USA > Rhode Island > Washington County > Westerly > Some papers delivered before the Westerly Historical Society 1916-1927; and a list of the members Jan. 1927 > Part 10
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Major Card was rather a dry humorist and quite a character in a way. He followed boating and fishing as an occupation. Wanting a plank to make some repairs to his boat, he went to Maxson's planing mill for the same. Mr. B. W. Bentley, a member of the firm waited on him. On inquiring the price, Major thought it excessive and re- monstrated, but Uncle Ben said, "Major, you see it is planed on both sides." The major took the board, no doubt thinking to get even later. Soon after that the major brought up a load of fish and stopped at the planing mill wharf to dispose of his catch. Among them were a few nice shad. Uncle Ben, who was on the wharf, scenting a fine bargain got onto the boat and after picking out the largest shad asked the price of it. When told that it would be 50 cents, Mr. Bentley thought the price was rather high. "Well." remarked the Major, "you must remember. Mr. Bentley, that this shad is planed on both sides." Mr. Bentley saw he was caught. made the best of the matter and took the fish home.
There is another little episode which shows the aptness of the Major. At one time he was a member of the Watch Hill Coast Guard. There was another member who was generally known as Teddy. He had a normal body but very short legs, so that he was a dwarf in size. He was the cook for the outfit and so did not do patrol duty. In clear weather, during the day, no patrol duty was required, as the lookout in the tower had a clear view up and down the beach. Therefore, the men could smoke, read. or sleep, as they chose. One day a party from one of the hotels came down to look around the station and seeing the men idle remarked to the Major that they must have an easy time. The Major said, "Perhaps you would not think it was easy if you had to turn out in the middle of a dark, stormy night, and wade through several miles of sand." Then, pointing to Teddy, he said,
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"See that man? Well, when he came here his legs were as long as yours or mine and now see what they are, and furthermore," added the Major, "that will happen to us all if we stay here a great while."
The Major had a brother who was not far behind in wit. Wil- liard Card did cobbling in a small shop at the lower end of Main Street. One stormy day his neighbor, Simeon F. Perry, who had quite good sized feet, brought a pair of boots to be mended. He asked Mr. Card if he could mend then that day and the Captain said he could if the weather cleared off so he could take them out of doors.
ยท Up in the northeast part of Westerly or over the Hopkinton line lived Jason Burdick. Mr. Burdick was past the middle age of life, but was tall and of athletic build. . He lived by himself in a small shack or hut and manufactured ox bows and axe handles for a livelihood. He was rather peculiar at times. The only thing that troubled Jason was that his house was badly infested with bedbugs. Try all he could, he could not get rid of them. Finally he hit upon a happy solution. He set fire to his house and as it was burning. exclaimed, "There, I think that will fix the pesky varmints !" and probably it did.
In the fifties and sixties the principal mercantile business was conducted on Main Street. Starting at Broad Street and looking at the signs displayed, one could see names of the tenants and their line of trade. The long block recently demolished contained three stores. The first one, called factory store No. 1. supplied the operatives of the Stillmanville and Mechanic Street Mills with the necessities of life. This was conducted by Horatio N. Campbell, assisted by Wil- liam H. Chapman and Harvey Campbell, who after a while took over the business. Afterwards Otis P. Chapman was a grocer there. At a later date three different drug stores held forth there. They were Howe & Carr, Day Brothers, and George Bray.
The second floor was used as an office for many years. For quite a while the Black Snakes and another club met there. These clubs were composed of the prominent citizens of the town and were strong advocates of temperance reform and total abstinence.
Store No. 2 was called "The White Rock" store and catered to the wants of the Main Street and White Rock Mill. J. L. Moss was proprietor and Charles H. Denison and William Moss were managers.
The third store was a general one and. was owned exclusively by Uncle Ned Babcock. From 1841 to 1849 the post office, with John Hobart Cross as postmaster, was located in this store. Later tenants in these two stores have been A. Englehard. T. Kanders. Charles E. Coleman, and Frankenstein & Son, dry goods, Coy Brothers ( Wil- liam and Woodbury), general store, Samuel A. Champlin, clothier. Stillman Brothers, hardware, Jacob Beringer, jewelr. J. W. Mc- Arthur, Charles ( Buggy) Redford, barbers. Baxter & Fenelon. Charles Mann, William Segar, L. A. Joslin, grocers, and Leander
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Clark, William A. Rook, Milo M. Clark and George E. Broughton with meats.
