History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 9

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 9

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THE HOME FOR ORPHAN AND DESTITUTE GIRLS, first established in Newton Centre, was opened in De- cember, 1866, in the house which was erected as the boarding-house of the Newton Female Academy- Mrs. Rebecca R. Pomeroy, superintendent. The house having been destroyed by fire, the Home was removed to the house of Mr. Ephraim Jackson, and after a short experiment in the new quarters, discon- tinued. But one or two of the inmates became the nucleus of another Home of similar character, also under Mrs. Pomeroy, and which has pursued its be- nevolent work for many years in a large dwelling- house on Hovey Street, Newton Corner.

THE PINE FARM SCHOOL for boys, at West Newton, in charge of the Boston Children's Aid Society, was es- tablished in 1864. It has continued to be a fountain of good to many of the poor waifs from the streets of Boston, where they are educated, and taught to sup- port themselves by some handicraft, which may ren- der them blessings to society and honored in the world. The farm, of twenty acres, is situated one mile from West Newton. The house is very old, being the old Murdock place. Alterations were made in it, for the time, and a new house was built later. The boys remain at the Home from six months to two years or more, helping in all departments of the work of the institution. Out of school-hours they are also em- ployed in farming, printing, knitting and the use of tools. The barn was destroyed by fire in 1877, and a new one built in its place.

THE HOME FOR THE CHILDREN OF MISSIONARIES ( Congregational) was established in 1868 on Hancock Street, Auburndale, as a private enterprise by Mrs. Eliza H. Walker, widow of Rev. Augustus Walker, missionary in Turkey twelve or fourteen years. The children of missionaries are boarded here at moder- ate cost, and have all the privileges of the public schools, and the advantages of other residents, and all the influences of a Christian home. The institutiou has been very prosperous, and the building greatly enlarged. The house was built for Mrs. Walker by her father, Rev. Sewall Harding.

THE WESLEYAN HOME FOR THE ORPHIAN CHIL- DREN OF MISSIONARIES and others, connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, is on Wesley Street, Newton. It was commenced in 1884, in a house given for the purpose by Hon. Alden Speare. The sum of $20,000 has been given by Ilon. Jacob Sleeper, of Boston, as an endowment.

THE MISSIONARY HOME AT NEWTON CENTRE (Baptist) was established in 1880 by the Woman's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society, with the un-

NEWTON.

derstanding that missionaries, or their friends, in their behalf, should pay annually $200 for each child received, the society standing responsible for any deficit. Two children of Rev. S. B. Par- tridge, missionary in China, were the first to enter the Home. The building which it occupies, at the junction of Centre and Willow Streets, was erected at the expense of the society in 1881-82, and enlarged in 1889. Mrs. McKinlay, widow of a Scotch clergy- man, has been the competent and admirable superin- tendent from the beginning.

A SINGING-SCHOOL for the whole town was taught in 1780 by a Mr. Billings, well-known as the composer of many popular tunes. This was at the time when the " New Light " excitement in Newton began to have influence, and created a fondness for social sing- ing. Another singing-school was taught in Newton Centre in 1805-06, in the old Deacon Ebenezer White house, which formerly stood on the site of the brick block, near the corner of Centre and Pelham Streets. Another was held at West Newton in 1821, and sev- eral in following years. In 1816 there was a musical society in the town, called St. David's Musical Soci- ety, which sometimes held its meetings at Bacon's Hotel, on Boylston Street, afterwards the home of Deacon Asa Cook, Newton Highlands. The Newton Musical Association was formed at Newton Corner in 1861. This society, besides several concerts, sacred and secular, gave a number of performances of a high order, with much success-the oratorio of the " Mes- siah," five times ; the " Creation," four times; " Elijah " and "Samson," once each, and Mendelssohn's " Hymn of Praise," twice. At the first National Jubilee Peace Concert, held in Boston in June, 1869, 221 members from Newton attended, and aided during the entire performace; and at the second, in June, 1872, 300 participated.

THE NEWTON SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION was organ- ized December 18, 1838, representing, at the begin- ning, ouly six Sunday-schools, but afterwards all the Sunday-schools in Newton. The association heid anniversary exercises for the children of all the schools on the 4th of July, 1839, with a procession of children, addresses and a collation, in a grove at Newton Upper Falls; in 1840, in a grove at Newton Centre, when there was a procession of 1300 to 1500 children, and an audience of between two and three thousand was present at the exercises, followed hy music and a collation. The third anniversary was celebrated by services in the First Parish Church, Newton Centre, and a collation in a grove near the pond. The fourth anniversary was at the Methodist Church, Newton Upper Falls. After that date the children's celebrations of July 4th were dropped. The twenty-fifthanniversary was held at Eliot Church, October 16, 1863. The contributions of the Union have been devoted to the support of a Sunday-school missionary in destitute places in the Western States.

