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 15
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No pains, no gains. No sweat, no sweet. No mill, no meal.
Says the Scotch proverb,
" He that wad eat the kernel, maun crack the nut." " He that gapes till he be fed, will gape till he be dead." " An idle brain's the devil's smiddy."
The Latin proverb is, " By doing nothing, we learn to do mis- chief." "Idle dogs worry the sheep." Say the Chinese, " The dog in the kennel barks at his fleas ; the dog that hunts does not feel them."
Work has been called, by one of our living writers, "a man's life preserver," a truth which no one observant of its bene- ficial effects will care to dispute. Sidney Smith embodies, re- ligion, philosophy, and good common sense in the following sentence : " Let every man be occupied, in the highest employ- ment of which his nature is capable, and die with the con- sciousness that he has done his best." It is also true, that habits of industry, in the founders of a town or community, have very much to do in producing industrious habits, in those who succeed them. Men of industry, integrity, of high prin- ciple, of real honesty of purpose, who toil hard for a series of years, at any one employment, and who are willing to live frugally, in the presence of their children, whom by example and precept they teach to be rightly and profitably employed, cannot fail to make a lasting impression for good, which will reveal itself, in the character of the community, of which these children form a part. Let it never be forgotten, that the man who possesses industry, frugality and integrity, lives in his in- fluence upon those who succeed him, and his memory will not
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fail of being honored. But the man who has no other ambition, than to be, as Pope says,
" Fixed like a plant, on his peculiar spot, To draw nutrition, propagate and rot,"
will have little to comfort himself or others, while he lives, and dying will not be regretted.
Gardner is very fortunate, in the industrious habits of its earliest inhabitants. Whether from necessity or choice, they were a busy people, whose children were taught the value of industry and economy, and who, not content to follow the sim- ple routine, of the fathers, have, in the progress of years, built up industries, and inaugurated enterprises, which have made the town famous, not only in our own, but in foreign lands. The design of this chapter, is to trace the development and growth of the business of the town, from its very small begin- ning, to the present time, taking each industrial department in detail.
AGRICULTURE. " He that by the plow would thrive, Must either hold himself or drive."
During the first twenty years, subsequent to the incorporation of the town, the principal occupation of the inhabitants was farming. Difficult of cultivation, as the soil of the town has ever been, it furnished for these years, almost the entire means of subsistence which the people then enjoyed, few in numbers, and scattered over the surface of the township, as they were. At the present time even, although the town is characterized by its chair manufacturing, it should not be understood, that there is no successful farming done among us. According to the State Census for 1875, there were one hundred and seven farms in town, consisting of ten thousand two hundred and fifty and one-half acres, of which one thousand seven hundred and thirty- four acres are under cultivation, with a total value of farm property of four hundred and fifty-four thousand, six hundred and fifty-four dollars. The hay crop was fourteen hundred and twenty-nine tons ; there were four hundred and twenty-nine bushels of corn raised ; seven thousand and one hundred and
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fifty-four bushels of potatoes ; two thousand six hundred and five bushels of apples; eighteen thousand pounds of beef; twenty-three thousand five hundred and sixty-seven pounds of pork ; twelve thousand four hundred and five pounds of butter ; four thousand one hundred and twenty-one gallons of milk ; eight hundred and sixty-six pounds of cheese ; besides many other agricultural products, not worthy of mention, in detail, making the total valuation of farm products for 1875, $72,066, while that of Barre, which is a distinctively agricultural town, was $266,167.
From these figures it will be seen that Gardner, is not devoid of farming interests, which employ the muscle and brain, of a considerable portion of its population, who are able to supply their own wants, with the labor of their hands, while they car- ry something to the column of accumulation, from year to year. Quite a number of these farms have for the last few years been subjects of great improvements, in the laying of stone fences, and in a high degree of fertilization, and cultivation. Such, however, is the number of the population, not engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, that the products of the farms of Gardner, are by no means sufficient to supply the demand for them. Hence, the town furnishes a good market for other towns, to which, it is easy of access.
COOPERAGE.
While farming was the chief employment of the people, for the first twenty years, there were a few persons who gave some attention, to the making of tubs and barrels, which they did without the aid of anything, like modern machinery, using only the axe and shave. This, however, never assumed the dignity of a distinct business, but served to fill out the time not needed upon small farms, and furnished employment through the winter season.
