USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 15
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Peabody, while not always spoken of or thought of as a great manu- facturing center, has with the passing years had many prodigious fac- tory plants for the production of numerous articles. The tannery busi- ness of the good old Quaker Joseph Southwick, commenced in 1739, was carried forward by several generations of the same name. About 1770 Joseph Poor started a tannery near the "lane" (now Central street), and as late as twenty-five years ago the same family was engaged in such
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useful business. Other tanneries were carried on by Dennison Wallis, Fitch Poole and Ward Poole. In 1855 the records show that South Danvers had twenty-seven tanneries, with an annual product of 131,000 hides, valued at $660,000; 121 men were employed. The same date there were twenty-four currying establishments, finishing leather to the value of $805,000, employing 153 men. The manufacture of morocco and lining skins grew up in a quarter of a century, and in 1856 had a product of 80,000 skins, valued at $25,000, employing 117 men, with a capital of $50,000.
The boot and shoe factory trade commenced in 1830, and in twenty- five years time it had grown to the making of 800,000 pairs, valued at half a million dollars, and was employing in 1855 more than one thou- sand men and women.
Chocolate was manufactured here by General Foster, in the early days, at his mill-pond (now Foster street). General Foster was a. genius at constructing mill dams and water-power sufficient to run a vast amount of machinery within the town. His mills were destroyed by fire in 1823. At one time there were no less than thirty potterles in South Parish. During the period of the War of 1812-14, much pottery was sent from this district, as English goods were not available to any good American citizen. Finally this industry was mostly limited to the making of the brown and coarser wares such as bean-pots, flower-pots, and jugs. In 1855 the number of such plants had been reduced to two, and in 1887 only one small concern remained in operation.
The Danvers Bleachery in 1847 commenced operations under Elijah Upton and the Messrs. Walker, in 1855 bleaching or coloring one hun- dred tons of goods, employing sixty men, with a capital of $150,000. Glue was made in South Danvers in immense quantities by the Uptons, commencing as early as 1817. In the fifties there were three large glue plants in operation, making glue valued at $120,000 per year, by the employment of less than twenty-five workmen.
Other industries included cabinet-making, bakery, soap factories, a patent leather factory, a last factory, whose product was placed at. $16,000 a year; a box factory, and a quarry producing hundreds of millstones.
In the fire of the Boston district in 1872, many of the leather dealers in this section lost heavily. But still Peabody was then and is still known as a great leather center. The United States census re- ports for 1880 gave the total number of manufacturing establishments in this place as 53; number of persons employed, 1,195; capital em- ployed, $1,062,000 ; total product value, $4,278,000.
Coming down to the present times, it may be said of Peabody that. it still keeps pace with her sister cities in the production of many pro- ducts which find markets throughout the world. Among these valuable enterprises may be named the Felt Manufactury; the Densten Hair
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Company; the Essex Gelatine Factory; the American Glue Company ; the Ink Factory; leather working machinery, including the John Boyle Company, the Peabody-Woburn Machine Company, the Turner Tan- ning Machine Company, etc. Also the stone-breaking plant by the Essex Trap Rock and Construction Company.
The tanneries are inclusive of these concerns: Thayer Foss Com- pany, H. S. Snyder and M. W. Snyder, Pearse Leather Corporation, Korn Leather Company, Formal Leather Company, Essex Tanning Com- pany, and the Ameikaf Tanning Company. There are boot and shoe manufacturing establishments in Peabody such as the well known plants of the John J. Ryan Shoe Company, the Boston Baby Shoe Factory, etc. The embossing and stamping process is carried on here by the Lewis A. Felt Co. and the Woelfel Embossing and Decorating Company.
The newspaper history, as well as the story of Banks and Banking, are found elsewhere in this work.
Leather has been the chief industry in Peabody for more than half a century. Pioneers of this industry settled here, for the water pos- sessed special qualities for vegetable tanning. The original tanners handled brogan leather, gradually changing to conditions of today. Relics of the old days can be seen in the many vats about the city, which are not needed under present conditions.
Concerns who produced five hundred sides of leather daily in the eighties were large ones. Today six thousand sides each day are produced by one local concern. Sheepskins are the largest item manu- factured in point of numbers. Hides are second, followed by calf- skins. Before the World War, goatskins tanned in India would claim recognition, but today few are found on account of import duties. There are frequent disputes as to the rank of Peabody as a leather center. In the number of pieces finished she now claims to be at the top. In value, according to United States statistics, she ranks fifth, with an output of $25,000,000 annually. Another industry of today is the one represented by two corporations who take the cattle hair of the tanners and convert it into felting and even into cloth. These concerns are rapidly developing ideas to increase the output. There are also cork-sole and fertilization plants, one being the largest in the world.
