Worcester County, Massachusetts - Chapter 83: West Boylston, 1889 (part 2 of 2)

From old records we learn that during the period from 1760 to 1820 not less than three thousand bushels of rye were annually raised in the town, with about the same quantity of corn and oats, and during the winter season much of this was taken to Boston market, where the farmers could realize $1.25 per bushel for the corn and rye. Large quantities of cider, too, were made, every family feelingthe necessity of " putting in " for home use several barrels. Large quantities of this, too, were taken to market, selling at from one to two dollars per barrel. Nearly every large farmer considered that a cider-mill was a necessary appendage to his farm. Sixty years ago there were not less than thirty of these mills in town ; now there is but one. Sixty years ago grafted fruit-trees were almost unknown ; now, but few apple-trees of natural fruit are allowed to grow.

Hills. - Of the different hills in the town, " Maiden Hill" is the most prominent and is much tlie largest and most elevated. This hill originally lay entirely in Holden, the line between Holden and Boylston running easterly of it. The early settlers of Holden gave it the name of " Mount Carmel," but in the memory of old people it has always been called by its present name. In changing the line between Holden and West Boylston, in the formation of the precinct in 1787, and the town in 1808, the line was changed and fixed on the easterly side of this hill for its entire length. Just how this hill received its name seems to have been forgotten by all of our old people.

We now offer the following history of facts, believing that it will show when and why it was done. In 1665 the Colonial authorities made a grant of a tract of one thousand acres to the town of Maiden, to help support the Gospel, which is described and located as follows :

One thousand acrea of upland and meudow, about two miles distant southwesterly from the southwest coruer of Lancaster Bounds, as also about a mile distant Southwesterly from Ihe lands formerly granted and laid out unto Capt. Kichard Davenport, beginning at the south end of a high, rocky, pine hill, at a little red oak marked M, and from thence a line upon an East South East point, 212 rods, unto a pine marked M, and from thence a line upon a South point 040 rods ; and from thence a line upon a West North West point 370 rods ; and from thence a line upon a North by East point, six degrees Easterly, Q-An rods ; and these four lines so run making up the full compliment of the aforesaid one thousand acres, aa is more plainly described by a Plott.

In 1736 the location of this tract of land came into the courts of this county in a dispute between Maiden and Shrewsbury partie.s, the latter contending that " Maldeu Hill" was the hill named, and that the tract lay southerly of its southerly point, while the Maiden parties contended that it lay nearly two miles easterly of that point. In the long and somewhat bitter quarrel the name of Maiden was given to the hill and also to the brook rising in Holden and flowing around its southerly end, then along its easterly side to the Quinnepoxet River, and these names have ever since attached to both hill and brook. The location of the Maiden grant was decided, after the matter had been in the courts about two years, in favor of Maiden. Said location will be found in another page of this history. Maiden Hill is very rocky and uneven, with but little good grazing land. It contains some fine granite quarries.

"Wellington Hill " was the name given to the long hill in the southerly part of the town, extending for a distance of about two miles north and south, over the ridge of which the line dividing this town from Boylston runs. The name of " Bond Hill " has for

" Davenport Hill," in the northeastern part of the town, also lies partly in this town and partly in Boylston. The high hill in the north part of the town has been sometimes called "Carter's Hill," but is not often spoken of as having any name. A new road has recently been built, nearly over its summit, from Oakdale, opening a beautiful prospect from its location, and it is suggested that "Prospect Hill" would be an appropriate name for it. Another high hill, extending southerly from the old Common, is usually spoken of as " Keyes' Hill."

All four of these last-named hills are considered to be some of the best farming and grazing lands in town. " Pine Hill " is located in the easterly part of the town, and is a small, rocky hill, only producing a stunted growth of pine and shrub oaks. " Eames Ledge" is the name given to another rocky hill, lying directly south of the Worcester and Nashua Railroad, where said railroad was cut through the " big ledge." This was really the " high, rocky pine hill " named in the old grant of " Maiden farm," in 1665.

The views from many points on these hills, into and over the valleys of our rivers, present to the eye of the beholder some very pleasing and picturesque scenes. At some points there seems to be barely room for the streams and a narrow road ; then a wide expanse of beautiful intervale opens to the eye, with grand old trees here and there, and rows of buildings on their margins. These intervales are probably some of the best farming lands in the county, and in extent cover several hundred acres, the largest one being below the junction of the Stillwater and Quinnepoxet Rivers, and extending into the town of Boylston.