CHAIR MANUFACTURING.
Missionaries, among the Zulus, inform us that the first evi- dence of the humanizing and elevating influence of religion and
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civilization, upon the natives, is seen in their demand for a cotton shirt. In like manner, it may be said that the demand, which a progressive, civil and religious culture, makes for the use of chairs, is indicative of the fact that men have risen from a lower to a higher condition of intelligence as well as of men- tal and moral growth. In the opinion of the savants and lovers of antiquarian knowledge, the first man sat, or lay, on the ground, whenever he rested. He was of the earth, earthy. But as time advanced, there came gradually to be invented seats of different sorts, as the supply of a natural want, so that house- hold furniture of a rude description dates its origin to remote antiquity, when men first began to build houses to dwell in.
It is evident from the monuments of ancient Egypt and Assyria, that the art of constructing elaborate furniture, for dwellings, was carried to a very high degree. The throne of the king, was noted for its costliness and beauty of ornamenta- tion ; while the chair of the subject was not wanting in con- venience and strength. It is said that the chairs in the houses of these ancient kings, were made of most rare and costly woods, beautifully carved, and inlaid with gold and ivory. The backs and seats, of these chairs and settees, were covered with elaborately wrought tapestries. The " camp chair," of modern days, was used in these ancient times, covered with the skins of animals. Instead of our cane seat chairs, now so common and so convenient, the ancients had a chair of similar constrne- tion, made from leather, cut into strips and woven into net work, which made a seat strong, easy and durable.
From the Assyrians, the Asiatic Ionians and the Greeks de- rived the art of furniture making, with all the convenience, ornamentation and elegance of their household furniture. From the Athenians, this art was transferred to the Romans, who still further advanced it in beauty of carving and ornamentation. It is said that, " the couches, upon which the old Romans re- posed at table, were often inlaid with silver, gold, ivory, tor- toise-shell and precious woods, with carved ivory and metal feet ; and the furniture of a rich man's house represented, in it-
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self, an enormous fortune." This fact is evident from the dis- coveries made at Pompeii. Till the fifteenth century, in Eng- land the household furniture was by no means elegant, but rather of the roughest type. The chairs and " settles " were very strong and generally fixed to the floor or against the wall.
Subsequent to this time, furniture was made of much more elegant finish, though not very abundant even in the houses of the most wealthy. These articles of furniture, including chairs, were constructed from the native woods, oak and chestnut, and were devoid of taste. Not until the reign of William III, 1697-1702, did these woods give place to mahogany, out of which were made those sombre, inelegant designs, then so com- mon in England, and which came to this country with the ear- liest settlers. Soon after this time, instead of the solid mahog- any chairs and other articles of furniture, there came to be used a mahogany veneer, which still prevails in England and America. It is said that, since the establishment of the royal manufactory of furniture, in Paris, by Louis XIV, France stands at the head of all nations, in the costliness, beauty and elegance of its furniture, and that it furnishes models for the rest of the world.
For the first few years after the settlement of this country, the furniture used by the colonists was imported. It is hardly possible to ascertain very precisely when the manufacturing of household furniture first began in this country. A writer in a work entitled the " Great Industries of the United States," tells us that " among the first pieces of furniture made in this coun- try, were such economical devices as seats that could be turned into tables, and tables hinged against the wall so that, when not in use, they could be turned down, thus giving more room in the apartment."* After a time there was made the straight, high-backed, uncomfortable, solid mahogany or veneered chairs, some of which remain, as curious relics, unto this day. After this, rare woods, from the West Indies and South America, be- gan to be used and were very popular.
*Great Industries of the United States, p. 1099-1103.
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The common kinds of furniture were made of oak, pine, maple and chestnut. These woods still continue to be largely used. Within a few years, black walnut has come into use for more costly furniture, and is at the present date, quite popular, not only for chairs, but for chamber sets. There is in this country, at the present time, an enormous manufacture of cane seated chairs, whose frames are made from oak, maple and walnut, whose market is in almost all parts of the globe. The seats and backs of these chairs are made from a palmaceous plant, called Calamus Rotang and Calamus Timinalis. From Borneo to Bengal, this cane is gathered in great quantities, for the Chinese, European and American markets. The process by which it is prepared for the seats and backs of chairs, will come under review farther on in this chapter.
