USA > Rhode Island > Washington County > Lafayette, Rhode Island; a few phases of its history from the ice age to the atomic > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17
There was an interlude in his industrial career in 1845 when he sold out his manufacturing business and engaged in farming and the coasting trade, owning a number of vessels in the latter pursuit. This diversion, however, lasted for only three years.
In the latter part of 1847, he purchased from Albert Sanford the mill properties at what is now Lafayette, the plant then being engaged in the production of cotton goods. The deed of sale included 6 acres of land, more or less, bounded northerly by the Ten Rod Road, easterly by land of the heirs of Samuel Carr (the "Old Castle" property, so-called), southerly by land of Marshall Thomas (on which the old Betsy Thomas house still stands), and westerly by the
91
ROBERT RODMAN, VILLAGE BUILDER
Swamptown road. Also included were the cotton fac- tory, two dwellings, a blacksmith shop, barn and other buildings, as well as dams and water privileges. The consideration named in the deed was $2000.
The new owner of the plant proceeded at once to change over and replace or add to the machinery, and in the spring of 1848, began the manufacture of Ken- tucky jeans, a fabric of cotton warp and woolen filling. He started with one set of cards and twelve looms, and found a ready market for his product. This success led to the acquisition of other property on which houses were already located. His idea was to use them for housing the additional employes the expanding business required.
One piece of property thus added was the Samuel Carr house and land (the "Old Castle estate mentioned above). This extended along the south side of the Ten Rod Road, east of the original mill property, and reached to the "Old Bog" on the south, where the Carr family burying-ground may still be seen. The "Castle" itself was a two-story dwelling and a landmark from its commanding position at the top of a hill. Mr. Rod- man added an ell to each end of the "Castle," and for some years it housed four families of mill employes.
The general national prosperity of the next few years was rudely interrupted by the panic of 1857, and Rhode Island felt its effects keenly. The textile business, according to one writer of that period, took a nose-dive slump. Markets for Rhode Island products suddenly vanished, two-thirds of the State's textile employes were idle, raw cotton supplies almost dis- appeared, many banks suspended payments, and it was impossible for mills to raise money to pay for either
92
LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
materials or labor. The condition was nation-wide and failures of banks and merchants in the larger cities where markets for Rhode Island manufacturers had been established, reflected their disastrous conditions back to this State.
In such a wide-spread chaos in all lines of man- ufacturing and trade, the courage and integrity of Robert Rodman stood forth to his own advantage and to that of his business and community. Those who had dealt with him and had come to know his uprightness and conscientious honesty, continued his credit on payment of 50ยข on the dollar and no legal obligation for the balance. They knew the man and were not dis- appointed as will appear in a later paragraph. This tided him over the period of rough going. General confidence throughout the Nation and State slowly returned and Mr. Rodman gradually and prudently regained some of the prosperity that had so well marked his earlier career.
His family in the meantime had become a sizable one. His oldest son, Franklin, was born in 1842, a daughter, Hortense, in 1843, Albert in 1845, Charles in 1848, Emily in 1852, and Walter in 1853. He had lived at Silver Spring in his earlier married life but sensed that larger living quarters and the close demands of his growing business called for a home in Lafayette.
Accordingly, in 1861, he bought from Capt. Jimmy Huling and wife Elizabeth, for $1500, 63 acres of land fronting the Ten Rod Road on the south, and extend- ing from just beyond the present Downs residence to approximately the present Advent Christian Church, with a house (Capt. Jimmy's, afterward moved to Wickford Junction), two barns and other buildings
93
ROBERT RODMAN, VILLAGE BUILDER
thereon. In the same year came the Civil War, and with it came profitable orders from the Government for cloth from the Lafayette mill. This gave a material boost to plans for a new Rodman home. And thereby hangs a traditional tale.
Robert Rodman's conscientious memory recognized his moral obligations (though legal obligations had been waived) to those business men of market and material who had bridged him over the "hard times." So when success had once more come to him in the operation of his mill, and accumulated profits that were substantial for the times, he said to his wife, "I now have enough money to pay what I consider my just obligations. Shall I pay them or build you the fine house I promised?" "Pay your debts," said Mrs. Rodman, "I'll wait for the house." With that eye- twinkling smile of quiet humor for which he was famous, he added, "But I have money enough to do both." So the obligations were paid in full, dollar for dollar, and after that the house was built. The incident, however, serves to illustrate the noble character of the woman he had chosen for a wife. It also exemplifies the high quality of the joint heritage this pair was to leave to their children.
