USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Wellesley > History of the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts > Part 4
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Isaac Farwell had a silk factory on the Rice land but soon went to Nonantum. Before the watch company settled in Waltham an offer was made to Mr. Rice to buy his land, but no agreement could be made.
It is said the Ledyard Street was so named because lead was brought in here for the paint factory.
Later occupations have been, Conant and Hanchett who had a paint works, Leslie who had a cabinet shop, and Charles Rice who had a planing mill and a grist mill. At no time does it seem that the land went out of the possession of the Rice family, but that the different manufacturers leased or rented whatever part of the property they needed.
On Worcester Turnpike, Rosemary Brook-now Longfellow Pond-was dammed and a mill built by Charles Pettee in 1815 for a nail factory. A part of the land around the brook belonged to the Ephraim Ware estate, which had been left in part to the West Parish. And in behalf of the church Benjamin Slack sold it to Rice in 1825. In 1833 the town of Needham sold to Isaac Keyes thirteen acres on Worcester Street. Paper manufacturing was car- ried on successively by Thomas Rice, Keyes, and Luther Crane who bought out Keyes in 1836. Later Nathan Longfellow bought them out. The Cranes-Luther and Zenas-manufactured green paper shades and Longfellow paper hangings.
In 1883 the larger factories on the Wellesley side at the Falls were the Hosiery mills, the paper mills of Mr. Rice, the chemical
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HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
factory of Billings & Clapp-established in 1872, discontinued in 1898, Clapp having previously sold out to Edgar Billings in 1896- and in Wellesley village the shoe factory of Turner & Smart, now the Eliot, a college dormitory, and the paint factory of Mr. Woods whose production of colors increased from six pounds to six tons a day. Today (1917) there are the Wellesley knitting mills, the Sullivan shoddy mills, the mica works on the same site as the chemical works, and the Woods plant near the Natick line.
The greater part of the mills and factories have always been on the Newton side of the river, but the Curtises, the Rices, the Crehores, are names indissolubly linked with the building up of the village on both sides of the river, and the beautiful old houses in the Quinobequin valley still cluster around St. Mary's, one of the old churches of the diocese.1
1 Thomas Durant and Solomon Curtis were the first wardens of the church.
RAILROADS AND POST OFFICES
The Boston and Worcester steam railway was begun in 1832, the charter being granted in 1831, and for a few months in 1834 the terminus was near the present Worcester Street Bridge. The road was finished to Worcester July 3, 1835. The main line of the road was originally intended to enter the town through Newton Lower Falls, and Wellesley Hills, but the project was opposed by the community. The tremendous work of removing the "Needham" ledge took many months, the trains carrying the gravel to Boston, where a great deal of Wellesley was dumped into the Back Bay, thus helping in the establishment of that community.
The Wellesley Farms station, built in 1890, in the northeasterly part of the "Hundreds" was formerly merely a spot at which to flag a train. The first station, Rice's Crossing, was north of the bridge, instead of south. North Needham, Grantville, for a few months Nehoiden, but Wellesley Hills since 1881, and West Needham, Wellesley since 1863, are the other two stations on the main line.
The Newton Lower Falls branch was opened in January, 1846. The changes in times and fares are not very marked, consider- ing the improvements that have been made. It took thirty min- utes to run out to Newton, the fare being thirty cents, forty cents to West Needham, sixty cents to Natick, seventy cents to Framing- ham, and a dollar and a half to Worcester. The fares in the first car were two-thirds of the prices in the rest of the train. In 1870 gates and gatesmen were established.
In 1869 the Rockland Street bridge was raised, and again in 1893, in order that the trans-continental trains might pass under. The building of the present attractive railroad stations was begun in the eighties, Wellesley Hills being built in 1885.
The first post office in the town was established in 1830 with Charles Noyes, son of Parson Noyes, as postmaster in a little shop where the postmaster conducted his business, that of an optician.
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OLD GRANTVILLE STATION (About 1884)
ROCKLAND STREET BRIDGE (Fast Day, 1893)
RAILROADS AND POST OFFICES
The mail was brought once in two days by the Uxbridge coach.1 It was known then as the West Needham Post Office, but since June 24, 1862, has been called Wellesley.
