USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Our county and its people : A history of Hampden County, Massachusetts. Volume 3 > Part 29
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Early in the 19th century there was a hat factory carried on by a man named Woolworth. Daniel Granger, well known here for many years, learned the business of hat making of Mr. Woolworth, and at one time carried on the business himself.
There was a carding mill about a mile west of the village on the north bank of the west branch of Westfield river. There was a saw mill owned by Edward Pitcher. and near it a tannery owned and carried on by Eliphalet Williams. These were located about half way between the present woolen mill and the dam. Mr. Woolworth owned and carried on a tannery nearly opposite Mr. Williams' tannery on the north side of the river, Tanning business in this vicinity was profitable in the first half of the 19th century. and there were many tanneries in Chester and other towns in this part of the state. and they consumed great quantity of hemlock bark. until its scareity put an end to the business. William Lindsey became a partner in business with Mr. Woolworth, and after a few years was sole proprietor, and he continued the business until about 1830, Shortly after this time he built a hotel on the Blandford side of the line between that town and Chester. At this time the place was known by the name of Chester Village, although the post-office continued to be called Falley's X Roads, and the mail bags were so marked as late as the 10's and after the name Chester Village applied to both the village and the post-office.
Some time about 1820 William Wade and Daniel Collins established a cotton mill at Chester Village which was in opera- tion as late as 1-36: but it was given up about 1840, and the property sold to Melvin Copeland in 1842. From that date the property was used for other purposes as will appear later on.
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Duty Underwood
A familiar character in Chester history
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Mr. Wade established a store at the intersection of the road to Blandford with the main highway from Chester to Westfield. As late as 1842 this store was carried on by T. S. Wade, who was also the first station agent at Chester Village for the " West- ern railroad". He was succeeded both as station agent and as storekeeper by Edward Jessup, who left Chester Village in 1843. Daniel Fry succeeded him as station agent.
The village blacksmith was Elijah Rice, one of the many unique characters in Chester, the picture of one of whom, Duty Underwood, graces this page.
About 116 miles west of Chester village where the road turns off toward Chester Centre, was a small tavern built by Pearly ('ook, and he was the landlord. In the upper story of this tavern was a Masonic lodge room, which was maintained until the anti- Masonic excitement.
Prior to 1835 the people of this village were obliged to travel several miles to attend church. September 1. 1835. Daniel Col- lins, Leonard Williams. Lewis Collins. Daniel Collins, jr., Horaee Taylor. William Lindsey, William Leonard. Henry E. Bigelow, Pearly Cook, Hugh Kelso, Daniel Lewis, Daniel L. Champlin. Martin Phelps, jr., Abel Babcock, jr., Levi Ellsworth, David P. Tinker, Nathan Ellsworth. Duty Underwood, Jonathan Nye, Asa Wilcox, Ira Lindsey. Daniel Granger. Nathan W. Robins. Renben L. Bromley. Cyrus Culver, Heman Lindsey. John Sisk. Camden II. Babcock, William Culver, Naham Stowell, Andrew Johnson. Gilbert S. Lewis, Gilbert Collins, and E. T. and T. S. Wade, people residing some in Chester village, some in Norwich. some in Blandford, and others in various localities in Chester. subscribed the aggregate sum of $1,050 for the purpose of build- ing a meeting-house : agreeing "That when a sufficient amount of funds shall be subscribed each subscriber shall designate to what society his subscription shall belong: and whatever society shall subscribe the greatest amount, then said house shall be called by that name and be occupied by said society so subserib- ing at any time they may choose; but it shall at all times when not so occupied be open and free to any Christian denomination for the performance of public worship." The meeting-house
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THE TOWN OF CHESTER
was finished late in the autumn of 1836. The conditions that were to determine to which denomination the control of the meeting-house should come, were fulfilled by the Methodists. It does not appear that any regular elergyman was employed, nor does it appear what elergymen preached there, until about 1842 or 1843, when a young Methodist clergyman of the name of Braman officiated as the regular preacher. Rev. Mr. Merrill, also Rev. J. Marcey, in the years 1847-8, preached there. About 1846 Mr. Cook preached Sundays and practiced dentistry during the week.
In 1843 a number of people belonging to the Congregational denomination came to Chester village, and soon there came a demand for a Congregational clergyman. A compromise was effeeted which gave the pulpit of the Congregationalists every alternate Sunday and to the Methodists the other alternate Sun- days. This did not last long. The Methodists insisted upon their absolute control. And in 1848 the Congregationalists or- ganized a society by themselves and built a church. Rev. Perkins K. Clark was the first minister settled over the new church. Mr. Clark left about 1850 and was sueceeded by Rev. Mr. Eggleston, who in a year or two was succeeded by Rev. Townsend Walker.
