Plymouth County, Massachusetts - Industrial History, 1884

The first mill erected iu Middleboro' was designed for grinding corn, and located very near the spot now occupied by the " Star Mills" ; and this fact leads naturally to the conclusion that tiie mill-dam at or near that place was the first or earliest one built upon the stream. Corn was the principal crop cultivated by the Indians before the arrival of the wliite people, and the latter immediately made it their chief crop, and that upon which, more than any other, and perhaps more than all others combined, they relied to obtain bread, being, as it came essentially to be, the white man's " staff of life."

But althougli the white man was so ready to accept the red man's " Indian corn" as his chief article of food, the Cliri?itian was not content to follow the pagan practice of putting it into the form and conditioa of bread by first parching or roasting it in the fire, and then pounding in a mortar till reduced to meal, and resort by the emigrant was therefore quickly had to hard work at a hand-mill or a long and tedious journey with liis grist to the corn-mill operated by water-power iu Plymouth, and he therefore who first put in .successful operation a mill for grinding corn at Middleboro' was doubtless regarded, as in truth he wa.-*, a "roat public benefactor. Nearly two days' tedious journeying to and from Plymouth was thus saved to a householder at Middleboro' every time that a bubhel of corn had to be ground for family use, or a relief from the still more distasteful task of " grinding" at a "hand-mill," where the one operator "taken," whether man or woman, was deemed more fortunate than the other that was left, the misery of the present overcoming all fears concerning the future.

The demand for a grist-mill satisfied by bcitiLT pruvided for, the next, as would reasonably be expected, was expressed in the desire to utilize water-power iu sawing lumber, aud thus preparing materials t'uf building houses and barns, habitations for both men aud beasts, and as a result two saw-mills were soon after j built upon wliat was known as Bartlett's Biook, after I which, in the march of improvement at MiddluLoro', ".log cabins" began speedily, and continueJ ateadily, to disappear, being regarded as obsolete and thoroughly behind the times, and were never more popular as human habitations, or declared to be " the blest or best abodes of civilized man," save during the brief period of the noted Harrison campaign, in 1840, when hard cider was also extolled and declared surpassing a nectar of the gods, and thus the spirit made to control the understanding. Frame buildings were taking tlie place of those constructed of logs at Middleboro' even before the breaking out of King Philip's war, in 1G75, and as in that conflict it is highly pmbable that every house and barn in town was destroyed by the Indians, so in the rebuilding that was commenced after that war frame buildings were in nearly or quite every instance made to take the places of both the log cabins and frame buildings destroyed by the infuriated red man's torch during that bloody and distressing conflict.

What is known as Mattock was probably the second place at which a dam was made to span the stream running from the lakes or great pmids, sucking an outlet through "Taunton Great lliver" into Mount Hope Bay, and at Muttock the water-power was so extensively and successfully utilized that this locality became one of greater enterprise and more numerous industries than any other in town, fir surjiassing what is now the business centre at the Four Corners, and thus continuing for a long term of years. Cut the bu.sy hum of these numerous industries of Muttock was not conducted, or even suffered to be commenced, without opposition from some of the inhabitants, seconded by checks and impediments on the part of the town in its corporate capacity, as strong olijifutioos were made to the building of the Muttock dam on account of the apprehended detriment it might prove to the herring fishery, - that constant and never-ending theme of controversy, - herring then being deemed not only an article of food, but indispeiis.ible to the raising of corn, - a few herring, according to Indian custom, still being applied to each hill to furce the growth of this crop', and herring being in one or more instances relied on to pay some of the town officers for the pevforuiance of tlieir public duties.' Ilorriiiu;, therefore, and all that properly pertained to tlie cucourasi'iiiont and aided iu produciiii; horrin;.:, oui;!it to and did eogross the jealous care of Middleburo' people, and their scruples were difficult to surmount, but were finally so allayed as to allow the erection of the Muttock dam, thus giving irreat impetus to several other industries, and leaving it a still open question whether it was or was not at the expense of an injury done to the herring fishery.

That permission from the town of Middleboro' to erect tlie Muttock dam was obtained in an open townmeetinj; holden March 3, 1734, wheu it was "voted to allow Benjamin White, Esq., and others, liberty to erect a dam across Nemasket River for the benefit of a slitting-mill."

