USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Dover > Narrative history : a history of Dover, Massachusetts, as a precinct, parish, district, and town > Part 18
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The frontispiece shows one of the arched stone bridges jointly owned by Dover and Needham. The
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building of stone bridges cannot be too strongly urged. Iron rusts, wood decays ; but a well-built stone bridge will last for centuries, and is maintained at a minimum of expense. Newell's Bridge was built at a trifling cost to the two towns, and has proved to be very economical, demanding few repairs, and these easily made.
On this subject W. H. Downs says: "There are no structures made by human hands which more perfectly harmonize with natural scenery than rightly designed and properly constructed stone bridges. A stone bridge with rounded arches is almost inevitably the best type of union between utility and beauty. No other sort of bridges can ever take its place." It is to be hoped that the time will speedily come when our three wooden bridges spanning the Charles will give place to stone bridges which shall be conspicuous illustrations of the beauty of simplicity.
Dover came into early possession of a park, which was called "the common."
In 1793 Henry Tisdale and his wife deeded to the district of Dover, for fifteen pounds, nine-tenths of a tract of land containing three acres, on the expressed condition that it was to be held "for the common use and benefit of the inhabitants of Dover forever." This was a commanding and beautiful piece of land before the construction of the railroad, which made a deep cut, dividing it from the grounds of the two religious socie- ties. The common remained in a rough and unsightly condition for many years, and was allowed to grow up to wood and underbrush. It was finally sloped off towards the railroad and partially enclosed with a fence, but remained unkempt for many years.
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The remaining one-tenth of the Tisdale tract was set off in a square at the southeast corner, which was later owned by several individuals. In 1872 the town pur- chased the square and removed the dwellings there- from.
In 1891 the town made a liberal appropriation for beautifying this park. The money was expended under the direction of the selectmen. The grounds were surveyed, carefully graded, and several winding paths made, which add much to the beauty of the grounds. Sidewalks were constructed, and through the observ- ance of Arbor Day the park has been surrounded with a row of shade trees.
The dangerous and unsightly land at the junction of Pleasant Street and Springdale Avenue, which was largely occupied with cellar holes, was taken by the town in 1893 under the right of eminent domain, and converted into a park. The spot was carefully graded, and, although small in area, is capable of being devel- oped into a beautiful little park.
It is to be hoped that the time will come when we shall apply a little touch of art to this park, and utilize the right to draw water from the never-failing springs on Pegan Hill in a drinking-fountain for man and beast, and a playing-fountain, the sight of which shall gladden the heart of man. The people of an older civilization would not have neglected such an opportunity ; for they oftener considered that "a thing of beauty is a joy forever," refining and ennobling the mind. "There seems," says a modern writer, "to be an impression that art is for the favorite few; that it is in no practicable way applicable to the business of a hard-working farmer,
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and is not convertible into such." Let us have a little artistic ardor and make this spot as beautiful and picturesque as possible.
Dover is included in the Metropolitan Park System, which was established with a board of commissioners by the General Court in 1893. Within this metro- politan district lie thirty-seven separate and independent municipalities, comprising twelve cities and twenty-five towns, with a population of a million people and taxed property amounting to one thousand millions of dollars.
Within two years a great work has been accomplished by the commissioners in different parts of the territory in setting apart open spaces, such as the Blue Hill Reservation, five miles in length, the Stony Brook Reservation, and the Middlesex Fells Reservation, together with numerous park - ways. This has been accomplished by an expenditure of two million three hundred thousand dollars, which is met by the issue of bonds running forty years and bearing interest at three and one half per cent. The total sum to be collected from the district annually is one hundred and eleven thousand two hundred and fifty-three dollars and ninety- nine cents, through a quinquennial apportionment, which at present requires Boston to pay fifty per cent. of the annual requirement, or fifty-five thousand six hun- dred and twenty-seven dollars, while Dover pays four one-thousandths of one per cent., or forty-eight dollars and ninety-two cents. The expenses of this park system may be at any time increased, as the law pro- vides for the annual collection from the co-operating cities and towns the cost of maintaining the several reservations,- the sum to be assessed in accordance with quinquennial apportionment.
