USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Westfield > Mundale : the West parish of Westfield, Massachusetts, in the olden days. > Part 3
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But we must hasten along. Just before reaching the next house on our right we come to an old roadway which was more of the Pirates' Lane, leading over to the ford across Little River that we saw a while ago. Where this lane turns to the left over yonder the old road bore to the right, and is now barely discernible through the woods until it comes out on the road leading into the clearing where the beautiful damsel used to live. Over beyond the lane which turns to the left there were two more houses
38
PIRATES' LANE (near the Den).
MUNDALE IN THE LDEN DAYS
many, many years ago. And should we follow east along the bank of Little River we should come upon a square, flat piece of sandstone with a round hole in the center. This held a derrick when sandstone was quarried for use in erecting the present bridge over Munn's Brook. This quarry was owned by Mr. John Hallbourg who had great dreams concerning it which never materialized.
You notice that the old Pirates' Lane passes through the land belonging to the next house, the old Moses Sackett house. Moses' son, Martin Sackett, was grandfather of Mr. Francis Hallbourg. Moses was a farmer. Martin ran the cider brandy distillery which used to be out there northeast of the house, a couple of cider mills just beyond, and a large sawmill well to the northeast on the old Mill or Noble Brook which we crossed back up the road a bit. It is easy to find the place of the old dam which held the waters of the brook, forming a pond where the young peo- ple used to skate. The canal is very plain and also the flume through which the water rushed to turn the twenty- four-foot wheel. And standing on an old red sandstone foundation stone at the edge of the bank, it is easy to imagine the old mill. Martin also made cigars in his house and was for a time selectman in Westfield.
In speaking of Noble Brook it is interesting to recall the fact that one day Mr. Hial Holcomb was watering his horse in the brook behind the Sackett house when the idea came into his head of using shellac as an outer coating for whips. He acted upon the notion and that was the first use of shellac in the whip industry.
In this little house on the left once lived William Hale, terribly crippled from a fall off the high seat of the stage- coach which he used to drive.
39
MUNDALE IN THE LDEN DAY
Here on the right at the top of the hill, stood the home of Jarvis Cowles, father of Mrs. Jennie Cowing. The house was built by his father, Martin, and burned in 1906. Jarvis worked for Leicester Loomis in his whiplash factory.
Off to our left used to be a sandstone quarry run by the sons of Oren Cowles, Eber being one. They got out many flat doorsteps used roundabout, the steps at the old Hoop- pole High School being among them. One of the old stones is by the piazza of what is called the old Collins house in Westfield.
Where you see these chicken coops on our left near this brook once stood a real log house, and here in this small house on our right lived Eber Cowles, and next to him, Oren Cowles, great-grandfather of Mr. Wells Greenwood of 27 Hampden Street. Oren Cowles was a stone mason and he and Thomas Cowles built many foundations for houses in Westfield.
Off there to our left is where the Westfield Marble and Sandstone Company first started quarrying the marble discovered about forty-six years ago by Homer Noble of Western Avenue in a lot on the mountain side, owned by Thomas Cowles who, with Oren and Jarvis Cowles, sold their mountain land to the company.
Just below here on the left once stood the home of Dan- iel Sibley, grandfather of the late Mrs. George W. Loomis. The house burned about seventy-five years ago.
Now I think we'll take advantage of this road here on the left to back around. It used to lead down to a sawmill on the bank of Little River, built and run by Stephen Spel- man, and later by his son Edward, father of Mr. Harry A. Spelman of 49 School Street. They lived in a small house in the mill yard. Horace and Henry Nelson bought
40
MUNDALE IN THE
£ OLDEN DAYS
the mill and after running it for ten or twelve years, sold it to the Westfield Marble and Sandstone Company, who used it for sawing and finishing their stone.
As we hurry back over Shack Street, can you imagine the people living and laboring along this way so many years ago?
Well, here we are again on the main street. We turn to the right and directly on our left is the site of the third schoolhouse built in 1810, later moved to form the main part of the Lysander Searle house back down the road.
On the corner of this and the Honeypot Road, also called Drake Street, is the old house of Roland Loomis, son of Joshua the second.
