USA > Vermont > Windham County > Rockingham > History of the town of Rockingham, Vermont, including the villages of Bellows Falls, Saxtons River, Rockingham, Cambridgeport and Bartonsville, 1753-1907, with family genealogies > Part 35
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In 1835 there was another hotel in the village, located on Main street some distance west of the Saxtons River hotel, where is now the photograph studio of E. P. Taft. For many years it was known as the "Old Yellow Tavern." An early proprietor was James McAfee. His daughter inherited it and later married the proprietor, George Wilson. After
Cambridgeport, Bartonsville and La Grange Hotels 387 him came successively Thomas Heaton and John Goodell. The building later became a tenement-house and finally was removeď.
Public houses have been kept in the present locations in each of the villages of Cambridgeport and Bartonsville, ever since the villages were in their infancy. During stage coach times there were many places of public entertainment in vari- ous parts of the town, the places being known as "Stage Houses," each of which could tell interesting stories of early days and early customs. Some have disappeared wholly and some are now occupied as farmhouses, but their early use for public entertainment can readily be recognized by their size and the general characteristics of their architecture.
Previous to the establishment of the village of Bartons- ville, or until about 1840, there were two taverns at the little hamlet of La Grange, where the present town farm is located. The buildings of the town farm were used for the purpose, kept by "Squire" Willard, and known as "Willard's Tavern." The brick house on the opposite side of the road now occupied by J. A. Liddle was also a tavern and managed successively by John R. Gibson, Levi and Elijah Beeman, Peter Willard and Carlton H. Roundy.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
DISASTROUS FIRES-FRESHIETS-BLIZZARD OF 1888- CON- TAGIOUS DISEASES-PECULIAR SEASONS
At various times in the earlier history of the village of Bellows Falls, it has suffered a number of serious conflagra- tions. A list of some of the more notable ones follows :
May 11, 1812, about 9 o'clock in the evening, a fire broke out in one of the paper-mills that had, at that early date, been built upon the canal, resulting in the destruction of two paper-mills, a size house, Bill Blake's dwelling-house, a cotton factory, two saw-mills and two grist-mills. With- out any means of fighting fire, the property located in the Square was greatly endangered. In addition to the build- ings burned, a large quantity of lumber belonging to Wil- liam Hall, Jr., was consumed. The Bellows Falls company which owned a portion of the mills, Bill Blake, who owned the paper-mills. William T. Ball, Timothy Hill, and many others were great sufferers. The loss was variously esti- mated from $40,000 to $60,000.
January 8, 1823, William Stone's joiner shop, at that time an important adjunct to the industries of the village, was destroyed, with machinery, tools and stock. Loss about $3,500.
July 12, 1846, the paper-mill of Green & Fleming that stood just east of where the old stone grist-mill now does was burned, with its dry-house and some other buildings. The grist-mill narrowly escaped destruction. Estimated loss, from $12,000 to $15,000. Jabez Hills held a mortgage upon this property and for many years after held possession of the mill site. The mill made writing, book and news paper.
May 20, 1849, two large dwellings were burned, those of Gen. H. H. Baxter and Dr. Artemas Robbins. They stood on the north side of School street where the present George K. Russell and the Vilas and Coolidge dwellings stand. Loss, $5,000.
Conflagration of 1860 389
September 25, 1849, the first "Island House" was destroyed just as it was ready for occupancy, with a loss of $10,000. It was a wooden building, smaller than the present structure.
In 1850, a machine shop, standing where John T. Moore & Son's mill now does, was burned, and three other build- ings. They were a foundry, a storage building containing a large amount of new machinery that had been intended for the cotton factory projected in 1836, and a saw-mill.
In 1852, the "Valley Hotel " on the island, located near the present site of the Vermont Farm Machine company's office, was destroyed. This was the principal hotel in Bel- lows Falls during the building of the railroads.
In 1856, a pail manufactory, owned by the late S. S. . Coolidge, was destroyed at the mouth of the Saxtons river. In the same year, Wyman Flint's peg-shop was destroyed, standing near where No. 2 boiler room of the International Paper company now does.
November 17, 1857, the American House, or, as it was earlier called, the "Mansion House" which stood where the Chase Furniture block does on the west side of the Square, succumbed to the flames.
In 1858, the first Harris block, standing where A. H. Brown's long block does on the east side of Canal street, was burned.
