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 6
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
noons and evenings, many row boats, shooting in all directions. while here and there, a small white sail appears,. wafting on- ward the listless sailors, while,
" Soft bosoms breathe around contagious sighs And amorous music on the water dies."
In winter, when,
" The cherished fields Put on their winter robe of purest white,"
the lake is vocal, with the laughter and frolic of our youth of both sexes, as they " sweep on sounding skates, a thousand different ways, in circling poise," upon "a crystal pavement, by the breath of heaven cemented firm." In summer and win- ter, Crystal Lake, the pride of Gardner, is a thing of beauty, a joy forever. We are always, while viewing this lake, ready to say, with Mrs. E. Oakes Smith,
" How beautiful the water is ! To me 'tis wondrous fair- No spot can ever lonely be If water sparkle there ; It hath a thousand tongues of mirth, Of grandeur, or delight, And every heart is gladder made When water greets the sight."
In the southwesterly part of Gardner, is Kendall Pond, while near it is a smaller one lying partly in Templeton. Also in the south part of the town, is the reservoir of Marcus Wright, forming, to one standing on Prospect Hill, skirted as it is, with trees, a beautiful foreground to Wachusett, at whose feet it sparkles, and upon whose surface, there are seen gliding, the boats of the pleasure seekers, from the pleasant grove upon its northern border. There is also, in the northeast part of the town, the Nashua reservoir, whose dam is in Ashburnham.
Streams .- Forming a portion of the western boundary, be- tween Gardner and Templeton, is Otter River. This is the only stream, in Gardner, worthy of being called a river. It runs through the southwest portion of the town and having a general direction towards the north, it empties itself into Miller's River, beyond the limits of the town. We will now proceed to men-
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
tion the several brooks, which winding sluggishly through the town, empty themselves into this river.
Bailey Brook .- This stream takes its rise on Raymond Hill in Winchendon, and running through the westerly part of Gard- ner, unites with Otter River, near what is now known as the shoddy mill.
Kneeland Brook .- This brook having its rise on the same range of highlands and nearly parallel to Bailey Brook, empties itself into Otter River just below the saw-mill now owned by Dr. David Parker.
. Wilder Brook .- This brook rises between the two already mentioned, and after running in a southerly direction, unites with the Kneeland Brook, at the upper end of Dr. Parker's mill- pond.
Foster Brook .- One branch of this brook takes its rise in the swamp near the house of Joel Matthews, and the other branch on or near the farm of Andrew J. Willis, and running in a southerly direction, enters Gardner Brook just above the mill of Horace F. Parker in South Gardner.
There is another brook, which has its rise, on the height of land, near the house of Seth H. Temple. It runs in a north- easterly direction, into the reservoir of the Nashua Reservoir Company, near the house of Ebenezer Ballou, and forms a part of the head waters of the Nashua River.
Pond Brook .- The outlet of Crystal Lake forms this small stream, which, proceeding in a southerly direction, empties into Otter River.
Pew Brook .- This brook takes its rise some two miles to the northeast of Gates Swamp, in the southeast part of the town, and runs in a southwesterly direction, crossing East Street, and through a long strip of meadow, passing by the chair fac- tory of Thomas Greenwood, and crossing Partridge Street, to its junction with the main stream, in Spectacle Meadow. Pew Brook has several branches, one of which takes its rise in Westminster and enters this brook some rods below East Street ;
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
a second branch, coming from Quag Pond, enters it just above Temple Street ; Pierce Brook rises about half a mile away, in a small swamp on the east side of Livermore Hill in West- minster, and runs westerly, and enters Pew Brook about one- eighth of a mile below Temple Street.
Gardner Brook .- This brook rises in Westminster and runs in a northwesterly direction, supplying the reservoir of Marcus Wright, from whence, proceeding in a northerly direction, it receives the waters of Pew Brook, in Spectacle Meadow, thence running northerly, till it comes to the Boston, Barre and Gard- ner Railroad at South Main Street, where it receives the waters of Foster Brook, whence, curving to the south, it flows in a southwesterly direction, till it empties itself into Otter River, a short distance, from the pail factory of A. Bancroft & Co. These are all the streams, in town, worthy of mention.
