USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Reminiscences of Worcester from the earliest period, historical and genealogical with notices of early settlers and prominent citizens, and descriptions of old landmarks and ancient dwellings, accompanied by a map and numerous illustrations > Part 24
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through New Worcester, Clappville, (now Rochdale,) and Staf- ford Springs, Ct., over the old Stafford turnpike, to New York. Before parting with the distinguished guest in his charge, Gen. Heard received personally from Lafayette his cordial thanks for the many courtesies extended to him by the escort.
Another survivor of this old sixth division of the Massachu- setts militia, who had the honor of participating in the escort to Lafayette on that occasion, is Hon. Ebenezer Torry of Fitch- burg, who was aide de camp to Maj. Gen. Jewett, commander of the division.
LAFAYETTE'S SECOND VISIT TO WORCESTER IN 1825.
Lafayette's second visit to Worcester was made June 15, 1825, when he passed through here from Albany on his way to Boston, to assist in laying the corner stone of the Bunker Hill monument, traveling day and night from the west, by rapid stage coaches, with frequent change of horses, in order to be on hand in season to participate in those august ceremonies. He rode from Rice's Hotel in Brookfield, in a coach driven by a veteran knight of the whip, Samuel D. Phelps, recently de- ceased, who was a stage driver over fifty years ago for Maj. Simeon Burt, the successor of Col. Reuben Sikes as proprietor of the stage lines, then passing through Worcester. Lafayette was accompanied by his son, George Washington Lafayette, and his private secretary, Levasseur. They arrived in Wor- cester about two o'clock in the morning of June 15. La- fayette and suite took a brief repose and breakfasted at the old Exchange Hotel, then called the "Exchange Coffee House," and proceeded early in the forenoon to Boston, where they arrived before night, stopping at the residence of U. S. Senator, James Lloyd. The next day began a series of grand demonstrations in honor of Lafayette, in Boston, including the celebration of June 17, when the stone corner of Bunker Hill monument was laid, amid ceremonies of the most imposing character, in presence of the nation's distinguished guest. La- fayette left the following week for New York, by way of New Hampshire and Vermont, reaching Concord, N. H., June 24, and Albany, July 1.
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WORCESTER AND ITS ANCIENT DWELLINGS.
CHAPTER XVI.
ORIGINAL BOUNDARIES.
The original shape of the township of Worcester, as first laid out, and according to the re-survey taken at the beginning of the second attempt at settlement in 1684, was that of a paral- lelogram, with the two longest sides, running N. 12º W. 3760 rods, or about 11 3-4 miles, and the two ends each 1920 rods, or about six miles, running E. 82 º N., forming an obtuse angle at the north-west and south-east corners of 110 º, and an acute angle at the other two corners of 70°. This constituted an amount of territory a trifle over eight miles square, or six- ty-four square miles, equal to 42,000 acres. Of this tract, a strip a little over five miles in width was cut off from the north- ern end in 1740 to constitute Holden, and 2250 acres were ta- ken out of the south-west corner in 1778, (as indicated on the accompanying map,) to constitute the north-east section of the town of Ward, (now Auburn,) then incorporated. By a leg- lative act of June 14, 1785, the gore of land, (called Oxford gore,) then lying between the towns of Worcester and Sutton, was added to Worcester ; this extended the southern boundary of Worcester toward what is now Millbury (incorporated in 1818) about ten degrees from a point on the western boundary of Auburn, to a point in what was then Grafton gore, south of Lake Quinsigamond. By another legislative act of March 22, 1838, " that tract of incorporated land, called Grafton gore, bounded west by Worcester, south by Millbury, east by Grafton and north by Shrewsbury," was " annexed to and made part of the town of Worcester." This extended the territory of Worces- ter to the limit it now presents in that direction, on the map
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WORCESTER IN 1750.
