USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Salisbury > The history of Salisbury, New Hampshire, from date of settlement to the present time > Part 26
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Thence north 53º west 26 rods to a rock with stones on the top.
Thence north 23º west 35 rods to a Beech stump marked 5.
Thence north 26° west 30 rods to a Beech tree and stump marked 6.
Thence north 36° west IS4 rods to a rock with stones on top.
Thence north 62º west So rods to a rock with stones on top.
Thence north 42° west 100 rods to Clough's, four rods northerly of the line of his horse barn.
Thence north 36° west 201 rods to stake and stones opp. Curriertown marked 10. Thence north 43º west 66 rods to stake and stones marked XI.
Thence north 52° west 132 rods to a south corner of the Shakers' fruit garden.
Thence north 39º west 106 rods to northerly end of a water course.
Thence north 28° west 36 rods to a Hemlock stump marked XIIII.
Thence north 3° west 94 rods to corner of Shakers' orchard marked XV.
Thence north 94 rods to the pond.
Thence by the side of the pond 330 rods to a Hemlock tree or stump marked XVII.
Thence north 45° west 92 rods to a Maple stump marked XVIII.
Thence north 20° west 40 rods to a stake and stones marked XIX.
Thence north 33° west 66 rods to Houston's barn southwest corner.
Thence north 48º west SS rods to a stake and stones marked XXI.
Thence north 55° west 122 rods to a Beech tree marked XXII.
Thence north 82º west 10 rods to a Beech tree marked XXIII.
Thence south 63º west 48 rods to a stake and stones marked XXIIII.
Thence south 42º west 36 rods to a Maple tree marked XXV.
Thence south 40° west 60 rods to a stake and stones marked XXVI.
Thence south 77º west 14 rods to Capt. Aaron Cleaveland's horse shed.
Thence north 89º west 6S rods to a stake and stones marked XXVIII.
Thence south Soº west 136 rods to a stake and stones marked XXIX.
Thence south 65º west 64 rods to a stone causeway built by Peter Miller at the north end.
Thence north 68º west 160 rods to a Birch tree marked XXXI.
Thence north 50° west 40 rods to a White Birch tree marked XXXII.
Thence north Soº west 66 rods to southeasterly corner of Packard's bridge so called.
Thence north 20° west 12 rods across the river to stake and stones marked XXXIIII.
Thence west 32 rods to a great rock with stones on top.
Thence north 38º west 40 rods to a stake and stones marked XXXVI.
Thence north 50° west 37 rods to a Pine stump marked XXXVII.
Thence north 65° west 24 rods to a Pine stump marked XXXVIII.
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FOURTH NEW HAMPSHIRE TURNPIKE.
Thence north 45° west 71 rods to a White Maple tree at the crotch of the road marked XXXIX.
Thence on the river road towards the mouth of White river.
Thence north 64° west 67 rods to a stake and stones marked I.
Thence south S2º west across the river 31 rods to a stake and stones marked II.
Thence north 65° west 42 rods to a Chery tree marked III.
Thence south S3º west 28 rods to a stake and stones marked IIII.
Thence south 73º west 52 rods to a stake and stones marked V.
Thence south $5° west 1IS rods to the south end of Hough's horse shed.
Thence Soº west 44 rods to a stake and stones marked VII.
Thence north 71º west 70 rods to a rock with stones on top.
Thence south SIº west 90 rods to a Maple tree by Mr. Peck's house marked IX.
Thence south $7º west 156 rods to a stake and stones at the west end of Mr. Peck's bridge.
Thence west 100 rods to the south abutment of a bridge by Mr. Gates.
Thence north 71º west 38 rods to a stake and stones marked XII.
Thence north $5° west 14 rods to a stake and stones marked XIII.
Thence south 78° west 70 rods to a stake and stones marked XIIII.
Thence north S7º west 130 rods to the north corner of the bridge called Dock. Parkhurst's bridge.
Thence south 62º west 14 rods to a stake and stones marked XVI.
Thence north 75° west 13 rods to an Oak tree marked XVII.
Thence north 46° west 9S rods to Mr. Waters's well.
Thence north 35° west 78 rods to a Pine bush marked XVIIII.
Thence north 33º west 98 rods to a stake, one rod south of Hubbard's store.
Thence north 17º west 22 rods to Esqr. Hutchinson's office.
Thence north 8º west 76 rods to a stake and stones marked XXII standing north from Dana's tavern.
Thence north 46° west 54 rods to a Pine stump marked XXIII.
Thence south 65° west 15 rods to the north end of Lyman's bridge over Con- necticut river.
