USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts : a guide to its places and people > Part 50
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At 38.4 m. is the junction with Center Rd .; on the northwest corner is Bull Run Tavern (open), built in 1789, a two-and-a-half-story building with a long low covered porch. It has been painted red, with white trim. It contains many pieces of old furniture and Colonial relics. Just west on State 2 (R) is the Revolutionary Tavern (private), a faded white frame house with a central chimney, built before 1747 by Obadiah Sawtell, a delegate to the Provincial Congress.
Left from State 2 on Center Rd. at 0.7 m. (R) is the Stephen Stone Homestead (open as tearoom, May 15-Sept. 15), a white two-and-a-half-story early Colonial house with green blinds and adjoining woodshed and barn (1796). Set 25 feet from the road, with an old white well in front, it is shaded by three maples.
SHIRLEY, 1 m. (town, alt. 283, pop. 2548, sett. about 1720, incorp. 1753). On the north side of the Common is the Home of the Rev. Seth Chandler (private), where Ralph Waldo Emerson was often a guest. It is a broad two-and-a-half-story house with a pitch roof, ell, and central chimney. The philosopher's room and its furnish- ings have been kept intact by the present owner.
SHIRLEY VILLAGE, 3.1 m. (Town of Shirley), was named for Provincial Governor William Shirley. In 1871 a Shaker community sprang up. At first the townspeople looked askance on the members, but eventually they accepted them. Oliver Holden, author of many hymns, was born in Shirley September 18, 1765. His 'Coronation,' long a favorite, was used as a battle hymn during the Civil War. Opposite 14 Leominster Rd. is the Site of the Birthplace of Sarah (Edgarton) Mayo (1819-48), poet and author, editor of the Ladies' Repository and the Rose of Sharon. A footpath through the pine grove (left of the Administration Building) leads to the Holy Hill of the Shakers where this sect congregated twice a year for religious ser- vices.
State 2 becomes more winding, and passes through alternate woods and open meadows.
LUNENBERG, 43.8 m. (town, alt. 377, pop. 2124, sett. 1721, incorp. 1728). Although attempts have been made to change the agricultural complexion of the town, Lunenberg is still a quiet farming community with many spacious summer residences on the outskirts. Some mulberry trees remain from an attempt at sericulture. Luther Burbank, the horticulturist, in this town perfected the potato known as the Red Rose. The Ritter Memorial Library has a fine collection of Lunenberg Bibles (not for public inspection) and a Bible donated to the town by John Han- cock in 1772. The historic room also houses several objects resembling carved ivories; they were made by George Gilchrist, a Lunenberger, from meat bones when he was in Libby Prison during the Civil War.
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The Cushing House (1728), corner of Lancaster Ave. and State 2, is a large two-and-a-half-story white frame dwelling easily identified by a row of four tall trees in front. Here, in 1820, William Greenough printed the Polyglot Bibles, which include not only the Old and New Testaments, but also the 12 books of the Apocrypha, attributed to the Greeks. The old horse who furnished the power for the printing shop is said to have been given Christian burial in recognition of his distinguished contribution toward spreading the Word of God. The house was at one time the home of Luther Cushing, author of the 'Manual of Parliamentary Practice' (1844), which, little changed, still guides Americans in the conduct of public meetings.
Left from Lunenberg 2 m. on Lancaster Ave. is the Houghton Homestead, an ex- ample of shrewd Yankee ingenuity with its 'tax-exemption' roof, which slopes to one story in the rear, thus avoiding the tax imposed on two-story houses.
At 45.3 m., near the junction with State 13, is a fine view of the city of Fitchburg with Mt. Wachusett in the distance.
Between Lunenberg and Fitchburg the road runs through an industrial and residential area.
At 47.8 m. is the junction with State 12 (see Tour 11), which offers a detour around the business area.
FITCHBURG, 48.2 m. (see FITCHBURG).
Sec. b. FITCHBURG to GREENFIELD, 49.3 m. State 2.
