USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Ware > History of Ware, Massachusetts > Part 14
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61
Joseph Gray
" Feb. 15, 1821 66 89
Sam. Sherman
" Jan. 29, 1811
88
Jos. Cummings Lieut.
" June 29, 1826
66
73
James Lamberton
Jan. 12, 1841
79
Jonathan Marsh
Private "
Apr. 16, 1838
86
Abraham Cummings 1 Lt.
no monument
Jacob Lazell
Private " Apr. 10, 1828
73
Oliver Coney
Captain“ Dec. 13, 1830
66
81
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16. 18
" THE NARROWS" IN GRENVILLE PARK Here the Hadley Path crossed the Ware River
THE LAMBERTON HOUSE
Built before 1800 near the point where the Boston Post Road crossed Ware River. The house stands some three hundred yards above the old ford-way.
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VIII
ROADS AND BRIDGES
NOTHING is more important in the development of a town than its system of roads. To trace the growth of the road system, unless contemporaneous maps are available, is a most intricate process for several reasons. In the first place it must be borne in mind that roads existed long before they were in anysense formal highways. Paths through the woods made by the Indians, and runs traversed in the earliest times by deer and other wild animals were adopted by the settlers as bridle-paths, to be gradually developed into wood-roads and cart-tracks. We read of "Natural roads " along the streams or over the hills that later were improved and laid out as highways. In the second place, formally accepted highways were by no means permanent. The old records abound in discontinuations and changes of loca- tion, as well as in the acceptance of others newly surveyed. Carelessness in nomenclature, and reckoning from transitory landmarks further complicate the subject. Probably the earliest road through this territory ran approximately east and west, and was used as a thoroughfare long before an acre of town land was owned by a private individual.
Historians are pretty well agreed that there were two main routes of travel east and west through the Province of Massachusetts, both following the route of ancient Indian trails. These were the Hadley Path and the Bay Path. One who is familiar with the literature on the subject 1 describes these paths as follows:
The Bay Path, so called from its destination on the coast, and since celebrated in song and story, was perhaps the most famous of these narrow threads of communica- tion between the river and the ocean. We learn that it was laid out in 1673, following substantially a great trail of the savages from Boston or Shawmut as they called it and
.H. K. Hyde, Study Club Address.
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HISTORY OF WARE
passing through Watertown, Wayland and Marlborough to Worcester. Thence it led to Brookfield, following the Qua- baug River and the present line of the Boston & Albany R. R. to the vicinity of Indian Orchard, when it bore away from the Chicopee River and entered Springfield by what is still called the "Old Bay Road" and Bay and State streets, passing near, and perhaps partly over, the ground now occupied by the United States Armory and Arsenal. "The streams were crossed at natural ford-ways, a large tree was thrown across for foot travel, and later two trees laid side by side and covered with split timbers formed a bridge for saddle and pack horses." At West Brookfield it diverged from Pynchon's Path to Springfield, which passed through Brimfield near Steerage Rock, and also from what was known as the Hadley Path marked out soon after 1660. The latter antedates the Bay Path by about a dozen years, and "ran from Old Hadley to Quabaug connecting the two settlements socially and commercially. It was the military road during King Philip's War and continued the main line of travel between the two points for nearly a century. It started from the plain on which West Brookfield Village now stands, ran by the southwesterly corner of Wekabaug Pond, thence in a northwesterly direction to near the north- east corner of Warren, thence directly over the top of Coy's Hill, where was the famous Rich's Tavern, crossed the Ware River a short distance above the falls, where the Otis Com- pany's dam now stands, thence through Ware Town Valley to the Swift River, Belchertown, Hadley and Northampton." Traces of this road are still visible on the lower side of the Gilbertville road near the junction with the Warren road, showing where it ran to the river. I find mention of one other through path, the exact location of which I am unable to give. It was a continuation of what was known as the Nashaway trail leading from Lancaster to the Great Falls of the Connecticut River as the site of the city of Holyoke was then called. It kept on the easterly side of Ware River by way of the Indian villages previously spoken of to Pottaquattuck Pond (now known as Forest Lake), where it crossed the river at the well-known ford-way, thence following a westerly course through Bondsville, Lud- low and Chicopee.
