USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Chesterfield > History of Chesterfield, Cheshire county, N.H., from the incorporation of "township number one," by Massachusetts, in 1736, to the year 1881; together with family Histories and genealogies > Part 15
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 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43
The following private houses at the Centre Village (designated by the names of their present owners) were once occupied as stores : Alanson Norcross's, by Asa Britton, Ezekiel P. Pierce, Sen., and perhaps others ; Geo. Darling's, by Asa Fullam ; Geo. Hawes's, by Reuben Porter and John Kneeland, and afterwards by Oscar Coolidge and son. The elder Coolidge had previously traded sev- eral years at the " Cook stand," so called, which, as already men- tioned, was burned about 1847.
William Haile's store was located where Rev. J. Hall's house now stands. and was removed when the latter was built.
The first store at Factory Village was established by Ebenezer Stearns about 1800. Joseph Holt and Henry White also had a store at the same village about 1815.
The building at Factory Village now owned by L. W. Slade, and occupied by James C. Farwell for a store, and which has recently been enlarged and otherwise improved, has been occupied by the following persons for mercantile purposes : From 1820 to '25, by Ebenezer Stearns and Geo. S Root ; from 1825 to '35, by Geo. S. Root ; in 1837, '38 and '39, by Seymour, Putnam and Chase ; from 1840 to '44, by Oliver B. Huggins & Co. ; in 1845, by Coolidge and Huggins ; from 1847 to '51, by Chas. B. Atherton and David W. Beckley ; in 1852 and '53, by Sanderson and Beckley ; from 1854 to '63, by Chase and Beckley ; from 1863 to '65, by David W. Beck- ley ; from 1865 to '77, by James C. Farwell and Geo. R. Carpenter ; from 1877 to the present time, by J. C. Farwell.
After closing his business at the Centre Village, E. P. Pierce, Sen., in partnership with Hiram Whitcomb, engaged in trade for a while at Factory Village. Nelson H. Chandler also had a store at the same village in 1836, '37 and '38.
About 1815. Ashbel Wheeler opened a store at the West Village, in the house now owned by Mrs. Prusha W. Strong. In 1823 or '24, he entered into partnership with Oscar Coolidge, with whom
166
he was associated four or five years. The business was then con- tinned by Mr. Coolidge and Harden Ford till 1835 ; and from this date till 1839, by Mr. Ford alone. After Mr. Ford's death, in 1839, Mr. Wheeler resumed business in the same building, and continued to sell goods till about 1847. Wm. W. Ford, Ransom Farr, and James H. Ford have also kept a store in this building, for longer or shorter periods, since the last-mentioned date ; but since 1870 it has been used exclusively for a dwelling-house.
In 1852, Josiah Dunham and Ransom Farr opened a store at the upper ferry, in the former's dwelling-house. Soon afterwards, the present store building was built by Mr. Dunham and Samuel D. Clark, and has been used ever since for mercantile purposes by Mr. Dunham himself, Russell H. Davis, and others. For a number of years it has been owned by Calvin P. Gilson, but is rented and oc- cupied at present by Larkin D. Farr.
TAVERNS AND HOTELS.
The earliest taverns were merely private houses situated near the principal highways, and whose owners availed themselves of the opportunity to add to the income derived from their farms by pro- viding food and lodging for hungry and weary travelers, and an abundance of spirituous and fermented drinks for the thirsty.
After a while a law was passed compelling tavern-keepers and retailers of spirituous liquors to obtain a license from the selectmen. The first recorded licenses for this purpose were granted in 1792, which year four persons were licensed as taverners and one to sell spirituous liquors. It is not at all probable, however, that one per- son enjoyed a monopoly of the trade in strong drink that year.
In 1793, there were only two licensed taverners, while five persons were licensed to retail spirits ; and in '94, the number of tavern- keepers was three, the number of retailers of spirits remaining the same. In 1800, there were seven licensed tavern-keepers and only two licensed retailers of liquors.
Among the earliest tavern-keepers were Oliver Cobleigh, Nathan- iel Stone, Andrew Hastings, Abraham Stearns, Nathaniel Bing- ham, and Ebenezer Harvey, Sen.
Among the old dwelling-houses of the town which were once used as taverns, many years ago, may be mentioned George Smith's, Henry E. Amidon's, Erastus H. Cobleigh's, Chas. C. P. Goodrich's,
167
Mrs. P. W. Strong's, Ira D. Farr's, Hermon C. Harvey's, Roswell Butler's, the stone house of the Pierces, and the house owned by the late Amos K. Bartlett.
