/v*v %-tfv v^v v^ ■ FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM n\ I)h>. J. C. (jALIJSON COPYRIGHTED Reprinted 1904 with slight revision and additional pictures from an article in the NEW ENGLAND MAGAZINE November 1^09 RRAN KLIN S E N T [NEl P R R S s I904 KIM. PHILIPS POND. FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. By Dr. /. ( '. Gallison. I< ) \ I . \ ears before t lie w hite man came t<> the shores of New England, the wild I ndians 1 1 1 imed i he f< irests in <-\ m direct ion. Naturally they followed the large streams which to them were the great thoi ough fares. < Occasional 1 \ sh< mi ciii g < ir carries were formed from one w ater >\ stem i o anot her. These \\ ere the great Indian trails of New Eng- land. One \ en fam< ms example was t he sin 'i i cut from Narragansel I I '>;i \ to the ( iharles Rn er al •• \\w er End " and Populatic Pond. Midway be- tween M "ii 11 1 Hope in Rhode Island ,i nd the < Ihurles Ri ver is n group of beautiful | >i mds, now within the con fines of Wrentham and Franklin. This was t he fa v orite resort of the I n- dians who ack'.iowledged allegiance to M assasi tit and later to his son and successor, the famous Kins Pliilii>. To this region they had given the name Wollomonopoag. Around these ponds were grouped wigwams, and here fields were cult ivated in I he abo- riginal way. In recent da} r s it is no unusual thing for the ploughshare to i urn up arrowheads and stone imple- ments of various kinds. King Philip's Pond and Wollomonopoag are in Wrentham ; i he beautiful I Incas, in Franklin. These ponds, while form- ing a favorite dwelling-place, were of greal strategic importance to the sav- ages. A short journey to the no] t h- east brought them to Populatic or Pabbulat i uk Pond, \\ Inch i-> a nine w idening out of < lharles River, w here ii seems to end its do\vn\t ard journe} from Mendon to 1 he sea. From this point up t he st ream the} could easil y reach Mendon and the Blackstone \ a I lr\ . or so down tin- stream to FRANKLIN AND WRhNTHAM. Medtield, Sherborn, Watertown and tidewater. A short journey south- ward brought them to Taunton and the Old Colony shore. The coming of the white man dis- turbed all this, and his encroachments were watched with suspicious eyes. A few short years from the historic landing at Plymouth found the tide of hardy pioneers sweeping up the ( lharles River and finding its way into the lesser streams, or availing itself of the convenient Indian trails, sur- 2, 1085, ordering " that there shall be a plantation settled about two miles above the falls of Charles River, on the northeast side thereof, to have ground lying to it on both sides of the river, both upland and meadow, to be laid out hereafter as the court shall direct.'" This court held a session the next year, September 8, 1636, and it was -Ordered that the plantation to be settled above the falls of Charles River shall have three years' immun- ity from public charges, to be ac- LAKE WOh LO JION OPO AG . prising the primitive inhabitants in their forest strongholds. -Welcome, Englishmen," said Samoset : and Massasoit said it after him. Yet the wily old chieftain, as well as his son, believed himself powerful enough to wipe out the intruders at a moment's notice. Fifteen years only after the Mayfioiver landed her precious living freight upon Plymouth Rock, five years after the settlement of Boston, we find the adventurous spirits in -court" at •'Newtowne" September counted from the first day of May next, and the name of said plantation is to be Deddham, to enjoy all that land on the southerly and easterly sides of Charles River not formerly granted to any town or particular person, and also to have five miles square on the other side of the river." This large grant of territory included what now forms thirteen towns and parts of four others. From this gen- ealogical line came Wrentham and Franklin. I R Wkl IN \\l i \\ REN I II \W 5 I )t'illi;ilu w n s duly settled and grew apace until i h e y ea r I GOO came, and with it adventurous spir- its d e s i ro us of pushi n g to the westward several miles, w here near some ponds valu- able metals were rumored to exist. So mi a •• led ure- 'l,i y " f o u r men were senl oul "to view the lands. both upland ami hi eadow, near ,N " IAN ,: "' ' aboul the ponds by George Indian's Their names were Anthony Fisher, wigwam, and make report of what Sargent Ellis, Robert Ware, James the} find to the selectmen in the first Thorp, Isaac Milliard, Samuel Fisher, opportunity they can take." Other Samuel Parker, John Farrington, men were added to the party, with llalph Freeman and Sargent Stevens, full powers to treat with the Indians "all good Franklin and Wrentham for their rights to the soil. Soon after names to this day." at leas! ten men more had gone to In 1662 Philip succeeded to the hreal\ ground in Wollomonopoag. headship of the tribe of the Wain w III \ i a \ M i "M WON. FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. panoags, and perhaps to collect the means for his projected war upon the settlements he was ready to drive sharp bargains for his hinds. So the men from Dedham succeeded in se- curing- a deed of Wollomonopoag five miles square. The succeeding half dozen years were devoted by the set- tlers to subduing the forests, clearing fields for grain and grass, watching their savage neighbors, and fighting the wild animals. By Philip these cal " George Indian " whose wigwam in 1H62 was at Wollomonopoag. She disposed of her ten acre farm in ex- change for lands in what is now Franklin, near Uncas Pond, thus be- coming the first settler of Franklin territory. This trade being perfected, a messenger soon after comes to Ded- ham to say that the irrepressible Philip is in threatening mood at Wol- lomonopoag, and has other lands to sell. These are '• ticklish times, and PAKI.OU — I) KAN ACADEMY. years were improved in perfecting the preparations for his uprising against the white man. Confident in his su- perior strength, he was willing to sell vast tracts of land for trifling sums, believing himself and his forces to be able to secure both price and lands at one