Phillipston Town

Phillipston Town

The town of Phillipston is located in the northwestern part of the county and is bounded as follows: On the north by Royalston ; east by Templeion ; south by Petersham, and west by Petersham and Athol.

The precinct was incorporated February 15, 1774, and March 22d of the same year the first meeting was held, and the following officers elected :

The little municipality remained a precinct until October 20, 1786, when it was incorporated as a town, receiving the name of "Gerry," in honor of Hon.

The first town-meeting was held January 16, 1787, and the following officers were chosen : Town Clerk, Charles Baker; Selectmen, Charles Baker, Joel Grout, Simon Goddard ; Wardens, John Wheeler and Joseph White; Tithing-men, Jotham Bigelow and Ezra Hudson.

The town was formed from portions of Athol and Templeton. It retained the name of Gerry until 1814, when it was changed to Phillipston, in honor of Lieutenant-Governor William Phillips. This town was strong in its opposition to the War of 1812, and the Hon. Elbridge Gerry having incurred the ill will of the people in Gerry in consequence of his political action, a town-meeting was lield January 18, 1814, and a petition sent to the General Court, asking that the name of the town might be changed. In this petition the policy of the government was called a "mad policy," and Mr. Gerry came in for a full share of denunciation. He was styled as one " who is reputedly hostile to the ministers and ordinances of religion." Furthermore, " they were never admirers of the moral or political character of the Gentleman whose name they bear;" "they were under no obligation to that Gentleman for any favor," and they asked that they might " be exonerated from the name." Ignatius Goulding was moderator of this town-meeting and Nahum Ward clerk.

The War of the Revolution found the precinct small in population, but generous in its support of the colonial cause. The following were in the service from this town :

The Jones family was prominently identified with the early history of the town, James Jones being one of the original proprietors. Jonathan Jones, father of Nahum, settled here in 1770, and was a leading

Ithamar Ward was also a prominent and highly respected citizen. He was a son of Gen. Artemas Ward, of the Revolution. He came to the town in 1778, and remained here until his death, in 1828.

The town early manifested an interest in religious matters, and at a meeting held March 11, 1777, it was voted to raise ten pounds to be laid out in preaching, and also voted that preaching should be half at Capt. Baker's and half at Mr. Berzeliel Maynard's. May 27, 1778, a committee was chosen "to look out a convenient spot for to set a meeting-house on."

Enoch Sawtell gave the ground for the first meeting-house, and at a meeting held January 18, 1779, it was voted to build a meeting-house fifty feet long and forty feet wide, and six hundred dollars was voted for the purpose. March 8th of the same year it was voted to raise one hundred pounds for preaching, and in the following June two hundred pounds more were voted for the same purpose, but it was not until November 16, 1785, that a church was formed. This was the Congregational Church, and the first pastor was Rev. Ebenezer Tucker, ordained November 5, 1788. The meeting-house was remodeled in 1838.

The Methodists commenced holding meetings in this town in about 1830. A church was subsequently organized, and a building erected in 1849. The first minister w;is Rev. G. Brown.

As early as 1790 the town took action in regard to schools, and in that year it was voted to build three school-houses and to raise £40 for school purposes.

Among the college graduates from Phillipston are mentioned, - John M. Cheney, Oliver P. Powers, Jeremiah L. Newton, Edward P. Baker, Frederick Sanderson, Julius Sanderson, W. H. Bowker and Artemas Z. Brown.

The Phillips Public Library was founded in 1860 through the liberality of Jonathan Phillips, of Boston, who bequeathed five thousand dollars. For this purpose Silas Siarr also left a legacy to the town, consisting of twenty shares in the Elliot Bank of Boston and twenty shares in the Rollstone Bank of Fitchburg.

Upon the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, Phillipston responded promptly to the call for troops, and during the war furnished sixty-eight men. Of this number, nine lost their lives iq the service, and a monument has been erected to their memory bearing the following names : V. Piper, Twenty-first Massachusetts Regiment, Company A ; Thomas H. Carruth, Fourteenth New Hampshire Regiment, Company A ; J. H. Lamb, Fifty-third Massachusetts Regiment, Company H ; C. M. Buxton, Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment, Company H ; J. M. Newton, Thirtieth Massachusetts Regi-

The first action of the town relative to the war was under date of May 2, 1861, when it was, - " Besolved, 1. That ahhough our town is small in territory and population, . . . yet we will make every efl'ort to raise volunteers, and will furnish to each volunteer heing a citizen of Phillipston a suitable uniform, not exceeding in cost §25."

It was also voted to pay each volunteer enough in addition to amount paid by the government to make the sum of one dollar per day, and also to pay each volunteer fifty cents for every half day that they may drill under the authorities legally constituted for that purpose, etc. Two thousand dollars was voted for this purpose.

Other votes of the town for furnishing men and money show that the patriotic people of Phillipston were in the front rank among her sister towns in their efforts to crush out rebellion. Her record is an honorable one.

Among the men who have been prominently identified with the town in the present century may be mentioned Hon. Jason Goulding, son of Colonel Ignatius Goulding, Edward Powers, Courtland Sanderson and others. Jason Goulding was Senator in 1846 and 1847, and member of the Constitutional Convention in 1853.

Colonel Ignatius Goulding, mentioned above, was a prominent citizen and a manufacturer. In company with Samuel Damon, of Holden, he carried on the manufacture of cotton and woolen goods in the eastern part of the town.