History of Lancaster, New Hampshire, Part 57

Author: Somers, A. N. (Amos Newton)
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Concord, N.H., Rumford press
Number of Pages: 753

USA > New Hampshire > Coos County > Lancaster > History of Lancaster, New Hampshire > Part 57

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The old building was the scene of many struggles between its keepers and the vicious "border ruffians,"-murderers, counterfeit- ers and smugglers-confined within its massive walls. Great iron rings and chains were fastened to its floors to which many of the more violent criminals had to be fastened. For fifty-two years it served the end for which it had been erected. In the early morning of January 9, 1858, it was discovered to be on fire, having taken fire from a defective adjustment of a stovepipe. Among the early and more prominent jailors were Colonel Dennison and George W. Ingerson. The latter was jailor at the time of the burning of the "Old Elm Jail." The next jail was a stone structure since replaced by a modern jail of steel cells and outside corridors, encased in wooden walls.

THE COURT-HOUSES.

For two years after Coös county was organized, and Lancaster was set apart as a shire town, the courts were held in a hall in Col. John Wilson's tavern, a large wooden building standing about where the Benton residence now stands, and later moved out and up the street, as a tenement. The same hall served for a while as a lodge room for the Masons, and as a place of assemblage for various pur- poses for many years.

The first court-house was built in 1806, on land given for that purpose by Artemas Wilder, on the corner of Main and Bridge streets. The building is still standing, and used as a public library building on the south side of Centennial park. It was a square wooden building, one story, and of but one room. This was the court room, the juries retiring for their deliberations to a room in Wilson's hotel, where the courts had formerly been held. The room was heated by a sort of furnace consisting of a brick arch over the top of which was an inverted " potash kettle," with a hole through the bottom, to which a pipe was attached to carry off the smoke. For many years that heater did splendid service. The room could be heated so easily that for many years funerals were held there during winter months, as the old meeting-house was large and not provided with means of heating. After 1829 Lancas- ter academy was conducted in the same room, so that men were educated there, received justice meted out there by jurists of sterling integrity, and eulogized there and commended to the favor and mercy of the courts of heaven, all in the same room. It was neces- sarily a utilitarian age in which men were forced to study how to get the most out of their opportunities; and they solved the prob-

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.

lem well, for meeting-houses were places not only for religious and Sunday assemblages, but there their business meetings took place.

After a time a bell that was brought into the country by Jacob Smith, known as " Guinea Smith," which he used for a while at a factory, was procured for the court-house by Jared W. Williams, secretary of Lancaster academy, for the joint use of courts and academy. It was mounted on a tripod of poles in front of the building. This same bell, as near as can now be ascertained, the first one brought into the Coös country, is now mounted in the tower of the graded school building, having been contributed by Jared I. Williams for that purpose. Mr. Williams came into pos- session of the bell after the building had ceased to be used for academy purposes, and was sold to the Baptist church and remod- eled. The inscription upon the bell is: "Doolittle. Hartford. For W. & B. 1818."

This first court-house became too small and inconvenient to meet the demands upon it in twenty years after its erection. The ques- tion of a new court-house was agitated, but a disinclination upon the part of the people, and especially the county officials, deferred the matter so long that they lost the opportunity of decision through Judge Arthur Livermore's decree ordering a new building. He even prescribed the plans on which it was to be built. This second court-house was located where the present one now stands, and was sufficient for the county until 1868, when it became necessary to rebuild it.

In 1853 a county building was erected on the banks of Isreals river, where Frank Smith & Co.'s store building now is, next to the National Bank building. In this building there was provided room for the county offices. It seems to have been poorly built, and became unsafe in ten years after its erection. This building and the court-house being in bad repair it was determined to pull them both down and erect a larger and more suitable court-house that should contain the county offices also. When the old court-house, a one- story building, high posted and graceful, was torn down in July, 1868, there was found securely fastened to the arch of the eastern gable a package containing a copy each of the Haverhill Demo- crat-Republican and the New Hampshire Patriot, then the two leading newspapers of the northern part of New England, together with the following bit of the history of the old building, in the hand- writing of Richard Eastman :

" This building was erected for holding the Courts in the County of Coos, state of New Hampshire. Commenced June 7, 1831, and will probably be completed by October I , of the same year, expense about $1,800. The stone and brick work was undertaken by Gen. John Wilson and Lieut. Joseph C. Cady. The stone work cut and hammered by Elisha Cushman and William Holmes. Master workman of the brick work, Capt. Peter Merrill. Assistant workmen, William

COURT-HOUSE, 1868-1886.

