USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Freetown > History of the town of Freetown, Massachusetts : with an account of the Old Home Festival, July 30th, 1902 > Part 15
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THE OLD CORNER STORE.
It was in 1810 that two young men from Middleboro, having travelled through south-eastern Massachusetts, with a view of finding a promising location for business, decided that Assonet Village seemed to have far better prospects than any other place in Bristol County; so Earl Sampson and John Hinds opened a store on the south- west corner of Main and Water streets. This firm was dissolved the next year by the death of Mr. Hinds.
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Capt. John Nichols was then taken into partnership by Mr. Sampson, and the firm of Sampson & Nichols became a noted one, and did a lucrative business for many years ; people coming to it from all the surrounding towns for their supplies. About 1820 the old store building was removed and the present one erected. This firm was succeeded by Capt. Sylvanus S. Payne, who in turn was succeeded by his son-in-law, John W. Peabody. In 1869 Mr. Peabody moved into a new building he had erected on the opposite side of Main street, and the old store was converted into a tack factory by the Star Tack Co. After a few years it was re-opened as a grocery store by E. E. & J. H. Winslow. This firm was succeeded by James H. Winslow, who at the present time has a meat market in connection with his grocery and grain departments. The office of Dr. Thomas G. Nichols and also the town library were once located in a room over the grocery store, entrance to the same being by an outside flight of stairs on the north end of the building. This room had previously been used as a law office. William Strobridge was a part owner of the building and he occupied the south end of it at one time as a store. Since his occupancy this end of the build- ing has been used for various purposes, at one time as a harness shop, at another time as a barber's shop. For several years it was used as a school room for the Water street district school. Town meetings were at one time held in it. The firm of N. R. Davis & Co. at one time used it in connection with the upper floor of the building as a gun manufactory. The basement at the south end of the building was for many years used as a tenement.
PASTIMES.
On Fast and Thanksgiving days "in ye olden time" many of the young people of the village repaired to the top of Joshua's Mountain. Here they could gaze on the blue hills of Milton, and chisel their names in granite. Old style base ball was also played on these holidays in Nichols' pasture.
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Cherry parties to Steep Brook, both by land and water, were much in vogue fifty and more years ago. The very sweet black cherry, of medium size that they sought did not thrive north of the Stephen Barnaby farm, or south of Bowenville. They either picked the cherries on a half lay, or paid a few cents per quart for what they picked. This species of cherry is now almost extinct.
Berry parties to the Narrows afforded both pleasure and profit. Capt. Welcome Hathaway with the fine sail boats
NATHANIEL PORTER
(See Page 104.)
Born at Plymouth, Mass., June 3, 1805 Died at East Bridgewater, Mass , April 26, 1880.
that he built himself, and later his son Don Carlos Hawes Hathaway were ever ready to accommodate these parties. Black huckleberries grew in large quantities on both sides of the river at the Narrows. The pickers always returned with well filled baskets unless they had spent too much time along the shore, or at Babbitt's bowling alley. Some sold their surplus berries to James M. Phillips, who sent them to the Boston market, others dried them for winter use.
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THE MUSTER GROUND.
What is now the town Cemetery was formerly known as the Muster Ground. Here seventy or more years ago all the military companies in this vicinity had to assemble annually for election of officers, drill and such other duties as might be required of them. Delinquents were often brought into camp under guard, and required to perform military duty. The popular ration was muster cake and cider. The muster cake was a kind of gingerbread baked in loaves about six by eight inches in dimensions and scored across the top three or four times both ways. Many relics of the Assonet Light Infantry that formerly mustered here are in existence today, notably the sword of Capt. Nathan T. Strange, the last commanding officer of the company. Tradition says that there were "hot times in the old town" muster days.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The Water Witch Engine Company, Elbridge M. Martin, Foreman, flourished in the middle of the last century, resplendent at times in red shirts, black panta- loons and shiny hats and belts. When out for practice the boys backed their "tub" into the stream at the Elm Street bridge and filled her from leather fire buckets of which two or three hung from the machine. After fasten- ing on the two covers they would drag her up to the Con- gregational Church yard, the self-acting bell in the mean time tinkling merrily, much to the delight of the village urchins. If she was half full on arrival at the church yard, they would "shake her up" in an attempt to put water over the church spire, the Foreman all the while shouting "Meet the brakes!", "Meet 'em good, boys!", and doing his best to inspire the men with his unbounded enthusiasm. They could throw water over the spire all right if the circumstances were favorable.
