USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Monson > History of Monson, Massachusetts > Part 4
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In 1938 Holmes Gymnasium was en- larged. In that same year the disastrous hurricane struck Monson with full force. The beautiful elms that lined Main Street and surrounded the Academy were uprooted by the force of the gale.
In the immediate postwar years the Academy, sensing its obligation, admitted many returning veterans in order that they might continue their interrupted education.
The Academy acquired two additional buildings in 1947. Through the generosity of the family of Mrs. Rufus P. Cushman, Chapin House was added as a dormitory, and the home of Miss Adelaide Wingate, called Holmbrook, now serves as a dormitory and dining hall.
Chapin House
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HISTORY OF MONSON
Holmbrook
In 1948 the Academy constructed the new Cushman Memorial Field (formerly the site of Flynt's Park), which replaced the old field destroyed in the 1938 hurricane. An additional playing area was constructed on a lower level in 1957.
On February 23, 1953, a disastrous fire swept Academy Hall. Despite this tragedy the Academy continued to function for the remainder of the year. Plans were imme- diately made to rebuild on a new location at the top of the hill on High Street with the view in mind of centralizing the location of the campus. The new, modern Academy, called Alumni Hall, was completed and ready for occupancy by September, 1954. Through the efforts of alumni, staff and friends of the Academy, the new building became a reality.
New Alumni Hall
This new Alumni Hall was officially dedicated upon the occasion of the school's sesquicentennial celebration on October 9, 1954. At this time leaders in the education- al field gathered at Monson to celebrate the dual occasion and to take cognizance of the role of the private school in America. The principal speaker was Dr. Charles W. Cole, President of Amherst College. Sharing the speaking honors with Dr. Cole was the Hon-
orable Thomas C. Clark, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court.
In 1956 the Board of Trustees pur- chased the large colonial house and property just north of Alumni Hall for use as the Headmaster's residence. For many years it was the home of the late Robert H. Cushman and the late William H. Hodgman, both of whom had been members of the Board of Trustees.
Headmaster's House
Two years later the Board purchased a large duplex house on Flynt Avenue for use as a dormitory. It is known as Flynt House.
Flynt House
The present enrollment is two hun- dred thirty students, of which one hundred eighty are boarding and fifty are day stu- dents.
Dr. and Mrs. Rogers have recently com- pleted twenty-five years of service to the Academy, during which time their efforts have been devoted to its welfare and prog- ress. The students dedicated the 1960 edi- tion of the "Academy Bell" to them in honor of their record and achievements.
Page 33
HISTORY OF MONSON
Dr. and Mrs. George E. Rogers
Another school in Monson during the years from 1860 to 1890 was a small private school for boys or young men from four to eighteen years of age. It was conducted by James Tufts in his home on the Palmer Road. The students resided at the Tufts' home, and every effort was made to accept these boys of diversified characters and blend them into a harmonious family group.
For a time Eugene Field, the nationally known poet, was enrolled in this school. There is a book entitled Monson .at the Monson Library which tells about Field's "school days" at the Tufts School.
Academy Bell
The Academy Bell was presented by Benjamin Fuller, school teacher, hotel keeper, and merchant, to replace the bell destroyed in the fire of 1886. The original bell had been given to the academy by his father. This bell was saved after the fire of 1953 and mounted outside Alumni Hall.
The following excerpt from a news clip- ping dated February 13, 1929, tells of a private school operated in Monson. "The younger generation of Monson and people outside of the town have no conception of what the term "little academy" means. It means this : Some 65 years ago, in the days of the old Monson Academy, the north room on the first floor was vacant. The late Charles Henry Merrick established a private school in this room. For the want of a better name it was called "little academy."
Two instructors deserve special recog- nition. Henry W. Benton has taught at Mon- son Academy for thirty-four years and is at present head of the Foreign Language De- partment. George D. Morrow has served as a member of the faculty since 1929 as an instructor in Latin and German. Both have contributed a high quality of instruction and exemplified fine leadership.
