USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Shirley > History of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to A.D. 1882 > Part 3
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
years of its settlement. It is probable that the necessities of the condition required the use of hand-mills, and even samp-mortars, but there is no written or traditional account of any such use that has come to the knowledge of the compiler of this history. The probability is founded on the exigency of the case. A candid writer has said that "the man who had the ability and the disposition to set up those two engines, so useful in a new settlement-the saw- mill and the grist-mill-did enough to immortalize his name." When one considers the difficulties that attend such an enterprise, under such circumstances, he must regard the undertaker as entitled to the lasting gratitude of those his labors immediately benefit, and to the honored remembrance of succeeding generations.
Mr. Butler says, in his History of Groton, that the first corn-mill erected within the territory of Groton, was by John Prescott, then living in Lancaster, in company with his son Jonas Prescott, who afterward distinguished himself as an inhabitant of Groton. This mill stood on a small stream of water in what was then the southern boundary of the territory, but in what is now the northerly section of Harvard ; and there it stands yet, and is devoted to its original purpose. The school-district and section of the town where it is located, bear the name of " Old Mill."
A few years after the erection of this mill, a large part of Harvard was destroyed by the Indians, but this humble edifice, so useful to the people, was passed over by the depredators without injury, and continues, as just stated, to do its original work, after a lapse of over two hundred years, it having been first erected in 1673.
This mill was for eight years the only place for- grinding grain within the limits of the territory. It was, . therefore, constantly engaged. Indeed, so great was its press of work, that the inhabitants of the town felt com- pelled to enact a law requiring the proprietor of the mill to set apart the second and sixth days of each week, on which he could grind only for the Grotonians.
In 1681, after the close of King Philip's war and the resettlement of the town, James Prescott, through whose
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enterprise the first mill had been erected on the extreme south side of the territory, saw the pressing inconvenience under which a large portion of the people labored in being situated so far from their mill, and set about erecting an- other mill, which he located on the easterly boundary of the territory, on what is known as Stony Brook, near its issue from what is called Forge Pond; and it came within the present limits of Westford. This second effort of the generous proprietor of mill property added greatly to the convenience of the settlers, and. to their appreciation of the author of their enlarged opportunities.
I have supposed that part of the territory now known as Shirley began to be settled as early as 1720, and that within a few years a large portion in the northerly section of the town had been taken up and appropriated as farms ; but from the time these settlements began until the erec- tion of the first mill within the town, all grain had to be conveyed to the "Old Mill," now in Harvard, or to the Forge-Pond mill, now in Westford, for grinding. This was a heavier burden than can be practically compre- hended in modern times. Light carriages did not exist, and those who had horses could lay their bags upon the backs of their animals, which proved the most felicitous mode of transport. But this method was denied to all but the favored few who were able to own and keep horses. A large majority of the people were forced to pursue a different course. In winter ox-sleds and hand-sleds were used to some extent, and in summer farm-carts and wheel- barrows were brought into requisition. Many a load was thus borne over the half-formed roads, for a distance of from two to ten miles,-while many another load was borne upon the stalwart shoulders of the hardy yeomanry, at all seasons of the year. Through storms of rain and snow, over roads of mud and slush, the burdens were thus carried for journeys of miles in length, consuming all the hours of daylight and frequently a portion of the night. What greatly prolonged and increased this irksome task was the amount of service required of one or two small
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
mills. On this account two journeys, more frequently than one, were demanded for the undertaking. The weary worker would often return home at night to eat and sleep, then, on the morrow, retrace his steps to complete his work.
The first to immortalize their names as builders of mills within the limits of what is now the town of Shirley, were William Longley, one of the early settlers, and Samuel Hazen who became a resident in 1749. They builded the first grist-mill, to which they subsequently added a saw-mill. It stood upon what was since the site of the late "Shirley Cotton Mill," or perhaps recently better known as the "Red Mill," which was destroyed by fire in 1867. This first corn-mill was a humble structure, containing but a single run of stones and was without any apparatus for bolting flour. But humble as was the enter- prise when regarded from a later point of view, it required a mighty effort at the time, and was an event in the town of noteworthy character, and was hailed by the people as the harbinger of better times. The two pro- prietors wrought at the work with their own hands, in excavating the banks, laying a foundation for a building, and in erecting a dam across the stream.