Over Uncle Ned's store the Pawcatuck Library, parent of our present library, first saw light. It was an infant, compared with our present one. For the juveniles there were such books as Robinson Crusoe, Arabian Nights, Two Years Before the Mast, Swiss Family Robinson, while for the older ones would be history, biography and other solid matter.
The library was first opened for public use in 1848, with John Hobart Cross, librarian. Afterwards Orro took charge and later David Franklin Stillman.
David was a splendid chess and whist player, also an expert accountant, holding a prominent position for many years in the Niantic bank.
After the library was moved up to the academy on Cooky Hill, Ethan Wilcox and Alex C. Thompson were librarians.
Below this long block was an old building wherein Lemuel Vose and Joseph H. Lewis sold groceries. They moved this building down to Commerce Street and erected the present three-story brick block. During its construction, Mr. Vose fell through a trap door and was killed. After its construction a part of the first floor was used as a grocery by Mr. Lewis, ably assisted for many years by Ambrose Nichols. The other part was taken by Edward M. Dunn, clothier.
In 1854. it was the birthplace of the Niantic bank, located there while waiting for their building on High Street. For a long time it was used as a band room by the Brass Band. Both these concerns occupied the second floor.
The third floor was a large hall which for a time was utilized for lectures and other entertainments. Being up so high, it was rather inconvenient, but as soon as the American and Armory Halls were built it ceased to be used for that purpose. It was known as Vose Hall.
About 1870. Rev. George B. and J. Herbert Utter, publishers of the Narragansett Weekly and Sabbath Recorder, took possession.
Among the old time printers I remember Sandy Fraser. George and Robert Kenneth. John and Edward Mosher. Herbert A. Bab- cock, and Morton Hiscox. The latter two with George Kenneth rounded out a half century of service.
The store next below the Utter Company has a record of con- tinuous service. and located in the same building for over 80 years. It was started in the early forties as a general store by Stephen Wilcox. Sr., and John R. Champlin. After Mr. Wilcox retired Mr. Champlin changed over to the boot and shoe trade. After his death his sons Albert and J. Herbert assumed control until the present firm of Saunders & Wells took charge.
A little further along another old firm was located. In the early forties Henry Stillman started in the drug trade in one part of a
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building at the northeast end of Pawcatuck Bridge. After a while moved across to the opposite side of the Bridge and took Joseph W. Potter for a partner. Edwin G. Champlin took Mr. Stillman's place and the firm decided to locate in Rhode Island. There was an old building standing quite a ways out in the street which the firm bought and after moving it to the rear erected a modern stone building.
Walter Price bought the interest of Mr. Potter, and after Mr. Champlin had retired, he with his brother Charles and Thomas J. Bannon formed the firm of Walter Price & Co. A few years ago Doc Bannon assumed complete control and moved to Canal Street where he is now located.
The doctor is the sole survivor of the old tinte druggists.
In an annex C. W. Marston and Samuel A. Champlin were in the clothing trade. This building was consumed by fire in December. 1877, and the present building was put up to replace it.
The old building which was moved back stood end-ways to the street and had an entrance on the street and on one side. Known as the Thomas Wilcox building it was purchased by George W. Crandall who sold dry goods and groceries, and had been located in the old fish market building belonging to Joseph Alcorn.
Soon after moving up there, Mr. Crandall took T. W. Segar for a partner. After a while Mr. Segar went up to Broad Street and with Thomas Perry built a double store. Shortly after Mr. Crandall sold to Daniel S. Douglas.
Next below were three old dwelling houses which were altered for commercial purposes. The first one was owned by Nathan H. Langworthy. One part of the lower story was used as a ladies restaurant, presided over by Mrs. Hansen. In the other part was an up-to-date cobbler shop with Mr. Hensen, Adam Gier and Julius Karts as artists.
About 1850, Westerly's first ready made clothing business was started here with William Dennis Pendleton and Edward M. Dunn as partners. Afterwards Mr. Langworthy started the first hardware store in Westerly. Sometime later he moved the old building back. and in front put up a larger one with two stores on the first floor. Mr. Langworthy continued in the hardware trade a while and then sold to J. Albert Brown. Later Bert Langworthy started the grocery business and was located there for many years.
The first tenants of the South store were Gates & Mainthrow who came from New York with a line of dry and dress goods. Later Charles E. Coleman was there in the same line of trade. J. Frank Bliven dealt in clothing and Mrs. Horace D. Burdick in millinery. This building was burned in December, 1877.
In a very short space of time a three-story brick building was put up containing two store on the ground floor, offices in the second story, and a hall on the third.
