USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Palmer > History of the town of Palmer, Massachusetts, early known as the Elbow tract : including records of the plantation, district and town 1716-1889 > Part 22
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The " Hampden Federalist" of November 18, 1813, a newspaper published at Springfield, gives the following obituary notice of Mr. Baldwin : "As a minister of Christ, he was faithful and diligent in discharging the duties of his office. Few have gone through a greater variety of trials ; few have subsisted upon a smaller annual stipend, and few have ever manifested a greater attachment to a people, or sought more earnestly for their good. His greatest am- bition was to please God. He gloried in maintaining and defend-
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ing the system of faith, which was 'once delivered to the saints.' His doctrines were pure, for they were the doctrines of the gospel ; his preaching was impressive, for it was the preaching of the cross of Christ ; and his motives were good, for he sought to win souls to God. As a speaker, he was above mediocrity. Few possessed an equal talent in gaining the attention, and interesting the feel- ings of an audience. In all his dealings with man, as well as in the discharge of his official duties, he was punctual and exact. As a husband he was affectionate, and as a parent he was watchful and kind. Mourning friends will regret his loss, and an affectionate people will sympathize with them in their affliction. 'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours : and their works do follow them.'"
The following memorandum was found among some loose papers in Mr. Baldwin's desk after his decease. It appears to have been the beginning of an autobiographical sketch of his life :
"I, Moses Baldwin, was born November 4, 1732 : two months after my father died; and my mother about four years after him. After the death of the latter, I lived about two years with my uncle Harrison. After this I lived with Moses Ball, my mother's uncle, till I was fifteen years old, when God in his providence was pleased to remove him by death. After this I put myself as an apprentice to learn a trade, which I pursued till I was nineteen years of age, when God gave me a greater sense of my lost state and of the im- portance of salvation than I had ever yet had. Upon this, being resolved to seek God till I found Him through all _"
TURNPIKES AND STAGES .- The first incorporated Turnpike road, built in Massachusetts, ran through Palmer Centre. It was chartered in 1796, through the influence of Capt. Levi Pease of Shrewsbury. Capt. Pease was a native of Enfield, Ct., born in 1739; served his time as apprentice to the blacksmith's trade, and at the commencement of the Revolutionary War, was living in Blandford, Mass. He was in the public service during the whole of the war, in the commissary department, and as the bearer of important dispatches. When Gen. Thomas was on the Northern frontier, he often passed to and fro between him and head-quarters ; and was present with him when he died of small pox. He was strong, courageous and wary. He used to tell how to avoid capture when carrying orders, he crossed the lake in a small boat, and alone, rather than travel by the usual routes ; lying concealed in the day- time, and pushing ahead at night. When the moon shone bright,
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PALMER A TOWN, 1776-1812.
he would pull out from shore, and stretching himself at length, would work the boat with his hands as paddles. He always got his dispatches through safely. Commissary Wadsworth often trusted him with a saddle-bag full of money with which to purchase cattle and horses, taking no receipt therefor. His business led him to an intimate acquaintance with the lay of the land and the people of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Eastern New York. He foraged for the French army in its march to Yorktown. In Virginia the corn was then in the milk, and he would buy it by the acre, paying the price of ten bushels of hard corn per acre. It was used for fodder for horses and beeves.
After the war Capt. Pease, who was then living at Somers, Ct., established a stage-route between Hartford and Boston. In 1794, he removed to Shrewsbury and continued the running of stages. Sometimes he had one passenger, and sometimes none ; but by reg- ularity of trips, rain or shine, he soon enlisted confidence and secured patronage. He drove his own teams, and repaired his carriages at his own blacksmith's shop. He early obtained from the Government a contract for transporting the mails. The prospect was bright ; but the roads were circuitous and bad. His means were limited ; and he conceived the idea of organizing a stock company, which should build and maintain straight turnpikes, on which he might run his stage-coaches, and which would attract general travel, and the tolls could be relied on to repay the invest- ment. His expectations were realized so far as patronage of his stage lines was concerned ; but his hopes were disappointed as to the surplus income from tolls. And having taken the largest part of the stock, by its depreciation in value, he lost much of his estate.
