USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Lyndeborough > The history of the town of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire,1735-1905 > Part 42
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May 28, 1821, the district voted to build a new schoolhouse. At this meeting it was "voted that the schoolhouse be set in the 'senter ' of the district."
" Voted to have a committee to 'senter ' sd district."
This committee consisted of Israel Burnham, Andrew Har- wood and Jacob Flynn.
" Voted to measure from the front door of the houses."
At an adjourned meeting, Sept. 24, 1821, the "jobb " of building the schoolhouse was struck off to Mr. Joseph Howard at $149.50.
" Voted that the ' class ' do all below the sills."
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This schoolhouse has been repaired and improved so many times that probably but little of the original structure remains.
Oct. 20, 1817, it was voted to get one foot of wood to each child, to be brought and cut up before the school is to begin. Those who did not get their proportion of wood for the sub- scription school last winter are to make up their "rearage." If this does not suffice, "one foot is to be added to each child."
June 29, 1816, it was voted to " lay out one-third of the money raised by the district for a woman school."
May 13, 1823, "voted to hire Betsey Holt if she can be ob- tained on reasonable terms."
"Voted to have Betsey Holt at $1.33 per week, and board herself."
Certainly the terms would appear to be reasonable.
The schoolhouse in District No. 7 was built by the selectmen of the town in 1851. Its early history is one of trouble and liti- gation and divided sentiment. The selectmen of the town at that time were Luther Cram, Daniel Woodward, Jr., and Joseph Chamberlain, Jr., and they proceeded to build the house upou petition of the district, or a part of it, as provided by law. But the district would not accept the house when finished, and law- suits followed. The selectmen were beaten in the courts, and they had the house on their hands.
The technical cause of their defeat was that the carpenters set the house two feet away from the location voted by the dis- trict. Finally, in 1853, the district voted to accept the house, and pay the builders its cost with interest, which was $533. It has served the needs of the Johnson's Corner people ever since.
March 11, 1854, it was voted at a meeting of the district that Charles Carkin sell the "remains " of the old schoolhouse to the highest bidder ; and the " remains " were sold to Rufus Chamberlain for $4. There is nothing to show when this old schoolhouse was built.
The first school in District No. 8 was taught in a private house that stood north of the French place, in what is now a pasture that belonged to the late George D. Epps of Frances- town. The school was also held in the house afterward occu- pied by Asa Twitchel. About the year 1810 the schoolhouse was built.
Evidently an attempt was made in those days to locate the schoolhouse on some road as near the geographical centre of the
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district as possible. This house was built at the foot of the hill west of where the late E. P. Spalding lived.
It was a type of the schoolhouses of that period. The floor sloped from the north side to the south, the back seats being much higher than the front. A wide and deep fire-place occu- pied much of the north side of the room. West of the fire- place was a seat and bench with a window back of them- a seat shunned by all the pupils as the coldest place in the room. It was generally occupied by some boy as a penance for wrong- doing. On a small raised platform to the west end was the teacher's table. The door was in the east end, and led directly into the woodshed. The seats and benches were of two-inch pine plank, and the boys of that day thought they were at school to whittle ; so, as the most of them had jackknives, as the wood was soft and getting lessons irksome, these benches were soon deeply scored with initials, fly-traps, rude carvings and other devices.
The fire-place would take in a four-foot log. The boys had to cut up the wood, and it is said were glad of the chance dur- ing school hours, for the sake of getting warmed up.
April 11, 1860, the district voted to repair its house and to remove it to the top of the hill, at the intersection of roads, near E. P. Spalding's, but so much opposition developed among some of the inhabitants of the district that the vote was reconsidered and the house was repaired where it stood, at an expense of $200.00. The floor was made level and the house was virtually made new outside and in.
No school has been kept in it for a number of years. In 1850 there were more than forty pupils. The Houston, Whit- ing, Spalding, Dutton, Manning, Woodward and Whittemore families were largely represented. Now there is not a child of school age in the district that was born there and but three anyway.
The following appears in the records of District No. 9. It is self-explanatory. "Voted that a committee of three be chosen to invite school District No. I of Greenfield to unite with school District No. 9 of Lyndeborough, in disposing of the schoolhouse which the two districts have built and occupied as a schoolhouse, on just and honorable terms, and that the com- mittee have power to give a title to the house or receive a title of the same and give security for the payment of whatever they may agree to pay for said house. Jotham Stephenson, Jona-
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than Bailey and Jacob Butler were chosen for that committee. No. 9 had evidently made up its mind to dissolve partnership in school matters.
