USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Rowe > History of Rowe, Massachusetts, third ed > Part 4
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Furthermore as the Honorable Court Resolved an abatement of one third part of our Taxes in April 1780, and as it appeared Reason- able to the Committee of the Honorable House last year that the treasurer be Discharged of ye same &c we pray a final Determination may soon take place and as it appeared to the Honorable House last year that there was a mistake in one of the Requisitions for Beei sent to us, and as we had only a Receipt in part. yet it was Right to Discharge us of the whole Notwithstanding we find that we are Ranked with those places that are Delinquent in paying in their proportion. Our prayer is that your Honors would take these matters into your Consideration, that the whole of these affairs may soon be brought to a Conclusion.
We further (illegible) that as we have been under a Necessity for the Support of the Gospel, Schools, Roads and other Necessary charges. to grant money annually and chose officers to collect the same as in Duty Bound. In Behalf of the inhabitants.
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Myrifield
Sept. 12, 1783 Henry Willson
Conimittee"
Archibald Thomas Benjn Brown
This petition came up for action a year later and was finally acted upon favorably in February 1785. It is written in a beautiful hand and with but one word misspelled. Per- haps the author was Archibald Thomas, who had been a deacon in a Boston church.
The eleventh hour petition (Feb. 1, 1785) of "Jonas Gleason Agent" that "the Land called Fulhams mite not be incorpor- ated with sd Plantation save so much as will Lay it in a square forme," proved ineffectual.
Following is the act of incorporation which was passed by the General Court February 9, 1785.
"An Act for incorporating a Grant of Land, formerly made to Mr. Cornelius Jones, of ten Thousand Acres, called by the name of Myrifield, in the County of Hampshire, together with other Lands adjoining, and the Inhabitants thereon, into a separate Town, by the name of Rowe.
"Whereas a number of the inhabitants of the plantation called Myrifield in the county of Hampshire, have petitioned this Court, to be incorporated into a Town, for reasons set forth in their peti- tion, and it appearing to this court that it is expedient that the said planation be incorporated:
Sect. 1. Be it therefore enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Gneral Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That the lands hereafter described, viz-Beginning at the southwest corner of the beforementioned grant of land, thence running south two hundred rods to a corner, thence running east six degrees south, one thousand five hundred and sixty-six rods to a corner, thence north one thousand three hundred and forty-three rods to the line of a territory called Vermont, including the above mentioned grant, together with two hundred rods in width from the town of Charlemont, and from Pierce's, Dennis's, and the whole of Fulham's grant of land west of Charlemont, on the south side of the said Myrifield, also, together with two hundred rods in width on the east end from the land called Green and Walker's lands,
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together with the inhabitants, thereon, be, and they are hereby in- corporated into a distinct town, by the name of Rowe, and invested with all the power, privileges and immunities, that towns in this Commonwealth are entitled to, or do or may enjoy according to law.
Sect. 2. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That Samuel Taylor, of Buckland, Esq. be, and he hereby is em- powered to issue his warrant directed to some principal inhabitant within the said town of Rowe, directing him to warn the inhabitants of the said town qualified to vote in town affairs, to assemble at some convenient time and place in the same town, to choose all such town officers as by law are to be chosen annually, in the month of March.
Sect. 3. Provided nevertheless, The inhabitants of the said town of Rowe, which were before the passing of this Act inhabitants of any other town or place, shall pay their proportionable part of all such town, county and State taxes, as are already assessed or levied on them by the town or place where they usually were taxed.
Sect. 4. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the whole and every part of the said town of Rowe be hereafter included within the county of Hampshire; and that the west bound thereof shall be the boundary line, between the counties of Hamp- shire and Berkshire."
Both petitions called for the name,-Exeter; yet the act established the name,-Rowe .* No written evidence has ever been found to account for this change. Tradition says that it was made in honor of John Rowe, a well-known Boston merchant and man-of-affairs, and that he promised to give the town a bell. This plan was never carried out, perhaps because at that time there was no suitable place in which to hang the bell, and John Rowe died two years later. Cer- tainly, there is no record today of the existence of such a bell, although the writer 35 years ago thought he was on the trail of it in Boston.
*John Rowe was born in Exeter, England. This may not have any significance.
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CHAPTER IV EARLY TOWN AFFAIRS
"It is with young Colonies as it is with Trees newly planted; which those Winds as one faith, that are not so boisterous as to blow down, do so far Advantage as to shake them to a greater Fastness at the Root."
Hubbard's Indian Wars.