An event occurred of an amusing character, while this work was in progress, which is sustained by well- founded tradition. Mr. Longley, the senior partner in the enterprise, while engaged in his work picked up a small silver eel. Being rather of a jocose temperament, he said to his fellow laborers, "Give me a pint of rum and I will swallow this eel." At the same time he threw back his head and held the squirming animal over his open mouth. It slipped through the fingers of the daring hero, into his mouth, and soon made the downward passage into his stomach. There, instead of quietly ensconsing himself in a corner and waiting the progress of events, the eel proved his natural unstaid proclivity by a frequent and rapid change of position, to the no small annoyance of his rapacious en- tertainer, who repeatedly exclaimed in horrified accents,
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"The eel will kill me !" Some New-England rum was hastily administered-it being then, as in later days, regarded as a universal panacea-which the patient swal- lowed in large doses, until he had consumed a full half- pint, from which the eel received a quietus ; at least, he was never after heard from, much to the gratification of the adventurer, who found it much more in accordance with his taste to build mills, even in a new settlement, than to dine on living eels.
Within a few years Mr. Hazen disposed of his interest in the establishment, and it fell to Mr. Longley to serve his townsmen as their "miller"; this he did with fidelity unto old age, and was succeeded by his son in the same honorable employment. And to their credit let it be re- lated, they lived above the suspicion of embezzlement or the taking of larger toll for their services than the law prescribed.
The long service of the elder Longley in this useful occupation, and the consequently powdered apparel in which he appeared-which was seldom exchanged for more fitting attire-gave him the general appellation of "Will, the miller"; and when years had disabled him for physical labor, he was alluded to as "Old Will," that used to be a "miller." His eldest son followed him in the same employment.
In process of time these mills went to decay, when successors arose on the same privilege, but on the opposite side of the stream. They were then owned and run by one Henry Haskell. Eventually they became the property of Israel Longley, Esq.,-the grandson of their original senior proprietor-who sold them to Thomas Hazen, a grandson of the other original proprietor. Mr. Hazen rebuilded these mills in 1837. Subsequently they became the property of Israel Longley, a great-grandson of one of the first, and a son of their third owner. After- wards they were partially owned by Hazens of the fourth generation from the original proprietor of that name. In 1872 the mills were purchased by Mr. N. C.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
Munson, and the grist-mill was converted to other purposes. The saw-mill is now owned and occupied by Mr. George Davis who is a very enterprising lumberman. He furnishes material in large or small quantities to house-builders and repairers, coopers and cabinet-makers, and, indeed, almost every kind of artisan needing stock from a well-assorted lumber yard. But although this and other callings involve a large private business, Mr. Davis has been frequently called to fill places of public trust. He has acted as an assessor, over- seer of the poor, and selectman, and has once represented his district constituency in the popular branch of the Massachusetts Legislature.
The second grist-mill was set up on Mulpus brook, in a pleasant little village since known as Woodsville. Like its predecessor in town it was very limited in its dimen- sions ; it contained but a single run of stones, and was without many conveniences now considered essential to the success of such an establishment. It supplied, neverthe- less, an important want to the people. Being situated near the border of the town, opposite the Longley mill, it was an especial accommodation to the families living in the northern section, by abridging the travel before re- quired of them for milling purposes.
Francis Harris was the original proprietor of this mill, and his son-in-law, James Dickerson, erected a saw-mill to match it, both of which were subsequently merged in one proprietorship. After passing through the hands of five or six owners these mills, in 1822, became the property of Jonathan Kilburn, who continued their owner unto the time of his death which occurred in 1881.
Mr. Kilburn spared neither time nor expense to adapt his mills to the public requirements. His grist-mill con- sisted of two runs of stone, and apparatus for sifting wheat as it enters the hopper and for bolting it after it is ground. · The mill is also furnished with a second bolt which is used for sifting flour from meal of the coarser cereals. Thus prepared Mr. K. could turn out flour of a quality
SCALIX
Autoglyph Print, W. P. ALLEN, Gardner, Mass.