FIRST MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE .- " Whereas the highway lead- ing through the towns of Palmer and Western, is circuitous, rocky and mountainous, and there is much travelling over the same, and the expense of straightening, making and repairing an highway through those towns, so as that the same may be safe and convenient for travellers with horses and carriages, would be much greater than ought to be required of the said towns, under their present circum- stances :
Be it therefore enacted, That Levi Pease, Ephriam Mower, Na- thaniel Gorham, Moses Bliss, Thomas Dwight, Dwight Foster, John Hastings, David Sexton, Samuel Fowler, Daniel Goulding, Ebenezer Hunt, Samuel Henshaw, John Hooker, Erastus Lyman, Joseph Lyman, Levi Lincoln, Pliny Merrick, Ebenezer Mattoon, Jun., Charles Phelps, Nathaniel Paine, Warwick Parks, Benjamin
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
Prescott, William Shepard, Levi Shepard, Simeon Strong, Phinehas Upham, Samuel Ward, John Williams, Samuel Flagg, Salem Town, etc., shall be a corporation by the name of The First Massachu- setts Turnpike Corporation, etc., for the purpose of laying out and making a Turnpike Road, from Western Bridge, near the Upper Mills, so called, in Western, county of Worcester, to the county road near the house lately called Scott's Tavern, in Palmer, county of Hampshire, and for keeping the same in repair ; which road shall not be less than thirty feet wide in any place ;- with the privilege of erecting a gate, etc., and to receive tolls as follows: for a two-horse coach or four-wheeled carriage, 25 cents ; a cart drawn by two oxen, &c., 10 cents ; a curricle, 9 cents ; a two-horse sleigh, 9 cents ; a chair, chaise and two-wheeled carriage with one horse, 9 cents ; oxen, horses, &c., driven, 3 cents ; sheep and swine, 3 cents per dozen. [The tolls were afterwards raised to 15 cents for one-horse curricles, chaises, &c.]
Section 2 gives authority to purchase and take land.
Section 3 fixes the penalty for hindering travelers.
Section 4 fixes the penalty for injuring the gate.
Section 5 provides that the shares shall be regarded as personal estate.
Section 6 directs the first meeting of the corporation to be held at Simeon Dwight's Tavern in Western.
The said Turnpike must be completed within five years.
Passed June 11, 1796.
In November following the act was amended so as to require the road to be three rods wide, with a roadway of 18 feet.
March 1, 1798. The corporation was authorized to build an ad- dition, to constitute a part of the Turnpike, from the house of Maj. Aaron Graves in Palmer, to the house of Col. Reuben Sikes in Wilbraham, with the right to set up a gate and take toll. [Col. Sikes was a boyhood acquaintance and friend of Capt. Pease. Their affection was like that of brothers. Both were blacksmiths, and well versed in their trade. Pease, having failed to secure co- operation in other quarters, requested Sikes to join him in his new enterprise. He readily complied ; their views and plans were har- monious ; and so far as the running of stages was concerned, their venture was successful. Col. Sikes removed to Worcester, where he was keeping the stage tavern 1815-20.]
Capt. Pease, who was the leading spirit of the corporation, pushed the enterprise, so that the stages were running over the new route in November, 1797. This road ran through Palmer Old Cen- tre, and kept on the northerly side of the river eastward ; and was
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PALMER A TOWN, 1776-1812.
the leading thoroughfare for long travel between Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Hartford, New Haven and New York for many years. The toll-gate was about two miles east of Palmer meeting-house. At first, a single stage coach was run three times a week each way, leaving Boston every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at noon, reaching Worcester at 8.30 p. m., Brookfield at 12 midnight, Pal- mer at 3 a. m., Wilbraham at 4 a. m., Suffield at 7.30 a. m., where it stopped two hours ; reached Hartford at 11.30 a. m., New Haven at 6 p. m., New York next day at noon, making the trip in 48 'hours. The return trip was on alternate days. As patronage in- creased, additional stages were put on, and made daily trips each way. In 1830, two or three coaches were running each way every day; and this continued till the Boston & Albany railroad was opened in 1839.
Capt. Pease died in 1824, and from that date the stage line was owned and controlled by other parties. But to him belongs the credit of being the father of the stage coaches.
The Petersham and Monson Turnpike Corporation was estab- lished Feb. 29, 1804, its right of way leading from the Fifth Mass. Turnpike in Athol through the towns of Athol, Petersham, Dana, Greenwich, Ware, Palmer and Monson, and connecting with the turnpike from Stafford, Ct., southward. This road crossed Ware river by a bridge just above the present Whipple bridge, ran through Palmer Old Centre and over the Quabaug at Fay's bridge. It was not used, except for a brief period, as a stage route, but for the transportation of heavy goods by teaming. The original inten- tion was to establish a rival route to the water-way on the Con- necticut river through the South Hadley and Montague canals, which had Hartford and Brattleboro' as its termini. Norwich was then jealous of Hartford as the entrepot of heavy merchandize, and planned this turnpike to promote its commercial interests.
