History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 190

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1534

USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 190

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).

In 1859 the Real Estate and Building Company was formed, and in 1861 incorporated. This com- pany, of which A. P. Blake was for many years the agent and principal manager, contributed very mate- rially to the subsequent settlement and growth of the town. It operated at first in Fairmount, but soon ac- The end of the war, however, was the beginning of an era of truly wonderful activity and progress in this place, and for the next seven years it advanced at a marvelous pace. The vast increase of the currency of the country, caused by the prodigious expenditures of the government, made money plentiful and encour- aged speculation. New lands in large quantities were quired large portions of land between the two rail- roads, and mainly north of River Street. Under its management these tracts were surveyed, traversed by streets and avenues in sufficient numbers to make the land readily available to the individual builder, and lots of convenient dimensions were laid out and of- fered to purchasers on sufficiently liberal terms. " acquired by the building companies and by individu-

900

HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

als, platted, sold, built upon, and occupied with almost incredible rapidity. In the year 1867 not less than one hundred and six dwelling-houses were erected, to say nothing of buildings for business and other pur- poses. The price of lots trebled and quadrupled in value in a few weeks; sometimes in a few months increased twentyfold. They were bought and sold in great numbers, and the speculator who had not han- dled ten or a dozen lots a day felt that he was rather falling into habits of luxurious idleness. A good deal of money was made in real estate at this time; a good deal was likewise sunk out of sight in the same commodity, for the prices asked and given at last became excessive beyond all reason, and when the crash did come it found many in just the condition to be ruined. But while the " good times" lasted they brought the population of Hyde Park up to six thousand seven hundred and fifty, its dwelling-houses to the number of eleven hundred and twenty-one, and its assessed valuation to upwards of seven million five hundred thousand dollars. This, however, is a little anticipatory.

about three years, mainly on the cash principle, but, notwithstanding this limited deviation from a strictly cash system, I have lost more than all the net profits on my sales, and am now poorer than when I com- menced."

But such experiences are common to all new and rapidly-growing places, and under this froth of irre- sponsible adventurers was an able body of earnest, energetic, industrious, laborious, wide-awake men, whose faith in Hyde Park was as firm as adamant, and who plied every instrumentality without cessation tending to promote its prosperity. So well did they succeed that in 1867 they were in a condition to ask for incorporation. The first meeting looking to that end.was called at Music Hall on October 14th in that year, at which E. P. Davis was chosen to preside, and S. A. Bradbury and Charles A. Jordan as sec- retaries. A committee was appointed to consider the advisability of forming a new town, and the meeting adjourned to the 22d of the same month, at which the committee reported in favor of the proposed ac- tion, describing the district desirable to include. The growth of the place from 1865 was largely due to its natural attractiveness, which was now made to appear through the exertions of its public-spirited citizens, of whom the names of the following are most frequently mentioned in the current publications : W. J. Stuart, R. Bleakie, G. H. Nott, C. A. White, T. D. Weld, M. L. Whicher, A. H. Brainard, A. Web- ster, T. W. H. Moseley, W. U. Fairbairn, I. L. Benton, and L. B. Hanaford. Through their efforts, aided by many others, the establishment of manufacturing and other business interests of great importance was effected, social and moral needs were well provided for, and the unrivaled railroad possibilities developed. Local trains were multiplied on both railways, and additional stopping-places secured. When the rail- road managers doubted the expediency of establishing a new station and erecting a depot at any required point, enough citizens were forthcoming to furnish means to build a station-house at the place desired and lease or give it to the railroad, on the condition of adequate train-accommodation. So great was the demand for mechanics at this time that the most indifferent workmen commanded exorbitant wages. Almost all the residents conspicuous for their in- terest in the place were warm advocates of the measure, among whom may be mentioned Messrs. C. F. Gerry, A. P. Blake, R. Bleakie, H. S. Adams, B. F. Leach, B. Conner, B. F. Radford, D. L. Davis, T. C. Evans, M. L. Whitcher, A. Webster, B. C. Vose, and R. W. Turner. A formal petition to the Gen- eral Court for incorporation of the district suggested in the committee's report was duly filed. As illus- trative of the transitory nature of the residents of new places, it is interesting to note that of the fourteen men whose names are appended to this original petition but five are now among our inhabitants. The request for incorporation was variously viewed by the towns whose territory was affected. Dorchester made no opposition ; Dedham refused to yield so much as was asked for, and succeeded in keeping a portion of it ; Milton also objected strenuously, the contest here finally narrowing down to the question whether the petitioners should have the southeasterly line of their proposed town established as petitioned for, so as to include a portion of the Brush Hill road and some twenty-seven families resident thereon, or whether This and the other inducements held out attracted to | the line should run along the crest of Fairmount Heights, several hundred feet northwesterly from said road, and leaving the above-mentioned families to remain within Milton's limits.

