History of the Town of Acushnet, Bristol County, State of Massachusetts, Part 17

Author: Howland, Franklyn, 1843-1907
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New Bedford, Mass., The author
Number of Pages: 424


USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Acushnet > History of the Town of Acushnet, Bristol County, State of Massachusetts > Part 17


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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In 1712 Samuel Joy had a shop on the south side of the road a little west of the Village bridge, a few feet from the town line. In 1850 Thomas Terry's shop stood on the west bank of the river a few feet south of the bridge. It was consumed by fire in 1882.


A shop now standing on the premises of Luther Reynolds has been occupied by him for his blacksmith business several years. It was formerly a grocery store of Captain Humphrey Taber and was moved to its present location on Long Plain road, the west side, about a quarter of a mile south of Perry Hill road.


The principal shop at the north end stood on the east side of the road at Long Plain village about five hundred feet north of Rochester road. Cornelius Howland, who owned and lived on the premises where the shop stood, conducted the business there many years previous to 1899.


Elihu Pope carried on the business many years in a shop which he built probably before 1840 for the purpose. It stood on the east side of Long Plain road opposite his residence, a third of a mile north of Parting Ways.


APOTHECARY SHOP A hundred years ago about every article required in the house, even to drugs for the sick could be purchased in the town. The small building at the northwest corner of the village bridge was built for a drug store by Bartholomew Taber, the block and pump maker, for his son, who for several years dispensed those dreadful panaceas for all ills, calomel and jalup, and salts and senna, which were liberally prescribed and taken with a horrid disrelish which some now living well remember. The building was subsequently occupied many years by Shubel Gifford, the village boot and shoe maker. The post office was there at one time.


GROCERY AND VARIETY STORES An early established business, dating back almost to the beginning of the settlement of the territory of this town was that of dealing in groceries and other household supplies. These were properly called "variety" and "dry goods, grocery and West India goods" stores. In many of them in the early days the rum barrel and the molasses barrel stood side by side and a customer could have either commodity and no questions asked.


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My knowledge of the earliest existence of one of these stores is that owned and conducted by the Hathaway's which as already stated was on Fairhaven road and burned by the British invaders in 1778. If there were any other stores within the borders of this town except those located on the Post road the writer has not been able to learn of them.


Commencing at the bridge, John R. Davis, Jr., watch and clock maker, kept a variety store in connection with that business for many years to and nearly up to the time of his death, in the northeast corner of his dwelling, which was the third building east of the bridge on the south side of the road.


Stephen Taber, whose wife endowed Tabor Academy at Marion, Mass., had a store in the lot opposite the John R. Davis, Jr. store. He carried on the watch and clock making business, antedating Mr. Davis and kept other articles for sale. He lived in the upper story of the build- ing which is now the rear part of the Judge Spooner house at the river bank on the same side of the road. Previous to this Mr. Taber had his store on the opposite side of the way in what was Pope's tavern.


The present store at Parting Ways, head of Fairhaven road, was originally conducted by Captain David Collins, a retired whaleman. Then by Rev. Israel Washburn and his son, William H. Washburn. The latter was followed by Wilbur Kelley and he by Captain David Cochran, both retired from the whaling service. Charles M. Morse, Jr., then carried on the business there many years. Since Mr. Morse discontinued the business has been conducted by Fred J. Bentley.


More than a century ago John R. Davis, Sr., who lived in the second house north of Mattapoisett road on the east side, had a variety store in connection with which he plied his trade of a watch and clock maker, as his son of the same name subsequently did at the village. John R., senior, advertised in the New Bedford Mercury of Nov. 27, 1807, that he "con- tinues to Clean and Repair WATCHES at his old stand, Head-of-the- River." His shop stood at the southwest corner of Parting Ways.


Captain Ebenezer Ellis's store stood on the west side of the road, a half mile below Perry Hill road. Beside dealing in a variety of articles, he conducted a large "slop work" business. This consisted of procuring from the "outfitters" at New Bedford clothing for whalemen, which was cut, and having the garments made by women at their homes.


Captain Mason Taber had a store adjoining the tavern house at the head of Perry Hill road. This was about the year 1800. Most of his goods were transported from Boston by his own teams and the stage route express wagons.


Captain Humphrey Taber had a store on the west side of Long Plain road, north of and very near his house, which is some two hundred feet north of present Meadow brook, and is now owned by his great-grandson. Henry F. Taber. This building was removed many years ago, and is now


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on the premises of Luther Reynolds and used by him for a blacksmith shop.


