USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Sanbornton > History of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, Vol. I - Annals > Part 24
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HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
below the present. The roads were changed to suit, and it remained in use about eighteen years. " The end is not yet"; for Aug. 26. Isis, measures began to be taken in town meeting to rebuild the Gult Bridge," voting to make it of stone, with Col. Stephen Cale, Joshua Lovejoy, and Jeremiah Tilton as counnittee, to see on what terms stones can be obtained from the adjoining land-owners. They reported that David Burleigh would furnish stone, submitting to any good men in Sanbornton what the damage shall be ; and that Nathan Taylor permits the town to take as many stone as they please on both sides of the road up to a certain swamp, near foot of first hill, with- out any consideration ; whereupon it was next voted to build " between where the old bridge stoud and the present bridge, water-course six feet by four, - thirty feet wide at bottom, and twenty at top, - to be completed by Nov. 15 next," with Nathan Taylor, Capt. Joua. Moore, aud Eliphalet Ordway committee of inspection, who finally let the job to Christopher S. Sauborn for $474, with two boudsmen.
Special town meeting. Yet a special town meeting was called Feb. 3, 1819, " on account of the situation of the Gulf Bridge," at which " refused either to relinquish Col. C. S. Sauborn, or to accept the bridge as it now is." The matter " hung fire" for yet another year, part of the town seeming willing to award Col. Sauborn his contract, - at least to the amount of $376, - and others sternly refusing ; the old bridge, meanwhile, being kept in repair, and the town still claiming security .. from cost and damage on account of water flowing the mili above "! Sanborn was finally accorded his full pay of the town, ou certain conditions, by vote of March 15, 1820; but meanwhile had relet his contract to Mr. Philbrick. To show that this Gulf Bridge controversy had occasioned considerable excitement as well as outlay, it was voted, March 15, 1820, " to allow Mr. flaselton $25 for col- leeting Gulf Bridge tax the last year." Tradition informus us that ." the people," on one occasion during these proceedings, in the night season, pried off and rolled down a great stone upon the bridge while in process of construction, thus crushing it in, or " bulging the north side out"! They thought said stone ought to be taken out of the bank ; but it was not likely to be ! The " neighbors" took hold and helped the contractor build it over, though imperfectly, as the south side fell two or three years after the bridge was accepted. This was " righited up," and thus remains to the present, firm as Always imper- the hills on either side; but with the water-course always feet, but lirus. imperfect, as seen by the large collection of water cach spring in the north ravine ! The mean height of this bridge on the south side is about thirty-live feet, with a most wild outlook down the gorge, well paying the traveller for stopping to gaze.
201
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES.
The stories of other small bridges in town may be more briefly told.
" Turkey Bridge," over Salmon Brook, is said to have The Turkey received its name from the trifling circumstance of Caleb
Bridge. Tilton's being found " hunting for a turkey" once in that vicinity ! whether wild or tame, our deponent saith not. (See, also, Chap. XIX.)
.. March 20, 1798. Selectmen to view the bridge over Salmon Brook, in Lane's District, and afford reasonable assistance." Bridge north of Tilton school-house ; probably built before (see Appendix, Road No. 37) ; repairs then proposed.
May 7, 1799. Aid to be afforded "in building a bridge over Other small Salmon Brook, between Mr. Giles's and Joua. Caw- bridges in town. ley's," just below the outlet of Cawley Pond, - most likely a ford before.
March 17, 1807. .. Voted to lay out a road from William Weeks's to Republican Bridge, provided lands be obtained without cost to the Town, and to build a bridge over Salmon Brook" ; thus accounting for another nureturned road, - the present river road in Franklin, - and assigning its date to the bridge above the Morrison mills ( Mill Site No. 1) in Franklin. The venerable Deacon Ward informed us that previously to this time only three places were occupied on what is how the line of the above road in Franklin : viz., (1)
I'm vions dwellers of Bradbury Morrison's ; (2) Mr. French's, who went out to the Franklin the ". Square" (their nearest trading point ; "Salisbury
River Road. South Roads" nearest in the other direction) over road No. 61 : aud (3) Master Eben Clark's, who had a private path inter- secting with road No. 43. The latter was then continued west, down the hill, to river road.
March 9. 1814. Selvetmen were left "at liberty to make a road through William Rundllett's land, for the benefit of Capt. Samuel Lane aud others, or to build a bridge over Salmon Brook, near Clark Gor- don's." Another mureturned road, except north end, No. 137. and beginning of the Nathaniel M. Prescott bridge.