As a city, Peabody is only four years old, it having been made a city corporation in January, 1917. It was set apart from the town of Danvers in 1855, and became known as Peabody in 1868. It can justly claim superiority to many of her sister cities in public buildings. The City Hall was completed in 1883 and still does excellent service as a city building. An audience hall seating over 1500, a council chamber of ample size, offices, modernized, and an additional building for the board of health, as well as a new court house, all tend to make the whole complete. The Public Library presented to the city
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by George Peabody is a lasting memorial and a benefit to all classes. Combined with the library are an amusement hall, the Sutton Refer- ence Library, and an endowed fund for free lectures each year.
Peabody now has seventy-three miles of paved streets. Its area is seventeen square miles. The streets in the central part of the place were all rebuilt when the town became a city in 1917. The city sewer, which was constructed in 1907, is about twenty-eight miles long. It cares for about one and one-fourth billion gallons of water yearly. Because of the large amount of water used in the bleachery, the leather industry and the glue factories, this sewer is one of the essential parts of the city's machinery, so to speak. Water is a necessity in a city of this type where much manufacturing is going on. Peabody is now pumping 4,500,000 gallons of water daily, as against half that amount fifteen years ago. Spring Pond and Sun- taug Lake are the water sources at present. The city has a permit from the legislature to tap Ipswich river, which will doubtless be accomplished in the near future.
The fire department consists of two steamers, a combination pump- ing engine and chemical, hook and ladder, two motor combination chemical and hose wagons, a horse-drawn chemical and hose-wagon, two horse-drawn hose wagons, a motor chemical and hose wagon (West Peabody) ; two pony chemicals on Bartholomew street and Lake Shore Park respectively, and a chief's automobile. There is a Gamewell fire-alarm system with sixty boxes. There are eighty-five men in this department, including eighteen permanent men. A new motor-driven combination engine and chemical has been purchased and will be delivered soon.
The Electric Light plant was installed in 1892, expressly for illu- minating the streets of the town. A year later a generator was added for furnishing commercial and domestic lighting. At present the muni- cipality is lighted after strictly up-to-date methods, and has a little less than three hundred miles of wires over fifty-six miles of highways.
The election of November 7, 1917, decided the matter of changing to a city government in Peabody. The total "yes" was 1170; "no," 1115; blanks, 607; total vote, 2,892. The 1920 United States Census gave the city 19,552 population. The number of registered male voters in 1919 was 3,159; registered female voters, 505; polls assessed in 1919, 6,606. The net bonded indebtedness in 1920 was $771,661.39.
The city officers in 1920-21 are as follows: Mayor, S. Howard Donnell; president of city council, Richard W. Horrigan; ward coun- cillors-Ward 1, Frank E. McKeen; Ward 2, John A. Jones; Ward 3, George H. Eagan; Ward 4, Dennis P. Hogan; Ward 5, Albert F. Reed; Ward 6, Walter H. Brown. City Clerk, Francis L. Poor. The other officers include these: City auditor, William F. Goggin; city collector, E. A. Hershhenson; city engineer, Frank Emerson; city
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physician, Dr. Elton M. Varney; city solicitor, William H. Fay; city treasurer, Francis L. Poor; superintendent of schools, Albert Robin- son; chief of police, Michael H. Grady; mayor's secretary, Alice T. Chamberlain; matron of almshouse, Bridget Gilroy; superintendent of almshouse, Thomas F. Gilroy; truant officer, Charles E. Teague; foreman of water plant, Jesse F. Barrett; inspector of milk, Edward F. McHugh; health nurse, Ethel C. Boyle; keeper of lock-up, Michael H. Grady; constables: Alfred A. Hall, Arthur P. Reed. The chief of the Fire Department is Jesse F. Barrett; engineers: Thomas F. Hut- chinson, Thomas F. Carbrey, Arthur P. Bodge and John W. Castello. Since 1885 the postmasters at Peabody have been in their order as follows: Winsor M. Ward, Thomas F. Jackman, William F. Wiley, and the present incumbent, Dennis J. Dullea. The office is kept in a leased building centrally located, having occupied the present loca- tion since July 1, 1907. The following are connected with the post- office in their respective capacities: Thomas S. Waters, assistant postmaster; Richard G. Ward, George F. Hammond, Arthur C. Welch, William C. Mahoney, Joseph L. Lawless, regular clerks; John A. Lynch, Michael J. J. Duggan, James H. Murphy, James T. Waters, Edward J. Bierne and Helen M. Sullivan, substitute clerks. The city carriers are Samuel Watts, Herbert L. Brown, Thomas P. Hanley, Edward E. Spence, Walter S. Foss, John F. O'Brien, Charles W. Ferren, James A. O'Brien, Luke B. Callan, Michael B. Sullivan, James A. Cronin, regulars; the sustitute carriers are John P. Wil- liams, Herman C. Jung, Silsbee Emerton, Francis T. McCann, William H. Sweeney, Patrick F. Keilty.