March 14, 1860, occurred the most disastrous conflagration Bellows Falls has ever experienced. The fire originated in a building which stood on the east side of the Square, near the north end of what is now known as Union block. It was occupied by the late O. F. Woods as a store and dwelling, and in one part was the barber shop of Frederic F. Streeter. There was strong suspicion at the time that Mr. Streeter had set the fire. This was heightened a few years later by the fact of his being hanged at Medina, O., in January, 1864, for the murder of a McCay family.
The fire continued south, burning successively a frame building occupied as a grocery store and restaurant by Henry
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Russell, the next occupied on the ground floor by the post office, and the printing office of the Bellows Falls Argus. In the second story was the law office of the late Hon. C. B. Eddy. Next on the south was a small dwelling which was burned. Then a two-story brick building was destroyed with tenement up stairs, and a tin-shop in the first story, occupied by A. S. Clark. The fire then communicated to the historic hotel. the Bellows Falls House, formerly known as the "Bel- lows Falls Stage House," standing where the office of the present Hotel Windham is. From there it took the hotel stables, between it and where Gray's block now stands. Then the two-story mercantile building of Gray & Alexan- der was burned, on the same location now occupied by Gray's block. This completed everything on that side of the Square.
The flames then leaped across the Square, destroying a large frame building that stood where the Corner Drug store now does, occupied by P. W. Taft as a photograph gallery and dwelling.
South of this, stood the cooper shop and dwelling of John
: Sawtelle which was burned. Here the progress of the fire was stayed by three hand fire engines from neighboring towns. At this time the whole fire apparatus of the village consisted of one small rotary hand engine, power being applied by a double crank, on a lever, on which five men could work on each handle, ten in all. That night the citizens formed a pail brig- ade with two hundred and fifty to three hundred in line, many being women, and brought water from the canal, about opposite the grist-mill where the canal was not planked over. Locomotives were sent early in the fire to Charles- town, Keene and Brattleboro for help and returning brought from the three places such apparatus as they had, which was more efficient than that here. The losses by this conflagra- tion were estimated at $50,000 but were nearly all covered by insurance, and in the re-building, the Square took on a much more substantial appearance.
September 24, 1860, a mercantile building, standing
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Serious Fires in Bellows Falls
where Centennial block now does on the west side of the Square, owned by Jabez Hills was destroyed with a loss of about $4,000.
A little later, a large tenement building, standing where Lovell's stable is at the present time on the east side of Rock- ingham street, was destroyed.
November 27, 1866, the only school building of the vil- lage, standing where the old high school building now is on Cherry street, was burned. Loss $10,000. Insurance between $4,000 and $5,000.
July 28, 1868, a large frame building standing on what was known as the "burnt district" where Union block now is, owned and occupied by O. F. Woods as a hotel and drug and book store, was burned, also the King block as it was called, containing the Masonic rooms and other tenants, also a building standing just south of it occupied by J. C. Good- win & Co. for a harness shop, was destroyed. The fire started in the latter building. The loss was estimated at $22,000, for the three buildings.
January 18, 1869, the post office and the boot and shoe store of the late Elbridge Hapgood were burned. This building had been built on the site burned over September 24, 1860, on the west side of the Square.
March 1, 1870, a frame building owned by Jabez Hills and occupied by N. H. Farr as a clothing store, where the Corner Drug store now is, was destroyed. The night this fire occurred, a firemen's ball was in progress at the hotel and a large number of firemen were here from Rutland and other places, all taking hold with a will to save surrounding build- ings.
November 1, 1881, the foundry buildings owned by the machinists' firm of Osgood & Barker, located just east of where Derby & Ball's scythe snath shop is at the present time. were destroyed, causing a loss of $10,000.
May 5, 1882, the brewery buildings of Walker, Dewey Blake & Co. on Cold river, one-half mile from its mouth, were burned, causing a loss estimated at over $50,000. A
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portion of the same property burned again September 7, 1905, entailing a loss of about $25,000.
March 8, 1883, the large five-story brick building under the hill, standing where the International Paper company's machine shop and coating-mill now does, the most southerly of the water-power manufactories of our village, was burned. It was owned by the Bellows Falls Canal company and occupied by the Vermont Farm Machine company, manu- facturing agricultural implements, and on the first floor by Osgood & Barker's machine shop. The total loss to all parties was something over $100,000.