The new house was built in 1863. It rivalled the mansions that earlier generations of Rodmans had built in South Kingstown, with spacious rooms and an im- posing exterior. Gardens were laid out along the sunny spaces at the foot of Liberty Hill, and well-kept lawns were developed on the front and sides of the house. Liberty Hill, which gets its name from a "Liberty Pole" formerly erected at its top, was cleared of brush on its sides, the trees were thinned out, and a pleasant
94
LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
grove provided with wooden benches, was open to the public for summer pleasures. Numerous trees were set out and a long line of maples extended along the whole Ten Rod front of the estate. A large barn and other buildings were erected in the rear, for Mr. Rod- man was a lover of horses. He always maintained some fine specimens, both carriage and work animals. In those days, a horse was a necessity for him to get about in attending to his various interests that were spreading out. Older residents well remember his favorite "Smug- gler" which had both style and speed. In his business teaming, he was noted for the fine spans he always used.
In 1866, he deeded to School District No. 9, a quarter-acre of land at the western end of his new purchase. A schoolhouse was erected thereon, with a second story added afterward. Adjoining this to the east, a lot was deeded to his daughter, Hortense Allen, wife of George O., and a dwelling was built thereon, which was remodeled and enlarged in 1882. Later, a lot to the east of his own new home was deeded to his son Walter who built a residence there and made a sub- sequent addition thereto. An incident of this latter transaction was the removal of the "Hornbeam" church from its location on this lot to land donated by Mr. Rodman from his holdings across the Ten Rod Road. Later still, a lot to the east of the Walter Rod- man land was deeded to son Franklin who built a modern, spacious home there in 1882.
Following the Civil War, the Lafayette plant had a long period of prosperity. Its product was in great demand, particularly in the opening up of the West and Southwest. It was sold there under the name of
95
ROBERT RODMAN, VILLAGE BUILDER
"St. Nicholas Doeskins." The capacity of the plant became unequal to the demand, so in 1868, Mr. Rod- man bought the plant at Silver Spring and operated that in producing the same line of goods. Shortly there- after, he purchased the Shady Lea mill and devoted that to the manufacture of cotton warps for his other mills.
By this time, his four sons were reaching ages which qualified them for participation in the ever growing manufacturing business of their father. All of them were educated in the Town's public schools and in academies and business colleges. Franklin served as- superintendent of the Lafayette plant for more than 40 years; Albert had charge of the Silver Spring plant for 23 years, and then removed to Lafayette where he became President of the incorporated Rodman Man- ufacturing Company; Charles ran the Lafayette general store for several years and then managed the Shady Lea plant until 1893; and Walter engaged in the office management of the Lafayette headquarters, following his school days, and became Treasurer of the new cor- poration in 1883.
Thus manned, the Rodman mills entered upon the era of the 70's with a volume of business that be- tokened an even brighter and more profitable future. But the national panic of 1873, due to overspeculation and the consequent Sprague failure of the same year, brought all Rhode Island finance, business, and in- dustry face to face with another period of "hard times." This time, however, the sound business policies of Robert Rodman had provided a bulwark of financial reserves which fully prepared him to meet the emer- gency. He rode out the storm in safety, while business
96
LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
wrecks were all around him. In the calmer waters that followed, he entered upon a new era of development in the manufacturing line and accomplished a mag- nificent success to climax a long and honorable career.
The approaching 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence aroused country- wide interest in a Centennial Exposition planned to be held in Philadelphia in 1876. Nearly $15,000,000 was raised for the purpose, through public appropriations and private subscriptions. With the necessary funds assured, the Exposition was opened on May 10, 1876, as an International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Agriculture. It was attended by more than 9,000,- 000 persons during the six months from May to No- vember. Rhode Island industries furnished many ex- hibits, chief among these being the then mammoth Corliss steam engine which furnished 1500 horse- power to Machinery Hall of the Exposition.