On one occasion, the machine being loaded, Mr. Apollos Pierce came along driving an ox team. He stopped his
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team, smoothed his braided leather whip lash down beside its oaken handle, assumed a position of calm expectancy, and in the vernacular of his kind drawled out, "Now I want to see that air thing work." The Foreman trum- peted the command " Play away !" The Hoseman clapped his hand over the nozzle, held back the sputtering, spatter- ing water just a second, and then turned the hose squarely upon Mr. Pierce and drenched him from head to foot.
The machine itself was a veritable freak. The pump was worked by two horizontal brake bars, pivoted to the top of the box, and having a handled outrigger attached to each of the four ends. It took twelve persons to man the brakes, one on the ends of each bar, and two on each outrigger. In action she was a sort of push and pull affair. It is a matter of regret that the machine was sent to the Town Farm for storage, where it was allowed to decay. As a curiosity at World's Fairs it would easily have divided the honors with the original locomotive engine.
But the Water Witch has something to her credit. She extinguished a fire that had made considerable head- way in the upper story of Ephraim Atwood's grocery store that stood about six feet northeast of the dwelling house now owned by Ralph H. Francis, and that was flanked on the other side by a barn. Undoubtedly she saved these three buildings from destruction.
Atwood's store was for years the Democratic head- quarters for the town. Here crackers and cheese were dispensed town meeting days to the faithful who had jour- neyed from the far east. Town meetings were then held in a store room in the house that stands near the Elm Street Bridge. Later they were held in a room in the south end of the building now occupied by James H. Wins- low as a grocery store. Still later the town meetings were held in the building on the south side of Water Street that had formerly been the store of Capt. Allen Payne. The move from this building was into the present Town Hall, built in 1888, Charles C. Marble of Fall River architect and
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builder. The building formerly occupied by Mr. Atwood was moved to the east side of Pleasant Street, converted into a dwelling house, and is now owned by George B. Cudworth.
The Water Witch engine and the never to be forgotten, if you ever saw it once, town hearse, that was for many years in charge of Joshua Shove, as undertaker, and which for unique build was a fit companion for the engine, were stored in a small building that stood just south of the present location of the public library, and known as the hearse house.
As a result of the fire of October 5, 1886, that destroyed the houses occupied by Joseph H. Clark and Henry M. Chace, and damaged the South Church; and the burning of the barn of John D. Wilson that was struck by lightning some months later, the following article was inserted in the warrant calling a special town meeting August 20, 1887 : Article VII .- " To hear a report of the selectmen in regard to the cost of Fire Extinguishing Apparatus and to take such action in regard to the purchase of the same as the town may deem advisable."
The action taken on the above article was to accept the report of the selectmen in regard to the fire apparatus, to appropriate the sum of eight hundred dollars for said apparatus, and to appoint a committee of three to procure the fire apparatus and to have charge of the same. The committee appointed Benjamin F. Aiken, George B. Cud- worth and James A. Manchester, purchased the engine Narragansett of the town of Warren, R. I. The engine was built by L. Button & Co., Waterford, N. Y., and at the present time is in good condition. A hook and ladder truck was purchased of the town of Franklin, Mass. A hose reel and eight hundred feet of hose were also pur- chased. Ample provision was made for storing the ap- paratus in the town hall when it was built. The present fire department (1903) consists of a board of engineers or-
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ganized under the state law: Ralph H. Francis, Chief Engineer, Levi M. Hathaway, Andrew B. Pierce and Eugene A. Herbert, Assistant Engineers.
Early on the morning of August 13, 1890, fire was dis- covered at the gun shop on Water Street, Assonet Village. It had started on the outside of the ell, near the ground. By hard work on the part of a few individuals it was held in check until the arrival of the fire engine, and although it had by that time reached the roof of the building it was quickly extinguished after the engine was brought into action.
