USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts : a guide to its places and people > Part 69
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At 3.7 m. on Hartford Ave. is East Douglas (alt. 522, pop. 2403, sett. about 1721, incorp. 1746, Town of Douglas), the political and industrial center of Douglas Township. Douglas was first incorporated as New Sherburn and renamed a year later in honor of Dr. William Douglas, a Boston physician, who, in acknowledg- ment, gave the town $500 and 30 acres of land. Douglas, an industrial town, has had two principal industries, the making of axes that achieved a wide reputation in the 18th century, and the making of woolens on which the prosperity of the present town depends.
UXBRIDGE, 18.5 m. (town, alt. 259, pop. 6397, sett. 1662, incorp. 1727), called Wacantuck by the Indians, was another town of the Nip- muck Praying Indians. Agriculture was the main occupation of the first settlers until the abundant water-power led to the erection first of several small industrial plants and later of textile factories. The mills are locally owned and Uxbridge has had no serious industrial retrogression.
At the Center is the junction with State 126 (see Tour 1C).
MILLVILLE, 23.2 m. (town, alt. 225, pop. 1901, sett. 1662, incorp. 1916). Although in the beginning the town was part of Mendon, its his- tory belongs chiefly with that of Blackstone, which separated from
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Mendon in 1845, including Millville. In 1729, Daniel Darling erected a grist mill here. The first woolen mill on the river was established in 1814, after which industry developed rapidly. The Lawrence Felting Company had mills here in 1877, and during the World War subsidiary plants of large rubber and knitting companies were established in Mill- ville. The recent depression, however, witnessed the departure of all industries.
Left from Millville a short distance on a marked road is the Chestnut Hill Meeting House (1769) now used by the Congregationalists. It is almost square in plan devoid of spire or ornament, and the severe aspect of the interior has been care- fully preserved. A high pulpit, reached by a narrow winding stair and surmounted by a sounding board, dominates the interior. A drop-leaf, semi-circular shelf, hinged to the chancel rail, serves as a Communion table. The white box pews with battened doors are on a platform eight inches above the floor to protect the feet of the worshipers from chilly drafts. On three sides runs a gallery with plain wooden benches. In the window behind the pulpit are several panes of early rolled glass.
BLACKSTONE, 25.1 m. (town, alt. 190, pop. 4588, sett. 1662, incorp. 1845), was named for the Rev. William Blackstone, an Episcopalian clergyman who was the first white settler on the banks of the river, also named for him. In 1809 the first cotton mill was established, followed by a woolen mill erected in 1814. The industrial growth of the town was rapid and reached its height in the second decade of the 20th century when the Blackstone Cotton Manufacturing Company attained a capi- talization of $1,000,000 and the Laramac Mills of the American Woolen Company approximated this amount. Since 1924, however, the indus- trial development of Blackstone has retrogressed and today there is no manufacturing carried on. The inhabitants are employed, for the most part, in the near-by Rhode Island towns.
Roosevelt Park, on St. Paul St., is well planned and equipped as a recre- ational center for the community.
St. Paul's Church (Catholic) (1852), near the park on St. Paul St., is on the Rhode Island Line, which cuts diagonally through it; half the con- gregation sits in Rhode Island and the other half in Massachusetts. Its organ is played in Massachusetts and produces its tones in Rhode Island. At 26.2 m. State 122 crosses the Rhode Island State Line, about 15 m. north of Providence, R.I.
TOUR 23 A: From BARRE to CONNECTICUT STATE LINE (Willimantic) 36.7 m., State 32.
Via New Braintree, Hardwick, Ware, Palmer, and Monson.
B. & M. R.R., B. & A. R.R., and Central Vt. R.R. parallel the route. Hard-surfaced roadbed throughout.
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STATE 32 in the northern part runs through hilly country with many attractive views; south of Palmer, it runs between hills.
