USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Paxton > The history of Paxton, Massachusetts > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
61
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
On June 14, 1865, the town celebrated the centen- nial of its incorporation. There was a large assem- blage of the sons and daughters of the town on that occasion. There was a public meeting in the church, at which Hon. George W. Livermore, of Cambridge, Rev. John F. Bigelow, D.D., of Brooklyn, Prof. George N. Bigelow, also of Brooklyn, and Rev. George G. Phipps, now of Newton Highlands, delivered addresses. They were all natives of this town. A public dinner was served on the " Common," opposite the church, of which many hundreds partook. It was a grand gala occasion, and the reunions were many and most cordial, and the memory of them is as a sweet savor to all participating.
In 1888 the town erected a new town hall, in part out of the proceeds of the estate of the late Simon Allen, who left by will his entire property in trust to the town, which was to be used in the building of a town hall, the same to be called Allen Hall. The amount of his estate was twenty-two hundred dollars, but the prolonged illness of his widow reduced this amount to fifteen hundred dollars. During the life- time of his widow the property could not be used for the purpose designated by the testator, but on her decease, which occurred in 1887, the Allen fund was turned over to the town treasurer, and at the annual meeting of the town in March, 1888, it was voted to add a thousand dollars to the Allen fund and go for- ward with the building, the town appointing the fol- lowing persons as a building committee, viz. : L. Bill, William Brown, A. S. Graton, E. P. Keep and H. H. Pike.
62
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
The land for the location was given by the writer, and in the following July the contractor began his work, and by the 20th of the following October the building was completed, and was formally dedicated on November 1, 1SSS. The dedication address was delivered by Col. William B. Harding, of Worcester, the poem by George Maynard, also of Worcester, with remarks by Rev. George H. Gould, D.D., and Scrip- ture reading and dedicatory prayer by Rev. Alpha Morton.
The chairman of the selectmen,1 Ledyard Bill, re- ceived the keys from H. H. Pike on behalf of the building committee. The church choir, under the leadership of Oliver Goodnow, who for over fifty years has been connected with church music here, gave choice selections ; the exercises in the main hall clos- ing with America, in singing which, all joined. A public dinner was served in the lower hall by the Ladies' Union, of which Mrs. Nathaniel Clark is president. The building stands on the west side of the Barre Road, opposite the " Common." It is a plain appearing structure, but inside it is all that will be required for years to come. The total cost will not be far from forty-five hundred dollars. Simon Allen was born in 1806, in Holden, in the house near the foot of the big hill, on the Paxton and Holden Road, on the south side of the highway, and east of Mr. Metcalf's. He attended the Northeast School in
1 The first board of selectmen chosen in 1765 was Oliver Witt, Ephraim Moore and Samuel Brown, while the last board chosen in 1888 was Led- yard Bill, A. S. Graton and L. T. Kirby.
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON. 63
Paxton a portion of his youth. He moved to Shrews- bury, where he married Miss Fannie Norcross. He was a boot and shoemaker, and followed that trade while in Shrewsbury. He moved to Paxton in 1840, and bought a farm of the elder John Slade, on the Rutland road, where George A. Brown now lives. He was a plain, unassuming, honest man, and re- spected by all who knew him. He died December 29, 1880, and was buried by the side of his first wife, near the west entrance to the Public Cemetery. He was twice married, but left no children.
In the year 1865, there was an agreement entered into between the town and the parish, respecting the town hall which was built by the town under the church, forming a basement story to the same. The church was removed from the " Common " to its pres- ent location in October, 1834, and repairs all com- pleted February, 1836, and re-dedicated Feb. 24, 1836. The pews were sold by auction, and fifty-four of them brought the sum of $4,094.75. The agreement above referred to was made in 1865. It was the outgrowth of a discussion relating to the repairs which had be- come necessary at the time. It has always been known as the Town Hall from the commencement, and was so called both in the records of the town and parish. The repairs amounted to eleven hundred dollars. The town had previously invested six hun- dred dollars in this basement story to the church for a town hall, and at a meeting held March 6, 1865, un- der Article 16 of the Warrant, it was voted to ap- point a committee of five to meet a like committee from the first parish, and, if possible, unite upon some understanding concerning the use of the hall and re-
.
