USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Gazetteer and business directory of Windsor County, Vt., for 1883-84 > Part 33
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 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75
269
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
about 1850, the tavern succumbed to the inevitable, and Albert Tuxbury vacated the premises, and they were given up to various uses, widely remote from their primitive purpose and ancient fames. At one time there was a photograph saloon, a tinman's shop, a hardware store, a shoemaker's shop, and an indefinite number of private families in possession ; and how many other strange and notable things came to possess its deserted rooms, we will not venture to assert, suffice it to say that the remorseless changes of time finally demolished the famous ell containing the hall,-removed the front struc- ture to the eastward some two hundred feet, and placed it on the brow of the light descent to the old meadow, where the railroad station now stands, and at the same time allowed modern enterprise to erect a large brick block for business purposes on the ancient site ; while it still struggles to look respect- able in the rear of its former glory, and in uses to which the Allens, Chitten- dens, Morris and Enos. of Vermont, the Chases of New Hampshire, and Gov. Colden and sheriffs, of New York, could never have dreamed it would ever have been put.
OLD HOUSES.
Aside from the old Constitution House there are a number of very an- cient buildings in the village. Mr. Evarts's farm house, located on Main street, was the first frame house built in the township. It was erected by Steele Smith, the first settler in the town, and is now in a good state of pres- ervation. The old mansion on State street, now owned by William Sabin, was built by Dr. Benjamin Green, between 1780 and 1790. Dr. Green removed to Montreal in 1807. E. E. Lamson's residence, on Main street, was built by Wm. Leverett, in 1790 The house owned by Geo. Wardner, Esq., on Main street, was built. by Dr. Green in 1791. Capt. Leonard, of the U. S. army, built the house now occupied by Wm. Sabin, in 1791 or previous. The house on State street, owned by Mrs. Dr. Phelps, was built at an early date, though the exact time is not known. The house now owned by Wm. Batchelder, Esq., was built by Dr. Nahum Trask, in 1796. The Stevens house, on Main street, was built by one Green, a shoemaker, previous to 1800. The house now owned by Mrs. Thomas Fullerton, on Main street, was built by Judge J. H. Hub- bard, in 1800. Joshua Simons house, on Everett lane, was built previous to 1800. The old Horace Everett mansion, on Everett lane, now occupied by L. V. Haskell, was built in 1810. Thomas Sears's house, on Everett lane, was built by Cummings, the bookseller, previous to 1800. The Hawley house, on Main street, now owned by Mrs. Samuel Stone, was built by Josiah Haw- ley, in 1801. Mrs. I. W. Hubbard's residence, on Main street, was built by S. Conant, previous to 1800. Dr. F. L. Morse's residence, on Main street, was built previous to 1800, by Alden Spooner. The residences on Main street now owned and occupied by Hon. William M. Evarts, were built as follows : The Abner Forbes house, in 1796, by Mr. Forbes; the Curtis mansion was commenced by Nathan Coolidge and finished by Zebina Curtis,
:
270
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
in 1796; the William Johonnot house was built by Mr. Johonnot in 1798. The old Jacobs mansion, opposite the prison, now owned by the William Gay estate, was built by Stephen Jacobs, previous to 1800. The present residence of C. H. Fitch was built by Elkanah Phelps, brother of Dr. Elisha Phelps, in 1800. The brick church was built in 1800. This completes our list of a few of the older houses in the village, though there are many other venerable and stately structures that might be mentioned.
FIRES.