fell swoop. In 1668, at a town meeting in Dedham, a messenger from King Philip appears. It is a squaw this time who does the "big talk," although accompanied by her son John and brother George, the identi- Timothy Dwiglit is hurried to Wol- lomonopoag to buy up whatever lands he may have to offer." Although Dedham had, through Capt. Willett, paid Philip in the year 1GG2 for all his right and title in the land at Wol- lomonopoag, now, in 1669, the wily old chief lays claims to lands within his former ceding, and dictates the following letter: "Philip sachem to Major Lusher and Lieutenant Fisher, Gentlemen Sirs — Thes are to desire you to send FRANKI IN \\l i WRENTH WV FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. me a holland .short by this indian, the which attthe present I much want, and in consideration where- of I shall satisfie you to content, for I in- tend to meet with you at Wollomonupouge, that we may treat about a tract of land. I pray fail not to send me a good holland shurt by the bearer hereof, for I intend next week to be at plimouth court, and I want a good shurt to goe in. I shall not further trouble you at pres- ent, but subscribe myself your friend, Philip sachem's 1' mark. Mount Hop, y e twenty-fifth May Kit')!*/' It is to be hoped that the "hol- land shurt" was sent and that the dusky sagamore made a- dashing ap- pearance therein at Plymouth court. HHHHHHHHHi MILTON M. FISIIKK. years the conspiracy of Philip was ripen- ing, and in February, 1675, ( ). S., his war- riors dashed upon the frontier towns from S w a n s e a to 1 1 ad ley. Lancaster meets its doom, and Med Held is in smoke and ruins. Wollo- monopoag lies in the Indians' path from Medtield to Mount Hope. News travels slowly, but it reach- es the settlements, and women and children are hurried to Dedham. By the last of March the settlement was deserted and left to the mercy of the prowling foe. All buildings were burned but two. The settlers were alerc and vengeful. A bloody encounter took place at In- dian Roclc. now a historic spot in Franklin. Traditions of this battle IIKAX ACADEMY- IiKOEI'TION liooM. In 1673 there were sixteen families are yet cherished by the old inhab- only in the settlement of Wollomon- itants. "The essential facts are that opoag, many having returned dis- a man named Rocket found a trail of CQuraged to Dedham. During these forty-two Indians.which he cautiously FRANKLIN AND WREN III \\\. 9 followed until night, when he saw road crosses the Charles River at them laid down to sleep. He mus- Rockville in the present Millis; and tered n dozen resolute men, under vn\ soon settlers from Medfield or Captain Robert Ware, and before "Boggestow" spread themselves in daylight the little band was posted the territory of the future Franklin. within eyesight of the sleeping sav- Wrentham, ''dear, delightful, pro- ages, ready to salute them as soon as saic Wrentham ! " No better example the) awaked. It was n sharp and of the old-fashioned New England vil- anxiou-t \\ itch, for the Indians were lage existed than Wrentham previous 1: thin two tn one <>( the white t" the advenl of the .steam railway. 11. I'. 'tween daylight ami sunrise The iron horse, so rapturously wel- tiie Inli 1:1- aro::e almost together, corned by Wren thamites, was, like the when at a preconcerted signal each wooden horse of the enemies of an- waiting musket sent it> bullet to its cient Troy, pregnant with lues to the m irk. 1 ' The su Idenness of the attack reiornins deities of tin' delisrhtful old FIiAXKM.N l>l \ N \> \IU-M\ 1 <>\\ 1 1; IN CKXTKI s 1 confused the [ndians who escaped town, who fled to the wilds at the the first shot that they rushed and sound of the firsl screeching whistle 1 Mped down a steep precipice of the I 1 1' the MllUilV flelld. lleYer to letUIII. rich, where, maimed and lamed by The dreamy little village is slowl} the tall, they speedily became victims awakening from its century of sleep. of the quick and steads aim iif 1 lie and putting mi the airs of a modern whites. One or twi 1\ escaped to town. This is gain to the mercantile tell t he fate of their comrades. and material interests, but as positive Wollomonopoag was incorporated destruction in the poetical ami pas the 17th of October, L673, and given toral. Previous i" the Rip Van the name ,f the old English town Winkle awakening South Street was Wrentham, whence some of the lam a delightful vista, with its generous dies came. In 1684 a petition for a width, stretching awaj Eormiles,o> road was granted ami the road made arched by grand old elms and bor- f l' 'in Wrentham to Medfield, This dered by mansions placed well hack 10 FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. NATHANIEL EMMONS. from the street, each with its large expanse of well-kept lawn and field. Wide verandas gave a comfortable, sleepy air to the houses of such generous proportions, remind- ing one of retired capitalists half dozing away the dreamy afternoons in reclining chairs, with their broad-brimmed hats drawn down over their eyes, scanning the passing show with languid interest. The tempta- tion to the weary traveler to eider the well-kept grounds and fall asleep in the inviting shade was almost irresistible. The dusty old stage coach, jogging along the wide avenue twice each day with its sleepy freight, seemed an integral part of the scene. Now the rail- way fiend, with its screeching whistle, sends idlers hurrying along the dusty way, while the ancient coach is rapidly going to destruction beneath a decay- ing shed. George's Park, with Lake Pearl, or Lake Wollomonopoag, as it rightfully should be called, is a beautiful spot. Nature has lavishly bestowed upon it grove and glen, stream and in- let, shining water and dark shore. Here thousands of pleasure-seekers find each sea- son recreation and health with sweet relief from glaring walls and heated streets. The shores of King I'hilip's Pond and Wol- lomonopoag are lined with sum- mer cottages, which during the season are filled by hundreds of excursionists, bicyclists and amusement seekers — all this upon the identical ground where King Philip once lived and reigned. The