USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Greenfield > A brief history of Greenfield, New Hampshire, 1791-1941 > Part 4
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DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES
Carriages were built by John Gould prior to 1858 in a building lo- cated between John Russell's and the schoolhouse. Matches were manu- factured in the same building at an earlier date. In back of the carriage shop there was once a cabinet shop. George Farrar, besides being a blacksmith, was a carriage maker.
During these years between 1860 and 1900 various small enterprises were carried on from time to time in the town. Charles Butler, who lived on the site of the summer home of Elmer Russell in South Green- field, used a small building nearby as a harness shop. He was also an old time tin peddler. William Atherton was another harness maker. In 1858 he was living in an older house which was then on the site of the present Fred Brooks' home. Nehemiah Fish's cooper shop became part of the house now occupied by John Ryan on the state road near the Lyndeboro line. His home was on the opposite side of the road. Isaac Burtt had a woodworking shop in the small building on the Bennington road, north of Thomas Burke's present home, for a few years around 1890. At about the same time Earl Searles lived in the house now owned by Nellie Mason; he made wooden measures and other small wooden wares in his shop south of the house. Benjamin Jaquith made sashes and blinds at his home, now the residence of Elmer Holt. Rodnev Patch was a wheelwright and also made coffins. He lived in the house now owned by Christie Belcher and had his shop nearby.
The so-called "Long Block" has been the scene of many activities for over a hundred years. Little is known of its earliest history. There is evidence that the west end of the second floor was once an assembly
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hall and was later remodeled. The Whittemore Brothers at some time carried on a thriving business as traders in the building. They were succeeded by Peavey and Gould. William Holt, Jr., who was known as "Billy," also kept a store here many years. Soon after 1855 the build- ing was cut in two; the easterly half was moved to its present site at the corner of the depot road where it is now occupied by Ross Tilton. The remaining part of the block stands today on its original location. Here around 1857 Lorenzo Holt painted the carriages which were made by George Farrar. The carriages were drawn up a long runway to the second floor where the painting was done. Also in the Long Block George Bailey had a cabinet business about 1870 and William Atherton ran his harness shop under the same roof. The structure has more re- cently been used as a rooming house and private dwelling. It is now oc- cupied by the Clover Farm Store run by Oscar Simmons who also makes his home in the building.
Lorenzo Holt built for his home the house which was occupied by the McCanna family until it was leveled by fire in 1901. Mr. Holt built a new shop for painting carriages on the opposite side of the street where the house, until recently owned by Miss Nina Russell, now stands. He had previously had a shop in the Long Block. In 1866 he moved his business, shop and all, to Peterborough. The shop there was recently torn down when the new Peterborough Post Office was built.
Horace Holt, who died in 1893, was a tailor and had his shop in his home which is now the residence of Herbert Emery.
Charles Wallace, called "Ponder," lived in the house which stood on the site of the Library. He was a familiar character in the town about 1890 and carried on a cobbler shop in a small building between the old Post Office and Walter Hopkins' present home. The shop has been moved and is now used by Mr. Hopkins as a garage. Mr. Wallace also acted as undertaker in the town.
Frank Holt ran a livery stable around 1900. He occupied first the house now owned by Elwyn C. Smith and later the building vacated by Charles Mann at the corner of the depot road. In addition to his livery business he conducted a barber shop.
Fred J. Aiken carried on an undertaking business from 1897 until his retirement in 1938.
Three commercial ice houses have been built at Otter Lake. In 1881 when no ice was available in New Bedford, a company from that city built an ice house on the Cashion property. There was no railroad siding but freight trains were stopped on the main line and the ice loaded. In 1888 the Daniel Gage Ice Company of Lowell built an ice house on the Emerson property (now owned by John Petersen). Ice was shipped by rail from a siding. These two ice houses were filled for a few years and
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Main Street Looking East-1890 Cobbler Shop, Post Office and Store, Wallace or Wilson House
Main Street Looking East-1941
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eventually rotted down. The New Bedford Ice Company built an ice house about 1906, also on the Emerson property. The building was not filled every year but was used as an auxiliary to the New Bedford plant. This ice house was destroyed by fire in 1914.
