USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Wentworth > History of the town of Wentworth, New Hampshire > Part 10
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The road "cleared out" by this committee was the first road through town, and called the "Old Cross Road" by the settlers, so named because it crossed the town completely. It was for some forty years the
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main road leading from Rumney north to Haverhill and beyond.
The "clearing out" process spoken of here does not mean that a road was graded or bridges built. The road at first was a mere trail; bushes and trees were cut out and perhaps a few mud holes mended with poles or brush. It was no doubt passable for an ox team or a saddle horse. Most of the people who used this road were, however, on foot, and the first roads are repeatedly spoken of in the early records as paths, and that is, in the main, what they really were.
There was established at first by the proprietors, aided by such assistance as the early settlers were able to render, which was not likely to have been very much, a highway system which consisted of three roads, or, perhaps to speak more properly, trails, in the central portion of the town.
The first and most important was the "Old Cross Road" just mentioned. This thoroughfare followed closely the route of the "marked way" which in its turn followed the Indians' route.
This road began at the Rumney line near the old Smart place, thence to Smart's old mill yard; from there to the upper end of the Pillsbury intervale, then over the hill to Charles Gove's; from there to Baker's River below the falls. The river crossing was about back of the library. The route then went up the valley .
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HISTORY OF WENTWORTH, N. H.
of the Pond Brook nearly to Brown's Mills, then over Atwell Hill by where the schoolhouse now stands, to the Piermont line. Its location over Atwell Hill was nearly on the line of the present highway.
Rude camps were built in places along this route where the weary and footsore could rest and refresh themselves. One of these camps was located in the extreme southeasterly corner of Harry Turner's field. A plot of land in that location has been called locally "The Bark Camp Ground" for very many years. The tradition is that this camp was also used by the early surveying parties and was beyond a doubt built be- fore a settler had arrived in town.
The second road began about at the site of the Hackett Saw and Gristmill on the Pond Brook, near the mill pond of the present day. It went then over the plains near Thomas Huckins' house and down over the intervale. It crossed Fred Libbey's land, the brook and Clarence Eaton's field, then it crossed Baker's River to the East Side. This was the route used by the early settlers in that locality to come to the grist- mill, and was always called by them the "Old Mill Path."
After crossing the river, this road followed nearly the line of the present highway over Clifford Hill to the Warren line, this being the first route from Went- worth to Warren.
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The third and last of the early roads was the one leading from the "Old Cross Road" to the south part of the town, thence to Dorchester, and was called the "Dorchester Road."
This road left the "Old Cross Road" in what is now Harry Turner's field; it crossed Baker's River, then through the Joshua Foster field, now owned by Mr. Bowl, over Hooper Hill and past the Ben B. Foster place, following closely and perhaps precisely the route of the present highway from Ben Foster's to the Cheever Post Office.
The original route and oldest road to Dorchester is, therefore, the road over Hooper Hill. The first settlers in the south part of the town were all, without excep- tion, located along this Hooper Hill road.
The first bridge at the village was built about 1780, at the crossing below the falls. This was known for many years as "Aiken's Bridge." About the same time a road was opened leading from about the end of this bridge over the meadow and up the bank nearly in front of Mrs. Briggs' house; it then ran northerly on the easterly side of the hill, and not far from the river, , until it came out in Clarence Eaton's field.
At the upper end of this field it joined the "Old Mill Path," previously described, and was used as a short cut. At this time there was not a single building in what is now the heart of the village.
168 HISTORY OF WENTWORTH, N. H.
The first bridge below the falls was no doubt a rude affair. It was washed away by a freshet in the fall of 1785; a part of Aiken's Mills also went down river at the same time.
At a special town meeting held October 31, 1785, it was voted to rebuild the bridge and pay three shillings a day to the workmen.
It was further "Voted to provide ten gallons of rum to raise said bridge."
The strong presumption is that there was a great plenty of outside help present at the raising of the aforesaid bridge.
This description shows about what had been done by the proprietors and early settlers for roads up to 1783, which was in effect to clear out only such trails or paths as were very necessary.
Previous to the year 1783 there was not a legally laid out road in town. From the organization of the town in 1779 to this time, there had been yearly ap- propriations, either in labor or in grain, at a specified price for repairing highways. It is obvious that in or- der to have the taxes raised and expended legally, there must be first a legal laying out of the highways on which it is to be used.
