USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Rowe > History of Rowe, Massachusetts > Part 4
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The road from Tuttle's corner northward over the top of Streeter Hill to Whitingham was established in March, 1789. It was not until 1851 that the road was built from the Veniah Porter place to the west of Streeter Hill to the state line, in order to connect with " the new road lately built by Whitingham." The Zoar road was established in March 1796 as follows: -
" a road leading from Moses Rogers to Zoar laid out by the Selectmen December 11th one thousand seven hundred and ninety five, a turn to be made from the old road this side of Reuben Clarks new house into the edge of the mowing land, and to come into the old road again south of said house, then to turn across a corner of the woods to the left hand and to come into the old road again North of Isaac Capers house, then running by said Capers in the old road to a steep below sd Capers; then to turn to the left hand into a road newly cut out, and down to the banks of the mill Brook and on said banks to Fellows mill thence on the south side of a rise of land by said Brook and a straight course to a marked maple near the banks of a small Brook from thence to a
42
HISTORY OF ROWE
marked hemlock south of Stephen Goodnows house from thence to the road beyond sd Goodnows, said road to be two rods wide."
The original is still traceable from the sugar house some fifty rods west of the Rice-Wheaton-Truesdell house, following along the brow of the ridge and join- ing the present road above the Streeter-Maxam house; again to the west and close to the late Joseph King's house hugging the hillside and descending abruptly until it joins the present road near the Fellows cellar- hole. There is a tradition that this first road was built along the ridge in order that travellers could see any lurking Indians! The Second Massachusetts Turn- pike, often called " Col. White's Turnpike Road," was built in 1797 from the west line of Charlemont over Hoosac Mountain to Adams, and remained a toll road under private ownership until 1833. Various stage lines from Boston to Albany used it before the days of the railroads. Frederic J. Wood is of the opinion that the first bridge over the Deerfield above Zoar was built in 1817.
The first road from David Ballou's near the present Monroe Four Corners was laid out in 1804 down Mon- roe Mountain fording the Deerfield and up the Rowe slope. Later that year, the town voted to petition the General Court " for assistance to build a Bridge over Deerfield River by a lottery or any other way," but apparently without success. David Ballou and Capt. William Taylor were the committee to send the peti- tion. In 1834 the Selectmen were instructed to erect " a sufficient railing on the road near the Monroe Bridge for the security of travelers."
In March 1787, the road from the meetinghouse northerly past the Robert Wells farm to the Vermont line was definitely established as follows: -
43
MASSACHUSETTS
" Beginning at a marked beech tree near the Meeting- house and running Northerly on the line between Nathan Foster Jun's land the Widow Green and Doctr Heatons until it comes within about six Rods of Capt. Corbets land then turning eastward to Capt Corbets land four rods East of said Fosters Northwest corner from thence North across Capt Corbets land to land formerly belonging to Eliot Make- peace thence north 20 rods thence Northwesterly to Abel Clarys land to John McNitts and Standish Fosters land thence North on the line between said McNitt and Foster to Asa Fosters and Eben" Ingersols land thence on the line between said Foster and Ingersol to Joseph Cresseys and Uphams Corner thence Northerly to Vermont Line."
The section north of the Robert Wells farm to the old Preserved Smith homestead, - later occupied by Sib- leys, Wheelers and Pikes, - was discontinued in 1866 and the section beyond to the state line in 1878, but the latter section could be travelled until August 1920, when a cloudburst destroyed a portion.
The first road southerly from Chapin's Mills (Tut- tle's Corner) passing the southeastern base of Adams Mountain to the Charlemont line was laid out in 1792. The present " Mine Road " was built in 1848 paral- leling a few rods to the eastward the original 1792 road which is still traceable. The road from the old centre past the present centre schoolhouse through the four corners near the Hicks-Shippee farm was described in 1786 as running " on the center line of the old Myri- field plot excepting at a ledge of rocks."
Some of the roads in Rowe were so-called " bridle- ways " (often with gates) which were passed upon by the selectmen and then " established," or as we say nowadays, " accepted," by the town. For instance there used to be a bridle-way from the " cabinet shop of the late William Todd to the Factory," and the county commissioners in 1840 ordered the town to make it a road, but no definite action ever was taken.
