USA > Rhode Island > Bristol County > Bristol > Sketches of old Bristol > Part 12
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THE "OLD BRICK SCHOOL HOUSE"
PARSON WIGHT in his records of the building construction in Bristol mentions: 1804-"Brick Masonic Hall and school house, N.W. corner of the Public Square."
In the year 1804, a committee was appointed to solicit sub- scriptions for a new schoolhouse in the south district (the com- pact part of the town). The money needed was easily obtained, the Masonic Society in this town bearing half the expense of erec- tion, and thereby securing a lodge room in the second story. The sum of $ 700 was named on the subscription paper "to be applied to building a brick school house upon the Common to be 50 feet
*As a little girl, my mother, Eliza Turner Howe, attended this school. I have a brick from its ruins, I picked up as a boy and which I have kept all these years. I remember well, the brownstone step at the door, which I wanted to take, but it was too heavy. Harry Howe Bogert.
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in length, 28 feet in width, and two stories high." James D'Wolf gave $400; Charles D'Wolf and Gen. George D'Wolf each giv- ing $100. The old building survived until the year 1895 when it was torn down to make way for the Walley School which was erected on the site in 1896.
Back in the year 1895 the taxpayers of the town were trying to come to some agreement as to demolishing the old schoolhouse and selecting a site for the proposed new school. Night after night they fought it out in town meetings, several of them lasting far into the night, only to adjourn to another night. The records of those days show that many stormy and heated sessions were held before the matter was finally settled.
September, 1895, the "Old Brick School House" was demol- ished, to make way for the new schoolhouse to be erected on the old site. At that time several interesting items concerning the old schoolhouse appeared in our local paper; it would seem fitting at this time to include a few of them in this sketch.
The old records of a town meeting back in the year 1804 show how the partnership between the Masonic Society and the town in the building originated:
"At a town meeting duly notified and held at Bristol on Thurs- day, the 17th day of May, 1804, the Hon. William Bradford, Esq, chosen moderator. Messrs. John D'Wolf, Moses Van Doorn and Charles Collins be a committee to obtain subscriptions for the purpose of building a new school house in company with the Masonic Society, who are to own and occupy the upper story, and the lower story to be owned and occupied by the town for keeping a free school; and the said Masonic Society to have the privilege to erect a convenient stair way at one end of the part appropriated for the school and to have said privilege so long as they remain such a society.
"The committee appointed by the town at the last meeting for taking into consideration the building of a town school house on the common and disposing of the old school house respectfully report: That the Masonic Society in this town having it in con- templation to erect a hall for their accommodation, are willing
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to be at one-half the expense of a brick building 50 feet in length, 28 wide, and two stories high, to stand at or near the N.W. corner of the common. The estimated expense of the building to com- plete the outside and timber for the floors is $ 1400 to be divided equally between the town and the Masonic Society, the building to be divided by setting off to the M. S. the upper story and a stair way and a sufficient passage room in the entry. The town to have all the lower part excepting the stair way and entry aforesaid for a school room. The committee taking into consideration the proposal of the M. S. do earnestly recommend to the town to sell the old school house at public auction to the highest bidder, and cause a subscription to be opened under the direction of a committee for the purpose of raising $700 to complete the out- side of the building. The expense of furnishing the school room after a division takes place will be about $250."
"N. B .- It is recommended to put the building on the extreme N.W. corner of the common and permit the Methodist Society to set their house of public worship on the S.W. corner of the com- mon opposite. The West side of the two buildings to be in an exact line with the academy."
SEPT. 10, 1895 - "The 'old brick school house' which has stood on the northwest corner of the common for so many years, will within a few days be a thing of the past, and, though it will be missed, and the new and more imposing structure can never take its place in the memories of the older inhabitants of the town, it has fulfilled its mission well, and its history is an honor- able one. The uncertainty of its fate in the last few weeks has brought up in many minds fresh memories of school days and also served to keep green the remembrance of the men who insti- tuted St. Alban's Lodge and for many years kept the fires burn- ing on its altars.