Pleasure Resort. - Pleasant Valley has been one of the most attractive and romantic places in the town to show to strangers. Situated in the southeasterly part of the town, and entirely surrounded by forests, is a small circular valley of about four acres, with hilts on all sides, except at one end, where a carriage-road makes access easy ; it seems like a natural amphitheatre, with a natural growth of short green grass, on a surface seemingly as level as art could make it. In spring and summer it always presents to the eye a charming and beautiful spot. A singular fact in relation to this ground is th.at no tree or shrub has ever sprung up and grown from it, and nothing but the same short, wild grass has covered its surface. It has ever been the resort for parties of pleasure, coming from far and near to spend a few hours in this pleasant retired spot. Many years since, when travel between Worcester and points north was done by stages, one of our genial old stage-drivers would often take his load of passengers the mile from his route to show them the beauties of Pleasant Valley. It was no doubt once the bed of a pond, and, owing to some underground leakage, was drained. In the spring of the year, and in times of great rains, quite a stream of water runs towards it, but finds some underground passage, and never fills this basin. About a hundred rods from it, and seventy to one hundred feet lower, at the edge of the intervale, is a remarkable spring of water, nearly as cold as ice-water, and constantly flowing through quicksand at all times of the year, in a volume of force to fill a pipe of three to six inches. Whether there is any connection between the two or not may be difficult to prove; but the theory has been suggested that the water going in from above finds icy chambers beneath, melting enough to pass off through the spring below. Both valley and spring have been, since the town was settled, places of attraction, both to old residents and visitors.

Remarkable Longevity. - Mrs. Sarah Goodale was born in the town of Marlboro' in 1714, and married Edward Goodale, one of the early settlers of this town. They had five sons and one daughter - all born within twelve years of each other. The father died when about forty years of age, leaving his family in possession of a farm, with very little other property. Mrs. Goodale being a strong, robust woman, determined to keep her family together, and succeeded so so well that she was enabled to pay to each one on coming to their majority their full proportion of the value of the estate, although she herself had become the bona fide owner of the homestead, She had become their legal guardian, and had assumed the control of the farm and business. These children all lived to old age, and in their turn manifested the same dutiful care and respect for their honored mother, during the latter portion of her life, which she had bestowed on them while in their childhood and early years. She died here in 1810, being in her ninety-seventh year, and at that time the oldest person who had died in the town. Herchildren all survived her and died as follows: Moses died in 1815, aged seventyfive years; Elizabeth died io 1837, aged ninety-six years; Aaron died in 1817, aged seventy-four years; Paul died in 1828, aged eighty-one years; David died in 1832, aged eighty-two years ; Peter died in 1834^ aged eighty-two years. This mother and all of these children were professors of religion, and manifested through all their lives a due regard for its principles in their treatment of each other and the world at large.

At the close of the first half-century of this town's existence, in 1858, Miss Sarah Harthan was the oldest living person in the town. She was the eldest child of Micah Harthan, and was born in Lancaster in 1763, where she resided for eighteen years, then resided in Shrewsbury five years, afterwards in Boylston twenty-two years, and during the remainder of her life her residence was in West Boylston. It is a remarkable circumstance that during the first sixty years of her life she was a resident of all the four towns named, and never changed her place of abode. She died in the fall of 1858, aged nearly ninety-six years.

