USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Woonsocket > History of Woonsocket > Part 12
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But the restlessness of Mr. S. S. Cook could not be con- fined to one thing. The rubber rolls for the wringers, at first made by an outside party, were unsatisfactory, and he at onee started the project of manufacturing rubber at Woon- socket. The Rubber Works were started in the Autumn of 1864.
Both the Wringing Machine Company and the Rubber Works have added much to the growth and prosperity of our village. To the energy of Mr. Simeon S. Cook their origin is largely due. Mr. Cook afterwards disposed of his interests in these two enterprises ; and in January, 1868, purchased the Woonsocket Furnace Company's works on Lots 4 and 5, of Messrs. W. & L. A. Cook. In the manage- ment of this coneern he exhibited the same untiring energy. The works were enlarged and the business placed at onee on a firm and prosperous basis. Meeting with reverses else- where, his efforts are paralyzed for the time being. That he may eventually come out of his difficulties, is the earnest wish of every friend of Woonsocket enterprise.
But if the birth of the Bailey Washing and Wringing Machine Company and the Rubber Company is due to the enterprise of Mr. S. S. Cook, their subsequent growth and prosperity have been almost entirely owing to the energy, the perseverance and the capital of Mr. Lyman A. Cook. I have wandered somewhat from the " Arnold and Lyman pur- chase " in my description thereof, but as I have done so in the interest of the reader, I trust that I shall be excused. I . have now to dispose of
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Lots Nos. 17, 18, 19 and 20 .- I will simply tell where they are : If the reader will start on Main street at a point opposite the Lippitt Mill and walk to High street, go up High street forty rods and eighteen links, and from this point take a bec line (if he can) to his point of departure, he will go around the lots mentioned.
CHAPTER VI.
THE FIRST PURCHASE OF DAN A. DANIELS.
You will remember that April 25, 1821, James Arnold sold to Dan A. Daniels a large tract of land. This was on the Cumberland side of the river, and on it are now the fol- lowing estates :
I. The Bartlett Mill and estate.
II. The new purchase of the Lippitt Woolen Company on the southerly side of Bernon street, and the eastern portion of the Harris Woolen Company's estate.
III. The Mason Soap Works estate.
IV. The Cumberland portion of the Woonsocket Com- pany's estate.
When Mr. Daniels purchased this property there were two buildings thereon. One of these stood where Holder's block was afterwards erected ; the other is now occupied by the Kendrick Loom Harness Company. The former is what I have denominated in Chapter III. as the second building of James Arnold, and was erected in 1810; the latter is what was called the sixth building of James Arnold, and was erected in 1817. Mr. Daniels was a protege of James Arnold. He was the son of Mr. Arnold's first wife's sister, and the
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husband of Eliza Arnold, the daughter of James Arnold's sister. After purchasing the property of his uncle James, he continued his business as merchant on the premises. His store has been previously described, and stood where the Woonsocket Falls Bank building was afterwards erected. The first improvement on the estate was made by Thomas Arnold. This man was a machine builder, and occupied at first the Kendrick Loom Harness building. About the year 1823 he leased a lot of Mr. Daniels, and built what was afterwards known as the " Daniel N. Paine Mill," where he continued his business for many years.
About the year 1826 a man by the name of Edmund Bacon built an iron foundry, near where Pond's Warp Mill is now located, on lands leased of Mr. Daniels. His partners for a short time were Thomas A. Paine and Marvel Shove. In 1827 these last-named gentlemen sold out their rights in the concern to Rufus Arnold. The firm was now known as Bacon & Arnold. They made a specialty of flat irons, which they finished in the basement of the "Ballou Mill," on the " saw-mill lot." For a short time James Bacon, the brother of Edmund, manufactured cotton-yarn in the last-mentioned building. Upon the failure of Bacon & Arnold, the iron foundry became the property of W. & L. A. Cook and Will- ing Vose, and was removed to Lots 4 and 5, previously described.
In the year 1827 Mr. Daniels built a stone mill on the estate which is now known as the " Bartlett Mill." In the year 1829 Mr. Daniels, in common with nearly every other Rhode Island cotton-spinner, went under. He made an assignment of his property to Joseph Rockwood, of Belling- ham. In the meantime he had sold to Edward Carrington a portion of the estate which we are now discussing, through which flowed the surging billows of the Blackstone Canal. He had also purchased of his uncle James what is now
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known as the Bernon estate, on the Smithfield side of the river, and of which I shall speak at length further on.