Destructive fires have at different periods visited the village, effacing many old landmarks and destroying many dollars worth of property. The first that occurred in the village, and probably the first in the township, was in 1767, when the substantial log house of Capt. Smith, the first settler, was destroyed, together with all its contents. Not long after, a new frame house, nearly finished, occupying the present site of the Evarts farm house, was destroyed. It belonged to a Dea. Thompson. The third fire of any special note occurred in 1800, when Capt. Joseph Pettes's Hotel, occupying the site of the present Windsor House, was destroyed. In 1801 Capt. Pettes adver- tised his " new coffee house " as completed, showing the building to have been immediately rebuilt. He also erected a wood building upon the site of the Journal building, called the Pettes block. Martin Cheney kept a jewelry store in the " chamber," and John and Frederick Pettes used the basement for a general store. The fourth notable fire occurred on Wednesday morning, November 25, 1818, about half-past one o'clock, destroying what was known as the Tontine building, and the above mentioned Pettes block. The Journal of the following week said it "roused the citizens of the village from their slumbers and gilded the sable canopy of night with the flames of desolation." The Tontine is described as being " 912 feet long, 40 feet wide, and three stories high." The report says : "The store of F. & J. Pettes, on the south, and the store owned by the estate of Wm. Leverett, on the north of the Tontine, were also consumed. The exertions to save the buildings were continued to so late a period as not to leave sufficient time to remove any property except from the lower story and cellers of the Tontine, one article excepted-it was ascertained there was in the third story a barrel of powder ; a ladder was placed to the window, and Mr. Ziba Toot, of this place, went up, burst in the window, and brought down the powder in safety. Still and calm as it was, the buildings on the opposite side were in great danger. It was extremely difficult for the persons on the roofs to keep their places on account of the heat. Blankets spread and kept wet were scorched to a coal ; and one store, (Smith & Dutton's) [now Tuxbury & Stone's,] was once on fire." Messrs. Pomroy & Hedge kept a book and stationery store in one portion of the Tontine, and their loss was heavy. One member of this firm, Lemuel Hedge, requires a passing notice. He pos- sessed extraordinary skill as an inventor, although, in a pecuniary sense, it
271
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
was of little or no account to him. It was here that he invented the ruling machine,-a machine that is now, with slight alteration, used by paper makers throughout the world. Another machine-his invention also-was that for marking boxwood rules or measures into inches and fractional parts. The celebrated band saw, so extensively used by workers in wood in our time, was also the result of his ingenuity. The next great fire that raged in Windsor occurred in the afternoon of Wednesday, August 23, 1848, destroy- ing that portion of business blocks lying between the Nathan Coolidge build- ing and S. Wardner & Son's store. The U. S. court-house and Hubbard's block now occupy the "burnt district." In 1869 a block occupying the present site of the building on the north corner of Depot avenue and Main street was burned. The village now has an efficient fire department and a good water supply. The supply is furnished by
THE WINDSOR AQUEDUCT COMPANY.
This company was organized as a corporate body under the laws of the State, in 1849, the first meeting for such purpose being held at the office of Dr. Edward E. Phelps, April 5th of that year. Roswell Smith was chosen president and Samuel R. Stocker, secretary. The construction of the works was immediately begun, and completed during that summer. Water was taken from a stream about a mile west of the center of the village, in a pas- ture now owned by Hiram Harlow. The supply at this point was soon found to be inadequate to the demand, so the stream was tapped nearer its source, where the reservoir is now located, upon the farm of Ryland Ely, giving a head of about 200 feet. The reservoir is about twelve by eighteen feet and fifteen feet in depth, into which the springs forming the brook are filtered. The company now supplies water for the railroad at this point, the hotel, most of the stores, the gas works, and a large portion of the dwell- ings. The present officers of the company are Hiram Harlow, president, and S. R. Stocker, secretary and treasurer.
' GAS WORKS.
The Windsor Gas Light Company was organized in the autumn of 1862, with a capital of $10,000.00, which was subsequently increased to $20,000.00. Daniel C. Lindsley, one of the heaviest stockholders, immediately set about completing the enterprise, and the village has since been blessed with a good medium of illumination, the company now having about two miles of mains, the works being located on Depot avenue. Rosin was first used for manufactur- ing the gas, but owing to the war this commodity soon became too expensive, and petrolium was substituted in its stead, which has since been used. Hiram Harlow is now the president and manager of the company.
TOWN HALL.
The town hall of Windsor, located on Court street, was built in 1881-'82. The building is of brick, has a solid granite foundation, and with its slated
...
