USA > Rhode Island > Kent County > Warwick > The history of Warwick, Rhode Island, from its settlement in 1642 to the present time; including accounts of the early settlement and development of its several villages; sketches of the origin and progress of the different churches of the town, &c., &c > Part 18
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the older residents as a place where they were accustomed to meet and spend an occasional evening with violin accompaniment. It was the first hall in the village. Whether the music disturbed Dea. Cady or not we are not informed. The deacon subsequently removed to Providence, where he died.
The Methodists, previous to the building of their church edifice, worshipped in the school house, but had no settled preachers. The "Warwick Circuit" was quite extended, including, as we are informed, not only this village, but also East Greenwich, Wickford, Plainfield, Connecticut, and other places, and the preachers were accustomed to preach to them in rotation. One of the principal members of the church, here, for many years, was Rev. Moses Fifield, a man universally esteemed in the community, who preached during the latter years of his life only infrequently. When the Centreville Bank was incorporated, in 1828, Mr. Fifield, who was at the time, a school teacher in the village, was elected its first cashier, and continued in that position until a few months before he died. He was also the treasurer of the Warwick Institution for Savings, from its organiza- tion, in 1845. Elder Fifield, was born in Unity, N. H., December 19, 1790, and died April 19, 1859. He married Celia, daughter of Robert Knight; she was born May 27, 1786, and died July 31, 1874. They both lie buried in Point Pleasant Cemetery.
In 1820, or thereabout, the corner now occupied by the pleasant residence of Mr. Ezra J. Cady, boasted of a post office, the first one in the village, and kept in connection with a " wet grocery," by Whipple A. Arnold, and Oliver Johnson. The building was subsequently removed a short distance south, on the turnpike, where it now stands. Mr. Cady has an acid establishment on the Arctic road, where, for many years, he furnished acid to various print works, making, at times, a thousand gallons weekly.
On May 27, 1859, Mr. Burrill Arnold, a prominent temperance man of Centreville, returned from Provi-
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dence in a carriage, and arrived at his home about sun down. As he was sitting in his store, conversing with one of his neighbors a few minutes afterwards, a person probably disguised, approached the window from the outside and deliberately shot Mr. Arnold, causing im- mediate death. The affair produced intense excitement in the village, and the Town Council offered a reward of $1000 for the apprehension of the assassin, which was approved by the town meeting held the following June. Appropriate resolutions were passed by the town in re- ference to the affair at the same meeting, but the assas- sin has thus far escaped the punishment of the law. Mr. Arnold was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, at Phenix, and a monument, raised by subscription, among the friends of temperance, marks his resting-place. The pane of glass that was shattered by the ball and concussion remained unset for several years, bearing silent testimony to the guilt of the murderer, and the baseness of a traffic that inspired such means for its defence. Mrs. Arnold subsequently married the late George Hail, Esq., of Providence. Mr. Arnold's son, George, a graduate of Harvard University, and a young man of much promise, enlisted in the late war and died in camp in Virginia.
The Centreville Bank was chartered June 1828, with a capital of $25,000, which has since been increased to $100,000. In 1865, it was changed to a national bank. The late John Greene was its first president, and the late Rev. Moses Fifield the first cashier. Rev. J. Brayton is now the president and Dr. Moses Fifield, cashier. The Warwick Institution for Savings was organized in 1845. The amount of deposits of the latter institution is $1,343,648 93. The number of depositors is 2,495. Pre- sent president, Ezra J. Cady, Esq .; cashier, Dr. Moses Fifield. In passing from Centreville to Apponaug, in 1795, we should pass seven houses, including the old part of the house now owned by Mr. Horatio L. Carder, early known as Nathan Arnold's, and afterwards as Elisha Arnold's, and the one near Apponaug, owned by John Tibbitts. The Eben Arnold House, now owned by Mr. J.
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Johnson, in revolutionary times was owned by Thomas Mattison, and was used for a while during the war as an hospital. The farm afterwards passed into the possession of Nathaniel Arnold, familiarly known as " Black Nat," who for a while kept a tavern there. On the opposite side of the road, about the year 1815, there was a small one-story building that was used as a store, and in one part of it an Irishman by the name of McOnomy, or some such name, wove shirting. He is said to have been the first Irishman that ever lived in this region. Nathaniel Arnold became dissatisfied with his home, and with his characteristic mode of speaking said he was " determined to sell his place if he could not give it away." He afterwards sold it to Philip Arnold, whose son, Eben, afterwards came into possession of it. Philip Arnold was a wealthy man, and lived on the old home- stead near Natick, but afterwards became involved and lost most of his property. He had five sons, John, Henry, Christopher, Andrew and Eben. The latter was the father of Albert H. and Ray G. Arnold, well-known and respected citizens.
