USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Wellesley > History of the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts > Part 3
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2nd We propose to surrender all our right & interest in the Dover school land to the East Parrish.
3rd We propose to pay to the East parrish on the 2nd Monday of December annually for five years the sum of one Thousand dollars per year.
This part of the document is unsigned but it is accompanied by the following statement of receipts and expenditures, showing who were the men interested :
Needham, Feb. 1852.
An account of money paid in on a subscription list for the purpose of defraying the Expense caused by petitioning the Legeslature to divide the town:
Cash Rec'd.
William Flagg
$3.00
James Moulton $1.00
Emery Fisk
3.00
Richard Parker 1.00
Luther Gilbert 3.00
Edwin Fuller 1.00
Charles Kingsbury 1.00
Augustus Fuller 1.00
John A. Libby
.50
Ruel Ware 1.00
Henry L. Howe
.50
Wm. H. Flagg .50
Robert S. Bullard
.50 C. T. Dedmon .50
Nath. Wales, Jr.
3.00
W. G. Snelling 1.00
H. G. Perkins
1.00
D. Ware 1.00
John Mansfield
.50
Willard Kingsbury 1.00
1.50
Daniel Ware
1.00
S. T. Smith
1.50
H. A. Fuller
1.00
Jonathan Fuller, Jr.
3.00
I. W. Wright
1.00
George W. Hoogs, Jr. 1.00
H. T. Guild
1.00
George F. Darling
1.00
Andrew Bigelow
2.00
John Davis 1.50
L. A. Kingsbury
1.00
Daniel Morse 2.00
George Jennings
1.00
Dea. H. Fuller
.50
Then follows under date of March 1, 1852 the following statement: Account of Money Paid per order of the committee chosen for the purpose of attending to the subject of the petition upon dividing the Town.
March 1st, Paid J. B. Whitaker for plan of Town of Needham $5.37
2nd paid for package tickets
3.00
66 3rd paid at commonwelth office for printing
60 3rd Do plowman office
66 9th Do for 2nd plan of Town.
5.00
13th Do Col. Chester Adams for attending before the Committee at the Legeslature
.90
C. C. Andrews, Esq. for professional services 15.00
Whiting and Russell
15.00
Dexter Kingsbury
1.00
George Smith
7.14
2.50
2 At a special Town Meeting of the legal voters of Needham, on the eighth day of November last past, to act upon the petition of the Hon. E. K. Whitaker and others. for a Committee in reference to a division of the Town, as petitioned for to the Legislature by some of its inhabi- tants, and to make the necessary investigations respecting Town Paupers, Bridges, Schools, &c., and report at an adjourned meeting, it was voted :- "That a Committee of three from each part of the Town, be chosen to take the whole subject of this article into consideration, and report at an adjourned meeting, and the following persons were chosen: Artemas Newell, Lauren Kingsbury and Calen Orr for the easterly part of the Town, and William Flagg, John W. Shaw, and George K. Daniell, for the westerly part. Voted to adjourn this meeting to the first Tuesday in December next, at one o'clock, P. M. A true copy of record. Attest: Solomon Flagg, Town Clerk."
17
HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
The line of division of the Town, as petitioned for, as understood by the Committee, is delineated by a faint line on the published map of the Town, beginning at a point at Charles River, about a quarter of a mile below the Nail Factory at Upper Falls, and running southwesterly in straight line, crossing the road known as the "Worcester Turnpike" about a quarter of a mile westerly of said Nail Factory; crossing the ar- tificial pond, and running near and westerly of the house of Isaac Flagg 2d; crossing the Rosemary Meadow, so-called, near and west of the house of Ralph Smith, running near and easterly of the residence of the late Otis Sawyer, and easterly of the Town Farm; crossing a road near and west of the house of Mr. Colcord, crossing a road near and west of Mr. Cartwright; thence running and crossing the highway near and east of the house of Mr. Risk, and west of the house of Mr. Knapp; thence running west of the Reynolds estate, crossing the new road lead- ing to Natick, a few feet east of the bridge, to a point on Charles River, leaving the bridge on the west side of the line and the road on the east, -said line measuring, according to the map, from one point of the river to the other, about five and a quarter miles.
