History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 89

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 89

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GROCERIES .- The oldest store in the city at this

time is that occupying the first story of the Sentinel building, and, as far as the writer can learn, it has always been occupied as a grocery store. For some years previons to 1835, Kimball & Farwell had a grocery and dry-goods store there. In April, 1835, David F. McIntire and Thomas C. Caldwell took the business, and the latter continued there until October, 1884,-a half-century, lacking six months. He then sold out to Warren S. Harris, and removed to Dor- chester, where he still resides, though his familiar face is frequently seen in Fitchburg. Mr. Harris kept the store until the spring of 1888, when he dis- posed of it, W. M. Gray, of Gardner, being the pur- chaser. The passer-by now sees on the building a brilliant sign, recently put up, bearing this inscrip- tion :

T. C. CALDWELL GROCERY.

W. M. GRAY, PROPRIETOR.

Two of the leading grocers in town now, M. N. Ben- jamin and E. M. Read, received their business train- ing at the hands of Mr. Caldwell.

The grocery business now conducted by S. D. Baldwin, under the Calvinistic Church, has been long in existence, having been established, in 1837, by his father, Joseph Baldwin, one of the old-time grocers, who died a few years ago.

The store of H. J. Lacey (who deals in groceries as well as dry-goods) in West Fitchburg, known as the " Old Baldwin Store," has also been long established.

The oldest established groceryman still in active business here is Mr. Henry A. Hatch, who began business in 1844, in the old Rollstone block, occupy- ing that portion which is now George H. Chap- man's shoe-store. In 1870 he built Hatch's block, at the corner of Main and Prichard Streets, where his business has since been carried on. For some years past, Perley Holmes has been in partnership with Mr. Hatch, under the firm-name of H. A. Hatch & Co., but in the spring of 1888 the partnership was dis- solved, though Mr. Holmes still remains in the store.

There are now thirty-seven grocers in business here. Beside those we have mentioned a few may be noted as having been established for a goodly number of years and having a large family trade, viz .: Josiah' Spaulding, J. F. Brnce & Co., A. L. Williams, & Co., C. R. Conn, J. A. Joslin, G. H. & T. Cutler, W. P. Gny, C. A. Cross, (wholesale), Daniel Boyle and T. H. W. Rice & Co.

MEATS AND PROVISIONS .- There are at the pres- ent time thirty meat and provision markets in Fitch- burg. William C. Emory is the senior in this line, having been in the business here upwards of thirty years. Lowe Brothers & Co., however, represent the oldest established business. This firm and the branch house of Armour & Co. are wholesale dealers. Among other provision dealers who have been estab- lished in business here for a considerable number of years may be mentioned H. W. Emery, G. H. Ran-

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del, J. F. Jaseph, H. P. Blood, W. W. Lamb and Frank A. Wood.

HARDWARE. - The hardware firm of Wright, Kendall & Co. was formed about 1857, and consisted of Isaac C. Wright, L. J. Kendall and J. H. Fair- banks. Mr. Wright is still in the same business and at the head of the large hardware firm of I. C. Wright & Co., the other members of the firm being M. B. Damon and R. D. Gould.

George B. Knowlton was for some time in the hardware store of Waldo Wallace, but for upwards of twenty years has been in business for himself, and for some years past has carried on a large hardware business in one of the fine stores in the Fitchburg Savings Bank Block. The other important houses in this line in town are those of A. B. Lawrence & Co., and Baker Brothers & Co.

For some thirty-five years or more, Lyman Patch has manufactured tinware and dealt in stoves at his present store in the old Town & Piper Block.

The foregoing comprise some of the more important and most numerously represented commercial inter- ests of Fitchburg, and we will close this chapter with a mere mention of a few of the longest established houses in some of the lines of business not yet alluded to.

E. W. Willis & Co. represent the oldest furniture house, the business having been founded in 1845 by Sidney D. Willis.

Martin Webber has been in this line since 1876, and the Fitchburg Furniture Company has had a retail store here since 1884.

J. F. D. Garfield is the senior in the coal business, having begun it in April, 1864. Two years later the firm of Garfield & Proctor was formed. Recently the Garfield & Proctor Coal Company was incorporated and continues to carry on business at the old stand. Of the other eight coal dealers now in town A. R. Ordway and G. E. Waite & Co. have been the longest established.

Of the four confectionery manufacturers Herbert N. Rugg is the senior, his business having been estab- lished in 1871.

