USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Winchendon > History of the town of Winchendon (Worcester County, Mass.) from the grant of Ipswich Canada, in 1735, to the present time > Part 34
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In former times, cattle and horses were pastured and fed here in considerable numbers. Neat stock were sent here in the spring, and driven away in the fall, to market. Horses were taken up from below, as cold weather came on, and were fed, during the winter, on the su- perabundant hay. Thus tho hay was sold at a good profit, manure was saved for the land, and the farmer was paid for his trouble. Some of the inhabitants, as William Whitney, and Phinehas, his son, besides this business, dealt largely in cattle and horses, at times, with profit. Besides, thousands of cattle, sheep and swine, used to be driven through the town, on the way to market, and quite a revenue was obtained from feeding them while on the way.
SECTION 2 .- THE FIRST MILLS.
The first reference to a mill in the Proprietors' Records, is under date of 1738. It was voted " that twenty shillings on each original right be raised for the encouragement of such persons as shall build a saw-mill." Nothing was done. In 1742, March 14, the following ac- tion was had. " Voted, that Col. Thomas Berry, Messrs. William Brown and Samuel Dodge be a committee to build a saw-mill in the most convenient place, and for the best advantage to the Proprietors, taking the best advice therefor." It is said, on good authority, that the mill was built where the Carter mill now stands, but it was not put in operation for several years. The above committee werc " direct- ed and empowered to treat and agree with Joseph Priest, or his son, or some other blacksmith, to do the Proprietors' blacksmith's work in the Township in the best way and manner they can for the advan- tage of the Proprictors." Priest had been induced by a grant of land by government, to build a house of entertainment, on the road from
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Keene to Lunenburg, just over the Royalston line, west from Mr. George Gregory's. There is an old tradition that an attack was made on this " half-way house," in 1747, by Indians. An aged woman said so to somebody, but no authentic information of anything so warlike in this neigborhood, can be found.
In 1756, March 10, the saw-mill was accepted. This was eighteen years after the first vote in relation to a saw-mill, and fourteen years after it is supposed to have been built ; but only three or four years after the actual and permanent settlement of the place. Two years „later, November 30, 1758, we have the first notice of an effort to build a grist, or corn-mill, in the township. The Proprictors voted that they. would " act on the affair to build a grist-mill." And they farther vo- ted, that " for encouragement, two dollars be granted on each original right, to any person or persons, that shall undertake and build a grist- mill in said Township, and keep said mill in repair, and grind for the inhabitants for lawful toll, for the term of ten years ; and that the money shall be paid as soon as the mill is fit to grind. Also, 100 acres of land, with the stream, be given by said Proprietors, for further encourage- ment to the person or persons, that shall undertake and build said mill." The mill was built before 1762, by Bartholomew Parsons, or Pearson, because in that year we find it recorded that a bridge was built " over the river by Mr. Parsons' mill-place." This mill stood near the shop of Messrs. Loud. A saw-mill was added, as the wants of the neigh- borhood required, and both were continued, though in successive build- ings, until recently. The last building, which covered both sets of machinery, is now the west end of Goodspeed & Wyman's long shop. Among the proprietors of this mill, or more correctly, mill-site, were Bartholomew and Richard Parsons, Mr Cambridge, Mr. Mason, Ben- jamin Hall, Gamaliel Beaman, Miles Putnam, Amos Goodhue, Phinc- has Whitney, and Amasa Whitney, the Winchendon Manufacturing Company and the present owners.
Many kinds of business have been pursued in connection with this water power. Messrs. Phinehas & Amasa Whitney had an oil mill in operation several years, where the Messrs. Loud now make faucets. Flaxseed was pressed for the oil, and the residue was made into oil cake and fed to cattle. This business was given up in 1828.
In 1793, there was a clothier in town, named Cambridge. His mill was not far from the dam. The fulling mill was burned in 1818. Mr.
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HISTORY OF WINCHENDON.
Silas Coffin run the mill from 1812 to 1816. It was rebuilt and spin- ning machinery was put in. The weaving was done in families. The building was burned in 1825. A new factory was erected, and ma- chinery for weaving was added. During these years the business was carried on by Mr. Amasa Whitney. It then-about 1837-passed into the possession of the Winchendon Manufacturing Co. Mr. George Coffin and Messrs. Coffin & Vose, and Mr. Denny, of Barre, and again Mr. Coffin carried it on successively as a woolen factory. The Seamless Garment Company rented the building in 1856 and a year or two thereafter. It was burned in the year 1859.
