USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Templeton > The story of Templeton > Part 11
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lowed it until he reached his grandfather's grant of land. Here he cleared away the trees and made his home.
The grant east of his land was No. 113 and was sold by Charles Lord's grandfather to Noah Kendall and Aran Ken- dall who seem to have settled a little earlier, as Captain Stone lived with Aran Kendall until his own house was built. When building his home, he went on horseback to Groton to get the nails which were made there by a blacksmith who ham- mered them out, one by one, on an anvil.
Aran Kendall lived awhile in a house at the west end of the Stone grant and died when only 31. Captain Leonard Stone was made guardian of his sons and later married his widow. Their good neighbor on the west was Thomas Fisher, an able civil engineer and a very intelligent man who probably did much of the surveying in this locality. The old bounds of the Fisher, Stone and Piper lands could be found meeting where Smith and Day's pond used to be. Thomas Fisher later became the first trial justice appointed in this town.
On the Otter River, where Warfield's Mill now is, William Hunting built a grist mill, and when he later married Captain Stone's daughter and moved to Canada, Captain Stone bought the mill and ran a sawmill there, much lumber being pre- pared for local building. Later, in 1822, Captain Stone's two sons, Colonel Leonard and Ephraim, found slabs enough at this mill for the Big Load of wood that was taken to the minister.
The families locating here raised most of what they used by keeping cows, sheep, hens, turkeys, geese, etc. They used the feathers as well as the eggs and made fine puffy feather- beds to keep themselves warm in their unheated sleeping rooms. They did not complain if they found a drift of snow resting on the warm blue bedspread when they woke in the
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dawn. The wool from the sheep was taken to a small shop near the river where Nathan Smith carded it and made it into rolls ready for the spinning wheels in the homes. To distin- guish him from the other Smiths, the boys called him "Wooley" Smith. He lived in the house now owned by Edward LaPorte on the Winchendon road.
The central bridge over the Otter River was built in 1778. In 1787, Edward Cambridge had a small shop near the river where people brought the cloth that had been woven on the looms of the industrious housewives; and in his shop it was "fulled" or thickened and teaseled to give it a nap, after which it was dyed the color called for by the weavers. Yarns for knitting and weaving were often spun and dyed in the homes.
A larger mill, for the making of heavy woolen cloth, was built in 1823 by Samuel Dadmun and William Graham from Rutland, Massachusetts. This building was on the road lead- ing to the Foundry, which road has been discontinued. The business was a success and in 1836 was much enlarged, bring- ing many people to the village which was then called Dad- mundville but which had been known as Factory Village in earlier days.
After some years, three large buildings were added to this mill, but placed on the west side of the river; and the Jones Manufacturing Company carried on successfully, making a fine quality of cloth and nice Rose blankets. Workers came from England and Germany, new homes were built nearby, and the name changed to Jonesville.
In 1833, the Foundry started business, and a small cook- stove was made to make cooking easier than at the fireplaces. The stoves were raised eight or more inches from the floor but were not very deep and would seem very small for use now. But they had the advantage of a fine, boxy stove hearth
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where a mass of hot coals could be drawn from the fire box and delicious steaks cooked to a turn. Thomas Parker and his son, Daniel Parker, started this business in 1833, and Otis Warren took charge in 1843. In 1846, Charles Lord, a native of Otter River, started as an apprentice at this foundry and became much interested in the business. In 1856, he and Mr. Gates bought control, and Charles Lord managed the Otter River Foundry, with several partners, during his life. In 1858, William Walker was his partner; in 1871, William Stone and later, Fred Stone. Mr. Lewis and Mr. Kirchner developed and enlarged the business; and many tons of iron were melted and framed into stoves to warm the hearths in hundreds of New England homes.
In 1847, when this village was the most properous part of the town, a hotel was erected by J. C. Goldsmith. He also had used a small shop at the foot of the hill for making boxes; and he may have been responsible for planting the lilac bushes that have bloomed there for so many years.
