USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 13
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Among the leading ship-builders at this point are recalled: (Before the Revolution) Ralph Cross, born in Ipswich 1706. During the Revo- lution the construction of privateers was largely carried on, and in 1777 a sixteen-gun ship, called the "Neptune", was built, but when leaving port capsized and sank in sixteen fathoms of water.
After the Revolution had ended, Elias Jackman established a boat- yard and began to build boats. He followed this for thirty-odd years. In 1798, Orlando B. Merrill built the brig "Pickering", fourteen guns, for the United States.
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CITY OF NEWBURYPORT
Major Cross, under direction of William Hacket, built in seventy-five days, at a cost of $46,170, what was known as the "Merrimack," which had a 350 ton burden capacity. It was loaned to the government and made many trips; during five years it captured a number of French ves- sels, as well as recaptured many English prizes. She was sold for $21,- 000 after five years' service, and her name changed to "Monticello," but was soon thereafter wrecked on Cape Cod.
At the Webster ship-yards at Salisbury, in 1799, was built the "War- ren," eighteen guns, for the United States government. In 1810, the year after the embargo, so disastrous to shipping interests, was repealed, there were built on the Merrimac river, twenty-one ships, thirteen brigs, one schooner and seven small craft, with a combined tonnage of 12,000 tons. In 1813, (during the War of 1812), the United States sloop-of-war "Wasp" was built by Orlando B. Merrill, and about the same date two gun-boats were built by Stephen Coffin, in Newbury.
Among later builders were Joseph Coffin, Elisha Briggs, Stephen Dutton, Jonathan and Thomas Merrill, Joseph Jackman, William Currier, James L. Townsend, George E. Currier, Charles H. Currier, John Cur- rier, John W. S. Colby, Enoch P. Lunt, Stephen Jackman, Jr., George W. Jackman, Jr., Eben Manson, Fillmore & McQuillen, Atkinson & Filmore, Donald McKay, Joseph Pickett, W. B. Coffin and Cyrus Burnham. In all, there were constructed in Newburyport ship-yards, after the close of the Revolution, four hundred and ninety-two vessels of various sizes and tonnage capacities. The "Mary L. Cushing", built in 1883 was the last real ship built in Massachusetts.
In 1851 the class of boats was materially changed at this point, as well as generally throughout the country. There then came a demand for larger vessels, especially on account of the discovery of gold in Cali- fornia, and then the annexation of Newburyport, in April, 1851, of a part of Newbury containing the ship-yards, in which vessels of larger tonnage had previously been built.
During the war of 1812, privateers sailed from Newburyport as fol- lows: First the "Manhattan", followed by the "Yankee", and the "De- catur" and the "Bunker Hill". Before the summer of 1812 had passed, the U. S. sloop-of-war "Wasp", after capturing the "Frolic", was herself taken. Another U. S. sloop bearing the same name was built by Orlando B. Merrill of Newburyport ship-yards in September. The "Argus" and the "Antelope" were constructed and soon put out to sea, helping to thin out the enemy's merchant ships.
In the summer of 1817, President Monroe visited Newburyport and was given a grand reception, at which Ebenezer Mosely was chairman. At Ipswich, the President was received by a number of military officers, and at the lower Green in Newbury, a company of cavalry, under Colonel Jeremiah Coleman, with the county's sheriff and a goodly number of citizens, escorted him into Newburyport. After the "meeting" and re-
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ception, he was escorted to the Wolfe Tavern, where dinner was provided, at which General Swift presided, after which the President proceeded on his journey to New Hampshire.
In 1820 the "Institution for Savings in Newburyport and its Vicin- ity" was incorporated and grew rapidly from its first opening. In 1854 the Newburyport Five Cent Savings Bank was incorporated. (See Bank- ing Chapter). A National Bank (The First) was organized under United States laws in 1864, and was among the first in the country after the national bank act had been enacted.