The post office at Wellesley Hills was established as Grant- ville in October, 1851, with W. H. Adams as postmaster and was kept in his house in which was also a private school. Wellesley Hills, formerly called The Port, and also North Needham, was con- nected with Needham by coach. Its name was changed to Grant- ville in 1851 after Moses Grant who presented a bell to the Con- gregational Church when it was built. He was a merchant of Bos- ton particularly interested in the care of boys and in temperance reform. Not only did he help the middle village, but he also was interested in St. Mary's at the Falls, though himself a Unitarian, giving the parish $500.00 at one time.2
The following have been the postmasters in the two villages since the establishing of the post offices: West Needham, Charles Noyes, March 4, 1830; William Flagg, July 23, 1833; Horace Blanch- ard, Dec. 5, 1839; William Flagg, May 18, 1841; E. P. Knight, April 17, 1861; Ezekiel Peabody, March 5, 1862; name changed to Welles- ley June 24, 1862. F. W. Fuller, June 26, 1864; C. H. Mansfield, Oct. 16, 1872; William H. Flagg, June 26, 1875; Reuben K. Sawyer, Feb. 10, 1886; the office was discontinued as such and made a sta- tion of Boston Feb. 23, 1913.
The post office at Grantville was established Oct. 7, 1851, with W. H. Adams as postmaster. John Davis Sept. 13, 1852; Alvin Fuller 2d Aug. 14, 1854;3 Mary P. Austin Jan. 29, 1877; the name was changed to Wellesley Hills Sept. 27, 1881; Calvin W. Smith Sept. 8, 1898; Mary C. Smith Nov. 17, 1903; discontinued as such and consolidated with Wellesley Nov. 30, 1905.
The Wellesley Farms Post Office was established in the early nineties, in a house of J. F. Wight but is now at the station under the charge of J. F. Whitney, station master. Like the other offices of Wellesley it is a station of Boston and a part of Wellesley.
1 "There are three principal ways through this town, leading from Boston to Hartford, Connecticut; namely, Worcester Turnpike, through the north part; Central Turnpike, through the center; and the old Hartford Road, so called, through the south part. On the Worcester Turnpike, the great southern mail passes each way daily. Several other mail and accom- modation stage coaches are very frequently passing. On the Central Turn- pike, Boston and Hartford Telegraph line of stage passes every day, Sunday excepted, up one day and down the next. On the old Hartford way, the Boston, Mendon and Uxbridge daily line of stage coaches passes, and continues on to Hartford three days in the week, and returns to Boston on the other three. Thus is the Christian Sabbath a day of rest. "There are two Post Offices; one on the Worcester Turnpike, and the other on the Hartford road, where a mail is opened daily, Sundays excepted."
(Biglow's History of Natick, 1830.)
2 Moses Grant's father was a great patriot and one of the famous Tea Party who destroyed the tea on board the "Dartmouth" and other ships on the 16th of December, 1773. In this work the party was organized in three divisions, each of which kept to its assigned duty. There was one division to raise the chests to the deck, another to break them open, and a third to throw their contents overboard. Mr. Grant's place was in the second division whose function it was to break open the chests, which
27
HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
was done chiefly by catsticks taken from a wood-pile close at hand on the wharf. Mr. Grant used to relate an interesting incident connected with this important Tea-party. The people in the neighborhood, seeing the fatigue they were undergoing, prepared and brought to them some pails of punch. It was received courteously but not drank. The pails were passed along over the deck and their contents, like those of the open chests, poured into the sea. The patriots needed no such stimulants and scorned to use them.
(Memorial Sermon on Moses Grant.)
SA good deal has been said and some written about our own post- master, Alvin Fuller, and much amusement has been had on account of his method of carrying and delivering mails. I would like to exhibit another side of his character. When I was in the service of the United States in the Civil War. especially when I was in prison, my parents were naturally anxious to hear any tidings from me, which came rarely indeed and with meagre detail. Whenever a letter did arrive (and no closely curious investigation was necessary to indicate the source of the letter) if my father had not put in an appearance at the station before nightfall, Mr. Fuller would hitch up his old nag after his long day's work and drive down to my house with his welcome missive; an instance of early unselfish rural delivery.
Mr. Fuller had a habit as Station Agent of coming out between the "Trains" and sitting down by the window with a paper but often drop- ping off to sleep. Also some of our young politicians, wise or otherwise, used the station as a place of conference, and seeing Mr. Fuller was asleep did not always adopt the "Tilden whisper," and thus Mr. Fuller's eyes being shut and his mind alert, some of their plans miscarried; why, they have not known to this day.
Mr. Fuller was also in a position to size up men who used to forget to pay for tickets, for which they had not time to settle. Mr. Fuller was kind, generous and thoughtful, and I do not believe ever injured any one through his innocent curiosity, which, of course, was widely understood. Once I carried back a postal which should have gone to Graniteville, and called Mr. Fuller's attention to the fact that it was addressed to an- other place, when he said, "I thought it was a queer postal to be sent to you!"