South of the junction with State 122, at Barre (see Tour 23), State 32 passes a cemetery at the edge of which (R) stands a Wineglass Elm, so called from its shape.
BARRE PLAINS, 2.6 m. (alt. 630, Town of Barre).
Left from Barre Plains on State 67, at 4.4 m. is the junction with an unnumbered hard road; right on this is NEW BRAINTREE, 5.8 m. (town, alt. 985, pop. 436, sett. 1709, incorp. 1775), an agricultural community. The town was originally a gore between Rutland and Hardwick owned by Braintree inhabitants. The Indians in this region were active during King Philip's War. Manufacturing was unsuccess- fully attempted during the 19th century. Agriculture and dairying are the chief means of livelihood.
At 5.8 m. is the village of OLD FURNACE (alt. 660, Town of Hardwick). State 32 climbs Hardwick Hill, an ascent of more than one mile, from the top of which is a wide view of the Ware River Valley.
HARDWICK, 9.2 m. (town, alt. 986, pop. 2379, sett. 1737, incorp. 1739), is an agricultural community whose inhabitants are of English, Polish, French, and Lettish stock. The land comprising the present township was purchased in 1686 from the Nipmuck Indians by eight Roxbury resi- dents. No settlement was made at the time, however, because the owners were afraid that the Royal Governor, Sir Edmund Andros, would expro- priate the land. At first called Lambstown, the district was incorporated as Hardwick, probably for Philip York, first Lord Hardwick. One of the largest herds of Guernsey cattle in the world was, until recently, pastured in this town.
On the Old Barn (R) at 11.8 m. are three clock dials, all operated by a single mechanism constructed from junked metals and springs.
At 15.5 m. is the junction with State 9 (see Tour 8) which is followed (R) to WARE, 17.2 m.
At 20.4 m. is the junction with a dirt road.
Right on this road, which forks (L) at 5.9 m., is the Old Babcock Tavern (private), 6.2 m., a two-story, gable-end Colonial house that was a Colonial inn for a stage- coach route. The house, situated on a high bank, has been remodeled and has a new door and a colored glass window.
At 22.3 m., is Forest Lake (fishing, boating, bathing).
The Massachusetts State Fish Hatchery (open 9-5), 23.6 m., stocks the important local brooks, rivers, and ponds with trout, bass, perch, and pickerel.
At 24.7 m. is PALMER CENTER (alt. 335, Town of Palmer). Opposite the Green is Frink Tavern (private), built in 1733, which was open to the public for over a century. It is a frame structure with hip roof and central chimney. On each side of the front door are pilasters supporting a pediment. Above the door is a semi-circular fanlight. The windows of the second floor have the original small-paned sashes set with wavy glass.
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At the Home of Walter S. Allen (open by permission), 21 Church St., Palmer, are a spinning wheel that came from Londonderry, Ireland, at the time of the settling of Palmer, a device for making musket bullets, a pot for melting lead, and a contrivance for pulling teeth.
Next to the Catholic Church, 76 Thorndike St., is the Site of the Bear Tree, cut down in 1920. One Sabbath morning Deacon Thomas King, armed against Indians, was walking through a lonely piece of forest when he was alarmed by the sight of a bear skulking behind this tree. Forget- ting the Sabbath laws for the moment, the deacon raised his gun and fired. The shot had been heard and the corpse could not be concealed. Deacon King was tried for violating the Sabbath, and so hot was the debate that it was referred to the church council, which ultimately de- cided, after long and grave debate, that the deacon had committed a ' work of necessity and mercy.'
PALMER, 26.6 m. (town, alt. 332, pop. 9437, sett. 1727, incorp. 1775), has developed into an industrial town making a large variety of products.
Here is the junction with US 20 (see Tour 4).
At 28.1 m. State 32 crosses the Quaboag River, by a bridge at the southern approach of which is the Site of Fellows Tavern (L). Fellows was granted a tract of land on condition that he open a tavern for the conven- ience of travelers on the Bay Path, between Boston and Springfield, the latter a new settlement on the banks of the Connecticut. Since Brook- field was the only plantation between these points at the time, the enter- prise promised success. The Indians, however, were hostile, and after a few years Fellows abandoned the attempt.