At a location near the Gardner line, where Cooper Saw- yer in very early times had built a small shop for the making of chairs, where Mr. Goodnow from Sudbury had run a saw mill and some of the Heywoods had also made chairs, the Frost Company developed a large business making horse blankets, as many horses were needed in those days. This company also took over the mill on the site of the Stone saw mill. Here Ephraim Hancock had run a grist mill which later was operated by Charles Everett. He was one of a family who had lived in a house at the foot of Bell Hill, later owned by Owen Sullivan. The Everett family made sieves and were industrious and successful people. Charles Everett was so unfortunate as to cut off one of his hands at the mill; but he built a house and store near the railroad station and
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became station master when the railroad was located here in 1850.
In those days, Otter River was a busy place. There were hundreds of workers in the mills, and the women and children did much work at their homes caning chair seats. The "seat- ing", as it was called, was brought around in carts from the chair shops; and many mothers planned to keep their children occupied much of the time.
The first store in Otter River was built on the west side of Main Street by Samuel Morley. Later this was run by Mr. Osgood, and in 1865, sold to Francis Leland. In an upper room of this building, John Watts carried on tailoring for some time. In 1847, a store and tenement block was built opposite, on the east side of Main Street, by Captain Joseph Davis. This was used by Peter Pierce for some time. His son, Edward, became Judge Pierce of the Supreme Court at Boston.
Captain Charles Davis of Civil War days lived on Pleasant Street in Otter River and was well known in towns about, as he was sheriff for this locality after his return from the Civil War.
The one church in Otter River is the only Catholic Church in Templeton, and was built in 1853 or 1854. The parish at that time included several other towns; and the priest, living here, covered many miles of driving to reach all of his parishioners.
The district schoolhouse of early days was built on the Winchendon road, founded on a rock, where the cinnamon roses grew. This building was far too small in 1860, and a much better schoolhouse was built on the west side of Main Street. Leonard Stone, grandson of Captain Leonard Stone, was active in the construction of this two-room building. Within two years after it was opened, ninety little children
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appeared for admission; and the primary teacher had to send nine four-year-olds home, as there were seats for only 81 chil- dren. In 1880, the town built an addition of two rooms but used only one at that time. The citizens of the village con- tributed funds to finish a good hall above the new rooms, pro- viding a place for community gatherings. Church services were held there at times.
It is recalled that one of the early preachers here was later known as the hero of the story, "A Singular Life", by Eliz- abeth Stuart Phelps. But as many of the families here attended the First Church in Templeton Center, and Baldwinville had two churches, the hall was used more for Village Improve- ment Society meetings and by the school. It is sad to record that this building was burned on October 3, 1933. The present four-room schoolhouse was built shortly afterward by the town.
In 1881-1882, Francis Leland, after using the old store for years, built a large brick store on the site of the hotel which had burned in 1876; and a few years later, he finished a large hall above the store.
The mills, run by the Jones and Dadmun families so success- fully, were taken over by the Synder family. The changes in the tariff and dull times in the woolen business closed these mills later, and the buildings were unused and neglected for a long time. The agent in charge often asked Mr. Leland how much he would give for the property. Not wishing to buy it, Mr. Leland named a small sum, quite beneath the notice of the agent. But taxes were mounting, and within a year or so, the owners notified Mr. Leland and his partner, Lawrence Noonan, that they had accepted the former's offer.
Although they did not wish to own the property, they de- cided to purchase it and see if some repairs could be made to make it useful to a company that would furnish employ-
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ment to village people. A carload of shingles, new sills in the dam and other repairs made it serviceable to a firm of paper manufacturers, the O'Brien Brothers - four of them - from New Jersey. This was in 1906.
In a few years, when they had added some brick engine rooms and were using the wooden buildings for storing large amounts of waste paper for making paper board, the build- ings were struck by lightning. The three large sections of four or five stories each were burning at the same time and could not be saved. When flames were bursting from the whole structure, the bell in the cupola began swinging and ringing and fell, while tolling, with the crash of the building. The O'Brien firm soon built a brick mill on the same site which survived the 1938 flood and hurricane.
While the mills were prospering, the Fitchburg Railroad maintained an Otter River station. (At the time of the Civil War, our Templeton soldiers left from there -a full com- pany.) But after seventy-five years or more, the Boston and Maine managers discontinued it, as the "stop" was so near the station at Baldwinville, and the brick station was removed.