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In the early time every able-bodied male citizen between the ages of sixteen and sixty years was obliged to belong to the militia ; and four times a year they were called out in military movements, the use of arms, shooting at marks, and other military exercises. Sometimes the militia went out of town, frequently to Walpole; and on such occasions they were paid for their day's service. The balls and cartridges were home-made, and residents were frequently paid for manufacturing them. In 1814 the district paid " Ralph Battle one dollar for making cartridges and finding paper for the same." Then training-days were holidays to the old men, women, and children. In the evolution of outdoor games we may turn to the "general training- day," when the rustic life of the young people was first enlivened by athletic sports.
The ammunition used by the militia company was stored in the powder-house. This building stood until 1852, when it was sold at public auction to Calvin Richards for five dollars and fifty cents. The militia company often met for training on the common in front of the Williams Tavern, and at such times the center of the town presented a very animated scene.
Several surveys were made for railroads through Dover as early as 1830. One of the first was a survey from Woonsocket, R.I., to meet the branch road which had already been built from Dedham to Boston. This survey went far south of the center of the town. The most feasible route was called the " Air Line," which was proposed to run from Boston to New York.
As the survey passed through the center of the town, the residents became much interested in the project,
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and contributed largely of their time and means to gain railroad facilities. As the proposed road was to be a through line, it received much opposition from the existing railroad companies.
To aid in getting a charter for this road, the town in 1837 elected the Rev. Dr. Sanger as a representative to the General Court. There was a strenuous effort made in Norfolk County about this time to gain railroad facilities, and many different petitions were presented to the General Court. Those on the west side of the county worked for what was called the " Pettee " route, from Brookline to Woonsocket, while others petitioned for the " Norfolk County " route, from Dedham through Walpole and Franklin to Blackstone. The latter route received the endorsement of the legislature.
Otis Pettee, of Newton, Edgar K. Whitaker, of Need- ham, and Elijah Perry, of Dover, were granted a charter in 1849 for the construction of the Charles River Branch Railroad "from some convenient point on the Boston & Worcester Railroad, near Angers Corner in Newton, or from a point on the Brookline branch through New- ton, East Needham, to a convenient point in Dover." The granting of this charter was hailed by the residents of Dover with great delight. A celebration was held on Miller's Hill, which came to a sad ending, as George Bliss was instantly killed by the bursting of a cannon which he was firing. The Charles River Branch Rail- road was first open as far as Newton Upper Falls and later to Needham. It was operated by the Boston & Worcester Company, and connected with the Brookline Branch Railroad.
In 1851 Luther Metcalf, of Medway, Jonathan Bishop,
RAILROAD STATION
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CIVIL HISTORY
of Medfield, and Noah J. Arnold, of Bellingham, were granted a charter for the Charles River Railroad to be built "from a convenient point at or near the terminal of the Charles River Branch Railroad in Dover, passing through Medfield, Medway, and North Franklin to a convenient point in the town of Bellingham."
The town voted, August 4, 1853, to give the Charles River Branch Railroad and the Charles River Railroad Companies permission to take earth from the common land belonging to the town, under the direction of the selectmen and Capt. Timothy Allen and James Chicker- ing. Isaac Howe gave the land for the station, and residents took twenty thousand dollars worth of the corporation's stock. After many extensions of time and much difficulty the road in August, 1861, was opened as far as Medfield, and later extended to Woonsocket. The town decided to co-operate with individuals and the railroad company in grading for a station. In 1862 it was voted to lower Meeting-house Hill and to assist in grading for a station, " provided eighty dollars is raised by private subscription and one hundred and seventy dollars is expended by the railroad company." The ap- proaches to the station and the grounds should be still further enlarged and graded.
