USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 28
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Later in the year, the two squadrons, known as Col. Has- kell's and Salmon Goodfry's were united, and the "people called Shakers" had the privilege of "drawing their own money, and schooling it out in their own way."
The report of the committee appointed to propose a uni- form method of instruction in the schools was not made till January 7, 1794, by which time Rev. Nathaniel Thayer was in position to render assistance, for which the town voted grateful acknowledgments. The report is too long for inser- tion, but some of its regulations may be given in an abridged form. 1. The grammar school was to admit all who could read the English language by spelling the same. 2. The third class was to consist of those who could read by spelling, and they were to be taught to spell the words in the lessons without the book. They were also to attend to accents. 3. The second class was to read without spelling the words, and they were to use the Dictionary in spelling. They were to study Gram- mar and apply its rules in reading. Then they were to learn to write. 4. The first class was to advance to the study of Arithmetic and Geography. 5. The same rules, substantially applied to the scholars in the district schools. 6. Persons
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TEXT BOOKS. - NEW DISTRICTS.
qualified for the study of Latin and Greek, were to take up those languages if their parents desired it. 7. The books prescribed were these : Perry's Spelling Book and Grammar, Perry's Dictionary, the Bible, Pike's Arithmetic, Morse's Abridgment of his Geography. The Latin and Greek au- thors were to be selected by the committee. They recommended that the town provide school-books for the scholars, but that one book might be used by more than one scholar. That is, the same book would go from one to another. They also ad- vised that teachers should obtain certificates of their qualifica- tions, according to law, before beginning their schools. One hundred pounds were appropriated for the support of the English grammar schools, and seventy pounds for the Latin grammar school. The committee to inspect schools were Messrs. Thayer, Sprague, Timothy Whiting, jr., John Whit- ing, Stedman, Ward and Eli Stearns.
Two hundred pounds were devoted to schools in 1795, seven- ty of which went to the Latin school. Salaries and fuel were included. The town was districted anew for the purpose of lessening the number of schools, and increasing their dura- tion. The three northern districts were reduced to two, and the two in the southeast were united in one. The Neck and Old Common districts were formed into two. The several districts were to be known by numbers as follows, viz.
The school-house near Leonard Farwell, . No. 1
in the northwest, . 2
66 near Jeremiah Ballard, .
3
66
" Samuel Wilder, [George hill] 66 4
" the corner of Wm. Phelps, [Lane Crossing] 66 5
66
" Dea. J. Wales, [Neck] . 66
6
66
Amos Sawyer, [Deers Horns] 7
66 south of Prescott's mills, [Clinton] 8
66
66
66 near Edward Fuller, [Harris mills] 66 9
The committee reported that the town should build the school-houses ; that the money for schooling should be divi-
356
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
ded among the schools according to the number of scholars from four to twenty years of age; and that the Latin school should be suspended two months in the year, between De- cember 20 and February 20 ; and that the money thus saved, should be "averaged upon the five smallest and most distant districts." It appears, however, from the Records that ten districts were retained.
Federal money came into use in 1796, and two hundred and seventy-five dollars of it were appropriated for the sup- port of the Latin grammar school ; and five hundred dollars for the other schools. Nothing was done, as yet, in the way of building the new school-houses. In some districts there were old houses ; in some, barns, shops and rooms in dwell- ing-houses were used.
The appropriation in 1797 took off twenty-five dollars from the Latin grammar school, probably because the time had been shortened. An important modification of the schools was made, this year, in accordance with the recommendations of a committee, headed by John Sprague. Avoiding details, the following will enable the reader to understand the main point of alteration. " That the Latin and Greek grammar school be kept the current year, by several masters in sever- al places, viz., six months in the grammar school-house by a master provided by the hiring committee ; two months in the Neck district ; two months in George hill district; and two months in the Walnut swamp district, different in time from the said six months, by masters provided by the several dis- tricts, and paid out of the school money they severally draw." It will be seen that the same master might have been employ- ed by the several districts in succession, and that probably was the intention. Latin and Greek scholars might attend in any district to which they did not belong by paying tuition.
