USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Lee > History of the town of Lee, Mass. : a lecture, delivered before the Young Men's Association of Lee, March 22d, 1854 > Part 3
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HISTORY OF LEE.
With School Districts covering such vast territories, it must have been impossible for many of the children to derive much advantage from their schools. These four Districts have been subdivided into twelve; and the 100 scholars in 1784 have increased to 758 in 1853.
I am satisfied that few towns in Western Massachusetts have better advantages for education than Lee. In 1837, our Academy was erected, at a cost of $3500, which, for 15 years, exerted its elevating influence; but which is now merged into the town High School, where young gentlemen and misses can acquire as good an education as at any other school for all the practical duties of life. Young gentlemen can here fit for College, if they wish to. A school of an equal grade is sustained for a part of the year at South Lee.
We have also a good school for young misses, and a family boarding-school of too long standing to need commendation.
The first appropriation of £40 has been increasing, till, the past year, it has reached $2650; and, if we add the annual interest of the Hopland fund, we shall have $2746 expended for schools. This is $3,55 per scholar.
In the graduated scale in the last Report of the Board of Education, Lee is numbered 153 ; but if the Hoplands Dis- trict had been included, we should stand No. 129, and, if I mistake not, we should then stand at the head of the Berk- shire list of appropriations for scholars.
Add to the above for building new school-houses and repair- ing old ones, $1000; add also for private schools and school- ing out of town, $800; and we find that we are expending for education annually not less than $4500.
In 1851, the citizens of Lee endowed a scholarship in Marietta College of $5000.
The origin of the HOPLAND SCHOOL FUND was as fol- lows :- On the petition of 177 inhabitants of the Upper and Lower Housatonic townships, to the Great and General Court of Massachusetts Bay, for lots of land situated in their terri- tory, a Committee was appointed to attend to that matter, and, in their instructions, which were adopted June 29, 1722, they say, that,
" Jolin Stoddard, Henry Dwight. Luke Hitchcock, John Ashley, and Samuel Porter, be a Committee to admit settlers, or inhabitants, to grant lots, and manage all the prudential affairs of the settlers, till this Court shall give further orders.
" The said Committee are hereby directed to settle said land in a compact, regular, and defensible manner. They are further required to admit 120 inhabitants, or settlers, in the two townships, giving preference to such of the petitioners as they shall judge most likely to bring forward the settlement, allowing none of them more than three years' time from the allotment of said lands, to bring forward a settlement by
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HISTORY OF LEE.
building a suitable house, and tilling such a quantity of land as the Committee shall appoint, in order to their being entitled to their grants ; reserving a convenient quantity of land for the first settled minister, ministry, and school. The Commit- tee are further directed to demand and receive of each grantee the sum of thirty shillings for each hundred acres, and pro- portionable for a less quantity ; out of which money they shall pay a reasonable sum to the Indians for the purchase of their rights, together with the charge of laying out the two townships, and of the Committee settling them, and the re- mainder be improved in building meeting-houses in said townships."
In the Upper township so called (Great Barrington), there were 40 shares-37 for as many settlers, one for the first minister, one for the ministry, and one for the school. 400 acres were allowed to a share, on the first allotment ; after- wards, the Hoplands so called were apportioned to the said 40 original recipients, at six different times, ranging from 10 to 40 acres at a time. The school portion from the Hoplands amounted in all to about 170 acres.
This land became the exclusive property of the inhabitants of the said Hoplands by the following vote, passed at a meet- ing of the original proprietors of the said Upper township, on the Housatonic, held Jan. 22, 1770, p. 111 of their Records :
" Voted, That all the land belonging to the said proprietors that lies in the Hopland Division so called, that is, all the lands lying north of Stockbridge south line, continuing said Stockbridge south line east to the east line of Great Barring- ton, all the lands north of said line granted for the use and benefit of a school lying within said Great Barrington, be dis- . posed of and improved, for keeping a school for the benefit of the persons that have or shall settle in said Hopland Division. " And Ensign Wm. Ingersoll, Mathew Van Deusen, and Jeremiah Wormer, are chosen and appointed to be a Com- mittee for disposing said lands for said purpose."