STABLE AND OFFICE OF GEORGE DAVIS, ESQ.
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CIVIL HISTORY.
that did not suffer by a comparison with similar products from the south and west, and he was enabled to keep on' sale, all the offerings of the mill, and the various kinds of grain in use.
He had equal success in the manufacture of lum- ber, and consequently for a time secured a generous patronage in both departments of business.
In process of time the proprietors of the Longley mills -having had long success in business, and growing some- what remiss in the fulfilment of their engagements to their customers-were quickened into renewed activity by the establishing of a new corn-mill a little way up the Cata- cunemaug, and on the same side of the stream. This third mill, within the limits of the town, was erected by John Edgarton, Esq., but it was too near the old establish- ment to succeed, especially as its rival took the wise hint to enlarge its facilities, and to more promptly meet the wants of its patrons. After a few years trial the new en- terprise yielded to its competitor and was abandoned or was converted to some other purpose.
The fourth grist-mill, with which a saw-mill was connected, was builded by Joshua Longley, Esq., in 1790. It stood on the banks of the Nashua, and it occupied the only water-privilege offered by that noble stream in its passage through the town. After the death of Mr. Longley, these mills were sustained by different owners for several years, when they gave place to other enter- prises ; but were subsequently renewed in all their original vigor, (to which a shingle-mill was added,) by Eli Page and Sons, who in other ways greatly increased the facil- ities of their water-power. Being in that portion of Shirley recently annexed to Ayer, an account of their sub- sequent changes does not properly claim a place in this . history.
In the winter of 1829, Samuel Hazen erected a saw- mill on the northern branch of the Catacunemaug, which was made ready for use on the first day of the following March. It was continued until the summer of 1856, when
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
it was swept away by the reservoir disaster, an account of the devastations of which event the reader will find fully given in another part of this history.
The building of this saw-mill prepared the way for the establishment of a small village, known by the name of "the North Bend,"-the seat of other enterprises which will be noticed in their appropriate places. When Mr. Hazen broke ground to set up his mill the site of this village was a swamp, covered by a coarse jungle,-over which a few forest trees were scattered,-and of little interest to any human being, except the occasional hunter, and his kinsman the trapper.
In the years 1836-7 a saw-mill was built on Mulpus Brook-a few rods above its junction with the Nashua river-by Peter Page. After one or two years its original proprietor died, and the ownership of the mill passed through that state of fluctuation which awaits embarrassed property, until the year 1856, when it was purchased by Wm. White & Co., and has since probably done a larger business than any similar establishment in town. On the 8th of March, 1857, it was consumed, with all its con- tents, by fire communicated through a defect in the stove. . It has since been rebuilt with enlargements and improve- ments.
Of course the first want of a new settlement is food, and this want must be supplied by the labor of the hands. The brooks and rivers may abound in fish, and the forests with game, and from these sources much good may come, but all cannot take the place of bread. That must be supplied by a different and more trying process. The lands must be cleared and tilled, for grain-culture, and this requires a large amount of labor. And it was no small trial, with the settlers of Shirley, to have this grain converted into meal; but all this labor, as a matter of course, generally devolved on the male population. Yet, think not that the other sex were excused from a mighty exercise of toil and trial, such as devolves upon life in new settlements. It was by their hands that the clothing
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was wrought. It is true they avoided many labors now too common and too much sought. They had few large houses, with varied suits of rooms, to keep clean and adorn ; little costly furniture to daily inspect and carefully adjust ; no time required to observe special rules of etiquette ; no dress fashions to follow, to fret the mind and enslave the body, no frequent varying of the attire to claim the thought and attention and action. For, they mostly lived in rude, unfinished cottages, used household implements of the commonest and coarsest kinds, and wore fabrics for clothing, their own handy work, manufactured and made within their scanty domiciles- manufactures that well performed the office required of their makers. And here their chief toil lay, to convert the raw material, as it came from the field and the flock, into garments of use, comfort and comeliness, and thus supply the second great want of human existence. This constitutes a source of the highest praise of the mothers and daughters of early New England !