Mr. Fred W. Bushby, for twenty-four years a member of the board of trustees, contributes the following concerning the Peabody Institute and Library :
It is unique in being one of the earliest endowed public libraries in the United States. Up to date it has existed on its endowment, and never received a cent from the town or city for its support. It was founded by that generous benefactor, who, self-educated him- self, realized the benefits to be derived from a good collection of books and expressed his sentiment in that splendid toast: "Education-a debt due from present to future generations." This benefactor was George Peabody, born in South Danvers (as Peabody was then called), of humble origin, destined to become, through his own energy and perseverence, a wealthy man whose benefactions in later years gave help to people of two continents.
Mr. Peabody, wishing to do something for his native town, gave in 1852 the sum of $20,000 to build the Institute. It was left to a committee of citizens to erect the building, and their success is evi- denced by the substantial building known as the Peabody Institute. This contains a good-sized lecture or concert hall on the second floor and a room for the free public library on the first floor. The build- ing was dedicated September 29, 1854, the address being made by Hon. Rufus Choate.
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The library was opened October 18, 1854, with 5000 volumes, about half of which were collected for Mr. Peabody in London and sent by him personally. Mr. Eugene B. Hinckley was the first librarian and the library was opened two afternoons a week.
Other sums of money were afterwards forthcoming, until by 1869 he had given $217,600. Out of this large fund, an addition to the original building was built and the portico and strong room for the custody of Queen Victoria's portrait were added.
This miniature portrait entrusted by Mr. Peabody to the keeping of the trustees of the Institute, was presented by Queen Victoria, in recognition of his princely gift of $2,500,000 to the City of London to better the condition of the poor. In passing, I cannot refrain from saying that at the time of the last report, just before the war, the fund had been so well administered as to be three times its original size, besides having built houses capable of housing a population greater than the city of Peabody.
The Queen would have bestowed a baronetcy on Mr. Peabody had he accepted. But this honor he refused, choosing to remain a plain American citizen, and so she had her portrait painted by the celebrated painter, Peal, set in a beautiful frame, with gold ornaments and presented to Mr. Peabody, with her autograph letter.
Other memorials on exhibition are a gold box containing the freedom of the City of London, a gold box from the Fishmongers' Society of London, a gold medal and memorial from the United States Congress in recognition of the Southern Educational Fund.
In the lecture hall in the center of the stage hangs a full-length portrait of Mr. Peabody, painted by Healey of London, while on either side of the stage hang portraits of Rufus Choate and Edward Everett, both painted by Ames. In the trustees' room are portraits of General Gideon Foster by Osgood, and President William Henry Harrison by Abel Nichols, and Alfred A. Abbott, who was president of the board of trustees from 1859 to 1884. There is also in the Library room a marble bust of George Peabody, by J. S. Jones, and one of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Miss Lander of Salem.
There have been six librarians since it was first opened-Eugene B. Hinckley, 1854-1856; Fitch Poole, 1856-1873; Theodore M. Osborne, 1873-1880; J. Warren Upton, 1880-1898; Lyman P. Osborn, 1898- 1915; John E. Keefe, 1915-
There are at present in the library 49,185 volumes. A course of free lectures is given each season in the Lecture Hall, and this custom has been continuous since 1854. All the well-known lecturers of the country have spoken here. The institution is govered by a board of trustees, twelve in number, two elected each year, who in turn appoint a committee of twelve, who manage the library and attend to giving the courses of lectures.
Eden Dale Sutton Reference Library-In 1866 Mrs. Eliza Sutton fitted up a room in the rear of the Lecture Hall and founded, by en- dowment, a special Reference Library, in memory of her son, Eben Dale Sutton. This room is beautifully finished, with black walnut cases and drawers for books, and luxuriously furnished. Only books of reference and art books are purchased.
The choicest book in the library, which now contains 4,669 vol- umes, is a copy of Audubon's "Birds of North America," the elephant folio edition, in four volumes. No other town or city outside the big
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city libraries like Boston or Springfield can boast of such a large special reference library.