ROADS AND BRIDGES
Sherborn (Sherburne) Road, now Washington Street, was called such in deeds as late as 1857, perhaps later. On a map of the local- ity by Samuel Jones, surveyor, in 1718 it is spoken of as "Sherborn or Bay Road." It was the original Indian Path between Nonantum and Natick. Walnut Street was, until the latter part of the eight- eenth century, the main thoroughfare.1 Linden Street from Rock- land Street bridge to Kingsbury Street was originally part of Sher- born Road.
In 1822 alterations were made in Sherburne Road "by the lower falls and the highway should hereafter be known as a publice one." These alterations began at Peter Lyons' house (opposite the North School on Walnut Street) over the land of Stedman, Parker, Pratt and Slack
In 1826 the town "voted that the road laid out in 1804 from Ware and Wilder's store (in Wellesley Hills Square) to Seth Col- burn's (corner of Oakland and Washington Streets) be discontin- ued and the new road be accepted as it now stands."
In 1846 it was voted to have a railway crossing at George Hoog's store (at the Lower Falls) and in 1853 a gate was placed there. In 1850 Washington Street was altered at the crossing of the Boston acqueduct on the Slack land.
In 1859 alterations and improvements were made from the West Meeting House to the South Natick line; in 1870 from W. F. Norcross' to the Lower Falls railroad at a cost of $3,170.93; in 1872 from Peter Morrill's to Dexter Ware's.
Until 1881 the elms now on Mrs. Durant's lawn were on the south side instead of the north side of the road, and the same change, though at an earlier date, was made on the Unitarian Church lawn in Wellesley Hills.
The first road north of Sherborn Road was laid out in 1711, when John Smith petitioned the town to grant him a way out on the boundary of his lot. This is probably the beginning of our present Weston Road, which is a very old road. Weston Road (later called Blossom Street and now Weston Road again) originally extended to the Parker farm, then later to the Cavanagh farm,
18
ROADS AND BRIDGES
when it turned to the left through the present Meadow Lane to the house of Ephraim Stevens.
Near here as early as 1661 Edward Hawes obtained a grant of land where he built a grist mill on the brook connecting Nonesuch Pond with Morse's. This contained forty-seven acres, and was in the Natick Divident "near the Watertown line and north of Natick path which leads from the Herd yards and south of Sudbury way."
The following in regard to this early road is copied from the records of the town of Dedham :-
"We whose names are hereunto inscribed being deputed by the selectmen of Dedham to lay out a highway from Sherborn Road to the farm of Jeremiah Gay which he bought of the town of Dedham have attended to s'd work and have laid out s'd way two rods wide.
Daniel Fisk Andrew Dewing, Sec."
August 30, 1711.
In 1708 we find mention of a road across Sherburne Road to Andrew Dewing's land, which was probably the present Grove Street.
Glen Road, from Newton Lower Falls to Weston, was built in 1721 but was seven hundred feet east of the present bridge.
February 19, 1738, the following petition is recorded: To the Hon. Selectmen of Needham :-
Whereas your Petitioners having no way to Mill or Market ear- nestly desire that you would be pleased to lay us out a way that may accommodate us to go to Mill and Market, beginning at Natick line to Sherborn highway and that it may be so speedily done that it may be confirmed at March meeting and so your Petitioners in duty will ever pray.
Stephen Bacon John Goodanow Timothy Underwood Timothy Bacon Edward Ward Thomas Frost Josiah Broad
These were names of owners of land along the north of Sher- born road.