The central village of Worcester, according to the best de- scription which can be given of it in 1750, must have then presented a very scattered appearance, the houses being " few and far between." One gentleman of remarkably tenacious memory, who died at a great age in 1834, and whose recollec- tion went back to this early period, used to say he could re- member when there was but one house on Front street, (the Palmer Goulding house, just east of the Common, see page 49 ;) and but seven on Main street between the jail bridge, then so called, at Lincoln Square, and the (Old South) meeting-house, and none on Summer street or any of the streets running be- tween Main and Summer, none of those streets being laid out till long afterwards. Of those seven houses on Main street, one was the Judge Chandler house, located on the site of Clark's Block, on the south corner of Main and Mechanic streets, (al- luded to on pages 20 and 21) ; another was the .Daniel Hey- wood tavern, (where the Bay State House now stands, (see page 26 ;) the next building north of the latter on the east side of Main street was the Col. Timothy Bigelow house, (see page 46.) On the west side of Main street, the next building south of the old Court House was the Judge Wm. Jennison (afterwards Dr. Oliver Fiske) dwelling, (see page 57) ; the next house south was one standing near the site of the present Calvinist Church, (probably the Nathan Baldwin house, afterwards the Wm. Eaton house, alluded to on page 41) ; the next was Thomas Stearns' tavern, afterwards known as the " King's Arms," (see page 57) ; the next was a dwelling standing near where Pearl street now is. In addition to the above, on the south corner of Main and Pleasant streets stood the parsonage house of Rev. Isaac Burr, then owned by Dr. Samuel Breck ; south of the latter was the Daniel Ward house sold in 1750 to Sheriff Gardner Chandler, (see page 21,) just south of which the latter erected his elegant mansion, the last owner and occupant of which previous to its demolition and the sale of the estate to R. C. Taylor in 1870, was the late Hon. Ira M. Barton. The old one story " Compound" build- ing, used by the Chandlers for a store and office, stood on the corner of Main and Front street.
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
PONDS, STREAMS, &C.
Blackstone river, forty miles long, from Worcester to Prov- idence, upon whose banks probably more manufacturing is done than upon any other stream of equal size in the country, has several sources or head waters of supply in Worcester and vicinity, the largest of which are Kettle Brook, Tatnuck and Beaver Brooks, Mill Brook, and Ramshorn Brook from Millbury. The largest of these, Kettle Brook, originates in Paxton, and passing through the casterly part of Leicester and the south- west part of Worcester, into Auburn, it there joins the waters from Ramshorn Pond in Millbury, the united stream, called by the Indians Pakachoag Brook, (or Boggachoag Brook,) flow- ing north through Stoneville and Trowbridgeville to New Wor- cester. Here it receives the waters of Tatnuck Brook and of Beaver Brook, both coming from Holden, and after their junc- tion, the united waters, called on the ancient records Half- Way River, (from its being considered, on the old route of trav- el, as located half way between Boston and the Connecticut river,) flow easterly a little over a mile across Raccoon Plain to South Worcester, where junction is made with the stream coming from the north called on the old records usually Mill Brook, and sometimes, though rarely, Bimelech. This latter stream, (which is but a continuation of Weasel Brook, in two branches, from West Boylston,) uniting with the waters from North Pond, near Northville, flows south through the heart of the city, receiving the waters of Paine Brook just above Lincoln Square, and of Hermitage or Bear Brook just after the latter crosses Summer street between School and Thomas streets .* Another tributary of Mill Brook is Pine Meadow Brook, from the east side of Bell Pond on Chandler Hill, which flows across Pine Meadow (now East Worcester,) crossing Grafton street near the Providence and Water streets, and entering what used to be called Flagg (afterwards Fox) mill pond, now merged in the general sewer.
A stream called North Pond Brook, enters the north-west corner of the pond, from Holden, in two branches.
* The beds of these and several other streams are now incorporated with the sewers in the central sections of the city.
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
A small tributary of Kettle Brook is Parsons' Brook, having its rise just east of Lynde Brook reservoir in Leicester, and flowing south to Jamesville.
A little stream called Lincoln Brook, having its rise near the Common, or Elm Park, enters Beaver Brook between Chandler and May streets.
From the union of all these streams at South Worcester, the waters take the name of Blackstone river, to Providence.
The largest body of water, and only natural pond of any size entirely within the limits of Worcester, is North Pond, which originally covered but thirty acres, now increased to 228 acres by the erection of artificial dams, making it the summit re- servoir of the waters used by so many manufacturing establish- ments below. Salisbury's pond, Coes' and Curtis' ponds at New Worcester, and those at Jamesville, Tatnuck, Trowbridge- ville and Quinsigamond Village have been made so for me- chanical purposes. Lake Quinsigamond, or Long Pond, four miles in length between Worcester and Shrewsbury, extending all the way from Grafton on the south to West Boylston at the North, a beautiful sheet of water, having within its borders ten small islands, was originally mostly within the limits of Shrews- bury, but about fifty years ago a new boundary line between Worcester and Shrewsbury was located, from its northern ter- minus, making all of the then floating bridge, (answering to the present causway,) as well as the larger portion of the north- ern half of the pond, and a small portion of the southern half, come within the limits of Worcester.
