CITY HALL. LYNN. MASS. SKETCHES OF LYNN THE CHANGES OF FIFTY YEARS DAVID N. JOHNSON LYNN, MASS. ^rci J- - LYNN : THOS. r. NICHOLS. PRINTER iSSo. O^ n^ Knti'ied according ti> Act of Cmigress in tlie Office of the Librarian of Con- gress, June 7, iS*o, by DAVID N. JOHNSON. MV FELLOW-CITIZENS GENERALLY, AND MORE ESPECIALLY TO rUE MEMBERS OF THE GENTLE CRAFT OF ST. CRISPIN, WHO, LIKE THE AITHOK, SPENT THEIR EAKLV DAYS IN THE OLD-TIME shoemaker's SHOP, (L^hCiSc pajics' arc vcsipcctfuny ^f'^^f^^^f'^- PRE FAC E A preface is often written as an apoloejy for a book. This preface is written for no sncli purpose. This book was written because the writer had something to say, and wanted to say it ; and the preface w'as written be- cause he had something further to say to his readers. The writer of the following pages spent a large part of his early years in the old-fashioned shoemaker's shop. Beginning at the age of ten, he passed most of Iiis waking hours for the next twenty years within the narrow limits of some half dozen of these himible structures, using up a large part of daylight in the warm season, and eking out the short days of winter by the aid of two tallow candles, till nine or ten o'clock in the evening. He there got what there was to be learned of the ancient art, and picked up whatever information lay in his way. He heard all sorts of questions discussed, and became familiar with all the lore that could be gathered in these unpretending seminaries. When he was old enough, (and sometimes before,) he took part in these debates. Whatever training such a school could give to fit him for the task he has undertaken, the writer has had ; and as the later years of his life have been spent amid the changing scenes and conditions of our growing citv, much that is here recorded came within the compass of VI PREFACE. his personal knowledge. Me has taken no little pains to secure accuracy in the dates and statements here given, and has never been satisfied with anything less than cer- taintv, when that coidd be reached. But as a perfect book has not vet been seen, it is not unlikely that in the many topics here treated, and the numerous figures em- plo\ed, some errors will l)e found. He believes that the first duty of a writer is to make himself understood. He has therefore used, for the most part, short words and short sentences. Having a high respect for the Saxon element of his native tongue, he has generallv chosen it, whenever the choice was of- fered him. He knows of no one using English as his mother tongue who does not understand it much better than anv foreign language ; and as this book is to be read by those who thus use English, the writer has made use of no words or phrases which the ordinary reader would be obliged to skip. This ought not to be a peculiaritv. If it is, the writer consoles himself with the reflection that the nineteenth century will not be held responsible for the style of his l)ook. A book of sketches must necessarilv be incomplete. Why was this included, and why was that omitted, are questions which readers have a good right to ask, and they will, no doubt, exercise that right ; but, as it could not be settled by a commission, the writer decided it himself. As is usual in such cases, topics aside from those included in his original plan forced themselves upon his attention : but after doing the best he could — enlarging his work much beyond his first design — he has left much imsaid that he intended to sav. and can only add at this point that if life and health permit, he I'KRFACK. Vn may have sonicthiiifi^ more to oHer concerning the people among whom he lias lived from early childhood. In the preparation of certain parts of this work, the writer was of necessity greatly indebted to the faithful labors of Lynn's historians, Alonzo Lewis and James R. Newhall. To the Lil)rarian of our Public Library, and the City Clerk, and their assistants, he would also express his indebtedness for manv courteous attentions, in placing at his command whatever was valuable for his purpose in the books, documents and pulilic records under their charge. He wishes, likewise, to acknowledge his great obligations to the many friends — too many to call by name — whose kind help, so freely given, has made his labor lighter and more pleasant. Fully aware of the short-comings of this hinnble \()1- ume, he offers it to his fellow-citizens as a slight contri- bution to those records which preserve the simple annals of the every-day life of the comilion people, and keep alive that which they most care to know and most dearly cherish. D. X. J. INTRODUCTION. My purpose in the following pages is to present some reminiscences, and set forth certain facts that will show the changes of the last fifty years. These reminiscences are chiefly within my own recollection, but in part derived from those who have orone farther than I down into the vale of years. It is, perhaps, proper for me to add, by way of preface, that it is doubtful if these papers would have appeared had I not been advised to prepare them for publication by others, who, like mvself, had personal knowledge of many of the incidents here recorded, and to whom I am indebt- ed for man}' facts corroboratory of my own experi- ence. Many of these incidents may be trifling in themselves ; but they may nevertheless have a sig- nificance in the future as a picture of the lighter shades of life, not the less valuable because they are so often left undrawn ; but frequently having a greater interest to those who recognize the likeness than the well-spread canvas whereon the grave historian paints the deeds of kings and the exploits I 2 INTRODUCTION. of conquerors. And more than this, it is not un- Hkely that this portraiture of local incidents and events, however narrow its application, may shed light upon some obscure question, and aid the future annalist in unraveling a mystery. The Lynn of 1830 bore very little resemblance to the Lynn of 1879. ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^'^^^ ^^ ^^'^^ ^ thriving town of about 6,000 inhabitants, including Swamp- scott and Nahant. The people, even then, were generally engaged in the manufacture of ladies' shoes, either as bosses, — as those who employed workmen were called, — makers, or binders. Con- siderable farming was carried on at this time, most- ly by those inheriting land, and several excellent farms then lay within the precincts of the town. There were, besides, a number of small farmers owning a few acres, who cultivated their land as a means in part of gaining a living, and gave the re- mainder of their time to the honored craft of shoe- making. The people of Swampscott then — as since — were almost exclusively engaged in fishing. This diversified industr}' gave Lynn some advan- tages over the surrounding towns, and the increase in her wealth and population was, consequently, more rapid. The great manufacturing cities of the Commonwealth had not yet arisen. Only six cities and towns of the State — Boston, Salem, New Bed- ford, Nantucket, Lowell and Worcester — exceed- ed Lynn in population, and these four last bv onlv a INTRODUCTION. 3 tew hundred each. The impulse given to cotton manufacture had but just begun to be felt in Low- ell, where, in 1824, a company was organized to carry on this business, which has since reached such magnitude. It did not become a great indus- try till several years later, when it built up Lowell. Lawrence, New Bedford and Fall River : and it was later still before the great iron interest, that for the last twenty years has advanced with such rapid strides, changed Worcester, Taunton and other smaller places from insignificant towns to large cities, producing millions of dollars' worth of every kind of iron manufacture, from the steam engine to the simplest agricultural implement. Boston especially, and to some extent Salem, and even Marblehead, had acquired considerable com- mercial renown among the leading seaports of New- England, while Lynn remained a quiet towm with its industry divided between farming and shoe- making. But while the commerce of Salem and Marblehead was on the wane, the shoe business of Lynn was steadily gaining, attracting workmen from the surrounding towns ; besides this, it added to the industry and wealth of many neighboring places by furnishing employment to their people. Shoes were sent out of town to be made and bound from quite an early period. The Lynn shoemaker was in many respects a fortunately situated man. His labor was light, making an agreeable contrast 4 INTRODUCTION. to the heavy work of the cobbler and of the maker of men's boots and shoes. He was sheltered from the inclemency of the weather, and his light and generally pleasant shop was an attractive place, not only to those who occupied a "berth" within its narrow limits, but also to the neighboring farmer or fisherman who dropped in on a stormy day or spent the long winter evening in talking about the w'eather, crops, the " catch " of fish in the bay, on the " Georgies" or on the "Grand Banks," or dis- cussed with the crew the state of business, politics, state, or national, or — more commonly — town affairs, or any other topic bearing a near or remote interest to the gossipers and their hearers. The peculiar nature of his business requiring of the workman little mental concentration, allowed him to take part in discussions, or fix his attention upon any question that might engage his thoughts. His work went on mechanically, as it seemed, without needing any of that nice care which is indispen- sable in many of the mechanic arts. This circum- stance made every workshop a school and an incipient debating club ; and from this, doubtless, has arisen that general intelligence, which is said to characterize the sons of Crispin. It has been re- marked that more men have risen to eminence from the " seat " of the shoemaker than from the ranks of any other class of mechanics, except that of printers. It is to this cause chiefly, no doubt, that INTRODUCTION. 5 debating societies and other literary institutions flourished to that degree that made them a marked feature in the social life of the workingmen of Lynn ; and it is the apology, if any is needed, for the somewhat extended notice of these organiza- tions that will claim the attention of the reader in the following pages. Books were comparatively scarce in those days, but a few were often found in the shops, the char- acter of which was determined b}' the taste of the owner. The Bible was more frequently seen than any other book, as man}- of the workmen were members of the various religious societies then existing in the town — Congregationalist, (Ortho- dox,) Methodist, Baptist, Friends, Unitarian, and a few years later, — the Universalist. As a conse- quence, religious discussions were often heard in those shoemakers' shops. Sometimes three or four workmen of different religious views would work in one shop. Then the debate would take a wide range, and all the essential points of doctrine laid down in the Catechism or creed would be canvassed with a good deal of earnestness, and often with much intelligence. When the discussion waxed warm, one of these defenders of some cherished doctrine might have been seen enforcing his argu- ment with his hammer poised in an imposing man- ner, or slowly descending upon the shoe he held on his knee. Or gesticulating with some other piece O INTRODUCTION. of " kit " in his outstretched hand he cut the air at various irregular angles making a sfriki)jg demon- stration — especially when one came too near — if not a gesture in strict accordance with the rules .of oratory- On Monday morning the text would be reported by one of the crew and a synopsis given of the sermon preached the day before. If it was a doctrinal discourse — and there were a good many of that kind in those days — an animated controversy was likely to follow. Perhaps some one of the five points of Calvinism was the grave theme of the preacher. Then a discussion would arise that would run on until the disputants wan- dered in " endless mazes lost ;" as they grappled with questions bridging the chasm between the known and the unknown — "fixed fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute." If there were singers among the crew, — which was often the case, — some of the grand old " Hymns of the Ages " would now and then be sung, to some familiar air. " Perhaps ' Dundee's ' wild warbling measures rise : Or plaintive ' Martyrs,' worthy of the name ; Or noble ' Elgin ' beats the heaven-ward flame. The sweetest far of Scotia's holy lays." Next to the Bible, the book most commonly seen was some small copy of the dictionary. Some of the younger workmen in the shops would have within reach a spelling-book or grammar, or some INTRODUCTION. 7 Other text book used in the public schools, and now and then they would look over its pages, while they took a brief rest from their work. The daily newspaper was then a few years in the future ; but the weekly paper, religious or secular, was often found in these shops ; and the best reader among the crew, or perhaps a neighbor who had dropped in, would read the news, which in those days before railroads, steamboats, and electric tele- graphs, took a good while to travel from the four quarters of the earth. Comments would be made as the reading went on, and when it was ended a general discussion took place upon the various topics treated — missionary intelligence from the then recently established missions ; nullification which was then muttering its threats against the Union ; the anti-slavery movement just then launch- ed upon the stormy waves of an excited public opinion by its intrepid leader, Garrison, — these, with other less exciting topics, often made the shop of the shoemaker an arena of debate which stimu- lated the intelligence and broadened the views of all who came within the reach of its influence. At this time nearly all the workmen owned the houses they lived in, with considerable land adjoin- ing. The few who hired tenements had generally an ample garden where they raised various vege- tables and fruits. Potatoes were the chief crop, and it was not unusual for the little plat of ground 8 INTRODUCTION. to yield a sufficient quantity to supply the family through the winter. The cultivation ot" fruit trees had then hardly begun. There were many old apple orchards, but many of the trees bore natural fruit, the art of grafting being then but little prac- ticed. Pears and other fruits were but little culti- vated. Almost every family kept a pig which furnished a stock of meat for a large part of the year. One of the newspapers of the day, alluding to this fact, observed that there were probably more hogs raised in Lynn than any other town of its size in the vicinity. Cows were also very generally kept, and droves of them were seen morning and night on their way to, or returning from, the neigh- boring pastures. Bread and milk made one of the common dishes of the time, especially for children. The beaches near by yielded an unfailing supply of clams, in the season, and the " clam banks '" were spoken of, in those days, when the currency was more miscellaneous than the wants of the peo- ple required, as banks that never failed or refused to discount. The contrast between those days and the present cannot be realized except by those who have lived through the transformation. No fifty years, since man inhabited the earth, have witnessed such changes. They have left nothing as it was, — the food, clothes, shelter, the tools with which the poor man labored, and the conditions under which he INTRODUCTION. 9 performed that labor, have all been changed. The multiplied arts of an age more wonderful in its mechanical inventions than any that preceded it, have lightened his labor and increased its recom- pense. They have placed at his command com- forts unknown to the world in former times, and made common luxuries hitherto enjoyed only by the favored few. Fifty years ago and there was not a piano within the limits of the town, and a musical instrument of any description was a com- paratively rare sight. The artistically finished parlor organ, elegant as a piece of household furni- ture, and the great variety of melodeons now ever}— where seen, were then unknown ; and twenty years later the notes of a piano falling on the ear would attract the attention of the passer b}-. One living through this period has seen the old tinder box, flint and steel give way to the friction match. He has seen the tallow candle and the smoky japanned lamp, that gave just light enough to "make darkness visible," superseded b}' the Argand burner and the more brilliant flame of the gas light, and now the application of the " electric light," for the common purposes of illumination, heating and other uses, public and domestic, seems about to be realized — a discovery more wonderful, if possible, than any that preceded it, and which promises to bring about greater revolutions than even steam itself. He has seen the coarse, clumsy cow- 2 lO INTKOIH'CTION. hide brogan, from which the school-bo}' used to drain the snow-water at night, give place to the elegant shoe, and the impervious rubber boot. He has seen coarse, patched and ragged clothing, too scanty, often, to afford protection from the cold of winter, gradually disappear and its place supplied with comfortable, neat-fitting garments, scarcely distinguishable from those worn by the wealthiest class. He has seen the two-room tenement, scantilv furnished, expand into the neat and often elegant cottage, supplied with every comfort, adorned with pictures and beautified with various ornaments, the evidences of a cultivated taste — pianos, books, albums, vases, and an endless variety of useful and attractive household treasures. He has seen the small, poorl\-printed weekly newspaper, worked off on a hand press, with its meager record of events that took place a week, a month or a year before, supplanted b\' the mammoth daily quarto, struck ofi^ on a "lightning press,"' printed on both sides at once at the rate of twelve to fifteen thousand impressions an hour. He has seen the crowded, ungraded dis- trict school, with a hundred pupils in charge of a sin- gle teacher, transformed into graded classes of one- half the number of former times ; and in place of the contracted, ill-ventilated, unpainted school-house in which it was kept, he sees the well-furnished apartments of magnificent structures that attract the attention of the passer-by. He has seen the few INTRODUCTION. II liundred volumes of the little town library expand into the Free Public Library, furnished with its thousands of volumes containing the literar}' treas- ures of all ages, and constantl}- augmented with the world's latest productions of mental genius. He has seen this " college of the people " supplement- ing the instructions of the public schools, visited by thousands from all ranks of society, and exerting an influence upon the general intelligence and culture of the community that it is impossible to estimate. He has seen the illimitable power of steam, in its ten thousand applications to the wants of business and the comfort of mankind, spread all over the civilized world, revolutionizing- commerce and every branch of manufactures, and making obsolete old methods of travel, and the slow^ clumsy means of transportation. To add to the marvels of this age of invention, the telephone, in its various ap- plications, is seen in our places of business, and oral communication is iield between parties far distant from each other. This communication is so perfect that the peculiarities of voice can be distinguished. And every day. brings rumors of new wonders, and the end is not yet. Judging from the last half cen- tury, what the next fifty years will bring forth, the marvels still in store will outstrip the imagination of the poet. GENERAL REVIEW. The making of shoes in L^nn dates back to an early period. History informs us that the tirst shoemakers of Lynn were Philip Kertland and Ed- mund Bridges, who came here in 1635, six years after the settlement of the town. A corporation of shoemakers was formed soon after. Mention is made of this in the "Wonder Working Providence," a book published in 165 1, by Edward Johnson, of Woburn. Li his allusion to Lynn manufactures he says : — " All other trades have fallen into their ranks and places, to their great advantage, espe- cially coopers and shoemakers, who had either of them a Corporation granted, inriching themselves very much." Unfortunately, the records of this Corporation are lost, and so we fail to get any hint of the plan of its organization ; but it was doubtless based upon the model of the ancient guilds, and corporations of the Old World. It is supposed that these records were destroyed by the mob in 1765, occasioned by the passage of the Stamp Act. GENERAL REVIEW. I3 Not much is known of the growth and condition of the business of Lynn for the next one hundred years ; but it doubtless slowly increased with the gradual growth of the country, and there is little question that at that early day Lynn held the first rank in the manufacture of ladies' shoes. But a fresh impulse w'as given to this industry by the arrival, in 1750, of John Adam Dagyr, a shoe- maker from Wales. He was a skilled workman in ladies' shoes, and under his instructions the shoe- makers of Lynn soon changed their clumsy meth- ods for the more skillful means and appliances which this ancient art could furnish. Dagyr's rank as a shoemaker may be inferred from an allusion in the Boston Gazette of 1764, quoted by Lewas in his History of Lynn, where he was referred to as "the celebrated shoemaker of Essex." For the next fifty or sixty years there are but few- facts bearing upon the condition and progress w^hich this great branch of our industry made in our midst. But there is no question that Lynn was becoming more and more the head center in the manufacture of ladies' shoes. During the ten years ending 18 10 the population increased nearly fifty per cent. — an increase owning, doubtless, in a great degree to the opportunities here ofiered to the inhabitants of other towns of engaging in a more profitable business than could be found else- where. 14 SKETCHES OF LYNN. THE shoemaker's SHOP. It was about this time that the little shoemaker's shop, which in former years so attracted the attention of strangers, begun to make its appear- ance. Before this period the shoemaking of our ancestors was carried on before the kitchen fire : or, to speak more exactly, in the chimney corner. The double occupation of farming and shoemaking engaged the industry of the early settlers in this vicinity, and. as their agricultural labors employed most of their time in the warm-season, their work at the " craft " was performed in cold weather, or on exceptionally stormy days. As a matter of necessary comfort, the "seat" was placed before or near the open fire-place, and "knee-boards" were worn to protect the knees from excessive heat. For the first fifty years, or until the beginning of the present century, these shops were built ^^'ith an open fire-place in the corner. From this time stoves came gradually into use. The size of these shops varied from the " ten-footer " — as one measuring ten feet in length b}' ten in breadth was called — to those measuring fourteen feet each way. The average was nearer twelve by twelve. The manner of conducting the shoe business fifty vears ago was verv unlike the methods of to-dav. Those were the days of "bag-bosses." A dozen, or two dozen pairs of shoes, more or less, were GENERAL REVIEW. I5 packed in a bag. and taken to Boston to be traded off for whatever could be ijot in exchani^e. Boston was the principal market, though many were sold in the neighboring towns. As there were no steam cars running then, the methods of getting these shoes to market were as various as the circum- stances of the manufacturers. Some took the pack on their back and trudged off, the journey to Boston and back being a good day's work. Others took their bundle to the city on horseback. Others went in the stage coach ; and still others, who could afford to keep a team, drove over the road. Shoes were not generally packed in boxes until some time after this. Those that were destined for the South were often packed in barrels and sent to Boston, where they were repacked in large boxes, and forwarded to their destination, generally by water, as this means of transportation was cheaper than by land. Shoe boxes did not come into gen- eral use until between 1830 and 1840. The busi- ness of making shoe boxes on an extensive scale was first established by James N. Buffum, about the year 1836 : but it was done in a small way some time before this date. Mr. Benjamin Mudge and Elijah Downing made shoe boxes as early as 1825. Up to this time paper shoe boxes were unknown. About the year 1840 Mr. Abner Jones began the manufacture of paper shoe boxes. Very few were l6 SKETCHES OF LYNN. made until 185 1, when Mr. George H. Cushman set up the business. This trade increased rapidly, as the practice of double packing fine shoes — first in paper boxes, which were then packed in wooden cases — became general. THE GREAT REVOLUTION. It is only within the last thirty years that the great revolutions in the shoe business of Lynn be- gan. The stitching machine was the first great invention. This ingenious piece of mechanism was the work of Elias Howe. Mr. Howe obtained his patent in 1846. The first machine used in Lynn was the "Singer" patent, introduced in 1852, by Mr. John Wooldredge. An expert came from Philadelphia to instruct the first operator, Miss Hannah Harris, daughter of Mr. Lord Harris. The revolution wrouo-ht bv the stitchinir machine was speedy and complete. Soon after this the factory system was gradually introduced. One by one the little shoemakers' shops were abandoned, as the factories of the man- ufacturers were enlarged and fitted up so that the work, both of the stitchers and makers, might be done under the more immediate supervision of the employers. (The accompanying illustrations give some idea of the contrast between the little shop of the olden time and the factor}- of to-day.) GENERAL REVIEW. I7 In the meantime several minor inventions, all tending to perfect the work of the operative, were introduced. One of these was the use of tin-pat- terns for shaping the soles, in place of the old method of " rounding on " b}^ the last. This simple device gave uniformity to the shape of the shoes — a thing impossible, as experience had shown, under the ancient plan, which left every man to the free exercise of his choice in determining the width and shape of the shoes, and especially of the shanks. It is strange that this simple expedient — for in- vention it can hardly be called — the advantages of which were so apparent, was not sooner tried. Before this there was no uniformity in the shoes made by different workmen. It was of course nec- essary to have some general conformity to the shape of the last; that is, the heels were rounded (when the sole was not too short), and narrow-toed shoes could hardly be made on wide-toed lasts ; but when it came to the " shank," there was a chance for the display of original genius. A single box of shoe8 — the product of three or four workmen — would display as many difterejit-sty jes of " sj mnks-" Some workmen ran to very narrow shanks, some to very wide shanks, while some seemed to find the true lines and curves of beauty that fulfilled their ideal of symmetry by observing the golden mean between these two extremes. It required some mechanical genius to make a shoe in those days : and when 3 l8 SKETCHES OF LYNN. this genius was not of a tolerably high order, the question of " matching shanks," when the day's work was " tied up,'' imposed a degree of responsi- bility not experienced at the present time ; as it was t'ound that the range taken in a single day between the two extremes of wide and narrow shanks was considerable, and sometimes exhibited violent con- trasts. It will be seen that the chief characteristic of the revolution that has taken place is, that everything is reduced to system. The exactness of scientific measurement is substituted for random guesses. Everything is assorted with especial reference to its fitness for the purpose intended. In nothing is this more clearly seen than in the cutting and sorting of soles. Sole leather, as formerly cut b}' hand, was subject to the most extravagant waste. It was an easy thing for a cutter of sole leather to waste more than the amount of his wages ; and in the classification of the difi'erent grades — or rather, lack of classification — there was, if possible, a more wasteful expenditure of material. The divi- sion of labor had not then been carried far enough to enable the manufacturer to purchase just what he wanted, and nothing else. Now, a dozen difierent grades, ranging from the lightest and lowest priced soles up to the heaviest and most costly, can be bought in any quantity, and at the shortest notice. As an illustration of the waste incident to the old GENERAL REVIEW. 19 methods, it is only neccesary to recall the experi- ence of am- of our old " jours." In the season when "welts" (as welted shoes were called) were made, inner soles and light soles were in more than usual demand. As a consequence, the manufacturers frequently ran " short," and were obliged to use soles of a much heavier grade than this kind of shoe required. Soles thick enough for " imitation " were often used as a matter of necessity. The first invention in this line was the simple "stripper." This was a heavy blade worked bv foot power. It cut the leather into strips — across the width of the side — of various widths, corres- ponding to the length of the sole required. This gave exactness of length. Next came the " sole cutter," the invention of Richard Richards, a last-maker and ingenious mechanic of Lynn. This machine was patented in 1844. It gave regularit}- of shape and uniformit\- in width. The second great invention, in its labor-saving capabilities, was the McKay machine for stitching the bottoms. (This machine was introduced into Lynn by William Porter, in 1862.) This revolu- tionized the work of the maker, as the stitching machine has already superseded the needle of the bindei:. This took the place, in a large degree, of the ancient method of the old-time shoemaker, as, with the shoe held on his knee by the stirrup, and 20 SKETCHES OF LYNN. his awl in his hand, his picture has come down to us from a remote antiquity. Soon after this, in 1867, the "beating-out ma- chine " was introduced by the inventor, Joseph Bassett Jolmson. This invention suppHed the place of "hammering," or the. ""beating out" process, heretofore performed by the hammer of the shoe- maker, as he held the shoe on his knee. Mean- while the factory system developed various minor inventions which, one by one, took the place of old methods, so that at the present time the ancient " craft " of the shoemaker is practiced and preserved only in the few " little shops " that still linger among us, to remind us of a Ibrmer age. Meantime attention was turned to the improve- ment of " upper " patterns. In former years these patterns were made of straw-board, or some less en- during material. Each manufacturer cut his own patterns. As might be supposed, they were not often models of elegance in design, nor were they characterized by mathematical exactness. The first stride taken in this direction was the invention, in 1848, of a '■ pattern machine," by Geo. W. Parrott, of Lynn. This secured the two chief points — ex- actness in the proportion between the several sizes, and also the gradual increase in the fullness over the instep and around the ankle, required in the smaller sizes, especially of children's shoes. This second principle had been before applied in turning SERGE OR KID FOX BUTTON. SERGE OR KID POLISH. (Dra-Jjit hy I. G. Sutherland.) gext's fox congress. lady's or gent's scotch tie. (Drcivm by I. G. SulherUmd.) GENP:RAI. RliVlEVV. 21 lasts, to secure the same end, but it was first applied to the machine tor cutting patterns by Mr. Parrott. But no single machine, however ingenious, was sufficient to meet the various requirements of the case. The unequal and irregular proportions found in human feet are so marked that no automatic con- trivance, even when its movements are subject to the various modifying adjustments which ingenuity has yet been able to invent, can meet all the excep- tional conditions so often manitestcd in this part of man's anatomy. Each case, or each class of cases, must be treated by itself, and various minor inven- tions and more elaborately constructed tools, aided to brintj about the desired end. Several years later, in 187 1, Israel G. Sutherland began the business of pattern cutting. . Mr. Suth- erland was an excellent mechanic, and saw what was required to perfect the improvements already made. He carefully studied the subject, and availed himself of all the mechanical contrivances that would aid him in his work, w^hich w'as to produce a pattern that should serve as a model for a neatly fitting boot or shoe. Other skillful and tasteful manufacturers directed their attention to the same end, all tending to perfect this the most difficult part of the manufacturer's art, until those models of elegance in the styles of boots and shoes which characterize the products of our manufacturers were, step by step, reached. 22 SKETCHES OF LYNN. It is no idle boast to say, that, in the manufacture of ladies' shoes, Lynn holds the first rank in this country, if not in the world. There is nothing sur- prising in this. As we have seen, the business was established and domesticated here from the first settlement of New England. Capital was attracted to it, and the inventive genius of our people, and the skill of our mechanics, developed its resources and improved the quality of its products. The enter- prise and intelligence of our merchants availed themselves of every invention and appliance de- signed to improve the product or to cheapen its cost: and to-day, as the result of long years of patient toil, of ingenious contrivance, and of busi- ness enterprise, the manufacturers of Lynn are able to offer to the world of buyers the advantages of the hiofhest excellence that has been reached in this de- partment of human industry. SHOEMAKING IN THE OLDEN TIME. THE SHOEMAKERS SHOP. The shoemaker's shop, to which allusion has been made, and of which we have a few specimens still extant among us, cannot boast of a great an- tiquity. It came into use about the middle of the last century or a little earlier. The size of these shops varied from the " ten-footer " — as one measuring ten feet in length by ten feet in width was called — to those measuring fourteen feet each way. These last were regarded as of almost pala- tial dimensions. The avera<;e was nearer twelve by twelve. They were generally finished six and a half feet clear in height, a few being below that ligure and a few above it, so that a tall man with a tall hat on ran no small risk of damaging his head gear on entering the door, as the stove-pipe hat was then generally worn. The garret was left un- finished, and was the common receptacle of all kinds of litter and of everything not wanted for use, or wanted only occasionally. This was reached 24 SKETCHES OF LYNN. b}' a perpendicular ladder, which was more eas}^ of descent than of ascent. The contents of some of these garrets were a mitigated museum. Old lasts — some of them of st3des dating back a quarter or a half centur}' — candle rigging, old umbrellas, broken chairs, old boots, occasionally^an old clock, old hats, the bottoms of two or three old boots — ■ the tops cut off ver}^ near the sole and used as a receptacle for wax — besides a miscellaneous as- sortment of all sorts of trumpery, the accumulation oftentimes of two or three generations, made up in part the stock of odds and ends found in these " cock-lofts," whose owners believed that everything comes in use once in every seven years. The number working in one of these shops ranged from four to eight, according to the size of the edifice and other circumstances, and taken col- lectively was called the shop's crew. The space occupied by each "jour"' was called his ''berth."" This was the space covered bv his " seat " or " bench "' — " seat " was the more common name in Lynn — and a foot or two, more or less, in front and at the left. There must, of course, be room to swing the arms in sewing. When each workman had space to " swing out," the most essential con- dition was complied with. Sometimes grave dis- putes would arise respecting the limits of some of these berths, which were doubtless settled often- times by diplomacy, as subtile and as significant SHOEMAKING IN THE OLDEN TIME. 25 within its narrow range as that characterizing the settlement of the boundaries of empires. For the first half century, or thereabouts, shops were built with fireplaces to secure the needed w^armth in cold weather, as heating by stoves was an invention of a later period. When the weather was excessively cold it became a question whether it would pay to heat up the shop ; or, in other words, whether they could earn the cost of fuel. If not, the crew went gunning. The test was said to be made by sprinkling water on a lapstone, and applying it to some tender part of the body. If the experiment w-as not too disastrous, a fire was built and work w^as attempted. It is impossible to tell when the first stove was used in heating one of these shops, but it is prob- able that they were introduced gradually for a short period before the close of the last century. As new shops were built, the little fireplace in the corner was dispensed with and the newly-invented stove took its place. What kind of a stove was first used is a matter of some doubt. Something like a huge brick box projecting from the chimney near the floor was among the early contrivances to secure a greater degree of heat than could be obtained from the open fireplaces, and was called a "Dutch stove."' This, however, is not the invention that usually goes by that name. 4 26 skp:tches of lynn. There seems to be some evidence that the tirst stove used was Hke that which came into more gen- eral use some time hiter. The sides, ends, top and bottom of this stove were cast separately and held together with rods. One of the first stoves used was cylindrical, or drum-shaped, and hence called a "drum-stove." The box-stove was soon after introduced. This stove was cast entire, except the bottom, which probably explains the circumstance that one was rarely or never seen that was not cracked. This crack was generally stopped up with mortar. Wood was used for fuel, eked out by leather scraps. Upon the introduction of coal in 1833 the small cylindrical-shaped coal stove, or salamander as it was called, gradually took the place, to a con- siderable extent, of the box-stove, both on account of the smaller cost of coal as fuel, and of the greater steadiness of the hre, which not onh" required much less care but which gave a less spasmodic heat. The arrangements tor ventilation were neither scientific nor complicated. On the contrary, they were of the most primitive character. When a tull crew were at work, and the windows and door had been closed for some time, the miscellaneous odors arising from tobacco smoke, burning leather, shoe- maker's wax, and deoxygenated air, made a com- pound which no chemist ever undertook to imitate, and which did not remind one of the Spice Islands. SHOKMAKING IN TIIK OI.DKN TIME. 27 When this odor was unendurable a window or door would be opened, to the great risk of any rheumatic victim who might be seated near. In cold weather it was customary for the crew to take turns in build- ing the fire. This was sometimes a weekly and sometimes a daily arrangement. The exception to this was when a boy was one of the crew. In such cases the boy was expected to build the fire. This, however, was often a mere theory. A knowing bov always fell back on his inalienable rights. When the theory was first announced to such a boy he would proceed to examine the grounds on which the claim rested : and a discussion of first principles followed, unless the debate was cut short, by re- minding him that he was a boy, and it was expected that he would perform the duty. "Not at present," would be the calm reply, and he would usuall}' carry his point by the mere momentum of genius. These were the days' before friction matches were introduced or coal used in this part of the country. As it was not practicable to keep a fire over night in the stoves used, as is now done in coal stoves for weeks together — and as w as then com- monl}- done in the old-fashioned fireplaces where "fire was raked up o' nights'' — a fire had to be built each morning ; and flint, steel and tinder-box were resorted to, or it was necessary to bring a "brand's end" or a shovel of live coals from a neighboring house. A man didn't knock the skin oft' of his 28 SKETCHES OF LYNN. knuckles every time he tried to strike lire — a boy was more likely to — and the tinder was likely to catch vvhen it was not too damp. One can im- agine the situation of a man sitting over a tinder- box when the thermometer — if there had been one within three or four miles — would have indicated five or ten below zero, and trying to strike off a few sparks and make them go in the right direction. The interest of the picture is heightened if we imagine that he had poor mittens on his hands as he walked a mile or more — as was sometimes the case — from his house to the shop ; and the interest is heightened still more if we suppose he didn't have any mittens at all. In this case his fingers were a thermometer showing a lower figure than the mercury ever reached. x'Vfter a while, even under the most discouraging circumstances, the fire was built and the shop heated — or "het up" as it was usually expressed — sufficiently to "work the wax." This was the grand test. If the wax did not "fly" from the thread on a cold day in the oper- ation of sewing, the temperature was thought to be about right, supposing, of course, that the wax was tempered properly. In the meantime there were ranged around the stove paste-horns of frozen paste, blacking-bottles, gum-bottles, and all other bottles containing any liquid that froze during the night. In severe weather it generally took pretty much the whole forenoon to "thaw out the corners." It was SHOEMAKIN(9 IN TIHi OLDEN TIME. 29 amusing to see a boy make a thread before the shop was fully warmed. He would hold the wax to the fire ; then he would breathe on it ; then he would attempt to draw his thread through it ; then the wax would break into a dozen pieces and part of it would fly in his face, part stick to his apron, and the rest get all over his hand and between his fingers. He would then present a pieture of help- lessness and despondency such as would rarely darken his pathway in after life. Then he would try to get the wax oft' of his hands. Then one of the crew would make an encouraging remark and tell him that if he couldn't get rid of the wax any other way he might cut his hand off". The shop was often infested with mice ; and original measures were sometimes resorted to by the crew to protect the various articles subject to the depredations of the vermin. The paste-horn would be rolled up in a leather apron and stowed away in a drawer of the '"seat." Some would sus- pend the horn by a string from the ceiling. Then the lap-stone would be put over the grease-box, and everything eatable would be guarded against the ravages of this puny though by no means in- significant nuisance. The simple mouse-trap was not then invented ; and various contrivances called traps were constructed — mostly by boys — designed to bring some unwary mouse to an untimely end. As it was generally harder to get into one of these 30 SKETCHES OF LYNN. traps than it was to keep outside, the mice held their midnight revels while the young inventor lay dreaming that he had carved for himself a name — with a shoe knife — before whose brig-htness the fame of Arkwright was to fade in dim eclipse. A bov while learning his trade was called a "seamster:" that is. he sewed the shoes for his master, or employer, or to use one of the technical- ities of the "craft." he "worked on the seam." Sometimes the genius of one of these bo}"s would outrun all limits. One of this kind, who may be called Alphonzo, worked on the seam for a stipu- lated sum. He seemed to regard his work as an incidental circumstance. When he left the shop at night he might be expected back the next morn- ing : but there were no special grounds for the ex- pectation. He might drop in the next morning, or the next week. He left one Saturday night and did not make his appearance again until the follo\\'- ing Thin^sday morning. On entering the shop he proceeded to take off his jacket as though there had been no hiatus in his labor. His master watched him with an amused countenance to see whether he would recognize the lapse of time. At length he said, "Where have you been, Alphonzo r" Al- phonzo turned his head in an instant, as if struck with the preposterousness of the inquiry, and ex- claimed. " Me ? I ? O.I "ve been down to Xa- hant." The case was closed. SnOEMAKING IN THK ()LI)I-:N TIME. 3I THE SHOEMAKIvR's KIT. It may be interesting at some future time to know what constituted the "kit" of the shoemaker of the olden time. The following tools and appliances were regarded as essential : — A lap-stone, hammer, stirrup, whet-board, pincers, nippers, — sometimes — shoulder-stick, (one or more), longstick, pettibois, toe-stick, fender, bead, scraper, knives of different descriptions, such as skiver, paring-off knife, heel- knife, etc., awl, bristles, tacks, wax, a piece of sponge, paste-horn, bottles for blacking, gum — and acid in later times — chalk, dogfish skin (till within the last fifty years when sandpaper took its place), stitch-rag, grease, channel-opener — usually called an open-channel — and apron. As might be sup- posed some workmen required a more elaborate outfit in the way of tools than others. Some would be satisfied with two knives, while others thought it needful to have half a dozen. The ambition of some would be satisfied with one shoulder-stick, while others had quite an assortment. The lap- stone, which is so often considered the emblem of the shoemaker's craft, was frequently a possession having a local interest and value that gave to its possessor the reputation of unknown wealth. It may have been brought by a near relative from the coast of Java, or from some of the beaches washed by the Pacific Ocean. It was so perfect in shape, 32 SKETCHES OF LYNN. SO smooth upon its face, and so complete!