Ebenezer Harvey's tavern stood on the site of Parker D. Cressey's present residence, at the Centre Village, and was probably one of the oldest taverns in the town.
In ISO1, Levi Mead came to Chesterfield, from Lexington, Mass., and lived in the house now occupied by Roswell Butler, at the Cen- tre Village. which he kept as a tavern. In ISI6, he built at the same village what was known for many years as the " Mead tav- ern," and which is now called the " Chesterfield Hotel." Since his death, in IS2S, this tavern has had several different owners, among them his sons Bradley and Elias. From 1860 to '68, it was owned and kept by Parker D. Cressey, and since 1876 by Lucius Thatcher.
The present tavern at Factory Village, known as the " Spafford House," was built in 1807 by Elnathan Gorham for a dwelling- house. It was first used as a tavern by Presson Farwell. After- wards, it was owned and kept many years by Samuel Burt, who, in 1867, sold it to Sanford Guernsey. In ISSo, it was purchased of Mr. Guernsey by Walter J. Wheeler, its present proprietor.
In 1831, Ezekiel P. Pierce, Sen., built a large stone house on the old Pierce homestead, near the lake, which he kept as a tavern sev- eral years.
The tavern which Amos Smith kept near the river, in the north- western quarter of the town, and which was afterwards kept by his son George, was frequented by boatmen and raftsmen in the days when merchandise was transported up and down the river by means of boats, and logs were conducted down in rafts. The same is true of the old " Snow tavern," afterwards the town poor-house.
For a few years Rufus Harvey kept a tavern at his dwelling- house, now owned and occupied by his son, Hermon C.
The lines of stages that passed through Chesterfield before rail- roads were constructed, rendered tavern-keeping more profitable then than now. The stages from Walpole, and towns farther north, passed through the Centre Village on their way to Northfield, Mass., and other towns to the southward; as did also the stages on the Keene and Brattleboro route. These stages, each sometimes drawn
168
by four horses, were frequently crowded with passengers ; and their arrival was awaited with no little interest by expectant landlords.
The " Prospect House," situated on an eminence, near the south- ern shore of Spafford's Lake, of which it commands a fine view, was built in 1873 by John W. Herrick, of Keene, and has been owned by him and his heirs most of the time since it was construct- ed. This hotel, which is kept open only during the summer, has been managed by several different persons, including Mr. Herrick himself and D. S. Swan, of Winchester. Since 1879 it has been managed by A. R. Mason, of Keene.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
There are no public buildings in Chesterfield at present that are worthy of a particular description. The meeting-houses of the dif- ferent denominations have been mentioned elsewhere. (See Chap. VIII. For a description of the "old meeting-house," so called, see p. 142.) The town-hall, at the Centre Village, was built in IS51, and is a substantial stone structure with slated roof.
The village-hall, at Factory Village, was built in 1869, at a cost of $2400, by an association styled the " Village-Hall Association."
POST-OFFICES.
The post-office at the Centre Village (Chesterfield) was established Aug. 12, 1802.
The following persons have been postmasters at this village :
DATE OF COMMISSION.
Ebenezer Harvey,
Aug. 12, 1802.
Asa Britton, -
Daniel Waldo, -
Nov. 16, 1810. Dec. 30, 1830.
Warham R. Platts, -
Nelson W. Herrick,
Warham R. Platts,
Chas. J. Amidon,
Henry O. Coolidge,
Warham R. Platts,
Henry O. Coolidge, James M. Herrick,
Oct. 4, 1833. Aug. 6, 1841. Sept. 11, 1843. May 29, 1849. April 2, 1851. May 20, 1853. Aug. 10, 1861. Feb. 27, 1867. April 9, 1868. Oct. 24, 1873.
Romanzo C. Cressy,
Murray Davis, -
James H. Goodrich, 2d, - - Oct. 6, 1875.
169
The post-office at Factory Village (Chesterfield Factory) was established Jan. 12, IS28.
The postmasters at this office have been as follows :
DATE OF COMMISSION.
Geo. S. Root, -
Jan. 12, 1828. .
Horatio N. Chandler,
Dec. 14, 1835.
Samuel Burt, Jr.,
July 28, 1838.
Bela Chase, - Aug. 6, 1841.
Samuel Burt,
Dec 30, 1844.
David W. Beckley,
- April 26, 1850.
Samuel Burt, -
Sept. 11, 1854.
David W. Beckley,
-
July 20, 1861.
James C. Farwell,
Jan. 15, 1866.
The post-office at the West Village (West Chesterfield) was es- tablished April 17, 1866, at which time James H. Ford was com- missioned postmaster. He held the office till November, 1870. Since the latter date, Emroy H. Colburn has been postmaster.
