USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sutton > History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1876 to 1950, Volume II > Part 8
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ANNALS of SUTTON
not done in each generation that were done, there would have been plenty more to fill his place.
"But once in a while there comes a man whose single will and single wisdom changes the great currents of human history. But for him the life and the story of generations would have been different. There are three of four such men in American history. One of them was George Washington, one of them was Dr. Franklin, whose diplomacy brought us French alliance, and the friendship of Europe. One was Abraham Lincoln, whose sublime patience and profound wis- dim saved the country in its hour of peril. One of them, I think, in a far different field of thought, was Waldo Emerson, who achieved the independence of American thought, and was the founder of American literature. I can think of no other name to be mentioned in this class, but the name of him by whose birthplace we now stand."
Senator Hoar then described five important contributions made by General Putnam to the country.
He related this incident in his military career:
"One night Rufus Putnam was summoned to a council of war in Cambridge. Three weeks before, with the training of a country millwright, he had been appointed, contrary to his earnest disclaimer, engineer of the American army. Washington told his officers that they must make an attack on Boston over the ice, attacking the British general in his entrenchments, or his army must be disbanded and go home, and the cause of the Revolution must be abandoned. It was then proposed to erect fortifications on Dorchester Heights, which com- manded the city. The frost was two feet deep in the ground and what could be done?
"Putnam went back to his tent in Roxbury and as he was passing, he saw a light in the headquarters of General Heath, and he called on him and found on the table in his tent, a book just published, entitled Military Engineering. He looked at it casually, and 'pressed' for the loan of the book. Putnam went home, and he saw in that book the one word chandelier, a word he had never seen in that connection before, and he looked at the text and found it consisted of a frame 20 or 30 feet long, four timbers supporting, like an old-fashioned bed- stead, set morticed together and filled in with faggots to make a tolerable breast- work, and in two minutes he had his scheme for fortifying Dorchester Heights arranged.
"He set to work the next day and ordered the men to dig the place and bring the faggots, and on the fourth of March, 1776, Dorchester Heights, to the British general, was just as nature and husbandmen had left them for the last century, and when he woke up in the morning, Sir William Howe saw the fortifications, of which he said that they seemed as if they had been the work of 30,000 men, after three months' work.
"In three or four days the fortifications were completed and the English army evacuated, bag and baggage, horse and dragoons, and imperialism sailed out of Boston Harbor and American liberty took its place.
"Is it not true that this man, by his action diverted the very current of history and that little flash of his genius at midnight was a historical epoch in the annals of mankind."
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HISTORY of SUTTON
The Hon. William W. Mills of Marietta, official representative from Ohio, brought greetings from the State. In an address he outlined the growth of Ohio from pioneer days and noted in conclusion:
"Ohio has been the mother of presidents, sagacious statesmen, wise educators, illustrious warriors, honored ministers and teachers, and is the home of a happy, prosperous and industrious people."
The exercises closed with the singing of "America".
The Civic Day Banquet was served in the Bicentennial Tent. The Special Guests were: The Speakers of the Day; The Hon. Walter H. Blodget, Mayor of Worcester; Mrs. Harriet M. Forbes, Worcester, Regent of Timothy Bigelow Chapter, D.A.R .; Mrs. Lydia H. Hewett, Sutton, Regent of Abigail Batchelder Chapter, D.A.R., Whitinsville; Officers of the Central Committee and Chairman of the Sub-Committees. Chaplain, The Rev. John C. Hall, Sturbridge.
The Rev. Herbert Lombard was toastmaster for the afternoon. He read greet- ings from the President of the United States, The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt. Greetings were also extended by the Governor of Massachusetts, The Hon. John L. Bates. Responses were as follows:
"The Forefathers", Judge William LeBaron Putnam, Portland, Maine.
"The Country Town", The Hon. John R. Thayer.
"The Puritan's Contribution to America", The Hon. Curtis Guild, Jr., Lieu- tenant Governor of Massachusetts.
"Rufus Putnam and Ohio", President Alfred T. Perry.
"The Town of Sutton", Thomas M. Babson, Esq.
"The Colonial Women", Prof. Edwin A. Grosvenor.
'Agriculture in Massachusetts", The Hon. J. Lewis Ellsworth.
