USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sutton > History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1876 to 1950, Volume II > Part 11
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The old two-horse stage was housed for years in the barn on this place. Mr. Franklin Sibley drove it for several years. Two of the other drivers were Bowers Davis and Hollis Sherman. Mr. Mack drove it at one time and some of the old residents still remember how quickly and skillfully his young daughter, Mary, could harness the horses. Walter Acker is said to have been the last driver. The stage left the store every weekday morning about 7:30, returning at noon and leaving again at 1:30 P. M., returning at 6:00 P. M.
Turning to the left, the first house on the right of the Town Farm Road, was owned by Lydia Marcy in 1867 and her daughter, Mrs. Charles Johnson, inherited it at her mother's death.
In 1889 she sold to Oliver K. Cook. He sold to James Ellsworth Phelps in 1893. Mr. Phelps had married, in 1892, Annie Laurie Sailor of Lisbon, Iowa, and moved from Oxford here. They had three children: Henry Edison, born in Oxford, a graduate of Sutton High School and of Worcester Polytechnic Insti- tute; Heaton and Sailor, both born in Sutton. In 1911, the family moved to Lisbon, Iowa, to make their home there and the place was sold to John Fries- wick. He sold the next year to Hiram and Sarah J. Sherman. They sold to Chester and L. Marguerite Eames in 1915. Noe and Adolph Dufresne bought in 1919 and sold to Edward Carle in 1921. Mr. Carle sold to Mr. and Mrs. William Skralski in 1922 and they lived here until 1931. They have one son. The Skralskis sold to Mr. and Mrs. William Spencer in 1931. In 1937 Edward E. Sylvester, Jr. bought the farm and in 1941 he sold to his brother Earle E. Sylvester, who carried on a poultry business here. He sold to the present owners, Mr. and Mrs. Amos Whitten, in 1949. They live here with their four children, Gordon W., Kenneth W., Janice A. and Barbara A.
The land in the first deed of this place (1845) was less than a half acre but various owners have enlarged the acreage until now the farm contains approxi- mately 60 acres.
The Hotel Pond on the left, so called from its proximity to the old hotel, is owned by Charles S. Phelps and S. Martin Shaw. The Singletary Rod and Gun Club stocked the pond with trout in 1941.
The second farm on Town Farm Road, which was owned by Henry Brigham in 1876, was sold to George H. Barnes in 1910. After living here several years, Mr. Barnes sold to Robert E. Whittier in 1917. Mr. Barnes moved to the place
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now owned by Robert B. Whittier, son of the above. Mr. Whittier, Sr., a grad- uate of Durham Agricultural School, Durham, N H., carried on the farm and a milk business until his death in 1940. He was a deacon of the Baptist Church and a good citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Whittier had two sons, Robert and Harold. Robert was a mechanic in Millbury, but came back to the farm during his father's illness. He now lives on the Sumner Kenney place, as already noted, and is associated in business with his brother Harold, who lives here with his wife (Vivian Merrill), daughter Hazel, and son John. Another apartment is occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Earl Pearson and their sons.
Harold is a graduate of Sutton High School and Becker Business College. The brothers operate a town school bus and carry on the farm.
The next place on the hill is the former town farm. In 1876, Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Wheeler came from Vermont with their family to run the farm for the town. They had two daughters, Charlotte Elsie and Amy Abigail. Charlotte married George Humes (son of John Humes) in 1884. They lived in Auburn for many years. They had no children of their own but brought up her sister's daughter, Mary Elsie. Amy married J. Eddy Freeland in 1891 and they had three children, Harry Wheeler, Mary Elsie, and James Edward. Mrs. Freeland died in 1897.
The Wheelers had a third daughter, Mary Chase, born while they lived at the town farm. She married Henry A. Peters and lives in Douglas. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler stayed at the farm until 1888 when M. C. Harvey came, and remained until 1892. From 1892 to 1898, C. J. Gleason and his wife were in charge (Mrs. Gleason was Adalaide Sherman). They had two children, Cas- sandra Gleason Adams, who was a Sutton teacher and now lives in California, and Robert who died in the west. From 1898 to 1907 Mr. and Mrs. Erastus C. Plummer were on the farm followed by D. H. Gilbert and wife from 1907 to 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Plummer returned in 1912 and remained until 1923. In all, they were in charge of the town farm more than twenty years, a splendid civic service. Later wardens were M. B. Lawson, 1923-24, Herman Field, 1924-25, Earl Morey and wife, 1925-28. In 1928, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Morey assumed charge and remained until changing conditions made it impractical for the town to continue owning a town farm. The farm was leased in 1942 to the Whittier Brothers for three years. In 1945, the town voted to sell the property. It was purchased at auction the summer of that year by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Chamber- lain. The house was badly damaged by fire in 1948 but was restored. Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain have five children, Earl, Arthur, Jr., Ruth, Albert, and Gordon. Ruth is a graduate of Sutton High School and Gordon Bible School, and is married to George Eddy and lives in Chicago.
