USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Mattapoisett > Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham. > Part 7
USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Rochester > Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham. > Part 7
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In 1821 Mr. Holmes writes:
"In the Second Parish some of the Congregational order who had a degree of dislike to their minister's preaching joined with a number of the Baptist denomina- tion and a few Universalians and built the present year a meetinghouse, but a small distance from the parish meet- inghouse. This house is not claimed by any particular denomination, but is open to all without exception."
In 1828 the Universalist Church in Sippican was or- ganized. In 1838 the society in Mattapoisett built a new meeting-house at the corner of Church and Barstow streets. Through much of the history of these two churches the same minister has supplied both pulpits.
Some time before 1830 Methodism began to find its way into Rochester. A Protestant Methodist society was formed in North Rochester and built a meeting-house near Sniptuit Pond. Philip Crandon, the pastor of this church, was for some years one of the School Committee of Rochester. During the years of rotation of the town meetings one town meeting was held in this old meeting- house. The building was afterwards converted into Allen's store.
Another old Protestant Methodist society was formed in Sippican, and worshiped for some years in the old disused building on the woodland road that runs between Plymouth road and Wareham road. The society went down many years ago, and has been superseded by
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the present Methodist Episcopal Church at North Marion.
In 1825 a Union meeting-house was built at about the geographical center of the present town of Rochester, on a lot given by Joseph Purrington. It was dedicated in the fall of 1825, and services began to be held there, Elder Pliny Brett "reading the sermon."
The society has been several times reorganized, being once a Methodist society for some years, but later made a Congregational society. The first building was burned and another built on the same site. Preaching is now held at this meeting-house, being supplied by neighboring pastors.
In East Rochester a Methodist church was established near the middle of the nineteenth century, but it has since been reorganized as a Congregational church. There are no other than Congregational churches in the territory of the present town of Rochester.
Within a few years two Episcopal chapels have been built within the Old Rochester limits, St. Gabriel's Chapel in Marion, and St. Philip's Chapel in Mattapoisett. Both are supported mainly by the summer residents, and hold services only in summer.
CHAPTER VI
THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
THE year 1700 is recognized in the Rochester Records as marking an epoch in the town history. "The Center" was now established; the meeting-house had been built. The general layout of the town was in a good degree determined. It remained for the town to develop its entire territory in accordance with the deci- sions that had been made.
During the first decade of the eighteenth century the boundaries of the town were again examined and agreed upon. The road system was more definitely developed. The church was organized, plans for schools were entered upon, and some new industries were undertaken.
The ecclesiastical history that began with the founding of the First Church in 1703 has already been told. The other lines of town development during the period when Rochester was under the Province Government form the subject of the present chapter.
In 1695 the bounds with Middleboro were laid out. In 1698 the town settled anew its boundaries with Ply- mouth; in 1701 with Dartmouth; and in 1702 the bounds on the north were still further fixed with "the tomsons of Middleberry" and others. An important bound and landmark through all the town history has been Peak Rock, which stands on the Long Plain road, and bears
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the date 1664, the year when Dartmouth was incorpo- rated. It became the corner of three towns, Dartmouth, Freetown, and Rochester, also of Plymouth and Bristol counties. By a change of boundary line, however, it is no longer a corner of Freetown.
One of the most important tasks of the settlers was to open roads and build bridges, which were often corduroy roads of pine logs laid over swampy tracts.
Several ancient Indian paths formed the beginning of the road system. One of these was the " Old Path " from Plymouth, which was for generations a part of the stage road from Plymouth to Dartmouth.
Intersecting the "Old Path," a little northeast of Mary's Pond, was a long and ancient pathway leading from Sand- wich to Dartmouth, passing through Rochester Center in front of the burying-ground. It was known in the early town history as the "Country Road," and very many of the early roads were laid out as beginning at the "Country Road." In Wareham this road was also called "Sand- wich Path," and in Rochester, the " Rhode Island Path "; the "Rhode Island Path " being also at a later date a part of the stage route between Plymouth and New Bedford.
There were other Rhode Island paths leading from Plymouth besides the one through Rochester. Weston's History of Middleboro speaks of a "Rhode Island Path" through Middleboro and Assonet. In Massachusetts His- torical Collections [1815] we read; "There are two roads leading from Plymouth to New Bedford, the first thirty- two miles, by Rochester passing much woods, with but a few scattered settlements, is yet a pleasant route, ex- cept that cross roads in obscure situations may mislead an entire stranger. The second, thirty-six miles by
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The Eighteenth Century
Middleboro, is a more open and obvious route, with continued settlements. These roads diverge about two miles from Plymouth on the summit of 'Sparrow's Hill,' the first being the left hand." Each of the old roads from Plymouth to New Bedford seems to have been constructed on an ancient Indian "Rhode Island Path."