}- adapted to its purpose, that it was the envy of the whole neighborhood. Nobody had anv clear idea of the wealth of the man that owned such a lap-stone. It was never computed, but remained in a shroud ot mist until the owner passed beyond the Yeach of prices current, and the executor, in administering upon the estate, brought the incomputed treasure within the range of measurable values. Other pieces of kit would sometimes be invested with an historic value unknown if indeed comput- able. One would possess a " shoulder-stick " made from a club wdth which a sailor uncle had knocked down a Sandwich Islander when Commodore Porter visited the Pacific Islands in the war of 1812 : or, possibly, some other owned one that was made from a tomahawk brandished by some red Indian in the colonial wars. These men died in the possession of unestimated wealth. In almost every one of these shops there was one whose mechanical genius outrun that of all the rest. He could "temper wax," "cut shoulders," sharpen scrapers and cut hair. The making of wax was an important circumstance in the olden time. To temper it just right so that it would not be too brittle and "fly" from the thread, or too soft and stick to the fing-ers, was an art within the reach of but few, or if within reach, was attained only by those who aspired to scale the heights of fame, and SHOEMAKING IN THE OLDEN TIME. 33* who, " while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." Such a one eyed his skillet of melted rosin as the alchemist of old viewed his crucible wherein he was to transmute the baser metals into gold. When the rosin was thoroughly melted, oil or grease was added until the right con- sistency was supposed to be nearly reached, the compound being thoroughly stirred in the meanr time. Then the one having the matter in charge would first dip his finger in cold water and then into the melted mass, and taking the portion that adhered to his finger, would test its temper by pull- ing it, biting it, and rolling it in his hands. If found to be too hard, more oil or grease would be added, but very cautiously, as the critical moment was being reached. Then the test would be again applied. When the right result was supposed to be nearly gained, a piece of wax would be passed around among the crew for a confirmatorv verdict. If the judgment of the master of ceremonies was indorsed, the experiment ended, and the mixture was poured into a vessel of cold water — usually the "shop-tub" — to cool sufficiently to be "worked." This was done bv " pulling," which bleached it as candy is whitened by the same process. The opin- ion was held by some that the " working " of the wax injured its quality. The wax was usually kept in the bottom of an old boot or shoe, the top of which had been cut oft' near the sole. In some 34 SKETCHES OF LYNN. cases it was allowed to remain at the bottom of the shop-tub. The shop-tub was an indispensable ar- ticle in every shop. In early times, before the manufactures of wooden ware had become plenty and cheap, some rudely-constructed wooden vessel of home manufacture served the purpose. After- wards a paint-keg or a firkin with the top sawed off, and still later a second-hand water-pail, was made to do service. The theory was that the water of the shop-tub was to be changed every day. As this water was used for wetting the " stock " — which meant all the sole leather put into the shoe — and also often used for washing hands, it was somewhat necessary that it should be changed occasionally. The shifting of the " tub " often devolved upon the bo}' of the shop, except when he was too bright. In that case he "shirked" with the rest of the crew. This was the sort of boy that looked out of the attic window of the dormitory where he slept, to see if the smoke was gracefully curling from the shop's chimney, in the gray of the morning as he stretched himself for a supplementary snooze. The man who had an "eye" for cutting " shoulders " occupied a niche of distinction among his fellow- craftsmen. If it was not necessary that he should have a " microscopic eye " — which Mr. Pope tells us man does not need because he " is not a fly," — it was needful that he should have a "geometric eye" when SHOEMAKING IN THK OI.DEN TIME. 35 called upon to adjust the " shoulder " to " con- vex " and " concave '' edges. To do this success- fully required little less than a stroke of genius. Two cents was the usual price lor cutting a " shoulder," and an experienced cutter would gather in each week quite a pile of the large-size coppers of those days, whose purchasing power of many things was twice as great as at present. Next to the man who could " make wax " and "cut shoulders," was he who could sharpen "scrapers." It was a very difficult thing to get a good blade for a scraper. It required a peculiar toughness and "temper," otherwise it would "break" in " turning, " and show an edge full of fine " gaps," instead of that smoothness which was indispensable in scraping the bottoms of fine shoes. When a man was fortunate enough to own one of these well- tempered blades it was not considered a market- able commodit}'. The rash and envious might skirmish around the outposts of commercial values, and end their fruitless attempt by naming some sum before unheard-of in the purchase of any such ar- ticle ; but they were pooh-poohed aside with lofty dis- dain that shut the gates of traffic and locked them on both sides. Sometimes a venturesome youth would suggest to such a man, the owner of such a scraper, that he lend it to him, the aforesaid youth, "just to try." The inexpressible glance of the owner was such as the conqueror of the world ;^6 SKETCHES OF LYNN. might be supposed to have given had a small- headed Greek corporal proposed to borrow the helmet of Alexander. A boy never tried such an experiment but once. There were several things connected with the shoe- maker's art, besides those already mentioned, re- quiring the skill of the expert and the trained hand of the practiced workman. The making of "fen- ders" was an important job. These were at tirst made of discarded horn combs — then much more worn than at present — and went by the name of "stitch-bones." They were made by soaking the combs in hot water until they could be bent into any shape required and easily cut. They were then cut into strips about an inch wide, and four or live inches long, and scraped thin at one end so that it could be inserted between the upper and the sole as a protection against the point of the knife in paring off the edge. Sometimes a hole was dis- covered in one of these " fenders," but not until one or more pairs of shoes had been cut, and possibly spoiled, thus materially reducing the wages of the week. These fenders were afterwards made of lead and pewter, or block tin, (later still fenders were made of copper,) melted together in such proportions that they would not be too hard and brittle on the one hand, nor too soft and easily cut on the other ; these were generally called " stitch- leads." They were usually run in a " mould " cut in SHOEMAKING IN THE OLDEN "IIMI-:. 37 a piece of pine board, and a boy's tirst attempt at this experiment tilled him with a responsibility as great, perhaps, as that felt by Brunnel when he constructed his model for the Thames tunnel. The man who could cut hair had more opportu- nities to displa}' his talent than were profitable ; as a recognition of this talent was considered an equivalent compensation for the service rendered ; and as most of this work was done on Sunday, the wielder of the shears did not consider himself "out" much. It might also be mentioned as bear- ing incidentally on this point, that there were some in those days, as now, that did not attend church on rainy Sunday forenoons. The hair-cutting of that time was hardly a decorative art. As already hinted, some were much better pro- vided with "kit " than others. A man with three or four boys at work was often obliged to econo- mize in this particular, and certain tools were passed round from one to the other as each had oc- casion to use them. iVccordinfjlv one would hear — "shoulder-stick, Joe," "long-stick, Jim," "paste- horn, Jed," which had a marked effect in breaking up the monotony, if there ever was any monoton}^ in a shoemaker's shop. x'Yt such times it w^as unsafe to cross the shop, as the danger from flying "kit" varied according to the size and weight of the tool that happened to be in the air at a given time. The apron of the old-time shoemaker was made 38 SKETCHES OF LYNN. of leather — sometimes of calt-skin, but generall}- of sheep-skin. The old settlers in Lynn who came from Marblehead — and there were many such here — called these aprons " barvels " (pronounced rborvul.") Most of these workmen were fisher- men in early life who made their summer trip to the " Grand Banks," or up the "Straits,'' and em- ployed their winters in working at the "craft."' The "barvel " was a short apron worn to protect the knees from the splashing of water in washing out the fish preparatory to curing them or drying them upon the "flakes." As might be supposed, there were a good many sea phrases, or "salt notes," as they were called, used in the shops. I,n the morning one would hear, "Come, Jake, hoist the sails," which was simply a call to roll up the curtains. When it was time to " quit work" in the evening some one would say, "I guess it's about time to ' douse the glim,' " which meant in more classic English to put out the lights. This phrase is used by Walter Scott : Webster marks it as slang. " Glim " is provincial German for light or spark. " Douse." Webster says, is from " dout," an old word signifying to extinguish. These "salt notes " were adapted to all occasions. If a boy got upon his " tantrums," and displayed his enthu- siasm in too marked a manner, he would be sud- denly checked with the authoritative cry, " Avast there ; avast ! " If debate ran high upon some ex;- SnOEMAKINt; IN THE OLDEN TIINIE. 39 citing topic, some veteran would quietly remark, "Squally, squally to-da}'. Come, better luff -And. bear away." The long winter evenings were considered equal to Haifa day. Work was often continued as late as ten o'clock, and not unfrequently the glimmer- ing light would be seen in the dim distance at a much later hour. The light was obtained in early times from tallow candles, then made in almost every household. In later times, as whale oil became cheaper, lamps were used to some extent. Snuffers were indispensable to keep the wicks "snuffed," and when the lights were in good trim, all that were burning in one of these shops would give nearly as much light as one good kerosene lamp. When the candles needed " snuffing " a man with good eyesight could see all the way across the shop. How work, requiring the nicety of the shoemaker's art, could be carried on in those days of candles and dim-burning oil lamps, is a mystery to those living at the present time. One boy in a shop made a good deal of amuse- ment : three or four made an entertainment. Some- times one of these boys would be unusually pre- cocious. He was ready for any emergency. He was full of information, and had a word of com- ment or suggestion on every occurence likely to take place. He generally gained the title of " old man." When some important matter was under 40 SKETCHES OF LYNN. discussion, some one of the crew would remark, "What does the 'old man' say about it?" When this advanced youth had made some exceptionall}' wise observation, some one would improvise a song, beginning, "old age came on" — or something of similar import — the rest of the crew joining to swell the chorus. This was the sort of boy of whom it was said that " his father boarded with him." He never went after a left-handed whet- stone but once. One of these boys had occasion to do an errand at the old " Union store " — an establishment of which more will be said hereaf- ter. He was accompanied by a younger brother. Amos A., who was often present at the store, and who had a quiet vein of humor rvmning through him, watched their movements with a good deal of interest. After making the several purchases for which they were sent, the}' concluded to regale themselves with oranges. The supply not proving quite sufficient, "they held a consultation," as A. relates the storv. "whether it was best to have a second slap at "em." This was decided upon, and the older concluded the arrangement by telling the man in the store to charge the goods to his father. A. looked at the boy with gravity imprinted upon every lineament of his countenance and inquired, '^^ Have you a father living f' The boy saw through it in an instant, and showed himself equal to the emergency, "Yes," said he, ''hut he's a -pretty old SHOEMAKING IN THE OLDEN TIME. 4I man.'" The bystanders roared with laughter, and A. gave in beat. The vocabulary of the shoemaker was Shaks- perean in two particulars — it was expressive and comprehensive. Besides being enriched with "salt notes,"' already mentioned, it was supplemented with foreign words and phrases, brought home by those who had been in foreign lands ; for many of these had tempted the " brin}' "' in their early days. Many had taken one trip to the "Banks," or up the " Straits,*' or possibly made a voyage to a distant foreign port — to Bilboa, and, perhaps, even to the East Indies. With many of these their first voyage was their last, in which case they were said to have "killed the sailor.*' Most of these youths, on their return, were going right away on a second trip. One of the reasons often given was, they wanted to get a chance to " lick " the second mate. But it was noticed that there was usually a good deal of delay about the second vovaere. It was found to be more difficult to get a "good chance," and so the enthu- siasm <*;raduallv died awav and thev settled down to work at the "old craft." If one of these was quite young, he would appear in the streets for a few days after his return dressed in " salt rig " — a jaunty cap on one side of his head, and a pair of pants z/^ry tight just below the waist and very large at the lower part of the legs. One of these, dressed in such a " rig " that made it really perilous for him to 6 42 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Stoop, was heard to remark that there was one trouble with his pants — they were n't quite tight enoucrh across the hips, and were too small in the le^^s. For many w^eeks such a youth would en- chant his more juvenile companions with tales of peril by sea and land, with hair-breadth escapes from starvation and shipwreck, of strange sights in the heavens above and in the sea beneath. Per- haps he had sailed in an old " hidc-drogher " to Cali- fornia for hides, and, had been lowered down the sides of the precipice that almost jutted into the sea to dislodge a few hides that had caught in the crevices of the rocks as they were flung from the top to be picked up by the crew on the beach be- low — as Mr. Dana in his " Two Years Before the Mast" tells us was his experience. Or, perhaps, he had " shipped *' in a whaler, and sailed in all seas and landed at all the ports wherever traffic directed them, or stress of weather drove them. Then he would liave pitiful tales to tell of harsh treatment on shipboard ; of the danger in capturing whales; of what a brave harpooner they had on board, who was n't afraid of anything that ran on the land or swam in the sea. Then he would wind up with a thrilling recital of an encounter with a wounded whale, which, with one sweep of his tail, sent the boat into the air with all its crew, who would have been drowned if they had not been picked up. These " salt yarns " and Robinson Crusoe ad- SHOEMAKING IN THE OLDEN TIME. 43 ventures were generally told in the evening as the boys sat on some convenient doorstep, or on a grassy bank under a tence : and the imagination of many a boy was doubtless fired by the recital of these thrilling tales, until he burned to witness for himself the wonders he had heard related. And so it is not surprising that the " sea fever " raged occa- sionallv. When the disease got fairly hold of a boy, there was no cure but a sea vo}'^ge. Dark hints were at first thrown out, and then muttered threatenings to "run ofi'"" were heard. If paternal warnings and maternal pleadings were alike un- availing to check the fever, a reluctant consent was sometimes given by the parents, and the boy was put on board some vessel for a trip supposed to be most in accordance with his wishes ; but with how manv miscfivinos and crushing fears some who read these pages can tell. It is not to be supposed that the captain was always charged to keep the boy from getting wet, and to see that his sleep was not disturbed o' nights. When consent was not given, the boy who had the fever " bad " would lay his plans to run away. He would slowly collect a stock of doughnuts, and putting his scanty ward- robe in a bandanna handkerchief, and softly creep- infj down stairs in the night, would be several miles from home before breakfast the next morn- inpf. As this was before railroads, considerable walkincf had to be done. Search would be made 44 SKETCHES OF LYNN. in Salem, Marblehead, Boston, perhaps New Bed- ford ; but oftentimes, before the exploring party re- turned, the boy came back with a smaller bundle. The bandanna handkerchief was the same, the wardrobe was the same, but the doughnuts had been transferred. But thouijh the number that timed it to get home while the doughnuts lasted made quite a per cent, of those who wandered off under the influence of the " salt fever," there were many who eluded the vigilance of their pursuers and found their first opportunity in Fayal, or some more distant port, to send to the old folks at home an account of their sights and sufferings since leav- ing the paternal roof. As these letters were not for the public eye, they often contained an intima- tion that a sea voyage in a whaler or a hide- drogher was not exactly a pleasure trip. When some of these boys returned from their first voyage they knew less of their native town than Ulysses of his native land after his ten years' wanderings. One of these, just returned from a three years' trip, had utterly lost all recollection of early scenes and former associates. The conveyance landed him within twenty rods of his father's house. Taking a small silver piece from his pocket, he handed it to the first boy he met, with the remark, " Here, boy, take me to the old man's house." The sea experience of many of these shoemakers gave a "salt" aspect to some of these shops, espec- SHOEMAKIN' with one of them on would be likeh' to call out the remark — "There he goes with his 'birch' on.'* These were not abso- lutely water-proot', but rain would strike them and glance off like hail from a slated roof. A few men encased in these " birch " coats would rustle more than the forest that came to meet Macbeth. The article, or thing, worn round the neck was called a "stock." The dictionaries inform us that this word is the same as that which designates the name of the instrument in which culprits used to 76 SKETCHES OF LYNN. sit in old times. As an instrument of torture, this neckstock was riglitly named. A man with one of these on had one advantage over the culprit, — he was not so likely to be pelted with rotten eggs. This stock varied trom three to six inches in width, according to the length of the wearer's neck ; and it seemed to be understood that every man was to wear one of the utmost capacity that his neck would permit. It was stutTed or worked with bristles. This made it stiff, so that the head could not work round in any such absurd manner as nature in- tended. A man could look straight ahead, and by careful management he could see a little way on either side of him. He could black his boots before he put his stock on ; and as he would n't often want to drink at a brook, like a boy, this stock was no great drawback on that account. Above it, and about half-way between the mouth and ears, two points of a collar appeared. The rest of the collar was underneath. The surface measure of these points varied from half an inch to an inch square. They looked a good deal like a tooth-pick. RufHed bosoms and ruffled wristbands completed this amaz- ing toilet. If an alarm of fire startled a young man with one of these suits on, and he was a member of a fire companjs it is presumed he paid the fine im- posed for non-attendance. When he was inclosed in this manner, and had a little attar of rose on his handkerchief, he was as irresistible as the laws of FASHIONS FIFTY YEARS AGO, 77 gravity. Description was not intended to apply to this class of objects. When a photograph is in- vented to take both sides of an object at once we may get an approximate idea of the original of this picture. A boy's wardrobe at this period was a study for an archaeologist ; not indeed for its elaborateness, but for its uniqueness and simplicity. If there was anv elaborateness exhibited it was in the wonderful manner in which clothes were patched. Perhaps there is nothing that more clearly shows the change that has taken place in the condition of the masses than the patches and tattered w^ardrobe of a large part of mankind in past ages compared with that worn at the present day. The exemption from rags and patches is doubtless more marked in our own country than in any other ; but it is also true that all over the civilized world the art of patching is becom- ing a lost art ; and that not many decades hence specimens of these variegated garments, inlaid and overlaid with domestic mosaics, will be exhibited in museums as evidence of a semi-barbarous state. Fifty years ago, and even less, almost everybody, when not " dressed up," wore patched clothes. A woman was as much expected to do a certain amount of patching as she was to make bread, or perform any other domestic duty. A man with a patch on each knee attracted no more attention than a man sawing wood : and if the patches were 78 SKETCHES OP^ LYNN. of a different color from the original fabric, nobody stopped in the street to look at him. Clothes in those days were worn until they were worn out ; and it was not an uncommon sight to see a gar- ment — more especially pantaloons — so elaborately overlaid with patches of different shades and texture, that it required some discrimination to tell what the original or foundation was, on which the successive layers were spread. When a pair of these panta- loons got to be ten or fifteen years old they weighed a good deal, and were not a proper dress for a sick person. Such a specimen would present to the future andquarian at a single view a comprehensive idea of the various textile fabrics made in our country in the early part of the century, if unfortu- nately, all other records should be lost. Children's and boys' clothes were generally of domestic or home manutacture. When this was not the case they were usually made by women who had not spent many years in learning the tailor's art. Gentlemen's clothes were more com- monly mt by professional men tailors, and some- times made by them, especially those that were kept as the "Sunday suit." Men's every-day clothes were often cut and made at home, but sometimes by women who make a specialty of this kind of work. These had often learned no trade, but " picked it up," being " handy with the needle." Some of these did no cutting, but made garments FASHIONS FIFTY YFARS A(i(). 79 after ihey had been cut by professional men tailors. When a coat or jacket was to be made for a boy, special instructions were given to the tailor to cut it large eiioug/i so that he would not too soon out- grow it. When a boy first made his debut in one of these garments on some pleasant Sunday morn- ing he presented a very much covered-up appear- ance. The sleeves came down pretty well over the hands ; but as he was not expected to eat dinner in an overcoat, this did not interfere with that free- dom of action so needful at that important meal. Envious boys would make invidious remarks to the wearer of such a coat. They w^ould remind him that it vvas new, and that there was a irood deal of it. " Where did you get so much coat ? " " Is that your grand-daddv's ? " were some of the salutations that fell unpleasantly on the ear of the wearer of one of these comprehensive and prospective gar- ments. If the inquirer was a little "salt" he would tell the boy to "take a reef in it." In order to meet the exigencies of future growth, large seams were sometimes taken in making boys' clothes. These seams could be "let out" as occasion required. As these clothes w'ere made upon an hypothesis, full swing w^as given to the prophetic powers of the tailor, unlimited by "mete or bound." Whether a boy invested in one of these suits, which made so large drafts upon the future, was to be a Calvin Edson or a Daniel Lambert, was a problem he 8o SKETCHES OF LYNN. could ponder at his leisure, aided b\' all the lights that science and experience had afforded in the ages past. Some forty odd years ago a boy had one of these coats made. The material was a sort of fabric not often seen at the present day. It was of a dark green color, supposed to be wool, somewhat finer than a blanket, and a good deal coarser than broad- cloth. The making of a coat like this was regard- ed as an epoch in a boy's life, and no small amount of interest centered in the case. The job was put into the hands of a veteran tailor who was charged, in the most emphatic manner, to cut it so that it would not interfere with the boy's future growth. This charge was repeated occasionally from the time of the first interview until the large shears de- cided the matter beyond recall. A wag, who knew the circumstances, said the whole family got meas- ured lor this coat : but this, no doubt, was a rhetor- ical embellishment. In due time the boy made his appearance, clad, and more than clad, in this new outfit. Its upper dimensions were not more than two or three years in advance of the boy's size : but around the waist, and in that region so graphi- cally set forth by Shakspeare in his description of Falstaff, there was room and " verge " enough for the most aldermanic proportions. When the boy was about to put on this coat of the future, some one of the family would remark, "Come, put on FASHIONS FIFTY A'EARS AGO. 8 1 your blanket." What effect this garment had in curing or checking dyspepsia in the neighborhood was never known. RIGHTS AND LEFTS. This term was used to specify those shoes made upon lasts that were supposed to bear a closer re- semblance to the human foot ; or \\'hich recognized the anatomical distinction between the right foot and the left. The shoes were also called "crooked," as an equivalent expression. Whether the term '' crooked " was first given by some wag, whose conscientious regard for truth would not permit him to use the more common term, or whether it had a different origin, the writer has not been able to de- termine. Certain it is that if shape had anything to do in deciding the question the term, as often ap- plied, was as exact as the nature of the case would permit. But as the term " straight " was applied to shoes that were not " rights and lefts," it seems to have been used by way of distinction rather than with any reference to etymological consistency. It is unknown when this style was first introduced, but it doubtless has a high antiquity. It is probable that the sandal, the most ancient protection for the feet, was made to conform to the general outline of the human foot in this respect. While it is not unlikely that the most primitive san- 82 SKETCHES OF LYNN. dais worn by man, designed merely to protect the soles of the feet, did not observe any of the distinc- tions so manifest in this part of man's anatomy, it is evident that, as civilization advanced, and a knowl- edge of the arts extended, a more exact conforma- tion of the article w^orn to the shape of the foot, was recognized, as is seen in the various specimens that have been preserved. In more modern times the distinction of " right and left" is manifest in the va- rious models and engravings, as well as the anti- quarian relics of the shoemaker's craft found in old museums, and other repositories of medieval and ancient art. History informs us that Caesar Augustus, the Ro- man emperor, was supposed to have narrowly es- caped a great calamit}-, the risk of which he had incurred by the evil omen of putting the right shoe upon the left foot, and the left shoe upon the right foot ; as it was held among the Romans that to put the left shoe on first, or to put either shoe upon the wrong foot, was each a sign of ill luck. Shakspeare alludes to it in a passage that has greatly puzzled critics who were ignorant of the technicalities of the shoemaker's art; and also, per- haps, ignorant of the fact that this fashion, which prevailed in the poet's time, became obsolete some time after, and was not, possibly, again revived until a comparatively recent period. Such at least FASHIONS FIFTY YEARS AGO. 83 is the intimation given by Hudson in a note upon the following passage in Shakspeare's " King John : "' " Standing on slippers (whicli his nimble haste Had falsely thrust upon contrary feet.)" Another allusion is found in " The Two Gentle- men of Verona." But it is hardly probable that the fashion remain- ed obsolete for any great length of time, especially respecting boots and shoes for men's wear. Fash- ions repeat themselves at short intervals, and there seems to be a clear intimation in the fashion-plates representing the various styles of boots and shoes worn by men and women during the last three hun- dred years that the natural distinction of' right and left" was observed. This fashion, however, as re- lating to men's shoes, seems to have been for some- time obsolete at the beginning of the present cen- tury, both in England and in this country, when it revived. Ladies' shoes were not made in this style until some twenty 3'ears later. I have been in- formed by an aged citizen that the first set of "right and left" lasts for ladies' shoes were introduced into Lynn in 1822 by Daniel Silsbee, of Wood^nd. He obtained them in Philadelphia, and they were made of persimmon wood. But these were probably not the first. Cyrus Houghton informs me that he had seen then as early as 1810 or '12. As is well known, men's boots and shoes are 84 SKETCHES OF LYNN. usually made ''rights and lefts," straight shoes being the exceptions, and these mostly of the coarser kinds, except in the few cases where they are made to order; but with ladies' shoes, as made in Lynn, and vicinity, the rule has been the other way — a much larger number — even since the revival of the style some fifty, or more, years ago — having been made '' straight." When a boy who had learned the " craft " got his first " set " of " right and left " lasts, it engrossed his whole being till the novelty wore off. If this epoch in his life happened on Saturday, but a small por- tion of the next day's sermon was remembered, and it is doubtful if he could accurately repeat the text. Visions of artistic triumphs over the various difficult combinations of upper and sole leather filled his imagination, as, in his mind's eye, he saw the pro- duct of his genius grow up under his creative hand from the crudest materials, until the finishing touch made it fit for an occasion like that — " When Hebe's foot bore nectar round Among the old celestials." There was a degree of responsibility in making " rights and lefts " that was not experienced by workmen who had not risen to that distincton. This was when the uppers were cut "rights and lefts," as in the case of side-laced boots. The "gaiter boot" — introduced some forty-five years FASHIOTsS FIFTY YEARS AGO. 05 ago — requiring the " lace " on the inside, was some- times "lasted" on the wrong side, and the mistake was not discovered until it was too late to correct the blunder ; and it was necessary, as a choice of evils, to make up the pair with the " lace " on the outside. As these hybrid productions were usuall}' thrown upon the workman's hands, who paid the cost of stock, his only hope was to sell them at a reduced price to some peddler who carried them to a remote market where the despot of fashion held less absolute sway. THE ORDER SYSTEM. The order system, as it existed in Lynn a gener- ation ago, or more, was an outgrowth, and im- provement upon, the barter system which every- where prevails in an undeveloped state of society. A history of the changes that have taken place in this particular during the last fifty years could be summarized in a very brief statement ; but a history of the causes of these changes would not only re- quire a chapter upon political economy — a chapter usually without interest to the general reader — but a treatise long enough to contain the record of the progress of society during the most important half century of the world's history. The order sys- tem was but a rude attempt to supply a better me- dium of exchange. Like all crude methods it was costly ; and especially costly to the operative who received his wages in these uncertain substitutes for more scientific money. In the last days of its existence this system was unsparingly denounced by labor reformers, and unstinted obloquy was cast upon those who were supposed to have an interest THK ori)T-:r system. 87 in maintaining and perpetuating it. In its last days it was an abuse because better things were possible ; but when it was established it was better than the system that preceded it. Its establish- ment and overthrow^ only show the progress of society that avails itself of new methods, when old ones have shown themselves to be clumsy and in- efficient, as compared with the better agencies which more favorable conditions have made possible. The order system, if we use the term with any degree of strictness, cannot be made to extend be- yond the limits of a period dating from the estab- lishment of the Union Store in 1829, and including the next lifteen or twenty years. Orders were in use to a greater or less extent for a quarter of a century, more or less, prior to this date, and their use, doubtless, extended with the growth of busi- ness, and the increase of population ; but the amount received by workmen in these orders was small when compared with the whole amount of their wages. Orders were given chiefly for the purchase of dry goods. As early as 1810 (and probably earlier) some of the manufacturers gave orders on Joel and Isaac Newhall, of Salem, who kept a large stock of foreign and domestic goods. This firm was usually abbreviated into "Joel and Isaac." Some " bosses " paid their binders exclusively in orders on dry goods stores. But at this early period pay- ment in orders was rather the exception' than the 88 SKETCHES OF LYNN. rule. Before the more general introduction of the order system, manufacturers kept a supply of goods of various kinds which workmen received in pay for their labor. The larger " boss " could command a greater variety of commodities, and was thus en- abled to give his workmen a choice and range in his purchases, which the manufacturer of smaller means was not able to offer. Under such a system the workman must content himself with what he could get for his labor ; and oftentimes this was very meager in variety and exorbitant in price. The workman of the present generation has little idea of the nature and value of that which was re- ceived as the wages of labor by the shoemaker fifty years ago. Under the old system, when he bartered his labor for whatever commodities the small manufacturer was able to get in exchange for his shoes, he was often compelled to subsist upon the barest necessaries of life. If he could get more of these than were absolutely required to save his children from hunger, and clothe them in the cheapest and most scanty manner, he was, per- haps, able by some roundabout exchange, to pro- cure a few of what are now the common comforts of life — to get a little medicine for his family, and by a sacrifice of twenty -five per cent, get money enough to pay his poll tax. Under these circum- stances, it is easy to see that life was "a struggle, with little hope that that struggle would be less THE ORDER SYSTEM. 89 severe as coming years brought increased responsi- bilities, and with these added responsibilities the loss of youthful vigor. The small stock of supplies kept on hand by the manufacturers before the oi^der system prevailed was intended to include the common necessaries of life — both food and clothing, or rather material for clothing — the day of read}'-made clothing, ex- cept on a limited scale, not having then arrived. The quality of these goods, though often the best that could be got, was generally inferior, and the prices charged were some twenty-five to thirty per cent, more than were asked when payments were made in cash. No very exact data are obtainable show'ing the wages earned at that time — say the period between 1820 and 1830 — but from figures referring to a somewhat later date, a very close ap- proximation can be made. The average rate of wages between the dates here given was probabh less than five dollars a week. These dollars being worth about seventy cents in cash, the weekly wages of each workman were not more than three dollars and fifty cents. But the price of most com- modities w^as very low, and the purchasing power of money some thirty per cent, greater than during the_ ten years ending 1840. The introduction of the order system was an im- provement in two particulars. It brought within reach of the workmen a much greater variety of 90 SKETCHES OF LYNN. tfoods he would like to buv, so far as his means would permit, and by making competition more di- rect, reduced the cost of these commodities nearer to a cash standard. Some of these order stores were quite extensive, and kept a large variety of goods of every description — groceries, provisions, boots, shoes, hats, hardware and crockery, besides a large assortment of drv goods. THE UNION STORE. The Union Store was one of the best of this class. It may interest some to know that this store stood near the spot now occupied by, the apothecary shop of S. C. Tozzer & Co., Broad street, and was built in iSio. It was first used as a Qiiaker school- house. It now stands on Exchange street, and is used as the leather store ^of the firm of Breed & Hilliker. This store was established in the spring of 1829, and it was first advertised under the head of " New Store " in the Lynn Mirror of May 30th. To this advertisement were appended the names of James Pratt, Nathan Breed and Isaiah Breed. The public were notified that William F. Ingalls was placed in charge of the store as agent. Micajali C. Pratt, if not one of the founders, became one of the proprietors soon after. Its business increased ver}- fast, until its sales reached the amount of sixty thou- sand dollars in a single year — a large business tor THE ORDER SYSTEM. 91 Lynn in those days. James Pratt held his connec- tion with the Union Store but a short time, and the late Samuel Boyce became one of the proprietors. The opening of this store relieved the proprietors from the necessity of keeping goods at their factories with which to supply their workmen. At first orders were taken from the proprietors only ; goods being sold to the public generally for cash or ap- proved credit. Afterwards orders were taken from any manufacturer whose credit stood hitrh enough to command the confidence of the owners of the store. The orders of the Union Store were the next best thing to cash, and were current to a great degree tl^roughout the town. Some of the apothe- caries received them, and the doctor and others, whose bills were expected to be settled in cash, would often take these orders, especially when the alternative was this kind of pay or none. These orders were printed, with blanks for amount, date, etc., and signed by the manufacturer, or his clerk. They read as follows : — " Please deliver to the bearer goods to the amount of ." The' order system w-as at its height between the years 1830 and 1840. A few manufacturers paid cash. All through these years, and even earlier, certain " bosses '" attracted the attention of work- men by advertising to pay cash. The prices were, of course, lower than when orders were given. When a workman w^as able to show his money 92 SKETCHES OF LYNN. alter carrying in his shoes on a Saturday after- noon, he was the envy of the shop's crew ; and if it was a kind of money that would '^jingle " it raised its possessor above his fellow-craftsmen. But he was an object of special admiration and astonish- ment to the boys, who regarded him as occupying an eminence, and who looked up to him as a miti- gated Rothschild. Such is the power of coin — or rather such was the power of coin. It must be re- membered that these were the days just before " pet banks " had made paper money plenty — before "Old Bullion" had promished his "mint drops,"' and charitably hoped that these would tind their way into the pockets of the people, as Henry the Fourth of France had benevolently wished that every peasant in his kingdom might have a chicken to put in his dinner pot. It was generally understood that not much work was to be done on Saturday afternoon. That was the time to carry in the " work " — as the phrase was — to the bosses, to get a new lot, to draw the order on the Union Store — or some other store — to lay in provision tor the next w^eek, so far as the order would go, and to bring home the "shoes and stufis," as the upper and bottom stock was called, and also the load of supplies, (often a small load,) which was to support the family until Saturday came round again. This load was generally taken home in a " truckle-cart "' or a wheelbarrow ; or, if THE ORDER SYSTEM. 93 snow covered the ground, on a sled or a hand " pung." These " carts," so called, contrary to all authority, for the most part had four solid wheels, and these wheels were not always made at the wheelwright's. On the contrary, they were often '' hacked out " at home with a dull hatchet, and de- scribed a figure not named in any treatise on geom- etry from Euclid to the present day. Some of these were nearly round. The eccentricity was very much greater than the concentricity, and as they went '' wabbling " along, the hind wheels did not always follow the direct line of the fore wheels. In this respect the}' were unlike a Newport buggy. Besides these " truckle-carts " there was a sort of " go-cart " with two wheels — the largest number a cart can have, at least so the dictionaries tell us — having a " pole " or handle fastened to the axle- tree, while at the other end, more loosely joined, was seen a man or boy pushing, when it was neces- sary to put these carts in motion. As their center of £ravit^' was somewhere directlv in front of the wheels, or more strictly the axletree, it was rather a nice job to load one of them so as to equalize the burden, and guard against a catastrophe. If loaded too heavily behind, and the man or boy at the end of the "pole" suddenly lets go his hold, the load was "dumped," and flour, meal, pork, molasses, butter, vinegar, sugar, etc., were prematurely and disproportionately mixed. On either side of the 94 SKETCHES OF LYNN. front steps, and on each side of the building, were arranged these miscellaneous and nondescript ve- hicles. The miller's rule was observed — first come, first served, — at least this was the theory ; for some- times this theory was rendered nullhy a smart boy, who, in the crowd of competitors claiming the at- tention of the clerks of the store — or "tenders," as thev were called — would elbow a more youthful or less smart bov aside, and if necessary shake his fist at him. As posterity may be interested in knowing the average contents of one of these " teams," the following list is given with posterity in view : — Fourteen pounds of flour, half a peck of rve meal, (six and one-quarter pounds,) half a peck of Indian meal, a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a quart of molasses, a quarter of a pound of tea, a pound of coffee, a pound of salt pork, a quart of white beans, a salt fish, and occasionally a small quantity of several minor articles. If the purchaser was in straitened circumstances — and there were a good many of that kind — several of the most luxurious articles of this list must be struck out, and the quantity of each article remaining divided by two. These carts, wheelbarrows, sleds, pungs, etc., were distributed all over town in front of the " bosses' " shops where they took in the " stock " for the next week's work, and got the "order " for the cartload of provisions, more or less. If the order was not all taken up at the store, the amount ex- THE ORDER SYSTEM. 95 pended was charged upon the back, and the balance due taken at another time. It may be well to mention that the week's " work " was often carried in with a good deal of trepidation and not a little misgiving. Especially was this the case with the poor workman, who made what was called a " howler ; '' and it may also be well to mention in parenthesis that the names given to some of these not very artistic specimens of the " craft '' were unique and expressive. They were called regular "guzzlers," or "howlers," or "slaps," and were never selected to " put on the top of the box," and the makers of such were never employed to make a sample pair for a Mechanic's Fair. When these workmen entered the bosses' shops it was with fear and trembling. They expected that every lot would be their last. Perhaps news had arrived from the South (there was no West then) that the cotton crop was coming short, or that some great failure had occurred. Then there was a general expectation that they would " get the sack," or " be turned otf," which meant that their labor was no longer needed. To men never rising above poverty, and standing always on the brink of want, these tidings brought deprivation and suffering before their face ; but if no such tidings came, and espec- ially if the boss gave notice to " hurry up," and gave them a new^ set of lasts, then they took their order and marched off to the Union Store with a g6 SKETCHES ok lynn. lighter step than many a man who does n't know where to inv^est his money ; and when at last he reached home, the news and the new lasts spread joy through a whole neighborhood. But it must not be supposed that all the shoes made were " carried in " to the bosses' shops in carts, wheelbarrows, or in any one-wheeled, two- wheeled, or four-wheeled conveyance. Besides all these, many men and boys of all sizes and ages might have been seen with a " string '" of shoes in each hand that firmly adhered to the "waxed-end" that tied each pair together. If a shower came up at this juncture, there was generally a chance to " dodge " into some house or shop by the wayside. Others were seen with one or more cotton bandanna handkerchiefs full of shoes placed " heels to toes," according to the rule of packing. Still others were seen with baskets of different descriptions, varying in size from one holding a peck, which could be conveniently taken in one hand, to the bushel basket requiring one on either side to carry it, when packed with shoes. Occasionally a clolhes-hasket was made to do this service on a Saturday afternoon. The baskets were all used for domestic purposes at other times, the art of basket-making not vet having tried its ingenuity in making the "shoe-basket" proper, which, at a later day, superseded all other methods of conveying to the bosses' shops the products of the workmen's labor. THE ORDER SYSTEM. 