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Albert H. Langworthy again resumed the grocery trade to be succeeded by Julius Friend.
The other store was taken by Jacob Stern for a "Bee Hive" and later by Charles Rosenthal for dry goods. Then I. G. Barber made his fortune in the candy and ice cream trade, to be succeeded by Peters' Brothers.
The second old house called the Wilcox house was owned by Mrs. Phebe Wilcox. The north end, or annex was used for many years by Harvey C. Richmond, a tailor by trade, who carried a line of groceries, also non-intoxicating drinks. This building was pur- chased in the seventies by Samuel .A. Champlin and the lower story converted into stores. After . Mr. Richmond retired, his part was occupied by Thomas W. Potter as a saloon.
Julius Kartz cobbled in one store and Mr. Champlin used the other. Dr. Lucy Almy Babcock had an office on the second floor. This building was burned December 30, 1877. Mr. Champlin cleared up the wreck and put up a three-story brick block with three stores below.
The first store was devoted to the restaurant trade by Isaac R. Gavitt, D. Wayland Larkin and John W. Berry. At one time Albert Henderson sold fresh and salt meats there. Dexter R. Porter, at one time manager of the Boston Store, tried his luck for a while.
In the center store Ambrose E. Nichols and later Oscar Tay- lor sold groceries there. In the plumbing and hardware line it had as tenants Job Thorp, Robert Drysdale and H. A. Dunning.
The remaining store was used by the owner for clothing trade, and later by Samuel G. Babcock for dry goods.
On a bitter cold night in 1904, this building was seriously dam- aged by fire.
The third house, owned by Amos Collins, was originally known as the Capt. Barber house. About 1850, Noves Palmer from New York, who had occupied the old building at the corner of West Broad and Mechani" Streets, left the land of wooden nutmegs and concluded to adopt Little Rhody as his place of abode. He transferred his drug business to the south part of this house, where after two years he sold to Dr. William T. Thurston.
In 1860. Albert Collins, the dean in Westerly's drug trade. opened for business here and held the fort for seven years, and then went up to the Dixon House. Afterwards H. L. Miner. D. S. Douglas and John Frank Hall sold groceries there. Afterwards Joshua Vose opened Westerly's first crockery store. Dr. Amos R. Collins used a part of this house for an office, and it was here that Jonathan Crandall, bank watchman, came for treatment the night he was shot. This build- ing, the only survivor of the three old houses, was moved to the rear and is now used for a tenement.
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Just below are two buildings so much alike as practically to look like twins. The first was built by Amos Collins. As I remember about 1850, James Collins and his uncle Ray Burlingame kept a variety store there. About 1860, Henry L. Miner occupied it and later Edwin P. Hitchcock. In 1877. A. B. Collins thought there was no place like home so he left Dixon Square and came to his boyhood stamping ground. He remained there about 30 years. After he retired his son Louis for a short time dealt in hardware.
The other twin was built by Capt. Gilbert Pendleton, Jr. About 1850, James and Enoch B. Pendleton carried on a grocery and gen- eral exchange store. Four years later James M. left to take the cashiership of the Niantic Bank. James F. took his place and the firm was Pendleton & Co .. until 1861, when Enoch B. was appointed postmaster. James F. changed to dry goods and in 1867 took quarters in the Dixon House.
Later occupants were Nelson Brown & Co .. Charles Rosenthal, John P. Christie, Fred Ray and the present owner, Robert Drysdale.
On the bend of Main Street one of Westerly's oldest landmarks stood. A moss covered gambrel roof covered it, and in front were two stately elm trees. This old Major Rhodes house was replaced by the Utter or Narragansett Block. At various times the stores on the first floor had as tenants William H. Robinson with carpets, Simon C. Sullivan with soft drinks, Milo Clark with meats, Robert Conway as jeweler, J. Albert Brown with hardware. Frank W. Cos and James H. Blades, grocers, George N. Winterhalter, Westerly's first candy manufacturer, Charles H. Stanton with his bazaar, and as plumbers there were Cressy Brothers, Robert Drysdale and Abel P. Randall.
On the opposite side of Main Street below the mills was a small building owned by Joseph Alcorn. In the late forties Nelson Brown was here in the grocery trade. but on being appointed Watch Hill lightkeeper he sold his trade to George N. Crandall. The next occu- pants were William and Alfred Parkinson, who kept a variety store. William at one time served as town clerk.
After the Kansas fever had struck town and they had gone west there were various tenants. Lewis & Horton, Northup & Schofield. and Walter H. Lewis as tinkers.