272
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
roof will undoubtedly stand the pressure of time for years to come. It is of the Queen Anne style of architecture, eighty-one feet long and forty-eight feet wide, being arranged within for the greatest convenience of all who may use it. The basement is divided into a ceilar, with cemented floor, forty-five feet square, in which are placed two Barstow furnaces for heating purposes. The west end of the basement is arranged for coal closets, storage rooms, and water-closets. East of the cellar is a large room forty-five feet by twenty feet, and eleven feet high. The main hall is divided into an auditorium, gallery, stage and rooms adjoining. The approaches are by means of the main entrance, on the west end, through a side entrance to the stage, and basement at the south side of the building, near the east end. The outer vestibule of the main entrance has a tiled floor of red slate and black and white marble. The inner vestibule, eight feet by twenty-five feet, has approaches to the ticket office and janitor's room, to the stairway leading to the gallery and to the selectmen's room, the latter a fire-proof room thirteen feet by fourteen feet south of the entrance, in which the town records are kept. The entrance to the auditorium is through two double doors. This room, forty-five feet square and twenty-two feet high, having a seating capacity of 400, is well ventilated by ventilators in the ceiling and flues. The gallery is forty-five feet by twenty feet, has a floor rising by steps, and a seating capacity of 200. The stage is seventeen feet by twenty feet, with a sloping floor. Rooms open to this from each side and there is a clear pas- sage-way in the rear. The general finish of the interior of the building is of black ash, and presents a handsome and rich appearance. The ceiling of the main room is broken by projecting tiusses cased with black ash and ter- minated by corbels. The hard-finished walls are ornamented by two lines of stucco work, with stucco arches over the windows. The trimmings of the doors are all solid bronze, and with the quaint windows, wainscoating, and other finish, add much to the general effect. The entire building is piped for gas. In the vestibule is a handsome tablet with the following inscription :
Windsor Town Hall, Built 1881-'82. Building Committee, Charles C. Beaman, Jr., Hiram Harlow, Rollin Amsden, Henry D. Stone, Horace Weston. Architects, Appleton & Stephenson, Boston, Mass. Builder, Hira R. Beckwith, Claremont, N. H.
The building is thoroughly constructed, the best material being used in every part, and the most skillful workmen employed; the entire cost being $ 12,000.
273
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
LIBRARY.
The Windsor Library Association was formed December 12, 1882, with about twenty-five members, for the purpose of " promoting literary and scien- tific knowledge among its members by establishing a library at Windsor." Hiram Horton was elected president ; H. P. Mc Clary, secretary. Shares were soon after taken, at five dollars per share, to the amount of $2,000.00. At the next town meeting the town voted $300.00 per year towards the expense of the library, and the people were in turn accorded the privilege of drawing books free of charge. In the autumn of 1882, Messrs. William M. Evarts and C. C. Beaman, Jr., offered to jointly give $1,000.00 towards establishing a library fund, and to give $150.00 per year thereafter towards the purchasing of new books, providing the citizens would raise a like sum by subscription. This offer was accepted and carried into effect. The association now has 3,500 volumes, the library being very pleasantly located in the "reading-room" of the town hall. The original officers, mentioned above, are still in office, though the association is really under the control of a board of directors, made up of the following named gentlemen : C. C. Bea- man, Jr., Gilbert A. Davis, E. E. Lamson, M. O. Perkins, H. P. McClary and Charles Tuxbury.
BANKS.
Several applications to the legislature were made by Windsor for a bank, but none of them were successful until 1816, when the old Windsor Bank, a State institution, was established. This bank continued business until April, 1838, when it failed, and for ten years thereafter Windsor had no banking institu- tion. In the autumn of 1847, however, the old Ascutney Bank was char- tered by the legislature, with a capital of $50,000.00, and it commenced business the following spring with Allen Wardner, president, and Jason Steele, cashier. In 1865 the bank was changed from a State to a National institution, and the capital increased to $100,000.00. The only change of officers made until the bank was closed, in the autumn of 1881, was the suc- cession of Henry Wardner to the cashiership, in 1853, and the succession of Harlow Hall to the presidency, in 1870.
The Windsor Savings Bank was incorporated by the legislature in 1847, and commenced business January 3, 1848, with Shubael Wardner, president, and Samuel H. Price, treasurer. Alfred Hall is now president, and L. C. White, treasurer. The bank has nearly 2,000 deposits, representing over half a million dollars.
CEMETERIES.
The village has three cemeteries, the Old South church cemetery, Ascutney cemetery, and the third located near the Capt. Houghton place. The Old South church cemetery is located on Main street, surrounding the Old South church, and is the oldest in the town. It has many beautiful monuments,
18
274
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
but that which is most interesting is a rough, time-worn slab of mica slate, bearing, in uncouth letters, the following inscription :-
IN MEMORY OF MRS. ELIZABETH, WIFE OF CAPT. WILLIAM DEAN, WHO DIED DEC. 22, 1766, IN THE 64TH YEAR OF HER AGE, THE FIRST DEATH IN WINDSOR.
Although I sleep in dust awhile Beneath this barren clod, Ere long I hope to rise and smile To see my Saviour God.
The Ascutney cemetery has an area of twenty-one acres, located upon the farm of Hiram Harlow, just west of the village. The land was donated by Mr. Harlow, with the understanding that all burial lots should be purchased, though the purchase money should be devoted to the improvement and em- bellishment of the cemetery.
MANUFACTURES.