Physicians .-- Dr. Leonard Williams was, probably, the first physician located at Chester village.
Dr. Martin Phelps, who died in 1838 at the age of 80, spent the last years of his life a short distance west of the village.
Dr. James Holland practiced in Chester village for a short time before settling in Westfield.
Dr. Charles Holland practiced in Chester village from about 1840 to about 1850.
Dr. Crossett was in practice in the village several years until his death.
Dr. Noah S. Bartlett was in practice at the time the village was set off into the town of Norwich.
Lawyers. - The first lawyer known to live in Chester village was Samuel Johnson, as remarkable an individual in many ways as old Dr. Johnson himself. He has been described as a "large,
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good-looking man of over six feet in height and more than two hundred pounds avoirdupois, erect in form and dignified in his carriage, stately and formal in his address, deep-toned and deliberate in his utterances, impressing a beholder with the belief that he possessed all the wisdom that he pretended to have, and perhaps something more." He was as unique in dress as in person.
About 1850 Homer Clark was in practice for a few years. While Mr. Clark was in the village, Daniel Granger opened an offiec and was the village lawyer at the time the name was changed to Huntington.
Manufacturing .- In 1842 Melvin Copeland, who had car- ried on the business of plane making for several years in Hart- ford, where he had become a man of influence not only in business and in polities, but also in church relations, being a deacon in Dr. Hawes' church, and at one time the editor of a newspaper called "The American Protector". eame to Chester Village and purchased the old cotton factory. and transferred his business from Ilartford to Chester. He was induced to this move not only by reason of the excellent water power and building well adapted to his business, but as well beeanse an abundance of excellent beech timber grew in this vicinity, and he was also in- flueneed by his love for country life to which this wonderfully picturesque place strongly appealed. He brought with him ten or twelve of his old workmen. and for several years he did a prosperous business.
In 1843, his brother. Alfred Copeland, came from Colum- bus. Ohio, and established the business of manufacturing bed- steads and also general wood-turning; and for several years he did a prosperous business, employing about a dozen workmen. This business ocenpied the first floor of the old cotton factory.
Soon after the Copelands had became well established in business, two brothers. Warner Hannum and Harvey Hannum, who had been manufacturers of axes for a long time on Norwich Hill. so ealled, moved their business to Chester Village and purchased of Melvin Copeland an interest in the mill privilege and erected an axe factory near by and did a thriving business,
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James G. Allen established a shop for the making and re- pairing of wagons about 1845, and a Mr. Hinkley came from Florence shortly after and started a blacksmith shop in company with Francis Axtell from the same place. After a short time Hinkley sold out to Axtell and went elsewhere.
A year or two afterward, Benjamin F. Whipple came from Florence and started the manufacture of doors, window-sash and window-blinds in the second story of the ax factory.
About this time a paper mill was established in Russell, about one and a half miles from Chester Village, by Burbank and Fales, which was a great help to the store-keepers in the village.
Roland S. Bartlett, a practical basket-maker, in company with Daniel Copeland, a brother of Melvin and Alfred, started a basket factory on the east branch, and continued business until Mr. Copeland's death; after which Mr. Bartlett established a factory in company with L. B. Williams, who subsequently re- moved the business to Northampton.
Then were three common country stores: The old Wade store was carried on by Lyman Dimock and Harvey Hannum, under the style of Dimock and Hannum; the old Falley store came into the possession of Daniel Collins, jun., and Jabin B. Williams, under the style of Collins and Williams, about 1840, and later the business became J. B. Williams and son, and then Williams and Clark ; and about 1845, a store was built on the east side of the river at the end of the bridge, and the firm was Munson Clark, and later Charles Munson.
About 1847, Samuel T. Lyman set up a stove store in con- nection with a tin-shop.
Chester A. Dewey, who came from Hartford, Conn., opened a boot and shoe store.
The village tailors were N. Samuels, who did a paying business; and about 1845, William S. Tinker opened a tailor's shop and continued in the business until after the village was set off to Norwich.
Chester Village was a business center for a large territory, reaching not only into Chester, but into Norwich and Worth-
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ington and Chesterfield and Montgomery and Blandford and Russell, chiefly because of its convenient railroad shipping facilities.