" Anthony Taylor, son of Eleazer Taylor, of Boylston, was born in 1749, came to West Boylston in 1808 and lived here until his death, in 1819. He was a large, stout-built man, and supposed by his cotemporaries not to be surpassed in muscular strength by any man in New England. In early life he performed several extraordinary feats, the relation of which might seem to challenge the belief of the most credulous. Yet, the credibility of those persons who witnessed and have given an account of these wonderful exhibitions of power and strength manifested and put forth by this man, render it quite certain that nothing more than the truth has been related about his great strength. One instance of his extraordinary muscular power was given while he was serving with the army at Cambridge in 1775. Approaching a field-piece, he lifted it from the ground and would have put it on his shoulder had not others interfered, both to save himself and the cannon from injury. Other accounts relative to his uncommon physical force were often cited and believed by persons of indisputable testimony." Had this great force of body been directed by a like force of mind, wc should, no doubt, have now been able to record the history of a remarkable personage ; but we find in the records of the town for the year 1809 that the town voted "to put up at auction the town's poor, to be taken by the lowest l)idder," and " Anthony Taylor was bid off' by .lonathan Plympton at one dollar and three cents per week." In 1818 the price paid to Aaron Goodale was two dollars per week. Thelast yearof his life Anthony Taylor, with six other paupers, were all bid oflT by '' Jacob Hinds, to be cared for, for the year ensuing, for the sum of two hundred and sixty dollars," which sum was " to include clothing and nursing," and was not " to be reduced if any of the number should die before the year's end." This practice of " auctioning off'" the town's poor was followed for several years later, but for the past fifty years other and less annoying methods of arranging for their care has prevailed. Samuel Whitney is believed by his descendants to have been the first white man th.at lived on the territory of what is now West Boylston. He certainly came here alone from Lexington, Mass., early in the last century, and made an opening in the northwest part ofthe town, on lands which, for several generations, have been owned and occupied by descendants of his, the Masons. He came here with only a dog for a companion, and using a great hollow log as the main part of his house, lived here alone for four years, excepting in the winter seasons, when he returned to his family at Lexington. He was sometimes visited by Indian neighbors, but never had any trouble with them. After being here two years, early one fall morning be imagined he could hear a voice calling pig ! pig ! and was so impressed by it that he took his dog and gun and, crossing the Quinnepoxet River and following a southerly course about two miles, found another white man, a Lovell, who had been living

After living on his clearing alone tour years, Mr. Whitney brought his family to the ])lace and settled down for a permanent home. They had three daughters to afterwards grow up and marry, the first one to a Thomas, the second to a Whittaker, the third to a Mason, the descendants of the last living on the same spot up to the present time.

The EARTHiiUAKE. - The Great Earthquake, as it has been termed, happened late in the evening of November 18, 1755, and as it left its only traces within the limits of this town, it can be claimed as exclu.sively local, even although at the time of its occurrence the territory where its effects are, and long will be visible, was within the limits of Holden, and before that town's incorporation, of "Worcester. "At the time of its occurrence it produced great commotion, alarm and consternation. Dwelling-houses were shaken so severely as to cause kettles and other things to rattle and make much noise, plates and other articles were thrown from shelves, and people who had retired found their beds rocking like cradles." Soon afterwards it was discovered that a large piece of land of some acres in extent, situated in the northwest part of this town (then Holden), had sunk several feet ; an acre or more seems to have sunk from forty to seventy-five feet. Some accounts of the occurrence, which have been heretofore given, say " that trees and stumps were split, parts of which were found at opposite sides of the opening." A visit to the spot at the present day will give the visitor a good idea of what happened, with the extent of the convulsion. The location is on the banks of the (iuinnepoxet River, about forty rods above the mills of S. R. Warfield. and near to Holden line. At this point there was a high blurt' of from fifty to eighty feet high rising from the river's bank. The opening, as now seen, is but a few feet above the river's bed, but on its other side, being somewhat oval in shape, it rises abruptly in many places at least seventy feet, being as steep as the earth would naturally fall. These banks are now covered by a growth of trees of large size. A road has been made down one side of this opening, and a good growth of grass is cut in the pit each year. This earthquake was felt over a large extent of territory, from Chesapeake Bay to Halifax, but this was the only location where any of its ert'ects were so fully manifested. It ha|)pened in the same month and year with the terrible convulsion which destroyed a large portion of the city of Lisbon in Portugal. The year following this earthquake a terrible sickness raged in this vicinity, which, at the time, was attributed to this convulsion. It was confined mostly to young people and children, a large number of whom died.

some of our present citizens remember as recalling its severity. It was remarkable for the great depth of snow, and the severe cold which continued for several months, or from November until near the 1st of April. Snow had fallen early in November before the ground had frozen, and all the succeeding storms were of snow, no rain falling for a period of over five months. Towards the last of December a snow-storm commenced and lasted several days, covering rocks, fences and buildings to such an extent that no roads were opened for several weeks. No teams were used, wood for fires was cut from day to day and transported on hand-sleds, by men and boys wearing snow-shoes. Thi.^, too, was the only mode of communication between neighbors, when any heavy articles were moved; all grain to and from the mills was taken in this way - in fact, all travel was limited to snow-shoes and hand-sleds as the means of passing from one point to another.