He would often carry letters in his hat to church on Sunday and deliver them.
CHURCHES
The West Precinct or Parish did not finish its meeting house until 1798, though it had been worshipped in for twenty years. The church faced Church Street which was then the main thorough- fare to North Natick. The church property was originally but a half acre of land, which had been transferred to the West Precinct by Jonathan Smith in 1774 for the sum of two pounds.
Thomas Noyes, the first pastor, served the church from 1799 to 1833. When the land exchange was made between Natick and Needham Deacon William Biglow, Major Hezekiah Broad, the Stow family, Dr. Isaac Morrill attended and after the death of Parson Badger, his widow also came to the West Needham Church. In 1805 Madam Badger (Lady Lothrop of "Oldtown Folks" fame), presented to the church a large and handsome Bible on condition that "portions of Scripture be publickly read from it usually on the Sabbath." This Bible was lost in the late fire. On her death bed she changed her will, leaving the larger part of her property to Mr. Noyes, instead of to her business manager as in a previous one. This former will was defended by Daniel Webster in 1822 in the famous Badger Will Case, and was won by him. The Noyes' tomb in the old cemetery was left by her to Mr. Noyes.
The Church, having fallen sadly in need of repair, it was voted
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THIRD MEETING HOUSE (Destroyed by fire, Dec. 30, 1916)
THE FIRST MEETING HOUSE, WELLESLEY
CHURCHES
that a new one be built and this was done and the building dedi- cated January 1835. The contract was for $2750 plus the old building.
Again in 1869 C. B. Dana and H. F. Durant with others were put on a committee to consider the advisability of a new building. Nothing was done for a year and Mr. Durant urged further delay in order that he might consider whether the "Female Seminary" he was about to build would need pews in the church. "He, how- ever, consented to an agreement with the society that in consider- ation of his subscription of $5000.00 to the fund the Seminary should have the right at any time within five years to erect gal- leries in the church to accommodate at least three hundred persons, and that these galleries should be at all times for the sole and ex- clusive use of the teachers and scholars of said Seminary, free from any rent, tax, or any charge of any kind. Mr. Durant found soon after that it would be better for the Seminary to have a Chapel of its own, and the agreement lapsed with the close of the designated time. The present galleries were built in 1887."
The church building was dedicated July 11, 1872, and the archi- tects were Moses Hammett and J. E. Billings, who had drawn the plans of the "Main Building" of the College, destroyed by fire March 1914. This building was destroyed by fire December 30, 1916, and many of its old keepsakes burnt.
The old building had been bought by Mr. Dana for $1000. and moved to his land on Grove Street and made into a building suit- able for a school. Later it was given to Wellesley College which kept it until 1899, renting it since 1881 to the Misses Eastman. Mr. Durant previous to 1881 used it for a normal and graduate school. Since 1899 it has been the property of Miss Helen Temple Cook.
A singing school was established March 30, 1807. In 1828 it was "voted to take the Sabbath School under the patronage of the Church"; a meeting for the study of the Bible having been carried on since May 20, 1807. In 1856 the Betsey Brown Legacy of $6000 was received, and two years later a strip of land was bought to enlarge the cemetery. In 1878 land for a new cemetery on Great Plain Avenue was bought and in 1882 the Wellesley Hills Congre- gational and Unitarian Societies joined, and the Woodland Cemetery Association was incorporated. Previous to this the Village Ceme- tery having become too crowded, the Wares, Fullers, Lyons, Wilders, and others living in Grantville, bought lots in the Newton Cemetery in the late 60's.
The first deacons of the church were Joseph Daniel and William Biglow. Mr. Noyes' successor was Joseph W. Sessions, ordained Oct. 2, 1833, dismissed May 31, 1842; succeeded Oct. 6, 1842 by Rev. Harvey Newcomb, dismissed July 1, 1846; Andrew Bigelow, July 7, 1847 to Feb. 2, 1853; A. R. Baker, Jan. 1, 1856, dismissed 1861; George G. Phipps, Jan. 23, 1868, dismissed April 1, 1878; P. D. Cowan, April 9, 1879 to June 30, 1890; Dr. Eldridge Mix acting pastor from Jan. 1891 to June 1, 1892; Rev. Lewis W. Hicks from Dec. 13, 1892 to May 26, 1896; Rev. E. H. Chandler from April 8,
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HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
1897 to Oct. 31, 1900; Rev. W. W. Sleeper, the present pastor was installed May 13, 1902.1
The Congregational Church at Wellesley Hills was organized in 1847. It was an offshoot of the Wellesley Church, and com- menced with thirty members, who felt that they lived too far from the other church. Meetings were held in the Railroad House (later Maugus Hall) to discuss the matter. For some time relig- ious services were conducted in the home of W. H. Adams, who had a large hall suitable for the purpose. When the church was built in 1851 Moses Grant gave a bell to the society, hence the name Grantville.