This land was sold, and the proceeds invested for the above purpose. The fund is now $1608,33, yielding an income of · $96,50 per annum. On March 18th, 1782, the town "voted to take care of the school land ;" and, on the 28th of that month, the town " voted that the above land is voted to that part of the inhabitants belonging to the said Hoplands." In 1792, the Hoplands were incorporated under the name of " The Lee Hopland School District." It embraces six School Districts,-two at South Lee, the one near C. Hinckley's, the two in Water street, and the one at East Lee, embracing nearly 400 scholars, between 5 and 15 years of age.
The following is the Charter of the Hopland School Dis- trict, with the Amendments :
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HISTORY OF LEE.
An Act for incorporating a certain part of the town of Lee
into a School District, called the Hopland School District, taken from vol. 1st, page 294, of Special Laws.
Whereas it appears to this Court, that certain lands lying in that part of the town of Lee which formerly belonged to the town of Great Barrington, in the County of Berkshire, were appropriated for the use and support of schools, which lands, by Act of Incorporation of the said town of Lee, are reserved to said town of Lee :
And whereas it also appears that the said town of Lee have, since their being incorporated as aforesaid, relinquished their right in said land (so far as it respeets the support of schools in the said town of Lee) to those per- sons who do now, and who may hereafter, reside on the same lands :
And whereas, in order to carry the good design of the appropriation aforesaid into effect, it is found necessary that the persons residing on the said lands should be incorporated into a School District as aforesaid :
Scc. 1. Be it therefore enacted by Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that all the inhabitants now living on the aforesaid lands, or that may hereafter live on the same. with all their estates, be, and they hereby are, incorporated into a School District, by the name of the Hopland School District, in the town of Lee as aforesaid.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the inhabitants of the said Hopland School District be, and they hereby are, vested with all the privileges, powers, and immunities, necessary for en- abling them to use and improve all the monies that have or may arise in consequence of the aforesaid appropriation, for the support of a school or schools in the said Hopland Seliool District ; but the said inhabitants are still to be considered as belonging to said town of Lee, in every respect, saving their being subject to be taxed to the support of schools in the other parts of said town.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that Ebe- nezer Jenkins, Esq. be, and he hereby is, empowered to issue his warrant, directed to some one principal inhabitant of the District aforesaid, requir- ing him to warn a meeting of the inhabitants of the Distriet aforesaid, qualified by law to vote in District affairs, to assemble at some time and place within the said Hopland School District, to be mentioned in the same warrant, for the purpose of choosing such officers as may be necessary for transacting the affairs of the District aforesaid, so far as respcets schools only, according to the power and authority given by this Aet ; and the said inhabitants qualified as aforesaid, being so assembled, shall be, and they hereby are, empowered to choose such officers as may be necessary for the purpose aforesaid.
Sec. 4. Provided always, that the inhabitants of the aforesaid Hopland School District shall keep, maintain, and support, within the said District, their proportionable part of all schools by law hereafter required to be kept, maintained, and supported, within the aforesaid town of Lee.
This Act passed March 7th, 1791.
A true copy. Attest, JOHN WINEGAR, Clerk.
Vol. 2d, page 154.
An Act in explanation of, and in addition to an Act, enti- . tled " An Act for incorporating a certain part of the town of Lee into a School District, by the name of the Hop- land School District."
Whereas doubts and difficulties have arisen upon the construction and operation of the said Act:
Sec. 1. Be it enaeted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the said Hopland School District shall be understood and construed to include all the lands situated in that part of the town of Lee which formerly belonged to the town of Great Barrington, together with all the inhabitants and resi- dents thereon, but not to include any land or real estate situate without the said limits, though owned by a resident or residents within said Dis- triet.
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HISTORY OF LEE.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, that the Assessors of said District, for the time being, or the Treasurer or the Clerks of said District, when there are no such Assessors, be, and they hereby are, respectively authorized and required to call District meetings for the purposes mentioned or intended in this and the former Act, in the same manner and under the same regu- lations and penalties as Seleetmen of towns by law are. .
