USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Gardner > History of the town of Gardner, Worcester County, Mass., from the incorporation, June 27, 1785, to the present time > Part 13
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From this narrative, it will be easy to see, what it was to travel an hundred years ago. It was a time, when forests gave protection to many wild beasts, and the highways were infested like Gads Hill, with highway robbers, who have since given their attention to wrecking, and plundering railroad trains, and bank safes. Then, when night came and found the traveler, far from any settlement or habitation, he was compelled to bivouac, in the forest with his horse for a companion and the sky alone above his head. Such was the condition of the country, one hundred years ago, that a traveler must provide himself, with permits to pass military lines, if he intended to go any distance from home. Then there were no canals ; the first one, from Waltham to Richmond, Virginia, not being then completed. There was then one trunk road, from Boston, closely following the coast to the mouth of the Kennebec ; another into New Hampshire, and so into Canada ; another to Providence ; one to New York, connecting the towns of Spring- field, Hartford and New Haven, and joined at this latter place, by one skirting the Sound, and going east, as far as the Narra- gansett Bay. From New York, there were two roads northward on each side the Hudson River, as far as Albany, one going on thence to Lake George, the other diverging to the Mohawk Valley. Southward a road crossed New Jersey to the Delaware River, then down to Philadelphia, and the region beyond. These were of course, all stage roads. Between New York and
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Philadelphia there run the fast stage, "The Flying Machine," making the journey in two days ; from Philadelphia to Balti- more the stage took five days to go ; from Boston to Philadel- phia was a wonderful journey. There was a weekly stage from Boston to Portsmouth and another also to Newburyport. The following is an advertisement in the "Boston Gazette," May 10th, 1773, which is a sign of the times.
·EZRA LUNT
Begs Leave to inform the Public, That he has lately pur- chased an Interest, in the Newbury-Port Stage, which has been lately fixed on a new Construction, in which he intends to im- prove four horses, which he will drive himself. Therefore he flatters himself that those Gentlemen and Ladies, that will oblige him with their Custom, will find more Ease and Pleasure, in their Passages to and from Boston, than they did heretofore. As said Lunt intends to observe Punctuality in his Business, therefore he begs that those Gentlemen and Ladies that intend to be his Customers, would take Notice, that he will wait on them, for their Commands at his House in Newbury-Port, oppo- site the Rev. Mr. Parsons' Meeting-house ; from whence he will set out, on Monday every Week, at 7 o'clock, and puts up at Mrs. Bean's, at the Sign of the Ship, in Kings Street, Boston, where all Baggage, Bundles, etc., will be received, and deliv- ered, as directed, and Passages engaged. All Favors will be gratefully acknowledged.
After the Revolution, a semi-weekly stage, was established between New York and Boston, which made the trip in six days. Sometimes travelers would go by their own conveyance, occa- sionally advertising for a companion. Sometimes they would go by water. Mr. Josiah Quincy, Jr., went from Boston to Charleston, S. C., in 1773, by water, a voyage which took him twenty days to make. There was communication every ten days, by packet, between Massachusetts and Maine. "The Publick's Humble Servant, William Holland, proprietor, adver- tising that the master of the packet, in order to prevent the
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
usual Trouble of Gentlemen and Ladies, procuring their Stores, will furnish good Liquors of all Sorts, and proper attendance at the common prices in Taverns."
Occasionally there was a packet between Boston, and various parts of the South, and between Boston and the settlements on the St. Lawrence. There were regular packets between Bos- ton and New York, and English ports, six weeks being the common length of the voyage across the Atlantic. At that time the transportation of troops for the war, was exceedingly laborious and difficult, entirely unlike what our eyes have wit- nessed in recent years.
The postal system was in a very imperfect condition. In certain parts of the country, there were no mails whatever, and to a large extent letters were sent by private hands, making correspondence exceedingly uncertain and dilatory. During the Revolutionary War, it was entirely interrupted. The Lon- don papers of September 28th, 1776, contained this notice from the general post office : "A mail will be dispatched from hence on Wednesday next, for. New York, and also one for Charles- town ; after which there will be no regular Conveyance for Letters from the Office to North America ; but whenever a Packet may be dispatched to any part of that continent, proper notice will be given."