The town at the same meeting voted to permit " Capt. Bennett and Francis Miller, and others to build a dam for iron-works," but at the same time providing that these iron-works must not be permitted or suffered to impede the passage of the alewives or herrings.

Both these permits then obtained are thought to have applied to Muttock and the dam at that place erected as a consequence, and where for a few years the water-power was utilized to carry the machinery of a slitting-mill, and possibly in addition thereto a forge. About ten years after the grant obtained to erect this dam, the arrival and locating iu this town of Mr. Peter Oliver gave great impetus to the business of manufacturers at this point, which thencelbrth was very successfully conducted for the nest and immediately succeeding thirty years.

One of the first or earliest blast-furuaces erected in this section of Massachusetts was probably located upon the dam at Muttock, and carried on by I'cter Oliver, who appears to have discovered that the iron ore taken from the bottom of the great ponds in Middleboro', and dug from the bogs iu town, was not sufficient for all the uses required, as that fact is most conclusively proved by a written correspotidence carried on between Mr. Oliver and the committee of the province for the prosecution of the French and Indian war, a portion of which corrc-^pondcnce has been carefully preserved and is now on file in the office of the Secretary of State at Boston.

" Gesti.kme.v, - Your Favour of 27"" Feb' relating to supplying you with two Ilowbilzers I received on Saturday Nigbf, X now send a Messingcr to acquaint you that bad I known of your having occasion for them 10 Days ago, I could have supplied you, but I finished my IJlast 3 or 4 Days since: which I am sorry for, as I had been at a great Deal of Trouble X Charge to procure ^louutaiu Ore to make warlike Store?, of which ore is of a far better Quality than any we have in these Parts, especially fur Guns and Mortars. I have sent for more Mountain Ore, .t expect to blow again this month, & if you should then want any Stores, I believe I can supply you with those of as good a tiuality as can be made, for I am sensible of the Uisque of making guns and Mortars from Bog Ore that 1 shall n<it attempt them again with that.

What Mr. Oliver spelled " howbitzer" was doubtless a howitzer. It is also intimated that Mr. Oliver had before this date been manufacturing warlike stores, and that his experience in that business had taught him not to trust to the use of bog ore.

" MiDDLEDonouGH, March 8, 1756. " Sin, - I shall be much obliged to you if you would write mo a Line whether X could have the Ballance due to mo from the Treasury; if so I would come down, otherwise I Fhould be loth to come.

** The mortars dt shells I will send immediately. " Mr. De Costar has nigh 100 shells by him already of mine, and the remainder 1 will send from thcuco.

"Sir, - I am sorry to inform you that after the greatest assiduity aud application I am not able to have the \Vartike stores ready that you bespoke by the 1 j^** April.

" I had got my Hearth secured Ji. procured a vessel to fetch it, but bad Weather & contrary Winds preventing my seuding for it, so that I was obliged to cart it 60 miles, and have but just now got it in, that I cannot blow till the latter end of ne.vt week,

" The lost actt' of stores I received from you I do not think very likely can bo completed untill the lUth .May; if ibat will do X will undertake to send them (unavoidable accidents excepted) from Taunton to New York at my own charge, provided the hon* Committee of War will run the Iti.-que of the ^eas.

** Whether they will be wanted by that Time is not fur me to say; but where they could have been ca.'-t clsewberu sooner I do nut know, for Mr. liarkor, I am informed, has but Just Uuiahed what he contracted for.

'* It would have given me more uneasiness, Sir, had this Delay happened by any Fault of mine, but the .^eason of the year has prevented uiy accomplishing the business.

*' I don't write this simp' to induce the hon<* Committee of War to wait for me to their Loss, prejudice, for I had much rather release the whole than have the least ill cuusequenco attend the affair.

