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 26
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James H. Wall, in 1864, had made a division of the original estate with the heirs of his former partner, (who died in 1861,) himself taking the Lincoln House portion, and Mr. Hemen- way's sister (Mrs. Dr. Workman,) taking the block in front.
Among the well remembered incidents connected with the old " Worcester House," is one of the time that Daniel Webs- ster spoke from its front portico, July 3, 1840, when he stopped there on his way from Washington to deliver a Fourth of July address, the next day at Barre. This was during the rag-
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ing of the exciting political campaign for " old Tippecanoe and Tyler too," when " log cabins and hard cider" carried the day. It being known that Daniel Webster had that morning arrived, and was stopping at this house, a large crowd soon col- lected in front, and called him out. After enthusiastic cheer- ing, and an appropriate introduction, the great "Defender of the Constitution," gratified his audience by saying, among other things : "The news received at Washington from all sections of the country leaves no room for doubt of the triumphant election, in November next, of William Henry Harrison as President of the United States," a prediction fulfilled in a manner highly satisfactory to the triumphant party, however much may have been their disappointment, after the death of the president of their choice, at the poli- tical backsliding of " Capt. Tyler."
During the fall of 1837, a grand supper was given in the dining hall of the Lincoln House, (they " Worcester House,") to John Bell of Tennessee and Wm. J. Graves of Kentucky, by their political friends, in Worcester county, or rather the friends of their great champion, Henry Clay of Kentucky. At this festival were present many of the most distinguished citi- zens of the county.
Among the other distinguished guests of the old " Worcester House," were Abraham Lincoln, afterwards president of the United States, and Gen. Leslie Combs of Kentucky, who made speeches at the old City Hall, in the summer of 1848, for " Taylor and Fillmore," and were entertained here, with many other noted men of the nation, during the celebrated political campaign of that year, when the " Heart of the Common- wealth " became the head quarters of the new " Free Soil movement" which subsequently overturned both the great political parties then dividing the politics of the country. Du- ring that memorable year, such renowned representatives of those times as Samuel Hoar, Stephen C. Phillips, Charles Sum- ner, Henry Wilson, Anson Burlingame, Charles Francis Adams, Richard H. Dana, John G. Palfrey, Amasa Walker, John P. Hale, Salmon P. Chase, and Lewis D. Campbell of Ohio, co- operated with our own distinguished fellow-citizens, Charles 35
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Allen, John Milton Earle and others in founding the "Free Soil", subsequently the Republican party of the country. All these found generous entertainment at the " Worcester House" and " American House."
Abraham Lincoln also made a speech from the portico of the old depot on Foster street, on his departure from here on that occasion. At a later period, Joshua R. Giddings was entertain- ed at the " Lincoln House," with due honors, and made a speech to an immense assemblage in the old Foster depot, standing near the old turn-table, afterwards removed.
Daniel Webster, who made a speech here in the old City Hall, in the fall of 1848, for " Taylor and Fillmore," was the guest of Gov. Lincoln at his new mansion upon the hill, from the front portico of which Mr. Webster also spoke to a large assemblage, after the close of his speech at the City Hall.
THE OLD "EXCHANGE HOTEL."
Next south of the Theophilus Wheeler estate is the old Ex- change Hotel estate, which has had many owners and occup- ants since the old structure, which has quite a local history, was first erected in 1784, by Nathan Patch, a noted land pro- prietor; builder and business man of that period, who came from Ipswich to Worcester. He married, Dec. 26, 1760, Eunice Adams, daughter of Nathaniel and Lucy Adams, who resided in the ancient Adams house* on the east side of Plant- ation street, near the State Hospital barns, that estate be- ing afterwards owned and occupied by Samuel Porter, who married Nathan Patch's daughter Sarah in 1790. Previous to 1785, Nathan Patch owned the estate (originally belonging to Zebadiah Rice) on Main street, half way to New Worcester, which estate was sold by Mr. Patch to Abel Heywood, father of the late Henry Heywood, where the latter resided till 1854. After Nathan Patch had completed the building of this hotel in 1784, he resided in it for several years, and during that time built the house next south of it on the opposite corner of old Market street, afterwards occupied by himself and subsequent-
* The Commonwealth having purchased this estate for the hospital, the old buildings on it were sold at auction, June 14, 1877, and removed.