As a further evidence of the infrequency of postal facilities, we give the following :-
GENERAL POST OFFICE.
Philadelphia, Feb. 14th, 1775.
It having been found very inconvenient, to persons concerned in trade, that the mail from Philadelphia to New England sets out, but once in a fortnight, during the winter season, this is to give notice that the New England mail will go henceforth, once a week the year round ; when a correspondence may be carried on, and answers obtained to letters, between Philadelphia and Boston in three weeks, which used, in the winter, to require six weeks.
By the command of the postmaster-general,
WILLIAM FRANKLIN, Comptroller.
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The arrangements for the conveyance of the mails, as often practiced, will be shown by the following advertisement from the " Continental Journal" of December 25th, 1777.
WILLIAM SHURTLIFF, POST RIDER.
Letters directed to the army, now at the southward, lodged at the public houses or places, hereafter named, on Thursday, the Sth day of January, 1778, viz. at Col. Sprout's, Middle- borough ; Capt. Nathaniel Little's, Kingston; Mr. Thomas Witherel's, Plymouth ; Mr. Jonathan Parker's, Plympton ; Messrs. Porter's & White's, Taunton ; Mr. Samuel Lane's, Nor- ton ; Gill's Printing Office and Lamb Tavern, Boston ; Mr. Partridge's, Roxbury ; Mr. Daniel Vose's and Mrs. Bent's, Mil- ton ; Mrs. May's, Stoughton ; Mr. Randell's, Stoughtonham ; Mr. Man's, Wrentham, and at his house in Mansfield, will be carefully conveyed, and a speedy return made, by the Publick's most humble Servant.
WILLIAM SHURTLIFF.
P. S. It will be expected that the postages be left with the letters ; and am very sorry to acquaint my customers, and others, that I cannot afford to carry under three shillings per single letter; and if it be duly considered, that the season of the Year is bad, the journey long, and the expenses on the road so amazing great, I flatter myself I shall not be thought unrea- sonable.
Gradually these great inconveniences of travel, and the trans- mission of intelligence, were in some degree overcome, within the first fifty years subsequent to the close of the Revolutionary War, by the straightening of roads and building of turn- pikes, together with the attendant increase of postal facilities, so that fifty years ago one could come from Boston to this place, in a little less than a day. It is difficult for us, with our many and rapid railroad trains, our frequent mails, and telegraphic conveniences, to appreciate the privations and discomforts of two generation ago ; and yet all these facilities of travel and communication are of recent date.
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
The first railroad in the United States, the Quincy, was built in 1826. Gridley Bryant, the inventor of the eight-wheeled car, the turn-table and the switch, was according to good au- thority, the projector, builder and engineer, of this new rail- road, which was only four miles, in length, and made, for the pur- pose of transporting granite for the Bunker Hill Monument. It was not till the period embraced, between 1828 and 1833, that our great system of railroads may be said to have begun. In 1830 there were but twenty-three miles of railroads in the United States. In 1845, there were four thousand, six hundred and thirty-three miles of railroads.
This brings us to a consideration of the Vermont and Mas- sachusetts Railroad Company, in its relations to the growth and prosperity of this town. The original act of incorporation, bears date March 15th, 1844. According to section first, of this act, the road was located " through the north part of the town of Gardner, to Otter River, thence down Otter River to the village of Baldwinsville, in the north part of Templeton." At this point, it may be well to consider the character of a struggle, which raged for two years, in this community and which involved in its decisions the destiny of this town. It was a war, in which Greek met Greek, and bitter was the conflict, sometimes, and at this distant day, we would like to make our townsmen familiar with the facts, that they may know, from what they have been delivered, and to whose exertions they are indebted for the facilities of trade and travel they now enjoy.