Careaiises are sbilipeil, i I hope will be with yon by tbe 'lime this Leiter arrives, wbieh I ^upiioao arc not en|^a;^e.l. As to the GranaJoe Shells i Moi tars, I have ((uilte.! tbeiu, i. have lent Mr. Darker my P:ittein for the mortars, who uo iluubt will seuJ them soon, .t had it been in my power to have forwarded the matter I should not have been wanting, but I have sent vessel after vessel, at great Expense, and have been daily expeeting one after another with one proper to have a Furnaee in order for stores of .such Consequeneo, whieh, had they arrived, a few Days would have eonveyed to New York sooner than they could be auy other Way, unless they were made to Hand, for I had proeured a Veisell to carry them.

This lower Jam continued to be the property of tiie Oliver family until the war of the American llevolution, and the industries carried on there thus came to be I'amiliarly known as Oliver's works.

The position taken by the Oliver family in the war of the American Revolution was such that it was forced to leave the county, and the far-famed Oliver works passed into other hands, and fur a time were conducted by a Mr. Leach, followed by Gapt. Nathaniel Russell, wlio removed to Plymouth, and was succeeded by Mr. Hushia Thomas.

Then Gen. Abiel Washburn became much the largest of its numerous owners, his share in the property amounting to three-fourths of the entire interest, and an old-fashioned saw-mill was added, and in 1810 a new sliuinguiill built, and at a still later period a shovel-factory that run up to the time (ien. Washburn died, viz., June 17, 1848.

That grist-mill, erected in Middleboro' (near tlie present site of the Star Mills), a little before the breaking out of King Philip's war, was burned by the Indians in that conflict, and rebuilt soon after the return of peace.

Principal among the proprietors of the new gristmill appears to have been Francis Coombs, who was a selectman of Middleboro' in IGTl auJ 1GT5, and re-elected in 1G80-82.

Francis Coombs was also the tavern-keeper at Middleboro',' his license to furnisli entertainment for man and beast bearing date of Oct. 30, UiTS; and he continued thus to provide food and lodging, comfort and rest to wearied travelers and tired beasts until his death, Dec. 31, 1C82. The tavern license was renewed to his widow, Mrs. Mary Couml)s, July 1, 16S4, and his daughters claimed the gri.-t-mill.-

The present mill-Jam, although near to, Joes nut occupy precisely the same site of that ereutuJ mure thau two hundred years ago, on which to operate a grist-mill.

Wool-cards were here operated for a time by a man named Bennett. These wool-cards went under the ; name of carding-iuachine, as wool had formerly been carded by hand.

These wool-cards of the machine turned the raw ' material into rolls suited for spinning upon a wheel at the owner's home, for few hou.ses at that time were : destitute of a spinning-wheel.

Of pianos they had none; of spinning-wheels, many. But although the buzzing sound of the wheel was less harmonious, it is by no means certain that families generally were less happy.

The " Star Mills," so called, now occupy the point ' at or very near which the waters of the Nemasket River were first utilized its a motive power, the Star Mill or Mills being quite a large and extensive woolenfactory that has been in operation something more ' than twenty years.

i On the olst day of May, 17G2, Ignatius l''hns, for I and in consideration of the sum of foity-lwo pounds, i sold to Samuel Thatcher, Elias Miller,^ Nathaniel

'^ The daughters of Fraueis Coombs (deceased) took pos:res3ion of the grist-mill March U, 101)7. (Seo Proprietors' " Ueeord of the Town of Middleboro'.") One of tliosc daughters married a Barrow?, and had a son named Coombs Barrows.

Southworth, and Silaa Wood land bordering upon the Nemasket liiver at the place where the upper Jam upon that stream is located, and where that Jam was soon after built, and the water-power thus created utilized for operating a forge.

April 17, 1777, Silas Wood sold one-eighth of the forge to George Leonard, and a few years later, viz., in or a little before 1785, this forge was wholly or in ] part destroyed by fire, as upon the 2Tth of May, 1783, George J^eonard charged for what he had expended in repairing the forgo after it was burnt, but the repairing was so near a rebuilding that the structure came afterward to be called and familiarly known as the '-New Forge," and iu 179G was owned by Benjamin Leonard, Abiel Washburn, George Leonard, and Aboer Bourne. Three yeai-s later the proprietors i were Benjamin Leonard, George Leonard, Abner Bourne, and Levi Peirce. i

In ISOl the owners appear to have been Bourne & Peirce, Benjamin Leonard, George Leonard, and i Abner Bourne & Son, and iu 1809 George Leonard, Maj. William Bourne, and Maj. Levi Peirce.