COURT-HOUSE, 1887.

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PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

Page, Zadoc Cady, Joseph C. Cady, Calvin Willard, Jonathan W. Willard. Tend- ers, Josiah G. Hobart, Samuel Banfield, William W. Moore, William Horn, Frank- lin Savage. The carpenters' work done under the superintendence of William Moody. The joiners' work done by Richard Eastman, Elijah D. Twombly, Arte- mas Lovejoy. The committee who superintended the whole building of said house were John W. Weeks, Thomas Carlisle and Richard Eastman."

The third court-house, built in 1868, was a two-story brick build- ing 70 x 40 feet in size with a cupola and bell mounted in it. It was finished in May, 1869. The first floor contained two jury rooms, offices of probate judge and register of deeds. The second story contained an ample court room and the offices of the county com- missioners and county treasurer. Its first cost was about $17,000, but through alterations in the course of construction and afterward, this sum was increased to nearly $30,000. The building was, in every way, entirely satisfactory, and was pronounced for those times a model court-house. This building was in use until November, 1886, when some repairs were being made upon the vaults which were considered unsafe for the custody of the county's records cover- ing a period of eighty-two years since the organization of the county, In the process of drying the vaults, stoves had been set up and used ; and at the same time steam heating apparatus was being adjusted in the building up to midnight on the 4th of November, at which hour the custodians of the building left, feeling that everything was safe ; but about two o'clock in the morning following the building was discovered to be on fire. All possible efforts were made to save it, but in vain. Both the building and contents were entirely lost. But few of the records were saved and they in a mutilated condi- tion. This was the second conflagration of the county records, the first being the court records kept in the office of the clerk, James M. Rix, in the wooden building where P. J. Noyes's manufactory is on Main street, burned during Mr. Rix's absence.

In consequence of having failed to inform the insurance compa- nies, and getting their consent, the county was unable to collect the insurance from the fire of 1886. The loss of the building was the smallest item of all. The loss of the records will be felt for all time. Hon. W. S. Ladd, who had his law office in the building, sustained the loss of a very valuable library and all his law papers.

The county convention was convened in town hall, Lancaster, Dec. 9, 1886, and steps were taken at once to rebuild the court-house. Other towns began to make movements to secure the location of the new court-house with them. Groveton, which had then become a railroad junction of the Concord & Montreal railroad (now Boston & Maine) and the Grand Trunk railroad, offered a considerable sum of money toward rebuilding as an inducement to locate it there. Berlin, however, was the strongest competitor of Lancaster for the location of the county seat. That town generously offered to

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.

build and give the county a court-house if the people would accept it and locate the county seat there. When the question was voted upon the vote stood thirteen in favor of Lancaster to six against it. The convention instructed the county commissioners to rebuild the court-house at once. The contract was awarded to Mead, Mason & Co., of Concord, for $17,000. The citizens of Lancaster raised a large sum by subscription for extra work on the building. The building was completed in due time, and has proven to be a model building of the kind. It is 70 x 50 feet, with a projection on each side of 6 feet, making a front of 66 feet, three stories high, and a cupola and spire, reaching 100 feet from the foundation. The build- ing is of brick, with stone trimmings. On the first floor are the offices of probate court, register of deeds, county commissioners, grand jury and solicitor, and clerk of the courts. On the second floor is the court room, 50 x 50 feet, well lighted on three sides. There are in front on this floor three rooms, the lawyers' room, judges' room, and private consultation room.

On the third floor, front, are the petit jury rooms, sheriff's room and the county sealers' room. There are three large, fire-proof vaults in the building,-in the clerk's office, probate office, and register of deeds office. There is a basement under the entire building. The building is heated with steam and lighted by elec- tricity throughout.

THE HOTELS.

For many years Lancaster had a number of "taverns." These establishments afforded accommodation for the few travelers who might chance to get so far toward the frontier towns of the state. The taverns served drinks to the citizens of the town. They were all licensed to sell "mixed drinks," " foreign and domestic liquors," " West India rum," " brandy," of which commodities quantities were consumed in the early days of the town. Many of the leading men of the town held license to sell liquors. The tavern met the wants of the new community, however, as well as the hotel of to-day does that of a community fully abreast of the country in all respects.