In 1877 the church was remodelled, but a new one was greatly needed and the old one was torn down and the present one built in 1901 at a cost of about $45,000.
The first deacons were John Batchelder and Reuel Ware. Rev. Harvey Newcomb was the first pastor from 1847-1849, and the suc- ceeding have been William Barrows, Aug. 22, 1850-Jan. 22, 1856; Edward S. Atwood, Oct. 23, 1856-Sept. 21, 1864; Charles H. Wil- liams, July 25, 1867-Dec. 29, 1868; James M. Hubbard, Dec. 29, 1868-Jan. 13, 1874; Jonathan Edwards, March 1, 1876-July 1894; Parris T. Farwell, 1895-1912; Carl M. Gates, Dec. 15, 1913, the present pastor.
The Unitarian Society was gathered in 1869 and legally organ- ized as a corporation Feb. 27, 1871. The Society was composed of residents of Grantville who were members of the East Needham Unitarian Church and who naturally wished for a place of worship nearer home. Among the original members were Alvin Fuller, John Sawyer and his wife, the Boydens, the Phillips family, the McIntoshes, C. R. Miles and his wife, and later the Austens and Eatons. Today it shares about equally with the Congregational Society in the new comers to the community.
When Maugus Hall was chosen as their place of worship it was the only public gathering place in the village, and after the church had been organized some of the members did not wish it used for anything but their own meetings. A lively time and some friction ensued, but it was finally settled, and in 1871 the building was bought by the Society, and used by them until 1888, when the present church was erected.
In June 1885 the name of the Society was changed from the Unitarian Society of Grantville to that of Wellesley Hills. During 1890-91 the parsonage was completed.
Rev. A. B. Vorse was their minister from 1871 to 1899. Rev. John Snyder succeeded him, resigning in 1909, followed in the same year by Rev. W. H. Ramsay, the present pastor.
In 1870 at Boyden Hall, Newton Lower Falls, at the call of Father M. X. Carroll, pastor of St. Mary's Church at Newton Upper Falls, the Catholics of the Lower Falls assembled. Services were held there until St. John's was opened April 18th, 1878, and dedi- cated by Archbishop Williams May 8, 1881. It ceased to be a mis- sion of St. Mary's in 1890. Father Dolan ministered until 1885
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THE OLD CONGREGATIONAL IONAL CHURCH, WELL LLESLEY HILLS
THE OLD UNITARIAN CHURCH
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
when the Rev. Martin O'Brien was in charge until 1890. That year the Rev. Patrick H. Callanan took charge until 1911, when the pres- ent pastor, Father Knappe, who is assisted by Father Murphy, was installed.
The mission of St. John's in Wellesley village has just (1916) built a most attractive chapel, St. Paul's having worshipped in the Taylor block for a great many years and previously in the Boys' Club House on Central Street.
A Methodist Church was built in Pine Plain (later known as Unionville and now Wellesley Fells) on land given by William Bogle. Jesse Lee from the South, founder of Methodism in New England, preached in the West Parish Oct. 6th, 1791 the first Meth- odist sermon in Needham and aroused much interest. The "Hun- dreds Meeting House" so-called, was erected in 1798 and preaching, largely by circuit ministers, was maintained for forty years. George Pickering was the first preacher, a man of power and fame in his later ministry. Father Isaac Jennison was also stationed in the Needham circuit. William Bogle, who lived just across the line in Weston was a Methodist leader. In 1792 the Needham Circuit covered all the territory between Boston and Worcester.
The Church has since been moved and is owned and lived in by John Cavanagh. Among the early names were Stevens, Mansfield, Fisk, Harrington, Bogle, Jenison, Pierce who gradually left and helped to build churches in Natick and Weston nearer their own homes.
In 1892 a confirmation service, conducted by Bishop Brooks was held in the Wellesley Congregational Church and in 1894 (land having been purchased in 1892) St. Andrew's parish in Wellesley dedicated their church. Previous to that services had been held in the Lower Town Hall, and the old Waban block-land was purchased in 1892. Their pastors have been the Rev. W. E. Hayes, to 1901, Rev. George Nattrass to 1913 and Rev. Ellis B. Dean the present rector.