This forge cuntiuucJ in operation some seventy [ years, but a part of the water-power at this upper ', dam was from 1813 or 1814 used to carry a cotton- i factory, and subsequently here was also added an old- j fashioned saw-mill and a grist-mill.' |

At a later period, the manufacturing of cotton cloth ; being abandoned, the water-power was utilized to carry the machiuery of a shovel-factory.

In what was Jliddleboro' (but since 1853 iu Lakeville), and in the locality familiarly knowu -as the " Tack-Factory Neighborhood," a mill-dam was erected about one hundred and eighty years ago, and a forge located thereon that was operated nearly or ijuite eighty years.' The site has recently been occupied by a tack-factory.

A blaat-furnace was in successful operatiou at Middleboro' in, and perhaps a little before, 1756. The blast-furnace was quite diiferent from the cupola-furnace, as the latter was only capable of melting pig-iron and pot-metal, while the former smelted iron ores that were then in large (juantities dug in Middleboro', aud also takeu from the bottom of .tVssawamseCt Pond.'

^ Maj. Thomas Leonard, of Taunton, was the |>rojector of that «nterprise. lie died Nov. 'JU, 1713. Uu waa father of Ensign Ellianali Leonard and grandfather of the lawyer, Maj. Elkanah Leonard.

^ The right to take this ore from the bottom of the Assawamsot Pond was divided into shares among a kind of stock company thai used to hold regular meetings to regulate what tor a time continued to be a productive industry.

Ores taken out of the ground were designated by the name of " bog ore," and those taken from the bottom of the Assawamsett Lake, " pond ore ;" and another kind was also used that received the name of " mountain ore," which seems to have been brought from afar, requiring transportation in vessels or water craft. How long previous to the year 1756 Peter Olivers blast-furnace was in operation is not now known, but that it was then doing quite an extensive business and was one of the leading manufactories of its kind in the then " Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England" is most clearly shown from the written correspondence that Peter Oliver at that date had with the committee conducting the war then being waged, and which, to distinguish it from other conflicts, has come to be called and knowu in history as the " French and Indian war."

A furnace was erected aud for many years operateil upon the Fall Brook, so called, from which circumstance it came to acquire the name of Fall Brook Furnace. Soon after the close of the war of the American Revolution, Capt. Joshua Eddy put up a furnace upon Whetstone Brook. Neither of these furnaces continue to exist, - that at Fall Brook having been taken down many years ago, aud the Eddy furnace demolished more recently.

TuE Straw Business. - This industry, now so extensively and successfully conducted at IMiddleboro', had its origin in that part of the town that has since become Lakeville. To Ebenezer Briggs, Jr., who resided upon the southerly shore of the great Assawamset Pond, in what was then West Middleboro' and now Lakeville, is due the honor of having intro-

I tive and furnished employment to a large number of ; operatives, in a word, thus putting the latter iu possession of the opportunity and power of earning an i honest living, and for which Mr. Briggs is justly I entitled to the enviable appellation of public bene- I factor. Mr. Briggs commenced this, which was then - generally called the bonnet business, in or near the dissolved his conueetion, and the buaiuess was for a time carried on by Capt. Andrew J. Pickens. The ujain building of the si raw-factory was erected by Pickens Brothers in 1S55.

The straw braid that was at Orst u»ed was all made in this country, but that now used is imported. This bujiuess, that for a time did not amount to uiore than ten thousand dollars a year, has steadily increased until it is estimated at a quarter of a million, and gives employment to nearly four hundred operatives. In the early years of this enterprise all the sewing was done by hand, but is now almost entirely accomplished by machinery.

The house in which Mr. Ebenczer Briggs comlueuced to make straw braid into women's bonnets is still standing upon the Assawaniset Neck, in the now township of Lakeville, and does not give very strong or unmistakable marks of age, and yet here it was that those very small beginnings were made, the legitimate results of which have successfully ripened and brought forth increase until as a final consumma tion is realized an industry employing more operatives than any other in the town of Middleboro', thus proving that truth is sometimes more strange than fiction, and teaching us not to " despise the day of small things."