ROADS AND FERRIES.
The earliest roads mentioned in the town-records, have already been described. (See p. 39). The " river road" was sometimes described in old records as the road "leading to Charlestown." Its location corresponded nearly with its present one. It originally passed, however, just west of the old poor-house (now owned by Henry E. Amidon), and crossed the Catsbane by two bridges, the brook at that time being divided into two channels, where the road crossed, by a little island. Some alterations have also been made in this road at a few other points.
The road described on page 39 as running along the western line of the twelfth range, was once an important highway. In early times many of the emigrants, from towns south of Chesterfield, moving northward in quest of new homes, came up through the " Notch," and passed by this road into Westmoreland. Mr. John Butler, aged ninety-five years, whose father kept a tavern in Hins- dale, near the road leading through the Notch, asserts, as an evi- dence of the amount of travel on this highway, that, at one period, his father " mixed " thirty-three barrels of rum yearly !
A portion of this road was discontinued many years ago ; but the rest of it (from where it connects with the road leading from the
22
170
West Village to Spafford's Lake) is the same as originally laid out, and has been long known by the name of "Christian street," from the circumstance, as some of the oldest inhabitants say, that numerous religious " revival meetings" were held in its vicinity many. years ago.
As early as 1770, if not earlier. a road was constructed from the meeting-house to a point near where George Goodrich now lives. It was located, in part, by marked trees. This road has been dis- continued.
Oct. 22, 1770, the town voted to accept a road from the meeting- house to Winchester, which was described as running easterly into the " old road that leads to Winchester." The " old road " leading to Winchester appears, then, to have been a road already in exis- tence ; but the date of its construction has not been ascertained. It was not identical with the present highway leading from the Centre Village to Winchester, for this was made at a much later date, and is a county road.
At the same time (Oct. 22, 1770), the town voted to accept a road leading from the meeting-house to Keene, as it was then " trod." This road ran easterly, a little south of Factory Village, and over Atherton hill. . For many years it was the only highway between Keene and Chesterfield, and a large portion of it is still used.
About 1843 or '44, a new road was made from near what is now known as the " Amos K. Bartlett place" (once owned by Abraham Stearns), situated about two and one-half miles to the eastward of Factory Village, to the Keene line, where it connected with a new road from the foot of " Keene hills." This new road, together with the old one from the Bartlett place to Factory Village, constitutes the present highway between this village and Keene.
The highway from the Centre Village to Westmoreland (South Village), originally passed over Wetherbee hill, a number of rods west of its present location. Its location near the picnic-ground, on the west side of the lake, has been changed twice. The date of the construction of the original road has not been ascertained.
The lower half of the valley of Leavitt's brook, in the south-west quarter of the town, has received the appellation of the "Gulf," and the road that runs through it, connecting with the river road
171
near the mouth of the brook, is called the " gulf road." This road was made in 1830 or'31. The town refused to make it, whereupon it was laid out by the county commissioners.
No bridge has ever yet been built across the Connecticut, between Chesterfield and Vermont. A company was incorporated, how- ever, in June, 1817, under the name of " The N. H. and Vt. Bridge Company," for the purpose of building a bridge between Chester- field and Dummerston ; but it was not built.
March 14, 1848, the town voted to build a bridge over the Con- necticut, " between Oliver Hastings' and West river bar ;" but the vote was never carried into effect.
At present there are two ferries in the town, which may be desig- nated as the " upper ferry" and " lower ferry."
It appears that, sometime in 1786, William Thomas petitioned the Legislature for the exclusive right to keep a ferry over " a certain space in said [Connecticut] river extending one mile and one-half" from the north end of Catsbane island down said river." Sept. 20, the same year, the House voted to grant the prayer of the petitioner. June 12, 1788, Thomas petitioned again, and was granted leave "to bring in a bill." This ferry has been constantly maintained since it was chartered. For nearly half a century it was owned and man- aged by Benaiah Norcross ( See Family Histories), and was gen- erally known as " Norcross's ferry." Since 1850 the ownership of this ferry has been changed several times. For about twenty years prior to 18So, it was owned by the late Lyman P. Farr. At pres- ent it is owned by Calvin M. Houghton.
In 1787, Eliphalet Hale obtained a charter, for a ferry over the Connecticut, between Catsbane island and Westmoreland line ; but it is uncertain whether it was ever put in operation.
In December, 1800, Samuel Farr and Ezekiel Hildreth obtained a charter for a ferry located between the mouth of Governor's brook and Catsbane island, which was mentioned in the charter as being the northern limit of a ferry granted to William Thomas.