In May, 1888, the Times building on the south side of the Square was seriously injured, the loss to building and con- tents being from $12,000 to $15,000.
September 12, 1891, Derby & Ball's scythe snath build- ings located at the north end of the village, were entirely destroyed, with an estimated loss of from $12,000 to $15,000.
November 21, 1895, the new paper-mill buildings of the Westminster Paper company were burned, entailing a loss of about $35,000. They were located just south of the village, at the mouth of Saxtons river.
April 12, 1899, the three-story and French roof Towns' Hotel building on the east side of the Square was gutted by fire, with a loss of about $20,000. It was rebuilt as a modern four-story hotel, now known as Hotel Windham.
It will be seen that since 1868 no fire occurring here has extended outside the building in which it originated, and no conflagration has occurred. The present facilities for fight- ing fire, including the public water service, the force pumps of the mills and the well equipped fire departments of both the village and the different mills, give the village unexcelled security from such disasters, and render capital invested here more secure than in most villages of its size.
Serious fires have occurred in the other villages of the town as follows :
In Saxtons 'River, December 10, 1823, the first woolen- mill of the village, owned by Carter Whitcomb, was destroyed
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Disastrous Freshets
During the winter of 1836-7 a three-story building east of the bridge at the upper falls, occupied for making sand-paper and for a wheelwright and paint shop, together with the bridge itself, was burned.
Early in the '50s, an iron foundry, blacksmith shop, woolen-mill and a cabinet shop, all situated on the upper falls were destroyed.
June 5, 1877, the two stores of S. W. Warner & Son and F. G. Butterfield on the north side of Main street were burned.
In 1881 a saw-mill located on the upper falls southwest of the bridge, and a large dwelling near by, were burned.
January 22, 1888, the store of Charles S. Frost and a dwelling on the south side of Main street were destroyed.
In Cambridgeport the woolen factory of Perry & Co., was burned June 17, 1860, with a loss of $30,000 and insurance $26,000, and again about 1877 while owned by Robert Fitton of Cavendish, Vt.
In Rockingham village the tannery buildings of Samuel L. Billings were burned, February 1, 1858. They were erected early in that century by Manassah Divoll and had been an important feature of the business of the village. They were the only manufacturing plant ever located there.
SERIOUS FRESHETS
In the history of the town of Rockingham several freshets have occurred that have been notable, and whatever data is now obtainable is put in form for future reference, and for comparison.
1797
While the canal was in process of construction at Bellows Falls, in 1797, a flood occurred, the effects of which were beneficial in that it changed the land considerably where the mills have since been located "under the hill" east of the canal. Previous to this time there was nothing but rocks, boulders and pot-holes, where now are a number of valuable mills. The canal had been built only about as far as where
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History of Rockingham
the grist-mill now stands and work was being pushed below that point upon the massive timber structures which for over fifty years thereafter served as the six gates and five locks for getting boats up and down by the falls, and the rafts of lum- ber down by the same. The two gates that made the one lock near where is now boiler room No. I of the International Paper company had been built, and at that time there was no head gate for the protection of all below as was the case in after years. All the protection for the property below was in the gates of this upper lock. No mills had then been erected.
A sudden and alarming rise of water occurred that entirely carried away the two gates mentioned, letting the large volume of water through the canal, which was then small compared with its present capacity. A quantity of loose stone that had been blasted out where the present head gates are, had been deposited below the gates and was being util- ized to form the east side of the canal. Practically all the land now east of the canal, where stand the Robertson Paper company's mill, the Flint mill, the J. T. Moore & Son mill, Adams' grist-mill, and the mills comprising " Barrett's side " of the International Paper company, consisted of low, rough and jagged rocks similar to those in the bed of the river, and contained a spot known as the "swamp-hole." The force of the water coming through the broken gates moved the stone and earth in immense quantities down through the unfinished canal, carrying before it the unfinished stone dam, and covered the holes and rough places, forming the land now occupied by mills. The new condition of the banks of the canal above caused much earth to wash down through, enlarging the canal and making valuable land, thus, in the end proving a blessing. Dr. William Page, and his son, William Page, Jr., were the engineers in charge of building the canal, which was opened for traffic, and the first mill built, in 1802. Dr. Page was the grandfather of the late Governor John B. Page of Rutland.