Coming back to the Turnpike, the West Sutton Hotel, which stood on the corner, served as a tavern over 100 years. It was an imposing building of brick. The main part was two and a half stories high with a broad front piazza and thirteen large rooms. The village library was housed in the east end. Erastus Whiting bought it soon after 1876 and kept it until 1883, when it was sold to Andrew Keith, who kept it eight months, selling to Franklin Plympton in 1884. The Plymptons owned it until 1912, renting to others after 1903. They had two children, Harry, who was prominent in musical circles, and Annie, Mrs. Frank Humes.
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In 1912, Adolphus Routhier bought the tavern. On Easter morning, April 4, 1915, it burned to the ground. Some of the books in the library were saved. For many years the old tavern was an important place in West Sutton and its burning destroyed an old landmark.
At different periods there were criticisms as to the conducting of the tavern. Jason Waters (1824-1908) told the story of a boy who wished very much to attend a dance there but whose strict father sternly forbade his going. Late at night, the father discovered that his son was missing. He hitched up his horse and drove to the tavern and there was the boy enjoying the dance! He walked in with his horsewhip and belabored his disobedient son saying loudly, "Now, I'll fiddle and you may dance!"
The site is now occupied by a cottage, built in 1922 by Erastus Plummer and his son Charles. Mr. Plummer purchased the ground from Walter Cook, (who had bought it after the fire) and sold to his son.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Plummer lived here with their family; three sons, Charles, Carroll, and Wilfred, and one daughter Louise, now the wife of Russell Putnam of Oxford. In 1941, Charles Plummer sold to Mr. and Mrs. John Anderson, who live here with their two children, John and Gale.
The old store in West Sutton across from the hotel is now a thing of the past, but for many years it was an important part of the village. It was the traditional country store with stock of all kinds on its shelves.
Henry B. Bullard bought the store of Samuel N. Waters in 1869 and suc- ceeded him as postmaster. This position he kept until June 6, 1901 when the Rural Free Delivery was established and the post office, which had served West Sutton for so many years, was closed. It was disadvantage to most of the local people, for they lost the daily stage and received only one mail a day, instead of two as formerly. Also, it did away with much of the sociability of the neigh- bors, who were wont to gather daily for the sorting of the mail. In the old days, keeping a country store was a profitable undertaking. Mr. Bullard once said, that in the early days of his storekeeping, he could count on a profit of about 40 per cent, but not in later times. For many years Mr. and Mrs. Bullard lived in an apartment over the store. They had two children: Louise I. who married Charles R. Luther, and H. Clifford who married Louise Stockwell. Mrs. Bullard, a very lovely woman, died in 1906 and Mr. Bullard had various housekeepers. His sight gradually failed until he became blind and he gave up the store.
After Mr. Bullard's retirement, his son-in-law, Charles R. Luther, carried on the business for a time. Afterward it was continued by Abner Morse, Edward Hough, Frank Grandone, Chester Eames, Fred Gifford and Roy Sullivan; but changing conditions made the store unprofitable, so Mr. Sullivan closed it in 1931. The building was purchased in 1938 by the Baptist Church and the lower floor was used as a parish house. Mr. and Mrs. John White and family occupied the upper floor for several years.
Biography of Mr. Bullard as given by Walter N. Waters: "Henry Beecher Bullard, named for his famous uncle, was born in Holden in 1839. His parents came from that town in 1844 to the Bullard place in West Sutton, which had been owned since 1805 by his grandfather, Dr. Artemus Bullard. In 1861 he married Huldah Ann Wilcox, daughter of Joseph and Huldah (Fuller) Wilcox. At that time Mr. Wilcox was the superintendent of the town farm.
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"Mr. Bullard was engaged in the wood business until he was thirty years old. In 1869 he bought the store of Samuel Waters and became postmaster. Mr. Bullard was a justice of the peace for 42 years, Sutton selectman for seven years, a Mason for 47 years, a member of the West Sutton Baptist Church for 53 years, a member of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1891, and a Republican voter for over 50 years. At one time, he was the largest real estate owner in town.