Coming, as we do now, to speak of the manufacture of chairs in this town, which is its chief business, and by which it has obtained it's fame and wealth, we shall find, that like the great streams flowing through a country, this great industry is trace- able to a very small beginning. Sometime, about the year 1805, Mr. James M. Comee began the making of wood and flag seated chairs, in the house, on Pearl Street, now owned by Mr. Webster Gates. These chairs he made entirely by hand, with the aid of a foot lathe. He employed several young men, as apprenti- ces, among whom were Isaac Jaquith, Enoch Brick, Elijah Brick, Elijah Putnam, Luke Fairbank, Joseph Jackson and Artemas Brown. Some of these gentlemen afterwards entered into the chair business for themselves. The chairs manufactured by Mr. Comee were transported to Worcester, Boston and other places, by teams of horses, and sold in small lots as opportunity offered. This proved to be a profitable business for those times, so that Mr. Comee was enabled to accumulate quite a handsome estate from his industry and frugality. The machinery used in mak- ing chairs, at that time, was so simple, and the tools so few, that there was an inducement for others to enter the business for themselves. Consequently one shop after another was es- tablished, until they have reached the number of twelve in the town, of which a detailed account will now be presented.
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During the latter part of Mr. Comee's life, Mr. Ezra Baker, then living upon the west side of Crystal Lake, constructed a small dam, near the house of Mr. G. W. Bickford, on Knee- land Brook, for the purpose of securing sufficient water power to carry a turning lathe. Mr. Baker bought timber of his neighbors, partly prepared, by being sawed into suitable length and rounded somewhat upon the corners, for turning in this lathe driven by water power, it being then thought impossible to turn a perfectly square stick. Subsequently, Mr. Baker, thinking he might as well prepare his own lumber, for turn- ing, introduced a small circular saw, which was also driven by water power. The stock thus turned, by Mr. Baker, was sold to Mr. Comee, and in this way greatly facilitated the manufac- ture of the chairs made and sold by him.
Sometime, about 1827, Deacon Asa Perley constructed the shop now standing near the house of Deacon Samuel Clark, where he manufactured chair stock upon a scale so much more extensive than did Mr. Baker, as to make it unprofitable for the latter to continue the business as formerly. During these years, Mr. Elijah Brick built, for himself, a shop about three- fourths of a mile north of the common, where, for several years, he employed a number of men in chair making. There was also a shop built and conducted by Mr. Walter Heywood, now of Fitchburg, upon the site where stands the house of Asher W. Shattuck. Mr. Heywood employed, in his chair business, from fifteen to twenty hands. This shop was burned in 1834, and was never rebuilt.
Sometime, previous to the erection of these two shops, first named, Mr. Merrick Wallace began the turning of chair stock, upon a somewhat extensive scale, upon the site now occupied by the shops of Heywood Bros. & Co., having purchased a water privilege of Deacon Noah Fairbanks, who had already deepened the channel leading from Crystal Lake, for the pur- pose of obtaining a better supply of water, for his grist mill, then standing upon the site now occupied by the chair shop of L. H. Sawin & Co. The shop erected by Mr. Wallace, for this
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purpose, was about forty feet in length by twenty-five feet in width. With the increased facilities, thus obtained, Mr. Wal- lace was able to furnish a partial supply of turned stock, for the several shops then in the business of chair making, in this town.
There was also, about the same time, a shop erected by Mr. Elijah Putnam, upon the site now occupied by the house of Mr. Charles Scollay. Here Mr. Putnam employed horse power for a while, in preparing stock for his chairs, till subsequently he purchased the water privilege now owned by J. A. & I. J. Dunn, to which place he moved his shop, which now forms a part of the chair shop of the above-named firm. About the year 1830, a company composed of Messrs. Levi Heywood, Benjamin F. Heywood, Walter Heywood and William Hey- wood, under the firm name of B. F. Heywood & Co., bought out Mr. Merrick Wallace and erected a larger shop, where they carried on the manufacture of chairs till 1837, when Mr. Levi Heywood bought out his brothers, and continued the business alone till 1842, when he formed a partnership with Mr. Moses Wood. The two continued the business together till 1847. Mr. Wood then retired and a new company was formed, called Levi Heywood & Co., which continued from 1847 to 1851, when the Heywood Chair Manufacturing Company, was formed, which was a joint stock company, in which, some of those employed in the shop, held shares.