March 30, 1831, the Cumberland and the Smithfield estates of Dan A. Daniels became the property of Sullivan Dorr and Crawford Allen.
I will now endeavor to give the subdivisions of the Cum- berland portion of this estate in the order laid out at the beginning of this chapter.
1. The Bartlett Mill and Estate. The reader will please remember that the whole is now (1831) in the possession of Messrs. Dorr & Allen.
1. July 22, 1831, Dorr & Allen conveyed to Lemuel May.
2. July 3, 1840, May conveyed to John Bartlett.
3. September 8, 1856, Bartlett conveyed to Nathan A. Capron.
4. August 19, 1862, Capron conveyed to James P. Ray and Stephen Clarke.
5. October 2, 1863, Clarke conveyed his right therein to Susan K., the wife of James P. Ray aforesaid. The property is now owned by James P. Ray and wife.
Please don't let me confuse you, gentle reader. The property at present owned by James P. Ray and wife is not the whole of the subdivision of which I began to speak.
When Lemuel May became its proprietor in 1831, a long, narrow building was situated thereon. It was then a store- house or a depot for the canal.
1. June 21, 1834, May reconveyed the building and the ground upon which it stood to Dorr & Allen.
2. April 14, 1840, Dorr & Allen conveyed to W. & W. Metcalf.
3. The Messrs. Metcalf conveyed to Tyler Daniels.
4. Daniels conveyed to Anthony S. Fletcher.
5. Fletcher conveyed to the father of Charles H. Steb)- bins, who was its last occupant, and who used it as a bowling alley, rum shop, etc.
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6. Stebbins conveyed to the Lippitt Woolen Company, who removed the building to make room for their new brick building which now adorns the spot. The building was cut in two. A portion is now a dwelling-house in Armory street. Another portion is now situated on Allen street.
II. The next division of the estate is now the new pur- chase of the Lippitt Woolen Company on the southerly side of Bernon street and the eastern portion of the Harris Woolen Company's estate. Its descent is as follows :
1. February 4, 1832, Dorr & Allen conveyed to Darius Sibley. March 7, 1836, Sibley, in company with D. N. Paine and Osmond Hathaway, enlarged the building which stood on the ground, extending it over the " gangway " which was in the rear thereof, and went into manufacturing. This en- terprise was not successful.
2. June 19, 1841, it became the property of Speneer Mowry.
3 Mowry conveyed to W. & W. Metcalf.
4. The Messrs. Metcalf conveyed to Aaron Rathbun.
5. May 26, 18447, Rathbun conveyed to Edward Harris.
6. September 21, 1835, the road to Bernon, now known as Bernon street, was laid out. Previous to this time the road to that part of the world was the " gangway " in the rear of the D. N. Paine Mill. The portion of this sub- division, which is upon the northerly side of the street, and upon which at one time stood a blacksmith's shop and other out-buildings, is still in the hands of the Harris Woolen Company.
The portion upon the southerly side of the street was eon- veyed May 23, 1872, by the Harris Woolen Company to the Lippitt Woolen Company. The old D. N. Paine Mill which stood thereon has been removed to Armory street, and a massive brick structure now occupies its site.
III. The Mason Soap Works Estate. I am now permitted
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to speak of a citizen whom every Woonsocket citizen delights to honor-I refer to the Hon. Stephen N. Mason. This gentleman came to Woonsocket in the Autumn of 1837, with about twenty-five dollars in his pocket. The following Spring his brother William came to the village, and thus originated the firm of W. & S. N. Mason. The two brothers continued in business until March, 1843, when William re- tired, and Stephen continued the business as sole proprietor.
Both William and Stephen were ardent "free suffrage " men during the exciting times of the Dorr War. In Decem- ber, 1841, the destruction of their works by fire prevented Stephen from fulfilling an engagement to speak at Valley Falls in company with the late Colonel Welcome B. Sayles. Colonel Sayles afterwards referred to the fire as a lueky event for his friend. The works were soon rebuilt, and have been in successful operation until now.
Mr. Mason removed from our village to Providence during the present Summer. In his departure Woonsocket has met with a serious loss. He has represented this section in the Senate and served with honor in other public capacities. In 1861 he was candidate for Lieutenant-Governor of the State. As an upright, honorable and Christian citizen he had but few equals and no superiors in this section.