The earliest settlers followed largely the Indian trails, and the Hadley Path described above became an import-
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ROADS AND BRIDGES
ant road, in fact the most important road in the economy of our town, passing directly through Ware from east to west. It may still be traced through nearly its whole length. Starting westward from the lower end of Wekabaug Pond it passed southerly of the present highway through the fields and up the slope of Coy's Hill in almost a straight line. The stone walls bordering it when a highway are still in place for a long distance at the top of the hill. On the west side it descended past the old Coney place, turning somewhat to follow the valley of a small brook where the Warren road leads down towards Ware River, then to the Narrows and across into Grenville Park, whence its route may be traced through the grove straight toward Highland Street, a portion of which is built on the old road-bed; there crossing Muddy Brook at about the middle of Snow's Pond 1 it may be picked up again on the west side, and still again at the foot of the steep hill that leads up past the cellar-hole of the pest-house, whence it ran through the Centre past the meeting-house, and on to Swift River Bridge. It was early known as "the great road," and was laid out ten rods wide.2 The stone walls below the pest-house show the original width of the road as well as its location. West of the Centre in the Beaver Brook Valley the road probably forked, the lower route leading to Swift River Bridge, while the northern crossed Beaver Lake above the modern dam but below the ancient one, and led north-westerly. The abut- ments of a forgotten bridge over Swift River may be seen close to the Ware and Enfield town line. Either here, or a mile below, at West Ware, this upper road crossed Swift River.
The plat of Mr. Samuel Prince's farm (the Hollingsworth grant) made in 1714 shows a bit of the Hadley Road as it led through what is now the village. The bridge at the Narrows was built undoubtedly before the town was settled. Remains of old abutments may still be seen at low water. Here un- doubtedly Jabez Omstead crossed the river coming from Brookfield in 1729. An ancient cellar-hole recently filled
1 The abutments of the bridge were observed where the old road crossed Muddy Brook, when the water was last out of the pond.
2 So stated in the survey of Jeremiah Omstead's original grant of 1733. The road ran through his land 254 rods, and 10 rods wide. His grant of 100 acres was exclusive of road and river.
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HISTORY OF WARE
up, traditionally attributed to Jabez, though it more prob- ably belonged to his son Jeremiah, was near the west end of the bridge.
That changes were made very early is shown by a deed of Jeremiah Omstead of 1738 1 in which is mentioned an "Old Bridge Spot " and a "New Bridge," the two being some distance apart. The facts are not easy to determine, for the old County Records do not always, in referring to bridges, describe them unmistakably. Several references were found to a bridge near the house of one Richard Burk, which could not quite be reconciled with each other. Refer- ence to the court and probate records showed that there were at least two, and perhaps three men of that name liv- ing in this vicinity about 1740. One died in Ware River Parish in 1756. Four years earlier he was in court for obstructing the highway with a fence. He appears to have been a lessee on the Manour, as no record is found of his having owned land. He almost certainly lived in the south part of the town at the point where the road to Palmer crosses the river. It is said that a very old house stood near the fork of the roads sixty years ago.
Another Richard Burk was living in Brookfield in 1740, and his son, Richard, Jr., was at the same time residing in Quabbin or Greenwich. In 1734 Richard Burk, Jr., quit- claims land in Ware River supposed to be 100 acres, 20 acres of it being described as "that on which I now dwell." Rich- ard Burk of Brookfield appears to have lived just east of Ware River on land annexed to Ware in 1755.
There can be no doubt that the following order of the Court of Sessions of the County, dated 1733, has reference to the bridge at the Narrows:
This Court orders that a goodj Substantial Cart Bridge be built over Ware River in the Road from Hadley to Brook- field across sd River a little below the house of Richard Burk - and Elea' Porter and Timothy Dwight Esq. are desired & directed to take care to have sd Bridge erected over sd River and that they Improve some faithful workman to effect ye same, and the sd Bridge to be built at the charge of the County of Hampshire.
1 Springfield Registry.
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ROADS AND BRIDGES
Another court record of 1736, describing the road between Hadley and Brookfield, mentions several unmistakable landmarks:
Turning Northeast where the sd New Rode is marked up to Jabez umsteed House and along where the Road now goes up to the Great Bridge over Ware River towards Richard Burks House a little south of it and so up Coy's hill in the New Cart Road to Brookfield West Line.