Pursuant to a warrant issued by Samuel Taylor of Buck- land, the first town meeting was held March 30, 1785, at which the town officers were chosen as follows :-
Selectmen-
Capt. William Taylor Isaac Langdon Moses Streeter
Moderator-
Town Clerk-
Nathan Foster
Constable-
Archibald Thomas
Tax Collector-
William Heartwell
Ass't Tax Collector-
Michael Wilson
Treasurer-
Deacon Jonas Gleason
Assessors --
Nathan Foster
Benjamin Brown
Ambrose Potter
Wardens-
Nathan Foster
Benjn Shumway
Tythingmen-
Jude Foster
Moses Streeter
Highway Surveyors-
Eldad Corbet
Daniel Coone
Capt. Matthew Barr Abner Chapin
Ambrose Potter
Sealer of Leather Hogreaves-
Capt. Matthew Barr John Merrill Daniel Gleason
Apparently it required a considerable length of time to choose these officers, for there was an adjourned meeting April 4, 1785 at "Landlord Potter's" when it was voted to
Capt. Benjamin Brown
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HISTORY OF ROWE
raise £ 130 "to defray town charges," and £ 20, for "repair- ing highways," the first appropriation made by Rowe as a town.
The sum of twenty pounds for roads was found insufficient, and at another meeting Sept. 15, 1785 thirty pounds addition- al were granted. At the same time a committee of three was appointed "to build a Pound at the Northwest corner of the meetinghouse Lot 30 feet square with poles." The meet- inghouse which will be discussed in a later chapter stood on the rocky knoll at the southwest corner of the intersection of the roads at the old centre.
The first State election in Rowe was held April 27, 1785 and the vote was as follows :----
Governor
Lieut. Governor
Thomas Cushing -12
Samuel Adams -10
Senators
Hugh Mcclellan -23
David Smead, Esq .- 28
Hugh Maxwell Esq .- 6
David Saxton, Esq .- 24
Samuel Taylor Esq .- 3
Daniel Whitmore -21
In 1791, Joseph Nash, who had been tax collector for a number of years and had been criticized for failing to collect Joseph Steel's taxes three years previous, was found short in his accounts. At a meeting in June 1791, the town voted to take no action in the proposal to "support Mr. Joseph Nash in Gaol," but two months later the town voted to take two notes of Zenas Nash (son of Joseph) with his uncle Ben- jamin Nash's endorsement "for the sum of the Deficiency of the State tax Joseph Nash had to collect one half to be paid in six months and the other half in twelve months-Said notes to be on interest and for cash." In case of failure to produce these notes by August 29th the town was to take land of Zenas Nash appraised by Col. White, Col. Maxwell and Rev. Mr. Leavitt, all three of Heath.
1
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SHAY'S INSURRECTION
In common with other towns, Rowe felt the pressure of the times immediately following the Revolutionary War. The drafts for men and money, the scarcity of money and its depreciation in value, the increase in debts, and the want of confidence in government, were "grievances" as they were then called. On August 22, 1786 conventions were held in the counties of Hampshire, Berkshire and Middlesex to "con- sult on matters of public grievance." About 1500 men had actually assembled under arms at Northampton and pre- vented the sitting of the court.
In December 1786, Daniel Shays, who had been a captain in a Massachusetts regiment, marched into Springfield at the head of 300 malcontents and seized the court-house. A month later, state troops put down the insurrection and Shays escaped to Vermont receiving his pardon in 1788.
There is a tradition in Rowe that one of the Steels, for whom Steel Brook was named, was a sympathizer if not an active participator in this insurrection. At any rate the town on October 2, 1786 chose a Committee of Safety having five members, Deacon Jonas Gleason, Nathan Foster, Eldad Corbet, Joseph Nash and Nathaniel Morrill, "to inspect any Disorders that may arise in this Town in this Juncture of time in which civil law is so much Disturbed and to suppress Criminality as much as possible." At the same meeting the town voted "that Joseph Steel and James Trask criminals, be kept Prisoners in and on the cost of this Town until the said Committee can consult with some other Town or Towns to know what further measures may be taken with them." The records reveal nothing further, but Pressey describes an old yellowed paper bearing the signature of William Steel which was an "original Shays' Rebellion document." He states that Steel and eight other men of the locality were Shays' insurgents and that they surrendered to Col. Hugh Maxwell and received their arms again after taking the oath
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of allegiance at the hands of Squire Wells. With these threads Mr. Pressey weaves a pretty romance with the beau- tiful valley of upper Steel Brook as the scene, William Steel as Robin Hood, and Elder Carpenter, the first Baptist mini- ter, as Friar Tuck. At that time Samuel Carpenter was a boy eleven years old and was living in Brattleboro. He did not come to Rowe until about 1806 or 1807.
