USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 70
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of his encounter in the imprint of bruin's too loving teeth for many weeks afterwards.
Here is another bear story which has become historic. Mr. Simon Sart- well who was one of the Grantees of Charlestown under the New-Hamp- shire charter, and who settled in the south part of the town, was very much annoyed by bears, which helped themselves, as he conceived, to a more than due share of his corn. He watched them for the purpose of shooting them, but they seemed perfectly to understand his movements, and did not allow him to get any advantage of them in that way. On Sunday, as he was a pious man and always went to meeting, they usually took it into their heads, as they had little Puritanism in their views of the day, to be particularly mischievous. At length he got so entirely out of patience with them, that he determined he would endure their intrusions no longer. So he went to a blacksmith and engaged him to make a trap that would hold a bear or whatever should get into it. This he set at night, inwardly chuck- ling with the idea that he was for once about to be too shrewd for bruin and that an end was to be put to his depredations at last. In the morning when he went to look for his bear, he found his old horse in the trap. Of course the thing was soon known, and the wags took it up, for there were wags then as there are now, and from that time to this that section of the town has been called TRAPSHIRE.
Benjamin Allen, who, after the subjugation of Canada settled on the place where Hosea Dodge lives now, was accustomed, like most of the in- habitants of that early day, to make his own brooms. These were usually peeled from yellow birch saplings which Mr. Allen generally obtained from the west side of the river, as they grew very plentifully there. Being over there one day for the purpose of cutting broomsticks as they were called, he had just cut one, when hearing a noise a little distance from him in the bushes, he looked up and saw his dog rushing furiously towards him pur- sued by a large bear. Allen thinking to escape being seen by the bear stepped behind a large tree. But the dog with the native instinct possessed by such creatures, rushed, followed by the bear, immediately to his master for protection, who being an old Indian fighter, was not the man to shrink from a contest which was thus forced upon hin. As old bruin, therefore, came up, nothing daunted he squared himself broomstick in hand, to re- ceive him : with the first well directed blow he was fortunate enough to break his assailant's back, when he was easily dispatched. He was a very large bear and would have been a powerful antagonist in a close contest.
Nathan Allen, (son of Benjamin) who was born in 1768, probably excited by the bear stories of the times, when he was twelve years old besought his father one day to let him have the Old Queen's Arm, as the old musket was called, to go out and kill a bear. His father, at first, sought to dissuade him from his purpose on account of his youth, saying to him in his peculiar manner of speaking, " Nathan, my son, you are too young, you are, to kill a bear, you are ; wait till you are sixteen and you shall have the Old Queen's Arm, you shall, and you may kill, you may, as many bears as you choose." But Nathan was not to be put off till he was sixteen, so the old gentleman concluded at length to let him go and try his luck. So, loading his musket
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with a good charge of powder and nine buckshot, he started ont, and pass- ing up over the upper brook, where Hamlin's Mill now stands, nearly to the second house beyond, on the way to Claremont, he turned to the right, and passed up into what was then a dense forest. He had gone only a little way when he came to an opening caused by a large number of trees being blown down, which he had no sooner reached than he saw a bear entertaining himself by picking and eating blackberries. He stood on his hind legs with one of his forefeet against the limb of a tree which had been blown down, while with the other he would bend over the blackberry bushes and pick off the berries with his mouth.
Nathan watched him a moment when. embracing his opportunity, he put the old Queen's Arm to his shoulder and fired, and then turned and ran for · home at his most rapid speed where his first words were on arriving, " fa- ther, I've killed a bear, I've killed a bear." He then told his story when his father accompanied him to the spot where sure enough, after searching round a little they found the old bear dead in a pool of his own blood, slain by the stripling hunter. Two generations in the Allen families have been greatly amused by these bear stories and now they are recorded thinking that they still may afford amusement to the inhabitants of Charlestown.
DEER REEVES.
In the early times deer were numerous and were more useful to men than all other animals that were hunted. As these animals were lean in winter and the females produced their young in the spring, Massachusetts enacted in 1698, that deer should not be killed between Jan. Ist, and Ang. Ist. These dates were afterwards altered a little. Other colonies had similar laws. The objeet of the appointment of Deer Reeves was that they might inform against those persons who killed deer out of season. The first appointment of Deer Reeves in Charlestown, which I notice, was in 1776.