44
HISTORY OF ROWE
In 1845 the town voted 50 to 36 not to build a " new road leading from Lambs Saw Mill in Colerain through Heath to the Factory in Rowe agreeable to a petition of Daniel G. Spooner and others."
In 1838 the town voted 26 to 3 against the petition to the county commissioners for " a Road through the north part of Rowe leading from Colerain to Benning- ton." A month later 14 voters out of 26 present, voted " to sustain the petition of William Taylor and others for the location of a highway through the north part of the town in case there is a prospect of the same being constructed through to Bennington," but appar- ently nothing came of it. This William Taylor lived on the Amos Underwood place.
Beginning with Levi Hawks' petition in 1839 there was an agitation every year or two for a road from " Zoar Bridge so called, up the north bank of Deerfield River." It was consistently voted down or passed over, and in 1847 the town voted it down by the decisive majority of 60 to 0.
The short road "running north from the Dea Thomas place, so called through the Darling lot to Whitingham line," was discontinued in 1870. They began to talk of discontinuing the road leading from Veniah Porter's over Streeter Hill as early as 1862, and in 1872 it was voted to discontinue, but it was not legally closed until 1887. In 1872 the short section from Allen Peck's to Lucius Veber's was accepted; and the old section, which started from a point some 80 rods east of Allen Peck's was discontinued.
An old road is clearly traceable from the main road leading to the Cressy Neighborhood past William Steel's old cellar-hole and following Steele Brook Val- ley for some distance until it crosses over to the Peck- Veber-Zoar road.
45
MASSACHUSETTS
There is one other cellar-hole upon the heights some 50 rods to the southwest of this old road and these two house-lots are all that remain in the Steele Brook region .* The original Peck-Veber road swung sharply to the east, crossing this old Steele Brook road and coming out at William Taylor's. The road down to the Tunnel, namely from E. Henry Hawks'" to County Road near the Hoosac Quarry " was not accepted until 1884, although it was travelled in substantially the same location in the early 1860's. The road north past the Demons, Bolton and Underwood places was accepted in 1822. In 1837 the road was discontinued which crossed from the Bolton place to the Wheeler- Wilcox place north of Edgar Pike's, and which accom- modated the school children in that part of the town.
Tradition has it that the first Florida bridge was an open one " built partly of logs, which becoming unsafe was set on fire by persons unknown." A covered one replaced the open one, and a second covered one just finished was taken off by the flood of 1869. The latter part of this tradition coincides with the town records, for in May 1869 the town instructed the selectmen to contract for the " building of Florida Bridge so called, in connection with Florida and Charlemont," and in August of the same year the town voted to change the location " 60 rods or less below " the old site. The torrential rains came later and the special town meet- ing to borrow money to make good the damage was called for November 2nd. After months of haggling the town in February 1872 decided to pay its share of the new bridge and to borrow $2000 for the same. The trouble lay in the fact that one corner of the old bridge (upstream) was in Rowe, having been so surveyed by
* Adelbert Truesdell states that he remembers traces of two other cellar-holes near the headwaters of Steele Brook.
46
HISTORY OF ROWE
the far-sighted Charlemont selectmen when the line was first perambulated, while no part of the new bridge was within the limits. The Florida bridge was re- placed by the present iron structure in 1886.
In 1827 it was voted to join Monroe (which had been a town for five years) in building a bridge across the Deerfield, and in 1853 it was voted to rebuild half of the Monroe Bridge. This was a narrow covered bridge, 115 feet in length according to the map of 1830; and before the advent of the paper mills, it was a wild and picturesque spot. Later it was replaced by an iron bridge which was swept away in 1901 and was replaced by the present iron structure.
In 1807 the town voted to join Hawley and Charle- mont in petitioning the General Court for grant of a lottery " for the purpose of building a Bridge over Deerfield River on the County road leading from Charlemont through said Hawley to Northampton This county road ran southerly from the Charlemont covered bridge through Hawley, the edge of Plainfield and Ashfield to Goshen and so on, and was doubtless the route taken by delegates from Rowe to county conventions at Hatfield or Northampton. It is marked on the map of 1788.
In 1817 the town was willing to allow a lottery to build three bridges over the Deerfield, but the follow- ing year it voted against the county building a bridge " at the falls " (Shelburne Falls), at a cost of $1500.