Another old Indian trail came down from Middleboro, passing the site of the Union meeting-house. Its con- tinuation down the west shore of Sippican was called the " Old Bay Path." There was another Old Middleboro Path from the Middleboro Ponds into Mattapoisett, and an ancient pathway in Mattapoisett was also sometimes called the "Bay Path." There was another cross-road or trail connecting the Sandwich Path with Dartmouth, but lying nearer to the sea than the "Country Road." It may have been over this path that Captain Church traveled on his way westward to meet Queen Awashonks.
Such Indian trails or paths were definite but narrow, and for foot passengers only. Later, they became for the colonists bridle-paths, and on many of them the towns afterwards laid out their wagon roads.
In 1694 several important roads were built in Rochester. In this year a road was definitely built on the " Old Path" beginning at "Middleberry bounds," and following the "Old Path till it came to Boxberry Swamp." In 1739, when Wareham was incorporated, its boundary was to be "Sippican River, as far as Mendell's Bridge, and thence as ye Rhode now Lieth to Plymouth till it meets with the Middleborough line." This ancient road that "lieth to Plymouth" is still the boundary between Rochester and Wareham, so that the village which has grown up on the two sides of the road is a little uncertain as to whether it
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belongs to East Rochester or West Wareham, and in common parlance it is usually "Pierceville."
Another long and important road laid out in 1694 followed perhaps in general the last of the Indian paths that have been referred to. It is described as beginning on the west side of Mattapoisett River, and after crossing the river and going near Moses Barlow's house, it con- tinued to the long bridge and Joseph Benson's "along the road that lieth to Aaron Barlow's" and then on to the "Sipycan road near John Mendell's," "which is the ex- tent of our Doings."
After the opening of the eighteenth century, a new activity in road-building manifested itself. It is impos- sible to give an accurate account of the roads as they were successively laid out. The long descriptions, dealing largely with rocks and marked "Oak Trees," would be unintelligible to modern readers. In Town Book No. 10, however (in accordance with a vote of the town in 1824), Abraham Holmes, who was then town clerk, compiled from the older town records an index and abridgment of some of the early town affairs, including a condensed description of the laying out of roads in Rochester after 1700.
From Mr. Holmes's abridgment of the original road records the following still more condensed description has in the main been compiled, and though too brief to be an exact description of the roads, it may yet give some general impression of the development of the highway system, and also show something of the location of the homes of the early settlers.
After the year 1700, the town of Rochester laid out roads as follows:
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1704. Towards the Mill (i.e., the Sippican Mill Dam) touching John White's land and an old bridge, Anthony Coomb's land, and so to Kenelm Wins- low's land.
1704. From the Country Road by Joshua Spooner's and west end of Kenelm Winslow's land, west to Arnold's and on to Whitridge's land.
1705-6. A very long highway, beginning east side of the Ministry Land, "where the Country Road crosses it," "Nye the meetinghouse," crossing Joseph Dotey's land, and the bridge near James Stewart's house, and afterwards dividing into two roads, towards Charles's Neck and Matta- poisett. (The Dexter and Parlow roads and the disused woods roads beyond.)
1716.
From Common Landing, near Samuel Hammond's Island to Thomas Clarke's land.
1718. Near George Danforth, by Benjamin Dexter's.
1718. Into Crawmesit Neck.
1718. Beginning at Country Road, on top of a hill near Isaac Bumpus' field.
1720.
Into Great Neck.
1727. (Altered) the road to Cornelius Clarke's Dwelling House.
1729. Joshua Coggeshall's to Thomas Clark's land, near Quitticus Ponds.
1734. Quaker Meeting-house to Occoot.
1737. Road by Joshua Cowing's altered.
1739. Occoot to Ephraim Dexter's.
1739. Mattapoisett meeting-house to Josiah Dexter's.
1746. Peaked Rock by John Shearman's, to Quitticus Brook.
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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester
1746. From aforesaid road (by Peaked Rock) by Deacon Elisha Freeman, Peter Crapo, Isaac Freeman, and William Clark.
1747. From Isaac Freeman's by James Lord's to east corner of Thomas Whitridge's land.
1750. From the road between Peaked Rock and Quit- ticus brook to Freetown line.
1753. John Hammond's to Dartmouth line.
1754. From Elisha Freeman's Corner eastward.
1756. From Seth Snow's into Pine Island.
1757. From John Stetson's to Mattapoisett, through lands of John Steward, William Rotch, and Charles Stetson, and others.