The New York & Boston Railroad was incorporated by the legislature of Connecticut in 1846, "to build a railroad from New Haven to Middletown and then easterly to the east line of the State towards the city of Boston." In 1854 the Woonsocket Union Railroad was united with the New York & Boston Railroad. In 1855 the General Court united the Charles River Branch Railroad and the Charles River Railroad with
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the New York & Boston Railroad, under the latter name. Ten years later this road, by vote of the stock- holders, was merged with the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad, the old Norfolk County. Much was ex- pected from this union, but it utterly failed to produce any benefits ; and the railroad for which so great sacri- fices had been made became a branch of the main line, from which the business as far as possible was diverted. After the failure of the Boston, Hartford & Erie Rail- road it was reorganized as the New York & New England ; and this branch became a part of the Central Division of that system.
In the reorganization of the road in 1895 it was called the "New England Railroad " ; and a few months later a controlling interest was purchased by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. It is now under the management of that great system.
At first there were only a morning and an evening train ; but through the years the service has been in- creased to six daily trains in either direction, with two trains on Sunday.
CHAPTER XX.
SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS.
TEMPERANCE REFORM- DRINKING CUSTOM AT FUNERALS AND ORDINATIONS - CIDER-MILLS - NORFOLK COUNTY TEMPERANCE UNION - BAND OF HOPE - SONS OF TEM- PERANCE - SCHOOLHOUSE MEETINGS - DOVER TEM- PERANCE UNION - ORGANIZATION OF THE GRANGE - NEEDHAM FARMERS' AND MECHANICS' ASSOCIATION - DEBATING SOCIETY - HISTORICAL SOCIETY - CENTEN- NIAL CELEBRATION.
I break your bonds and masterships, And I unchain the slave : Free be his heart and hand henceforth As wind and wandering wave.
- EMERSON.
The early settlers were constantly on the road with their ox-teams. The round trip to Boston occupied two days. Leaving home in the forenoon, they reached Boston the same evening, where they "put up" at a tavern over night. The teamster found a sleeping- room in the large hall of the tavern, with beds arranged on either side, where sometimes fifty tired men turned in for the night. That was in the day of vigorous health and strong nerves, and the loud snoring did not seriously disturb or keep awake the weary men. By four o'clock in the morning, even in the coldest winter weather, they turned out and fed their teams. They usually breakfasted on a cold lunch, although facilities were offered for cooking a steak. After dis-
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posing of their wood, charcoal, or ship-timber, and having made such purchases for the households as their frugal habits demanded, they faced homeward, where they usually arrived in the early hours of the evening.
The food for the round trip was put up at home, and consisted of Indian bread, meat, and rye gingerbread, which in the making was often mixed with cider. As so much of their food was eaten cold on the road, it is not surprising that large quantities of New England rum were consumed. In almost every cellar there was a set of casks, holding two, four, and eight quarts, which were frequently replenished with rum. In the fall many barrels of cider were rolled into the cellar. The cider was usually made from russet apples, which were grown in large quantities in the vicinity. In winter much of the cider was frozen in the cask, and that which remained unfrozen was of a superior flavor, strength, and color. Every grocery store retailed "new rum," as it was called; and stores of this class were more numerous than at present.
It was customary to furnish liquor on all occasions,- ordinations, dedication of meeting-houses, funerals, and even when the minister made social calls. The parish- meetings were frequently adjourned for a half hour to "Newell's Inn," and in 1819 John Williams was paid one dollar and fifteen cents "for drinks furnished the men while repairing the meeting-house." As late as 1823 the town paid for two quarts of brandy and two quarts of West India rum furnished at the funeral of a pauper. These were the conditions amid which the people lived and reared their families.
OLD APPLE-TREES SAID TO HAVE BEEN GROWN FROM SEED BROUGHT_FROM ENGLAND
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Apple orchards flourished from the first settlement of the town. Some of the trees standing to-day show the mammoth growth which in the early time the apple- tree attained. Apples were grown not alone for fruit, but more especially for cider purposes.
Cider-presses sprang up in different parts of the town; and the old horse going round at the end of a beam, which turned the cogged wheels connected with the hopper where the apples were ground, is still re- called. The apple cheese, bound in straw, was placed on the press under great wooden screws, which made the cider flow.
