USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 35
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In 1815, the school money amounted to about $1,100. The next year that sum was voted, besides fifty dollars for a sing- ing-school. The committee to hire the Latin grammar school- master in 1817, were Dr. Manning, Mr. Eli Stearns and Col. Jonas Lane. The expense of the school in 1813 was $328. The following year the expense was $229.54, including board, wood and smaller items. In 1815, $307.20 ; in 1816, $157.73. This decrease in the expense of the Latin grammar school was followed by an increase the next year, when the appro- priation was $300, but the actual cost was $375.91.
But the days of the school were numbered, though it had a lingering death. In 1818, at a meeting, November 2, it was voted that the school should be kept five months instead of twelve, commencing on the first of December. At the same time, there was a re-distribution of the school money between the districts, in the following proportion.
District No. 1,
$80 |District No. 7 66
$100 48
66
66
80
66
70
66
66
4, 5, 6,
95 60
“ 11, " 12, 8, .9,
40
1 a
8
60
66
66 2,
3,
85 50 70
66 10,
In this arrangement No. 7 included George hill and New Boston, and the school-house was at the foot of George hill. No. 12 was on the south or west side of the Neck, or Center. The above table indicates a great change in the location of the population. South Lancaster and George hill united, drew only five dollars more than No. 4, or Ballard hill ; and the majority in No. 7 lived on George hill as compared with South Lancaster. No. 6 drew eighty-five dollars, while No. 12, or the west of the Neck drew only forty dollars. Nos. 1
an La to lea cul in 1 call
ur
437
CLOSE OF THE LATIN GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
and 9, which were numbered then as now, drew each eighty dollars. Both the schools in the Clinton territory received but one hundred and thirty dollars, leaving seven hundred and eight dollars for the schools within the present limits of the town.
A further examination shows that a very large proportion of this amount was expended in the north part of the town. The six northern districts, including no part of the Center ex- cept the east road of the Neck, drew four hundred and forty dollars, leaving but two hundred and sixty-eight dollars for the Center, the Old Common, South Lancaster, George hill and Deers Horns. At the present time more than three- fifths of the population live in the latter section of the town ; and a far greater proportion of the valuation.
The Shaker family were allowed ten dollars of school mon- ey, in the above arrangement.
The committee spent $280.75 on the Latin school, in 1818. There appears to be nothing in the accounts for 1819, in re- lation to the school except a few dollars for repairs. In 1820 the town raised $160 ; but the committee spent $256.46 in sup- port of the school. The next year the question of selling the house was referred to a committee, but a committee to hire a Latin grammar master was chosen as usual : Davis Whit- man, Jonas Lane, Solon Whiting. The school was in ses- sion in 1821 long enough to run up a bill of $142. At the March meeting, 1822, the question of abandoning the school was raised, and was referred to a committee. The treas- urer's report shows that fifty dollars were expended for the school. There was no appropriation for the school in 1823, and the next year a committee was directed to dispose of the Latin grammar school-house to the " best advantage of the town." Thus ended a school which had been in existence at least sixty-five years, and which had been a blessing of incal- culable value to the youth of Lancaster. It was established in 1757 as a grammar school, while the other schools were called reading and writing schools. It seems to have had a
438
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
classical teacher from the first ; certainly very early in its his- tory, and after some years took the name of the Latin gram- mar school. Before the set-off of Sterling, it was sometimes kept part of the year in each precinct. After the separation, it was generally kept in the Center, near the house of Daniel Stowell; but at times it held sessions on Ballard hill and George hill about two months each, and the rest of the year in the Center. It is believed that some of the classical, and perhaps other scholars, followed the school in all its migra- tions.
The necessity for the school ceased before it was discontin- ued, since the Lancaster Academy was started in the year 1815. Some interesting facts in the history of this institu- tion will be found on a subsequent page.
Continuing the history of the town schools, we find that a new distribution of the money was made in 1822, the boun- daries of the districts remaining nearly the same. The amount divided was increased about one hundred and fifty dollars, or eighteen per cent., and the sum which each district received, except Ballard hill, was also increased, but the relative in- crease was not uniform. Thus No. 6 increased about thirty per cent., and No. 7 just fifty per cent., and No. 12 eighty-five per cent., while the other districts held nearly their relative position. The population was evidently gaining in the Cen- ter and New Boston. The Shakers were allowed fifteen dollars of school money. By joining all the children in their three families, they had quite a school.