The estate is now owned by Messrs. G. F. Davis & Com- pany.
IV. The Cumberland portion of the estate of the Woon- socket Company is now leased and occupied by various parties. The largest establishment thereon is the Pond Warp Manufacturing Company. Its lessee is the Hon. Daniel B. Pond. This gentleman has often been chosen to represent the town in the General Assembly, and has held other re- sponsible public positions. He is justly held in high esteem by his fellow-townsmen. Mr. Samuel Hodgson now occu- pies a portion of the works in the manufacture of woolen goods. 20
CHAPTER VII.
THE "GLOBE," THE "BERNON " AND THE "ISLAND."
The Globe .- The reader has not forgotten that June 1, 1827, James Arnold sold a large estate to Thomas Arnold, Thomas A. Paine and Marvel Shove. These gentlemen were the original proprietors of the Globe Manufacturing Company. The company soon afterwards erected the first cotton mill in that vicinity. During the misfortunes of 1829 the company failed, and the property passed into the hands of Samuel Shove.
2. In 1834 it became the property of Thomas Sprague & Sons.
3. Subsequently Edward H. Sprague-one of the sons- at different times bought out his partners, and in 1846 be- came sole owner.
4. In 1854 Edward H. Sprague deeded the estate to B. R. Vaughan and George C. Ballou.
5. In 1864 George C. Ballou became sole owner of the property.
Until quite recently it formed a part of the assets of the Ballou Manufacturing Company. The new stone mill of this concern, which stands on this estate, was completed in 1873. August 4 of this year (1873) Mr. George C. Ballou, in per- son, fed the first cotton upon the moving apron of the lapper in this mill.
Soon after the death of Mr. Ballou, the extreme depression in business forced his heirs to make an assignment of their large estate.
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
October 25, 1876, the Globe estate-comprising the old mill, which contained 8,576 spindles, and the magnificent new mill, containing 35,392 spindles-was sold at auction. It was purchased by the Social Manufacturing Company for $363,000.
By this sale the ereditors of the estate did not realize as much as they reasonably anticipated; but the citizens of Woonsocket may well congratulate themselves that the prop- erty has passed into the hands of a corporation which has done so much to promote their welfare and prosperity.
The moving spirit of not only the Social Manufacturing Company, but also of the Lippitt Woolen Company, is Henry Lippitt, the present Governor of Rhode Island.
It is well to say, in this connection, that the assignees of the Ballou property-consisting of Charles H. Merriman (a member of the firm of H. Lippitt & Company), Addison Q. Fisher and Josiah Lasell, who were the largest creditors of the firm previous to the auction sale-sold to the heirs of George C. Ballou the mill standing on the "old saw-mill lot " and the surrounding estate, where this estimable gentle- man, in a life-time of honesty and frugality, accumulated his large fortune and won the love and respect of his fellow- citizens.
Bernon .- Bernon did not receive its name until after it became the property of Dorr & Allen. Before that time it was known by the name, or the niek-name, of " Danville." The estate upon which the mills are located was purchased of James Arnold by Dan A. Daniels, October 20, 1827. Mr. Daniels was connected in business at this place with a man by the name of Jonathan Russell, of whom I shall speak in a subsequent chapter. The name of the firm was the Russell Manufacturing Company. The first mill was built in 1827. The name of the Corporation is now the Woonsocket Com- pany. This was incorporated at the January session of 1832.
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That ideas of order, neatness and home could exist among those whom circumstances had placed in the lower strata of society, had escaped the notice of many of the American manufacturers. But Dorr & Allen conceived the notion that the help were quite different from the machinery which they operated ; and seconded by Samuel Greene, who for many years was their agent and manager at this place, they in- augurated a new order of things, and created not only mills but a village. Broad avenues were laid out, trees planted beside them, and tenement houses were erected with a view to order, beauty and convenience. Having created a village, the next thing was to give it a name-one that should not only be euphoneous, but that should repre- sent an idea as well. The name which they selected was " Bernon " -- from Gabriel Bernon, a man not only celebrated in history as a victim of the sanguinary religious perseeu- tions of his time, but who was also the ancestor of one of the members of the firm and of the wife of their manager. (See Harris genealogy in the appendix.) Samuel Greene was agent and superintendent of the concern (in later years assisted by his son Paul) until 1868. In October of this year he passed away, sincerely mourned by a large circle of friends. He was a highly-esteemed member of the Woon- socket Commandery of Knights Templar, and was the first to be buried under its auspices.