The following poem, by Mr. John C. Bryant of this town, was written some years since. It was originally recited in Phi- lokalia, a lodge of Good Templars. Sensible of some imper- fections in it, Mr. Bryant, at the request of the author, reluc- tantly yields it for publication, in this particular portion of this work :-
TWILIGHT MUSINGS.
Day was reclining in the lap of night,
Clad in her robes of dim twilight.
When I wandered to the crest of yonder hill,
Which o'erlooks our village, there, when all was still,
To feast on nature's works, before me spread,
The land of the living, the home of the dead.
Below me was the din and the strife,
The care, the turmoil, of busy life.
While to my ears, on passing breezes borne,
Came the sound of laughter, the burst of song, Beside me, the robin poured his lay, Singing requiems to departing day. Before me, in the distant west,
The golden sun, just gone to rest, Was sending back his latest ray,
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
Tinging hilltop and vale, with beauty's play. Crimsoning the whole, with glory yet untold, Gilding yonder church spire, with its touch of gold, While the fleecy clonds, skirting the western sky, Were clothed in a resplendent canopy, Half parted, by wilder breezes driven, Unveiled to me, the golden gateway to heaven. Just over there, all quiet and still, Rocked to sleep in the cradle of the hill, Was the Lake, whose sparkling, pearly wave Plashes on the beach, beside the quiet grave, Where the eglantine and ivy twine, The votive offering, at Friendship's shrine. The blush roses bloom and the forget-me-not- Memory's gifts-adorn the cherished spot Where you and I, sometimes go to weep O'er the graves of loved ones, now asleep. Then my ravished sight, wandering o'er the scene, Was fixed, where, meandering, in pathis of living green, The brook, with its silvery thread, ran splashing along. Singing in the solitude, old nature's cheery song. And then, from beauty's bower, peeping, blushingly forth, HIalf hid in sylvan shade, to veil its modest worth, The violet looked out ; beside it, the daisy with its petals white, With buttercups and pansies, reflecting the golden light. The bursting bud and blossom, in their fullest bloom, Harbingers of the harvest yet to come, All sparkling, with heavenly dewdrops wet, Decked earth, with gems fit for a coronet. In the north, old Monadnock rears his head on high, As if to scan the secrets of the upper sky . Then sunny Wachusett, our southern pride, With waving forests dotting its either side, Its uplifted peak, where tempests oft have frowned, Seems, just now, with golden glory crowned. Nestling at its foot, and half way up its side, Embowered in sylvan shades, by nature beautified, The cottage stands, while here and there between, Like mirrors, set, all placid and serene,
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
Resting on earth's bosom, like fairest gems That deck beauty's form or monarch's diadems, Are lakes, to enhance the enchanting scene, Like pictures in a frame of living green. Beautiful ! beautiful ! I said, and a newer light Came into my soul, while far into the night I sat me there, on the verdant sod, In holy communion with nature's God. Tell me not, in your classic rhyme, Of Etrurian glades, or fair Italia's clime, Where no dark cloud ere dimmed the azure blue, And richest fruits, in profuse luxuriance grow, Or Switzerland's grandeur, or Alpine showers, Or sparkling fountain in old Alhambra's bowers. No ! no ! not these, my heart with purest pleasure thrills, But what I find on old New England's hills.
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
CHAPTER III.
CHARACTER OF THE INHABITANTS.
" Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, When wealth accumulates and men decay.
Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade, A breath can make them as a breath has made ; But a bold peasantry their country's pride,
When once destroyed can never be supplied."-Goldsmith.
A CCORDING to the information which we are able to glean, from such sources as are accessible, Gardner had, at its incorporation, a population of only about three hundred and seventy-five, embraced in about sixty families. At the present time, the inhabitants number about four thousand, among whom are many Irish and French, who are a very industrious and frugal people. These ancient families, were not clustered then, as most of our families are at the present time. in villages, but scattered far and wide over the entire surface of the town and accessible by rough and inconvenient roads. The geographical centre of the town, then, as now, was where stands the First Congregational Church.