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Freshet of 1818
MONDAY, MAY 4, 1818
During Monday night, May 4, 1818, the water in the Connecticut river rose to a pitch which was said at that time " not to have been exceeded within the memory of the oldest persons in this vicinity." For some hours, the inhabitants of Bellows Falls were fearfully apprehensive that all of the locks, mills, and manufactories so essential to its prosperity would be swept away.
After the disaster of 1797, the Canal company had rebuilt the lock and gates and in addition had erected a much larger and stronger "guard gate" on the canal, just above where the present stone arch bridge is on Bridge street. The dan- ger at this time came largely from indications that the sides of the canal, which were soft at the end of the guard gate, would yield to the pressure, and during the night a large num- ber of men and teams worked to strengthen these, so that they held. The water at this time was probably higher than in 1797, but the added protection of the guard gate saved a much greater misfortune.
During the height of the flood, the water in the main channel of the river was so high immediately under the toll bridge that it "dashed in large quantities over the railing of the bridge," and at this point it was said to have been "about sixty feet above the low water mark." The waters subsided on the fifth inst. with much less damage than there was rea- son to apprehend. Bill Blake's paper-mill, which stood on the ground now occupied by machines No. 7 and 8, of the International Paper company, was considerably injured, the floors being broken up and many of the doors forced from their hinges and carried away by the current. The building which then contained Mr. Cobb's manufactory of wagons etc., and S. R. B. Wales' carding machinery, was partially undermined. The ceiling of the lower story of the oil mill was broken in and its contents washed away. While a large number of men were at work at the dam at the side of the upper lock, a portion of the dam gave way and several of the men were plunged into the torrent and had narrow escapes.
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History of Rockingham
One of these men saved himself in the top of an apple tree, it being one of the trees of quite a large orchard that stood where No. + pulp-mill of the International Paper company now does. The others were rescued by their companions.
There is little information obtainable regarding losses at this time outside of Bellows Falls. "One of the bridges near the mouth of Cold river in Walpole, was destroyed, and the other one was so much injured as to be impassible for a num- ber of weeks." The stage which carried the mail through from Boston to Windsor three times a week, passing through Walpole and coming across into Bellows Falls, returning to the New Hampshire side for the remainer of the journey, due at Windsor on Tuesday, did not reach there until Satur- day.
MARCH 25, 1826
A freshet, disastrous along the courses of the Saxtons and Williams rivers and their tributaries, although not serious in the Connecticut, occurred on the above date. All towns in this vicinity suffered severely. A heavy rainstorm in addi- tion to the melting of a large body of snow, caused the break- ing up of the ice in the different streams.
The following account of this freshet was printed in the Bellows Falls Intelligencer of April 3, 1826. After describ- ing the grand appearance of the falls in the Connecticut it said :
Upon the Connecticut river, we have not heard of any material damage, the destruction being confined to the smaller streams. On Saxtons river we learn that seven bridges have been swept away, five of them were public, one paper-mill, one grist-mill and one dye house. The greatest loss was sustained by Bill Blake. His paper-mill was about 30x60 feet, and besides a large quantity of paper and stock, contained several barrels of provision, rye flower, grain, etc. The mill was undermined in consequence of the bulkhead giving away, when the whole building wheeled to the south, and immediatey fell to pieces, and was carried off by the impetuosity of the current. So complete was the destruction that not a vestige of the mill was left to tell where it for- merly stood. Above stood the saw-mill belonging to Charles Church, car- ried on by Mr. Sanford Granger, who resided within a few rods of it. At the time this latter mill was removed Mr. Granger and his family had retired . to rest, supposing that the water was falling and the danger past. With this security the inmates of his house had sunk into sleep, and so sudden was the
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Freshets of 1837 and 1839
vent, that they never heard the crash nor discovered their loss until morning. Mr. Granger had in the mill between sixty and seventy dollars worth of join- er's tools when carried away. When it was conjectured the water was sub- siding, it had dammed up at Saxtons River village above the bridge leading to Westminster, East parish. This obstruction could but a short time sustain the pressure brought against it ; it therefore yielded, and an immense body of water rushing onward swept, as it were, in the twinkling of an eye, every obstacle which opposed its progress.
On Williams river there was one bridge destroyed and the saw and grist- mills belonging to Mr. Parker. Mr. Parker's loss is truly distressing. He had all his property vested in the two before mentioned mills, and, was in a fair way to accumulate a competency when his prospects were overshadowed : the blight came upon him and now he is bereft of everything. Certainly if any of the sufferers by the late providential occurrence are worthy of relief, Mr. Parker must belong to that class. We therefore hope that he may receive from his fellow citizens a portion which will enable him to resume his occupation.