Bladder Pond, or Bell Pond, is a small natural reservoir on the north-east side of Chandler Hill, originally covering about five acres, increased to eight acres by being made the reservoir of the Worcester Aqueduct Company organized in 1845, the first measure for the supply of the inhabitants with water at their dwellings. This pond has a storing capacity of 30,000,000 gallons, and North Pond of 656,000,000 gallons.
The most elevated of the hills in the central section of the city is Green hill at the north-east, rising 777 feet; the next highest, Paine hill, 751 ; Sagatabscot hill, where Digory Ser-
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
geant and Jonas Rice located, 721 feet; Pakachoag hill, where Gershom Rice, the first Daniel Bigelow and Ephraim Curtis, Jr., located, 693 feet.
ANCIENT DWELLINGS AND THEIR OCCUPANTS.
One of the most elegant residences in Worcester a century and more ago, was the celebrated Hancock mansion, on the west side of Lincoln street, a little south of " The Oaks" Paine mansion. This was the property of Thomas Hancock, who, on his decease in 1764, willed it to his nephew, Gov. John Han- cock, whose devotion to the patriotic cause during the revolu- tion made him the peer of John Adams. Owing to his numer- ous official duties elsewhere, he probably never made the house his residence, except temporarily during the summer or other vacations from public labors. For many years previous to 1781, when the estate, comprising 150 acres, was purchased by Gov. Levi Lincoln, senior, this house was occupied by Samuel Wood- burn as a fashionable boarding-house or hotel for the judges, officers, jurymen and others attending the courts, during court time. This was before the Exchange Hotel was opened. Gov. Lincoln, senior, lived in this house nearly thirty years till his decease, April 14, 1820, aged 71. The old mansion, after re- maining several years in possession of the family, was sold in 1846 to David S. Messenger, and the old structure was then removed to its present location, on the south corner of Grove and Lexington streets. The elegant residence of Philip L. Moen, (formerly of the late Wm. A. Wheeler,) built in 1852, occupies the former site of this old Lincoln mansion on Lincoln street.
On the north side of Lincoln Square still stands on its origin- al site, and presenting almost the same general appearance as it did one hundred years ago, the ancient Salisbury mansion, erected in 1770 by the elder Stephen Salisbury, who officiated on various town committees in the revolutionary cause. He came to Worcester from Boston in 1767, and boarded for three years with Hon. Timothy Paine at the latter's first residence on Lincoln street, just north of the " Hancock Arms" tavern. He kept a store for many years in a small building which stood
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
where the railroad passenger station now is, but afterwardsTre- moved his store business to the east side of his residence. He was son of Nicholas and Martha Salisbury of Boston, and died May 11, 1829, aged 83. His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Tuckerman of Boston, and she died Oct. 19, 1851, aged 83. Their son, Hon. Stephen Salisbury, whose first wife was Rebecca Scott, daughter of Aaron and Phila Dean of Charlestown, N. H., occupied the paternal mansion {till he built, in 1836, his present elegant residence on Highland street. After the death of his first wife, July 24, 1843, he married Nancy Hoard, widow of Capt. George Lincoln, who died Sept. 4, 1852 ; and for his third wife Mary Grosvenor, widow of Hon. Edward D. Bangs, who deceased Sept. 25, 1864. His only son, (Stephen Salisbury, Jr.,) is by his first wife. Hon. Stephen Salisbury has been President of the old Worcester Bank since the death of Hon. Daniel Waldo in 1845; of the American Antiquarian Society since the death of Gov. John Davis in 1854 ; and of the Institute of Industrial Science since its or- ganization in 1866.
On the east side of Lincoln Square stands an old edifice of large dimensions, for many years occupied as a hotel. When the elder Daniel Waldo came to Worcester from Lancaster, in 1782, with his son, he took up his residence in it, and erected the first brick building in Worcester, for his store, on the same spot which has been occupied by his son's apprentice and suc- cessor, Henry W. Miller, for fifty-six years. Mr. Waldo, senior, died Dec. 8, 1808, aged 84, and his son, Daniel Waldo, Jr., who succeeded his father in his store business as well as president of the old Worcester Bank, resided in the old dwell- ing east of Lincoln Square until he erected, in 1806, the first brick building for the use of the bank on the site of the present Central Exchange, residing himself in one portion of it until he built, in 1828, his last elegant mansion, (the front portion of the present Waldo House,) which, previous to 1854, oc- cupied the site of Mechanics Hall. Mr. Waldo's former re- sidence at Lincoln Square was afterwards occupied for a short time by Gov. Levi Lincoln, Jr., while the latter was erecting his brick mansion, (afterwards the Lincoln House,) corner of Main
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and Elm streets. The Waldo house east of Lincoln Square was occupied as a hotel, from 1814 to 1818, by Capt. Peter Slater ; from that time to 1823 by Benjamin Howard, succeeded by Capt. Joseph Lovell, Harmon Chamberlin, Nathaniel Powers, John Fessenden and Nathaniel Stearns, under the name of the "Lincoln Square Hotel," for many years, and by other parties afterwards as the " Nashua Hotel." The old house was probably the residence of one of the Chandlers before the re- volution.