While the trade of Vermont passed principally east, to Boston, Windsor was the center of business for this section, a flourishing, busy town. But the building of the Whitehall canal threw the commerce towards New York, and the business of the village naturally declined. The public spirited men of the town saw it would be necessary to cast about for some new enterprise in order that the village might hold its own. It was then conceived that Mill brook might be made available for operating extensive manufactories. Accord- ingly a company was formed and the construction of the stone dam com- menced, in 1834, with Allen Wardner superintendent of the work, which was completed the following year. It is 360 feet in length, fifty-six in breadth at the base, twelve at the top, and forty-two feet in height, forming a reservoir of water nearly one mile in length, with a surface of one hundred acres. The dam is built on the arc of a circle, over which, in flood time, the water flows in an unbroken sheet 102 feet in length.
The armory, for the manufacture of fire arms, by Robbins, Kendall & Lawrence, was the first important manufactory established, in 1845. This firm did a large business, employing upwards of 300 men, being one of the largest manufactories of the kind in the world at that time. But through branching out heavily in other factories, they failed, in 1859. Efforts towards re organization were made, but they proved abortive, though the contracts or hand were finished by the Robbins & Lawrence Company, successors, who also built considerable gun manufacturing machinery, the first machinery for the Enfield armory, in England, being built by them. In 1856 the prop- erty was sold to Lamson, Goodnow & Yale, who, at the breaking out of the Rebellion, resumed operations. During the war there were about 60,000 guns manufactured here. From 1865 to 1869 nothing much was done in
---
275
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
the buildings, except in the machine shops. In 1870 the main buildings were purchased by Jones, Lamson & Co., and converted into a cotton-mill, which now has 13,000 spindles and 224 looms. The business of manufac- turing machinists' tools was also continued by Jones, Lamson & Co., until 1878, and since that time by the Jones & Lamson Machine Company.
Hubbard & Mc Clary .- This firm, located on Main street, first commenced business in 1877, manufacturing a patent coffee pot. To the manufacture of this article they have since added the manufacture of family scales, patent glaciers' points and driver, and patent cutting nippers for tinsmiths. All of these articles are the invention of George W. Hubbard, the senior member of the firm. The company now employs eight hands.
The Windsor Coffin Company, located on Union street, was established in 1878, the firm being R. L. Patrick and William and John G. Lacy. They employ ten men in the manufacture of all kinds of coffins and caskets.
Harlow & Kelsey's machine shop and foundry, located on Main street, turns out all kinds of castings and does all kinds of machine work. The firm was established in 1876 and now employs five men.
A. W. Harlow's brick yard, located on road 26, was established in 1847. Mr. Harlow manufactures about 250,000 bricks per annum.
Rollin Amsden, who does an extensive business here, built the Amsden block in 1873. He now uses a portion of the block as a grist-mill and machine shop. The mill has one run of stones, with the capacity for grind- ing thirty bushels of grain per hour. The machine shop turns out general machine work, employing two men.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The Indian name of Windsor is Cushankamaug. Capt. Steele Smith began the first improvements in the town by clearing the trees from the site of the old Congregational parsonage, now known as the Jason Steele place, about three-fourths of a mile north of the United States court-house, in 1759. He came from Charlestown, N. H., in a canoe, bringing seed wheat enough to sow the three or four acres he succeeded in clearing. The following spring he returned with three or four others and made further improvements and in all probability annually repeated the visit until August, 1764, when he brought his family on from Farmington, Conn., from which month properly dates the first permanent settlement of the town, though Solomon Emmons and his wife had resided here in a hut several months, but not owning their land nor making any improvements. Mrs. Emmons proved very useful to the early inhabitants as a nurse and doctress. She was for many years supported by the town and died in 1833. In the spring of 1765 Capt. Smith was joined by Maj. Elisha Hawley, Capt. Israel Curtiss, Dea. Hezekiah Thompson, Dea. Thomas Cooper, and some others, so that at the close of that year the number of families in the new settlement amounted to sixteen. In 1771 the population had increased to 203 souls, and in 1791 the population amounted to 1,542.