March 30, 1850, the district voted to build a new schoolhouse, twenty-seven feet long and twenty-one feet wide. These dimensions were afterward modified. They also voted to build the house on the spot formerly occupied by John Thompson's dwelling house. The building was erected that year. There is no record of any controversary over its location.
The total amount of money expended for schools in this dis- trict in 1849 was $54.54.
The schoolhouse in District No. 10 formerly stood on the road to New Boston, about fifty rods east of where Charles L. Avery lives. In 1843, this district was united with a part of Francestown for school purposes, and the house was removed to the turnpike near the Francestown line. After the town dis- trict system was adopted, it was sold to Harvey Nichols for $20.00 and was removed. The part of the town annexed to Mont Vernon contained one whole school district. The school- house was situated on the turnpike road near where Edward Averill now lives. It is said there was also a schoolhouse near where Asher Curtis lives, but of this there is no record.
CHAPTER XXVI.
MILLS AND INDUSTRIES.
SAW MILLS AND GRIST MILLS.
The mills in our town fall easily into four divisions, according to the streams on which they were built, or the part of the territory which they occupied. Information about most of these has been kindly furnished by J. A. Johnson, Esq., whose con- tribution will be placed within quotation marks. Other parts will be either by the writer or duly credited.
I. " On the south branch of a stream known as the Lee Brook, in the northwest corner of the town, is a site of a saw-mill which was built and run by the family of Jonathan Butler."
2. "A short distance below the junction of the Lee brook and the Mountain, or Savage brook, is the site of a saw and grist mill built by John Stephenson. Later, another building was erected by Jotham Stephenson and used as a shingle and threshing mill."
Merrill's Gazetteer, published 1817, states that there were in the town at that time " two grain mills." Farmer & Moore's Gazetteer, published in 1823, credits our town with three grain mills. Probably the Stephenson mill here mentioned was built in the years intervening between the publication of these two Gazetteers, or previous to 1823. We had two grain mills in this part of the town before the earliest date here. The mill owned by Thomas Bradford, west of South Lyndeborough village, and that owned by Ensign David Putnam, east of it, were certainly in operation before the earliest of the above publications was issued.
3. "On the road leading from Lyndeborough to Temple was built the first (and as far as we know, the last, ) fulling and wool-carding mill ever in town. It was built by Joshua Sargent. Later, it was used as a door- knob manufactury, and also a grist mill. It was taken down by John Newell, who erected the mill a few rods south of the old mill, and is the one now occupied by Mr. Colburn."
4. "On the Forest road, near the head of the pond known as the Hadley mill pond, Levi Tyler built a saw mill. After running it a few years, he moved it to the site now occupied by buildings known as the Hadley Brothers' mill." It was afterwards operated many years by the late C. Henry Holt.
5. " A few rods south of the road leading from South Lyndeborough
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to Temple is the site of a grist mill owned by Thomas Bradford This site and some of the adjoining land was given the builder with the con- dition that he should continue to run it as a grist mill, as long as the public good required it."
This site appears to be on the old Lot, No. 39, granted to the first settler of the town, John Cram, by the old Salem-Canada proprietors .* This lot and twenty pound, in Bills of Credit, were given to him, on conditions which he fulfilled to the entire satisfaction of the proprietors. In what connection, or by whom, this condition stated by Mr. J. was imposed has not thus far been ascertained.
6. The Manuel brook took its name from a Mr. Manuel through whose farm it ran, that " now known as the Lucas farm." This brook has also been known as "Furnace brook," from the furnace located on it, a little to the north of the South Cemetery. But older than either of these names is that of " Mill brook," as we suppose, because upon it were built the first mills, both saw and grist mills, in what is now Lynde- borough. This name, so appropriate to the situation, is worthy of retention.
" The first mill site on this stream is near its head waters, on the west side of the road from South Lyndeborough to the Centre of the town. The mill was a saw mill, built and run for many years by Jotham Hil- dreth, Senior."
7. "A few rods down the stream on the East side of the road is a saw mill built by the late Jonathan Stephenson, and now owned by his son, Willis J. Stephenson."
8. " A short distance from this is a mill owned by Andy Holt. It has been used as a shingle and clapboard mill; and also used for threshing and making cider."
