USA > New Hampshire > The Connecticut River Valley in southern Vermont and New Hampshire; historical sketches > Part 17
USA > Vermont > The Connecticut River Valley in southern Vermont and New Hampshire; historical sketches > Part 17
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The office of the "Intelligencer" was in the second story of a frame building standing where what is now the Corner Drug Store stands, between Westminster and Mill Streets, and it is understood that, as he did the editorial work there, he had his law office there also. Bill Blake & Co.'s wholesale and retail book store occu- pied the first story, and during a few years about that time the firm published many noted books, Bibles, Tes- taments and others for their own store and the Boston market. Mr. Fessenden wrote and published in his paper a consecration hymn that was used at the opening of the first frame Immanuel (Episcopal) church when it was consecrated by Bishop Griswold September 24, 1817. He was probably among the most widely known and eminent men who have ever made Bellows Falls their home, in all its history, having had a marked and favorable reputation on two continents.
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APPRENTICING POOR BOYS-DOCUMENT BY THOMAS GREEN FESSENDEN
A most interesting legal document over a century old recently came to light among papers connected with the town history, which had lain many years in the attic of a former selectman. It shows the seemingly hard- hearted system of contracting by the town for the care of dependent children, or "apprenticing" them, as it was then called.
The paper is also of value now to the souvenir hunter as it was written in long hand in the bold pen- manship of Thomas Green Fessenden, who practiced law in this village from 1812 to 1822; was the first editor of the first newspaper printed here; a prominent mem- ber of Immanuel (Episcopal) church; published a num- ber of books, both during his residence in England and in America; and was widely known in his day on two continents.
Also, the document is written on very heavy book paper, made by hand in the first paper mill established here by Bill Blake, and is a striking example of local paper makers' art. The contract follows :-
"This Indenture made the 12th day of August in the year of our Lord 1820 witnesseth that Solomon Hapgood and Ebenezer Locke, overseers of the poor of the Town of Rockingham in the County of Windham and State of Vermont have put and placed and by these presents do put and place William Clap Wells, a poor boy of said Town of Rockingham, aged about nine years an apprentice to Jona. Sleeper of Unity in the County of. Cheshire and State of New Hampshire with him to dwell and serve from the day of the date of these pres- ents until said apprentice shall accomplish the full age
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of twenty-one years, or eleven years from the 28th day of December next, according to the statute in such case made and provided, during which term the said appren- tice, his said master faithfully shall serve on all lawful business, according to his power and ability, and shall honestly, orderly and obediently in all things demean and behave himself toward his said master, and all his during said term.
"And the said Joanthan Sleeper, for himself, his executors and administrators doth covenant and agree with said overseers of the poor as aforesaid, and each of them, their and each of their successors in office for the time being, by these presents, that he the said Wil- liam, the said apprentice in the trade of husbandman or farmer, which the said Jona. Sleeper now useth Shall and Will instruct or cause to be taught and instructed, and during all the time aforesaid find, provide and allow unto said apprentice competent and sufficient meat, drink and apparel, washing, lodging, mending and all other things necessary and fit for an apprentice; and Shall and Will instruct or cause said apprentice to be instructed in reading and writing, and common arith- metic, and also shall and will so provide for the said apprentice that he be not in any way chargeable to the said Town of Rockingham or the inhabitants thereof; but of and from all charges shall save the said Town and the inhabitants thereof harmless, and indemnified during the said term; and at the end of said term Shall and Will make, allow and provide and deliver to said apprentice one good new suit of holiday clothes, and two other good suits for every day wear.
"In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals interchangeably on the day and year above written,-
In presence of Thos G. Fessenden
Isaac Sturtevant
Benja. Quimby
Benja. Quimby, Jr.
Jonathan Sleeper L. S.
Solomon Hapgood L. S.
Eben' Locke L. S."
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
ROCKINGHAM IN THE WAR OF 1812
While the records of this town are very complete regarding the action of the voters on all questions of general policy during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the World War, there is only one reference to the War of 1812 with England.
A town meeting September 28, 1812, has this record :
"2dly, it was motioned & seconded to see if the town will raise money to make up the deficiency of the sol- diers wages who are gone to Burlington from said Rock- ingham, and said motion was passed in the negative.