This arrangement continued till 1861, when the shops, owned by the company, were burned. In 1862 a new company was formed consisting of Messrs. Levi Heywood, Seth Heywood, Charles Heywood and Henry C. Hill, called Heywood Brothers & Co. This company continued till January 1st, 1868, at which time, Messrs. Charles Heywood and Henry C. Hill retired, and Messrs. Henry Heywood, George Heywood-sons of Seth Hey- wood-and Alvin M. Greenwood -son-in-law of Levi Hey- wood-and subsequently Amos Morrill, entered the firm, con- tinuing the old firm name, which is still known as Heywood Brothers & Co.
HISTORY OF GARDNER. 169
In 1876 Mr. Charles Heywood, re-entered this firm of which he is now a member.
Mr. Jonas Brick, brother of Elijah Brick, began the'manu- facture of chairs upon the site, now occupied by the lumber mill of Mr. Marcus Wright, in South Gardner. The date at which the chair business was commenced, in this place, cannot be definitely recalled. About the same time, Messrs. Stephen Taylor, George Whitney, Ephraim Wright and Gen. Moses Wood, were engaged, individually, in the manufacture of chairs, at the South Village.
The chair shop, now owned and conducted by Mr. Sylvester K. Pierce, stands upon the site formerly occupied by Mr. Stephen Taylor, who purchased an old potash shop, standing upon the premises, which he enlarged and supplied with a wheel. He afterward sold his business to Mr. Pierce, who had been employed, for several years previously, by Mr. Taylor, as one of the workmen, in his shop. Mr. Pierce, since purchas- ing the above named premises, has erected new and commodi- ous shops, as his constantly increasing business, has from time to time, demanded, using both water and steam power.
The shop where now Messrs. Wright & Read are employed, in the manufacture of chairs, stands upon the site where for- merly stood a wool carding mill, which was used for that pur- pose until sometime, between 1830 and 1840, when a company was formed for the manufacture of pine furniture, particularly washstands, known by the firm name of Goodspeed & Baker. This furniture was extensively sold in California. Afterwards Messrs. Greenwood & Wright bought out this company, and built a large shop, where they carried on the chair business for several years. Afterwards a new company was formed, called the South Gardner Manufacturing Company, of which Messrs. Greenwood & Wright were members. This company was sub- sequently dissolved, Messrs. Greenwood & Wright purchasing the property. They afterwards dissolved partnership, Mr. Wright retaining the business, having admitted as partners, Messrs. John M. Moore and Charles F. Read. These gentle-
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men continued the business under the firm name of Wright, Moore & Co., till the fall of 1877, when Mr. Moore retired. The firm name was then changed to Wright & Read, by whom the business is now conducted. The shops of Wright, Moore & Co., were burned and rebuilt in May, 1866.
The site now occupied by C. S. Greenwood's Sons, was originally owned by Mr. Alfred Bickford, who, having learned the trade of turning chair stock, built a shop upon these grounds for that purpose, introducing a circular saw and other appliances, for facilitating his business, which he continued for several years, until he sold out to Messrs. C. S. Greenwood and David Wright, who, for a number of years, continued the manufac- ture of chairs, having also purchased, as will be seen above, the shops then standing upon the site now owned by Messrs. Wright & Read. When Messrs. Greenwood & Wright dis- solved partnership, Mr. C. S. Greenwood retained this shop, where he continued to manufacture chairs till his death in 1873, under the firm name of C. S. Greenwood. He was immediate- ly succeeded by his sons, Charles H. Greenwood and Frederick M. Greenwood, who have since continued the business, under the title of C. S. Greenwood's Sons. During the time Mr. C. S. Greenwood occupied these premises, he enlarged the shops, by adding to them, the first meeting-house built by the Evan- gelical Society, which was discarded, when this society entered their new church, built in 1856. Besides this, other enlarge- ments and improvements were, from time to time made, as his increasing business demanded.