At the Tufts House, 30.5 m., Eugene Field and his brother Roswell, in 1865-66, studied under James Tufts, the 'grand old man' of Monson. In the mill pond opposite, the two brothers were nearly drowned when carried over the dam in a boat of their own construction.
MONSON, 31.8 m. (town, alt. 380, pop. 5193, sett. 1715, incorp. 1775), was originally a district of Brimfield. Provincial Governor Thomas Pownall named the town for his friend, Sir John Monson, President of the British Board of Trade. Although the town is now essentially a farming community, a granite quarry and woolen mills furnish employment to many.
The Flynt House (private), on High St. facing Fountain St., built in 1824, contains a collection of about 400 unusual old articles from all parts of the world.
Monson Academy, an endowed preparatory boarding and day school for boys, incorporated in 1804, is on State 32. Three Chinese students brought to America by Robbins Brown, a missionary, were enrolled at the Academy in 1847, and were among the first Chinese to study in America.
State 32 now passes through farming country broken at intervals by. stretches of wild land. At 36.7 m. the road crosses the Connecticut State Line, 5 m. north of Stafford Springs, Conn.
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TOUR 23B : From GRAFTON to NEW BEDFORD, 67.5 m., State 140.
Via (sec. a) Grafton, Upton, Bellingham, Franklin, Wrentham; (sec. b) Fox- borough, Mansfield, Norton, Attleboro, Taunton, Freetown, Acushnet, New Bedford.
B. & A., N.Y., N.H. & H. R.R.'s service this area.
Hard-surfaced road.
Sec. a. Grafton to Wrentham, 27.9 m.
SOUTHEAST from its junction with State 122, 8 m. east of Worcester, State 140 passes through rolling hills, where poultry-raising and dairying provide much of the income.
GRAFTON, 0.7 m. (town, alt. 380, pop. 7681, sett. 1718, incorp. 1735), was originally the village of Hassanisco ('Place of the Falling Stones'), established in 1654, one of John Eliot's Praying Indian towns. Grafton underwent a period of industrial development, but today it is a residential suburb of Worcester, with many Colonial buildings.
Grafton Common, selected as typical of New England, was used in filming the motion-picture version of Eugene O'Neill's 'Ah, Wilderness.'
WEST UPTON, 5.3 m. (alt. 287; Town of Upton), is the home of the largest factory for ladies' felt and straw hats in the world; the work is seasonal.
UPTON, 6.4 m. (town, alt. 240, pop. 2163, sett. 1728, incorp. 1735), was named for a village in Worcestershire, England. Small industries were inaugurated here, stimulated by the water-power supplied by the Mill River. By 1835 shoes were the most important manufactured products, but these were in time superseded by straw hats and bonnets; dairying and truck-gardening, however, are now the chief occupations.
I. On the southern slope of Pratt Hill and on the right hand of Upper Mendon Rd., just beyond Brooks farm, are the Devils Footprints (R), impressions in solid rock, over two miles apart; both are about five feet long and two feet wide and both point southward.
2. Right from Upton on Mendon St. at 1 m. (R) is a fine specimen of Glacial Boul- der. Opposite is a wide grassy lane leading uphill, the first road from Upton to Milford. The bordering stone walls and tall elms give the old road a quiet charm. A walk of several hundred yards on the lane leads to Upton's first Burying Ground. This one-acre enclosed plot with huge pine trees contains the grave of Elisha Fish, Upton's first long-term minister (1751-95). On the stone is a figure in ministerial garb and curled peruke. Here also is the Site of Upton's First Meeting House (L). It was never completed, but served for 12 years without a pulpit or pews, for five years without windows.
