USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Rowe > History of Rowe, Massachusetts > Part 5
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" The house was painted white when built, with three windows on each side and two in the rear. The inside walls were white with an arched ceiling. The pulpit was between the two doors and the window back of it had a parted white curtain trimmed with fringe. The other windows had white curtains in later years. There was one aisle with pews or slips, six on each side that would seat about eight grown persons and two shorter slips across each end of the open space in front. There were two rows of seats across the rear end, which were the singers' seats, each row rising a step higher. A stove in front of the north row of slips with pipe passing over the aisle, a red bookcase at the end of one of the shorter pews, a red table, and two elm seated chairs completed the furniture . . The house was lighted in the evening by candles or lamps on the pulpit, and table below, and by candles in little candlesticks in front of tin reflectors on the walls between the windows. Soon after the meeting- house was built the singing was accompanied by a violin, and after that by a bass viol, but for several years a melo- deon or cottage organ was carried in on Sunday ".
In May 1876 the parsonage was sold for $250 and the meetinghouse for $40 and the money applied toward building the present Baptist meetinghouse below the village school. This was dedicated December 6, 1876. The bell was acquired in 1885. The house and lot above the school house were purchased for a Parsonage in
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HISTORY OF ROWE
April 1890. The old meetinghouse was moved south- west to the Hibbard-Kiley place where it now forms the main part of the Kiley-Truesdell house.
Elder Samuel Carpenter became the first pastor of the Baptist Society in 1810 and continued until 1821. His successors were Rev. Arad Hall, 1824-1833; Rev. Edward Davenport, 1835; Rev. Nathaniel Ripley, 1840- 1845; Rev. B. F. Remington, 1845-1847; Rev. James Parker, 1847-1850; Rev. George Carpenter, 1850-1854; Rev. Erasmus D. Fish, 1854-1865; Rev. Charles Brooks, 1865-1868; Rev. I. M. Willmarth, 1868-1870; Rev. A. A. Millard, 1870-1871; Rev. George Carpenter, 1871-1873; Rev. Rufus Smith, 1874-1875; Rev. H. C. Coombs, 1875-1877 ; Rev. Jacob Davis, 1877-1889; Rev. Charles G. Simmons, 1890-1892; Rev. Alfred D. Barter, 1893-1897; Rev. C. J. Harding, 1897-1898; Rev. H. C. Buffum, 1899-1901; Rev. Otis Darby, 1901-1904; Rev. J. E. Dinsmore, 1904-1907 ; Rev. Rolla Hunt, 1908-1910; Rev. Luther Holmes, 1910-1912; Rev. C. W. Sables, 1912; Rev. Leslie B. Moss, 1913; Rev. J. R. Lawrence, 1915-1916; Rev. D. T. Richards, 1916-1918; Rev. S. A. Caldwell, 1918 - who lives in Florida, which town he serves with Rowe and Monroe.
Rev. Samuel P. Everett was for some years a mem- ber of the church and preached at various times from 1869 until his death in 1907. He also filled the pulpit of the Baptist church in Whitingham, Vermont, (six miles north of Rowe) at various times, and was the regularly settled pastor there from June 1, 1870 to January 1, 1872.
To return to the old meetinghouse at the centre of the town. In May 1814 the following ambitious vote was passed, - To raise $100 to repair and paint the meetinghouse. " Voted to paint the body of the house a French yellow the roof a Chocolate Colour & the in-
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side a Light Blue." But this action was rescinded shortly after and $15 was appropriated instead. Dur- ing the next few years we find considerable discontent over the seating. The proper solution was found in 1845 when the pews, or slips as they were called, were auctioned off to the highest bidders, and the proceeds used to defray the cost of the new edifice.
Rev. Preserved Smith changed his theological views and became a Unitarian in 1821, and his church soon accepted this denomination. March 10, 1832 he made his last prayer in Rowe at a meeting when he resigned. The following December the church extended a call to Rev. William L. Stearns who settled the following month. In the meantime the Second Congregational Church (Orthodox) was organized April 10, 1833 with only three members, who worshipped in a barn. In 1834 they built a meetinghouse just south of the old Unitarian meetinghouse, which they used until 1856, when it was made over into a public hall. A decade later it was moved three-quarters of a mile down the hill and acquired the name of Union Hall, perhaps because Orthodox, Unitarians and Baptists have each held services in it in the hard winter months.