97 Inhere were livel\ times at the I'nion Store on those Saturday afternoons. Four or five " tenders " were busy in different parts of the establishment, doing their best to answer the numerous and some- what confusing calls of their jiromiscuous patrons, who ranged all the way from the boy of six, who pushed behind the cart, up to the old man of eighty. One of the clerks would be at the dry goods' counter : another in the second story managing the sales of crockery, and men's and boys' boots and shoes : another would ha^•e his head half way into a pork barrel, trying to hook up a piece of pork to suit a fastidious customer ; another, perhaps, would be leading a boy out by the ear from behind a counter, where he had stra}ed to try the quality of a few raisins, and look knowing, as he had seen the men do. This state of things was kept up all through the afternoon and e^■ening, and if those in charge of the store were able to lock up at eleven o'clock they thought themselves luck\'. Sometimes an accident or episode would occur to some one of these several " teams " on the way home. Perhaps the roads were "heavy," and a wheel would get twisted otf. Then the disabled team would be hauled up to one side of the road for repairs, and a messenger would be sent to the nearest shoemaker's shop for a supph' of " waxed- ends " to make good the damage. Perhaps one of the carts, with a specially unique structure, would 13 98 SKETCHES OF LYNN. be met by a boy who would 'make some disparag- ing remarks concerning the general style of the ve- hicle, the size and running ot' the wheels, etc., and close his observations with the irrelevant inquirv whether the top was not an old soap box. This would be considered beyond boy human endurance, and the urchin having charge of the team would start for the offender (having tirst rj.m him over with his eye, and taken his dimensions) to "fetch him a crack." If this was done successfully, he would again start for home ; and if he lived in the eastern section of the town, he would hear, alter reaching a distance making the experiment a safe one, a sound breaking the stillness of the air which seemed to intimate that he with the " soap-box cart " w^as a " Woodender." Then a rejoinder would be hurled back to the effect that if an}' other " Puddin"-liiller " wanted anything, to come on. For the sake of clearness it may be well to state that the " Puddin'-hill" of old times included the territory lying near the upper or eastern end of Broad street, and between that part of the street and the sea. At tiiat time Nahant- street was the only street in that entire territory lying east and south-east of what are now Broad and Lewis streets. The arrival of these " teams " at home would give rise to many inquiries and interesting debates. "What did the boss say to "em, Joe ? '" " He said vou must sew 'em shorter — thev 'o'rinned.""' "That THE ORDKR SYSTEM, 99 all he said ? '" "Old T. stuck his thumb iuto the bottom of one ol 'em. and said it was n't worth two cents." "Well, he got hold of the last one 1 made ; it wasn't quite 'baked.' and it had a soft sole." " Did you get an}' money of 3()ur boss, Jim ? " " He let me have two dollars, and told me T couldn't have any more till after Thanksgiving. Me said I must n't expect money in ' Locofoco ' times." (This term originated about this lime, 1834.) "Well, that's more than I expected to get. What kind of stock have you got ? Has he given you a lot more of that ' dry hide ? ' " "' Dry hide '" was the special abomination of the shoemaker. These hides came from a distance — largely from Calitbrnia and South. America — and were necessarily dried before tan- ning. This gave the leather a stifl\ wir\- texture, quite in contrast with the soft, pliable " slaughter leather," so called because it was tanned soon after it was taken from the animal. After looking over the stock, the '' shop-tub " was shifted, and that part of the stock required for immediate use was " wet up " so that it might get " seasoned " by Mondav morning. Then, if there was time, the knives must be "ground." All workmen were not equally par- ticular about this matter. Some " ground " their knives regularly every Saturday afternoon, or oftener. Others would use them until they became so " round " at the edge as to be a subject of com- ment through the neighborhood. Uncle B. was lOO SKETCHES OF LYNN. one of this sort. On one occasion a wag thought he wovild try an experiment with one of Uncle B.'s knives. Taking, without Uncle B.'s knowledge, his skiver, which the owner was obliged to hold at an angle of forty-live degrees when he attempted to " ijnaw off" a little in skivincj a sole — so round was the edge — the wag ground it down thin, whet it to a keen, smooth edge, and carefully put it back in the "rack" with the rest of the knives. When the time arrived to use it, Uncle took it, set it at the accustomed angle on the sole, and made the usual vigorous push. The sole was in two pieces, each having a " feather edge." Uncle B. found that playing with edge tools was cosily if not dangerous. The grinding of knives — on a Saturday after- noon especially — was a job that no bo}^ ever pined for, as his part was to "turn the stone." Kepler might indulge his fine theories about the " music of the spheres," as he fancied the nearer planets played the high notes, while the most distant sounded the grand bass in nature's majestic symphony ; but no boy's eye was set " rolling in fine frenzy " as he viewed the revolutions of the grindstone ; and all its " poetry of motion " was lost upon his gross and materialistic mind. His eye rolled, but it was not because he was entranced with the " concord of sweet sounds," nor because the revolving grindstone overwhelmed him with the contemplation of the mysterious law of gravity ; it rolled because his THE ORDER SYSTEINI. lOI back ached. Any quarry slave, any galley slave, any bondman, whether "hereditary,'" or otherwise, was a king on a throne compared to the unfortu- nate victim bound to such miserable toil on a Satur- day afternoon ; while the shouts of the distant ball- players, mingled with the creakings of the grind- stone, fell like torturing music on his sensitive ear. The theory was, that Saturday afternoon was a sort of half holiday for the boys. Hard masters and stern fathers often nullified this theorv, and kept their boys at w'ork, while more favored ones were enjoying the freedom of the streets or the play- ground. To these boys at work the shoutings and hootings of their companions, as they shot across the skating pond, or bounced over the "jolts" down the steep hill on a home-made sled shod with sheet- iron, or played at ball in a neighboring field, caused a feeling nearly akin to homesickness ; and they would have been utterly cast down had they not been cheered b}' the hope that the " stint " would soon be done, and they would soon be able to join the youthful revelers, and add their yells to swell the discordant chorus. "One more, and then," was all that saved them from despair. A " stint " (commonly called a "stent") was usually given to boys. This was a certain number of pairs to be " sewed," or made, as the case might be ; and when this task was done the time was their own. This w'as often a temptation for early rising, so that the I02 SKETCHES OF LYNN. day's work might be finished in season for any sport that was at hand. The following anecdote shows that inducements of a more refined and ethereal nature were some- times held out as a temptation to break the bands of Morpheus : — A Qiiaker — it may be presumed of a poetical temperament — was said to have given his son the following glowing invitation to resume the active duties of the day — "i\rise, John Henry ! the sun is gilding the eastern horizon with sapphire and gold." One can imagine a boy taking a purely esthetic view of the case, and jumping right out of bed. The prevalence of the order system some forty vears ao;o showed itself in various wavs. Not onlv shoemakers took orders for their work, but profes- sional men also tbr their services. Pew taxes were paid in orders by those who could not command the cash. i\s a matter of necessity the minister took his pay in the same currency. An elderly citizen re- members to have seen one of om^ clergymen, with his little " cart," drawing home his small load of the necessaries of life from the Union Store. This was no uncommon occurrence : and the sentiment of time is shown by the following circumstance,, which happened a few^ years later : — - A dignified clergy- man called at a store to purchase a small amount of a single article, and requested that it be sent to his house. (A few of the stores had just then be- THE ()UI)i:k systj-:m. 103 gun to deliver the more bulky goods.) This was commented upon w herever it was known as an evi- dence of aristocratic tendency that would destroy democratic simplicity. One can imagine, by a little stretch of the fancy, some of our professional men drawing a " little cart," or ^ny other cart, through Broad or Market street loaded with tjro- ceries. But times change, and men are changed with them. This sage observation, made by some old Roman, is usually put in Latin, but as English is quite common now. most people will understand it readily enough in that less classical tongue. As already intimated, the order system was the outgrowth of cruder and more clums}' methods of exchange. It was the time of long credits — the bane of all commercial prosperity, and no less of individual thrift, to be justified only b}' the sternest necessity. Shoes were sold on six and nine months ; and it was sometimes a year before the manufac- turer got his returns. Almost all sorts of traders* bills were allowed tQ run a year ; and especially was this the case when their trade was mutual. Accordinglv the annual settlement was a great event. This usually took place on New Year's day. The boss carpenter, or the boss painter — there were but few^ such in those days — would have a running account with the grocer and farmer, and there was an excellent chance for a wrangle over disputed charges, as item after item was ex- 104 SKETCHES OF LYNN. amined which memory could not recall. Some- times the larger part of a day was consumed in these annual settlements in ineffectual attempts to adjust differences ; and the setting sun would see no prospect of clearing up the difficulties. Then the whole matter, or the part unsettled, would be put off" to a future time, or to another New Year's day, when, possibly, a more favorable state of the weather, or a more healthy condition of the liver, or some other favoring circumstances, would im- prove the chances of a settlement. But if no dis- pute arose, the accounts would be balanced, the larger debtor paying the difference in cash, or pos- sibly, in an order ; and when neither of these methods were practicable, settlement would be made by a note Running three or six months. But, whether settled one way or another, a good " swig " of " black-strap " or " New England " was generally taken to smooth oft^ the corners, and put things on a harmonious footing for the time to come. THE mechanics' STORE. The original proprietors were James Pratt, Dan- iel Farrington and Amos Mower — Mr. Pratt hav- ing then recently withdrawn from the manage- ment of the Union Store — and G. W. Mudge was appointed agent. The Mechcmics' Store continued under this management for five or six years, and THK ORDER SYSTEM. IO5 did a lari^e business, Mr. Mudae havino-. at that early day, acquired a high reputation as a sales- man. i.\t the end of this time Mr. Mudge bought out the stock, and was sole proprietor for nine months, at the end of \\ hich time he took as part- ner Isaiah Nichols, and the business was continued under the firm of Mudge & Nichols. This firm kept a large stock, and a great variety of goods, and their business was one of the largest in the town at that time. This store at first stood a tew rods westward of the present manufactor}- of Henry M. Hacker, on Broad street. It was afterwards removed to the corner of Green and Broad streets — the store now occupied by J. W. Carswell. The following is the list of shoe manufacturers doing business in Lynn in 1829 : — John D. Attwill, Aaron Bachelder. Nelson R. Attwill. Theophilus Burrill. Jesse L. Attwill, Joseph B. Breed. Nathaniel Alley. Ebenezer Brown. Manuel Austin, John Burrill. Joseph Alley, Alanson Burrill. Amos Burrill, Daniel Breed, Jonathan Bo^ce & Son. Charles Chase. Isaac Bassett, Jr., & Son. Nathan D. Chase. Samuel Brimblecomb. Daniel Chase, Samuel Bacheller, 3d, Jacob Chase, Jr.. Samuel Bacheller, Jr.. vSamuel Collins. Thomas Bowler. J<^hn 1^- Chase. Joseph Breed, 3d. Hu<^h Davis. 14 io6 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Joseph M. Fuller, Daniel Farvington, Abel Houghton, Theophilus Hallowell, David Hawkes, Cyrus Houghton, Aug. Blaney Ingalls, Jacob Ingalls, Williams Ingalls, Samuel J. Ireson. Nathaniel Ireson. George Johnson, Francis Johnson, Humphrey S. Johnson. John Knights, R. Warren Lindsey. James Lakeman. Amos Mower, E. M. Mansfield, Xathan Mudge, Daniel L. Mudge, Josiah Newhall, Paul Newhall, Stephen Oliver, Rufus Parrott, William Parrott, James Pratt, Micajah C. Pratt, John Pratt, Tliomas Raddin, Sewall Raddin, George W. Raddin. Christopher Robinson. Daniel Silsbee, Samuel Spinney, David Taylor, Jonathan Watson. WOODEND FIFTY YEARS AGO. A half-centurv ap'o and the Village House — since transformed into a dwelling house — stood where it now stands, at the corner of Essex and Fayette streets, the most imposing btiilding on Village Square. The stream of travel flowing from the towns lying at the north and east, and directed to the eastern section of the town, entered Lynn by way of Essex street, to Village Square, where a portion of it, at least, stopped. A good many teams THE ORDER SYSTEM. IO7 watered their horses at the old pump still standing in the center of the square, unless, what is quite probable, a pump of more modern workmanship fills the same place. The drivers of the teams were not so likely to drink there as the horses were. Water was then regarded, as now. a good drink for a horse. But there was a popular idea at that time that water, pure and simple, was a dangerous drink for man, and so the drivers, having due regard for their health, often stepped into the Village House to find a safer beverage. As the Village House was a tavern, it is not surprising that entertaiment for man and beast could be found there. Enter- tainment included refreshment, refreshment in- cluded all the various kinds of drink, ranging all the way from common and cheap New England rum up to the less common and more expensive brandy, a catalogue embracing anise seed and snake-root cordial, West India rum, gin, and wine of different kinds. West India rum usually meant Jamaica, as from that island we then got our chief supply of that important article of commerce. This was before England abolished slavery in her colo- nies, when the importation very largely dropped off ; the emancipated negroes feeling no special interest in maintaining the commercial renown of Great Britain. But it probably did n't make much difference in the amount of "Jamaica " that could be supplied, as that "brand" could be manufactured I08 SKETCHES OF LYNN. from an inferior liquor in quantities to meet any reasonable demand. If this adulteration was well done, an old toper who had ''tipped his elbow" a good many tiines, could n't tell it from the genuine article. But the regular "Jamaica" stood way ahead of all other kinds of rum, even of rum made in the other West India islands. It had a peculiar color, flavor and consistency, that gave it a high repute. As its price was about twice as high as common '' New England," it was used on special occasions when it was desirable to emphasize some important event, such as birthdays, weddings, Fourths of July, and whenever one felt rich enough to indulge in the luxury. But this matter of Jamaica rum, in particular, or ''refreshment," in general, has only an incidental relation to the teams we left standing at the town pump ; though the relation of the drivers of the teams to "Jamaica," or some other kind of rum, was a little too close and regular to be considered incidental. Some were bound to Ireson & Ingalls', whose large store on Olive street was visited by customers far and near. This firm did an extensive business, and bought in large quantities, for those times. They supplied many of the smaller stores, especially with flour, meal, and grain. Marvelous to the ears of boys were the stories told of the cargoes of corn and molasses bought by these great dealers. They sold mostly for cash. Men who TMK ORDKR SYSTEM. IO9 had been accustomed to take orders pretty much all- their lives were astonished when they heard how cheap goods could be bought at Ben. Ireson's. As there were but few cash stores at that time, the small number who received cash tor their work, came — some of them a long distance — to avail themselves of the low prices at which many things were sold at the noted store on Olive street. Mr. Ireson was a very hard-working, prudent business man. Like most men of his time, he had few early advantages, but he had a clear head and natural sagacity that served in good stead the lack of school training. A prominent lawyer of our city, whom Mr. Ireson was in the habit of consulting upon business matters, remarked that it was wonderful to observe witii what clearness he saw throuo-h the complications of a diflicult case, and how exactly he could state the points he wished to set Ibrth. He usually had a pleasant word for the boys. He had the peculiarity of indulging in a little quiet humor by calling some of these boys by a brother's or a father's name ; especially if such boys were somewhat particular in maintaining their identity. "Well, John," he would say, as one of these came into the store, perhaps for the fittieth time, ''what's wanted this morning ? " " My name ain't John ; my brother's name is John." " O yes, so it is ; I was thinking your name was John." In the after- noon perhaps John would have occasion to go to no SKETCHES OF LYNN. the Store. "Well, Richard, how's your father to- day?" "My name ain't Richard; m}' brother's name is Richard." "O, so it is : I get your names mixed up." The next morning, when another brother entered the store, the same process would be repeated, varied, perhaps, by calling the boy by his father's name. An anecdote is told of his deal- ing with a couple of boys who, like most boys, liked imported fruit. A large load of goods had just been brought from Boston, and stood in the 3'ard near the store. Several casks of raisins made part of this load, (cask raisins being pretty much the only kind used in those days, except by the very pink of the aristocracy,) and these boys were made acquainted with that — to them — tremendous fact. It was evening, and the shades of night had gath- ered just enough to reduce the hazard of a raid upon the contents of these casks to a point which the boys were willing to risk. Accordingly they mounted the wagon, and in due time got a look at the inside of these casks. It is not related whether the boys' trowsers (they did n't wear pantaloons in those times) were provided with the indispensable appen- dages to boys' trowsers — pockets. If so, they were ignored as wholly inadequate to meet the magni- tude of the occasion. Tying a string around the bottom of each leg of each pair of trowsers. the boys proceeded to "load up." As boys' trowsers were not then cut " snug to the leg." there was THE ORDER SYSTEM. Ill room to stow away a good deal of tbreign fruit. In the mean time Mr. Ireson had been apprised that some unauthorized persons were unloading his wagon. The boys, not knowing that their pro- ceedings had been reported, kept quietly at work. The proprietor went out in a quiet manner to look at them. After fully taking in the situation, he seemed to appreciate the enterprise of the boys, and was, possibly, struck with the ludicrousness of the scene. "Now, boys," said he, "if you've got as many raisins as you want, yoti start!" The boys did start, not needing a second suggestion ; but not with that alacrity that would have been seen if they had been dressed more like a circus rider. They looked like some of the pictures seen in a comic almanac. Mr. Ireson accumulated a large fortune, doing business at the same stand, as one of the tirm, until the death of his partner in 1848. Mr. Ireson con- tinued in business but a short time after. He died in 1873, aged seventy-ibur 3'ears. But there were several other places where the teams that we saw halting at the old town pump might stop. The tbllowing shoe manufacturers then did business in Woodend : — John D. Attwill — known as Major — then did business on Orange street, now the northwest end of Fayette street, which then terminated at Village Square : Ebenezer Brown, on North street, now the northwest end of 112 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Chestnut street, which then terminated at Essex street, James F. Lewis, also on North street, Na- than Mudge, on Fayette street, Rufus Parrott, on Essex street, William Parrott, on Fayette street. Besides these there were several who manufactured shoes earlier than 1830, and w'ho gave up business about that date — some of them a little earlier and some a little later. Micajah Burrill w^as one of these. His place of business was on Essex street, in the house now occupied by J. Ruth. Jacob and John Ingalls also did business on Fayette street, now the corner of Parrott and Fayette streets. William F. Ingalls manufactured shoes on Orange street for several years, till near the time he took charge of the Union Store in 1829. Williams In- galls manufactured near the corner of Chestnut — then North — street and Franklin Place ; and Tim- othv Allev and Samuel Collins carried on busi- ness within a few rods of the same place on oppo- site sides of Chestnut street. Jesse L. Attwill also did business on Chestnut street. Daniel Silsbee also did business in the building in the rear of the house now owned by James Hill, by the side of the Village House : and Jonathan Watson manufac- tured in the store at the corner of Essex and Orange streets, opposite the west side of the Village House. Some of these bosses hired workmen from Marble- head, and possiblv from cither neighboring towns. Some of the teams, after leaving the town pump. THE ORDER SYSTEM. II3 would call at some of the bosses' shops on an errand. There were very few express teams in those da}'s : and their lack was, in part, supplied in a miscella- neous way by neighbors or friends who might have occasion to visit any of the several towns lying near their own places of residence. Accordingl}^ one might hear, on entering one of these bosses' shops, a messenger from Marblehead, Salem or Beverly — more especially from Marblehead — salute the boss as follows : Mr. Attwill, Tom Gille}" wants a half-dozen pair of bottom-linings ; he says you didn't mve him enouijh. He savs he ^ come ' one sole short, too, — a six's." This errand being done, he would, perhaps, go to another shop with a simi- lar errand. " Mr. Parrott, John Crafts wants an- other ball of thread ; he says you did n't give him enough last time he was over." If the boss was a little facetious he mitjht ask the messenijer if that thread w'as strong enough for a kite-string or a "nipper" line, or if the workman couldn't use some he had "left over." When a workman had more " stock " given out to him than was needed to make the lot of shoes, he w-as said to have so much " over," and it was thought by many that, by a sort of imprescriptible right, this stock that was " over " belonged to the "jour." There seemed to be no intentional dishonesty in this, but a somew^hat unaccountable obliquity of moral vision that obscured the distinction between 114 SKETCHES OF LYNN. mcwn and tiiniii. In illustration of this, the follow- ing- circumstance is told : A man in a neighbor- ing-town — and a very good sort of man, too — kept a " tinding " store — that is, he kept shoe- makers' tools of various kinds, including, also, shoe thread, and similar commodities. A friend calling in one day, observed that he had a large assortment of shoe thread of' different colors, and inquired where he got such a variety. "Oh, I bought it of the bo3's."' " But where did the boys get it ? " " They had it ' over.'' "' There were, also, several grocery stores in Wood- end at that time, where all the usual refreshing commodities of a liquid nature were kept. Many had no difliculty in finding these stores on the darkest nights ; *nd there were no street lamps then, either. One of these stores was on Fayette street, next to the Village House, the building al- ready mentioned as occupied at an earlier date by Daniel Silsbee as a shoe factory. The lower story was used tor the grocery department, and the base- ment — or more properly the cellar, as but little of it was above ground, — was devoted to the sale of the several sorts of ardent spirits — as the stronger kinds were then generally called — and those that were not so ardent^ such as wine, strong beer, cider, anise seed and snake root cordials. Lager beer was then unknown in this part of the countr}', and but little known in anv part of the country, as the THE ORDER SYSTEM. II5 German population was then quite small. The im- migration from Germany, which reached such high figures between 1850 and i860, had then scarcely begun. Ale was then hardly known in this section of the country, though at the present time it would take a bo\- the whole of a long vacation to count the number of barrels sold in a single year. This was during Jackson's second administration. "Old Hickory," as he was called, when he was not familiarly styled " Old Jackson," found some very hearty supporters in these favorite resorts. When warmed up with a little old "Jamaica," or a glass or two of one of the popular brands of " New Eng- land," their patriotism rose to the level of any emergency. The President's removal of the de- posits : his bank veto : his proclamation against nullification ; and all the leading measures of his administration were endorsed in the most emphatic manner, if not in the choicest English. Jackson was very popular in Lynn at that time, as the town included Swampscott, which was democratic almost toyman. This was about the time (1833) that the President visited Lynn, on his tour through the Northern States. It was a great day for Lynn. It was not often that people had a chance to see a live President. Such a thing had happened but once since the days of Washington. Throngs of people assembled around the old Lynn Hotel, so well known in all the region round about. Woodend Il6 SKETCHES OF LYNN. sent its full share to swell the patriotic gathering. An incident relating to this memorable day occurred which illustrates, not only the juvenile patriotism that was awakened by the event, but also sheds a light upon the domestic side of life. A man in those days, with four or five children to provide for, was not generally able to furnish each with a full suit of " Sunday clothes," as they were usually called ; and so a pair of boots, or a jacket, or some other part of a boy's wardrobe, was sometimes made to do miscellaneous duty among those members of the family whose size made such an arrangement prac- ticable. The theory was, that such boots or jacket was made for some one of the family ; but this theory was likely to be nullified by any domestic emergency that might arise. AccordingW one would hear — " Come, John, you 've got the boots on, go and get a couple of pails of water." This gave rise to the remark that the one who got up first in the morning got the boots. On the occasion referred to, the younger of two brothers of about the same age expected to wear a new jacket, fit to be worn in the presence of king or President. The- morning came, and the elder of the two, getting the start, put on the new jacket, and in rather un- dignified haste, set off to pay his respects to the chief magistrate of the nation. The younger soon discovered his loss, and realized the extent of his disaster. With his tattered jacket in place of the THE ORDER SYSTEM. II7 new one, with sliiny buttons, wliich he had hoped to wear, he went bellowing through the streets, making known his loss in the vain hope of retriev- ing the fortunes of the day. In after times he used to relate this as among the bitterest experiences of his early years. THE ORDER STORES OF WEST LYNN. The Union and Mechanics' Stores did the chief part of the order business in the eastern section of the town. In West Lynn some of the order stores began business sixty, or more, years ago. Ezra Hitchings — known as Major — kept one of the lirst — if not the tirst — order stores in West Lynn. Mr. Hitchings began business about the first of the century, in the store where the post office was then kept, near the corner of Boston and North Federal streets, and for a quarter of a century was one of the attractive centers, where news was gathered, politics talked over, and all affairs, whether na- tional or domestic, were discussed. In 1819 Henry A. Breed opened a grocery store nearl}' opposite the Common station. About three years after, he took, as partner, his brother, Daniel N. Breed. This firm continued until 1829, when their brother, x\ndrews Breed, was added to the firm. This was an order store through all this period. A few years after, this firm dissolved, and Daniel N. Breed con- no SKETCHES OF LYNN. tinued the business. Mr. Breed did a ver}- large business, and at this time his was the leading order store in West Lynn. This store was in the west end of the Lynn Hotel. Henry B. Newhall also did a large business at this time, his store ranking sec- ond, perhaps, in that section of the town. The lirm of Chase & Huse did an extensive business in dry goods more than forty years ago. At an earlier day they kept the usual variety found in a country store, including groceries as well as dry goods. Like most of the stores of that period, it was an or- der store. Caleb Wiley, whose place of business was in Market Square, and others of less note, kept order stores in that section of the town. But while orders were the chief medium of ex- change through these years, it must not be supposed that they constituted the sole currency in use. Dur- ing the period running from 1832 to 1836, inclusive, cash was paid exclusively by many manufacturers. For a few years previously business had been grad- ually improving. The country was being rapidly settled. Western emigration from New England had begun, and what was called the ''Western fever " became very prevalent. Foreign immigra- tion w^as just beginning to attract attention. But the West of that time was not the West of to day. The West of those davs was east of the Mississippi. Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois were almost a wilder- ness, or an unbroken prairie. Cincinnati, ;ifter- 'IIIK OUDJCli SYSTEM. 119 wards the "queen cit}- of the West," until eclipsed by her great rivals, Chicago and St. Louis, was, in 1820, a town of 9600 inhabitants. In 1830 she had nearly three times that number ; and in 1840 her population had risen to more than 46,000. Columbus and St. Louis were rapidly growing towns. Chicago, a mere trading post in 1830, "in the midst of Indians," nearly doubled its population every four years. In the latter part of 1829, and through the year 1830, money was abundant. William Sumner, in his Historv of the Currency, quotes an English authority as stating that "specie was then flowing to America from all parts of the world," and states that one of the journals of the day expressed the wish that some gulf might open and swallow up the over-abundance of silver. English investments in American securities began to take place about this time. The great canal enterprises of the country had also begun, and the earliest fruits of steam navigation already attracted public attention. Between the years 1830 and 1840 the great railroad interest, which has since reached such gigantic proportions, started, and sent a new^ life through all the channels of trade touched by its influence. All of these causes operated more or less directly upon the business of Lynn. As early as 1829 tiie following manufacturers advertised to pay cash : Nathan D. Chase, James Pratt, Samuel Farrington, 120 SKETCHES OF LYNN. F. S. & H. Newhall. Mr. Chase paid cash some- time prior to this date. From 1832 till the revulsion came that prostrated the business of the country at the close of 1836, comparatively few orders were given. , Business was so driving during these years that bosses delivered the "stock" to the workmen, and came to carry back the shoes when made, bringing the mone}^ with them to pay the workmen on the spot ; so that it was not unfrequently the case that workmen would not see the inside of their bosses' shops for months together. Lynn had never seen such times before. Work- men, who for 3^ears had taken orders, now got cash. Some indescribable shoes were made at this period. Anybody could get work. Bosses bid on one an- other's workmen, and high prices and poor shoes were the order of the da}'. Atl:er the good times had run a spell, speculation began. New streets were opened, and more houses were built in these four or five years ending near the close of 1S36 than had been erected since the Revolutionary pe- riod. Many of these were built for the workmen. A few of these workmen, by their industry and frugality, and superior smartness, were enabled to lay by a few hundred dollars. There were only a few such. A hundred dollars was a very large sum then, in the eyes of a laboring man, especially, and represented much more than now of many of the necessaries of life. Land especially, was exceed- THE ORDER SYSTEM. 121 ingly cheap ; or at least was sold for prices that now look trifling. The most eligible house lots were sold for prices ranging from fifty to one hundred dollars. In 183 1 the lot situated at the southerly corner of Union and Exchange streets, containing about a quarter of an acre, and includ- ing most of the land lying between Exchange Block and the manufactory of Brown & Brother, was of- fered for eighty dollars, but found no purchaser. It must not be inferred, however, that this lot of land was, at that time, one of the most eligiljle iu town. Far otherwise. It was the corner of a square, on three sides of which no business establishment then stood, and on the fourth side only a single one, occupied by Jonathan Buftum as a paint shop, and now standing where it then stood, on Union street, near Washington street, and still used — in part — for the same purpose by John P. Russell. When a workman got fifty dollars ahead he could easily secure a lot of land. Then the manufacturer would often assist him in getting a house, by ad- vancing money — secured by mortgage generally — to be paid as the earnings of the future enabled the workman to lay by a margin for this purpose. Many houses were built in this way at that time ; and the experiences of many in getting a home for themselves and their children would furnish one of the most interesting chapters in our local history. To accomplish this it was often necessary to submit 16 122 SKETCHES OF LYNN. to great deprivation. The expense of maintaining a family — often a large family — took much the larger part of the earnings, and the practice of the most rigid economy left but a small amount to be applied to the payment of the debt, and the accru- ing interest. This was often the struggle and burden of a lifetime. If sickness came, that in- creased expenses ; or hard times that reduced the wages were experienced, nothing remained to meet the inevitable interest, and the growing debt often ended in foreclosure, and the ultimate loss of the little gained by years of toil. If, on the other hand, things went well, it was generally the work of a whole life to secure a home they could call their own ; while, more frequently, they left a mort- gage to be transmitted to their children. THE OLD TOWN HALL. The reader whose memory goes back twenty years, and even less, in matters pertaining to Lynn, well remembers the old Town Hall as it stood on South Common street, at the head of what is now Blossom street — then only a court ending at the yard in the rear of the old hall. It was not an im- posing structure, though when it was built, in 1814, it was doubtless regarded with pride by the archi- tect who planned it, as well as by the citizens who furnished the money for its construction. It was so many times larger than any of the shoemakers' shops that were seen in all the streets of the town at that time, and so much larger than any other building, public or private, with very few excep- tions, that it was, without doubt, pointed to by our fathers as a^ structure reflecting credit upon the taste and public spirit of our ancient town. Its di- mensions were about one hundred feet in length, and sixty feet in width. When it was built it stood on the Common, nearly opposite Hanover street, its front facing the east end of the Common. A 124 SKETCHES OF LYNN. considerable part of the lower story was taken up with a wide passage way, or hall, running its entire length, and having wide doors at either end ; and through this passage the military, on "training days," marched, coming out at the west end near the old Gun House, which then stood on the Com- mon — preparatory to receiving the final order to "break ranks," when the patriotic service of the day was over. On the right of this passage were rooms used at different times as the armories of some of the military companies, and sometimes for other purposes connected with the public service. On the left was, first, a room used for general pur- poses, and next, the Selectmen's room, which was also the office of the Town Clerk and Collector of Taxes. The hall occupied the entire second story. This was reached by a flight of stairs on either side leading trom the front door. At the rear end was a low platform raised two short steps above the floor. This platform covered a space some fifteen feet square, surrounded by a railing. In the front, about three feet from the railing, was a " barricade," or fence, making a passage wa}^ through which voters passed to deposit their ballots in a box which was placed midway, and just behind the front rail- ing. Voters also passed through this passage when the important parliamentary proceeding of " polling the house " was resorted to. The space enclosed by this railing was popularly called the "calf-pen." THE OI.D TOWN HALL. 1 25 The writer has not been able to trace out the oriLfin of this name. Whether its looks, or its size, or the use to which it was put, were suggestive of such an agricultural inclosure is not known. On this point history is silent, and the reader is left in the unfet- tered exercise of his opinion to settle the question as he pleases. TOW'N MEETING IN THE OLD TOWN HALL. The town meeting of the olden time was a great event. The "March meeting," when the expendi- tures for the ensuing year were determined, and all questions relating to the amount to be expended by each department were discussed and settled ; and the fall election, when all questions of state and national importance were to be acted upon by the independent voters of the town, had a social and domestic signiticance, as well as a public and political meaning. Here were gathered twice a year, not only friends and near neighbors conhned within the narrow limits of a ward, as now, under our city charter's regulation, but relatives and acquaint- ances, coming all the way from Nahant, on the south, to the boundaries of Marblehead, Salem and Danvers, on the north, and from Swampscott, on the east, to the lines that separated our territory from Saug-us and Lvnnlield, on the west. It was a da}' when old friendships were renewed ; when 126 SKETCHES OF LYNN. inquiries after health and absent friends were made : and when questions about crops, business, politics, and everything pertaining to personal welfare and the public good, were freely asked and answered. And so couples here and there were scattered round the hall, and in pleasant weather, about the door, asking all sorts of questions, and discussing every topic, public and private, from Jackson's bank veto, and the question whether it was better to elect old Overseer of the Poor for another year, down to the scarceh' less momentous ques- tions of a more private nature — whether old "knocked off" finding paste-flour because it was so high, and whether he'll make the plan work ; and whether it was best to "stand a cut" of two cents a pair which the boss made because a few lots run from "twos to sixes," instead of from " threes to sevens." On important election days, when some great crisis arose in national, state or town affairs, the old hall was crowded from the hour the doors were opened until the polls were closed. During the anti-masonic controversy Lynn shared the general excitement. State and town elections turned upon this question, and it came well nigh entering as an element in the presidential contest of 1832. A na- tional convention of anti-masons was held in 1831, and William Wirt was nominated as their presiden- tial candidate. He carried one state — Vermont giving him her seven electoral votes. The " antis " THE OLD TOWN HALL. 1 27 were largely in the ascendenc}' here, and it was thought as important that the town officers should be of the right stripe as at any time since Federal- ists and Republicans divided the nation into parties. Now and then a fierce '" anti " and zealous brother of the ancient order would meet face to face on election day. Then remarks would be indulged in too personal to be warranted by parliamentary law ; and sometimes an intimation would be thrown out by one party that, at some previous period in the life of the other, somebody found a difficulty in collecting a little bill when it became due, and did n't succeed much better at any time thereafter. Then a retort would be hurled back having a physi- ological bearing, to the effect that the other's head was altogether too red to take an impartial view of the matter, and if he, the aforesaid with red hair, was not shielded by considerations of old age, and other circumstances, he would settle the case then and there, without the aid of referees. Boys of all sizes would gather round — some of them pretty large — to hear these "poppets," as they were called, and to get their vocabulary enlarged with several phrases not found in any volume of " ele- gant extracts." When the election promised to be at all close, the choice of moderator was the result of an exciting contest. Then the one who yelled the loudest, or stood nearest the clerk — who put the motion — 128 SKETCHES OF LYNN. would get the name of his favorite candidate before the meeting. Then the clerk would declare that the name of Benjamin Mudge, or some one of a half dozen who every now and then held the helm — not exactly of state, but of town meeting — would be the nominee. And no ordinary hand, either, was needed to navigate in those stormy waters where often there was a heavy sea running, and occasionally a " short chop " caused by a sudden change of wind. Then the clerk would put the vote: "As many as are in favor of Benjamin Mudge serving as Moderator of this meeting will manifest it by sa3'ing ayr." Instantly a yell arose, more or less vociferous, according to the strength of the political gale then blowing. This was often decisive enough to settle the matter without the formalitv of calling the negative : and when the nays were called, and but a small show was made, a shout of laughter made the old hall echo — a shout that was generally repeated with greater em- phasis when some wag made a comment more sig- nificant than parliamentary. But if the vote was more evenly divided, and the clerk declared a choice, then a half-dozen would doubt the vote, and the clerk would call for a show of hands until counted. This was generally an uncertain and un- satisfactor}' job ; and unless the majority was very clear it would be decided to " poll the house." Then the clerk would order that those in favor of THE OLD TOWN HALL. 129 the motion should pass through the opening in front of the railing that the}' might be counted. This would sometimes be an amusing proceeding. Yoimg men wlio had iust become invested with the ris'hts of citizenship would march through as though the weight of empires rested on their shoulders. This would be the opportunity for a few wags who oc- cupied a commanding position on some of the high seats on either side of the hall to indulge in com- ments, miscellaneous in their character^ and com- prehensive in their range, upon the various classes of citizens as they discharged the high prerogative of freemen. These observations included remarks upon dress, size and general appearance of the individual, as well as matters of detail, such as length of the nose, color of the hair, shape of the head, or any other peculiarity of person or ward- robe. Here was an excellent opportunity to study human nature and the fashions at the same time, and the wags improved it. The outskirts of the town were then, much more than now, rural dis- tricts, and some of the fashions were unique as well as antique. Some of them dated back to the first part of the century, and some of them would be a compound of late and earlier styles. At this stage of the meeting, perhaps, the '' un- terrified" from Swampscott had not arrived: but before the "yeas" had all passed througli, the mar- tial drum and the piercing fife announced the com- 17 130 SKETCHES OF EYNN. ing of the sturdy fishermen hosts that never marched except to victory. Then a rush of boys — some of them pretty well grown up — would pour out at the door and down over the stairs to meet the " old guard." Soon the heavy tread of fishing boots would be heard — there were no rubber boots then ; and probably not a pair of French boots was seen in the whole lot — and tlie invincible army whose presence was a presage of victor}', marched into the hall with " Cap'n Natty " at its head. Ney, as he led the Imperial Guard, might have had more horses shot under liim, and his face more black- ened with powder, but he never marched with a prouder step when his great captain gave the des- tinies of Europe into his hands on the field of Water- loo, than "Captain Natty,"' as he led the one hun- dred, more or less, to the bloodless victories that never ended in a Waterloo, or a Peterloo ; for his veterans never blenched before an\' danger on the land or on the sea — especially on the sea. Then the cry would go up — not exactly the cry of Winkelried's " Make wa}' for Liberty ! '" — but one animated by the same spirit. ^' Make way for Swampscott." Then they would march in solid phalanx — as solid as practicable — through the passage in front of the " calf-pen," and the destinies of the day were sealed. It was almost ridiculous after this for the " nays " to attempt to make a show : but thev always did ; and when the clerk announced THE OLD TOWN HALL. 131 the result, showing that the ayes had it by an over- whelming majority — though he did n't put it in that form — a shout would go up, mingled with sundr}- comments more emphatic