Among the buildings that have been burned at Assonet Village and vicinity within about sixty years are the dwel- lings owned or once occupied by Tisdale Briggs, John S. Thomas, James Hyland, Bradford Clark, Ambrose W. Hathaway, John H. Campfield, with barn, James Winslow, James W. E. Clark, William Richardson, Solomon Cum- mings, Bailey Brightman, Hiram Brightman, Joseph H. Clark, Henry M. Chace, Philip T. Evans, with barn, Seth Howland, Apollos Pierce, with two barns, Arthur Demor- anville, George Sisson and Ebenezer Briggs; the barns of Williams Winslow, Elnathan Hathaway, George Cum- mings, William Copeland, Philip E. Tripp and John D. Wilson : Henry Porter's nail factory, John Crane's two nail factories, William Thorp's waste mill, the old furnace building, the freight house at Assonet Station, Crystal Spring Station, an unoccupied building of Ambrose Dean, and the gun shop of N. R. Davis & Co., in 1864.
THE ASSONET FAIRS.
In 1867 Dr. Nathan Durfee, of Fall River, presented to the Congregational Society of Freetown the beautiful pipe organ that was at that time standing in the old Music Hall, Fall River. To make room for the organ, and also for the choir which formerly had been located in the gallery at the east end of the church, the building was ex-
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tended westward twenty feet. A much needed vestry and a kitchen were at the same time provided for in the basement.
The Hon. Amos A. Barstow, of Providence, R. I., kindly presented the society with a furnace for heating the building. The monster turtle back stove, with a big crack in its side, and its scores of feet of stove pipe, sus- pended with long wires, which ran over the center aisle and up through the high ceiling, was removed from the double pew, near the door, it had so long occupied, and in which the Sabbath school boys so delighted to sit cold winter days, often to the annoyance of Deacon Benjamin Burt, who, for many years, took the care of the old stove.
During the year an association was organized whose object was to raise funds for the erection of a parsonage, and to assist in paying the expenses of the society. At a meeting of this sssociation Dr. Thomas G. Nichols of Assonet, John M. Deane and George T. Hathaway of Fall River were chosen a committee with full power in the matter. Friends of the society subscribed $2275, and the above committee inaugurated a series of entertainments that proved both enjoyable and profitable. There being no public hall in the village a temporary floor was laid over the pews of the church and on March 3, 4 and 5, 1868, a fair and entertainment was given. At this fair the organ was played for the first time in public at its new location. Professor Whiting of Boston presided at the organ the first evening. The Fall River Chorus Society, 20 voices, Ly- man W. Deane, director and organist, entertained the com- pany the second evening. On the third evening Professor Gleazen of Providence, R. I., presided at the organ, and there was vocal music by local artists. There was a special train from Fall River the second evening. The net pro- ceeds of this fair were one thousand dollars.
The Oratorio of Esther that had been given with pleasing success in Fall River under the direction of Charles H. Robbins, was repeated in the Congregational
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Church at Assonet, April 2, 1868. The net proceeds of this entertainment were one hundred dollars.
August 20, 1868, the society gave a clambake at Tis- paquin grove. A special train brought a large number of friends from Fall River. The Mechanics Band of Fail River furnished music for the occasion. A heavy down- pour of rain commenced while those at the second tables were eating. The gross receipts were $599.68 and the net proceeds of the bake were $335.77.
February 22, 23 and 24, 1870 a floor was again laid over the pews and a fair held in the church. The choir assisted by friends gave a concert the first evening, Benja- min A. Eddy, organist. The Fall River Glee Club, Ly- man W. Deane, director and organist entertained the company the second evening, and L. Soule of Taunton director and organist, assisted by George Bridgham, of Taunton, and others furnished the entertainment the third evening. A special train was run from Fall River the second evening. Much enthusiasm and merriment was produced by the voting, at ten cents per vote, of different articles to persons in the audience. In these friendly con- tests an afghan brought $66.50, a bed quilt $23.90, and a clothes wringer $26. The total receipts from the voting contests were $271. The door receipts were $177, the gross receipts $1095.50, and the net proceeds of the fair $611.31.
The fair of 1571 was held in the church February 28, and March 1, 2 and 3. Lyman W. Deane and friends of Fall River furnished the vocal and instrumental music. There was a special train from Fall River two evenings. In the voting contests two breakfast jackets brought $78.40, a sofa pillow $41.20. A cradle, that was disposed of four times before it went to a young man that decided to keep it $51.23. A saw and saw horse $40.34 and a blacking brush $27.35. The receipts from the voting were $250.30. The door receipts were $215, the gross receipts $1243.76 and the net receipts $629.33.