In April a vote was passed to join No. 6 with the part of No. 5 east of the river, while the remainder of No. 5 was united with Ballard hill district. The town also voted to comply with the new law which required that teachers should be qualified to give instruction in Orthography, Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, English Grammar, Geography and good behavior. Perhaps no citizen of the state had more in- fluence in raising the standard of education, at this time, than
439
DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL MONEY.
the Hon. James G. Carter. He was eminent as a teacher ; at different times he was a member of both branches of the gen- eral court ; he was an able and persuasive speaker, and in many ways awakened a deeper interest in the subject of gen- eral education. It was thought by many that the place of Secretary of the Board of Education, when that office was created, belonged to him rather than to the Hon. Horace Mann, since he was more intimately identified with the cause of education at that time.
In April, 1826, district No. 7 was divided, Roper's brook being the boundary line. The school-house fell to the George hill section. New Boston was allowed $90, and George hill $60 of the school money.
It was voted, April 2, 1827, that school districts might choose prudential committees. The law permitting this action was found on trial, to be unfavorable to the selection and lo- cation of the best teachers, and finally was superseded by the law abolishing districts. This year the town paid a bill of $23.49 for school books. The singing-school was kept up by the town, costing between fifty and seventy-five dollars. The committee were Solon Whiting, Ezra Sawyer, George Carter. During several years from 1822 the schools were supported at an annual expense of about $1,005.
The year 1831 witnessed an advance in the appropriation for schools, the town having raised the sum from $1,005 to $1,400. A new distribution of the money was made accord- ing to the table below. The boundaries of the districts are not given. There were twelve districts before the division of No. 7, and but twelve are numbered after that event.
District No. 1,
. $131.00 | District No. 7,.
$92.00
2,
8, 90.00
66
3,
82.00 92.00
66
9, 97.00
106.00
157.00
. 184.00
66
10, 11, 92.00
4, 5, 6,
120.00
12,
157.00
440
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
This arrangement was changed in 1835, but the difference in the apportionment was scarcely worth the trouble of mak- ing it.
The money raised by the town for schools was divided near- ly according to the number of school children in the several districts ; but the money received from the state, for this pur- pose, was, in 1837, and thereafter, divided equally between the districts. In 1838 the expense of the schools was $1,522.04; the appropriation was $1,400. Probably the committee over- ran the sum voted ; they also used the money from the state school fund.
In 1839 it was voted that prudential committees should select and contract with teachers, in the districts where they resided. The plan was popular for many years, but within ten or a dozen years past, the authority to select and employ teachers has been restored to the superintending committees.
An effort was made in 1841 to divide district No. 5, but it failed for the time being. This finishes the educational rec- ord of the town to the close of the second century after Pres- cott and his comrades struck their first blows in the forests of the Nashua valley. The names of the members of the school committee from 1801 to 1843 are here in place. Rev. Nathaniel Thayer was chairman of the committee during all these years till 1840, when Rev. Edmund H. Sears, who was his immediate successor, was chosen to the same position. Some of the names here given were found on the committee several years, others but a year or two. Perhaps some have escaped notice. It is well to bear in mind, that the chief care of the schools was assigned to Mr. Thayer, and that the du- ties of the other members were mainly prudential. The com- mittee in 1803 were Mr. Thayer, Samuel Ward, Josiah Flagg, Thomas Ballard, Ebenezer Torrey, Jonathan Wilder, John Whiting, Israel Atherton, Jonas Lane, John Maynard, John Thurston, William Gould. In subsequent years, besides Mr. Thayer and some of the above, were the following gentlemen.
SCHOOL COMMITTEES. - ROADS.
441
James Carter, Jacob Sweetser, Moses Smith, jr., Consider Studley, Reuben Wheeler, Richard Haven, Thaddeus Chennery, Jonas Fairbank, Benjamin Lee,
Farnham Plummer, Davis Whitman, Josiah Flagg, Elisha Sanderson, Solon Whiting, R. J. Cleveland, Joseph Willard, Ezra Sawyer, Anthony Lane, David Goodrich,
Amos Wheeler, Henry Wilder, James G. Carter, Alanson Chase, Henry Lincoln, Artemas Barnes, Fordyce Nourse, Charles Mason,
Josiah Bridge, John Davis,
Timothy Whiting, Samuel J. Sprague, Joseph Wales, Eli Stearns, Joseph Hiller, William Cleveland, William Blanchard,
Ferdinand Andrews,
Stedman Nourse,
Luke Bigelow, Aaron Burbank,
Paul Willard, Charles Thurston,
Levi Farwell, Samuel Plant,
John Prentiss, Thomas Safford.