The Washington Street Methodist Episcopal Church of Peabody was organized in 1830, and now has a membership of 355, with a Sunday school attendance of about 400, pupils and teachers. The present superintendent is W. H. Kimball. The congregation is still worshiping in a wooden building, valued at about $4,300.
It will be well to briefly review the early beginnings of this church. In July, 1830, Amos Walton established a prayer meeting and Sunday school at Rockville (then known as Harmony Village), in connection with the South Street Methodist Church in Lynn. In 1832 meetings were held in Sanger's Hall, and at the Armory some- times. The leader was Alfred N. Chamberlain; he rented the hall and managed the affairs largely himself. During the first three years seventeen different ministers served this flock of Methodists. In about three years a class was formed and the Lynn Common took charge of the same. In 1839 Amos Walton began preaching, and in July, 1840, he was appointed to this charge. The class then num- bered twenty-three, and a Sunday school was organized that year. While worshiping in the Armory Hall, a building formerly used as a pottery was purchased, fitted up, and dedicated. Plans were proposed for a new house and part of the material purchased. This was in 1843, at the time the South Society was about building a new house of worship, and the Methodists bought their old church building erected in 1836. They paid $2,500. The building was moved from the square to its present place, near the corner of Washington and Sewall streets; the Lexington Monument had to be removed for the time being in order to get the structure through the street. The following year $700 were expended in placing vestries beneath the church, proper. Hard times came on and the mortgage given by the Methodist church could not be met, and Timothy Walton paid it off, took the property in his own name, and rented it for a reasonable sum to the society. In 1853, during the pastorate of William Gordon, a board of trustees was organized according to law, under the name of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Danvers. At this time the society purchased the church property from Mr. Walton on liberal terms. The following is a list of the various pastors who have served here:
Amos Walton, 1839-40; Daniel Webb, 1841; H. G. Barras, 1842; Amos Binney, 1843; Reuben Ransom, 1844; I. J. P. Colyer, 1845-46; Z. A. Mudge, 1847; Thomas Street, 1848-49; O. S. Howe, 1850; W. C. High, 1851-52; William Gordon, 1853; A. E. Manning, 1855; George Sunderland, 1856-57; H. C. Dunham, 1858; E. S. Best, 1859-60; F. Furber, 1861; M. Dwight, 1862-63; S. B. Knowles, 1867-68; Rev. Leonard, 1869; Albert Gould, 1870-71; F. F. George, 1873-74; Daniel Wait, 1875-6-7; V. M. Simmons, 1878-79; Daniel Steele, 1880-2; C. N.
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Smith, 1883-85; George A. Phinney, 1886-88; Wm. P. Ray, 1889-91 ; Joseph Rand Wood, 1892-94; C. H. Stackpole, 1894-98; Charles H. Blackett, 1898-1900; George H. Chenney, 1900-02; Jerome Wood, 1902-5; Arthur Bonner, 1905-1907; James W. Higgens, 1908-10; John R. Chaffee, 1911-12; R. Pierce, 1913-16; B. W. Rust, 1916-17; I. F. Lusk, 1918-21.
St. Paul's Parish, Episcopal, was organized in 1875, and now has a total membership of 600; the number attached to the Sunday school is 110; the superintendent is Dr. Beal, the Rector. The rectors have served in the following order: Revs. George Walker, 1875-88; Joseph M. Hobbs, 1888-91; Frederick Pember, 1891-92; Abel Millard, 1892-97; Franklin W. Bartlett, D. D., 1898- ; Welles M. Partridge, 1900-06; Edmund J. Cleveland, 1906-08; Allen Green, 1908-18; Rev. Francis L. Beal, Ph.D., D.D., LL.D., Litt.D., 1918, and still serving the parish acceptably.
The first church, a wooden structure, was opened in February, 1876. The present beautiful brick church on Washington street had its corner-stone laid in 1913 and the structure was ready and open for worship in April, 1914. It was consecrated June 30, 1918. A rectory was built in 1910. The value of the church, including organ, altar, etc., is $60,000. The value of the rectory is $8,000. In 1920 a bequest from Grant Walker was made of $5,000, the income of which is to be used for repairs on parish buildings.
St. John's Finnish Evangelical Church, one of the most recent church societies, was formed January 18, 1904, with eight charter members. The present total membership is 299; the parochial school in connection with this church has a scholarship of about sixty. A wooden superstructure, upon a concrete base, was provided in 1915 at a cost of $5,000. The pastors of this young church have been Revs. Gabriel Lipsanen and S. H. Ronka.