"During the last ten or twelve years of his life, his sight gradually failed, making him totally blind. For many years he was an important figure in town and his genial manner endeared him to hosts of friends."
He died May 6, 1928. Mrs. Bullard died March 29, 1906.
The house next to the store was owned by Mrs. Parley Waters in 1876. She sold to Sarah A. Sherman in 1880 and Mrs. Sherman sold to Albert Andrews and wife Mary in 1884. In 1888, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews sold to James Donnelly, from whom they bought a farm in Spencer, and moved to that town. Henry B. Bullard bought the place from Donnelly in 1891.
October 20, 1915, Mr. Bullard conveyed the property to the Massachusetts Baptist Missionary Society of Boston upon the following trusts:
"To allow the First Baptist Church of Sutton to have the use, improvement and control of the same, and every part and parcel thereof, as a place either for the residence of the pastor, or for the social, educational and religious pur- poses of the church, etc.
"If the church ceases to exist or abandons the Baptist faith, the trusts come to an end and the Missionary Society is authorized to sell the property."
It has been used as a parsonage and as a parish house, but since 1947 the church has rented the house to the Principal of the Sutton High School, Mr. Joseph Sullivan and his family. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan have three children, Jo-Mary, Kathleen and John Breen (born Sept. 1951).
On the north side of the street, the house below the old hotel site was owned by Martha P. Earl until her death in 1892. This house, earlier, was also used as a parsonage. Mr. Henry Bullard bought it in 1893 and owned until 1915 when it was sold to Mrs. Ida Rollins. She sold to Joseph Goyette in 1919. Mr. and Mrs. Goyette lived here until her death when her husband went to live with a son. Mr. Goyette was a gardener of much ability. He died in 1942. George Chase bought the place in 1940 and lived here for a time. He sold to James Casey who also lived here for a short period, and sold to the Herbert Webbers. They sold to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Murray, who live here with their four children, Ruth Evelyn, Marsha Jean, Walter Fred, and Linda Barbara.
The next house on the same side, now owned by Henry and Mary (Putnam) Brink, was purchased by them in 1935 from Charles S. Phelps, who bought it from Richard and Anna Nelson in 1933. It was owned by Mrs. Gardner Gibson in 1876. Mr. Gibson died that year and she died in 1879. The house has since been owned by Salem Chamberlain, Mary (Tucker) Moore, Walter Acker and Mary Elida Carlson, who sold to the Nelsons in 1926. Mr. and Mrs. Brink have one daughter, Barbara Muriel, who is a graduate of Howard Seminary (1948) and Cazenovia Junior College, Cazenovia, N. Y. (1951). She was married in June 1951 to Dr. Robert G. Rhoades. He now is in Military Service. Mr. Brink is employed by Norton Co. in Worcester and Mrs. Brink is a clerk and buyer at the Worcester Knitting Co., a position she has held for more than twenty years.
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HISTORY of SUTTON
On the south side of the street, the third house from the church is the house, now owned by Mr. and Mrs. John O'Handley, who bought it from Charles Phelps in 1946. Mrs. O'Handley (Lillian Wilson) is a graduate of Sutton High School and the New England Sanitarium and Hospital in Stoneham, Massachusetts. She has served as a trained nurse for several years. Mr. and Mrs. O'Handley have three daughters, Barbara, Lois, and Christine. They rent an apartment.
Mr. Phelps bought of Napoleon Jolie who, with his wife Carrie, made this their home for several years, buying from Mr. F. F. Sibley. They cared for Mr. Sibley for some time until his death in 1917. Mr. Sibley lived here for many years, buying from Harriet (Rich) Presby, the owner in 1876. Mr. Sibley was a well known citizen of the village, always much interested in all that went on, and many stories are told of his quaint remarks. He was twice married and had two children by his first marriage: Edward, who taught school at the "Street" in the 80's, and Kate, afterward Mrs. Charles Butler. Edward Sibley owned and edited the Olneyville Times, R. I., and conducted a printing business. He served in the Rhode Island Legislature as Representative from Providence. His son, Donald R. Sibley, is a business man in West Hartford, Conn. Mr. Butler, who married Kate Sibley, was a confidential secretary to a member of the J. P. Morgan family for some years.
One Sunday, while the opening prelude was being played in church, Mr. Sibley, who was sitting beside Henry Brigham, a well-known cattle dealer, questioned him as to how much he paid for some cattle. Just as the music stopped a loud whisper went over the church-"Oh-Brig, you paid too much."