than parliamentary. But, perhaps, before this question was settled, some zealous leader of the opposition, whether Mason or Whig, would demand to know whether this military style was not an infringement upon the sacredness of the ballot ? He would like to know whether citizens were to be overawed in the discharge of their solemn public duties by an imposing displa}' of numbers, and the exciting strains of martial music ? These questions were usually regarded as too heavy for the clerk, and the occasion, and as the questioner generally wanted to know too much, the answers he got were about as satisfactory as those given by young Barnacle at the '' Circumlo- cution Office." But the}^ were more miscellaneous. From twenty to five hundred would answer at once. As so man}- could not judicially consider the matter at the same time, the replies were not strictly forensic and argumentative in their character. '' O, }ou go home I " " Stop your clack ! "" "' What are you going to do about it ? " were a few of the ques- tions, so rapidly put that no reporter could note them down, and which it would have taken several days to answer. Besides tliese, several side ques- tions would be asked, by one another in the crowd, such as " What 's that distressinir Whio- talkina" 132 SKETCHES OF LYNN. about ?" and others more personal and less compli- mentary. In due time the decision was oflicially announced that somebody had been chosen Moderator. Then the regular day's work of voting for the several candidates who were to fill state, county, or town offices — or national, if any such were to be elect- ed — began. A good many episodes occurred to vary the ordinary events of the day, especially if the election was at all exciting. A good many teams would be needed to bring voters from distant parts of the town, as well as the aged or feeble who lived near. Every now and then a team would drive up to the door of the Town House, the horse white with lather, and the wagon, carriage, chaise — "the one horse shay," which Holmes has im- mortalized, was then much in use — or whatever was the vehicle attached, full, and sometimes more than full, of tree and independent electors, ready to sacrifice one day, at least, on the altar of their countr}-, and, in an emergenc3S two or three. Each arrival would be the occasion for some re- mark, joke, or "guffaw," as the political complex- ion of the voters in the several teams seemed to foreshadow the final issue of the contest. Now and then some " Loco," willing to extend his useful- ness, would intimate to a faithtul ally that Old J."s team was outside — naming some fiery Whig — and inquire how it would do to get it and go after THE OLD TOWN HALL. some Democratic voters. If the suggestion met with a favorable response, Old J.'s team would be used for the illegitimate purpose of bringing " Loco " voters to swell a Democratic victory. Perhaps soon after some zealous Whig would step up to Mr. J. with the inquiry, "Can I have your team to go after Mr. So-and-so?" " Oh, yes ; vou "11 find it right out there in the shed."' As Old J.'s team was by this time somewhere in Woodend, or somewhere else more or less distant, it was, by a generally ad- mitted principle in physics, not found in the shed. The case would be reported to Old J. The demon- stration that followed varied according to the circum- stances. It was not generally concluded that the horse had run off. The inquir}' would more likely be — "What (adjective) Locofoco has stole my team ? " This would be the signal for the few Democrats who were in the secret to break out into a roar of laughter ; and for months after, in certain shoemakers' shops, an explosion of " guffaws " would take place whenever anybody inquired how many "Loco " voters Dick got with Old J.'s team. A good deal of amusement was got out of this busi- ness of rallying voters. A few^ years after the time to which this history is now referring, Robert Ran- toul was in the field to receive some political honor, if the people so willed it. An active young Demo- crat, willing to aid the candidate in reaching the goal of his ambition, volunteered his services as 134 SKETCHES OF LYNN. one of the rallyino- committee. Puttiiiij his head inside the door of a shoemaker's shop, he called out — "Any Rantoul \'oters here ?" There was a simul- taneous movement within, and one of the crew, armed with a '' skiver," started for the door. The Aoung Democrat did not stop to inquire whether he was to he halved and quartered, or whether he was simph' wanted to turn the grindstone for the man with the skiver, but made the best use of his flexible limbs, and reached his team in safety. He had stumbled upon a Whig shop. As the word "Locofoco," as a party name, came into use about this time it is, perhaps, significant enough to warrant the following explanation, given by Webster in his quarto dictionary, of the origin of the word as thus applied : " Locofoco — According to some etymologists from the Latin loco foci\ instead of fire ; according to Bartlett, it was called so from a self-lighting cigar, with a match composition at the end, invented in 1834. bv John Marck, in New York, and called by him locofoco cigar., a word coined in imitation of the woi'd locomotive, which, bv the vulgar, was supposed to mean self-moving. The name was applied, in 1834, to the extreme portion of the Democratic party, because, at a meeting in Tammany Hall, New York, in which there was great diversity of sentiment, the chairman left his scat, and the lights were extinguished, with a view to dissolve the meeting ; when those in favor of extreme measures produced locofoco THE OLD TOWN HALL. 135 matches, rckiiullcd the lights, continued the meeting, and accomplished their object." There is always a class in every community whose political color is not brought out until elec- tion morning. This class existed fifty years ago as w^ell as now, and to secure their suffrages, to turn the scale in doubttul contests, was an art studied in those days as well as at present. Some of these cases required a good deal of strategy, and nobody could tell how they would come out until the vote was safely deposited in the ballot box. The plots of one party would be overthrown by the counter plots of the other, and many a deep laid plan was countermined, and blown into the air, just as victorv was within sight. It was necessary to get posses- sion of some of these voters at the critical time or the whole game would be lost. This was espec- ially the case with those wdio exhilarated their spirits with an}- of the artificial drinks then in com- mon use. Such were supplied with a liberal allow- ance of ''black-strap " and New England rum, and stowed away in a safe place — generally in the shop chamber — until the time when they were to be taken to the polls. If the victim was a Whig, or had proclivities that w^ay when in his normal con- dition, his friends would, perhaps, capture him before the crisis was reached, and so snatch victor}- from the very jaws of defeat. In that case, all the 136 SKETCHES OF LYNN. " black-Strap " and New England rum went for nothing. Then the other party would return the joke whenever the chance came. There was a set of old codgers in almost every neighborhood who furnished the material for this political guerrilla warfare, though it is not to be supposed there were many such. Whichever party got at them first, and held out the needful inducement, (the induce- ment was generally in a liquid form, and was not often milk and water,) and — more important than all — kept them under the necessary guard, so as to be sure of them at the nick of time, would so far swell the vote tbr their favorite candidate. Some- times inducements of other kinds were held out, and failed from causes so exceptional that even the wisdom of a politician could not foresee and pro- vide ap;ainst them — as in the followinsr case : Uncle W. was getting into the " sere and yellow leaf," and was at this time about seventy-three years of age. His ideas of chronology were not always clear, even those concerning his own age, as the sequel shows. His proclivities were decidedly Whig, or at least had been w^ien the cog-wheels of his mental machiner3- were less broken than now ; but he lived in a Democratic neighborhood, and had many friends and acquaintances among the adherents of Jackson and Van Buren. A zealous young Democrat — who, if called Simon, would not answer to the name — on o-ood terms with Uncle THE OLD TOWN HALL. I37 W., laid a deep plan to secure his vote at the next election, then a tew months ahead. Simon was somewhat expert at hair-cutting, and could, upon occasion, shave a customer, though his regular business was shoemaking. It was accordingly ar- ranged that he should keep Uncle W.'s hair and beard in good trim, and so pave the way to make a good Democrat of him by the time election day came round. The day came round, of course, and Uncle W. came, too, sufficiently guarded to pro- vide against all reasonable contingencies. But some wags had got wind of the affair, and under- standing the situation generally, as well as Uncle W.'s unreliability, and uncertain movements in par- ticular, were on hand ready to turn things to the best account. Uncle W., duly provided with the right ballot, was led up to the box. *' I challenge that man's vote," shouted one of the wags. "On what ground ? " asked the Moderator. " He has not paid his poll tax." "Mr. W.," inquired the Moderator, " have you paid a poll tax within two years ? " Uncle W. admitted that he had not added that amount to the town treasury. " He is seventy- three years of age," said one of Uncle W.'s guard, " and is entitled to the exemption of his poll tax which the law allows to citizens over seventy." ".What is your age, Mr. W. ? " asked the Moder- ator. " If my memor}^ sarves me," said Uncle W., " I 'm a lectlc 7'istn'' sixty-seven ! " As the Moder- iS 138 SKETCHES OF LYNN. ator couldn't go behind this statement, Uncle W., and the Democratic party, lost a vote. But the sorest loss came to Simon, who saw the fabric that he had slowly reared by his industry, and his ton- sorial art, sink down and go out of sight just as the cap-sheaf was to be placed upon it. But all that was lost by Uncle W., and the Democratic party, and Simon, put together, was more than made up b}' the fun the wags got out of it. Simon is occa- sionally reminded, even at this late day, of his hair- cutting enterprise with Uncle W. in behalf of pop- ular government. John E. was well-known as a stanch Democrat, ready, with both hands, to push on the party column to victory, and willing to avail himself of any out- side aid, such as a horse and carriage might fur- nish. Politely stepping up to Mr. B., then a can- didate tor senatorial honors on the Whig side, John blandly informed the candidate that he knew two voters who, he thought, could be secured if they should be sent tor, and asked Mr. B. if he had any objection to having his carriage — which stood near — used tor this purpose. "Not in the least," said Mr. B., in the most affable manner, doubtless flattered with what seemed to him the compliment of having enlisted the aid of a political opponent in his behalf. John brought two good Democrats, and it was said a good many more, whose united votes did not swell Mr. B.'s majority. THE OLD TOWN HALL. 139 The March meeting was often of more interest than any other of the year. This is easily ex- phiined. The interests involved in national and state elections are more remote, and do not touch the individual at so many points as in the election of town or municipal officers. Whatever is prac- tical in our theory of government is made so, in a great degree, by the execution of those local laws which determine the great question of taxation, and the objects to which public money shall be applied. What our schools shall be, how the poor in our midst shall be provided for, how our property shall best be protected against fire, whether our roads shall be good or bad, what the public regulations shall be for the safety of person and propert}', are ques- tions of such interest that the simplest minds can understand their direct bearing, even if they do not see the remote consequences that often come from public measures. For these reasons the March meeting had an interest that called together a crowd in the old Town Hall not often seen at other town meetings. This was especially the case when some unusual appropriation might be looked for, such as a new engine, or a new school-house, or the pur- chase of any property by the town, or any expendi- ture whatever that involved an increase in the ap- propriation. Accordingly, when that item of busi- ness — the amount of appropriation — came before the meeting, all ears were open to hear the motion — 140 SKETCHES OF LYNN. "I move you, Mr. Moderator, that the appropria- tion for the ensuing year be thousand dollars." If this blank was filled with what was thought to be about the right sum, it was put to vote without any attempt at amendment ; but this was not gener- ally the case. If the man who made the motion had a hobby, or was suspected of having one, the amount would be considered too large. Then some one would move that the amount be fixed at a lower sum. Then, possibly, a debate would arise whether the question should be first taken on the original motion, according to the common practice of taking the question on the largest sums first, or whether the vote on the amendment should be first taken, in conformity to the rule giving precedence to an amendment. But the niceties of parliamentary law were not then much dwelt upon. Cushing's Manual had not then made its appearance, neither had the famous Silsbee Street Debating Society set up its beacon light of instruction, illuminating the w^hole circle of human knowledge, and making clearer the boundary of public duty and the line of individual rights. Jefferson's Manual was the great authority upon parliamentary law, but probably not six copies could then be found within the limits of the town. And so not much time was spent in wrangling over points of order. Business was disposed of in an off-hand manner, and when a blunder was made that might render the town liable lor damages, or THE OI.D TOWN HALL. 141 an}' illegal action was taken, the legislature could set everything all right by legalizing the proceed- ings, and so straighten whatever was crooked in the doings of the sovereign people in town meeting- assembled. But the amount of the appropriation was linall}' fixed to the satisfaction of most, and to the dissatis- faction of many, as a matter of course. But what- ever the sum, whether large or small, it was likely to be overrun more or less. We have improved very much in this respect of late years. Our fathers could make the expenses overrun the appropriation a few hundred dollars, but we can overlap several thousands without making any special effort. But there were some in those days, as now, who did n't believe in this method of doing business. Capt. D. was one. "What is the use," said he, *of appro- priating a certain amount every year, and then spending more every time ? Why not have enough to go round ? I move, Mr. Moderator, that the appropriation be $1,000,000." As this figure was half the valuation of the town — more or less — at that time, Capt. D. seemed to think that the sum was ample. The crowd present on many of these election days w^as the occasion, oftentimes, of noisy demon- strations. A large per cent, of boys and youngsters w'ere usually on hand, ready to turn any incident to the best account, and enliven the scene with 142 SKETCHES OF LYNN. jokes, witticisms, and, if temptation seemed to offer, more forcible exhibitions of pleasantry and youth- ful independence. The constable, armed with the majesty of the law, which seemed to be embodied in the emblem of authority — the baton — he wield- ed, was often the center of attraction in more senses than one. Not only were all eyes and ears turned toward him as the most conspicuous figure of the group, but he often felt the weight and pressure of more immediate personal attentions than were con- venient for him to receive while in the discharge of his official duties. He would often find himself in the midst of a surging mass that swayed to and fro on the floor of the hall. Then rearing his baton aloft when the crowd seemed to be honoring him with more than usual attentions, he would intimate that any Itndue familiarity would be regarded as about the same thing as an assault upon the Com- monwealth. Now would be seen a simultaneous movement that seemed directed by a common im- pulse to a certain definite object — that object being to see how few times the conspicuous figure holding the baton of authority could touch his feet to the floor on his way from the spot where he then stood to the opposite side of the hall. This movement was as irresistible as the tides of the sea. Frantic- allv struo-crlincr to resist the current that bore him onward, and looking verv red in the tace, his ef- THE OLD TOWN HAI>L. I43 forts to keep his equilibrium resembled the move- ment known amontj bovs when bathing- as " tread- ing water." He would finally land somewhere, and turning fiercely round would look unutterable things, as though about to vindicate the insulted majesty of the law on the spot. Then somebody would break into a "guffaw," in which the crowd joined. Finally some wag would make a remark that would be too much even for the gravity of the constable. The severity of his countenance would relax, and he would join in the general laughter, after having first preserved his official dignity by rapping a boy on the head. It was an amusing- study to see how gracefully and timeh' he would yield to the pressure of opposing forces as the sov- ereign people, taking an enlarged view of their palladium on the day when called upon to exercise the highest prerogative of freemen, would assert their right of eminent domain. While the crowd was surging to and fro, various episodes would occur that would not have a direct bearing upon the voting that was going on. It was not safe for a man to be in the midst of this crowd with a white hat on — or rather the hat was not sate — especiall}^ if it was one of unusual dimen- sions, or of an ancient pattern. On the appear- ance of such a hat, at such a time, some one might be seen reaching a long arm over the shoulders of 144 SKETCHES OF LYNN. two or three in front, and by a well-directed blow with the palm of the hand drive the white hat afore- said down over the eyes of the wearer. The sud- denness with which such a one would look round, and the astonishment depicted on his countenance — alter he had got his hat back far enough so you could see his countenance — would not be regarded with indifference bv the spectators, but would rather suggest a comparison between the collapsed beaver and an accordeon. Now and then a candy boy would make an in- quiry whether some one did n't want to buy a stick ofcand}^. This was the genuine home-made mo- lasses candv, and the sales of this never-failing adjunct of town meeting were looked forward to. and calculated upon, lor many days in advance. Man}^ ate molasses cand}' on town meeting da}' who probably never ate it on any other day of the year. Earlv in the morning some of these "^ mer- chant princes " in this traffic would be seen wend- ing their way along with tin pans full of candy packed into each other, musing, doubtless, on the prospective profits of the day. They would be likely to be seen again along towards night seated in a retired spot with a pile of coppere — not nickel — in one of the tin pans, and engaged in a deep mathematical calculation whether these profits had been realized. A few small bovs might have been THE OLD TOWN HALL. 1 45 seen looking on astounded at this display of riches, who imagined they had that day seen treasures that far outshone the " wealth of Ormus or of Ind." Some of our thrifty citizens, no doubt, laid the foundations of their fortunes selling candy on these election davs. 19 THE PANIC OF 1S37 The business revulsion of 1837 ^"^-^^ ^o marked in some of its features that it stands out as an epoch in our commercial and financial history. After the great depression in 1825, trade gradually revived, and trom the year 1830 to the tall of 1836, the country saw a period of feverish excitement, when rash speculations of every kind were carried on from one end of the land to the other. Western emigration had just then taken possession of the people, and thousands turned their backs to New England, and journeyed toward the setting sun. They stopped, however, some ways short of this, not even thinkino- of crossing- the Rocky Moun- tains, and generally halting before they reached the confines of the Mississippi. The great States of the West — Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri — were, even then, being settled at a rapid rate, and chiefly by young men from the East. The tide of foreign immigration had just begun to flow, and the next twenty-five 3^ears witnessed a spectacle of growth and development that was the marvel of THE PANIC OF 1837. I47 modern civilization. Ohio was then the Qjieen State of the West. In a Httle more than a quarter of a century she had grown from a w^ilderness to the first rank among agricultural States. In 1840 she had risen to the first place in the production of w^heat, Pennsylvania standing next. She stood fourth in the production of Indian corn, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee standing before her. In the value of live stock and wool she was exceeded only by one or two States. In 1850 she took the lead in the production of Indian corn. What are now the great agricultural States of the West — Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, and Wis- consin — had, for the most part, but fust begun to send their products to market, and the last two were but little else than a wilderness in the specu- lative period that culminated in the panic of 1837. Those States whose population now numbers some 10,500,000 had then scarcely reached 900,- 000, or about one-twelfth. The difficulty and cost of transportation cut off the bulky products of the West from distant markets. But the West of that day was a different region from the West of to-day. In 1830 Illinois had, in round numbers, 476,000; Indiana, 340.000; Missouri, 140,000; Michigan, 32,000. Wisconsin contained only a few thousand, scattered through the wilderness. She contained 31,000 in 1840. In 1830 Chicago w'as a mere trading post, and the wigwams of the Indians were 148 SKETCHES OF LYNN. just beginning to disappear. In 1840 it contained less than 5000 inhabitants. St. Louis, in 1830, contained less than 7000. Cincinnati, the Qiieen city of the West at that time, contained less than 25,000, and it nearly doubled its population in the next ten years. For twenty-five years she was the greatest pork market in the country. Detroit, in 1830, had but 2200 inhabitants. It more than quadrupled its population in the next ten 3'ears. Even Columbus was then a small town whose pop- ulation did not reach 6000 till 1840. In the next ten years it trebled that number. New Orleans was one of the great cities of the Union in 1830, having a population of 46,000, which increased to 102,000 in 1840, or nearly two and a half times in a sinp-le decade. Baltimore was then one of the chief flour markets of the country ; St. Louis, Haxall, Michigan, and other leading brands of flour were then unknown. Baltimore and Howard Street flour then took the lead. Western flour was just begin- ning to find a market in the East, but had not gained a very high reputation. The decade between 1830 and 1840 was the pe- riod when fortunes were made and lost in raising and speculating in cotton. Machinery, and a gen- eral development of manut'acturing industr}', liad given an extraordinary impetus to its cultivation, and its price during the years 1833, 1834, and 1835, averaged nearly fourteen cents a pound. Southern THE PANIC OF 1837. ^49 cities grew up as if by magic, and speculation in real estate promised great wealth. The real estate of Mobile was assessed ^4,000,000 in 1834 ? $6,000,- 000 in 1835 '■> $18,000,000 in 1836; $27,000,000 in 1837. In 1838 it collapsed to $7,000,000, and ten years afterwards — 1848 — it was assessed just under nine millwns. This real estate mania showed itself in the sales of public lands. In 1833 about $4,000, - 000 worth was sold. In 1834 nearly vf 5 ,000,000. In 1835, $14,700,000. In 1836, $24,800,000. In 1838 the sales had fallen to $3,000,000. Crazy speculation showed itself in every direc- tion. There was Eastern land speculation and Western land speculation. A good deal of valu- able time was wasted in making diagrams of hypo- thetical cities. Eligible corner lots were marked out, showing the exact site — as near as might be — of future hotels, warehouses, factories, and all the other adjuncts that attest the march of civilization — and this, too, in the forests of Maine that had been a wdlderness ever since the crust of the earth had been clothed with verdure ; a region which re- mained a w^ilderness fifty years after, and which promises to be a wilderness for a time outrunning the horoscope of man. Western land speculation was nearly as silly as this. In this case, however, subsequent developments marking that marvelous growth of our Western empire, gave promise that within fifty or a hundred years the w^oodman's ax 150 SKETCHES OF LYNN. might be heard telling trees upon the site of these paper cities. The bank system of this period was probably one of the most vicious of modern times, if not, indeed, of any time. The overthrow of the United States Bank, in 1836, and the collapse of the Pennsylvania Bank, designed to take the place of the old institu- tion which had run since Washington's adminis- tration — a period of Ibrty ^^ears — gave rise to the " pet bank " system. Under this system each State created as many of these mills for making paper money as the supposed wants of business seemed to demand ; and the terms by which this money was designated were more expressive than euphon- ious. It was called "red back" in Texas, and "wild cat" in Mississippi. Its value w^as more miscellaneous, if possible, than its appearance. It was worth one-third or tW'O-thirds the value ex- pressed on its face, according to circumstances of time and place. But the functions of these " tiscal agents" were designed to operate, for the most part, in the home market ; and if any of them strayed beyond the State that was responsible for their existence, they found their way into an old scrap-book, or something else, where thev were looked at occasionally as a financial curiositv. The paper money of the Eastern and Middle States gen- erally passed current at par within the States where it was issued : but it was looked upon with suspi- THE PANIC OF 1837. I5I cion when it strayed far from home, and was often subject to a discount sufiicient to embarrass busi- ness, and entail a loss upon the receivers. The old shoemakers of Lynn now living will well re- member when the boss gave them a New York bill ; and how^ it w as scanned, and the probable dis- count calculated. They w'ill also remember the healthy exercise they took in running round the neighborhood to find some one who, having deal- ings in the Empire State, would take it off" their hands without a discount. When the government became wise enough to establish a national cur- rency, all those eleventh-century methods w^ere put an end to ; and equality of value, whatever that value might be, was maintained from one end of the country to the other. During these years of business activity Lynn did its full share. There were probably more poor shoes made at this period than were ever made in our city before or since in the same length of time. The " stock," for the most part, w^as better than the workmanship, and the soles w'ere generally better than the uppers. The great defect was a lack of system, which ignored all the law^s of adaptation. Firm, stout soles were joined to uppers that were evidently got up with no reference to wear : and worse than this, if both w'ere equally good — as was sometimes the case — they were often spoiled in making up. As an illustration of this, thousands 152 SKETCHES OF LYNN. of pairs of boots cut from stout grained leather up- per stock, and having soles of the best quality, were spoiled b}' the miserable expedient of using papC7- stijfeii/ngs. When it is understood that this paper was not the stout, compact leather-board of the present day, but a tender straw-paper that a drop of water would penetrate through and through, no comment is needed to demonstrate the utter worthlessness of the article when it was ready for the foot of the wearer. Nor was this the only unscien- tific and wasteful arrangement. Shoes were sewed in such a manner that they dropped to pieces long before they were half worn out ; and when the sew- ing was good the labor was wasted by the sense- less practice of "trimming the uppers close to the stitch " — a practice that made it impossible to wear a pair of these shoes a second time — thus causing a waste that could be reckoned by tens of thou- sands of dollars, if not by millions. The break-down in business, which came in the winter of 1836-7, was more complete and wide- spread than any the country had ever known. Numerous causes conspired to intensify its severitv. Not the least of these was the short crop of nearlv all the great staples in 1836. There was frost every month in that year. The extreme cold, ac- companied with excessive droughts in some parts of the country, lessened the amount of production by more, probably, than :$ioo, 000,000. We had THE PANIC OF 1837. ^53 been running in debt at a fearful rate, both at home and abroad. In six years endingjanuary, 1837, ^"^'^ had imported merchandise to the amount of $134,- 000,000 more than the vakie of our exports. $52,- 000,000 of this was in the single year 1836. The ex- ports from Great Britain alone to this country rose from $7,500,000 in 1833 to about $42,500,000 in 1836 and fell the next year to about $4,500,000. Our vast export of cotton — the production of which increased 150 per cent, during the decade ending 1840 — went but a little way to balance our foreign indebtedness. Besides this, we had imported $34,000,000 in spe- cie. The impetus given to trade by the building of the Erie Canal turned speculation in this direc- tion, and the mania to acquire land on the borders of the lakes outrun all common sense. In 1835 this canal was enlarged, and this enlargement did not lessen the speculative delusion. The fact that there were millions of acres more than, could possibly be utilized within a century under any possible con- ditions of wealth and numbers, did not prevent men from investing their money in land which gave no more promise of a reasonable return on their invest- ment than the same amount of territory in the moon. Immense fortunes were made, and the nation. States, corporations, municipalities, and individuals were piling up wealth in all directions — on -paper. But after making full allowance for this fictitious in- crease, the real additions to the nation's wealth 154 SKETCHES OF LYNN. were very great. Evidences of this were seen on every hand. More hind was brought under cuki- vation, more iron produced, more coal mined, and more manufactured goods of every kind produced. As an illustration of this, the coal mined in 1830 was 200,000 tons. In 1S37 i^ ^^''^s i^^oi'^ than 1,000,- 000. The nation was getting rich, but not so fast as appearances indicated. The mistake comes from confounding transfers with increase. A man may invest $10,000 in land, and if he adds nothing to the productive capacity of that land, marking the -price up ten per eent. will not enrich him nor the community. The impulse given to trade soon after 1830 chanofed the condition of Lvnn during the next six years more rapidly and more essentially than at any previous period in her history. This showed itself at every turn. The number of buildings erected during these years was probably greater than the whole number built from the tirst settlement of the town two hundred years betbre. The number of new streets opened between 1830 and 1840 was nearly equal to the whole number previously exist- ing. There were sixty streets in the town in 1831. In 1840 there were one hundred and three, and nearly all of the new ones were opened during the tirst six years of this period. When the panic came the foundations of business seemed to be taken away. In November, 1S36, THE PANIC OF 1837. ^55 the Agricultural Bank, of Ireland, and the Northern and Central Bank, of Manchester, England, be- came involved in difficulties, and called upon the Bank of England for aid. Aid was given on condition that they wind up their aiTairs. Next came the tidings of the unsound condition of the three great English houses, Wilkes, Wilde, and Wiggins — known as the "three W.'s " These houses did an extensive business with this country, giving large credits ; and the shock was felt from one end of the land to the other. Then carne a series of business explosions that kept the commer- cial world in a high fever of excitement for months. The first inquiry men made, as they met each morn- ing, was — " Who has failed now ? " Shoe houses in all the great cities of the Union, and especially in the South, "went up" one after another in rapid succession, and Lynn held its breath in suspense. The indebtedness of these houses to the chief shoe town in the country was larger than ever before. Long credits were then the order of the day. The planters of the South usually had their crops mortgaged a year ahead. The crop of 1836 was probably the lightest — tak- ing into account the area planted — gathered since 1816. The deficienc}' of the cotton crop was reck- oned by millions. The planter had nothing to pav the merchant, the merchant had nothing to pay the manufacturer. The recoil upon Lynn was tremen- 156 SKETCHES OF LYNN. dous and overwhelming. The per cent, of loss was enormous. All but six or eight of the leading manufacturers of the town failed. A prominent citi- zen recently informed the writer that he walked through the business portion of Lynn, from east to west, and found but one cutter at w^ork. Then came such times as the shoemakers never saw be- fore. Each "'jour," as he carried in his "lot," got the " sack" or a " cut-down " that withered his am- bition. It is, perhaps, well enough to explain to the uninitiated that the "" sack " meant the loss of a job, or "seat of work," as it was often called. The comments that were made in the several shoe- makers' shops at that time were numerous, sugges- tive, and highly instructive. "What did Mike say, Joe ?" "Said he did n't want any more. Said he might have some ' cacks ' bye-and-bye, four cents a pair, orders on 'Union.'" "Well, I don't know what I shall do this winter. I've got ten bushels of potatoes, and a pig in the sty. I shall have to go it on pork and potatoes." " I expect to get the ' sack,' Jim, when I carry in this lot. Perhaps I can cret some "scuffs.' I can earn thirty cents a day on them." The old shoemakers will under- stand what "scuffs" mean without turning to the dic- tionary. Webster will give him no light on this point. The "" scuff" was simply a vamp of russet sheepskin sewed to a sole shaped to a last. The wearer could put his foot in as far as the instep, THE PANIC OF 1837. ^57 and so "sculT" round the house when his ambition did n't rise high enough to make the needed exer- tion to put on a decent pair of slippers. When an old shoemaker had got down to making " scuffs "' his career as an artist was about ended. It may as well be mentioned here as anywhere that some of the conditions existing in Lynn at that time broke the force of the overturn in business that followed the panic of '37. Lynn had not then outgrown its agricultural character. One of her newspapers, some fifty years ago, boasted that more hogs were raised in town than in any place in the vicinity. Whether this was true or not, every well- to-do shoemaker had his garden, and a pig-sty somewhere on the premises. This gave him pork and potatoes ; and if he could eke out this supply with a few groceries and a little flour, he could bid defiance to financial tempests, and if he had a toler- ably tight house to live in, he did n't care much for any other kind of a storm. In winter he could go clamming and eeling when the weather permitted, and if he had two or three cords of wood, split and piled up in the shed, he considered himself in easy circumstances. (Coal was then very little used in Lynn.) When the spring opened the horizon of his hopes expanded. Less clothing and fuel were needed. The clam-banks discounted more readily ; haddock could be got at Swampscott so cheap that the price was n't worth quoting. The boys could 158 SKETCHES OF LYNN. dig dandelions without an}' risk of being driven out of the yard. (There were not many yards then, as most of the houses were out of doors.) Then if the poor man had his little "spring pig" that he had kept through the winter, " pork and dandelions " were no small items in the bill of fare while "greens" lasted. But notwithstanding all the dandelions, and all the haddock, and all the clams, and all the other adjuncts that lessened the chances of starvation, the spring of 1837 opened with prospects gloom}' enough. Many had leisure to attend to any matter of local or general interest ; and such an occasion arose when the Eastern Railroad Company an- nounced its purpose to build the railroad between Boston and Salem. The Eastern Railroad Company began operations in the fall of 1836. A railroad was then compara- tively a new thing. Absurd ideas were entertained as to the speed of locomotives. Some who had never seen one supposed that it would be impos- sible to sjet off the track in season to avoid the en- gine if it were anywhere in sight. The bustle and stir incident to starting the new enterprise in Lynn broke up the monotony of the dull season following the panic of the spring of 1837. Gangs of Irish laborers were set to work in several sections of the town along the line of the road, and their work was watched with if high degree of interest by the boys. THE PANIC OK 1837. 1 59 and with hardly less interest by men of the largest size. Immigration on a large seale was then also a new thing, the first impetus being given to it by the great canal enterprises of New York and Penn- sylvania, some ten or fifteen years before, and in- tensified a little later by the railroad projects then in their infancv. The number of immia'rants arriv- ing in the United States for tlie six years ending 1836 averaged about 60,000 a year. There were but twenty-three miles of railroad in the United States in 1830. In 1835 ^^^ ^^^*^ lines in operation hardly reached eleven hundred miles. In 1850 nine thousand miles had been built, the increase in the meantime showing that the number of miles constructed doubled each five years. So many men, and so many teams — and espec- ially so many three-wheeled carts — so many shov- els, and so many pick-axes, wielded by as many men working in the gravel pits, where the deep cuts were made through the high land ; so many inter- esting and amusing episodes arising from the va- rious work going on, all tended to enliven the sum- mer of that memorable panic 3'ear, if they did not add much to the pockets of the idle lookers-on. There was a good deal of gratuitous supervision given that year. Rows of men and boys sat along the banks on the sides of the " cut " without once thinking of charging the Eastern Railroad Com- pany a cent for their disinterested superintendence. l6o SKETCHES OF LYNN. Perhaps as good an idea of the simultaneoiisness of motion could be obtained from the way the shovels and pick-axes of these laborers dropped to the ground when the bell struck twelve, or when the signal was given to quit work at night ; and the way they scrambled up the slopes on their way to dinner exhibited a variety, if not the poetry, of motion. Three shanties were built on the south- west side of Green street, near the bridge — on the northwest side — for the accommodation of the gangs of men at work on that section of the road — one for cooking, one for lodging, and one for an eating saloon. None of these edifices bore the slightest resemblance to any of the leading hotels of New England. The sums paid to architects for plans of these buildings were probably not large. They were not entirely air-tight, but had various openings that cut off all necessity for patent venti- lators. The diet furnished was simple, and no time was lost in making selections — corned beef, pota- toes, and flour bread, and tea made from a brand, to the waiter unknown. As gunpowder tea was not much used at that time, and as the Emperor of China had not advertised the kind he used, it was probably neither of these grades. On Sundays larg-e numbers would slather about these shanties to see how matters were conducted ; especially those who had no opportunity to note the progress made THE PANIC OF 1837. ^^I during- the week. Some of these did not attend church regularly. The digging necessary in building the road through the elevated land lying between the Cen- tral Station and Chatham street supplied a vast amount of gravel that raised the grade of several streets in the vicinity. Union street — till almost this time called Estes Lane — was one of those that put on a new appearance from that day. Up to this time this road was one of the worst in town. It was then some three feet lower than its present grade, and in the spring of each year when the freshets came was half this depth, more or less, (and in spots considerably more,) under water, from the foot of Pearl street to Green street. Be- sides the hundreds of loads of gravel put upon the road at this point, a large amount was used to fill certain low lots on the northwest side, thus chang- ing some worthless swamp land into valuable build- ing sites. The three-wheeled carts in which this gravel was carried were objects of special interest to the boys, as these, with horses attached, gave frequent occasions for amateur driving. These teams were loaded and sent in pairs, one following the other, the horses, from long training, knowing where to go, and what to do ; and the small boy marching by the side of the head horse felt the weight of his responsibility more than the horse did his load of gravel. l62 SKETCHES OF LYNN. But the interest heightened to the spectators seated on the banks, as well as to many others, when the shovels and pick-axes ot' the workmen struck against the formidable ledges lying just east of Green street. Blasting on a large scale had never before been done in Lynn. The sight and operation of the gigantic drills ; the immense quan- tities of powder used ; the scampering away to a safe distance when the signal was o-iven that the fuse was about to be touched off; the moment of suspense while waiting for the charge to explode ; the fragments of rocks flying into the air like rock- ets, or larger masses of rock forced through the covering, and thrown up above the top of the pit and burying themselves in the soft earth ; all this was an excitement and a diversion that relieved the tedium of many an idle hour when clam-digging, fishing, and berrying were not the more serious em- ployments of the long-to-be-remembered summer of 1837. There was a good deal of gardening done in Lynn in the summer of 1837. This was also true elsewhere. If this were a treatise on political econ- omy it would be proper to remark that this always takes place in periods of depressed trade. When business is driving in the various branches of manu- facturing industry the gardens and small lots of land are likely to be neglected. Ten thousand of these small parcels of land are brought under THE PANIC OF 1837. 163 cultivation in seasons of dull business, thus adding largely to the agricultural products of the nation. These products may make little show in census returns, but they, nevertheless, have a great signifi- cance. The writer has not at hand the industrial returns of the town of Lynn for that year ; but he feels confident in saying that more potatoes, more beans, more corn, more squashes, and other vege- tables, were planted, as well as more hogs raised, than for several years before. Uncle D.'s experi- ence illustrated the domestic economy of keeping a pig. On one occasion one of the financiers of the neighborhood undertook, bv the folio win «• arefu- ment, to prove to Uncle D. that pig-keeping was not profitable. "You paid, Uncle D., five dollars for your pig when you bought him ?" Uncle D. assented. "Now, in thirty weeks, from this time till Christmas, the pig will eat twenty bushels of meal; that will cost fifteen dollars?" Uncle D. again assented. " Now, there 's one dollar for two loads of seaweed, and a dollar for killing. That makes twenty-two dollars, and we 've reckoned nothing for the trouble of taking care of the pig. So you see your pig will cost you twenty-two dol- lars, with the risk of all accidents. Now, suppose he weighs two hundred and fifty pounds when you kill him, (about a fair average,) and you get eight cents a pound for your pork (as much as you can expect) ; you will have but twenty dollars, and so 164 SKETCHES OF LYNN. you '11 lose two dollars:' "Just so," said Uncle D. ; "but if I keep my pig till Christmas time, / shall have him. If I do n't, I shall not have him uo7' the nioncv to buy one ; and I shall he so much out.''' Uncle D.'s philosophy has a wide-spread applica- tion. The pig was his savings bank. Perhaps there never was a year when so much miserable trash called provisions was eaten in the town of Lynn as in the panic year of 1837. There also never was a time since the second war with Great Britain when such price was paid for any such stuft\ Pork was eighteen to twenty cents a pound, and such pork ! The utmost impartiality was displayed in packing this pork. All parts pretty much went into the barrel, not excepting a good many bristles that ought to have gone to the brush-makers, and a good deal besides that never ought to have gone anywhere except, possibly, to the foot of a grape-vine. It is not surprising that Grahamism flourished a few years after this. One look into a barrel of this pork would make more Grahamites than a whole course of lectures. This pork was known by the euphonious and suggestive name of" rattlesnake pork," as the opinion more or less prevailed that the pigs were raised on that stimulating diet. The abundance of this reptile in some parts of the West, and the well-known ex- emption of the hog from all danger coming from the bite of this venomous snake, probably lay at the THE PANIC OF 1837. 