Across the street is the house occupied by Titus Pom- eroy during the latter part of his life and built with money furnished by Miss Clarissa Noble, great-aunt to Mrs. Rockwood, and a relative of Mr. Pomeroy's wife. She had been living with her brother, James Noble, where the filtration plant is now, and wished to move down where she might be nearer the church, being a very religious woman. It was a business proposition whereby she was to have a home in the west side of the house which became Mr. Pomeroy's at her death.
We turn here to the left into the Honeypot Road.
On this hill at the right once stood the old church which we passed back down the street. It was built in 1829 and was the first Methodist Meeting House built in Westfield. Across its whole front ran a tier of three steps, the top one very wide. Prior to this time the services had been held in the schoolhouse by Roland Loomis'. In those days it was the custom for the people to go to church in the morning, stay for Sunday school, go home for dinner,
4I
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
return in the afternoon at two or two-thirty for another meeting, and then complete the day with a prayer meeting in the evening. Thursday night there was a prayer meet- ing. As the people had to be on the road so much between their homes and the church, anyone who has ever lived in Mundale will know that they would get tired of skating up and down this hill in slippery winter travel. And this was one reason for their moving the building in 1868 to its present location.
On our left we come to the site of the old Ward house just this side of which we enter the Bull District of old Munnsbrook. Next stood a house occupied by Fretus Jones, brother of Seldon.
Next on the same side is the home of Mr. Howard Chase, built by Mr. Dwight Drake when he became a benedict. His daughter, Mrs. H. J. Duffy, now resides at 20 Paper Street.
Then on our right we see the old Samuel Drake home. Mr. Drake, who was the grandfather of Mrs. Lillie Lil- ley, late of Westfield, was a Methodist circuit rider and great exhorter, preaching in Eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. About 1836 he returned to the home of his father, Moses, here, and added the present large house to the old one, using the latter for an enclosed shed. He gave his wife her choice of a front door or blinds. She chose the latter. Mr. Drake became a farmer here. The present owner, Mr. Ryland Champlin, keeps his auto- mobile in that building to the south, which has evidences inside of having been a still older house - quite likely the home of Moses, father of Moses.
Mr. Samuel Drake wore a wig, having a red one and one made of curly brown hair, the former of which he
42
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
wore more often than the latter. After seating himself in church he generally would move his wig about to be sure that all was well. One Thursday evening Mr. Norman Loomis came to prayer meeting in the vestry, and passing up the aisle accidentally caught the precious possession with his flying ulster and sent it sailing toward the desk. Mirth ran rampant among the youth on the back seats as Mr. Drake, "scooching" below the level of the benches, went in pursuit of his treasured adornment.
Next on our right is the old home of David Drake, Senior. Just south of his home he had a cheese factory. He was a big farmer, raising horses and keeping sheep and bees. Here was the honey-pot which gave the road its name, an enormous bowl-shaped hollow several rods behind his house, where Mr. Drake's numerous beehives were kept. The present owners, Mr. and Mrs. George Nesin, have presented to the Western Hampden Historical Soci- ety an old wooden cheese basket and a beehive made from a hollow log, which they found in the attic and which, no doubt, had been the property of David Drake.
Next lived Sam Gillett, a brother of Mrs. Leicester Loomis, where now stands the tobacco barn of Mr. Anthony Bogdan, the present owner of this last house on the right, once the home of David Drake, Junior.
Here is an old cellar hole on the left but who lived there we do not know.
And last on the right once lived a Charles Wright, but all signs of a house are gone.
Now we shall back around again and retrace our way to the main road.
Here we are, so let us turn to the left and where you see this rather new bungalow with all these chicken houses
43
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
in the yard once stood the home of Mr. Joshua Loomis, grandfather of Miss Jean Loomis of New York and West- field. Here also was the home of his father, Joshua, great- great-grandson of Joseph Loomis of Windsor, Connecti- cut, the original member of that family in this country, whose son, Lieutenant Samuel, in 1701 was the first Loomis to receive a grant of land in this district.
As far as we know, the first schoolhouse stood just beyond this place and the second one nearly opposite. There is only the shadow of a doubt about there having been two schoolhouses in those earliest days. The Westfield town records say: "In 1731 the amount of six pounds was allowed for the school over Little River and two pounds for one at Mun's Brook."