manufacture of straw goods is closely identified with Wrentham and Franklin. in fact, this industry was started in Wren- tham about a bundled years ago. ^-<*B^. %\ these merous trams canvassed the country quick-witted women,and boxes of them collecting braid, which at the factories sold in Providence and later in New was converted into bonnets and sent York. In the summer of 1799 sev- to the great cities. Fishei and l>a\ eral Providence girls came to a board- ol Wrentham were pioneers in this chool in Massachusetts, wearing industry. In Franklin the well-known these home-made bonnets. They house "i Thayer was established in created great excitement among the 1810. This was subsequently con- women "| the community. One of tinued l>\ Major l>a\is Thayer, nnd these girls, Sall\ Richmond, came to later l>\ his sons, Emen and Davis scl 1 in Wrentham. She taught Thayer, Jr., whose well-known fac- several women the secret of strav toi'3 was until recently in active braiding, It became immensely pop- operation upon the ancient site. 12 FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. im THE LITTLE IilUCK SCHOOLHOUSH. In 1719, the town of Wrentliam having grown steadily, thirteen fam- ilies were setoff to Bellingham. This bred discontent among the overflow from " Bosfffestow," or Med Held to the future Franklin. Nineteen fami- lies formed the nucleus of the new town. After a prolonged struggle through many years of acrimonious debate, plots and counterplots be- tween the two precincts of Wren- tliam, the " State of Massachusetts Bay"' in the year 1778 passed, "an Act incorporating the westerly part of the town of Wrentliam, in the County of Suffolk, into a town by the n line of Franklin." The stout old Jabez Fisher, who was perhaps the leading moving spirit, was by the act authorized and required to issue his warrant to one of the principal inhab- itants of said town of Franklin, "au- Ihoiizing and requiring him to Noti- fie and warn the Freeholders and other in] abitants of said Town to meet together at such time and place w a I'- ll'. MAUY 8 -CHUB II, SITE OF THE NATHANIEL CHURCH. THE HORACE MANN SCHOOL. as shall be expressed in said rant." In the original draft of the charter the new town is called Exeter. Again the stalwart hand of -Jabez '' Fisher, he being chairman of the committee having the matter in charge, is thought t ) be seen erasing Exeter and writing Franklin in- stead. This compliment to the distinguished statesman was duly appreciated and was the inspiration of his sending instructions to his friend Dr. Price of London to make a selection of books to be sent to his new name- sake in Massachusetts, as the nucleus of a library for the infant town. This gift originally one hundred and FRANK! IN \\l ) \\ REN I ll \\\ i 5 ;*"« i III i ONGHI '.A I m\ \l. cm i.( ii. sixteen volumes is care- fully presei ved in i lie j * 1 1 1 »— lie library of Franklin, vvnieli now contains over five thousand vol nine-. - A massive and elegant new library building is in process of construction as a memorial to the late Joseph < '<■ Ray, 1 he gift of hi- daughters, L;\ dia I'. I>'a\ and M vs. A nnie Ra \ Tha \ er. When completed il will -land in >t nil! \ as the mi >n Liment of a lamented and public-spirited cil izen, but as the permanenl and fitting memo- location al this point is hard to find, rial of a historic library which is per- for no water power is here to run a haps the oldesl on record in New sawmill or a gristmill. No especial England. The building in its arch i- fertility of soil, no granite quarries tecture and appointments will he all nor mines rich in precious metals, if that could be wished, and will he a we except the recently discovered delight to the eye and an inspiration gold mine. (?) Possibly it was bc- to the mind. cause of the restlessness of the settlers .hist where the road from Dedham of Wrentham North Precinct, and in tii Woonsockel crosses the old stage answer to their demands for a sep- route from Taunton to Worcester is irate existence and church, that the !■ ranklin Village. The reason for it- •' suvvair from Medfield and chainmen I rom I >edham " found the exacl geo- metrical centre of the precinct in I >arius Morse's mud-pond, -w here the church shall short ly lie." A i ain rate, the he nit if ul \ ii lage is in e\ idence to- day as t he home of a t hriving, bust- ling community, proud of its past his- tory and of its present prosperit}', located upon t he highest ground of Norfolk ( "iint v. fanned l,\ t he health- iest breezes of the State. From its heights t he <\ e s\\ eeps from Mount Wachuset t in Princeton to Milton's blue hills, and far down over the Rhode Island line into t he count i\ of King Philip. Tins is the ground where Pilgrim and Wampanoag ■ i i 'ni imi - M, •• iei >. i ii . p ,, i, ., Ins 1 1"- i i -. unci I •! Pi i. ■■• - reply, are ph pii in ■I" \| |)om!ij( Dr. Kiiiin ma nl I ranklin preached .i ernn :omn i>| i lie houni v . and the »n was |>i I in 1781 Nlnetj ol n ne nun- I anil sixteen \ oluinea are Bl hi hi the Kranklln i in moni'MKNI i" \ \ i ii \ \ 1 1 i i \i M'in- i rary. 14 FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. struggled for supremacy, beautifully situated and abounding in Indian legend and dark and bloody battle- ground. Midway between Boston and Providence, on the main line of the old Norfolk County Railroad, with branches on the one hand to Provi- dence, on the other to Milford and the Boston & Albany Railroad at Ash- land, Franklin occupies a most favor- able situation for development and future prosperity. It becomes a nat- ural centre for all the region round about it, and easily leads in material growth. Having already pass'ed through that period of transition from the typical New England village, kk with its proneness to quiet and com- fortable ease, its conservatism and quality," to that of a thriving, ener- getic modern town, with all the recent advances in the lines of superior schools, good streets and roads, well kept sidewalks and beautiful lawns, abundant water supply, and the mani- fold blessings of electricity, the an- cient town is keenly alive to all that is progressive