Sec. 3 .. And be it further enacted, that the polls and estates belonging to the said Distriet are, and shall be, exempted from being subject to be taxed by the said town of Lee, to the maintenance and support of schools, and from being liable to be prosecuted and punished, or subjeet to the payment of any fines or costs with the rest of said town, for any negleet of said town in maintaining and supporting schools.
Scc. 4. Provided always, and be it further enacted, that the said District shall be liable to be prosceuted and punished, as a District, for neglecting to maintain and support their proportionable part of all schools by law required to be kept, maintained, or supported, by or within said town, in the same manner as a town is by law liable to be prosecuted and punished for negleet of schools.
This Act passed March the 11th, 1797. A true copy. Attest, JOHN WINEGAR, Clerk. Vol. 2d, page 238.
An Act in further explanation of, and addition to an Act, entitled " An Act for incorporating a certain part of the town of Lee into a School District, by the name of the Hopland School District."
Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that when- ever the rents and incomes of the school's lands, and other property be- longing to the said District, shall be insufficient for the purpose, the said District may, at any District meeting regularly called and warned therefor, from time to time, grant such school taxes as may be necessary and suffi- cient, together with sueh rents and ineomes, to build and repair a suitable school-house or school-houses for said District, and to provide and support a suitable school or schools within and for said Distriet ; which taxes shall be assessed by the Assessors of said District, or by the Assessors of the said town of Lee, for the time being, upon application of said District. upon the polls and estates belonging to said District, and shall be collected by the Collectors of the said District, or by the Collectors of said town of Lee, for the time being, upon application of said District, in the same man- ner and under the same regulations and penalties as town school taxes by law are assessed and collected.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said District shall be understood and construed to be capable of suing and being sned, and of appearing in Court to prosecute or defend, and of possessing, improving, and leasing, from time to time, the school lands belonging to said District, by a Committee or Agents thereto duly appointed at any meeting regularly called and warned therefor.
Sec. 3. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said Distriet shall have power to exchange any parts or parcels of the school lands belonging to said District, for other lands lying within said District, to be holden in the same manner and to the same uses as the lands so exchanged.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said District shall be capable of taking any estate, real or personal, to the amount of five thousand dollars, which may hereafter voluntarily be be- queathed, granted, or given to said District, for the use and support of a school or schools, and of holding the same for the use of schools within said District.
This Act passed June 19th, 1798. A true copy. Attest, J. WINEGAR, Clerk.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty.
An Act in addition to an Act, entitled " An Act for incor-
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HISTORY OF LEE.
porating a certain part of the town of Lec into a School District, by the name of the Hopland School District."
Scc. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the said District is hereby anthorized and empowered, at any District meeting legally called for that purpose, to divide said District into as many School Districts as from time to time may be deemed necessary, and to determine and define the limits of said School Districts.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, that the provisions of an Act entitled "An Act to provide for the instruction of Youth," passed on the tenth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty- seven, be, and the same are hereby extended and made applicable to the said Hopland School District, and to the several Districts into which the same may be hereafter divided, anything in the Aets to which this is an addition to the contrary notwithstanding.
Provided, however, that the Committee chosen for the purpose of im- proving and leasing the school lands of the said Hopland School District, shall be authorized to do and perform the several acts and duties which the Selectinen of towns are authorized by the aforesaid Act to do and perform. This Act passed February 12th, 1880. A true copy. Attest, L. D. BIDWELL, Clerk.
Before leaving this subject, allow me to allude to another somewhat akin to it.
There have been at least 27 young gentlemen, natives of Lee, who have graduated at different Colleges, viz. : Solomon Foote, M. D., Rev. Cyrus Yale, Beza Hinckley, M. D., Wm. H. Dillingham, Esq., Charles Dillingham, Esq., John D. Crocker, Esq., Lawrence Warner, Esq., Isaac Howk, Esq., Jonathan Foote 3d, Esq., Rev. Alvan Hyde, Joseph Hyde, Esq., William Hyde, Esq., Alexander Hyde, Esq., Solomon Foote, Jun., M. C., Rev. Barnabas Phinney, Rey. Noah Sheldon; Rev. William Bradley, Rev. Thomas Scott Bradley, Rev. Elihu P. Ingersoll, Elisha B. Bassett, Esq., Rev. Edward Taylor, Rev. William Porter, Rev. Charles B. Ball, Addison HI. Laflin, Esq., Rev. Lavius Ilyde, Asahel Foote, Esq., Rev. Stephen Peet.