In speaking of the first settlers of this town, we are aware that there is some danger of indulging in an undue and fulsome veneration of those who have preceded ns. Still we do not think that we, of the present day, are justly chargeable with this infirmity, regarding our fathers. It is not possible, for any candid mind, to trace the deeds of these men, as they stand, recorded upon the yellow and dingy pages of our town records,
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written, often in almost illegible chirography, and by no means faultless orthography, and not feel like thanking God, from the depths of a heart overflowing with gratitude, that such men preceded us in laying the foundations of these institutions, whose benefits we to-day enjoy. They were no strangers to a variety of hardships and privations. They wooed and wedded their wives and reared their children, amid the environments of poverty. In reflecting upon their toils and hardships, their wants and privations, their industry and frugality, the words of Gray, come forcibly to our minds, as admirably descriptive of their condition.
" Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke ; How jocund did they drive their teams afield, How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke.
" Let not ambition mock their useful toil, Their homely joys and destiny obscure ;
Nor grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile, The short and simple annals of the poor.
" Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife, Their sober wishes never learned to stray ;
Along the cool sequestered vale of life, They kept the noiseless tenor of their way."
It is true that, compared with the demands of the imperious goddess, Fashion, at whose shrine, we all so devoutly worship, the wants of our fathers and mothers were few and simple. From the soil, we tread to-day, they wrung with unremitting labor, the products upon which themselves and their children subsisted. Then in almost all the dwellings of this town, might have been heard the whir of the old spinning wheel, which, under the skillful hand of the matron and her daughters, spun the warp and woof which afterwards, the swiftly flying shuttle, in the same dexterous hands, amid the rattle and thuds of the domestic loom, standing in the chamber above, con- structed into long webs of thick woolen cloth, in which, dressed at the neighboring mill and manufactured into suitable gar- ments, by the newsy, itinerant tailoress, the members of the household, defied the winter's cold.
8
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
In those days, our fathers raised and thrashed, retted and broke, swinged and hatcheled, their own flax, which our moth- ers, with the distaff and spindle, of the busy foot-wheel, drew out into that fine linen thread which, combining with woolen yarn, they wrought into that once famous fabric, known as linsey-woolsey, in which they and their children clothed them- selves, as their every-day attire. With what an air of pomp and fresh importance, did the boys and girls of those days, carry themselves in their newly made garments.
Those were days devoid of sham. The modern king, shoddy, had not then begun to display his art of making things not what they seem, days, when as Solomou says of the " virtuous woman," the housewife " did her husband good and not evil, all the days of her life, when she sought wool and flax and worked willingly with her hands, when she rose while it was yet night and gave meat to her household and a portion to her maidens, when she laid her hands to the spindle and her hands held the distaff, when she was not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household were clothed with double gar- ments, when she made herself coverlets, and fine linen and sold it, and looked well to the ways of her own household and ate not the bread of idleness, when her children rose up and called her blessed, her husband also, and he praised her."
Then it was, that instead of ready-made boots and shoes, now so abundantly supplied by our wholesale and retail stores, made to fit any and all feet, sewed with cable wire, or pegged by a machine, our fathers, taking the hide from their own fatted oxen, or calves, whose juicy meat they consumed in part, im- mediately, or stored in barrels for future use, carried it to the tanner and the leather dresser, and after it had been, for a long time, subjected to the process of tanning and dressing, brought home, and then summoning to the ancient kitchen, the shoe- maker, whose coming had long been anticipated, and whose bench and lap stone, elamps and " waxed ends " had come to be familiar objects in the farmer's dwelling, they bid him pro- ceed to the manufacture of the yearly supply of shoes, for the various members of the household.
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
What a scene of joy was that in these country homes. How gladly did Ebenezer, Theophilus and David, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Rhoda, these last more modestly, step forward, at the in- vitation of this wonderful conjurer of leather, to be measured for their next pair of new shoes. Standing firmly against the side of the house, how heavily they pressed their feet, upon the measure of this domestic artist, that they might be sure of having their shoes of ample length and breadth. How eagerly they watched his motions from day to day, till out of a chaos of leather, sole and upper, he formed, the long wished for articles, for the protection of their feet.
In these early homes, instead of the modern furnace, range and stove, plumbed for a convenient supply of hot water, in all the rooms of the house, with sink and pump, making house- work so convenient, was seen only the old open fireplace, on whose side,
" The erane and pendent trammels showed,"
where was piled the
" Nightly stack Of wood against the chimney-back,- The oaken log, green, huge and thick, And on its top, the stout back-stick,"
sending out its light and heat, cheerily over the room,
"On whitewashed wall and sagging beam, Until the old, rude-furnished room Burst, flower-like, into rosy bloom."