HINT
.......
MORRIS HOUSE
Eugene Field
Other private schools were taught by Anna Bradford, Mary Carpenter, A. Green, the Reverend Charles Hammond and W. G. Mitchell.
A private kindergarten is presently con- ducted by Mrs. Helen Labelle at her home on Main Street. It has been in operation for eighteen years.
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HISTORY OF MONSON
1960 Elected Officials
SELECTMEN AND BOARD OF HEALTH
Chester S. Holda
Frederick J. Sullivan, Jr.
A
:
Earl E. Coleman
---
John P. Moriarty Town Bookkeeper
William H. Anderson Moderator and Town Counsel
Ann C. Landers Secretary to the Selectmen
HISTORY OF MONSON
Page 35
....
M
Cemetery Commissioners: Standing: Mildred L. Lombard and Thomas A. Wallace, seated: Robert W. Curtis.
Board of Public Welfare: L. to R., Mary H. Cant- well, Jean H. Windholz, Annie E. Sullivan.
-
School Committee: L. to R. Standing: David W. Grieve, John M. Griswold. Seated: Albert W. Lewing, William H. Daly, Jr., James M. Duggan.
Recreation Committee: L. to R., Walter A. Swift, Theodore J. Galas, Robert W. Curtis.
1289010
Water Commissioners: L. to R., John 1 .. Murphy, James F. McConchie, Charles H. F. Osborn and Superintendent, Herman Winter.
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HISTORY OF MONSON
Henry C. Sanderson, Town Treasurer and Town Clerk, with his secretary Lois Tirrell.
Dorothy Hanic, Assistant Assessor, delivering a warrant to Tax Collector, Milton W. Makepeace.
Constables: Left to right, Nisio F. Uliana, Robert E. Chaffee, Rufus N. Aldrich, Michael DeFoe, Evert W. Gustafson. Missing from picture is Harold Dominick.
-
Board of Assessors: L. to R., Raymond Orcutt, William Partelo and Melvin Gilbert.
-
Auditors : L to R., John L. Murphy, Richard N. Billodeau, William Meacham.
HISTORY OF MONSON
Page 37
Road Department
It is hard to realize that Monson was once forested hills with the river valley winding between the tree trunks and roots. Therefore, we must visualize the first "trod- den paths" made by the tawny savages as they walked silently in Indian file through these forests. Next came the white man seeking wild game, so these paths were worn bare by his heavy hobnailed boots. White settlers found this well-watered area good for raising cattle, the best of all path mak- ers, as they sought pasture or drinking place. Then the bridle-path for horses, perhaps with blazed trees as guideposts, widened to uneven cart-ways. As the white settlers built their homes, we like to think that some paths were formed by frequent neighborly visits, or a man seeking a wife many miles away. Many of our country roads today still follow the lines of the old foot paths and cattle tracks.
The most famous of all these paths was the Bay Path which was in existence in 1657. The portion which went from Brookfield to
Springfield passed along the Quaboag River and the "Chicuppee" River on the Monson side. Holland wrote of the Bay Path in his novel of that title :
"It was marked by trees a portion of the distance and by slight clearings of brush and thicket for the remainder. No stream was bridged, no hill graded and no marsh drained. The path led through the woods which bore the mark of centuries, over bar- ren hills which had been licked by Indian hounds of fire, and along the banks of streams."
The course of the Bay Path is indi- cated on the early map by the symbols - - x - x - x. Number 1 is the point on Silver Street which crosses the north part of the present Egan farm - the junction of the County Road with the Bay Path. From there the path led around the north end of Wilbraham Mountain to Twelve Mile Brook, which it crossed near the head of a small pond. From the brook the course was easterly a distance of about a half a mile, then along the present Hovey Road. The path then went through a lot owned in 1802 by David Sheare, then
South
> North
Longmeadow Path-0-0 1732
WILBRAHAM
Brimfield Road 000 1733
HAMPDEN
Wilbraham mt.
