Worcester County, Massachusetts - Chapter 131: Vsouthbridge, 1889 (part 2 of 2)

James Sanders, now deceased, was born in Lancashire, Enghind, in 1811, and at thirteen years of age was apprenticed to a block printer. After a seven years' apprenticeship he continued at his trade until 1842, when he came to this country and settled in Fall River, Mass., entering the employ of the American Print Works. He married in 1844, and moved to Rhode Island in 1848, and in 1850, in company with his brother-in-law, the late James Abbott, leased the Crompton Print Works. After a business connection of ten years, H. N. Slater purchased Mr. Abbott's share, and the new firm continued for nearly three years, when James Sanders took entire control.

In 18154 he purchased what is now known as Sandersdale, but at that time as Ashland, the area comprising several hundred acres of land and three or four houses, together with excellent water-power and water privileges suitable for the purposes of a print works. Having amassed a handsome fortune, he commenced ihe erection of the present works in 1868, and the chart hanging in the office shows the following dimensions, the buildings, being designated as No. li 2, 3, etc. : No. 1. 'Printing building, 265 feet by 57 feet. No. 2. Dyeing, bleaching, finishing and boiler building, 250 by 107.

No..?. F^igraving and packing room building, 115 by 48. No. 4. Boiler house and engine-room, 65 by 50. No. 5. Liquor shop, 70 by 40. No. 6. Kier-room and wheel-house, l.) by 25. No. 7. Office, 40 by 33. No. 8. Mechanic shop, 76 by 40. Tbe several buildings, with the exception of the mechanic shop, which is part brick and part stone, are wholly constructed of brick, compactly built, presenting a neat and substantial appearance.

In 1870, when all was in readiness, the machinery use<l in the Crompton Print Works was transferred to the new quarters, the amount necessary occupying over thirty freight cars, and in the same year Mr. Sanders and family moved to Southbridge, the works commencing operations under the firm-name of T. & J. H. Sanders (sons of the founder), in the spring of 1874, and continued under their management until the spring of 1884. During that time the product consisted principally of prints, mostly shirtings and cheviots, the capacity averaging ninety thousand yards per day.

On December 31, 1884, The Southbridge Printing Co. was incorporated, and the property and plant purchased, and as the demand tor specialties outside of the straight line of prints was so great, extensive alterations, especially in the dye house, were necessary, which with the addition of new and more modern machinery throughout the works, placed the new corporation in a position to successfully compete with others who had been more favored in the past, thus enabling a production of silesias, cambrics and all kinds of cotton goods subject to a dyeing process, in connection with the straight prints.

A glance at the present production is worthy of perusal. In prints may be found shirtings of coarse and fine grades, in both narrow and wide goods ; flannels and sheetings; wide and narrow cheviots; sleeve linings, from a light cheap quality to the finest forty-four inch sateen, in both loose and fast colors, especially for the clothing trade. In dyed goods the variety is equally as great, if not larger than in prints, consisting of brocades, cashmeres, Hollands, pocketings, cambrics (from an ordinary quality to a thirty-.six-inch French cambric), silesias, flannels, Italians, serges, etc., etc., etc.

Water is the principal motive-power, an excellent fall being obtained, graduated to three hundred horsepower, and in case of necessity steam can be substituted, as two ponderous engines are ever ready to be set in motion, should an accident to the turbine wheel or connections thereto occur.

Considering the many varieties of work, the daily production averages from fifty thousand to seventy-five thousand yards, which is an excellent showing, reflecting credit upon the management entire.

The officers of The Southbridge Printing Co. remain the same as when incorporated, viz.: - President, Jacob Booth ; Treasurer, Thomas Sanders ; Superintendent, James H. Sanders.

Southbridge Optical Company was incorporated in 1883. The President is Mr. A. H. Wheeler; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. B. U. Bugbee. The company manufacture spectacles and eye-glasses. They erected, in 1888, a new building upon Marcy Street, with machinery fitted up for their manufactures. The factory is of wood, two stories in height, with a brick basement, and is one hundred feet long by forty wide.

Other establishments of business or employment, not included in the foregoing list of particular mention, can only be enumerated, and are, so far as ascertained, as follows, viz. : apothecaries, 5 ; artist, 1 ; auctioneer, 1 ; bakers, 4 ; banks, 2 ; barbers, 4 ; blacksmiths, 6 ; books and stationery, 5 ; boot and shoe dealers, 9; boot and shoemakers, 6; brick manufacturers, 2 ; calico printer, 1 ; carpenters and builders, 4; carriage-makers, 4; clothiers, 7; coal dealer, 1 ; dentists, 2; dressmakers, 19; dry goods dealers, 8 ; expresses, 3 ; fish and oysters, 1 ; florist, 1; flour and grain, 5; furniture, 3 ; gents' furnishing goods, 5 ; grist-mill, 1 ; groceries, 17 ; hardware and cutlery, 4; harness-makers, 2 ; hotels, 3 ; insurance agents, 2; laundries, 2 ; lawyers, 4; livery stables, 5; lumber dealers, 2 ; marble-works, 1 ; meat-markets, 7 ; milliners, 7 ; music-stores, 2 ; music-teachers, 5 ;

In the month of December, 1858, the tavern on the corner of Main and Elm Streets, built of wood in 1825, was destroyed by fire, together with other buildings in the immediate vicinity. This event preceded the appearance of the first of the many fine business blocks whic'\ now enrich and adorn the town. That vacancy, and along that side of the street, was soon afterwards occupied by the ornamental and massive brick buildings erected by Messrs. William C. Barnes, Sylvester Dresser, and William and John Edwards (last two now deceased) - names identified with the last thirty years of the town's history and progress. Besides the long line of first-class accommodations for trades people and employments, there are the Memorial Block Hall, Edwards Hall and Dresser Opera-House.

Daniel Whitford and Elbridge Ellis built on the opposite side of street, corner of Main and Hamilton, the large and fine structure bearing their names.

Hartwell's block, built by the late George H. Hart- well, is on the corner of Main and Central Streets. In 18G3 a fire swept away the Baptist Church, the old parish meetinghouse - then used for business purposes - and other buildings. The brick church of the Baptists was erected in '(50, and what was once the " rising ground on Capt. Marcy's land, opposite Col. Freeman's barn," was leveled down, and Mr. Holmes Ammidown built his public library building in 1870 or '71. Then, on the corner of Main and Central Streets, Mr. Chester A. Dresser built the C. A. Dresser house, costing - furnishing and all - about eighty thousand dollars,

Alden's Block, built by William E. Alden, Sr., in 1878-79, is a fine structure of brick with granite trimmings and metallic cornices, standing on the site of the old Plimpton house, in Globe Village.

Recently the new bank building on Main Street and Suprenaut's Block, on Central Street, have added to the architectural appearance of Centre Village.

These buildings, with the mercantile or other establishments which they enclose, will comparfi favorably with those of the same class in any town in the county.

Southbridge also contains even within the limits of her villages much of quiet rural beauty. Whole neighborhoods of fine cottages, surrounded by ample grounds and smoothly-shaven lawns, - entire absence of fences and unsightly objects, - this is the enviable home, the place where the tired business man retires to the quiet enjoyments of family and friends.

In the midst of all that has been described in this article on Southbridge is the old Marcy house, erected there when all around was literally a howling wilderness. The same sturdy arms that spotted the trees for the first paths, " slashed " the trees in the first clearings, and wrought out the first homes about here, also hoisted in place the massive timbers which form the frame-work of this old house. Its simple grandeur, made beautiful by antiquity and associations, is unabashed in the presence of the finest of modern residences, though set in " pillars of gold."