9. "We have very authentic evidence that on or near the site of this mill was built the first grist mill in town, by John Stephenson."
Mr. Woodward thinks the location of this grist mill was probably between the two last-named mills. Dates of the erec- tion of most of these mills are inaccessible. Papers which might have aided to secure these were burned with the old dwelling of Mr. Jonathan Stephenson, which stood on the spot where Willis J. Stephenson now resides.
IO. " The next mill as we go down the stream is owned by Edwin H. Putnam, and is a saw and shingle mill."
This mill was owned for a time by Capt. Israel Putnam, who repaired it and made some addition to it. But neither the late
* S .- C. History, p. 21.
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Jonathan Stephenson, who died in his 97th year, nor any of the most aged of our citizens, has positive knowledge as to its builder. Deed No. 38, among Mrs. Richards' papers, seems to indicate that it was, at one time, the property of Ensign David Putnam, the great grandfather of the present owner. Possibly it may have been built by Ephraim Putnam, Senior, or by his son, Ensign David.
II. "A short distance from the Putnam mill is said to be the site of the first saw mill built in what is now Lyndeborough. It was built by John Cram, who, it is claimed, was the first settler of the town."
For building this mill, with the full consent of the Salem- Canada proprietors, on this stream rather than on Rocky River, Mr. Cram received from said Proprietors 2nd. Div. Lot No. 39, known as the mill lot, and an additional bounty of £20. (See No. 5 above.)
12. A few rods below this, in the ravine nearly opposite the clay bank, may still be seen the old sill of a mill, doubtless the corn mill of Ensign David Putnam, referred to in Deed No. 38, mentioned in connexion with No. 10 above. A trustworthy tradition states that he was a miller, quite harmonizing with the deed. He is also reported to have had a cider mill on Putnam hill, operated by horse power.
13. Farther down the stream, a few rods below the old sill mentioned as in the ravine, "is a mill owned by E. H. Putnam, now employed as a cider mill. It was built by the Lyndeborough Glass Co., for the purpose of crushing and grinding silex, or quartz rock, for the manufacture of glass."
14. We have glanced at the sites on the two principal streams of the town, and now turn to another part of our borough, even its central and eastern side.
" On the stream known as the Badger brook, the first mill site below the pond, is east of Mr. William Clark's. It was a saw mill and built by Nehemiah Rand."
This mill was probably built during the days of the Revo- lutionary War. For Mr. Rand lived in Charlestown, Mass., until his dwellings and shop were burned by the British in con- nexion with the battle of Bunker Hill. He was then the owner of at least some of the land over which that battle raged. When his buildings in Charlestown were destroyed, he removed his family to Lyndeborough, where he previously owned land adjoining the estate of his brother, Rev. John Rand, first pas- tor of Lyndeborough Congregational church. (See Ponds and
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Streams, and Sketch of Nehemiah Rand). The mill was doubtless built after he came to reside in town. This mill was owned at a later day by Major Daniel Gould, who lived on the place now owned by Mr. Fred A. Richardson. After Mr. Nehemiah Rand's decease, John Shepard, Jr., Esq., was exec- utor of his will, and died before the estate was settled. Major Gould was appointed to complete the work, and seems to have purchased the mill, known later as the mill of Major Daniel Gould.
15. "There is a site of a grist mill a few rods south of the road lead- ing from the Centre to Johnson's Corner. The mill was built by Micah Hartshorn."
On this road was a mill known as Johnson's saw mill as early as 1771. See Roads, No. 16.
4 16. " A short distance down the stream is a saw mill " which was last owned by the late Eliphalet Hardy, "which was also built by Mr. Harts- horn."
17. "There is a site of a saw mill on land now owned by Eli C. Curtis. The mill was built by Joseph Chamberlain, Jr."
After referring to the saw-mill built by Micah Hartshorn, noticed above, Mr. J. A. Woodward adds :
"Next is the site of a saw-mill owned by E. C. Curtis. This mill was in operation until a comparatively recent time."
18. "East of the road leading from Johnson's Corner to Wilton is the site of a saw mill formerly owned by Eli Curtis and run by him for many years, and probably built by him."
19. Mr. Woodward in describing " Trail Brook," wrote :
"Mr. E. C. Curtis is authority for the statement, that below this (last named mill) was once a grist mill, the first built in that section of the town, and that some of the old timbers may still be seen."