About 1842, Hon. Alvah Crocker, the projector and first pres- ident, of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad, one of Fitch- burg's honored citizens, and subsequently our representative in congress, came to this and other towns, upon the proposed route, lecturing upon the feasibility of the road, and awakening an in- terest in the minds of the people. Stock was subscribed in this town and in Templeton, and the leading men of the day, saw the desirability of the road ; but when the subject came to the con- sideration of the legislature, in the winter of '43 and '44, it had a new and very different face from that which had been pre-
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sented to the citizens of these towns at the outset. Evidently Gardner, to the prophetic vision of some of the projectors, was seen to be a near and accessible point, from which to extend an arm to the Boston and Albany Railroad at Worcester, and so diverting trade and travel from the east, and from the Fitch- burg Railroad ; hence to their minds, came the necessity of locating the route, to the north, and over the summit, making all converge toward Boston, by the way of Fitchburg solely ; so that in the original bill, as it appeared before the house, Bald- winsville did not appear, but was inserted, through the agency of Col. Artemas Lee, Messrs. Boynton, Day and Davis of Temple- ton, and Mr. Levi Heywood of Gardner. Previous to the pas- sage of this act of incorporation, Mr. Crocker had proceeded to locate and build the eleventh section, which rau from Ashburn- ham toward Winchendon Village, not having been authorized by law, but trusting to the coming legislature, to legalize and give permission for such a course ; in this he was disappointed by the action of the above-named gentlemen, who, by their timely exertions, had secured the insertion of the name of Bald- winsville, in the proposed route, before the bill had passed the house. Mr. Crocker petitioned to leave Baldwinsville out, and appealed to the county commissioners to change the direction of the road. To oppose this petition, Gardner called a town . meeting, July 22d, 1845, and Messrs. Levi Heywood, Thomas E. Glazier and S. S. Howe, were chosen to meet the county commissioners, at Templeton, July 23d, 1845, and also were authorized to employ counsel to assist them in opposing the alteration of said charter. The Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad claimed, at this meeting, that it would be impracticable to construct the road, through the north part of this town, upon the chartered line, because there was, as they expressed it, " so much rock, the worst kind of rock, viz., trap rock." Mr. Ed- wards, the engineer of the road, was present and standing at the desk with the profile before him, was requested to point out the stations where such rock would be found. Now this gen- tleman had no personal knowledge of this section, his subor-
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
dinate, Johnson, having made the survey, but trusting to his judgment, he immediately complied with the request, and des- ignated the stations where this formation would be found. Mr. Heywood then secured, through Judge Allen, his counsel, an adjournment of the case, for one week ; meanwhile parties went upon the line, and were enabled to sink shafts to grade line, but found no rock as indicated by Mr. Edwards. This fact be- ing presented at the adjourned meeting of the commissioners, virtually killed the case, and they refused to grant the prayer of petitioners.
The Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad, thwarted in this attempt to secure a change in its route, brought its case before the legislature, petitioning for the proposed alteration in its chartered line. The chief reasons alleged, by Mr. Crocker and others, were peculiar, and the subterfuges resorted to, were certainly very curious, as will be seen, in the light of subse- quent events. It was claimed by the petitioners that the dam, at the reservoir in Ashburnham, was too high to admit of the construction of the road by the side of it. But it was ascer- tained, that this dam had been raised two feet, with this object, of defeating the chartered line, in view.
Again it was claimed that the grade of the Fitchburg road was too low to admit of a connection of the line through Gard- ner with it. But the fact, was afterwards disclosed, that the petitioners had lowered the grade of the Fitchburg road through Ashburnham, fifteen feet, so that the chartered line should not be able to connect. To meet this newly made objection, the friends of the proposed route, through the north part of this town, lowered the grade of this road fifteen feet from its original plan.