3. Left from Upton on a road marked 'Hopkinton' at 0.1 m. is a junction with a road; left on this road and then right to the Deacon Johnson Tavern 0.3 m., a one- and-a-half-story red, painted frame structure with a massive gray stone central
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chimney on which is the date '1750.' This well-preserved house was a stagecoach stop.
At 6.6 m. is the junction with Hopkinton Rd.
Left on Hopkinton Rd. at 0.1 m. in a private garden (L) is a Stone Cave or hut con- structed of huge untooled stones set in a gravel bank. The entrance tunnel is 14 feet long and 3 feet wide. The hut has a diameter of 12 feet and a height of II. Four huge slabs form the roof. Rough field-stone forms the walls, and the domed ceiling is of lapped slabs topped by a large flagstone. Many of the stones are cracked and the softer ones show signs of crumbling. There is no trace of smoke on the walls or any vent except the long tunnel. It is known to be over 300 years old, but its builders are still unidentified. Similar huts found in Ireland are presumably of sixth-century Pictic origin. Iceland also has huts of this description. Because the American Indians were not skilled in masonry construction, it is possible that Norsemen built this hut.
At 11.5 m. is the junction with State 126 (see Tour 1C).
BELLINGHAM, 16.2 m. (town, alt. 240, pop. 3056, sett. about 1713, incorp. 1719), when settled by Jacob Bartlett, was called No Man's Land. The town was settled around the Congregational Church and much of its earliest history is identified with that institution. The pro- duction of leather and textiles became important to the town after 1800.
Left from Bellingham on an improved road that swings right is NORTH BELL- INGHAM (alt. 200), 2.5 m. William T. Adams, author of juvenile fiction under the pen name of Oliver Optic, was born here in 1822. At 73 years of age, he had written over 1000 short stories and 126 books, of which 2,000,000 copies were sold.
FRANKLIN, 20.7 m. (town, alt. 294, pop. 7494, sett. 1660, incorp. 1778). In 1660 ten men left the colony at Dedham to break ground in Wollo- monopoag, as the region was then called. Serious financial difficulties, however, were encountered in bargaining with the Wampanoag Indians for the purchase of the land. Finally, Captain Thomas Willett, a noted tactician in Indian affairs, lent his able efforts and secured a purchase price of about £35.
When the time came for incorporation, the town decided at first on the name of Exeter, but this choice was dropped in favor of Franklin, in honor of the great statesman, scholar, and humanist. Mr. Franklin was not insensible of the honor, and, after wavering for some time between presenting a church bell or a collection of books to his municipal namesake, he decided in favor of the latter, because it is said he 'con- sidered sense more essential than sound.'
Industrial history began in 1713 when the falls of Mine Brook were utilized for a sawmill. Asa and Davis Thayer, 99 years later, started Franklin's first factory, and by 1865 seven local factories were turning out more than a million hats and bonnets a year.
Today the mill area is the industrial core of the town; about it are the homes of the workers, mostly owned by themselves, small single houses with neat dooryards and gardens, lacking the drab monotony of the usual mill homes. Greenhouses, vineyards, and well-cultivated farms beautify the southwest section.
On Main St. the Ray Memorial Library, built in the Greek revival style,
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From Grafton to New Bedford
contains Benjamin Franklin's gift. Frescoes of Greek scenes by Tom- masco Juglaris decorate the interior.
Opposite is Dean Academy, a co-educational boarding-school sponsored by the Universalist Church and named in honor of Dr. Oliver Dean, a native son, whose gift to the Universalists of $60,000 and 9 acres of land made the Academy possible.
I. Left from the Center on Main St. to Lincoln St. at 0.7 m .; straight ahead on Lincoln St. is the Baker Homestead (open), 1.1 m., now a shop specializing in the sale of early New England glass.
2. Right from Franklin on Summer St. is Camp Unity, 1.3 m., a summer camp operated by and for working people, most of whom are trade-unionists. In addition to the 20 cabins on a hill overlooking a lake, there is a children's camp, a recrea- tional hall, and a large recreational field.