In 1871, upon the retirement and death of the treasurer, Crawford Allen, the Bernon estate came under the manage- ment of Moses B. I. Goddard. Under him the mills have been enlarged and improved, and now contain 15,000 spindles and 337 looms, in the manufacture of 64x64 print goods. The agents are Messrs. A. D. Lockwood & Company. The superintendent is R. G. Cornell.
I embrace the present opportunity to speak of a gentleman who is held in high esteem by many of our townsmen. I
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refer to Colonel L. C. Tourtellot. Up to 1849 he acted as master mechanic at the Bernon. At this time the "Colonel" removed to Albion and assumed the superintendency at that place. He remained there until 1857. He is now the man- ager of Ray's mills in this village. Like the original pro- prictors of Bernon, the " Colonel " is a descendant of one of the Huguenot refugees. The sterling qualities of Mr. Tour- tellot have endeared him to a large circle of friends. His habits of order have rendered him one of the most efficient military officers as well as skillful mill managers in this sec- tion. His war record is a part of the history of the 3d R. I. Regiment. As a man, a Mason, a Christian and a soldier, he will be long remembered.
The Island .- I have now traced down the greater portion of the inheritance of James Arnold into the hands of its present occupants and proprietors. At the time of his death there was but little real estate standing in his name. This was situated in the vicinity of the "Falls." A portion of this is what is known in these days as the "island." This was purchased by Edward Harris, July 15, 1843, for the sum of eight hundred dollars. It proved to be one of the most fortunate speculations of this far-seeing man.
Among the works which are located thereon, the largest are the Woonsocket Rubber Works-to which I have alluded in a former chapter-and the American Worsted Company.
In the year 1866 a young clerk, in the employ of Mr. John Currier, began looking about him for something in which he might have more scope for his energy and talents. The young man was Mr. W. H. S. Smith. He, in connection with Mr. R. G. Randall, entered into the manufacture of worsted braids in a wooden building then standing on the island. During the two years in which the works continued in this building they were eminently successful, and in 1868 Mr. George C. Ballou erected the stone mill in which the
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business is now conducted. The concern was incorporated during this year, and is now known as the American Worsted Company. Mr. Smith was cut off by death while the estab- lishment which owed its existence to his energy and skill, was in the full tide of prosperity.
1
CHAPTER VIII.
EDWARD HARRIS.
"SOMEWHERE about forty years ago, while standing upon the capstone of a lock of the old Blackstone Canal in Woon- socket, a tall, slim young man came up to me and commenced a conversation upon business, the canal, etc., which inter- ested me very much. There was nothing in his person that would particularly interest a stranger, except his green and boyish appearance. For several days I saw him about the neighborhood, silently and quietly walking about. At last, very much to my surprise, I learned that he had purchased a small mill of eight or ten looms, and intended to manufac- ture satinets."
The foregoing is an extract from a communication which was printed some four or five years since in The Woonsocket Patriot, and is a description of the "first appearance " of Edward Harris upon the stage where he afterwards became so prominent an actor.
Edward Harris was born October 3, 1801, at Lime Rock, R. I. The house in which the event occurred is in the vicinity of the Baptist Meeting-house at that place. It is now owned by Mr. Patrick Whalan. During his childhood his parents removed to Dutchess county, New York, and afterwards to Ashtabula county, Ohio. Here the oppor-
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tunities for acquiring the ease of manner and grace of deportment which so distinguished other members of his family, were quite limited. But if he lacked the mental training, which is one of the elements of success in life, his physical powers, without which the former too often fails of its end, had an ample field for development. Had his early training been different, he might have passed through life quite as successfully and far more easily. Had the sharp edges of his character been a little more polished-had he acquired the art of having his own way by making it to appear that others were having theirs, he might not have been a better man, but his enemies would have had less to say against him.
In the year 1822 he emerged from the backwoods and entered the office of his uncle William at Valley Falls. For the instruction and the amusement of many of my Valley Falls friends who will be subscribers to this history, I will pause at this point, and give a description of that region as it was when Edward Harris first made it his home.
Valley Falls at that time was far more picturesque than at present. The advance of civilization has robbed it of its natural beauties. The alders that fringed its glassy pond and the groves that adorned its hills, have been ruthlessly swept away. It has been blackened by a hideous and un- productive coal-mine, cut in pieces by a noisy railroad, and defiled by smoky workshops and unsightly buildings. In some localities I have thought it to bear a striking resem- blance to the face of the earth when the ark stranded on Mount Ararat.