A review of the past three-fourths of a century, during which the village of Centreville has attained its present proportions, shows many changes. The early residents have nearly all passed away. The venerable Josiah Merrill who was born December 5, 1799, is the oldest person in the village who has made the place his continuous home. Most of the early buildings have been either demolished or submitted to modern improve- ments. A large foreign population have come in, drawn by the manufacturing interests, and each year makes its mark upon the appearance of the place. So will it con- tinue, probably, as the years advance, until the vacant places between the several villages will be filled with residences, and the distinctive village lines become obliterated.
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ARCTIC.
This village has borne its present chilly name for about a quarter of a century, or since the erection of the large cotton mill by the Spragues in 1852-3. It was pre- viously known by the name of Wakefield. The Spragues seem to have had an inclination to bring the names of their villages into a kind of uniformity, in which they have partially succeeded. Cranston, named in honor of an early Governor of the State, of that name, still resists any attempt to change it to Crantic, but the Spragues have Natick, Arctic, Quidnick, (previous to 1848 called " Tafts,") and Baltic. On the 19th of Feb., 1834, Rufus Wakefield purchased of Dr. Stephen Harris a small tract of land on the west side of the river, for $450, and erected a stone mill, 60 feet by 40, which he rented to various parties who made woolen cloth. The building still remains, and is used as a warehouse. The roof was burned off and the present flat roof substituted. At this time the site of the village was a wilderness, covered for the most part with a forest, with a house here and there scattered over the territory. To the westward, was one occupied by a negro and his wife, who attained some consequence among the surrounding families. Prince Holden, as he was called, was of less consequence than his sable companion, who was in great demand on wedding occasions, on account of her skill in making wedding cake.
Among those who occupied Wakefield's mill, were Harris O. Brown and Philip Aldrich, of Scituate, who manufactured a coarse kind of cloth, used principally by the southern slaves. They were followed by Clapp and Allen: the latter afterwards became interested in the mills at Hope village. Christopher W. Spalding and Job C. Warriner occupied the upper story, and manu- factured Kentucky jeans. Mr. Wakefield was a stone- mason, and married the daughter of Nehemiah Atwood, of Lippitt village, he was a native of Charlton, Mass.,
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and does not appear to have been engaged in his mill in this village. He run the saw mill of his father-in-law, on the north branch of the Pawtuxet, and sawed the lumber for the Lippitt mill. Mr. Wakefield's mill was run by the natural fall of water, increased by a rude dam of stones laid across the river-a slight fall com- pared with the 29} feet since obtained.
The years 1845 and 6, were most important ones in the history of the little village of Wakefield, and were destined to exert a permanent influence upon its future career. At this time, Rev. J. Brayton, then pastor at Phenix, took a quiet walk along the bank of the river as far as Centreville, and estimated as well as he was able with his eye, the amount of fall between the two villages. His observations soon convinced him that here was a good chance for a temporary investment, the pros- pective profits of which would be a desirable addition to his pecuniary resources, which at this time were quite limited. But it was easier to perceive the advantages resulting from the possession of a right to erect a dam at Wakefield, of a sufficient height to secure the full power of the stream, than to obtain the right to erect it. The land on either side was not his, and he had no money to purchase it. The land upon the east bank, was a portion of a large farm, and held at the time by Dr. Tobey, of Providence, as agent of the heirs of Wm. Almy, of Providence, who was authorized to sell it for $15,000. He, however, consulted with Dr. Tobey, and obtained the refusal of it for one week, and in the meantime suc- ceeded in interesting Mr. Henry Marchant, of Provi- dence, in his project, who became his security for the necessary funds. The property was purchased, and for immediate security of Mr. Marchant, the deed of the property was made out in his name. A difficulty sub- sequently grew out of the matter, which was settled by referees, the details of which is not necessary to relate here. Mr. Brayton succeeded in recovering the deed from Marchant, Aug. 1, 1846. Mr. David Whitman raised $8000, by a mortgage upon his own property, and
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generously loaned Mr. Brayton, on his personal security, and thus enabled him to meet the demands of the case. David Whitman was the son of General Reuben Whit- man, and worked in the mills at Phenix, in his younger days, gradually rising by his industry and integrity, until he became connected with Zachariah Allen in run- ning the mills there. He afterwards made it his business to build new mills and start them up. There are several well-remembered instances where, by judi- cious encouragement he assisted men in their adversity, and induced them to persevere until success crowned their efforts. During the latter years of his life he pur- chased a farm in Scituate, some three miles from Phenix, where his widow now lives. Marchant still continued to hold a portion of the land, which afterwards fell into the hands of the heirs of Rufus Wakefield, who sold it, together with their other property in the village, to A. & W. Sprague, in March, 1852, for $11,400. Wm. Wakefield, the only surviving child of Rufus, resides at St, Paul's, Minn. Mr. Brayton also sold portions of his part to the Spragues: in August, 1852, 38 acres for $950; and in December, of the following year, another tract for $1500, reserving the right to a tract, 70 feet by 125, for the site of a church or academy, but which was never called for. Further additions were made by the Spragues to their landed estate from Dr. Harris, and the right of flowage was obtained from the heirs of the late John Greene, at an expense of $2500.