Among the booksellers and stationers Baker Broth- ers represent the longest established business-that of Stephen & Charles Shepley, founded in 1845. J. E. Thompson is the leading one among the other seven dealers in stationery, etc.

J. C. Sanborn keeps a well-stocked and attractive art store and W. A. Dunn deals largely in pictures and picture-frames in addition to stationery.

Of the twelve druggists in town Colonel H. G. Greene and W. A. Macurda have been the longest established-both having begun business for them- selves in 1868. The "Old City " drug store, of which Colonel Greene is proprietor, and the "J. B. Lane " drug store, of which W. D. Curtis is now proprietor, are the two oldest in town. H. F. Rockwell, A. H. Burgess and H. A. Estabrook may be mentioned as having been in this line for some years.

J. C. Moulton is the oldest established photographer in the city, having been in business here since 1848. Kimball Brothers have been in this line for some years, and E. E. Howard has been more recently located here.

Samuel P. Durant takes the lead among the house painters, having been in the business some thirty-five years.

R. R. Conn, watch-maker and jeweler, is the oldest in his line, having begun business here in 1855. James H. Fairbanks, Oran S. Rice and L. N. Wilbur have been the longest established of the other seven jewelers in town.

George H. Chapman is the senior in the boot and shoe trade in Fitchburg, and Horace Hayward, who is in his employ, has probably been connected with this line of business longer than any other person in town.

S. G. Frost is the veteran harness-maker and Peter B. Howard the veteran hair-dresser.

The following are also seniors in their respective lines of business : J. Cushing & Co., flour and grain ; S. A. Childs, real estate; Charles Mason, insurance ; George Reed, marble-work ; F. A. Beckwith, lumber; George Robbins, plumbing ; J. E. Grant, mason ; Silas Whitney, jobber.

Doubtless some individuals and firms have been omitted in the foregoing who deserve mention ; but it must be borne in mind that it is impossible, in the space allotted to this department, to speak of all. The writer has endeavored to use his best judgment in selecting and to be impartial, and to give to readers of this work, outside of Fitchburg, a fair representation of the com - mercial interests of the city.

CHAPTER XLV.

FITCHBURG-(Continued.)

HOTELS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND BUSINESS BLOCKS.

THERE are at present ten hotels in Fitchburg, and two of them-the Fitchburg Hotel and American House-occupy the sites of early taverns. Over a cen- tury ago, Cowdin's tavern stood where the American House now is. The Fitchburg Hotel site has not been so long occupied for this purpose, but there has been a public-house there since early in the present cen- tury.

The American House was built in 1845 by David Boutelle and the easterly wing was erected in 1856. The property has passed through the hands of several individuals since then. Geo. H. Cole & Son conduct the business at present.

The Fitchburg Hotel was built about 1850 by the Fitchburg Hotel Company, of which Colonel Ivers Phillips was president. Dana L. Fuller now owns the hotel property and F. W. Judkins is the proprietor.

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FITCHBURG.

The location of the present National House is a comparatively old tavern site. The base of one of the original granite pillars in front bears the date 1831, in which year the house was erected. In those days it was known as the "upper tavern," while the house where the Fitchburg Hotel now is was called the "lower tavern." For some years the "upper tavern " had the name of Washington Hotel, and Daniel Moulton was proprietor. After a time the name was changed to Rollstone House, and within a few years another change has been made, and it is now the National House. P. J. Kehoe is the present proprietor.

The remaining hotels are of much more recent origin and are as follows: Citizens' House, Derby House, Drury House, Emory House, Hotel West- moreland, Manchester House and Old Colony House,

Of most of the public buildings in the city more or less mention has already been made in preceding por- tions of this sketch. Only a brief summary of them will therefore be given in this chapter.

The finest and in every sense the most valuable public edifice in the city is the Wallace Library and Art Building, Hon. Rodney Wallace's gift to Fitch- burg. It has been fully described in the section on "Libraries." It is located on Main Street nearly opposite Monument Park-one of the best situations in town-and is easily accessible to citizens in all parts of the city.

Plainly visible from the front windows of the library is the County Court House, a granite building of noble proportions standing in the rear of Monu- ment Park. It was built in 1871 at a cost of about one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.

In the vicinity of these two fine buildings is the post-office, on Main Street, a neat brick edifice. The post-office and a small news-room occupy the lower floor, and in the upper portion of the building are the rooms of the Board of Trade and the Park Club, and also several offices.