George Leonard had a store at Long Plain probably before 1800. It stood opposite the present schoolhouse. He was succeeded by Humphrey Davis, Jr., who discontinued the business to assist his daughters in the management of the Long Plain boarding school.


Thomas Davis conducted a variety store, which stood on the west side of the Post road in the village of Long Plain, some two hundred feet north of the Peckham road. This was a century ago. It was the com- mencement of a business which has continously been carried on near that spot. Previous to the grocery business in this building it was occupied by Thomas Davis' father, Jethro, who made furniture and other wooden


RUBBERS


HAY COAL


Photo. by Jas, E. Reed, New Bedford.


RICHARD DAVIS' VARIETY STORE.


articles for the home. Mr. Davis was succeeded by Samuel Wilde near the year 1830. Mr. Wilde was a traveling evangelist of the Christian denomi- nation, and placed the business in charge of William Allen to give him greater freedom. Illness of Mr. Allen caused Mr. Wilde to take up his residence at Long Plain in 1837 and look after his business. In 1859 the store and goods were consumed by fire. Mr. Wilde estimated his loss at $8,000, without insurance. Richard Davis, a native of Long Plain, suc- ceeded Mr. Wilde in the business on the same spot.


March 1, 1866, Mr. Davis took his son Richard into partnership, under the firm name of Richard Davis & Son, which continued till the decease of the senior Mr. Davis in 1877. Richard Davis, Jr., continued the business.


In 1883 Mr. Davis's store was entirely destroyed by fire, caused by


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overturning a lighted lamp. He courageously arose to the occasion and at once secured a building that stood a little south of and directly across the way from the ruins, where he has carried on the business, which started more than one hundred years ago, ever since. Probably there is nothing in this Commonwealth so near in resemblance to the old-time variety store (minus New England rum and kindred stuff) as this successful business place.


George Davis had a variety store before 1850 in a building previously used for recitation rooms of the Long Plain boarding school. This was located where the parsonage of the Methodist society now stands. Mr. Davis was succeeded by William Alden & Bros., who were burned out.


Charles F. Thatcher resided at the southeast corner of Long Plain and Rochester roads, known as Thatcher's corner. He had a grocery store in an ell on the south of the dwelling. Mr. Thatcher was the first postmaster at Long Plain, appointed in 1834. The first post office was in this ell, the windows of which were secured every night by close board shutters. Thomas Davis conducted the business here at one time.


Orin York erected a building on the next lot north of the present Baptist church, where he had a grocery business for a short time. The building was subsequently used as a wheelwright shop; later converted into a dwelling house, and is now the residence of Captain Isaac V. Braley.


Charles M. Wilde, son of Samuel Wilde, in 1859 built and occupied the store on the west side of Long Plain road, about seventy-five feet south of the Baptist church. Hc conducted a store on the lower floor and a tailoring establishment on the second floor. It was vacant some time after he discontinued business, and was then purchased by Caleb Slade, who was in the grocery business there several years, till his removal to New Bedford, when Dennis S. Mason became proprietor of the property and business. Mr. Mason was followed by James E. Lawrence, who was succeeded by J. E. Borden, who is there at the present time.


Lewis S. Pope had a small store on the east side of Mill road a few rods south of Acushnet saw mill, and Dea. John Chaffee one on the west side of the same road farther south, Capt. William Gordon and Mr. Win- chester each had one at southwest corner of Mill road and Bridge street and in the next building east business has been conducted by Captain William Gordon, John R. Davis, Cyrus E. Clark, Mary Terry and Isaac Anthony.


STOVE AND TIN SHOPS AND TIN PEDDLERS Most of the tinware of the kitchens of Acushnet a century ago was made and kept for sale in the village. Women had less time and fewer facilities for "shopping" then than now, and the kitchen utensils of these stores were brought to the door of the homes by tin


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peddlers. These men, who were usually of the garrulous, newsy type, and their unique carts, filled with small articles which would not bear exposure to the rain, and decorated on the outside with wooden ware, and bags to hold the rags collected on the trip lashed to the rack at the rear of the vehicle, were interesting and social features of bygone days.


The tin peddler filled his cart with these household necessities, his head with news and taking stories and started periodically for a trip of days over the section assigned him. If he had a good memory he would repeat at each door, perhaps as rapidly as possible with a smiling face, the name of a score of articles he carried, and close with stating "and other articles too numerous to mention." He swapped his goods for rags where they were to be had. If he was a good-natured, cheery man, his visits were always a pleasant event. One of the early tin shops of the village was that of Jonathan P. Lund at Lund's Corner, which busi- ness is described in a sketch of Mr. Lund's life on another page.