The old church of St. Mary's at the Falls is across the line in Newton, but around it cluster many happy and sacred memories of church celebrations when candles and music at Christmas time were used there and nowhere else in the vicinity. The Curtises, Rices, Crehores, Leslies, Pulsifers, Springs, on either side of the river have been and are communicants.
1 For the history of the Wellesley Church see Mr. Chandler's book.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The earliest schools were taught in private houses wherever it was most convenient, and until 1795 the school houses were owned by proprietors, with but little reference to them in the town records.
The following early votes recorded in the town book are of interest, showing the intention of the town and at the same time the inability or lack of energy to carry out the votes. In some cases the work may have been done, but the record does not show it.
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HISTORY OF TOWN OF WELLESLEY
Aug. 1th, 1714 it was voted Matthus Tamline and John Fisher should teach children to read and write.
Jan. 14th, 1719 it was voted to set up a "Schoole for the teach- ing of children for some time during the year and that there should be a rate made of six pounds for the support of the School. It was voted to chuse a committee to look after a parcel of land given for the support of the school by Mr. Timothy Dwight. Also that the school should be a moving school kept at three places convenient."
Dec. 11th, 1721 it was voted to treat with Mr. Daniel Fisher for teaching school 15 weeks for 8fs.
Mar. 13, 1721 voted that the Selectmen should "consider and take prudent care to uptain a schoole in ye best manner for ye good of the town and advantage of children and granted 6£s for ye charge of ye schoole."
Oct. 30, 1722 to see what the town should do to uptain a school and a rate or 10fs granted.
Jan. 18, 1723 £5 were given by the late Samuel Woodbridge for school, the money was let out at interest.
Nov. 19, 1723 the selectmen discussed schools in their meeting. Nov. 29, 1723 voted to have a school.
Until 1725 the east part of the town probably had the use of the money and teachers were provided for that part rather than in the west. But on January 11, 1725 £15 was granted and the inhabitants of the West End, The Leg, were to have their share of the money to maintain "a Schoole amongst them." It was also voted "that there should be a school kept in four parts of the town, viz: one near the house of John Smith, one near the house of Ephraim Ware, Sen., (who lived near Rosemary Brook now Long- fellow's Pond) one near the house of Deacon Woodcock, and another near that of Joshua Smith. Stephen Bacon was to receive the money belonging to the west end of the Town for the benefit of a school for the year 1725.
On May 6, 1728 a petition signed by Josiah Kingsbury and twenty-four other men living in the west part of the town was presented, and "they pledged themselves to pay William Chubb if he would build a school house on the county road middle way between the houses of Nathaniel Bullard and Henry Pratt." There were seventy-six subscribers, and they contributed thirty-one pounds six shillings. Such a house was built and stood on what is now Linden Street, Wellesley Hills near the site of the house owned by the Livermores.
On July 29, 1730, Capt. Robert Cooke, John Smith, Robert Fuller, Josiah Kingsbury and Andrew Dewing were chosen to answer a petition of the "Westerly inhabitants of Needham to the General Court for a schoole." Twenty pounds were voted. This was the first school house in Wellesley village and stood near the A. B. Clarke house (formerly Solomon Flagg).
A districting of the schools in 1790 resulted as follows: Great Plain, Fisher's School, The Centre Brick School, the district near the Upper Falls, the Lower Falls district, the West End District, the
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PUBLIC SCHOOLS
school by the West Meeting House; the last three and the Centre Brick Schools being in this part of the town. The West End Dis- trict ("Needham Leg") was soon to be incorporated into Natick. The Centre Brick School was near an old tree stump which is on the Town Farm land and within the precincts of Wellesley.
In 1804 the proportion of the $600 voted for the schools by the town resulted in the West School near the Meeting House having $133.89 and the Lower Falls $89.89. There were frequent requests for a larger school in the West End and finally May 29, 1809 the petition was granted. In 1811 we find a record which seems to indi- cate that the land on which the school had previously stood belonged to the town.
The site of the North School boasts of three school buildings, besides the present one, the first reaching back to a very early date was a black, unpainted building sold about 1833, and moved to the land near the W. C. Norcross house. The second was bought by General Rice in 1842 and is on Columbia Road back of the Catholic Church; and the third is the double house on the corner of Wash- ington Street and Lower Crescent, bought by William Heckle, forty or more years ago.
In Wellesley Fells, then Pine Plain, the first record of a school, after many petitions for one in the "northwest," is as recent as 1854, with Miss Hannah J. Ware as the first teacher.
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