FISH CULTURE IN CHARLESTOWN.
Fish culture has been one branch of the industries of Charlestown since 1866. The name given to the establishment in which it is carried on is " The Cold Spring Trout Ponds." It is situated about sixty or seventy rods from the south end of the village, and has been in successful operation dur- ing ten years; a portion of which time it has been under the superintend- ence of Frances W. Webber, whose knowledge, both scientific and practical. entitles her to a most respectful mention among those who have aided in advancing in America, this really useful art. The following (communicat- ed) will give the reader a pretty full idea of the labors of Mr. Stone, who first established in Charlestown the fish-breeding works.
" Livingston Stone began operations in fish culture in 1866, by establishing the Cold Spring Trout Ponds at Charlestown, N. HI. In 1867 he was em- ployed, for a part of the year by the State of Massachusetts to carry on some work in fish eulture at Lake Champlain. In 1868 Mr. Stone went to Mirimehi, New-Brunswick, and established there as a branch of the Charlestown business, extensive salmon breeding works, which were then the largest in the world. In 1872 he received the appointment of U. S.
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Deputy Fish Commissioner, and was assigned the Pacific coast as his field of duty. In 1873 he started for California with a fully equipped aquarium car loaded with living fish from the Atlantic slope. This car was wrecked in the Elkhorn River, Nebraska, by the falling of a rail-road bridge. Mr. Stone then returned and carried forty thousand shad from the Hudson River across the continent, depositing five thousand in Great Salt Lake and thirty five thousand in the Sacramento River. The same year he sent east one million five hundred thousand salmon eggs for the Atlantic rivers. In 1874 he fitted up a second aquarium car on a larger scale, and succeeded in crossing the continent with its load of living fishes. In the fall of this year he sent four million California Salmon eggs to the Eastern states, and hatch- ed and deposited in a tributary of the Sacramento, nearly a million more. Among the published writings of Mr. Stone are a short sketch of the life of Dr. Crosby ; two papers on fish culture, read before the American Fish Cul- turist's Association ; several articles in the Overland Monthly; a book on trout culture, entitled " Domesticated Trout," and various Congressional and State Reports. The Cold Spring Trout Ponds have maintained their place from the beginning as one of the leading establishments of their kind in the country, their trade extending to Europe, Colorado, California and all over the United States. They are now owned by Mr. Stone and Mr. H. II. Hooper. Mr. Stone having entered into partnership with Mr. Hooper in 1874."
THE GREAT ELMS AND OTHER TREES.
The places are few which are rendered more beautiful by their shade trees, than the lower part of Main street, in Charlestown, by its " Great Elms;" and these magnificent trees add not more to the beauty of our street, than the comfort of our citizens. I will give the history of these trees as communicated to me by Mr. Jesse Wheeler now dead, but who at the time (1870) was probably the only person who could have given it cor- rectly.
In the spring of the year 1800, Hon. Simeon Olcott, Hon. Benjamin West, and Capt. John Willard agreed together to set out elm trees on the street before their premises, extending them as far as what is now Park street; and for carrying out this agreement engaged Mr. Amos Wheeler, the father of my informant, to obtain and set out the very best trees he could find. Mr. Wheeler obtained the trees in what was then Maj. Jonathan Baker's pasture, about two and a half miles from the village, and near the present Acworth road. But as there was no road there at the time he was obliged to bring them across the lots to the Stone Bridge road and from that trans- port them to the village. Capt. Willard was appointed to direct Mr. Wheel- er in setting them out, whence probably the origin of the report that "Capt. Willard set out the trees," though no more credit was due to him than to Judge Olcott and Mr. West.
In regard to the noble elm on the west side of the street near the David Holton place, it used to be claimed, by the late Governor Henry Hubbard, that his father, the Hon. John Hubbard, set it out and that he in his early boyhood assisted him in doing it, which is not improbable. There is an-
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other very imposing tree in front of the residence of Mrs. Elizabeth West. This Mr. Wheeler was confident was set out by his father, but whether he was engaged to do it by Mr. John Arms, the village blacksmith, or set it out of his own accord, he could not say. Probably Mr. Arms engaged him to set it out.