A postoffice was established here in 1869. For many years the postage paid on repair parts sent out by the Lord and Stone Foundry helped make the 4th grade postoffice salary worth while. When the stove business was no longer in oper- ation, no one cared to be postmaster and on May 30, 1942, the postoffice was given up and rural delivery established.
The Otter River Brickyard received its death blow at the time of the 1938 hurricane. This yard was earlier managed by Horatio Nelson Dyer and his son, Charles, and was well known for the fine quality of brick made. When Charles Dyer later went to Greenfield to carry on the same kind of work there, Charles Leathe successfully continued the business here. But the run of clay in the valley had diminished, and
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when the sheds were destroyed in 1938, little more was done in the local yard.
Also, during the 1938 hurricane, many of the old dams, constructed by enterprising business men of former days, for water-power to run mills, were washed away; and floods came rushing along the river, destroying twelve bridges within a mile of the village of Otter River. As we now have the use of electric power brought from the falls of the Connecticut River, the unused dams have been neglected, and few of them will be rebuilt. However, the bridges have been rebuilt and improved, and manufacturing can be carried on successfully.
The family of Fred Stone gave a large portion of their share of the "Stone land" for a playground at the local schoolhouse. W. P. A. funds were spent on filling and grading; and it is hoped that the town will maintain this as a safe place for children to play. The small grounds east of the schoolhouse are too near the highway.
It is now almost 200 years since Deacon Simon Stone's des- cendants settled upon his land grant; and many others have located their homes upon it. Some of the Stones still remain, however, and run the lawn mower and cultivator, if nothing else.
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Baldwinville
Contributors:
Elizabeth Wellington Lord Charlotte Ward Mary Bradish Putnam Lorey A. Tourtellot L. Clifford Day
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YANKEE VILLAGE THE RIVER L. Clifford Day
T WO mountains, both solitary monadnocks in form, one Wachusett, the other Monadnock by name, stand facing each other across miles of beautiful wooded hill-and-valley country in the heart of New England. Almost exactly mid- way between the two, quite concealed by foliage and close- ranging hills, flows the Otter River.
The first waters of the Otter rise near Wachusett, but the parent stream and all its branches flow northwestward, as if determined to attempt the impossible climb to the higher Monadnock. A barrier of glacial hills soon blocks the way, however, and the river is forced sharply to the westward to join the larger Millers, where it must be content simply to mingle with much diluted Monadnock waters.
For ages the Otter flowed unmolested, now racing swiftly by thickly forested banks, now lazily meandering through a rush-choked meadow. The Indians preferred deeper streams, while early settlers avoided the hazards of the lower ground, except to fish. Finally, a generation of hard-headed mechan- ics, without need to worry for their scalps, and thinking less of fish and more of machinery and profits, saw power in the swift-moving water near the narrow westward bend of the river. Presently dams and water-mills appeared, and the Vil- lage, with its Main Street, was born.
Before 1830, there were comparatively few inhabitants in this section of the town, scarcely enough to call it a village.
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From an article written by Albert Bryant, we learn that it was first called Bucketborough, and then North Templeton. Even after it was given the name of Baldwinville, the residents of Otter River for some time continued to call it "the North".
In those early days there were no stores, no gristmill and no tannery in Otter River Village; consequently the in- habitants went to "the North" to transact business, even to having their shoes repaired by Joseph Addison. Charles S. Lord, in an article which he wrote, relates that he made many trips to this shoe-maker's shop when a young lad. "It was the custom then to have the skins for the shoes tanned on shares. Each farmer had his sole leather, both calfskin and cowhide, and this was kept at the shoemaker's, and when shoes were needed the owner furnished the stock and the shoemaker charged for the labor. Mr. Addison was an honest man and charged one hundred cents on the dollar. He was not a 'saver of souls, but a maker of soles'.
Near Mr. Addison's shop lived one of the most eccentric characters of the town - Nathan Merriam. He was neither M.D., nor D.D., but the appellation of "Dr." was given him because of the multitude of things he was interested in, both wordly and spiritual. He was a chair-maker and peddled his own chairs. In his shop he kept small wares for sale. He attended all the auctions and consequently stored up a great quantity of old stuff among which one could usually find any needed article. Theology was Nathan Merriam's strong point and every one but "Dr." Merriam himself was on the wrong track!"