The Orthodox society by 1853 included 28 members. The first pastor was Rev. John C. Thompson, who was ordained in 1835. He was dismissed in June 1837, and his successor, Rev. Andrew Govan, was settled from September 1838 to 1842. Rev. Benjamin F. Clarke was settled from 1843 to 1850 and was succeeded by Rev. J. Pomeroy. When their meetinghouse was moved down the hill, the society had diminished to such an extent that it became advisable to discontinue services.
In 1845, the " Church of Christ in Rowe ", as the old society, now Unitarian, was called, built the third meetinghouse, a few rods east of the intersection of the
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roads. It was modelled on the plans of the churches at Greenfield and Charlemont and cost $1673.07. The writer well remembers attending services in it twenty- four years ago. The present stone and wood structure was built in 1907, at what is now the center of Rowe three-quarters of a mile south of the old center, and is erected on the site of the Union Hall which latter was sold to Arthur Fisk and removed across Pelham Brook. The new meetinghouse cost $5916.36 of which $5000 was given by Frederic E. Smith as a memorial to his great-grandfather Preserved Smith.
. :
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CHAPTER VI. PRESERVED SMITH IN ROWE.
"And I will raise me up a faithful priest."
I Samuel 2:35.
At the spring town meeting, March 19, 1787, the voters appropriated the sum of fifteen pounds "for the use of the gospel in this Town," and chose Deacon Jonas Gleason and Henry Wilson " a Committee to provid Preaching ". At the same meeting Nathan Foster was allowed 18 shillings " for his horse and spending Money after a candidate " and Nathan Fos- ter, Jr, 16 shillings " for his services after a candi- date ". In the summer of 1787 Rev. Preserved Smith, a young divine one year out of college, and a native of the neighboring town of Ashfield, came to Rowe as a candidate. He had joined the Revolutionary army at the age of sixteen and had served in five campaigns in the 5th Hampshire County Regiment commanded by Col. David Wells of Shelburne (whose daughter he was later to marry in 1788) and had been present at the surrender of Burgoyne. He had taught school winters, worked summers, and fitted himself for college with the aid of Rev. Mr. Hubbard of Shelburne. In 1786 he had graduated from Brown University. The new candidate boarded two months at the house of Benja- min Shumway for which the latter was allowed two pounds and eleven shillings, while Nathan Foster was granted 6/5 for " dineing Mr. Smith while a candi- date ".
A town meeting was called October 22, 1787 to see if the town would retain Mr. Smith. The records show, - "After solemn prayer to Almighty God performed by Mr. Preserved Smith the Pastor elect for direction of
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the Inhabitants Voted unanimously to concur with the churches choice of Mr. Preserved Smith to be the Pas- tor of this church and People ". His salary was fixed at 150 pounds; namely 50 pounds " at or before the first February next, and Fifty pounds the First of No- vember 1788, and fifty pounds the first of November 1789, the whole to be paid in neat cattle " as incour- agement to settle ". This vote seemed confusing so they voted to pay him 50 pounds for the first year's salary with an annual increase of 3 pounds until the sum reached 65 pounds. Again, lest there be a mis- understanding another vote was passed that the salary be paid in the following articles, - " beef fed by grass at 16/8 per C. porke well fatted at 6/0 per score wheat at 4/0 and rie at 3/0 per bushel and indian corn at 2/5 per bushel the above articles to be of good quality Bulls and Stags excepted."
November 21st was set for the ordination ceremony and the previous Wednesday was set aside as a " day of solemn fasting and prayer to God for a Blessing on their endeavors." The great day came and the digni- taries arrived. Lieut. John Wells entertained the or- daining council and Mr. Smith's friends, for which he was later allowed five pounds and nine shillings -We quote from the records: -
" Convened at Rowe Novr 20th 1787 An Ecclesiastical Council consisting of Churches in Green- field Conway Shelburn Leveret & Deerfield by their Elders and Messengers
Elders
Messengers
Revd Messrs.