Which road is four rods wide southeasterly from the aforesaid bounds, and is surveyed by order of the Directors, by me, JOEL MARSII, Surveyor.
Copy, &c., examined by William Woodward, Clerk.
Dec. S, 1804.
The above survey made by direction of us,
ANDREW BOWERS, Directors of 4th JOEL MARSH, N. H. Turnpike WILLIAM JOHNSON, Corporation.
Copy examined by Parker Noyes, Prop. Clerk.
It was generally supposed that the road was one of profit to the Proprietors, but a full and accurate statement of its con- dition and income was never made, as required by the Legisla-
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HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
ture, until 1830, though it was completed in 1804, but gates were not erected until two years later.
The road as surveyed commenced at the northwest corner of the toll house at the bridge leading from the north part of Con- cord, east side, and the south part of Canterbury to the south part of Boscawen, just north of the mouth of the Contoocook. The toll house, at that time, was evidently on the west side of the river, but thirty years later, in the memory of men of the present day, it was on the opposite side.
There was a toll-gate in nearly every town. The gate in Salisbury was called the " Parker Gate," and was kept for many years by that faithful man, Dea. Daniel Parker. The toll-house stood on the west side of the road, at the corner where the road intersected the old College Road, south of the present residence of B. F. Heath. The old cellar is still to be seen.
From the toll house the road was built as the river road now runs, with slight variations to the Gerrish tavern, now the residence of Trevett Boyce, then through Boscawen Plain, by Nathan Carter's, now Caleb Hall's, thence north to Pearsons's Hotel, now Samuel A. Ambrose's, then turning to the west around the cliff, and north past the toll house near the gulf, still standing and occupied by "Aunt Aphia Thurston." It ex- tended on north, as the road now goes to the Gerrish place and up the long hill to Landlord Choate's, now Deacon Samuel Choate's, on High street, over the "Hogback" to Salisbury. Leaving the line of the College Road after passing Calef Hill, it intersected the south range west of the present site of the academy, and went westward through the South Road Village, turning on a curve line northward by the old Greenleaf store, it crossed the centre rangeway, and run through Centre Road Village, by Dea. Pettengill's tavern, the site now occupied by Daniel F. Searle, turning sharp round Charles G. Morse's house through the Parker gate and passed on by the Mitchell place, in Andover, now occupied by John M. Shirley, by the old Thompson tavern, and the Waldo tavern at the Potter Place.
Amos Pettengill carried this corporation by his personal in- fluence through many a dark day. He invented a snow plow
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FOURTH NEW HAMPSHIRE TURNPIKE.
that was often drawn through the deep snow piles of Salisbury, by thirty yoke of oxen, cutting a path a rod wide.
We need trace the "old turnpike" no further, since we have carried the reader over its devious way, from its starting point in sight of Dustan's Island through Boscawen, Salisbury and Andover, where it seems most proper to leave it.
But its history is not completed. It has obstacles yet to over- come, or it must yield to their opposing force. The road was never popular ; toll bridges and pike roads seldom are. Though residents of the town were privileged to pass free on business within town limits, and when attending church, or school, or funerals, they often cheated the road of its revenue, by acting if not uttering falsehoods, and adopted measures to increase its unpopularity ; complaints were filed against its management ; suits were brought to recover damages through the neglect of its managers and operators, and petitions were sent to the Legislature for the repeal of its charter.
But it lived until near the year 1840, when an order was issued by the court, declaring the southern portion of it free to public travel, the town of Salisbury paying the corporation $600, as its share of indemnity to the stockholders. Other towns were awarded corresponding proportions of the amount due the company.
There is connected with this enterprise the memory of a sad event. It will be seen that Mr. Russell Freeman was one of the most active men in securing the charter and constructing the road. He was one of the most respected citizens of Grafton county. It was his misfortune to contract more debts than he could cancel. As a consequence he was committed to the jail · at Haverhill Corner, under the law of his times, on complaint of a creditor. Here he and a Mr. Starkweather were placed in the same cell or room with a miserable villian by the name of Burnham. Taking offence at something these gentlemen had said, Burnham, having secured a deadly weapon, suddenly fell upon them and killed both of them. It was one of the most diabolical acts ever committed in the State, for which the mur- derer was publicly executed.
CHAPTER XXI.
BRIDGES, FERRIES AND CANALS.
" Wizard Fancy builds me bridges, Over many a dark ravine, Where, beneath the gusty ridges, Cataracts dash and roar unseen."
BRIDGES.
Ths first important bridge in the town was built over the Blackwater river, in 1776. Nathaniel Meloon and Sinkler Bean took the contract to build it, at "fifty cents per head," as the record reads; but that needs an explanation which we are not able to give, unless it be that a poll-tax of fifty cents was levied to meet the expense. This bridge was probably on the line of the south rangeway, where it crosses the stream.