Inventors and contributors to the early history of Baldwin- ville have been mentioned in the "Story of Templeton."
One of the first settlers was Jonathan Baldwin who came from Spencer, Massachusetts, in the year 1767. He acquired
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large tracts of land and built a saw-and gristmill. He was the first justice of the peace in the town and executed many deeds. He represented the town in the General Court in 1774-75. After his death, in 1792, he was succeeded in business by his son, Captain Eden Baldwin, who later became owner of a lumber yard and a brick yard.
The present name was given to the village in the year 1830, in recognition of the public spirit manifested by both father and son. The postoffice was established then, and this north section of the town was recorded as Baldwinville.
Jonathan Baldwin first lived in a little house on South Main Street, corner of Cottage Street, which is now the ell of the house occupied by Thomas Symons. In 1797, Captain Eden Baldwin built the large house now standing at the junc- tion of the Athol and Templeton roads. On August 1, 1800, his son was born and was given the name of Christopher Co- lumbus Baldwin. He was educated at Leicester Academy and Harvard College, studied law in Worcester with Governor John Davis and Charles Allen, and was admitted to the bar in October, 1826. He practiced law in Barre and, for a short time, in Sutton.
Later, he became interested in genealogical and historical study, in preference to the law. In October, 1827, he was elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society of Worcester and in April, 1832, was chosen librarian, a posi- tion he retained until his death. Mr. Baldwin also became editor of the National Aegis, a Worcester paper, and wrote articles for other publications. On his journey west to make investigations for the American Antiquarian Society, the stage in which he was traveling overturned, and he was in- stantly killed. This was on August 20, 1835, at Norwich, Ohio, where he was buried.
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Our village to the north has reason to be proud of these distinguished men by the name of Baldwin.
After the postoffice was established, the village grew, more houses were built and business prospered. Because of the fact that the Fitzwilliam turnpike passed through Baldwinville, places were needed for the entertainment of travelers. Cap- tain Eden Baldwin kept a tavern in a house, later owned by Albert Bryant, on the corner of South Main and Maple Streets.
In 1832, Captain Joseph Davis, the first postmaster, built the hotel now know as Narragansett House. Captain Davis was very popular as a landlord and served for five years, when he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Frank Ray. Several dif- ferent proprietors followed until 1870, when George Partridge bought the hotel and ran it successfully for twenty years.
The hotel originally was one of those high, pointed-roofed buildings, two or three stories higher than the present struc- ture. In 1871, March 6th, it was partially destroyed by fire. The Lee & Stearns hat shop gave the alarm, and Baldwinville and Otter River fire companies responded to the call. It was six below zero that day. The hand engine was first worked by one crew and then by the other, for the pumping must go on continuously; there could be no pause or the water would freeze in the hose. George Grafton was frozen to the ladder on which he was standing, holding the hose. He had to be chopped down, taken to the fire room at the hat shop, given stimulants and thawed out. After the fire, the hotel was re- paired and rebuilt. In 1876, Mr. Partridge engaged Lysander Bronsdon, contractor and builder, to construct the ell contain- ing the dining room.
In the early days, the hotel was a popular place for sleigh- ing and school parties. Many owners succeeded Mr. Partridge, and at the present time the hotel is run by A. Cioci and J. Fargnali.
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STORIES OF THE EARLY DAYS Mary Bradish Putnam
Our ancestors lived much as all New England colonists did, but not as we do now. Furniture and some dishes were home-made. For kitchen tables the first settlers used boards, set upon carpenter's horses, at which all the family could eat at one time. After the meal, the boards were taken off and placed against the wall. Large trenchers used as platters, and small ones used as plates, were made from thick pieces of plank. Most families had no china, and only the well-to-do had pewter dishes and drinking cups - ordinary people used mugs made of leather.
Beds were so high that old people needed steps in order to climb into them. The trundle bed was made to slide under the large bed.
In a book entitled "The Way Our People Lived", by W. E. Woodward, was found this item: "One product of the car- penter's shop was 'the cistern'. It looked like our modern water cooler, without a faucet. Sometimes it was actually used to hold water, but its ordinary purpose was to hold beer or cider, the customary household beverages. Water was re- garded with deep suspicion, both in England and the colo- nies. Beer and cider were given even to small children with their meals. Nevertheless, water as a beverage was being tried out timidly during the Puritan period.