and desirable in resi- dential and industrial directions. OLIVER DKAX. FR Wkl l\ \\h WREN I H \\\ »5 \ historic figure stands out more quail star! out from the bushes on one distinctly in the annals of the New side of the road; verj soon another England churches than the famous starts from the opposite side. Think- divine, Dr. Nathaniel Emmons of ing wliai if I can catch both of them, franklin. His quaint, antique dress, I crept softly toward them and cocked hat, knee breeches, silken hose clapped m\ three-cornered ha! over and shoe buckles belonged as distinct- the pair." Encouraged by this omen ively i" the dress of ;i former genera- he hastens onward, and soon arrives ii hi as did his austere, inflexible, im- al the scei t his labors. Sunday answerable arguments to their theol- morning he goes to the primitive ogy. lie was in a manner the con- little building among the pitch pines, necting link between a gloomy pas! wondering where his congregation <>! lie dawn of .1 more cheerful day. bellicose parlies is to come from, with The traditions of the town are filled not a building in sight, with anecdotes and reminiscences of During his entire encumbency he his day and generation.* Many of the was never a dictator, but can in I the j : : : • 1 \ M 1 - r. UAV. 1 1; \ m 1- a. KAY. JOSEPH G. KAY. narratives are of doubtful parentage, public mind by his clear and convinc- but all go to make up the popular es- ing logic. He sharpened the intel- timate of the man. lects of his people and made them In 1 7' iT a small young man with a alert, discriminating 1 1 linkers, ha \ ing thin voice and somewhat bashful man- settled opinions of theii own. lb- ner, receiving n reques! to preach in ruled, therefore, only by moving in the Second Precinct of VVrentham the line of their own intelligent con- I I' 1 mklin), journeys to the scene of victions. They knew him to be sim- liis future labors. He has heard of ply following truth, and they had to the long-continued strife in the Pre- follow his guidance, because he justi- cinct, and is well aware thai two vig- Red every step of the way. Twice oroua parties are there striving for during his ministry, discouraged mastery. Regarding himself as hold- with his apparently fruitless labors, iii!_ r positive opinions of his own, he he asked a dismission, which his peo- has little hope thai he can heal the Dr each. Traveling thither he halts .seearticl •• Nathaniel Earn » and Hathei over night, and he says: •• I saw a Byies," in the new ewqlakp maoaziwj m a>i- iG FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. A FKAXKI.IN STI5EET. pie unanimously declined to grant, morning in June ? Its liigli box pulpit An extensive and powerful revival in and impending sounding-board, hung 17(84, however, marked the end of his by a single iron rod an inch square; discouragements. the two pegs on each side of the pul- One July Sunday, in 1790, Dr. Em- pit window, on one of which hangs mons found his audience inattentive the blue-black cloak, and on the other and sleepy. Suddenly he closed his manuscript with a bang, grasped his three-cornered hat, descended from the high pulpit, and strode rapidly down the broad aisle and out of the church, leaving his awakening con- gregation rubbing their eyes and won- dering \\ hat it all meant. The last service in the old church of Dr. Emmons was held September 28, 1840 ; it was the service over the remains of the venerable doctor, who was ordained sixty-seven years before. The very next day the work of demo- lition was begun, and carpenters were busy with their alterations. Thus the ancient church passed away, to live only in the memory of gray-haired men and women, whose religions instructions were received under its spacious roof. " But what pictures can produce its interior on some pleasant Sunday always the three-cornered clerical hat ; by no means omitting the short, live itKV. WILLIAM IK Wkl IN AM) WRENTH \\\ 17 preacher in the pulpit, with clear, sharp eye, b ild, shining head, small, penetrating voice, and gesture to his manuscript ; 1 he square pew s, too, seated on four sides, with a drop seal across the narrow door, and the si raighl cushion chair in 1 he cenl re for grandmol her, filled ever} one \\ ii li sedate f ices, ovi 1 which white hairs unusually predominate; the long seats hemming the galleries piled with hats againsl the two aisles, which a puff of wind from the porch entries some- times sends scattering down upon the heads below ; the singers' seats filling the fronl gallery opposite the pulpit, in which nol hing bigger t han a pitch- pipe for ye irs dared utter a note ; the boys' seats in tli • southwest elbow of 1 he gal I e ries, ea :li boy with an eye on the tithing man in the opposite cor- ner, while 1 In' 1 »t her eve wanders or 1 III flHS'l STUA\> »DS I \' roit\" IN FRAXKLIN sleeps, and both ears anxiously open to the neighing of horses in the sheds and 1I1 ■ twil ter of 1 he birds in 1 he Loinbn I'd y poplars near by." The pitch-pipe, it is said, held sway for years, until the march of alleged improvements in music at length overpower id the little minister's de- cided object ions, and a bass viol \\ as duly installed v\ here the pitch-pipe had reigned supreme. 1 1 is also said 1 hat t he doughty dh ine on the da} of 1 he im rodud ion 1 if 1 lie s iol, diplomat- icall y bending befon t that he AMU l; I 0. RICHARDSON. oould not turn aside, somew hat crust- ily prefaced his morning hymn by saying : " The choir will fiddle and sing the — tit hymn !" The pitch-pipe and base viol quarrel was but the later echo of the musical strife neai I y one hundred years before,when after Hindi quarrelling it was voted by the church "to sing no other t unes than arc Prickt Down in 1 iur former Psalm Bi >oks, and T( 1 Sing Them as They are Prickt down in them as Near as they can.'* Joseph Whiting w as to set the t unes in the church, but rebellious Bro- ther David Pond, with a mind and voice of his o\\ n, is duly •• church mauled " for •• striking into a pitch ol 1 lie 1 une on February 1 s . 1 739, in 1 he public w orship, in the for< 11, 1,1 ised above \\ hat was set . 