The visiting committee in 1798, consisted of eleven high- ly respectable men, probably every one of them capable of performing their duties, except in the examination of the Lat- in and Greek classes, and perhaps half of them were equal
357
SCHOOLING IN 1800.
to this service. Nathaniel Thayer, ex officio, Samuel Ward, T. Whiting, jr., William Stedman, Ebenezer Torrey, John Maynard, John Sprague, John Whiting, Joseph Wales, Jonas Lane, John Thurston. The duty of visiting the schools, how- ever, was mainly done by Mr. Thayer, who was very faith- ful and efficient.
This year two hundred dollars were expended on the classi- cal school and five hundred for the other schools.
The same appropriation for the support of schools, was made in 1799, and that the money might be well expended, the town amply provided competent committees, as will appear from the following list.
For hiring a Latin grammar school-master, Samuel Ward, John Maynard and Oliver Carter. John Maynard "request- ing to be excused," John Whiting was chosen in his stead.
A school committee of eleven "to visit the schools " was composed of the following leading citizens. Rev. Nathan- iel Thayer, Ebenezer Torrey, Jonas Fairbank, Israel Ather- ton, John Sprague, William Stedman, Timothy Whiting, jr., John Whiting, John Thurston, Jonas Lane, Daniel Rugg.
The committee for "hiring a singing-school master," were Jonathan Wilder, John Thurston and Samuel Rugg.
This arrangement reached into the year 1800, and thus the old century closed with honor. The opening of the present century was under favorable auspices, as regards education. Mr. Thayer had enlarged ideas in relation to schools, and he was surrounded with men endowed with more than common foresight and culture. Sprague, Ward, Stedman and John Whiting had more than a local reputation, and the other gen- tlemen were noted for their good sense and energy.
Mr. Thayer came at the right time, and he fitted into the place which providence had provided for him. His visits were made regularly to all the schools in the town, and his advice and general influence related not only to the teaching and gov- ernment of the children, but also to morality and religion. There have been improvements in school-houses and school-
358
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
books ; in the range of studies and the methods of teaching, but it may be doubted if our schools now exert a better in- fluence in raising up men and women fitted for all the duties of life.
Not much was done in the way of building new roads in the last quarter of the last century. Chockset had been well supplied with highways, byways and private ways before the old town had become willing to part with that section of her domain. After that event there was a call for new roads, or for the straightening of old roads, in the south and west part of the town ; nearly all of these traveled ways pointing to Prescott's mills, or Clinton. That enterprising town owes much to the successive generations of Prescotts, inasmuch as they began to make the mills the central point of travel.
In 1792 a road was laid out from Still river bridge to a point not far from the present residence of the Misses Farnsworth. Early in the history of Lancaster there was a road from the old home of John White, [now Edward Houghton's,] over the land of N. C. Hawkins and S. R. Damon, across the road by the clay pit, and thence to the south end of Pine hill. The road forked by the first Scar, and crossing the river by a ford, pass- ed on to the Bolton road south of the Haynes estate. The left branch passed along the west side of Pine hill to the point where now the Farnsworth road crosses the Cranberry mead- ow. Then it ascended the hill, and ran north the whole length of the hill, and came out at another John White place, opposite what is now known as the Dyer place. Long afterwards the road to Harvard, after reaching the vicinity of Eben C. Mann's house, turned to the right into the woods, descended the hill into the lands east of the house of Cyrus K. Goodale, and thence went north and east by the old brick yard, to John White's, and so forwards to Still river, or White's bridge. The road, in 1798, was laid out nearly on its present line, leav- ing the valley, and keeping on the hillside, by the Willard, the Whittemore and the Burbank farms to the Harvard line.
In the same year the road leading from the present town
359
BRIDGES. - LOTTERY.
farm, by Mr. Schumaker's, (once the land of the celebrated John Hancock,) and the old Capt. Maynard place, to the county road by Taylor's mills, (now Ponakin, ) was opened.
A road was also laid out from the house of Aaron Lyon, on the Shirley line, south by west one hundred and seventy- seven rods to a point on an old town road. This was done " at the request of the people in this town known by the de- nomination of Shaking Quakers, and on condition that they be at the whole expense of the laying out and making such road."