This great accumulation of snow remained about two months, when, the weather moderating somewhat, it began to settle and eventually all vanished without any fall of rain, leaving the ground warm and dry, ready for cultivation. No records appear that give any indication that the season following was in any way a remarkable one, but, on the 19th of the following May, we have an account of a remarkable phenomenon recalled as " The Dark Day." Early in the morning of that day the atmosphere had the appearance of being filled with a dense fog of yellowish hue, rolling about in large masses, constantly rising and moving along. It was so dark at midday that it was necessary to use lighted candles while people ate their dinners. So strange and novel was the appearance on that day that many were struck with consternation, and nearly all work and business came to a standstill. The night following was an uncommonly dark one, but nothing unusual followed this phenomenon, after that one day and night.

On September 23. 1815, occurred what has been termed the " Great Blow," which proved very destructive in this vicinity, causing great damage to fruit and forest trees, buildings aud fences. Fruit of all kinds was nearly all blown from the trees, while large numbers of fruit and forest trees were uprooted and destroyed. Traces of this tempest are to be seen to this day, where large trees were uprooted. It was undoubtedly the most des ructive tornado which has occurred in New England since its settlement by white men, as it extended over a large portion of it.

About fourteen years since a whirlwind or tornado, starting in the southwest part of this county, swept through this town with great force, leaving a path of only a few feet in width, tearing up, twisting and breaking all trees in its course, several of which were of large size. P^ortunately, no persons and only two buildings were in its path, and the buildings were only struck on one side. After passing through this.

In 1790 there were four families within the limits of what is now West Boylston, and all living in the same neighborhood, whose children, in the aggregate, numbered forty-five, all of whom, with two exceptions, lived to mature life, were married and had from five to ten children each.

On the farm of the late Addison Lovell, on Maiden Hill, is an apple tree grown from a twig, which, with others, was bound to the yoke of a pair of oxen which came with the first Lovell to this spot, as its fir.st settler, over one hundred and fifty years ago The tree is still in a bearing condition.

The location of the two old grants of land made by the Colonial authorities, more than two hundred years ago, were located as follows, it being understood that, owing to the imperfect compasses used in former times, as well as the taking of difficult measurements and the disappearance of the marked boundaries, an exact location cannot be now given of these tracts of land.

Davenport Farm. - This was a tract of land of six hundred acres, granted to Capt. Richard Daven- I)ort in 1658, who was at that time in the military employment of the government, and was afterwards killed by lightning at a fort in Boston harbor. This tract was a right-angled triangular shaped lot, with its longest line extending nearly east and west on the old south line of Lancaster, about two miles, with its western end somewhere between our present stone bridge and the central bridge, and with its two shorter lines, of about four hundred and forty and four hundred and seventy rods, meeting near the present boundaries of Boylston and West Boylston, and showing that this tract covered all of the large intervale farms on the Nashua River, beginning at the west end, with the old Beaman farm, in this town, and extending easterly over the intervening farms, with the old Davenport farms, in Boylston, at its eastern extremity. After-surveys of this tract showed that it contained nearly nine hundred acres.

Malden Farm. - This was a tract granted to the town of Maiden in 1665, of one thousand acres. This tract was about two miles long, two hundred and twelve rods wide at its northerly and three hundred and seventy rods at its southerly end. The tract was afterwards about equally divided from south to north by a line running on the present boundary line between Boylston and West Boylston, commencing at the corner of Shrewsbury and running northerly, over Wellington or Bond's Hill, to the first angle on the old Dunton farm, thus showing that this tract was located, one-half in the present town of Boylston, the other half in West Boylston, with a corner at its southwest angle extending into Worcester.

In looking back, at this day, to the time when these two tracts were located, with the idea that at that time both must have been in a complete wilderness, it seems wonderful that they should prove to be the best land in the region of their location. The Davenport tract covers wliat has proved to be intervale land, second to none in the State, except perhaps the Deerfield meadows.

The Maiden grant, too, covers some of the be.st upland and meadow farms in this town and Boylston, both showing that the men and explorers who located these tracts were men whose instincts and sound judgments were strong ones.