E
-
1
276
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
Capt. Smith died about 1812, at a good old age, having lived to see a vil- lage spring up about the site of his first settlement, ranking second to few in New England. In the Vermont Journal, March 17, 1823, the village is de- scribed as follows :-
" It is situated about a quarter of a mile from the river, a little elevated, and the principal street running north and south, parallel with the river ; it contains about eighty dwelling houses, mostly well built and commodious ; and the shops, stores, etc., are many of them of brick, and large, so that the business part of the town has an air of dignity rarely met with in the country. Here are employed three physicians, eight attorneys, two printers, three book- sellers, two bookbinders, several merchants and druggists, three cabinet mak- ers, one chair maker and painter, four boot and shoe makers, one hatter, one coach and chaise maker, one wheelwright, two coopers, two tin plate workers, one watch maker, one jeweler, two tailors, one milliner and mantaumaker, two masons or brick layers, one barber, one grist-mill, carding machine and woolen manufactory. There are also two excellent houses for public enter- tainment. The public buildings are a Congregational meeting house, a Bap- tist meeting house, St. Paul's church, academy, court-house, and State peni- tentiary, and the office of discount and deposit for the Bank of Windsor."
The date of the organization of the town is not known, the first meeting recorded being that of February 17, 1786, when Bryant Brown was elected clerk; Benjamin Cady and Oliver Barrett, constables; and Briant Brown, Benjamin Wait, Stephen Jacob, Charles Leavens and Thomas Cooper, select- men. "It is not to be presumed" says Deming, in his Vermont Officers, "that this was the first meeting, for Zadock Thompson, in his Vermont Gazetteer, says the town was rapidly settled and soon organized, and that Thomas Cooper was the first town clerk." The first justices of the peace were Thomas Cooper and Briant Brown, in 1786. Ebenezer Curtis and Thomas Cooper were the first representatives, in 1778. The first birth was that of Samuel, son of Capt. Smith, July 2, 1765. He died in 1842, aged seventy-seven years. The first female born was Polly, daughter of Nathan and Mary Stone, April 26, 1767. The first death was that of Elizabeth, wife of Capt. William Dean, December 22, 1766.
The establishment of Windsor as a shire town, the erection of a court-house, the court riots, etc., have all been mentioned, on pages 31-34, and 140-143. We shall here give a few brief biographies, the limits of the work not allow- ing us space to mention many of the prominent sons of Windsor who have, in times gone by, won names that would grace the pages of any history, while the few that we do mention must be noted only in a too brief manner. Per- tinent to this topic we quote the following from the address of Sewell Cutting, D. D., delivered at the centennial celebration held at Windsor, July 4, 1876 :-
" How many memories of Windsor characters now crowd upon my mind, and ask for records which I have not space to give. How the men re-appear who walked these streets more than fifty years ago, and impressed the imagi- nation of my boyhood. General Curtis, restless, eager man of affairs ; Gen- eral Forbes, whose quiet, natural dignity led every man that met him to give
277
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
him the walk ; John Leverett, gentleman and scholar, whose old-fashioned coach, opening at the rear, brought, every Sunday, the family to church, leav- ing him and one or two daughters at the Baptist, and depositing Mrs. Leverett and the rest at the Old South ; Judge Hubbard, whose thoughtful face told the world of law he carried in his head ; Dea. Coolidge, grave, sagacious and honored citizen; Dr. Isaac Green, who dispensed prudential maxims with his healing drugs ; Captains Lord and Ingersoll, the one sturdy and bluff, tne other, an urbane and polished sailor; Judge Hunter, in whom it did not require the eye of a grandchild to see a serene and majestic nature. Drs. Trask and Torrey belonged to this class of elder and old men, a class which might include other names as well. Horace Everett, Asa Aikens, Carlos Coolidge, Frederick and John Pettes, Shu- bael and Allen Wardner, the latter your patriarch to-day, the others all dead, were in their vigor or prime. Edward and George Curtis, William Gay Hunter, Charles Forbes, Isaac Watts Hubbard, Francis E. Phelps, Simeon Ide, the last, in old age, honoring us with his presence at this hour, the rest nearly all departed, were younger or young men. Some of them were wits who made Windsor resound with their humor. Edwin Edgerton had just come to town from Dartmouth ; Thomas S. Fullerton and Albert G. Hatch came a little later. All were well-known Windsor characters-and how easy to extend the list. How, too, events come to my memory,-the burning of the old Tontine in 1818, and the solemn patrol of the village when incen- diaries were about. A recollection more agreeable than that of these confla- grations is the visit of La Fayette, in 1825. Near the Cornish bridge I stood by the side of the barouche * in which he entered Vermont, when Col. Jesse Lull, the most courtly man in Windsor, mounted on a bay horse, gave him a welcome, and then, leading the escort, brought him through thronging mul- titudes to the balcony of Pettes's Coffee House, and, in the sight of the great crowd, presented him to Cornelius P. Van Ness, governor of the State, who had come from Burlington to receive him. But I must not run the risk of wearying you with personal recollections which have their interest for a few only who linger from departed generations."
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.