Before this great consumer of fuel, where roared the winter's blast, the busy housewife placed her covered tin baker, or erected her pewter or wooden plate, supported by brick or flat-iron, in which she cooked the yellow johnny-cake, or where, suspended by a line from the overhanging hook, vibrated and revolved the sparerib, or when grander occasions demanded, the Thanksgiving turkey, which coming well cooked, brown and smoking upon the clothless table, was food fit for the Olympian gods. Then too, there was the good old brick oven, now obsolete, in modern houses, standing grim and firm, upon the side of the fireplace, with its big mouth and capacious in- terior, from which, having been well heated and carefully
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
cleared with the long, iron handled shovel, the good woman, every Sabbath morning, drew forth her brown bread, not then called " Boston brown bread," indian pudding, tremulous like a mass of jelly, with its own golden richness, and baked beans, which, having stood all night, imprisoned within these brick walls, came out properly cooked, and fragrant with the im- parted juice of well fattened pork, culinary products, surpassing the power of more recent arrangements to produce, fitted in all respects, to satiate the appetite, which their sight and perfume awakened.
In striking contrast, with the luxurious appliances of our modern homes, with their richly carpeted floors, their costly, upholstered chairs, their velvety lounges and sofas, their many conveniences of closets and pantries, their bay windows and conservatories, where all winter long, bloom flowers of rare beauty and fragrance, all warm and comfortable, from cellar to attic, by the ageney of the ever busy furnace, or steam boiler, or coal stove, stood the old farm house, with its ample kitchen, by whose fireside, stood the old settle, with its high back, while, in some angle of the room, was seen the dresser, with its nu- merous shelves, burdened with dishes and cooking utensils, where, as Longfellow says,
" The pewter plates on the dresser,
Canght and reflected the flame, as the shields of armies, the sunshine."
Instead of the modern lucifer-match which, like some men, is always ready to blaze with the slightest friction, they had only the old tinder-box, with its flint, which, as Brutus says,
" Much enforced, shows a hasty spark And straight is cold again."
Or sometimes failing in this, they were compelled to resort to the neighbors, with the " slice," to borrow fire, ere they could cook their morning meal. Instead of the beautiful gas jet, or the brilliant kerosene lamp, they were obliged to grope their way through the darkness, with the dimly burning lamp, odor- ous with the oil of the whale, or the tallow candle, set in tin candlesticks or blocks of wood, which the patient housewife
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
had " dipped " or run in moulds, or sometimes with the blazing pine knot. Instead of the copper pump, with its poisonous lead pipe, standing so conveniently by the sink, within the house, our fathers were satisfied to draw water with the well-sweep, to whose pole was attached
" The iron bonnd bneket, the moss covered bucket, which hung in the well."
They had not then learned the refined art of introducing into their bodies, the slow poisons, of our modern conveniences, by which, through impure air and water, the health, vigor and life of our citizens, are secretly stolen away. When they drank water, they took it directly, cool and sparkling, from the deep well ; when they drank cider, or New England rum, as indeed they often did, these liquors were free from all adulterations so familiar to those, now indulging in such death dealing bever- ages. In this respect, they were more fortunate than those who have followed them. 'Then instead of having the advan- tage of railroads, bringing their ponderous trains of merchan- dise to the town, in less than a day, from the sea board, the men of those times, were compelled to " ship " their goods upon the backs of horses, or, in later times, upon large teams which, with their four or six horses, or an equal number of oxen, made their long, laborious journeys, from country to city and from city to country again, carrying their agricultural products to Boston and returning with " West India Goods."
How tardily, in those days, did the news creep up over these hills. No daily paper found its way, as with us, to the hand of the fathers. They were not pestered with yesterday's doings, in Washington, California, Europe or India. Yet, were they not long ignorant of important events, at home and abroad.
" The flying rumors gather'd as they roll'd,
Scarce any tale was sooner heard than told ; And all who told it added something new, And all who heard it made enlargement too, In every ear it spread, on every tongue it grew."