Though the roads of Lancaster became fixed in their pres- ent beds a hundred years ago, with such variations as always occur in the onward life of a town, yet the bridges, on the other hand, have been a constant and a heavy charge, through every generation to the present day. In 1782 the vote in the May meeting raised only sixty pounds for highways and bridges. Later in the season, fifty pounds were added, and still later, ten pounds more. But this amount merely kept the roads and bridges in passable order for the time being. Not far from this time there must have been a great destruc- tion of bridges, because the Records show that the town was engaged, for several years, in building bridges, at great ex- pense, and raising money by unusual methods.
A special meeting was held on the first day of January, 1783, to see if they would "choose a committee to petition the general court for a lottery in said town, for the purpose of building and repairing the bridges." The town chose John Sprague, Timothy Whiting, jr., and Samuel Ward a committee for this purpose, who succeeded in obtaining authority for get- ting up a lottery. At the March meeting, one hundred and seventy pounds were raised to be " worked out at highways and bridges."
On the seventh of April a committee of five, viz., Jonathan Whitney, Ephraim Carter, jr., Gardner Wilder, Jonas Fair- bank, jr., and Moses Wilder, was chosen to " superintend the rebuilding and making good the public bridges and cause-
360
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
ways " in the town, and to " draw money out of the hands of the managers of the lottery for payment of the same."
In 1784 one hundred and twenty pounds were devoted to repairing highways and bridges ; and a vote was passed in March that the "lotterey should commence drawing on the first Tuesday of April," and further that the town "would take to their own risque and account all the Tickets " that should remain unsold at the time of drawing.
The town, on the sixth of September, raised the question whether to "purchase a road through Quassaponakin, or to build a bridge across the river in said Ponakin." The matter was referred to a committee,- Ephraim Carter, jr., Jona- than Whitney, Timothy Whiting, Ebenezer Allen and Peter Green,- who reported at another meeting in favor of mak- ing the purchase of a road, instead of building a bridge. The state of the case was probably this. The road through Ponakin intervale was partly private, and perhaps portions of it had been washed away, as there have been frequent and great changes in the course of the river. Possibly also a bridge at Ponakin, had been carried off by a flood. The question was, whether to buy a road through the intervale, on the east side of the river; or go along the west side to Ponakin, and then bridge the river at that place. The phrase " purchase a road" seems to show that there was already a road ; probably, as said above, in part or wholly a private way. The selectmen were authorized to purchase the road. The building committee were directed by the town, September 21, to call on the inhabitants to " work out their rates in the last town tax * *
* at the bridges."
The lottery scheme did not work smoothly, and the town took measures to secure its rights. The history of the whole proceeding would furnish a curious and painful chapter, but it must be passed over briefly. It appears that the managers had sued the town for damages and costs of prosecution. The dispute was about the cost of managing, as the profits were distressingly small, and the managers charged a large percent-
361
BRIDGE INSPECTORS.
age. A committee was appointed to settle with the managers, on the eighteenth of November, and the selectmen were em- powered to borrow money, since the taxes and the profits of the lottery were not sufficient to meet the demands on the trea- sury. The town was found to be in debt to the managers in the sum of £317-0-91 ; so that we are not surprised to find that a committee was raised to inquire what the " common cus- tom was for managers to have for managing a lottery."
The work of bridge building went forward, but at a mod- erate rate. Perhaps the committee were hindered by the want of money ; perhaps by successive floods. Some of the voters were becoming impatient, as was evinced by an arti- cle in the warrant for a meeting in March, 1786, which was to see if the town would dismiss the bridge building committee, and choose another in their place. The town, however, vot- ed to pass over the article.
Then came a new disaster, as appears by the following, in a call for a meeting, September 27, 1787, to see " what method the town will come into for repairing the bridges and causeways which have been carried away in the late flood, and to raise money for the above purpose." A hundred and twenty pounds were raised for the purpose, and the work was put into the hands of Nathaniel Willard, Moses Sawyer, Michael Newhall, Edmund Heard and Ephraim Carter.
Action was taken, October 15, to see if the town would appoint "Inspectors of bridges that in case of floods every precaution should be used to prevent the loss of bridges." Two inspectors were appointed for each of the following bridges.
Jonas Wyman,
Edmund Heard, S Meeting House [Sprague] bridge.
Nathaniel Willard, Neck* bridge.
John Whiting,
Josiah Phelps,
William Locke, Below Dr. Atherton's.