Mr. Rodman took great interest in the Centennial. He contributed an imposing exhibit of the product of his mills, which won Medals of Excellence. He was a visitor to the Exposition, taking the members of his family, and including the grandchildren of suitable age. Doubtless he already had some plans for expand- ing his business, and these were stimulated by what he saw at the Centennial, as well as by the favorable re- sults of his own exhibit there. Anyway, plans for a new mill at Lafayette were soon under way.
The transformation of Lafayette from a quiet plod- ding hamlet into a bustling center of construction work was a remarkable scene for those days. Mr. Rod- man's foresight prepared the way for this extensive undertaking. He acquired land and buildings that gave
97
ROBERT RODMAN, VILLAGE BUILDER
him ownership of all the frontage on the south side of the Ten Rod Road, from the Swamptown Road to the former Ed Whitford place at East Lafayette. He had also acquired more land on the north side of the Ten Rod in the central part of the village, extending from the passage to the present Church and Hall, to the Vale of Pero about opposite the Steadman house and barber shop of our day, excepting two or three intermediate lots.
The old boarding-house for mill employes, which stood about where the present mill office is located, was moved to its present site on the north side of the Ten Rod, opposite the "Old Castle." It was re-fash- ioned into tenements. East of the old boarding-house site, were the house and lot of Burrill Arnold. This house was moved to its present location just east of the "Hornbeam." The Harrington Gardiner house and lot adjoined the Burrill Arnold property to the east. This house was moved to its present site on the north side of the Ten Rod, just below the newly located old. boarding-house. In the space made by these removals, some 500 feet in length and 100 feet or so in depth, excavation and foundation work for the new mill was started in 1877.
The next year or two witnessed all the activity of a bee-hive in and around Lafayette. Mechanics and laborers of all classes were busy 10 hours a day and six days a week, in the operations. Ox-shovels were used in the soil excavations. Projecting rocks and small ledges in the space, as well as over the surrounding land, were hand-drilled, then blasted with gunpowder, and then cut to size required for foundations. Oxen then hauled the material, on wooden "drags," to the
98
LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
foundation sites. As many as 25 yokes of oxen were used, and they were stabled mostly in the unused barns in the back field behind the Capt. Jimmy Huling house. Carload after carload of bricks were shunted onto side-tracks at Wickford Junction, and then carted down the Ten Rod. Huge hard-pine beams for fram- ing and floor supports (structural steel was hardly known) were arriving on flat-cars, while other lumber and materials formed a stream of supply adown the Ten Rod for weeks and weeks. All the while an army of masons, bricklayers, hod-carriers, carpenters, metal workers, teamers and laborers was rapidly changing the face of Lafayette's center.
The final result of all these operations was the erec- tion of a brick mill, 316 X 55 feet, three stories high, with two towers, 51 and 70 feet high, and a brick chimney, 92 feet tall. The completion of the chimney was the occasion of a celebration during which a young lady weaver in the old mill won fame, and some say a prize, for her daring climb to the top of the chimney by means of an iron-rung ladder built into the inside wall.
As the building activity came to a close, another phase of activity began, with the arrival and installa- tion of machinery such as looms, cards, spinning frames, finishing and dyeing apparatus, shafting and various other equipment, all of the latest design. The boiler-room was equipped with huge boilers and a 125-horse-power Corliss steam engine, with a great fly-wheel, was installed. The old mill had been equipped with a steam engine long before, to supple- ment the primitive water-wheel, but its size and power were almost insignificant in comparison with this new
99
ROBERT RODMAN, VILLAGE BUILDER
creator of steam energy. The Shewatuck had done its power work well. Yet from here on, its main job was largely to furnish water for scouring, dyeing, and similar operations.
The opening of the new mill required a great in- crease in other facilities and equipment. A large brick storehouse for wool was built on the south side of the Ten Rod, just east of the new mill, a brick mill office on the former site of the old boarding-house, and a large brick barn in the rear of the new mill. Later, a spur track was laid from the Wickford Branch Rail- road into the mill yard, and coal was brought over it from the Rodman wharf at Wickford. Then a stock- house was built alongside the spur for general supplies arriving in car-load lots.