64
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
port to the town at an adjourned meeting. This they did on April 1, 1865. The committee on the part of the town, consisted of Phineas M. Howe, Otis Pierce, William Mulligan, Dwight Estabrook, and Hammond W. Hubbard. This committee submitted and recom- mended the following action on the part of the town, and it was-
"Voted to pay the eleven hundred dollars towards defraying the expenses recently incurred in repairing and furnishing the Town Hall, provided that in addi- tion to the right already possessed by the town, viz: to have the right to occupy said hall for all necessary town purposes; the town shall have the right to use said hall and the rooms adjoining for all purposes al- lowed by the Selectmen, but in no case shall an ap- pointment made by the Selectmen supersede an appointment made by the Parish Committee, and all moneys received for the use of said hall shall be paid to the Parish towards lighting and warming the same, provided the Parish shall have said hall insured to the amount of three-fourths of the above named eleven hundred dollars and make over the policy to the town and keep the same constantly insured. The town to be to the expense of reinsuring or renewing of said policy."
This was adopted by a vote of 32 to 10.
The above agreement was never very strictly en- forced, and in the lapse of time some small discus- sions arose as to who possessed the right to rent the hall, and the insurance policies even run, occasionally to the Parish, and finally the Parish set up its author- ity to rent the hall, fix the rental, and received the funds direct from the janitor, which of course was in
65
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
plain contravention of the written contract as both expressed and implied. Thus the meaning of the agreement or its interpretation frequently differed according to the prejudices of the parties in in- terest, and this state of affairs continued up to the time of the town's decision to go forward with the erection of a new hall under the will of Simon Allen. We would not wish to convey the impression that any serious breach was imminent, and yet it was a source of frequent irritation and probably helped somewhat in the determination of the town to accept Mr. Allen's gift and erect a separate building for its exclusive use, which was for the best interests of all concerned, except that the cost involved was much greater than was at first contemplated, or than was needful for so small a community .*
The old hall was damp and cold, and at most all times was quite unsuited for the town's use in many ways. In the new hall are quarters for the Public Library. This library was established in the spring of 1877 on the urgent representation of the writer, ac- companied by a gift for its foundation, and now, after a period of more than ten years of active operation, it has proved to be an increasing educational force, and justified its establishment by the town. The present Secretary of the Trustees in control, Mr. F. Sumner Howe, in his report to the town in 1888, says :-
" From the time it was first opened till the present,
* The building committec received contributions to be applied to the erection of the hall from William Mulligan, Josiah Keep, C. Eugene Peirce, J. Chester Peirce, S. D. Simonds, and Charles G. Bigelow.
66
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
it has been constantly patronized by those who have sought instruction or amusement, and we believe their desires have been abundantly satisfied ; not only the youth in the school room, but all ages may find in the library something to give them a greater diver- sity of knowledge upon a given subject, and we be- lieve that a fair share of the intelligence and enlight- enment of our people is due the library." More than thirteen hundred volumes were issued last year to its patrons.
The public schools of the town while nominally the same as a hundred years ago in point of num- ber of districts, have in fact been reduced to four for the past few years, owing to the small number of pu- pils in town. The West and North-east schools are the ones which have been closed. Where fifty or sixty pupils used to attend a single school, as was the case in all of them forty years ago, there are now scarcely a baker's dozen, or even half dozen, to be found. In old times the boys and girls nearly all went to school till they were " of age," and a win- ter school in these rural districts was not a thing for a feminine hand to manage. It took a master and a pretty smart one too sometimes, to guide the helm and steer clear of rocks and shoals. Then the winter schools were crowded, and the small boy had to take his chances of getting a seat wherever one could be improvised. The school programme was not very extensive or much varied ; the common English branches were thought good enough and the pupils had to be content.
Then each separate district was an independent realm in which the district committee held unlimited
67
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
sway, and generally arranged to put the little king- dom of the school room, in charge of some impecuni- ous and incompetent friend or relative, who, if he could do little else, could at least "thresh " well. There was long, determined opposition to any change, and much small talk about the invasion of the " peo- ple's rights," but the fiat of enlightened sentiment had decreed a new order of things in this regard, and the old system
" Had to fold its tent like the Arab, And silently steal away."
Under the new order of things the annual appro- priation by the town is usually about one thousand dollars for the support of schools. Their character here is above the average in country towns. Stu- dents have been able to enter Normal and Technical Schools and Academies from our public schools with- out extra training, and quite a number of fairly equipped teachers have graduated from them. Of the teachers employed years ago, two attained some celebrity, viz : Increase S. Smith and William A. Wilde-they taught at the South-west school.