The first of them kept in town were by Major Jonas Wilder, Stephen Wilson, and Gen. John Wilson, at the upper end of Main street. Major Wilder kept his tavern in his, then large, new dwell- ing house, which is known as the Holton place to-day. Here he lodged and fed man and beast, and sold "flip," rum, and other drinks. The town being without a meeting-house at the time his home was thrown open as a place for holding religious meetings.

The Wilson tavern was the large, square, flat-roofed building now standing on the west side of Main street, near the corner of Bridge

OLD LANCASTER HOUSE. BURNED 1878.

TOWN HALL AND AMERICAN HOUSE, 1876.

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PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

street. It then stood where the Benton dwelling now does. For many years this was the most famous tavern in Lancaster. The same building served also for a store, furnished jury rooms as be- fore stated when court was in session at the old one-room court- house on the corner of Main and Bridge streets, now the public library, after having served as academy, church, and armory; and in one room was extemporized the first prison within the limits of Coös county.

About the year 1812, Sylvanus Chessman built a tavern on the corner of Main and Elm streets. At this time business was begin- ning to move toward that locality. Chessman's tavern was a land- mark for many years and enjoyed a good patronage. Col. Sylva- nus Chessman kept the house for some years himself, and aside from his many other distinctions became a famous landlord. After Chessman gave up this tavern it was kept by Samuel White, father of Nathaniel White, later of Concord, during which period it was known as White's tavern. Mr. White kept a stock of goods in the bar-room also. He was succeeded by Noyes S. Dennison, who was landlord for a number of years, when it passed into the hands of William G. Wentworth, who improved the place and renamed it the American House. It bore this name always afterward. Land- lord Wentworth was succeeded by Frederick Fisk. The other land- lords of this old house were John P. Dennison, Thomas J. Crawford, W. K. Richey, William Wolcott, Nichols & Fling, and Francis and Will A. Richardson. The old hotel was afterward burned. The front door of this noted old landmark is now doing service in the L of John G. Derby's house on Williams street.

The next hotel of any importance in the village was the old Coös Hotel, on the corner of Main and Canal streets. It was built by Ephraim Cross in 1827. Mr. Cross ran the house for some years, when it fell into the hands of Joseph C. Cady, who put an addition to it in 1837. For many years this was the leading hotel of the town and region and was successful under the management of Landlord Cady. The building fell into the hands of George C. Williams who removed it to the rear of the lot in 1865. The hotel had declined after the building of the Lancaster House, which was a very much better hostelry than any the village had ever had before. It is now, with additions, the large livery stable on Canal street.

On August 4, 1858, the first Lancaster House was opened for the reception of guests. This house stood where the present Lancaster House does. It was built by moneys paid to the town by the Atlantic & St. Lawrence railroad because of their failure to build their road through Lancaster in accordance with an arrangement to that effect. In return for the violation of their agreement they paid over to the projectors of that arrangement the sum of $20,000.

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.

After the payment of certain expenses connected with railroad efforts, the custodians of that fund thought they would be serving the town by erecting a first-class hotel. Accordingly they pur- chased a lot of Dr. John Dewey, and entered into a contract with the late John Lindsey to erect the building. A hotel company had been formed, and purchased the building before its completion. Mr. John Lindsey was one of the company, and landlord for some years. Other landlords were D. A. Burnside, who was its owner, Elijah Stanton, B. H. Corning, and Lewis Cole. This first Lancas- ter House was burned Sept. 28, 1878, at a loss on building and furnishings of $30,000, with but $2,500 insurance.

The house was at once rebuilt, which building is the Lancaster 1 House of to-day. Our people contributed by subscription over $6,000 to the enterprise. It has rooms to accommodate 150 guests, is heated by steam, lighted by gas manufactured in the building, by electricity, and in every respect is a first-class hotel. Since the death of Mr. Lindsey, his son, Ned B. Lindsey, was proprietor, and remained so until his death in February, 1891, to be succeeded by his widow, Mrs. Carrie B. Lindsey, since which time it has been most successfully conducted by his son-in-law, Lauren B. Whipp.