This supply of cider, however harmless before fer- mentation, soon became hard and sour and capable of producing intoxication. The reform in the habit of drinking hard cider has gone on until it is now a rare thing for a farmer to put cider into his cellar for drink- ing purposes. This fact shows the progress of the tem- perance reform, as the people have almost wholly given up their native drink, which in intoxication made them cross and quarrelsome.
It was the custom for employers to furnish liquors to their employees. Hiram Jones, after listening to a lecture by John B. Gough, resolved to break the cus- tom. He was raising the barn now owned by Irving Colburn. All went well until the ridge-pole was wanted, when it was discovered that it had disappeared. Mr. Jones was informed after much search that it would be forthcoming if the men were supplied with their usual quantity of grog. Mr. Jones stood firm, and on that day and occasion settled forever the liquor question with his men.
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When the temperance reform began in 1840 many were already total abstainers. By this time the preach- ing of the clergy was wholly on the side of temperance. Frequent lectures and public meetings were held, and in time the town became a part of a district organiza- tion known as the Norfolk County Temperance Union. Later the work took shape in local temperance organiza- tions.
A Band of Hope was organized in 1859 by the Rev. Edward Barker, which held frequent meetings and en- listed the interest of the young in the temperance work. The Band held public meetings and entertain- ments, which were largely attended and created much enthusiasm for the cause. The membership was made up largely of children. Meetings were held in the Cen- ter schoolhouse, and the work was juvenile in character. The youths of the town found a popular organization in the " Sons of Temperance," which had for its purpose "the shielding of one another from the evils of intem- perance, offering assistance in case of sickness, and elevating the character of its members." This organi- zation furnished not only social intercourse, but at- tempted to study the temperance question. Much orig- inal work was done in preparing papers and essays on the subject. In 1869 a lodge of "Good Templars" was organized, which included both old and young. Regular meetings were held in the Baptist chapel, and for a time the organization created much enthusiasm ; but after a few years their charter was surrendered.
Schoolhouse meetings were begun about 1870, in which the school children were largely represented. The Dover Temperance Union was organized October
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4, 1872, through the labors of the Rev. Thomas S. Norton. The object of the association, as defined, "is to promote the cause of temperance not only by pledg- ing ourselves to total abstinence, but by our individual and united efforts, by discussion, lectures, and in all suitable ways, to educate the people in the principles of temperance, to reclaim the intemperate and prevent the young from forming habits of dissipation." The follow- ing simple pledge was adopted: "I hereby solemnly pledge myself to abstain from the use of all intoxicat- ing liquors as a beverage." Since its organization three hundred and thirty-eight persons have taken this pledge. It is still an active organization, and is made up largely of the church attendants. Meetings are held monthly in the town hall, with an appropriate pro- gramme, including a public discussion of the subject of temperance. All political parties, as well as churches, are represented in its membership.
The Dover Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, No. 117, was organized March 13, 1884, with thirty-seven charter members. It has always flourished, and has at present a numerous membership. Residents of several adjoin- ing towns have become members of this organization, which holds, except in summer, semi-monthly meetings. The work of the grange here is largely social and in- tellectual. It has developed much dramatic ability among its members, and the entertainments of the grange are numerously attended by the residents of this and surrounding towns. The Dover Grange has from the start interested itself in all questions of town improvements. In 1889 it observed Arbor Day, being the first organization in town to take up tree-planting.
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It has frequent meetings with other granges in Norfolk and Middlesex Counties, and in 1891 united with others in organizing a Pomona Grange.
The Needham Farmers' and Mechanics' Association, which was organized some years ago to promote the interests of both farmers and mechanics by the discus- , sion of subjects pertaining to their welfare, has always had a large membership in this town. Meetings are usually held at the residence of the members, and both men and women have a share in the literary work.
A debating society was formed in 1853; and, as the North schoolhouse was near the center of population, the young men gained permission to use this school- house for debating purposes. The debating society as an institution did much for the young men of a past generation in cultivating patriotism and awakening a love of country.
The Dover Historical and Natural History Society was organized in the spring of 1895 for the purpose of collecting and preserving " such relics and antiquities, such facts and documents, as will throw light upon our local history, either by gift or loan, and also to promote a knowledge of natural history, by the formation of a museum, and in any way advance the aims of the society by such means as are at our command."