"The old school house was occupied until yesterday, when the work of tearing it down was begun. The building was sold at auction Saturday to Eugene LeClair, the contractor, for $10. Previous to the sale the Town Council gave to the Masonic com- mittee the town's check for $1,200 for the society's interest in
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the building. In St. Alban's lodge room there were several fine paintings of Masonic emblems on the walls. The lathes and plas- ter around these paintings were cut through yesterday and the emblems taken down intact. The old stone steps on the south- west corner of the building, which have been worn by footsteps of Masons for nearly a century, have also been taken by the lodge and will be cut into pedestals to be placed in their new lodge room. The old chair that Bishop Griswold sat in is also pre- served as a valuable relic.
"The old bell which has summoned the scholars of this town for more than one hundred years is to be placed on the Byfield School building. There is a record that the bell was on the old academy in 1791. This academy was located on the common, south of the courthouse, and it was moved away in two sections about 25 years ago. Bishop Howe, who attended school at the old academy, bought the belfry at the time the building was moved away and had it set up in his dooryard as a memento of his school-days."
SEPT. 13, 1895-"Good progress is being made in tearing down the old brick school house. Mr. LeClair says he finds no difficulty in selling the brick, which is of excellent quality, and it is taken away as fast as taken out of the building. The cornice work in the Masonic hall has been taken down; it is of wood painted red, white and blue. The amount of work in its con- struction is a matter of wonderment in these days of labor-saving machinery. The cornice was made entirely by hand, each jutting portion being a separate board, and the whole securely nailed together.
"The old bell was yesterday put in position on the Byfield school. For over one hundred years the schools on the common have been in the habit of beginning sessions by this bell and it has been much missed during its short absence."
SEPT. 20, 1895-"The old cornerstone of the brick school house for which search has been made for some time was found on Wednesday. No box or receptacle was found, but a circular piece of copper 21/2 inches in diameter was found embedded in
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the cement between two cornerstones. An application of muriatic acid revealed the fact that the relic was silver-plated and bore the inscription, 'St. Alban's Lodge No. 6, Sept. 18, A. L. 5804.' As the Masonic order always reckons dates by an additional 4000 years B.C. this would make the date Sept. 18, 1804. It was found in the south west corner of the building.
"When they were tearing down the building a number of copies of the old by-laws of the Lodge in small pamphlet form dated 1869 were found and have been placed in the book vault at the town clerk's office, together with some of the other old records of the lodge.
"Among these is an old account of the laying of the chief corner stone in 1804: 'At a special meeting Sept. 18, A. L. 5804, for the purpose of laying the chief corner stone of the Masonic Hall, a procession was formed and marched to the building to be appropriated for a town school house and Masonic Hall, and after going through the ceremonies usual in laying the chief corner stone, proceeded to St. Michael's church, where an oration suitable to the occasion was delivered by Rev. Bro. Alexander V. Griswold, from thence, to our Lodge room.'"
THE STREETS and LANES of BRISTOL as ORIGINALLY LAID OUT
THE following is gleaned from manuscript found among the papers of the late William P. Monro .*
Between the years 1680 and 1684, Capt. Samuel Woodbury made five plats on parchment, from actual survey, of the town of Bristol, one for the town and one each for the original proprie- tors, and the surveying and platting took nearly one year of time. For correctness and neatness the work would do honor to the best engineers of the present day. The streets were laid out at
*Born 1801, died 1885.
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the commencement of the town, four running nearly north and south in the compact part of the town, and were named-Wood, High, Hope and Thames streets-all except Thames run straight without an angle or a curve from end to end.
Wood street commences at the foot of Bay View avenue --- formerly known as Crooked lane-and ends at Walker's corner, so called, and is four rods, or 66 feet wide. High street com- mences at the creek-now called Silver creek-on the north, and ends where it intersects Thames street on the south, and is five rods, or 821/2 feet wide. Hope street commences near the south end of the town bridge-near foot of Washington street-and ends at the angle near the site of the house formerly belonging to the late Capt. James D. Ingraham, and is four rods, or 66 feet wide. Thames street commences at the town bridge at its north end, and is three rods, or 491/2 feet wide, and runs near the water and accommodates itself to it by angles; the first angle nearly opposite where William B. Spooner's oil works stood; the second angle opposite the Phenix Sugar Refinery building; the third angle was-before the Town Council closed up the street-at the north line of the late Edward W. Brunsen's lot; the fourth angle is at the end of Hope street; the fifth angle is opposite Burton street; the sixth angle at the south side of Walley street; and then continues to the Ferry road or Walker's corner.
