USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Fitchburg > History of the town of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, comprising also a history of Lunenburg, from its first settlement to the year 1764 (1836) > Part 10
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In September of this year a more important movement was made. It was voted to build "a new meeting house in the cen- tre of the town, or in the nearest convenient place" to the cen- tre-all being aware that the old meeting house in the Old City was not in the centre. All seemed to acknowledge the necessity of building a new meeting house, although the old house had been standing but twenty years. It had never been thoroughly finished, and the winds and weather found their way into it in such a manner as to render it uncomfortable .--
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It had rather a shabby appearance, and was too small to ac- cominodate all the inhabitants.
It being voted to build a new meeting house, the grand diffi- culty now arose, to ascertain "the nearest convenient place to the centre." Strong feelings on this subject had been already excited ; but before going further into this subject, it will be proper to consider what the people in the westerly part of the town, and the adjoining part of Westminster, were doing at this time. Jedediah Cooper and Jacob Upton, the two inn- keepers, and of course men of great influence, together with some of their neighbors, determined to have a meeting house among themselves at any rate. Accordingly they bestirred "themselves with sufficient effect to erect a frame for such a building, opposite the road which leads from Flint MeIntire's to the county road, on a small plat of ground just within the limits of Fitchburg. It was subsequently covered, and public worship was occasionally held there, but it was never sufficient- ly finished to be worthy the name of a meeting house .*
Respecting the building and locating the new meeting house, the town, like many other public bodies, moved slow. Private interests were enlisted on both sides, and all parties seemed inclined, if they could not gratify their own wishes, to defeat those of every one else. All seemed willing that a new meeting house should be erected, but when the discussion res- pecting its location commenced, a magazine was sprung, and the confusion of tongues in one of our town meetings bore some faint resemblance to that of Babel.
In September, 1788, the subject of the new meeting house was again brought before the town by means of an article in the warrant-"To see if the town will erect a meeting house
*For several years previous to the building of the first parish meetinghouse, in 1796, the people of the west had preach- ing here, in proportion to the amount of taxes, which they paid towards the support of the minister. At other times it was in- discriminately used by Methodists, Baptists, Universalists, &c. &c. The proprietors suffered it to go to decay, and its shabby appearance obtained for it the appellation of the "Lord's Barn." It was sold and taken down about ten years since, and the pro- ceeds of the sale (amounting to about $36) were divided among the proprietors, so near as they could be ascertained.
The designation of "barn" does not appear to have been very inappropriate. The naked walls and timbers, and the many swallows which made it their abiding place, rendered assembling in it sometimes quite unpleasant.
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in the centre of the town, or receive any part of Westminster that shall be willing to join with us, and then erect a meeting house in the nearest convenient place to the centre." It ap- pears that the people of the west were ever determined to weave into the question concerning the location of the new meetinghouse, the grand object of their desires, viz. the establish- ment of a new town; and the other inhabitants seemed equal- ly determined that they should never accomplish their designs. At this meeting a committee was chosen to examine and find the most convenient place on which to erect the meeting house, so as to accommodate all the inhabitants. This committee consisted of Moses Hale, Dea. Daniel Putnam, Jacob Upton, Asa Perry, and Oliver Stickney. Two of these were in favor of having it in the west, two ucar its present location and one was neutral. At the next meeting their report was rejected. A motion was then made to place it on the site of the old one, which was also negatived. It was then voted, after much consideration, as the record says, to erect the new house on the nearest convenient place to the centre. It seems that this was the only point on which the town could agree. What the value of this "much consideration" was appears by the next vote, which was to reconsider all votes hitherto passed, rela- ting to this matter. At this point the meeting was adjourned to 9 o'clock A. M. of the next day, for the purpose probably of recruiting their bodily strength and their several forces.