Of college graduates, the following is as complete a list as it has been possible to make, viz :
Rev. MOSES G. GROSVENOR, Dartmouth, IS22
Rev. C. PITT GROSVENOR. 1818
JOHN F. LIVERMORE, Dartmouth, 1810
Prof. INCREASE S. SMITH, Brown University, 1821 Rev. ELBRIDGE G. HOWE, A. M., 1821
Rev. JOHN D. PEIRCE, D. D., IS22
Hon. GEO. W. LIVERMORE, LL. D. Har- vard University, IS23 Aaron SNOW, Yale, IS35
68
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
CYRUS W. CONANT, Union College, IS24 CHARLES LIVERMORE, Harvard University, 1825 Rev. JOHN F. BIGELOW, D. D., Brown Univ. 18- Prof. GEO. N. BIGELOW, Univ. at Berlin, 18- Dr. ANDREW J. HOWE, Harvard University, 1853 Dr. LEMUEL GROSVENOR.
Dr. EDWARD R. WHEELER, Amherst, .
1860
Prof. SAMUEL HARRINGTON, 1862 .
Rev. GEO. G. PHIPPS, I862 .
Rev. WILLIAM H. PHIPPS, IS62 ·
Judge NATHAN HARRINGTON, ·
I864
Prof. JOSIAH KEEP, 1874
Dr. WILLIAM P. DAVIS, Phil. Med.
ELIAS W. DAVIS, Yale College, 18So
HERBERT B. HOWARD, Harvard University, IS- LEWELLYN HARRINGTON, Burlington Med., 1879 WESLEY E. BROWN, 1878
EDWARD MINTURN WOODWARD, Amherst, ISS5 ELBRIDGE GERRY HOWE, Wor. Polytechnic, 1884 HENRY A. STREETER, IS87
WALLACE SNOW, Harvard, 1891
He is a son of Dr. Windsor N. Snow, and a great grandson of Col. Willard Snow.
Little is known of Mr. Snow, who is reported a graduate of Yale College. Prof. Increase S. Smith taught a notable school in this town at Pudding Cor- ner some fifty years ago. He was present at the Cen- tennial in 1865. He has been principal of Hingham Academy and Dorchester High School.
The Rev. Elbridge G. Howe, we have already men- tioned. He was born on Howe's Hill, Aug. 19, 1799. He was son of Jonah Howe, jr., and Lydia Warren. He graduated from the Andover Theological School
69
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
in 1824. He was ordained a Congregational clergy- man in 1824. He was settled for a time at Halifax and Marshfield in this State.
For particulars of Rev. John D. Peirce, see page 54 of this volume. We may add that in appreciation of his distinguished services to the State of Michigan, a full length portrait was secured by that common- wealth and placed, we believe, in the capitol.
The Hon. Geo. W. Livermore was a distinguished lawyer in Cambridge, and delivered the historical ad- dress at the Centennial here in 1865. His father was Esquire Braddyll Livermore, sr., son of Lieut. Jason Livermore of revolutionary fame. His ancestors were notable men and women.
The Rev. John F. Bigelow, son of Silas Bigelow, was born at the Bigelow homestead where the Henrys now live. He was a Baptist clergyman, and attained eminence as a scholar. He was settled for a time in Bristol, R. I., Middleboro', Mass., St. Albans, Vt., and in Keeseville, N. Y. He was for a few years be- fore his decease associated with his brother at the Atheneum Seminary in Brooklyn, N. Y. He died in the latter city, June 20, 1884.
Prof. George N. Bigelow, a brother of the above, became well-known as an educator. He was for a time principal of the State Normal School at Framingham, and was principal of Atheneum Seminary above re- ferred to. He was a ripe scholar, and in his leisure contributed various articles for educational maga- zines. He presided at the exercises of the Centen- nial Celebration here in 1865, and added much by his genial and ready wit to the success of that occasion. He was a man of fine presence, tall and portly,
70
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
which was characteristic of the Bigelows of this vi- cinity, as we learn, for many generations.
Of Dr. Andrew J. Howe, we would refer the reader to page 56 for a biographical sketch.
Prof. Samuel and Judge Nathan Harrington are sons of Dea. Samuel D. Harrington who lived under the brow of Pine Hill in the northerly part of the town. Samuel is a teacher of the highest rank, and was at one time the head, we believe, of the Boston Latin School. Nathan is a lawyer, and lives at Toledo, Ohio, where he has acted as judge of the city court.