"Putnam of Rutland", Mr. Walter A. Wheeler of Rutland.
The final program of the celebration was held in the evening, Henry B. Bullard presiding. Music was by the Symphony Orchestra of Boston. There was a reception to visitors and brief addresses by guests. The Colonial minuet, in court costume, was danced by Mr. and Mrs. Ernest D. King, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Ray, Mr. Roy W. Warner and Mrs James W Stockwell and Mr. and Mrs. Orrin E. Smith, Jr. The Bicentennial Ball, attended by 100 couples, con- cluded the program.
1904
March 21-Voted that the following sums be paid for labor on the highways and bridges: For man, seventeen and one half cents per hour; for one horse and cart, ten cents per hour; for one horse, cart and man, twenty-seven and one-half cents per hour; for one pair horses or oxen, twenty cents per hour; and for one pair horses or oxen and man, forty cents per hour.
1906
March 19-Voted that the Board of Selectmen be authorized to make a contract for lighting the streets of the village of Manchaug with electricity for a period of five years .. . and a sum not to exceed $480 per year be raised and appropriated for the same.
1907
March 18-The sum of forty-five dollars was appropriated for the purpose of placing a memorial stone, inscribed with the name of the town and date of
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ANNALS of SUTTON
settlement, in the Memorial Monument being erected at Provincetown, Mass., to commemorate the first landing of the Pilgrims and signing of the compact in the cabin of the "Mayflower" in Provincetown Harbor, November 21, 1620.
From the Report of the School Committee by Rev. Samuel Hodgkiss:
"The Chairman of the Board would hereby acknowledge the kindness of Miss Frances J. W. Freeland for the following information which may properly go on record at this time.
"It is to be noted, that one hundred years ago, John Cole, Esq. of Sutton, made his generous gift by will to "The South Parish of Sutton, to be applied for the use of schools, and to be kept by the inhabitants forever', and which is now known as "The Parish Fund', yielding an income of $114 per year.
"It is an interesting fact that this document came into the hands of the writer on Thursday, Feb. 23, 1907, exactly one hundred years after it was made, on Feb. 23, 1807. The will is as follows:
" 'In the Name of God, Amen.
"'I, John Cole of Sutton, in the county of Worcester, and commonwealth of Massachusetts, yeoman, being in a very low state of health, but of a sound and perfect mind and memory, blessed be Almighty God for the same, but calling to mind the mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for man once to die, do make and ordain this, my last will and testament, viz .:
" 'Principally, and first of all, I give and recommend my soul of God that gave it, and my body to the earth, to be buried in a decent, Christian manner at the discretion of my executor, hereafter named ;-
"'My estate, wherewith God has been pleased to bless me with in this life, I Give, devise and dispose of in the following manner and form:
" 'First, my will is, that all my lawful debts and funeral charges be paid by my executor, hereafter named, out of my estate.
" 'Item .- I give and devise to the South Parish of Sutton to be applied for the use of schools, and to be kept by the inhabitants forever, and the income applied solely for that purpose ;-
" 'All that my messuage or tenement I now live on, together with the build- ings situate, lying and being in the South Parish in Sutton, bounded, easterly on the Reverend Edmund Mills' land, northerly by the Singletary Pond, so called, westerly by Capt. Jonathan Woodbury's land, southerly by the road leading from the South Parish meetinghouse to Oxford.'
"The remaining part of the will relates to the family of Mr. Cole (will ap- proved July 7, 1807). Mr. Cole's father, Ezekiel Cole, was born in 1723. He came from Salem, Mass., and settled in Sutton, 1756. John Cole was born Feb. 3, 1760, and died March 22, 1807, aged 47 years, and his will was made one month before that event. There was a monument erected by the town to the memory of Mr. Cole at a cost of $75, and which is located in the cemetery at the rear of the Centre schoolhouse. In the family lot, the slate slab at his mother's grave, bears the following epitaph, composed by his father, Ezekiel, a preacher.