THE NEWTON NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Was

formed in October, 1879, for the purpose of awaken- ing an interest in natural history with special refer- ence to the locality of Newton, and to gather speci- mens in the geology and mineralogy, and in the flora and fauna of Newton and its vicinity. The society keeps its collections of minerals, birds and other curiosities in a room in the Newton Free Library. .

THE CLAFLIN GUARD was organized in September, 1870, hy fifty young men of Newton, and was assigned to the First Regiment Massachusetts Militia, and designated as Company L. An elegant American flag was presented to the company by the ladies of Newton, May 30, 1871. The first captain was Isaac F. Kingsbury, 1870; the second, John A. Kenrick, in 1878. The name of the company was adopted in compliment to the Governor of the State, an honored resident of Newton.

WATER-WORKS .- At a regular town-meeting held in April, 1871, a committee was appointed to investi- gate the best method of supplying the town with water, and to report at a subsequent meeting. The committee reported November 13, 1871, in favor of taking water from Charles River, and the same com- mittee were appointed to petition the Legislature of Massachusetts for full power to carry the report into effect. By an act passed in 1872 the town of Newton was authorized to take "from Charles River, at any convenient point on the same within said town, suffi- cient water for the use of said town and inhabitants, not exceeding one and a half million gallons daily, for the extinguishment of fires, domestic and other purposes." This act was accepted by vote of the town May 27, 1872.

The work, however, was delayed. Many doubted the expediency of engaging in so expensive an under- taking. Others doubted as to the best source of sup- ply, maintaining that the ponds and streams within the borders of Newton would be preferable to the water of Charles River. In accordance with the views of this portion of the citizens, an act was ob- tained from the Legislature in 1874, "authorizing the city to take and hold the water of Hammond's Pond, Wiswall's Pond, Bullough's Pond and Cold Spring Brook, all in Newton, for fire and other purposes, together with the waters which flow into the same, and any water-rights connected therewith." And this act was accepted by the City Council October 20, 1875.

In 1874 the citizens were called upon to vote by ballot, "Yes " or " No," on the question, "Shall the City of Newton be supplied with water for fire and domestic purposes at an expense not exceeding six hundred thousand dollars, in accordance with the special Act of the Legislature of 1872, chapter 304, authorizing the same?" The vote was taken by hal- lot December 1, 1874, and resulted in "yeas," 928; " nays," 443.

Three water commissioners were appointed Decem- ber 9, 1874,-Royal M. Pulsifer, Francis J. Parker

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

and R. R. Bishop,-who reported in May, 1875, rec- ommending as a source a " well at a point on Charles River, above Pettee's Works at the Upper Falls; " advising the use of a reservoir for distribution, and estimating the cost at not over $850,000.

The order constituting the Board of Water Commis- sioners was passed June 2, 1875; and on the 7th of June the commissioners, the same as above, were elected by the City Council. Their first formal meet- ing was held June 16th. The board was organized by the choice of Royal M. Pulsifer chairman and Moses Clark, Jr., clerk. On the 12th of June, 1875, it was voted to purchase the reservoir site on Waban Hill. October 25th work on the pump- well was com- menced, and October 28th the first pipe was laid on Washington Street, near Woodland Avenue. Janu- ary 7, 1876, the commissioners voted to request the City Council to ask of the Legislature authority to take land in the town of Needham for the water- works. In compliance with the petition, a law was enacted by which the city of Newton was authorized "to take and hold, by purchase or otherwise, any lands within the town of Needham, not more than one thousand yards distant from Charles River, and lying between Kenrick's Bridge, so called, and the new bridge near Newton Upper Falls, on Needham Avenue, and to convey water from the same to and into said City."

Water was first pumped into the reservoir on Waban Hill October 30, 1876, and the hydrants sup- plied with water along forty-eight miles of street mains. The first service pipes were laid in October, 1876, and the number of water-takers two years later, in 1878, was about 1600. The cost of the works to November, 1877, was 8766,157.22; the amount of the appropriation was 8850,000; leaving an unexpended balance of $83,842.78. The reservoir on Waban Hill holds fifteen million gallons. Seven artesian wells were sunk in 1886, capable of drawing from the sub- terranean currents three hundred thousand gallons per day, supplementary to the supply from Charles River.