The Williams House .- In the spring of 1872, John M. Hopkins bought the old Governor Williams residence on Elm street and fitted it up as a hotel by building an L to it, and in 1889 raised the main building one story. The main portion of the building was erected by Governor Williams in 1847. By many additions and improvements it was converted into a very comfortable host- elry. It contains twenty-three rooms for guests, is heated by steam, and lighted by electricity throughout. It is kept at present (1896), and has been most of the time, by John M. Hopkins.

The Temperance House .- A one-story cottage, with rambling additions, standing where the Hazeltine block is on Main street, was kept for a score of years from the early 40's by George Howe, a harmless, peculiar herb doctor and exhorter. It was a neat and com- fortable place and much favored by jurymen and economical travelers.

The Stewart House and Green's Cottage, on Mechanic street, are comfortable, home-like hotels of a modest class.

For several years between the burning and rebuilding of the Lan- caster House, and later, B. F. Hunking used his brick residence on Main street as a hotel, "Elm Cottage," with great success and com- fort to guests.

THE OLD RED GUN HOUSE.

At a very early day Lancaster, being so near the northern boun- dary of the country, was looked upon as a sort of outpost. In the first settlement of the " Upper Coös " a fort was erected at Northum-

NEW LANCASTER HOUSE.

SAMUEL H. LEGRO.

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PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

berland, but as Lancaster outranked all the adjoining towns through the valor of its soldiery in the several conflicts with the Indians and French, it was early looked upon as furnishing both a good share of the " sinews of war " and the generalship for its direction. Here was the home of the noted Twenty-fourth, and later of the Forty- second regiment, among the most creditable regiments in the state. The artillery company had its field piece for the accommodation of which a gun house was erected on the lot adjoining the mound of the old cemetery, about where the Unitarian church now stands. This house was painted red, and was referred to as the " Red Gun House." It was a landmark in the village. Here was stored a three- pounder brass gun. In 1842 a state arsenal, with two cannon and 2,000 stand of arms for use in this section of the state, was estab- lished at Lancaster.

This old red gun house was a small one-story building, just large enough to accommodate the equipment of the artillery com- pany. When it fell into disuse it was moved over to the foot of Baker hill, and is still in existence as a shed on the Hosmer place on Elm street, near the corner of Williams street.

While this old building remained in its original location there stood a liberty pole on its south side, keeping watch over its treas- ures, while proudly waving from it was the flag under which many a Lancaster man marched to the defense of the nation. Later the artillery had a modern six-pound brass gun, which with a like gun of the Twenty-fourth at Stewartstown, went to war in the New Hampshire battery in 1861.

THE STATE ARSENAL.

In 1842, as a result of the agitation over the Ashburton treaty and the northern boundary and of changes in the number and terri- tory of the regiments of the state, a new arsenal was erected at Lan- caster on the corner of Elm and Spring streets. Coös county was originally all embraced in the Twenty-fourth regiment; later the Forty-second, covering practically the Southern judicial district, was formed, leaving the Northern district country as the Twenty- fourth. This was a larger structure, and a larger equipment was stored here. Here were brought two six-pounder iron cannon, said to have been captured by General Stark in the battle of Bennington, Vt., in the Revolutionary War. They were brought through the Notch of the White Mountains, from Portsmouth, on the freight teams of Francis Wilson in 1842. These, with 2,000 small arms, constituted the armament of the arsenal. This arsenal remained here until the reorganization of the militia of the state was made necessary by the War of the Rebellion. The two historic guns were left here when the armament was removed in 1861.

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.

In 1862 Col. Henry O. Kent, then a member of the legislature from Lancaster, secured the passage of an act for the removal of these two guns to Concord, to be placed in the rotunda of the state house. In consequence of the events of war the contemplated removal of these guns was delayed, and they remained in the old arsenal building.

On the night of April 14, 1865, on hearing the news of the sur- render of Lee and the Confederate army, the citizens of Lancaster brought out one of these guns to celebrate the news of final victory in the preservation of the Union. The gun was placed on the crest of Baker hill, northeast, and charged with five pounds of fine rifle powder, tamped with dry sand to the muzzle, and slow matched. The explosion burst the gun into fragments. One of these frag- ments was afterwards dug out of the road over forty rods away, where it buried itself deep in the hard ground in the road in front of the Ockington place. It bears the " broad arrow" of the British ordnance office, the imperial crown, and the letters, "G. R.," Georgius Rex, or George the King. This fragment is now to be seen in the banking office of the Lancaster Savings bank, where it is kept as an historic relic.