The route followed was nearly the same as that of the New Lon- don & Northern Railroad as far as Palmer, from which point it bore to the east-north-east, thus supplying a tier of towns away from the river with West India goods, iron, etc. Petersham was then the leading town in population and enterprise in Northern Worcester County and an important centre of business ; and from Athol the " great road " stretched both east and west. The traffic over the new turnpike was large for a number of years, a very con- stant succession of heavy teams passing to and fro. It is believed, however, that the real per cent. of gain was with the teams and local traders, rather than with the corporation. The turnpike was given up, and was accepted as a county road in 1819.
CHAPTER V.
PALMER IN MODERN TIMES-1812-1889.
HOW THE TOWN LOOKED 80 YEARS AGO-WAR OF 1812-ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS-THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS- REV. SIMEON COLTON-REV. EBENEZER 'NEWHALL-CHURCH QUARREL -REV. H. H. F. SWEET-REV. J. K. WARE-A PARISH ORGANIZED-REV. SAMUEL BACKUS-REV. M. K. CROSS-REV. S. HINE-REV. J. H. M. LELAND -REV. J. W. TUCK-REV. WM. H. BOND-REV. HIRAM DAY-REV. T. A. LEETE-REV. - WHITE-REV. C. H. RICKETTS-REV. A. C. HURD- REV. E. W. SHURTLEFF-REV. C. H. HANKS-FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS-THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS- M. E. CHURCH AT BONDVILLE-THE SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS-UNION EVANGELICAL CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS-SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS-THE ADVENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH-ST. PAUL'S UNIVERSALIST CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS-ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES-ST. MARY'S CHURCH-ST. THOMAS' CHURCH-ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S CHURCH-ST. ANNE'S CHURCH-APPRENTICES-TOWN MAP OF 1830-RINGING THE BELLS-SURPLUS REVENUE-PENSIONERS, 1810-POOR FARM-NEW TOWN HOUSE-WATERING TUBS-FIRE DISTRICT -MODERN CEMETERIES-DIGGING GRAVES-PALMER CEMETERY ASSO- CIATION-PALMER WATER CO .- ELECTRIC LIGHT CO .- DISTRICT COURT.
A T the date of the opening of this chapter, though " old things" had passed away-the old forests, the old meeting-house, the log cabins, the old men and women ; and new times had begun-new dwellings, new names, new fashions of dress and style of living, a new ecclesiastical polity ;- yet the Palmer of 1812, bore slight resemblance to the Palmer of 1889. The great water-power of the rivers, the utilizing of which is our distinguishing feature, and prime source of prosperity, was then running to waste, except to drive a few grist and saw mills, a fulling mill or two, and some shingle machines ; the body of the people were living in their scat- tered farm-steads, each family having its " road to mill and meet- ing," and its way to the nearest turnpike or county road ; many of the lanes -still maintaining gates and bars ; * swine and cattle
* April 1, 1816, the town voted to grant the petition of Samuel McClenathan, Jun., if the said Samuel would pay the expense of the road through widow Grover's land, and that Thomas McClana- than, 2d, would consent to have the road laid thro' his land, provided the town would allow the said
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PALMER IN MODERN TIMES, 1812-1889.
running at large on the highways and woodlands ; and the tything- man ready with his official staff to arrest the Sunday wayfarer.
There were then three main lines of transportation and travel through the town. The old Bay Path ran from Wilbraham Line via Scott's bridge, through King's Row to Powers' Corner, and so to Western Old Centre. This road took largely the pleasure travel, partly because it was the old way, and partly to shun the toll-gate where 15 cents were exacted for the privilege of passing. The other east and west route was the First Turnpike, which ran from Scott's bridge via Palmer Centre to Western Upper Mills. This was then in its full tide of success, and the stageman's horn awoke the echoes in Dumplin, and the arrival and departure made daily brief excitement and bustle at the meeting-house hamlet. The north and south travel passed over the Petersham & Monson Turn- pike. This was of benefit to the country store and tavern at the Centre, as the pleasure travel was to the taverns on the Bay road.
At the date in question, there was no place which could be prop- erly called a village. At the old Centre was the graveyard, the new meeting-house and horse-shed, the district school-house of con- tracted dimensions. The town house, which was a small building erected in 1805 by Aaron Merrick, Esq., and given to the town,* stood hard by the school-house. The taverns of Landlord King, where the stages stopped (earlier Quinton's, and later Frink's Tavern), Landlord Asa Ward (earlier John Thomson's, father and son), Hamilton and Upham's store, and the dwelling houses of Moses Shaw the carpenter, and Daniel Shearer, made up the ham- let. Capt. Allen, the blacksmith, lived a mile to the east.