CONDUITS OF THE BOSTON WATER-WORKS PASS- ING THROUGH NEWTON .- The conduit of the Boston Water-works from Lake Cochituate passes through the whole extent of Newton from west to east, from Charles River, near the Upper Falls, to the Chestnut Ilill Reservoir. The conduit enters Newton a little below the village of the Upper Falls. The ground for this aqueduct was broken August 20, 1846, and water was introduced into the city of Boston with imposing ceremonies October 25, 1848 The Newton Tunnel is excavated through porphyritic rock of ex- treme hardness, 2410 feet in length. Two perpen- dicular shafts on the Harbach property, between the estates of the late Messrs. N. Richards Harbach and John W. Harbach, were sunk to a depth of about eighty-four feet. Several specimens of copper were found in this shaft. The Chestnut Hill Reservoir, at

the time of its construction, was situated in the towns of Newton and Brighton; but by a subsequent ces- sion of land, it is now within the limits of Boston. Beacon Street, which formerly ran in a straight line across the valley, was turned from its course to allow the construction of the reservoir. The reservoir is in two divisions,-the Lawrence Basin and the Bradley Basin. Together they are two and a half miles in circumference. The land bought by the city of Bos- ton for this structure was two hundred and twelve and a half acres. This land was a portion of the Lawrence farm, previously Deacon Nathan Pettee's and owned, before him, by Deacon Thomas Hovey.

THE SUDBURY RIVER CONDUIT .- The supply of water from Lake Cochituate proving inadequate to meet the necessities of the city of Boston, a supple- mental source was sought from the Sudbury River, which involved the construction of a second tunnel through Newton. The "Sudbury River Conduit," bringing the additional supply of water to Boston, is about fifteen and three-quarters miles long, from Farm Pond, in Framingham, to the Chestnut Hill Reser- voir. It enters Newton in the Upper Falls Village, passes through that village to the north of Newton Highlands and through Newton Centre to the reser- voir. The principal features of this work in Newton are the bridge carrying the great conduit of water-works fifty-one feet above the stream, over Charles River to the Upper Falls, and the tunnels near the crossing of Pleasant Street and under Chestnut Hill. The bridge, generally known as " Echo Bridge," is five hun- dred feet in length, and consists of seven arches-five of thirty -seven feet span ; one, over Ellis Street, of thirty-eight feet, and the large arch over the river. It is constructed mainly of solid granite, and rests on foundations of solid rock. The large arch, spanning the river, is the second in size on this Continent, and one of the largest, stone arches in the world. To one standing beneath it, the arch has a very slender and beautiful appearance, being only eighteen feet in width at the crown. There is a remarkable echo in this arch, the human voice being rapidly repeated upwards of fifteen times, and a pistol-shot twenty-five times. A shout of moderate intensity is reverberated with so many and so distinct iterations, that all the neighboring woods seem full of wild Indians rushing down from the hills and threatening to annihilate all traces of modern civilization. This bridge was built during 1876 and 1877.

NEWTON COTTAGE HOSPITAL is near the new . station of Woodland on the Circuit Railroad, and about one mile from the Lower Falls. It was first suggested by Rev. Dr. G. W. Shinn, rector of Grace Church, Newton, and an Act of Incorporation was obtained in 1881. In 1884 nine acres of the old Granville Fuller estate on Washington Street were procured, and the building was erected in 1885-86. The hospital was furnished by the Ladies' Aid Associ- ation. Mrs. Elizabeth Eldridge gave $10,000 towards

NEWTON.

the building and support of the hospital ; Mrs. J. R. Leeson, of Newton Centre, gave $7000; at least twenty other persons gave each five hundred dollars or more. Appropriations have also been added from the city treasury. One Sabbath in every year is termed Hospital Sunday, and on that day a collection is taken up in all the churches in Newton to aid in the benevolent work of the institution. Pupil nurses are taught in the hospital, and lectures are given oc- casionally on important subjects pertaining to hygiene, by the physicians in charge and others. An additional building for private patients is about to be erected,

WOODLAND PARK HOTEL, in the immediate vicin- ity of the hospital, the chief public- house of Newton, half a mile from Woodland Station, is an imposing Queen Anne structure, built in 1881-82 by Messrs. Haskell, Andrews and Pulsifer, connected with the Boston Herold, and Mr. Frederick Johnson, as a sub- urban retreat for persons of weak throat and lungs desiring to escape from the rough winds of the New England coast. The first, and hitherto the only landlord is Mr. Joseph Lee, a gentleman from Vir- ginia, once connected with the purveying department of the United States Navy.