Until comparatively within a few years, it was the custom of the northern settlers of our country to keep a · few sheep, enough to furnish wool to supply the "every- day wear" of the family, and not unfrequently the "Sunday suits" of the younger members. The winter bed- material was supplied from the same source. It was the intention of the farmers to annually raise a little flax also, that the summer wants of the family might be supplied. The work of the father and sons was completed when the sheep were shorn of their fleeces, and the flax cleared from its rough stalks. The work of the mothers and daughters then commenced. Both the wool and the flax were converted into rolls by the slow and laborious process of hand carding. These rolls were spun into yarn, and the yarn was woven into cloth, by hand-power machinery.
At a subsequent period the breaking and rolling was done by water-power machinery, while the spinning and weaving were yet performed at the family hearth-stone.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
The outfit of girls, entering married life, at that period did not consist of gilt mirrors, costly piano-fortes, and Turkey carpets, but of hand cards, spinning-wheels, flax hatchels, warping-bars and looms; these were essentials in every household establishment, and the girl who was unskilled in the use of these implements was hardly con- sidered worthy of the family relation. Let it not be forgotten that the health and strength of the damsels of that day, who were trained in these onerous employments, were as much superior to what is enjoyed by the modern belles, as the fabrics their hands wrought were superior, in durability, to the linsey-woolsey of the present day, which oftentimes passes under the specious name of superfine broadcloth.
As establishments for dyeing and dressing cloth had not been invented when the colonists spread themselves over the northern regions of our land; and, as even the small dye-pot, with its uses and perfumery, had not then been made to grace the chimney corner, some other means must be adopted whereby apparel could be made comely as well as comfortable. Sheep were accordingly bred of different colors-black and white-and when the mixture was converted into cloth, it made a fabric of sober gray, and formed garments of which no Puritan descendant need be ashamed. From this material both sexes were prepared with a defence against cold by day and by night. The wide striped frock and trousers were for every-day wear, and the grey coat and small-clothes made a comfortable rig for Sunday. The women wore fabrics of a similar texture, yet of finer stripe. The boys had their grey roundabouts and trousers, made when the winter school term commenced ; and could sport their new tow trousers as soon as election day, which was a season of relaxation, when they would wend their joyful way, with fish-pole and tackle, to some pond or brook for a holiday enjoyment. These were halcyon times, when labor prevented ennui, and sameness of life prevented rivalry.
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CIVIL HISTORY.
Think of the mothers and their daughters in the humble garret, laboring with hand-cards on massive piles of wool and flax-or plying the spinning-wheel, with a gentle hum of music, an affected imitation of the last psalm tune sung at church-or, sending forth continuous jolts of the lumbering loom,-while in a vessel over the kitchen fire below, gently boiled an Indian pudding for the family dinner, and you have a partially wrought picture of those early times. To be sure the wheel and the loom did not create the musical harmony of the modern piano ; yet they wrought out a work, which ministered to the comfort which was, in one relation, the physical salvation of the family.
Let it be remembered also that the damsels of that day wore natural teeth until past middle life, unimpaired by decay, and not often the medium of pain; they also carried two lips and a pair of cheeks as radiant of the pink and rose, as any in modern times. They were as agile as trained dancers, and many of them were of sufficient strength to accomplish the work of men. In all things they were worthy maternal ancestors of a worthy race.