County
King's Hill to --- 1738
40049
Colony
0
Line
1-
0
-
Peaked mr.
0
Chicuppee MI.
Bald Peak
West Hill
x-
STAFFORD
Pat
Center HALL
mr. Bunyan ,
CONNECTICUT
West Bratich
Chicup
Brook
B.
Cedar Swamp mt.
Path
-X-x-x-
Quabong
1739
EAST
17
King's Hill
-0
4.
(A) David Killian
(B) Robert Olds
(C) John Keep
(D) Samuel King
(E) Ezra King
(F) John Atcherson
(G) Obediah Cooley
(H) Benjamin Munn
(I) Marke Ferry
EARLY
MONSON ROADS
Elbow
WALES
1000
Brook
BRIMFIELD
0000000000
/733
0
.
Branch
pee
PALMER
*
River
Chicuppe
0-0 Longmeadow
Twel
moose mt.
Bay
+
1732
Black Rock mt.
X-A
Proprietors - 1731
River
I.
Bay Path - x-x-
Page 38
HISTORY OF MONSON
ran northeasterly until nearly halfway across the Old's lot, there becoming indenti- cal with the present Bald Peak Road, then turned southeasterly making a curve around a rocky place. Thence it went across the Fellows' two hundred acre tract of land "bounded northerly by Chicopee or Quabaug River and on the south by the course of the Bay Path." It then followed a portion of the highway leading through Monson State Hospital grounds and "ran on hard land by the meadow border to the only place of cross- ing the Chicopee Brook on firm ground."
Fellows located his tavern on a beauti- ful site opposite this ford, marked number 2 on the map. Number 3 indicates an angle in the north line of Robert Old's home lot (the Foley Farm). It turned up Sand Hill past Birchcroft, thence followed the course of Fenton Road. Point number 4 is about 70 rods from a bend of the Quabaug River, opposite the site of the old Electric Power plant. Upon this sandy knoll, about 400 feet above sea level, the Nipmuck Indians had a place for the storage of corn, grown upon the nearby excellent farm land. Their pestle for grinding and other stone imple- ments have been found in excavating this hill. Without change of direction the path continued across the sandy plain and fol- lowed Elbow Brook to the foot of West Waddaquodduck Hill in Brimfield. Chase, in his book, The Bay Path and Along the Way, gives interesting findings from his search of the path.
Next came the Longmeadow Path, marked on the map - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0. It was one of the earliest roads or trails in the south part of the village. On an early Brim- field map it is indicated as being in existence in 1732. It went from Longmeadow through
Front View of Mystery
South Wilbraham (now Hampden) and by a round-about route, avoiding river cross- ings and skirting mountains, into Monson via Butler Road. It turned across the fields by the Bradway Brothers farm (now owned by Arthur Berube) following along the base of Round-Top. Along this section of the route are still to be found two loosely-piled heaps of stone resembling fireplaces, be- lieved by many to be of Indian origin. The first of these stone formations is located near the Berube house, while the second one is on the west side of Round-Top near May Hill Road.
Rear View of Mystery
Following approximately the present Hampden Road to the top of the hill above Ralph Nothe's home, it swung east coming out at Calkins Corner - still a favorite deer lane. The path then followed the Robbins Road, crossing the Stafford Road onto Cedar Swamp Road. Here we find the location of an early Inn, the Four Stacks (it has four chimneys), now owned by Mrs. John Carew. Thence the path ran by way of the Blan- chard Road up over the old abandoned Tup- per Hill Road into South Brimfield (now Wales) to meet the Hartford-Worcester (17- 31) path. The old Postal Line (Telephone and Telegraph route) followed almost this same course.