Between Fitchburg and Greenfield, State 2 passes through a pleasant rural countryside, increasingly hilly as it approaches the foothills of the Berkshires.
At 1.5 m. is the junction with State 12 (R) (see Tour 11).
The old Warner House (private), 4.7 m., known also as the Valley House, was a stagecoach stop on the Boston-Brattleboro route; it had a large marquee under which passengers alighted. The house was also a station on the Underground Railway and slaves were hidden in a hole behind the chimney, reached by a small door at the head of the cellar stairs. This house was occupied for a time by Olin L. Warner (1844-96), the sculptor, whose works include statues of William Lloyd Garrison and General Devens, and the two bronze doors of the Library of Congress.
From Round Meadow Pond, 6.2 m., is a fine view of Mi. Wachusett (alt. 2000) (see Tour 11A).
WESTMINSTER, 7.2 m. (town, alt. 724, pop. 1965, sett. 1737, incorp. 1759), was a part of grants made by the Legislature to the veterans of the Narragansett War. One of the earliest settlers, Abner Holden, describes the land and life: 'A howling wilderness it was, where no man dwelt; the hideous yells of wolves, the shrieks of owls, the gobbling of turkeys, and the barking of foxes, was all the music we enjoyed; no friend to visit, no soul in the adjoining towns - all a dreary waste, exposed to a thousand difficulties.'
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During the 19th century Westminster became a lively industrial commun- ity, but tanning and the manufacture of cotton cloth, bricks, chairs, and paper have been replaced by lumbering and dairying; in the village is a cracker factory that at one time caused Westminster to be called 'Cracker Town.'
At the Center is the junction with State 64 (see Tour 11A). SOUTH GARDNER, 11 m. (alt. 1027), has a huge Wooden Chair at the depot facing the railroad tracks to advertise Gardner's leading industry. This is believed to be the largest chair ever made.
I. Right from South Gardner on State 68 is GARDNER, 1.8 m. (city, alt. 1030, pop. 20,397, sett. 1764, incorp. town, 1785, city 1923). Manufacturing displaced agriculture in importance here after 1805, when James M. Comee established the first Gardner chair factory in his home. Comee introduced the use of flags for chair seats; Elijah Putnam, a graduate apprentice, in 1832 began to manufacture chairs with cane seats, following a sample brought from the Connecticut State Prison by one of his workmen. Later on the inventive genius of Levi Heywood revolutionized the whole industry, and Philander Derby in 1844 made a fortune by designing the Boston rocker, known to comfort-lovers throughout America, and demoded only when increasingly cramped living quarters made it impractica- ble. On Parker St. is Crystal Lake (outdoor and indoor swimming pools).
Right from the Center on a side road is the Gardner State Colony (open to students; guide), 'a farm for the able-bodied and quiet chronically insane.'
2. Left from South Gardner on State 68 is HUBBARDSTON, 6 m. (town, alt. 980, pop. 1000, sett. 1737, incorp. 1775), named for Thomas Hubbard, a pro- prietor who promised to provide window glass for the first meeting house if the district was named for him.
A fifth of the population of this agricultural community is Finnish. The farmers specialize in poultry-raising and are developing blueberry and strawberry patches. During its existence, the town has had a number of small factories, including a woolen mill, but the last was closed in 1933.
The first settlers, and for some time the only ones, were Eleazer Brown and his wife, whose 60 acre farm was granted on the condition that 'he or his heirs keep a house thereon for the entertainment of travelers, for a space of seven years.' A party of distinguished travelers found the 'inn' exceedingly primitive; one of them, asking at dinner for a clean plate after a first course of hasty pudding, was annoyed when Mrs. Brown merely dipped his plate in water and returned it wet. He asked her to wipe it, which she did; his satisfaction was dampened later when a companion informed him that the dish-towel used was the hostess's 'shortgown.'
About 1790 an apple tree of uncertain stock was found on a rocky hillside pasture bearing apples of unusually fine flavor; this, the parent tree of the Hubbardston Nonesuch apple, which gained a wide market, was blown down in 1895.