In 1826 a charter was obtained for the bridge known as the New- buryport Bridge, crossing the Merrimac from the foot of Summer street to the Salisbury shore, and finished in 1827, at a cost of $70,000. The Essex-Merrimac Bridge, connecting what was Newbury with Salisbury, now within the limits of Newburyport, may be mentioned in this connec- tion. It was projected in 1791, and a subscription was at once put in circulation. Two hundred shares were subscribed for. This subscrip- tion was headed as follows, in part: "Newbury Port, May 30, 1791. Whereas, a bridge over Merrimac river from the land of the Hon'ble Jonathan Greenleaf Esquire in Newbery to Deer Island, and from the said Island to Salisbury would be a very extensive utility, by affording a safe Conveyance to Carriages, Teams and Travellers at all seasons of the year, and at all times of tide." Much litigation ensued, and the General Court had its time well occupied with this matter for many months, but finally a charter was granted and the bridge constructed and opened to the public, November 26, 1792. A native of Boxford, Timothy Palmer, of Newburyport, built this bridge in seven months.
Until 1868 the two bridges were toll bridges. June 5th of that year the legislature passed an act directing the county commissioners to throw open these two bridges within the next sixty days from date of notice; at least, that was the result of the legislation, for they were to lay out highways the several bridges over the Merrimac river, known as Andover Bridge, and Lawrence Bridge, in the city of Lawrence; Haver- hill Bridge, between Haverhill and Bradford ; Rock Bridge, between West Newbury and Haverhill; Essex-Merrimac Bridge, between Salisbury and Newburyport; Newburyport Bridge between Salisbury and Newbury- port; and the Essex Bridge, over North river between Beverly and Salem; and to determine what proportion of the amount of damages should be paid by the county of Essex, and by the several cities and towns bene- fited by the laying out. The Newburyport bridge charter having ex- pired, there was no damage awarded, and it was decreed that: "so much of said bridge, being three-fourths of said bridge next adjoining to said Newburyport, shall be maintained, kept in repair and supported, and the expense thereof and of raising the draw in said bridge, shall be paid by the said city of Newburyport; and that the remainder of the said bridge, being the one-fourth part thereof lying next to Salisbury, aforesaid, shall
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CITY OF NEWBURYPORT
be maintained, kept in repair and supported, at the expense thereof shall be paid by the town of Salisbury."
As to damages on the other bridges named, it may be stated that each company or town owner received its proportion of damage money. And from that date on, there have been no toll bridges to hamper the traveling public in Essex county.
Commercially speaking, the darkest days experienced by Newbury- port, were when the navigation laws of 1820, together with other causes, served to discourage capital. From 1810 to 1820, the population had fallen from 7,634 to 6,852, and in 1830 it had fallen still further, then totalling 6,741. The tonnage of the town had been reduced from 35,296 tons in 1810 to 16,577 in 1830. One account of the condition of the town reads thus :
The market, which in earlier days had been filled with country teams, was almost deserted; the East and West Indies and Mediterranean commerce had well- nigh disappeared, and masters of vessels, once active on the sea, were spending their time in the reading rooms and insurance office, hoping against hope, for a revival of the good old times. An intelligent antiquary in a series of articles writ- ten for the Herald of Newburyport says "that everything was old and rusty and dead; nobody thought of painting a building, and there were so many of them empty that rent was nothing, and the purchase price of anything was less than that. If an old fence blew down, there it lay, unless it was picked up to burn, and when a pump-handle broke, no more water came from that well."