Besides these men, many of whom distinguish themselves in their respective professions, other sons of Lec, who did not enjoy the advantages of a Collegiate education, are rendering themselves highly useful. Gen. Whiton had three sons, natives of Lee, who are now Judges,-two of them in Ohio, and the other is Chief Justice of Wisconsin. This Chief Justice owes more to the old Social Library now merged into the library of the Young Men's Association, than to any other one thing, for his present position. Rev. Wm. Ross, Rev. Samuel Leonard, Rev. Samuel Leonard 2d, and Rev. Marvin Leflingwell, have rendered themselves useful in the work of the Christian ministry. Rev. John Chadwick is also a native of Lec. Lester Keep, M. D., now living in Fairhaven, Ct., . is a native of Lee. Alvan T. Cone. M. D., is also a native of Lee. He graduated at the Berkshire Medical College in 1845, and also at the College of Dental Surgery, Baltimore, Md. Dr. Cone died in 1819, in Kentucky. Hiram Egbert
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HISTORY OF LEE.
Fuller, a native of Lee, graduated at the Berkshire Medical College in 1852. He is now practicing in Monterey.
Others, in the Mechanical, Manufacturing, and other lucra- tive pursuits, have arisen to opulence and fame; while many more of our long list of young aspirants, pushing themselves up through the various strata of society, will eventually find themselves among the first in their respective callings.
VIII. HEALTHI.
This town is considered a healthy town. For the past four years, about one-third of the deaths in this town have been of people over 50 years old. The average age in Massachu- setts is 27.78, while in Lee, the average age, I think, is about'32 years. From 1792 to 1837, one in every fourteen persons that died in town was over 80 years of age.
The first death in town was probably that of a son of John Winegar, while living at Crow Hollow. It was before the purchase of our burying-ground. The child was buried on the west side of the river. The first person buried in our public burying-ground was Matty Handy, sister of the late Seth Handy.
For several years, we have buried about 70 of our people per year.
The first publishment recorded upon our town books is between Mr. Noah Burdin, of Lee, and Miss Avis Their, of Chesterfield, and bears date of Dec. 26, 1777.
The first marriage recorded upon the town Records is that of Capt. Josiah Yale and Ruth Tracy, Sept. 26, 1776.
The first birth recorded is that of a son of Daniel Church.
IX. MANUFACTURES.
The peculiar advantages afforded by the Housatonic and its tributaries for manufacturing purposes, are seldom sur- passed. Goose Pond, lying upon the Tyringham mountains, some six hundred feet above the Housatonic, containing sufli- cient water, when full, to run all the mills upon the stream running from it four months without rain, affords rare oppor- tunities for a long series of mills upon its banks. Greenwater Pond, situated in West Becket, of about the same height as Goose Pond, sends it surplus water into our river. This little stream is also fast being improved for useful purposes.
A complete history of the manufacturing interest of Lee would be a fruitful theme for an evening's lecture.
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HISTORY OF LEE.
At an early date, the gristmill, forge, furnace, and other shops were erected upon our streams. We now have four woolen and satinet mills, with ninc sets of machinery, em- ploying 150 hands, using 450,000 pounds of wool, and pro- ducing 528,000 yards of cloth, per year. The yearly value of these goods is $390,000. We have also a mill which produces annually 140,000 meal bags. We have two shops for the manu- facture of paper machinery, to the amount of $57,000 annu- ally, in which are employed about thirty hands. We have numerous establishments for the manufacture of various use- ful articles, such as leather, hats, boots and shoes, iron cast- ings, axes, shovels, hoes, forks, tin ware, lime and brick. We have also a printing-office and book-bindery, (in which this document is printed and bound, the paper for which is also made in Lee, and which, in these respects, speaks for itself.)
But the leading business of the town is the manufacture of paper.
In 1806, Samuel Church removed from East Hartford, Ct., to this town, and immediately commenced the erection of a paper-mill at South Lee, where Owen & Hurlbut's mills now stand. This was the first paper-mill built in town, and among the first built in the county.