"3dly voted to raise One cent on the dollar, or on the list of 1812, for the purpose of defraying the ex- penses of the Militia who are gone to Burlington."
Throughout this town, as well as throughout the state, there was evidently a wide divergence of opinion regarding the wisdom or necessity of the war. As a whole the state was very evenly divided between the two political parties of that day, the Republican, known as "The War Party," and the Federalist, known as "The Peace Party."
At the outbreak of the war the Republicans were in the ascendency in Vermont and Governor Galusha took the necessary action for raising Vermont's quota (3,000) of the 100,000 militia asked for by President Madison. The Legislature in October, 1812, following the declaration of war, authorized the raising of troops for service and levied additional taxes on lands for the support and arming of the militia. It also passed an act prohibiting any person from crossing the Canadian line,
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or transporting any goods or merchandise across the boundary without permission of the governor, under a penalty of $1,000 fine and seven years' imprisonment.
These measures were considered by many of the people as oppressive, and great bitterness of feeling sprang up between the two parties. Governor Galusha ordered the militia to do duty at Plattsburg, N. Y., thereby displeasing the peace party, the members of which claimed that the troops should not be taken out- side the state.
The action of this town, as stated, probably refers to the militia sent to Plattsburg, and from taking such action it is evident that the majority disapproved of the policy of the State Government. Many Vermonters who had at first favored the war now left the Republican ranks and went over to the Federal party. By the time the elections were held, in the fall of 1813, party spirit was running high, so much so that harmony between families in some instances was destroyed. There was no election of governor that year by the people, and the legislature elected the Federal candidate, Martin Chittenden, by a small majority.
During these years Bill Blake was one of the most prominent citizens of Bellows Falls, owning the paper mills then located there, and taking a very aggressive part with the Peace party. He had occasion to visit the northern part of the state on business, and a long sworn statement from him appears in the "Washingtonian," a paper published at Windsor at that time. He gave a vivid description of the conditions this side of the border, having been held up six or eight times during
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his trip, and his sleigh examined for goods many miles this side of the border. He claimed the officials patrol- ing that section were less courteous and polite than they are reputed to be now, 115 years later. Times change, and each decade and century has its own problems to solve.
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THE FIRST PAPER MILL IN VERMONT BUILT IN BELLOWS FALLS IN 1802 BY BILL BLAKE
The first paper mill in the vicinity of Bellows Falls was built in the year 1799, by Bill Blake. This mill was located at Alstead, N. H., which has taken its other name, "Paper Mill Village," from that fact. Alstead is five miles from Bellows Falls. Mr. Blake came to Bellows Falls in 1802, and, procuring a right to water power from the "Company for Rendering Connecticut River Navigable by Bellows Falls," built the first paper mill in the state of Vermont directly in the rear of where the stone grist mill now stands. It was a small, primitive affair, burned in 1812, and replaced at once by Mr. Blake, with a mill 144 feet long and 32 feet wide, with a number of ells and storehouses. A portion of the mill was two stories high, but the larger part was three stories. This mill was destroyed by fire July 12, 1846, from which date the site was unoccupied, and there was no paper mill in Bellows Falls until 1870. In January of that year, William A. Russell started the first modern paper machine "under the hill," Albert C. Moore, later of the Moore & Thompson Paper Com- pany, being his first machine tender.
The "cylinder" and "Foudrinier" types of machines of today are a long call from the primitive method used by Bill Blake over a century ago. The water power of the river was then used only for grind- ing the rags and reducing the "stuff" to the proper consistency for the grades of paper to be made. Today a paper machine is running in Gatineau, Que., produc- ing a sheet 272 inches wide and running at a speed
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of 1,000 feet a minute, and another machine is being built to run the same speed and make a sheet 372 inches wide.