165 foundation of this opinion. To this may be added the extremely social disposition of the hog when he found himself in the company of these graceful vermin. The reader may possibly infer that West- ern pork was not held in higli esteem at that time. That inference is correct. This allusion to the diet of those times would not be complete without the men- tion of the corollar}^ of pork — beans. These, per- haps, had been round the " Horn," or experienced the rigors of an Arctic winter, or the dessicating effect of a torrid climate, or most likely had borne all three of these geographical seasonings. They were sold for white beans. Some of them zvcre white. Butter was something of a luxury in that memorable panic year. Not many could afford to eat it, and there was a good deal of it that nobody wanted to eat if he could afford it. This butter had several characteristics. It was miscellaneous in its appearance, in color ranging all the way from a lard-like whiteness to a 3^ellow, suggestive of the setting sun. But its chief Characteristic was strength rather than beaut}'. Some of the wags used to al- lude to this kind of butter as a motive power in mov- ing buildings. Its price at this time kept pace both with its strength and beauty, though it did not reach such high figures as in after years. The ex- tremely high cost of provisions, occasioned by the scarcity arising from the short crops of the preced- ing year, intensified the hardships of the panic. An l66 SKETCHES OF LYNN. apology was sometimes thought to be needed for indulging in any such luxury as butter. In one of these periods of high prices Mr. I. called at a gro- cery store and inquired the price of this article. '^ Sixty cents a pound," was the answer. Mr. I. hesitated a moment, and then said, "/"// take a quarter of a ^ound^for sickness.''^ A significant fact is brought out by comparing the retail prices of commodities at this period when the order system prevailed, with the wholesale prices as quoted in the Boston and New York markets. As an instance of this, the highest whole- sale price of superfine flour in Boston, as shown by the commercial record for the year 1837, ^'^''^s $9.50 per barrel. It was sold as high as $2.20 by the quarter of a hundred, (28 pounds,) the old style denoting a quarter of a gross hundred, (112 pounds,) or one-seventh of a barrel of 196 pounds. This, it will be seen, was at the rate of $15.40 per barrel, and was not, probably, very su^erjinc in quality either. The prices of a list of articles could be given showing how wide was the gap between whole- sale cash prices and retail order prices ; and the gap was still wider, probably, between these cash prices and the prices charged by the manufacturers who kept goods with which to supply their work- men. The order system — already treated upon in a former chapter — was spasmodic and irregular in THE PANIC OF 1837. 167 its operation. In ''good times" cash was generally paid to "jours" and "binders" as far back as 1830. During the six years preceding the panic of 1837 workmen were in great demand, and cash was gen- erally paid to those who demanded it. Perhaps the question will be asked, why didn't they all demand it? To fully answer this question would require a statement unfolding the idiosyncracies of individ- uals, a history of business at that period, and, in short, a complete microcosm of society as it then existed. It was understood that some preferred to take orders, giving as a reason that the "boss" would be more likely to keep them at work in dull times if they took orders for their labor when they might get cash. Another class had an account at the store. This account would run a month — sometimes three months — then an order would be drawn covering the whole amount. This looked like business ; but the workman did n't see that this was like paying twenty per cent, interest — an im- mense drain upon his resources that kept hundreds like him poor without their knowing the reason why. He did not see that credit, when needless, was the bane of the poor man, leading him into ex- penditures he would not make if cash were to be drawn from the pocket when the purchase was made. Many did not find out how bitter was their bondage to the system of orders and long credits until a Ibrtunate experience of the cash system de- l68 SKETCHES OF LYNN. livered them from the harassing burden of un- settled accounts, and made its indeHble marks upon the pocket-book. This period — between 1831 and 1837 — did a great work in teaching the workingmen of Lynn the lesson that cash and short credits gave him more bread and less anxiety, and a better chance to lay by a few dollars for a rainy day. The growth of Lynn was never so rapid before as during these years. But when the crash ca^ne everything was changed. Orders took the place of cash to a great extent. Manufacturers traded off shoes for any sort of " truck " they could get, and the workman was glad to get work, and take his pay in anything that would supply his wants, from a chip-hat to broken salt fish, or from '' stoga '" shoes to " lantern '" mutton that bore no sort of resemblance to the South Down variety seen in English markets. There was any quantity of shoes in the market which the owners were willing to exchange for any product made or raised in any part of the earth, or that came from any known sea. The 'shoe manufac- turers of Lynn had a large share of these shoes. By a sudden freak of fashion, more idiotic in its operation than the freaks of fashion usually are, the style of shoes changed from the extreme wide toes to the opposite extreme of a style running almost to a point. This left no room for the toes unless the shoes worn were two or three sizes longer than the THE PANIC OF 1837. 169 feet of the wearer. Till within the last few years, shoes were made — both men's and women's — without any reference to the anatomy of the human foot. They began to narrow just where the foot betrins to widen, as though the direct intention was to produce a crop of corns, bunions, and protrud- ing joints. Shoes are now made (especiall}' men's) with some reference to the shape of the foot. The civilization of the nineteenth century is wrestling with this problem, and it is to be hoped that brains will triumph. No apology is asked for this digres- sion — if it is one — as the writer considers this matter of more consequence to all concerned in the questions here treated than any topic falling in the direct line of this record. The manufacturers found these wide-toed shoes a drug in the market ; and they were a drug be- cause they possessed the only good quality that could be urged in their favor — they would not cramp the toes of the wearer. For this reason, mainly, they were carted from place to place, and transferred from hand to hand, until whatever of beauty or comeliness they had was lost. Not one pair in ten, probably, ever reached their destined end as a covering for the human foot ; but on some bright, cool morning they doubtless eked out the fire in some retailer's or jobber's store, giving their odorous testimony that they had been sacrificed on the altar of a brainless fashion. It was necessary 22 lyO SKETCHES OF LYNN. to make a new departure in the style of shoes, and for several years we had ladies' shoes with toes running to a rounded point, exhibiting a tashion not much sillier than the Chinese styles seen in museums, and elsewhere. Business was thoroughly prostrated till the sum- mer of 1838. It then rallied, and Lynn had a short spurt of brisk trade which lasted hardly a year. The causes of the prostration were too deep, and run back too far to make any sudden cure possible. Politicians now took up the subject, and gave a diagnosis of the case that was perfectly satisfactory — to themselves. The administration was held re- sponsible for the hard times. " Two dollars a day and roast beef" were promised to the workingmen if the " Hero of Tippecanoe " should be elected President of the United States. As an evidence of the condition of the shoe busi- ness in Lynn in the years tollowing the panic, the statistics of the leather trade might be cited as con- clusive testimony. In 1838 the leather on hand and in process of tanning in New York was 1,009,- 917 hides. In 1841 this had fallen to 541,600 sides, or about fifty per cent. Other kinds of business showed similar results. Things were in a grand condition to give the politicians who were out of office just the leverage they wanted. At the outset of the business troubles, political action was demand- ed to set the financial current the other way. To get THE PANIC OF 1837. 171 an intelligent appreciation of the notable campaign of 1840 it will be necessary to review, briefly, the political situation during the few preceding years. In July, 1836, President Jackson issued the famous "specie circular." This document instructed land agents to take nothing but specie in pay for public lands. This meant, simply, that government was to get something for these lands besides worthless paper. Speculators had been paying for them in " wild cat " currency issued from " coon-box banks," and the treasury already had more than it could use to any good purpose. Benton says that ten millions of this paper was on the way to the Land Office when the " specie circular " was issued. This, of course, put an end to a good deal of business ac- tivity — such as it was — inasmuch as it substituted mone}' for worthless bank paper. Jackson had the sagacity to see how things were drifting. The crash came a few months after, and the adminis- tration w'as held responsible for all that happened, and also for continuing to reckon according to the rules of arithmetic. When Congress met in De- cember, it passed an act rescinding the " specie cir- cular." The bill w'as sent to the President the day before the adjournment of Congress, but as he did not sign it the act was null, and the circular re- mained in full force. In the following March a committee was sent to Washington, who told the President — Van Buren, just then inaugurated — 172 SKETCHES OF LYNN. that the vahie ot^ real estate had depreciated, within the last six months, more than $40,000,000 ; that within the last two months there had been more than two hundred and fitty taihn-es, and that local stocks had declined $20,000,000. The trouble, they said, " was not to be laid to any undue exten- sion of mercantile enterprise, (of course not,) but to the ' specie circular,' and several other things." But they reported that they could get nothing satis- factory from him. The President concluded to let the water run whichever way the slope set the cur- rent. This, of course, was not satisfactory to the politicians. The partial revival of business in 1838 run their capital stock down very low% but when the " bank crash" of 1839 came this stock went up again like a rocket. All the business troubles were laid at the door of the administration. The opposition to the President was of the fiercest kind. But it was too late to remedy matters then by an appeal to the people, as Van Buren was just elected. The break- down that came almost simultaneously with his in- auguration supplied the Whigs with texts and party war-cries until the election of Harrison in the Fall of 1840. The immediate cause of this second breakdown in 1839 was the disturbance of our trade with Great Britain, arising from the short crops of that country in that and the preceding 3'ear. Extreme cold and THE PANIC OF 1 83 7. 1 73 excessive rains throughout Enghind, Irehind, and Scotland diminished agricuUural products — espe- cially wheat — to a degree almost without parallel since the first years of the century. Wheat rose to a price it had not reached since 1816, and the quality was never so bad since that memorable year. This produced panic and financial distress in all the business centers of Great Britain, and the magnitude of our commercial relations, even then, with England brought the inevitable reaction to the United States. In October, 1839, the Bank of the United States closed its doors, and a general bank suspension followed. This was the old government bank whose charter, expiring in 1836, Congress re- fused to renew. It then obtained a charter from the Legislature of Pennsylvania. This was the king bank of the country, and its influence upon business, and upon the financial legislation of that period, w-as very great. Unless history lies, it was engaged in a good many crooked transactions, be- ginning with obtaining its charter by bribery in the Pennsylvania Legislature. THE CAMPAIGN OF 1840. LOG CABINS AND HARD CIDER. The campaign of 1840, therefore, opened richly. The makers of political song books reaped a harvest. Printers of hand-bills never did such a business be- fore. It would be more amusing than edifying to the reader if some of the minor incidents of this po- litical canvass were laid before him. The enthusi- asm of the Whicrs had never reached such heicrhts. In 1836 they scattered their energies among three or four candidates, and were, of course, defeated. Now the rallying cry from one end of the country to the other was " Tippecanoe and Tyler too." The great features of the campaign were " Hard Cider " and "Log Cabins." These were the indispensable ap- pendages of every political procession — a minia- ture log cabin, and behind it a barrel of hard cider, or a hard cider barrel. The tradition prevailed at the time that Gen. Harrison lived in a log cabin at North Bend, Ohio ; and it is not unlikely that some supposed he got into it by creeping on his hands THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. I75 and knees, or by stooping very low. Boys sang songs about the streets, and men got into fierce al- tercations in grocery stores, and at public places. These songs were rrot of the highest literary order, and they were not always sung in an artistic man- ner ; but all deficiencies were more than made up by the glow of enthusiasm and patriotism that showed itself in all possible ways by men and boys of all ages at all times of day or night. As one went along the street a juvenile chorus would in- quire in melodious accents, if not otherwise, •• Did you ever hear of the farmer that lived out in the West, Of all the men for President the wisest and the best?" Or a refrain would be heard, the burden of which was that somebody was a "used up man," and that the farmer aforesaid, or "Tippecanoe," had some- thing to do in using him up — " O Van ! Van ! Van is a used up man ! And with him we '11 beat little Van." Those who had an e3'e to the main chance were ready to avail themselves of all this patriotic fervor, and miniature log cabins and cider barrels, emblem- atical and ornamental, were stuck on to everything, from a cane to a corn barn. It is said that one of our thrifty citizens laid the foundations of his fortune in the manufacture of canes, each of which was surmounted with one of these emblematical cider 176 SKETCHES OF EYNN. barrels two inches in length, and of proportionate circumference. But the enthusiasm rose higher than two-inch cider barrels, and even higher than bird-house log cabins on the ridge-poles of the tallest barns. A grand log cabin must be built large enough to ac- commodate the multitudes that might gather to hear the political orators that came from every corner of the Union to tell the people how Locofoco mis- rule had brought the country to the brink of ruin, and how the honest 3'eomanry of the land must rise in their might and deliver the nation from the mach- inations and intrigues of designing politicians and the selfish ambition of third-rate statesmen. One told the people how Jackson, and his administra- tion, had ruined the country by overthrowing the United States Bank. Another how the Tariff of '32, with its sliding scale of duties, had prostrated the industry of the nation, and finally whelmed it in the financial gulf of 1837, where it lay while our great commercial rivals held a jubilee over the ruins of the proud fabric of trade and commerce. And a third told how Price and Swartwout, and a host of minor defaulters, had plundered the treasury, and how the floods of official corruption were sweep ■ ing from the Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Elo- quence was more plentiful than corn that year. The log cabin was built by the side of the Eastern Railroad, on the land making part of the eastern THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. I77 end of Harrison Court. It was built of pine boards rather than pine logs, the seats and platform of pretty much the same material, and the whole ar- rangement outside and inside wore a rural, if not a back-woods appearance. It w^as one hundred feet long, and sixty wide. A walk, or bridge, led from the railroad to the rostrum, or speaker's stand, for the accommodation of those who were to be honored with a seat on the platform. A door, or opening, on either side, about midway between the front and rear, admitted the audience, and gave ample means of egress in case of tire. But there w^as more danger from water than from fire. The roof was not abso- lutely water tight, and in case of a showier one could pick out a dry spot or go outside, just as he chose. It was lighted with a chandelier made from a pine tree. This was before illuminating gas was thought of in these parts, and the various burning fluids that preceded the introduction of kerosene oil had not yet taken the place of the tallow candle, or the lamp filled with whale oil. Cheap tin lamps adorned various parts of the cabin ; and when these were lighted the inside of this rural edifice had a unique and attractive appearance. The boys rev- eled on these occasions. Whether there was any- thing that reminded them of Aladdin's lamp, or an enchanted palace, is not definitely known ; but if to ten of them were given the choice to join the procession, and go to one of these patriotic gather- 23 178 SKETCHES OF LYNN. ings in the log cabin, or study his Sunday School lesson, nine of them, at least, would have gone to the cabin. After all was* ready it was dedicated on the 17th of August. Grand preparations were made. The cabin was crammed full, and overflowed in all di- rections. David Taylor was President of the Whig Club, "and Leverett Saltonstall, the member of Con- gress from Essex South, w-as the orator of the occa- sion. The Whigs of Boston presented a banner to the Whigs of Lvnn, and one of our prominent citi- zens, now living, the Hon. Thomas B. Newhall, responded in a " neat and appropriate speech of acknowledgment." A song from the Ward Five Glee Club was sung, and then the impatient audi- ence listened to an introductory address by Mr. Taylor, President of the Club. Mr. Taylor was a man of imposing presence, and his introduction of Mr. Saltonstall was performed in a manner just suited to the occasion ; and when he closed by say- ing, "I have the honor of introducing to you, my fellow-citizens, the Hon. Leverett Saltonstall, an old war horse, but brave and spirited as ever," the shouts of the excited multitude made the " welkin ring." The writer, though present, did not take notes of Mr. Saltonstall's speech, not supposing he would have occasion to use them, but the address was pronounced by high authority as every way worthy of the distinguished orator. THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. 1 79 Soon after came the great Bunker Hill Conven- vention, September lo. This was one of the largest — probably the largest — political gather- ings ever seen in New England up to that period. The Boston Atlas gave the figures of the pro- cession. From the several counties within the State, 33,400. From other States, including cav- alcade, 12,550; making a total of 45,950. Lynn shone on that occasion. She mustered some five or six hundred, beside making a good show in the cavalcade. One paper said : " The great feature, however, was the Great Shoe from Lynn, mounted on wheels, drawn by six beautiful w-hite horses. In the shoe were about twenty men." To which the Lynn Freeman added : " We cannot avoid expressing the high gratification expressed by the company in the shoe at the manner of their reception throughout the whole route." From the newspaper accounts of the day this was one of the most enthusiastic, as well as the largest, political demonstrations that ever " tore the welkin to tatters " since the continent w^as inhabited. Ban- ners, flags, mottoes, emblems, every sort of political device, mechanical and marine, agricultural and allegorical, were seen along the line of the proces- sion, and as each met the eyes of a new throng of spectators vociferous cheers from thousands, and l8o SKETCHES OF LYNN. wao-o-ish comments from the few endowed with wit were heard until the caldron of excitement boiled over and ran down the sides. Political meteorology was of the most startling kind that year. There were no balmy zephyrs or gentle showers. There was nothing tamer than an earthquake during the campaign. Torrents, torna- does, and avalanches were monthly occurrences, if they did not happen more frequently. There was a good deal of thunder rolling over the prairies, and lightning flashed from ever}/ quarter of the political horizon. Gunnery, and especially artillery practice, was largely called upon for metaphors. As early as March was heard the " First Gun from Illinois." Then in " unterritied Connecticut" was seen the "first dawning of the Sun of Austerlitz." Soon after we were called upon to note the " Pro- gress of the Storm in Ohio." Then "the Old Dominion speaks in Thunder." Then all e\'es were directed to the Baltimore National Convention to behold every sort of phenomena ever seen in political meteorology. Voices echoed, torrents roared, the rushing sound of the Mississippi waters mingled with every breeze that " swept over the plains of the South." We were invited to listen to all kinds of noises in every part of the land. Balti- more was the focus of all these noises. The North shouted to the South ; the East called to the young West. Besides this there was music by several THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. 181 bands, and a number of guns were fired. Our dis- tinguished fellow-citizen, the late Alonzo Lewis, wrote a song for the occasion, beginning — "Here's health to the Freeborn and health to the Brave; We will chant the bold Pean o'er mountain and wave." There was considerable more of it, but they prob- ably had n't time to sing it. Next came the Fourth of July ; all over the United States were seen pro- cessions and log cabins, cider barrels and stuffed coons, and a repetition, on a small scale, of pretty much everything that had been heard and seen at Baltimore. Then was heard the " Fourth peal of Harrison Thunder from Louisiana." The August elections then came, and they were introduced as THE TORNADO. This tornado swept through a dozen States, and a small breeze had no chance for a show. Occa- sionally a writer would drop from meteorology into sociology — as Silas Wegg dropped into poetry — and then the heading would be, " The Progress of the Revolution." But this was generally too tame. The public appetite had been fed so long on whirl- winds and cataracts that a less stimulating diet failed to keep up the tone of the system, and so when it came to Ohio, the home of "Old Tip," nothing short of a tenth part of a million earth- l82 SKETCHES OF LYNN. quakes was sufficient to express the struggling emotions of the editor as he announced to his readers the result of the ballot box. "A hundred thousand earthquake-shouts for the gallant Buck- ej'es," was the reasonable call he made upon them, and it is to be supposed that the explosion came off — such as it was. The proceedings of the second meeting in the Log Cabin were not fully reported by the Whig press — in fact, were not reported at all, as their columns clearly showed. The doings of that gath- ering are, therefore, let't to tradition, a somewhat uncertain guide, or to the still more unreliable accounts given in the exaggerated reports by polit- ical opponents. As there was no special reason why these political opponents should be reticent, there was something more than an allusion to, and an incidental comment upon, a meeting whose fea- tures were rather extraordinary, even in that extra- ordinary campaign. But there are many men now living — both Whigs and Democrats at that time — who have a vivid remembrance of the incidents and accidents, the episodes and adjuncts, of that mem- orable evening. A distinguished speaker had been invited from a distant State. According to expla- nations afterwards given, the exhaustive labors of an exciting campaign had impaired his health, and recent efforts in addressing large multitudes had given his voice, naturally clear and sonorous, a THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. 183 hoarseness and huskiness ill-suited to oratory. Be- sides this, a temporary illness had unfitted him for the arduous labors and excitement incident to a political meeting in those stormy times. To meet the exigencies of the occasion, certain stimulus was given — a more common treattnent then than now, though not entirely unknown at the present day. But this did not meet the exigency. On the con- trary, it increased the huskiness of voice, disturbed the logical order of thought, and the coherence of ideas. It was plain that the speaker was not in a condition to clearly unfold a principle of constitu- tional law, or to follow the windings of an intricate question of bank or tariff'. When the hour arrived, the Whigs were not slow in apprehending the situ- ation, and the few "Locos," present were not a whit behind them in taking in all the peculiar features of the case. A few ineffectual attempts at speech on the part of the speaker revealed the situation too clearly for anybody to misunderstand. The Whigs, not knowing what further demonstrations might be made, quietly withdrew, and might have been seen going home in all directions, but generally by the shortest route. But the " Locos " did not seem to regard it as lost time. To them it was an enter- tainment unprecedented in its attractions, and they seemed in no hurry to leave. By some unac- countable system of telegraphy the Democrats, who had no idea of attending a Whig meetmg that 184 SKETCHES OF LYNN. evening, got wind of the affair, and soon the ample space made by the receding forms of the Whigs was filled with interested spectators who never voted a Whig ticket in all their lives. If not a sympa- thetic audience it certainly was not an indifferent one. They encouraged the speaker in all possible ways. They called him by his Christian name, and also by his family name. They designated him by the name of his native State, applauded all his efforts, and showed him every possible atten- tion. A few ineffectual attempts on the part of the speaker resulted in nothing better than certain inco- herent utterances, showing that the flesh was weaker than the spirit. There never was a better suited set than those "Locos," who seemed so anx- ious to get instructed in Whig politics. The next issue of their organ, the Record^ gave a graphic description of this meeting, which more than made amends for the reticence of the Whig journal. In shoemakers' shops, and wherever there was a con- genial crowd, this event furnished a fruitful topic for jokes and comments for a long time after ; and when it was no longer new, it became embalmed as a reminiscence to be called up whenever the exi- gencies of political discussion seemed to demand an unusual draft upon party histor}^. The next address at the Cabin was by Daniel Webster, on the i6th of September. It is needless to say that the audience got something worth listen- THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. 185 ing- tOv It was a calm, dispassionate review of the political situation, characterized by that dignity and absence of all personal invective which marked all the efforts of this distinguished statesman. Caleb Gushing was the speaker at the fourth gathering at the Log Cabin, October 5th. Mr. Cushing was then in the prime of early manhood, and already gave promise of that transcendent scholarship and mastery of political science that afterwards placed him in the front rank of Ameri- can diplomatists and statesmen. His masterly analysis of the great questions then dividing the two great parties — and especially that of finance — was a performance worthy the attention of either Whig or Democrat ; but on the whole it gave much better satisfaction to the Whigs than to the Demo- crats. Before this address was finished, an episode occurred that had no bearing upon any one of the great questions discussed during the evening. A vile compound, prepared, it was said, at an apothecary's not a mile away, was brought into the cabin by parties unknown. This turned the whole current of thought away from the great questions under consideration ; for no logic or eloquence could stand for a moment in the face of that villainous smell. The speaker saw that something attracted the atten- tion of the audience, and more than likely had other evidence besides his eyesight, and the chairman saw it, too, and more than saw it, and came to the 24 l86 SKETCHES OF LYNN. rescue. " These, fellow-citizens," said Mr. Taylor, ■'are the fumes of Locofocoism, and they will soon pass away." But they did n't pass away — at least for some time. That was not a presence to be waved off with a flourish of rhetoric, or a bland invitation to leave. This outrage, which was fittingly denounced at the time, gives some idea of the amenities of politics in those da3's. And yet there are some people who would like to go back to old times. Order was at last restored, and in a good degree the normal condition of the air inside the cabin, whose ventilation was ample. It may be proper to mention here that no expense was in- curred in making this cabin air-tight ; but in order to secure abundant ventilation, and for the free ad- mission of wind, heat, cold, dust, moonlight and sunlight, the sides were left open near the top. Along this opening a row of boys' heads might have been seen upholstering the space below the eaves, so that this outside gallery made a conspicu- ous addition to the audience which, on one occa- sion, called forth high eulogy trom one of the orators. "Here," said he, "we not only see this spacious cabin filled with enthusiastic Whigs, but the roof covered zvith boys, peering through the cracks." Probably neither Mr. Gushing, nor any of his audience, had any idea that in a few years he would lead a regiment into Mexico in support of a war more fiercely denounced by the Whig THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. 187 party, and all its great leaders, than any measure that had divided the nation since the war of 1812. After this it was not strange that he" received the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1848. Two more meetings were held in the cabin before the election — one, Monday evening, October 12th, addressed by Franklin Dexter, of Boston, the next on the Thursday evening following, when the Hon. Daniel P. King, of Danvers, was the speaker. The cabin was crowded to hear the honorable gentleman, who was a favorite in Lynn. Mr. King, though not a man of commanding talents, had high qualities to recommend him. He never indulged in personalities, was a man of spotless in- tegrity of character, and especially esteemed for the urbanity of his manners, and his genial social qualities. THE DEMOCRATIC PAVILION OF 184O. The Democratic Pavilion occupied the lot near the east corner of Union and Exchange streets, nearly opposite Almont street. This neighbor- hood wore a very different aspect then from what now appears. The first Eastern Railroad Station was built about two years before. It was not noted for the amplitude of its accommodations, or the elegance of its design. Models of this structure were never seen in any gallery of art, nor are any I5» SKETCHES OF LYNN. designs showing its elaborateness or uniqueness, or whatever other novelty it possessed, preserved in any manual o( architecture. Between this station and the old Silsbee estate, which included the land on Union street now covered in part by the New- hall Block, there was no building near the tront line. From this front line the land rose to quite a hill, at the top of w'hich stood the house of Nathan Alley, lacing Exchange street. In front of the house was a well, with an old-fashioned "sweep," such as is still occasionally seen. Doubtless many who read these pages will recall this old well, and with it the familiar lines of Woodworth, who, prob- ably, had just such a well as this in his mind's eye when he wrote — "The old oaken bucket, the iron-l)ound bucket, The ]noss-co\'ered bucket which liung in the Avell." This well-sweep could be seen all over " Black Marsh ; " for the territory between this point and the sea — extending from Nahant street, on the east, to Munroe street on the west, now thickly covered with buildings of every description — then contained only a few scattering dwellings, and a few still more scattering stores and small factories, dotted here and there with a shoemaker's shop. This hill, which was soon after leveled, furnished a large amount of excellent material for roads ; but before it was leveled its slope made a very conven- THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. 189 ient site tor the Democratic Pavilion, whose rear extended to within a few rods of the top of the hill. The seats gradually rising one above another gave it a somewhat amphitheatre appearance. But this was the only respect in which this pavilion bore the slightest resemblance to the renowned amphithea- tres of Greece and Rome, not to mention the famous edifices of other ancient nations. There is prob- ably no document extant giving the dimension of this pavilion. The writer did not measure it, being too young at the time to consider the question as to the probable interest posterity might have in know- iniT its lenifth and breadth ; but he is inclined to the opinion that it was equal in size to the log cabin of the Whigs. It was built of pretty much the same sort of lumber, and it may interest some to know that shortly after, the stock was used in the construction of the Sagamore Hall Building, now occupying part of the same lot — a structure de- scribed at the time as a "splendid hall." The first addresses given in the Pavilion w^ere by George Bancroft, the historian, and Amasa Walker. At this meeting a string of thirteen resolutions was adopted, and a vote of thanks to these gentlemen for " their eloquent addresses." At this meeting several boys — some of them probably of large size — made a " pow^wow " outside the pavilion singing "hard cider songs," which called out a 190 SKETCHES OF LYNN. pleasant remark from Mr. Bancroft about that sort of "Whig argument." The second address was delivered by Robert Rantoul, Jr. A large crowd gathered to hear him, but not all were able to do so for want of room. Mr. Rantoul was a great favorite with the Demo- crats. He was then a 3^oung man of thirty-tive, but had already laid the foundation which, in after vears. made him one of the leading statesmen of the land. Few men have the power of statement that he possessed, and fewer still that unwearied industrv that sifted to the bottom every question that he handled. Nothing escaped him. Like Pitt, he had whole rows of figures at his command. and his mastery of details was equaled only by the clearness and logical order of his statements. The Whigs disposed of him by calling him "Bobby." Now and then an ambitious voung Whig would offer to test the temper of his blade by proposing to cross lances with Mr. Rantoul upon some question of bank or tariff. On the 23d of September there was a "mighty gathering " in the pavilion to hear Benjamin F. Hallett's reply to Mr. Webster. According to the Democratic journal some fifteen hundred people assembled to hear Mr. Hallett " expose the sophis- tries and fallacies " of his distinguished opponent " in a manner that carried conviction to all reason- able minds.'* Mr. Webster did not reply to this. THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. I9I No reason was ever fjiven for this reticence. In all these gatherings there was the usual attendance of boys. A good many boys turned Whig during this campaign. Early in the season there seemed to be unmistakable signs that the tide of victory was setting in favor of the " hero of Tippecanoe," the youngsters judging by the ostentatious demon- strations — the log cabins, the songs and hurrahs, the glare of torchlight processions, the blare of brass bands, and all accompanying noises. A good many larger boys went the same way for the same reason. The next address was given by Albert Smith, of Maine, October 15th. Mr. Smith was a pithy, magnetic speaker, and this meeting was one of the most enthusiastic held during the campaign. The Democratic journal of the day alluded to this occa- sion in the following inspiring and eloquent manner : " The single-hearted, hard-handed sons of toil were there firm as the rocks of our iron-bound shores. Like them will they meet and roll back the surges of federalism that are threatening to overthrow them." There was a great deal more as good as this. It was amusing to hear the clear tones in which the Democrats whistled to keep up their courage long after the verdict had been rendered beyond hope of reversion. The August elections had practically settled the matter. But a month later the Demo- 192 SKETCHES OF LYNN. cratic paper had the following encouraging and classical extract : "• Well, whistle on, my good fellows. Put your trust in log cabins as the Roinaus did in their wooden horse and all may yet go well." This Roman wooden horse was probably of the same pedigree as the old " Trojan " horse. The ''stock," as the shoemakers would sa}', w^as prett}' much the same. The next meeting at the pavilion was on October 22d. Bradford Sumner, of Boston, was the speaker. Mr. Sumner was the candidate for Congress of the Suffolk Democracy, a man of talents, and one that never descended to low tricks or calumnious utter- ances. His manner was calm and dignified, and the matter of his addresses w^as worthy the atten- tion of his audiences. Mr. Rantoul spoke again in the pavilion, in the afternoon of November 6th, and in the evening of the following day addresses were made by Albert Smith, and John P. Hale, of New Hampshire. Mr. Hale was always a popular speaker. His irrepres- sible ijood humor and rollicking wit made him a capital campaign orator. After he had taken his stand before an audience nobody wanted to hear the band play, for there w^as more music in one of his speeches than could be got out of three or four bands. It w^as this talent which, when in after . THE CAMPAIGN OF 184O. I93 years he stood as one of the great leaders of what seemed the forlorn hope of the anti-slavery move- ment in the United States Senate, enabled him to turn the assaults of his opponents, and disarm the bitterness of rancorous debate, and set that august bodv into a roar of laughter. This ended the meetings at the pavilion. Not all the wit, nor all the eloquence that the Democ- racy was able to command throughout the length and breadth of the land, could roll back the tide that bore the Whig party on to victory. The defeat was utter and overwhelming. Nothing like it was ever known in the history of presidential contests. Van Buren carried but seven States — Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Virginia — and received but sixty out of two hundred and ninety-four electoral votes. And so ended the memorable campaign of 1840. 25 THE OLD SILSBEE STREET DEBATING CLUB. This club, so celebrated in our local history, was organized in, or near, the fall of 1841. The record of its organization is lost, or at least a somewhat diligent inquiry has failed to bring it to light ; but very satisfactory evidence has been obtained by the writer, showing that the beginning of its history was near the time above mentioned. The journal of the club, now in his possession, goes back to January of the year 1843, and the list of officers for that 3-ear is given as follows: Curators — D. H. Barlow% James N. Buftum, Benjamin F. Mudge ; Treasurer — Isaac B. Cobb ; Secretaries — Asa T. Newhall, Benjamin F. Mudge. The name of the President is not given, but it appears from allusions in the minutes that James P. Bo3xe occupied that position at that time. No complete list of the mem- bers is given in these records, and the following- roll is probably defective in the omission of a few names which at some time in the history of the institution added to its usefulness, or shed luster THE SILSBEE STREET DEBATING CLUB. I95 upon its fame : George Ilood, James N. Buffiim, James P. Boyce, George W. Keene, George Foster, William V. Munroe, George W. Mudge, Daniel C. Baker, Stephen N. Breed, Abraham Pray, Thomas J. Pinkham, Dr. E. A. Kittredge, Isaac B. Cobb, Gustavus Attwill, Perry Newhall, Darius Barry, James Merrill, Jesse Hutchinson, William Bassett, Ebenezer Hussey, Nathan D. Chase, William A. Clough, Joseph M. Fuller, Addison Davis, Edwin Jet^Veys, William D. Chamberlain, Dr. Daniel Perley, Plummer Chcsley, H. M. Woods, Thomas Stacey, Joseph Smithurst, Ezra Baker, Elbridge Lovejoy, Warren Jewett, Oliver Porter, Henry Clapp, Thomas Chrystal, James M. Usher, Oliver H. Swain, Caleb Alden, Joshua Patch, Hiram A. Tenney, Caleb M. Long, Nathaniel Brown. A list of questions preserved in the journal of the society shows that the discussions took a wide range. Metaphysics, political economy, social science, part}' questions, physiology, temperance, and more especially the great question of slavery, which was then looming above the nation's horizon, and en- gaging the attention of North and South in angry controversy, and which ended a quarter of a century later through the shock of a gigantic war, were dis- cussed, and probably settled to the satisfaction of some, both members and spectators. But what- ever the decision of the question might be, the debate itself rarelv failed to edifv and amuse — 196 SKETCHES OF LYNN. though a rigid regard for truth would compel the declaration that the ratio of amusement was some- times largely in excess of the edification. The following are a few of the multitude of ques- tions discussed, but nothing except an actual atten- dance upon the debates can give any idea of the ranire the discussions took : '' Has the Drama been a benefit to mankind?" " Is the multiplicity of Newspapers in our country beneficial ? " " Is the Constitution of the United States a pro-slavery document? " " Is Man capable of self-government? " " Is the Christian Sabbath, so-called, of human or Divine origin ? " " Would it be expedient to abolish Capital Punish- ment in this State ? " " Has a person a right to get married in the present state of civilization ? " "Is it expedient to dissolve tlie Union of the Ameri- can States? " The writer would like to give a few pen-and-ink sketches of these debates. He was generally there, and can recall much pertaining to the regular pro- ceedings, and more especially there remain im- printed on his memory the salient points — the inci- dents and episodes that painted in glowing colors the characteristics of members — and which gave to these discussions an interest that attracted spec- THE SILSBEE STREET DEBATING CLUB. 197 tators from far and near. But he is writing too near the scene of action to invest the portraits with the garb of personality, though posterity — not a very remote posterity — may have occasion to re- gret the scruples that too often, perhaps, deprive the world of much that it would like to know\ When one of these characteristic debates was ex- pected to come off, the vestry of the Silsbee Street Church was packed to overflowing, to witness a display that combined more elements of interest than are usually crowded into an evening's enter- tainment. As many of the present generation do not know where these debates took place, and as posterity wull know nothing at all about it unless somebody records the fact, the writer would say that these meetings were held in the vestry of the Christian Church, near the railroad bridge, on the north-east side of Silsbee street. This vestry, which was long used as a voting-room for Ward Four, has undergone several changes since the days of the old club. The presiding officer did not attempt to confine debate within the strict limits of the termis of the question, but allowed a freedom that gave full scope to the genius, or learning, or oddities, of the sev- eral members. It was a treat to attend one of these debates. Not that great genius was often displayed. Not that great learning attracted the listeners with a show of erudition : for this was rarer still : (the 198 SKETCHES OF LYNN. writer remembers but two collegiates among the members;) but they were a set of men for whom the common school had done its usual work — thoucrh in some cases even this aid had been verv slight — sharp, earnest men for the most part, with all their faculties on the alert. Many of them had risen from the shoemaker's seat, and not a few even then worked at the time-honored craft. It was a time when the shoemaker's shop was a center of instruction, where questions of every kind were canvassed. It was a time when the daily news- paper had already for some years done its peculiar work in educating the people on a broader scale than schools or colleges can reach. Each shop was an incipient debating club. Here were often found together Whig and Democrat, Abolitionists and Third Party men, each ready to throw down the gauntlet of debate, and eager for a tussle over some question of church or State, of national or of local politics. One would read the newspaper, the others would follow with comments of approval or dissent. Now a ringing paragraph would call forth a burst of applause from one side and a fierce denunciation on the other. It is not strange that these members came to the meetings of the club charged with the preparation they had received from the informal discussions of the workshops. But they were not all shoemakers. Here were ambitious politicians, rising young lawyers, and THE SILSBEE STREET DEBATING CLUB. I99 doctors of medicine ; and now and then a doctor of divinity was there as a listener, and sometimes as a participant. As might be expected, the shoe manufacturer, or '* boss," was fully represented here. Accordingly, questions of business or com- merce, and all political measures having a bearing upon the trade and industries of the country, were considered and sifted — taritf', banks, internal im- provements, machinery, all passed through the ordeal of examination and criticism. Now and then one of the members run to statistics. Perhaps he was a taritf' or an anti-tariff man. When that question was up he would come in bristling with figures. He would give the scale of duties under the tariff of '24, which Webster didn't favor, and the scale under the tariff of '28, which Webster did favor. He w^ould show how the slidint; scale of the tariff of '32 worked, and if he was a fierce Whig he 'd tell you that the salvation of the country depended upon the passage of the tariff bill of '42, which just then was agitating the nation from one end to the other. The Whig element in the club was large and influential. That party, so lately flushed with the victory that crowned the campaign of 1840 — the " hard cider " and " log cabin " campaign — which ended in the election of Gen. Harrison (who died within a month of his inauguration), was now' staggering beneath the blows given to Whig policy 200 SKETCHES OF