About the time the apple was drawing public attention to Hubbardston, the town was attracting less pleasant notice through the activities of a native rascal, Ephraim Grimes, a convicted counterfeiter, as his cropped ear indicated. Grimes had no shame about this deformity; it is said that in Canada he once went into a store and asked the price of enough ribbon to reach 'from ear to ear.' When told 'a few cents,' he cried, 'Begin to measure off! I have one ear here and they have the other in Worcester.' Old Grimes, as he came to be called, is the hero of the poem of that name, sung to the tune of 'Auld Lang Syne.'
On Main St. is the Jonas G. Clark Memorial Library, named for a Hubbardston man who was founder of Clark University in Worcester. Near-by is the home in which Clark was born, Feb. 1, 1815.
At 13 m. (L) is a Brick Kiln.
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TEMPLETON, 16 m. (town, alt. 964, pop. 4302, sett. 1751, incorp. 1762). Abundant water-power enabled the early settlers to start first a sawmill, then a corn mill, and finally factories producing lumber, chairs, furniture, and other products. At one time Templeton specialized in raising greenhouse cucumbers.
Opposite the Common is Landlords' Inn, a huge structure dismantled in 1935 and now standing as a melancholy reminder of an unsuccessful philanthropic venture. It was built at a cost of $150,000 by Moses Richardson, and was turned over by him to the Templeton Improvement Society.
At 19.1 m. is the junction with US 202 (R) (see Tour 13).
At 20 m. is the junction with an improved road.
Left on this road is PHILLIPSTON, 1.5 m. (town, alt. 914, pop. 423, sett. 1751, incorp. 1814), which is in that part of the grant known as Narragansett Number Six organized as the town of Templeton. When Templeton was subdivided this part was named Gerry, in honor of Elbridge Gerry, Governor of Massachusetts ISIO-II and Vice-President of the United States during the administration of James Madison. Gerry's political actions caused the town to change to the present name, which honors William Phillips, for 12 successive terms Lieutenant-Governor of the State. Sawmills were early of importance. In 1837 Phillipston produced large quantities of cotton and woolen goods and palmleaf hats. Although some lumbering is still carried on, farming, dairying, market-gardening, poultry-raising, and fruit-growing are the chief occupations.
Left of the small Common stands the Congregational Church (1785) with its old Horse Shed, the only one of its kind in this part of the State. Perched on a windy hilltop where snowdrifts are deep in winter, it was made large to provide ample hitching facilities and also to allow sleighs to be turned around inside.
At 24 m. is the junction with State 32 (see Tour 23), which runs south to New London, Conn.
ATHOL, 26 m. (town, alt. 550, pop. 10,751, sett. 1735, incorp. 1762), was named by John Murray, one of the leading proprietors, who thought that the scenery resembled that about Blair Castle, the home of the Scottish Duke of Atholl. Later it transpired that he, John Murray, was none other than the duke's son. Athol, like many other New England towns, was originally a farming community, but in the 19th century became some- what industrialized, with factories producing scythes, cotton, and paper. It now has 34 industries employing over 2000 people and manufacturing products ranging from furnaces to cigars, toys, and thread.
A large factory on Royalston Rd., making precision tools, was founded (1868) by Leroy S. Starret, who invented many of the products, including the American meat chopper.
Right from Athol on Royalston Rd. 4.8 m. to Doane's Falls, 200 ft. high (reached by trail).
ROYALSTON, 6.8 m. (town, alt. 817, pop. 841, sett. 1762, incorp. 1765), has devoted itself entirely to agriculture except for one short period when toy manu- facturing was attempted. Early Royalston had a firm belief in God's personal attention in its affairs; when in 1769 15-year-old Katurah Babcock was struck dead by lightning, her fate was held up as an example of divine punishment for non-attendance at church. In 1845 two other children met the same fate on the same spot, an event that made the village unpopular as a place of residence.