Lastly, not to mention others, except as noticed in the catalogne of roads, we must call attention to the famous ( ?) .. Stone Bridge " of
The Stone Sanbornton. It gave it, name to a school district in town,
Bridge. and was prefixed as his distinguishing title to one of the carly Jonathan Taylors! And yet it was only an insig- nilivant stone causeway for the main road, over a small brook (iiles's Brook), in Lot No. 27, Second Division ; but it was claimed as the first structure of the kidd in town, and hence its celebrity !
Many of the " returned " roads, others that were built without being returned, and a few even that were only talked about. became, from
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HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
time to time, the subjects of interesting discussion and action in town meetings. To a few of these we will now allude, as giving us oppor- tunity to notice with profit the views and sentiments of the Sanborn- ton men of different periods upon these and kindred topics Roads have hardly ever been "discontinued " without a vote of the town. Sometimes the town would guard its pecuniary interests " conditioned." by " conditioning " the roads in the following manner: " When there shall be sufficient security given from ye owners of ye land to y" Select men for to free ye" town from cost for y" land and present cost of clearing"; then shall the selectmen lay out the road, as was specified in the case of No. 39. Frequently land reserved for roads on the ranges or side lines was sold or given in exchange, by town's vote, to owners of lots which the roads divided, as in No. 40. By comparing Nos. 72 and 75 of catalogue we are reminded that the Sanborn Road, between Lots Gl and G2, was first established by a special survey and the mutual agreement of the land-holders in 1793, a few rods cast of the present. When, however, it was ascertained that this was not on the side line between the lots, a petition was presented to the town, in 1796, "to expunge" the former return " from the Town Recs."; not carried. But finally, in 1799, town voted to " make " said " road on the side line," and the new return ( No. 75) resulted ! Ebenezer Sanborn
The Sanborn Road dispute. and Barnard Iloyt, Jr., were the prime movers in this " dispute," and both honest in their convictions : the former pleading precedent, or the previously established line ; the latter propriety, or the design of the side lines for roads in the original survey of the town.
When the town voted, in 1800 (March 18), to " lay out a road from the Burley mill, so called, through the l'ine woods to Bennett's Ierry," resulting in road No. 76 of catalogne, it was evidently designed to make use of No. 54 (with a few changes, perhaps, as at John Colby's eider-house !) and of No. 64, the " Bennett's Ferry Road." Hence, in 1801, voted " to give Jolm Colby the old road, west of his land, in lieu of road by his house." Nine years later ( March 18, 1809) a com- mittee, chosen the November before, consisting of Brad-
Report on road street Moody, Stephen Gale, Jr., and Joseph Woodman, to the New
Chester Bridge. inade a report respecting a road from William Weeks's corner to the ". New Chester Union Bridge," which is peculiarly inter- esting, as seeming to indicate the first leaning, in Sanbornton, towards valley roads ! Report acknowledges that present road from said bridge towards the centre of the town is -
" Considerably circuitous and very hilly." " Road petitioned for [which was to run west of some of these hills, striking the Bennett's Ferry road below the present Kinsley 11. Batchelder's] would not much mend the matter" ; "a new
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IIIGIIWAYS AND BRIDGES.
way " recommended " by Mr. Samuel March's (late Newton place) [aud doubt- less designed to strike the Pomigewasset just south of the present Folsom Morrill place], of straighter direction and more passable ground, - though of more length to make new, and at present of less inhabitants for its future sup- port." Yet selectmen are advised to " view this contemplated way," giving notice for other citizens to attend them, and to lay out and make the road, wholly or in part, " if the public good require; . . . at the same time without making too great a sacrifice of the Town's property In these adverse times." It is needless to remark that neither of these two proposed highways was ever opened.
A slight obsenrity rests upon some of the early roads in the north part of the town in their relations to the " turnpike," etc. The March previously to the return of No. 80 (1801), town voted "to lay out the road petitioned for, above Jona. Calley's, by Capt. Colby's mill, so called, to Meredith line." The " turnpike " had been built in 1813, as
per return (road) No. 100, connecting it with the original The turnpike. Meredith Ridge road (No. 80), near town line. Strictly speaking, the turnpike only extended from just above the house of the late Rev. V. E. Bunker (Thomas place), and was the stage road as now travelled from that point towards New Hampton. In process of time, however, it came also to include the former stage road (No. 80) down to the point "above Jona. Cawley's," where it intersected the original highway from Sanbornton to New Hampton.