The second bridge was also over the same river, but on the centre rangeway. Capt. Iddo Scribner contracted to build it for the sum of $39.00. It was constructed in 1777.
These bridges were undoubtedly rebuilt in the course of a quarter of a century, and others of less importance were also from time to time constructed ; but they do not appear to have been matters of record.
The first bridge over the Pemigewasset was built in 1802, and afforded the means of communication between Salisbury and Sanbornton. Previous to this there was no crossing the stream with teams, except by ferries, or by fording it at low water, or upon the ice in the winter, neither of which methods were available at certain seasons of the year. Crossing was. effected just north of the location of Bepublican bridge, the road leading to the stream being just south of the Gerrish block.
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317
FOURTH NEW HAMPSHIRE TURNPIKE.
In 1793, it appears that Charles Glidden, Jonathan Eastman, Peaslee Badger, Ebenezer Eastman, Jeremiah Clough, Obadiah Clough, Chandler Lovejoy, Thomas Gilman, David McCrillis and Thomas Cross obtained a charter to erect a toll-bridge across the Merrimack river, between Salisbury and Northfield, within three miles of Cross's Ferry. The charter lapsed through the neglect of the grantees to build.
An act of incorporation was obtained in the year 1800, styled "An Act to incorporate certain persons for building a bridge over the Pemigewassett Branch, at Webster's Falls, between the towns of Salisbury and Sanbornton, and for supporting the same." The parties named as grantees were Ebenezer Web- ster, Ebenezer Eastman, Joseph Clark, Samuel F. Gilman, Thomas Clough, Jr., Ellison Fowler, Ebenezer Clark, Jonathan Ayers, Elijah Sargent and William Smith.
Ebenezer Webster was authorized to call the meeting for organization and the transaction of other business. They were required to build within three years or forfeit the charter. It was completed before the limitation prescribed, though we find no record of any meeting of the corporation, and none of the cost of construction. The rates of toll permitted by the terms of the charter were :
For a person on foot. I cent. For a horse and rider 3
For a horse and chaise or other carriage drawn by one horse, 10 For a sleigh and one horse. 4 For a sleigh drawn by more than one horse 6 Sheep or swine. 12
February 12, 1824, there occurred one of the most destructive freshets ever witnessed in this section. For some days the weather had been very cold; this was followed by a southerly wind which increased to a gale, and during the night previous the rain fell in torrents ; the snow was rapidly melted, and in a few hours the heavy ice in the river broke up, and the swollen stream swept away bridges and everything in its course. This bridge shared the fate of all others on the Pemigewasset. It was rebuilt at once. The History of Sanbornton says the new
318
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
structure was an old-fashioned string-bridge, with wooden piers, and built upon contract by the Sanbornton brothers, William and John Durgin, at a cost of $2,000. The winter freshet, accompanied by the tremendous gale and storm of January 27, 1839, again demolished it. The following summer the present covered bridge was erected, at a cost of $7,000. It continued a toll-bridge until 1845.
The toll-house stood on the west side of the river, near the northwest corner of the bridge. The toll-gatherers, whose names have been handed down to the present day, are Edward Blodgett and John Robertson.
FERRIES.
In 1800 there were two ferries over the Merrimack. The upper one, known as Wise's Ferry, was nearly opposite the east termination of the south rangeway; the other, called Cross's Ferry, was farther down, and furnished communication over the Merrimack with Northfield and Canterbury.
CANALS.
An act passed the Legislature, January 1, 1796, authorizing a number of gentlemen to construct a canal from the Isle of Hooksett to the mouth of the Winnepesaukee river, and so continue to the lake. Upon the expectation that the canal would be built, Col. Ebenezer Webster, Thomas W. Thompson and others, in 1804, obtained a charter to build a canal by Webster's Falls. This would enable them to transport goods between Boston and the northern country at a cheap rate. But neither of these projects was carried into execution, although freight was brought up the river on flatboats to Salisbury, to Blodgett's Landing, south of Republican bridge. The design was that this canal should connect at Concord with the Middle- sex Canal from Boston.
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CHAPTER XXII.
PERAMBULATION OF LINES.
" Now that the septennial year has come around, We'll perambulate our territorial bound."
STATUTE REQUIREMENT.
It is a requirement of the statutes of the State that the "lines between towns shall be perambulated, and the marks and bounds renewed, once in every seven years." In the provincial days the limit was three years. The work must be executed by the selectmen or by such parties as they may appoint.
