West Rutland, Massachusetts

Demoad Pond, about one and one-half miles southwest of the centre, is a fine sheet of water, only about half as large as " Muschopauge," but possessing the same qualities. Long Pond, near the village of West Rutland, is about two miles long, is quite narrow, more resembling a river than a pond, is fed by springs and the water from Deraond Pond, by Buck Brook, and is a reservoir for mills and factories. Moulton Pond or reservoir, one-half mile north of the centre, covers what was formerly called the " Ministry," or Captain King meadow, and meadowland owned by A. H. Miles. It affords a good waterpower, and abounds in pickerel, which are caught in great abundance through the ice every winter. The larger portion of Rutland being so elevated, there is but one river, the East Branch of the Ware, flowing through the town. This river has its source on the west side of Wachusett Mountain in Princeton.

Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.

The late Wm. J. Stearns, of West Rutland, who died Decemlier 27, 1887, was a son of Adolphus and Nancy Stearns, born in Holden, September 3, 1837, and was a feeble child, the youngest of ten children. He received his education in the public schools of the town; was married to Ellen M. Moore, of the same town, November 14, 1858. At this time he was in a mill at Oakdale, iu charge of the weave-room ; came to UnioQville, in Holden, soon after and worked for Chandler Pratt in the same capacity until the mill closed ; then went to Worcester and worked for Washburn & Moen in wire-mill. He came back to Union ville and commenced to manufacture hoop-skirt tape on his own account. Made a good article and was successful, but through the treachery of a friend, had to abandon the business. After this he began to peddle tea and spices, which business he followed until June 27, 1871. His natural inclination leading him again to engage in manufacturing, he moved to Oakdale and manufactured cotton batting and bedcomforters, which he continued to do until the lOth of the following May ; he then moved to Tatnuck, where he engaged in the same business, when in the fall of 1872 the mill was robbed and burned. He soon after, in 1873, bought what was known as the Woodis Mill in West Rutland and again started the business of making bed-comforters and cotton batting, making about twenty-four comforters per day and furnishing cotton batting to adjoining towns. He continued this business about two years, when his mill and house were burned April 29, 1876. He set immediately to work and built a much larger and better mill on another privilege, a few rods farther up the stream, when he commenced the manufacture of satinets, ruuning one set of machinery, employing about fifty hands. This was successfully carried on until 18S2, when the mill was destroyed by fire. This unexpected calamity would have daunted the courage of most men ; but, with his natural determination to rise above every obstacle that came in the way of his ambition, he set himself to work to secure the assistance of some friend in this emergency, and such a friend was found in the person of N. A. Lombard, of Worcester, through whose kindly aid he was enabled to build, in 188-1, a mill of double the capacity of the former, which has subsequently been added to and improved, in which two sets of machinery are operated, and nearly one hundred hands are employed. The mill has been kept running day and night a larger portion of the time, to fill the orders. Mr. Stearns, since his last start iu business, has built a large tenement-house, store and market, purchased and improved several estates, among others his own elegant house, and altogether owning more than onehalf of the village of West Rutland. Although a very heavy man, weighing more than two hundred and fifty pounds, yet he was very active and delighted in driving a good horse. Mr- Stearns was a man of public spirit, always interested in the welfare of the town, and always favored every enterprise that would tend to promote the public good. He was in every sense of the word a progressive man. He was a kind husband, an indulgent father, being very fond of children. His widow and son, Frederick B. Stearns, continue in the business.

Passage source: History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men., published 1889.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Rutland Town.