The returned road No. 90 first began to be talked about, five years pre- . viously, in 1804, a committee being chosen " to examine the ground." ete. But when, in 1812, the town voted to discontinue the old road, for which it was substituted, " between Capt. Joseph Woodman's and Lieut. Jona. Perkins's barns," Mr. Fitield, it is said, was strongly moved to prosecute the town for taking the road away from his house !
Among the other roads agitated. but never secured, was that * from main road, near Samnel Hunt's," across the Gulf, " to near Lient. Benjamin Sanborn's." In 1809, it was indeed voted that the road be laid out, but .. not to record return till road be made pass- Contemplated
high ways. able, free of expense to the town." No. 96 is in part the return of the same road, with course reversed, - perhaps " made passable" for saddle horses in the intervening four years, - from the late Charles J. Lane and present William Lane houses across the Gulf. as now travelled in the winter.
But the most notable road war ever known in Sanbornton was that which resulted in the mureturned, long-ignored, but now very useful
Clark's Corner highway from the Square to Clark's Corner, around the Road -pecul- meeting-house hills ! We will give the history of this iar history. interesting case somewhat in detail. A petition had been presented to the selectmen, Nov. 20, 1837, signed by twenty-nine citi-
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HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
zens, for the " new road " ; also (in same application) for the further widening and straightening of the Sanborn road. The selectmen madde return favorable to the latter request, but ignored the former altogether. Hence the intervention of the Court of Common Pleas was sought, and a committee of this court had evidently laid out the road prior to June 23, 1838, at which date the battle commences, in a special town meeting, the vote standing one hundred and seventy-six to thirty-seven, -
"Not to raise money to build the road which a Committee of the Court of Conumnon Pleas has laid out, but to petition the Court to discontinue it." Al-o voted, vue hundred and forty-eight to itty-nine, "not to lustruet the select- quen to lay out a new road from Sanbornton Bridge to the burying-ground hear Jona. Calley's, as petitioned for by Nathaniel Holmes and others."
The opposition to this Clark's Corner road was very general through- out the town ; especially on the part of those residing on the two meet. ing-house hills, from whom it would take away travel and the prospect of post-office accommodations, and of Noah Eastman, Esq., whose farm it divided. It was urged by some, while in process of making, Grounds of that the workmen should be attacked and driven off by opposition to mob violence ! The road was advocated chiefly by Charles the road. Lane, Esq., and others living at the lower end of the Square village, and largely on the ground of " heading off" Nathaniel Holmes, Stunnel Tilton, and others from the Bridge, who were trying to secure an entirely new road, down the Salmon Brook and Gulf Brook valleys, from Cawley l'ond to the river road ( as seen by last vote above), all further etforts for the building of which it finally and effectually checked. Against these combined forces, - (1) the interest of the Bridge in favor of the proposed new road which must leave the Square entirely deserted; (2) the local opposition at the Square, as just described ; and (3) the unwillingness of the townspeople generally to ineur the expense, -the valiant Charles Lane, Esq., and his few associates, carried on this enterprise, perseveringly and triumphantly, to complete success ! To examine the votes of the town a little further : March, 1839, its action was " that the road recently laid out by a Court's Committee, from the Square to Clark's Corner, be discontinued so far as the said town has power to do it." Aug. 3, 1.10, town still refuses (by dismissing articles) " to build the new Clark's Corner road rather than have it built by an agent of the Court ; or to raise money either for building the road, for fine of Court, or for damages to land holders." And Sept. 10. 1.10, an execu- Bih by a tion having been levied on the town for building the road. the town refuses to pay it, but votes " to bring." by its agent, " a writ of error to reverse the decision of the State against the
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20.
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES.
Town of Sanbornton !" But finally, Nov. 1, the first signs of yielding on this vexed road question were shown by the town in voting .. to take from the surplus funds to pay the land holders the damages awarded them by the Court's Committee for their land appropriated."
The road, built thus in troublons thues, had become an Never formally accepted.
established fact, and was soon after practically, though uever formally, accepted, by being freely, if not grate- fully used, and by being assigned to a couple of the town's highway districts for future repairs. This road was the last struggle by which an attempt was made to retain at Sanbornton Square a remmant of its former business celebrity !