The above named four streets are intersected by nine original cross streets, except the north one called Oliver street, which ends on the east at High street, and runs nearly west to low water- mark, and is four rods wide. The next cross street south is Frank- lin street; it runs from Wood street to low watermark, and is five rods wide. The third is Bradford street, five rods wide. The fourth is State street, five rods wide; this street was originally called Charles street, then changed to King street, now known as State street. The fifth is Church street, five rods wide, originally Queen street; this and State street seem to be the only cross streets that had any name until the town appointed a committee to name all the streets; Capt. Charles Collins was chairman of that committee, which reported the present names, retaining the
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original names of the four north and south streets. The sixth is Constitution street, and is five rods wide. The seventh is Union street, and is five rods wide. The eighth is Burton street, and is three rods wide. The ninth is Walley street, and is four rods wide.
All the cross streets are straight from end to end, and run to low watermark, and may run to ship channel if wanted.
Byfield and Milk streets were laid out by Mr. Byfield after the laying out of the above mentioned streets. Milk street did not originally go south beyond Byfield street, it ran only as far as that street. The other cross roads, from Wood street to the Back road-now called Metacom avenue-were laid out at the com- mencement of the town. Metacom avenue is two rods wide.
Bay View avenue, Mount Hope avenue, Tanyard lane and Sanford lane, each four rods wide, except Mount Hope avenue, formerly called Mount lane, which was part of its length four rods wide and the rest two rods wide, but has since been widened. Malt-House lane has been cut through to Metacom avenue, and the next crossroad north went east to Middle road, so called, leading to Broad Common, thence to Metacom avenue; this has since been cut through straight from Main road to Metacom ave- nue and is called Walnut street. The next road north was called Crane's lane and run from the Main road to Metacom avenue, and is two rods wide.
A road opposite the west end of Walnut street, running west, same width of Walnut, thence turning north, thence west to the "salt water of Warwick Bay," is in the original deed of gift to the town, but has never been opened. Several other narrow roads were laid out by the first proprietors.
To encourage the first sixty families to settle and build houses so as to get their town charter, the proprietors set off 60 ten-acre lots, and then 300 acres to be divided into sixty parts, which were called commonages; so that every man that would buy a house lot and build a two-story house with good sized rooms on the lower floor should be entitled to a ten-acre lot and a commonage. Many of these commonage lots were later bought up by one man
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and the lanes leading through the land closed up. Gooding's lane, so called, from Mount Hope avenue, running north, was one of the narrow commonage lanes.
The road in front of the mansion house of the late James D'Wolf is one of these commonage lanes; it being narrow he offered the town to make it a certain width if the town would, in exchange, give him Indian Common.
The land south of Bay View avenue, now owned by the Cath- olic Congregational Society, was in commonages which were bought up by Joseph Jacobs, Hannah Jacobs, and Nathaniel Byfield and given to the above mentioned society. Naomi street, so called, was one of these narrow lanes, which remains open.
Many other streets and avenues have been opened by individ- uals for the sale of houselots. John street was opened by J. W. Bourn, from Hope to Thames street. Bourn street, from High street, as far east as his land went, by J. W. Bourn; it has since been carried through to Wood street. Ministerial street was opened by Dr. Foster and the Congregational Society, the society paying the doctor $100. Wardwell street, and Central street as far as Bradford street, was opened by Allen Wardwell; the north part of Central street was opened by Col. Samuel Wardwell.