Some of the most important were "layed" out by the selectmen during the year 1783, and to show the off-hand and rather sketchy manner in which the
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roads were surveyed and recorded by the selectmen of those days, we are copying a little from their rec- ords verbatim.
"Wentworth, October 1, 1783. This day we have layd out a publick road throu this town beginning at Rumney line below Thomas Todds, three rods in width, near about where the road now goes, about a westerly point threw said Todds land and Isaac Clifford's over the brook and then north- westerly by spotted trees about one-half mile and then in the path now trod and following on the same till it comes to the top of the hill on the westerly side of Clay Brook, so called, and then by spotted trees about sixty rods to the path on the side of Whit's Hill, so called, following the path and spotted trees along threw William Heath's Land and Pages' and Putney's land till it comes to a sharp turn; thence northwesterly by spotted trees to Aikens land, so strait forward threw said land by the age of the rye till it comes to John Aiken's house and then following the path along over the great bridge on Baker's River and so on said path on the west side of the river threw Whit's land till it comes to the old mill path and on said path between Whit's land and Ephraim Page's land and by the river to Pills- bury's land and threw said land on the path and so on till it come to Warren line. The satisfaction that we allow is the advantage the road is to each person.
per us JOHN AIKEN EXPERIENCE CROSS
Selectmen
BENJ. WEEKS
The above brief recorded description of what was then the main road through the town does not mean much to the average reader of the present time.
This road began at Rumney line near the old Sam-
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uel Smart place, later owned by Joseph Cross, and followed the route of the "Old Cross Road," else- where described, to Harry Turner's house, except that it kept the higher land through his pasture instead of going down on the meadow.
The little brook running through the old Brick Yard near the Turner house was called, in this layout, the "Clay Brook."
The road from here then ran directly over the hill to Charles Gove's, a portion of the way in the path of the Cross Road. From Gove's to Aiken's Bridge below the falls, it followed very closely the beaten path.
From the bridge, it went easterly up the steep bank about in front of Mrs. Briggs' house, then easterly of the hill back of the village to the intervales above. Here it intersected the "Old Mill Path." From this point the road ran northerly on the intervales until it came out on the present road near the old Marston or Hoyt farm, thence to the Warren line and over Beech Hill to Warren Village.
This was for a generation the main road through the town. The traces of this ancient highway can still be seen in many places along the route; in several cases, stone culverts were built and there were, without doubt, bridges across all the brooks.
Another very ancient road, having been laid out in 1783, started from about where Clarence Eaton now
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lives, then up by the old Samuel Colby place to the Goodell place, so called, on Atwell Hill; from thence over the hill until it reached the "Old Cross Road." This was, beyond a doubt, the first road to the east- erly part of this hill, and for some twenty-five years the only one.
Two other roads were laid out in 1783. The first of these was the road to Dorchester, which has been al- ready described. Laying it out merely legalized what had already been done.
The other road was the ancient one over Ellsworth and Sanders Hill; this has been called at times the "Old County Road," and was abandoned in part many years ago. This road began on Atwell Hill, ran to Brown's Mills, then over Ellsworth Hill, by the old Davis place; from there over part of Sanders Hill and down to the Dorchester road near the Reuben Whitcher farm.
In 1785 the road from the Ben B. Foster place down the valley of the South Branch to the Rumney line was recorded, as well as the road on the East Side over Clifford Hill to Warren.
It does not appear that any compass was used up to . this time, or until about 1795, in laying out these roads, and the descriptions are rather vague, as a rule.
In 1795 a road on about the line of the present
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highway was laid out to Atwell Hill and was the first direct road from the village to that region.
In 1797 the road was built from the Rumney line directly north, by Capt. Uriah Colburn's to the Joshua Foster place. Here it intersected the road to Dorchester. This is the present main line and made a bridge across the South Branch necessary.
This route was extended from the Foster place to Gove's in the year 1810, and now it forms a part of the state road through the valley. It was a difficult piece of road to construct for those early days, involving as it did a long bridge across Baker's River and the heavy bank wall at the Bull's-eye, so called, below Charles Gove's. This old wall was, however, a credit to the builders. It stood for one hundred and seven- teen years until it was so weakened by the flood of November, 1927, that it became shaky or unsafe, and during the summer of 1928 the State widened the road at this point, blasting away the solid ledge and using the stone to rubble the "Bull's-eye" side, mak- ing the road, as now rebuilt, wide, straight and solid at that point.