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The next fair was held in the church February 20, 21, 22 and 23, 1872. The programme for the first evening was vocal music by Mr. Warren, George Crane and Miss Munroe of Taunton, and Miss Deane, of Somerset, Miss Ida Burt, of Taunton, pianist. Their selections were of a high order and were well rendered. The band from the Perkins Institution for the Blind, of Boston, furnished the music for the second evening. There was a concert the third evening under the direction of Lyman W. Deane, of Fall River. The solos of Charles H. Ryder, John W. Pritchard and Velona W. Haughwout, of Fall River, and George Bridgham, of Taunton called forth rounds of ap- plause.
The voting was decidedly interesting and amusing. A sofa pillow was voted to Mrs. Lyman W. Deane, of Fall River. A fancy chair the embroidering of which was the work of Mrs. John M. Deane went for $156.40 netting the society $105.70. Mrs. Col. Frank Allen, of Providence, R. I., received 1080 out of 1564 votes cast and was declared the winner. The laziest man in the audience, being called for to exercise with the buck-saw on a good sized hickory log, several candidates were brought out. After a spirited contest in which 630 votes were cast, a well known and jovial young man from Fall River was declared "it." This young man had attended the whole series of Assonet Fairs, and he quickly sized up the crowd that unsolicited by him, was running his campaign, while he was spend- ing his money and doing his best to elect some other fellow. He had decided in his own mind not to put him- self, for that evening at least, in the hands of his friends. With no malice and aforethought he placed himself be- tween "the gang" and the outer door. After the polls were closed scouting parties sent in different directions failed to find him. The doorkeeper averred that "he did not speak as he passed by," and that he disdainfully refused a return check proffered him.
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It cost the same enthusiastic company $51.60 to place a bottle of soothing syrup where they thought it would do the most good, or at least, where it would make the most sport for them.
Special trains were run from Fall River the first and third evenings of the fair. About 900 were present the third evening, 400 of them coming from Fall River. The crush at the church was so great that many of the village people retired in order to make room for the visitors from abroad. The door receipts were $225, showing that there were 2250 paid admissions. The receipts from the voting amounted to $370.30. The gross receipts were $1419.09 and the net receipts $777.61.
The last fair inaugurated by this committee was held in the church March 4, 5, 6 and 7, 1873. An Old Folks Concert, Lyman W. Deane, Director and Organist, was given the second evening of the fair, and George Bridg- ham of Taunton also entertained the audience with his inimitable character songs. The entertainment the third evening was by W. H. Hunt of Boston, humorist, and T. P. Ryder, pianist. Over six hundred round trip tickets were sold on the special trains that were run from Fall River the second and third evenings of the fair. There were over seven hundred present the second evening, five car loads coming on the special train, and many in the eighty teams that were counted in the village that even- ing. The door receipts were $234, showing a sale of 2340 admission tickets. The receipts from voting were $111, the gross receipts $1121.32 and the net receipts $454.51. A turkey supper was served in the vestry at all these fairs, using on the average 300 pounds of turkey.
The other principal features of these fairs were the confectionery, ice cream, cake, lemonade, flower and fancy tables, coat room, art gallery, supper room and the auction the last evenings of the fairs, when no especial entertain- ment was provided.
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At the fair of 1872 the Washington Read and the Daniel McGowan tables each netted fifty dollars. There was also a Read table at the fair of 1873. A four page paper was also published in connection with the clambake and two or three of the fairs. The paper published in con- nection with fair of 1868 netted $200, and that of 1870 $157. By this series of entertainments the society was benefitted to the amount of $3908.53.
Just previous to 1868 the society had found it difficult to raise $300 per year to pay the minister, but for several ensuing years found no difficulty in paying $1300, annual expenses. In the work required of this committee Dr. Nichols attended more especially to the village end of affairs, Mr. Hathaway paid particular attention to Fall River, and Mr. Deane conducted affairs during the enter- tainments taking especial charge of the voting.
At the close of the fair of 1873 this committee that during the five years of its existence had worked in perfect harmony within itself ; that had planned and carried out so successfully this series of entertainments, and that had worked the enthusiasm of the friends of the society up to such a pleasing and liberal pitch, declined to serve any longer, and the society has not held a real fair since that time.
The last report of the treasurer of the Association, be- fore mentioned was made in October 1874. There was then no cash balance left on hand and presumably the or- ganization went out of business at that time.