Next on our right, where you see this wonderful wood piled in the shed as if by rule and plumb line, and where for many years Mr. Wilbert Loomis has lived, once dwelt Mr. Aaron Nelson who built the house. His son, Mr. Robert R. Nelson, recently died at 15 Green Avenue. Here in the yard, just east of the house, stood Aaron's powder-keg factory, and directly where the barn is now ran this end of Pirates' Lane.
Some lovely day a walk through the woods in back of Mr. Loomis' house would fill you with pleasure, and if you should turn aside to your left and make your way to Mill Brook you would see a very large overhanging rock called Phoebe Rock. Here, they say, once lived an old Indian woman named Phoebe, and at the base of this rock she built her fire; and indeed, Mr. Loomis can remember when it looked black as if discolored by smoke.
Across the road, behind these quince bushes, stood the home of Aaron Nelson, Senior.
44
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
In passing, please notice those two large mulberry trees on our left. They, with one offspring over there in the lot, are the sole survivors of some mulberry trees furnished by a company to Aaron Nelson, Senior, in the days when they were trying to start the silkworm industry in this country.
Do you see those large granite rocks here on the right? Before them I am going to draw rein for a bit, for other- wise we shall get the geographical and chronological orders mixed. Many, many years ago Mr. Horace Nelson's an- cestor, John Nelson, lived in Rupert, Vermont, inside a stockade, as was so often the case in those days, as you know, for protection from Indians. One day when, upon leaving for work, someone left the gate unlocked, the In- dians entered and burned the houses. John Nelson, with five sons, went to Maine, but the sixth son, having fallen in love with a Loomis girl, went whither the lodestone drew him and came to Munn's Brook, married the lady of his heart and built a brush house in front of those rocks. Here bride and groom passed their first Summer, leaving the memory of their honeymoon in purple balm which every Summer since, until quite recently, has spread its banquet of honey for the bees close by the road in front of those rocks. Then across the road here they built their first log house and, after the family outgrew that, a second log house was erected just east, and finally a frame house was built just the other side of the mulberry trees.
Eighteen years or so ago the house burned, which uncov- ered this cellar hole to our left. The house was owned and occupied long ago by Parmenus Barnes, father of Mr. Newton Barnes and Mrs. John Klar, who died in West-
45
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
field a few years back. Between this house and the site of the second log house formerly stood the blacksmith shop run by Parmenus.
Now we shall proceed to a point opposite the private entrance to the West Parish Filtration Plant of the Spring- field Water Works, which started operations January I, 1910. Right here on the left once lived Rufus Herrick, father of John. He also ran a powder-keg factory a little to the east of his house. Being of an ingenious and scien- tific mind he had his machinery rigged to work with horse- power. He invented a rolling-pin and several other useful articles, but someone always got ahead of him in patenting similar things.
Do you remember the old road which Springfield cut off when it bought the farm of Mr. Emory Gibbs in 1923 for the enlargement of the filter beds? This new road on which we are driving was built for Westfield in exchange for the one taken. The Gibbs house, which faced the old road the other side of those blackberry bushes, was built and occupied by Mr. William Everton, becoming also the home of his son, Harvey, father of Mr. L. O. Everton of the Granville Road. Long before that, a very small house near by was occupied by one Mix, a bear hunter.
Next, just beyond the middle entrance to the water works, we come to a white house, now used as a home for the foreman of the filtration plant. It was built by Mr. James Noble, grandfather of Mr. Howard Noble. Behind the house, in that barn, he ran a cheese factory.
Here let me say that much cheese was manufactured in Hooppole, as it was too far from Westfield center to mar- ket the milk there. Milk was furnished by producers in town and many people in those days had their own cows.
46
THE EAGER NOBLE HOUSE.
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
Eager Noble, father of James, built and occupied a lovely little red house which stood just where this last new road on the water works, which was constructed in the Summer of 1931, turns to come out to the main road. Across the front of the house were old-fashioned pink roses flanked by lilacs at each corner. Many of the old lilac bushes still stood to give much pleasure until July thirty- first of that year when a steam shovel dished them up as if they were so much dirt and a truck carried them off to a dump. Many years Mr. James Noble used the old house as a powder-keg factory.
Here on our left, opposite the last entrance to the water works, once started the very old road to Granville. It passed along on the mountain side until it crossed the road now owned by Westfield just east of their new reservoir, and came out on the present road opposite the old home of Mr. Timothy Clark, grandfather of Doctor Frederick T. Clark, late of Westfield. Because it was so steep it never proved satisfactory and has not been used for ninety years at least. This road on which we are driving was built to take its place and has itself long been called "the old road to Granville."