Calvin Wilder,
Edward Goodwin,
Martin Lincoln,
Titus Wilder, jr., Calvin Briggs,
Isaac Childs,
Dr. Goodrich, Edward P. Whitman,
Wm. Townshend,
Silas Thurston, jr.,
J. W. Huntington,
Solomon Carter, Samuel Manning, John McGaw, Joel Wilder,
Rev. Asa Packard,
Wright Cummings,
Nathaniel Peabody,
John M. Washburn,
Levi Lewis,
Rev. E. H. Sears,
Joseph Leach,
George Baker,
John Harriman.
Jacob Fisher,
William H. Brooks, Rev. Charles Packard, Jeremiah Dyer, Moses Emerson,
John G. Thurston,
Moses Pearley,
Horatio G. Carter,
Merrick Rice,
Benjamin Houghton, 2d, C. G. Pickman,
ROADS AND BRIDGES.
The routes of travel about and through the town, with few exceptions, had been fixed nearly as they remain, previous to the close of the last century. Between that time and the year 1842, one or two important roads had been opened, and others had been altered more or less, as private or public interest required. The bridges, however, were a continual cause of expense. Almost every unusual rise of water washed away causeways, and sluiceways, while every great flood bore off one or more of the large bridges. The narrative of these con- stant casualties and rebuildings cannot fail to be interesting to all those who have the care of such public works.
442
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
After the Center road and bridge were opened for travel, there was an effort made in 1802, to continue the east Neck road along the west side of the river from the old Neck bridge to the Center bridge, a distance of about sixty rods. This would have been a great convenience to all living on the east side of the Neck, and also to all coming down the Har- vard road while on the way to the Old Common. Nor would it have been a difficult road to make. Why then did not the town comply with the wishes of the petitioners ? And why, when they persisted, did the town appoint a committee to op- pose the project? The reason is not on record, but proba- bly the shifting channel of the river below the Center bridge was the prevailing motive with the town. Roads and bridges between the site of the Center bridge and Charles L. Wil- der's corner had made a large bill of expense to every gen- eration from the first settlement, and it is not strange if the town was willing to abandon the work of keeping them in repair, and rebuilding them when borne away by floods. The committee chosen to oppose the project before the county au- thorities, were Samuel Ward, Josiah Flagg, John Thurston, Jonas Fairbank and John Maynard. The road was not granted.
The old bridge, however, still remained, and the road from Wilder's corner ; and they continued a charge for several years. The same year a plan of a road from Sterling to Lancaster was brought before the town, and a committee was chosen to oppose it, viz., William Stedman and Merrick Rice, esquires. Formerly a road went from South Lancaster by the house of Jonas Goss, and over the south end of George hill, across the land of George A. Parker, and westward on the south side of the house of George K. Tuttle. Nothing was effected at this time.
In the spring of 1803 inspectors of the river bridges were appointed as follows.
Sprague, Samuel John Sprague ; Center, Thomas Safford ; Atherton, Jonathan Wilder ; Whiting, Samuel Rugg ; White, William Haskell ; Ponakin, John Maynard.
-MAP-
0 SHOWING CHANGES NASHUA RIVER.
River
GROTON.
C OL T
Dead
TO
TO
CONCORP.
OLD
NECK-
ROAD
1.
St
Sprague Bridge.
ROAD.
RIVER
Swamp.
#
Centre
Bridge
NASH
Swans
E
HLAOS
ROAD.
Atherton Bridge.
ATHERTON
THE HELIOTYPE PRINTING CO. 220 DEVONSHIRE ST. BOSTON.
ROAD TO CONCORD
NORTH
YH BRANCH.
VA
ANCIENT
BRANCH.
D
ROAD
Ford
River
443
NORTHERN TURNPIKE.
The road over Ballard hill was formerly called Walnut swamp road, and as its name indicates it was difficult to keep in repair. The sum of $300 was laid out upon it this year.
A committee was raised to consider the best method of re- pairing and building bridges in future. It was an important matter. The following strong committee were chosen, and re- ported at the April meeting. Samuel Ward, Eli Stearns, Ebenezer Torrey, Merrick Rice, John Prentiss, Jacob Fisher and John Maynard. They recommended that the town should have materials ready for building stone bridges when the wood- en ones should need to be rebuilt. One experiment could be tried, and then the town could judge. The probable expense of a stone bridge would not exceed two thousand dollars. A new committee, Messrs. Rice, Stearns, Fisher, Maynard and John Whiting, was directed to examine the bridges, and de- cide where to begin on the proposed plan.
New Boston and George hill were united as a highway dis- trict. Provision was made for necessary sluiceways on the Center road east of the bridge.