During the time from abont 1843 to the time of the civil war, there were in this village, considering its population. an un- usual number of men of more than ordinary ability, potential fac- tors in the social. religions, and intellectual life of the place, as well as in its business prosperity. It must be remembered that this village was on the border of Blandford and at the southeast corner of Chester and the southwest corner of Norwich : that the voting population was distributed between these three towns; that the school house was in the centre of the village, and the money for the support of schools came from three different towns. This proved more or less embarrassing to the inhabitants, and about 1850 effort was made to establish a new town by taking ter- ritory from these different towns. This was bitterly opposed by the towns of Chester and Norwich. After two or three ineffectual efforts before the legislature, they finally asked that the territory including the village be annexed to Norwich. By an act of the legislature. May 25. 1853, parts of Blandford and Chester were annexed to Norwich, and the name was changed from Norwich to Huntington. March 9, 1855. From the time of this annexation Chester village became a part of the county of Hampshire. and the name Chester village a thing of the past.
Chester Factories .- The village known as Chester Factories, now the village of Chester, is located in the southwesterly part of the town. This part of the town was not much settled until after the revolutionary war. The village received its name from a glass factory incorporated in 1814. The incorporators of the "Chester Glass Company" were Jesse Famam, Harvey Cham- pion, John Dewey, Charles Douglass, Thomas Mather. David King. Lester King, Benjamin Hastings and others. This enter- prise did not survive long after the close of the war with Great Britain. The first mills operated at Chester Factories were saw mills and grist mills. Tanning business was carried on success- fully for many years; the first one is said to have been put in operation in the early part of the 19th century by Spencer Clark,
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A Birdseye View of the Town of Chester
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
who after operating it a few years sold out to Col. Edwards of Northampton, and later it came into the hands of Edmund Hubbard, and it was in the Hubbard family for many years. The Hubbards were sneceeded by Loring and Leach. Loring and Leach were succeeded by Nelson and Rice. George D. Hap- good was associated in the business with Loring and Riee and at last became the owner, carrying on the business under the name of George D. Hapgood & Son until it was finally given up. The plant is now used by the Emery Co. as a part of its works. The tanning business was closed out several years ago
In the early part of the 19th century before the "Western Railroad," so called, was built. Isaae Stevens established a tavern, which later became the property of Col. Henry, who enlarged the building, and about 1840 sold out to Joseph Lazell. who kept the hotel for many years. It is now owned by William II. Day.
The first store established in Chester Factories was started by William Shepard and Hiram Barber, who carried on business under the name of Shepard & Barber. About 1840 David Cannon bought out Barber's interest. and the firm beeame Shepard & Cannon. and subsequently David Cannon became sole owner for a short time, when he took in a partner and the firm beeame Cannon & Ileath: but finally the store passed into the possession of Timothy Keefe, who carried on the business sue- cessfully for many years, and it is now carried on by his son. James Keefe.
The main river, west branch of Westfield river, and the many brooks that flow down the mountains and into it at and in the vieinity of Chester Factories. the most important of which, Walker brook, flows from a southwesterly direction and enters the main river in the village, atford abundant water power. Many saw mills were started in the early part of the 19th century on these streams, even before the railroad was built, and several other kinds of business were started besides the tannery. Tim- othy Fay made pocket-combs of wood. which were in common use in those days : nearly every man and boy carried a pair of pocket-combs. These combs were also made by Edwin Wilcox.
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An Early Winter View in Chester
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who also made bedsteads and had a saw mill as a part of his establishment. and also made cardboards.
A man named Willentt had a turning shop and made bob- bins. Another named Willeutt manufactured padlocks.
Erastus Fay owned and operated a saw mill on Walker brook. Col. Samuel Henry established a grist mill on Walker brook early in the 19th century. He was succeeded in the busi- ness by Henry D. Wilcox, and later the mill was owned and operated by Bradford W. Palmer, and it is now carried on by William Gamwell.
The tannery was located on the same brook, as was also the saw mill and bedstead factory of William Fay. Another bed- stead factory was located on the main river and carried on by Timothy Keefe. The hillsides and the mountains in the vicinity of Chester Factories are heavily wooded with maple, beech, birch and other timber suitable for the industries above named: and the building of the railroad gave new impulse to all kinds of business in this vicinity.
The extension of the railroad that had been opened from Boston to Springfield was called the Western railroad. The grading of this road was put under contract in 1838. The run- ning of cars from Springfield to Chester Factories was begun May 24, 1841, and thence to the summit at Washington the fol- lowing September. The heavy part of the grade to the summit begins at Chester Factories, and it necessitates keeping addi- tional locomotives to help trains up to the summit, and this neces- sitates an engine house and additional help to operate them. Chester Factories was the half-way station between Springfield and Pittsfield. All trains stopped here, and in many respects it is one of the important stations on the road. For many years there was but a single track. For many years a refreshment table was kept at the station, and all trains stopped long enough for passengers to hmch.