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ly owned and occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Porter, who died there, June 14, 1859, aged 88, her husband, Samuel Porter, (father of the present Samuel A. Porter,) having de- ceased Feb. 10, 1808, aged 43, a few months before the decease of her father. Nathan Patch owned an extensive tract of real estate in the rear of the places where he had built, and relin- quished the hotel about 1793 to Wm. Barker, (great-grandfa- ther of Mrs. Judge F. H. Dewey, ) who kept it until about 1803, from which time Samuel Johnson kept the hotel until 1807, when Col. Reuben Sikes from Connecticut, the celebrated stage proprietor, purchased the estate, and managed the hotel for seventeen years until his decease, Aug. 19, 1824, aged 69. He made this hotel the leading one in the town, and the grand centre of arrival and departure of all the different stage lines connecting Worcester with all sections of the country. Col. Sikes was associated in his stage business with Levi Pease of Shrewsbury, who died Jan. 23, 1824, aged 84. They were the original proprietors of the stage lines between Boston and New York, through Worcester, which they began to operate in 1783. Following Col. Sikes, Capt. Samuel B. Thomas from Brookfield had the hotel for sixteen years till his death, April 21, 1840, aged 61, after whom his son-in-law, Phinehas W. Waite, kept it until 1855, Stephen Taft till 1859, Samuel Banister till his decease, Apr. 7, 1865, and Russell Lamb, Aaron Parker, L. H. Baker and W. F. Wecks till 1877. The present owner of the estate is Russell Lamb, who has sold a portion of the northern end of it for stores.
For half a century or so of the ninety-three years since this hotel was opened to the public, it was the leading hotel of the town, and of the county, where distinguished travelers al- ways stopped, and where the judges and others connected with the courts were entertained during court time.
Gen. Washington breakfasted at this house on his passage through Worcester in the fall of 1789, while on his tour through New England after his inauguration as president of the United States. Gen. Lafayette also took breakfast in it, when passing through Worcester fifty-two years ago, while on his way from the west to Boston, to assist in laying the corner stone of
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Bunker Hill monument, June 17, 1825. During its earlier period, this hotel was called the "United States Arms ;" while under the management of Col. Sikes it went by the name of " Sikes' Coffee House," and " Sikes' Stage House." Under Capt. Thomas, it was called " Thomas' Exchange Coffee House," and " Thomas' Temperance Exchange," the temperance move- ment beginning soon after Capt. Thomas began to keep it. Latterly, it has gone under the general name of "Exchange Hotel." The ownership of the property remained in the Sikes' heirs till about 1866, when it was sold to Harrison Bliss, and by him to the present owner, Russell Lamb, who has just dis- continued its use as a hotel, sold a portion of the old estate for stores, and the remainder will probably soon be disposed of for other uses, unless it should be leased or sold to a party disposed to continue it as a public house. Until the recent disposal of a portion of the northern section of it for stores, the old house, three stories in height, had a frontage of about 110 feet on Main street, and extending back over 90 feet on Old Market Street. The opening of the various railroads, beginning in 1835, carried the leading hotel business farther up town, to the old " Central Hotel," where the Bay State now is ; the old " American House," corner of Main and Foster streets, previously the residence of Hon. A. D. Foster ; the old " United States Hotel," kept by James Worthington, Wm. C. Clark and others ; and the old "Worcester House," after- wards " Lincoln House," previously the residence of Hon. Levi Lincoln.
THE OLD " AMERICAN TEMPERANCE HOUSE."
John W. Stiles, who purchased about 1820, the estate corner of Main and Foster streets, previously owned and occupied suc- cessively by Capt. John Stanton and Thomas Stevens, (see page 71,) including the land, where the old Universalist Church, Foster street depot and American House Block, now are, sold to his son-in-law, the late Hon. Alfred Dwight Foster, the northern portion of his estate, on which the latter, who established himself here as a lawyer in 1824, erected his first residence of brick, afterwards converted into a hotel, un- der the name of the " American House." Mr. Foster, who
AM
ICAN
HOUSE
AMERICAN TEMPERANCE HOUSE, 1835.
PIANO FORTE WARE ROOMS.
205 A .L. BURDANK.
J.G.PEARSON.MANUFACTOR OF SERAPHINES MELOPHINES'& AEOLIANS.
LEWIS T. LAZELL DRUGGIST & APOTHECARY.
WORCESTER COUNTY PIANO FORTE & MUSIC STORE
ENOS DORR&CO.
BOOKS &STATIONARY
DI
& CHEMICALS & PERFUME RY ILORING BROTHERS
MIVANNE BOOK STORE IL
INIDRUGGIST
RESIDENCE OF MAJ. JEDEDIAH HEALY, 1789.