In May 1825 the town procured a hearse and har- ness and built a hearse house. In 1850, " the commit- tee chosen to examine the Hearse House, Hearse, etc. report that the frame is worth repairing and recom- mend the necessary repairs - That the wheels and perhaps the shafts to the hearse are all that are worth anything and recommend a hearse to be constructed
47
MASSACHUSETTS
after the modern fashion also recommend the pur- chase of a new Pall Cloth." In 1883 the present hearse was procured and the following year the town built the present hearse house on the Pond Road. Some years since a party unknown amused himself by firing several shots through the door, thereby damag- ing the hearse. The calibre of the bullets was found to be .25 while most of the small rifles in the neighbor- hood (including the writer's) were .22.
The first mention of guide-posts was at the town meeting in May 1795, when agreeable to an act of the General Court, it was " Voted that the selectmen set up guide posts and keep the same in repair in this Town." In 1822 guide-posts were erected "At the angle of the Roads leading to Charlemont and Zoar near the Mills, At the angle of the Roads leading to Heath and to Whitingham and Readsborough near the Meetinghouse, At the angle of the Road, leading to Heath and to Whitingham, and also at the angle of the said Heath Road and the Road leading to Charle- mont." In 1840, it was " Voted to place guide posts - one near the store of Reed and Drury, Readsbor- ough, Monroe, Charlemont and Heath, one near James Fords directing to Whitingham, one near John W. Wheelers directing to Whitingham - one near the east School House directing to Charlemont Heath and Rowe."
48
HISTORY OF ROWE
CHAPTER V.
CHURCHES OF ROWE.
" Upon this rock I will build my church."
Matthew 16:18.
It is believed that Rev. Cornelius Jones built his house near the old Wells-Ford house three-quarters of a mile east of the subsequent centre of the town, and that the dwelling was made of planks split from white ash timber, floor of the same material, and the roof covered with long split shingles. In this house, Mr. Jones preached to the people every Sabbath until 1770 when a small church edifice was built on land given by himself near the southwest corner of the cross roads at the old centre. Deacon Thomas in 1845 stated that it was " about the size of the Orthodox house," that it was covered with " a single coat of rough boards," with a door in the centre of the south side, and " in- stead of glass windows to defend the inmates from the sweeping blast, it was surrounded by a dense forest of ever-green." The early records were destroyed in the parsonage fire; and we find little that is authentic before 1785, when the town voted to build a pound near " the meeting-house." We do know, however, that the Church of Christ in Myrifield with nine signa- tures to the Covenant was organized at a much earlier date, and that by 1776 the number had materially increased. The church-roll of 1776 contained the names of Aaron and Eunice Gleason, William and Mary Hartwell, Abiah and Abigail Lamb, James and Thankful Thayer, Hannah Thomas, Mary McAllister, Jedediah, Elizabeth, and Rachel Lamb, Mary Wilson, Lucy Chapin, Esther Eddy, Gideon Chapin, Sarah
49
MASSACHUSETTS
Chapin, Abigail and Henry Wilson. April 4, 1785 the town voted " to hire preaching two months the year ensuing." It will be remembered that two tythingmen were chosen the previous week. The following year, March 13, 1786, the town voted to choose a committee " to take cognizance of the old rate bill respecting building the meetinghouse which is now standing in this Town." Three years later, March 9, 1789, Asa Foster was granted £3-2 " for making 168 squares of sash fixing windows and setting glass for the meet- inghouse." Apparently extensive repairs were made in the fall of 1787 as many small items appear in the old records.
Plans for a new and larger meetinghouse began to be discussed, and in April 1791 the town voted to build " a Meetinghouse fifty feet long and forty feet wide." Nothing came of it because the voters could not agree upon the location. The trouble was over the question of the centre of the town. Some thought that the land west of the Deerfield would never be settled, or if it were there would be no communication with the main town. Through the rest of that year and for a good part of the next, the controversy increased. There were votes and counter votes. An article in the war- rant called for a petition to the General Court at Bos- ton to appoint a committee to determine upon the loca- tion, but happily there were enough with either a sense of humor or local pride to vote down this proposal.