Here, where the old road started, once stood the home of William Everton, a carpenter. It was owned by him before he bought the farm which I mentioned just previ- ously. Mr. Everton used the lumber in the old buildings from here in the construction of some down there.
The house at the top of this long hill which commands this sightly view is the old John Gillett place. You may have heard it spoken of as the Frank Hallbourg place. Frank was a brother of John Hallbourg and father of Lawyer Henry Hallbourg of Westfield. John Gillett was
47
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
uncle of Mr. Wilbert Loomis. Across the road, what is now the center of the barn was his old cider mill, connected always with the western end of the barn, where he kept part of his stock. The hopper of the mill was upstairs, the press in the cellar. There he made cider, sometimes boiling it and sometimes making cider apple sauce, all of which he sold. The Bancroft sweets made the best cider.
We'll hitch our horse in this yard, for about the only way that we can see the old road now is to climb the hill in back of the house until we reach it. Would that we might have the luck to see, as I did when here before, a very large deer running along the old road and turning down the mountain side, leaping a fence with consummate grace, disappearing below, to reappear once more in an opening and then to pass from sight.
This depression here at the head of the field, where you can detect the outline of the walls and still see a few of the foundation stones, is the site of the powder-keg factory of Mr. Roderick Pomeroy, sometimes called "Rod" but generally "Boss Pomeroy." As you see, it was quite a large shop, employing twenty hands at a time.
Come with me through these bars and here we are in the old road. Down that way east once stood the home of Stephen Seymour which was used at one time as an inn. Mr. John Gillett bought the Seymour farm, on which Connecticut held a mortgage, and the Strickland farm farther west, drawing with cattle the timbers of the build- ings for use in erecting his barns and possibly a part of the Gillett house where we left the horse. This mountain used to be called Seymour Mountain.
Let us walk west a little stretch, and now for some barbed wire. Safely under! And behold, the old cellar
48
MR. HORACE G. NELSON, standing on the site of "Boss" Pomeroy's Powder-keg Factory.
MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
walls of Boss Pomeroy's house with the foundation of the chimney still standing in the center! The low, rambling house stood with its feet in Granville but its head and heart in Hooppole. Mr. Pomeroy built it when he mar- ried Sally Seymour, daughter of Stephen. His grand- daughter, Mrs. John Doherty of 16 Madison Street, tells me that it faced this old road, a row of rosebushes across the front with a maple tree at each end. Even when she lived here as a very little girl they either came up through the field as we did, or by an old lane leading from the Gillett house.
There you see where the old bulkhead was, and the kitchen commanded that glorious view toward Westfield, although the foundation wall which you see now on that corner was a later addition. To the north the beautiful mountains! Speaking of the kitchen, and passing from the sublime to the ridiculous- one Sunday Boss Pomeroy and his wife went to church, leaving some of the men who worked in the shop and who boarded with them, to get their own dinner. Flapjacks were to be the pièce de résis- tance. The men got to vying with each other to see which could toss them the highest in turning them over, with the result that when Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy returned they found the ceiling decorated with flapjacks. The old house burned about twenty years ago.
Before we go on, let us just step down to the well where even a part of the old wooden curbing remains. This used to be a very marshy place and peppermint flourished and emitted its sweet perfume to those who crushed it as they came to draw water.
Sometime when huckleberries are ripe we'll come again and, crossing the road, go up on that side hill to see if we
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MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
can find any trace of the old cellar hole of a house occu- pied by a Deacon Bancroft. The cellar hole was all that remained more than seventy years ago.
To save getting under barbed wire again and over a combination of brush and barbed wire, to say nothing of having to part the bushes in our path, let us follow this lane into the old road. We must pass some little distance westward when we come to the old home site of Jonathan Strickland - in Granville to be sure, but so closely asso- ciated with the history of Hooppole and so enchanting in its atmosphere that we ought not to turn back without seeing it. Here again lilac bushes are staunch and true, guarding the old cellar hole which is all the sign that remains of what sheltered human life. It is said that the house was moved by John Gillett to just east of his cider mill, to be used as a barn for his young stock, and has since been joined to the old mill, forming a part of the barn now standing. Across the road is a large rectangular stone wall opening to the southwest, apparently having been a barnyard.