On the next morning the parties came on, and again pro- ceeded to business. The first motion was to place the new house where the old one then stood. This was negatived .- A motion was then made to place the new house on the land of Ezra Upton's heirs. (Near to Daniel Works', as already mentioned.) The house was divided in this motion "to find a true vote," as the record says. For the motion appeared 32, against it, 17. So it was determined by a vote of almost two to one, to place the house in the west. A committee was chosen to inform the people of the west of the proceedings of the town, in placing the meeting house so as to accommodate them. The same committee was invested with power to pur- chase the new frame erecting for a meeting house in the northwest part of the town, if that should appear best for the town's interest-otherwise they had power "to provide timber and materials for building a new meeting house in the pru- dentest manner for said town on said plat of ground," They were instructed to make a report of their proceedings at the next town meeting.
This was a sore discomfiture to the east, and so they con-
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sidered it. They caused another town meeting to be called immediately "To see if the town will comply with a request of a number of the inhabitants of the town of Fitchburg, to grant that they, together with their respective estates and in- terests, may be set off from Fitchburg and annexed to Lunen- burg." This shows that the people of the east were determin- ed never to travel over the hills to the place where the new meeting house was to be erected. Those honest people, who had before voted with the west, merely to preserve harmony and keep the town together, now became alarmed, lest they should lose the east in their efforts to conciliate the west .- They occupied an exceedingly unpleasant position. If they said the meeting house should be placed near the old one, the west threatened to make a new town. If they yielded to the west, the east showed symptoms of returning to the arms of their good parent, Lunenburg. The request of the east was promptly denied.
Meanwhile the committee, above mentioned, were busily employed in the duties assigned to them, notwithstanding the squally appearances in the east. They made a bargain for the frame, which had been commenced in the northwest, and prepared a site on the land of Ezra Upton's heirs. Unluck- ily for the west, in 1788, a town meeting was called to hear the report of this industrious committee. They came forth with confidence, stating that they had purchased the aforesaid new frame, and done many excellent things-whereupon the town gravely voted not to accept their report, and, what was rather uncivil, discharged them from any further service. This was done by the peace-makers, who, becoming somewhat frightened, once more threw their influence into the eastern scale.
A committee was now chosen to find the centre of the town. They made a survey for this purpose, and reported that they found the centre, which they designated by a monument of stones, to Fe about thirty rods northerly from the present pound. This report was accepted ; and at an adjourned meeting in Dec, it was voted to build the meeting house in "the nearest convenientest place to the centre," as the record says. Thom- as Cowdin Esqr. Phinehas Hartwell, Oliver Stickney, Daniel Putnam, and Paul Wetherbee were chosen to execute the dif- ficult task of finding the ."convenientest place," and to pur- chase the land of one Thomas Boynton, who then owned it. They selected a place a little below the present pound, and pur- chased 22 1-2 acres of land, giving $2,33 per acre for it *- and
*The present owner of this land has been offered $100 per
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the town approved of these proceedings.
Thus it appears that the west was now in a minority-the peacemakers having voted with the east, to prevent the latter from carrying into execution their threat of joining Lunenburg. The men of the west immediately resorted to their old scheme of having a new town or parish among themselves. They called a town meeting, "to see if the town would set off the northwesterly part of said town, as a town, beginning on West- minster line," &c. "Or if the town should not see fit to com- ply with the above request, we would earnestly request of the town that they would set us off, as a parish upon honorable terms, as may be agreed upon with being annexed with ad- jacent parties." By reason of the rare attendance of the "re- questers," this meeting was uncommonly peaceable, and the article was dismissed. July 2d. 1759, another town meeting was called, to act upon the following article-"To see if the town will set off the westerly part of said town, as a parish, upon supposition that the north part of Westminster, the east part of Ashburnham, and a small part of Ashby will consent to be annexed to this town." This was an old game and well understood. The request was answered with a prompt denial.
The east still holding the ascendancy, on the 2d. day of November, 1789, the town voted to build a new meeting house on the land purchased of 'Thomas Boynton, and chose a com- mittee with full power, for this purpose. But on the 16th. of the same month, the tables were turned. A vote was passed to reconsider all former votes-so that after four years of hard labor in endeavoring to erect a new meeting house, the town found itself precisely where it began, with the exception of owning 22 1-2 acres of real estate. This last decision was probably effected by the circumstance, that the people of the west, together with those of the northerly part of Westmin- ster, and a part of Ashburnham and Ashby, had laid before the General Court a powerful petition, for an act of incorporation into a town.