This paper was shown to me by the late Mrs. Anna Wells Henry, great grand-daughter of John Wells to whom it is directed. £ It is dated,
Heath June 26, 1787. Sir please deliver to Ebenezer Ingersol, Na- than Knight, David Weer, Stephen Brown, Henry Wilson Junior, Eben Goodnow, William Steel, Silas Colton and Warren Willson their arms which are lodged in your care they paying you nine pence cash for my trouble and satifying you for yours and signing the Recept herewith Sent which shall be your Discharge for the same, from your Humble Servant
Hugh Maxwell
We, the Subscribers, having been concerned in the Rebellion in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Since in Obedience to the Resolves of the General Court have taken and Subscribed the oath of Alegiance to this Commonwealth and thereupon delivered up our arms to Hugh Maxwell Esq. do now acknowledge that we have each of us Received of the said Hugh Maxwell our arms again and do hereby discharge him of them witness our Hands
David Weer Ebenezer Ingersol William Steel Warren Willson Jun Silas Colton His Nathan Knight Mark
(no other signature)
ROADS
The earliest road in Rowe was without any doubt, a rough cart path or "bridle-way" over the mountain from Charle- mont to Fort Pelham which bore the name of King's High-
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way and today is called Norton's Trail. Moses Rice of Charlemont, it will be remembered, hauled timbers for the construction of the fort. The second road was probably the road to Heath, following the general the trail between Pel- ham and Shirley. It is likely that at first the western ter- minus was at the house of Cornelius Jones on what is now called the "Old Ford Farm," and that as early as 1770 it was extended to the centre of the town. The old Heath road led straight on easterly from Blakeslee's over the hill down by the Hamilton place.
The earliest road map of Rowe is that furnished to the state in 1793 by the selectmen. Two ruled parallel lines are drawn due north and south which bisect the parallelo- gram of Rowe. They cross Pelham Brook between the saw- mill and "corn mill" of Moses Rogers. The lower section of this road is called the "south road to Charlemont" and the upper section is called the "north road to Readsbo- rough."* Leaving the southern road just north of Rogers' mills and drawn with free hand parallel with the brook is the "southwest road to Zoar." In the exact centre on the west side of this main artery of travel is the meetinghouse. The "east road to Heath," is placed on the map exactly as it is located today, but with its western terminus at the north- east corner of the meetinghouse lot,-namely at the centre of the town. However, from the centre to Tuttle's corner ** the road is drawn as a straight line, as it formerly went over rather than around the hill east of the Unitarian Meeting- house. The "north road to Whitingham" leaving the Heath road at Tuttle's corner is drawn as a straight line.
At a town meeting March 13, 1786, the town "established" (accepted and perhaps improved) the "road from the top of
*In an old deed it is called the Bennington Road.
** Tuttle's Corner so-called as Jude Tuttle formerly lived there. Next to the Bemis-Tuttle house is perhaps the oldest existing 2-story house in town, formerly owned by H. A. Kendrick who operated the mill nearby. It is the old Gideon Chapin place.
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HISTORY OF ROWE
the Mountain south of John Adamses to William Hartwells nearly as it now goes two rods wide." The town also voted "to establish the main road through this Town east and west begins on the east line of the old Myrifield plot (200 rods west of present town line) at Capt. Benjn Browns southeast corner and David Weer's South east corner thence running westward between said lots sixty nine rods thence nearly south west eleven rods in David Weer's and fifty four rods in Lieut. Gideon Chapins land to a large rock and stones on it thence west 45 rods to the summit of a rise of ground on the west side of a small Brook (near the present East school- house) to a pile of stones thence westerly 24 rods to the bridge over a large Brook (Pelham) near Gideon Chapins house (Kendrick- Tuttle place) and as it is now traveled to the sd house thence in a sirait line to the south west corner of Aaron Gleason Junr farm and from thence proceeding as the road is now traveled to the meeting-house passing between Lieut. John Wells house and Barn (old Wells-Ford Farm) runs by the south side of Daniel Coons house and to the bridge North of the clay pitt* thence on the north line of Dr. I. W. Claries (Clary) farm to the pint of a ledge of rocks leaving said ledge on the north side of said road and passing be- tween Nathan Foster Jr. and Jude Fosters Lots to the meetinghouse aforesaid from the meetinghouse southerly on a strait line to the south east corner of Willm Hartwell lot thence Westerly (opposite Edward Wright's) between sd Hartwells and Nathan Wheelers lots to the bridge near the southwest corner of said Hartwells lot thence running west about 10 D north as it is now traveled passing between Phinehas Woods and Michael Wilsons farm and on the north line of Nathaniel Morrills farm from thence between Benjn Shumways (Abbott White's) and Jonathan Whites farm on the south line of Daniel McAllesters farm and in the same direction to the west line of Lieut. Abner Chapins farme (Truesdell-Hazelton) and closes. The above road established four rods in width from end to end."