At the November meeting a road was granted over the pond of Jonas Fairbank at Deers Horns corner. At this time a turnpike company contemplated building a road through the north part of the town, from Leominster to Harvard. A motion was made in town meeting to take measures to oppose the building of the turnpike, but the town decided to make no opposition. It was feared that travel would be diverted from the North Village and the Center, but probably there was a conviction that opposition would be useless. The turn- pike was made, and was nearly in the line of the present road from the northwest part of the town by the brick tavern, as far as the old Poor Farm, now the property of Levi P. Wood, jr. From the school-house the turnpike ran nearly straight across the meadow, through the woods to the river, which it reached two or three hundred rods below Still river bridge. The road is still visible in the woods, well rounded towards the middle, but covered with a growth of bushes and
444
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
small trees. The bridge was carried off not far from the year 1816, and was never rebuilt. The course of travel took the old road to Still river, and has continued to this day.
In May, 1805, the selectmen were authorized to furnish the several highway districts with scrapers. At the same time the question was raised whether the town would oppose the passsage of the Union turnpike across the intervale. That is, the road from Lane's corner or crossing, by the brick- yards, and over the intervale and river towards Bolton. The town voted against making opposition ; but in November in- structed their representative in the general court, Jonathan Wilder, to use all his influence with the legislature to secure a provision in the charter that the turnpike across the inter- vale should cause no expense to the town. This pike was a benefit to the North Village, but diverted teams from the Center. The stages however came through the Center as aforetime.
An attempt was made to get a road allowed from Bennett's bridge to the house of Capt. Sweetzer. In other words, from the bridge, in North Village, down the river some distance, and thence across the intervale eastward to the present resi- dence of Frederick Johnson. No public road was made, but there are still traces of roadways between the two points. Probably the owners of the land used these for their special convenience.
The road and bridge expenses for 1806 were considerable. For repair of the Center road and sluiceways a sum " not ex- ceeding $200 " was voted. The Center bridge needed $144.16 for repairs, and $750 were spent on the new road from Ster- ling. This came by the corner between Messrs. Thurston and Parker, and on to the south end of New Boston.
In 1807 attempts were made to open more convenient ways to the north part of the town, by the middle route, through Greenbush and Goatham, but the town was not ready to build, and appointed Moses Smith, Esq., to oppose the meas- ure. It had to wait a few years. There were two roads to
445
BRIDGES CARRIED AWAY.
Shirley, in old times. One was by the Harvard road about three miles from the Center, and then by the road that goes to the Shakers. The other was by Ponakin, Rugg's mill, and diagonally to the northeast, up Babel hill; thence by the brick tavern to Shirley.
The town in May, refused to build Prescott's bridge, so called, east of Clinton Village, over the Nashua, but agreed to help those interested in the work to the amount of $150. At a meeting, July 6, a vote was passed to lay out $150 on Saw- yer's bridge, and to allow half the school money belonging to residents on the Neck road to be spent in repairing the old Neck bridge. The bridge was again repaired the next spring.
The pressure became stronger for a road to and from Shir- ley, and the selectmen, November 7, 1808, were directed to " make such accommodations with the petitioners for laying out a road from Shirley line to Lancaster meeting-house as will best promote the interests of the town."
At the May meeting in 1809 the town voted "that after making the necessary repairs of the road on the east side of the Neck, the surveyor should work out the residue of the highway tax belonging to that section, in rebuilding the old Neck bridge." The inference is that the bridge had followed several previous ones down the stream. The town however was determined not to make a road from its site to the Cen- ter bridge, nor to pay money out of the treasury to build bridges. If the people on the Neck chose to put a part of their highway money into a bridge, they might do it.
In like manner, the Messrs. Hildreth were permitted to work out their highway tax on their road and bridge. This is now known as Hawkins' bridge.
The Center and Bennett's bridges were carried away in August, and a meeting was held near the last of the month, when it was voted to rebuild them. Eli Stearns, John Wheel- er and A. Pollard were to build the Center, and Bennett's was committed to Richard Haven, Jacob Fisher and John May- nard. The selectmen were directed to make a sluiceway be- tween the Dyer place and White's bridge.
446
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
The bridges which the town appointed agents to have in charge in 1810, were Ponakin, Bennett, or North Village, Sprague, Atherton, Center and White. The Neck was omit- ted, and that in the intervale was a part of the turnpike. The Shaker bridge over the Nashua, east of the Shaker farm, was more a private than a public work. One-fourth of the highway tax, for the Neck, was allowed for repair of the Neck bridge.