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completed his law studies here with his brother-in-law, Hon. S. M. Burnside, after his graduation at Cambridge in 1819, married a daughter of Mr. Stiles, and resided in this dwelling until he built upon Chestnut street in 1835. Upon the death of Maj. Jedediah Healy in 1821, the latter's estate was pur- chased by Mr. Burnside, who began practice here, soon after completing his law studies with Chief Justice Artemas Ward, in 1810, and married Mr. Foster's sister. Mr. Burnside re- sided in this dwelling, next north of that of his brother-in-law, until he built his last residence, now occupied by his daughters, upon Chestnut street, next south of that of Mrs. Foster. The ancient Healy-Burnside dwelling, for many years past occupied for stores by A. L. Burbank and others, is one of the few architectural relics of the last century left standing in the business section of Main street.
Foster street was opened by Hon. A. D. Foster in 1835, when he converted his dwelling, on its corner, into a public house, which he enlarged for the purpose by the ad- dition of wings to the rear. This hotel was kept successively by Eleazer Porter, R. W. Adams, Col. Warner Hinds and R. W. Adams, Gen. Heard & Adams, and Tucker & Bonney, the latter going out of it in 1857, when it was discontinued, into the Lincoln House, which had then just been greatly enlarged by the addition to it of the front portion, known as "Lincoln House Block." The old " American House" was afterwards remodeled and enlarged, and converted into stores, and the building has since been known as " American House Block," of which the two upper stories have for twenty years been oc- cupied by J. B. Lawrence & Co. for furniture ware rooms.
Lyman Brooks was clerk at the " American House" seven years, before entering upon his duties of conductor of the Wor- cester and Nashua railroad in 1849.
Among the distinguished guests of this house, at different periods, were Martin Van Buren, president of the United States ; John Greenleaf Whittier, the poet ; and Sampson V. S. Wild- er, who entertained Lafayette at Bolton in 1824.
This hotel had a double piazza, the whole width of the front, and a single piazza the whole length of the House on Foster street.
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
WASHINGTON SQUARE HOTEL.
Samuel Hathaway, when he sold the old " Central Hotel" estate in 1824 to Cyrus Stockwell, purchased of Wing Kelley and Joseph Daniels, brothers-in-law, at Washington Square, their farm, comprising over one hundred acres on both sides of Grafton street, bounded west by Mill Brook, and including the old Pine street burial ground and the land now owned by the Boston and Albany railroad company, as well as that on which the old " Worcester Brewery" and " Worcester Distillery," built soon afterwards by other parties, stood. Mr. Hathaway, immediately after his purchase, for which he gave about $5000, built the structure afterwards known as the "Washington Square Hotel," which he kept until his decease, March 16, 1831, aged 48. The hotel property was then leased by the heirs to Augustus Norton Goddard, who kept it until the house with a large tract of land around it was purchased by the Bos- ton and Worcester railroad company, for their freight depot and other accommodations.
Wm. R. Wesson then kept the hotel, on lease from the rail- road company, until about 1851, when he was succeeded by Elliot Swan, who kept it about twenty-one years, until about 1872, when arrangements were begun for the erection of the new Union depot, and the old hotel building was moved off, and now stands on the land belonging to the Boston and Albany railroad corporation, on the north side of Grafton street.
Mr. Wesson had just established himself in his new quarters, called " Wesson's hotel," a little east of his former location, where his son, Geo. R. Wesson, now resides, when he died, Feb. 9, 1852, aged 74.
As to the other surroundings of Washington Square, Col. Samuel Ward and George A. Trumbull erected, about 1824, on land purchased of Samuel Hathaway, the old " Worcester Brewery" building, afterwards occupied for several years by Osgood Bradley for his car works, and for over twenty-five years past occupied for tenement houses. F. W. Paine and Daniel Heywood also about 1827 erected the brick structure known as the old " Worcester Distillery" building, afterwards occupied for many years by Irish families, and known as the
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old " Arcade," and subsequently by the Arcade Malleable Iron Works until the old building was torn down in 1876 to make way for the railroad and other improvements in that locality.
Wing Kelley, whose wife was a sister"of Joseph Daniels, and who, after this sale, purchased and resided"upon the farm own- ed and occupied for the last forty years by : Charles Hadwen, had his residence, while he occupied the Washington Square estate, in a dwelling which stood near the corner of Grafton and Bloomingdale streets. He was father of Mrs. Abby Kelley Foster.
THE WORCESTER POST OFFICE.