Roger Newton
with Mr. Joseph Wells
Greenfield
John Emerson
Dn Jona Root
Conway
Robert Hubbard
Col David Wells
Shelburne
Henry Williams
Dn Jona Field Leverit
John Taylor
Dn Asabel Wright
Deerfield
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The Revd Roger Newton was chosen Moderator and John Emerson Scribe. This Council was convened by letters mis- sives from the Chh of Christ in Rowe for the purpose of ordaining Mr. Preserved Smith to the work of the Gospel Ministry the council being opened by prayer to God by the Moderator for his presence and Direction on this important occasion ; a Committee of the Chh and Town laid before the Council their Votes and proceedings Relative to their Call, to Mr. Smith to Settle among them likewise Mr. Smith Pro- duced a Testimonial of his Chh Relation & his approbation to preach the Gospel the Council then proceeded to a par- ticular and full examination of the said Mr. Smith Relative to his knowledge in Divinity his inward acquaintance with experimental Religion his principal views in devoting him- self to the Ministry with his abilities and qualifications to that important work whereupon the Question being put whether this Council are satisfied with Mr. Smith Respect- ing the Qualifications Above Mentioned passed in the affirm- ative it was then put to the Council whether the way is open to procede to the Ordination of Mr. Preserved Smith to the work of the Ministry in this Town. Voted in the affirmative unanimously Voted also that the several parts of ordina- tion should be performed in the order following (viz) That the Revd Henry Williams open the solemnity by prayer the Revd Robert Hubbard preach the Sermon the Revd John Emerson Making the ordaining Prayer the Revd Roger Newton give the Charge the Revd John Taylor give the Right hand of fellowship the Revd Roger Newton make the concluding Prayer.
Novr 21st the Council agreeable to their Votes yesterday proceded to the ordination of the Revd Preserved Smith to the work of the Ministry over the Chh & congregation in Rowe and the several parts of the ordination were per- formed Publicly in the Meetinghouse in said Town accord- ing to the order appointed by the Council expressed in the above mentioned Votes.
A true copy
Attest John Emerson Scribe ".
All went well for nearly ten years. In 1797, how- ever, friction arose and Mr. Smith allowed it to be known that he desired a dismissal. The town called a meeting November 30th and voted not to dismiss him,
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when he came forward and made a formal request for dismissal. A committee was then appointed which on December 17th recommended " that our Revd Pastor continue as a Pastor of this Chh and People for one year from the nineteenth day of Novr last in or- der to see if the dificulties which are on his Mind may be removed, and if not removed in that time then the Chh: and Town is to join with Mr. Smith in calling an ecclesiastical council to advise in his dismission." The story is told how Preserved Smith and his wife were riding to church one Sunday morning. Their home was a mile north of the old center where Sibleys, Wheelers, and Pikes later were to live; and the road was then open over the hill past the " old stone house ". A glance backward showed their house on fire and help must have been slow in arriving, for all the early church records in- cluding the hell-fire covenant, were consumed. This ancient Calvinism was never renewed and for a while the Bible became the creed of the church. Perhaps Dea- con Foster, hard Puritan that he was, remembered the old creed, and in this way was inspired to lead his small band of followers until they had driven their minister from the town. The Direct Tax of 1798 describes the Smith homestead as " East on the Town Road," - a one-story house covering 576 square feet, containing seven windows.
Mr. Smith was now receiving 65 pounds yearly, but it was not always paid over when due. In March 1800 the town voted not to pay 6% interest on the balance then due him. Here was one of the reasons for the " dificulties on his mind ". In 1801 the salary became $216.67 and again no interest was granted on the " delinquent balance." The following article in the warrant in April 1801 shows a further widening of the
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breach : - " To see if the Town and the individuals who are unwilling to pay their proportion of the Rev. Mr. Smith's salary can agree and adopt measures to accommodate the misunderstanding respecting the same." Each side chose three men who in turn chose a committee of three " to settle matters of difficulty with regard to their paying their proportion ". Ap- parently nothing was effected, for an article along the same lines, the following January, again was voted down. In March 1802 Mr. Smith's salary was increased to $250. Matters again reached a crisis in the fall of 1803. The town on September 21, 1803 voted unani- mously against dismissing him. Three weeks later at a second meeting the town voted to " join the Revd Preserved Smith to Call a Council to assist in effect- ing a reconciliation if practicable and if not to dismiss him." A month later a third meeting was called and his salary was raised from $250 to $300. This appar- ently settled matters for " Mr. Smith then came into the meeting and so far settled the difficulty between him and this town that he agreed to return to his Min- isterial labors." An idea of the value of the dollar in 1803 can be gained from the fact that 83 cents per day was allowed a citizen in working off his highway taxes.