A little farther up Main Street is the City Hall building, standing ou the south side of the street. It is a large brick structure erected in 1852, the entire upper story of which is devoted to a hall-the largest in the city-while on the first floor are the various city offices. A police station occupies part of the basement.

On the north side of Main Street, near Prichard Street, is Whitney's Opera House building, which con- tains the only theatre in town. Andrew Whitney built and owns this block. The lower story is devoted to stores and the theatre occupies the upper portion. The auditorium has a seating capacity of about one thousand. This theatre was first opened to the public October 20, 1881, and has enjoyed a good patronage since.

Among other public buildings mention may be made of the fine Union Passenger Station, the High School building, on High Street, the County Jail, a handsome and substantial brick structure, in South

Fitchburg, and the Almshouse, also in South Fitch - burg, a pleasantly located and well-conducted public charitable institution maintained there since 1828.

Most of the business blocks have been spoken of in the early part of this sketch. By far the handsomest and most costly building in town is the Fitchburg Savings Bank block, which was built in 1870-71 by the Fitchburg Savings Bank. It is situated on Main Street, nearly opposite the City Hall building, and has a frontage on the street of one hundred and eight feet. The front is built of Fitzwilliam granite and is four stories high. The ground floor is divided into four stores, as commodious and well-appointed as any in Worcester County. On the second floor, which is reached by a wide entrance and stairway in the centre of the block, are the banking rooms of the Fitchburg National and Fitchburg Savings Banks, the office of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and several law-offices. The two upper stories are occu- pied by the Masonic organizations in town. Their lodge-room and apartments are among the finest in the State.

The cost of this magnificent block was nearly two hundred thousand dollars.

The Rollstone National Bank building is a fine brick and freestone structure, four stories high, on Main Street, near the railroad station. On the ground floor are the banking-rooms of the Rollstone National Bank, and the Worcester North Savings Institution, and the large dry-goods store of A. B. Sherman. In the upper portion, the Odd Fellows and Grand Army Post have commodious lodge-rooms and apartments.

This block was built in 1869 at a cost of sixty thou- sand dollars.

There are many other business blocks in town, among which may be mentioned Central, Goodrich, L. J. Brown, Belding's, Crocker, Hatch's, Wachusett Bank, Opera House, Stiles', Torrey & Wood, Wixon's, Union, Cushing's, Coggshall & Carpenter's and Dick- inson's blocks.

The ground floor of the Fitchburg Hotel and of the American House wing is in each case used for mer- cantile purposes.

CHAPTER XLVI.

FITCHBURG-(Continued.)

CITY DEPARTMENTS.

IN this chapter will be given a short account of the various departments maintained by the city for the benefit and protection of the citizens.

FITCHBURG WATER-WORKS .- The Water Depart- ment dates back to the year 1870; when the first Board of Water Commissioners was appointed. Previons to this time the people had obtained water from wells or springs, and the only public action of

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

the town had been to establish the town pump, sundry reservoirs for use at fires and to authorize the establishment of two public watering troughs, which, however, were not erected for some years.

During the six years preceding 1870, the subject of furnishing the town with an abundant supply of pure water was pretty thoroughly discussed. April 11, 1864, the town appointed Alvah Crocker, Lucius Aldrich, Alpheus P. Kimball, Charles Burleigh and James B. Lane a committee to ascertain "the best method of furnishing its more elevated streets with a proper supply of water in case of fires, aud hydrants to conduct and distribute the same."

Nothing was heard from this committee until the annual town-meeting, April 9, 1866, when a report was made to the effect that they had secured an act of incorporation, and purchased land covering the necessary sites for dams, etc. This land comprised about one hundred and seventy-five acres in the vicinity of Scott, Shattuck and Falulah Brooks, and the price paid for it by the committee was $6612.70. The report also presented a plan providing for two reservoir-, having a storage capacity of about three hundred million gallons and estimates in regard to the cost of laying the necessary mains.

This report was accepted and ordered to be printed together with the act of incorporation. By this act the five members of the committee were made a corporation under the name of the Pearl Hill Water Company, to furnish the inhabitants of Fitchburg with pure water. No further action was taken by the town in regard to the report or the act of incor- poration.

At this same meeting, April 9, 1866, a committee of twenty-five was raised to take the whole matter into consideration and report at an adjourned meet- ing. May 7, 1866, this committee reported, recom- mending that a committee of five be appointed, and authorized to employ an engineer to make a survey, and present to the town plans and estimates. The report was accepted, and Eugene T. Miles, Dr. Alfred Hitchcock, Louis D. Bartlett, Abel F. Adams and Rodney Wallace were appointed as the com- mittee.