The postmasters of Worcester, from the first one appointed by Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin in 1775, to the pres- ent time, have been : Isaiah Thomas, twenty-six years to 1801; James Wilson, thirty-two years to 1833; Jubal Har- rington, six years to 1839; Maturin L. Fisher, ten years to 1849; Edward Winslow Lincoln, five years to May 1, 1854; Emory Banister, seven years to July 1, 1861; John Milton Earle, six years to Oct. 1, 1867 ; Gen. Josiah Pickett, ten years to the present time.
When Isaiah Thomas was postmaster, the office was at his office on Court Hill. It was removed by James Wilson to the store kept for a while by the latter in the first story of a wood- en building then occupying the site of the City Hall, removed to the opposite side of Front street, when the Town Hall, the nucleus of the present City Hall, was built in 1825. After Dea. Wilson moved into the residence he so long occupied, on Main street, on the site of the present Union block, (just south of Mechanics' Hall,) the post office was there, from 1810 to 1833, and soon after removed to the old Central Exchange, where it remained until removed to its present location, Jan. 1, 1867.
To show the increase in the business of this office from year to year, a comparison of statistics with former periods may be of interest. During the first quarter of the year 1806, the amount collected by Postmaster Wilson, was $178.80, at the rate of $715.20 for the year. The amount collected by Post- master Banister just fifty years later, from Jan. 1 to April 1, 1859, was $4183, at the rate of $16,732 for the year. The re-
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ceipts of the office for the year 1876, collected by Postmaster Pickett, were $38,798.80, being more than four times as much as the receipts for 1859, sixteen years previous. The number of letters sent by Postmaster Wilson during the year 1809, was about 4400; the number sent by Postmaster Banister fifty years later in 1859 was 523,000, including 25,936 drop letters ; the number of letters sent by Postmaster Pickett during the year 1876, was 2,664,000, including 444,000 postal cards, be- ing over five times as many as during the corresponding period, sixteen years previous. As the amount of mail matter received for delivery averages about the same as that sent, the estimated number of letters sent and received the last year, was 4,500,000. The receipts and business of the office have more than doubled du- ring the past ten years, since Gen. Pickett has been postmaster. During the year 1876, the number of newsdealers' and publish- ers' packages sent was 228,000 ; and of pamphlets, magazines, transient newspapers, circulars, books, samples of merchandise, &c., 433,000. The business of the office has shown a continual increase from time to time in all the departments, culminating in the present enormous amount, contrasting marvelously with that transacted by Isaiah Thomas for Postmaster General Franklin, in one corner of the original SPY office counting-room on Court Hill in 1775.
The money order business of the Worcester office, (a depart- ment of the recent post office establishment in the country.) shows the following statistics for the year 1876 : Number of orders issued, 7997, amounting to $120,269.79 ; number of orders paid, 9808, amounting to $163,992.31.
In the free delivery department, the amount of mail matter delivered by letter carriers in 1876 was as follows : Mail letters 700,270; drop letters 99,684 ; postal cards 194,095 ; newspa- pers 352,251; total number of pieces delivered 1,346,300. Number collected from street boxes : Letters 443,140 ; postal cards 96,345 ; newspapers 45,460 ; total number of pieces col- lected 584,945. The carriers' delivery and money order busi- ness have trebled during the last ten years.
The number of registered letters sent in 1876 was 3897 ; number delivered 4285; in transit 10,480. The number of dead and unmailable letters was 6285.
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THE OLD " UNITED STATES " HOTEL.
The late William Hovey, purchased the old hotel estate on the south corner of Main and Mechanic streets, previous- ly owned and occupied by Ephraim Mower, uncle and neph- ew, (sce pages 20 and 21.) built thereon, in 1818, the brick building afterwards known as the "United States Hotel," and kept it for a while, under the name of the " Worcester Hotel." He was succeeded as keeper by Oliver Eager and Oliver White until 1823, and in 1824 by Lovell Baker, in 1826 by D. P. Haynes, and in 1827 by James Worthington. At this time, the late Simcon Burt and Geo. T. Rice, who purchased the property of Mr. Hovey, had just completed the addition of an. ell part to the building. William C. Clark, who had been clerk for Mr. Worthington since 1827, went into company with him in 1833, and changed the name to " United States Hotel," Worthington & Clark keeping it together till 1836, from which time Mr. Clark kept it alone till 1847. He purchased Mr. Rice's half of the estate in 1841, and the other half of Maj. Burt in 1853. From 1847 the hotel was kept successively by Thomas Stevens, Simeon Burt, Charles Sibley, A. G. Williams and Levi Pierce, to 1854, when the present Clark's block was erected on its site. The old building was moved back on Mechanic street, where it stood till the erection of Crompton's block in 1869.