UNION SOAPSTONE COMPANY
The Union Soapstone Company was organized in 1884. A quarry in Francestown furnished soapstone of the best quality. In 1892 ground was broken for a mill one fourth of a mile south of Greenfield village on the railroad line. Buildings were erected at a cost of $13,000 and ma- chinery installed for $5000. In later years the buildings became a part of the present E. C. and W. L. Hopkins grain mill. The town voted to exempt the Soapstone Company from taxes for the first ten years. The stone was conveyed from Francestown on heavy six-horse wagons. Laundry tubs, sinks, and all kinds of soapstone goods were manufactured in this plant and shipped to various parts of the country. Twenty men were employed. The Francestown quarry ran out in 1894 but soapstone was shipped here by rail from Chester, Vermont, for two years after which the buildings were sold to Charles H. Hopkins.
AGRICULTURAL
Agriculture in some of its branches has always been the chief pursuit of the citizens of Greenfield. With the advent of the railroad in 1874 it became practical to ship milk to Boston. Many farmers now began to make dairying their principal business. Etna Fletcher was a prominent breeder of Ayrshire cattle. His services were much in demand as a judge of cattle at the fairs in the New England states. George D. Gould kept a large herd of Holstein cattle. Frank Russell was another dairy- man who shipped large quantities of milk from his Ayrshire herd. George and Charles Peavey occupied the house now owned by Charles R. Hopkins and carried on an extensive business as cattle dealers.
In recent years the raising of poultry has superceded the dairy business. There are several large poultry breeding flocks in town sup- plying hatcheries which in turn market the chicks in the North Atlantic states.
Large quantities of blueberries have been picked in Greenfield for many years. In 1892 twelve hundred crates were shipped to Boston with a return of $1000.
TOWN FARM
We find from town records that in 1831 the place then called the Deacon Woodward farm was purchased from William Whittemore for a town farm; the purchase price was $1550 including the crop. The town farm was sold in 1868 to George H. Putnam. The property is now the summer home of E. H. Mather.
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WHITING'S ICE HOUSE
The Whiting Company of Wilton purchased land bordering the rail- road at Zephyr Lake in 1890. Under the supervision of Fred Atherton of Greenfield, ice houses were built of a capacity of around 10,000 tons. In 1909 the older buildings were demolished and in the following two years the present structure was built with a capacity of over 20,000 tons. It had a movable gallery and was considered the last word in ice har- vesting at that time. In 1915 operations were simplified by the use of gasoline driven field saws. About 1929 a power line to the plant was installed which furnished steady and constant power to operate the ele- vators and gallery chains on which the ice was carried up to the houses. Operating time and expense were thus cut down nearly a half. In 1935 electrically operated basin saws were installed. The plant is now mod- ern as far as operation is concerned. Approximately six hundred cars of ice are shipped each year to the Whiting Milk Plant in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Previous to 1900 one ice house at Sunset Lake was built to furnish ice for the meat market owned by Peavey and Gould. The ice house was sold with the market to Fred Perham. In 1913 Frank McCanna purchased the ice house, bought more land of George Peavey, and built the second ice house. Both houses are now filled by George Shea who conducts an ice business in town.
C. H. CRAGIN & SON-GARAGE
In 1898 Charles Cragin bought the blacksmith and wheelwright shop of Frank Brooks. With the changing times Mr. Cragin began to do automobile repair work until the blacksmith shop gradually evolved into a modern garage. In 1921 Mr. Cragin's son, Kenneth, joined him in the business and the partnership has been known thereafter as C. H. Cragin & Son. Additions have been made to the building, the largest in 1928 when it was nearly doubled in size. The garage is up to date in every respect and better equipped than many city garages. The front-end alignment system was installed in 1937 and due to it and the fact that Mr. Cragin is an acetylene welder and mechanic of unusual skill, repair work is brought here from surrounding towns. Four men and a bookkeeper are employed.
E. C. & W. L. HOPKINS, INC.
About 1900 the buildings previously occupied by the Union Soap- stone Company were purchased by Charles H. Hopkins. Edwin C. and Walter L., sons of Charles Hopkins, were carrying on a grain business in connection with their general store at this time. After the box com-
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panies suspended business in the Soapstone Mill building, the Hopkins brothers used the building as a warehouse. They were shipping grain by rail to Antrim, Lyndeboro, and other nearby towns. In 1906 the officials of the railroad notified the Hopkins brothers of the decision to discontinue their millers' rate because they were not operating a grain mill. The Hopkins brothers decided their volume of business warranted the construction of a mill. They immediately purchased a forty horse power diesel engine, milling machinery, and elevators and installed them in the old soapstone mill which they remodeled to meet their needs. The business increased gradually until the capacity for bulk grain was 25,000 bushels. In 1921 extensive improvements were made and the build- ings enlarged to a capacity of 50,000 bushels bulk grain and 40 carloads of sack feed. A grain mixer was installed and the company began to manufacture poultry and dairy feeds under their own trade mark. The company was incorporated as E. C. & W. L. Hopkins, Inc., on January 1, 1927. The total personnel at the present time is twenty-four and ap- proximately 1500 tons of grain and feed are handled per month.