Many visitors, especially those in delicate health, from the wealthy portions of Boston and elsewhere, take refuge here in the spring and summer. Wood- land Avenue, in front of the hotel, about 1750, and for many years before and after, was one of the most important highways of the town. At the time of the Revolutiou Burgoyne's captured army were marched over this road to the quarters where they were to be held under guard. In the early part of the present century, and especially after the building of the Wor- cester turnpike through the Upper Falls, in 1809, it was almost abandoned. But within ten years past it has again become famous. From Vista Hill, near by, sixteen towns can be seen, with Bunker Hill Monu- ment, the Blue Hills and the Atlantic Ocean.

THE TOWN OF NEWTON BECOMES A CITY .- After making history two hundred and thirty-five years from the date of the coming of its first settler, and one hundred and eighty-six years from its incorpora- tion as a separate town, Newton became a city with the beginning of the year 1874. In the warrant is- sued for the town-meeting, April 7, 1873, was this article : "To see if the town will instruct the Select- men to apply to the General Court for a City Charter, or for annexation to Boston. or for a division of the Town, or anything relative thereto."

In reference to this article the following action was taken : Gen. A. B. Underwood was moderator-J. F. C. Hyde offered the following, viz., "Voted, that the Selectmen, with a Committee of seven-to be ap- pointed hy the Chair-be instructed to petition the General Court, now in session, for a City Charter for Newton."

The whole subject was fully discussed. Some fa-

vored a city charter for Newton ; some advocated remaining longer under a town government, and one or two favored a union with Boston. Finally, the motion of Mr. Hyde was put and carried; and the following were appointed a committee, to be joined with the selectmen, to petition the General Court for a city charter : J. F. C. Hyde, C. Robinson, Jr., C. E. Ranlett, R. M. Pulsifer, E. F. Waters, J. B. Good- rich and Willard Marcy.

On the 26th September a warrant was issued for a town-meeting to be held Monday, Oct. 13, 1873, noti- fying the inhabitants to bring in their votes to the selectmen, "yes" or "no," on the acceptance of the act of the Legislature, entitled " An Act to establish the City of Newton."

The meeting notified was held in the town hall, as summoned, Oct. 13, 1873. At fifteen minutes past eight o'clock, A.M., the chairman of the selectmen called for ballots, "yes " or "no," on the acceptance of Chapter 326 of the General Laws and Resolves passed by the last session of the Legislature of Massa- chusetts, entitled "An Act to establish the City of Newton."

The ballots were counted by the selectmen, and declared by their chairman as follows : "no," 391 ; " yes," 1224. And the meeting was dissolved.

On the 4th of November following, the annual meeting was held for the State elections (Governor of the Commonwealth, etc.). After all the returns had been made out, signed and sealed, and after the vot- ing lists and votes had been sealed up in envelopes, endorsed, and delivered to the town clerk, Mr. William R. Wardwell moved that this meeting,-the last town-meeting in the town of Newton,-be dis- solved, and the motion was carried unanimously. The following is the closing record of the town clerk :

"The Town-Meeting held Nov. 4, 1873, above recorded, was the last Town Meeting held in the Town of Newton. Newton becomes & City January 5, 1874.

" MARSHALL S. RICE, Town Clerk of the Town of Newton."

Thus Newton was the home of the English colo- nists as a part of Cambridge, and more or less under the municipal control of Cambridge about fifty years ; and a separate town, under an independent government, like other Massachusetts towns, one hun- dred and eighty-six years. Under the auspices of the city government, the centennial day of Newton's vote to sustain the cause of freedom at any expense, at the beginning of the Revolution, was honored and com- memorated by an imposing celebration June 17, 1876. Many historical relics and mottoes were displayed. Several of the descendants of the old settlers were dressed in the costumes of a hundred years ago. Thirteen of the descendants of the original families of Newton took part iu the singing. Thirty-nine pupils of the High School represented the thirty-nine States. An historical address was delivered by Hon. James F. C. Hyde, the first mayor of Newton.

On the two hundredth anniversary of the action of

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

the General Court granting to Newton all the rights and immunities of an independent town, a formal and enthusiastic celebration was held in the auditorium of the City Hall at West Newton. The audience was entertained by addresses, music and poetry, followed in the evening by a banquet at the Woodland Park Hotel.

The following is a list of mayors : James F. C. Hyde, 1874-75; Alden Speare, 1876-77; William B. Fowle, 1878-79; Royal M. Pulsifer, 1880-81 ; William P. Ellison, 1882-83; J. Wesley Kimball, 1884-88 ; Heman MI. Burr, 1889-90.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Many items of historical interest belong to such a sketch as the present which are hardly reducible to any of the heads treated in the foregoing chapters. Some of them are appended here as valuable remi- niscences.