MARCH 14, 1837
High water and floating ice in the Connecticut and Cold rivers on March 14, 1837, was the cause of thrilling experiences and the loss of three lives, a mile from here in New Hampshire, near the mouth of the latter river. This incident is described on page 324. No great damage was done elsewhere in this vicinity.
SPRING OF 1839
A few years ago the late Captain Walter Taylor gave to the writer several interesting reminiscences of early times in this town and among them was the following relating to high water :
" I came to Bellows Falls in November of 1838 from Keene, N. H., and my knowledge of matters here dates from then.
" In the spring of 1839, when the ice broke up in the river, it took away the old Cheshire bridge above Charlestown One of the bents of it came down the river whole. James Milliken, who lived this side of the bridge, jumped on his horse's bare back and came here as fast as he could to tell Mr. Tucker, who owned the toll bridge here, and others, fearing the toll bridge would be taken by the bent striking it. I was with a large number of other men near the upper end of the canal watching the ice going by when the bridge came in sight.
" There was no bridge then across the canal except where the stone arch bridge now is, and a number of us who wanted to see it go over the falls jumped across the canal on the floating cakes of ice, getting to the bridge in
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History of Rockingham
time to see Mr. Tucker at the other end of the bridge gesticulating wildly as if trying to convince the ruined bridge it better go under his bridge by the west channel, as, if it went under by the east channel. it would take away his structure. As the floating bridge reached the place where the two channels divide it suddenly all went to pieces, flattening out so it passed under without damaging the bridge above, and the most of it went by the east passage any- way. It was a fine sight, one I shall always remember vividly.
" As it floated past the upper end of the village and into the upper end of the rapids, end foremost, the sign was still in its place warning ' Passengers not to pass faster than a walk.' "
"Mr. Tucker's bridge" was at that time the one first built here in 1785, and it was about twenty feet lower than the present one which was erected in 1840.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1841
A sudden thaw and rain in the Connecticut valley in the winter of 1841, caused a freshet, the highest point of which was reached on the above date. No great damage is recorded outside of Bellows Falls, and here the damage was confined to the canal, the heavy guard gates being entirely destroyed and a large breach made in the east bank of the canal just above the grist-mill.
Cold weather had been experienced for several weeks previous, the ice in the river being from nine to twelve inches thick. Monday morning. the 4th instant, the thermometer registered fourteen degrees below zero; Tuesday twenty below : Wednesday seven above, and Thursday morning it was thirty-four degrees above, rising during the afternoon to forty- six degrees, where it remained until Friday morning. Rain had fallen incessantly and in torrents since Thursday morn- ing, and with the rapidly melting snow made an extensive flood. Friday morning, the ice in the Connecticut broke up at an early hour and carried with it uprooted trees, fragments of bridges. mills, and all sorts of debris from the streams higher up. At its highest point, the water at this time was one foot above the point reached in the great freshet of Sep- tember, 1828, the mark of which was still discernible made with red paint, on the stone work of the abutment of the old bridge on Bridge street. The rise of water. in the eddy
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Freshets of 1841 and 1862
below the falls is recorded as being twenty-two and one-half feet.
.
About 2.30 o'clock Friday afternoon, the whole structure of the guard gates in the canal just above the Bridge street bridge, gave way with an immense rush, and it was expected that the two gates of the lock a short distance below it would also give way, but they stood firm, notwithstanding that the water broke over them to a considerable depth. These held the main force of the water, but about an hour later a small muddy rill commenced issuing from the bottom of the east side of the canal, about sixty feet above the grist- mill. It increased rapidly, and in fifteen minutes the whole contents of the canal was rushing through an opening fifteen feet wide and as many deep. This break continued to widen until it reached the foundation of the grist-mill, which stood, as it does to-day, forming the bank of the canal for a short distance. This held the torrent and the break continued no farther. Before 9 o'clock, the increase of the size of the break had ceased and the channel had become fixed, its width being about 100 feet, and the depth of the side of the canal. The mill-pond of the saw-mill which was located between the grist-mill and the upper lock, furnished at first the force of water which caused the break. After this was emptied, the amount passing over the top of the lock was not large enough to continue the damage, but had this lock given way, a large portion of the river would have been diverted into this new channel.
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