The Horace Mann Memorial, 21.4 m. (L), marks the birthplace of the pioneer in public school administration. The son of a poor farmer, Hor- ace Mann had, up to his fifteenth year, only eight or ten weeks of school- ing a year. He worked his way through Brown University, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1823 and during the next 14 years built up a brilliant law practice.
Serving in both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and State Senate, two years as president of the latter body, he was directly respon- sible for the enactment of several reform measures, and assisted in creating the State Board of Education. In 1837 he accepted the post of secretary to the newly established Board.
During the next II years, he supervised the foundation of two normal schools, the erection of hundreds of common schools, the first insane hos- pital, and a school for the deaf and blind.
Dr. Mann's last venture was the presidency of Antioch College (co-edu- cational), Yellow Springs, Ohio. Hampered by pecuniary limitations and by lack of co-operation, worn with toil and ceaseless battle, he never gave up the struggle. A few weeks before his death in 1859 at a bacca- laureate address, he uttered his famous admonition: 'Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.'
At 23.5 m. is the junction with Creek St.
Right on Creek St. to Lake Pearl Park, 0.4 m., a privately owned amusement park (swimming, boating, picnicking, dancing, and amusement facilities).
Lake Archer, 24 m., is surrounded by towering pines and maples.
WRENTHAM, 24.8 m. (see Tour 1B), is at the junction with State 1A (see Tour 1B).
Jordan Marsh Company Rest Home, 25.8 m., standing on large grounds with maples, oaks, and elms, was once the home of Helen Keller and her teacher, Mrs. John Macy. In 1917 the Jordan Marsh Company pur- chased this two-and-a-half-story dwelling for its employees.
At 27.9 m. is the junction with US 1 (see Tour 1).
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Sec. b. JUNCTION US 1 to NEW BEDFORD, 39.6 m. State 140.
Southeast from its junction with US 1, State 140 enters a textile manu- facturing region with pleasant, fairly level fields between the cities and villages.
At 0.8 m. is the junction with Lakeview Rd.
Right on this road over Laundry Brook, to Foxborough State Forest, 1.3 m., 795 acres containing High Rock, which affords an excellent view of the countryside.
At 1.2 m. is the junction with Chestnut St.
Left on this street to Foxborough State Hospital for Mental Diseases, with 300 em- ployees and 1228 patients.
FOXBOROUGH, 2 m. (town, alt. 296, pop. 5834, sett. 1704, incorp. 1778), was named for Charles James Fox, British champion of the American Colonies. In 1781 the Foxborough Foundry was established for casting cannon and cannon balls for the Continental Army. As a result of its rapid industrialization, the town in 1798 passed a pioneer eight-hour-day law for heavy industry providing '66 cents for eight hours' work and $1.33 for eight hours' work of a man and a team suffi- cient to carry a ton weight.'
It was the straw bonnet industry, however, which built up the town. Women and children braided and wove straw to help the finances. A certain Mrs. Cornelius Metcalf conceived the ingenious idea of adopting orphan children and putting them to work in the preparation of straw - a profitable combination of baby-farm, child labor and sweatshop.
After the decline of the straw bonnet industry, the production of indicat- ing, recording, and controlling instruments gained importance.
On near-by Sunset Lake is the summer home of Bruce Barton, author of 'The Man Nobody Knows.'
MANSFIELD, 5.5 m. (town, alt. 178, pop. 6543, sett. 1659, incorp. 1775), was named for Lord Mansfield and occupies the site of an Indian winter camping ground. The town has been predominately industrial since 1800 when a large tack factory was opened. In 1921 the town-manager form of government was adopted.
The extensive gardens around the village devoted to the commercial cultivation of gladioli are the result of experiments started here in 1917 by a native of Holland.
The Mansfield Tavern, on North Main St., a three-story stucco building, was given to the town by Mr. Lowney, candy manufacturer.