But it is as true of municipalities and of men as of the order of nature that the darkest time is just before morning. Capital, as closely attracted by the hope of profit as the needle by the magnet, began to feel that there were other channels than those of navigation open to it. Lowell had been incorporated in 1826, and the cotton manufacture was everywhere attracting the attention of enterprising men. A new wave of enterprise was then sweeping over New England, and this included Newburyport. The Essex Mill was built in 1833 with a capital of $100,- 000; and though it was neither long-lived nor largely profitable, it served, before it was finally burned on the 8th of March, 1856, to lead the way for others to fol- low, with surer steps and a better success. Several years after the erection of the Essex Mills, as the Newburyport antiquary already referred to states: A new man appeared among us, a well formed, noble-looking person, such a man as you do not often meet, full of power, energy and enterprise, who had studied machinery till he was himself one of the most powerful machines; who had been among steam engines till he was a perfect steam engine himself, thinking nothing of what to others seemed mountains of difficulties, and having an influence over the opinions and purses of our staid old capitalists that no other man had possessed for a long time." He was none other than Charles Tillinghast James, of Providence, Rhode Island, then thirty years of age. By his skill and energy, aided by the capital of William Bartlett, then eighty-nine years of age, and others, the Bartlett mills were incorporated in 1837 and put in operation in 1838, under the name of the Wessacum- com Mills. Two years afterwards Mill No. 2 of this corporation was built, and the name changed to Bartlett mills. The capital of the mills was $350,000, and with 448 looms and 22,000 spindles, the product was 75,000 yards of fine sheetings and shirtings per week. These mills, situated on Pleasant street, were burned March 1, 1881, and were not rebuilt.
Another mill was built in 1842 by Mr. James, called the "James
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Steam Mills." The first capital was $150,000; in 1871 a new company was formed, with a $250,000 capital, and the name changed to the Mas- conomet Mills. In 1887 this mill was producing, on 350 looms, and 17,- 216 spindles, brown and bleached sheetings and shirtings to the amount of 48,000 yards per week. What was later known as the Peabody mills had a capital of $300,000-400 looms, 19,000 spindles, and a product of 90,000 yards of print cloths and sheetings per week. Another large cot- ton mill was the "Ocean", built in 1846 and enlarged in 1868. This was changed to the "Whitefield Mills", which had 573 looms, 27,000 spindles and produced 100,000 yards of print cloth and fine sheetings per week. These three mills gave employment to more than a thousand people, rep- resenting 2,500 population. The place grew rapidly and in 1850 it had reached 9,534.
Among other agencies which tended to drive away the commercial stagnation of Newburyport was the construction of a railroad from Bos- ton in the autumn of 1840, after which inland commerce was carried on by rail transportation instead of by water. 'In 1847-Christmas Day- telegraph communication was established between Boston and Newbury- port; Colonel Cushing raised his regiment for the war with Mexico, and Newburyport furnished one full company in the same. In 1850 the New- buryport railroad was connected with the Boston & Maine line.
Many times had Newburyport attempted to gain larger territory, but was always foiled in such attempt, until the very nature of the case de- manded it. It was in 1851 that a city hall was built at a cost of $30,000, and about the same time a portion of Newbury was annexed to Newbury- port by an act of the General Court. June 3, 1851 the citizens adopted the charter for a "city", and held their first municipal election, as shown below. At the town meeting held June 3, 1851, the whole number of votes cast upon the acceptance of the act granting a city charter was 594, of which 484 were in the affirmative.