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The heavy hand of Providence was also seen when the lands of Isaac Royal, a Tory for whom the town was named, seemed to resist cultivation after their owner fled to England. 'The scythe refused to cut Tory grass, and the oxen to plough Tory soil.'
At 26.5 m. is the junction with a road.
Right on this road is a farmhouse, 1.9 m. (L); on a high hill back of it is a marker designating the Site of the Sentinel Elm, and the Site of a Garrison occupied by Ezekiel Wallingford, who on the night of August 17, 1746, thinking he heard bears in his cornfield, was lured out, surrounded, scalped, and killed by Indians. The sentinel elm, used as a lookout by both Indians and Colonists, was destroyed by a storm in 1933.
At 28 m. is the junction with US 202 (L) (see Tour 13).
ORANGE, 30.7 m. (town, alt. 505, pop. 5383, sett. about 1746, incorp. 1810), was named in honor of William, Prince of Orange. On the banks of a rapid river, the town was destined to become a manufacturing center. Among the industries here are the Rodney Hunt Machine Company, founded in 1840, and the Minute Tapioca Company.
Orange attracted national attention by the unveiling of a war memorial dedicated to peace, portraying a veteran explaining to a child the futility of war. On the base of the group, sculptored by Joseph P. Pollia of New York, aided by sketches by the Rev. Wallace G. Fiske of Orange, is the inscription, 'It Shall Not Be Again.'
At 32 m. is the junction with State 78 (see Tour 2B).
At 33.5 m. is a junction with a hard-surfaced road.
Left on this road across Miller's River and through woodland that is part of the Wendell State Forest is WENDELL, 5 m. (town, alt. 500, pop. 397, sett. 1754, incorp. 1781), named in honor of Judge Oliver Wendell of Boston. By 1810 the town reached its maximum population of 983. There are two stories to account for the name of the tiny near-by settlement of Mormon Hollow; according to one it was named because the settlers were people who had left a Mormon caravan passing through the town on its way West, and according to the other because settlers already there embraced Mormonism and left to join a colony of the Latter-Day Saints.
At 34 m. are the State Proving Grounds, where acres of red and white pine seedlings are raised for reforestation purposes.
At 34.5 m. the hills of Wendell rise blue in the distance (L), and 50 feet below the road is Miller's River. The river, according to legend, was named for a young man who was drowned in this stream in sight of his sweetheart and her Indian guide, when his canoe struck a cake of ice.
At 35 m. across the river (L) is the Orange section of the Wendell State Forest (see above). The bridge crossing the river at the Erving paper mill was destroyed by the 1936 floods.
ERVING, 36 m. (town, alt. 474, pop. 1283, sett. 1801, incorp. 1838). The town land was sold to John Erving of Boston in 1752, but the earliest known settler was Colonel Asaph White, who arrived in 1801. Most of the inhabitants gain their livelihood in near-by towns or in home in- dustries, chief among which are a tool factory, two paper mills, and a heel firm that is subsidiary of the United Shoe Machinery Corporation.
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At 38.5 m. is FARLEY (alt. 540, Town of Erving). About 0.2 m. left from the village and with an entrance visible from the highway is Barn- door Cave, which cuts through 50 feet of rock and emerges on top of the cliff. It receives its name from the size of the entrance.
At 40.5 m. is the junction with State 2A.
Left on State 2A across Miller's River to MILLER'S FALLS (alt. 292), 0.9 m., a manufacturing settlement lying in both Erving and Montague Towns. South from Miller's Falls on a road paralleling railroad tracks is Green Pond (R) (bathing and boating) 1.9 m., and Lake Pleasant (L) 2 m., the town reservoir, once the sacred lake of the local Indians.
At 41.9 m. State 2 crosses the Connecticut River on the French King Bridge, a magnificent structure about 750 feet in length, named for French King Rock, visible in midstream. From its height of 140 feet the bridge commands a fine view of the river valley and of the surrounding countryside.