August 25, 1866, this committee made an elaborate report, in which provision was made for two reser- voirs on Falulah Brook, and estimates of the cost of the necessary mains and two reservoirs were given, varying from $116,000 to $153,000, according to the height of the dams. This report was accepted, and the subject indefinitely postponed.

April 8, 1867, it was voted to print this report, at an expense not exceeding $100, and circulate it among the citizens.

May 6, 1867, the selectmen and fire engineers were authorized to purchase Durant Pond for fire purposes, but no action was ever taken in regard to it.

The selectmen in 1868 tried in vain to secure water supply for public watering troughs; but in 1869 the

town purchased water rights of Daniel Messinger, and voted, August 30th, that the selectmen be au- thorized to purchase land for storage purposes. The land was bought and pipe provided, but not until it was too late in the season to begin work, and nothing further appears to have been done about it.

November 2, 1869, the subject of a general water supply was again brought before the town, and a committee, consisting of Hon. Alvah Crocker, Hon. Ebenezer Torrey and Moses G. Lyon, Esq., was ap- pointed to obtain from the Legislature a charter for supplying the town with pure water.

March 19, 1870, an act was approved, by virtue of which the three above-named gentlemen were made a corporation, uuder the name of the Fitchburg Water Company, to provide the town with a water supply, and specifying that the town might at any time, within one year from the passage of the act, assume all the rights and privileges of the corpora- tors, by a majority vote in town-meeting.

April 25, 1870, the town refused to accept this charter by a vote of 236 to 226. A week later a motion to reconsider this vote was lost, 334 to 309. The vote was very close, which encouraged the friends of the measure and forced its opponents to take active means to defeat it.

June 18, 1870, Messrs. Salmon W. Putnam, Walter Heywood, Joseph Cushing, Lyman Patch and Dr. Thomas Palmer were appointed a committee to ex- amine " Meeting-House Pond," in Westminster, and authorized to make a survey if it seemed to them feasible to secure water rights there. On the 16th of the following July this committee reported that water rights could not be obtained there upon any terms that would justify making a survey.

August 6, 1870, the question again came before the town. A preliminary resolution "that this Town is in favor of the introduction of water from some source," was introduced and carried by a vote of one hundred and ninety-six to six. A ballot was then taken on the question whether the town would assume the provisions of the charter, which was carried in the affirmative by a vote of four hundred and nineteen to one hundred and twenty-six.

In accordance with the provisions of the act, the selectmen appointed the first Board of Water Commis- sions, consisting of Jabez Fisher, Joseph Cushing, Alpheus P. Kimball, Thomas Palmer and Lucius Ald- rich, and this board was duly organized August 17, 1870.

April 5, 1871, a contract was signed with George H. Norman, of Newport, R. I., for the construction of the water-works. As soon thereafter as the weather would permit work was begun, and at the end of the season Overlook and Marshall reservoirs were completed, about nine and a half miles of cement-lined water- mains laid, and seveuty-one gates and ninety-four hy- drants set. Hydrant water was first used at a fire on Summer Street, January 5, 1872.

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FITCHBURG.

In the early part of 1872 a second contract was made with Mr. Norman for water-main extension. This contract was completed before winter, and on Decem- ber 1, 1872, there were a little over fourteen miles of water-mains laid, and one hundred and thirty hydrants set.

Mr. Norman's work was well done, and the Water Commissioners were entirely satisfied with the manner in which both his contracts had been carried out.

The total cost of the Water-Works up to the time when Fitchburg assumed the city form of government is shown by the following summary :

Amount of George H. Norman's coutract, 1871 .. .. $180,508 76 Amount of George H. Norman's contract, 1872. 35,741 68

Discount on bonds 9,605 82

Maintenance, land, service-pipe, etc .. 61,566 12

Total cost to January 6, 1873 $287,422 38

A sufficient account has already been given, in the section on the history of the city, of the extension of the water supply during the past fifteen years. Statis- tics of this department, November 30, 1887, show the following: Fourteen miles of cement mains, twenty- one miles of iron-mains, twenty-seven miles of service- pipe, two hundred and fifty-six hydrants, five hundred and forty-five meters, two thousand nine hundred and seventy-eight families, stores, manufactories, etc., sup- plied with water, and a total cost of the works to date of $621,701.32.