1762. From Winslow's and Rider's gristmill, by Ezra Clarke's.
1772. Sniptuit Neck near Nathaniel Clark's.
1772. Road by the Haunted House (altered).
1774. Middleboro line to Seth Randall's.
1775. Dartmouth line to Isaac Pope's.
1778. Dartmouth line to John Hammett's.
1780. Middleboro line by Stillwater Mills.
1781. From Samuel Rider's across Horse Neck to Aaron Sturtevant's.
1785. Enoch Hammond's to Mattapoisett Neck.
1785. From Mr. Moore's Meeting-house, by Elisha Barrows's, over Muddy Brook, towards the Friends' Meeting-house, giving up two roads already trod, so as to maintain but one bridge (present road from the Center towards Marion).
1786. Road by Mr. Moore's.
1787. From Deacon Whitridge's to the schoolhouse (altered).
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The Eighteenth Century
1787. Over Rock Bridge by Capt. Joshua Snow's.
1792. Hannah Dotey's to Seth Randall's.
1793. Near John Ellis's.
1793.
By Samuel Rider's house.
1799. Highway districts established.
1801. Old Landing to Sippican Wharf.
1801. From Silas Handy's to the wharf.
1805. Over Wolf Island.
1806. At Horse Neck by Moses Mendell's.
1807. From John Crapo's to Nicholas Davis's (widened).
1807. Peaked Rock to Middleboro altered.
1808. Into Mattapoisett Neck from Nathaniel Ham- mond's.
1810. Near Philip Dexter's.
1810. Into Mattapoisett Neck west of Isaac Barrow's land.
1811. At the Old Landing.
1815. First vote to raise money to clean away snow and mend bridges caused by freshets.
1818. Across Captain Mitchell's land.
1819. By Nicholas Snow's (altered).
1819. From Captain Mitchell's to Nathan Sears, Jr.
1819.
At Mattapoisett by Benjamin Barstow's.
1824. From Schoolhouse near A. Mantor's.
1824. At the Old Landing.
1824.
Three roads near Rider's Mill.
1825.
At Wharf village eastward.
1825.
At Horse Neck by Moses Mendell's.
1825. Near Alden Mantor's discontinued.
1827. Streets at Mattapoisett village.
1832. At Mattapoisett village.
1832. On Mattapoisett Neck.
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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester
1832. From Eben Holmes's to Wharf village.
1832. Into Charles's Neck by John Clark's.
With the opening of the eighteenth century the indus- tries of the town received new attention.
In 1700 the town voted :
" That Ensign Isaac Holmes repair to Sniptuit Brook and repaire the weare and take the allowance which is to be taken, and he is also appointed to divide the fish 5000 to each family taking those that live nearest the weare first and to have 6d for each thousand so delivered or a peck of corn next fall besides one shilling to be paid down when the fish are delivered."
The herring fishery has always been an important source of food in Rochester as well as of income to the town treasury. In 1821 we are told that the income of the herring fishery was about $400 annually. The so- called herrings of the New England coasts are, strictly speaking, "alewives." The true herring is an ocean fish of somewhat mysterious habits that swims in vast shoals, and is one of the most important kinds of food fish of the world. The alewives much resemble the true herring, but by careful writers in the early days they were always carefully distinguished from the herring to which the colonists had been accustomed on European shores. In local parlance, however, the name, "alewive" was long ago dropped for "herring." At the beginning of Roches- ter history herrings (or alewives) were seined in the streams of Wareham, and on the setting off of Wareham a weir was reserved for Rochester on the Weweantit River.
The appointment of Isaac Holmes to the charge of the
MATTAPOISETT HERRING WEIR
-
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The Eighteenth Century
Sniptuit weare shows that herrings also came abundantly into Sniptuit pond. They came in through the Taunton River, however, and the weir was on the stream now known as North Rochester Brook. An elevation called "Old Weir Hill " is on the Gerrish farm near by, and here may be seen to-day traces of the dwelling once occupied by Experience Holmes, who was a nephew of Isaac Holmes, the first herring inspector of Rochester.