The Harringtons were a numerous family and oc- cupied at one time a large section of land on the north side. At the present time only one, Dea. Wil- liam H. Harrington, son of David Harrington, con- tinues in that vicinity. He lives on his father's home- stead, and also carries on a saw and box mill. These mills, we believe, were built by Dea. Morse and his son, Lewis Morse. They lived in a small one-story house a little south-west of the saw mill, which was then on the stream at the location of the present box mill. This box mill has, since we commenced this sketch, been changed to a saw mill, as in the days of the Morses. The old grist mill built by Dea. Samuel Harrington has likewise just been transformed to a box mill. The saw mill at the foot of the hill on the left of the highway is abandoned. Lewis Morse built the two-story house where Anson W. Putnam now lives, which is situated but a few rods east of the box- saw mill. The Morses sold the mills to Samuel But- trick, who run them for at ime, when he sold to David Harrington. A short time prior to this Howard & Damon offered to lease the mills, which offer being
71
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
refused, they erected the saw mill at the foot of the hill previously mentioned. They used the house of Stephen Sweetser towards the erection of the mill. This house was but a short distance away and had been abandoned by the Sweetser family.
Resuming our list of college graduates, we come to the Messrs. George G. and William H. Phipps, sons of Rev. William Phipps, a former pastor. They are both ordained Congregational clergymen and have settled pastorates, the former at Newton Highlands, while William H. is at Prospect, Ct. George G. is a scholarly man, of sparkling wit, and has something of the poet's genius.
Dr. Edward R. Wheeler, son of Dr. Edward M. Wheeler, is settled in Spencer, and succeeded to the large practice of his father. The senior Dr. Wheeler was for many years a resident and practising physi- cian in Paxton. He married for his second wife, Miss Caroline Duncan, the sister of T. Mason Duncan. The Duncans lived where Wm. M. Warren now lives, just west of Comins's mills, now Eames's mills. The Duncans were widely known and highly respected in this community.
Prof. Josiah Keep, son of Dea. J. O. Keep, married a Miss Holman of Leicester, and settled in Califor- nia, where he is engaged in teaching.
Dr. William P. Davis, son of D. Gates Davis, is a practising physician in Reading.
Elias W. Davis is engaged, at his father's home- stead, in farming.
Dr. Wesley E. Brown, son of Dea. William, is living in Gilbertville.
72
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
Prof. Edward Minton Woodward, son of Albert E. and grandson of Harvey Woodward, is teaching in Worcester.
Elbridge G. Howe, son of Rev. E. G. Howe, is located in the West as a civil engineer.
Henry S. Streeter, son of Charles A. Streeter, is is engaged in teaching in this State.
The following persons have represented the town in the Legislature, viz :- Adam Smith, 1776-'84-5-7 ; Phineas Moore, 1780 ; Adam Maynard, 1781-2 ; Heze- kiah Ward, 1786; Nathaniel Crocker, 1806-8-9, '13- '16; M. B. Livermore, 1810 ; Ebenezer Estabrook, 1811 ; David Davis, jr., 1814 ; Samuel Harrington, 1821; Tyler Goddard, 1829, '30-1-2-3-4-5-7-9 ; Arte- mas Howe, 1838; David Harrington, 1840; Gaius Conant, 1841-2-3 ; Samuel D. Harrington, 1849-'50 ; Simon G. Harrington, 1854 ; David G. Davis, 1856 ; Ralph E. Bigelow, 1858 ; William Mulligan, 1861-'70 ; John C. Bigelow, 1866 ; Lewis Bigelow, 1879.
The latest addition to the territory of Paxton was the northwest corner whereby the farm of Hammond Hubbard was included, also a portion of the Brown- ing farm, thereby straightening the line and bringing within the town a fine tract of land. While the town has occasionally increased its area, the taxable valu- ation has for many years decreased. This has been owing to a variety of causes, chief of which has been the abandonment of boot manufacturing, and another important factor is that of fires, incendiary or other- wise. There is a neighborhood in the south-westerly side, where ten dwellings have burned down within about as many years, and all within the radius of a
73
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
mile. Some of these were among the largest and best in town. Of course other parts of the town have not wholly escaped the fiery element within the time spe- cified. The destruction of the Bigelow boot factory was a great calamity. This was situated at the south end of the village, and the firm employed many hands both in and out of the shop. The loss of the fine hotel at the centre was also greatly deplored. It was a three-story structure, and was every way a great addition to the town as well as a great convenience to the public, and was comparatively a new building. The large farm house, barn, and outbuildings on the Col. Willard Snow place, also disappeared in a few brief hours by fire. The place at the time was own- ed and occupied by the Bellows brothers. There are all over town many half filled cellars where former dwellings stood, and they equal in point of numbers the buildings now standing outside of the village proper.
There is still another cause operating yearly to- wards the reduction of the grand list in this place, and that is, the increasing blows of the many axe-men during the inclement season of the year. Many hun- dred acres within the last decade, have been swept of wood and timber, till but few acres of old growth re- main; perhaps it would not be stating it too strongly, if we were to say that within this period, a full hun- dred thousand dollars worth of this kind of property has been disposed of in this time.