About 1870, B. Frank Bliven with his brother, Court B., started fishing there and for a while the fishing was good, but as the work was hard, Court B. withdrew, but the old veteran B. Frank held the fort and for many years was a fixture there. Late fish dealers were A. N. (Lobby) Brown, Courtland Payne and Tom Henry Clark. For many years John Hazard was a tenant overhead.
In the rear Matthew Barns had a fish market. Down in the lane near the river was a barn used years ago by Frank and Court West and also by Spicer Teft who did the teaming for the mills in Westerly and Potter Hill. On one part was the blacksmith shop
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of Mr. Alcorn. Mr. AAlcorn was very peculiar, and being of foreign birth and refusing to be naturalized, could not hold real estate in his own name. Sometimes he complained that his various trustees were not always on the square. In dress he was not up to all of the fashions either in clothing or footwear. As Joe emploved no book- keeper, his collections did not always pan out. He usually made his charges on a bar of iron. When he needed to use that particular bar his profit went up in smoke. Mr. Alcorn was a good mathematician and a strong advocate of free trade. Oftimes he would squat on the floor or pavement and with a piece of chalk figure out how the coun- try would be benefited by free trade. In the shallow part of the river where the old Indian Trail was supposed to cross, he with a yoke of oxen and a shovel scooped up quite an island which he stocked with ducks, geese, hens, rabbits and various other kinds of animals. Saun- ders York and Joshua M. Clark succeeded him in the blacksmith . trade.
The old building next below also belonged to Mr. Alcorn, and probably was as old as any on the street. For many years Nathan Newbury held fort in the east end of the building. Besides dealing in ammunition and confectionery he manufactured a splendid article of spruce beer which he retailed at two cents per glass. He also bought old junk from the small boys and no questions asked.
In the other end of the building Lyndon Taylor as postmaster occupied it during most of the forties. For quite a few years Albert Witter, Alanson Crandall, George Wheeler, Flijah Champlin, Charles P. W. Pendleton and Erastus Bliven sold meats there. Later years it was used as an office by the building firms represented by William Randolph, B. Court Bentley, Clarence Maxson, Herbert Kenyon .. Albert N. Crandall. Gurdon and Walter Hiscox.
There was a small building at the head of Commerce Street called the Eagle Market as it had a gilded eagle as a sign. This market was presided over by Gorton Berry and later by Robert Sisson. Mr. Sisson resided away up on Wells Street and had the honor of raising the celebrated big hog. It was butchered in December, 1852, and weighed over 1000 pounds. Mr. Sisson had a special cart made and exhibited Mr. Hog at various places between here and Boston. As a profitable venture it did not pan out.
There was another building close by which was used as a tinker shop by Ripley & Browning, and later by Fred and Bill Tucker, try- ing to perfect a patent stop motion for factory looms invented by Thomas Isherwood.
South of Commerce Street was the building in which for many years Gorton Berry conducted a hotel business. Later landlords were Charles Leonard, Tom Carpenter, John Trimble, Tom Brines and Frank Nash. Tom Carpenter dispensed the ardent on the sly. When one of his customers complained of his watering his whisky, he re- marked that they would want more water in it before they died.
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In the north end of the building Clark H. Chapman and George W. Foster were in the news business. Just below was an old barn once used to shelter the horse and shay of Dr. John G. Pierce, one of Westerly's old physicians. On its site Emory and Ezra Babcock erected the present three-story building. The two stores on the ground floor have had many tenants with various kinds of trades. Of the bakers there were Horace F. Berry, James W. Stillman and Newton Brothers, Nathan Brown as grocer. Mrs. P. H. Opie, Mrs. Emma J. McArthur in female wear. Charles Woodburn, food dispenser and the long time tenant John W. Cowie.
On the opposite side of the street John U. Krebs bought the old Dr. Pierce house and after building an annex at the north had four stores on the ground floor. Tenants at various times have been John Krebs, tonsorial artist; venders of meats were Edwin Krebs, Clark Davis, William Rook and Orrin Beckwith. The bakers were John W. Berry, Ed. Krebs and G. F. Stiger. In the grocery trade was Lyman Kenvon, F. W. Coy & Company, A. D. Miner, F. E. Coon, George Sheffield; George Collins in the shoe trade by honest dealing retired with a fortune. Other tenants were William H. Porter, Maggie Nash, Tompy Lanphear and I. G. Barber.