" "The one that lodges in this tomb Had Rachael's face and Leah's fruitful womb,
Abigail's wisdom, Sarah's faithful Heart,
Martha's just care and Mary's better part.' "
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HISTORY of SUTTON
The History of the South Parish Fund, contributed by Mr. John F. Freeland, a grandson of James Freeland:
"About the year 1807, a man by the name of John Cole owned a farm in Sutton. He was a bachelor or a widower; his next of kin were cousins, who, in event of his death, would inherit his property. It would seem that he was not on good terms with these cousins and he did not want them to ever own his farm, either by inheritance or by purchase, so he had his neighbor, James Free- land, write a will. By that will he bequeathed his farm to the Town of Sutton, 'to remain the property of the town so long as the grass grows and the waters flow', and the income should be used toward the support of schools in the South Parish. At that time, what is now Sutton was known as the South Parish, and what is now Millbury, as the North Parish. Mr. Cole died March 22, 1807, and was buried in the old Cemetery at the Centre. Town records show, that at a town meeting in 1832, it was voted to instruct the Selectmen to take action to get possession of the John Cole farm.
"According to the terms of the will, the Town could not sell the farm, so they leased it to Daniel Stockwell for 99 years. Stockwell operated the farm for a few years under this lease, but became dissatisfied with it; he wanted to build a new house, and, if he used his own money to build it, he would not own it and he could not sell it. About 1840, the legislature was appealed to and it passed a special act, which allowed the town to sell the farm, but the income from the receipts must still go toward the support of schools in Sutton. This act required that a commission of five members be created to administer this fund; each member to receive a salary, four of them, $1 per year, and the chairman, $3 per year.
"The farm was sold first to Paris Tourtelott and by him to Daniel Stockwell. The price was $2000. For several years this money was leased in lots of $300 to $500 to individuals with personal notes as security. About 1855, the town borrowed the entire amount and gave its demand note with interest 6 per cent payable annually. This note was in existence for more than 60 years. The mem- bers of the commission met every year, usually on the day of the annual town meeting, re-elected its members, paid their salaries and turned the balance of the income over to the school committee.
"Henry Wellington Putnam, who was chairman of the commission for several years, suggested that changes be made, and, in 1921, the town voted that a committee of three be appointed to apply to the Probate Court for a decree. In 1922, the Court decreed that the town should raise the money and take up their note and the Town Treasurer should 'set up a trust fund in some savings bank or trust company' and that the income from said fund should be used toward the support of schools in Sutton. "Many years after the death of Mr. Cole, the town, in appreciation of the gift, voted to erect a monument to his memory."
1908
March 16-Voted that the Board of Selectmen be authorized to make a con- tract for lighting the streets of the village of Sutton Centre with electricity for a term of five years . . . at a cost not to exceed $200 per year and for lighting the streets of the village of West Sutton with electricity for a period of five years at a cost not to exceed $100 per year.
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For several years before 1906, the School Committee and the School Super- intendent in their annual reports had called attention to the inadequacy of the schoolhouse at Sutton Center and had urged the construction of a new and suitable building. At that time the grades of this district and the Sutton High School were housed in what is now known as the Rufus Putnam school building.
At a special town meeting, June 23, 1906, on motion of James W. Stockwell, it was voted that a committee of nine members consisting of the School Com- mittee, the Selectmen and three members, nominated by the chairman (Henry F. Rice, Dexter A. Brigham and Henry B. Bullard) be elected to consider the whole matter of a new school building; designs, location, cost and method of paying for the same . . . and report at a meeting, not later than the third Saturday in August next.
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GENERAL RUFUS PUTNAM SCHOOL
August 18, 1906, the committee of nine in their report made five recom- mendations:
"1st. There is an imperative need of a new schoolhouse at the Centre and we recommend the building of the same.
"2nd. We recommend that the Town appropriate nine thousand dollars for the erection of said schoolhouse, this to include land, building and furnishings complete."
Three sites for location were mentioned.
The report was accepted.
It was then voted at the meeting to build the schoolhouse. (33 to 14)
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It was also voted that the sum of nine thousand dollars be appropriated to purchase grounds, erect and furnish the schoolhouse.
The proceedings and the work of the Building Committee during the year 1907 were reported to the voters by Mr. James W. Stockwell and from this report are the following excerpts:
"At the last annual meeting (March 18, 1907), a Building Committee for a schoolhouse in the Central District was elected, consisting of the School Com- mittee, the Selectmen and three citizens of the town not on these boards, with full power to select site, prepare plans and bring its report to the Town at a legal meeting for its action.