20. Mr. Woodward adds, "Still farther down this stream, almost to the Milford line, is the saw-mill owned by the Howards of Milford."
21. We resume Mr. Johnson's description :
" About one-half mile above Purgatory falls is a site of a saw mill on the west side of Beech hill, near Miles E. Wallace's residence. This mill was owned by Mr. Cleaves of Mont Vernon, and was in the terri- tory set off from Lyndeborough to that town."
22. "Tradition says that there was, many years ago, a grist mill at Purgatory falls, and that Micah Hartshorn moved the mill stones from there to the grist mill built by him."
23. . "Below the crotch of the brook, not many years since, there
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was a saw mill owned by Dimon Pearson. The builder of this mill we are unable to learn."
The Milford History probably refers to this mill thus :
" A few rods up the stream known as Purgatory brook and near the residence of the late D. Pierson was located the old Pierson saw-mill, which for a long time was operated by the Pierson family, but is now abandoned."
24. We come now to the fourth division or group of our old mills, which are found over or north of the mountain. From Mr. J. A. Woodward's descriptian of Cold Brook, we learn that on that stream, "Capt. Peter Clark built a saw-mill back of the house where Henry Holden lives. Traces of the old dam may still be seen. Mr. Clark recorded in his "Diary," that he began to saw at his mill March 15, 1775." He arrived in Lyndeborough Jan. 25, 1775, built his mill in about seven weeks, and sawed in it the lumber for his house which he built near it .*
25. "In the northeast corner of the town, where the Piscataquog river runs a short distance, is the site of a saw and shingle mill. We have no means to ascertain who first built this mill. But it was run, seventy years ago, by Joseph Lewis and Franklin Lynch. In time this mill disappeared, and a new one was built near its site, taking the water by canal from the same pond. The new one was built by Isaac Lewis of Francestown, and was used as a saw mill."
26. "On Cold Brook a short distance east of the road known as the Scataquog road was built a small mill for the purpose of manufacturing shoe-pegs. It was built about seventy years ago by Ebenezer Flint, who lived where Harry Richardson now lives."
Such are the mills and old mill sites to be credited to our town. We now turn to other industries and manufactures.
INDUSTRIES AND MANUFACTURES.
The earliest manufactures in our town were conducted by the wives, sisters and mothers, who came into this wild, unculti- vated region as the companions and helpers of the brave, hardy pioneers who cleared away the forests, built their log cabins and commenced their plantations upon our hillsides and in our val- leys. While the men felled the giant trees, cut and piled their logs, burned off the brushwood, planted their first Indian corn, sowed their garden seeds, and raked into the soil their first sow- ings of wheat or barley or rye, the women did not sit listlessly
* See Cold Brook, in Ponds and Streams.
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HISTORY OF LYNDEBOROUGH
in their cabins and "eat the bread of idleness." They cheer- fully "laid their hands to the spindle, and their hands held the. distaff." They did much of the labor of raising, dressing, spinning and weaving the flax into fine linen. They carded and spun their wool into yarn and wove the same into a fabric, from which those skilled with the needle manufactured warm, comfortable garments for themselves and their households. Even after the wool was carded at the mill of a later day, the rolls were carried home to be spun; and the hum of the old- fashioned spinning-wheel was the most familiar instrumental music of the majority of the primitives homes. The clatter of the loom was frequently heard, and the noiseless industry of knitting, plied by hands which refused ever to be idle, was the mere by-work practised by those busy, companionable dames.
Lyndeborough is especially a farming town. Its streams are too small to furnish great power. It cannot, therefore, boast much of its factories ; and of that one which did the most ex- tensive business it has little disposition to boast. Its saw and grist mills supplied the essential comforts of life to its hardy pioneers.
CLOTH MILL.
The nearest approach to a factory came, probably, about the close of the Revolutionary War. During the early years of that war Joshua Sargent came here from Methuen, Mass. He was a revolutionary hero, and served under Capt. William Lee in Rhode Island. He built what was then called a cloth mill, which did not make, but fulled cloth. The cloth, woven by the women at their homes, was sent to the mill to be fulled and receive the final touches to fit it for the apparel of the house- hold. And it may be truthfully said that, fine as are the fabrics of the present day, this early cloth would suffer little in com- parison, and would match, if not excel, them in one very de- sirable quality-durability. It would wear well.