The shop now owned and occupied by S. Bent & Brothers, stands upon the premises originally used by John Merriam, for a clothing mill. There was afterwards a shop for turning chair stock, upon the same site. Mr. Merriam subsequently sold out to Mr. Sullivan Sawin, who used the shop for the same purpose, and was afterwards succeeded by his son, John Sawin, who sold the property to S. Bent & Brothers, who have since con- ducted the business of chair making. The partners in this firm are Messrs. Samuel, Charles O. and Roderic L. Bent.
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Mr. Thomas Greenwood carries on the chair business, estab- lished by his father, Mr. Walter Greenwood. He is engaged chiefly in the manufacture of high backed rocking chairs, and makes use of water power only.
The Travers mill was originally a grist and saw mill, built by Capt. William Bickford. It was afterwards sold to Mr. Elijah Travers, who used it for the same purpose, for a number of years. He was a carpenter, and house builder by trade. His two sons, Messrs. E. C. and O. A. Travers coming in posses- sion of the property, here established the business of chair making.
Messrs. Conant, Ball & Co., own the shop, which was built by Messrs. Aaron R. Jackson and Aaron L. Greenwood, who originally began the business of chair making, which subse- quently passed to their successors, A. White & Co. This firm was succeeded by Messrs. Conant Brothers & Co., who con- ducted the business successfully for several years, when the present firm name of Conant. Ball & Co., was taken. The gen- tlemen now comprising this firm are Messrs. John R. Conant, Carlos E. Ball and Charles W. Conant. This shop is on the road from South Gardner to Templeton, and is run by both water and steam power.
A. & H. C. Knowlton. The shop of these brothers, was erected, upon its present site, by Mr. Abner White, who having bought the old Coolidge house, which formerly stood in the northwest part of the town, moved it down to its present loca- tion, where it has since been enlarged. It was for sometime, occupied by Messrs. White & Derby, then by Knowlton & Derby, when Mr. Derby retiring, it passed into the hands of the above named gentlemen, who have since carried on the busi- ness of chair making, employing steam and water power.
E. Wright & Co. Mr. Abner White built the shop now oc- cupied by this firm. He afterward sold it to Mr. Ephraim Wright, who continued the business of chair making till his death, about twelve years since. He was immediately suc- ceeded by his sons, William W. and Edwin L. Wright, who
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continue the business under the firm name of E. Wright & Co. A portion of the shop of this firm, was originally a two- story house, which stood upon the Green place, and was moved to its present position, by Mr. Abner White.
Philander Derby's shop. About the year 1834 Mr. Benjamin F. Heywood built the dam, where now Mr. Derby's shop stands. Here he erected a saw mill, connecting with it other machinery for the manufacture of lumber and chairs. After a time, he sold his interest to Mr. Martin Dunster, who occupied the shop for the manufacture of barrel covers, boxes and other articles of wooden ware. In 1844 the shop was burned. The privilege was then bought by some parties who organized under the firm name of Edgell, Bush & Co. This firm built a new shop which they used, for the manufacture of lumber, boxes and chairs. Subsequently it was sold to Messrs. Nichols & Baker, who used it for a grist mill, flour and grain store. In 1863 Messrs. Derby, Knowlton & Co., bought the building making large additions, and occupied it as a chair shop till 1868, when Mr. Derby bought out the others, and has conducted the business alone, till the present date.
The shop now owned by Messrs. J. A. & I. J. Dunn, was originally built by Mr. Elijah Putnam, who having bought the water privilege of Mr. William Lynde, built a dam, and moved upon the site his old shop which, as already noticed, stood near the house of Mr. Charles Scollay. He afterward sold the prop- erty to Collester, Rugg & Co. This company consisted of Messrs. Thorley Collester, Benjamin Rugg, Ruel Comee, Maro Collester and Edward Stevens. Some of the latter gentlemen retiring, Messrs. Franklin and George Eaton, became members of the company. Mr. Thorley Collester died in 1862, when Messrs. John A. Dunn and Nathaniel Holmes succeeded him, under the firm name of Eaton, Holmes & Dunn. Mr. Holmes retired in 1865, leaving Messrs. Eaton and Dunn partners in the business. This partnership continued till 1875, when Mr. Eaton sold his interest to Mr. Isaac J. Dunn, since which time the firm name has been J. A. & I. J. Dann. This shop has
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been greatly enlarged from its original dimensions, and a pow- erful engine added to the facilities for driving the machinery.
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