About the time the railroad began operation L. M. and A. C. Root built a store near the railroad station and did a successful business. The store is now carried on by George Pease.
At the present time there are about half a dozen stores in Chester Factories, besides a drug store. The village is a business
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centre for parts of Chester, Middlefield, Becket, Blandford and Otis.
In Dr. Edward Hitcheock's report of the geology of Massa- chusetts. published in 1841. he states, on page 194, that "In the western part of Chester, near the bed of serpentine and soapstone already described, not far from the Western Railroad, are sey- eral beds of magnetic oxide of iron." Dr. Herman S. Lucas, who came to Chester Factories and began the practice of his profession in 1844, became interested in mineralogy. It is alto- gether probable that he was familiar with Dr. Hitchcock's report and with the statement above quoted referring to magnetic iron in Chester. Dr. Lucas discovered this vein about 1850, or per- haps earlier, and specimens of it were on exhibition at the rail- road station at Chester Factories. Specimens of it were sent to the iron furnaces at Stockbridge and Lenox, but it failed to work as iron ore. About 1863 Dr. Lucas and his brother, John E. Lucas, in company with Henry D. Wilcox, attempted to work it in a blast furnace, but the experiment was unsuccessful. Soon after this the property passed into the hands of a Boston com- pany represented by John B. Taft, and in which Dr. Lucas was interested. It was while in the hands of this company that this vein of supposed magnetic iron was discovered to be emery. I quote from Prof. Emerson's Geology of Old Hampshire County the following: "The credit of the discovery and its first an- nouncement belongs to D. C. T. Jackson. I remember how Prof. Shepard, when taking my college class through the cabinets in 1865, stopped at the old state geological collection made by President Hiteheoek during his survey of Massachusetts, and took down the specimen of magnetite collected from the Chester bed and pointed out to ns the emery which it contained, to show us how near Dr. Hitchcock had been to numbering this among his many discoveries." This quotation is deemed necessary to cor- rect a general impression prevailing in Chester and vicinity that Dr. Lueas made the discovery that this vein was emery. Dr. Jackson's discovery gave rise to the emery mining, and in 1868 the Hampden Emery company was formed, in which Dr. Lucas, S. A. Bartholomew and Dr. Jackson were interested. A few
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years later this company made a conveyance to the Chester Iron company, afterwards the Chester Emery company, a stock company controlled by James T. Ames of Chicopee. Out of this conveyance and the conduct of the old company touch- ing a vein further west. which it claimed and persisted in work- ing, arose a lawsuit, the result of which was that the vein eame into the hands of the Chester company and was worked by it, extensive buildings being erected and expensive machinery pur- chased, In 1879 thirty-five men were employed and 210 tons of emery were produced, valued at $20,000.
After the death of Mr. Ames the whole property, said to have cost $80,000, was purchased by Dr. Lucas for $12,000. The doctor continued the business in his own name, using Turkish emery, until May 1, 1878. when Nathan Harwood was associated with him, and they continued in business for several years. Imeas and Harwood have both died recently. But the emery works are still a leading industry in Chester.
The working of granite obtained in the town of Beeket and transported to Chester Factories over a spur railroad recently put in, is another important industry.
Another industry is the grinding of quartz for use in the manufacture of porcelain.
Churches in Chester Factories .- The Second Congregational church in Chester is located in Chester Factories, and was or- ganized in November in the year 1844. and the meeting-house was built under arrangement similar to that under which the meeting-house was built at Chester Village. The Congregational pastors have been Rev. Hubbard Beebe, from 1844 to 1846; Rev. Perkins K. Clark, from May, 1846. to May, 1849; Rev. D. Wil- liams, from May, 1849, to May, 1850; Rev. John C. Strong, from May, 1850. to August. 1853; Rev. D. D. Osgood. 1853: Rev. Hugh Gibson. 5 months in 1855: Rev. Z. Whitmore, from 1856 to April, I-63: Rev. Selah Merrill. from May, 1863, to Mareh, 1864; Rev. John Mills, from AApril, 1864, to June, 1864; Rev. Selah Merrill, from June. 1864, to September. 1864; Rev. John Mills, from October, 1864, to June. 1865: Rev. Edward A. Smith, from July. 1865. to May. 1874 : Rev. Cyrus B. Whiteomb, from August,
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1874, to Angust. 1875 : Rev. Charles H. Hanlin, from February, 1876, to 1879; Rev. Samuel W. Clark, from 1879 to April, 1880; Rev. Alvin E. Todd, from October, 1880, to December, 1885; Rev. Preston Barr, 1886 to 1887; Rev. Richard Seoles, from March, 1888. to July, 1893; Rev. Thomas D. Murphy, from November, 1893, to his death in 1901: Rev. William S. Walker, July. 1901.