The original charter of the city of Newburyport was adopted by the inhabitants June 3, 1851. The mayor is elected annually, and the sub- joined is a list from the first to 1920: Caleb Cushing, 1851-52; Henry Johnson, 1852-53; Moses Davenport, 1854, 1855-61; William Cushing, 1856, 1857-58; Albert Currier, 1859-60; George W. Jackman, Jr., 1861- 62-64-65, 1877; Isaac H. Boardman, 1863; William Graves, 1866; Eben F. Stone, 1867; Nathaniel Pierce, 1868-69; Robert Couch, 1870-81; Elbridge G. Kelley, 1871-72; Warren Currier, 1873-74; Benj. F. Atkin- son, 1875-76 ; Jonathan Smith, 1878; John James Currier, 1879-80; Benj. Hale, 1882; William A. Johnson, 1883-84; Thomas C. Simpson, 1885; Charles C. Dane, 1886; Otis Winkley, 1887; William H. Huse, 1888; Albert C. Titcomb, 1888-89; Elisha P. Dodge, 1890-91; Orrin J. Gurney, 1892-93-94, 1895; Andrew R. Curtis, 1896-97; George H. Plumer, 1898; Thomas Huse, 1899-1900; Moses Brown, 1901-02; James F. Carnes, 1903-04; William F. Houston, 1905-06; Albert F. Hunt, 1907; Irving
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
WORLD'S FIRST SAVINGS BANK, SCOTLAND
FOR SAVINGS
INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS, NEWBURYPORT
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CITY OF NEWBURYPORT
Besse, 1908; Albert F. Hunt, 1909; Robert E. Burke, 1910-11, 1912; Hiram H. Landford, 1913-14; Clarence J. Fogg, 1915-16; Walter B. Hop- kinson, 1917-18; David P. Page, 1919.
City Officers in 1919-20: Mayor, Hon. David P. Page; Board of Aldermen-at-Large, Norman Russell, J. Walter Chase, Fred C. Lovejoy, Harold A. Besse, Percy B. Jackson, Samuel Sargent, Walter N. B. Bry- ant; Clerk, Henry W. Little. Common Council-William H. Hamilton, Frank E. Ryan, Herbert W. Simmons, ward 1; William F. Casey, Fran- cis M. McGlew, Harlan E. Randall, ward 2; J. Dwyer Buckley, Maurice E. Conners, Thomas G. McGlew, ward 3; John D. Hurley, Bernard C. McQuade, Arthur W. Southwell, ward 4; Charles H. Lord, Mathew A. Twomey, Wallace L. Whipple, ward 5; Elmer D. Coskery, Clinton S. Mason, William Peebles, ward 6; Clerk, J. Herman Carver; Treasurer and Collector, Charles E. Houghton; City Auditor, William Balch; City Solicitor, Horace I. Bartlett; City Physician, Dr. George D. McGauran; City Marshal, John J. McClean.
City Property in 1920: Real estate, $152,700; schoolhouses, $222,- 500; enginehouses, $36,500; lands, $40,209 ; personal property, $61,273; sewer system, $150,000; water works, $450,000; total $1,113,182.
The United States census returns give the following figures on the population for Newburyport in three decades: 1900, 14,478; 1910, 14,- 949; and in 1920, 15,618.
The following table shows the net debt of the city from 1899 to 1920:
1899
$289,556.47
1910
$541,348.34
1900
286,876.59
1911
507,916.05
1901
317,272.13
1912
518,129.41
1902
321,725.39
1913
464,470.01
1903
369,687.30
1914
471,146.63
1904
646,819.16
1915
426,408.64
1905
671,536.83
1916
360,438.53
1906
630,305.15
1917
295,736.53
1907
596,120.73
1918
253,982.14
1908
586,259.64
1919
250,963.43
1909
589,904.27
The water plant was constructed in 1904, hence the large indebted- ness during that special period.
Newburyport has a first-class postoffice, and had a business of about $58,000 during the last fiscal year. The superintendent of mails is Charles S. Smith. There are now fourteen mail carriers and eleven clerks. Two deliveries of mail are made daily. The postoffice has been in its present quarters since 1882. Ground has been purchased by the government and the city is to have a new postoffice building in the near future. Two mounted carriers deliver mail in the outskirts of the city. The postmasters who have served since 1885 are as follows: Sampson Levy, Willard J. Hall, William C. Cuseck, Fred E. Smith, Frederick L.
Essex-35
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ESSEX COUNTY
Atkinson, W. C. Coffin, James F. Carens, present postmaster, the date of his commission being January 26, 1916. The present location of the office is at the corner of Pleasant and Inn streets.