THE EARLIEST PERAMBULATION.
The earliest record of the perambulation of the lines of Salis- bury was made in the year 1762, when the township was known as Stevenstown. In the month of September of that year, Elisha Sweatt, Peter Sanborn and Ebenezer Stevens were ap- pointed by the proprietors, at a meeting held in Kingston, "a committee to perambulate our adjoining town lines ;" for which service it was voted to pay them five pounds old tenor per day.
On the part of New Breton, or Andover, the committee con- sisted of Nathaniel Healey, John Sanborn and Jeremiah Lang. These men run the lines and established anew the monuments between the towns they represented, and made a record, of which the following is a copy :
Province of New Hampshire.
We, the subscribers, being chosen a Committee by the Proprietors of each town- ship hereinafter named, to settle the boundaries and lines between Stevenstown and New Breton, so called, have made a perambulation as follows, viz :
320
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
We began at a Pine Tree, standing on a great rock in the bank of the Pemige- wasset River, which is the boundary between the towns aforesaid, running about Seventeen degrees South, about nine miles, to a beech tree* marked on the South side with the letter S, and on the north side with the letter B, and with other marks thereon.
Witness our hands,
ELISHA SWEATT,
PETER SANBORN,
EBENEZER STEVENS,
NATHANIEL HEALEY,
JOHN SANBORN,
JEREMIAH LANG.
Stevenstown, Dated October the First,
1762.
STEVENSTOWN, Oct. 22, 1762.
We, the Subscribers, being a Committee chosen by the Proprietors of each town to settle the boundaries and lines between Stevenstown and Boscawen, have settled said boundaries, and made the lines agreeable to each charter of said towns.
ELISHA SWEATT,
PETER SANBORN,
Commitee for
EBENEZER STEVENS,
NATHANIEL DANFORD, JOHN FOWLER,
Stevenstown and
PETER COFFIN,
Boscawen.
THE BOUNDARY LINE DISPUTE.
The north line of Contoocook ( Boscawen) run west fifteen degrees south; the south line of Stevenstown (Salisbury ) run west seventeen degrees south ; that is the north and south lines of Stevenstown were not drawn parallel, as they were designed to be. The north and south lines of New Breton were each fif- teen degrees south of west, and consequently parallel, and cor- responded with the north line of our town. The fact undoubt- edly is that the mistake was made by the recording officer sub- stituting seventeen for fifteen, thus covering a gore of Contoo- cook previously granted.
Twenty years pass away, and the controversy regarding the boundary lines has apparently just commenced. In 1780, De- cember 22d, it was voted to join with Col. Henry Gerrish, to
*The stump of the beech tree is undoubtedly the one referred to by the Legisla- tive Committee in 1816, in their report establishing the line between Salisbury and Kearsarge Gore. It is frequently referred to in the records.
321
TOWN BOUNDARIES.
"prefix the boundaries at the western end of Salisbury, provided he comes with authority from the grantors to settle and prefix the same." Capt. John Webster, Dea. John Collins and Joseph Bean, Esq., were chosen as the committee. Several ineffectual · efforts were made to adjust the matter. Meetings were held and adjourned ; plans were laid and disconcerted ; propositions made and rejected. On the 17th of October, 1781, the commit- tee appointed nearly a year before, announced their readiness to make a report of their acts.
October 9, 1787, they reported as follows :
"Col. Gerrish came to us with a power of attorney that we deem sufficient to settle the boundaries at the western end of the township of Salisbury, and as it appeareth to us, that there is a mistake in the grantors of the charters of Salisbury and Andover, interfering one upon the other, and also a mistake in the grantors in laying out their lots beyond the limits of nine miles from Merrimack river, we think it best to give up our claim to the land north of seventeen degrees on the north upon their confirming to us as far westerly as to take in all our land that is lotted, which we have encouragement from said Gerrish, upon a straight line."
In February, 1800, a committee was again chosen to estab- lish the northwest corner bound of Salisbury.
January 17, 1801. Voted, "To accept the report of the com- mittec chosen the 5th of February, last, to ascertain the north- west corner bound of said town," which was to the effect that they run the line from "the southwest corner bound of the town, north one degree west, between Salisbury and Kearsarge Gore," until the line intersected the south line of Andover, as is infer- red from the description given by the committee.
LINE BETWEEN SALISBURY AND WARNER.
May 30th, 1770, the town voted that Ensign Jacob Gale, Nathaniel Maloon, Joseph Bean, John Collins and Capt. John Webster, be a committee to run the line with New Almsbury and settle the bound at the southwest corner of Salisbury. Perambulations were made in 1795 and in 1805. At cach and
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322
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
every one of these, the southwest corner was reported in accord- ance with the original charter of Stevenstown, in 1749.