The South Congregational Church, organized in 1713, was set up from the original church in Salem. Its charter members were all identified with that church and continued as such while maintaining separate services until their enterprise was established by regular procedure. The present membership is 300, and the number in the Sunday school is about the same. The present (1921) superintendent is George W. Abbott.
The first meeting-house was erected in 1710, and taken down in 1736; the second building was erected in 1836, and in 1843 was sold to the Methodists; the third, built in 1843, was burned before it had been used, in the fire of September 22, 1843; the fourth meeting-house was erected in 1844.
The subjoined is a list of the various pastors in this church: Revs. Benjamin Prescott, 1713-56; Nathan Holt, 1759-92; Samuel Mead, 1794-1803; Samuel Walker, 1805-26; George Cowles, 1827-36; Harrison G. Park, 1837-38; Thomas P. Field, 1840-50; James D.
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Butler, 1851-52; James O. Murray, 1854-61; William N. Barbour, 1861-68; George N. Anthony, 1869-76; Willard G. Sperry, 1878-86; George A. Hall, 1886-1906; Will Arthur Dietrick, 1906-11; Newell C. Maynard, 1912-13; Jason G. Miller, 1914-20; John Reid, present pastor.
The West Congregational Church was organized in 1883 and had for charter members the following persons, possibly a few others: On confession of faith-L. Augustus Cross, Joel L. Southwick, Daniel A. Sheen, Jennie H. Danforth, M. Louise Danforth, Ruth S. Mugford, Rebecca P. Goodale, Matilda M. Felt. By letter-Arthur W. Felt, in Sunday school for thirty years, Lizzie E. Felt, M. A. Southwick, Mary A. Mugford, Henry A. Russell, Eliza A. Russell, Mary E. Kennedy.
The present membership is 67, and a Sunday school scholar- ship of about 129; Deacon Edward E. White is superintendent. In 1885 a frame building was erected at an estimated cost of $3,000. Prior to that, services were held in a hall and in the schoolhouse. The pastors have been as follows: Revs. John W. Colwell, February 1, 1881, when there was no church congregation, to June 5, 1887; Israel Ainsworth, 1887-91; Frederick A. Holden, 1892-95; James A. Anderson, 1895-98; Owen E. Hardy, 1899-1904; Warren L. Noyes, 1905-09; James J. Goodacre, 1909-16; Charles W. Sremway, 1916-17. (Student pastors) Stanley Marple, 1918; Fred D. Gealy, 1918-20; Gordon C. Shedd, 1921.
St. John's Catholic Church in Peabody was formed in 1871, and now has a membership of 7,000. Prior to 1850 there were very few of the Catholic faith in town, and until 1871 the Catholics at South Danvers and Peabody worshiped at St. James Church, on Federal street, Salem. In 1868, Rev. John J. Gray, pastor of St. James Church, started to form a church in Peabody. In May, 1870, a fair was held in Mechanics' Hall, Salem, and as a result over $7,000 was raised toward building a church. That is the commencement of real Catholic work in Peabody. The first services in this structure were held in the basement, Christmas Day, 1871. The church was not completed until 1879. It is indeed a beautiful church. The first cost was about $120,000. This building has fifteen large expensive paintings between the windows, representing the Stations of the Cross. The altars of white marble are elaborate affairs. The original audi- torium seated twelve hundred persons. A parochial school has a present attendance of about 744, instructed by twenty Sisters, of Notre Dame. Seventy girls are in the high school. The school building is of brick, and cost $125,000. The parochial residence is also a fine brick building. The pastors have included: Revs. Michael J. Masterson, Nicholas Murphy and Thomas P. McGewn, the latter, the present pastor, is assisted by three other priests. There are other churches as follows, but no data was furnished concerning their organiza- tion: The Baptist, the Universalist, the First Unitarian.
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ABOVE, TABLET ROCK, GLOUCESTER; BELOW, THE TABLET ON THE ROCK
CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE CITY OF GLOUCESTER.
The present city of Gloucester had a population of 23,000 in 1920; was first settled in 1623; incorporated as a city in 1873; re- vised charter in effect January 1, 1909. It is the largest fishing port in the world today !
In the preparation of this sketch of the ancient town of Gloucester, the writer has made use of two former and ever-credited historical works-the one by the Rev. R. Eddy, published with other towns and cities of Essex county, in 1887, and that compiled by the resi- dent, John J. Babson, published in 1860. Of course in the present work, the two former histories form the base and early history of Gloucester; but to the former interesting and valuable annals has been added every feature necessary to make an up-to-date history of the present thriving city of world-wide fame as a fishing port, and of more recent years a charming ocean resort for summer residents.
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