All members are elected by ballot; and, in accord- ance with the constitution, "the laws and customs of our forefathers are observed by taking the question with Indian corn and beans, the corn expressing yeas, and the beans nays."
A small appropriation was made by the town to advance the interests of the society ; and a fine cabinet
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has been purchased for the preservation of relics, which by courtesy of the trustees has been placed in the town library.
Small relics of interest and value are being constantly added to the collection. The meetings of the society are held quarterly, beginning with the first Saturday in January. Each man pays the sum of fifty cents, and each woman twenty-five cents in annual dues.
The one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of American Independence was fittingly observed by the town, which has not forgotten that on the very day of the nation's birth Capt. John Jones, a native of the Springfield Parish, gave his life to the republic at Crown Point, N. Y. Many residents, as late as 1876, traced their lineage to ancestors who were living here in the first years of the nation's life.
An interesting program was carried out by a com- mittee appointed at a public meeting. A flag was raised in the morning with appropriate exercises on the common. A procession was formed, with a large representation of " Horribles." Public exercises were held in the First Parish Church, including an historical address by Frank Smith. The interest in historical matters awakened by the preparation of the address led to extended research on the part of the author, which culminated in the writing of this work. The celebration closed with a fine display of fireworks in the evening.
CHAPTER XXI.
MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRIES.
MILLS - WHIP FACTORY -STRAW BUSINESS - BRUSH FAC- TORY - SHOE BUSINESS - PLOUGHS - HOOPS - PAPER - CIGARS-CHARCOAL-BLACKSMITHS- WHEELWRIGHT- MILK BUSINESS - STORES - INVENTIONS - AUTHORSHIP - AGRICULTURE.
Haply from them the toiler, bent Above his forge or plough, may gain A manlier spirit of content, And feel that life is wisest spent When the strong working hand makes strong the working brain. - WHITTIER.
The industries of the town carry us back to the very beginning of the nation, when the inhabitants added to the cultivation of the soil the cutting of timber. Ship- building was the first industry established in colonial days, and was the beginning in the industrial evolution of the United States. With the few attempts at other industries enumerated in this chapter, the inhabitants have been content to utilize the natural resources of the soil. The farmers were all engaged in textile in- dustries to the extent of spinning and weaving their own woollen and linen clothes.
When in 1638 Abraham Shawe commenced to build a grist-mill on Charles River, it is believed that the loca- tion of this mill was within the present limits of Dover. Mr. Shawe died within a short time, and the enterprise was not carried out. The first mill in Dover was lo-
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MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRIES
cated on Charles River, which at first took the name of "Dover Mills," but later was called Charles River Village. Saw- and grist-mills were located here previous to the year 1800. A slitting-mill was built in 1795 on the Dover side of Charles River ; and the water-privilege later developed led to the establishment of a flourishing nail factory and iron-rolling business, which was owned by Josiah Newell. In 1837 the nail factory employed fourteen hands, and manufactured three hundred tons of nails annually, valued at thirty-six thousand dollars. The rolling-mill turned out five hundred tons of hoops, rods, etc., valued at fifty-five thousand dollars. The Dover Union Iron Company, consisting of the following members, was organized in 1815 : Nathaniel Chickering, Frederick Barden, John Williams, George Fisher, Silas Bacon, Jr., and Horace Bacon, of Dover ; Joseph Clark, Jr., Daniel Adams, Daniel Chickering, of Medfield ; James Carton, John H. Rice, Samuel Fisher, Jr., Timothy Allen, of Boston ; Benjamin Knight, of Newton.
The company built the " New Mill " at the falls near Powisset for the rolling and slitting of Norway iron. The mill was constructed on the plan of having one over-shot bucket-wheel, thirty-six feet in diameter, which increased the speed of the rollers fourfold, and consumed less water than the under-shot wheels previ- ously used. The supply of water, however, proved inadequate ; and after a few years the company became insolvent, and the mill went to ruin.
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