CARPET FACTORY
The Greenfield Carpet Works began operations in February 1936 on the East Road. In 1938 a mill in Hillsboro was acquired where the yarn is carded, spun, and dyed. The company was incorporated on January 1, 1940 as the Greenfield Carpet Company with Edward Earle as pres- ident and James Garvin as manager. The Greenfield factory produces an average of 2200 yards a week of twenty-seven inch velvet carpeting sold principally for use in hotels and homes. The equipment consists of six looms, a slasher, a wool beamer, a shearer, a drier, a winding machine, and a measuring machine. The factory employs eleven persons at present.
STORES
Previous to 1802 Ambrose Gould was established as the first trader in town. The old house which he occupied stood at the four corners in the village and was removed when the library was built in 1908. Joseph Bachelder opened a store a few years later in the south part of the town on the place now owned by Alden Foss. The store stood close to the road opposite the house. Another very early store is said to have been kept in what is now a shed adjoining the house of Albert Kittredge. In 1826 Clark & Cragin opened a store in the ell of Carkin's Tavern which was on the site of Mrs. Perley Russell's house. One of the first store buildings in town stood at the four corners on land now owned by El. wyn C. Smith. Here Amasa Farrar kept store from 1823 to 1837. He
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was succeeded by Grant and Dane, William Abbott, Duncklee and Jones, H. H. Duncklee, Rufus Anderson, Gilman P. Fletcher, and L. P. Wilson. Gilman P. Fletcher kept a store on the lower floor of the build- ing he owned just south of where the library now stands. It appears that this store succeeded the one he kept at the four corners.
The old store and Post Office building, which was located up the street from the library, was built by Mark Bailey. Here he kept store. Some of his successors were Robert Bradford, Bradford and Company, Albert Hardy, Horace Cudworth, Patch and Lewis, Frank Patch, Gip- son and Duncklee. About 1890 Charles H. Hopkins bought the busi- ness and closed out the store. The building was torn down when the library was built in 1908 and the lumber was used to construct at Sun- set Lake the cottage now owned by Miss Isabel Devoy of Boston.
In 1884 Charles Mann moved into the house at the corner where the Library is now located. Here he sold jewelry and conducted a bar- ber shop. About 1886 he moved to the building now occupied by Ross Tilton at the corner of the depot road where he continued his former business and added a line of tin ware. Mr. Mann purchased in 1895 the Betsy Bean house-now owned by Thomas Coughlan and occupied by Charles Joudrey. Here he made extensive repairs and transformed the basement to accommodate his business needs. He added to his en- terprises until, in addition to his barber shop, he repaired clocks and watches, sold jewelry, stoves, and tin ware of all kinds. His new house, situated between the older house and the Hopkins Brothers & Belcher buildings, was built in 1900; his store and barber shop were moved into it in 1915. Mr. Mann carried on his business until his death in 1927.
In 1909 John A. Hill purchased from Betsy A. Bailey the structure formerly occupied by Charles Mann at the corner of the depot road. He conducted a pool room and bowling alley for five or six years. At the same time he had an ice cream business which he continued for several years longer. Mr. Hill removed to Hancock in 1928 but still retains ownership of the property.
A small building in the village owned by Willis Johnson was built for a meat market, first run by Peavey & Gould. They were succeeded by Fred Perham who operated the market approximately between the years 1901 to 1907. The business was then purchased by John Day, Jr., who kept it for only a short time. For many years thereafter the build- ing was vacant. About 1930 Willis Fletcher used it a short time for an ice cream parlor. It was later a dwelling house and is now vacant again.
After John Day's store near the railroad station was burned in 1901, he built another store in the village just south of the house now owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Putnam. After Mr. Day's death, his daughter, Flor-
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ence, ran the store and was succeeded by Edward Felch, Hopkins & Burnham, and P. S. Burnham. The latter closed his business about 1916. Thomas Coughlan ran his Clover Farm Store in the same building from 1931 to 1935.