The front page of the Tuesday, Octo- ber 29, 1805, issue of The Federal Spy con- tains this interesting item, proving that his- tory repeats itself :
"The members of the First Massachusetts Turn- pike Corporation are hereby notified to meet at the Dwelling-house of Mr. Asa Bates, innholder in Palmer, on Wednesday the Twenty-third day of October next, at 10 o'clock, A.M. for the following purposes viz: -- To elect the Officers of the Corpor-
Page 39
HISTORY OF MONSON
ation for the ensuing year: - To receive and act on such Report or Reports as may then and there be submitted by the Directors or any Agent or Agents heretofore appointed: - To consider and adopt such Measures as may be advisable relative to the Repair and Support of any part of said Road in future: - To determine whether the Cor- poration will purchase a small Tract of Land ad- joining a part of the Road in the town of Wilbraham : - To settle and allow such claims for Services, and to transact all such Matters concerning the Interests of the Corporation, as may then and there be thought expedient."
Dwight Foster President and
Joseph Field
Pitt Bliss
Directors
October 1, 1805
The first Massachusetts Turnpike Cor- poration was approved by Governor Samuel Adams, June 11, 1796. It was not until 1798 that the road was extended from Palmer along the northern line of Monson beside the bank of the Chicopee River (now Route 20) to Wilbraham.
The Town meeting held May 15, 1792, "Voted to choose an Agent to answer for and defend the town against a presentment made by the Grand inquist of the County for not keeping the Highway in good repair between Wilbraham and Palmer on Monson line." Again at the December, 1793, Town meeting it was "voted to give Amis Minor, Seventeen Dollars a year for five years, he giving Bonds to Repare and to keep in Good Repare the part of the County Road that Belongs to Monson, for five years and to leve the Same Road in good Repare at the five years end." About five years later, February 5, 1798, it was "voted that the Memorial to the General Court for a Turnpike to be Established be- tween Wilbraham and Monson to be signed by the Selectmen of Monson." Abner Brown, Abel Goodell and Gad Colton were serving as selectmen at that time. In 1799 the toll road was widened from three to four rods.
The first corporation included several men from this vicinity including Levi Pease, an ancestor of the Monson Pease family. His- tory says that Captain Levi Pease and his boyhood friend, Colonel Reuben Sikes, pushed the enterprise vigorously so that stages were running regular schedules over this toll road by November, 1797. The stages started in Boston, traveled over the rough, unpaved road from Warren through Palmer Center, along the Monson line to Wilbra- ham and made connections at Springfield for other points. At first a single stage coach made three round trips per week, leaving
Boston every Tuesday, Thursday and Satur- day at noon, covering the distance in for- ty-eight hours.
Old Toll Gate
No record has been found of the lo- cation of the toll gates which were placed about every ten miles. Charges were made as follows :
For a two-horse coach or four- wheeled carriage 25¢
A cart drawn by two oxen 10¢
A curricle 09¢
Horses and driven livestock 03¢
Sheep and swine by the dozen 03¢
Later the tolls were increased to fifteen cents for one-horse curricles, chaises, etc. Certain persons were exempt from paying tolls. They included any person who passed with horse and carriage to or from public worship; or, with his horse or team to or from any mill; or, with his horse, team or cattle to or from any ordinary labor on his farm; or, on the common or ordinary busi- ness of family concerns within the same towns; or, any person passing on military duty.
This toll road was laid along the route of an earlier road or path, for excerpts from George Washington's diary indicate that he twice journeyed this route touching the northwestern tip of Monson. General Wash- ington, when on his way to take command of the American Army, accompanied by Gener- al Lee and members of his staff, made this entry in his diary: Friday, June 30, 1775. At Springfield, Mass .; met a committee from the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts Bay, Dr. Benjamin Church and Moses Gill, who had provided escorts for the remainder of the journey through Brookfield, Worces- ter and Malborough to Watertown."
Tradition, apparently well attested, tells us that General Washington and his party
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HISTORY OF MONSON
halted under the shade of a stately elm to rest. (This tree known as the Washington Eim stands on the south side of the Old County Road on the Monson section of Route 20.) As it was about noon they might have gone across the way to Captain Grave's tav- ern for refreshment.