There was a rumor that Governor Winthrop drank water daily and by preference, but this rumor was not generally believed. Milk was not considered much better, though some few men who kept cows drank it and gave it to their children, but many never used milk. They only kept cows to raise oxen to do the work."
C. C. Baldwin, as late as 1835, wrote that when his nephew
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came to Worcester to attend school he would have sent him to the Academy, except that they allowed their students no tea, coffee or milk. He thought this was too strict.
In the early days, all produce and lumber that was to be sold in Worcester or Boston had to be taken over the road by ox-team, and all livestock was driven over these same roads.
Mr. Harwood said his father, when a boy, and his grand- father often went into Vermont to buy turkeys. They drove them over the road, and all would go well until late afternoon when one old turkey would go sailing up into the tallest tree, and in half a minute the air would be full of turkeys; then the trees would be full of turkeys, and there was absolutely noth- ing that the man and boy could do except eat supper and roll up in blankets for the night. There was no way to get those turkeys down until the sun came up next morning.
When the first settlers came, wild turkeys were very plenti- ful and in the fall, when the weather was cold, but before the snow came, the young men went on a "turkey hunt": They shot, dressed and froze a large number for winter use. As there were no refrigerators in this period, the meat was carefully wrapped in cotton cloth - generally an old sheet - and then hung in the well; if possible an abandoned well was used because the level of the water did not fluctuate.
In these days of strikes, demands for higher wages, and more strikes, the story of Hannah Norcross seems remarkable.
A family named Maynard lived a short distance below the Brown Tavern on Baptist Common, and one year, as Mrs. Maynard was ill during haying time and could not do the work, Hannah Norcross was asked if she would come and "help out". As there were no mowing machines then, all the men of the neighborhood worked on one farm at a time, cut- ting the hay by hand and after it was dry, storing it in the
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barns; then all hands moved to the next farm. There were five men at the Maynard's that year, and Hannah prepared their meals, baked the bread, churned the butter, took care of Mrs. Maynard, and every afternoon went up into the hot attic to spin and weave. She was very good "help" and a good cook; and, because she did so much spinning, they gave her extra pay, seventy-five cents per week!
In cases of sickness some elderly woman, whose children were grown, was willing to come to care for the patient and help with the housework. Such a woman was Sarah Stock- well, widow of Simon Stockwell, who lived in the Neal Dis- trict of Royalston. When the snow was deep, her mode of transportation was a homemade hand-sled, big and roomy, on which she could be tucked up in blankets and be reasonably comfortable; but she always carried a blazing pine knot to keep away the wolves.
In the little white house just above the Deacon Addison house in Baldwinville, lived a family named Sawyer; Elisha, his wife, and crippled son, Emory. The boy never walked after he was ten years old, except on crutches, and not too well then, but he was determined not to be a burden. There were not many things a man could do in those days aside from physical labor, but the boy thought he could be a lawyer, so he asked Lawyer Cady if he could go to his office and study.
Mr. Cady was glad to help him, and so every day this young aspirant came down across the railroad tracks in a wagon made by his father and drawn by his big Newfound- land dog for which his father had made a harness. Mr. Cady's office was where the Baldwinville postoffice now stands. When Emory reached that point, he got out of the wagon, tied the reins around the whip, and said: "Go home, Major", and Major went home. Mother unharnessed him and he was free until it was time for the young man to return. Then
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Mother went out, whistled, put on the dog's harness, and he went down and waited for his passenger.
Emory Sawyer became a successful lawyer and practised in Warren.
MAIN STREET L. Clifford Day
After many years of slow, thrifty growth, the village came into the full bloom of its activity at the turn of the century. It left the gay nineties (which the local businessmen, strug- gling againt the Panic, hadn't always found so gay!) with high courage for the new century ahead. The spirit of pro- gress was in the air. A new local weekly newspaper named itself "Progress" with an emphatic capital "P". But it was to be a slow, agreeable sort of progress which would discom- mode nobody. The mills were busy, the stores well-stocked and the small white cottage homes freshly painted. Peace, prosperity and comfortable living all seemed so certain and enduring.
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