1 he question being put whether the church •• apprehends this our Brot her I ),i vid I 'ond's so doing to be disoi derly," it is decided in I he affirmal i\ e, and David Pond is suspended, and so coiil nine- for thirteen yeai>. w hen he is dul v penitent and tardily Eorgh en. It has been 1 ecorded that "all sang 1 he same part, and with an energy be- gotten of facing norl heasters, felling foresl trees and shouting to bard} FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. oxen winding among their stumps.'" No two sang alike, and the sounds were so grievous to the ears of the people that their distress found a voice in the rebuke to the willful David. Apropos of the old sounding-board, which so long hung, like the sword of Damocles, above the head of the fa- mous divine, it was spirited away to the town of Ashland, where it found a resting place upon the top of a well- house, while the breastwork of the famous pulpit landed in the lecture- room of the Chicago Theological Sem- inary. Doubtless it was supposed to be thoroughly impregnated with the THE BOOKS GIVEN TO THE TOWN OF FRANKLIN BY BENJAMIN IK \N1\I.I\. logic of the sturdy old doctor. A Franklin boy who sat under the preaching of the famous divine gives the following estimate of his charac- ter as a preacher and leader of the people; "There are few ministers living who would feel like putting on the cocked hat or acknowledging themselves big enough to fill out that well-remembered suit of small-clothes. His head was like a battery of thought, sending out startling shocks for limp theologians. No doubt a huge number of ministers would like to succeed in that same way, and would speedily don cocked hat, small- clothes, shoe and knee buckles, if by so doing they could make people wheel into line as the old doctor did. Those .that went of a Sabbath upt > the quain told church found a- minister in it who did his own thinking/* From that high pulpit he tired the solid shot of truth down through (heir heads into their hearts. I lis Sabbath sermons were the sensation of the week. Old farmer; leaned upon their hoe-handles and dis- cussed their meaning with the passers-by. His argu- ments had points that were sharp and bristling, and they stuck. His ar- guments were like ex- press trains, going from premise to conclusion without stopping at way stations. " No one who started with him (accept- ing his premises) on his trains of reasoning ever found himself ticketed for one place and sidetracked at an other." His old ser- mons are models of con- cise reasoning. He made Franklin \ni> w rentham. i., no allowance for shrinkage in the espying myriads of caterpillars' tents terms *' eternal " and "everlasting." upon which the farmer was waging .1 One of his favorite sayings was ; •■ I destructive warfare, said : "Well, Mr. never try to revise the statutes of B., what are you destroying now?" the Almighty." "You say;" retorted llie farmer. Dressed in his quaint fashion, lie •■ 1 1 n ■ \ say von know everything." walked the streets, erect in person, l4 0h, that's the army of the Lord." short in stature, with narrow, s 1 h "Is, hey ' Well, you know Him bet- face, small piercing blue eye, n stern tern I do; you jusl tell Him to keep but pleasant expression, his hands His peskj troops out of m\ orchard." crossed behind him, with his arms In 1840 a beautiful granite monu- resting upon his hips, his step elastic, menl was erected to the memory of but moderately slow, cordially greet- the eminent divine. The idea was ing the young, the middle-aged and conceived by Dr. Waylaud, president old alike. of Brown University, and carried to It i> related that early in the cen- completion by the late Rev. William tury a wonderful mineral spring was M. Thayer. An association was believed to exist in t'ne neighboring formed, and il was voted to erccl the t >\\n of Bellingham. Dr. rhurber monument "on or near the spot win re 1 - the reigning medical authority of the old meeting-house stood, thai spol those days. Visiting the spring, after hallowed 03 his faithful labors of more wise shakings of the head and many than half a century, and thai house mysterious incantations he declared where his voice was heard al its dcdi- that he believed the spring to contain cation, and in which the last services jalap, and thai it was good for " sick- performed were his funeral solemni- ness." The fame of the wonderful ties." This article was made tinall healing waters came to the ears of Dr. able, excepl by unanimous vote of Amnions. Soinewliat impaired in the association. Here the monumenl health, the good doctor al once re- stood, revered and admired by all, paired to the spring, and, following until some strange freak in violation the sage advice of Dr. Thurber, drank of the unalterable provision of the so plentifully of the jalap waters thai constitution of the association re- Ins return j lurnej was a penance long moved the beautiful memorial to the to be remembered. He gave no testi- solitude of the village cemetery, in mials as to the wonderful virtues where il is seldom seen and is nearh of tin' waters of the Bellingham forgotten. spring, Stretching away from Franklin Among the neighbors of Dr. Em- Village toward Wrentham is a beau mons was a shrewd old ^ anke farmer tiful expanse know n .1- Mann's Plain, of sharp wit and limber tongue, thor- Here stands the house in which Hor- oughly impregnated with profanity, ace Mann was born in 1790. The Strange to say, the woitli\ divine old house was of two stories, nearly found much amusemenl inconversing square upon the ground floor, with a with the worldly old farmer, and rambling L running from it al righl < I - ■ 1 1 1 \ enjoyed a brush al wits with angles. A few ice the old his uneducated neighb >r. Riding l>\ homestead became the property of an one day in his famous two-wheeled eccentric man of some means and chaise, he saw his profane friend more architectural vagaries. Toward busily at work in an apple tree. Halt- the blue >l<\ the famous old house ing for a little chat, the "Id doctor, was started, and othej storii 20 FRANKLIN AND WRHNTHAM. I R WKI IN \M I \\ REN 1 MAW 21 added to till t li<- space