Left from Mansfield, 1 m., on North Main St., is (R) the large Walter M. Lowney Chocolate Factory (open by permission), erected in 1906, and (L) the model village built for the employees.
NORTON, 10.1 m. (see NORTON).
Between Norton and Taunton is a gently sloping sparsely settled country.
Right on State 123 5.4 m. is ATTLEBORO (city, alt. 133, pop. 21,835, sett. 1634, incorp. town 1694, city 1914). William Blackstone, the first settler, was a recluse who left England because he was 'no longer able to endure the power of the lord-
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bishops,' and later informed Bradford that he also 'couldn't endure the power of the lord-brethren.' Named for an ancient town in England, Attleboro began its jewelry business in 1780. Today its 20 or 30 jewelry establishments have earned the city the sobriquet, 'the hub of the jewelry industry in America.' Other indus- tries include bleaching and dyeing and the manufacture of optical goods, automo- bile accessories, pressed steel, cotton machinery, textile fabrics, and paper boxes. The L. G. Balfour Company (open 9-5), on County St., is one of the largest emblem manufacturers in the United States.
The Watson Company (open 9-5), on Mechanic St., is situated in a park with water- fall, pond, and stream mingling with woodland and meadow. Here, silver bullion of Government assay is transformed into sterling ware of great variety and beauty. The Peck Homestead (open), 3 Elizabeth St., is now the headquarters of the Attle- boro Chapter of the D.A.R. Built in 1706, this red gambrel-roofed one-and-a-half- story dwelling is the oldest house in Attleboro, and has been the homestead of a single family for 230 years. The low-ceilinged interior is furnished in early American style with many relics and antiques. Each room contains a fireplace and the doors have their original latches.
TAUNTON, 17.9 m. (see TAUNTON).
At the Center are the junctions with State 138 (see Tour 25) and US 44 (see Tour 10).
South of Taunton, State 140 passes through a long stretch of thinly set- tled country.
At 23.7 m. is the junction with Myricks St.
Right on Myricks St. is the junction with Forge St. Left here to Evans's Farm 3.7 m. (R), from which (10g fee) is seen the Old Man of the Mountain, a geological phenomenon sometimes called the Indian of the Mountain.
EAST FREETOWN, 29.7 m. (town, alt. 98, pop. 1813, sett. 1675, incorp. 1683), first called 'ye freeman's land on Taunton River,' is today a rural area with much wooded land and abundant water-power. Its timber tracts have been somewhat depleted by serious fires. In Rocky Woods King Philip is supposed to have spent the last night of his life.
Squaw Hollow derives its name from the legend that an Indian woman used to sit by the side of the road 'busily spinning away despite the fact that her head lay in her lap.'
At 35.3 m. is a junction with Acushnet Ave.
Left on Acushnet Ave. to the junction with Tarklin Hill Rd., 1.3 m .; left here over the Old Stone Bridge, 1.4 m., spanning the Acushnet River, is ACUSHNET (Indian, 'A Bathing Place'), 1.8 m. (town, alt. 138, pop. 3962, sett. about 1659, incorp. 1860). This village was completely devastated during King Philip's War. In September, 1776, there was a pitched battle between the Minutemen and the British troops at the present bridge on Main St.
The influence of the many groups of recent immigrants living in the town is evi- dent in the local cuisine; in addition to the hasty pudding, fishcakes, and pumpkin pie of the Yankee, there are the hard-crusted breads and salads of the French- Canadians, the strongly spiced sausages called linguica and chourico of the Portu- guese, and the thick cabbage soup of the Polish. The French-speaking residents are so numerous that a bilingual school has been established.
Clement Nye Swift, the painter of Breton subjects, and William Bradford, the marine painter, were both natives of Acushnet, the latter maintaining a studio here.
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The Methodist Episcopal Church, on Main St., an ivy-covered field-stone structure, has a slender, shingled spire surmounted by a gilded dolphin.
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