KEARSARGE GORE.
As this tract of land lay adjacent to the western limit of Salisbury, and was the occasion of much controversy and liti- gation, it becomes important to refer to it in this connection.
The Masonian Proprietors held possession of the Gore, in 1779, and on the 7th of April, of that year, at a meeting in Portsmouth, they voted "to survey out any ungranted land in and about the mountain Kearsarge, and to lay out the same into one hundred acre lots." The same was surveyed and laid out by Henry Gerrish, who reserved in each lot five acres for high- ways. These lots were distributed by the proprietors, and thereafter were held by inhabitant owners. No settlements had been made in the Gore prior to this division of that land. Salisbury was settled years before, but not through the entire length of the town to its western boundary. When the Gore was surveyed and lotted, it is very probable that the Masonian owners unwittlingly trespassed on the territory of Salisbury, and appropriated some portions of the common land of the town, and included them in the distribution. This was not noticed by the Salisbury people until some years had passed, when it was discovered that the territory fell short of the speci- fied nine miles. When Salisbury claimed what was regard- ed as her full area of land, a dispute arose as to the town line, followed by suits at law, and finally called for action on the part of the Supreme Court.
In 1815, the Legislature appointed a committee to investi- gate the matter at issue, to report to the next Legislature.
The town of Salisbury, on the 23d of September, 1815, in regard to the action of the Legislature on the boundary ques- tion, voted, "to take the requisite steps to protect our interest."
And again in May, 1816, the town chose Andrew Bowers, Esquire, agent for the town, "to act with the Representatives at the General Court, in remonstrating against the acceptance of the report of a committee to establish a line between this
323
TOWN BOUNDARIES.
town and Kearsarge Gore, and to attend to all other business respecting said line, which they shall judge necessary for the benefit of the town."
At the session of the Legislature in 1816, the committee made the accompanying
REPORT.
The within named committee, having notified the Selectmen of Salisbury and Kearsarge Gore, met and fully heard therein, and that, in their opinion, the line hereafter described is the true division and ought to be established as the line of jurisdiction between said towns, viz: Beginning at a large rock on the westerly side of the highway on Warner line, opposite Thaddeus Hardy's house; thence running north five degrees east about five miles to a beech stump, at the northerly end of William Pingrey's land, formerly John Wentworth's thirty acre lot numbered 54, by Andover line, it being about two rods southeasterly from the bound between land of Jonathan Brown and land of Moses Brown in said Andover, which stump was heretofore known by the name of the middle northwest corner bound of Salis- bury, and is situate one hundred and eighty-four rods easterly of the birch tree entwining a spruce tree, which Salisbury claims as their northwest corner bound; and two hundred and eighteen rods westerly of the beech tree which the proprietors of Salisbury marked for their first northwest corner bound, which line was satisfac- torily proved to the committee to have been the true westerly line of Salisbury at the time of its incorporation. And they further report, determine and award that the town of Salisbury pay for the services of the committee, their assistants and expen- ses, taxed at fifty-one dollars.
JOHN OSGOOD BALLARD, JOSEPH BARTLETT, JOHN SMITH.
The report was accepted in the House, and the Senate con- curred. The boundary was established accordingly.
This action cut off one hundred and eighty-four rods claimed by Salisbury next to the Gore, and gave Salisbury two hundred and eighteen rods west of the bound established in 1762.
On June 13th, 1818, Kearsarge Gore was annexed to the town of Warner. Looking at a map of the towns, it would naturally be suggested that the Gore should have been annexed to Salisbury, but the access to Warner is far more easy, and this reason alone induced its addition to that town, Salisbury not desiring it.
REMONSTRANCES AND DEPOSITIONS.
The papers prepared by parties in relation to the controversy
324
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
have been generally preserved, and are of interest in our history.
To the Honorable the Senate & House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire in General Court convened :
Humbly shew the Subscribers, Inhabitants of the town of Salisbury in the County of Hillsborough, that we are owners of different lots of land in that part of said Salisbury which adjoins Kearsarge Gore-which lots have ever, when taxed, been taxed in Salisbury and in no other town or place from the first settlement of the country to this day.
We have been informed that the report of a Committee appointed by the Gen- eral Court to establish a line of jurisdiction between Salisbury & Kearsarge Gore was at the last June session revised and accepted by the General Court-which report drew a new line of jurisdiction, whereby if that line be established the aforesaid lands will be transferred to the Jurisdiction of, & be liable to be taxed in Kearsarge Gore- which will occasion us great inconvenience.
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