It is interesting to contrast this with the methods employed at the time Mr. Blake's first mill was built here. The product of that mill at first was wholly writing and book paper. The stock used in making the paper was clean white rags, sorted at tables by girls, and cut up on old scythes set into the tables. It was not necessary to bleach them and the fine stock went directly to the beating engine for macerating, that process being then about the same as now. The "stuff" (as it is called in the paper mills), after being prepared, was run into tanks standing two or three feet high, and the paper from this point was made wholly by hand instead of by the complicated machinery of today. In a small frame, made to correspond with the size of the sheet of paper to be produced, was fixed a wire cloth or screen, similar in grade to the wires now in use on the large machines. With this sieve in hand, the paper maker stood beside the vat, and dipping it into the stuff, enough adhered to it to form the sheet when taken out. This sieve was then turned upside down on a felt of the same size, a paper board was laid on the sheet, and another felt was then put on the board, and the opera- tion repeated until 200 or 300 sheets had been made.
The pile, then three or four feet high, was placed in a large press with an immense screw similar to that in a cider mill press, and by the aid of long levers in the head of the screw, the water was squeezed out of the pile. The sheets of paper were peeled from between the felts and hung up singly, on poles, in a drying room
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with open sides like a corn crib, until thoroughly dried. They were then taken down and each sheet scraped with a knife to remove all imperfections, in what was termed a "saul room."
A few years ago, a number of curiously worn stones were found by the late Stephen R. Wales in the vicinity of the eddy below the mills. He at once recognized them as being the same as those used by the girls in sharpening their knives with which to scrape this paper many years ago. They also used them to sharpen the pieces of scythes with which the rags were cut. Mr. Wales used to work in the mill as a boy. The process of putting on the finish was the same in principle as that of today, the use of heavy calendar rolls, from which they went to the finishing room to be packed and shipped to market. The amount of product from this method of manufacture was very small and prices were neces- sarily extremely high, as compared with those of today.
In 1820, an inventor came to Bellows Falls who had partially perfected a machine for taking the place of the hand work and hand sieve. It was the pioneer of the cylinder and Foudrinier machines now in general use. He arranged with Bill Blake to test his principle and one of his machines was built. While it was in process of building, feeling ran high against the inven- tor among the old employees of the mill here, because they foresaw the coming change which would, as they thought, leave them out of work. At one time they seriously considered that the proper thing to do would be to "ride him out of town on a rail," but the machine was installed and brought a revolution in methods of paper manufacture without lasting detriment to labor.
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
BILL BLAKE-FIRST PAPER MAKER-FIRST PRINTER-FIRST NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER
It is probable that in the very early history of Bellows Falls and this vicinity no one man contributed more to the welfare, growth and business industry of all this section than did Bill Blake, the owner of the first paper mill in all this vicinity, the first paper mill in Vermont, the first printing office and bindery and the first newspaper in Bellows Falls.
Bill Blake was born in Dorchester, Mass., April 2, 1774, and died in Saxtons River Village December 4, 1856, of paralysis. He came to Alstead, N. H. (five miles from Bellows Falls) in 1799, the year of his marriage, and built there the same year the first paper mill ever erected in all this locality. He had a partner there named Kingsbury. In 1802 he removed to Bellows Falls and here built the first paper mill at any point in Vermont during that year. The firm name then, and for many years thereafter, was Bill Blake & Co. In 1812 this mill, as well as all the others which had been erected on the canal here, was destroyed by fire. Among the other manufacturies said to have been burned at this time were "a fine armory, shops and manufac- turies, entailing a loss of from $30,000 to $40,000."
This paper mill was at once rebuilt by Mr. Blake, and in 1814 he was interested in the firm of Andrew Henderson & Co., which built the first paper mill at Wells River, Vt. He owned the paper mill in Bellows Falls until 1824, when he sold it to Green & Fleming. Mr. Blake then went a mile out from this village on the Saxtons river in the locality known as "The Forest."
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He there built another paper mill, five dwelling houses, a large saw mill, and had an extensive general store in one room of the paper mill. He owned a large tract of land between the Forest and Saxtons River village and used his saw mill in cutting the lumber therefrom. The mill erected in 1824 at the Forest was destroyed by high water Saturday, March 25, 1826. With an ener- getic perseverance, which yielded to no discouragement, he immediately erected another mill and built a heavy stone bulkhead above it to hold the water, conveying the same to the mill by a penstock, which was the first ever used in this locality. There were at that time three dams across the river in the Forest. His erection of the last mill at this point made six different paper mills which he had built.