The housing situation which was highly important because of the increased number of new-mill em- ployes, was partly met by the erection and furnishing of a large boarding-house on the north side of the Ten Rod, opposite the wool storehouse, and by the re- fitting of the older houses removed from the new mill site. But the big event in this line was the erection of 14 new houses on the plat of Rodman land, on the south side of the Ten Rod, in what came to be known as East Lafayette. Four of these houses were con- structed on the hill just beyond the Vale of Pero (one of these was later destroyed by fire), six on what is now Railroad Avenue, and four more farther down the Ten Rod from Railroad Avenue.
The bell on the old mill that had rung all through the years was silenced now for a while. For the new mill was equipped with a steam gong which resounded with favorable winds, throughout the countryside. It
100
LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
is related that on its installation test one mid-afternoon, its booming sound was carried on a southeast wind to the far reaches of Exeter. A zealous farmer there, who was working in his field, heard the strange sound, looked up and all over the sky, then rushed to his house and exclaimed to his wife, "Git ready, Mirandy! Gabriel's a blowin' his horn!" In the course of time, the steam gong's use was curtailed, while the old bell was installed at the top of one of the new mill's towers and renewed its old-time allotted job.
Beginning in the late 70's, the building of homes by individuals started in the neighborhood of Wickford Junction, also along the Swamptown Road on Prospect Hill (now High Street), and on both sides of the Ten Rod east of the Vale of Pero, as far down as Collation Corners. This was a healthy growth of housing, never reaching the stages of a "boom" and a consequent col- lapse. For years it has been a rare sight to see an empty habitable house anywhere within the village limits, even before the World Wars.
The remarkable activity of Robert Rodman did not cease with the building of the new mill. He had ac- quired the mill at Wakefield, which he operated for several years, while his plants at Lafayette, Silver Spring, and Shady Lea combined to give him more than a one-man's job of supervision and close attention. Accordingly, in the 80's, he incorporated all his busi- ness as the Rodman Manufacturing Company, and was President of the corporation until 1892 when he retired. His son Albert succeeded him as President. Upon the latter's death in 1916, Ernest L. Rodman, son of Franklin and grandson of Robert, was chosen President. Ernest died on March 3, 1948, and his
101
ROBERT RODMAN, VILLAGE BUILDER
younger brother, Albert L., succeeded as President. Thus the Rodman family has operated the Lafayette plant for 100 years.
With the exception of one term as Senator in the General Assembly, from North Kingstown, Robert Rodman did not enter into political life. His business interests, as can be seen, fully absorbed his time and attention over a period of more than 50 years. Yet he did much in a quiet way to promote the welfare of the community he had created and reared through a rug- ged growth. He bought the Greene farm at Slocum and converted it into a modern establishment of its kind. He donated the land for the new Lafayette Ad- vent Christian Church and contributed the most of the funds for its construction. He built the spacious Rodman Hall at Lafayette, where entertainment and social needs were provided with facilities and equip- ment theretofore unknown in the Town. (He was spared the sight of its ruin by a "firebug" in 1939.) The land for the new schoolhouse in East Lafayette was a Rodman donation in 1891, and when that struc- ture was moved in 1901, the land for its present site on Castle Hill was a similar donation.
His later years were saddened by the death of his wife in 1891, for she had been a devoted helpmeet all through their 50 years of married life. The death of his daughter, Hortense Allen, in the same year, brought additional sorrow, for these two misfortunes were the only breaks in the family that afflicted him in his long career.
Robert Rodman died in 1903, at the age of 85. He left a rich heritage, not alone in material things, but in the richer virtues of character, integrity, and hon-
102
LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
orable accomplishment that enshrine the memory of a noble gentleman. Of him today, Lafayette may well quote the phrase of the ancient Romans: "If you seek his monument, look about you."
17. The Ten Rod Road
THIS HISTORIC HIGHWAY, extending 20 miles across that part of Rhode Island which lies west of Narragansett Bay, from Voluntown, Conn., to Wick- ford, R. I., had its beginnings in a succession of Indian trails. Recent studies reveal that its eastern end was a part of one of the famed "Pequot Paths." Although the "Path" most commonly known passed along the pres- ent Post Road, through what is now Allenton, thence over Tower Hill into Wakefield, and thence on to New London, research discloses a second, possibly a third, "Pequot Path" lying to the westward of the Post Road site.