* This was sixty rods below the present Center bridge.
362
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Jonathan White, White's [Still River ] bridge. John White, jr., S
Gardner Wilder,
Nathaniel Eaton, S Bennett's [North Village] bridge.
The new bridge committee with the addition of Major Gard- ner Wilder, and Dea. Houghton, were directed to consider the expediency of building a bridge near Greenleaf's mills. These mills, formerly Col. Joseph Wilder's, were several rods, down stream, below the present Ponakin bridge. A saw mill was on the east side and a grist mill on the west side of the river. The committee reported in favor of the project, and the town, November 5, voted to build the bridge. This bridge was placed above the old dam which was washed away in a subsequent flood. Fifteen days later the town raised one hundred and twenty pounds for building the bridge, and charged James Carter, Benjamin Houghton, James Goodwin, William Wilder and Jonathan Wilder with the work.
The bridge at Greenleaf's mill was built, but not without a supply of liquor, as appears by the following vote, May 12, 1788. "The committee for building the bridge * will be empowered to provide drink for said purpose at their dis- cretion."
The bill for repairing and building bridges, in May, was as follows :
For building the Atherton bridge, £156-15- 6}
Sprague 296- 2- 6
White, or Still river, 54- 4-11
The net proceeds of the lottery up to the same date footed up to a respectable amount, as these figures show.
Net proceeds of the second class of the lottery, £73-14- 3
third 66 113-15- 0
fourth 62- 7- 8
fifth 88- 5- 0
Total,
. £338- 1-11
·
363
LOTTERY-GAMBLING.
Sawyer's bridge, so called, in the extreme south part of the town, (now in Clinton, ) was built in accordance with a vote, April 6, 1789. In May the " old bridge committee " were dropped, and John Sprague, Timothy Whiting, jr., and John Maynard were substituted.
The reader may be interested in seeing the working of the lottery scheme, as shown by a report, July 6. In the sixth class the number of tickets was 2,700 at two dollars each, = $5,400. Paid in prizes, $4,732, leaving $668. Ten per cent. on the nominal value of all the tickets was paid the managers, equal to $540, leaving profits to the amount of $128.
The seventh and eighth classes had three thousand tickets each ; the expenses at each drawing were four hundred and eighty dollars ; and the amount of profits in both cases was six hundred and twelve dollars. The managers received the lion's share in every drawing. Many thousand dollars changed hands, and as the tickets were probably bought by the poor more freely than by the rich, the cost of the bridges fell upon the former to a far greater degree than if the bridges had been paid for by a tax. It is a fair supposition that many of the prizes were drawn by parties living in other towns, thus taking money from Lancaster. But a far more damaging item, pe- cuniarily, was the waste of time when the town came together, on many different days, watching with intense eagerness the results of chance. And worse than all was the habit of gam- bling which was induced and encouraged by the legislation which allowed such a mode of raising money.
In 1795, November 23, five hundred dollars were raised to defray the expense of rebuilding the bridge near Paul Whit- ing's, on the Bolton road.
The great expense to which the town was subjected by the frequent floods which carried away one or more of the bridges, led the town to apply to the general court, in the fall of 1796, and a committee was chosen to present the request, in connec- tion with the selectmen and the representative. It does not appear that the appeal was successful. At the same time the
364
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
" selectmen with Mr. Torrey were authorized to keep the Neck bridge in legal repair for the term of one year." One year only, as the town hoped the state would lend its aid. Mr. Torrey lived near the entrance of the road upon the intervale beyond C. L. Wilder's barn.
An important change was proposed in the last year of the century, but was not consummated at once. In the warrant for a town meeting, January 6, 1800, was an, article to see, among other things, if the town would take measures in future, to "rebuild the bridges with stone instead of wood."