The parsonage had not materialized. Some years later there was talk of building a chapel, but there being a difference of opinion as to whether it should be a chapel or parsonage that should be built, the matter was dropped.
In August 1891 the church extended a call to the Rev. Leonard Woolsey Bacon, D. D., of Norwich, Conn. The call was accepted by Dr. Bacon who is a hard worker not only in the spiritual but also in the temporal field. Since that time the church building, that was so badly out of re-
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pair, that it was pronounced dangerous to ring the bell in the steeple, has been very thoroughly repaired and painted ; the organ that had been somewhat neglected put in proper condition, and the heating apparatus improved. All this at an outlay of about $1600.
The heirs of Mrs. Hannah G. Payson, of Boston, who in her life time was a staunch and liberal friend of the so- ciety, owned the Earl Sampson place on North Main Street, which had been rented several years as a parsonage. They offered to sell it to the society at a very favorable price. The offer was accepted, and the society has since its pur- chase repaired and improved the house at an expense of about $500.
It is safe to say that as regards temporal matters the society never before was in as good condition as it finds itself today.
THE GOLD FEVER.
Soon after the discovery of gold in California in 1849 nearly seventy of our citizens, mostly young men, went there in search of the precious metal. Not all found and retained it in liberal quantities. This rapid emigration to California was a striking feature of the times. 58 ships, 37 barks, 41 brigs and 15 schooners, or 151 vessels in all cleared from the port of Boston, for California in one year following the discovery of gold in that state. Thousands who left their homes with high expectations of sudden wealth soon learned that "all is not gold that glitters," and that "most that is good is not gold." The town has never fully recovered from the disheartening effect of this sudden and severe drain upon its young manhood. The following is Freetown's list of '49ers :
Tracey Allen, Ephraim Anthony, Edmund Anthony, Levi N. Baker, Stephen B. Barnaby, Daniel Bennett, Samuel R. Bragg, Lorenzo D. Braley, Albert Briggs, Benjamin Burt, Jr., Peter Carnoe, George Chace, Thomas Evans, Thomas Evans, Jr., James Gardner, Benjamin M. Grinnell, John Grinnell, Edwin Harris, Barnaby W. Hath-
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away, Benjamin Hathaway, Charles W. Hathaway, Ed- mund D. Hathaway, Edmund V. Hathaway, Elias Hath- away, Gideon P. Hatheway, Guilford Hathaway, John Hathaway, Valentine Hathaway, Ebenezer Jones, Lorenzo D. Lawton, Paul Lawrence, Arad T. Leach, Charles Mes- sears, Eleazer Nichols, John Nichols, George Payne, Rev. John Perry, Luther Pickens, Galen Pierce, Philip Pierce, Thomas W. Pierce, Edward Pratt, Elisha L. Pratt, John V. Pratt, Benjamin Porter, Bradford G. Porter, Frederic Porter, Henry Porter, Robert Porter, Joseph Robinson, Samuel Robinson, William Robinson, Joseph Rounseville, Walter S. Rounseville, Nathan Spooner, Gilbert Staples, William B. Staples, James Taber, John Tew, William Williams, Albert Winslow, Henry Winslow, Benjamin T. Winslow.
THE TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES.
The writer has been asked to give an account of the temperance movement in Freetown. He acknowledges at once his inability to give more than an outline of the different temperance societies that have from time to time existed in the town for the support and furtherance of this most worthy cause.
In its early days Freetown was no exception to the general rule, and New England rum with other spirituous liquors were staple articles of commerce with all its mer- chants.
The great temperance wave that was started in Bal- timore, by six reformed drunkards, came sweeping over the northern section of the country, and Bristol county, Freetown included, became deeply interested in the move- ment. Soon after the temperance agitation commenced in Assonet three of its traders resolved among themselves that they would no longer keep intoxicants for sale. They spilled what stock they had on hand into the gutter, and ever after faithfully kept the pledge they had made with each other. Williams Winslow, who kept the Assonet Hotel, was one of the pioneer temperance men of the
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county. As early as 1835 he stopped selling ardent spirits at his hotel. For this he was more or less persecuted. One night several augur holes were bored into his sign post. In the first week of October, 1835, at a meeting held in the Congregational church, Assonet Village, the Assonet Temperance Society was organized, a constitution and by-laws adopted and the following officers elected : W. H. Eddy, President; A. B. Crane, Secretary and Joseph Staples, Treasurer.
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