The same research also shows that one of these "Paths" branched off from the Post Road at what is now Collation Corners, then ran to the west for some distance, then turned to the southwest reaching what is now Slocum, and thence to an Indian fort in the Great Swamp region beyond Kingston. This was a fore-runner of the Swamptown Road, making a turn at the present "Old Hornbeam" church. Another
103
THE TEN ROD ROAD
branch followed along the Shewatuck brook to the site of the old Paul Hendrick house (built by Abigail Phenix), thence on to what is now Robber's Corner and thence to Slocum, via the present Dry Bridge Road route. Nat Hendrick, grandson of Paul, says there was a tradition in the Hendrick family that a well-worn path, alongside the Shewatuck, passed by the old house in ancient days. Traces of it were ob- served in more modern times. This might have been an additional reason why Abigail built where she did. The "Path" was a direct way out for her to go shop- ping at the trading post at Cocumcussoc when her house was new. Later, she had a road of her own run- ning out to the Ten Rod just above where Wickford Junction station is now.
As has been indicated, Queen Wawaloam, widow of Miantonomi, chief of the Narragansetts, once lived at Exeter Hill. And, as has also been pointed out, the Showottuck tribe of Indians, subjects of the Narra- gansetts, occupied the territory from Queen's Fort south to the Goose Nest Spring and beyond. Com- munication from these points with the Narragansett sachems around Cocumcussoc would have produced a trail which, naturally in the then wilderness, would have followed the brook. Such a trail would have been well-traveled and well-worn, no doubt, when the In- dian tribes were flourishing, and when the white men and Abigail Phenix had not yet appeared on the scene.
One must strain his imagination to picture this region in those days. It was truly a forest primeval, a wilderness of woods, brush, and swamp, with the brook a safe guide for general direction. Yet Roger Williams says it was pierced by numerous trails,
104
LAFAYETTE, RHODE ISLAND
marked by the foot-travel of generations, which reached numerous villages where the savages hunted, fished, and cultivated their little clearings. From all accounts, the Indians were on the move a good deal, depending on the seasons or the facilities for food.
The Indian village at Exeter Hill had its approaches from different directions. That from the east, or Wick- ford way, branched off from the "Pequot Path" at Robber's Corner. The rivers and valleys and hills to the west, or Connecticut way, had a criss-cross of trails out of which grew a main course to the Bay. It remained for the white man to make this east-west trail, first a bridle path, and then a road.
In this development of a highway as a through line, Connecticut was as much interested as Rhode Island. Originally, the so-called Shawomet purchase, by Samuel Gorton and others in 1642, covered a great deal more land than the present Shawomet or War- wick. There was a spur in its bounds which jutted to the west some 2 5 miles or more, to what is now Volun- town, Conn. The area at the point of the spur came to be known as "The Gore." It included Paucamac Pond, now known as Beach Pond. A year later, Roger Wil- liams secured a patent from the Earl of Warwick and other Lords Commissioners, extending the Narragan- sett territory into the Pequot country just below "The Gore." This patent set forth, as one reason for its is- suance, that the additional territory would be a good source of ship-timber, pipe-staves, and other mer- chandise. The markings on an old map of New Eng- land, published in London in 1695, indicate a knowl- edge of this region and of the access thereto.
These combined extensions into Pequot land soon set
105
THE TEN ROD ROAD
off trouble with the Indians. In the resulting mix-up, the Narragansett chief Miantonomi was killed near what is now Norwich, Conn., in the latter part of 1643. The Colony of Connecticut then started a dis- pute over the boundary line between the two colonies, which raged with much bitterness for more than 80 years. Connecticut claimed jurisdiction over all land in the Narragansett country to the shores of Narra- gansett Bay. She based her claims on a patent of 1631, which extended her territory to the Seekonk River, and on another patent of 1662 which extended her boundaries to the Narragansett River, "commonly called Narragansett Bay," as the document put it. In accordance with these claims, Connecticut appointed civil officers to serve at Wickford and other places in the disputed section. A Connecticut court held sessions at Cocumcussoc where Richard Smith or his son ap- parently welcomed the invaders. With these far-flung (for those days) areas of jurisdiction, it was perfectly logical for Connecticut to plan for a direct communi- cation with them. The trails were there and only needed development. Even in their crude condition, they must have been used as a right and as a con- venience in keeping official contact.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.