A record shows that Central Street was laid out in 1726, but Church Street, Common Street, originally, was the main thorough- fare to North Natick until 1838, when the selectmen and agents applied to the county commissioners of Norfolk County that "so much of the Central Turnpike as lies within said town, to-wit: between the town of Natick and Blanchard's Hotel in said Need- ham should be laid out and established as a common highway. The said Turnpike is four rods in length and is laid out over land of heirs of Martha Jackson late of Natick deceased, Daniel Morse of Needham, Martin Broad of Natick, Beman Ford of Needham, heirs Ralph Smith Esq., late of Roxbury deceased, heirs Joseph Kingsbury,
19
HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
late of Needham deceased, John Slack of Albany, N. Y., Alvin Fuller, 2d., Needham, Henry T. Burr of Needham and Reuben Kingsbury of Boston, and partly over the old county road. This petition was granted and the road accepted by the authorities. This road had in 1824 been laid out from Brookline to Holliston as a "Turnpike Road by the name of the Central Turnpike in West Needham cross- ing the Worcester turnpike by White and Sargent's Hotel." The name Turnpike was in use at least as late as 1868.
Many other roads were accepted and then rejected after being tried for awhile. A great many descriptions of boundaries may have been sufficient for the time but impossible for the modern inves- tigator to find. As it was all new land, it was often merely guess work as to where were the best places for roads, with the result that many of the layouts were frequently changed. The following divisions of roads were accepted at a town meeting held April 6, 1829. "The first beginning at stake and stones at the road leading from Sherborn road a little west of the house formerly Col. Jona Kingsbury's to the East Meeting House, thence south 82 degrees east, to stake and stones in front of the aforesaid house, thence north 83 degrees east to stake and stones where the new piece comes into the old road; the second piece beginning at stake and stones about 10 rods east of the old saw mill dam across Rosemary Brook, thence through land at Gen. Chas. Rice, north 50 degrees east to stake and stones, thence north 77 degrees east to stake and stones, thence north 62 degrees east to stake and stones, where the new piece comes to the road leading from East Meeting House to Lower Falls. The third piece beginning at stake and stones near where the road parts, one leading to Lower Falls, the other to Upper Falls, thence through land to Moses Garfield, south 75 degrees, east to stake and stones at the road west of the house of Benj. Richardson, the afore- said new pieces of wall are staked out on the south side and are laid out 2 rods wide."
In 1859 McCrackin Road was built at a cost of $381. In 1859 Lovewell Road (now a part of Cottage Street) was built by William Flagg at a cost of $406.88.
In 1873 a private way in Grantville between land of C. R. Miles and land of Noah Perin (Maugus Avenue) was laid out and accepted.
In 1873 Woodlawn Avenue (formerly Grove Street also called Fisk Lane) in Grantville, was widened; $200 was awarded for land taken; $300 was asked for in addition.
In 1873 Laurel Avenue, Grantville, was laid out.
In 1878 the street now called Rockland Street was accepted by the town. "This street has been used as a public way for five or six years and has been kept in repair by Mr. John Sawyer. The street is 950 feet long and we consider it as a public necessity, as it is the only street leading from Washington to Worcester Street, between Wellesley and Grantville."
In 1876 the names of the streets in the west part of the town as proposed by the selectmen were as follows :-
20
ROADS AND BRIDGES
Albany Street, from Washington Street to Wellesley Depot, 336 feet long and 40 feet wide.
Allen Street, from Washington Street to Walnut Street, 1-8 mile long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Benvenue Street, from Brook Street to Dover Street, 5-6 mile long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Blossom Street, from Washington Street to Weston line 2 1-16 miles long, with varying widths, some places less than 20 feet wide.
Brookside Road, from Forest Avenue to Oakland Street, 1 1-3 miles long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Cedar Street, from the Arch Bridge, Newton Lower Falls to Central Avenue, at Hurd's Corner, 1 3-8 miles long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Central Street, from Wellesley Square to Natick line, 1 1-2 miles long and 55 feet wide.