Meanwhile the other contemplated valley roads - " from near Jona. Cawley's house to Philbrick Bridge, on River road," and .. from brook near Richard Lane's to Alder Heath Bridge," parts of which had actually been laid out by Grafton and Strafford Counties courts' com- mittees - were in 1841 both discontinued by vote of the town, "if the Court of Belknap County consent."
We close this prolix account of the highways and bridges of San- borntou by giving copies of the following warrant and list, which may show how the road business was transacted, in early times, between the selectmen and surveyors of highways : -
"SANDBORNTON, May 27, 1753.
"To NATHAN TAYLOR, a surveyor of Highways :
" You are hereby required to cause the several med in your District to work Surveyor's out the sums set against their names, at four shillings per day, warrant for the within your District, by the first of October next ensuing : if any V'entre District negleet or refuse, you are to take it by Destraint; for your so iu 1753. doing this shall be your Sufficient Warrant.
"Given mider our hands this day and Date above.
" AARON SANBORN, JAMES ILKERSEY,
Sobotaun." JOUN LANG,
Names.
" CHASE TAYLOR: .
I
12
S
NATHAN TAYLOR .
3
DANIEL SANBORN
3
1
Josten Horr
1
EDWARD KIALLEY .
1
3
W'IL.L.LAM MOIFEE
11
::
NATHANIEL CAVERLY .
3
Mr. RALLY [ HALEY ( ?)}
3
N.
11.
- 1
" This District raus thus: Beginning at the mouth of Nathaniel Barley's upper road, on the main Road; Rinuning on said main, to what is called the
206
HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
meadow brook, neur Mr. Eastinan. Also In by Esq. Sauboru's New Road, leading to Peter Hersey's, as far as to the gulf' brook."
All which boundaries will be readily identified by present dwellers at the Square! By vote of the town, March 12, 1817, this Centre District was extended, over hill road to Clark's Corner, " to the bridge above Noah Smith's."
C
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American finns Visto in Huston
Sulloway can.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE MILLS AND BILL SITES OF SANBORNTON.
" I wandered by the brookside; I wandered by the mill : I could not hear the brook flow; The noisy wheel was still." RICHARD M. MILNES (LORD HOUGHTON).
" Turning here and there a mill, Bearing tribute to the river, Little streams, I love you ever." - MARY HOWITT.
COMMENCING again with the provisions of the first Masonian charter, twenty aeres were to be assigned in some suitable place for a saw-mill ; and whoever should build the first mill within three years might own the land and have the privilege of sawing the "loggs of share owners and other inhabitants thare, to the halves for the teerm of ten years uext after the said mill first starts." If none should appear to build thus within three years, the owners of shares were to undertake to build the mill at their expense, and put it nuder such regulations that all the inhabitants might be " seasonably and reasonably served with bords and other timber sawed " for building purposes.
The town mill site was established on Salmon Brook. First action of the grantees was April 21, 1763, - meeting held at Joseph Hoit's in Stratham, - when it was voted that a saw-mill be built and
Provision of charter and
granlees. maintained ou that first established site, "agreaibel to Charter "; that it be completed by Oct. 10; that .. who- ever builds it shall have £1,000, old tenner, and the mill priviledg." At a meeting, Jnue C, the privileges of mill builder were accorded to Daniel Sanborn, under the oversight of the seleetmen. Time extended to Nov. 20 ; but even then the mill had not been built, as Feb. 6, 1764, voted "not to release Daniel Samboru, Jun., from his Morrison um, obligation to build a mill," which accordingly had been I. - Original
Franklin. completed that spring, and was soon after carried away by a freshet. Hence the proprietors voted, July 9, 1764, to give Daniel Sanborn, Jr., E500, o. t., .. to build a saw mill in the rome of that which he lost" ; also that a grist-mill be built by the proprietors,
HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
within fifteen months. But afterwards, Oct. 8, at a meeting in Exeter, permission was given Mr. Sauborn " to build his saw mill in sanborn- tou, ou Winepisocke river, nor the brige [thus changing the location], provided he build a grist mill, with or near the saw mill, within the specified time."
Tradition supplies an account of this first mill, on Salmon Brook, in what is now Franklin, as follows : that the foundation had been laid the fall before, - at site of bridge leading to the late Albert In traditional (. Morrison house, - without a dam, trees being simply history.
felled from one ledge over to the other; that Edward Shaw drew up the mill 'irous from Exeter on a hand-sled, in March, only to find the foundation all washed away ; and finally. that by June the mill thus . built between the ledges " was completed and went into operation, and that a log was actually sawn before the fatal freshet alluded to, so the mill site was claimed !