"Soon after this annual election a meeting of the committee was called and organized as follows: James W. Stockwell, chairman; Henry F. Rice, secretary.
"At this meeting the present schoolhouse was carefully considered and it was not deemed feasible or economic to use it in construction or for repairs. After a careful review of the several suitable locations for the new building, the site near the present schoolhouse was favorably considered and it was voted that a committee of one be instructed to consult architects and procure plans for the new building. . .
"These plans and this location were later rejected by the Town and the Com- mittee were instructed to take or buy land for the building . .. 130 feet on the road ... on the northerly bounds of the land owned by the estate of Wilder S. Holbrook.
"At a later meeting of the Committee it was voted that the following record be made as authority for the Selectmen to make payment for said lot. "This may certify to the Selectmen of Sutton that the Committee of nine, elected as a Building Committee for a scholhouse in Sutton Center, have purchased land for a schoolhouse site as per vote of the Town from the estate of Wilder S. Holbrook and have located the schoolhouse thereon and additional land for schoolhouse purposes to the amount of one 61-100 acres at the price of $500 per acre, equal to the full sum of eight hundred and five dollars ($805.).
Signed) JAMES W. STOCKWELL, Chairman HENRY F. RICE, Secretary
At a special meeting of the voters, October 19, 1907, a report of the Building Committee, signed by every member, was read by the Chairman as follows:
"We, the Committee, unanimously report that we commend to you a two- story building as presenting the best appearance and as the cheapest and most commodious school building for the Town.
"We have found by careful investigation that the cost of the building will be $13,000. This estimate includes every possible need and every possible expense, the building complete in every particular . . . the school grounds graded, the heating and ventilating arrangements the best known and approved by the State authorities, the flooring hard wood, and the seating carefully adjusted, the plumbing and drainage also included . . . in fact a building that would require no outlay by the Town for a long series of years.
"We further report that we believe that this is the lowest cost to the Town and that we have received as low bids for this work as can be expected. .
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"It was then voted not to raise the money necessary by a vote (85 against to 15 in favor)."
Early in 1908 the subject of the building was again discussed at the Town meetings. Finally at a special meeting, April 18, 1908, the Building Committee submitted plans for a construction at a cost of $11,000. The voters accepted these plans and the Treasurer was authorized to borrow a sum not exceeding $11,000, $1000 to be paid each year, to issue in payment the note or notes, bearing inter- est at a rate not to exceed 41/2 per cent.
Building operations then were begun and the new High School Building was ready for occupancy in September, only two weeks after the usual time of the opening of schools.
Quoting from Mr. Stockwell's report to the Town meeting, March 15, 1909, on the expenditure of the $11,000:
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SUTTON HIGH SCHOOL, 1908
"We had previously asked for a larger appropriation and recommended a design for a school building complete in every detail. The Town refused to grant the money needed. We accepted in good faith the verdict of the voters and changed the plans to meet the demand of the Town for a less costly building and this report the Town accepted and the necessary funds were voted. These changes were made not by cheapening the structure, but by economizing in some less important needs that can be met in the future. . . . The changes to perfect the building will cost the Town from $1200 to $1500.
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"The room built into this building for the care of the Chemical Fire Engine is a wise economy for the Town, as this is the most convenient and accessible location for the safety of property in case of fire and the Town is saved rent and care of room or building and all fuel expense during the winter months."
1910
March 21-From the Selectmen's Report: "There is no way to make a wind- mill pump when there is no wind. Also there is more demand on the Center Supply because of the dry condition in summer. "For sufficient supply it is neces- sary to erect a small building and equip with pumping engine."
1911
October 7-Voted that the Town do install an electric motor and pumping outfit and appropriate the sum of $300 in addition to the sum already raised for the same.
THE OLD POUND (1719)
1912
March 18-Mr. George J. Dudley offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted by a rising vote:
"We, the Citizens of Sutton in Annual Town Meeting assembled, desire to place on record our high estimate of the services of our veteran Town Clerk, Henry C. Batcheller, who has recently retired from office, after a continuous service of twenty-three years. In performing the duties of this and other offices he has ever been conscientious, careful and painstaking and ever ready to meet his fellow citizens with courtesy and respect.
"Therefore, be it Resolved, that a copy of this expression be spread on the records of the Town."