In 1836 his three sons, William, Leonard and Schuyler, purchased the mill property at the Forest, and the father went to Saxtons River village and pur- chased the iron factory there, which he operated until he retired from active business in 1849. From this time until his death in 1856 he enjoyed the fruits of his industry and indomitable perseverance.
The three sons carried on the paper business at the Forest until 1849, when May 9, that mill also, together with the large barn standing near by, was destroyed by fire, caused by combustion in rags. The old saw mill standing a little farther up the stream was then rebuilt into a paper mill by William and Schuyler Blake and operated a number of years by them. Leonard Blake died in 1849. In 1859 the mill had stood vacant some years and was then leased to Durant & Adams of Wells River. It later passed into the hands of Elisha S. Sabin,
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and after some years was again destroyed by fire. Mr. Sabin then moved an old woolen mill down from Grafton that was afterward burned while occupied as a shoddy mill by John E. Brown.
During the active business life at Bellows Falls of Capt. Bill Blake, between 1802 and 1824, in addition to his paper mill enterprises, which were on an extensive scale for that period, sending his paper to Boston by team as there were no railroads, he established the first printing office here and entered largely into the pub- lishing of school books. The first edition of the Bible to be printed in Vermont was issued from his press in large quarto form. In 1817 he established and pub- lished the first newspaper here "The Vermont Intelli- gencer and Bellows Falls Advertiser," employing Thomas Green Fessenden as the first editor. Mr. Blake established the first book bindery and book store in Bellows Falls and had, in addition, a dry goods and grocery store. The book store and book bindery was in the first story of a frame building that stood where the Corner Drug Store now does on the corner of West- minster Street and the Square, and the printing office was in the second story of the same building.
During these early years of Mr. Blake's activities he had teams out in all this section of Vermont and New Hampshire buying old rags of the householders. These he manufactured into fine grades of paper in his paper mill, on which books in large numbers were printed by him and bound in his bindery. These were kept for sale, in connection with his weekly newspaper, in his book store, which was a large one for those early times. This made a unique record of complete produc-
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tion from the raw material to the finished product which is seldom equalled. October 1, 1821, the Bellows Falls business of Mr. Blake was merged into the firm of Blake, Cutler & Company, Mr. Blake taking as partners James I. Cutler and Alexander Fleming. After Mr. Blake's retirement from the firm and removal to the Forest in 1824 the firm was James I. Cutler & Company.
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. Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
PAPER MAKING IN ALSTEAD, N. H., IN 1793- EARLIEST IN THIS SECTION OF NEW ENGLAND
It has been frequently recorded in histories that the first paper mill in this vicinity was built in Alstead, N. H., in 1798 by Bill Blake. An examination of some of the newspapers published a few years earlier, of which but few copies are in existence, show a mill in that village several years earlier than that.
The Columbian Informer of Keene under date of November 6, 1793, has this advertisement :--
"PAPER MILL
"The subscribers inform the public they have estab- lished a Paper Mill in Alstead for the manufacture of printing and wrapping paper and pasteboard. "Oct. 28, 1793.
EPHRAIM & ELISHA KINGSBERY"
The same paper under date of May 18, 1794, carries an advertisement of Elisha Kingsbery asking for ap- prentices to the paper making business, which is dated April 21, 1794.
The New Hampshire & Vermont Journal, printed at Walpole May 5, 1795, shows an advertisement of James and Elisha Kingsbery asking for cotton and linen rags at their paper mill in Alstead.
In the Rising Sun, printed in Keene June 28, 1796, Elisha Kingsbery advertises for sale a new saw and grist mill on Cold River in Alstead, "near the paper mill," and on September 20, 1796, "press paper" is advertised for sale at the paper mill in Alstead.
February 14, 1797, Mead & Kingsbery advertise in the Rising Sun that they have on the first instant agreed
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to make and vend paper and linseed oil in partnership for one year, and on November 4, 1797, that paper ad- vertises the partnership of Mead & Kingsbery dissolved October 23, 1797, and the business is to be continued by Samuel Mead.