Washington made a second visit to this area in 1789 and, again tradition tells us that he addressed the people from a plat- form erected under the same stately elm.
The record of his second visit is record- ed by George Washington in his diary as follows: "Tuesday, October 22, 1789. Set out at 7 o'clock from Springfield, and for the first 8 miles rid over an almost unin- habited Pine plain; much mixed with sand. Then a little before the road descends to Chi- copee river it is hilly, rocky and steep, and continues so for several miles; the country being stony and barren, with a mixture of Pine and Oak till we came to Palmer."
Everett, in his Mount Vernon Paper, says: "Washington left New York Oct. 15, 1789, in a chariot drawn by four horses, ac- companied by several of his State officers and his own servants. He passed through New Haven, Hartford, and reached Spring- field at 4 o'clock on the 21st October; where he inspected the stores kept at the Arsenal, and put up at Parsons' tavern. He left Springfield Thursday morning, 22nd, at 7 o'clock, and arrived at Palmer, stopping at the Old Scott tavern, where he breakfasted. He then went east, reaching Brookfield at noon, and dined at Hitchcock's tavern."
WASHINGTON ELM
Washington, this time, came as the adored President and worshiped hero, so no
doubt our ancestors would have travelled a great distance to see and hail him on the journey. Dr. O. P. Allen, the Palmer His- torian of the 1890's, had a monument erect- ed near the tree, to keep in the minds of his country men these historic events. W. N. Flynt Granite Co. furnished the polished granite slab, which was dedicated May 1, 1906, with appropriate exercises.
At the Town meeting of September 29, 1800, it was "voted to choose three as a Com- mittee to consult and see what method is best to be taken by this Town Respecting a Turnpike Road threw this Town as has been Proposed - Mr. William Norcross, Mr. Noah Sabin and Mr. Jesse Stebbins was the Com- mittee."
By an act of the Legislature on Febru- ary 29, 1804, the Petersham-Monson Turn- pike Corporation was authorized to build a road from a point on the Fifth Massachu- setts Turnpike at Athol, south to Petersham and to connect with the Connecticut Turn- pike in Stafford.
At the Town meeting held May, 1806, it was "voted that the Town relinquish their rite to the Bridge over Chickopee River be- tween Monson and Palmer to the Turnpike Corporation - provided the said Corpora- tion can agree with the Town of Palmer for their half of said Bridge."
It would seem probable that this toll road followed the present Route 32 across Fay's Bridge, through the Main Street, and on to the Stafford line where it connected with the Connecticut Turnpike. Several deeds have been found mentioning the Turn- pike Road as a boundary, such as the fol- lowing quote from the deed given by Azel Uttley to Dr. Alfred Ely in 1809: "30 rods north of Landlord Amos Norcross-bound- ary northwest corner of Amos Norcross, north from said Norcross house on east side of Turnpike Road-12 rods on Pike thence east twenty-eight rods -. "
The Petersham-Monson Turnpike Cor- poration was in existence about fifteen years, for the road was accepted as a county way in 1819. Many deeds after this date in- cluded the phrase "on the road from the Meeting House to Stafford."
King's Handbook of Springfield men- tions a "Springfield and Providence line opened in 1823 which was maintained for a long period. The route was laid out first to North Wilbraham, then to Monson and from there by a circuitous way to Brim- field." Much further research would be
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HISTORY OF MONSON
needed to trace this exact route. Perhaps it came through Silver Street to Colton Hol- low, passing by Colton's Tavern, then down the steep hill (now abandoned) which cross- ed the Quarry Road near the Anderson home, down Thompson Street to Chestnut Street and then over East Hill to Brimfield.
Through these early years the turnpikes were everywhere and the taxation of trans- port was universal. This taxation was not felt to be a grievance, however, as these turnpike roads greatly facilitated access to markets and increased the value of the real estate on every route through which they passed.