One of the latest pieces of main road to be built was the more or less famous Buffalo Road, so called. This road was demanded by the people of Rumney in or- der to make a through line on the east side of the ' river from Rumney north. The people of Wentworth
BAKER'S RIVER VALLEY, SHOWING OLD COVERED BRIDGE BUILT IN 1865
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voted to resist to the end the construction of this piece of highway, claiming the route was a benefit only to Rumney and an unnecessary expense. Finally Rum- ney appealed to the commissioners who, after several hearings, ordered Wentworth to build their part of the road. Accordingly, the road was built in the years 1814 and 1815. Previous to this time the people of that neighborhood used the old cross road which comes out by Charles Gove's place. They were, ap- parently, satisfied to use that road, but the people of Rumney were insistent to have the other built, thus giving both towns a through line on both sides of the river. As has been stated, Rumney prevailed in the end, and the road was built as above related.
The piece of road in town which has from first to last been the cause of more heart-burning debate, dis- cussion and litigation than any other, is the present road leading from the village to Orford via Baker's Ponds. This road has been variously known as the Brook Road, the Pond Brook Road and the Orford Road. For a part of the way it was a portion of the old original cross road through the township. A turn- pike was once charted over this route. The account of incorporation read as follows: By act of Legislature June 18, 1805, the Orford Turnpike was incorporated "To run from Orford Bridge on the Connecticut River through Orford and part of Wentworth to
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Aiken's bridge on Baker's River." This turnpike, how- ever, was never built. Another turnpike was chartered to run from Haverhill via Tarleton Pond over the height of land to Warren, thence to Wentworth Vil- lage. More or less money was expended on this line and then it was used for through travel for a time. The steep hills in Warren caused it to be abandoned in favor of roads with lighter grades, after having been in use as a main road for some thirty years.
It has already been related how the first attempt to build the Brook Road around the year 1800 resulted in failure and involved the town in a long lawsuit with Orford. For some years the only direct route to Orford was over Atwell Hill.
The Brook Road was finally built where it now is, and peace reigned for a season. During the flood of 1856, this road suffered great damage, the part near the village being nearly destroyed. At this time the new road running by Pease's store was laid out and built; this has been ever since the main road and is now a portion of our State Highway system.
Owing to the destruction of the town's records, it is impossible to say just when the first roads were built to Ellsworth and Sanders Hills. The only thing that can be stated positively is that the first roads to these hills were not located where the roads are now. There were settlers on Ellsworth Hill at a very early date
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who had, of course, a path at least to their habitations.
·
The road system was being constantly extended in the various parts of the town until about 1850. Since about that time there has been a gradual decline. The road on the East Side, by Benjamin Libbey's house to the Warren line, was built in 1845. Before this, the road on the West Side to Warren on the line of the present state road was built, thus establishing through the valley the main road on the same line that is now in use.
The first bridge across Baker's River was the so- called Aiken's Bridge at the village, which has already been described. It is not certain when or where the next river bridge was built. But by the year of 1800 there were in town three across the river :* one at the upper end of Clarence Eaton's field (this was on the old mill path leading to the east side and Warren); Aiken's bridge at the village below the falls; and the third one at the lower end of Harry Turner's field on the main road to Dorchester.
The Stevens Bridge, known first as "Haines' Bridge," was built in 1810; after this time the bridge in Turner's field fell gradually into disuse.
Brief mention should at least be made of some early stage lines, which used more or less of the highways spoken of in this chapter.
* Hoyt's History.
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The first regular trips to be made through the Baker's River Valley were begun in 1775, when John Balch was appointed by the Committee of Safety "to ride post" throughout the northern country. Starting from Portsmouth, he went to Conway, thence to Plymouth, then via Wentworth to Haver- hill. Here he turned south, going down the valley of the Connecticut River to Charlestown, then to Keene and so back to Portsmouth again in fourteen days.