The companion gun is now at the state house, Concord, as con- templated by the action of the legislature in 1862, but not exposed as directed, being stored in its cellars.

LANCASTER PUBLIC LIBRARY.

The first settlers of Lancaster were men of few books. Every family had its Bible or a New Testament and the Psalms, and possi- bly a few of the then standard volumes of theology and sermons. . They appreciated those few books within their reach. They sought for their children a good education, and often made commendable sacrifices to provide schools. The second and third generations born in Lancaster developed a remarkable taste for good literature. As I peruse their old letters, diaries, and other records, I find quota- tions and allusions to the best literature of this country, showing a greater degree of familiarity and love of it than one sees to-day in people of common advantages. Their familiarity with ancient his- tory and classical literature was evidently very considerable. Until within the present decade or two, the men and women of Lancaster were noted for their individuality and independence. The " level- ing down" influences came into Lancaster life within thirty years, virtually with the railroad, telegraph, and daily newspaper. Not until these things came did the people study to affect the opinions and conform to the usages of the rest of the country. Since then Lancaster, like every other community, has relatively less prominent men, because it has vastly more average men. The average, how-

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PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

ever, is higher to-day than formerly, but one misses the rare, strong personalities that shone like stars among mankind. Learning and the literary taste is more democratic now than formerly. There is relatively more poor, if not indeed bad, literature read to-day than fifty years ago; but the amount of good literature is greater now than then. The remnants of the private libraries of some of the old families evince what must be conceded a very good taste and sound judgment of books. Lancaster long ago became noted for the quality and quantity of good literature sold here; and to show more fully this fact, I will give two lists of books offered for sale through the medium of newspaper advertisements. This first one is taken from the White Mountain Ægis, in 1838, as follows :

A PERKINS & CO.

Have just received a new supply of Books, consisting of the following :

Goodrich's History of the U. States,

Whelpley's Compend,

Vose's Astronomy,

Political Class Book,

Watts on the Mind,

Charles the 12th,

Le Burn's Telemaque,

Nugent's Dictionary,

Adam's Latin Grammar, by Gould,

Jacob's Latin Reader,

Cicero's Orations,

Goodrich's Greek Grammar,

Lessons,

Jacob's

Readers,

Wilson's

Testaments,

Ainsworth Dictionary, &c,

French Word Books,

Day's Algebra,

French Grammar,

Abbott's Abercrombie,

Blair's Lectures,

Cooper's Virgil,

Benjamin's Architecture.

Here is another of the many lists offered from month to month by J. M. Rix in the Coos Democrat for 1846:

Alison's Modern Europe, 3 vols. Gibbon's History of Rome, 4 vols.

Brougham's Speeches, 2 vols.

Festus. Howitt, Milman and Keats.

Wilson's Miscellanies. Hallam's Middle Ages.

Essays of Elia, by Charles Lamb. Jefferson's Life and Correspondence, 4 vols.

Political Economy, works by Say, Chalmers and Wayland.

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.

Prescott's Conquest of Mexico, 3 vols.

Botta's American Revolution, 2 vols.

Mill's History of the Crusades.

History of the Huguenots.

Ranke's History of the Popes.

Kane's Chemistry.

Spurzheim's Phrenology, 2 vols.

Thiers' French Revolution, 2 vols, for $2 only.

Rollin's Ancient History, 2 vols, for $3.

Josephus, $1.12.

Poetical works of Shakespeare, Byron, Moore, Campbell, Thomson, Hemans, Young, Cowper, Pollok, Burns, Landon, Kirke White, Elliott, &c.

Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.

Roscoe's Lorenzo d'Medici.

Kendall's Santa Fe Expedition.

Rowan's French Revolution.

Ingersoll's War of 1812-'13.

Napoleon's Expedition to Russia.

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History of Lancaster, New Hampshire, Part 57

Author: Somers, A. N. (Amos Newton) Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Concord, N.H., Rumford press Number of Pages: 753

Author: Somers, A. N. (Amos Newton)
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Concord, N.H., Rumford press
Number of Pages: 753