On the Bay Road, scattered through a couple of miles, were Graves' tavern, west of the river, opposite the Washington elm ; the site of the famous Scott's tavern east of the river, then in ruins ; Asa Bates' tavern, a short distance further east, which soon gave place to. John Sedgwick's on Shearer's Corner. Then came the cellar hole and well which marked the site of Joseph Wright's log cabin, opposite the Point of Rocks; and further along, just east of the Point, was the old John King house, standing on the east end of the terraced lot, now owned by Dr. William Holbrook (the barn forms part of the out-buildings of Mr. David Knox). Then came
Thomas to erect good convenient gates or bars across the road leading from his house to Erwin Shaw's, and to discontinue the road as an open way so long as good gates and bars are kept in good repair by Thomas McClanathan, 2d, or whoever occupies the farm he now lives on.
* Nov. 25, 1805. The town voted "That Daniel Shearer, James Smith, Jun., and Jacob Con- verse, Jun., cause to be published in the federal Spy at the expense of the town the public donation of Aaron Merrick, Esq., (viz., the new & convenient and well excepted Town House), which he built & presented to the town as a gift. And voted that there should be drawn in letters over the door of said Town house the year it was built & by whom it was built."
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
the John King 2d's house, where Benjamin King lived. King's tavern occupied the spot where Cross' Block now stands, and was then the dwelling of Col. Cyrus Knox .* John Shaw lived on the opposite side of the street, the house standing in the roadway now leading to the John Squire's foundry ; his blacksmith shop was where Commercial Block now is. This was the only shop in the neighborhood. Mr. Shaw himself was not a smith, but he hired men who were skilled in the trade, and who went to the shop on call. From here the street made a sharp descent almost to a level with the present railroad bed, where it turned to the east and up the slope. On the slope, where is now the brick dwelling house, lived David King, a grandson of John, Sen. Where is now the residence of Mrs. Laura E. Child was a large house, originally built by Deacon Thomas King, son of John, Sen., and then occu- pied by Daniel King, Jun. The main upright part was moved about 1840 to the site of the Weeks House, and was occupied as a tavern by A. N. Dewey. In the hollow to the east was the dwelling house of William Baldwin (still standing), built by his father, Rev. Moses Baldwin. The parson himself lived in a house a few rods to the east. The district school-house was where Mrs. Tiffany's house now stands.
These buildings and the graveyard constituted the historical " King's Row," where the first planters of the Elbows pitched their farms and cabins. There was no grocery nor dry-goods store here till Amos C. Billings came with the advent of the railroad.
In 1812, where is now the thriving village of Thorndike, the land was largely held by three leading families, viz .: Capt. Timothy Ferrell, who lived on the site of the present Henry Charon house ; Capt. Charles Cargill (or his heirs), whose house stood where is now the school house, and the McElwain, now the Keith home- stead. On the upper privilege, where a dam was put in by Goodman as early as 1797, was a clothier's shop, smith's shop, etc., then owned (or occupied) by Moses Learned.
No dam had been built on the main privilege at Three Rivers. The place was known as the " Dark Corner," and all the land was owned by David and Daniel Shearer, whose houses were the only ones in sight. As early as 1789 saw and grist mills had been put in
* John King, Jun., built a house here early, which was used as a tavern. It was burnt in 1763, with all its contents. But the neighbors all turned out, cut the timber and hauled it to the spot, and in a week's time had up the frame of a new two-story house, which remained till it was taken down in 1838. The following extract from the town records relates to the burning of the old house : "Voted, that the sum of 1 pound 3 shill. 9 pence 3 farthings, being the whole of the rates assessed on Thomas Mcclintock for the year 1763,-that said rate be abated, on account of the constable's taking his grain, by distress, and the same grain being consumed in the burning of John King Jun's house."
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PALMER IN MODERN TIMES, 1812-1889.
at the lower end of the rapids by Gideon Graves, but they were hid- den by the intervening woods.
At Bondsville, Ezekiel Boyden had a dwelling house and a saw and grist mill on the lower privilege. A single highway led thither and crossed into Belchertown. The rest of the place was "in the rough." As one who saw it describes, "The valley was covered with briers, brambles and wild grape vines, and was about the roughest spot I ever set eyes on."
WAR OF 1812 .- The town records furnish little matter relating to this war with Great Britain. And the muster-rolls of regiments and companies, which were at the time returned to our State authorities, have all been transmitted to Washington by order of the War Department, and are inaccessible.