The bridge at the Narrows was "the Great Bridge," and the Hadley Path has reached the dignity of a "New Cart Road to Brookfield."
Naturally this bridge went the way of all perishable things, and in less than twenty years another order of the same court became necessary.
Court of Sessions, 1751.
The Court being informed that ye bridge at Ware River in the Country road was fallen down, and there was an ab- solute necessity for a new one, ordered that there be a new Bridge built as soon as may be, that there be a box fitted in the middle of the river and string pieces from ye abutments to ye sd Box, and that there be paid out of ye County Treas- ury six pounds, thirteen shillings and four pence lawful money toward it, and Collo Porter is desired and directed to see it done as soon as may be.
Again in 1763 we find this record:
On account of the charges of building Ware River Bridge being presented to the Court amounting to £51,, 18,,8, the same was allowed and payment ordered to be made to Eleazer Porter Esq. to be received by him and paid to the persons employed.
The bridge of 1757, paid for as above, apparently did not stand as it should, for in 1765 the inhabitants of Ware petition:
That ye bridge over Ware River in ye county aforesd & in sd Ware now is & long has been down & out of repair and that by reason of poverty and the great charge they are necessarily at in making & repairing the public roads in ye
166
HISTORY OF WARE
sd Ware (considerable part of wh is newly laid out & puts ye sd inhabitants to great charge and costs to make feasible) and are utterly unable to repair ye bridge aforesaid without ye aid & assistance of this county they therefore pray such relief may be given them in ye premises as this court shall think reasonable - and as in duty etc.
Court ordered £20 to be granted as aid "to encourage inhabs of Ware to build a bridge over sd river in ye old Country Rd in ye place where ye former Bridge stood."
Of the Hadley Road as a whole, through the centre of the town, the following record, dated 1763, is of interest as picturing times and conditions:
The Grand Jurors for the Lord the King for the body of the County of Hampshire do on their oaths Present that the Common High Way of the said Lord the King leading from Swift River Bridge so called in the District of Ware in said County to the East Line of the said District of Ware being the Space of Six miles and the whole breadth thereof being the space of Six rods 1 on the first day of August last past was, ever since has been and now is out of Repair and founderous miry and Rocky for Want of a due reparation and amendment thereof so that the liege Subjects of the said Lord the King cannot pass on the same Way without great Danger and Difficulty. And said Jurors on their Oaths further say that the Inhabitants of the sd District of Ware by a Law of this province in such Cases provided ought and are holden to repair the said High Way so often as the same stands in need of Repair, but neglect and re- fuse to repair the same Contrary to a Law of this province in such Cases made and provided the Peace of ye sd Lord the King and to the Common Nuisance of all his Majesty's liege subjects passing thro' ye sd Way - Which Present- ment was made at the last Term of this Court and signed John Hawks foreman -
And now the said Inhabitants upon summons of them by a Deputy Sheriff for this purpose by Jacob Cummings Gent. their Agent come before sd Court and being put to plead and answer to the premises They here freely declare that they will not Contend with the King but submit them- selves to his Grace -
It is therefore Considered by the Court that the sd In-
1 Width given as ten rods in the Proprietors' Records.
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VIEW OF WARE IN 1884.
View taken in 1884 from the upper tower of the Otis Company. The Hartwell house, one of the earliest houses built in the village, was replaced in 1888 by Trinity Church. The tower of the East Church is seen in the distance.
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167
ROADS AND BRIDGES
habitants of Ware aforesd for their Offense aforesd do pay a fine of Twenty Shills to be to his Majesty and Cost of Prose- cution taxed at two pounds eleven Shillings & Ex'eon is awarded accordingly - It is also further Considered that a Distraign go against the said Inhabitants until the same High Way be effectually repaired -
S Exª for ye fine & Cost iss'd 4th oct. 1763
As the Hadley Road crossed Muddy Brook running westerly it undoubtedly branched, one fork turning south and following the direction of the brook a little way up the hill. It crossed West Main Street a few rods beyond the bridge, and entered Palmer Road a short distance this side of the old "cemetery on the plain."
On the high land just back of the first house beyond the bridge on West Street is an old cellar-hole which tradition declares to have belonged to the first tavern in Ware, kept by John Downing, and licensed first in the year 1754. The course of the old road may still be readily traced in the neighborhood of the cellar-hole. From this point it appar- ently followed Palmer Road to Gibbs' Crossing, then turned more westerly, past the Babcock Tavern (which is modern, though an earlier inn stood on higher ground nearly a mile to the westward in 1763), and so on over Swift River Bridge.