Court street formerly extended from Hope street to the Bris- tol County Jail; it was opened, by Capt. John Wardwell, to High street. Summer street, from Thames to High street, was opened by Norris & Barns. Smith street, from Hope street, westerly, to the shore, was opened by Thomas Paine. William street, run- ning east from High street, opened by the heirs of Capt. William Bradford. Congregational street, from High to Wood street, the west half by the Congregational Society, the east half by the town. A narrow avenue north from Bradford street, between High and Wood streets, was opened by the late Francis Bourn- and is called Bourn's avenue. Rock street, from Wood street east -now known as Shaw's lane-and thence south, now called Rock street, to Jack Barney lane, was opened by Nathaniel Bullock.
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Jack Barney lane, so called from a colored man that lived there,-subsequently called Mott's lane,-was one of the narrow lanes originally laid out for commonages. Catherine street was opened by Benj. Tilley and Wm. T. Waldron. First, Second and Third School streets were opened through School lands, from Mount Hope avenue to State street. An avenue called "Pierce avenue" runs from north side of Constitution street to Church street, between High and Wood streets-the south end of this avenue was opened by Mason W. Pierce. The 1851 map shows this avenue as running northward from Constitution street about half-way through, and shows Mason W. Pierce's house on the west corner. The name is given as "Pierce's avenue". The 1870 map shows the avenue continued through to Church street, with the jog midway between. The name at that time was "Pearce's avenue" .*
Other streets, roads and avenues have been opened, among which are Broad Common road, Borden avenue, Cole street, Collins street, Cook street, Cottage street, DeWolf avenue, Dunbar street, Easterbrooks lane, Ferry road, Garfield avenue, Howe street, Juniper lane, Lincoln avenue, Mason avenue, Munroe avenue, Narragansett avenue, Noyes avenue, Owls' Roost avenue, Pleasant street, Poppasquash road, Prospect street, Richmond street, Smith street, Usher street, Usher ave- nue, Usher place, Wheeler avenue, Wilson's lane, Washington street, Woodlawn avenue.
THE FIRST HOUSES BUILT IN BRISTOL
THIS list of the first houses built in this town is taken from a manuscript found among the papers left by the late William P. Monro .**
After all these years it will be observed that several of the old houses still remain (1890), giving mute evidence of the sub-
*1942 - Is now "Pearse Ave."
** Born 1801, died 1885.
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stantial materials of which houses were then built. There are 78 houses mentioned in the list, all built early in the settlement of the town. Among them are the first 60 which were required to obtain the town charter; the others must have been built very soon after-between 1680 and 1684. Many of the houses here mentioned were burned by the British during the Revolutionary War, but few, if any, were destroyed north of Bradford street.
The first house built in the town is the house just north of the town bridge, on the east side of the main road, formerly owned and occupied by the late James DeWolf Perry. The first religious meetings were held in this house. The edifice was built by Nathaniel Bosworth.
The Ellery-Sanford house, which was located on the Ferry road, was built by Col. McIntosh. It stood near the western end of the lane, that has in modern times been called Griswold ave- nue, and which then was open to the shore of Walker's Cove. It was on the site of the present house of Mrs. Sumner A. Ball, and part of the old cellar serves for that house. In the course of time the old house grew older and older, and finally in the spring of 1855 it was decided to pull down what was left of it.
The Matthias Monro house stood north and east of the resi- dence of Capt. James Lawless, between Union and Burton streets. The Walker house was built by Wm. Walker, and stood in the rear from the street, near what is now called Walker's corner. The Hoff house stood near where the Wardsworth house* now stands on Union street.
A house stood where the late Joseph Coit's house now stands on Hope street. A house at the southeast corner of Hope and Constitution streets. The house built by Capt. Benj. Church on the north side of Constitution street; the stone chimney was still standing thirty years ago (1860). The Talbee house stood near the west end of Constitution street, on the north side. The Cook house stood on the north side of Constitution street at the foot of
*At the turn of the century this house stood on the north side of lower Union street, between Hope street and the shore.
Sally Mutton's little cottage was just to the west of this old house.
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"Cook Hill". The Richard Smith house on the northeast corner of Hope and Constitution streets.