LYNN. by his successor, John Tyler. Flis veto of the Bank Bill, a measure promptly passed b}' a Whig Congress, spread dismay through the ranks of the victorious party ; but the dismay was soon for- gotten in the exultation that followed the passage of the high tariff of '42. If there was anything else wanting to give zest to political discussions, the slavery question, which, even at that day, agitated the whole nation, was beginning to organize itself for political action. The leading Whigs of the club were George Foster, George W. Keene, Gustavus Attwill, Ebenezer Hussey, George W. Mudge, Isaac B. Cobb and Daniel C. Baker. The Demo- crats made the following showing : George Hood. Asa T. Newhall, William A. Clough,^ William V. Munroe, Plummer Chesley, Caleb M. Long, Thomas J. Pinkham, William D. Chamberlain and Joseph Smithurst. Others there were with either Whig or Democratic antecedents, but whose party ties had been somewhat loosened. These afterwards found themselves in the ranks of the Third Party, or doing valiant service under the banner of Anti-Slavery. The Abolition wing of the party was led — if it was led by anybody — by James N. Buffum. Perhaps none of his intrepid compeers would wish to deprive him of that honor. But the Anti-Slavery army at that time was one in which there was not much quarreling about rank, as the honors that came from successful leadership THE SILSBEK STREET DEBATING CLUB. 20I were too far in tlie distance to influence the ambi- tion of manv. And so were seen standino- bv Mr. B.'s side James P. Boyce — both with Qiiaker ante- cedents — Jesse Hutchinson, Addison Davis, Henry Clapj") and Dr. E. A. Kittredge. Besides these there were others, less prominent as debaters, but equally decided in their convictions. Here were seen all st3-les of orator v, botii of man- ner and matter — the spread-eagle, the pump- handle, the angular, the stock-still, and the grind- stone styles. Besides these there was a miscella- neous or compound style, combining a varietv of motions and oestures which it would take a lon44 SKETCHES OF LYNN. The president announces that Mr. has the floor, as the member appointed in the negative. " Mr. President — It is time that this question was discussed on its merits. Slavery is to be justi- fied because it is the best thing under existing cir- cumstances — the best thing for the black man as well as for the white man. We've had enough of this sickly sentimentality about the wrongs of the slave. He is better off in slavery, because he does n't know how to take care of himself, or will not take care of himself. Look at his histor}^ ! What has he ever amounted to? What sort of a figure has he cut in the world's civilization ? What has he done? Nothing. He was a barbarian as far back as we ever heard of him, and wherever we find him in contact with the superior races he always appears as a menial — a hewer of wood and a drawer of water. Egyptian hieroglyphics reveal his social position as it was thousands of years ago. He there appears as the slave of his superiors ; and he has done no better ever since. He has been ranging over the continent of Africa through unrecorded ages, and what monuments has he left behind him? What has he taught the world in architecture, sculpture, painting, or in any of the arts of civilization? What records has he lett be- hind him? What has he done for law, literature, or science? Nothing. He lives in miserable huts, eats roots, and vile reptiles. He is, and always has LITERARY SOCIETIES OF LYNN. 245 been, a naked, ignorant savage, and he seems to be incapable of anything above the rudest civiHza- tion. We hear great lamentations over his condi- tion as a slave. Why, Mr. President, he never amounted to half as much in his native land. We are told that slaver}- breaks up the marriage rela- tion, and we hear doleful stories of the sundering of domestic ties. What sort of marriage relations did he have in Africa? And what were his domestic ties ? All this talk about the African's sensibilities in these matters is too shallow to deceive anybody that knows anything about him. He has improved by his contact with the white man, and he is im- measurably higher in the scale of being, as we tind him in tlie Southern States, than he ever was in his native jungles. Every once in a while we hear, Mr. President, of West India emancipation, as though there was anything encouraging about that experiment. What do we see there ? We see them lapsing back into utter barbarism. They are too lazy to work, and the Islands are going to ruin. Look at Jamaica ; her exports fallen to almost nothing. Coffee, sugar, and other tropical pro- ducts, she used to export by millions in the days of slavery. Now all there is to boast of is a cer- tain spice that grows wild in the woods, which the blacks find time to gather, but which costs no labor to cultivate. So much for his ability to get a liv- ing unaided by the directing hand of a superior 246 SKETCHES OF LYNN. race. In the scale of human inteUigences he is a child, to be kept under tutelage. In this way, only, can he fill his place in the economy of society. But this subject is so broad, Mr. President, that in the brief time allowed me I can only touch the sur- face of the question. I will give way for others." Two or three members are now on their feet, having already shouted — " Mr. President I " The floor is assigned to Mr. . " Mr. President — We have listened to the gen- tleman's defense of the infernal system of slaver}^ and what does it come to? It is as good a defense as can be made, and 3^et what is its logic : and where does its doctrine carry us ? It is the logic of the robber, and the doctrine has been the doctrine of tyrants in all ages; and where does it lead us? The strongest nation, thinking itself the most ad- vanced in civilization, enslaves the weakest because it does not make a good show in the world's com- merce, or cannot boast an ancient civilization, with its ruins of temples, and its monuments of art : and so when the weak nation cannot satisfactorily an- swer the question — ' What do you amount to ? ' — the stronger takes it 'under tutelage,' and improves its commerce, and lifts it to a higher plane of civil- ization by enslaving it. The old Caucasian race, of which we consider ourselves the ' bright con- summate flower,' the race that built the pyramids, and filled the earth with ruins, attesting its power, LITERARY SOCIETIES OF LYNN. 247 and also its decay, has been in successive centuries enslaver and enslaved, now standino- on the hifjhest pinnacle of the world's civilization, and now de- scending to the lowest depths of barbarism and deg- radation ; savages who performed horrid and bloody rites, lived in the wilderness, and clothed themselves in the skins of beasts. What has the gentleman to say of his Saxon ancestors, who lived so long in the German forests that Tacitus tells they were called the ' children of the soil ? ' What improvement did these ' shaggy demons of the wilderness ' — as Carlyle calls similar hordes of barbarians who fol- lowed Tamerlane — make through these countless centuries ? What monuments did they build ? What were their exports? What treasures of literature did the}- leave behind them ? What sort of a ' figure did they cut' in the world's civilization up to the time when, emerging from their caves and dens, this horde of savages descended upon the coast of Britain? And what sort of a figure did those other barbarians cut — Goths, Huns, and Vandals, off- spring of your boasted Caucasian race — up to the time when, with torch and battle-ax, they descended upon Southern Europe, and destroyed the monu- ments of science, literature, and art, that the civili- zation of fifteen centuries had bequeathed to man? I need not tell the gentleman what was the char- acter and modes of life of these ' demons ' of the forest as far back as history gives us a glimpse of 248 SKETCHES OF LYNN. their savage life. How much was their barbarism in advance of the barbarism of tlie African tribes? And yet we see these Saxon, and otlier pirates, changed by new conditions, until at last they be- came leaders in the world's advancing civilization, and carved for themselves an imperishable name. The gentleman does not seem to see that he upset the foundations of his argument, when he told us how much less of a savage the i\frican is under the tutelage of his white master in the Southern States, than he was in his 'native jungles.' If we have seen so much progress in the last two hundred years — a mere speck in the world's history — by his contact with the white man, himself degraded, as Jefferson tells us, as he always is by phwing the part of a tyrant — what may we not expect to see under the most favorable conditions possible, when cycles of time shall have been added in which to work out his regeneration. But we have had enough of this miserable mer- cenary logic, that weighs its coffee, and sugar, and cotton, and strikes a balance between exports and imports. The doom of slavery is sealed. The handwriting is on the wall. The civilization of the nineteenth century, that just begins to comprehend the sio-nificance of the Christian declaration, that God has made of one blood all nations to dwell on the face of the earth, has settled this question be3^ond the power of a mole-eyed political economy to LITERARY SOCIETIES OF LYNN. 249 reverse. When the first French rev^olution swept slavery from the colonies of France, in obedience to the doctrine of our Declaration of Independence, the knell of slavery was struck, and its echoes were heard around the world. Toussaint taught the great Napoleon that the armies of France could not forge again the fetters of the black man. Then followed the destruction of slavery in the colonies of every commercial nation in Europe, Spain alone excepted. Does the gentleman suppose that this tide will not reach us? Are the champions of slavery so besotted with prejudice as to think that they can turn back the hand that marks the world's progress on the dial of time? The enlightenment of the nineteenth century vAW settle this question in the onlv way it can be settled — on the basis of justice, and the rights of man. The age that has given us the locomotive and the electric telegraph, an age ripe with revolutions, and above all an age that makes clearer and clearer the duties man owes to his fellow man, shall bring this 'sum of all vil- lainies' to a speedy end, and American libert}^ be no loncrer a ' hissini*- and a bv-word among the na- tions.' " The president's hammer announces that the gen- tleman's time has expired. The shouting from three or four who wish to speak makes it difficult for the president to tell whose voice first struck his 32 250 SKETCHES OF LYNN. ear ; but he decides to give it to Mr. , who had not spoken. " Mr. President — The gentleman who spoke last made a very plausible argument on his high moral ground ; but it won't do. The darkey has never amounted to anything, and he never will. The gentleman on the negative put this matter right. Wherever we find the black he appears as a slave or a savage. Phrenology settles this question. Just look at this African ; with his forehead sloping away on a line with the bridge of his nose. Do n't you see that all his brains, pretty much, are behind his ears? How long, 'do you suppose, it would take to bring him up to a level with the white man? The gentleman in the affirmative told us what pro- gress we might expect this black race would make, judging from what he has done in the Southern States. That is easily explained. He has got some white blood in his veins. We hear about these smart darkej^s. Why, Mr. President, they 're half ivhite^ you note it where you will. Your real African does n't improve. If he had, lie 'd have showed it somewhere. What have they done as a race? In Africa, his home, he has always been an ignorant savage, and out of Africa he has ahvays been a slave. What does this show? It shows that when he "s among white men he must be taken care of. If he is n't, he '11 run wild. The experi- ment in Jamaica, which the gentleman alluded to, LITERARY SOCIETIES OF LYNN. 25 1 illustrates the case. It was found that all the ex- ports there fell off except pimento, and what do you suppose the reason was that the crop of pimento did n't fall off ? I '11 tell you. It grows wild, Mr. President, and thrives better when not cultivated ; and so you see the darkeys have just gumption enough to gather it, but they 're too lazy to raise anything that needs care or work. Now, suppose you abolish slavery down South, what '11 the blacks do with themselves ; or what '11 you do with them ? You '11 have the biggest elephant on your hands that 3'ou ever had. But as there are a number who want to speak, Mr. President, I '11 say no more at present." A motion is now made that all present be allowed to take part in the debate, which is carried. The shouts of two or three members now reach the ear of the president, who decides that Mr. has the floor. " Mr. President — There was something which both gentlemen, who spoke on the negative, forgot to mention when they told us about emancipation in Jamaica. They forgot to tell us that the exports of the Island beoan to fall off loner before the eman- cipation of the slaves ; and so, whatever that fact signifies, it is not wholly attributable to the abolition of slavery. They forgot to tell us another thing. They forgot to tell us that, while the exports fell off after the blacks obtained their freedom, the home 252 SKETCHES OF LYNN. consumption of the Island increased. In other words, tiie slaves produced more coffee, sugar, and rum for export under the lash than they did when free ; but that after they were free they got more to eat and drink, and if they labored less, they were lashed less. Who doesn't know, that knows anything about this subject, that neither black man nor white man works any more than he is obli^^ed to under the burning, enervating rays of a torrid sun? There is another thing the gentlemen forgot to tell us. They forgot to tell us that the planters, and their backers in England, did all they could to make emancipation a failure ; and that as fast as these old Bourbons, who learned nothino-, and for- got nothing, died off, the industry of the Island, that had been disturbed by the social revolution through which it had passed, resumed its accus- tomed channels." Other members followed with short speeches, which presented almost every phase of a contro- versy that was agitating all sections of the country, and which found utterance through the press and pulpit, in the halls of Congress, and at political gatherings, in stores and workshops, and at the corners of the streets, and wherever men met for the interchange of opinions. The last regular meeting of the society was held January 6th, 1859. The "Library Association" was formed in 1855. LITERARY SOCIIiTIES OF LYNN. ^:)o Soon after its organization it made provision for de- bates, to which the public were invited. Some of the most prominent members of the Young Men's Society, and of the Silsbee Street Club, took part in the discussions. This feature of the association continued but a short time. In 1857 the first " Christian Association " in Lynn was organized. Thomas P. Richardson was its first president. John C. Houghton was president during the second terhi, followed by Stephen D. Poole. The rooms of the association were those occupied by the Library Association. There was a reading room for the use of members, containing newspapers, and a choice collection of books ; and during a portion of the time, a debating society was one of the prominent features of the organization. The membership of the association was quite large, comprising many well-known citizens. It disbanded about 1870. A literacy association known as the " Athenian Club " was organized March 8th, 1858. Prominent among the members of tliis society were T. Harlan Breed, Samuel Gale, Jr., George D. Sargeant, Charles C. Richardson, Micajah N. Goodridge, P. W. Butler and John W. Berry. Several others, hardly less interested in its welfare, were enrolled as members of this club, whose membership in- cluded some sixty names. It had ten years of ac- tive life, running through the stormy period of the 254 SKETCHES OF LYNN. great civil war, which furnished topics of the most exciting character for discussion at their weekly meetings. A varied programme of literary exer- cises was provided, including a manuscript paper. Its anniversary occasions, combining both social and literary entertainment, were marked features in its history. Its last meeting was held March 2d, iS6S. A society called the " Irish Literary Association " was organized in the spring of 1859. Its member- ship was made up of many of our most prominent adopted citizens. Daniel Mullen, Daniel Fenton, Patrick Lennox, Michael Donovan and Daniel Donovan were chief amoncr the oro-anizers of this society. Later, James Phelan, James Riley , Thomas McAloon, the Healev brothers, William Shepard, John F. Donohoe, Timothy Donovan, Patrick J. Eagan, Dennis Horgan and Edward Mahon joined the association, and gave it their support. Mr. Mc- Aloon was specially active in promoting its interests. It held weekly meetings, and its constitution pro- vided for a varied programme of exercises. De- bates, declamations, the reading of a manuscript paper, formed part of the literary entertainment. These meetings were free to the public. At the outbreak of the civil war in 1861 many members of this association enlisted in the military service, as volunteers in the Massachusetts twentv-eighth LITERARY SOCIETIES OF LYNN. 255 regiment. The organization disbanded in the Fall of 1873. The "Everett Debating Club," composed of High School graduates, was formed June, 1870. Among its leading members were John R. Baldwin, Fred P. Goldthwait, A. W. Edgerly, Frederick B. Graves, Charles J. H. Woodbury, A. B. Breed and William H. Gove. Its constitution provided for an elaborate order of exercises — debates, a manu- script paper, declamations and other literary enter- tainments. Their meetings were well attended, and their anniversary occasions, which displayed a high order of literary talent, attracted large audi- ences from the most cultivated classes in the com- munit}'. Its last regular meeting was held in the Winter of 1879, ^'■^^ ^^^ organization is still kept up. Several literary societies not included in the above list, and having but a short existence, have been orp-anized durincj the last ten vears. Asso- ciations of this character are constanth^ being formed, some of them, doubtless, destined to a pro- longed existence. PUBLIC LIBRARIES. The first public libraiy in Lynn was called the *' Social Library-" It was organized in 1815, but did not receive its charter from the Legislature until 1818. There was, as stated by Mr. New hall in his History of Lynn, a "good social library here " several years before this time, but it was not, probably, so "public" in its character. It is, of course, understood that our circulating libraries, ot which there have been many in Lynn during the present century, are in some sense public libraries, the distinction being that the circulating library is usually under individual control, and its operations confined within narrow limits, while the public library is an incorporated institution, having a wider sphere of action. It is in this last sense that the writer uses the term, public library. The statute of Massachusetts permitting seven, or more, persons to Ibrm such an organization was passed in 1806. As this library association had failed to comply with all the requirements of this statute, during the three years from 1815 to 1818, PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 257 a ibrmal meeting of the seventy-two shareholders was called, agreeably to a warrant signed b\^ Richard Hazeltine, Alonzo Lewis, Samuel Hal- lowell, Josiah Newhall, Nehemiah Johnson, Tim- othy Johnson, Jr., and Richard l^ratt, Jr. The meeting was held October, 1818. The directors for the first year (1S19) w-ere Richard Hazeltine, Ezra Mudge and Henry Newhall, and Alonzo Lewis was chosen librarian. Mr. Lewis held this post during the next seven years. He w^as followed by Asa U. Swinerton, w^ho held the position for three years. Amos Rhodes followed Mr. Sw^iner- ton, holding the office some fifteen years. Mr. Rhodes was one of the most devoted friends of this institution, and was alw^ays ready to lend it a help- ing hand. The librar\' at this time (1819) num- bered 205 volumes; in 1829. 717 volumes; in 1835, 1012 volumes; in 1843, 1357 volumes. In 1850 the property of the Social Library, including books and furniture, was transferred to the Natural His- tory Society — already mentioned — and this asso- ciation carried on the library until 1855, when the entire property, including the books of the old Social Library, and the books and curiosities of the Natural History Society, was transferred to the Library Association on condition that said associ- ation " should not convey the property to any person or persons for private uses." The number of volumes received by the Library Association was about 2000. 33 258 SKETCHES OF LYNN. The Library Association was incorporated March 24th, 1855. Qiiite a large number of books was added to the Hbrary while it was in the hands of this association, and the patronage of the institution was much increased. On the 14th of April, 1862, the entire property of the association, including- the books and collection of curiosities, was transferred to the citv. The transfer was made on condition that the books should never be disposed of for any private use, but should serve as a nucleus for a Free Public Library. The number of books at the time of the transfer was 3824. Soon after — Decem- ber 28th — the Christian Association presented its library — a small but choice selection of 276 volumes. The formation of the present J^?-cc Public Lib- rary seems to have grown out of the action of the Librar}^ Association in transferring its books to the city. The project was definitely brought before the public in the inaugural of Peter M. Neal, mayor of the city in 1862. In his message of that 3'ear he says : " Our city ought to have been among the first to give to its large and increasing reading community the benefits of such a library." An ordinance of the city, passed August 20th, 1862, provided that nine trustees "shall have the sole charge, care, superintendence, and manage- ment of the books, and other property, conve3^ed to PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 259 the city of L}"nn, by the Lynn Library Association, for the purpose of establishing in said city a Free Public Library, and of any additions thereto." The library went into operation at once. The library committee purchased 1048 volumes, making the whole number for public use 6042. The follow- ing gentlemen constituted the first board of trus- tees — President, Charles B. Holmes ; Secretar\', William A. Brown ; Treasurer, Ezra W. Mudge ; John C. Houghton, David N. Johnson, Stephen N. Richardson, Charles C. Shackford, Amos P. Tap- le}' ; members ex officio, Peter M. Neal and Jesse L. Attwill. During the eighteen years since the establishment of the library 22,000 volumes have been added, including the small number given bv individuals, being an average of little less than 1300 volumes annuallv. THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. For most of the facts and figures contained in tlie following history of our fire department, and espe- cially for those pertaining to the earh' years of its organization, the writer is indebted to Joseph M. Rowell, whose researches in all matters relating to the origin and growth of the several fire companies, running through a period of more than eighty years, have been guided b}' an intelligent appreciation of the great interests represented in this branch of the public service. As an active member, and chief officer, of one of the organizations for many years, and afterward as chief engineer of the department, he became possessed of a complete knowledge of its requirements, and was foremost in advocating a wise and comprehensive policy. His reports are characterized by a breadth of view, as well as a mastery of details, that gave them more than the passing interest of the period to which they relate, and which invested them with a historic value that it is not easy to estimate. The improvements that have been made in the means and appliances de- THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 261 signed for the preservation ot" property against the ravages of fire as clear!}- illustrate the progress of the last fifty years as anything that can be seen in that era of mechanical and industrial revolution. The first engine used in Lynn was numbered i, as might be supposed, and named " Relief." It was purchased in 1797 with money raised by sub- scription, and the record states that the names of Andrews Breed and Dr. James Gardiner were chief among the contributors. Timothy Munroe, Sr., was chosen its first captain. A small building was built on the common, a little northwest of what is now the Frog Pond, and the new machine was placed therein, and gazed at by a good many citi- zens of that early time. If an}' one who wanted to see it had waited until it was taken out by the "boys" on an alarm of fire, he might have waited several years, or at least a few, before a chance happened that ^^•ould test its wondrous powei's. A burnintr house was much rarer at that time than a flood, and the inhabitants of the low lands had more occasion for a dory than for fire buckets and en- gines. The engine was built by the father of Stephen Thayer. It had a four-inch cylinder, with a ten-inch stroke, giving it a capacity of one hun- dred and twenty-five cubic inches. The young man of the present day has little idea of the performance of an engine like this ; and those familiar with the comparatively powerful machines 262 SKETCHES OF EYNN. in use just before the introduction of the steam fire en- gine, would have smiled to see this good-sized box on its way to a fire, drawn by a dozen men, and as many more chasing it with leather buckets. But at that day probably a much larger proportion of the inhabitants of the town, old and young, turned out to see it, than now turns out to see Barnum's circus, or a parade of the Eighth Regiment. There were but two such chances to smile for the next nine years. The first was some two years after its appearance in town, when the barn of Micajah Newhall was struck by lightning, in August, 1799, and set on fire and totally destroyed. This barn was near tlie corner of South Common and Vine streets. History informs us that No. i was on hand, and did good service in protecting the adja- cent buildings. The second was on x\ugust iSth, 1803, when it run to Nahant to aid in putting out the fire occasioned by the burning of the hotel belonging to Capt. Joseph Johnson ; but it did not arrive soon enough to do any good. No other great event bearing on the interest of the department occurred until 1806, when a new interest seems to have been awakened by a ques- tion growing out of military duty required of the citizen. In order to have a clear understanding of this matter, it is necessar}- to state that in 1786 an act was passed by the legislature of JMassachusetts exempting engine men from military service to tiie THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 263 number of fifteen men for each company. The popu- lation of Lynn — including at the time Lynntield, Nahant, Saugus, and Swampscott — was increas- ing ver}^ fast, and had risen from 2837, '^^'^ iBoo, to 4087, in 1810. Within these limits a regiment of militia was already formed under the command of Col. Mansfield. A number of young men in what is now Lynn city, equipped and formed themselves into a company of light infantry. They applied to the colonel for admission into the regiment. It was understood that some encouragement had been given them, and the colonel promised to lay their application before the board of officers at their next meeting. When the day of meeting came the colonel opposed the whole project, and the applica- tion was refused. The applicants w^ere, of course, indignant, and looked about for some channel in which to expend their surplus wrath. To " spite Joel" — to use a phrase current some years after- ward — they became active in the formatic'i of four more hre companies, which were organized in the next six months. No. 2 was first organized by the choice of John Mudge as captain, and four hundred and twenty dollars ($420) were raised to purchase an engine. It was built by the father of the firm of Hunneman & Co., and had a three-inch cylinder and fifteen- inch stroke. It had four quarter-brakes, which were placed parallel to the line of the lever or beam, 264 SKETCHES OF LYNN. and on these were hung the buckets. When the brakes were worked they were pulled out to give a better leverage — the tallest man working on the outer end. The engine was paid for October nth, 1806. A small house was built over the canal on Federal street to receive it. An elegant sign over the door told the passer-by that engine No. 2, named the " Despatch," was within, at least when not outside discharging the special duty for which it was constructed. It also represented, the his- torian, (Mr. Rowell,) informs us, a company run- nino- to a tire dressed in the lieioiit of fashion, includ- ing ruffle -bosomed shirts and white gloves, the captain having in addition hutY breeches and white- topped boots. The historian intimates that this was probably designed to give dignity to the asso- ciation, and that their ideas had not been moditied by practice. One can imagine how those " white gloves " would have looked, and especiallv those "topped boots," after the wearers had run three or four miles through " Black Marsii " mud seventy years ago, and had handled a few charred timbers, and had been drenched through three or four times with muddy water. But perhaps that suit was for a firemen's muster. In December, 1806, "Reliance," No. 3, was pur- chased of Mr. Hunneman by Samuel Chase. It cost four hundred and twent\' dollars, and was similar in construction to No. 2, and of the same THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 265 capacity. A house similar to those ah-eady built was erected on the spot where, several years after, the large engine house was erected for the same company. This was near the site of Breed & Holder's coal office, on Broad street, a few rods eastward of the fine brick edifice erected for the accommodation of steamer No. 4, in 1878. Amos Breed was chosen captain of the old No. 3. On February 27th, 1807, "Perseverance," No. 4, was bought for the special accommodation of Glenmere — then Gravesend. It was of the same pattern as Nos. 2 and 3, and its cost the same. It was sold by Mr. Hunneman to Robert Mansfield. The house built for its accommodation was on Maple street, where it stood imtil it was replaced by a larger structure built near the same spot. Epes Mansfield was chosen captain. About the same . date "Eclipse," No. 5, was bought by John Ingalls of Mr. Hunneman. It was of the same pattern as those already purchased, and Abner Ingalls was chosen its captain. The engine house was on the south side of Village Square. This was the last engine purchased for a long time, and the historian remarks that the Fire Department of Lynn, as it was constituted for sev- eral years, was complete. From figures furnished Mr. Rowell by the Messrs. Hunneman, it seems that the four engines purchased by Lynn were numbered on their books as 12, 14, 15, and 16, 34 266 SKETCHES OF LYNN. which shows that these eno-ines were amon frost-bitten. Some were covered with ice, and were obhged to give up their efforts, their armor of ice making them more helpless than though they had been encased in a coat of mail. In this emergency, the ladies came to the aid of the firemen, and displayed a most extraordinary amount of fortitude and endurance." This tire showed that the engines then in use could not be relied on in case of a large conflagration. The reader will understand that up to this time the simple lire en- gine only pumped the water from the "tub," which was supplied from the buckets as they were passed along — the full buckets down one line from the well, or pond, and the empty ones back again to be refilled. The self-draftino-, or " suction enp'ine," as it was called, was now introduced, and No. 3 was the first to avail themselves of this great improvement. A contract was made with Mr. Godfrey, of Boston, to furnish one, and the engine was built during the year 1833. The following description of the ma- chine, given by Mr. Rowell, will interest firemen, and probably some others. It was a side-stroke piano machine, the pump of which, instead of being a cylinder, was more in the form of a ship's quad- rant. Its size was about ten inches from top to bottom, and was about eight inches thick, and through the top of which, working in an air-tight 272 SKETCHES OF LYNN. collar, passed the shaft to which was connected the cam and brakes. Inside the qnadrant, and firmly secured to the shalt, w^as a plate of iron called a fan, about an inch thick, and of the same shape as the length and width of the quadrant, the edges being packed with leather ; and when the brakes were worked it moved from side to side of the quadrant, alternately on each of these sides. Out- side of the quadrant was a hollow chamber, called the water-way, though the water passed into, and out of, the pump into a globe-shaped air-chamber above the shaft. A branch connected the inlet with the water-ways, similar to that now used by the Button engine. It was very powerful in draft- ing, but worked heavily, and was, to use a common expression, a "regular man-killer." The suction branch, being made of sheet-copper, was contmu- ally breaking, frequently at a time when the active service of the engine was required, vexing the company with its repeated failures. This was the first engine associated with the boyish recollections of the writer. To the boys ol "Black Marsh," (usually called Black Mash.) this engine stood as the embodiment and representative of all hydraulic possibilities. There was thought to be an immense latent power stowed away in her somewhere, and suggestive hints and emphatic nods were given, intended to express the belief that if this occult power could be got out of her nothing THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 273 constructed on this continent, in the shape of a hre extinguisher could stand along side of her for a minute. To bring out, in some small degree, this power, pulleys were attached to the brakes. The ropes ran through sheaves fastened to the lower part of the engine, and a dozen men and boys on either side of the " tub " pulled at these ropes to aid the brakemen in making her show her hidden strength. As this was the only "suction engine " in Lynn at the time, "Old 3 " reigned supreme for a while, till one mightier came and disputed her empire. The example set by No. 3 was followed by the people living near the western end of the Common. David Taylor led off by contributing two hundred dollars for the purpose of buying an engine, and building a house to receive it. Others followed in sums varying from one hundred to twenty-five dol- lars, the whole amount somewhat exceeding one thousand two hundred dollars. A contract was entered into with Stephen Thayer, of Boston, to furnish an engine and hose carriage for the sum of eight hundred dollars. The engine was finished and delivered on Fast Day, 1834. It was a suction machine, six and one-fourth inch cylinder, and ten and twelve inch stroke, with a ten-foot beam and fourteen-foot brakes, giving room for twenty-eight men. For its size it was a smart machine, and the company, of which James A. Mears was the first 35 274 SKETCHES OF LYNN. foreman, took great pride in showing her off. As might he expected, a rivahy at once sprang up between the company and No. 3, which continued with varying degrees of intensity as long as the companies existed. In 1835 the act incorporating the Fire Depart- ment of the town of Lynn was passed, and was accepted by the inliabitants in town meeting assem- bled. The town also voted to assume the respon- sibility of keeping those engines in repair, and ready tor constant use, wdiich should be given up b}' the proprietors. The consequence w^as that all were given up, and the department was organized'b}^ the election of twelve engineers and three assistants, wdio had under their control two suction and six " tub '' engines, and two hose carriages. As the town increased in size fires became more frequent. Some of these are worthv of mention, as havino- an important bearing in directly leading to improve- ments of which the fire department availed itself. On the fifth of July, 1836, the first firemen's muster occurred under the new organization. The interest shown in the new machines lessened the interest taken in the old-fashioned " tubs." " The records of the two new engines — 3 and 8 — are wanting tor this year," says Mr. Rowell, who derived his account of the contest from such verbal information as he was able to collect. The follow- ing is his accoiuit of the trial : " From this it appears THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 275 that each in turn drafted and supplied the other, each receiving-engine phiying through a tliree- fourths pipe, and each getting all they could take care of. I should judge that 3's company wore the shortest faces, and we may conclude that they felt perfect confidence in the ability of their machine as a drafting engine. No. 8's company felt a little sore, and were loud in their denunciation of using so small a pipe." This brings us down to a period within the mem- ory of many now living ; and as the interest in- creased as time went on, some of the reminiscences of the next fifteen or twenty years recall scenes in which tiie firemen of Lynn played a part that at- tracted the attention of all interested in such matters for miles around ; " Lynn having been an important battle-ground," as Mr. Rowell remarks, " for nearly all the New Entjland builders.'" The next company organized was No. 9 — 1836 — and an engine was purchased of A. Bisbee & Co., of Boston, which cost one thousand dollars, the town paying seven hundred dollars. It was called the "Niagara." They built a house on Essex street, near what is now the corner of John- son street included in the City Hall lot, w^here it stood till 1848. The next engine bought, in 1S37, was by the old No. 5 company, whose engine, as we have seen, was purchased in 1806. The company now took 276 SKETCHES OF LYNN. the name of "Torrent," a name more appropriate, it would seem, than the " Eclipse," which rather suggests an opaque signification. The engine was built by J. S. Hill, of Salem, at an expense of one thousand and fifty dollars, paid by the town. The engine house, said to have been the " best in the town " at that time, was built by the company. The " Silver Greys " came next. The company was organized in the same year — 1837 — using the old "Eclipse," No. 5. The town built an engine house at an expense of three hundred dol- lars. It was afterward enlarged at an expense of two hundred and fifty dollars more. It stood first on Portland street, but was afterward removed to Chestnut street. In 1844, a new engine was bought of the Messrs. Thayer, of Boston, at the cost of seven hundred dollars, of which the town paid four hundred dollars. The old company, "Perseverance," No. 4, now thouiji'ht it was time to have a "suction eno-ine," and in 1839 the town purchased one of Hunneman & Co., and built an engine house, at an expense, for both, of one thousand dollars. There were now six suction eng-ines in town of nearly equal capacity, built by four different makers. As a matter of course the feeling of rivalry ran high, not only among the firemen of Lynn, but among all classes out of town, as well, who "blowed" for their favorite engine, whether it was a "Thayer THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYN-N. 277 tub " or a machine made by some other famous builder. Besides the formal trials alluded to, the purpose of which was to test the capacity of the several engines, every fire was an occasion when the "boys" showed their ambition to prove the superiority of the "tubs" for which they " blowed." No. 3, by chance, would be stationed at the well or pond, a thousand feet, or more, from the fire ; next to No. 3 stood No. 5, then No. 8, then No. 9, which played on the fire ; or an}- other arrangement that might be supposed. Then some engine w'ould get "washed." No. 3's ambition would be to give No. 5 all the w^ater she wanted, and No. 5 would strain every nerve to give No. 8 7norc than she wanted. Now the cry of " break her down " would be heard along the line ; then some " side-walk " members would make an encouraging remark, as they sur- veyed the situation. Then it would be discovered that the water in No. 9's " tub " was rising. Again the cry would be heard, " break her down, 8 ; " and soon the water would be pouring over the sides of No. 9, and a shout would go up from No. 8's crew, comprehensive in its volume, and miscella- neous in its character ; and if any of No. 9's crew had come out in the hurry of the occasion w'ith " pumps " on, they would be likely to go home with damp stockings. Perhaps before this crisis would be reached an accident w'ould happen that did n't seem to have any reference to hydraulic pressure. 278 SKETCHES OF LYNN. There seemed to be a remarkable coincidence be- tween the time of the accident and the exigfencies of the situation. It did n't seem to make much dif- ference whether the hose was new or old. It would burst just the same. Then somebody would in- quire what made that hose burst. Then somebody would examine it. Then a few would look wise. Then several would make remarks, and put in some of the most emphatic adjectives in the En- glish language in just the place to give them the most tellincr eilect, as thouo-h thev had been selected for the occasion. "Perhaps this is all right," one would say, "but it's (adjective) curious that that hose happened to burst just at that time, and just in that place." As already intimated, various episodes were likely to occur. As, by the above arrange- ment, the "' laboring oar '" would come to No. 3's crew and engine, it would sometimes be discovered that the water in No. 5's " tub " was lowering ; then her crew would "spring to it," and soon the cr}' "no water ! hold on 1 " would be heard along the line. Then the invidious and suggestive inquirx' would be directed to No. 3's crew, whether " Aunt Carter's , well had given out." (This well had never failed to respond to any demands made upon it by the fire department, being supplied — as was supposed — by a subterranean stream running at the bottom.) Then, perhaps, the response from No. 3 would be — ''Change places, will }ou? We'll dr}^ you up in THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 279 about three minutes." But perhaps the fire occurred too far off to make Aunt Carter's, or any other un- failing well, available ; then fifteen minutes' time was long enough to drain almost any well in the neighborhood, and the signal — Hold on! no zvaler."' would be given. Then there would be a start for some other well or source of supply, and in the mean time the fire would have a good chance to get well under way. It will be seen from this that considerable interest was manifested in the working of the several ma- chines. It must not be inferred from this that the burning building was entirely overlooked. Con- siderable water w'as played upon the fire. Now and then a deed of daring would occur that would excite the admiration of the spectators, and call forth loud plaudits from the assembled multitude ; for it must be borne in mind that in those earlier days nearh' all the town turned out to see the com- paratively rare sight of a building on fire. The boys, especially, were there in large numbers. It was considered as something akin to disgrace for a boy to ignore the claims of such an occasion to his presence and encouraging influence, and, if need be, to his services in eatino; the crackers and cheese after the fire was over. And so, when "Joe" or "Jim" mounted the ladder, pipe in hand, and dis- appeared in the smoke, and afterward emerged drenched with w^ater, and his tace blackened by 28o SKETCHES OF LYNN. too close contact with charred timbers, a }-ell of appk^use would go up from the juvenile crowd, and from a good many others who were too old to be juvenile. The cheers were especial!