The splendid trees before the residence of Samuel Walker, Esq., and also the large trees in his yard, were set out by his grand-father, Col. Abel Walker.
There is one more tree not excelled in the symmetry of its proportions by any other, which is worthy of notice. It stands in the grounds of J. G. Briggs, jr., some four or five rods south of his house. This was set out, Major Enoch Hammond West informs me, by Obadiah Wells who lived many years on the premises.
Such is the history of the " Great Elms" of our beautiful village which have not only added thousands of dollars to the value of its real estate, but which in addition have been invaluable in the comforts they have brought to more than two generations, who have walked or sat beneath their shade.
Of the more recent elms. William Gordon, Esq., was instrumental in setting out a few on Main street, and also the beautiful row on the south side of Green street, leading up to Mrs. Emily A. Oleott's. Some were set ont on Main street also by William Briggs, Esq. Those on the west side of Main street before reaching River street, as you go north, were set out by Rev. J. De Forest Richards, the first pastor of the Evangelical Congre- gational Church. The first elms on Summer street, which is now beauti- fully shaded, were set out by Joseph Burt before his house. Others were set out soon after by Abraham D. Hull, Esq., to whom the street is also in- debted for other improvements. Others who have added to the improve- ment of the street in this direction are James C. Stebbins, Dea. Joseph Smart, Simeon O. Cooley, and Josiah White.
The elms on High Street were most, if not all of them set out by Henry Hubbard, jr., Esq., now of Bedford, Virginia.
Of the maples in the village, David Holton, probably, set out more than any other man. Aaron Dean set out those which are now so ornamental to the residence of Mr. Josiah White. Others to whom the public are indebt- ed for this class of trees are Horace Hall, Josiah Shepley, Ebenezer Fletch- er and Isaac Silsby. Abram D. Hull, Esq., has recently put out a row of elms on Geer Hill and Mr. John W. Taylor a row before his cottages which will hereafter add their attractions to the place.
On the west side of East street elms have been set out before their home- steads by Stephen A. Spooner, Curtis Cady Chadborn, Henry Easter and Mr. Sparrow within a few years past.
The present season (1876) Charles T. Hull has put out a row of elms on the north side of Swan Park, and JJoseph Dunsmoor has added a number to the south side of Park Street. George Oleott, Esq., George S. Bond and Edward Cooley have also each put ont a Centennial Tree. They stand in a row; Mr. Olcott's in front of the Connecticut River National Bank; Mr. Cooley's next north and Mr. Bond's still further north in front of the Town Hall-may they live to sit under the shadow of them. At the junction of
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Main and Sullivan Streets a Centennial Elm has also been planted by H. P. Saunderson.
The setting out of shade trees is a very cheap yet effective way, not only of aulding to the beauty of a village but to the comfort of its citizens. The hand that writes this has done its share of work of this kind, and he would recommend to all the advice of Dumbiedikes to his son: "Jock, when ye hae naething else to do, ye may be aye sticking in a tree; It will be grow- ing Jock when ye're sleeping." And he would add, you will thereby be conferring a blessing upon the world when you are sleeping your last sleep .
AN INCIDENT IN CHURCH.
Thomas Putnam, of Charlestown, N. HI,, whose remains sleep near the Johnson monument in the beantiful cemetery on the east side of the village was Deacon of the South Church for many years. He was an excellent man and, like all the Deacon Putnams, of whom Charlestown has been so pro- lifie, honored the office to which he had been chosen. And it being anterior to the time when lectures on Deacons were in demand at two hundred dol- lars an evening, the office itself had some honor in the churches. There was, therefore, with common consent, in the meeting-houses of New- England a box pew built directly in front of the pulpit, where all the dea- cons were accustomed to sit during the morning service on communion days, and which was regularly on other Sabbaths the seat of the senior dea- con. This seat in the meeting house of old Number Four was as constant- ly occupied on the Sabbath for some years as the day came round, by good Dencon Putnam, till he was induced, as we have reason to believe by the circumstances I am about to relate, to change it during the afternoon service for another.