Every year the bridges caused expense. This year, repairs on Ponakin were $8.15 ; Atherton, $16.41 ; Sprague, $79.40 ; Bennett, $96.99 ; Center, $94.82. Guide posts cost $7.25. The Center and Atherton bridges were swept away, and a meeting was held, September 10, when it was concluded not to rebuild that season, but a committee was chosen to report a new plan. This new plan was reported on the seventeenth, and Eli Stearns, Jacob Fisher and Merrick Rice were chosen a building committee.
Repairing the Neck bridge was paid for as usual, in 1811, and $345.79 were paid for the work on the Center bridge. The road to Shirley was authorized, and a committee chosen to build it. The new part was from Capt. Lincoln's, (where Thomas Blood now lives, ) through Greenbush and the woods to Goatham, so called. The remainder of the route was a readjustment and repair of an old road. The expense was $821.91.
April, 1813. The Messrs. Locke, successors to Hildreth, had leave to work out and expend a sum not exceeding the taxes set to them in the surveyors' list, on their road and bridge, so called, under the direction of the surveyor of highways in the district whereof they are inhabitants. Twen- ty dollars of the taxes in the surveyor's list were allowed for repairing the Neck bridge. Repairs on the Sprague bridge cost $87.36. December 20, Messrs. Stearns, Fisher and John Thurston were chosen to rebuild the Atherton bridge similar to the Center.
447
BAD SEASON.
The old Neck bridge never staid long in good repair. In 1814 Ebenezer Torrey's highway tax was allowed for " neces- sary repairs." The Lockes had liberty to apply their high- way tax to their road and bridge. The Joneses were per- mitted to do the same by their bridge, over the Nashua and northeast of the Wikapeket mill. The neighbors living near Deers Horns asked and received the same privilege for the bridge and roads in that vicinity. People in the northeastern section were similarly favored. Benjamin Houghton and E. Haven, on the road from Ponakin, north, had leave to work out their tax on that road. November 7, it was determined to build a dry bridge south of the Sprague bridge, and a sim- ilar bridge near the works of Poignand & Plant. The ex- pense for bridges, this year, was $567.09, as follows : Ather- ton, rebuilt, $329.76 ; Bennett's mills, South Lancaster, re- paired, $85.32 ; Bennett, North Village, $35.87; Wikapek- et, or Jones, $116.14.
At the May meeting, 1815, the town voted to stop divert- ing highway taxes from public to private roads. The expe- rience of the years just preceding justified this action.
Not much was done for roads or bridges in 1816, the year when the meeting-house was built. That is still remembered also as a season when frosts and storms almost ruined the crops, as the preceding year is memorable for the " September gale," when thousands of trees were thrown down. Perhaps the next vote was the result of those distressful events. . Ju- ly 2, the town voted that cows should be allowed to run in the highways on conditions. The selectmen must give a li- cense ; the cows were to be labelled ; the owners' names posted in all public places ; no man to have more than one cow in the highway, and none to have the privilege except the necessitous.
A road was granted from Buttrick's Fulling mill east ; that is from New Boston eastward by Carter's mills bridge. But as there had been a road in that direction nearly a hundred and seventy years, it was probable that the old road was straightened and repaired.
448
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Nothing was done in 1817 to incur expense except some repairs on Bennett's bridge. The care of all the bridges was assigned to the persons named below. Ponakin, Benjamin Houghton ; Bennett, Abraham Mallard ; Sprague, Peter T. Vose ; Harris, (east of Clinton, ) Gardner Pollard ; Bennett's mills, (New Boston,) Elias Bennett; Atherton, Jonathan Wilder; Center, Abner Pollard ; White, Jeremiah Dyer.
March 2, 1818, the town resolved to oppose the opening of a new road from Shirley to the Union turnpike. The plan is not recorded, and it is not possible to conjecture what route was contemplated. A great freshet was the occasion of call- ing a special meeting on the fourth of March. Three bridges (Bennett, Atherton and Center) were gone, and the Harris bridge was damaged. It was voted that the three must be " re- built as soon as may be," and that the latter must be repaired. The Bennett bridge was to be laid on the old abutment. Com- mittees were chosen for the work on each bridge. Bennett, -Jacob Fisher, Caleb Lincoln ; Atherton,-John Thurston, Farnham Plummer, Elijah Wilder ; Center,-Jonas Whitney, Solomon Carter, Timothy Whiting ; Harris,-Gardner Poll- ard, David Harris, John Goss. Sprague bridge stood firm, but the road on the south side was piled high with cakes of ice three feet thick. A passage was made through the ice- cakes for travel.
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