From about 1825, this began to be the leading stage house of the town, Maj. Burt, the successor to Col. Sikes' stage business, having removed his headquarters hither from the lower end of Main street. The old "Central Hotel," where the Hon. Ginery Twichell had his headquarters, from 1830 to 1846, as the most distinguished stage proprietor of that period, was at that time the principal stage head- quarters, especially for the northern and north-western sec- tions of the county, as the " United States Hotel " had been more particularly for the eastern and western, before the opening of the railroads. It was a common thing, before the opening of the railroads, to count from twenty to thirty stages from different directions arriving at and departing from the old " United States," almost in line, the same morning.
26
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Reminiscences of Worcester.
THE TOWN HALL.
The first public action taken toward the building of the Town Hall, (comprising the first or front portion of the present City Hall,) was taken at a town meeting held March 1, 1824, when Samuel Harrington, senior, Samuel T. Read, Rejoice Newton, John W. Lincoln, John Davis, Frederick Wm. Paine, and Enoch Flagg were chosen a " committee to take into con- sideration the subject of the Town Hall, and report at an ad- journed meeting. At the adjourned meeting held May 3, this committee made a favorable report, which was accepted, re- commending the construction of a building 60 by 52 feet, with a large hall in the first story, and two halls above, and a base- ment underneath the whole for a provision market, stores, etc., which building, according to a plan presented by Capt. Lewis Bigelow, would not cost over $7000 if of brick, and $6000 if of wood. At an adjourned town meeting held May 17, following, it was voted to build a Town Hall, not to exceed 64 feet long by 54 feet front, and not to cost over $7000, and the following persons were chosen a building committee to superintend the construction of the same : Frederick Wm. Paine, Col. John W. Lincoln, Hon. Wm. Eaton, Otis Corbett, and Maj. Enoch Flagg. These persons, with Hon. Abijah Bigelow, Capt. Eph- raim Mower, Col. Samuel Ward, Maj. Samuel Allen, Jr., Dr. Benjamin Chapin, Gen. Nathan Heard, Dr. Abraham Lincoln, Hon. Edward D. Bangs, Wm. Chamberlain, Maj. Joel Gleason and John Gleason, Jr., were chosen a committee to locate the place for the building, of what materials to construct it, and suggest the ways and means for the raising of funds therefor. They decided to locate it on the north-east corner of the com- mon, near the old church, on the site of a two-story wooden structure erected in the last century, and owned by Col. Sam- uel Flagg, on land leased to him by the town.
The arrangements for the building so far progressed, that the foundations were completed, and the corner stone of the new structure was laid Aug. 2, 1824, with Masonic ceremonies, under the direction of Morning Star Lodge, F. A. M., Capt. Lewis Bigelow, W. M., assisted by the craftsmen of other Lodges in the neighboring towns. A procession was formed
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at one o'clock in the afternoon, in front of Masonic Hall,* and moved thence to the hotel of Cyrus Stockwell, (where the Bay State House now is,) where the citizens of the town gen- erally united with them. Thence, the large procession moved, under the chief marshalship of Col. Samuel Ward, to the foundation of the Town House. Here, after religious exercises were performed by Rev. Dr. Jonathan Going of the Baptist Church, the stone was laid with the due and ancient ceremonies of Masonry, by Capt. Lewis Bigelow, master builder, and Col. Peter Kendall, (brick mason,) principal architect. After the completion of these ceremonies, a neat and handsome address was delivered by Hon. S. M. Burnside, well adapted to the oc- casion, in which he referred to several interesting points in the history of the town.
The work so progressed from this point that the building was completed within nine months from the day the corner stone was laid, and was dedicated May 2, 1825, on which occasion there were religious exercises conducted by Rev. Dr. Bancroft of the Second Congregational (Unitarian) Church, and a his- torical address was delivered by Hon. John Davis.
Among those who worked for Capt. Lewis Bigelow, the con- tractor and builder of this structure, were his (then ) apprentices at the carpenter's trade, Horatio N. Tower and Samuel A. Por- ter. This building had in the first story a large hall for the holding of public meetings, with separate and convenient rooms for the selectmen, assessors, &c. The second or upper story was divided into two smaller halls, one for the Masonic bodies (who had previously used the Maj. Healy Hall,) and the oth- er for the use of the Agricultural Society and other purposes for which it might be leased. The basement below the lower hall was intended for a provision market or storage purposes. The whole cost was about $10,000.
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