State 2, here called King Philip Highway, follows the Connecticut River and provides views of wide sweep at frequent intervals.
The Old Red House, 45.4 m. (tearoom), built in 1736, contains a small collection of Indian relics.
At 44.9 m. is RIVERSIDE (alt. 85, Town of Gill). In 1676, 180 colonists under the leadership of Captain Turner surprised and destroyed 300 savages who were encamped here. Farming is the chief occupation, with dairying and truck-gardening yielding the best livelihood.
I. Right from Riverside in a narrow valley is GILL, 3.3 m. (town, alt. 233, pop. 995, sett. 1776, incorp. 1793), a community of small homes with neat lawns.
2. Left from Riverside across the Connecticut River on a Suspension Bridge is TURNER'S FALLS, 0.6 m. (Town of Montague, alt. 185, pop. 7967, sett. 1715, incorp. 1775), built on a series of terraces rising above the Connecticut River to a height of 100 feet. Captain Elisha Mack here built the first dam on the Con- necticut River.
The ice jam preceding the 1936 flood swept away three bridges within a few miles of this place. One of these, on top of which ran the tracks of the Boston and Maine Railroad, was the longest covered wooden bridge left in the State.
In the Carnegie Library (open 2-9), corner of State 2A and Avenue A, is a fine collection of Indian relics.
I. Right from Turner's Falls on Avenue A to MONTAGUE CITY, 1.9 m. (alt. 164, Montague). One of the largest hydro-electric generating stations in New England completed in 1918 is at this point. It generates two-thirds of the electric- ity sold by western Massachusetts companies. There is a large fishing-tackle manufacturing plant here.
2. Left from Turner's Falls, State 2A parallels the Connecticut River. Indian encampments were common along these fishing grounds. At 1.3 m. is Mayo's Point, from which is a splendid view of the river and the encircling hills.
State 2 crosses the Falls River at 45.6 m.
GREENFIELD, 49.3 m. (town, alt. 204, pop. 15,903, sett. 1686, incorp. 1753), with its wide, elm-shaded streets, is one of the most beautiful towns in western Massachusetts. Originally part of Deerfield, Greenfield took its name from the fertile valley it occupies. Although still a prosperous
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agricultural town, specializing in poultry, tobacco, onions, and dairy products, it has become an industrial center. In 1792, the Locks and Canal Company began to use Cheapside, at the mouth of the Deerfield River, as a landing place. Early in the 19th century the first cutlery factory in America was established in Greenfield, but later it was moved to Turner's Falls. Today there are 30 manufacturing plants here, with diversified products.
The Potter House (private), corner Main and High Sts., has been described in Country Life (1937) as an 'Ionic columned Greek temple.' The house shows the extent to which the Greek Revival was carried in American architecture.
St. James' Church (Episcopal), corner of Federal and Church Sts., was built in 1847 and reproduces the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, in South Milford, Yorkshire, England. The church, parish house, and sexton's house are connected by cloisters surrounding a garden close.
The Greenfield Historical Society (open 10-6) has its headquarters in the brick Devlin House at the corner of Church and Union Sts. An oar about 25 feet long, of the type formerly used in steering a boat plying the Connecticut River, is an exhibit.
About 0.5 m. southeast of the Center off US 5 is Rocky Mountain Park, a rugged area of high ridges, wooded copses, and glens occupying the high land west of the Connecticut River.
At Greenfield is the junction with US 5 (see Tour 15).
North from Greenfield on Conway St. to the North Parish, once the Center of Greenfield. At 4.4 m. is a junction with a road that leads left across Glen Brook to a fork at 4.8 m .: left at this fork through the Greenfield Water Works Reserva- tion and then right is the Eunice Williams Monument (see DEERFIELD), 5.1 m. Just beyond this, spanning Green River, is the only Covered Bridge remaining in Greenfield.
Sec. c. GREENFIELD to NEW YORK LINE, 50.5 m. State 2.