From Selectmen's Report: "The wall around the old Pound has been re- paired, which brings back to some of the older residents of the Town, memories of the time when cattle found roaming at large were driven there and kept at the expense of the owner."
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ANNALS of SUTTON
1914
October 31-Voted on motion of Dexter A. Brigham to hold the annual Town Meeting on the first Monday in February.
1916
February 7-Voted on motion of Ernest P. Putnam that the Town elect by ballot from the inhabitants thereof at its annual election a moderator to preside for the term of one year at all Town Meetings except those for the election of state officers.
1919
February 3-On motion it was voted that the moderator appoint a committee of seven citizens of Sutton, himself a member, to consider and report to the town at a meeting called for that purpose their recommendations for a fitting memorial for the soldiers and sailors, who have so nobly maintained the honor and valor of the Town of Sutton in the World War 1914-1918. Those appointed were Hon. James W. Stockwell, Edward Littlefield, Dexter A. Brigham, Mrs. Ernest Putnam, Vernon S. Johnson, Fred S. Smith and John F. Freeland.
November 20-In accordance with their recommendations, the committee of seven, appointed February 3, were directed and empowered to place in the vesti- bule of Memorial Hall two marble tablets with suitable designs and with the name of every soldier and sailor in World War I inscribed thereon, at a cost not exceeding $800. Also that the names of the soldiers and sailors, who enlisted in the Spanish War, be suitably inscribed on said memorial tablets.
1921
February 7-On motion of John C. Dudley, voted that the Selectmen be authorized and instructed to appear in the name and behalf of the inhabitants of the Town of Sutton in the Probate Court of this County and petition for the termination of a trust created under the Will of the late John Cole, whereby he gave a fund to the South Parish for the support of schools and that the said trust fund be held by the Treasurer of the Town and the income thereof be applied for the benefit of schools in Sutton in accordance with the charitable intent of the testator, and to authorize the Selectmen to employ in the matter such counsel as they may deem expedient.
November 27, 28, 29-The Ice Storm.
Quoting from George J. Dudley's diary: "Began to rain a little Sunday after- noon, continued to rain and freeze through the night and all day Monday, through the night and all day Tuesday and Tuesday night. Wednesday morning was clear and there was the desolation. Half the apple trees ruined, electric poles lying in all directions where they had gone down like toothpicks; electric wires in a tangle, all service crippled; many highways impassable."
Extracts from an article, written by Marion Cressy, '25, in The Sentry, the Sutton High School Paper:
"Sutton has been so icy and shut out from the world, that even The Telegram has not yet heard that we are isolated. The town looks as if it had undergone a bombardment.
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"All roads in the town were rendered impassable because of the storm's devastation. The poles, heavily laden with ice, fell to the ground, breaking sev- eral parts, carrying the heavy ice-covered wires with them. The trees were so heavily burdened with ice, that they could not stand, and hundreds of them went crashing to the ground.
"The telephones are of no use all over town. This is a great hindrance to the business people in Sutton. Having no electric power, the mills are closed, putting many people out of work.
"The street lights are lying on the ground and folks, venturing out at night, have to use lanterns; the lights in the houses are of equal use. There will probably be no electric lights for several weeks.
"In the recollection of the oldest inahibtant of Sutton, there has been no storm equal in severity to this; but fortunately, there were no lives lost in this town."
1924
April 16-A disastrous fire swept over a section of Manchaug. The Catholic Church and Convent and many other buildings, mostly private homes, were burned to the ground.
1925
February 2-Voted that the Selectmen be authorized to employ Town Counsel and that the sum of $200 be raised and appropriated to pay for same.
1926
February 1- On motion of John F. Freeland, it was voted that the moderator appoint a committee of three, himself to be one, whose duties it shall be to prepare a BY LAW, under which a Town Finance Committee may be created, as required by Acts of 1923, to be presented at the next annual Town Meeting or to some prior special Town Meeting.
1927
February 7- BY LAW for Finance Committee adopted :
"Section 1: A Finance Committee consisting of five members who shall be legal voters of the Town but not more than two of whom may be members of any town board or committee, or other official having the handling or expendi- ture of funds of the town, shall be appointed by the moderator within fifteen days after this BY LAW becomes legally operative, and thereafter publicly at the closing and prior to the final adjournment of each annual Town Meeting.
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