This bridge over Swift River was in place when the Read Manour was first surveyed. In 1728 the Court of Common Pleas at Springfield allowed £10,,13 to Thomas Baker of Brookfield for time and expenses in building or mending this bridge.
The main artery of the Bay Path passed through the southerly portion of Palmer, following the Quabog River, which it crossed twice, once on entering the Elbow Tract, and again on leaving it. A more northerly branch left the main artery near West Warren, crossed the southern slopes of Coy's Hill, and led through the south-westerly portion of Ware to the bridge over Swift River, a mile and a half or two miles above the southern boundary of the town. Thus it may be seen that the Bay Road and the Hadley Road crossed Swift River at the same point, to diverge again on
168
HISTORY OF WARE
the western bank, the one toward Springfield, the other toward Hadley.
The Country Records at Northampton refer to this road, as it approaches Swift River, as the Bay Road, - with a question mark. It is also called, on the map of 1795, the Post Road to Boston, and is otherwise named the County Road, and the Country Road. How early this route was travelled cannot easily be determined. It followed the an- cient Indian trail, employing the ford-way for crossing the river. As early as 1733 William Scott was keeping a tavern near this spot, described in a petition for a license renewal as "especially convenient for assistance for crossing the river at difficult seasons."
In 1751 the Court ordered "that Collo Dwight and Collo Williams be a committee to build a bridge over Swift River as soon as may be at the charge of the County, and that ye Committee be directed to examine whether a shorter road may not be obtained for the use of travellers without purchase of land."
In 1753 we find the following order of the Court of Sessions:
Ordered by ye Court that there be paid to ye committee toward building a bridge at Ware River near Scott's £26,, 13,,2, lawful money.
Joseph Scott, in 1752, acquired the lease of 200 acres lying on both sides of the river just above where it crosses the Palmer line.
The abutments of an old bridge may still be seen below the most westerly of the Lamberton houses, now owned by George F. Brown. Some three hundred yards down the river is an ancient ford-way, and a second ford-way below that.
The time had come for a less difficult route through Ware than the Hadley Road over the top of Coy's Hill. Such a route was surveyed for the County by Nathaniel Dwight in 1769. It is described as leading "from the line of the County a little east of Isaac Merritt's across the south of Coy's Hill to the County Road in Ware a little south-west of Rice's house."
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169
ROADS AND BRIDGES
The Commissioners "met June 28, 1769, at the house of Mr. Jonathan Rogers, Inn-holder in Ware, and measured the way proposed from Robert Brown's field round by Jonathan Roger's to Rice's, and to the point of the hill south-west of said Rice's where we proposed to come to the Road, and from there up to Brown's field, across the bow of Ware River, and found the way by Roger's 165 rods furthest, and were fully satisfied that across the bow of the river was the best way, not only shortest but most even feasible ground." Then we went to Western Line which is ye East line of ye County.
The specifications follow in detail.
Then "we crossed the river West 12º North, 54 poles to the Old Road . .. where the road turns round the South point of the hill beyond Richard Burke's old possession where we ended the road we were to lay out."
The problem for the Commissioners was not as difficult as it has proved for their interpreter. What they did was this: They started at a point about three quarters of a mile north-west of Shaw's Tavern, as it is now called, and meas- ured the old road (now discontinued) which led down past the Newland farm and across the river at or near the two- mile bridge, then westerly past Rogers's Inn about as the road now runs, continuing on to the bow of the river.
Then crossing the river at the bow they went straight through the meadow, along the line of Bacon Street and so up the hill to their starting point at Brown's field.
This latter route was found to be better, and more than half a mile shorter than the first route measured. Then they continued up the hill past McMaster's house, which was afterwards built over into the Shaw Tavern now stand- ing. Then past Merritt's 1 spring, which has kept its name to this day (it lies a few rods away from the road as it now runs), and so to Western line, the line of the county.