The Messrs. Sprague having now acquired the right of making use of the water-power, and having obtained sufficient real estate for their purposes, began the work of destroying and remodeling on a large scale. They destroyed some of the old buildings, turned the woolen mill into a store-house, and excavated with great labor a quarry of rock on the east bluff, for the wheel-pit and foundation of a mill. A dam was built, which secured them a fall of water of 29₺ feet. A granite mill grad- ually rose up in this then almost wilderness, whose di- mensions were 312 feet in length, 70 feet wide, four
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stories, each twelve feet high with an L, 50 by 92 feet, which contains the machine shop, dressing and lapper rooms. The plan of the mill originated with Gov. Sprague, the draft for the arrangement of the machinery was made by Albert G. Smith. This large and costly structure took fire on the evening of March 17, 1865, and all its contents were destroyed. The fire originated in the machine shop, where some painters' materials were stored, some naptha became suddenly ignited, and before sufficient assistance arrived the flames were be- yond control. Only the walls remained standing the next morning. It is said the loss exceeded the insur- ance by $80,000. With commendable enterprise the debris was removed, the walls examined by experts, and found in the main of sufficient strength to allow of their remaining. Defective portions were removed and the whole strengthened, and the renovated mill, having passed through its fiery baptism, was soon seen in all its previous beauty, and its 22,000 spindles were buzzing as merrily as ever.
COLD SPRING.
On the west bank of the river, a short distance below the dam, a small piece of land was owned by Mr. Alexander Allen, on which was a little spring, called Cold Spring, from which issued a little stream of water, in connection with which Mr. Allen had a small tin water-wheel which furnished power for some slight mechanical work. The wheel was so placed as to pre- vent the Harris's from raising their dam, at River Point, without flowing the water back upon it. Subsequent negotiations between the parties resulted in an exchange of this lot for a. tract of land to the westward, to the advantage, doubtless, of both parties, but especially so to that of Mr. Allen.
Within the past few years, the western bank of the river leading to Centreville and Quidnick has rapidly increased in population, and numerous neat and com-
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modious dwellings have been erected. A large and handsome church edifice has been erected by the French Catholics, of whom large numbers are employed in the several villages. In 1873, mainly through the efforts of Hon. Benedict Lapham, a new railroad station house was erected near by, and passengers from Centreville and Crompton, were no longer under the necessity to take the long and tedious omnibus rides to River Point, on their way to and from -Providence. About a year ago, a portion of the village and surrounding territory was set off from the Centreville school district and formed into a separate district, and a school-house has been erected within the past few months.
PHENIX.