The Political Observatory of Walpole on August 25, 1804, states that the partnership of Elisha Kingsbery, Isaac Randall and Bill Blake at Alstead, N. H., was dissolved on August 20, 1804, and that the partnership between Elisha Kingsbery and Bill Blake at Alstead and Bellows Falls was dissolved on the same date. In both the above dissolutions all accounts were to be set- tled by Bill Blake.
Record is also made in the Political Observatory, of Walpole, of a most unusual thunder storm and snow storm in October of 1804. The item is as follows, the date of the paper being the 13th :-
"EXTRAORDINARY SNOW STORM!
"On Tuesday last, 9th instant about the middle of the forenoon the weather suddenly changed from a tem- perate rain to a storm of snow attended with thunder and violent wind on the high lands. The storm con- tinued with some intermissions until Wednesday morn- ing. It is judged that the mean depth of snow which fell was 15 to 18 inches. Contiguous to the river it melted rapidly yet repeatedly measured 4 to 5 inches and covered the ground for more than 30 hours. On the hills it was considerably drifted which in places covered the fences and blocked the roads. The eastern stage could not run and the mail was conveyed on horse- back. Greater damage was done to fruit trees and timber than was ever known to have been sustained in one year since the settlement of this part of the country. Foliage formed a lodgment for the adhesive snow, many
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branches being broken by its weight and the wind felled many a trunk to earth. The western mail had not arrived when this paper went to press nor have we re- ceived papers from the eastern part of the state. The day on which the storm occurred was appointed for a regimental muster at Keene. The soldiers on their way were overtaken by the storm and detained. Very few reached the place of rendezvous and the occasion was frustrated. To enliven the gloom of the scene sleighs ran briskly during the continuance of the snow in this village. It still lies in considerable quantities on the high lands. By verbal information we learn that the storm was severe at Boston, shipping suffering greatly and a steeple blown down."
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"OLD CADY PARKS"-CURIOUS BLASTING ACCIDENTS
During the first half of the last century a man, familiarly known as "old Cady Parks," was a well- known character of Bellows Falls. He had charge of all drilling and blasting of rocks. He knew all about the explosives of that day and did all this work for the old "Company for Rendering Connecticut River Navi- gable by Bellows Falls," which was the name under which the Bellows Falls Canal Company was chartered both in Vermont and New Hampshire. In addition to this work he was also the village undertaker.
In 1836, when the blasting for the old cotton mill foundation, which remained so many years unused, was being done, an immense stone was thrown high into the air and came down plump through the roof of the old Conant building on Bridge Street, crashing down through all three floors, but not injuring anyone, all the usual occupants being out watching the blasting.
A little later while some paper mills were being erected and considerable blasting was being done, a Whig convention was being held in the grove on Pine hill, then in the center of the village. It had been arranged that an extra blast should be set off by Parks at a particular point in the proceedings, as the village then had no cannon for such service, as it did in later years. When the blast was fired, a large stone smashed down through the roof of a tenement house on West- minster Street, where the Granger block now stands. That old building at that time had been used for the first school building of the village. It happened that
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this house was at that time occupied by an extremely rabid Democrat, Hiram Graves, who was another well- known character of his day. He never thereafter could be convinced by the greatest arguments that it was not a put-up job on him and intended to strike his house because of his well-known political affiliations.
In 1850, when the railroad yard was being graded on the island, a large stone weighing about 80 pounds was thrown by a blast entirely over the Square and descended through the roof of the First Immanuel (Episcopal) church, which stood about 40 feet south of the present stone structure. It struck the cornice on the north side directly back of the organ, cutting off one or two rafters, and falling just outside the wall. The place where it was repaired always showed until the building was removed in 1867.
The most serious accident of that kind that ever occurred here was on February 18, 1928, when 250 pounds of dynamite, which was being used by the New England Power Company in its redeveloping of the water power here, was exploded. Three men who were handling it were instantly killed, pieces of their remains being distributed over a large space both sides of the river, over 1500 panes of glass in different parts of the village broken, and a number of thousand dollars damage being done.
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