Not favored, like their descendants, with advantages for gen- eral education and mental culture, they were accustomed to look to the parish minister for needed information. Hence,
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
they were anxious to attend church, on the Sabbath, that they might keep themselves informed, upon subjects of interest to them, as well as to hear the truth, given them from the word of God. And when in the sanctuary, on the Sabbath, they in- dulged in none of those enervating practices so common to worshippers of the present time. They sat on no cushioned seats, in a church whose atmosphere was warmed by stoves or furnaces. The foot stove only, within whose perforated walls, they placed the dish of glowing coals, supplied the women with warmth for their feet. In winter they found their way to church, often on ox sleds, through deep snows. In other sea- sons of the year, they rode to church, on horseback, the father upon the saddle, in front of whom, sometimes, rode one of the children, while upon the pillion behind him, sat the wife, with another and younger child in her lap. around whom she held one arm, while with the other, she steadied herself in her ex- alted position.
In those days, the now almost forgotten "horse-block," was an essential part of church furnishing, upon which the people dismounted and mounted their steeds, as they came and went on the Sabbath. In this mode of conveyance, in which they had before their eyes, no fear of a Bergh nor any of the agents of the " Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals," they were entirely unlike their children, who, if they attend church at all, are rolled thither in elegant carriages or walk along well graded streets or upon sidewalks, that are yet to be greatly ex- tended and improved. But, while the circumstances of our fathers, obliged them to practice the now almost forgotten arts of prudence and economy, they yet were not open to the charge of niggardliness and parsimoniousness. They had little ready money and this not easily obtained. They felt keenly the effects of a greatly depreciated currency. Their taxes were necessarily burdensome and the means, with which, to pay them were small. Yet they did not fail honorably to meet the de- mands, which public worship, public education and municipal authority made upon them, as will be seen farther on. Al-
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HISTORY OF GARDNER.
though they were destitute of public libraries, they were not unacquainted with many religious, literary, historical and bio- graphical works. They were familiar with the Bible, the great educator, Pilgrims' Progress and many of the standard English poets. They read the sermons of the eminent pastors, of some of our early New England pulpits, from whom, they derived the inspiration of a more exalted patriotism. Furnished thus, they were not wanting in the possession of general intelligence.
We are not to think of them, surrounded as they were, by privations, as altogether devoid of the sources of domestic and social enjoyments. They had their seasons of festivity and hilarity. If they toiled hard, in the open field, in the season of seed time and harvest, they yet found time, in winter, for those social gatherings, either in their own homes, or at the village tavern,
" Where gray-beard mirth and smiling toil retir'd Where village statesmen talk'd with looks profound, And news much older than their ale went round."
In their social assemblies, from house to house, in the au- tumn and winter months, the young men and maidens solaced themselves in the dance, not in the objectionable modes of more recent times, but in the use of those well approved " fig- ures," with the dancing of which, the most orthodox dame could find no cause for censure. Those were days of husking bees, when all the neighborhood, both men and women, came together for a jovial time, when, having finished the corn heap, they repaired to the house, where, upon long rows of tables, busy hands had placed an abundance of pumpkin pies, and other viands, equally inviting to the hilarious assembly. Among the women, there were numerous carding, quilting and paring bees, where many hands made quick work ; while among the men, there were not wanting, occasions of local excitement, such as chopping bees, wrestling matches, raisings, May train- ings and annual musters.
Those were times, the like of which, we shall never see again. Then, a raising, was a public event, fitted to interest
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everybody, even those in adjoining towns, because there was something to be raised. Then, such was the abundance of timber, there was gathered upon the spot, where the building was to be erected, no undistinguishable, chaotic mass of lumber, of despicable dimensions, such as one sees now-a-days, and which the carpenter, single-handed, proceeds, with nails and hammer, to set up, as the " frame " of a house, but the strong oaken timber was there, well hewed, jointed, and seasoned, ready, like the different parts of Solomon's Temple, to be set, each piece, in its proper place, by the exertions of strong, brave men. That was a scene of unusual interest and excitement. From all parts, men assembled, with the resolution of triumph in their mien, with iron bars, mallets and hammers. They lifted and tugged, in unity of action, until the raising had been effected. Nor were they, in all this, unmindful of the better things yet to be revealed, when their task had been accom- plished. They knew that custom demanded of him, who had invited them to assist him, a bountiful supply of good rum, with plenty of sugar to make it palatable, and a generous offering of food. They knew also, that there were to be trials of muscular skill and strength, in the wrestling of strong men, for the championship of the town, or vicinage.
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