"In 1800 and 1801, Methodist classes were formed in Chester numbering nearly 100 members, under the labors of Ebenezer Washburn and Billy Hibbard, who preached at the house of Capt. Alexander, about two miles south of Chester Factories. The region was then embraced in 'Old Granville Circuit', and in 1802, other preachers were on the cirenit, but after this the classes gradually deelined, and there was no preach- ing for several years. From 1819 to 1842 Rev. Messrs. Andrew MeCune, Samuel Eighing, John Nixon, Jefferson Haskell, Eras- tus Otis, Leslie, Estin, Mayo. Shepard, Nichols, Hawks, Moulton, Lewis, Cushman, Niles and Shedd were on the circuit. At the latter date the people of Chester Factories were generally Bap- tists. In 1843 Rev. A. A. Farr became the pastor at that village, and the church was transferred to the Troy conference. The same year a union church edifice was built, the same edifice now occupied by the Second Congregational church, and the town joined in the building for the purpose of using the basement for a school house, and it is still used for that purpose. And while the Methodist society was in oeeupation of this building, Rev. Messrs. Kinsman. Atkinson, S. Mattison and A. C. Hand were the preachers. The accommodation becoming too small, the Methodists built a church by themselves, which was finished and dedicated in 1847. the church, in the meantime, having gone back into the New England conference. About the time of the building of the house, the Wesleyans and Baptists ecased to have preaching. The succession of pastors following Mr. Hadd is Rev. J. B. Bigelow, 1845; Rev. A. S. Flagg, 1846; Rev. I. Marcy, 1847 and 1848: Rev. Farris Wilson, 1849; Rev, Mr. Woodbury, 1850; Rev. G. E. Chapman, 1851-52; Rev. E. S. Best, 1853; Rev. C. Wait, 1854-55; Rev. C. W. Merryfield. 1856; Rev. Jolin Cad-
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
well, 1857; Rev. John Noon, 1858; Rev. F. Fisk, 1859-60; Rev. E. D. Winslow, 1861 ; Rev. L. N. Clark, 1862 : Rev. George Hewes, 1863: Rev. William D. Bridge. 1864; Rev. E. J. Moore, 1865-66; Rev. J. F. Bassett, 1867; Rev. J. W. Fenn, 1868; Rev. William Gordon, 1869-70-71 ; Rev. L. A. Bosworth, 1872-73; Rev. E. Bur- lingham, 1874-75: Rev. J. B. Bigelow, 1876-77; Rev. A. R. Nichols, 1878; Rev. F. M. Miller, 1879; Rev. John Galbraith, 1880-81; Rev. F. George, 1882; Rev. William P. Blackmer, 1883-84: Rev. C. H. Walters. 1885-86; Rev. S. A. Bragg, 1887-88; Rev. B. F. Kingsley, 1889-90-91 ; Rev. W. H. Doekham, 1892-93; Rev. Robert Smith, 1894-95: Rev. A. Beal, 1896; Rev. J. A. Beteher, 1897-98-99: Rev. T. J. Judge, 1900-1901.
In February, 1854, at the time of an intense exeitement on the subject of temperance with a ernsade against liquor sellers, the Methodist meeting-house was blown up with powder in revenge for the part taken by leading members of the Methodist church. The building was repaired so as to be reopened on the 6th of the following August. At that time the church member- ship was about fifty.
Burial Places .- The first was at Chester Centre within the S-acre plat laid out "for a meeting-house place, training field and burial place." The first meeting-house was erected in 1767, and the burial ground was established when the first grave was made, and that was the grave of Abigail, wife of John Smith, who died August 12, 1767. This cemetery has been in constant use from that day to this. Within a few years past it has been greatly improved and is in excellent condition. There is one at North Chester. one at Littleville. one between Dayville and Littleville, one near the Bromley place on the road from Norwich Bridge to Chester Centre, one in the Ingalls neighborhood, the Bell family burial lot. the old cemetery at Chester Factories, still in use, and the Pine Hill cemetery recently establislied.
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