Cottage Street, from Washington Street to Grove Street, 2-5 mile long, 33 feet wide, estimated. (Originally Lovewell Place.)
Church Street, from Washington Street to Cross Street, 1-8 mile long, 40 feet wide, estimated.
Columbia Square from Washington Street to the same, 1,390 feet long and 37 feet wide.
Cross Street from Central Street to Blossom Street, 1-8 mile long and 40 feet wide.
Dover Street from Washington Street to Grove Street, 1-2 mile long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Forest Avenue, from Central Avenue to Washington Street (Grantville), 1 15-16 miles long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Glen Road, from Washington Street to Weston line, by Rice's Crossing, 1 mile long and 50 feet wide, from the brook, 2,100 feet.
Grove Street, from Wellesley Square to Charles River Street, via Ridge Hill Farm, 1 7-8 miles long and 50 feet wide.
Laurel Avenue, from Forest Avenue to Washington Street, 1,214.7 feet long and 40 feet wide.
Linden Street, from Washington Street, opposite Forest Avenue, to Washington Street, 3-7 miles long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Oakland Street from Washington Street to Wellesley Avenue, 1 7-8 miles long, with varying widths.
Pond Road from Lake Crossing to Washington Street, 1 1-5 miles long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Pennsylvania Avenue from Forest Avenue to Town House, 330 feet long, 33 feet wide estimated.
Seaver Street, from Forest Avenue to Wellesley Avenue, 2458 feet long and 40 feet wide.
Walnut Street from Washington Street to Newton line, 7-8 mile long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
Washington Street from Lower Falls to Natick line, 4 4-7 miles long and varying widths.
Wellesley Avenue from Washington Street, Wellesley (once known as Noyes Corner) to Central Avenue at Hurd's Corner, 2 1-4 miles long, 33 feet wide, estimated.
21
HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
Wellesley Square, Wellesley.
Woodlawn Avenue, from Washington Street running northerly 1,630 feet long and 40 feet wide. (Originally Grove Street, but locally known as Fisk Lane.)
Worcester Street from Newton Upper Falls to Natick line, 5 1-6 miles long and 66 feet wide west of Washington Street, and 40 feet wide east of Washington Street.
The building of Worcester Turnpike was undertaken by a pri- vate concern about 1807 and finished and opened for toll traffic in 1810. During the War of 1812 it was used to transport merchandise to the western part of the state and New York. Within the precincts of Wellesley, at the junction of Blossom Street (Weston Road), there were two toll-gates for traffic in both directions. After the opening of the railroad in 1834 the stockholders gained permission from the Legislature to give up the company as the business did not warrant its continuance.
The first bridge was built by the county very early on the old Sherborn Road north of the present bridge on Wales Street. The labor was done by the Indians who worked for a shilling a day. The total cost of the bridge was five pounds. East Needham used the bridge for a long time until a petition to the General Court representing the great loss of time and money by the longer distance to travel resulted in a bridge being built at the upper falls of the river. Mills Bridge was later and probably took the place of this bridge, connecting Wales Street and Walnut.
In 1793 we read of a bridge near Hoogs' snuff mill in the lower falls; this was probably Pratt's Bridge, also called Flume Bridge in deeds of 1827.
In 1867 we find record of repairing done on nearly every bridge in town.
In 1872 the "Arched Culvert near Lake Crossing" was built at a cost of $9,446.76.
In 1873 the wooden bridge at Lower Falls was rebuilt within the limit of the appropriation of $3,000. This bridge was rebuilt in 1910.
In 1899 the bridges at Newton Upper Falls and Lower Falls were replanked.