After standing neglected for several years, a Mr. Adams built the first permanent mill on or a little above this original town mill site. It was, however, early purchased and enlarged by Mr. Bradbury Morrison, and being extensively used by tluce generations in his family, - hitu- self, several of his sons, and recently by his grandson, the late Albert C., - the whole group has ever been known, and will be for years to come, as the .. Morrison Mills." Another saw-mill, with a grist-mill, tended by Bradbury Morrison, Sen., and a blacksmith's Subsequent
mills hear this aud trip-hanmuer shop for the ingenious Ebenezer Mori- first town mill son, stood some twenty rods below the main dam, carried ollc.
by water conveyed from the same by a sluiceway. Nathan S. Morrison and Capt. Levi Thompson also had an interest in this mill and shop, which were burned in 1830. Forty rods below these last, on the flat, Albert G. Morrison, with his uncles, Bradbury, Jr., and George W., had also a planing aud shingle will, which were like- wise burued about 1850.
At the main dam, the first planing mill in this part of the country was erected by William Greene, its first starting being " celebrated," it is said, by large potations of potato whiskey ! This was swept away by the February treshet of 1821. Of late years there have been a saw-mill above and a shingle, lathe, and planing mill below the bridge and original site. the latter built by A. G. Morrisou between 1845 and 1850. The present occupants and chief owners of the whole are Giles & Knapp. The upper mill has a large circular saw for boards, 'Tiwir carlier also a shingle and other saws, with an ammal product and later Int-i- (1875-79) of between 200.000 and 800,000 feet of lumber. tess vAteni-ive. The privilege umst always remain a valuable one, as the fall is from seventy-live to one hundred feet between the upper mill
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MILLS AND MILL SITES.
and the Pemigewasset, at which it is not surprising that " immense quantities of lumber " were rafted from these mills in earlier times, when they were surrounded by " the heaviest and finest pine timber."
As intimated above, the first permanent saw-mill was built in what is now the village of Tilton, - old " Morrison " or " Darling" privilege, - first below the railroad station and bridge. The Pro-
II. - The Dar-
prietors' Records would indicate that this, like the first, ling Mille. was also built by Daniel Sauborn, though by others claimed for Ebenezer Morrison himself. It was more probably a " company concern " ; at least a portion of it was owned by Daniel Sanborn till Jan. 5, 1775, when by deed he relinquished " his right to one fourth part of mill on the Winnepesoco River, which had been improved by Thomas Lyford of this town, to Sachwell Clark for £10." In Novem- ber, 1773, Clark had charged for " work on the floom [of this mill] and plank, £8 10s." ; afterwards, for " work on floom," twice, £2 10s., and £2 Cx. Tradition has said that this mill was built originally .. by a grant from Congress " ! meaning, doubtless, from the proprietors, as just seen It is certain, moreover, that it was first and jointly occupied by Deacon Benjamin Darling and Eben Morrison ; but afterwards, and longest, by the deacon's son, Ebenezer, who married the said Morri- son's daughter (see Genealogies, Vol. II. p. 215 [8]), - whence its usual vame. Though it was stipulated that a grist-mill should be
First corn added to this within fifteen months, yet there is evidence, ground iu san- from the following well-authenticated legend respecting borututi. " the tirst corn ground at Sanbornton Bridge," that it could not have been completed and occupied before 1766. The story is that William Sanborn (see Family Record, Vol. II. p. 632 [140]), when a lad of thirteen years of age (born 1753), came up to visit his brother, Sergt. Jolm, previously settled. Before that time, the settlers had gone to Canterbury or beyond for all their milling ; but the same day William arrived at his brother's, the new Sanborn (or Morrison) grist-mill was nearly finished. so that they were hourly expecting to get some meal, which John's family were then entirely out of! The start- ing of the mill-stoues was, however, delayed ; so that our young visitor had to go supperless to bed, having first been out behind the barn to indulge in a ** good ery " at his forlorn condition ! But about eleven o'clock at night his brother Jolm came home rejoicing, with his meal upon his shoulder ( the first grist ever ground, certainly in that part of Sanbornton) ; so that William arose, and had a luscious repart of hasty pudding and milk ! Eben Darling and his wife are said, in after years, to have attended these mills together, - he the saw. and -he the grist mill, - herself shouldering and carrying the bags with a true masculine intrepidity ! No elevators then in nse ; had to go down 14
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