In 1793, there were two or three Potash works in the town. One was a little east of the house of Esq. Rice ; half way down the hill-side, by the road. Another was on the Asa Perlcy place.
It is not certainly known what mill was set up next, in the order of time ; but the Cook mill was among the first. This was just south-west of the bridge this side of Burrageville, and near the present road to Ashburnham. The old logs which always are to be found near old dams and saw-mills, are still embedded in the sand. This mill was in existence as early as the year 1793, when, according to Whitney's History of the county, there were six saw-mills and two grist-mills in this town. There was a run of stones in the Cook mill, for the conven- ience of the neighborhood. The way to the mill was by a cart-path, running north from the old Ashburnham road to the river. This path or mill-road started near the house of Mr. John Cook. The mill was abandoned not far from the year 1818.
Coming down the stream about one-third of a mile, we find the site of the old Stimson mill, not far east from the bridge on the road that leads north from the Estey, or No. 5 school-house, to the Baldwin place. It belonged to Jonathan Stimson, who lived near ; afterwards it was the property of Roger Bigelow, and then of Nathan Knight. It was an old mill as long ago as 1800, and was given up about that time.
The Butler mill, so called, was started about 1795, by Jonas Mar- shall. It was in the hands of Rufus Wilder about fourteen years, from 1806 to 1820, at which last date it fell again into the possession of Mr. Marshall. It was then sold to Cyrus Pierce, who put in a grist-mill. In 1826, the property was bought by Messrs. Joel and Ebenezer But- ler, father and son. In 1864, Messrs. Wyman, Rice & Bigelow be-
HISTORY OF WINCHESDOS.
came the proprietors ; then Messrs. Rice & Wrman, who sold out in July of the present year to Mr. George S. Coffin. It has been much improved of late. The mill-stones have been taken out, and all the space is employed in working up timber for various uses. It is now to be used as a woolen mill.
Going now to the north branch of the river, we find that in 1805 there was a small house over the spring which gives the name to Spring Village, but there was no dwelling-house. Jacob Whitney, father of Elias Whitney the surveyor, owned the land. He lived north-east of the John Crosby place, more than half a mile from the spring. Some years later, Capt. Israel Wood started a saw-mill. where the corton fac- tory now stands. In 1826, a woolen factory was set up by Silvenus Holbrook, and managed by Rob's Follett. Then came Philip Ridgway. William and John D. Dunbar began the cotton business in 1531. The establishment took the name of the Neison mills in 1843, when Messrs. Henry Upham and others, including Dea. Joseph and Mr. Nelson D. White, became proprietors. From that time to the present, the latter gentleman has had charge of the business, of which he has been the principal owner since 1845. The first factory was built of wood. This was burned in May, 1854. The next year, the present building was erected. It is of brick, of the modern style of architecture, with come: and bell, and with neat surroundings. During this presen: pear. 1808. the building is receiving large additions, giving it a capacity of 7000 spindles.
Following down the stream, we come to the Caswell, er Bigelow mill. which was run by David Caswell ; then by Capt. Charles W. Bigelow. and is now the property of Murdock & Co.
Farther down stream, and about one mile and a half north-east from the Village, is the Murdock mill. A dam and mill were built here in 1827. It was in the hands of Joseph Adams from 1820 to 1886. He was killed by an accident in 1536, soon after parting with the property.
Since the year 1836, it has been the property of Capt. Ephraim Murdock, Jr., and Murdock & Co. Mr. Murdock became the owner in that year, and Major Sidney Fairbanks was taken into partnership in 1849. By removing the dam at the Caswell mill. and raising the dam of the lower mill, a head of water of more than thirty fee: can be obtained. This would be a power probably unsurpassed in the county.
The Woodbury mill was on the new county road to Gardiner. The
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HISTORY OF WINCHENDON.
stream is small, and the mill was run only a part of the year. The first mill was built in the year 178-, by Isaac Woodbury. The sec- ond, by his brother, Col. J. B. Woodbury. Nehemiah, son of the lat- ter, built it the third time. It was run by Capt. Levi Priest, a brother- in-law of the latter, during the last years of its existence, being at the time the property of Mr. John Woodbury.
About the beginning of the century, and some years later, there was a tannery behind the spot on which the Bank now stands. A Mr. Burr was the proprietor ; afterwards it was owned and improved by Esq. Morse. His currier's shop was where Mr. William W. Whitney now lives. The frame of the shop was newly covered, and so made into the house, by additions. In 1817, Mr. Morse built a small dam part way across the river, and put up a tannery where the tan-works now stand. Previously he had ground the bark in a horse mill. This establishment grew by degrees, during his day. After his decease, in 1850, it was purchased by Messrs. Nelson & Rice, of Shrewsbury. Mr. George Brown became a joint proprietor and resident manager at this time. At his death in 1866, Mr. Jonas A. Stone took the same position. The business is extensive.