INDUSTRIES ON THE MILL LOT During many of the early years of the settlement of the village a good deal of business was carried on on the east bank of the river north of the bridge on the so-called Mill Lot. The first was the block factory already described. Then came a tannery which was there before 1794. North of the tan yard was a blacksmith shop and iron forge owned and operated by Isaac Terry as early as 1789. Next came the saw and grist mill at the dam, which is now the plant of the Acushnet Saw Mill Co. No industries on the west bank of the river opposite the ones mentioned above ever existed.


OTHER INDUSTRIES


Various other business enterprises have been conducted in town, among which are the following :


Leonard's Boat Building has been a widely known busi- ness since its original proprietor started it on the first of January, 1852. At that date Ebenezer Leonard commenced to make whaleboats for the New Bedford whale fishermen, and since that date more than a thousand of Leonard's boats have chased the leviathans of the deep in all the waters of the world where he swims. When the blubber hunter saw a Leonard boat on the davits or realized he had one between his feet and the deep blue sea, he knew it was a staunch craft built upon honor. The original Leonard boat house was situated near Mr. Leonard's residence on Middle or Cross road, and here with the efficient aid of his sons, Eben F. and Charles F., he constructed between 1851 and 1883 thirty-one years, 972 boats, about thirty-three per annum. The most they manufactured in any one of these years was fifty-three in 1857. Since the decease of Mr. Leonard the business has been conducted by his sons, named above. The shop used for many years was burned. The work is now done in the


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Joseph Taber house on the south side of the same road, farther west.


Grist Mills were in use in various parts of the town for the purpose of grinding the crops of grain raised here, till it became less expensive to buy the material that had been ground elsewhere. The first of these were propelled by wind. One such in this town was located on the high land at the southwest of Parting Ways. Later mills for this work were driven by water power. There was one or more on every stream that furnished sufficient energy. Probably the last one of these to be built was on the brook that crosses Fairhaven road. The stream was dammed between the highway and the river. Lettice Washburn, who owned the property, constructed the mill about the year 1861, and operated it several years. It stood a little northwest of the present home of Arthur C. Cory.


A Wax Factory was established in-by Charles S. Knowles of New Bedford on Fairhaven road. The building stood on the west side of the way, very near the spot where the Edward Pope house was that the British burned in 1778. The business was a success, but was interrupted by the destruction of the factory by fire in 1901. The enterprise was continued in a larger building constructed for the purpose on the west side of the river, which also was burned in 1903, and was rebuilt on the same spot. Charles E. Beales has been manager of the business from its beginning.


Tan yards were found in every town a century ago, when all the leather for harnesses, trunks, boots and shoes, machine belts, etc., was a home product. All the beef consumed at the tables of a community was of animals raised and slaughtered on the farm, and the leather used was the hides of these creatures prepared for use at the neighborhood tan- neries. An abundance of water was required at the tan vats and they were located where there was a good supply. There was a tan yard north of the bridge, over a stream a few yards south of the house on the Benjamin White place, on the east side of Mill road near Potter's corner. as appears from a lease dated 1775 from Anne Taber, widow of Jethro Taber, and daughter of Peter Taber, who lived east of this spot and an eighth of a mile west of the Long Plain road. The lease covers "all that parcel of land within fence, together with ye Tan Yard." This was known as the Taber tan yard. Another tannery was situated on the north side of the road in the village, beside the brook that crosses the highway west of the Methodist church. It was made and the business carried on by Seth Bumpus, who removed from the place in 1820. Mr. Bumpus owned the farm. He advertised for hides in the New Bedford Mercury of Feb. 19, 1808.


Another tannery adjoined the stream that crosses Acushnet avenue a quarter of a mile north of Lund's corner. It was located on the west side of the way. Shadrack Davis operated a shingle mill here three quar- ters of a century ago, owning the property which included one and a


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quarter acres of land. Mr. Davis sold the plant in 1837 to Lemuel Russell, who deeded it to his son Allen the following year. Allen Russell continued the business till Augustus Harrington became possessor of it. Mr. Harrington established a tannery there, managing it in connection with one he owned located at Whelden brook, Middle road.