TOWN ROADS
Roads were always of great concern, for Brimfield's first town meeting held March 16, 1731, voted: "James Tompson, Joseph Frost, Samuel Allen and Nathan Colyons were to be surveyors for highways." At the November 9, 1731, meeting it was "voted that all the publick Rodes to be four Rods wide and soe to be recorded. That all ye private Rodes be allowed not to exceed two Rods wide Except it be at some particular bad place where they may happen to be a Rock or the like in the way that may poss- ably stop ye passage."
Town meeting March 27, 1732 - "Voted that where the Roads was Eight Rods wide and lotts Butted and Bounded upon them they shall remain Eight Rods Wide and Where they were Six Rods Wide, or four Rods Wide - soe to be and continue." At that same meeting it was "voted and estab- lished Bridge on Chickuppee Brook by Rob- ert Olds house."
In 1738 ten men laid out the first im- portant town road which ran from Kings Hill to Stafford, and is indicated on the map by - - - - - -. Along this road, Freeborn Moul- ton operated a store about 1750 (?) which was possibly located in the ell part of the house now owned by Francis Hickey. Mon- son Town records mention this road often, and several others are laid out branching from it. One such is mentioned on March 19, 1782, as follows: "A highway laid out beginning at a stake and heap of stones which is Josiah Trasks southeast corner bounds on the road leading from Kings Hill to Stafford from thence westerly · to a heap of stones in John Hales east line."
Nearly every town meeting warrant contains plans of a road to be laid out-most of them to be two rods wide. These early
roads were rough, sandy, muddy, or rocky ; whatever the soil condition might be where the road "grew"!
Corduroy roads were laid through the swampy places to make them passable for carriages and stage coaches. These roads were constructed of logs cut in ten to twelve foot lengths, and laid touching each other to form a solid surface. Saplings and small logs were used to fill the marshy places and chuckholes. Occasionally whole roads were laid in this fashion. Traces of the corduroy road laid from State line to Moulton Hill still remain - a veritable antique.
Town records indicate that seventy- three roads were laid out, accepted, and built during the first forty years. During these early years, the town was divided into districts. The County and Town tax list of 1834 lists thirteen such districts. The
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES.
Paid Eaton Squier for plank for Fay bridge 30 22
Dwight King cash paid labor on bridge 10 25
Ephriam B Keep for railing 22 75
Alanson Pease & Son repairing bridge Dist No 4 7 00
HI H Beekwith 66
6 6 67
A D Briggs & Co for Iron Bridge 1300 00
Eaton Squier work on road Dist No 9 12 00
R S Munn Committee on roads 2 00
Albert Norcross for building abutments for bridge 92 00
CHI Bradway work on roads in Dist No 12 10 00
Omar Pease work on roads Dist No 4 11 00
A V Blanchard & Co for repairing bridge 47 50
Dwight King expenses on roads
1 50
Levi Peek work on roads
3 00
Austin Fuller services on roads
20 78
Dwight King 66
22 75
Calvin S Pease 66
7 12
Wm N Flynt for work on road
113 00
Wm N Flynt covering bridge near Risleys shop 80 00
H C-Stimson work on road in Dist No 13 13 16
Due For land damage and building road {
near E E Towne s store
275 00
2087 70
Less Due from town of Palmer say 20 00
Due from the several distriets say 50 00
70 00
Actual cost the past year
$2017 70
1868 Report of Highway Dept. 120 miles of road were maintained
Selectmen annually appointed a surveyor for each district, to be responsible for the care of the roads within his district. The work of maintaining the roads consisted of scraping them to fill the ruts following the spring mud time, repairing washouts and bridges, and surfacing with gravel.
Comparatively little money was spent
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HISTORY OF MONSON
by these surveyors. On March, 1794, it was "Voted one hundred sixty pounds to Repare Highways and to alow three Shillings per day from the first of April to the first of October and two Shillings per day to the End of the year and team work in propor- tion."
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