The building now owned by William Minchen has had quite a few tenants first and last. Years ago a Norwich firm struck town and located there. They dealt exclusively in dry goods with William E. Coe as manager. Every afternoon with Ben York started sales and Mr. Coe took his place and auctioned the goods off. So rapid was his work that often the ladies raised their own bids and gen- erally paid more for their bargains than the prices asked by our local merchants.
Later Henry C. Kloppenberg and Charles B. Stoddard held forth there. Still later Charles P. W. Pendleton and the Hickley boys, Tom and Elias, sold meats there. Another tenant, Thomas Brennan, dealt in leather goods. In later years Thomas V. Cottrell, Simon, Charles and John Sullivan, Robert Mitchell and John W. Berry used it as a bakery.
For quite a few years in the late fifties and early sixties Benjamin P. Babcock used the basement for an oyster and eating place. Mr. Babcock was small in stature with white hair and smooth face. He was always good natured and full of fun. As money was not as plentiful as at the present time, many of his customers were in debt to him. As Mr. Babcock had no bookkeeper to make a trial balance. his accounts got sadly behind. As some of his customers were of rather a shady make-up, his loss account sometimes overbalanced the profit side of the ledger. If a person died in arrears, he balanced his books as settled by death. If the delinquent skipped the town, it was settled by D -- rascality.
In late years Mr. Babcock migrated to Pierce Street, built sev- eral houses and founded a colony. This place he named City of Peth.
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When asked why he called it thus, he replied that where one lived two starved to death.
After Mr. Babcock vacated the store it was used by J. Avery ( Chipsey ) Tefft, Charles L. Pendleton and Wanton Hoxie.
At the corner was the Cranston house. This was about as old a house as any in the village. It was very small and had a lean-to in the rear. In the early days it was used as a cobbler shop by Francis Jacquer and Robert Stadler. At one time Albert Stillman repaired watches and clocks there. Afterwards Mrs. Holt lived there with her son, Johnny, who was Westerly's first newsboy, selling the New Lon- don Day.
Over on the opposite side, close neighbors, lived three old black- smiths, namely. Daniel Lanphear, Robert Brown and Deacon Joseph Vincent. Mr. Vincent's shop was down by the river at the foot of the lane where his principal occupation was shoeing horses and oxen. His successors were William Snively, Mr. Philbrick, who was killed by falling lumber. George Dodd, Jason Read, drowned in rescuing a child from the river, and Peter Main.
Near the foot of Union Street lived Deacon Billy Stillman with his son Ephriham, who had four children. Charles was a machinist, Albert a jeweler, E. Anson a printer, and Harriet Ware, authoress.
The long building just below Vincent Lane was built by Charles H. Holdredge for a carriage factory. One part of the lower floor was used by Henry Whipple who trimmed carriages, Ellery Stead- man for an extract room and Charles Latham as a tinker shop.
Below is a small building in the lower part of which F. L. War- ren worked marble. Later ones in that line were Nate Noyes, Davey & Doney, Keller & Flynn. The second floor was used as a paint shop by C. Stanley Coon & Sons.
On the site of Andrews' coal office stood the old gambreled roof house of George Gavitt. Sr. This was used by himself and his son George. Jr., for the manufacture of chairs and other furniture, and also of coffins. It was in this building that steam power to replace hand and foot power was first introduced in Westerly. Here the first bakery was started by Alfred Bowne. Later it was run by James W. Prayton, Mr. Snell, Oliver D. Hall and Charles B. Segar. The longest tenant was Mr. Hall who ran a cart and sold pies and cakes to the people here as well as in the neighboring villages. He was in the habit of leaving his cart out of doors over night and at times the boys made raids on the contents and helped themselves to candy and cookies, so that in the morning the cart would not check up 100 per cent. While his boys. Ellery, Henry and Albert maybe were not active participants in the raids. still they were not always ignorant of them.
The large house at the foot of School Street and the old planing mill in the rear was built in the forties by Peleg Clark; Jrs; where he
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manufactured doors, sash and blinds. This mill was later used by C. Maxson & Company, but was burned in October, 1868.
The basement of the large house at one time was used as an office by J. H. Gray as town clerk.
We now come to the celebrated precinct of Bungtown. The brook which marks the northern boundary of this ancient borough, ran through the tannery of William D. Wells. Mr. Wells had two sons, Frank and George, both lame. There was a store connected with this enterprise and was presided over by George who dealt in boots, shoes and family groceries, and bought skunk, mink, muskrat, and other kinds of skins. There were a lot of old buildings, including a bark mill, beam house, curling and finishing shop.
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