Wheelwright. When William H. Washburn was in the grocery busi- ness at Parting Ways he transformed an ell attached to the main building at the eastward into a carriage shop, where he built and repaired vehicles, having learned the trade of George L. Brownell at New Bedford, one of the best known and most successful wheelwrights of his day.


Furniture Manufacturing on a small scale was carried on by Capt. Reuben Swift, cabinet maker, in a building near the dwelling house of Capt. Obed Nye, Fairhaven road. In the early days all the household furniture; farming tools and implements for weaving cloth were home made and there were men in every community who manufactured these, usually in a shop on their premises. There were several of these in this section.


A saw mill not heretofore mentioned was the Taber mill in the immediate vicinity of the Taber tan yard, near where the stream crosses the way that leads from Mill road to the present home of Capt. George J. Parker. In a deed from Zacheus Tobey, Jr., to Benjamin White in 1777, the "southeast corner bound is the middle of the Acushnet river at Taber's saw mill." Again in 1777 Elnathan Tobey's deed to William Tallman mentions a mill dam. In 1795 William Tallman conveyed to Earl and Potter land "bounded by sd river northerly untill it comes to ye saw mill dam owned formerly by Peter Taber." Sawdust and evi- dence of the dam are there now.


ACUSHNET IN THE LEAD For one hundred years after the incorporation of ancient Dartmouth, 1664, this Acushnet tract took the lead of every other section of the town in settlement and development. It furnished superior water power for manufacturing to any other locality in old Dartmouth, and this was of inestimable value to these homes, when every article used in them and on the farms had to be manufactured and prepared for use near by. The prospectors of the settlement saw the advantage in this particular of this corner of the original purchase over the balance of the tract, and laid the foundations of their homes here near the upper section of the Acushnet river.


And on this stream and its tributaries were established many of the above important and needful industries before 1761, when the first house was built in what was subsequently Bedford village, a little south of the corner of Union and Water streets. Before 1767, when the first ship, the Dartmouth, built at that village, was launched. Before Fairhaven village showed any signs of ever existing. The few inhabitants of the territory


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that is now New Bedford and Fairhaven came up to Acushnet for iron to use in their blacksmith shops, for wick with which to make their tallow dips; for house furniture, wheelbarrows and other similar articles; to have their wool dyed and carded, and the cloth they wove fulled and dressed; to attend religious services. Anyone who will make investiga- tion will be convinced that during the century above referred to Acushnet had a far greater number and variety of manufacturing industries and other business enterprises, a larger population and more houses of worship than any other section of the same area in Old Dartmouth. The flood tide of manufacturing interests here was reached when Joseph Rotch of Nantucket made his first purchase of land at Bedford Village in 1765, with the purpose of moving there and establishing whalefishery, in which he was so successfully engaged at the island. This was an important event in the history of the Dartmouth purchase. Joseph Russell was already engaged in the same business in a small way, and the two Josephs, both of whom were honorable-minded, industrious, enterprising men, made a strong pair. They at once inspired confidence in their undertakings, and Bedford, Fairhaven and Padanaram started into rapid growth under the leadership of these well-balanced men. This prosperity, however, did not effect the business of Acushnet unfavorably for some length of time, for the above localities had no water power and they depended on Acushnet for much of their ship timber and plank and other needful articles that required water power to manufacture them.


NEW BEDFORD'S FIRST DOMESTIC WATER SUPPLY New Bedford's first supply of water from out of town for domestic purposes was led into the city through a conduit laid to source of supply, a short distance west of Long Plain. The storage reservoir there covers about 400 acres. It was a part of the Wilson farm and the location is a delightful and picturesque one: The dam to form this im- pounding reservoir of the Acushnet Water Works is forty feet above sea level and seven miles from New Bedford. The reservoir is two and a half miles long and from one eighth to one half mile wide, having a storage capacity of four hundred million gallons of water. It receives the drainage of a tract of between three thousand and four thousand acres besides an inlet from Aquitticus lake, the most southerly of the chain of lakes known as the Middleboro ponds, through Squin brook, which has a romantic name and flows through a romantic location. The brook is named for Tispaquin, son-in-law of Massasoit and brother-in-law of King Philip. He was sachem of the Assawampsetts, now Lakeville. He was in favor of the extermination of the English in King Philip's war, but was finally captured by them and shot. Subsequently his daughter became a teacher of Indians and was on friendly terms with the white settlers.


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CENSUS OF The following table explains itself and will be found in- THE TOWN teresting to citizens of the town and useful for reference.