For this service he was to receive seventy silver dollars, or their equivalent, every three months. This arrangement lasted during the entire period of the Revolutionary War. He traveled, of course, on horse- back and carried only such dispatches, orders and proclamations as were from time to time issued by the Committee of Safety, the only executive portion of the State Government during the war.
It is hard to say when regular mail service began, but it was not until long after the close of the Revolu- tion. In 1810, or about that time, the post office at Wentworth was established, and up to about 1820 it was used by both Wentworth and Warren. This was the first post office in the Baker's River Valley and for some time the only one. Mail was carried by the post riders. They were usually on horseback, and did not probably make more than two trips a week. The last
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post rider through Wentworth was Col. Silas May, at one time a resident of Haverhill. He carried the mail on horseback and was later a driver of one of the mail stages. His title of Colonel was only complimentary, however, as far as can be learned.
The first regular stage line was established in 1811 by William Tarleton, a resident of Piermont, and others. Tarleton was sheriff of Grafton County and a leading spirit in the region. This stage line made regular trips for several months between Haverhill and Concord, but does not appear to have paid the promoters as it was soon abandoned.
In 1814, Robert Morse, a resident of Rumney and a stirring and active man, founded a stage line running between Haverhill and Concord, which continued in active service until the railroad was built and in regu- lar operation.
Soon after 1820 the government gave this line a contract for carrying the mails; two routes were used, one going via the Mayhew Turnpike and Bristol, the other through Plymouth Village. These stages ran for at least a part of the time on alternate days. At times, more than one stage was needed to accommodate the travelers. Robert Morse, the founder and moving spirit of this enterprise, was later ably assisted by his sons, Peabody A., Thomas J. and Stephen C. The Morse Stage Line was successful and profitable but
178 HISTORY OF WENTWORTH, N. H.
not able, of course, to compete with the railroad, and so went out of business about as soon as the railroad was thoroughly established.
Eleazer Smith, for many years the landlord of the village hotel, was at one time a stage driver for the Morse Line.
After this mention of the stage lines, it will suffice to say there were not, during the next fifty years, marked changes in the highway system of the town, which had become stabilized in a measure. Some small change would be made from time to time, either by way of an addition if needed, or more likely voting to dis- continue some piece of back road that was not now needed. The mileage of highways in town de- creased as a whole from 1850 to 1900, and is still decreasing.
With the advent of the automobile about 1900 came soon a demand for a new and improved kind of highway. This clamor has grown louder and more insistent with each succeeding year, and is now a favorite topic with all classes.
The state began about 1900 to assist the towns, in a small way, in the improvement of their roads. In the year 1904, the town voted for the first time to accept state aid, and raised for state road construc- tion the sum of $400, the state to put in the same amount, dollar for dollar.
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It was decided to improve the road through the town lying upon the west side of the river, and thus our present state road is located on the line of the main stage route of earlier years, called by our fore- fathers the "Great Road."
The first actual construction was done in 1906 un- der the direction of W. D. Stinson. The work began at the corner where the road to Colburn's Mills begins and ran northward, some 2,100 feet, by Frank Down- ing's. This road was built of clay and gravel. The clay was soon omitted and the later roads built entirely of the excellent gravel found in many pits in town. One of the best pits was on the railroad land near the depot. This gravel was very clean and dark red in color; when compacted, it made a splendid, dura- ble road, with no trace of mud at any season of the year.
The beginning made in 1906 has been extended un- til this main line has at the present time all been im- proved and treated with tarvia.
The road to Orford is also a part of the state system, and it is now (1928) completed more than half way to Brown's Mills. Orford is also building their part of this line, but have several miles in the Mt. Cube region yet to build. Travel over this road is already heavy in summer.
The building and upkeep of these expensive roads
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has caused much expense and high taxes; also the town debt has again made its appearance in the town report.
The town bought its first road machine in 1892. At least two previous attempts to have such a machine had been voted down, and in 1892 the motion to raise $250 for the purpose was carried by only six votes. Thirty-five years later the town, with far less resources than in 1892, could vote $2,200 for a tractor and snowplow to use on the roads, almost without debate or even a ripple of excitement. Times have certainly changed, perhaps for the better; time only can settle this point.