In 1755 an artificial channel from Mattapoisett River led to the yearly passage of vast shoals of herrings into Sniptuit by this route, and since then the Mattapoisett River has been especially the herring river. On this river there are now three weirs, two in Rochester and one in Mattapoisett. At the Mattapoisett weir certain mills are also located that were owned by Old Rochester before the town division and are known as "town mills." Al- though this mill privilege is not at present highly improved, the mills as well as the fishery are still owned by the three towns in common, and are under the care of the herring inspectors.
February 6, 1699-1700, "Libertie" was given to any of " the proprietors to sett up a mill for Iron Works - if more than eight purchasers do appear to carry on and build sd mill," but it was to be in "Some sutable place where it may be secure from hurting people by cuting choyse timber." No definite record is given as to any mill being " set up," but at an early date there was an iron mill at Leonard's Pond (or Sippican Mills). Also a blast furnace was in early operation at Stillwater Mills in North Rochester.
The iron works at Sippican Mills seem to have been quite extensive, for in 1821 we are told there were a forge,
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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester
a trip hammer shop and a foundry "all on the Sippican River."
The largest deposit of iron ore was in Lake Quitticus. It was taken from the lake with an instrument resembling tongs, and the industry was attended with some danger. In Middleboro several instances of drowning are recorded in getting ore from "Assawampsett Pond." There was also some ore in Sniptuit Pond, and further south along the streams. In a brook which flows from "the iron country " through Rochester Center, one may to-day find stones showing traces of iron.
In the iron works at Leonard's Pond (or Sippican Mills) there was a trip-hammer by which the iron was converted into "blooms" or masses of iron of oblong shape. These iron "blooms" were then sent to Ware- ham, where they were rolled out into bars and then cut into small slits to be hammered later into the form of nails.
Of the iron works in North Rochester, Mr. Holmes says : " In the north of the town is a furnace called 'Stillwater Furnace,' on account of the sluggishness of the stream. It stands on Black River, which rises in Middleboro, and only the S. E. end of it is in Rochester. Its opera- tion is confined to the winter season, and then it is very productive." At the Stillwater mills the crude ore was melted in the puddling furnace and iron castings were made.
In 1725, Major Edward Winslow of Sniptuit was em- powered to set up an iron mill "on the Mattapoisett River." Rounseville's sawmill in Rochester was formerly known as the Winslow mill, but it is not certain that iron was ever manufactured at this site. At Hartley's mill, however, a little farther north, there are traces of an old
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The Eighteenth Century
iron industry, and this may have been the site of Major Winslow's old iron works. .
In 1821 the iron works of Rochester seem to have been in regular operation, though Mr. Holmes records that the usefulness of the forge was cramped by the scarcity of water during the summer season. A few years later the town appointed certain agents to look after the town's deposits of iron ore which had been neglected, and to gather the ore and sell it to some iron works. But no report of these agents is recorded, and it seems probable that the whole iron business was about this time dis- continued.
Pasturage was an important source of wealth in Roches- ter throughout the eighteenth century. About 1732 many pages of records are given to the "distinguishing marks of the Cretures" of various owners, - a crop or half crop " on the nere ear," "two pennies under the ear," holes and crosses, a "flower de luce," "slits cut slantwise," and other marks by which the animals were to be known. Thus in 1778 David Dexter marked his cattle with "2 slits in the end of the left ear," which was the same mark that had been used by his grandfather, Caleb Dexter, many years before.
Much legislation was also needed to keep the "Sheep- rams" within limits, and the swine properly "yoaked and ringed," as they ran at large over the common lands of the proprietary. In 1726 it was specified that a notice of a "Ram or Rames," running at large must be posted, "if in the village called the center at the hous of John Clapp and if in the village called Sipycan at the hous of John Briggs and if in the village called Sniptuit at the hous of Capt. Edward Winslow & if in the fresh meadow village
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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester
& Weweantit at Isaac Bumpus his mill & if in Matta- poyset village at the house of John Hammond."
It is related of Timothy Ruggles, Jr., afterward the noted Tory leader, that once, for a practical joke, he suc- ceeded in having a law passed that all the men who owned swine should have their noses ringed; a vote that later had to be recast so as to make it apply to the animals rather than the men.
Something of the social and educational condition of Rochester in the early part of the eighteenth century may be learned from a diary begun in 1711, by Joseph Prince, the fifteen-year-old son of Samuel Prince, and continued at intervals for some years. It is a little book of seven- teen leaves, stitched together, and begins with the heading : 1 " Joseph Prince, His Book. Anno Domini. Remarks. Aug. 4, 1711 Aage 15 years at hom."