The territory embraced within the boundaries of the present village has been designated by several different names since its first settlement by the pioneers of the town. The tract of land reaching from the Shanticut brook up along the north branch of the Pawtuxet, as far, at least, as Arkwright, and embracing 2100 acres, was originally termed Natick. This name gradually loosened its hold upon the westerly portions, and became the permanent appellation of the village which still bears it. The tract was assigned in March, 1673, by the pro- prietors of Warwick, to John Greene, Senior, Richard Carder, John Warner, Benjamin Barton and Henry Townsend, as their portion of the then undivided lands. It was bounded easterly, on Moshanticut brook ; south- erly, on the Pawtuxet river ; northerly, on the north line of Warwick grand purchase, and as far westerly as was necessary to complete the 2100 acres. Various changes in its ownership had taken place previous to 1750, at which time the westerly portion, including the site of the present village, became known as Wales. Samuel Wales was, at this time, one of the principal owners of the land in this vicinity. Benjamin Ellis, Anthony Burton, Charles Atwood, and Andrews
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Edmonds, at this date were also prominent land holders along the line of the river, and reaching back over the hills to the northward and eastward.
Under date of May, 1737, the General Assembly authorized the construction of a highway " from near the house of Capt. Rice, in Warwick, to the grist mill commonly called Edmonds mill, and from thence to extend westerly to the south-east corner of the town of Scituate." This old highway is the one that passes through the present village of Natick, over the lower bridge, thence up over Natick hill to the present village of Lippitt, where Edmonds' mill was situated. From this point it took a turn westerly, up over the hill by the present school-house, and down by the old Atwood homestead. This was the only public road through the village until the year 1813, when a charter was granted to several persons to build a turnpike from the present village of Anthony through the village to a point north where it would intersect an existing highway. It was called the Coventry and Cranston turnpike, and was laid out May 13, 1813. The distance was 3 miles, 103 rods, and 22 links. It was one of the first turnpikes built in the state and excited considerable comment at the time.
Anthony Burton sold to Charles Atwood, February 16, 1747, a lot of land for £2400, bounded as follows : east- erly, by land of Joseph Edmonds and Joseph, Jr .; southerly, upon land of Benjamin Ellis and the north branch of Pawtuxet river; and westerly, upon land belonging to the heirs of Samuel Wales, containing 144 acres. Four years afterwards, or on the 21st of May, 1751, as per deed of that date, Charles Atwood made a further purchase of land from Benjamin Ellis of " a certain tenement and tract of land situate, lying and being within the township of Warwick, commonly called and known by the name of Wales, and bounded as follows : easterly, upon land of Andrews Edmonds ; southerly, by the north branch of the Pawtuxet river ; westerly and northerly, by land of said Charles Atwood ; -and is divided into two pieces by a highway of three
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rods wide ; the whole of said land contains twelve acres : no more or less." The consideration was £560, current money of New England. 156 acres of land, which included the sites of the present Phenix and Lippitt mills, thus fell into the hands of Charles Atwood. How much he owned previous to these purchases I am unable to say. Previous to 1783, Charles Atwood died, and his estate was divided between his three sons, Charles, Nehemiah and Caleb. A quit claim deed of partition of the estate, signed by the three sons and recorded in Book 2d, Warwick records, in connection with a plat of the estate, reads as follows : "The above deciphered farm was laid out the 20th day of February, 1783 ; the bigger part of said farm lies in Warwick and the rest in Coven- try, and the above said farm was laid out for the three sons of Charles Atwood, late of Warwick, deceased, for them to proceed to make their division, by the consent of each other, agreeable to their father's will; and then proceeded and made division of said farm of themselves, and made division as near quantity for quality, near as may be to suit themselves and their father's will ; which division was made by them and surveyed by their order, and all were fully contented and agreed among them- selves."
The western portion of the farm of 64 acres fell to Charles, the central to Caleb, and the eastern to Nehemiah. Eight acres upon which the Phenix mills are now situated, and which seems, by the plat, naturally to belong to the central division, or that of Caleb, it ly- ing adjacent to his portion and separated from it only by the highway, was assigned to Nehemiah. West of this tract of eight acres, on the south side of the highway, was an acre and forty rods set off to Caleb. To the west of this latter portion was a narrow strip bordering upon the river and extending a little beyond the Coventry line, which was set off to Charles Atwood.
