in new machinery and apparatus especially adapted to their class of worsted goods. The whole process of manufacturing wool from the sheep's back, to the spinning, twisting and weaving of the same into the finest and most delicate fabric, is performed under their roof; and the almost endless variety of color, and beautiful tint of soft shades to the yarns are produced by the artisans of the dyeing and coloring departments connected with their works. Hence, the name of "Starlight" Worsteds, by which these goods are known to the trade.

In 1880 another large factory building was added to the "plant." The demand for a superior quality of worsted machinery for their own use, and by the worsted manufacturers generally, incited this corpo- ration to take a controlling interest in the Newton Machine Company, who built a large shop adjacent to the worsted company's factory in 1886. The de- sign and quality of their machinery is unsurpassed by any in the country. The worsted company give employment to about six hundred operatives, and are consigning their goods to all parts of the country as well as to foreign markets.

The Newton Rubber Company has an establishment which for completeness of equipment is fully equal to any other similar concern of its size in New England. Their factory is situated upon the banks of the Charles River at the Upper Falls, a few rods below the won- derful "Echo Bridge." Their buildings and ma- chinery are entirely new, having been built in 1888. The machinery consists of washers, mixing mills, cal- endars, presses, vulcanizers, etc., all from the latest and most approved patterns and workmanship. A " Putnam " steam-engine of one hundred and twenty- five horse-power is required to drive the machinery, and the steam used for power, and for drying and heating purposes in the rubber manufacture is gener- ated in a " Hazelton " boiler. This company make a specialty of manufacturing springs, adapted to all kinds of machinery. Another branch of the manu- facture is insulating material in sheet, rod or tube, as

107

NEWTON.

well as boxes or cases for secondary or storage batter- ies, etc.

Perhaps one of the most important branches of manufacture at the present time is that of fire and po- lice system of telegraphy, or code of electric signals for calling out the various departments. The appli- cation of electricity for transmitting signals or alarms was first mentioned in an article in the Boston Daily Advertiser, in June, 1845, which article very likely was written by Prof. William Channing, of Boston, a gentleman who gave the subject considerable study in its early conception, and in connection with Mr. Moses G. Farmer, of Salem, a practical electrician of those days, succeeded in making an apparatus of suffi- cient perfection to test the experiment. The Hon. Josiah Quincy, Jr., then mayor of Boston, recom- mended its adoption in his inaugural address before the City Council in January, 1848. Beyond the rec- ommeudation of the mayor, nothing was done until 1851, when the City Council appropriated $10,000 to test the practicability of the system ; and under the direction of Mr. Farmer the apparatus was built and placed in position, and the first successful official fire alarm was tolled upon the bells of Boston in 1852.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 25

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