On the Rutland road just above where Simon G. Harrington now lives, settled one Samuel Brown who came from Sudbury. He had a son, Abel Brown, who was for many years the Town Clerk, who held
74
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
that office longer than has any person before or since. Of course the personal history of this town officer is obscure at this late day, but we have the right to as- sume that he must have been a man of superior fit- ness for the important post which he held so many years. He married a Miss - Howe, sister of John Howe. He had children-Samuel, 2nd, Augustus and Paul. The second son removed to New Hamp- shire, while the third went to Cincinnati, where, it is supposed, he perished during the yellow fever scourge which soon after prevailed in that city. Sam- uel, 2d, remained in town and married Lucretia Earle, daughter of Marmaduke Earle, and had children, viz: John Barnes, Sally, Betsey, Patty, Aurelia, and Matil- da. John Barnes Brown married Eliza Chittenden.
Elijah Brown, who came from Westboro, was of another family, he had children-Nathaniel, Sylvester, Elijah, Abi, Mary, Hattie and Fannie. Of these, Syl- vester remained with his father, and was never mar- ried. They were men of some means, and for many years they owned and kept the "old tavern " at the corner of the Barre and New Braintree roads. This old tavern has witnessed many changes and many a strange event in its day, and a detailed history of it and of those townspeople who frequented it, would make a volume of vivid interest, whether profitable or not. Austin Flagg for many years held forth here as "mine host," and in the days even when the new Barre road had been opened up, and Genery Twitch- ell held the ribbons of the fast stage line between Brattleboro and Worcester, this old hotel was histor- ic, and yet its glory had not departed, since it was still the place of general rendezvous for all the coun-
75
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
try round. The amount of ancient flip dispensed here would likely, if let loose at one time, make as great a "washout" as did the great flood of Aug. 19, ISS7, when all the highways were terribly torn up.
In the last quarter of a century it has gone to grad- ual decay and as a hotel abandoned, though it has served as a shoemaker's shop and in the old ell a store was continued for a period. Here Thos. A. Prouty and Aaron Snow did business and were among the last of the thrifty tenants of this house of "ye olden time."
David Manning carried on boot manufacturing here quite extensively up to about 1850. His shop was in what is now the Holmes' house. He lived opposite.
Thomas A. Prouty came here about 1850, from Spencer, and opened a store in the house now owned and occupied by John Holmes, with a boot shop in the upper story. 'His brother, I. Lothrop Prouty, was a partner. They continued business at this place for several years, and then bought out the Harrington store and continued till they sold to Nathaniel and William H. Clark. Theodore C. and John Prouty also came here and engaged in trade and manufac- tured boots. They all married their wives here. Thos. A. Prouty married Miss Ellen Pike, Isaac L. Prouty married Miss Mary Skinner, John Prouty mar- ried Miss Sarah Jane Bullard, and Theodore C. Prouty married Miss Hannah Peirce. The Prouty brothers remained ten years or so and then returned to Spen- cer and entered the boot and shoe business, where they have all accumulated fortunes. They were men of unusual shrewdness and great natural ability.
76
THE HISTORY OF PAXTON.
George Rowell was engaged in boot manufacturing at one time, as was also Bigelow, Mulligan & Co. These firms were not long engaged before abandon- ing the business.
At the present time there are two stores in town, kept by Nathaniel Clark & Co. and Elisha Arnold. The post-office is at Clark's store. The predecessors of the Clarks were, first, the Prouty Brothers, then the Harringtons, a Mr. Brewer and Harvey Wilson. The building itself was erected by Sylvester Brown. As many as five different stores have been established at different times, viz : that of the Browns at the old tavern, Tyler Goddard's, opposite his house on the west side of the road, that of Samuel Jennison's at his mills, also Otis Peirce's, where W. I. Preston now lives, and Thomas A. Prouty's, before mentioned.
In those brisk and changeful days, the trade and travel through this town was considerable. Railroads had not been invented 35 or 40 years ago, or had not superseded the common roads. There was ere long another tavern, known as the "Summit House," kept and owned for many years by Wm. W. Dodd, a large three story building, put up to accommodate the pub - lic, and there was need of it. It was no uncommon thing for a dozen four and six horse teams, carrying goods inland from Worcester and Boston to Barre and Brattleboro and all intermediate points, stopping for the night here. Then four and six horse coaches passed and repassed daily, carrying crowds of passen - gers with the government mails, making it merry as they bowled along over what was then one of the great inland arteries of trade and travel. The advent of the iron horse has changed all this, and now but
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.