Finally, it was decided to build the new meeting- house on the lot on which the old one stood; and a new structure was erected in the summer and fall of 1793. According to Deacon Thomas the frame was prepared under the leadership of Asa Foster and was ready for raising about July first. The men were assisted by the contents of a barrel of rum, and all hands had a boun-
50
HISTORY OF ROWE
tiful meal prepared by the mothers, wives and daugh- ters. The top timbers were put in place the following day under charge of Jesse Howard. Then a board floor was laid, a work-bench placed under the pulpit window with steps to ascend it, and some boards nailed up in front for a pulpit. The seats were of boards. If the town's vote was carried out, the new building was painted a cream color with red roof and green doors. It was not entirely completed for several years, as we find a number of warrants containing articles " for further finishing the meetinghouse "; but at length, at a meeting December 24, 1801, the town was imbued with the Christmas spirit and took definite action to finish the structure. A porch was added the following year.
Nov. 1, 1802 the town voted to seat the meetinghouse " according to what each Person shall pay on the three last grants of money that was granted for finishing the Meeting House." Below we give the list which was submitted by the committee and which was accepted with a few changes.
Pew
Pew
Isaac Langdon 24
Jacob Bliss
31
Lieut. Gideon Chapin
Benjamin Shumway
Capt. William Taylor 11
Reuben Gleason 1
Noah Brown
Joshua Dodge
Asa Foster 2nd
10
Nathan Foster
12
Standish Foster
Joel Hill
Lemuel Barret
25
Benjamin Stone
9
Archibald Thomas
Capt. Nath1 Corbet
Rev.ª Preserved Smith 23 Colº John Wells
Isaiah Adams
20
Gideon Chapen
John Hiberd
22
Moses Bullard
26
Thaddeus Merril
Ambrose Potter Jr.
MASSACHUSETTS
51
Pew
Pew
Caleb Blakeslee 14
Baldwin Potter
21
Ebenezer Hayward
Joel Hall
Jonas Gleason
7
Jonathan Marsh
William Langdon 2 Jedediah Barret
Josiah Carpenter
Ezra Tuttle
17
Thomas Goodnow Jr.
2
Jonas Gleason Jr.
John Cheney
30
Moses Streeter
Jonah Hill
Amze Langdon
Nathaniel Gleason
Amos Richardson
6
Silas Colton
29
Ebenezer Nims
John Brown John Blodget 15
Asa Foster
28
Martin Wilson
Jude Cross Sylvester Nash
Abijah Barr
27
Isaac Slatter
Charles Basset Timothy Knolton Jr. Asa Pane 1
Docr Haynes
15
Cornelius Barr
Isaac Pierpont
16
Capt. Zebulon Benton
Rufus Streeter Timothy Carpenter
Henry Wilson Jr. John Fisher Stephen Brown
4
Daniel Warner
James Streeter
5
Samuel Bell Orrin Thurber
Job Stafford Humphrey Taylor Paul Knolton
6
Titus Todd James Brown Noadiah Warner
2
Eanos Lamb Jonathan White Jr. 10 Jeremiah Shumway Ebenezer Knolton
Isaac Cooper Stephen Gleason Shuman Langdon
13
Abner Chapin Jr. Amos Gleason Jonathan Fisher Joseph Chapin
7
Warren Wilson
Heman Kintfield
Nahum White
16
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HISTORY OF ROWE
Pew
Pew
Amos Willmath Abijah Weers 19
Charles Hibard Levi Tuttle 11
Eliphalet Cutting
Ebenezer Fellows Jonathan Cressy
Simeon Barr Thomas Cheney John Williams
5
Apollos Carpenter David Below (Ballou) John Huntington David Thomas
4
Lewis Chandler John Thomas
32
Samuel Bolton
Jacob Briant
Elisha Briant 13
Eli Tuttle Jonathan White
8
Consider Brown
Levi Ray
Samuel Lamson
12
Thomas Goodnow
3
Gideon Langdon
Nathaniel Corbet Jr.
Jelah Munson Ebenezer Allin
Shadrach Chapin Colº Benjamin Otis
May 1, 1804 it was voted
" to asign the two wall Pews next to the Pulpit to the old People and the Pew at the Corner at the left hand of the alley next to the Deacons Seat to our Minister and that the rest of the Pews in the Lower part of the Meeting House be seated three Families in a Pew on the last Highway Tax and that they draw their Pews after being closed and that the Galleries be seated according to the discretion of the seaters."