below. St range decoral ions appeared at all sorts of unexpected angles, while the whole was surmounted by h wonderful creation in the way of a tower. I ts unc( unpleted con- dition bears silent wit ness t< i i lir strange freaks ami de- pleted pocketbook of the baukrupl advenl urer. I (ere I [orace .M inn firsl saw tin' light ,uiil breathed the air of the dear <»1<1 town of \\ hieh in lato\ hood da\ s, which, a j he describes t hem. w ere rendered gloom}' by t he prevailing ail i il a mi isl rigid Calvinistie tlieoh igy. Al- though of a lively tempera- ment, full of fun and up In all sort i of mischief, he led a repressed lite, w hieh bent under t he stern ideal < >l i bose early days. Lett fatherless at an early age, povcrt y com- pelled him to woi k earl v ami late while \ et a mere boy. Industry became second na- i • ii i •• i i'im: point — nisAvi n i'onp. t lire to III ill. •• 1 mleeil. he says, "owing to ingrained habits, ance than individual health or life. work ban always been t<> me what So closely did he apply bimsell that water is to a fish. This compensa- alter barely six months study <>t tion I derive from the rigor of my Latin be was prepared to enter the earl} life." rnheriting a delicate sophomore class of Brown I niver- constitution, his severe labors under- sity. Alter being graduated from mined his physical health, and he college, he fitted himsell for the bar. learned by bitter experience to set Of most brilliant parts, and fast great value upon its possession. He achieving lame ami fortune, he was frequently used to sa} to bis pupils elected to the Massachusetts House and young friends: •• It is a dim to ol Representatives; thence to the be well.'* A great lover of athletic Senate, of which he became presi sports, in lii-> own case he would jus- dent. Becoming secretar} ol the tiiA his transgressions physically l>\ newli formed State Ii .aid "I Educa- saying that the cause to which he tion, he found therein his ideal, and devoted his life was of more import- to it gave his life's best work. Six 22 FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. of the best years of his life were giv- en to developing his ideas of educa- tion, in which he worked with all the energy of a Horace Mann. Elected to Congress to fill the place made vacant by the death, on the floor of the House, of John Quincy Adams, he was a member of Congress at the period of the hottest slavery agita- tion. His opposition to Webster precipitated a battle royal between giants, and although for the moment to become the president of an ob- scure, impoverished Western college in obedience to an ideal, was a cham- pion worthy to meet even Daniel Webster on equal terms. One who knew him well says: "There were in Mr. Mann two directly opposed sides of character ; the lion-like stern- ness and combativeness which he showed toward his enemies or the enemies of the right, and the affec- tionate, tender nature which he DINING BOOM— DEAN ACADEMY— COMMENCEMENT DAY. victory seemed to rest with the Great Expounder, the verdict of posterity has confirmed Horace Mann's judg- ment of the cause. In the shadow of the State House dome the ancient gladiators silently stand side by side. as if still awaiting the verdict of lat- er generations upon their immortal combat. Franklin with pride points to her champion, and claims him as peerless and without reproach. The man who would decline a nomination for the governorship of Massachusetts showed to his family and dearest friends. At times he would plead, melting even to tears ; sometimes turn upon his hearers all his old law- yer's logic, and pour out his wrath in fiery sarcasm. In either case his power was great. His presence, too, was imposing, bis figure tall and slender, swaying with emotion, the dome-like head crowned with silver hair, and the eyes piercing. Memory retains that figure in all its impress- iveness, while others have faded.'* L.ofC. FRANKLIN \Nh \\ I'lA I ! I \ \\ 23 >lui\ are the anecdotes related by ure, and of a generous nose sur- the aged men and women of Franklin mounted by spectacles. Young Hor- concerning the youthful daj's of Hor- ace and bis fellow-conspirators, well ace Mann. The little red school- knowing the habits of Master Hills, house where Horace and bis mates inveigled a lusty shoal into the wnii to school stood at the fork of schoolhouse entr} in the early morn ; the road but n few minutes' walk from then, secreting tbemselves in the ad- the Mann homestead. Two of bis jacenl gra} birches, they awaited de- mosl intimate friends were the " Gil- velopment. The master appeared, in we li >ys," relatives of the famous forced open the door against the sup- writer, ''Edmund Kirk'" (J. II. wil'tl\ more). They were rare companions mil. caught tin' pedagogue astride in mischief and boj'ish games. Among his back and gave him an impromptu 1; 1 wi.i: I'OXD, the famous teachers in the little ride over the dooryard. During the 1 il house w - ■• M ister Hills," a protestations of Lhe hog and the 1111 pedagogue of the olden type, wl jo be- precations oi the amj,i\ pedagogue, lieved in two things implicitly hunting for his spectacles and hat youthful depravity and birch twigs, and wig, the young scamps disap- It is needless to an,) that no love was peared swiftly among the _;ia\ birches wa>ted between master and pupils, and into the solitudes ol Manns 1 1 w as t he custom of Master Hills to Plain. care for his little schoolr 1 himself Franklin Village perpetuates the .1- to fires and sweeping. Ever) fame of her distinguished son by giv- morning at eight o'clock he repaired ing his name to the beautiful high to the schoolr 11 to begin his labors school building. Surely t lore fit- as janitor. He was n man ofdiminu- ting monu nl could be erected to ti\ e siat ne. of highly en iiat- his memon than this beautiful edi- 24 FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. fice, dedicated to the cause of edu- cation and the life work of Horace Mann. Among the names of men forming an integral part of Franklin's life in history none shines with a steadier or more beneficent light than that of Dr. Oliver Dean, founder of the