Newburyport now has churches as follows: Baptist, Congrega- tional (two), First church (organized 1635), Episcopal, Methodist Epis- copal, Presbyterian, two Catholic churches, Unitarian, Advent, Jewish, First Church of Christ (Scientist), Spiritualist, Salvation Army. These are all treated in the chapter on churches.
The regular secret fraternities include the Masons, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows and their ladies' auxiliaries. The list of benevolent fraternal insurance orders here represented may be numbered by almost one word-legion.
At present time the industries represented in the city include the three boat-building firms-William G. Bowen, Mckay Company, and William H. Morse & Company. A large foundry is operated by Albert Russell Sons & Company. Comb factories are operated by W. H. Noyes & Brother and by G. W. Richardson. An extensive bronze-tablet foun- dry is also carried on by Albert Russell Sons & Company.
The Newburyport Building Association was organized in March, 1908, for the purpose of erecting modern factory buildings in Newbury- port. The following officers were elected: President, William G. Fisher; secretary, James E. Mannix ; treasurer, William Ilsley ; trustees, James H. Higgins, William F. Lunt, Michael Cashman, George H. Plumer, and Charles A. Bliss. Shares were sold on the installment plan, monthly assessments of five dollars per share being paid for three years, making a full paid share $180. The first series was started in 1908, and was followed by others, as the work of the association progressed. Regu- lar dividends of four per cent. per annum have been paid for a number of years.
The first factory was erected in 1911, being a five-story brick struc- ture containing 50,000 square feet. The next year factory No. 2 was built. In 1915 a third factory was started and finished early the follow- ing year.
The work of the association has been of substantial assistance to the industrial growth of the city, and has furnished an example of the value of co-operative efforts when wisely directed. The last annual state- ment, published in 1921, showed a capital and surplus of over $100,000, the total assets being $179,000.
Lieutenant Adolphus Washington Greely, who became famous for his Arctic voyage, as well by reason of his experiences in the Civil War, was born in Newburyport, March 27, 1844. He managed the construc- tion of fifteen hundred miles of telegraph line for the United States gov- ernment in Civil War days in Texas. It was he of whom Colonel Hincks told Governor Andrew of this state, that if he "had a regiment like him, he could whip the whole South." He was attached to the United States
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CITY OF NEWBURYPORT
Signal Corps, and undertook the great Arctic expedition for the govern- ment. Upon his return from the perils of the far away Northland, the government ordered that his vessel should first land at his birthplace, Newburyport, which it did, August 14th. He was the guest of the city, and an elaborate programme was featured for the brave soldier and hardy explorer. Many noted men were present and took part in the exercises.
The Public Library was organized in 1854. It is located on State street; was remodeled from an old Colonial house, the "Tracy mansion" of brick, originally built in 1771, to which a brick annex was added in 1882 at a cost of about $22,000, by popular subscription, to which Michael H. Simpson was a donor of $18,500. In 1863, when the library was moved from the old City Hall, the expense of $21,568 had been con- tributed by sixty-four individuals for that purpose. The following is a partial list of those who gave liberally toward this public library: John R. Spring, $20,000; George Peabody, $15,000; William C. Todd (to estab- lish reading room), $15,000; William O. Moseley, $10,000; Elizabeth H. Stickney, $10,000; Josiah Little, $5,000; M. Plant Sawyer, $5,000; Edward S. Mosley, $5,000; Stephen W. Marston, $5,000; Charles W. Moseley, $5,000; Abram E. Cutter, $4,000; Elisha P. Dodge, $2,500; Sarah A. Green, $2,000; there were eight individual donations of one thousand dollars each.
The library is now kept up by municipal appropriations, for adminis- trative purposes, all books, newspapers and periodicals being purchased from incomes of various investments of bequests or donations. The present approximate number of books on stacks is fifty-eight thousand; number of newspapers and periodicals, two hundred and twenty-five. The librarians have been only two-Hiram A. Tenney, 1855 to 1889 (ex- cept 1862, when Horace N. Jackman served) ; John D. Parsons, 1889 to the present date, 1921. The library has upon its walls many fine pic- tures and appropriate tablets in memory of generous donors, etc. This is an appropriate monument to the good sense of the citizens of New- buryport.