By next spring the discontented minority under the leadership of Deacon Foster, were able to make them- selves heard again, and through their efforts the breach was irreparably widened. In May 1804 the town voted to retain Mr. Smith if he " relinquish the pay for those eight Sabbaths in which he neglected to supply the Pulpit last fall ". Mr. Smith then appeared at the meeting and made these proposals in writing, -
"At a Legal Town meeting the Revd Mr. Smith appeared and after exhibiting the causes of uneasiness between him and some people in this Town relative to his support gave it as his opinion that his ministerial labors can be no longer
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useful to the church and people in this place under existing circumstances - He then proposed that,
1. Rowe give a regular dismission and act in concert with him in convoking an ecclesiastical council.
2. Mr. Smith relinquish $38.50 for suspending eight weeks in the previous September and October.
3. The town give him notes, one payable in three months, the other March 1st next for salary now due.
These proposals the town promptly voted to accept. The Council was held in Rowe, May 29, 1804 and was composed of the ministers from Heath, Colrain, Buck- land, Hawley, Charlemont and Shelburne, together with seven delegates from the same towns. A long opinion was handed down which we quote in part, - " it appeared that difficulties had arisen respecting his sup- port, and Mr. Smith's feelings and those of the Town as expressed to us, relative to his continuing in the ministry among them, afforded no prospect, that any permanent rec- onciliation could be effected, and consequently that his influ- ence and usefulness seemed much diminished."
Accordingly they recommended his dismissal and went on to say, -
" We heartily condole with him in his present troubles, and wish him Divine Support, and cheerfully recommend him as a Christian and a minister to the improvement of the Churches of Christ. . . We further recommend it to the Church and People to strive for peace, and the things where- by they may edefy one another that the God of love and Peace may dwell among them."
There is a volume expressed in these closing lines. His last discourse was based on the text from Proverbs 15;17, -" Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith ".
The Church of Christ in Whitingham, Vermont was organized October 25, 1804, and four weeks later voted to invite Rev. Preserved Smith to settle. The town then voted to concur and offered a salary of $300. It
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seems that Mr. Smith had been preaching in Whiting- ham, but he declined the invitation to remain. In his last sermon in December 1804 he hinted at the reason, by stating that he thought it unwise for the town to settle a pastor before finishing the meetinghouse. We cannot avoid the suspicion that the reverend gentle- man had a bit of Yankee shrewdness among his other good qualities.
In 1805 Mr. Smith removed to Mendon and his son Preserved, a lad of sixteen, drove the 4-ox team, laden with the household goods, a journey of 100 miles re- quiring six days. Here he became interested in Armin- ianism, although he did not reject the Divinity. While preaching at Mendon one of his old enemies in Rowe circulated a slanderous pamphlet among his new par- ishioners, but happily with no ill effects.
We have seen in a previous paragraph that the town of Rowe, after Mr. Smith's dismissal, May 30, 1804, tried in vain to obtain the services of Rev. Freeman Sears. Then they invited Rev. Jonathan Gilmore, but the Council was far-sighted and refused to install him because of the smallness of the majority of the towns- people who favored him. After this, Rev. Jonathan Keith became the settled pastor in January 1808. Mr. Keith asked for his dismissal in May 1812 which was granted a month later, and the causes given were the state of his health and " dissensions among the people ". The record of recent years surely proves that history repeats itself.
The citizens then assembled (September 4, 1812) and voted unanimously to extend another call to Rev. Preserved Smith and to offer him $300, the same sal- ary he had received when dismissed eight years before. Truly, this could hardly be said to have been very tempting, and it must have been his old love for Rowe
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HISTORY OF ROWE
and its people that prompted him to accept. The old records reveal nothing further as to Mr. Smith's sec- ond settlement in Rowe, and we can picture a fruitful and contented pastorate for many years. His salary of $300 was appropriated annually from 1812 to 1831 inclusive. March 5, 1832 the town voted " to dispense with raising Mr. Smith's Salary at this time," which is the last recorded item relating to him. He was now seventy-three years old and felt compelled to give up his charge. Here he had spent the best part of his life; he had had three children born, - Preserved, Jr., in 1789, Royal in 1799; and had buried two, Royal in 1820 aged 21, and an infant in 1791. From Rowe he went to Warwick to live with his son, where he died two years later, August 19, 1834. The inscription on his gravestone, now housed in the Memorial Church in Rowe, reads as follows :
Rev. Preserved Smith died August 19, 1834 Graduated at Providence 1786 Settled at Rowe 1787 Then at Mendon 1805 Again at Rowe 4 1812 Where he lived with an Affectionate People till 1832 When he retired from the ministry.
Remember those who have spoken unto you the word of God. Whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversa- tion. - Heb. 13; 7.
Pressey in later years thus picturesquely writes,
" He was a great student, and talked face to face with the citizens of Rowe one and a half hours' discourses, twice a Sunday for 36 years, which with weekly lectures and other public discourses, makes it that his voice must have vibrated on this Rowe air some eight to ten thousand hours. And judging from this, together with the way his memory was revered, there must have been a great deal of Preserved Smith left in Rowe."