The next house was owned by the Phelps family from 1827 to 1882. The barn originally stood near the carriage shed, which joined the rear of the house and was connected with the cow barn by a long granary to the south. The cowbarn still stands. The horsebarn was sold during the Sherman's ownership to F. F. Sibley and moved across the line. It fell in the hurricane of 1938.
After James Phelps' death in 1863 his widow, Mrs. Mindwell Phelps, lived here until her death in 1878 at nearly 81 years of age. Her heirs sold to Hiram J. and Sarah Sherman in 1882. They owned the place for 29 years. Their son, Perley, who is a Worcester business man, was born here. The Shermans sold to Joseph Petit in the fall of 1911. He bought more land and improved the farm by means of a large herd of cattle. Mr. Petit's niece and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. George Peladeau, came here in 1945. Mr. Petit died in 1950 and the Peladeaus inherited the farm. They have three sons; Andre in the U. S. service in Germany, George and Edmund, students in Sutton High School.
Another apartment in the house has been rented for some years. Mr. and Mrs. Warren Hough lived here for some time. It is now occupied by Mr. Joseph Grandone and Mrs. Sarah Bickford, his sister. Mr. Grandone has two sons; Roy, who is in High School, and Emmett. Mrs. Bickford has a son Kermit, a graduate of Sutton High School, who was in the U. S. Army of Occupation after World War II.
On the north side of the street, the next house to the Brinks is one of the oldest houses now standing on the Main Street, having been built about 1790 by Samuel Waters. It was owned and occupied by Mrs. Willard Fuller (formerly Mrs. Stephen Waters) seventy-five years ago. It passed to her daughter, Julia.
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HOMES of SUTTON
(Waters) Phelps (widow of Henry Phelps) at her death in 1891. Mrs. Phelps was a woman of much ability. Before her marriage she took a course at the Oread Institute of Worcester. She was a natural nurse and in later life did much in that line for her neighbors. Mr. Henry Phelps (son of James) died in 1880, leaving his wife and four children; James Ellsworth, who went to Iowa in 1911, Charles Spafford, who has been a business man in West Sutton many years, Lucy Waters, who taught the West Sutton School for twenty years, and William. Miss Phelps was an active member of the American Press Writer's association for twenty-five years and has been associated with her brother in conducting "Paine Haven" a roadside stand. The youngest son, William, died in 1920. The place is now the home of the two surviving children, Charles S. and Lucy W.
"Miss Lucy Phelps was by two years, the first woman voter in the town of Sutton, she having registered for the franchise at the age of 21, although she could 'vote for school committee only' at this time."
Mrs. Phelps' brother, Jason Waters (1824-1908), a prominent citizen for many years, lived and died here. Another brother, John C. Waters (1831-1900), was a musician of ability. He and his wife (Mary A. Abbott) died in Millbury. They had two children: Jennie, who married Harry Goddard of Millbury, and died there (1951) at the advanced age of 92 years, and Stephen, who was a musician, well-known over the U. S.
Andrew Jackson Waters (1836-1900), a younger brother, was also born in West Sutton and lived here from time to time. He was a graduate of Bridge- water Normal School and taught successfully in the schools of nearby towns, also teaching many winter terms in West Sutton. He died in West Sutton. His wife died in Worcester in 1941. They had two sons, Herbert A. and Fred Andrew.
Stephen Waters, son of John C. Waters, was born in Warren, Mass. in 1886.
"He gave evidence of exceptional musical talent at a very early age. He was booked for his first professional engagement as pianist when only 16. A vaudeville company came to town, but lacked a musical director. It procured his help at subbing for a one night stand. Later he was asked by the manager, as he came into the theatre for rehearsal, if he could read song and dance stuff and play it 'straight'. The boy said nothing, but called for the score. At the end of the overture, the manager was on his way to the orchestra pit with ready money in both hands and delight in both eyes, but 'that kid' kept on playing and biting off that score just as if he had written it himself, and through it he went to the very end without a single cross over. After the rehearsal the company mobbed the manager, 'We've got to have that boy.', they said in one voice. The song and dance woman declared she wouldn't jig a single jig with any other man at the piano, and the manager just had to do it. Owing to his youth his people were reluctant to have him go, but the boy had the fire of his job in his brain and was anxious to join the troupe. So they blessed him and let him go, and it was forty weeks later when he came home again."
He was well-known in vaudeville for years. He died in 1932 in Millbury.