the town a not inconsiderable number of equivocal characters, and, as the credit system was largely in practice, many a confiding trader was sadly victimized. It appears from contemporaneous evidence that many Over this the fight waxed hot and furious. In the legislative committee-room frequent hearings were had during a period of five or six weeks, which re- hearts might have echoed the wail of one dismayed grocer, contained in the subjoined excerpt from a flyer distributed by him : " I have kept a grocery-store | sulted at last in a report to the Legislature recom-

901

HYDE PARK.

mending a compromise line, giving the petitioners less than they asked, but more than the Brush Hill residents were willing to concede. The people of Hyde Park have been always and still are much addicted to a free use of printer's ink, and now its aid was invoked by both sides. Printed addresses " To the Honorable Senate and House of Representa- tives," " Five Reasons why Brush Hill should not be Set Off from Milton to the Proposed Town of Hyde Park," " Five Reasons why Brush Hill should be Set Off," etc., were among the more ponderous missiles employed in this paper warfare, while the columns of the Boston dailies teemed with communications from champions of either side, pitching into their opponents with argument, ridicule, assertion, and denial, in a manner decidedly lively and, at this lapse of time, quite entertaining.

One of the leading motives which had caused the mass of the residents of Hyde Park to espouse so warmly the project of incorporation, had been the The outcome of all this heated controversy was that the act of incorporation of the town of Hyde Park, passed and approved April 22, 1868, took about thirteen hundred acres from Dorchester, eight hun- dred from Dedham, and seven hundred from Milton, and left the old residents along the Brush Hill road still within the boundaries of Milton, and presumably happy. The new town promptly organized on the 30th day of the same month, Maj. William Rogers, formerly of Governor Andrew's staff, being chosen moderator of the first town-meeting. The board of selectmen chosen consisted of Messrs. Henry Grew, Zenas Allen, M. L. Whitcher, W. J. Stuart, and B. F. Radford; C. W. Turner was elected town clerk ; Henry S. Adams, treasurer ; and Henry A. Rich, collector. The school committee chosen consisted of feeling that their needs had not received sufficient attention from the parent-towns of which it was pre- viously a part. The school accommodations were very inadequate, the buildings insufficient in dimensions, and inconvenient in location. Most of the streets had been made by the adjacent owners, and, as few of them had been accepted by the towns, they were of different widths, ungraded, and in many instances full of ob- structions. Few of them were furnished with lights, and most of these were at private charge. There was no fire department or any reliable means of subduing a conflagration. To remedy all these deficiencies and numberless others, the citizens had asked for and had obtained self-government. Many thoughtlessly ex- pected that it would prove an immediate panacea for all their disabilities. So it will be well believed that for five clergymen and one layman, to wit : William A. | the first few years the town officers had no easy time Bullard and Revs. N. T. Whittaker, P. B. Davis, W. | H. S. Ventres, W. H. Collins, and Amos Webster, - a fact going to show that there was now no dearth of spiritual ministration, whatever may have been the case in earlier days. The recipients of municipal honors were not elected without vigorous opposi- tion.

Hyde Park esteems the places in its gift too highly to bestow them easily. There were no less than five tickets in the field ; the regular caucus nominations being the successful ones. The custom thus inaugu- rated of lively competition for town offices has ever since been honored with implicit observance.

propitious omen, significant of the future lustre of the town.