THE WORCESTER RAILROAD was opened for pas- sengers from Boston as far as West Newton, April 16, 1834. A locomotive ran from Boston to Newton, and return, three times a day, having from two to eight passengers on each trip. The engine used was the "Meteor," built by Mr. Stephenson, in England. The cars commenced running on the Hartford and Erie Railroad, then called the Charles River road,-which extended from Brookline to Needham,-in Novem- ber, 1852. At first season tickets by the year between Boston and Newton Centre were sold for $35. Pre- vious to this time passengers were conveyed from Newton Upper Falls and Newton Centre to Boston by a daily stage, which went to Boston at 9 A.M. and left Boston to return at 3 P.M. Fare from Newton Centre to Boston, 37} cents. A stage or omnibus also run be- tween the Upper Falls and West Newton, and New- ton Centre and Newton Corner to convey passengers to and from the Worcester Railroad.

THE NEWTON JOURNAL, the first newspaper print- ed in Newton, a weekly, was issued in September, 1866. THE NEWTON GRAPHIC has been issued since 1872. A paper called the Newton Transcript was pub- lished and edited by Henry Lemon, Jr., in West Newton, from 1878 to 1885, when the subscription list was sold to the Newton Graphic and the publication suspended.

A POST- OFFICE was first established in Newton Lower Falls in 1816; Newton Corner, 1820, Newton Centre, not till some time after the foundation of the Theolog- ical Institution; the students and professors were obligeil to travel two miles to Newton Corner, for their mail. In 1847 there were five post-offices in the town, eight meeting-houses, and about 5000 inhabitants.

LAFAYETTE IN NEWTON .- The Marquis de Lafay - ette, during his last visit to this country, in 1825, passed through Newton and shook hands with a number of Master Davis' pupils, arranged by the side of the road to receive him.

THE FIRST CONTRIBUTION TO THE HOME FOR

LITTLE WANDERERS IN BOSTON was made at the Baptist Church, Newton Corner ; and the first dollar was subscribed by a young girl, a member of that church. In the first fifteen years of its existence that institution cared for 4877 children, many of whom became valuable members of society-lawyers, minis- ters, clerks, farmers, physicians and representatives of various trades and professions.

CHURCH BELL, WEST NEWTON .- The first church bell in West Newton was raised to its tower in the Second Congregational Church in 1828. It was bought of the town of Concord, having been the gift of an English lady to that town. It was a very small bell for a meeting-honse. On its surface, in raised letters, was this couplet :

" I to the church the living call,

I to the grave do summon all."

REVOLUTIONARY REMINISCENCES .- Near the bridge over the Charles River in Watertown village, on the Watertown side, stood, in Revolutionary times, the old printing-office of Benjamin Edes, who remov- ed his type and press hither early in the year 1775, and who did the printing for the Provincial Congress. Near the bridge, on the Newton side of the river, stands a large old house on the east side of the road, called, in the time of the Revolution, the Coolidge Tavern. From 1764 to 1770 it was kept as a public- house by Nathaniel Coolidge, and afterwards by "the widow Coolidge." This house was appointed, in 1775, as the rendezvous for "the Committee of Safe- ty," in case of an alarm. President Washington lodged in this house in 1789. An old house opposite, occupied by John Cook during the Revolution, is one of historie interest. It was in a chamber of this house that Paul Revere engraved his plates, and with the help of Mr. Cook struck off the Colony notes, is- sued by order of the Provincial Congress. Adjoining this estate were the famous weir lands along the river. 1

THE FINEST HOUSES IN THE NORTH AND EAST PARTS OF NEWTON were those of Dr. Morse, on the west side of the road, on the heights near the river ; Mrs. Coffin's and Jobn Richardson's (the Nonantum llouse) ; Hon. Jonathan Hunnewell's, on the road to Brighton ; the Haven and Wiggin houses, on Nonan- tum Hill; John Peck's, Newton Centre, afterwards the Theological Institution ; the Sargent place, on Centre Street, now the Shannon place; John Cabot, corner of Cabot and Centre Streets, since removed ; a house occupied by Nath. Tucker, afterwards Mr. Thomas Edmands, opposite his son's, J. Wiley Ed- mands; the Col. Joseph Ward place, afterwards Charles Brackett ; the Dr. Freeman place, afterwards Francis Skinner, and Gen. Hull's, now ex-Governor Clatlin's. Most [of these sre still standing (1890), though some of them have been removed to another location.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 9

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