What was styled St. Paul's Church, an outgrowth of Queen Anne's Chapel at the Plains, was presided over by a Church of England minister, named John Lambton, who came from England and assumed his duties in November, 1712. In 1715 he returned to England, and was succeeded by Rev. Henry Lucas, who committed suicide August 23, 1720. Next came Rev. Matthias Plant, who continued until his death in April, 1753. These three ministers were sent from England by the Venerable Society for the Propogation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. About 1740, St. Paul's Church was opened on the site of the present building. For a time Rev. Plant officiated at both Queen Anne's and St. Paul's. The second church edifice was built in 1800.
"The First Religious Society" was organized in 1725, and settled
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Rev. John Lowell in 1726. In 1735 it was formally set off by an act of the General Court. The first meeting-house of the society was in Market Square, but in 1801 another edifice was built on Pleasant street. Among the ministers recalled in earlier years are Revs. Cary, Andrews, Thomas B. Fox, Thomas W. Higginson, Charles Bowen, A. B. Muzzey, George L. Stowell and D. W. Morehouse, who was pastor in the eighties. Following him came Rev. Samuel C. Beane, D. D., 1888-1905; Lawrence Hayward, 1905 and still pastor. There are 600 members in this church today, with a Sunday school of 100 members. In 1915 St. Peter's Chapel- of-Ease was built a mile to the south of the city.
Central Congregational Church is the result of a merger of three churches-the Prospect Street, the Whitefield and North Congregational churches, the union being effected in 1909. The original church was organized in 1768 and the total membership today is about 525, with a Sunday school attendance of 268; John H. Balch, Jr., being the present superintendent. The church edifice is valued at $7,500; it is an old build- ing and was left to the church by will.
Since 1885 the pastors of the three churches, now forming the one, were for the North Church, Revs. Charles P. Mills, from 1880 to 1899; Elmer E. Shoemaker, 1900-02; Edward H. Newcomb, 1903-09. For the Whitefield Church-Revs. Henry E. Mott, 1884-88; Samuel A. Harlow, 1888-92; John H. Reid, 1892-98; Frank G. Alger, 1899-1905; Leslie C. Greeley, 1905-09. For the Prospect Street Church-Revs. Palmer S. Hulbert, 1885-89 ; George W. Osgood, 1890-94; Myron Potter, 1895-1903; George P. Merrill, 1905-09. The pastor for the Central Church (merged) in 1909-20 was Rev. Walter H. Nugent; there is no pastor at this date (June, 1921).
Of the three original church societies above mentioned as entering into the church merger, it should be added that the North Congregational Church was organized in 1768 as the Third Religious Society of New- buryport. Its first members were those who left the First church on account of liberality when Rev. Cary was called as pastor. The Whit- field Congregational Church was organized January 1, 1850. The church building of this society was erected in 1852.
Newburyport Baptist Church was organized in 1869, but succeeded to an organization known as the Green Street Baptist Church, organized in 1804. Rev. Joshua Chase was the first preacher, and was followed by Rev. Peak. The Green street society of this denomination really com- menced its activities in 1846, with Rev. Nicholas Medbury, who led one faction of the old church that was formed in 1804. Since Rev. Medbury, theministers have been: Revs. John Richardson, J. R. Lane, J. T. Beck- ley, Eugene E. Thomas, 1886-88; Louis A. Pope, 1889-1800; George H., Miner, 1901-05; Arthur W. Cleaves, 1906-20; Edwin H. Prescott, 1921, and present pastor. The membership of this church in May, 1921 was 270, and the Sunday school attendance 210. Herman S. Stevens is super-
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CITY OF NEWBURYPORT
intendent. There is also a colored Baptist Church in Newburyport, of recent year formation.
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