1It is uncertain when the lower part of Washington Street was first used as a public highway, but it is understood that Washington passed over it in 1789 when he made his trip through the New England States. He is said to have stopped at the well at the Pratt house which was then just east of St. John's Church and asked for a drink of water. The well has long been filled up and the Washington elm had to be cut down in 1895. In his diary Washington writes: "Friday, Nov. 6, 1789: A little after seven o'clock under great appearance of rain or snow we left Wal- tham and passing through Needham (5 miles therefore) breakfasted at Sherborn which is 14 miles from the former. Then passing through Holliston 5 miles, Milford 6 more, Mendon 4 more, to Uxbridge 6 more, we lodged at Taft's 1 mile further; the whole distance of this day's travel being 36 miles. From Watertown till you get near Needham the road is very level-about Needham it is hilly, then level again and the whole pleasant and well cultivated till you pass Sherborn; between this and Holliston is some hilly and rocky ground, so there is in places onward to Oxbridge; some of which are very bad. Upon the whole it may be called an indifferent road-diversified by good and bad land-culti-
22
NEWTON LOWER FALLS-FACTORIES
vated and in woods-some high and bare and others low wet and piney. Grass and Indian Corn is the chief product of the farms. Rye composes a part of the culture of them but wheat is not grown on account of the blight. The roads in every part of this State are amazingly crooked, to suit the convenience of every man's fields. Also we went out of our way frequently, being often misdirected."
NEWTON LOWER FALLS-FACTORIES
Lower Falls, to a certain extent a manufacturing village, is an old settlement. In 1703 John Leverett deeded to John Hubbard of Roxbury "four acres of land upon the Charles River at the Lower Falls, bounded on the east by a forty-acre lot belonging to Harvard College, west by the old path that leads to the wading place,-for- merly the Natick path-and south by the Charles River-being the same land which the proprietors of the common and undivided land in Cambridge granted to him, and the same which has since been occupied by all the mills on the Newton side." This land John Hubbard deeded to his son Nathaniel who later sold to Jonathan Willard, the first Baptist in Newton and a "bloomer" by trade. Here in 1704 he established his first iron works. In 1718 he deeded to his son Israel his "dwelling house, barn, calash house, one-half of my saw mill and one-half of my corn mill, the fulling mill with one-half the dam that is on one side of the River with conveniences to dam across according to an agreement we have made with Eben- ezer Littlefield of Newton."
In 1705 Benjamin Mills was licensed to "keep a public house near the rock marked B.M." Below at the site of the shoddy mills, Ephraim Jackson first established his business followed by William Hoogs. An iron foundry was early established near the upper privilege.
The Mills family owned and carried on manufacturing until after the middle of the eighteenth century. A conveyance was made by them to Taylor, who conveyed to Ephraim Jackson, a Newton man owning land on both sides of the river. Jackson owned a grist mill and built a paper factory on the same site that later was occu- pied by Walcott and Hurd as a nail factory. Hurd bought it and in 1825 sold a part to Lemuel Crehore who bought him out in 1829. Neal was with Crehore but had no financial interest. Press paper for patterns for carpets and curtains was manufactured here. But especially "bonnet board" for stiffening for the large straw bonnets which were worn so much in the first part of the last century. Jacquard was the inventor of patterns for carpets and damasks, the cards for which were manufactured here. These patterns are still used in the press work at the factory.
The firm names have been Hurd and Crehore 1828, Crehore and Neal 1834, Lemuel Crehore 1845, Lemuel Crehore and Son (George C.) 1854, Lemuel Crehore and Co. (C. F.) 1867, C. F. Crehore 1868, C. F. Crehore and Son (F. M.) 1883.
In 1790 John Ware who lived in Newton built the first paper mill at the Lower Falls, which he sold to Solomon Curtis in 1800. Mr. Curtis carried it on during his life time and later his sons and
23
HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
grandsons. At one time the sons A. C. & W. Curtis supplied much of the book paper used in the United States. In the early 60's Cordingley bought it and it is now a shoddy mill.