These devices, however, did not avail, and new measures were resorted to, to secure the object of the petitioners. When all hope of defeating the road as originally chartered, was lost, other and more indirect means were used to secure the location of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad through Winchen- don. On the 28th day of February, 1845, the Vermont and
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Massachusetts Railroad secured the passage of a bill extending the time for building their road to three years, provided any section of it between Fitchburg and Athol should be con- structed within that time. Within thirteen days, after the pas- sage of this bill, viz., on the 13th day of March, following, an act passed the legislature chartering the Winchendon Railroad. This road was to begin at the " southern boundary of the state of New Hampshire, in the town of Fitzwilliam or the town of Rindge, and passing thence to some convenient point at or near Winchendon Village, or Waterville Village, in said town of Win- chendon, or in either of the towns of Royalston, or Templeton, or Gardner, upon the railroad, which may be constructed by the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad." We find in the charter of the Winchendon Railroad this proviso, in which appears the influence of Mr. Crocker, with his face steadfastly set like a flint toward Winchendon, viz. : "That if said Vermont and Mas- sachusetts Railroad shall not, within two years from April 1st next, locate and construct their railroad through Winchendon Village, to their chartered line in Royalston, then said Win- chendon corporation are hereby authorized and empowered, to locate, construct and extend their road through said Winchen- don to some convenient point upon the said Vermont and Mas- sachusetts Railroad, in the town of Ashburnham."
After long and excited discussions before the committee, the leading and prevailing question of equity was presented by Mr. Heywood and others, viz. : " That stock had been largely sub- scribed in Gardner, while in Winchendon not one dollar had been subscribed." The petitioners, not feeling quite at ease with this question of equity before the committee, desired to separate Gardner from Templeton. After the hearing had been closed before the committee, and before they had made their report, the question was asked, if Gardner would not be satis- fied with a branch, allowing the main line to go through Win- chendon, which question was pertinently answered by their own assertion, " that there was no practicable line to Gardner, " to which the reply came, " not one for a main line, but one for
RESIDENCE OF LEVI HEYWOOD.
HISTORY OF GARDNER. 145
a branch." Then came the proposition to our agent to accom- pany the engineer, Mr. Edwards, over some line that he, Mr. Heywood, might select from Ashburnham Junction to Gardner. Starting from the Junction they followed a route, now used as the road bed between this town and the Junction, until they connected it with a line that had already been surveyed by Mr. Higginson for a road running from Fitchburg through West- minster to Gardner. Mr. Edwards, having surveyed this route, brought his chart to Mr. Heywood at Boston and requested him to take that before the committee and say that Gardner would be satisfied with a branch as indicated on the chart. "But it would be exparte," Mr. Heywood replied, "as the case has been virtually closed."
The survey which Mr. Edwards had made was taken and united to the one which Mr. Higginson had made, and Col. Day of Templeton, being acquainted with one member of the committee of the house, laid the case with the charts before him, and convinced him that there did exist a good route from Fitch- burg through Gardner, by their own actual survey.
As the result of all this conflict the legislature relocated the line from Ashburnham to Baldwinsville, April 16th, 1846, in the following words : "Said company, in locating and con- structing that portion of their railroad, which shall be between the point of junction aforesaid, and South Royalston, are hereby empowered to adopt a route, diverging from their present chartered line, in manner following, viz. : Commencing at some convenient point in Westminster, westward of Whitman's Vil- lage, or in Gardner, or in Ashburnham, and thence through the town of Gardner, to the valley of Otter River; and thence by such a line as shall be found most feasible, through Templeton to a point in their chartered line between Gibson's mill and the village of South Royalston."
Thus the struggle, lasting for more than two years, ended at last, through the adroitness, skill and persistent determination, and unfaltering efforts of these agents, in a victory for this town ; a victory without which, Gardner must have been to-day, but
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
little in advance of what it was, thirty years ago. Such an unwearied pursuit, of a good object, is worthy of the lasting gratitude, of all who are profited by the great advantages thereby secured to the town, and illustrates the truth of the Virgilian saying, " Possunt quia posse videntur;" they are able because they seem to be able.
Yet the determination to carry the Vermont and Massachu- setts Railroad north of this town, did not even then, become extinct in the minds of those who petitioned for an alteration in the original charter. Hence, instead of coming to Gardner, as the road now does, on a curve at Ashburnham Junction, there was constructed, that bewildering anomaly, in railroad traveling, to the confusion of all passengers, the turning of the engine and the seats of the cars, in order to run upon the new line. This was a declaration daily made, for thirty years, that the road to this place should yet be only a branch, of the main line. But if the road has been of great advantage to Gardner, it may with equal truth be said, that Gardner has been of great yearly advantage to it. During the year ending January 1st, 1878, the amount of income derived from the sale of tickets at the office in Gardner was, $10,521. Adding to this sum an equal amount sold at other stations to those returning hither, we have the sum of $21,042. For freight 23,817.85 ; making total income to the road from Gardner, for the year 1877, $44,- 859.85, exclusive of the freight shipped from this to other places, and of express business done upon the road. There are ten regu- lar passenger trains leaving the depot of the Fitchburg Railroad daily, five each way. There are also ten freight trains daily, consisting of a hundred cars each way.
The Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad next claims our at- tention. The original charter for this railroad, was granted, by the legislature, April 26th, 1847. The company were " em- powered to locate, construct, and maintain a railroad with one, or more tracks, from some convenient point, on the Nashua and Worcester Railroad, in the town of Worcester, through the
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
towns of Holden, Rutland, Princeton, Hubbardston, and Oak- ham, to some convenient point, near the centre of Barre; and also from some convenient point, on said route, in the town of Princeton, through the town of Hubbardston, to some conven- ient point, on the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad in the town of Gardner."
By an act of the legislature, extending the time, for the con- struction of this road, passed March 24th, 1849, permission was granted, to change the name. from that of " The Barre and Worcester Railroad Corporation," to " The Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad Corporation." An additional act was passed, April 24th, 1851, extending the time for building the road, and at the same time, releasing the corporation " from all obliga- tion to construct that part of their said railroad as described in their charter, from a point at the junction of the two branches of said railroad, in the town of Princeton, through the towns of Rutland, Hubbardston, and Oakham, to some convenient point near the centre of Barre; and they may construct, or omit to construct any part thereof, as they may elect ; and they may also construct, and maintain, the other, parts of the said railroad, from some convenient point, on the Worcester and Nashua Railroad, in the city of Worcester, through the towns of Holden, Rutland, Princeton and Hubbardston, to some con- venient point on the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad, in the town of Gardner."
Permission was also given, in this act, granting a relocation of the road, to open a new subscription for the capital stock of this corporation, releasing also, from all assessments, all per- sons holding stock before subscribed, and from all expenses afterwards incurred by said corporation. ' On March 12th, 1853, another act passed the legislature, extending the time for con- structing this road, to July 1st, 1856, and authorizing the com- pany, to build their road by sections. The first section was to begin, in Worcester, at some convenient point on the Worces- ter and Nashua Railroad, and extend through the towns of West Boylston and Holden, to some convenient point in the
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town of Princeton. The second section, was to extend from the northerly end of the first section, in Princeton, through Hubbardston to Gardner. "The third section, was to extend from some convenient point on the first section, through the towns of Rutland, Hubbardston and Oakham, to some conven- ient point in Barre. The last act of the legislature renewing the charter, was passed February 21st, 1868, extending the time of construction to the 1st day of July, 1871.
An act approved July 8th, 1869, authorized the city of Worcester to subscribe to the capital stock of the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad Company, one per centum of its valuation for 1868. The towns of Holden, Princeton, Rutland, Barre, Hubbardston and Gardner, were also, by the same act, authorized " to subscribe, to the said capital stock, an amount not exceeding in all, five per centum of their valuation, as given by their assessors for 1868, and to pay for the same, out of the treasury of the town that shall so subscribe, and to hold the same, as town property ; and said stock, when so subscribed and paid for, shall be subject to the disposal of the said city, and each of the said towns, that shall become subscribers, to the said stock, under this act, for public purposes, in the same manner, as any other property it may possess ; provided, that if the citizens aforesaid, shall become subscribers to the stock of any other railroad company, under authority, that has been heretofore conferred upon them, or may hereafter be conferred upon them, by any act of the legislature, the whole amount of their subscriptions to all railroad companies, shall not exceed five per centum, of the aforesaid valuation."
The total amount subscribed must be determined, at city or town meetings legally warned and called. This money, the city of Worcester, and the towns above named were empowered to raise, by the issuing of bonds, or by loan or tax. They were authorized " to appoint a committee, to subscribe, in behalf of the city or town for such number of such shares, in the capital stock of this corporation, as should be voted by city or town ; and this committee were authorized, to cast the vote of said city or
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