In 1805, a charter was granted to Abel Farr for a ferry located between the mouth of Governor's brook and Westmoreland line ; but there is no evidence that a ferry was ever opened within these limits. .
172
The ferry granted to Farr and Hildreth, was the one now called the "upper," or " Gilson's ferry." It has had numerous owners since 1800, and appears to have been in constant operation.
Josiah Hastings, Sen., is said to have kept a ferry for a while near the place where Thomas Sumner now lives ; but it was prob- ably never chartered.
For many years after the ferries were established, the large boats were not pulled across by means of wires, as at present, but were propelled along the shore with poles for a certain distance up the river, and then sculled obliquely across. In this way the ferryman could take advantage of the current. and land his boat at the proper place on the other side.
SPAFFORD'S LAKE, THE STEAMBOAT "ENTERPRISE," ETC.
A brief description of Spafford's Lake has been given on page 13. Though it had been for many years a favorite resort for local . fishermen and the students of the Academy, and had occasionally been visited by pleasure-seekers from abroad, it was not till within the past ten years that any measures were taken to establish a hotel. boat-house, cottages, etc., for the accommodation of persons who de- sire to withdraw from the noise and tumult of the "madding crowd," and spend a few weeks in the quietness of the country.
It is true that
" Old Captain Bulky," a sailor by trade,
Who round the world many voyages had made,"
had a sail-boat on this lake many years ago ; as did afterwards Ezekiel P. Pierce, Sen., whose boat, sometimes manned by an ex- perienced seaman, was used more or less by sailing parties for sev- eral years. Pierce's island, too, has been for a long time a resort for students and others, who desire to enjoy camp life for a few days at a time. Nevertheless, as stated above, it was not till within the past ten years that people have resorted to the lake in large numbers (excepting, perhaps, a few instances) for recreation and diversion, and for the holding of religious, and even political, meetings.
In 1873, the Prospect House, as mentioned in another place, was built by John W. Herrick, of Keene, and was designed for the ac- commodation of persons who might come to the lake seeking health or pleasure.
*" Capt. Bulky" was the sobriquet of Capt. -, who is said to have put the first sail-boat on the lake.
173
In 1874, John W. White commenced the boat-house on the south- ern shore of the lake, but it was not finished till the next year. It is owned by Geo. W. Darling, but was rented and managed in '75, '76 and '77 by Ira D. and Frank H. Farr ; in '78, '79 and 'So, by the latter and A. T. Dunton, of Brattleboro. The present year ('SI) it is managed by F. H. Farr, who also controls the " pavil- ion" for dancing, dining-hall, lodging-house, etc. All these last mentioned buildings stand upon land owned by Geo. W. Darling.
On the southern and western shores are pretty extensive picnic grounds, which are much frequented in the summer season. On the one situated west of the lake, Lucius Thatcher, proprietor of the " Chesterfield Hotel," has a large stable for horses, a lodging- house and restaurant, and a " dance-pavilion." This last mentioned building was first erected by Mr. Thatcher in 1879, but was crushed by the snow in the winter of 'So and '81, and has been rebuilt the present year.
Among other attractions at Spafford's Lake, the steamboat " Enterprise" is by no means the least.
The construction of this little steamer was due to the efforts of John W. White, seconded by Jay Jackson, Wm. Bennett and John W. Herrick. It was commenced by Mr. White, who employed professional boat-builders for the purpose, and was finished in 1876, with the assistance of the other gentlemen whose names have been mentioned. It is propelled by a screw. and is capable of car- rying about one hundred and twenty-five persons. Not only is this steamer much used for excursions about the lake, but it is of much service in transporting people to and fro between the western and southern shores of the same, on the occasions of pic- nics or other large gatherings.
It is a circumstance worthy of note, that only four persons have yet, so far as known, been drowned in the lake (including the " channel" at Factory Village.) A boy by the name of Farwell was drowned in the channel a great many years ago ; and after- wards a man named Phelps, and another named Henry Reed, were drowned, at different times, in the lake itself. In 1827, James Brooks, aged seven years, son of Capt. Wm. S. Brooks, was also drowned in the lake while bathing.
174
BOATING AND RAFTING ON THE CONNECTICUT.
Previous to the construction of railways in the Connecticut val- ley, merchandise was transported from point to point along the river in freight-boats. These boats were ench capable of carrying from eighteen to thirty tons, or more, of freight; were furnished each with one square-rigged mast, and were steered with oars. In as- cending the river they were propelled by means of poles whenever the wind was in the wrong direction, or not strong enough to pro- pel them against the current ; and at some points they were hauled through rapids, or over " bars," by means of stationary windlasses, horses or oxen.