On the corner of Main street and Lincoln Square, opposite the Court House, stood, from 1749 to 1830, the ancient yellow building now fronting the jail grounds on Prospect street, which was occupied successively as a dwelling by Samuel An- drews, his son-in-law, Col. Timothy Bigelow, and the latter's son-in-law, Dr. Abraham Lincoln, (see page 46.) The proper- ty, including a large tract of land in the rear, has since been owned by Hon. Stephen Salisbury, who has built very exten- sively thereon.
Next south of the preceding estate, on the site of Bangs Block, erected by David S. Messenger in 1854, were previous to that date two ancient dwellings now standing in the rear, the northernmost one of which was the residence of Judge Ed- ward Bangs, and afterwards of his son, Hon. Edward D. Bangs, before spoken of; and the other house next south of it was the residence of the widow of Rev. Ebenezer Grosvenor, minister at Harvard till 1788, who came to Worcester with her children after the death of her husband her daughter Mary being after- wards the wife of Hon. Edward D. Bangs.
This estate previously belonged to Joseph Lynde, born in Charlestown. Jan. 7, 1703, who married Mary Lemmon, Feb. 24, 1736, and after its destruction by the British in 1775, came to Worcester with his family, and resided here till his de- cease, in one of these two dwellings. His son, Dr. Joseph Lynde, born in Charlestown, Feb. 8, 1749, began practice in Worcester in 1775, superintended the hospital for the small pox, and was for a while connected here in business as an apoth- . ecary with his brother-in-law, Dr. Elijah Dix, and afterwards established himself as a druggist in Hartford, Ct., where he
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died Jan. 15, 1829, aged 80. Four of his sisters, (daughters of Joseph Lynde, senior,) married in Worcester : 1, Sarah, born Feb. 21, 1743, married Andrew Duncan ; 2, Dorothy, born May 23, 1746, married Oct. 1, 1771, Dr. Elijah Dix ; 3, Elizabeth, born Oct. 1, 1756, married April 4, 1790, Theophilus Wheeler, register of deeds, and died March 7, 1833 ; 4, Hannah, born July 4, 1760, married Sept. 18, 1788, Hon. Edward D. Bangs, and died Sept. 10, 1806. Joseph Lynde, senior, was thus great- grandfather of Messrs. Clarendon Harris and Henry M. Wheel- er of the State Mutual Life Insurance Company of this city. These Lyndes were relatives or descendants of John Lynde, one of the earliest settlers in Leicester in 1721, from whom Lynde brook is named.
Adjoining the Lynde estate on the south is the old Wheeler estate, on which are two ancient houses, built by Rev. Joseph Wheeler, register of probate from 1776 to his death, Feb. 10, 1793. Mr. Wheeler came here before the revolution from Har- vard, where he had been for nine years settled pastor, bringing with him from that place a portion of the lumber for his first dwelling in Worcester, occupied by himself and his descendants for a store, after he had built his last residence standing south of it, which latter has been in possession and occupancy of the family for five generations. Theophilus Wheeler, who suc- ceeded his father, Rev. Joseph Wheeler, as register of probate for forty-three years till 1836, resided in this second mansion, (which presents almost the same appearance as it did nearly one hundred years ago,) as did also his son, Daniel G. and grandson, Henry, who kept store in the former structure, now owned by A. M. Eaton. Daniel G. Wheeler purchased (of Na- than Patch) in 1803 the estate, corner of Summer and Exchange streets, where his daughters still reside. His purchase extend- ed to Mill Brook on the west and to Bridge street south.
Dr. Elijah Dix, son of James Dix of Waltham, studied with Dr. John Green, senior, began practice here about 1768, and was in active business as a physician and druggist for more than thirty years, during a portion of the time in company with Dr. Green. He married a sister of Dr. Joseph Lynde, and his daughter married Rev. Dr. Thaddeus Mason Harris,
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
before spoken of. He resided on the estate on the west side of Main street, behind two magnificent elm trees, (now owned and occupied by Samuel Davis,) next south of the old Judge Jennison and Dr. Fiske estate, now owned and occupied by Harrison Bliss. Dr. Dix died in Dixmont, Me., June 7, 1809. His dwelling here, built more than a century ago, is noted as having been the residence of the family of Gen. Joseph War- ren, during the occupancy of Boston by the British, in revolu- tionary times.