The Byfield house stood on the north side of Byfield street where the "Tilley house" stands, now owned by Isaac F. Wil- liams. It was built by Nathenial Byfield for his town residence; he opened up Milk street for his own convenience so as to get to his barn, which was on Church street, near where the three-story house of the late Francis Bourn now stands. The William Young house stood at the southwest corner of Milk and Byfield streets. The Oxx house stood on the south side of Byfield street, on the site of the house now occupied by Chas. J. E. Fales .*
The Benjamin Hoar house stood at the northeast corner of Milk and Byfield streets, fronting southerly. A house at the southeast corner of Church and Thames streets, where the house formerly belonging to the late Mrs. Richmond now stands. A house at the southeast corner of Hope and Church streets, where the "David A. Leonard house" now stands, which is now owned by Capt. Augustus N. Miller. The Drown house at the corner of Church and Milk streets, where the Allen Wright house now stands.
A house near the corner of Hope and Church streets, where the house of the late Jonathan Fales formerly stood, and where now stands the store of William H. Bell. A house on Thames street, sometime called the "Nooning house", built by a Mr. Newton; it stood at the west end of what is the late Edward W. Brunsen's garden. A house at the corner of Hope and Court streets, where the house of the late Ephraim Sprague once stood, and near where the Burnside Memorial now stands. A house at the southeast corner of Hope and State streets, built by Samuel Howland, son of Jabez Howland, the first town clerk of Bristol. A house where the Custom House building now stands. A house on the northeast corner of Hope and State streets; it was built by Deacon Cary and remained until taken down by Gov. Bradford, to make room for the house, which has since been moved to the rear, and is now owned by Col. Samuel Norris.
*The house on the south side of Byfield street next east of the Babbitt estate.
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The house at the northwest corner of Hope and State streets was the Pappelon house; Stephen Smith owned it at the time of the Revolution; after the war he enlarged it with government barracks which he had removed from Poppasquash. He also built, of material from the barracks, the dwelling-house next west of the Bristol Hotel on State street. The house on the south- west corner of Hope and State streets was burned by the British when they marched through the town. The house on the south side of State street near where the house next west of the Hotel now stands, owned by one Hubbard; he was an agent of the Brit- ish government and was very offensive to the citizens of the town. He fled to England, leaving Mrs. Haskell to take charge of the property.
Mrs. Haskell was a widow; she was the owner of the late Song Haskell (slave), then a boy. Hubbard also left his house, which stood at the corner of State and Thames streets, in the care of a man named Guin, an Irishman whom he had brought over as gardener, who was said to have been the first Irishman in Bristol. There was a house which stood at the northeast corner of Hope and Union streets, where the house of the late Timothy French now stands; it was built by William Hoar, the first of that name here, who settled here very early in the settlement of the town; he gave orders to be buried after his death in a certain place in his garden, six feet deep, to level off the grave and plow and plant on it the same as though no grave were there.
The Josiah Smith house was built by John Walley, one of the proprietors of the township; it was one of the very first built in the town, and was his homestead. Some years after his death his son sold it. The grandfather of the late Capt. Simon Davis bought it and built on the west end of it. The Parker house, so called, was built by John Walley; it stood on the west side of Thames street, on the site of the three-story brick building where the Bank of Bristol was formerly located, now used as a tenement house, next south of Seth Paull's store. The Ephraim Monro house stood on the east side of Thames street; the north part was taken down to make room for the stone building now standing;
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it was built by Capt. Benj. Church, the Indian fighter, for his son-in-law, and was one of the first houses built in the town. "The Old Bay State" house, so called, was built by the Rev. Mr. Lee; it stood on the east side of Thames street, in the rear of where the store of A. T. & T. J. Usher now stands. It was a large two-story gambrel-roof, handsomely finished structure, and was much the finest house in the town.
The Woodbury house stood on the west side of Hope street, a little south of the house formerly owned by John Wilcox, and now owned by Mrs. William Davis. A house that stood on the southeast corner of Hope and Bradford streets. A house on the northeast corner of Hope and Bradford streets, where the "Aaron Bourn" house was afterwards built, now the Trinity Church rectory. The Paine house stood on the northwest corner of Hope and Bradford streets, and was built by Col. Nathaniel Paine. The Russell house was on the west side of Hope street, several rods in from the street, and in the rear of the house of Martin Bennett.
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