}' loud from that part of the crowd which ''stuck up" or "blowed" tor the engine to which "Joe " or "Jim " belonged. Perhaps an engine from the outskirts of the town would now make its appearance, and a good deal of noise. Then some of the boys would inquire why it hadn't waited till the next day. Now it would appear that there was danger that the fire would communicate to adjoining buildings. Then the old " Sagamore Hook and Ladder Company " would be on hand with its ladders for mounting the buildings ; its hooks to pull down whatever might be thought to add to the danger of the situation ; and with sails ready to spread over the buildings most exposed. Nothing suited the bo3''s better than to get a chance to pull on one of the ropes attached to one of these hooks that was lastened to a corner post of a small wooden building half burned down. Once in a while one of the hooks would lose its hold, or break. Then several would go over back- wards. Then a good many more would hurrah. In the meantime the whole philosophy of putting out fires was discussed on the neighboring side- walks, and one could hear where each engine ought to be stationed, and what each captain should order to be done. " Now, if ' Old Eio-ht ' would THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF EYNN. 28 1 just go round to the back part of that liuiUHno-, and put a stream on that north corner, that would fix it." The captains of these engines probably never knew how complete a programme was marked out for them. But whether they followed the line marked out or not, the tire at last succumbed, and if it Avas one of considerable importance, the next thing in order would be the collation provided by some generous citizens. The boys were not indif- ferent, spectators of this frequent accompaniment to a firemen's turn out for actual, service. In fact, the}^ were not at all willing to be spectators merely — much less indifferent spectators. In short, their interest was of the most active and lively kind. They were ready to stand in front of a pot of coffee till it was all gone ; and, in an emergency, would use a reasonable amount of individual exertion to make it so. After fourteen years' service, the Godfrey engine. No. 3, was exchanged, in 1847, for a Hunneman " tub," the town paying a balance of five hundred dollars. In the same year the Torrent, No. 5, was exchanged for one built by Leslie, of Newburyport, the town paying abalance-of six hundred and forty- five dollars. In 1850, the Niagara, No. 9, was exchanged for one built by Howard & Davis, which cost nine hundred and .fifty dollars, the town paying a bal- ance of five hundred dollars. The house and ap- 36 282 SKETCHES OF LYNN. paratus had been removed from Essex street to Franklin street — 1848 — and the house enlarged, at an expense of two hundred and sixty-eight dollars. In 185 1, the Silver Grey, No. 10, was thoroughly repaired at an expense of three hundred dollars, and again in 1856, costing the city six hun- dred and forty-four dollars. The last repairs com- pletely remodeled the engine, "" nothing of the orig- inal remaining," facetiously says the historian al- ready quoted, " except the bell." In 1854, ^1^^ Volunteer, No. 8 — at^er having been repaired twice at an expense of three hundred dollars — was laid aside and a new one was pur- chased of Howard & Davis, of Boston, which, in- cludino- a hose carriage, cost one thousand two hundred and twenty-nine dollars, of which the city paid one thousand dollars. When the Perseverance company No. 4, of Gravesend — since Glenmere — received their new Hunneman engine in 1839, ^^ took the name of "Tiger." Twenty years afterward — 1859 — their engine house — having been once enlarged at an expense of one hundred and sixty-six dollars — was sold, and the proceeds, amounting to one hundred and fifty dollars, and an appropriation of one thou- sand and fifty-six dollars, were used in building the present house. There were now six new eno-ines — or nearlv so — THE ENGINE C03IPANIES OF LYNN. 283 of capacity so nearly equal that the rivalry among them was kept at fever point. For some ten years prior to the introduction of steam fire engines into our city — 1864 — the fire department of Lynn held a high rank among the fire departments of the chief cities of the Common- wealth. The rivalry among the several companies tended to keep each organization in a high state of efficiency. Whenever a new engine was purchased it was expected — by its own company at least — to be a little better and smarter than any other in the city. Each one was supposed to be specially strong in some one direction. One was the most power- ful draftincr ens^ine ; another was the most easily worked in the city ; a third, the best looking one that had yet made its appearance, having a large amount of brass and gilt ornament that made it gleam like a golden chariot in the ravs of the set- ting sun, and it did n't gleam much less when a noontide or a morning sun shone upon it. The rivals of such an engine would be likely to give it a fanc}' name, as the " Piano."' In 185 1, No. 5 changed their engine, bought in 1847, for another by the same builder, the company paying the difference, five hundred and sixty dol- lars. In 1859, ^^^^ ^^^^^ of two hundred and eighty dollars was appropriated to repair the engine of company No. 3, purchased of Hunneman in 1847. But the company preferred another, and obtained 284 SKETCHES OF LYNN. leave to exchange their old engine for a new one, and to use the appropriation so far as it would go, the compan}' paying the difference. The exchange was made with Hunneman & Co., and the cost was two thousand two hundred dollars. This was the highest cost of any engine in Lynn up to this time. The company thought there was nothing in the city quite equal to it, and a good many in the neighbor- hood I'avored that opinion. It was a splendid ma- chine, and its crew were not afraid to put it along- side of anything in the shape of a fire engine for miles around. In 1861, No. 4, the company at Glenmere, changed their engine, bought of Hunneman & Co., for a new one built by William Jeflers, of Paw^tucket, R. I. This was the last hand fire engine bought in Lynn. Two thousand dollars were paid besides the old engine, the city paying one thousand dol- lars, the company making up the remainder. Not one of the company, probably, thought this engine a poor one. On the contrar}^ they were ready to put it against any similar invention in or out ot town. And they had pretty good reason for their confidence, as their engine took more prizes in succeeding years than any other machine — if the writer is not mistaken — within the limits of the city, and, perhaps, be^'ond its limits. But it was equally ready for service whenever called upon, whether the call came from far or near. On a sul- THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 285 try Fourth ofjuh;, about this time, a ih-e broke out near one of the wharves in East Boston. A veteran fireman from L3'nn, sauntering along near one of the .wharves on the other side, in Boston proper, heard the ahirm and saw the bUize, which was the beginning of what proved to be a disastrous con- flagration. With the instinct of a fireman, he made his nearest way to the spot. Me there met " Old Cambridge 3," as he expressed it, and recognizing old acquaintances, was soon at work on the brakes, as much at home as though he had hold of the brakes of No. 10, as she played from the well at Charley Chase's corner. As the fire spread, they were driven from one wharf to another, making serious Work for the firemen as it threw out its flam- ing signals that were seen for miles around. One engine after another arrived to lend its assistance, until one hove in sight that had a familiar look to our veteran flreman at work on the brakes ; and as she came nearer he espied "Old Ben," as he was familiarly called, stripped to his pants, at the head of his company of "Tigers." They had come at no slow pace all the way from Gravesend — not less than ten miles ^ — the heat of the day being equaled only by their zeal to be on hand whenever their services might be needed. It was said that the time made was one hour and twenty minutes. An alarm of fire in old times, and even as late as the introduction of the steam fire engine, was often 286 SKETCHES OF LYNN. attended with some amusing performances. Till within ahout tbrty-five years there were but two bells in town ; one on the " Old Tunnel," as it was then called, now the Second Universalist, at the corner of South Common and Commercial streets, and the other in the belfry of the First Methodist church, at the east end of the Common, opposite the City Hall. The first was hung at a date un- known, the second in 1816. The bell on the First Universalist church, on Union street, (since 1872 the Fourth Baptist, ) was hung in 1835 . That on the Second Methodist church, Woodend, a little later. If a fire occurred in Woodend — belbre these last dates — it would take some time to get the alarm to West Lynn. Vociferous yelling, pitched to all sorts of keys, from the shrill tenor of the small bo}', to the deep, if not sonorous bass of the full-grown man, was heard all over town, as fast as the alarm spread, till somebody got hold of the bell-rope, and the people were thoroughly aroused. At first the startling inquiry would be, "Where's the fire?" Verv miscellaneous answers were given to this question. "I heard the 'Old Tunnel ' strike first." "No, the Methodist struck first." No, no, it's up t' other way. Capt'n says it "s in Upper Swampscott ; he "s just come from there." Some- times things would get a good deal mixed up. Two engines, going in opposite directions, bound for the same place, would meet in the middle of a street. THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 287 Then would be heard a "hurrah," and a "guffaw," and a new start would be made for the fire. Old engine men will here be reminded of tiie false alarms that used to harass the firemen, rouse the whole city, and add a few hundred dollars to current municipal expenses. Nothing suited a boy better — some of them of good size — than to raise a false alarm. One of these would set up a yell that sounded somewhat like the cry of fire. An- other, a few rods distant, would take up the cry, and the yell w^ould sound a little more like fire. A third, not far ofT, pretending to understand this as a genuine alarm, would shout fire with unmis- takeable distinctness, and run for the nearest bell- rope, or start for the nearest engine house. Satur- day evening was more generally the time for these performances. The records of the fire department show more cases of false alarms in a single year, at that period, than have occurred since the intro- duction of the telegraphic fire alarm, some ten years ago. Half or two-thirds of the town would turn out and run in the supposed direction of the burning build- ing. More fuss w^as made, and more noise, when a barn worth two hundred dollars was found to be on fire, than would now be occasioned by the burn- ing of a whole block. A fire in old times w^as a town talk for weeks. When the building got on tire, how it irot on lire, by whom first seen, and 288 SKETCHES OF LYNN, where, and how much it was burnt when tirst seen, and all other points coi>nected with the event were exhaustively considered in shoemakers' shops, from Saugus to Swampscott. The years 1857 and 1858 were memorable in the engine history of Lvnn, tor in those years several firemen's musters and displays took place in various parts of the State, and in some of these the firemen of Lvnn were specially interested. All kinds ot trials were made to test the capacity of the respec- tive machines. There was horizontal playing, and perpendicular playing, and there was, besides, a tank to be filled in the shortest time possible. For the benefit of the uninitiated — and there will be a good manv of that kind a hundred 3'ears hence — it may be well to say., that in perpendicular play- ing the stream of water was forced as high as pos- sible into the air. In horizontal playing the pipe was held at such an angle tliat the stream struck the ground at the greatest possible distance from the nozzle of the pipe. At the trial in 1857, No. 8 took the first prize of $25 ; No. 3, the second, of $15 ; No. 4, the third, of $10. No. 3 also took the prize of $10 in filling the tank in the "shortest time. In Worcester, September, 1858, at the grand display of all the most noted engines in the State, No. 9 came home crowned with laurels. She had won the first prize, and on her return home No. 3 THE ENGINE COMPANIES OF LYNN. 289 gave her a reception, and she was escorted about the streets of Lynn by her sister companies, Nos. 8 and lo, who were hardly less proud of the triumph than the victors themselves. The proud day was cele- brated with music, banners, speeches, collations, and various minor forms of festivity. To have belonged to No. 9 at that time was hardh^ less an honor than to have been a member of Napoleon's " Old Guard," or a survivor of the scenes of Bunker Hill. No enfjine man now livino; has foro-otten that dav. But the introduction of the steam hre eno-ine changed all this. The eight or ten engines, each with a company of fifty members, have given place to three steamers — and a fourth as a reserve — each manned by twelve men. The telegraphic fire alarm — setup in 187 1 — now sends its message instantaneously to ever}- quarter of the city, desig- nating, within a few rods, the spot where stands the burning building. From this time the glorv of the old fire companies, with all the trappings of their gilded "machines," and all their rivalries, their victories over the devouring flames, and their triumphs on the field of contest departed'forever. .5/ LYNN COMMON. The Common of the ante-revolutionary period — as well as of a much later time — was quite a dit- ferent looking place from the Common as it appears to-day. Precisely what its boundaries were in early times it is impossible to tell, as the earliest town records are almost silent on the subject, and only the vaguest traditions exist concerning a matter that runs behind the memory of the oldest among the living. That its general limits were nearl}' the same a hundred years ago, as now, is more than probable, as several houses, marking its outline on South Common street on the one side and North Common street on the other, are in existence, whose foundations were laid more than a centur\' ago. There is pretty clear evidence that what is now Ash street was once its boundary on one side at that point, and that the land now covered by tlie "Arcade" buildinp-, and others, extending as far as Elm street, was included within the limits of the Common hardly as far back as the days of the Rev- olution. Some have supposed that the " Old Bury- LYNN COMMON. 29I ing Ground " was originally included in the Com- mon ; but as this spot was used as a burial ground by the earliest settlers, before boundaries had any such significance, and when an indefinite amount of land was designated " common lands," it was probably no more a part of the Common than many other unimproved acres lying adjacent. At the east end, between the old Methodist Churcli and the Johnson estate opposite — wdiere now stands the City Hall — the space was much narrower as late as 1812, when the church was built. The first church built by this societ\^, in 1791, stood until this time directly in front, about seven feet distant, facing the new structure until that was finished. This brought the old building to a line about eight feet beyond the curbstone of the present sidewalk. The corner of Market and South Common streets then projected several feet into wiiat is now^ the street at that point, so that travel passed round this somew'hat abrupt turn by the rear of the old chiy-ch. There w-as not much change in the vicinity of the Common for the next fifteen 3'ears, except the few houses built on either side. Down to this time there was quite a large number of trees upon and around the Common ; and as late as 1848, when it was fenced, there were, as stated by Mr. Newhall in his History, three hundred and forty-seven trees upon it, including those within the railing and along the sidewalk. 29^ SKETCHES OF LYNN. The lirst important step toward adorning the Common with shade trees was taken by Aaron Breed, near the close of the last centmy. Mr. Breed was the uncle of Theophilus N. Breed, well known in our communit}', and especially well known to all shoemakers of the last generation as the veteran dealer in all kinds of shoe kit ; and his old findings store was on the premises near which, and in whose neighborhood, his uncle set those trees, whose beauty attracted the attention of the passers-by for more than half a century, and whose fragrance filled the air with its grateful odors. The trees set out by Mr. Breed were elms, the Lombardy poplar — often called the English pop- lar — and balm of Gilead. The elms were set in front of his residence — now the estate of Dr. Blethen, next to the cast corner of Pleasant and South Common streets — and along the line of the sidewalk for some distance. The balm of Gilead and poplars were set on the southerly side of the Common, extending a considerable distance east and west from this point. One of our oldest resi- dents informs the writer that the elms were set out first. Several of those noble trees remained until a few vears since, some having died, as was supposed, from the etlects of gas soon after it was introduced into the city. In 1820 the next step toward ornamenting the Common with shade trees was made. A public LYNN COMMON. 293 benefactor at tliis time appeared in the person of William Wood, known to many of the old citizens of Lynn as " Billy Wood." The writer has not been able to gather many facts relating to the his- tory of this gentleman before he came among us, or subsequent to his departure. It is said that he came from Boston, and was supposed to be a retired merchant. He was in the habit of visiting" Lynn and Nahant periodically, and when at the latter place boarded with William Breed, who kept the only boarding-house on Nahant at that time. His house stood on the spot now covered by Whitney's Hotel, built in 1819. Mr. Breed was the grand- father of the late William N. Breed. It was Mr. Wood who gave the first impulse of setting out trees on Nahant, ante-dating Mr. Tudor in this particular by several years. Mr. Wood was accus- tomed to visit the various shops while stopping in Lvnn, and of directinor the attention of our citizens to the importance of improving her sidewalks and adorning the Common with trees. He made a proposition to furnish the trees if the citizens would lend their assistance in setting them out. One of our oldest residents — James Bacheller, now resid- ing on Summer street — informed the writer that he, with his two brothers, gave a week's time in carrying out this worthy enterprise. Under this arrangement a large number of trees were set out around the Common, the sidewalks in the neigh- 294 SKETCHES OF LYNN. borhood graded, and the general appearance of this locality much improved. Not the least part of the work done bv this public-spirited and far-sighted man was the stimulus given to individual enterprise in this direction. Owners of estates on eitiier side of the Common — as well as elsewhere — had their interest awakened at this time to the improvement and adornment of our public streets ; and, accord- ing to the law which binds the interests of mankind together, the general welfare was subserved by each man's desire to adorn his immediate premises. Mr. Wood was, at this time, about lifty years of age ; was regarded as somewhat eccentric, and a bachelor. Whether his eccentricity had anything to do with his being a bachelor is a matter of no historic importance ; but it is certain that his eccen- tricity in this particular had more common sense in its operation than the concentricity of a large part of mankind. Associated with Mr. Wood in this enterprise, and foremost in aiding the work with both time and money, was our venerable, public-spirited citizen, Henry A. Breed. Mr. Breed is still living among us, an active, hale old man, now in his eighty-first year. The record of his long, busy life — a life identified with every step in the march of improve- ment that has carried us forward from a compara- tivel}' insignificant town of four thousand inhabi- tants to a citv of more than nine times that num- LYNN COMMON. 295 ber, would be a great part of the history of the business changes of the hist sixty years. In 1829 or 1830 — for the town records are strangely silent upon this matter — the third and greatest improvement was undertaken. At this time the Common was plowed up, its surface leveled, and its sides ornamented with many ad- ditional trees. In 1830 an association was formed which aimed at a scheme of more general improvement. This organization, as will be seen, included nearly all the prominent men in the town at the time. The following was its list of members : Dr. James Gard- ner, Andrews Breed, George -Johnson, Samuel T. Huse, Benjamin Massey, Joseph Breed, 3d, Henry A. Breed, John Caldwefl, William Caldwell, Calley Newhall, Jr., Joseph Lye, Christopher Robinson, Paul Newhall, Thomas Bowler, Joseph M. Nye, Daniel L. Mudge, Stephen Oliver, Col. Samuel Brimblecom, Samuel Bacheller, 3d, James Hud- son, Theophilus Newhall, Jr., Capt. Amos Attwill, John B. Chase, Joseph A. Lloyd, James P. Boyce, John Lovejoy, Isaac Gates, Esq., John Alley, 3d, Benjamin Clifford, Dr. Richard Hazeltine, Jona- than Buffum, Edmund Munroe, Nathan Breed, Nathan D. Chase, Moses Breed, Abel Houghton, Jr., Gideon Phillips, Samuel Tufts, Richard Rich- ards, Samuel Neal, Ebenezer Brown,- Samuel Ire- son, Ezra Curtin, Jacob Ingalls, Thomas H. Att- 296 SKETCHES OF LYNN. will, Moses Goodridge, Jr., Samuel Larrabee, Matthew Mansfield, William Clark, William Bas- sett, Micajah C. Pratt and Dr. William B. Brown. From the impulse given by this association sev- eral of our principal streets at that time were more or less lined with young trees. Many of the fine trees that adorned Summer street, and other streets in the neighborhood of the Common, were set dur- ing the prevalence of the '' tree fever '' that raged at that period ; and all parts of the town felt, to a o-reater or less extent, its influence. Manv of these trees, as well as those of an older growth, were blown down, or so shattered as to destroy their S3'mmetry and beaut}', in the great tornado that swept over the cit}' on the Sth of September, 1869. The record by the Surve3'or of Streets shows that five men and two horses were engaged tour weeks in removing the wrecks of noble trees that obstructed the streets and sidewalks in every part of the city. Let us now take a look at the Common as it ap- peared to the eye of the beholder sixty years ago. It wore a very difterent aspect from that which now presents itself — a level green, crossed with graveled walks, adorned with fine trees, and surrounded with a substantial and ornamental lence. It was then an uneven stretch of grass land, several feet lower at certain points than it is at present, while its high- est section was somewhat above the most elevated part of the grade as it now appears. It was an LYNN COMMON. 297 Open space, free to all the cows and other animals of the neighborhood, and through its center, or a little to the north of it, run the only " made " street — except the turnpike — within the limits of the town. What is now North Common street was then an ill-defined country road. It was not a " made " street till 1830. Along where South Com- mon street is now there was considerable travelling in the dry season, as far as the brook which crossed the Common from the north side near the west cor- ner of what is now Baker street. Travel passed over this brook on the south side of the Common on a rickety wooden bridge ; and as the land on either side of this bridge was low, heavy rains or melting snows made it a hard road, if not an impossible way, to travel. Then teams would turn out on to the higher and dryer parts of the Common, and as a consequence it was more or less used as a highwav as comfort, or convenience, dictated. At the west end of the Common, as now enclosed, was a "knoll," or elevation of land, gradually sloping away to a depression known as " Academy Hollow," so called because it was opposite the old Academy, which stood near the spot now occupied by fhe residence of R. A. Spalding, a little w^est of the head of Vine street. In winter this was a fine skating pond for the boys. From this point eastward the land rose to the highest elevation reached between the east and west end of the Common, the land at this point 3« 298 SKETCHES OF LYNN. being nearly on the same level then as now. On this rise of land stood the " Old Tunnel Meeting House." Eastward of this section the land was some- what lower, its lowest point being crossed by the brook above-mentioned. Here the road, which ran at the north side of the buildings then occupy- ing the Common, crossed the brook over a wooden bridge. This brook afterward ran into, or rather through the Frog Pond, when that was constructed in 1838 or 1839. The basin of this pond was made under the superintendence of Otis Newhall. It was about three feet deep — its sloping sides measuring some tour feet — and enclosed with a fence. In 1848, when the Common was fenced, its sides were walled up, and curbstones set around its edges ; and twenty-three years later, in 187 1, the brook was turned into the sewer, the bottom of the pond cemented, and the basin supplied with water from Breed's pond. The depression on either side of this brook was called " Meeting House Hollow," when it was not called "Goose Hollow-." This also was a skating pond tor the boys in winter. From this brook east- ward the Common was somewhat higher ; and at a point opposite Church street (then not opened) there was quite an elevation, or " knoll," as it is termed in the town records, when this part of the Common was designated as the site of the old school house, which was removed from Franklin I.YNN COMMON. 299 Street in 1752. From this point eastward the hind was nearly level. Looking westward trom the east end of the Com- mon, the first building that would attract attention was the Ward Five Grammar School House, which stood between the site of the Soldiers" Monument and Franklin street, occupying a portion of what is now the road-bed of Nortli Common street at that point. This school house was built in 1810 for Ward Six — Ward Six then includino-, tor the most part, w hat is now Ward Five and a portion of Ward Four — and was removed to Franklin street, oppo- site the present site of the Cobbet School House, in the Fall of 1823. The first building witiiin the limits of the Com- mon, as one looked trom the east, was the Old Town House, its w^ide doors, like the gates of Janus, facing both ways — east and west. The south- western corner of the lower floor was used by the Light Infantry as an armory, and a room on the southerly side was occupied by the Selectmen whenever occasion required. The remainder of the low^er story was an open space, through which the military marched on " training days " to the Gun House in the rear, to stack their arms, when the service of the day was over. It stood about mid-way between North Common street and South Common street. It w^as built in 1814, and was re- moved from the Common, in 1832, to the lot on 300 SKETCHES OF LYNN. South Common street, nearly opposite, on the spot where Blossom street enters it — Blossom court, when opened, ending at the rear of the Town Hall yard. It was destroyed by fire on the night of October 6th, 1864. Next came the Gun House, standing several rods at the west, and in range of the Town Hall. It was built in 1809 to receive the " great guns " sent by the United States government at that time when the disturbed state of our relations with Great Brit- ain threatened the war which came in 181 2. It was removed from the Common the same year — probably — in which the Town House was removed, and occupied a lot in the southwest corner of the Town House yard. Next came what was known as the Attwill House. According to common report, it was built in 1682, by the first parish as a residence for the sexton of the church. It came into the possession of the Att- will family some seventy-five years later. There seems to be pretty good evidence that it was built at the above date. The present occupant of the house — Miss Ruth A. Attwill — remembers that she saw a tablet brought to light, when a partition was taken down, on which was inscribed: "Built June, 1682." It stood about mid-way between North and South Common streets, nearly opposite the head of Baker street, and was built from timber cut from the Common — oak and pine — and its LYNN COMMON. 3OI walls filled in with brick, as was common in those days. It is a two-story, low-posted structure, its narrow windows of irregular sizes, and its massive beams furnishing a contrast with the capacious, light -framed and more symmetrically - planned dwellings of the present da}'. As it stood on the Common, it was surrounded by a picket fence, which inclosed a half-acre of land, on which was an orchard of tifteen apple trees, two peach trees, and two cherry trees, besides a plat cultivated as a garden. The house formed part of the western end of the enclosure, and was a few rods east of the brook above-mentioned. It was moved from the Common, in 1835, ^o the lot where it now stands, on Whiting street, on the right, entering Whiting street from the Common. It is now (1879) one of the oldest houses in the city, and is still occupied by Miss Ruth A. Attwill, the grand- daughter of Zachary Attwill, who purchased it of his great aunts about the year 1780. In its extern- al appearance it has not undergone much change ; and its internal arrangements remained the same for about a century, since which time it has been subject to various modifications. The next building was the old engine house, built in 1797 for the first engine used in town — the " Relief.'' It stood a little west of the brook on the north side of the Common. It was moved, in 1832, 302 SKETCHES OF LYNN. across North Common street to a lot near the corner of Harvvood street. The next building was the Old Tunnel Meeting House, built in 1682. It stood in the center of the Common, nearly opposite — a little to the west — the head of Whiting street. It was removed in 1827 to its present site, corner of Commercial and South Common streets, at which time it was re- modeled, and to a considerable extent rebuiU. The next buildino- was the school house beloncr- ing to the sixth district. It stood opposite the eastern end of what is now the " Arcade " building, or just outside the west end of the Common as now enclosed. It \^'as built, probably, about the year 1790. The tence, already alluded to, was placed around the Common (1848) at a cost of ^2,500. The town was mainly indebted for this needed protec- tion and ornament, to the efforts of a company of public spirited ladies. In the last three days of September, of the above-named year, the}' held a lair in Exchange Hall — then just built — by which they obtained the sum of about ;f!i,400. Other sums were obtained by subscription suthcient to complete the work. A small plat at the easterly end was enclosed at the same time as a Park. Directly in front of the east end of the Park the Soldiers' Monument was placed, and dedicated September 17th, 1873. LYNN COMMON. 303 During the past few years the grade of the Com- mon has been gradually raised, and its general ap- pearance improved. Under the charge of an effi- cient forester new trees are planted, and old and unsightly ones removed. There are at present on the Common two hundred and thirteen trees, about four-Hfths of which are elms, the rest lindens, rock maples and horse chestnuts. In the Park there are fifty trees, mostly elms. As late as 1825 there were nineteen houses — including two meeting houses and one bank — on South Common street, and twenty-six on North Common street, including the Lynn Hotel. Be- sides these there were four on the Common at that date. Of these forty-nine buildings, there are ten now standing on the south side, and nineteen on the north side. The Common contains seven and one- fourth acres. THE STREETS OF LYNN FIFTY YEARS AGO. The limits of the present volume will not permit the writer to give more than an outline of the his- tory of the streets of Lynn ; but it is hoped that this outline, imperfect as it is, will have something more than a passing interest. An incidental allu- sion, or the fixing of a date, is often sufficient to give a hint that sheds light upon an event that otherwise might remain in obscurity, and some- times makes certain a matter having an historical importance. Some time has been spent in fixing, with accuracy, the dates here given, and where absolute exactness has not been attainable, it is believed that such an approximation has been made as will serve the essential purpose of a record like this, or furnish a clew that will lead the more diligent inquirer to that certainty which he seeks. The elderhr readers of these pages will readily recall the business aspect of Lynn as it appeared tbrtv or tiftv vears ao-o. It mav not be uninterest- STREETS OF LYNN FIFTY YEARS AGO. 305 ing to younger readers to get a glimpse of the lousi- ness geography of the town at that time. The business streets of Lynn at that period — be- tween 1830 and 1840 — were Broad, Front, (the western end of Broad street, as far as its intersec- tion with Exchange street, then called Pine street, was known as Front street,) Market and South Common streets. Considerable business centered about the old Lynn Hotel, at Federal square, and also around the Village House, at Woodend. Out- side of these limits a few individuals did a small business in different sections of the town. To get an idea by way of contrast, let us take a view of what is now the business center of the city, includ- ing the business portion of Ward Five, and bounded by Market, Broad — to Silsbee — Silsbee, Pearl, High and Oxford streets. In 1830 the only streets inside these limits were Union street, (the south- west part,) Spruce street, (now Washington,) run- ning from Union street to its junction with Liberty street, which, at that time, ran from that point to Market street — the northern part extending to High street was opened a few years after — Pine and Spring streets. These five streets — Liberty, Spruce, Union, Pine and Spring — besides the boundary streets already named — except Silsbee, (opened in 1834,) ^^^ Oxford streets — were all there were in that entire area. Willow street was opened about 1842, Almont street in 1846, Mulberrv 39 3o6 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Street in 1850, Buftum street in 185 1, Oxford street in 1846, Central avenue in 1872. Extending- the line on Broad street so as to make Chestnut street the northeasterly boundary, from Broad street on the one hand to Essex street on the other, and thence to Market street, and we have a territor}' through which, at that time, no street passed, ex- cept the northeasterly end of Union street. Pearl street, and High street. Not a single street cut the entire section between the Central Station and Chestnut street, and included within the bounds of Exchano-e, Broad, Chestnut and Union streets. That entire tract embraced only tields, orchards and gardens, except what was then called Mount Vernon court, including the southern end ol the present Mount Vernon street. Friend, Ellis, School, Smith, Green, Violet, Howard, Estes, Pinkham, Maile}', Ezra and East Charles streets, and all the courts and allexs included in these streets, were then unknown. Three lields — known as the Ellis, Smith and Estes lields — running nearl}' the whole length of Union street, on the east side, and extending to the rear of the lots on Broad and Chestnut streets, embraced seven-eighths of this section of the town. Union street, for the most part, was tiien a lows swampy, and not much traveled thoroughtare, and went by the unpretending name of "Estes Lane." It was avoided especially on dark nights, and by STREETS OF LYNN FIFTY YEARS AGO. 307 limid people, as a lonesome street : and its course by the Eastern Burial Ground was not the least among the reasons that caused it to be shunned. In the evening bo3'S went by this part of it on the run. Only two places of business were then upon it, the grocer}' store of Joseph Breed, father of Henry and Joseph Breed, 2d — kept in what is now* the dwelling house on the corner of Union and Wash- ington streets — and the paint shop of Jonathan Buf- fum. That section in the immediate vicinit}^ of the Central Station has undergone greater changes than any other. EXCHANGE STREET. There were but nine buildings on Exchange street (then called Pine street) in 1830 — live on the northeast side and four on the southwest. Be- ginning at the corner where now stands the East- ern Railroad Station then stood the house of John Mower, father of Amos E. Mower, now residing on Union street. Following the northeast side of the street stood the house of Nathan Alley. Next, on the northwest corner of Mount Vernon street (then only a court) was the house of Joseph Alley, brother to the one just mentioned. On the opposite corner, where now stands the shoe factory of John Wooldredge, no building then stood : the house built on this lot a few years after bv Ira Gove was 308 SKETCHES OF EYNN. bouo-ht bv George Foster and removed to the cor- ner ot" Union and School streets, where it now stands. Next stood the house ot' Daniel Breed, wood merchant, and father of the late William N. Breed, who followed the same business. The next and last building on that side was the shoe factory of Isaiah Breed, standing near the present location of the Bank. It will be seen that not one of these old buildings is now standing. Directly opposite the factory of Mr. Breed stood the house of James Pratt — where it now stands, at the junction of Broad and Exchange streets. This is the only building now standing that was on the street tifty years ago. Next, on the southwest side of the street, was the residence of Moses Conner. Next, a barn belonging to Abner Alley, whose house stood where it now stands, tronting on Broad street, next to the Pratt estate. Mr. Alley was the owner of the entire triangle of land bounded by Exchange, Broad and Spring streets, except the estates of James Pratt, of Moses Conner, and that of Daniel Farrington, on the corner of Broad and Spring streets. Next stood the old grammar school house of Ward Four, near the spot now occupied b}' the shoe factory of Isaac M. Attwill. This school house was not much like the present grammar school house on Franklin street. It was moved soon after to the school yard at the upper end of Mount Vernon court — then reached b}^ ascending STREETS OF 1>YNN FIFTY YEARS AGO. 309 quite a hill — a spot very near that covered by the factory now standing in the rear of the shoe factory occupied by J. P. Eaton, and owned by Albert T. Goodwin, and directly in the rear — from Silsbee street — of the Central Church. At the side of this hill there was a deep depression, or gulley, called " Uncle Joe's Hollow Hole," now making part of the railroad bed between the Central Station and the Silsbee street bridge. On the corner of Spring and Exchange streets, on the spot where now stands the shoe factory of Lucian Newhall, was the house of Daniel Carter ; and betw^een this corner and the corner of Exchange and Union streets was a va- cant lot of land whose line on Union street extended to the estate of Jonathan Conner — the spot now covered by the large factories of the Brown Broth- ers and Jerome Ingalls. This lot was low- and clayev, the last spot one would have thought to be afterward covered with imposing blocks of build- ings, and the very center of our growing business. MARKET STREET IN 1S3O. The Market street of 1830 was a very ditTerent place from the Market street of 1879. The east- ern end from Munroe street was some five or six feet lower than at present. Its greatest depression was near the head of Harrison avenue — opened some ten years later — and at this point was a 3IO SKETCHES OF EYNN. stone bridge. (This stone bridge was probably built somewhere near the close of the last century. and replaced a wooden structure which was in use as late as 1780.) The road-bed at this bridge was some Hye feet below the present grade, while the road at the corner of Market and Broad streets was seyeral feet aboye it, making a hill, which a yet- eran teamster of the time declared to be the most ditficult of any bet\yeen that point and Boston — and the hills oyer that route were a good deal steeper then than now. High tides swept through under this bridge at the foot of this hill, flowing the low lands on the northern side ; and exceptionally high tides flooded the street, and all the territor}- lying between Harrison ayenue and Munroe street — the space now occupied by the Eastern Railroad bed and Munroe street, between Market and Wash- ington (then Spruce) streets, being then an un- broken field, known as the Munroe field. This was generally covered with water in the wet sea- son, and furnished good skating-grounds for the boys ( the girls did n't skate then ) when the weather was cold enough and the ice smooth enough. The building of the Eastern Railroad in 1837 changed all that. This necessitated the filling up of Market street on either side to a leyel with the railroad bed — an operation that gave to the tew buildings then on that part of the street a yery much underground appearance. The onh- STREETS OF LYNN FIFTY YEARS AGO. 3II building now remaining to bear evidence of this is the old morocco factory of the late John Lovejoy, standing next to the railroad on its east side, and on the north side of Market street. There were then standing fort^'-nine buildings on Market street, including eight shoemakers' shops — twenty-seven on the northeast side and twenty-two on the south- west side. Of the twenty-two buildings then stand- ing on the southwest side but two remain — one, the rnorocco manufactory and salesroom of Eugene Barry, the other, the corner building standing next to the old lyTethodist Church. The tirst of these was the old bark mill, owned b}- Winthrop Newhall. father of the late F. S. and FI. Newhall. The old tan yard was on the land immediateh' adjacent. Business was discontinued in this 3- ard some two or three years later, and was the last of six that were in operation in 1820. At this time about twelve thousand dollars' worth of leather was annuallv tanned in this yard. Besides the two above-mentioned, on the south- west side there is a half of a house, known at that time as the Jerusha Williams' house. It was after- ward owned by Samuel Bacheller, father of Thomas W. Bacheller. The other half was sawed off a few years ago to make room for a new- block. The remainder now stands on the spot where it was built, between the store occupied by William Filene and the new block t)n the east. It 312 SKETCHES OF LYNN. is now overshadowed by these, and its lower storx' hidden bv an addition, or "wart." running to the sidewalk, on the ground that was formerly the front yard. This addition, together with the lower story of the house, is now occupied as a fruit store. Of the twenty-seven buildings on the northeast side, but four remain. Beo-inning at the east end of the street, the iirst of these is the Sheridan House, then the residence of Stephen Smith. At that time it rather fronted on Broad street — then Front street. When the street was widened at that point, the house was moved back, raised up, a lower story added for stores, and tlie upper part fitted for a public house. The second is the old building- standing next to the railroad on its east side. The third is the old store on the corner of Liberty street, then, or soon atler, occupied as a shoe factory by one of the Harney brothers, and still later as a clothing store. The fourth is the store on the cor- ner of Market and Essex streets, then kept by Otis Wrio-ht as a orocerv store, and now occupied — the lower part — by Warren Tapley, as an apothecary shop. A few rods from this corner, on the opposite side of the street, stood the house and shoemakers shop of Gamaliel Oliver, lather of William B. Oliver. In this shoemaker's shop William Lloyd Garrison worked at shoemaking in his early days. In 1830 the old Richard Pratt house, standing on a spot now covered by the Bubier Block, a few rods STREETS OF LYNN FIFTY YEARS AGO. 313 east of the Post Office, was replaced by the house built by the late John Lovejoy. In 1831 the six following-named persons and firms — reckoning each tirm as one — did business on Market street : Joseph Alley, Samuel Bach- eller, Baker & Saunderson, Jonathan Boyce & Son, Martin D. Harney and Jacob I.Johnson. In 1840 fourteen persons and firms did business on this street : John B. Alley, Samuel Bacheller, Thomas W. Bacheller, George L. Barnard, Daniel C. Baker, Samuel M. Bubier, Theophilus Ilallowell, George B. Harney, Martin D. Harney, x\bner S. Moore, W. B. & J. P. Oliver. Richardson & Graves. Joseph N. Saunderson andjohn A. Thurston. In 1830 there was no street, except Nahant street, between Broad street and the sea ; and continuing the line through Lewis street, not a single street or court divided the territoiy 13'ing between these old thoroughfares and the ocean. The first streets opened were Portland and Balti- more, in 1832; Newhall, and Sagamore — from Nahant to Newhall — in 1835; Bassett and Gar- land, in 1836; Beach, in 1838; Red Rock, in 1847 ; Breed, in 1844: Ocean street — to Lewis — in 1845 : Sachem, in 1843 : King, in 1847 ; Ocean — from Atlantic to Nahant — in 1848 : West Saga- more, in 1845; Wave, in 1848; Amity, in 1851 : Nichols and Foster, in 1852; Cherry, in 1853: 40 314 SKETCHES OF LYNN. New Ocean and Suffolk, in 1S55, and Farrar, in 1861. Within the boundaries ah-eady mentioned — Broad, Chestnut and Union streets — Green street was the first opened — 1833; Silsbee, 1834 ; School, Ellis, Howard, East Charles, Ezra, Pinkham, Estes, Mailey and Violet, in 1S48 ; Friend, in 1867, and Friend street place, in 1877. What is now known as the Highlands was then called Rocks' pasture. That entire stretch of land inclosed within the boundaries beginning at the City Hall, and running along Essex street, to Chestnut, thence to Western avenue, (then known as the turnpike,) thence to Franklin street, thence to City Hall again, was made up of fields, pas- tures, ledges and berry swamps. Not a single cross street cut this entire territor}' for some }'ears later than 1830. The first inroad made upon this larp-e tract of land was Essex court, running from Essex street — near the head of Pearl — and Hutchinson's court, which, extending to the foot of High Rock, made that famous eminence more easily accessible. These were opened in 1835. Rockaway court, (now Rockaway street,) Adams court and JeiTerson court were opened in 1846. and other courts further east still later. The streets leading to Mount Pleasant were not opened till 1865. Sheridan street was also opened in 1865. As late as 1850 there were not more than twenty STREETS OF EYXN FIFTY VEAKS A(;0. 315 houses — not including- tliose standing on the boundary Hues — within the entire territory bound- ed b}' Essex street on the east, Chestnut street on the north. Western avenue on tlie west, and Wash- ington street on the south ; and nearly all of these were in Essex court, above named. Within the territory bounded by Market, South Common, Commercial and Sea streets, there were but tour streets as late as 1S30 — Summer, Pleasant, Shepard and Vine streets. Between 1830 and 1840 there were but three streets opened in all this terri- tory — Church and Tremont streets, opened in 1833, and a part of Neptune, from Vine to Commercial, opened in 1835; George, in 1846; Warren, in 1842; Prospect, in 1849; Harbor and Alley, in 1852; Blossom, in 1864 — it existed as a court some years prior to this date, extending on both sides of Summer street. Washington court, in 1843. All the streets between Summer street and the sea, bounded by Commercial street on the east, and Western avenue on the west, were opened later than 1850, except Light, Minot, and a part of Neptune screets. These were opened in 1835. Lowell street was opened in 1841. Stickney, Ann and Charles streets were opened in 1850. The territory bounded by Western avenue. Federal street, Water Hill street and the south- western line of Ward Six, was not broken by a single street. River street was opened in 1833 ; 3l6 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Ma}' court, in 1833. This court was opened through when Berkley street was hiid out about 1854. Linden court was opened about 1835, '^rid extended through to Cottage street about 1855. Cottage street was opened in 1845 ; Hood, in 1850 ; Nelson, in 1852 ; Allen, in 1868 ; Morris court, Camden street, and others in this vicinity, at a still later date. Between Boston street — from Chestnut on the north, to North Federal on the south — and the hio-h land on the west, there was no street, except the west end of Franklin, prior to 1844, when Grove street was opened. The territory known as Pine Hill, bounded by Forest street, on the east, and Walnut street, on the south, contained no dwelling until 1850, when Nathaniel Holder built the first house on that emi- nence. The entire tract of land lying north of Fa}'ette street, from Gold Fish Pond to Collins street, thence following the line of Chestnut street to Western avenue, and thence to the northern boundary of the town, was one unbroken field and meadow, through which no street ran, except the section of Chatham street, between Essex and Collins streets — opened about 1825. Jackson street was opened in 1835, and Ingalls street in the same year. Chatham street, east from Essex, was opened in 1853 ; Chatham, west from Collins, in 1858 ; Par- STREETS OF LYNN I'IFTY YEARS AGO. 317 rott, in i860; Alice, in 1866; Dana, in 1871 ; Em- pire, in 1869; New Chatham, in 1S71, and Brook- line, Timson and Groveland streets, and others in that vicinity, still later. A large part ot' the streets lying within the boundaries of North Common street on the south, Western avenue on the west, Essex street on the east, and the high lands on the north, were opened later than 1850. Washington street, from Essex to Laighton, in 1849 — thence to Boston street, in 1850. Hanover, Baker and Chase streets, in 1850 ; Johnson and Holton streets, in 1855 : Harwood, in 1853; Brimblecom, in 1854, '^^^*^ Arlington — first opened as a court about 1849, and called Linden place — was extended to Baker street in 1870 ; Lloyd, m 1868: Llovd court, in 187 1 ; others in this immediate vicinity were opened, or extended, between this last date and 1873, In Glenmere — formerly Gravesend — there was no street running from an}" of the old streets with- in the limits of the Ward — Chestnut, Turnpike, Maple and Boston streets — until later than i860, except Lake street, which was opened in 1836. Bowler street was opened just belbre i860. Nearly all the other new streets in this territory were opened a few years prior to 1873. The opening of new streets, as well as other marks of growth and improvement, is usually seen in seasons of business prosperity. We have had 3l8 SKETCHES OF LYNN. four such seasons since 1S30. Between 1830 and 1S37, and more especially the last two or three years of this period, was the first, and, perhaps, the most active season of real estate operations and speculation, if we take into account the ditTerence in population and resources between that day and recent years. The second was chief!