This war was very unpopular in the River towns. The Federal party, then in the ascendant, denounced it as directly tending to cripple our commerce and subvert our State rights, without ade- quate cause. Governor Strong declined to order out the militia on requisition of the President.
Immediately on the declaration of war, June 19, 1812, the ma- jority of the towns in Western Massachusetts united in calling a convention to protest against it and take measures to secure concert of sentiment and action.
" At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Palmer, holden at the town house in said town July 13, 1812,
1. Chose Capt. Jesse King moderator.
2. Voted to petition the President & Congress that war may be averted, & Peace restored, and an alliance with France may be avoided ; passed with one dissenting vote.
3. Voted to send two delegates to meet in Convention at North- ampton on the 14th instant. Accordingly chose Col. Amos Hamil- ton and Capt. Alpheus Converse for the delegates."
The Convention met at Northampton July 14, and was truly a representative body, delegates from 57 towns being present.
John Hooker of Springfield was chosen president, and Isaac C. Bates of Northampton, secretary.
The Convention voted to present a respectful memorial to the President of the United States, praying that commissioners be ap- pointed to negotiate a peace with Great Britain upon safe and hon- orable terms. It also provided for the appointment of Committees of Safety and the calling of a State Convention. Capt. Amos Hamilton was chosen one of the delegates to this State body.
The conflict of the State and National authorities was a serious
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
matter, and threatened serious consequences, direct and remote. But when, in 1814, the harbor of Boston was menaced with block- ade by British men-of-war, Gov. Strong changed his policy and called out the State troops and made ready for the defense of the coast towns. The proper quota was detached from our town mili- tia company and promptly reported for duty.
At a town meeting in Palmer June 19, 1815, it was voted "to grant the sum of three dollars to each of the soldiers that was de- tached last September [1814] into the Publick Service." The fol- lowing list comprises the men who drew $3 under the above vote :
Theron McMaster,
Jonathan Cooley,
Sylvanus Collins,
Asa Thomson,
William Mason,
Asahel Boyden,
Robert Ferrell,
Reuben Shaw,
Charles Shaw,
Sam1 McClintock, Jun.,
Noah Stimpson,
Calvin Ward,
John McIntosh, Jun.,
George King,
Elijah Allen,
Joel Wright.
It is known that Daniel Hamilton enlisted and was in the service under Gen. Scott at Lundy's Lane and elsewhere.
Samuel Gates also enlisted as a substitute, and was out suffi- ciently long to entitle him to a pension.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND ITS PASTORS. - The Presbyterian form of government of the Church of Scotland flour- ished in Palmer for a period of about 80 years. But after the re- moval by death and emigration of a considerable number of the Scotch families, and the coming in of men and women educated in New England ideas and forms, the church polity was quietly changed, and the town voted that the successor of Rev. Mr. Bald- win "should be settled on the Congregational plan, by an ordain- ing Council."
REV. SIMEON COLTON .- April 8, 1811, the town voted to concur with the church and give Mr. Simeon Colton a call to settle in the work of the ministry in this town. "Dea. Gordon Sedgwick, Dea. Alpheus Converse, Dea. Samuel McClenathan, Capt. Jesse King, Lieut. James Smith, Isaac Ferrell and Theophilus Knight were ap- pointed a committee to arrange the terms of settlement. April 22, the town voted to give Mr. Colton four hundred and fifty dollars as a yearly salary during the time he is able to supply the pulpit him- self. Voted, also, that Mr. Colton shall have the use of five hun- dred dollars which is coming to the town from the estate of Aaron
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PALMER IN MODERN TIMES, 1812-1889.
Merrick, Esq., by giving security on interest for the same, which money is to be paid into the hands of the selectmen in November, 1812. It is further agreed that the pastoral relation shall continue until Mr. Colton is fairly dismissed by a council of ministers con- vened and assembled for that purpose by the pastor and the church, so that there may be a separation in good standing."
Mr. Colton accepted the call; and Wednesday June 19, was agreed upon as the day of ordination. Moses Shaw, Clark Mc- Master, and Theophilus Knight were appointed a committee "to provide for the Council, and prop up and secure the meeting-house, if they find it necessary." Lieut. Benjamin Cummings, Ens., Timothy Ferrell, Dr. Aaron King and Zadock Cooley were ap- pointed a committee "to seat the people on that day." Capt. Alpheus Converse, Dea. Gordon Sedgwick, Dea. Samuel McClena- than, Dea. James Hamilton and Joseph Smith were chosen a com- mittee "to write to the Council who are appointed to ordain Mr. Colton and request their attendance."
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