" The Inhabitants were classed and chose their Pews as follows : - "
Class Pew Class Pew
1. Rev. P. Smith 23
Gideon Chapin
John Wells, Esq.
2. Isaac Langdon
24
William Taylor
Israel Braley
Matthew Barr
John Adams
Judah Goodspeed Amos Bradley
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MASSACHUSETTS
Class
Pew
Class
Pew
Archibald Thomas
Silas Colton
3. Nathan Foster
25
Charles McCloud
14. Ebenezer Hayward 20 Ambrose Potter Jr.
4. Caleb Blakslee
22
Lemuel Barrett
Noah Brown
15. Stephen Gleason
7
Isaiah Adams
Standish Foster
5. Thaddeus Merrill
12
Benjamin Shumway
Job Stafford
16. Stephen Brown
1
John Cheney
Pardon Haynes
6. Ebenezer Nims
9
Isaac Cooper
Benjamin Stone
17. Joel Hall
15
Sarah Taylor
Asa Foster
7. Jacob Bliss
Joel Hill
31
18. Cornelius Barr
16
Amos Wilmarth
Jonathan Marsh
Titus Todd
8. Zebulon Benton
Isaac Slatter
14
19. Nahum White
17
Lewis Chandler
Jonas Gleason
9. Reuben Gleason
Joshua Dodge
26
20. Ezra Tuttle
6
Simeon Barr
Baldwin Potter
10. Noadiah Warner
21
Isaac Pierpont
21. Paul Knowlton
4
John Hibberd
James Brown
Abijah Barr
Moses Streeter
11. Abijah Ware
30
Josiah Carpenter
22. Gideon Langdon
27
Thomas Cheney
Gideon Chapin Jr.
12. Moses Bullard
28
Martin Wilson
Samuel Ballou
23. Asa Paine
2
Ebenezer Allen
Jonathan Cresey 5
24. Timothy Knowlton Jr. Jedediah Barrett
Benjamin Otis
13. Shadrach Chapin 29
Henry Wilson Jr.
John Thomas
Judah Goodspeed
Consider Brown
54
HISTORY OF ROWE
Class Pew Class John Williams Stephen Woodward 36. Jude Cross 3 John Huntington
Pew
25. Jonathan White 19
Jonas Gleason Jr.
Caleb Carpenter
William Langdon
26. Samuel Lamson
32
John Brown
37. Samuel Negus
13
Daniel Warner
Levi Ray
Ezra Brown
27. Sylvester Nash
13
Selah Munson
38. Samuel Carpenter Elisha Briant.
Charles Winchester
28. Eliphalet Cutting 8 David Balleau
Charles Hibberd
29. Thomas Goodnow Jr. Nathanial Gleason 18
Horace Thurber
30. John W. Blodget Gallery
Charles Basset 1
Jonah Hill
31. John Hall Below Amos Richardson 3
James Streeter
32. David Thomas 2
Amzi Langdon
Rufus Streeter
33. Timothy Carpenter 6 Apollos Carpenter
Ezra Bradley 34. John Hibberd Jr. 15 Jude Tuttle
Abner Chapin Jr. 35. Samuel P. Nims 14 Ebenezer Fellows
Gallery
Stookly Carpenter
39. Jeremiah Shumway Amos Gleason Joseph Chapin
Jesse Gleason
40. Noah Brown Jr. Nathaniel Corbet Jr. Thomas Chapin Archibald Taylor Stephen Brown 2nd
Gallery Pews
41. Alfred Olds Septimeus Foster Martin Dier Nathan Wheeler
Matthew Barr Henry Wilson Jonathan Marsh Mr. Dodge Ambrose Potter Aaron Gleason Widow Nash
Widow Brown John Adams Hezekiah Pierpont Nathaniel Corbet Thomas Goodnow Ephraim Hill
55
MASSACHUSETTS
Class
Pew
Widow Colton
Widow Ward
Widow Wilmarth
Widow Goodspeed
Widow Thomas
" We assign five Pews on the North end of the Gallery to the young women Beginning west to count and also the front Seats in the Galleries to the Singers."