famous Dean Academy. Dr. Dean was born in Franklin in 1783. After receiving his medical degree he practiced a few years in Boston. In 1812 he removed to Medway. After five years' practice there, he broke down in health and abandoned his profession to assume the superin tendency of the Medway cotton mill. For nine years he gave his energies to this industry. This gave him a wide reputation, and in 1826 lie was chosen superintendent of the young Amoskeag Manufacturing Company at Manchester, New Hamp- shire. So skillfully did he manage the affairs of the company that he secured an interest in the corporation, and in a, few years accumulated a. large for- tune. Retiring, for ten years he re- sided in Framingham. In 1851 here- turned to his native town to spend his remaining days. Purchasing a por- tion of the farm of the deceased Dr. Emmons, he devoted his last years to plans for the education of youth. This resulted in the founding of Dean Academy, one of the most thoroughly equipped and endowed educational institutians in the State. Dr. Dean, to establish the school, gave a tract of about nine acres in the heart of the village. lie also gave ten thousand dollars toward the building and fifty thousand dollars as a permanent fund. Accepting his offer, the trustees se- cured plans, and broke ground in August. 1866. Wartime prices and continual advances in material and labor so increased the cost of building that Dr. Dean gave over seventy live thousand dollars to the cause. This building was destroyed by lire in the summer of 1872. The friends of the school rallied from this calamity and in less than two years a new building was ready for dedication. The build- ing is of the Gothic style, and archi- tecturally very graceful. Its beauti- ful tower is a landmark for miles around. It has accommodations for over a hundred resident pupils, with schoolrooms and a fine gymnasium of ample proportions. Franklin is justly proud of Dean Academy ; and the memory of Dr. Dean is cherished with reverence and love. Dr. Dean gave to the school by gift and by his will over a quarter of a million of dollars. During all the years since the open- ing of the school its doors have been opened each year to a throng of pu- pils from all parts of the country, and they have carried from their alma- mater a loyal interest in Dean and in Franklin, manifested by gifts to the institution and in the incom- ing young people who with each new school year come to it through their influence. The elms on its now beau- tiful campus have grown tall and stately, and its vine-covered build- ing and shaded driveways make a marked feature in the beautiful centre of the village. This beauty will be still further enhanced by the Library Building and the new Ray Science Building, the generous gift to the school of the same ladies who are building the former. The interior as well as the exterior of the Acad- emy has shared in the prosperity of the school, and halls and parlors, re- ception-rooms and dining room, show beautiful pictures and statuary, the gifts of classes, of alumni and friends. The building of the new Science Building makes an available room for a new and enlarged library, and interested friends have made possible the elaborate fitting of this room for its useful purpose. Jt is finished h\ FR WK1 IN Wli WREN I li \\\. oak, with a massive mantel and fin "Suci — and It- Vchievers, •• l?act, place, and abundanl facilities for Push and Principle,' 1 have found reading and study in beautiful sui their wa} into thousands of libraries roundings. Each annual Commence and homes. men! brings large numbers to the In the history "l the town no school, and the annual dinner of names appear with more frequenc) Commencement Day, addressed by than the Fishers, Ponds and Whit- leading men of the day, is an at trar ings h has been humorously ?aid tive feature of the town lift A distinguished son of Franklin, w h ise name has gone abroad in many lands,is\V in. Makepeace Thay- er. 1 1 1- recent de- cease !vui"\ es a fa- miliar figure from our streel and a guidinghand h om all our public af- fairs. Although educated for the ministry, and fo] \ ears a successful, i. ivceful preacher, In- besl claim to fame is found in [lis works as an am hoi . He was a prolific \\ riter, ;i mastei ol terse, vigorous English, with a peculiar now er "l ai resl ing attention and clinching his points. 1 1 1- w rit- ings have been translated into many langu ig and found their wa) into man) c »uu- tries. Hi- ■• Bobbin B03 ," •• P001 B • and Merchant Prince," •■ From Log < abin to White House," •■ From Tannery to White House," in turn tell thi stor) of Banks, Stewart, Li coin and Grant in a waj that com- mands the attenti i old and young. His •• Marvels, ' ' Nev Wi th it •• there are more Fishers than .M)<1 I'll (i 1; v v . Ponds in Franklin." Among the many descendiinta of sturdy old W iliis Fisher, a lineal descendant of A nthom . \\ ho came 1 1 1 uti S\ leh.am, 1 , land, to 1 >edham in I 637, is the 1 1 n able M ilton M . Fisher, now of Medway. He was born in South Franklin in L811, and has recently ted In- eighty-eighth birthda} 26 FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. at his beautiful home in Medway. Deacon Fisher, as he is best known, is a remarkable man, and has for many years been regarded as " the sage of Medway.'' Contemporary with and an intimate friend of the poet Whittier, William Lloyd Garri- son, Wendell Phillips and others of the ancient abolitionists, he is indeed one of the old guard, whose numbers are so few that ere long it may be said truly that the old guard is dead but never surrendered. Franklin proudly claims Mr. Fisher as one of her most distinguished sons. Franklin has an unusual number of literary men who have achieved a, na- tional reputation. Among them is Jas. R. Gilmore (" Edmund Kirke " ). author of "Among the Pines" and other interesting stories of the war. Albert D. Richardson, the famous war correspondent of the New York Tribune, author of " Field, Dungeon and Escape," kt Beyond the Missis- sippi. " and many other works, was born in the old family mansion on Franklin Hill. Shot in the