Many Chesterfield men were engaged, at different times, in boat- ing between Bellows Falls and Hartford, Conn.
At the latter place the boats were loaded with all sorts of goods necessary for furnishing a country store in the days when bolted wheaten flour was a positive luxury, to be indulged in only by the more well-to-do families, and hogsheads of molasses and New Eng- land rum were an indispensable portion of every store-keeper's stock in trade.
The principal landing places in Chesterfield for the freight-boats, were the lower and upper ferries. Here the merchandise consigned to Chesterfield parties was unloaded, and then the boats, if they had any additional freight, proceeded on the voyage up the river.
The time consumed in a "round trip" from Bellows Falls to Hartford varied, according to circumstances, from nine to twenty days.
But the days of freight-boats have passed away, so far as the citi- zens of Chesterfield are concerned, probably never to return ; and the whistle of the locomotive, as it rushes up and down the valley, reminds the few surviving " rivermen" that the days of their youth have receded far into the dim past, and that this is an age of change and innovation.
Steamboats have never been successfully employed in navigating the Connecticut as far up as Chesterfield However, on a few oc- casions, at least, the inhabitants of the western part of the town were entertained with the novel spectacle of a little steamboat puf- fing slowly up the river. Mr. Burnham, in his " History of Brat- tleboro," has given an amusing account of Thomas Blanchard's at- tempt, in 1827, to ascend the river in a steamboat which he had
175
built at Springfield, Mass. It was probably the passage of this boat up the river, past Chesterfield, which called forth from the " Bard of Streeter Hill" one of those poetic effusions for which he was noted, and which contained some very vigorous, if not altogether choice, expressions.
A considerable number of Chesterfield men also engaged in raft- ing lumber down to Hartford, where it found a ready market.
The lumber was sawed at the various mills of the town. drawn to the river and arranged in " boxes," which were combined to form rafts, and then conducted to its destination by skilled raftsmen ; for, to take a raft, or river-boat. successfully from Chesterfield to Hart- ford, over the various rapids, required no little skill, and some cour- age. Raftsmen and boatmen both sometimes narrowly escaped drowning, and occasionally one of them lost his life in this way. Such was the fate of Nahum Day, who was drowned at Miller's Falls about the beginning of the present century.
MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.
In 1792, the Legislature of New Hampshire passed an act regu- lating anew the militia of the State. It was provided by this act that the companies in the towns of Winchester, Richmond, Swan- zey, Chesterfield and Hinsdale, should constitute the sixth regiment.
In 1808, an act was passed making certain changes in the act of I792. The new act provided that " all free, able-bodied, white male citizens of the State, from sixteen years of age to forty, should be enrolled with certain exceptions." For nearly forty years follow- ing the passage of this act, no very radical changes were made in the militia laws.
For many years Chesterfield possessed two companies of militia- the Light Infantry and " Floodwood." The members of the Light Infantry furnished their own uniforms, but were provided with arms by the State ; the members of the Floodwood had no uniforms, and were obliged to furnish themselves with arms. The latter company was composed of all enrolled men who were not included in the Light Infantry. The annual regimental musters were usually held in Winchester, but sometimes in other towns, in the month of August or September. Occasionally a battalion or regimental mus- ter was held at the Centre Village, in this town, on which occasion the inhabitants, old and young, would assemble in large numbers to witness the parade.
176
The companies were obliged to turn out at least twice each year, for inspection of arms, and for drill.
" Training days," as they were called, were memorable days for the younger people,-the uniforms of the Light Infantry, the shrill notes of the fife and the roll of the drum, the measured tread of the soldiers, and the pompons commands of the officers, all combining to arouse feelings of patriotism in their breasts. With regard to the " Floodwoods," however, it would hardly be proper (if the tes- timony of the older inhabitants is reliable) to say that they always marched with a " measured tread ;" for it is gravely asserted that they sometimes marched with all sorts of " treads"-measured, un- measured, and measureless !
Sometimes sham-fights were arranged between the " Americans" and the " British," or "Indians." Of course the Americans usu- ally gained the day, as any other result would have been decidedly unpatriotic.
Not far from 1835, a rifle company was formed in the town, mainly through the exertion of Ezekiel P. Pierce, Jr., who com- manded it for four years. This company was fully uniformed and equipped, and was attached to the sixth regiment, as the " 2d Com- pany of Rifles." Geo. L. Mead also took an active part in the formation of this company, and at one time had command of it.
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.