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CHAPTER VII.
SCHOOLS, LIBRARY, BURYING-GROUNDS, STAGES, ETC.
" The chief glory of New England is in her public schools." Old Saying.
The early history of the Rowe schools is based in large part on tradition. It is believed that the first school was prior to 1775 in a log cabin which stood on the site occupied later by the Wells-Ford-Goldthwaite homestead, and that the teacher was Miss Marah Jones, daughter of Cornelius Jones. The scholars were compelled to travel a considerable distance in many cases. The only books were the Bible, the Psal- ter, Dilworth's spelling book and an arithmetic called Young Man's Best Companion. Subsequently, several schools were held in private houses in winter and in barns in warmer weather until the incorporation of the town.
At the first town meeting, the citizens voted "to hire preaching ", but made no appropriation for schools. At the second meeting, September 15, 1785, the town voted " to make but three school Divisions ". The first appropriation was 30 pounds for " use of Schooling " made at the meeting in March 1787. Two and a half years later, October 30, 1789, the town voted to divide the town into two school divisions only, the " East Division to take all East of the Road leading from John Adams to Capt. Goodspeads and the west division to take all West of said road. Voted to hire a schoolmaster to keep school two Months in Each division ". A committee of two was then appointed " to hire a School Master " Apparently the commit- tee's efforts were successful, for in the following Jan- uary, the town voted " that the present School Master
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HISTORY OF ROWE
is to keep three Months for the East part of the Town," and also voted " to hire another School Mas- ter three months to keep in the West part of the Town," In 1790 John Wells was allowed £3-3 " for Bording School Master 14 weeks;" Isaac Langdon 13 shillings " for Bording School Master and his Horse two weeks; and Gideon Chapin £1-8 for " keeping the School Masters horse fourteen weeks ".
Considerable agitation arose over the matter of building schoolhouses, but no constructive action was taken at the meeting in May 1795. Nevertheless a " west schoolhouse " is mentioned in the description of a road in March 1796. In April 1797, the town set up three school divisions, North, Center and West, - and voted to build three schoolhouses. Later, the south division was added to take care of the families living east and south of Adams Mountain. In 1798 the sum of $205 was appropriated for " Building Schoolhouses ".
In April 1817 the town granted $50 for a teacher " to instruct in singing sacred music." In recent years the schoolhouses have been as follows: -
Village School at the foot of the hill, one half mile below present center. Center School, one quarter mile west of the old center. East School, a few rods east of the east burying ground, North School, on the road to Readsboro, at the junction of the Deacon Thomas cross-road. West School, north of Miller-Ayers house, one mile south of the end of the " four-rods west road ". Davis Mine School, one-half mile west of the Davis Mine. Peck-Cressy or Southwest School, one- quarter mile west of Allen Peck's homestead on the road through the Cressy Neighborhood to Hoosac Tunnel. In 1920, the sum of $2,286.37 was paid in sal- aries to teachers at the Village, West, Center, and
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Davis schools and $55 to the teacher at the North school. No sessions have been held at the Peck-Cressy school for about twenty years.
The town has never maintained any school above the grammar grades, but provides tuition for those desir- ing to attend high schools in other towns. Several have attended high schools in Charlemont and North Adams, and also the old Academy in Whitingham which flourished from 1842 to 1861. The school system used to include " prudential committees " who were chosen in each school district and who were authorized to " contract with teachers." In earliest times the school was held in houses and moved about in order " best to accommodate the whole." The school report for June 1840 shows 204 scholars between the ages of four and sixteen. At the Centre were 50, West 26, North 18, South 9, East 35, Mill 36, Southwest 26, and River 4.
In 1894 a school district was formed comprising the towns of Charlemont, Hawley, Florida and Monroe, for centralized school supervision, and in April 1897 the town of Rowe joined. All contribute to the super- intendent's salary and a substantial portion is ad- vanced by the State.
In October 1804 the town formally accepted the donation of two hundred dollars bequeathed by "Asa Foster 2nd late of Rowe Deceased for the use of Schooling as contained in his last Will and Testa- ment." Turning to his will dated 1803, we find that his property was worth some $1500. " This gratuity (it reads) is not a sudden emotion but has for a long time been contemplated. And all the returns and respect I wish for is the good advice which many may find leisure to give my orphan children with a particu- lar regard for their interests and happiness in this
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