The builder of that mill or factory spent the residue of his life in town. His mill carded the wool into rolls, which were spun and woven by hand, and the cloth was fulled and dressed at the factory. His mill was afterwards owned by Oliver Mar- ble, and later was sold to William Harper. "The Farmers' Cabinet," April 23, 1831, has the following notice :
" The subscriber, having purchased the Clothing Works formerly owned by Mr. Oliver Marble in Lyndeborough, and having improved and repaired the same, offers his services to its inhabitants and the towns ad-
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joining ; and from an experience of twenty years in the Woolen Manu- facturing, he thinks he can confidently assure those who. will be kind enough to favor him with their custom, that they may depend on having their work done in the best manner and on the most reasonable terms.
Lyndeborough, April 15, 1831. WILLIAM HARPER."
This mill was at a later day given up as a cloth mill, and was changed to a grist mill and a door knob factory. Mr. John Newell, born in Brookline Aug. 30, 1824, bought it, probably about 1845. He took it down and built, a few rods south of the old foundation, the mill which is now owned by Mr. Colburn. Mr. Newell carried on a cabinet shop there for several years. Mr. Daniel Cragin, now of Wilton, served about three years there as Mr. Newell's apprentice, after which he bought the shop, about the year 1857, and Mr. Newell removed to Han- cock. Mr. Cragin engaged in the business but a little more than a year, and then sold out and removed to Wilton. His successors in the business were the Gage brothers, brothers-in- law of Mr. Newell, Mr. Jacob Crosby, Mr. Alvaro Buttrick, Mr. Warren Eaton, and for a short time Mr. G. W. Eastman, and its present owner, Mr. Colburn.
FURNACE.
A furnace for smelting iron ore and the casting of various domestic utensils, such as pots, kettles, griddles, etc., was car- ried on by the brothers, James and Henry Cram, at a point on Mill Brook, just above the present bridge, which crosses it, north of the South Cemetery. The old building is well remem- bered by some of our aged citizens, and some of the foundation stones are still visible. The ore which was used was said to be bog ore, from the Manuel, now called the Lucas meadows. Probably it was here, also, that iron ore was obtained for the forge in Temple .* Samples of the work done at the Lynde- borough furnace are still preserved among some of the Cram families.
At this forge were also made cut nails, some of the very first to have been made anywhere. Of course the quantity was lim- ited, but the principle and process of thus making nails were nowhere applied and practised earlier than here, as one of our oldest and most intelligent citizens strongly affirms and believes.
POTTERY.
The Rev. F. G. Clark informs us that a pottery was carried * Blood's Hist. of Temple, p. 165.
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on north of the mountain by Peter Clark .* The fact is well attested by Joseph A. Johnson, Esq., who says, " We have no means of knowing when the manufacture of brown earthen ware was first established in town. But in 1826 and a few years later, it was made by the family of William Clark of North Lyndeborough. They had two shops, one situated on the east side of the turnpike, opposite the residence of J. H. Good- rich, and operated by Benjamin F. Clark ; the other nearly opposite Mr. Holden's house, and operated by Peter Clark. The clay which they used in manufacturing their wares was brought from Amherst. The wares consisted of milk-pans, jugs of many sizes, bean pots, and pots for baking brown bread, mugs and many other utensils. The mode of manufacture was rather primitive. A ball of clay of the right consistency was placed upon a round, horizontal wheel, which was put in motion by the foot, the utensils being shaped by the hands. When sufficiently dried they were subjected to heat, similar to the burning of brick."
Mr. J. A. Woodward states that " the pottery of Peter Clark and John Southwick" was opposite the house of J. H. Good- rich. Articles of the earthen ware manufactured in those days are still preserved in the families of descendants of the Clarks.
TANNERIES.
I. William Blaney carried on a tannery on his farm about three-fourths of a mile southwest of South Lyndeborough vil- lage on the hill road which passed by the Oliver Barrett place, now owned by Mr. George Butler. It was situated nearly west from where is now the cellar of the Blaney house. According to Wilton History, t the Stockwell tan yard in Wilton, "was purchased of John Farrington by William Blaney, deed dated Nov. 13, 1799."
2. Nehemiah Boutwell carried on a tannery in the valley west of the residence of the late C. R. Boutwell. This was on the road between the centre of the town, and what was then known as Putnam Corner, now South Lyndeborough.
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