This petition set forth in glowing colors the delightful situ- ation of the contemplated town-how nature had lavished all her skill upon it -- how admirably adapted for a township by itself was the noble swelt of land-and that nothing in nature or in art could exceed the grand and imposing spectacle of a meeting honse towering from its summit, while beneath the said swell was a region of low, sunken land, which almost cut off the petitioners from intercourse with the rest of mankind.
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All this looked exceedingly well on paper, and was presented to the General Court in 1790. An order of court was sent to this town, and to the others interested, to show cause, if any they had, why the prayer of said petition should not be gran- ted.
The town now saw the necessity of going to work in ear- nest. After conferring with committees from Westminster, Ashburnham and Ashby, the people of Fitchburg drew up a spirited remonstrance. In this remonstrance they denied ev- ery statement set forth in the petition-alleging that the latter was entirely the work of fancy, and a specimen of' outrageous poetical license, that the petitioners were actuated solely by interested views, that their object was to escape from the on- erous burden of contributing their just proportion towards the maintenance of some of the most expensive bridges that were ever created. They declared that if the petitioners should succeed in their object, the remaining portion of the town would be completely overwhelmed by that grievous nuisance, the north branch of the Nashua.
It will be perceived that both parties understood the art of using extravagant language; and so, equally balanced were matters when they came before the General Court, that it was finally decided to let them remain as they were-and so no new town was erected on that beautiful hill.
In September, 1791, the town, having recovered breath af- ter this valorous contest, began to adopt measures for building a new meeting house. The old favorite motion-to erect a meeting house in the centre of the town, or "in the nearest convenientest place thereto"-was made in town meeting, and carried, yeas 41, nays 23. A committee was chosen to report to the town the plan of such a house, as it might be thought advisable to build. The report of this committee, recommend- ing three years to be allowed in which to buildt he honse, and that individuals might have an opportunity to pay for their pews with materials and labor upon it, was accepted. A com- mittee was chosen in October to clear a place for its situation near the pound, and had full power to proceed and finish it .- At another meeting in December, the town, acting with its u- sual consistency, dismissed this committee from any further service. So they were again as in the beginning.
In May, 1793, an attempt was made to repair the old meet- ing house ; but the town would not listen to such a proposi- tion.
The inhabitants commenced operations anew in Septem- ber, 1794, by voting "to erect a meeting house in the centre of
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said town, or in the nearest convenientest place thereto, to ac- commodate the inhabitants thereof for divine worship." -- Three disinterested individuals not belonging to the town- viz. Josiah Stearus, Esqr. and David Kilburn of Lunenburg, and Benjamin Kimball, Esqr. of Harvard, were chosen "to center the town," as the record says, and to ascertain that hith- erto undiscovered point, "the nearest convenientest place" to said centre. They found the centre of the town to be not far from the summit of the hill, nearly seventy rods to the north- east of the present town pound. But taking all things into consideration, they decided that the house should stand a little to the rear of Messrs. Thurston & Battis' present bellows shop. The town rejected this report, yeas 29, nays 36. So the opin- ions of interested and disinterested persons were treated pre- cisely alike-as good for nothing.
In the following May, another attempt was made to erect a house upon the site recommended by this committee. The vote stood yeas 45, nays 4S. At this meeting a committee of twenty-one of the inhabitants was chosen to select and report to the town a suitable place, on which to build a meeting house. This committee reported in favor of the place selected by the committee of 'disinterested persons.' 'The town then voted to build a meeting house on that place, yeas 61, nays 47. A town meeting was accordingly called on the 8th. of Jan. 1795, for the purpose of choosing a committee to purchase the ground selected. But at this meeting the town refused to choose any such committee-and so ended the project of build- ing a meeting house there.