The route thus laid out was not a new one, but it now becomes a county road, Nathaniel Dwight's survey being accepted by the county. Two years later the bridge ques-
1 An interesting tradition has survived in regard to Merritt's house which stood near the spring. One night, a hundred years ago or more, the entire family of ten or twelve were asleep in their beds, when a great wind blew the roof from the house and carried it two miles away to Coy's Hill, without hurting a single occupant of the house.
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HISTORY OF WARE
tion at the bow of the river was up, in regard to which we find an interesting act of the General Court of 1771.
An act for charging the County of Hampshire with cost of erecting & maintaining a bridge over Ware River in the district of Ware in sd County of Hampshire lately laid out, leading from the Great road in sd Ware, called the Bay Road, to the Great road in Western - called the Post Road from Springfield to Boston:
This road laid out by order of the Court of Sessions for Hampshire County ... whereby the steep, long and very difficult hill, called Coy's Hill, in the said great road, called the Bay Road1 is avoided, which will very much facilitate the travelling from Hadley to Boston especially with car- riages. But as that part of the sd road lately laid out . . . crosses Ware River . .. which cannot be forded in many seasons of the year and therefore a bridge over the sd river in that part thereof is absolutely necessary . .. and as the inhabitants of the sd district of Ware by reason of their extreme and well known poverty, are altogether unable either to erect or maintain such a bridge . . . Therefore . the erecting and maintaining and upholding of a cart- bridge over Ware River in the road lately laid out in the District of Ware Afors' shall be and hereby is made a proper county charge of the sd County of Hampshire.
In 1772 a humble petition was presented asking for fur- ther help from the county, as alterations must be made in the approaches to the bridge on account of changes in the highway. "Given into the hands of the Commission ap- pointed at a former term to erect the bridge abovementioned."
Report recommends that £103,,0,,5 be allowed. This was ordered, - County Treasurer to pay the Committee.
The Bay Road, or Boston Post Road, followed this route for many years. Floods frequently destroyed the bridge, and new ones were built. A tradition states that seventy- five or eighty years ago the bridge was taken up in the fall and put down again in the spring.
When the bridge just above the village passed out of use we cannot say. The Omsteads built, for their own conven-
1 The fact is there has always been confusion in referring to the Bay Road and to the Hadley Road. It depended somewhat on the point of view whether one faced eastward toward the Bay, or westward toward Hadley.
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ROADS AND BRIDGES
ience, a bridge below their mills, near where the South Street bridge now stands. This would somewhat lessen the need for the one at the old spot above the falls, and very likely it soon fell into decay. The map of 1795 shows a bridge about half way between the villages of Ware and Gilbertville, at or near the spot where the iron bridge now stands.
The origin of this bridge is found in the Town Records. In 1793 there was an article in the warrant "to see if the town will make any Incouragement towards building a Bridge over Ware River, so called, near Mr. Wm Snell's." A committee was chosen to report at an adjourned meeting, after having consulted with the inhabitants of New Brain- tree, and at the adjourned meeting the town voted £20 toward the construction of the bridge. In the next year, 1794, a road was laid out "from New Braintree line South westerly to the road called the Hawley (Hadley) road, otherwise described as extending from the Bullen farm to New Braintree line." This is now the continuation of Church Street beyond the reservoir.
References to other roads, either laid out or repaired, are frequent. Let it be remembered, however, that in many in- stances they had been travelled for years before being re- corded. The following are County Roads:
1753 - From Swift River Bridge to Palmer.
1761 - Highway through Ware River to Greenwich. This ran through the Beaver Brook Valley. The "Turn- pike" was not projected until many years later. On Feb. 20, 1806, the town "voted to lay out $200 for the purpose of carrying the Monson and Petersham Turnpike through this town." The money was to be expended under the direc- tion of an agent of the town, and when completed the road was to be given to "the corporation of said Turnpike road provided they go on and complete the whole road as located by the committee."
1761 - From Hardwick to Palmer.
1763 - From the Bay Road at the top of Swift River Hill, northeasterly to the County line, four rods wide.
It "intersects the road from Palmer to Greenwich, and runs in sd road 132 rds . .. crossing Beaver Brook near where
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HISTORY OF WARE
a saw-mill formerly stood to a white oak tree near the Meet- ing House ... past Capt. Cumming's house ... crossing the County Road from Palmer to Hardwick . .. to Muddy Brook . . . past Andrew Rutherford's . . . to Ware River, crossing sd river . . . to the east side of the County."
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