To the tract of eight acres Nehemiah added, by pur- chase of his brother Caleb, the one acre and forty rods, and retained possession of it until there was a call for
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the use of the water privilege. On August 16, 1809, Nehemiah Atwood gave a deed of this tract to Daniel Baker, William Baker, Samuel Baker, and William Harrison, of Warwick, Reuben Whitman, of Coventry, Elisha Williams and John S. Williams, of Cranston, " ex- cepting the highway running through these premises ; and the grantor is not to erect his dam below said prem- ises, any higher than a certain hole drilled in a rock on the east side of the river, near the upper gates that let the water into the grantor's trench-ways. And the grantees are not to erect any grist or saw mill on said premises at any time hereafter, so long as the grantor owns the mills and water privileges below said premises." The consideration was the sum of $600. Nehemiah Atwood had a saw mill and grist mill lower down the river, the interests of which he took pains to protect in this deed. The company commenced operations by building a dam across the river, and, in the year 1810-11, erected a mill which became known as the Roger Williams mill. The building was of wood, with a stone basement, the end being toward the road. Several tene- ment houses sprang up in the vicinity, forming the nu- cleus of the present village, which, from this time until after the burning of the mill, in May, 1821, was known as Roger Williams Village. Reuben Whitman became the superintendent of the mill, and built the house now owned by Thomas R. Parker. The old Atwood house stood just back of the Phenix hotel, and was torn down about the year 1845. The old chimney was torn down by Wm. B. Spencer, Esq., when he built "Spencer's hall." The east chimney of the hall was built upon the site of the old well which was filled up to secure a foundation.
Soon after the destruction of the Roger Williams mill, new buildings arose from its ashes, and both the new company and the village assumed the name of Phenix. The Phoenix was said to be a won- derful Egyptian bird, about the size of the eagle, with a plumage partly red and partly golden. The bird is said
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to have gone from Arabia to Egypt every 500 years, bearing the dead body of its parent embalmed in myrrh, to the temple of the sun : or according to another ac- count, when he found himself near his death, he pre- pared a nest of myrrh and precious herbs where he burnt himself, and immediately revived from his ashes in all the freshness and vigor of youth. The subse- quent history of the village might suggest the possibility that the assumption of this name by the village at this time, gave offence to the bird, and, as an expiation of the offence, it was doomed to earn its title by subse- quent sacrifices.
The extensive water-power offered by the river from Hope village to River Point awakened the enterprise of manufacturers, and the destruction of the Roger Wil- liams failed to daunt the courage of those who saw wealth and prosperity in its swiftly moving currents. The old company, composed principally of men of small means, and of little experience in the business, had not found it a profitable undertaking, and were ill prepared to sustain the loss occasioned by the fire. A new com- pany was formed, which styled itself the Phenix Manu- facturing Company. They put up a new mill on the site of the old one in 1823, and two years after, the one that stands just above it. The village now began to in- crease rapidly. Many dwelling-houses were erected, stores were built, and in 1849, Wm. B. Spencer erected the block called Spencer's Hall. This was burnt No- vember 21, 1855, and rebuilt immediately; burnt the second time, May 24, 1871, rebuilt of brick, and again destroyed by fire, March 5, 1873. Other industries were introduced, and a season of prosperity enjoyed.
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Of the further changes that took place in the manage- ment of the mills prior to January, 1861, we have not space to relate. On the latter date the Hope Company was organized, composed of John Carter Brown, Robert H. Ives and others. They bought out Benjamin C. Harris, who held the lower mill and half the privilege, and in 1857, purchased the lease of the upper mill and the other half of the privilege held by Thomas Harris and Christopher Lippitt, which had three years to run. Since then the company have run both the mills. Mr. W. T. Pearce has been the efficient superintendent for the past four- teen years.
Before the Roger Willliams was burnt a building stood near the upper gates of the present dam, which was used awhile as a wood shop. It escaped the fire but was subsequently moved to another site. Across the trench stood the old Roger Williams machine shop, where Daniel Gorham commenced the building of machinery. The upper portion was sometimes used for religious meetings, and here the eccentric Lorenzo Dow, is remembered to have preached. Mr. Gorham continued to build machinery until he died, when the business was carried on by Cyril Babcock for a num- ber of years. Mr. Babcock afterwards removed to Providence and became connected with the Franklin Foundry Machine Company. After he left, the firm of Levalley, Lanphear & Co. was formed, composed of Robert Levalley, Thomas P. Lanphear, Elisha Harris and Giles Spencer. They continued in the old building until the Harris Mfg Co. erected the building in which the present Lanphear Machine Co. carry on the business. Cyril Babcock married the sister of Daniel Gorham for his first wife, and a daughter of the late Dr. Peleg Clark, of Coventry, for his second. Mr. Babcock met with a severe accident several years before his death. He died suddenly while riding in a horse car in Providence.
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