There was formerly a blacksmith shop opposite the house of Hon. Elisha Murdock, on the hill-side. It was owned by Esq. Murdock. He made sleighs in a shop which is now the residence of Mr. A. Whitney, Jr. The iron work for the sleighs was done in the blacksmith shop. This latter shop is now the property of Daniel and Salmon Scott, at the corner of Front and River streets.
In 1823, Esq. Murdock set up a small shop, 20 by 18 feet, close by the Morse dam, for cutting stuff for sleighs. In due time the dam was raised and extended across the river. The power was greatly increased, and in the course of years, put to more extensive use. Col. William Murdock built a machine and bobbin shop in 1831. This was half way from the dam to the tannery. Still later, Capt. Murdock put up a building between Col. M's and the dam. This was burned, and anoth- er was built. It was occupied by Mr. William Beaman, for a time, as a pail shop. Mr. M. T. Nash has manufactured various articles, by the help of this water power. The most recent water power in the Vil- lage is that of Mr. Baxter D. Whitney, at the railroad crossing. It was begun in 1846.
Going down-stream, half way to Waterville, we find another fine mill-
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site. Here Capt. Levi Priest and Dea. Reuben Hyde put up a dam about 1825, but this was washed away. In 1850, Mr. Joseph A. Rob- bins and his brother Hervey, built anew, and secured a great power. A large shop was erected, in part of which is an excellent flouring-mill. with two run of stone. The main part of the building is used by Mr. William Beaman, in the manufacture of wooden ware. The establish- ment is now owned jointly by Mr. Beaman, and by Messrs. Beals & Bowker. The latter firm carry on the flour and grain business.
The first mill below Waterville was built about eighty years since, by Daniel Farrar, Sen., and a Mr. French. It was a saw and grist- mill, owned by Mr. Amasa Whitney when it was burned in 1810 or 12.
The first mill in Waterville was the Aldrich mill, so called, built not far from 1820. It is the lower, or third one in the centre of Water- ville. It was built by William, or " uncle Bill" Robbins. His son Lewis afterwards was connected with the establishment. Then Rich- ard Stuart, and still later, the Aldrich brothers, were proprietors. It is now in the possession of E. Murdock & Co., or Whitney & Whit- man. The upper mill was first started by Lewis Robbins, about 1825. The first attempt to make pails, tubs, &c., by machinery, was by Tuck- er & Chessman, between 1820 and 1830, either at this or the lower mill. The staves were not sawed, but split with a froe. They were shaved by hand, with a curved shave.
Mr. Shailer next took the business, and he was succeeded by Lewis Robbins. Elisha Murdock bought the mill and water privilege in 1834. It was carried on by him successfully untill 1860, when his son-in-law, William W. Whitney, entered into partnership. In 1862, a new ar- rangement was made, by which Mr. Murdock retired, and James Whit- man became a partner. The business is still done under the title of E. Murdock & Co.
The mill privilege now belonging to Woodcock & Sawyer, was first improved about the year 1835, by Capt. George Alger and Moses Han- cock.
The mill-site of Mr. O. Mason was first occupied by Mr. Polycrates. (commonly called Cratus) Parks. He made clothes-pins, &c. This was in 1832. In 1845, Mr. Ephraim Kendall bought the property and built a saw-mill and a pail-shop. In 1853, the firm became Ken- dall & Mason. In 1863, Mr. Mason became the sole proprietor.
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HISTORY OF WINCHENDON.
Some thirty-five years since, Moses Foskett took the water from the river, below the Aldrich mill, by a ditch across the fields almost to the corner of the old Royalston and the Waterville roads, near his house, thence across the road northerly twenty or thirty rods, where he had a saw-mill. This was given up in 1852.
In 1851, Warren and Alfred Hyde, sons of Ezra Hyde, Jr., the his- torian of the town, and grandson of the first Ezra, built the Hyde mill in Hydeville. The dam was swept away in 1852 ; then re-built ; then in 1853, came into possession of the present Ezra Hyde. As the Fos- kett mill took the water from the river above this mill and returned it below, that was now abandoned. Various kinds of business have been carried on at the Hydeville shops, such as chair making, the making of fancy boxes, spring beds, matresses, carts, sleds, and wheelbarrows for children, &c.