But the subject was not suffered to remain long at rest ; for on the 26th. of the same month, it was voted to erect a meet- ing house on the land purchased of Thomas Boynton, and to model it after the one in Leominster. It was to be completed on the last day of Dec. 1796. At an adjournment of this meeting, in the following July, it was voted to model the meet- ing house after the one (on the hill) at Ashburnham. A road, four rods wide, beginning nearly opposite to the red cot- ton factory, was laid out, passing up the valley in the rear of Widow Sawyer's dwelling house, to accommodate the people of the east. John Putnam Jr. entered into a contract with the .town to build the meetinghouse.
In September, a committee was chosen to prepare the ground for the reception of the house, and to level a common before it.
In October a motion was made in town meeting to locate
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the meeting house "at the crotch of the roads near Capt. Wil- liam Brown's." This motion was carried, yeas 44, nays 30. So it was then decided to place the house where the First Par- ish meeting house now stands. I have been informed that it was designed to have the house face directly "down street," and that the underpinning was laid for that purpose, but that the opposing faction mustered sufficient strength to get it fa- ced directly to the south, and consequently cornerwise to the street.
Thus ended a contest of full ten years' duration, respecting the location of a meetinghouse. It was carried on with much more than the usual degree of zeal, obstinacy, and bitterness of feeling, which too often characterize difficulties of this na- ture. Passion got the control of judgement, and men seemed willing to sacrifice every thing to a desire of carrying their point. So fiercely was the contest carried on, that people from the neighboring towns frequently flocked in to attend a town meeting in Fitchburg.
I have mentioned only a few of these town meetings, at which this subject was the principal topic. The town records for these ten years, are principally filled with accounts of them. The number of these meetings I have not taken the trouble to count ; but I have been credibly informed that the town was called together ninety nine times on the subject. Indeed, if any one will take the trouble to examine the records, he will find nearly an average number of ten meetings yearly. The matter was finally compromised. The people of the west were allowed to have preaching in their neighborhood, in proportion to the amount of taxes, which they contributed towards the support of the minister.
The meeting house, on its present location, was built during the summer of 1796. At the "raising" the inhabitants con- cluded-not to bury their griefs beneath the altar-but to drown them in deep potations of West India rum. For, on this occa- sion the town voted-and it appears to have been the only vote on this subject which did not give rise to bitter contention-to purchase a barrel of West India rum, with a sufficient quantity of loaf sugar, wherewith to regale and refresh all those who might be present. So gravely and systematically did they conduct this part of the ceremonies, that they, chose a commit- tee, consisting of Deacon Daniel Putnam, Deacon Kendall Boutelle, Deacon Ephraim Kimball, Reuben Smith, Joseph Polley, Dr. Jonas Marshall, and Asa Perry, to deal out the 'grog,' with instructions, if that barrel was not sufficient, to procure more at the town's expense.
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The meeting house was finished and dedicated on the 19th. day of January, 1797. The dedication sermon was preached by Rev. Zabdiel Adams of Lunenburg, there being no settled minister in this town at that time .*
In December, 1797, Dea. Daniel Putnam was chosen to rep- resent the town in the state Convention held in Boston in the following January, to take into consideration "the subject mat- ter of the new proposed Federal Constitution." Objections to the Constitution were reported to the town, and unanimously adopted. The representative was instructed to report these objections to the Convention if needful. A large majority of the town afterwards voted in favor of the Constitution.
When the troubles with France broke out, in 1793, the town promptly voted to pay the soldiers, that might be drafted from this place, 50s. in addition to the pay they might receive from the United States.
But few incidents worthy of note, disconnected with eccle- siastical affairs, have occurred since the year 1S00. Those few will be briefly alluded to.
It seems always to have been a favorite object with the peo- ple of this town to have the County of Worcester divided, so that the towns in the northern part, together with some of those in Middlesex county, might be erected into a new coun- ty. In 1798, they sent a remonstrance to the General Court against building a new court house in Worcester, and petition- ed to have the county divided. The several towns of the coun- ty voted on the question, in April, 1798, by order of the Gen- eral Court. In this town the vote was unanimous (77) in fa- vor of a division. The attempt was again renewed in 1500, by conventions at Templeton and Gardner, which delegates from this town attended. The last attempt was made in 1828, when the petitions of Ivers Jewett and others were sent to the Gen. Court. When the question was referred to the county, the votes in Fitchburg were 117 in favor of a division, and 2 against it.