Across the river from this mill and on the Wellesley side is the stone mill now idle, where Reuben Ware and William Clark in 1832 had built a machine shop. This land had been bought from Lemuel Crehore the previous year. Eaton and Moulton were later owners as well as Joseph Stow who added Adam Beck to the firm in 1858, and who finally bought out all interests in 1885 and ran it himself until it was closed in 1905. In the transfers to Beck the name of Clark still appears, evidently keeping some interests.
In 1822 Amos Lyon bought of Curtis, Nichols, and Hooper and built a paper mill on the Jackson site, where a factory had been burnt in 1814. Again burnt in 1834 it was rebuilt and sold to Wales and Mills who owned it until 1860 when it was sold to Thomas Rice Jr. Bishop bought it but never rebuilt it after it was burnt in 1894.
In 1810 Peter Lyon built a mill on the site of Benjamin Slack's fulling mill. William Lyon made paper to 1830, when he sold to William and Adolphus Durant, who sold in 1837-8 to John Rice and Crane. Rice died and Crane ran it. Thomas Rice Sr. had it in 1836 and Thomas Rice Jr. in 1866. A paper collar factory was run by Swan for a short time here. About this time H. B. Scudder interested a group of Boston financiers among whom were Dudley P. Fay, Eugene Foss, the Saltonstalls, Motleys and others. These formed a company called the Dudley Hosiery Mills Corporation and was run as such for some time. It was sold out and is now the Wellesley Knitting Mills. (These mills are next to the stone machine mills.)
A deposition made by John Slack in 1813 and recorded in Ded- ham says that he received the fulling mill from his father in 1784, that there were on the Needham side a grist mill, a saw mill and a fulling mill. In the transfer of this mill in the Durants' time a rag house is mentioned, also water rights and the privilege of drawing water preferable to any other mill.
The water rights today (1917) belongs to Bishop, Cordingly, Crehore, Sullivan, Wellesley Knitting Mills and the old stone mill now taxed to Grace I. Butterfield of Newtonville. The Curtises, Crehores and Rices were very important and large paper manufac- turers, being very successful and up to date in their methods. The first Foudrinier machine that was used in America was set up here by the Curtises. Until wood pulp was used by the Transcript it was supplied with its paper from the Rice mills. These Rices lived on the Newton side on "Rice's" or College Hill, called by the latter name, because the story goes that at one time it was proposed to build Harvard College there.
In 1788 a dam was built by William Hoogs and Francis Wright and a mill erected at about the same time. There had been no bridge here before, and only a "wading place," mentioned in old sur- veys where teams were obliged to pass. (This is the present bridge
24
NEWTON LOWER FALLS-FACTORIES
across the river at Washington Street and the ford can still be seen.) Paper was made on the Needham side. The various owners were Hoogs and Wright to 1810, Samuel Brown and Artemas Mur- dock (whose daughter married a son of Solomon Curtis) to 1811, Charles Rice to 1818, Parker and Pierce to 1836, Joseph Greenwood and Paul Dewing who rebuilt and sold to Benjamin Farliss about 1847; A. C. Curtis and Son until the Civil War, Thurston, Loring & Co., the Boston Belting Co. and since 1874 R. T. Sullivan has owned and operated it as a shoddy mill. Across the river where there is now a little park Joseph Foster had a stone mill, later oper- ated by A. C. Wiswall and then by Wiswall Sons. Manilla, colored and hanging papers were manufactured.
Before Foster came Artemas Murdock made chocolate here.
On the Charles Rice property Henry Wood had his paint works. In 1848 his business so increased that he removed to Morse's Pond, buying out the mill rights of Samuel Morse, who had been manu- facturing here since 1812. Here his descendants are successfully carrying on the paint business. In addition to this Mr. Wood under- took the making of cement for building houses. Portland cement which is now used had to be imported then and was very expen- sive. The result was that natural cement was used and was of a poorer quality and easily crumbled. But at this time it was an unusual method, few people understanding the process. The "Heckle house," burnt in 1910, was one of the houses built of this material.
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