The generation now living have seen a vast change in transportation: a great part of the passenger traffic and no small portion of our freight is now being car- ried by automobile and motor trucks upon the high- ways used by the stage coaches and freight teams of a hundred years ago. Steam railroads, once hailed with delight as mankind's greatest boon, are now fighting for their lives against the competition of motor-driven vehicles using the public highways. The roads again have claimed their own.
As a fitting close to this article on highways is in- serted a copy of an ancient Highway Surveyor's War- rant, year of 1804. The original was donated the Webster Memorial Library by Arthur Kimball.
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STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, GRAFTON S.S.
LS
To Samuel Ellsworth Jun. one of the Serveyors of Highways for the Town of Wentworth in Said County. GREETING.
In the Name of the State of New hampshire you are hereby Required to Levy and Collect in Labour at six Cents per hour for a man and six Cents per hour for a yoke of Oxen, seventeen Cents per Day for a Cart and twenty Cents per Day for a plow of the several persons named in the Rate Bill herewith commited to you the several sums of money affixed to Each of their Names amounting in the whole to the sum of thirty four Dollars and thirty Cents Which is a Highway Tax to make and repair High- ways in said Wentworth the year ensuing of which you are to make and repair all the highways from the sawmill Bridg Runing by Joseph Smiths house to Orford Town Line and the Road to John Gardners and to Jeremiah Ellsworth's Land and the Road to the mill Brook on Orford Road so Called and to work on Other Roads when Called on by the Selectmen. Hereof Fail not and if any person or persons named in Said Rate Bill after four Days Notis first Given him her or them shall refuse or neglect to work on the Highway or send a sufficient hand unless he she or they shall make a reasonable excuse to you within four Days after the time set for Said work to be Done in which Case he she or they shall be notifyed again to work at some Other time and if he she or they then neglect or refuse to work as aforesaid you are hereby authorized and required to Levy and Collect the De- linquents part or proportion of Said money by Distress in the manner as the several Collectors are by Law to do in Collecting the State Tax and you are hereby Directed to settle accounts with and pay the Ballance if any there be in your hands to the Selectmen of Said Town for the Time Being on or before the first Day of June A.D. one thousand Eight Hundred and five for which this shall be your Sufficient Warrant.
Given under our hands and Seal at Wentworth aforesaid this first Day of May A. D. 1804.
AARON JEWETT
JOB EATON BENJAMIN PAGE Selectmen of Wentworth.
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HISTORY OF WENTWORTH, N. H.
LIST OF NAMES IN ABOVE WARRANT
Samuel Ellsworth $2.83
Samuel Ellsworth Jun. 1.70
Jeremiah Ellsworth 1.16
John Ellsworth . . 68
John Ellsworth Jun.
.59
Joseph Smith.
1.93
Benjamin Smith
.77
True Page.
1.30
Benjamin Page.
4. 2
Joseph Hoyt.
.68
Polley Smith.
. 29
Hugh McClellan
2. 4
Jonath. McClellan
1.32
John Gardner
1.93
Thomas Blodget
.16
Samuel Johnson.
2. 5
Currier Page.
I.II
James Eaton.
1.72
Benjamin Rowell. 2.29
John Blodget.
.59
Aaron Jewett.
3.19
Jeremiah Jewett
. 59
Reuben Witcher Jun
. 63
James Aken
.73
$34.30
BUILDING OF THE BOSTON, CONCORD AND MONTREAL RAILROAD
During the session of legislature of 1845 the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad Company was incor- porated for the building of a railroad from Concord to
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BUILDING OF RAILROAD
the Connecticut River at some point near the mouth of Wells River, Vermont. The Northern Railroad from Concord to the mouth of White River, Vermont was chartered at the same time. A preliminary survey of the route of the B. C. & M. Railroad was made through this town in the fall of 1845. The object was to determine the feasibility of the route over the height of land at Warren and Benton. This survey was made by Mr. Crocker. Much excitement sprung up on the line of this road in consequence of the efforts made by the Northern Railroad Company to defeat the building of this one. The Northern interests finally succeeded in effecting a union of the Passumpsic with their own. The Crocker survey, as it was called, was made through the Buffalo pass on the east side of the town, thence it ran northerly from the village through the east side across Baker's River and followed the west bank of the river to Warren Village. The highest grade in this survey from Concord to Wells River was forty-five feet to a mile. The directors decided that Crocker's route would be too expensive and ordered another survey.
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