It appears from a remonstrance sent to the Gen. Court, in 1804, that the number of legal voters at that time was 181.
In 1820, a large majority of the inhabitants were in favor of a convention for revising the Constitution of the State. To this convention Calvin Willard and John Shepley Esqrs. were
*This house is now (autumn of 1836) about to be removed and a new and more elegant structure to be erected nearly on the same site.
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appointed delegates. A majority of the voters appeared to be in favor of most of the amendments proposed by the conven- tion.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. The history of the ecclesiastical affairs of Lunenburg, previous to the incorporation of Fitch- burg, has not been kept distinct from the other affairs of the town. It will be recollected that Fitchburg was incorporated after the death of Rev. Samuel Payson, and previous to the settlement of Rev. Zabdiel Adams. While the people of Fitchburg were unable 'to provide preaching among . them- selves,' they attended meeting at Lunenburg.
In the winter of 1764-5, they had preaching for six weeks. Having no meeting house, they were wont to assemble in the tavern of Samuel Hunt, where they listensd to the teachings of Rev. Peter Whitney. Mr. Whitney, author of "The His- tory of Worcester County," was a graduate of Harvard Uni- versity, 1762, and was for a long period minister of Northbo- ro', Mass. Rev. Peter Whitney of Quincy is his son, and Rev. George Whitney of Roxbury his grandson.
In the year 1766, there was no preaching in the town. In 1767, application was made to Rev. Messrs. Whitney, Samuel Angier, and John Payson to come and preach. Mr. Angier (Harvard University, 1763.) gave great satisfaction, and was invited to settle. The invitation was declined partly, if not wholly, on account of some difficulty between him and . Dea. Amos Kimball.
In May, 1767, the town appointed "a day of fasting and prayer in order to ask Divine assistance in giving some gen- tleman a call to settle in the gospel ministry in this town."
Rev. John Payson was preaching during the summer of this year, and in November he consented to become the settled minister of the place. His ordination took place Jan. 27th, 1768. The church was embodied on the 9th of the same month. Mr. Payson was a son of Rev. Phillips Payson of Chelsea, and was graduated at Harvard University in 1764 .- He was a brother of Rev. Samuel Payson, the young and much lamented minister of Lunenburg, who died in 1763 .- Rev. Dr. Seth Payson of Rindge N. H. was his half-brother.
Mr. Payson appears to have been a man of respectable tal- ents, of a peaceful disposition, and of devoted piety. He was fortunate in having secured, for a long period, the love and respect of his people. Fond of the peaceful walks of his pro- fession, he knew but little of the affairs of the world, and was . ill calculated to sustain its buffets. The latter years of his
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ministry were imbittered by the inroads made among his peo- ple by the Methodists, Baptists and Universalists. These cir- cumstances, together with a constitutional infirmity of mind, caused a great depression of spirits, which finally settled in confirmed insanity. Lucid intervals occasionally intervened. Yet he continued to preach for several years. He would go through with the public services on the sabbath with perfect propriety, when frequently there did not occur another lucid in- terval during the week. He discontinued preaching for a pe- riod in the spring and summer of 1792, but resumed his pas- toral duties in the antomn. His infirmity increasing upon him in the summer of 1793, both the church and town united in calling a conneil to take into consideration their ecclesiastical affairs. * This conneil was unable to effect a reconciliation- the town refusing to accede to Mr. Payson's propositions.
In April, 1794, all parties agreed to re-assemble the former council, and to abide by its decision. The council decided that the town should pay Mr. Payson the sum of $530, and that his pastoral relations should cease. This proposition was accepted by the town on the 2d day of May, 1794; and Mr. Payson's connexions with the town were then dissolved.
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