Between Greenfield and the New York Line, State 2, the Mohawk Trail makes a gradual climb over the Hoosac Range, descends abruptly into the Hoosac Valley, and then crosses the Taconic Mountains into New York State. Along the route is some of the most beautiful scenery in Massachu- setts.
West of Greenfield State .2 climbs Greenfield Mountain. To the east is a view of the placid town, encircled by the winding Connecticut and its three tributaries, the Green River, the Deerfield River, and the Falls River.
On Shelburne Summit, 3.4 m., alt. 1170, is a Tower (picnic grounds; adm. 10c) that overlooks Greenfield. New Hampshire and Vermont peaks are visible from this point.
SHELBURNE, 6.9 m. (town, alt. 700, pop. 1606, sett. 1756-60, incorp. 1768), was once known as Deerfield Pasture or Deerfield Northwest. About 1756 several families settled near Shelburne Falls, but left at the
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time of the French and Indian Wars. About 1760 a permanent settlement was made and the town was named for the second Earl of Shelburne. In 1849 the manufacturing of cutlery was started; it remains the important local industry. The first Yale locks were made here by Linus Yale in 1851. West of Shelburne, where the Deerfield River 200 feet below parallels the road, and the precipitous bank of the stream rises several hundred feet, the route offers a series of magnificent views.
SHELBURNE FALLS, 10.8 m. (alt. 252, Towns of Shelburne and Buck- land), is unusual in that it is bisected by the Deerfield River, which is the township line between Shelburne and Buckland; so that Shelburne Falls is actually the governmental center of two townships.
The Salmon Falls, on the Deerfield River, named for the quantities of salmon formerly caught here, have three distinct cataracts with pot-holes at the foot.
Right of the bridge crossing the Deerfield River is an old Trolley Bridge, now used by pedestrians; it is decorated in summer with flowers and shrubbery.
Right from Shelburne Falls on State 56, is LYONSVILLE, 5.4 m. (alt. 570, Town of Colrain). In the village cemetery a Boulder commemorates Amasa and Rhoda Shippee, who in 1812 raised the first United States flag to fly over an American schoolhouse. Left from Lyonsville are two old covered bridges. FOUNDRY VILLAGE, 5.8 m. (alt. 600, Colrain), contains one of the town's two iron foundries. The village received its name because of these two foundries, which produced cast iron here during the early 19th century.
COLRAIN, 6.9 m. (town, alt. 620, pop. 1554, sett. 1735, incorp. 1761), settled originally by Scotch-Irish from northern Ireland, was presumably named for Lord Coleraine, an Irish peer. About 1818 the beginning of manufacturing brought an influx of French-Canadians, who erected a Roman Catholic church, conducting services in French. Only recently the transition to English was made by a priest who spoke both languages.
Sheep-raising was an important industry until the Civil War. A small cider mill and two mills manufacturing absorbent gauze constitute the present industries. From the village, State 56 bears sharply left. At 8 m. the Harp Elm, formed like a gigantic lyre, stands at the entrance of the North River Cemetery.
A Stone, 8.8 m., marks the Site of Fort Morrison, a defense against the Indians and French from 1754 to 1763.
At 9.7 m. is the junction with a country road; left on this road is the Colrain State Forest, 1244 acres, with some of the oldest surviving forest growth in the State.
At 12.1 m. on State 2 is the junction with State 112.
Left on State 112 is BUCKLAND, 3.4 m. (town, alt. 492, pop. 1540, sett. 1779, incorp. 1794). None of the early mills using water-power supplied by the Clesson River now remain. Despite the broken and stony surface of the land, the in- habitants depend on agriculture, and there are some noted apple orchards and large dairies.
The Baron Rudduck House (private), built in 1796, is a fine example of the archi- tecture of its period; it contains an unusually fine collection of pewter. Near-by is the Mary Lyon House (open), built 1818, a three-story building that has been covered with stucco. In this house is a room furnished as it was 100 years ago when Mary Lyon, later founder of Mount Holyoke College (see SOUTH HADLEY), conducted a private school here.
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