A mile farther down the stream was the Kilburn mill-site, now aban- doned. This was used for cutting lumber.
Stuart's brook comes in from Fitzwilliam about a mile east from the northwest corner of the town. A dam was built by Joseph Robbins, in Robbinsville, about the beginning of this century. This has been in successive hands, and for many years past, has been a wooden ware es- tablishment, as well as saw-mill. Reuben Harris came into possession in 1845; Percival Sherwin and George B. Raymond were the next owners. It is now the property of Harrison Aldrich & Co. The lo- cality is sometimes called Harrisville.
Descending the stream to Bullardville, we come to the mill and bob- bin shop of the Messrs. Parks. There have been at least five different sites for a dam near this place, and all below the present one. The first was built probably by Jeremiah Stuart, sometime after the Revolution, but the year cannot be ascertained. The dam on the spot now occupied, was put up in 1827, by Levi Parks and his brother Luke. It was sub- sequently owned by Charles Bullard, Calvin R. Whitman, Day & Parks, Whitman & [Edwin] Parks, and perhaps by others. Whitman, Parks, Day, and others, used it in making wooden ware. Messrs. Levi N., Martin H. and William Parks are now engaged in making an improved bobbin, (their own invention) in great quantity.
The east branch of Stuart's brook comes in from Rindge, a little more than a mile east from the west branch. Benjamin May has a saw-mill
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HISTORY OF WINCHENDON.
near the State line. It was built by his father some eighty years since. Just below is the mill built in 1828, by William Robbins, called " uncle Bill." It is now the property of Nahum Robbins, his son.
Descending to Bullardville, we find the mill of Edward Loud, Jr. This was started by the above William Robbins, who was also the pio- neer in settling Waterville. He began sometime between 1805 and 1810. Edward Loud, Sen., owned and run it many years. His son Edward has carried on the business-making measures, &c.,-for ser- eral years past.
Crossing the road south, and on the west side of the stream, a shop was built about 1820, by Jacob Simonds. It was afterwards run by Bill and Jake Taylor, and Levi Haskell. About forty years since, it became the property of Phinehas Parks, Jr., and is still in his pos- session. It has been used in cutting up timber for various purposes.
The Gibson mill, so called, near the mouth of Priest's brook, was built not far from the beginning of the century. It stood near the road to South Royalston. A flood swept it away in 1817. It was rebuilt farther down stream, on the present site.
Just below is the sash and blind shop of Mr. Minot Patch.
The mill belonging to William Beaman, about half way from Car- ter's mill to the Vt. & Mass. railroad, was put up in 1843-4.
WOOD WARE.
In early times, shingles in large quantities, were split out of the no- ble pines which almost covered the land. From this circumstance, neigh- boring people called the place Shingletown. There is an old joke that shingles were used for currency. It is said that when a party of young fellows took their girls to ride, they used to throw a bundle or two of shingles into the wagon to pay their tavern bills.
In due time the abundance of pine timber was worked into other forms, chiefly by hand. The first attempt at making pails, &c., by machinery, has been referred to above. The invention of the cylinder or barrel saw, by Dea. Reuben Hyde, was the indispensable requisite to the rap- id making of pails, tubs, churns, &c. After Elisha Murdock engaged in the business, the improvement in machinery was a steady growth. At first the staves were split with a froe, and shaved by hand. Then they were set up endwise and driven down between two shaves, one
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concave and the other convex. The present mode was a great improve- ment. When Mr. Murdock wanted anything in the shape of machin- ery, he used to go to the shop of his brother William and ask him if he could fix it. And so the ingenious machinery by which wood ware is now turned off so rapidly, took shape. Others, by their ingenuity, contributed to the final perfection.
At present there are eight or nine large mills for the making of wood ware in the town. Two are carried on by Murdock & Co., two by E. Murdock & Co., one by Irving E. Weston, one by Washington Whit- ney, one by William Beaman, one by Woodcock & Sawyer, one by Or- lando Mason, the Sibley mill, and the Aldrich & Co. mill.
This business was the specialty of the town, for many years. From small beginnings it grew by degrees to its present importance. The in- vention of the cylinder saw made it possible for the business to be done on an extensive scale. The Hon. Elisha Murdock, and Capt. Ephraim Murdock, availing themselves of this and other facilities, commenced a new era in the wood ware business, which has been followed up by them- selves and others to the present time. The statistics of this and other branches of business cannot be given for want of space. It would re- quire a volume. For several years, the pail and tub business was con- fined to this town, but it is now carried on in many places, east and west. Nearly all the machinery, however, for the shops far and near, has been made in our machine shops.