At this time there were in the town four school- houses, only one of which, however, was of any con- siderable size or value; six religious societies, three of which worshiped in churches of their own, and the remainder in hired halls ; and of manufacturing industries, besides the cotton-mill and the paper-mill, a woolen-mill, a vise-factory, iron-works, car-shops, and a needle-factory. The population was about three thousand five hundred, the number of polls seven hundred and seventy-four, and the valuation, as fixed on the 1st of May following, two million nine hundred thousand dollars.

of it. All those things, usually the result of many years of quiet effort in towns of slow growth, were here crowded, as it were, in a moment upon the atten- tion of the people and their official agents. The latter addressed themselves to meeting the demands thus made upon them with creditable ability and success. Miles of streets were accepted, graded, widened, or relocated, and bridges built or extensively repaired, a good fire department organized and well equipped, and a suitable building constructed for its occupation, and many other things done to put the town on a proper footing. The number of school children in- creased so fast that within the first five years of its corporate existence the town was obliged to erect four large buildings at a cost of about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. All these improvements called for large expenditures, most of which was met by direct taxation, but a considerable amount by bor-

A section of Capt. Baxter's Light Battery was present, and hailed the birth of the new town with a salute of one hundred guns. The citizens made a holiday of the occasion, and celebrated the event with rejoicings, and plentiful displays of fireworks in the evening. A fine rainbow at sunset was accepted as a ! rowing, which last expedient soon raised a debt of

902

HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

very respectable proportions. The burdens thus in- a placard appeared, addressed to the women of Hyde curred soon began to be felt very sensibly by the | Park, inviting them to attend a caucus, to be held March 4th, to select candidates for the various town offices, the same to be supported by the women at the polls. The caucus was duly held, and well attended, sirring addresses were made inciting the auditors to stand by the position they had taken in the front rank of the woman-suffrage movement, to make up their ticket, and back it at the polls; the speakers arguing that, though votes thus tendered might be rejected at the ballot-box, or, if received, not counted, the movement would not on that account be barren of even immediate result, inasmuch as it would set the ball of universal suffrage in motion, mark them in the eyes of posterity as its foremost champions, and make this town historic. These appeals were not fruitless ; a ticket was made up, the candidates thereon being men and legal voters, and the caucus adjourned.

owners of land, which constituted seven-eighths of the taxable property of the town, and soon all propositions looking to further outlays became fruitful sources of contest, protest, and more or less successful log-rolling. The town-meeting was the natural arena for the final fight on these matters, and Hyde Park town-meetings have always been considered particularly interesting, though it is said that of late they have lost somewhat of their pristine brilliancy, and there are dark fears expressed that ere long they will become as unexciting and commonplace as those of less favored communities. But it is not to be understood that a niggardly policy has ever controlled this town; on the contrary, if it has erred at all, it has been in the opposite direction. During the sixteen years of its existence it has raised by taxation upwards of $1,130,000, or an average of $70,500 per year. Of this about $154,000, or a yearly average of $9600, has been expended upon streets and bridges ; and not less than $487,000, an average of over $30,000 per year,-over forty per cent. of the whole amount raised,-has been devoted to the establishment and maintenance of public schools.