At the same time (March 13, 1786) the town voted to "es- tablish a road two rods wide" from "William Steels ** North east corner" to Lieut. Abner Chapin's "to the main road leading east and west through the Town." This is the west
*The Clay pit is still to be seen though grassed over, and also many pieces of bricks.
** In April 1792 it is called the "Old House Lately occupied by Wm. Steel.'
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road from the late Obed Peck's to the foot of the hill by Steel Brook.
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 Whittingham." 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 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, follow- ing along the brow of the ridge and joining the present road above the Streeter-Maxam house; again to the west and close to the late Joseph Kings's house hugging the hillside and de- scending abruptly until it joins the present road near a cellar-hole a few rods from the mouth of Steel Brook. There is a tradition that this first road was built along the ridge in order that travellers could see any lurking Indians! In early times there was a branch road leading from this old Zoar road near the above-mentioned sugar house northerly
$Now called the Leshure Road. The old sky-line road over Streeter Hill was open in 1869 according to Beers Atlas of Windham County.
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past the Sam Rice house* to the northern section of the "County Road." The Second Massachusetts Turnpike, 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. If correct then the Deerfield must have been cross- ed by a ford near the old Indian ford just above the mouth of Cold River, before 1817.
The first road from David Ballou's near the present Mon- roe Four Corners was laid out in 1804 in a straight easterly line down Monroe 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 apparent- ly without success. David Ballou and Capt. William Taylor were the committee to send the petition. In 1834 the Selectmen were instructed to erect "a sufficient railing on the road near the Monroe Bridge for the security of travelrs."
In March 1787, the road from the meetinghouse northerly past the Robert Wells farm to the Vermont line was definitely established as follows :-
"Beginning at a marked beech tree near the Meeting house and running Northerly on the line between Nathan Foster Junrs land the Widow Green and Doctor 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 Makepeace 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 Ebenr Ingersols land thence on the line between said Foster
*Until recently, the main door of the Sam Rice house was on the east side facing this ancient road, now obliterated, though E. B. Sibley and the author recall traces of it.
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and Ingersol to Joseph Cresseys and Uphams Corner thence North- erly to Vermont Line."
The section north of the Robert Wells farm to the old Pre- served Smith homestead,-later occupied by Sibleys, Wheel- ers 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 (Tuttle's Cor- ner) passing the southeastern base of Adams Mountain to the Charlemont line was laid out in 1792 .* The present "Mine Road" was built in 1848 paralleling 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 Myrifield 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 Fac- tory," and the county commissioners in 1840 ordered the town to make it a road, but no definite action was taken.
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."
*Two cellar-holes on this old road and the original house-site on the Solomon Todd farm are the basis for this having been called the Streeter Neighborhood.
** The road which crossed Pelham Brook below the Fellows-Hyde mill (the late Charles King's) leading easterly up the mountain, and thence down to the school-house at Zoar, was established in 1800 and discontinued in 1817, remaining a "bridle-way".
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HISTORY OF ROWE
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 Bennington." A month later 14 voters out of 26 present voted "to sustain the peti- tion of William Taylor and others for the location of a high- way through the north part of the town in case there is a prospect of the same being constructed through to Benning- ton," but apparently 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 con- sistently 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 discon- tinuing 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 lead- ing to the Cressy Neighborhood past William Steel's old cellar-hole and following Steel Brook Valley for some dis- tance until it crosses over to the Peck-Veber-Zoar road.
*This is an interesting vote as it reveals a project (never consum- mated) of continuing northwesterly the present road from Colrain up the West Branch through North Heath to Veniah Porter's four corners. From the latter point it might have continued in a general northwesterly direction to Amos Underwood's, thence through the woods to the old Readsborough Road down to Lime Hollow at Sherman's. Lime Hollow, and its ancient lime kilns, are under water due to the dam at Sherman's Power Plant, down river a mile from the former bridge over the Deerfield.
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There is one other cellar-hole upon the heights some 50 rods to the southwest of this old road which marks the site of the Carpenter Bliss homestead. The original Peck-Veber road swung sharply to the east, crossing this old Steel Brook road and coming out at William Taylor's. On either side of Steel Brook near its source are two ancient cellar-holes .* 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 established in 1822 although it had been allotted in the deeds of 1777. In 1837 the road was discontinued which crossed from the Bolton place to the Wheeler-Wilcox place north of Edgar Pike's, and which accommodated the school children in that part of the town.
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