There were two roads that passed through the region. One of these was the ancient Rehoboth road, to which I have referred. This at first came up from the wading-place on the Abbott Run river, wound among the hills in the vicinity of Blackbird Pond, and so proceeded north. It was
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afterwards relaid a few rods to the west, forming, as many of my Valley Falls friends will remember with watery mouths, an avenue, in after times, to "Lovett's " and " Bob Lees." The other road was afterwards a " turnpike," and is now Broad street. These two roads were connected on the Cumberland side of the river by a private way, which came out of the last-mentioned road near where now stands the Baptist Meeting-house, went over the hill where stood the mansion of William Harris, and intersected with the Rehoboth road at " Happy Hollow."
On the Smithfield side of the river stood a stone mill. The size of this mill was 40x110 feet. It was owned and run by Abraham & Isaac Wilkinson. Between this mill and the river stood another small stone mill.
On the Cumberland side of the river, and on the site of the present stone mill in that locality, stood a wooden mill 36x110 feet in size. This was occupied by William Harris in the manufacture of cotton cloth, and by Otis Walcott, a machine builder.
On the estate now owned by the Abbott Run Company, at Happy Hollow, was a small wooden mill, which is now standing. This was owned and occupied by Crawford Titus.
These mills, a few tenement houses, the homesteads of the Jenckes (the original proprietors of the Smithfield estate) and of John Grant, the former owner of the Cumberland property, completed the edifices in the place.
In a little one-story building now standing on Broad street, opposite the cottage of Mr. J. W. Tillinghast, the present book-keeper of the Valley Falls Company, lived the book-keeper of William Harris at the time of which I am writing. This house now stands in the centre of a wealthy and cultured neighborhood. On either hand are costly residences, and in front is a beautiful avenue. But then it was in the midst of a dark and lonely wilderness. To this
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house Edward Harris was a frequent visitor, and being full of life and good humor, he was a very welcome guest. The book-keeper, who had seen better days, and the young man who was destined to see greater prosperity, became firm friends. How often have I heard Mr. Harris speak of the old book-keeper in terms of the deepest respect, and how often have I heard the old book-keeper refer to Edward's fondness for the game of whist, with which the long Winter evenings were whiled away in that lonely spot.
Upon Edward's arrival at Valley Falls, with the snug little capital of twenty-five cents in his pocket, he became an inmate of the family of Otis Walcott. The wages and the attention which he received from his uncle during his stay at this place were anything but flattering-the one being absorbed by his board and clothes, and the other not being sufficient to excite the jealousy of the humblest laborer on the premises.
William Harris managed men and things in the same manner. He inversed the ancient maxim, and made it to read-" Take care of the dollars and the cents will take care of themselves." He could drive a sharp bargain for a supply of cotton, but he was blind to the cotton waste which fringed the margin of the river. He could appreciate diamonds, after they had been ground and polished, but he had no time or inelination to do the polishing.
At last, a something about the young man attracted the notice of Abraham & Isaac Wilkinson, who run the Smithi- field mills-whether it was his ringing laugh, his sharp eye or his willingness to work, is immaterial-and they offered him employment at the magnificent wages of one dollar per day. The future millionaire of Woonsocket made immediate preparations to leave the counting-room of his uncle. But his unele, who was quick to appreciate merit after some one else had discovered it, prevailed upon Edward to continue in his employ, and he was sent to the Albion Village. 21
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This was in the Summer of 1824. The Albion mills were then occupied as follows : One-fourth by William Harris, and three-fourths by Samuel B. Harris, Abraham & Isaac Wilkin- son. Edward worked for his uncle William at this place but a brief season, and within a year began to work for his uncle Samuel, who acted as agent of three-fourths of the Albion mills. He at first received but one dollar and thirty-three cents per day for his services, but was soon promoted to the superintendency of the works, which position he retained until the Autumn of 1828.
In the month of November, 1828, he assumed the agency of the Harris Lime Rock Company, where he remained until November 1, 1830. The total amount which he received for his services at this place was $1,604 32. He was now twenty-nine years of age. His capital of "25 cents " had increased to 2,500 dollars. With this amount, and $1,000 borrowed of his father, he set out to begin business on his own account.
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