Rev. Bulkley Olcott, of Charlestown, and Rev. Thomas Fessenden, of Walpole, were contemporaries in the ministry, the one having been settled in 1761 and the other in 1767 over their respective congregations, to which they continued their ministrations until called we trust by the Master to go up higher; and as Mr. Olcott, continued to live till 1793 and Mr. Fessenden to a much later period they were brethren side by side in their pastorates for upwards of twenty-five years, during all which time their exchanges were frequent, and the pleasantness and harmony of their intercourse un- interrupted.
It happened during the summer of 1790 or 1791 that Mr. Olcott, being in feeble health and feeling as though he would like an exchange, dropped a line to Mr. Fessenden requesting him to accommodate him with one on the following Sabbath, and having received an affirmative answer the res- pective gentlemen appeared in each other's pulpits at the appointed time.
As to the manner in which the morning service passed in C. we have no account, but doubtless to edification. But tradition distinctly informs us that Mrs. Squire West, who, by the way, was the most notable woman of her time in Charlestown, with her accustomed hospitality invited Mr. Fes- senden home with her to dinner, where, as we are credibly informed, she placed before him for his repast, according to the good old New-England custom, among numerous other good things a platter bountifully laden with
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baked beans, which being just such a dinner as Mr. Fessenden liked we are told that he ate very heartily, praising highly as he did so, Mrs. West's cookery, as it doubtless deserved.
Dinner being over they repaired again to church, where at the appointed honr the service was commenced and continued favorably through that portion of the performance usually called introductory. But the first head of the sermon was scarcely reached ere Mr. Fessenden from the effects of his too hearty dinner began to feel an almost over-powering nausea; and what to do under the circumstances became to him a subject of no incon- siderable interest. But unfortunately with such rapidity did his sickness increase that all deliberation was out of the question, and the decision he was obliged to make was rather involuntary than voluntary, for finding that nolens volens. his dinner was about to leave him, he leaned over the pulpit and delivered it with a sudden outpouring on poor Dea. Putnam's head, which already silver gray was made more variegated by the descend- ing shower. Of course it was not long before the seat of the senior deacon was vacated and he was looking up to see what was coming down. And immediatly having comprehended the situation the following colloquy took place between him and the occupant of the pulpit, if not to the edification yet much to the amusement of the congregation :
" Mr. Fessenden," cried the unfortunate deacon his locks still drip- ping, " dont you think you had better go out?" " O no," replied the good minister, placing his hand on his stomach and looking down at him unable to resist a smile at his ludicrous appearance, " O no Deacon Putnam I guess not for I feel greatly relieved."
But though Mr. Fessenden did not go out Deacon Putnam did; and though in the forenoon he often occupied the seat of the senior deacon he never was known to do it in the afternoon afterwards, but invariably took his seat at the head of the family pew, where he appeared to listen to the services with great attention He had received 'one baptism and he did not care to recieve another like it. [Inserted by request.]
COMMON SCHOOLS IN CHARLESTOWN.
At a town meeting notified to be held on the 12th of August, 1763, the 1th article in the warrant was " To see if the town will raise money to pay for schooling past and to come and to see what the town will do in respect of a school being kept in the town?"
The following was the action of the town on this article:
" Voted 1st, on the 4th Article that the town will pay for schooling past. viz. Doct. Taylor and Samuel Stevens, Esq. Dissent entered viz. James Porter, Seth Walker, jr., Simon Sartwell, Jos. Willard, Lieut. John Sawyer, James Nutting Willard, Moses Willard and James Farnsworth, all appeared and objected against the foregoing vote and paid for entering the same."
" Voted 2d, on the 4th Article that there shall be a school kept in the town for the future."
" Voted 3d, on 2d Artiele that the school shall be kept in different parts of the town in proportion to what each part shall pay towards said school."
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" Voted 4th, on 2nd Article, that Messrs. Ebenezer Putnam, Samuel Stevens. Esq., aud Simon Sartwell be a committee to see that the school be proportioned agreeable to the foregoing vote."
" Voted 5th, on the 4th Article that the aforesaid committee be empow- ered to provide such school masters or mistresses from time to time in the several parts of the town as shall be needful till our next annual meeting."
At the next annual meeting it was voted that there be a school kept in the town from the first day of October next, to the last day of April fol- lowing.