Tribune office by the crazy McFarlane, his remains were brought to Franklin and buried in the ancient cemetery. A beautiful monument marks the spot, well worn by the feet of visitors. His brother, the late Rev. Charles A. Richardson, for many years editor of the Cortyregationalist, was a Franklin boy, and his descendants hold honor- able places in the town of his na- tivity. Ever closely linked with the mater- ial prosperity of Franklin will be the names of the famous Ray brothers, synonymous with enterprise, business daring, wonderful financial manage- ment and foresight. From humble beginnings in 1 Soil, without capital or influence, the Ray brothers steadily increased in wealth and in business enterprises until their fame and influ- ence extended far and wide. To them is largely due the upbuilding of Franklin and its continued prosper- ity. The two elder brothers, Francis B. and James P. Ray, have completed their life labors and passed on into the silence. Tho Honorable Joseph G. Ray, erect,vigorous and in the full possession of his wonderful adminis- trative powers, is a marked man in every business circle which he enters. " To him more than to any living 1 man are the people of Franklin in- debted for the completion of the beautiful church and Dean Acad- emy.' * The Ray brothers have con- tributed largely to every good word and work, both by deeds and liberal financial support. They have for a long period of years been connected financially and personally with every important business undertaking in Franklin since they became citizens of the town. The sudden death, in 18'JS. of the Honorable William F. Ray, son of Francis B. Ray, was a severe blow to Franklin. Succeeding to the business- of his deceased parent, by energy and remarkable capacity he widened the field of activity far beyond its former borders. Recognizing his great abil- ity, his constituents repeatedly re- turned him to the General Court, where he became a leader, and at the time of his death he was the most prominent candidate for Congress from his district. One factor in the continued pros- perity of New England towns is di- versity of industries. Towns which have but one source of employment for their wage-earners suffer period- ical seasons of depression. Panics, strikes or business mismanagement entail wholesale disaster in commun- ities of limited industries. The town of Franklin is established upon the firm business foundation of half a * Mr. Ray died February 24, 1900. FKANkl IN AM - WREN I M \ W 1 28 FRANKLIN AND WRENTHAM. •score of flourishing manufactories. Although here and there a chimney may cease to wave its blue banner in the morning breeze, it is scarcely missed among the many in the tree- tops of the thriving town. Woollen and cotton mills, knitting and felt- establishments, straw and felt hat fac- tories, machine shops, shoddy mills, rubber goods, electroplating, a large and thriving piano factory, mill sup- plies, lumber yards, with sash and blind factories, carriage shops, and a score of lesser industries, keep busy wheels and spindles humming at all seasons of the year. With electric road enterprises galore looming in the horizon on either hand, freedom from municipal indebtedness, moder- ate tax rates, business men of push, foresight and caution, Franklin stands a-tiptoe on the verge of the new cen- tury, ready for the brilliant career which is certainly just before her. APPENDIX. Letter of Franklin to Dr. Price in regard to books for Franklin Library: To Richard Prick. 1'assy, 18 March, 1785. Dkar Friend— My nephew, Mr. Williams, will have the honor of delivering you this line. It is to request from you a list of a few good books, to the value of about twenty-five pounds, such as are most proper to inculcate princi- ples of sound religion and just government. A new town in the State of Massachusetts has done me the honor of naming itself after me, and proposing to build a steeple to their meeting house if I would give them a bell. I have advised the sparing themselves the expense of a steeple for the present, and that they would accept of books instead of a bell — sense being preferable to sound. These are intended as the commencement of a little parochial library for the use of a society of intelligent, respectable farmers, such as our country people generally consists of. Besides your own works, I would only mention, on the recommendation of my sister, "Stennett's Discourse on Personal Religion," which may be one book of the number, if you know and approve it. With the highest esteem and respect, I am ever, my dear friend, Your most affectionate, P. Franklin. In reply to this letter Dr. Price wrote from Newington Green, England, June 3, 1785, and after speaking of Mr. Williams' visit, says: "I have, according to yourdesire, furnished him with a list of such books on religion and government as I think some of the best, and added a present to the parish that is to bear your name of such of my own publications as I think may not he unsuitable. Should this be the commencement of parochial libra- ries in the States, it will do great good." Soon after receiving the books Rev. Na- thaniel Emmons, the minister of the parish, preached a sermon, which was published in 1787. It bore the title: "The Dignity of Man ; a Discourse addressed to the Congre- gation in Franklin, upon the Occasion of their receiving from Dr. Franklin the Mark of his Respect in a rich Donation of Books appropriated to the Use of a Parish Library." The dedication was as follows: "To his Excellency Benjamin Franklin, President of the State of Pennsylvania; the Ornament of Genius, the Patron of Science and the Boast of Man; this discourse is inscribed with greatest Deference, Humility and Gratitude, by his obliged and most humble Servent, the Author." In the sermon Dr. Emmonsurged the importance of intellectual and moral cul- ture, pointing out the reasons therefor and enforcing the use of them by argument. He referred to the example of Franklin as a per- tinent illustration of his theme. The text of the sermon was: "Show thyself a man." * & ... v— ^ ... <►. ^ -I .V IP V / N MANCHESTER. K£^ INDIANA