Frank McCanna established a meat business in 1913. He had pre- viously been employed by Fred Perham in his market and by the Peavey brothers in their meat business. Mr. McCanna built a market on his property and ran a meat cart and later a truck through Green- field, Francestown, and part of Peterborough for twenty-three years.
HOPKINS BROTHERS AND BELCHER
The building which houses Hopkins Brothers and Belcher's store was built by Charles H. Hopkins in 1873. He ran a general store until 1893 with the exception of one year around 1879 when it was sold to E. C. Richardson. Mr. Hopkins soon bought the business back. Ad- ditions were made to the buildings from time to time until they as- sumed their present proportions. On December 11, 1893, Mr. Hopkins' sons, Edwin C. and Walter L. Hopkins, bought the store and ran it as a partnership until 1917. At this time Christie H. Belcher purchased a third interest in the business and the name became Hopkins Brothers and Belcher as at present. The store became affiliated with the Inde- pendent Grocers Alliance in May 1930. Five people find employment here.
SIMMONS' STORE
Oscar M. Simmons opened a store on the Bennington road north of the home of Thomas Burke in August 1930. Here he sold ice cream, candy, tobacco, and light lunches. In 1936 he moved to the George W. Putnam house where he carried on a similar business. In October 1938 he purchased the Long Block and moved his store to that place. In December 1939 the business was expanded and a Clover Farm Store established. Mr. Simmons has also carried on a barber shop during these years.
COUGHLAN'S STORE
In 1931 Thomas Coughlan bought of Otis Wilber the building known as "the old Day store" where he opened a Clover Farm store. In 1935 he purchased of Mrs. Albert Kennet the old Richardson house which had been damaged by fire. Mr. Coughlan remodeled the build- ing and moved his store to the lower floor. He makes his home in the apartment on the second floor. In 1939 he severed connections with the Clover Farm Stores and joined the Red and White chain. * ¢
In 1936 Greenfield adopted a zoning ordinance, regulating and
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restricting the use of land; the location, construction, and use of build- ings, whether for business, residence, or for other purposes.
POSTAL SERVICE
The available records of the Post Office Department in Washington,. D. C., do not show the exact date of the establishment of the Post Office in Greenfield. However, James Miller, the first Postmaster appointed to- serve here, rendered his first account as of July 1, 1808. The records. indicate further that some time prior to 1811, the office was discontin- ued but the exact date of discontinuance is not shown. The office was. re-established about 1821 with William Whittemore as Postmaster. The available records do not show the date of re-establishment of the office or appointment of Mr. Whittemore.
In the earliest period of postal service, mail was brought to Amherst. by stage coach. For several years Capt. Joseph Reynolds of Greenfield brought the mail twice a week on horseback from Amherst to Green- field; he traveled over the so-called "County Road"-the mountain road from Lyndeboro to Greenfield. Jacob Butler of Lyndeboro was another early mail carrier, traveling the same route. He at first rode horseback with the mail in two large saddle bags but later drove a horse and. wagon.
After the Forest Road was opened in 1831, mail arrived every other day from Boston by stage coach. Service improved further when the railroad was built in 1874; mail came in by rail every day. At the pres- ent time the Boston and Maine Railroad holds the contract for carrying. the mail; it arrives four times a day by bus.
The original post office equipment, consisting of pigeon holes and a few drawers, may be seen today in the Library. It is small enough to be- easily moved as seems to have been the custom frequently with a change of Postmasters. Jacob Stephenson kept the Post Office in his store which stood between where the Library now stands and Walter Hopkins" house. When Horace Cudworth was Postmaster, the Post Office was in his house, now the home of Elwyn Smith.
During the terms of several succeeding Postmasters the Post Office. was in the store previously mentioned. Charles H. Hopkins moved the Post Office to his store (now Hopkins Brothers and Belcher's store) where it has been ever since. In 1897 the post office equipment now in use was installed.
The list of Postmasters is as follows:
James Miller William H. Whittemore
served about 1808 to about 1811
appointed about 1821
Ezra Prescott
appointed July 9, 1823.