In the course of events these burdens were in a . measure removed by the introduction of water-power machinery. The brooks and rivers that run through the town, and had only been required to propel the wheels of saw and grist-mills, were now called to an additional tribute for their passage. The people, both male and female, had grown tired of the colors with which unaided nature had adorned their apparel; they therefore sought the aid of art in making their homespun and home-woven garments of lighter, smoother, and finer texture. Hence, the dyeing, fulling, shearing and pressing processes were added to give domestic cloth a higher finish. These processes were run in one establishment, and were unitedly called a clothing-mill. Mills of this character were intro- duced into the colonies sometime during the first century of their settlement, and very soon the process of breaking and rolling wool was added, thereby greatly relieving the home labor of cloth-making.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
The first clothier's mill was erected on the Squanna- cook river, near the village of that name, but on the Shirley side of the stream. It was built by Elisha Rock- wood in 1739. Mr. Rockwood came from Wrentham the same year. His mill was in Shirley, but his residence was in Groton. His house was located on the site of the residence of the late Asa Tarbell, Esq.
When by age and infirmity Mr. Rockwood could no longer attend to his business, his mill passed into the care of his son-Samuel Rockwood-who continued to dye and dress cloth until near the time of his death, which occurred in 1804. It then became the property of his sons-Samuel Rockwood and Sewall Rockwood-who attended to the calls of patrons, and kept up the establish- ment until the business was superceded by the modern modes of manufacture.
In 1812 a carding-mill was appended to the dyeing and dressing departments, by William Flint and Thomas Sweetser, which was continued until about the year 1836, when it stopped from a want of employment.
Francis Harris, Esq.,-whose name frequently ap- · pears in the town records, and who had a position of influence, both as a public official and private citizen,- built the second clothier's mill. It was situated on the Mulpus, and was connected with the corn-mill that he had previously erected. Hence, it became a standing remark of the time, that 'Squire Harris provided his fellow-townsmen with both food and clothing.
The third clothier's mill was built by Joseph Edgarton, on the Catacunemaug, but it never was very prosperous. The Rockwood mill had been so thoroughly tried and faithfully proved, that all competition, within an extensive circle, was found unavailing. The establishment of Mr. Edgarton, therefore, was converted to some other and more lucrative employment.
Mr. James Wilson, an Irish immigrant-and the first and only one that obtained naturalization in Shirley for nearly three-quarters of the first century of its incorpor- ation-erected the fourth, and last clothing-mill. It was
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situated upon the Mulpus, and was rented to Levi Wheeler, who did a snug business for three or four years. But the same fate awaited his endeavors that had been visited upon all of his craft; families came into the use of foreign fabrics for clothing, and "home-made wear" became an obsolete phrase.
In immediate connection with this mill Mr. Wilson had a carding manufactory. Here he wrought with his own hands, until infirmity deprived him of the use of his limbs. This mill lived to witness the departure of all of its kind within a wide vicinity, and received the fleeces of the cossets, that were attached to many farms, long after the larger flocks had departed.
The manufacture of cotton yarn and cotton cloth by power machinery, secured an early advent in Shirley. The first cotton-mill was set up in 1812. It was situated on the Catacunemaug, nearly on the site of the present manufactory of cottons, owned by N. C. Munson. It was built by a company from Harvard, consisting of Samuel Willard, Joel Willard and Zaccheus Gates. Before, how- ever, it was completed it passed into the hands of Joseph Edgarton, who sold it to Merrick Rice of Lancaster. Moses Carlton, also of Lancaster, soon bought a joint interest in the stock, and eventually became sole pro- prietor. After losses occasioned by a fluctuation of profits, and by litigation, the property was transferred back to Joseph Edgarton and Company in 1818. This company continued the manufacture of cottons, with varied success, unto the year 1834, when the great depression . came upon the manufacturing interests of New England, and Edgarton & Co. were swept away in the current of failures that overspread the land. The building that had so long been occupied as a cotton-mill, stately in appearance, and clustering with varied associations, now passed to other uses which will be referred to in their places.
The second cotton manufactory-which is known as the Fort-Pond Mill-was built by Joseph Edgarton and
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
Lemuel Willard. It is situated on the southern branch of the Catacunemaug, and is on the more western privilege of that stream. In about the year 1840 it became the property of Hiram Longley, who greatly enlarged and improved it. Subsequently it passed into the possession of Israel Longley, who connected it with the Shirley Cotton Mill, and occupied it as the weaving department of his general manufactory. It was at this time supplied with fifty-six looms, but in 1868 it was consumed by fire with all its machinery.
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