In the rear of the Phelps' house to the north, were the saw and grist mills built by James Phelps, father of Henry, in the 1850's. The sawmill fell in the 1938 hurricane. This property is owned by Charles S. Phelps through the purchase from his mother. The water wheel which furnished the power was twenty feet in diameter. It served its purpose for about seventy years.
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HISTORY of SUTTON
Milton Humes and James E. Phelps bought a portable steam sawmill in 1891; later William R. Boulster bought the Humes share. After a number of years, Charles S. bought the Boulster share. The brothers, James E. and Charles S. continued the business until 1911 when James E. moved west and the mill was sold.
Miss Phelps gives us the following interesting history-
"At one time this mill was set up in the old mill yard and was run there for some time. An amusing story, told at that time is this: Frank Nichols, a strong, robust fellow, one of the workers about the mill, was assigned to blow the steam whistle. The elderly lady with whom he boarded, learning that he 'blew the whistle' said, 'Frank is just the one to blow the whistle, he has such strong lung power!'
"In 1898 Charles S. changed the gristmill into a cider mill and placed a sign, 'Cider Made While You Wait',-at the entrance to the main street. He designed a hopper for the machine, large enough to hold several bushels of apples at once, with a 'shaker' attachment that would convey the apples to the elevator without the help of a man. One day, a customer brought a load of apples and put them in the hopper. Then he drove a few rods around to the east end of the mill where it was convenient to load the cider from the bank. Coming in, he said, 'I want to see you make it', but it was all barrelled, ready to load 65 gallons! 'Do you know how long it has taken you?' Phelps did not and the man said, "Thirteen minutes!' That was one of the times the customer did not have to wait!"
But here is another story: "October 29, 1902, was a record day in cider-making, when Mr. Phelps made 3,000 gallons in a day of ten hours with two helpers. When they went to dinner, there were seventeen one, two, and four-horse loads waiting in line. These were put through the mill in the afternoon. Two men were required to lay up the cheese and one to fill the containers, with every customer getting the juice from his own apples. That was a time when the patrons literally waited for their cider. Kodak pictures were taken of the line of waiting loads, which reached from the mill toward the street and down the front of the next house. The cider was made for one and a half cents per gallon."
After the steam mill was sold, Charles S. made lumber a number of years for several employers. The last of the work was a year's sawing in Whitinsville, following the hurricane of 1938, in wood lots, owned by the Whitin Ma- chine Co.
In 1876, the west side of the Phelps house was owned by Miss Olive Tucker. It passed to her nephew, Henry F. Tucker, after her death in 1884, aged 81 years. (Her sister, Ursula Tucker, died here in 1883, aged 73 years. ) Mr. Tucker sold the place at auction to Mrs. Cora (Putnam) Dermott in 1899. She sold to Mrs. Emily Harwood in 1916 and Mrs. Harwood and her daughter, Mrs. Matilda Harwood, lived here together until Mrs. Emily Harwood's death in 1925, after which the daughter occupied it. She sold to Franklin Winter in 1946 and he and his mother now live here. Mrs. Matilda Harwood died in a rest home at Grafton in 1947.
JASON WATERS
"Jason Waters (1824-1908) was for many years an important and valuable citizen of Sutton. He attended Sutton schools and Smithfield Seminary. After leaving school, he studied in Boston to perfect himself for teaching vocal cul- ture. He was a natural orator, and an enthusiastic adherent of the anti-slavery movement. From 1862-1864, he was State Representative from this District and his accomplishments in the House of Representatives are mentioned in the old history (pp. 163-66). The rifle he used for illustration has been placed in the vestibule of the Town Hall since his death.
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HOMES of SUTTON
"For some years after the Civil War he was editor of the Fall River Daily Times and his trenchant editorials in that paper showed the personality of the man. After leaving Fall River, he travelled through the Central States and Canada. He returned to his native town and joined with zeal in all projects for the betterment of the town. He served seven years on the school board of Sutton, in which position he did valuable service for the rising generation. He was one of the first to see the advantage of normal training for teachers and instituted many new plans for the upbuilding of education in all the schools of the town and taught vocal culture with special reference to improving reading in the schools with such success that some of the pupils who later went to Worcester won the gold prizes offered there for superiority in reading. He introduced the novelty of an annual School Festival held in the Town Hall for giving the pupils of all the schools a chance to show their ability in musical and other lines. (This was before the schools had a superintendent.) He was a Trustee of the Public Library for many years and librarian of the West Sutton Branch from 1887 to his death (1908). He wrote a large number of musical compositions, some of them being of a very high order."
His death at the age of 84 ended a long and useful life of service.
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