The sun has already passed from sight behind the woods, so we shall turn our backs upon the western glow. We find our faithful horse impatiently pulling on his line. Home ahead and anticipation of his fragrant hay lead him back much faster than he came.
50
SCHOOLS
SCHOOLS
T HE following reports are copied from "Records of West Monzebrook School District 1809-'41," an old school record book purchased for the Westfield Athenaeum at the auction of Mr. Willis H. Gibbs of Mundale, held May 10, 1930, at his house, which was built by Mr. Thomas Loomis and occupied by him after he left the tavern. Mr. Loomis served as clerk at a major- ity of the meetings, which accounts for the book being found where he used to live.
"1809 Westfield November 17. This ma certify that this is the Clarks Book of West monzebrook District To record all votes past at any meting.
Meating being Leagal warned to atend Meating to build a scoulhouse at Joshua Loomis house or ner said house the freholders and all voters In said district November 17 meat and voted William Cartter Ju Clarke of Said meat- ing William Eviton modderrater put and voted To build ascoulhose seventeen feat one way On the ground and twenty one the Other way and Eight and half feat betwen joints and to Be done in a workman like manner put And voted to have three Committe Moses Sacket one John Sheppard the Second and moses Drake the third To build the house above mentionned. Like wise voted that Said Committy Shall give each man an equil Chance to pay thare tax for Said House perportionately as thare tax
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MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAYS
Shall be in Lomber or nesisary artickel. Then voted to have the Said house done By the first of Next Septimber Compleat in a workemanlike manner Then voted to raise one hundred & Sixty Doller to build Said house voted To dismifs the meating
1810 January 16 day Scole meating Being opned at John Loomis house Put and voted to give william Cartter three and Sixpence for this Book to Sarve For the deStrick voted that Eager Noble is vondue marStir Likewise modderrater of Said meating put and voted that the timber for Said Scole houSe Shal be bid of at the least bider. Then put and voted that the Schoulhouse Shod Be put on the place that the Committee Apointed the West Side of the rode from Joshua Loomis house towards Eager Nobles On the Corner of the turnuppen* then Voted to giv Joshua Loomis fore dollers for the place suitable for the house to Stand on and a Spot to put wood which Was to his Satis- faction Voted to dismifs the meatingt.
1810 December 6th Scolmeting opned and held at Jus- tis Loomis house voted Joshua Loomis modderrater Wm Cartter J Clark of Sd meating. Put and voted wm. Evi- ton and Justis Loomis and Wm Cartter J three Commit- tee of SD meting Scoll Committee. put and voted for three month Scooling and voted to Begin the first of Jan- uary. Next the vote above mentioned for three month Scoling is reconsidered. Put and voted for tow month Scoling in 1811 to begin first of January Next put and voted to give Eight Dollers pr month for the marster put and voted that Evry one Shal pay in wod And Bord that
*"turnpike," spelled as it sounded to the clerk.
+The school eventually was not put here but just east of the Roland Loomis house.
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MUNDALE IN THE OLDEN DAY
Scend Cording To the nomber of Scollers that Each one Scend voted and DistSmifs the meting
March 15th 1811 Scolemeting held at Joshua Loomis house put and voted Joshua Loomis Ju moderrater put and voted to have tow month Scoling put and voted to have tow Commitee William Eviton and John Loomis to Sarve put and voted that Each man that Scends Shal bord acording to the Scollers they Scend put and voted the Scole Shal be seat up the first of Next may.
Moses Sacket 2ª June 11, 1810 **
two days & half to frame-
12
6
one day to shingle
5
my horse to go in a waggon in town after shingles Cattle and horse to Granville October 17 Cart
two load of Clay four load of stone
3
O
Cart six load of stone
06
one day to tend mnason
two thirds of a day
one mantle stone-
forty nine feet of boards
03
0
half a bushel of lime
peck of lime
to half a day to work
one pound of white lead-
I
4
half a point of brandy half a day with my team
one girt
to hooks and staples
02
6
to twelve hoald fast
6
18II March 5th Scolmeting Held at the Scole house being Legal warned West monze Brook destreek voted Eager Noble Moderater put and
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