Then comes the first laconic daily entry :
" da 4 Rany, Right, Read."
But most days were not. "Rany," and the boy records his daily work - " drive plow," "mow," "cut sproughts," "Rak and Cok Hay." "Reed and Ketch fish," and various other employments. It was a busy life that was led by the boys of Rochester in 1711.
But the Prince home was one of education and culture, and each leisure hour or rainy day gave an opportunity always improved, to "Reed, Right and Sifer." Some- thing of the books then accessible may be learned from one entry, "An Accompt of the books that I rede out." It includes a list of thirty books, headed by "the bibel." Some of these are general books of history or information,
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The Eighteenth Century
as "A Discourse Concerning Comets." Others are re- ligious books and include the following titles :
"Time and the End of Time,"-"Contemplations on Mortality," -"Now or Never the time to be saved," - " The Joy of Faith," -"The Foly of Sinning," - "The Sincear Convert," - "The poor Doughting Christian drawn to Christ."
The first movement to provide a school in Rochester occurred in 1704, when a rate of ten pounds was voted to be put into Minister Arnold's hands for the support of a schoolmaster, and the next year the selectmen were em- powered to "engage some able person to teach children and Youth to Reed and Right," at a wage of two shill- ings a week with "dyet washing and lodging." Some other references to a school are made about 1705, but exactly what was done is not made clear, nor whether any teacher was really engaged.
September 5, 1711, "mrs. jane masshell" was engaged as teacher, at a salary of twelve pounds a year and her " dyet," but three men of the town, "joseph Benson, john dexter and ichobod burg," entered a protest that she was "not as the law directs." This uncomplimentary remark does not seem to have referred to Mrs. Masshell's moral character, but to her teaching qualifications, for in other years, schoolmasters were examined and duly approved as being "qualified as the law directs." But "jane mas- shell's" teaching service, if entered on at all, was short, for the following February John Myers was engaged "to sarve in the office of Skollmaster." He held the position for several years, beginning with a salary of twelve pounds and " dyet," which a year later was increased to sixteen pounds, and still later to twenty pounds.
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Mattapoisett and Old Rochester
The school was migratory, lots being cast for the order of the terms, and the town being divided sometimes into four, but usually into five "quarters " for school purposes. The villages named as having terms of school include always Sippican, Mattapoisett, and either "the Center," "the Town," or "Whitehall" (the name of Mr. Prince's residence). During several years while the Prince family lived in Rochester, both "Whitehall" and "the Town or Meetinghouse Quarter" had school terms assigned to them, but a little later, "Whitehall or the Town" is named as having one term of school. In 1711 Pine Island is named as a school quarter, but this is not continued in later years. The earliest schools at Wareham were at "Fresh Meddows," but later "Weweyantit" is the lo- cality given. After 1723 Sniptuit becomes one of the school quarters.
In 1717 Samuel Prince was empowered to provide the town with a grammar school, and in that year it was voted that " William Griffeth be schoolmaster for a quarter of a year, if he will agree on terms." In 1722-3 Timothy Ruggles and Samuel White examined Mr. Josiah Masshell (was this Mrs. jane Masshell's son ?), and "did approve of him as a fitt person Quallified as the Law Directs." For a considerable number of years Benjamin De La Noy (Delano) was the town's schoolmaster. His salary rose as high as thirty pounds and his "dyet," and he was also provided with "the use of a horse."
Hon. Abraham Holmes (born in 1754) wrote near the end of his long life, some "Memoirs," or a chronicle of events within his memory, in which he speaks of the schools of his boyhood as follows:
"An old fashioned school was kept in Town of 12
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The Eighteenth Century
months in a year. Sometimes a year was missed. This kept 3 months in each quarter of the Town, kept by men of very limited education. They generally were tolerable readers and wrote a legible hand - one by the name of Palmer was a fine penman. They were also possessed of the common rules of arithmetic and some of them understood something of surveying and navigation. What was taught in these schools was reading writing and the common rules of arithmetic. Nothing was said about grammar, composition, speaking, geography, or history. The schools were called to spell at night and to say the catechism on Saturday at noon. Very few books were then. Most families had a Bible, Testament a Salter and Spelling book, and a man could carry on his back the libraries of the professional men. Teaching surveying or navigation was not considered as a part of the duty of the schoolmaster, if they taught them they had separate pay. I believe about half a month's wages."
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