Two more reservoirs have been constructed since 1873-Scott and Falulah-making four in all, with a total capacity of over 300,000,000 gallons. The height of these several reservoirs above the tracks of the Fitchburg Railroad at Water Street is : Scott, 450 feet; Overlook, 405 feet ; Falulah, 236 feet ; and Marshall, 216 feet.

The Board of Water Commissioners, as at present constituted, consists of three members. The term of service is three years, and one member is elected in January of each year by the City Council in joint convention. The members of the board for 1888 are Charles H. Brown, Thomas C. Lovell and Samuel D. Sheldon.

Thomas C. Lovell, the present superintendent of the water-works, has held the position since 1875, and has also been city engineer since 1880. Arthur W. F. Brown has held the position of water registrar siuce January, 1885. Both these officers are elected by the Board of Water Commissioners.

FITCHBURG FIRE DEPARTMENT .- Most of the facts in the following account of the Fire Department are taken from a very instructive pamphlet entitled, " The Fire Service of Fitchburg," which was pub- lished early in 1888 by the Fitchburg Firemen's Fund Association.

The first fire-engine, as was stated in a previous chapter on the early history of the town, was pur- chased by vote of the town in 1823, and was located on what is now Day Street. A few years later a

second engine was purchased-probably the old "Fitchburg" -- and was located in a house on what is now Academy Street. These two " tubs " appear to have answered the purpose of the town for several years.

About 1835 a new engine was purchased, and the " Fitchburg" given to the youth of the town, who formed a company and, by the aid of subscriptions from the citizens, ran it for some years. This was in the boyhood days of some of our present citizens who belonged to this company, and can relate pleasing reminiscences of the by-gone days when they attended "firemen's musters," or carried the "whiskey-pan," which was as much an essential to the proper working of the " Department " as were the buckets with which the old hand-machine was fed with water.

About 1845 two more engines were bought, which were built exactly alike and were the pride of their respective companies. One of them was called "Con- queror, No. 1," and was located on West Street, and the other, " Washingtonian, No. 2," replaced the old machine on Day Street.

In the spring of 1851 what was then considered a very extravagant purchase was made. A new and large engine was bought, costing $1500, of which amount the town paid $1000, and $500 was subscribed by the citizens. This was named "Mazeppa, No. 3," and a new engine-house was built for its accommoda- tion in Factory Square. One of the old machines had been placed in West Fitchburg and another in Crockerville, so that at the time the act establishing a Fire Department in the town of Fitchburg was ap- proved, in April, 1851, the fire apparatus of the town consisted of five hand-engines, named as follows : Conqueror, No. 1; Washingtonian, No. 2; Mazeppa, No. 3; Alert, No. 4, West Fitchburg; Veteran, No. 5, Crockerville.

In accordance with the provisions of the Act re- lating to Fire Departments, the selectmen of Fitch- burg, on April 12, 1851, appointed the first Board of Engineers of the Fitchburg Fire Department. It consisted of twelve members, as follows: Kilburn Harwood, Ebenezer Torrey, Jonas A. Marshall, John H. Wheeler, Chedorlaomer Marshall, John Caldwell, John Clark, Alpheus Kimball, Ivers Phillips, Levi Sherwin, Salmon W. Wilder and Alvah Crocker. One week later this board was duly organized by the choice of the following officers : Kilburn Harwood, chief en- gineer ; Ivers Phillips, first assistant engineer; Jonas A. Marshall, second assistant engineer; John Cald- well, third assistant engineer; Ebenezer Torrey, clerk of the board.

No special changes occurred in the apparatus for some years, except that the name of engine No. 2 was changed from Washingtonian to Fire King. In 1858 Alert, No. 4, was put out of service and a new engine, Undine, No. 4, was purchased at a cost of ten hun- dred and twelve dollars. In the same year a small hose-carriage, made by Charles Fessenden, was pur-

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

chased at a cost of two hundred and forty-three dol- lars. About this time also the first hook-and-ladder truck was bought.

In 1859 the first horses were bought for the use of the department.

In 1865 the first steam fire-engine, Wachusett, No. 1, was purchased at a cost of about four thousand dollars, and a year or two later a second steamer, Rollstone, No. 2, costing uearly five thousand dollars, was bought; and in 1869 steamer Wanoosnac, No. 3, costing four thousand dollars, was bought and placed in its new brick house in West Fitchburg. The band- engines were gradually replaced by hose-carriages built by the Union Machine Company of this city.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 89

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1576

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576