" Voted that the school shall be kept in the different parts of the town in proportion to what each part shall pay towards said school. Voted, that John Hastings, jr., James Porter and Thomas Putnam be a committee for regulating the above said school."
There was a school by the vote of the town also in 1765. There is no for- ther record of any school till 1769 when the following votes were passed at the annual town meeting
Voted on the 4th Article, that there shall be a school kept in the town. Voted 2nd, on said Article, that the school be kept in the different parts of the town in proportion to what each part shall pay towards said school. Voted 3d, on said Article, that it shall be left with the selectmen to propor- tion the school in the different parts of the town and also to provide a school master.
In March, 1770, the 6th article in the town warrant was " To see if the town will provide for a school the whole or part of the ensuing year and to vote on any other matter that shall be thought or found necessary."
On this it was voted that a school should be kept and that the sum of twenty seven pounds should be raised and assessed on the inhabitants for its benefit-and that the town should be divided into three districts, each of which should draw its proportion of the money raised according to its other assessment, and provided either district should fail to appropriate its proportion to the use of a school such proportion as was not thus appropri- ated was to be forfeited to such district or districts as should appropriate it to that object. Simon Sartwell, Capt. John Church and Elijah Grout were the committee to divide the town into districts. Messrs. Eben'r Put- nam, Elijah Grout and Peter Labaree were appointed a committee to pro- vide a school for the north district; Messrs. Simon Sartwell, Seth Walker and Joseph Willard for the south district and Messrs. John Church, Lem- uel Hastings and Abel Walker for the middle of the town.
In the November following these votes, the middle district took meas- ures to provide themselves with a school-house. I give a list of persons employed upon this house from November 5th, to November 12th, 1770, and also an account of some materials furnished by individuals for the building.
On this house Abel Walker worked 8 days; Joseph King, bricklayer, 6; Lemuel Hastings, 4 and a fraction ; Sylvanus Hastings, 4; John Simons, (Simonds) Jonathan Wetherbe and Taylor Spencer, 3 each; Peter Page, Elijah Parker, Peleg Williams, Landon Priest and Aaron Willard, 2 each; Bradstreet Spafford, Barrat, (probably John Barrett) and Elisha Farwell, one each; Stephen Alvord, 3 hours; Samuel Hunt found 500ft of boards;
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Abel Walker, 4000 shingles and 1500ft of boards; Thomas Swan, 2750 brick ; 900 ten penny nails and 34 pounds of iron ; Brown, probably Aaron Brown, made a pair of hinges ; Lemuel Hastings furnished 743ft of boards. To some of these workmen Abel Walker also furnished at different times entertain- ment and his oxen and horse were employed as occasion required.
What was the cost of this house or how much each individual in the dis- triet paid, I have no means of ascertaining.
This school-house was situated near the Northwest corner of the present South Parish meeting-house lot and was the only school house in the vil- lage for many years. Of those who received the rudiments of their educa- tion in it, some still live, among whom is our venerable townsman, Simeon O. Cooley. It was so considerable a building, that the regular town meet- ing, March 10, 1772, was notified to meet in it, and others were held in it afterwards.
We may presume that the school in the winter of 1770-71, was as we say in these times, " a success," as in the year following, the town made a still greater appropriation for the same object. At the town meeting on the 12th of March, 1771, the following persons, viz. Messrs. Ebenezer Putnam, Ste- phen Alvord, Jos. Willard, John Hastings, jr., and Peter Labaree, were . appointed a committee to divide the town into proper districts and make a return to the meeting. They made the following return, viz. "That the sum of £35 be raised and assessed on the inhabitants of Charlestown and appropriated to the use of a school; and whereas sundry families live re- mote from the middle of the town and cannot have the advantage of a school kept there, said families may have the priviledge of drawing out their proportion of the said thirty-five pounds, equal to their other taxes, provided they shall apply said money to the use of the school." The above return voted.
In 1772, the town promptly raised £ 50 for the benefit of Schools, and after passing several votes relating to the schools at the ends of the town, and reconsidering them they at length voted at an adjourned meeting, Monday, the 13th of March-That the school be kept six months in the middle of the town and that the other schools be kept where the ends of the town shall please place them. Each of the schools at the ends of the town was to be continued three months.
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