Rev. Preserved Smith was ordained as the first reg- ular pastor November 21, 1787, although Rev. Abisha Colton had done some preaching the previous year. Mr. Smith was dismissed May 30, 1804, and his connec- tion with Rowe is so interesting that we reserve another place for its discussion. After his dismissal, the town invited Rev. Freeman Sears of Natick, but Mr. Sears declined. The town made him a second offer with an increase in salary from $333.33 to $500, but Mr. Sears remained obdurate.
Rev. Jonathan Gilmore next received a call to settle, which he accepted. However, the council, when called to install him, found only a small majority in his favor, and they declined to install him.
Rev. Jonathan Keith became the second settled pas- tor, Jan. 6, 1808. He was a native of Bridgewater and a graduate of Brown in the Class of 1805. At his own request he was dismissed from the Rowe church June 10, 1812, after the town in 1811 had refused to pay his " debt at Deerfield " amounting to $100. Again Rev. Preserved Smith settled as the pastor, December 2, 1812, and remained over nineteen years until his resig- nation March 10, 1832. His successors were Rev. Wil- liam L. Stearns, 1833-1849 ; Rev. Stillman Barber, 1850- 1852; Rev. Increase Sumner Lincoln, 1853-1860; Rev. Hiram Norton, 1861-1864; Rev. Levi Woodbury Ham, 1864-1866; Rev. William M. Bicknell, 1867-1885; Rev. John Mason W. Pratt, 1886-1888; Rev. Herman Hau-
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HISTORY OF ROWE
gerud, 1893-1895; Rev. Samuel Thomson, 1895-1896; Rev. Edward P. Pressey, 1896-1899; Rev. Walter Knight, 1900-1902; Rev. Margaret B. Bernard, 1902- 1916; Rev. Robert M. L. Holt, 1916-1920; Rev. Mary L. Leggett, 1920; Rev. Thomas H. Weston of Green- field supplied the pulpit between 1885 and 1886, and Rev. Daniel H. Rogan of Athol and Mrs. Lyche of Warwick between 1888 and 1893. The Society was in- corporated in 1911.
In 1800 a Methodist class was formed. By 1828 the number had increased to 60, when a meetinghouse was erected on the knoll east of the bridge by which the road to Heath crosses Pelham Brook. The land was deeded by Solomon Reed to Elisha Brown, Horace Blakeslee, Josiah W. Reed and John I. Bassett, Trus- tees. The following were preachers: Rev. Messrs. Elijah Ward, Timothy Carpenter, Samuel Carpenter, Shadrach Bostwick, Peter Van Ness, Michael Coate, Joseph Mitchell, Joseph Crawford, Freeman Bishop, Elijah R. Sabin, Daniel Ostrander, Daniel Brumley, C. Hammond, J. W. Lewis, Wm. Bardwell, Edward A. Manning, L. B. Clarke, J. W. Jordan, Edward Day, Moses Spencer, G. R. Bent, Lorenzo White, Randall Mitchell, E. J. Stevens, N. J. Merrill, John H. Lord, W. H. Adams, Alfred Noon, A. M. Osgood, W. E. Dwight, W. E. Knox, Burtis Judd, and L. P. Frost. The church did not flourish for many years; and Hol- land writing in 1855 stated that the society was not then prosperous. The writer, a few years ago, found the bible in place on the pulpit opened at Lamenta- tions, mute evidence of the Society's decline. Samuel Woffenden wrote in his diary, " The last preaching service held in the old Methodist Church was in 1889, the Pastor was Rev. Emmanuel Charlton a Swede; he also preached in Charlemont ". But in 1870 notices
57
MASSACHUSETTS
of town meetings were posted at the East Schoolhouse instead of at the " East Church ".
In November 1797, the town voted to " discharge a number of Baptists from the sallery tax ", including Isaac Slatter, Job Stafford, Nathan Holton, Jacob Bliss, and Cornelius Barr. Services were held in private houses and in the West Schoolhouse; and July 15, 1810, the baptist church was organized with 27 members. The first meetinghouse was built in 1835 near the west schoolhouse, close to the site of the Miller-Ayers house. Mrs. Peck describes it as fol- lows : -
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