COTTON MILLS.
The woolen mills have already been referred to, so far as their origin is concerned ; and as none are in operation now, nothing farther need be said in relation to them. There are two cotton factories now in suc- cessful business,-one in Spring Village, and one at B. D. Whitney's dam. The origin and history of the first has already been given. The second was built in 1853-4, is 112 feet long and 45 feet wide, and is two stories in height, besides the attic. The Mill is rented by N. D. White & Co., and is under the superintendence of Dea. Windsor N. White. It contains 2,500 spindles.
MACHINE SHOPS.
The first machine shop, properly so called, was started by Col. Will iam Murdock, in 1839. It was thought quite wonderful that he had a
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machine with which he could shave iron. Probably his shop has turned out the greatest variety of work of any in town.
Baxter D. Whitney was engaged with him several years. In 1846. he built the railroad dam, and set up a saw-mill and machine shop where his extensive establishment now stands. The mill and dam were car- ried away by the flood of 1852. Since then all the other buildings, in- cluding foundry, wooden-ware shop, factory. carriage-makers and black- smith shops, have been erected. Mr. Whitney makes machinery for working in wood, and his machines are widely and favorably known. The London " Engineering," in 1857, in an article upon American ma- chinery, says that the English workmen prefer the American machines to those made in any other country, and that Mr. Whitney's are the best.
In 1860, Messrs. Goodspeed & Wyman purchased the property now in their possession, and began the manufacture of machines for making wooden ware. In addition they have done an extensive business in sewing machines. Mr. John D. Folsom has followed the same business for several years, sending out sewing machines in large number to dis- tant parts of the country. Others have, at times, undertaken this busi- ness, though not with equal success.
The above are the main branches of mechanical business in the town. though a great variety of articles is made in smaller establishments. Most of these, however have been referred to in tracing the history of mill-sites. As this volume is not a directory of business. more space cannot be given to a subject the full treatment of which would require a book of quite respectable size. It is enough to say that the MEASURES of Dea. Hyde, the FAUCETS of Messrs. Charles A. & Sumner Loud. the SLEDS and CARTS of Mr. Ezra Hyde. the BoxEs and BEDS of the Messrs. Chase, the Mops, etc., of Mr. M. T. Nash, add much to the annual production of the place.
STORES.
The first store in Winchendon, as already stated, was opposite the Nichols tavern, in the corner of Mrs. Connor's lot. It was a small af- fair. Stores were opened on the Common not long after. Among the traders then were Bemsly Lord, Holman & Bruce, Joseph Jewett, Reed & Walker, Phinehas Whitney, Atkins Morton and Cornelius Ray- mond.
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HISTORY OF WINCHENDON.
The first store in the Village was kept by Thomas, son of Hon. Abel Wilder. This was opened about seventy years ago. After him came Robert Ruggles, Stillman Flint, Mr. Greenwood, Atkins Morton, Per- kins & Putnam, Charles Tolman, Obadiah Walker, Luther Richardson, Erbeim, Jr., and Elisha Murdock, C. R. Whitman, George Brown, Levi Pock, Hand & Merrill, Moses Hancock, H. Harwood, J. M. Hey- wood, Joseph Murdock, Watson Monroe, William and Levi Brooks, and William Brown, 2d, besides those now doing business here. Mr. A. Whitney, Jr., began trading more than thirty years ago, and contin- ues in the business still, with his son, George. Mr. Whitney, Messrs. A. B. Smith, C. C. Parker, Silas Raymond, Wyman & Mason, C. L. Carter, and others in various branches, have been and are still doing a large business. I. J. Dunn and Messrs. George and Calvin Bryant, do an extensive business in the grocery line. George S. Dodge has car- ried on the business of an apothecary for several years ; William Pol- lard, Almon Mann, Horace Whitcomb and C. H. Tarbell, have kept shoe stores. Wm. H. Wood & Co. deal in flour, grain, &c., and Messrs. Doane, Miller & Hyde keep a fine market. The jewellers have been Messrs. Wm. C. Nichols, A. J. Parker, H. C. & G. H. Murdock and . George F. Barr; the harness makers have been Messrs. M. B. and L. S. Felton, and Wetherhead & Sinclair ; and Jonas A. Carruth deals in clothing. The millinery establishments of Mrs. Ellen A. Converse, and Mrs. C. P. Fairbanks, are well known in all the vicinity.
There was a store at Spring Village at different times. Mr. John D. Dunbar, and Rev. Joseph Watson, in his later years, kept dry goods and groceries for sale.
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