The ravages of the small-pox in former times were fearful. The dread of its coming marred the happiness of millions. Anything which would mitigate its virulence was hailed with joy. Lady Wortley Montague made herself the benefactress of the English race by advocating the method of inoculating for the small-pox, which she had become familiar with while her husband was British minister at Constantinople. By her persistent endeavors the practice was begun in England, by some of the faculty, and soon grew in favor. It was intro- duced into this state by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, against the prejudices of the people, and the opposition of the profession. The learned Rev. Cotton Mather, one of the most enlightened men of his times, and unmatched in America for his various learning, gave Dr. Boylston his powerful aid. It gradually grew in favor, till the benefits of vaccination were demon- strated, since which time it has gone into disuse. Dr. Israel Atherton, of Lancaster, exposed himself to the hazard of dis- ease and death, as well as the hostility of some of his towns- men, by setting up a " pock house," or "pest house," as the hospital for inoculated patients was vulgarly termed. August 30, 1790, the town was asked to give " consent to have a hospital opened under the direction of Israel Atherton, Esq., for the purpose of inoculating for the small-pox," and the re- quired consent was given. Dr. Atherton was to occupy the house of Jotham Wood, with his leave first obtained. By re- peated licenses of the town, the hospital was kept open till
-
365
POCK HOUSE ON PINE HILL.
1794, and was much resorted to by those who were willing to obtain security from the disease in the natural form, by run- ning the risk incurred by inoculation. The house of Jotham Wood was on Pine hill, in a most beautiful situation, towards the northeast end. There is a spur of the hill here which juts out into the intervale and overlooks the valley of the Nashua and the opposite hills, for many miles. Standing here the lover of nature feasts on the prospect with delight.
Dr. Atherton was authorized to erect other buildings, so far as needful, according to the demand of the patients. Wood's house was large, and the depression of the cellar still remains, with other depressions very near. The house was taken apart, at a later date, and moved from the hill to the road that goes by the Dyer place to Still River. It was then made into two houses, one of which was occupied by John White and his descendants for many years. The old cellars bear witness to this day.
A fallen stone or two indicate where the remains of a few victims of the loathsome disease were buried on the hillside. Near at hand was, and is, a copious spring, issuing from the bank, half way down to the intervale. So much in memorial of a custom and a locality which once were a subject of deep and painful, yet hopeful interest to all the people of this town and the towns around.
In this connection it may be stated that there were in the last century several other houses on Pine hill. There was a little neighborhood, perhaps a mile south of the house of Jo- tham Wood, on the east side of the hill, and looking down upon the intervale, and the ever beautiful Nashua. The re- mains of cellars still mark the location of the houses, and un- til quite recently the remnants of an old orchard were visible. Three houses at least were removed from the hill, and are now occupied by Silas Houghton, Edward Wilcox and John R. Wyman, on the road to Harvard. After the public road over Pine hill was superseded by the present route to Still River, the place became too isolated for habitation, and the
366
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
residents moved away. With pleasant neighbors it would be a charming place for a rural home. Now it is a frequent re- sort for boys and girls, young men and maidens, and even children of a larger growth who delight in the wild haunts of nature.
The state, in 1795, required the towns to make a survey, and accordingly this town, August 6, chose a committee of three to " take or procure an accurate plan of the town." The com- mittee were Gen. John Whiting, Dea. Benjamin Houghton and Major Merrick Rice. This ancient plan or map is now preserved in the office of the Secretary of State, Boston.
A heliotype copy of the map, somewhat reduced in size, is here inserted. By consent of the Secretary of State, Hon. Henry'B. Pierce, a photograph was taken, full size, from which our copy was made. The following items of information were written at the top of the sheet ; but as there was not room for them in the heliotype copy, they are inserted in this place. [See map on the opposite page. ]
" The above Plan represents the town of Lancaster surveyed in obedience to an order of the general court, dated June 26, 1794. On the above Plan is inserted and described each town line which meets or joins with Lancaster, and the time when ran, and by whom surveyed. Also the rivers and roads being surveyed and planned ; have noted the bridges which are as followeth, viz. beginning upon the south branch of Nashua river, the first bridge is called Prescott bridge, 99 feet long, town way ; 2d bridge is called Sawyer's bridge, 90 feet long, town way ; the 3rd bridge is called Atherton bridge, a small space above the confluence of the branches of Nashua river. Said bridge is 90 feet long, on a county road. The 4th bridge that I am about to describe is called Ponikin bridge, on the north branch of the Nashua river, on a county road ; said bridge is 136 feet long. The fifth bridge is called Bennett's bridge, on the Post road, 123 feet long; Causey, 20 rods. 6th bridge is called Sprague's bridge, near the meet-
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