Election day fell that year upon March 8th, and proved to be a stormy one, snowy and blustering ; yet some fifty ladies assembled in the Everett House | parlors, whence they proposed to make their descent in a body upon the voting place. At the latter place, meantime, was congregated a large number of men, For several years the town business was transacted in rooms and halls hired for the purpose. This was felt to be inconvenient, and a town building was de- sired by many. A controversy, probably the most intense of any which has ever agitated the town, and which certainly stands out most prominently in the recollection of the participators, arose in 1870, over a proposition to purchase for the above-named purpose an edifice recently erected on the corner of Gordon Avenue and River Street, and known as Gordon Hall. Meeting after meeting was called to decide the vexed question, "Should or not the building be bought by the town ?" who, aware of the impending conflict, awaited with mingled anxiety and impatience the dénouement. Among them were not a few who believed in the wisdom of the women's action, and ardently desired the early coming of the day when, as legalized and qualified voters, mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters might participate in shaping the policy of the com- munity of which they are so essential a part. But most of the men there present being, as is the nature of rude man, somewhat despotic and overbearing, re- garded with great disfavor the proposed attempt of the ladies, and some threatened forcible prevention of it. At length men who had been out as scouts, After much contention the property was finally purchased, but it was accidentally destroyed by fire March 8, 1883. watching for a movement of the enemy, announced their advance in force. The excitement within the hall grew greater, and cries of " don't let them in" The year 1870 was quite prolific in notable events here. Then it was that another public demonstra- tion was made in the dauntless attempt of some of its female citizens to storm the ballot-box and exercise the full powers of untrammeled suffrage, which carried the name and fame of Hyde Park into distant States and even beyond seas, and a failure to note which would render a sketch of the town's history undeserv- ing the toleration of the fairer and mightier part of its population. were raised and repeated, and perhaps this unmanly measure might have been adopted. But when the occasion arises the man for the occasion is generally on hand. He was here, and in the right place. The moderator's chair was occupied by Sylvanus Cobb, Jr., the well-known novelist, whose pen and voice were and are always ready to speed on reform, progress, and development, whose soul cannot tolerate injustice or oppression. From his place he spoke to the angry throng before him, urging them to behave with For some time previous to the March meeting, 1870, there had been signs and portents of approach- courtesy and decorum towards their approaching townswomen. His words allayed the tumult, and ing trouble, which took visible form and shape when | through the door came the women, each bearing in

903

HYDE PARK.

her hand a bouquet of flowers, the line headed by the influence over the unhallowed precincts which heretofore had sisters, Mrs. Angelina Weld and Sarah Grimke, who, | been accessible only to men and the vile odors of rum and to- bacco, was the occasion of hisses on the part of some of the disorderly men in the crowd. But the women had a stanch | defender in Sylvanus Cobb, Jr., who stood up for them with the gallantry and daring of the old Spanish knights or Musco- vian gunmakers that he writes about in the Ledger. He cast upon the disturbers one look of his eagle eye. 'Base ruffians,' he cried, in thunder tones, ' think ye to bar the way of these fair dames to yonder bollot-box ? By my halidom, these women shall vote or perish in the attempt.' These brave words had their effect, and the gallant women voted ; and, more than that, although their votes were counted out, their ticket was elected." by the deeds of their previous lives, had made them- selves exemplars of Christian charity, unselfish be- nevolence, and unhesitating self-sacrifice. Surely there was naught in the presence of these ladies, or those who closely followed them, to call for the storm of groans and hisses which immediately arose, drown- ing the comparatively few cheers of the men of an- other way of thinking. The line of ladies could with difficulty move through the throng about them. Again the moderator proved a host in himself. He | This, the first, was also the last attempt to vote in this manner, but the spirit which prompted and ani- mated the movement still survives, and woman suf- frage has many warm adherents here of both sexes. Nor has the impress of woman's influence upon the morals of the town stopped here. A power every- where in Massachusetts in all charitable, philan- thropic, moral, and intellectual movements, women here have earned a recognition of their worth greater even than that enjoyed by most of their sisters. In referring to the very efficient assistance given by them in the establishment of the public library, to their great help of the temperance reform movement, to their auxiliary organization in aid of destitute suf- ferers from the late war, to their literary societies, and to the constant and effective work of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, mention is made of but a few of the many specific ways by which they have abundantly contributed to give to their town whatever of virtue and excellence it may justly claim. stated that the votes thrown by the women would not be counted with the others, or influence the elee- tion in the slightest degree ; rebuked the intolerance which would interfere with this harmless discharge of what they deemed a duty, and at last threatened with arrest and removal the most uproarious of the opponents. His attitude, aided much undoubtedly by that high esteem and love for him which has al- ways characterized his fellow-citizens, produced a calm on the floor, and the ladies, without further molesta- tion, advanced and deposited their ballots in a separate box, and at once left the room. The deed was done ! The women had voted ! And it is worthy of notice that a number of the ballots deposited by them were | scratched, thus demonstrating their possession of one of the most essential qualifications for voting, particu- larly in Hyde Park. The women's ticket was voted by quite a number of men, and it was afterwards claimed in some of the Boston papers, as a proof of the moral effect of this action, that their candidates were elected ; but this was erroneous, none being suc- cessful whose names were not on the other tickets.