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Lewis Wilson William H. Whittemore Jacob Stephenson William H. Whittemore
John J. Duncklee Henry .H. Duncklee Jacob Stephenson Rufus Hardy
Horace Cudworth
Frank R. Patch
Samuel H. Partridge
Warren Lewis
Henry H. Duncklee Fred W. Duncklee
Clarence M. Gipson
Charles M. Hopkins
Clarence M. Gipson Mason L. White
Millard L. Mason
Nellie L. Mason
appointed September 3, 1828 appointed June 13, 1832
appointed March 1, 1841 appointed October 7, 1842 appointed September 21, 1847 appointed April 21, 1848 appointed December 29, 1853 appointed April 16, 1867 appointed January 13, 1870 appointed January 27, 1874 appointed April 4, 1884 appointed June 9, 1884 appointed August 28, 1886 appointed May 28, 1888 appointed August 16, 1889 appointed April 6, 1893 appointed July 20, 1897 appointed July 8, 1900 appointed March 15, 1913 appointed May 1, 1916
On May 28, 1878 John R. Russell was appointed Postmaster at South Greenfield with the Post Office in his house. This Post Office was discontinued after Mr. Russell's death in 1886.
RAILROAD (Data furnished by Frank S. Gage)
The Wilton Railroad was chartered December 28, 1844. It was opened from Nashua to Amherst (afterwards called Ponemah) on No- vember 23, 1848 and from Amherst to Wilton on June 10, 1851.
The Peterborough Railroad built eleven miles of line to connect Wilton and Greenfield. The first train arrived in Greenfield on January 1, 1874 bringing twelve hundred stockholders and interested friends. The officials were served a free dinner at the town hall. It was expect- ed at the time that Greenfield would remain a terminal for many years.
Stages left from here for Francestown, Antrim, Stoddard, Marlow, Keene, and points north. A large stage barn, burned in 1901, was lo- cated on the rising ground near McCanna's present house.
The original passenger station, which was destroyed in the fire of 1901, was located on the site of the present one. Across the tracks stood a car barn and nearby was an engine house; the pit for the turn-table can still be seen. The freight house was built in 1873. Oposite it were the sheds where the wood was sawed by the means of a one-horse tread
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Railroad Station and Vicinity-1890 Car Barn, Day's Store, Depot, Box Factory, Stage Barn
mill and saw rig. Wood was used for fuel for the engines until about 1890 when coal came into common usage. A house on railroad property was used for the station agent's residence. It was one of the buildings destroyed in the great fire of 1901. Frank Gage's house is now on the same site. South of the house a water tank was built, also in 1873. Water was at first supplied by gravity from a well some distance to the east but the supply proved insufficient and a large well was dug to the west of the passenger station in 1878. Water was pumped thence to the water tank by means of a steam pumping engine which was replaced with a gasoline pump in 1909. Two section houses and a milk house were built as the need arose. The express house was added in 1905 or 1906. Previous to 1900 the old wood sheds, engine house, and car barn had been removed. The water tank was taken down in October 1931.
A station at South Greenfield, called Russell Station, was established with a caretaker when the railroad was opened in 1874. About 1920 the caretaker was released and the station became a flag stop until 1935 when it was discontinued and the building sold.
The Manchester and Keene Railroad commenced work in 1876 on
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a line to connect Keene and Greenfield. In the fall of the same year considerable excitement developed in Greenfield and Hancock when the contractors were unable to pay their men. A riot threatened but the appearance of a strong detachment of police from Manchester and Nashua convinced the men nothing would be gained by violence. The affair was finally quieted but many of the townspeople were the losers on account of bills due from the laborers and subcontractors. The rail- road was finally completed from Keene to Greenfield on August 14, 1878.
The Peterborough Railroad and the Manchester and Keene Rail- road were soon leased to the Boston and Lowell Railroad. In 1889 the Boston and Maine leased the Boston and Lowell, and all leased lines and continues to operate them at the present time.
A milk car was added to the morning train in 1882 to take care of the milk shipped from Greenfield. As the dairy business increased, a milk train was chartered by David Whiting and Sons which picked up the milk in the morning and returned the empty cans at night. In later years the train was run as an open milk train. About 1925, owing to the declining milk production in this section, the train was discontinued and a milk car added to the passenger train. Still later, the milk was handled in the baggage car. The small amount shipped today is carried by truck.
One of the first "Snow Trains," run from Boston on Sundays for the benefit of winter sports enthusiasts, made Greenfield its objective. For four years these trains came to Greenfield occasionally as conditions allowed. The last one scheduled here arrived on March 1, 1936.
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