For these facts presented in the history of this enterprise the writer of this sketch is mainly indebted to the kindness of Capt. Andrew J. Pickens, of Middleboro', who was born and passed his boyhood days in that part of the town which, in 1853, became Lakeville, and was for many years constantly and intimately connected with this straw business, first as an operative and afterwards as a manufacturer.

The Shoe Business. - The first or earliest shoe manufacturer at Middleboro' appears to have been Mr. Stephen B. Pickens, who carried it on in a small way compared with the present manner of conducting this industry, and having for a time Capt. Earl Sproat fur a partner in business. Their workshop was in the building still standing upon the northeast coiner at the Four Corners Village.

The next manufacturers were Leonard it Eaton, who occupied a rather small one story wooden building: that was removed to Court I'lnd to iiive iilace to the erection of Murdock's Block, as it is now called, but then known as Wells' Block, as Dr. W. K. Wells was the original proprietor. The building removed had sometime been paiured green, and at Court End was used by a Mr. Thomas for a grocery store.

Next the firm of Ward & Doggett commenced the manufacture of boots and shoes, and both probably became rich from the profits that they thereby realized. These partners were Maj. George Ward and Mr. William Elkanah Doggett. Ward & Do;.;- gett sold out to Bassett & Dunbar, and they in turn to Sampson & King, these three firni.s currying on the shoe business in the then Wells' Block but now Murdock Block.

Sampson & King removed with this business to the " American Building," so called. This lirm consisted of IMaj. Joseph Sampson, Jr., and Col. Nathan King. The next firm engaged in the business in the then Wells' (now Murdoek'sJ Block was that uf Leonard & Barrows, who were subsequently joined by Mr. Calvin D. Kingman, and at about the same time Leonard & Eaton commenced in the building just northerly of the hotel.

This business has also been carried on quite extensively in the Titicut part of Middlchuru', and by the following-numed persons and firms: Deacon ]']lijali E. Perkins, Lyaander Richmond, Philo S. iMurdock, Keith & Pratt, Stetson & Hammond.

The firms now engaged in the shoe manufacture at the Four Corners Village, in Middleboro', are those of Leonard & Barrows and Calvin D. Kingman &, Sons, both of which are carrying un an extensive business, and thus greatly adding to the prosperity of the community and town generally.

The Hat Business. - In or near ihe year ISliO, Jabez Sherman employed some six nun in the labor of making men's hats, and he was succeeded therein by Henry H. Robbins; but this business hero has long since been abandoned.

Newspapers. - The first or earliest newspaper ever printed in Middleboro' was known as the O/d Co/- oiiy Dtmocrat, and was started in Plymouth but removed to 3Iiddleboro' just about half a century ago. Maj. Benjamin Drew, Jr., a praclical printer, was editor, printer, and proprietor. This did not prove a success, and ere long it was discontinued. Maj. Drew owed his military title to the fact that upon the 14th of February, 1835, he was jiromoted to the ofiice of major of the First Regiment of Plymouth County Brigade. Charles Soule, late of Middleboro', was then colonel of that regiment, Joshua Brewster (2d), of Duxbury, lieutenant-colonel, and Tlujmas F. White, of Duxbury, adjutant.

printer. This paper was first issued Oct. 7, 1852, Samuel P. Brown, editor and proprietor. The size of its slieet was seventeen by twenty-four inches. Some time in 1854. Mr. Brown sold tiie A^riiuisJ:tl Gazelle to Rev. Stillman Pratt, wlio changed its name to MiJdleLoro' Gazette and Old Colony Advertiser. Mr. Pratt died Sept. 1, 1SC2, after which tiio paper was for a time published by his son, Mr. Stillman B. Pratt. In February, 18(59, Mr. James M. Coombs, the present proprietor, purchased the paper, and at ditferent times has enlarj;ed it until now it has reached the size of tweuty-suveu by forty-two inelies, and lias become a representative local paper, published in the interests of the town of Middleboro', and one of the oldest and best in the county of Plymouth.

The Middleboro' News was established in October, 1881, by Mr. H. H. Sylvester, its present proprietor. It is Republican in politics and a forty-eight-column slieet. It has an extensive circulation.