The prediction of the ladies that this act of theirs would give notoriety to themselves and their town was prophetic. The affair was voluminously discussed and commented upon by most of the press within the commonwealth, received much attention from several well-known journals of other States, and even penetrated to the Sandwich Islands, and formed the subject of a flattering editorial in their newspaper, expressed in the mellifluous language of the beloved Kalakaua. The comments were of all sorts, " from | death soon after, disabled him from active work in grave to gay, from lively to severe ;" but perhaps the following from the New York Herald is as good a sample as any of the more jocose style of treatment :

" The women succeeded in voting yesterday at the town elec- tion in Hyde Park, Mass. They put a separate ticket in the field and about sixty of them voted for it. They came in a body to the polling-place with bouquets and cotton umbrellas in their hands and modest determination in their countenances ; some of them old and gray-headed, and many of them young and pretty. Their presence, which should have cast a benign

Always ready and liberal in everything tending to forward the education of the masses, the town in 1871 appointed the following gentlemen a committee to raise a fund for the establishment of a free public library : Perley B. Davis, Isaac H. Gilbert, Francis C. Williams, Horace R. Cheney, Edward M. Lancas- ter, Hobart M. Cable, E. P. Davis, E. E. Pratt, and Theodore D. Weld. Their first meeting was held at the house of Alanson D. Hawley, who had been cus- todian of the State archives for fifteen years and one of the foremost in urging on the founding of a library here, but whose rapidly-failing health, resulting in his the cause which he had so much at heart. While the committee were in his study he pointed out to them over one hundred new and valuable books as his donation to the prospective library. The commit- tee confined their action to personal applications for subscriptions, payable in six months, to the library fund; arranging for a course of weekly entertain- ments, extending over a period of six months, for the benefit of the fund ; solicitation of donations of

904

HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

books; and instituting measures for a general town fair, to be organized and conducted by the ladies. In pursuance of the last above action, a meeting of ladies was called and held in the Baptist vestry early in June, when they organized with a president, Mrs. L. B. Hunt, and the following vice-presidents, one from each religious society, to wit: Mrs. G. B. Par- rott, Mrs. E. D. Swallow, Mrs. A. R. Whittier, Mrs. Horatio Raynes, Mrs. F. C. Williams, Mrs. Arthur O'Neil. Each of these was made the head of a sub- committee of six ladies. Under this organization a most admirable fair was held which netted upwards of two thousand five hundred dollars. H. S. Adams gave free use of Neponset Hall and the necessary ad- joining rooms. A paper, issued daily during the continuance of the fair, under the editorial manage- ment of S. Thurber and W. Hamilton, added to its interest and profit. The report of the general com- mittee, made April 11, 1872, gave as the net result in hand for the library fund four thousand four hun- dred and sixty-six dollars and seventy cents, and up- wards of one thousand books donated. Theodore D. | Weld was especially prominent in accomplishing this gratifying exhibit. Subsequent payment of subscrip- tions increased considerably the amount of money.

The library was opened to the public in March, 1874, in Everett Block, with William E. Foster as librarian, and three thousand seven hundred volumes ready for circulation. The first board of trustees consisted of Theodore D. Weld, Rev. P. B. Davis, Rev. I. H. Gilbert, elected for three years; Rev. E. A. Manning, H. M. Cable, E. M. Lancaster, for two years; Rev. W. J. Corcoran, E. S. Hathaway, C. W. W. Wellington, for one year. Mr. Foster remained as librarian till his resignation in March, 1876, when he was succeeded by Mr. Reeves, who, in October of the same year, was followed by Mrs. H. A. B. Thomp- son, in charge at the present time, with Miss Mary Hawley as assistant.

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 Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 190

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1534

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1534