In 1808, by the strong solicitation of gentlemen living in this part of the town, and the offer of liberal assistance in the erection of the building, Samuel Church was induced to put up a paper-mill near the spot where Platner & Smith's new stone mill stands.
Lee has now become one of the most important centres of this extensive branch of business. The following is the aggregate of the items furnished by the nine Companies engaged in this business :
No. of paper-mills in running order, 20
engines in running order, 71
“ lbs. of rags ground up daily, 27,270
66 " annually, 8,453,700
paper produced daily, 18,972
annually, 5,865,700
hands employed, 972
Value of paper produced annually, $1,008,250
There are several other mills that will go into operation in a few months.
All the paper made in Massachusetts in 1840 was worth only $1,659,934, and all that was then made in the United States was worth in the market $5,641,193. After a few months, Lee will annually make more paper than was made in the entire State prior to 1840. The present prospect of this business among us is, that it is very far from having arrived at its maturity.
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HISTORY OF LEE.
The whole amount of goods manufactured in Lee during the year ending April 1, 1837, was $405,000, and for the single item of paper for that time $274,500. By comparison, we learn that one of our firms is making more paper now than was made in town at that time, and that another is pro- ducing nearly as much; while all of them are annually enlarging their business, and other new Companies are formed for the same business. The value of our manufactures and marble per year now is about $1,630,000.
Not less than 1500 of our people are actually employed in our mills and shops.
With this amount of business, we are not surprised that the LEE BANK, incorporated in 1835, and which has now a capital of $200,000, should pay to its shareholders ten per cent. annually. --*
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When John B. Perry opened his store, south of the Park, about the year 1807, he was the leading merchant of Lee. He went to New York twice a-year, and brought home with him all the dry goods that he needed for six months in two trunks. Now, our 14 dry goods stores have to be replenished every month. Besides these dry goods stores, which will compare favorably with any in Western Massachusetts, we have about 30 stores and shops, making 44 stores and shops where goods are kept for sale of almost every description called for by our citizens. By the last Census, Lee is repre- sented as having 140 shops and 27 stores.
Lee has had 13 public-houses, of which 5 remain. The first public-house was located where a house now stands, owned by R. Hinman, and occupied at present by Oliver Kellogg. It was a log house, 16 ft. square. The next one stood near Ingram's mill, in Cape street. The third was the Red Lion. This was the first two-story house in Lee. It is the old building now known by that name, and stood till recently on Sheriff Pease's lot. It was built in 1778, by Major Dillingham and Cornelius Bassett, and it continued to be used for a public-house till 1833.
In 1803, and for several years after, the house occupied by John Baker was kept as a tavern. In 1809, the house now occupied by Jared Bradley was a public-house. Lyman Foote's house, for a time, was kept as a public-house. Then came the house at South Lee, for some time kept by Abijah Square. In 1815, the Shailer tavern was opened in Cape street, where Isaac Gardner now lives. In 1820, the Sturges tavern at East Lee was opened. In 1834, the Housatonic was erected. For many years, Mr. Merrell has kept a pub- lic-house at South Lee. Jolm McNally for two years has kept a tavern on Centre street. Last, but not least, the " Centre Hotel" was opened a few months since.
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HISTORY OF LEE.
X. AGRICULTURE.
Thus far I have only spoken of what Lec has produced in men and manufactures. This sketch would be imperfect if I did not also speak of the productions of our soil.
From the State Census of 1850, the following statistics are gathered relative to Lee :
No. of acres of surface,
16,056
tillage land, 928
mowing “ 2596
66
pasture " 4630
wood
2648
town and county roads, 385
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railroad,
40
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water,
615
tons of hay,
2984
bushels of rye cut in 1849,
1724
66
oats
"
13,768
corn "
894
barley "
236
horses in town,
309
oxen
142
COWS
590
¥
swine
193
The real estate taxed is, $698,169 00
The personal "
282,994 00
Non-resident,
60,615 00
$1,041,778 00
This is considered quite low. Tax the present year is 77 cents on the one hundred dollars.
Present number of polls, 842
The original price of land in this town was one dollar per acre. Some of it has recently been sold at the rate of $10,700 per acre.
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