Population


Total value of


Personal Estate


Total value of


Real Estate


Total Tax for


State, County,


City and Town


Purposes


Rate of total Tax per $100


Total valuation


May 1st


1861,


1,387


$303,750


$441,000


$ 6,656.27


$0.80


$744,750


1862,


211,400


444,150


6,664.65


0.90


655,550


1863,


209,550


452,900


8,053.26


1.12


662,450


1864,


162,950


467,950


10,040.00


1.50


630,900


1865,


1,251


168,300


466,850


10,879.09


1.65


635,150


1870,


1,132


219,150


459,900


10,063.00


1.40


679,050


1875,


1,059


122,500


446,750


9,063.00


1.50


569,250


1880,


1,105


126,100


455,900


5,212.00


0.80


582,000


1885,


1,071


156,450


474,750


5,558.00


0.80


631,200


1890,


1,027


129,130


473,430


7,301.00


1.13


602,560


1895,


1,115


117,950


511,020


6,830.00


1.00


628,970


1900,


1,221


119,930


531,070


13,576.00


2.00


651,000


1905,


1,284


134,550


546,700


12,881.00


1.80


681,250


The lowest tax rate in the history of the town, was $ .64 in 1884: the highest $2.20 in 1906.


REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIERS


From the records of Revolutionary War soldiers in the office of the Secretary of State at the Massa- chusetts State House the following interesting facts in regard to the services of some of our townsmen in that war have been gathered and are given below. More in regard to the lives of some of these heroic men will be found on subsequent pages :


Edward Pope. Official record of a ballot of the House of Represen- tatives, dated Feb. 7, 1776; said Pope chosen Colonel, 2d Bristol Co. regt., of Mass. militia ; appointment concurred in by Council Feb. 8, 1776; re- ported commissioned Feb. 8, 1776; also, list of officers chosen in 2d Bristol Co. regt. of Mass. militia, as returned by said Pope and others, field officers, dated April 5, 1776; also, Colonel, 2d Bristol Co. regt .; report. dated July 9, 1776, of a meeting held by the 15th co. to choose a Captain and 1st Lieutenant who were recommended for commissions by said Pope ; also, return dated Aug. 8, 1776, of officers of a company drafted from said Pope's regt. and Col. George Williams's (Bristol Co.) regt. to march to Dorchester Heights, agreeable to resolve of July 18, 1776, who were ap- pointed by said Pope and field officers of both regiments; also, official record of a ballot by the House of Representatives, dated Nov. 23, 1776; said Pope chosen Naval Officer for the port of Dartmouth; appointment concurred in by Council Nov. 27. 1776: also Colonel 2d Bristol Co. regt., marched Dec. 8, 1776; regiment marched to Rhode Island on an alarm.


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Colonel Pope was chosen naval officer for the port of Dartmouth for the ensuing year by the House of Representatives Jan. 24, 1778. He con- tinued to serve in this important capacity until Jan. 1, 1781.


Reuben Swift. Corporal, Capt. Joseph Palmer's co., Col. Free- man's regt .; service 4 days; company marched on alarms at Falmouth Feb. 4, April 2, and May 16, 1779; roll sworn to in Barnstable Co .; also, Private, in a company raised by vote of the town of Falmouth, Barnstable Co., to guard the shore ; enlisted July 20, 1781 ; discharged Sept. 28, 1781 ; service 2 mos., 8 days; warrant for pay drawn in favor of Selectmen of Falmouth. This was Captain Reuben Swift of the War of 1812.


"Jire" Swift. Capt. Thomas Crandon's company, Col. John Hath- away's regt .; entered service Aug. 2, 1780; discharged Aug. 8, 1780; ser- vice 6 days on an alarm from Rhode Island.


Elisha Tobey. Private, Capt. Thomas Crandon's co., Col. John Hathaway's regt .; entered service Aug. 2, 1780; discharged Aug. 8, 1780; service 6 days, on an alarm from Rhode Island.


There was another Elisha Tobey, whose certificate was dated in Rochester. He was in Capt. Isaac Pope's company of Rochester in 1778.


Thomas Crandon. Captain of a Seacoast co .; engaged July 15, 1775; service 5 mos., 19 days ; also, Captain, Col. John Hathaway's regt .; entered service Aug. 2, 1780; discharged Aug. 8, 1780; service 6 days, at Rhode Island on an alarm; also, Captain, 5th co., 2d Bristol Co. regt .; list of officers of Mass. militia, commissioned Aug. 10, 1779.




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