Next south of the Dr. Dix mansion was a two story building (now standing on the east side of Prescott street, opposite the Rural Cemetery,) which was originally occupied by Dr. Dix for his apothecary store, but afterwards owned and occupied by Dea. Jeremiah Robinson, both for his residence and store. The name " Robinson Place" has since been given to this locality.
On the site occupied by the block of stores called " Granite Row," erected by Daniel Waldo in 1832, was an old dwelling, now standing on the north side of Thomas street, occupied on its original site by Nathaniel Mower, hatter.
The old dwelling which previously occupied the site of the Calvinist Church, erected in 1820, stands on the east side of Slater Court, leading out of Thomas street.
South of the Waldo (now Henry W. Miller) store, and Calvin- ist Church, still stands the ancient mansion owned and occupied as early as 1760 by Nathan Baldwin, and after his death in 1784 by his son-in-law, Nathaniel Coolidge. The estate was pur- chased of the latter, three-quarters of a century ago, by Hon. Wm. Eaton, father of the present owner and occupant. Mr. Eaton erected, in 1828, upon the north side of his estate, the brick building now owned by Dr. Franklin Barnard, in which the SPY office was located from 1828 to 1837.
South of the Wm. Eaton estate, corner of George street, was the Benjamin and Enos Tucker estate, and south of the latter, on the spot afterwards purchased by the city for a brick school house, and next north of the old "Centre District" school house, was the residence of Nathaniel Eaton, (brother of Win. Eaton,) before he purchased the Palmer Goulding house on Front street, where he kept a hotel until his death in 1831.
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
Next south of the old "Centre School House," was the Dr. John Green estate.
Dr. John Green, senior, son of Rev. Thomas Green, M. D., founder of the Baptist Church in Greenville, Leicester, came to Worcester about 1757, when he was 21 years old, and settled upon the old homestead on Green Hill, east of Lincoln street, still in possession of one branch of his descendants. His office and apothecary store, and that of his son and grandson of the same name, was in a little wooden building, just north of the brick Green mansion erected by his son, (now owned and oc- cupied by Dr. L. B. Nichols.) This last was the second brick building erected in the town of Worcester, being built about 1790 by the second Dr. John Green, who died Aug. 11, 1808, at the early age of 45. His father died Oct. 29, 1799, aged 63. After the death of the third Dr. John Green, Oct. 17, 1865, aged 81, who occupied his father's estate, the old brick man- sion was purchased by Dr. L. B. Nichols, raised up one story, and a French roof put on.
Next south of the Dr. John Green estate was the estate of Samuel Braser, whose store was originally in another building just south of his residence ; and next south of the latter came the estate of Enoch and Elisha Flagg, whose bakery was also just south of the original dwelling. By the great fire, Feb. 18, 1815, the buildings of the Messrs. Flagg and Brazer were burned, and brick structures were subsequently erected on their site. Mr. Brazer had his store under his new dwelling, now owned and occupied by William Dickinson, who purchased the Brazer estate in 1848.
Next south of the Flagg estate, came the residence and store of Asa Hamilton, who removed in 1800 from the estate beyond New Worcester, (now owned and occupied by Solomon Par- sons,) where he had been keeping a hotel. He kept a store for over thirty years, south of his residence on Main street, op- posite Exchange street, (on the site of Goulding's block,) for the last few years of that time in company with his son, Charles A. Hamilton, afterwards town clerk, cashier of the Quinsigamond Bank, and treasurer of the Worcester County Institution for Savings to the present time.
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Next south of the latter, and near the corner of Main and Walnut streets, was an old building, (removed when Boyden block was erected on its site in 1842,) which was the residence of Nathaniel Greene, with whom John Adams boarded the first six months he taught school in Worcester, (see page 173.) William Leggate afterwards had a harness shop in this build- ing, and subsequently David Roberts a hair dresser's shop.
South of the latter, on the south side of Walnut street, were two woolen buildings, removed when "Paine Building" was erected on their site in 1832. In the one next to Walnut street, Otis Corbett kept a jewelry store three quarters of a century ago, succeeded in 1822 by the late Wm. D. Fenno, with whom Joseph Boyden and Charles W. Rice afterwards went into company. In the other building next south, just north of the site of Brinley Block, John Milton Earle and Anthony Chase had in 1820 a boot and shoe and West India and domestic goods store.
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