}' between the years 1843 and 1847. The partial revulsion in business in 1847 checked real estate movements for awhile ; but the stimulus given to all sorts of business enterprizes by the discovery of the Cali- fornian and Australian mines, a few years later, brought on a third period of intense commercial activity, which culminated in the panic of 1857. Lynn felt the stimulus, and did its full share in pushing forward improvements of every kind. Dol- lars were more plentiful than ever betbre. But they were not worth as much as usual. It took more of them to buy a barrel of flour than at any time since 1816. Some people don't see through this. The fourth period began about 1864, and ended with the revulsion that came in the Fall of 1873. There were more miles of streets laid out during the four years ending at the last-named date than in any equal period of time since Lynn was settled. Thinofs were done'on a large scale. Not only short cross streets were cut, but streets and avenues of great length were opened, or projected, in the suburbs — where land was comparatively cheap — STREETS OF LYNN FIFTY YEARS AGO. 319 enough to meet the wants of the city tor a quarter of a century. In 1831 there were sixty streets and courts in Lynn and Swampscott. In 1840 there were one hundred and three streets in Lynn and Swamp- scott. In 1844 there were two hundred and ten in Lynn. In 1853, two hundred and eighteen. In 1855, two hundred and twenty-nine. In 1857, two hundred and forty-three. In 1859, two hun- dred and seventy-two. In 1864, two hundred and eightv-nine. In 1866, three hundred and thirteen. In 1868, three hundred and twenty-eight. In 1870, three hundred and seventy-four. In 1872, four hundred and forty. In 1874, ^"o"'" hundred and sixt\'-tive. In 1877, four hundred and seventy. In 1879, ^^^^^' hundred and eighty-one. These figures, if not exact, are such an approxi- mation as gives a clear idea of the comparative growth of Lynn during these several periods, so far as figures like these have a significance. In 1879 we had one hundred and twenty-five miles of streets within the limits of the cit}'. But little more than three-fourths of our streets have been accepted. THE EARLY MOROCCO BUSINESS IN LYNN. For the following facts relating- to the early mo- rocco business of Lynn the writer is chiefl}' in- debted to a paper prepared b\- the late Joseph Moul- ton, twenty years ago. Mr. Moulton's intimate knowledge of the business for more than fifty years — being himself a pioneer in this branch of trade — and his intelligent appreciation of everything per- taining to the histor}- of his native town, give a per- manent value to his sketch. For many of the facts of a later date the writer is indebted to John T. Moulton, son of the foregoing, who is now engaged in the same business, and known in the communit}' as an intelligent inquirer into the history and traditions of his native place. Tiie manufacture of morocco was begun in Lvnn about the year 1800. It may be w^ell to give a few- words in explanation of the origin of this term. The original Morocco leather was from the Barbarv States — as its name miirht suo-p-est — and the Le- vant. The English had learned the art of manu- iacturing it. and small quantities found their wav to EARLY MOROCCO BUSIXKSS OF LYNN. 32I this counln', probably, quite early in tiie last cen- tury. Felt, in his "Customs of New England," makes mention of Morocco shoes as charged in the account book of a Boston merchant as early as 1740. From the advent of Dagj-r, in 1750, down to 1800, a fewv Morocco goat skins, some English kid skins, and other skins " of all kinds," were imported. At this early period the dresser of morocco was looked upon as one possessing a secret too valuable to divulge. The business was regarded as an art rather than a trade ; and the work was carried on behind darkened windows, so that none might steal a knowledge of the mysterious processes that trans- formed the unsightly pelt into a thing of beauty, fit to adorn the foot of princess or queen. William Rose, an Englishman who had served a seven-years' apprenticeship in London, was the first to set up the business in Lynn. He purchased the estate between what is now Blossom and Shepard streets, comprising the site where now stands the fine mansion of Stephen Oliver, Jr. The factory of Mr. Rose — the first one established in Lynn — occupied, in part, this land. Mr. Rose did a verv profitable business here for about eight years ; as he had a monopoly of the business, the profits were large. But he gained no fortune. He belonged to that class — a numerous one — who do n't seem to understand that if the out-go is greater than the income — no matter how large the income — bank- 41 322 SKETCHES OF LYNN. ruptcy comes sooner or later. This is what hap- pened to Mr. Rose. His convivial habits and great generosity brought the l^alance on the wrong side of the ledger ; and about the year 1809 he left Lvnn, and made an unsuccessful attempt to estab- lish himself in business in Charlestown. While Mr. Rose was in Lynn, Capt. Edward Carroll, father in-law of the late Philip P. Tapley, worked with him as an apprentice. Joshua R. Gore was the first to take up the morocco business in Lynn after the departure of Mr. Rose ; but not succeed- ing in his attempt, he left and settled in New^ Haven. Francis Moore, a preceptor of the Lynn Academ}', left his protession, and associating him- self with Henry Healey, next made an unsuccessful attempt as a morocco dresser. The next — probably — who took up the busi- ness were William B. and Joshua Whitney. They, too, were unsuccessful. Carter & Tarbell next established a very extensive business, but in the end accumulated no fortune. Samuel Mulliken, Major Daniel R. Witt and Joseph Mansfield now^ took up the business. As the\' left it soon after, it is presumed they found it unprofitable. This brings the business down to the close of the second war with Great Britain. The business from this time rapidly increased. Soon after, Capt. John Love- joy, father of the late Elbridge Lovejo}^, entered the business with a Mr. Stockwell, under the name EARLY MOROCCO I5USINESS IN LYNX. 32"^ of Lovejoy & Stockwcll. The brothers Bracket! — Riilus, Newell and George — also engaged in this business. Then followed in the same line various tirins and establishments by men whose names will at once be recognized by our old citizens — Breed & Damon, Nathan Reed, Peter Hay, Samuel Vial, Francis S. and Henry Newhall, Levi Robinson, Wil- liam Gibson, Edward Carroll and Joseph Moulton. In 1818 Francis S. Newhall entered the morocco business; and in 1822 formed a partnership with his brother Henry. From 1830 to 1834 ^^'''s firm did a large part of the business then carried on in the town. Edward Carroll was their foreman at this time. They were the first to finish in fancv colors, and carried on business until 1849. This was a time when profits were small and old-fashioned methods prevailed, both in the me- chanical part of this handicraft, as well as in the general conduct of the trade. Those were the davs of long credits ; when future contingencies entered too largely into mercantile transactions to enable a man to strike a balance in his ledger with any de- gree of certainty. From this time (nearly half a centurv ago) for- ward, this business increased rapidly in Lvnn, and spread, to some extent, to the neighboring towns. The following record will show the date when the leading firms, as well as some establishments of less note, began operations in Lynn : Joseph Moulton be- 324 SKETCHES OF LYNN. gan business in 1835. His operations were confined to the tanning branch of the trade. Darius Barry began business in 1S36, on Commercial street, and continued there for two years. He then went to Boston, and remained until 1840. He then re- turned to L\'nn, and in 1842 set up business near the corner of Washington and Munroe streets. Mr. Barr}- taught the mysteries of this art to several of our citizens, who afterward became prominent as manufacturers — Charles G. Clark, Nathan Clark, Horace Clark, Patrick Lennox, John and James Williams, and some thirty others. Philip P. Tapley and Andrew Kelty, under the firm of Kelt}^ & Tapley, began business in 1843. This continued three years. About a year after — 1847 — Mr. Tapley formed a connection with Hon. John B. Alley and Abner S. Moore, under the firm of Alley, Tapley & Co., for the purpose of manu- facturing shoes and morocco. They had a store in Boston for the sale of leather, and shoe stock gen- erally. In 1850 the firm dissolved, and Mr. Tap- ley conducted the morocco business in his own name. In November, 1850, Mr. Tapley introduced steam power into his factory — the first used in Lynn in this business. The factory stood on Broad street, near the foot of Union street. In 1858 he removed to his spacious new factory, now stand- ing near the corner of Broad and Beach streets. One of the newspapers of the day stated "that this EARLY MOROCCO BUSINESS IN LYNN. 325 was believed to be the largest and most complete of any in the United States, or the world." Jacob S. Wentworth beoan business as a partner in the firm of Souther, Blaney & Co., in 1845, in Harrison Court. Mr. W. also finished in fancy colors. Thomas Roberts, George K. and Henry Pevear began business in 1847 on Munroe street. Mr. Roberts soon retired, the Messrs. Pevear con- tinuing the business. Next to Mr. Tapley they were the largest manufacturers in the city some twent}' years ago : and to-day they are probably the largest manufacturers in this section of the country. In 1844 John W. Blaney and John B. Souther established the "skiver" business under the firm of Souther & Blaney. This was the beginning of the tanning and finishing of skivers in Lynn. This firm gained a high repute as finishers in fancy colors, a branch — as was stated in the paper already quoted — "in which Mr. Blaney has become distinguished, and has no superior in the country." In 1849 Joseph Souther, Jr., entered the firm. In the summer of 1859 they set up a steam engine of ten-horse power, and run machines known as Green's patent for finishing kid and mo- rocco. In 1846 Mr. Kelty formed a partnership with Rich- ard Drown, under the firm of Kelty & Drown. This continued until the death of Mr. Kelty, in 1868. Horace Clark began business in 185 1, as a partner 326 SKETCHES OF EYNN. in the tirm of Perry. Smith & Co., located on Market street. In 1853 Smith and CLark took the business, and carried it on until 1S57, when Mr. Clark purchased Mr. Smith's interest, and removed his business to the old stand of P. P. Taplev, on Broad street — foot of Union street. Shortly after his removal he formed a partnership v\'ith his brother Nathan. Charles G. and Nathan Clark began business in 185 1, on Market street. The next year they removed to Munroe street, to the factory formerly occupied b\' Darius Barr\-. In 1857 they built their new factor}' — then one of the finest in the city — on the same street, anjd removed their business into it. After Nathan's retirement from the firm, his brother conducted the business, and has carried it on up to the present time. In 1S52 William A. Kelly began business on Market street. He remained there until 1859, when he built a new factory on Munroe street. This, also, was spoken of as one of the "best in the city." Mr. Kelly has likewise continued busi- ness at the old stand up to the present time. In 1852 John B. Souther and David Burns Ibrmed a partnership, and located themselves on Market street, in the building formerlv occupied by John Lovejoy. Thomas Roberts began business under the tirm of Roberts & York. This firm dissolved in 1856, and Mr. Roberts continued the business at the old stand on Munroe street. Patrick Lennox EARLY MOROCCO IJUSINESS IN LYNN. 327 began business in 1853, on Broad street. He after- ward removed to Harrison court. Being a first- class mechanic, his trade rapidly increased, and in 1858 he removed his business to Market street, near his present location. He soon atler introduced steam and machinery for tinishing morocco. In 187 1 he built his fine brick factory on the corner of Market street and Harrison court, where he is still doing a ver}- extensive business. John Williams began business in 1854, ^n Broad street. His brother James succeeded him, and continued the business for several years. A. B. Martin began business in 1855, ^^ company with Moses Norris, on Broad street. He soon after re- moved to Market street, and in 1864 he removed his factory buildings, and added a new extension of some sixty feet. In 1866 he still further enlarged it by an addition of eighty feet in length, making it one of the most extensive factories at that time in Lynn. During the present year (1879) ^^ ^^^^ made another large addition to his factor}' , and it is nows doubtless, the largest building devoted to this purpose north of New York city. Mr. Martin's business has increased rapidly, and at present he is probably one of the largfest manufacturers of morocco in New England. Charles Carroll — son of Edward, above men- tioned — began business in 1856, on Broad street, in company with his brother Edward, Jr. The 328 SKETCHES OF LYNN. firm was dissolved in 1S59 ^3' ^^^^ death of Edward, and Charles continued the business until 1862. In 1858 William S. Post, John Donallan and Isaac S, French began business under the firm of Post, Donallan & Co. Their factor}- was on Boston street, and they had a salesroom on South Com- mon street. Robert M. Coffee began business in 1858, on Spring street. He afterward removed to Market street. The firm of Oliver & Smith was established in 185S, on Market street. Mr. Smith began the tannery business in 1839, with Mr. Perry, already mentioned. Benjamin F. Clements began business in 1858, and continued until 1864, when he entered the firm of P. P. Tapley & Co. Andrew Caraher began business in 1S59, at No. 9 Broad street. C. F. Winchester began business in 1849, at Dye-House Village, now Wyoma. His branch was the " pull- ing " and tanning of sheep skins. William Lum- mus succeeded Mr. Winchester in this branch ot the business. The amount of business done by the six largest firms in the morocco business in i860 was as fol- lows : P. P. Tapley, $100,000; Pevear & Co., $96,000; J. Souther, Jr., & Co., $75,000; C. G. & N. Clark, $50,000 ; Souther & Burns, $46,000 ; Oliver & Smith, $40,000. The whole amount of business for 1859 '^'^''^-'^ $695,000. EARLY MOROCCO BUSINESS IN LYNN. 329 THE MOROCCO BUSINESS SINCE 1860. Since 1859 ^^^^ morocco trade, like the shoe busi- ness upon which it depends, has experienced a revolution. The civil war brought about condi- tions that stimulated every branch of industry to an extent never before know^n, and few received a greater impetus than the shoe business, and all the industries dependent upon it. The increased pur- chasing power of the buyer made such a demand for all these products that new methods were re- quired to meet the growing wants of the people. The morocco manufacturers found it necessary to call to their aid maciiinery and new methods, and these necessitated more extensive factories, more hands, and larger capital. The aggregate amount of business done, is, there- fore, very much greater than it was in i860, and is constantly increasing; the firms who were in the business having multiplied their facilities for manu- facture with the increasing demands of the trade. It is a singular fact that, with a few exceptions, the businesses still carried on by those who w^ere engaged in it more than tw^enty years ago, or bv their successors educated in their employ. The introduction of machinery to supersede manv of the old hand processes, has lessened the cost of production, so that, w^ith the raw material still very much higher in price than twentv years ago, the 42 330 SKETCHES OF LYNN. manutactured article is as low, or lower, than at that time. All the varieties of kid and morocco skins were then sold by the dozen ; now they are surveyed, and the measurement of each skin in square feet marked upon its flesh side. Once, that shoe manufacturer was the best buyer who could judge best of the measure of a lot of skins by ex- amination, now no exercise of judgment in that direction is at all requisite. The workmen have always received a fair remu- neration for their labor ; and, since the introduction of machinery into the shoe business, very much steadier employment than those engaged in that trade ; for the reason that, in the manufacture of morocco, the use of machinery can hasten, only to a certain extent, those natural methods and chemi- cal combinations employed for the production ot tanned leather. Time is needed lor the depilatory process, that is, for removing the hair from the skin without injury to its texture, and further time is needed for the tanning process after the hair is properly removed. Therefore, only a limited amount of business can be done in a certain length of time. This makes it necessary that the business should be prosecuted during the entire year, that the manufacturer may be prepared for the seasons of activity in the shoe trade. As the vats, and other appliances, are partially in the earth, and the buildings must be constructed EARLY MOROCCO BUSINESS IN LYNN. 33 1 with regard to their adaptabiHty to this particular craft, and as it, therefore, requires considerable capi- tal to be invested in these fixtures, which, unused, are comparatively worthless, those who engage in the trade do it with the calculation of making it a settled business. This has, undoubtedly, deterred many from undertaking it, who would do so, pro- vided they could leave it as easily as they might enter it. Another requisite to success in this busi- ness is that which commands success in any busi- ness — an education in the trade, a personal ac- quaintance with the details of the processes em- ployed, and the exercise of proper judgment in each. From the best information that can be obtained the whole amount of business now done (1880) is about $2,000,000, or nearly three times the amount carried on twenty 3^ears ago. There are at the present time twenty-three estab- lishments engaged in this business ; but a few of these are, for the most part, dealers rather than manufacturers. Some eight of the largest firms do four-fifths of this entire amount, and three of the largest reach an aggregate of about $1,000,000. THE TRANSITION PERIOD. As alread}' intimated in a former chapter, the revolution in the methods of carrying on the shoe trade in all its branches began with the introduction of the sewing machine in 1852. Slight advantages in the way of improved kit had been gained before. As early as 1834 an " edge iron " was introduced to polish — or "sleek," as the shoemakers called it — the heavy edges of "welts" and "imitation," in place of the old-fashioned " shoulder- stick." This iron is in the writer's .possession, and upon it is inscribed — " This is the first double-iron ever made ; invented b}' John Johnson, and made by Aaron Tvifts, Lynn." The term "double" meant that it had two " shoulders," one on each side — one for the thickest edges, the other for the lightest. As the iron could be heated, this "hot kit" gave the edges a polish and solidness wdiich the w^ooden "shoulder-stick" could not do. A veteran shoe- maker inibrms the writer that he used such an iron before the above date. " Soap stones " were also used, to some extent, to polish the edges in making " heavy work." THE TRANSnTON PERIOD. 333 Several other small inventions, each one slight in itself, improved the art of the shoemaker, mak- ing the work of his hands better as the years went on . Tw^o more important improvements were made prior to 1852 — patterns for "rounding on " the soles, and "block" lasts, which superseded the use of "instep-leathers." (This piece of kit was inad- vertenth- omitted in the list given in a previous chapter.) The "instep-leather" in the hands of the old-time shoemaker was not exactly an en- chanter's rod ; but he could do wonders with it by skillful manipulation. If he wished to make a " slim " shoe he would not push it so far toward the toe. If the boss told him to make 'em "full " then no such caution was used, and perhaps a wedge would be driven in besides. Good workmen had several instep-leathers, so as to meet all emergen- cies ; but the poor workman — poor in skill and poorer in purse — often had but one, which was made to play fast and loose along a sliding scale of geometrical proportions between the widest ex- tremes of " slim " and "full." One can imagine the comments made as a lot of these shoes were examined b3Mhe "boss." "Uncle Jim! what did you ' sew these shoes out ' so for ; did n't you have any instep-leather? " Then the boss would try to get his hand down toward the toe, but could n't. Then he would take up another pair, and put his hand in each shoe b^' turns. "That's about riH'ht, 334 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Uncle Jim. full enough, plenty ; '" and so, perhaps. Uncle Jim consoled himself with the thought that he had made the average about right. One lot of these shoes would sometimes fulfill pretty much all conditions of "fullness" and " slimness." And so one would hear in the retail stores — '' Have vou a pair of fives, slim?"" The dealer, not knowing ex- actl}' where to look, would examine all the fives he had, and when he found a pair that he supposed were about right, one of them could be got on the foot, but the other could n't. This illustrates the science of those times. The "block" last swept aw^ay this relic of mechanical barbarism, and brought uniformity of fullness out of the chaos of uncertainty, by making it necessarv for the work- man to " last '" the upper down snug over the block. The instep-leather thus came to an end, and no longer tempted the genius of the sons of Crispin. The sole-pattern gave uniformity of shape and width, as the block-last had made certain the uni- formity of fullness, and so these two essential con- ditions in the shoemaker's art were secured. It is now but little more than thirty years since the practice of making lasts of regularly graded widths was adopted. Before this time, shoes were classed in two general divisions, zvidc and narrow^ full and slim^ the wide being generally full, and the narrow generally slim, but not always. As already shown, a good deal of uncertaint}' hung Tin-: TRANSITION PERIOD. 335 over it. When some one having an eye to method made known the plan of labelling the narrowest lasts used "A," next in width "B," and so on to *' D," a long stride was taken, tliough it now seems so simple a thing. What was called the " Kimball " last was intro- duced about 1848. This was the first really scien- tific last used in the making of ladies' shoes. Each set of these lasts had ''sliding blocks" that fitted into a groove in the last, each block marked "slim," "medium," or "full." This gave all grades of fullness. Other block-lasts were afterward used, and more especially when the work came to be done in the large factories. This block was sawed out from the top of the last, and regular graded fullness was secured by having the uppers lasted down snug to the block when it was in its proper place. (Similar block-lasts had long been in use in making men's boots and shoes.) This shut out all uncertainty, and left the workman no room for the displa}' of originalit}-. As, by this arrange- ment, each last was made of the required fullness there was no chance for any mistake that might have come from the use of the wrong block, when there were three or four of them of different degrees of fullness belongino- to each set of lasts. These lasts were also graded according to width ; each last of each set beinu marked. There were four 33^ SKETCHES OF LYNN. grades, A. B. C and D : A representing the narrowest, and D the widest. Almost simultaneously with this improvement in lasts, was the introduction of the "Congress Boot." This invention consisted in the insertion of a " rubber gore " on either side of the top of the boot. Its elasticity obviated the necessity of the " lace," which is indispensable when non-elastic material is used. This style became verv popular on ac- count of its convenience. The patent for Essex county was granted to Charles Winslow, of Lynn,- near the close of 184S. BINDING SHOES. The introduction of the sewing machine, soon made the old-lashioned method of binding shoes by hand well nigh a lost art. The machine at first did its work but indifferentl}' well ; but improve- ments were soon made that overcame all the essen- tial difficulties that lay in the wav of complete suc- cess. The saving of labor was so o-reat, and the nicet}- of the work, which could be done with almost mathematical exactness, was so far be3-ond the old-time product of the hand-needle that in a iew years the shoe-binder, and her mission, became historical reminiscences. But these reminiscences are worth}^ a place in these pages. The shoe-binder of Lynn performed a ver}' im- Till-; TRANSITION PERIOD. 337 portant part in tlie domestic economy of the house-, hold thirt\-, or more, years ago. The shoemaker's wife and daughters — if he had any — were often his best bowers, enabling him to weather many a financial tempest — on a small scale — and were often the chief reliance when the head of the family, through sickness, or other causes, could no longer work to support the family. As the wife and daughters "bound" the shoes made bv the work- men of the family, the "uppers," all read}' to "bind," with the needful silk, cotton and thread, and sometimes beeswax, made part of the load carried home in the "little cart," or in some other way, from the boss' shop. Then there would be a little delay, perhaps, until a shoe was bound, with which to start off the new lot. But, generally, before the "jour " got his " stock " seasoned, one or two "uppers" were ready, and enough were usually bound ahead to keep all hands at work. And so, now and then, the order would be heard — " Come, John, go and see if your mother has got a shoe bound ; I 'm all ready to last it." It may be well to notice here that the "jours" often called the "uppers " 5/^c»r5, and the soles " stu^s," Accordingly, one would hear the remark ^ " The ' boss ' did n't give me ' stuffs ' enough " — meaning soles — or, "Come, William, go over to Isaiah's and get me a lot of shoes and ' stuffs.'" The dic- 43 338 SKETCHES OF LYNN. tionaries do not recognize this use of the word " stuffs," but the shoemakers did. The stN'le of " uppers " in vogue some forty years ago, and later, was a " foxed " boot. This foxing was of kid, with lasting top, and the boot laced in front. A few years later the " gaiter boot " came into fashion, which usually had a lower foxing, and the "lace" on the side. These were usually made "riifht" and "left." The bindincj of these boots, when it was done well, was quite a nice job. The price of binding ranged from seventeen to twenty- hve cents a pair, and a smart woman could bind four pairs a da}', and sometimes even more. It will be seen that such help was no small item "in maintaining the family. Many a little home was earned b}' "all hands," lather and mother, boys and girls, who worked for years, cheered by the hope of paying off tl^ mortgage, so that they could have a "house of their own." The following ver- ses, written by Lucy Larcom, and found in a vol- ume of her poems, may not be out of place here : HANNAH BINDING SHOES. Poor lone Hannah, Sitting- at the window, binding slioes. Faded, wrinkled. Sitting, stitching, in a monrnful nnise. Bright-eyed beauty once was she, When the bloom was on the tree : THE TRANSITION PERIOD. 339 Spring and winter Hannah 's at the window, binding shoes. Not a neighbor Passing nod or ansAver will refuse, To her whisper, " Is there from the fishers any news?" O, her heart's adrift, with one On an endless voyage gone ! Night and morning, Hannah 's at the window, binding shoes. Fair joiing Hannah. Ben, the sun-burnt fisher, gaylv woos. Hale and clever. For a willing heart and hand he sues. Mid-day skies are all aglow. And the weaves are laughing so ! For her wedding, Hannah leaves her window and her shoes. May is passing : Mid the apple boughs a pigeon coos. Hannah shudders. For the mild southwester mischief brews, Round the rocks of Marblehead : Outward bound, a schooner sped : Silent, lonesome, Hannah's at the window, binding shoes. 'T is November, Now no tear her wasted cheek betie\vs. From Newfoundland Not a sail returning will she lose, Whispering hoarsely, '' Fishermen Have you, have you heard of Ben f " Old with watching, Hannah "s at the window, binding shoes. 340 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Twenty winters F>leach and tear the ragged shore slie views. Twenty seasons : Never one has brought her any news. Still her dim eves silently Chase the white sails o'er the sea : Hopeless, faithful, Hannah "s at the window, binding shoes. But the introduction of the .sewing machine ended all this, and soon were seen the stitching shops in ditYerent parts of the city, (Lynn became a city in 1850,) and the peculiar rattle of the machine made a new music more suggestive of industry than of the harmony of sweet sounds. These shops were sometimes small buildings standing by themselves, but more trequentl}' rooms fitted up in some part of the shoe factory. But tiiese machines W'ere des- tined to have a widei" use than that afforded by the stitching shop of the shoe manufacturer. They soon found their wa}' into almost every house to be used, not only for the various kinds of work re- quired in stitching " uppers," but for ever}^ kind of sewing needed in the household. S.oon after the sewing machine was brought into use the whirligig of time brought heeled shoes — for ladies — again into fashion. This stN'le had prevailed tor some time prior to 1S30, when the " spring heel " gradually led the way to no heel at all, a few years after this date. About 1855, the de- mand for heeled shoes again began, and with this THE TRANSITION PERIOD, 34I demand began the practice of employing the "jom-s" to work in the factories of the manufactiu-ers U) " heel " the shoes. From this grew up that specialty in the shoemaker's trade known as " heeling." A man working exclusively at this branch of the craft soon became an expert, even though he knew nothing else of the art of shoemaking. The " heel- ing " was afterward subdivided into " nailing," " shaving," " blacking " and " polishing ; " and from this gradually came that minute division which is now the marked feature in this business, distinguish- ing the new order of things from the old. Before this time the shoemaker got his "" stock " in the crudest form ; sometimes cutting the soles from part of a side of leather, and making the shoes complete in everything pertaining to the "bottoms," so that when it left his hands it was ready for the foot of the wearer. The period was now reached when the great change took place. The revolu- tion in the shoe business occurred during the ten vears ending 1865. From 1855, or a little later, the workmen began to leave the '' little shop " to work in the factories of the manufacturers ; and in a few years vacant shops were seen all over the city, until most of them were transformed into hen- houses or coal-pens, or were moved and joined to some house to make a snug little kitchen. Some of the larger ones were sold to men ot slender means to be finished off into a tenement, eked out. 342 SKETCHES OF LYNN. perhaps, by a small addition, that made it look very much like a house. A few still lino-er amono- us, characteristic mementoes of the olden time ; and fewer still are occupied by the small number of veteran shoemakers — for the most part — who could not find it an easy thing to break up the associations of long years, and so "stood by" the "old shop," and did a little " hand work " for those manufac- turers who made no " machine work," or whose business included both kinds. The introduction of the McKay machine, in 1862. made as complete a revolution in the work of the shoemaker as the stitching machine had done for the binder. To those not familiar with the " craft " it may be interesting to know why this was so. The machine-made shoe is, as a matter of necessity, a doubled-soled shoe : and, hence, took the place, in a great degree, of the old hand-made»" welt." This hand-made welted shoe required two seams, the inner seam, or the sewing-in of the welt — and upper — and the "stitching," or sewing together of the welt and the outer sole. I'he average time re- quired in sewing each of these seams was not less than fifteen minutes, or half an hour for each shoe, or an hour for each pair. The McKay machine, by sewing directlv through inner sole, upper and outer sole, substituted one seam for two ; and when it was worked by " power," such was the expedition of its movements that eightv pairs an hour have THE TRANSITION PERIOD. 343 been stitched upon it, giving less than twenty-three seconds to each shoe. The McKa^y machine was first run by foot power. The introduction of steam power into the shoe fac- tory did not become general until some years after the McKay machine came into use. Steam, as a motive power to facilitate the making of shoes, was first introduced into the factory of John Wooldredge, in 1858. It was used to run a machine for making heels. Mr. Wooldredge also merits the distinc- tion — as mentioned in a preceding chapter — of having introduced the sewing machine into Lvnn. Soon after the close of the war, in 1865, the in- troduction of steam became general in all the large shoe factories. The use of the McKa}' machine suggested the economy of steam power : and it also sugfijested, and almost made necessarv, a dozen minor inventions — mosth^ the products of the mechanics engaged in the craft — some of them exceedingh" ingenious and effective in saving labor. This brought about the division of work already alluded to, and classified it into separate depart- ments. To show how minute is the division of labor in the shoe factory of to-day, the following list, show- ing the number of operatives employed upon the different parts, will well illustrate : Beginning with the sole cutter — i, stripper: 2, sole-cutter: 3, sorter; 4, tier-up. 544 SKETCHES OF EYNN. Beginning now with the upper stock in the cut- ting-room — I, outside cutter: 2, lining cutter; 3, trimming cutter ; 4, dier-out. When the uppers reach the stitching shop the}' pass — 5, into the hands of the hning maker: 6. closer; 7, seam-rubber: 8, back-stayer; 9, front- stayer; 10, closer-on ; 11, turner: 12, top-stitcher : 13, button-hole cutter; 14, corder ; 15, vamper : 16, button sewer-on. The uppers and bottom stock are now taken to the lasting — or finishing — room. As we have already seen, the bottom stock has passed through four processes, ending with the tier-up. These, added to the sixteen through which the uppers have passed, make twenty before they reach the hands of the stock-fitter. From this point the process i»-oes on — 21, stock-fitter: 22, laster : 2':5, sole- layer; 24, stitcher : 25, beater-out : 26, trimmer ; 27, setter; 28, liner; 29. nailer; 30, shaver; 31, buffer ; 32, burnisher; 33, channeller. To these is sometimes added a channel-turner. Boys usu- ally perform these minor parts. And these various processes, minute as they seem, give but a partial view of the multiplied divisions that have already taken place. To illustrate this still further : In some of the manufactories the " nailing " and " shaving " are done by a McKay "nailer and shaver." A boy "sets" the nails, a single stroke of the machine fastens them, and a THE TRANSITION PKRK)D. SOLE-CUTTING. 345 circular motion ot" the machine shaves the heel with geometrical exactness at one cut, and in an instant of time. The boys who perform these minor parts gain a nimbleness of manipulation that gives them an expertness hardly possible to be gained b}- older hands. These forty, more or less, distinct opera- tions will soon become fifty, and the end is not yet. But perfection is never reached. New inventions still spring from the brain of the ingenious me- chanic, and inferior contrivances drop into oblivion, or find their way to the cabinets of antiquarians. All the adjuncts of the shoe business grew up. chiefly, during this transition period. Among others was — SOLE-CUTTING. The sole-cutting business of Lynn grew up from ver^v small beginnings. From the best information obtainable, David H. Estes, of Ward Seven, seems to have been the pioneer in the business of selling cut sole leather. But he cut no soles. He bought the odds and ends of leather, and cut them into inner- soles and stiffenings, selling tliem to those manu- facturers that had need of such supplies. ^ This was about the year 1845. Mr. Estes' business increased, but he confined it, mainly, to the cheaper grades of soles, inner-soles and stiffenings. He continued in this business until his death, in December, 1878. 44 346 SKETCHES OF LYNN. A year or two later John Spinney engaged in the same business, in a small way, in connection with the shoe business. About the same time Perry Newhall began business in the same line, cutting, at lirst, only cheap soles, stiffenings, etc., obtained from " roundings." This was the term used by curriers who ''rounded oft'" with their knife the shank, or that part of the hide that was unfit for " upper " leather. Sole leather, which, in old times, came untrimmed — that is, was sent to market in full sides, including skirts, bellies, shanks, etc., was afterward trimmed, or "cropped" before being shipped, and hence took the name of " cropped " leather. Mr. Newhall's business at first was confined to the cutting of these "round- ings ; "" but as the shoe trade of the town grew, a demand arose tor cut soles ready to hand. As already intimated, the supply of a certain sort of soles would accumulate in the hands of the old-time manufacturer. In the season of " heavy work" thick soles would be in demand, and there would be a surplus ot light soles ; and in the season of "light work" the reverse of this would occur. As the shoe interest of the city became larger, the want of an arrangement was felt by which the bosses could dispose of their surplus stock. - The early sole dealers, and Mr. Newhall especially, met this want. At hrst their business was dealing in soles, rather than cutting them. As Mr. New- THE TRANSITION PERIOD. SOLE-CUTTING. 347 hall went the rounds among his customers, one would inform him that he had a lot of " heavy " or " light " soles, as the case mav have been. Mr. Newhall — having, perhaps, a customer for them, in his eye — would buy his heavy soles and sell him a lot of light ones. Gradually he took up the sole-cutting business in all its departments : supplying every grade, from the heaviest to the lightest. Mr. Newhall was, doubtless, the pioneer in this business, coveringT:he whole field of sole-cutting. He is still in business, the veteran, as well as the pioneer, of a trade that has since reached such vast proportions. Thomas Hicks Attwill began the business soon after Mr. Newhall. Like those who went before him, he began by cutting " roundings," and con- fined his trade chiefly to cheap soles, stifteniftgs, etc. As business extended he cut a larger variety of soles, though he bought and cut few whole sides. He continued in business until the close of 1852. In January. 1853. his. son, Theodore Attwill. took up the business. He cut soles of every grade, and as the demand for cut soles rapidl}' increased, he soon became the leading dealer in everything pertaining to this branch of the trade. He also dealt largeh' in sole leather. Mr. Attwill retired from this business in 1877. William A. Bacheller began business in 1854,. His trade, like others, at first was small, and con- 348 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Hned to the cutting of " roundings "' and pieces into stiffenings and cheap soles. His trade increased, and he soon did a large business in sole-cutting in all its branches. He is still engaged in business in Bubier's Block, on the west side of Market street. George E. Batcheller, brother of William, began business in 1856. Like others who did business when this trade was a new industry, Mr. Batcheller cut few soles at first ; but his trade increased until his business covered the whole field of sole-cutting. Mr. Batcheller is still engaged in business in Sweet- ser's Block, on Railroad avenue, near Union street. About i860 Samuel Boyce began the business of sole-cutting, to some extent, in connection with the manufacture of shoes ; but his business was small in this line, until the revival of business, soon after the beginning of the war. His trade then largely increased, and continued until his death, in 1875. In January, i860, Peter Johnson and C. A. John- son formed a partnership. Their shop was on Spring street. They continued in business one year. Peter, soon after, established himself on the corner of Railroad avenue and Willow street. He cut children's soles chiefly, this branch of the trade having grown rapidly during the few preceding- years. In 1866 he formed a partnership with his son, H. F. Johnson. Their place of business w^as on Union street, a few rods east of Washington street. Mr. Johnson retired from the firm near the AMERICAN' BE.\TIXG-OUT MACHIXE. THE TRANSITION PERIOD. SOLE-CUTTING. 349 close of 187 1, when a new one was formed of H. F. & Herbert, a younger brother. They have done a thriving business, confining their trade entirely to the cutting and sale of children's soles. In 1861 Christopher Johnson, Jr., Martin H. Hood and C. A. Johnson entered the sole-cutting business, under the firm of Johnson, Hood & Co. They did a very large business, and cut soles of ever}^ grade. In 1868 C. A. Johnson withdrew, and the business was continued by the remaining partners of the firm. Thomas C. Johnson then became a partner, the firm being known as John- son, Hood & Co. In April, 1871, Christopher Johnson, Jr., with- drew, and set up business in the basement of the bank building, on Exchange street. The firm con- tinued the business at the old stand until the Fall of 1879, when they changed their quarters to the new block of Walter S. Dickson, standing between Central avenue and Willow street. The firm then became know^n as Hood, Johnson & Co. Soon after their removal, a branch of their business — sometime before established — removed to the old stand. It is at present the largest establishment of the kind in the city, and probably in the world. In the Fall of 187 1 Christopher Johnson, Jr., re- moved his business to the block of Benjamin F. Spinney, corner of Union and Almont streets. His trade increased rapidly, and in 1873 his business 350 SKETCHES OF LYNN. rivalled that of any establishment in the cit}'. Mr. Johnson retired from business in 1874. Edwin Hulen began business in i860, in West Lynn. Mr. Hulen did a moderate business until his death, in 1865. Asa Mullen began business about i860. He re- tired from business in 1872. James P. Boyce began business in 1863. Mr. Boyce did a large business until 1870, when he re- tired. His successors, James A.. Breed and James Hilliker, under the firm of Breed & Hilliker, fol- lowed in the same line, and are still doing business at the same stand. Eustis Newhall began business in 1864. He was the pioneer in cuttnig men's soles. Mr. Newhall is now doino- business on Willow street, facing Munroe street. He has lately increased his busi- ness, and has now (1880) one of the largest estab- lishments in the city. George & Brother began business on Exchange street in 1865. They soon after removed to their present location, a few rods east, on the same street. Their business steadily increased, and during the last few years their establishment has been one of the largest in the city. They are still in business. David Boynton began business in 1865, on Wash- ington street, near the railroad. He has always done a large business, and has made a specialty of cutting men's soles. He occupied this store ten rilK TRANSITION PKU lOI). -^SOLE-CUTTING. 35I years. In 1875 '^^ formed a partnership with Wil- liam H. Bancroft, and removed to Sweetser's new block, on the corner of Washington and Oxford streets. The destruction of this block by fire in 1878 caused their removal to the next building, where they are now located. Their trade in men's soles is the largest in the city, and their sales to outside buyers, far and near, is larger than that of any other establishment. Proctor & Ingalls began business in 1865, in the basement of Lucian Newhall's block, on Exchange street. This firm has always done a large busi- ness. The have occupied their present store, on Union street, a few rods from the corner of Ex- change street, since 1872. William A. Attwill began business about 1866, on North Common street. He continued in the trade but a short time. Brown & Oliver began business in 1866, on Bos- ton street, near the Saugus line. They removed to the basement of J. N. Smith's block, on Union street, in 1873. They removed to their present stand, on Central avenue, in 1877. They have done, and are still doing, quite a large business. Jeremiah L. Libbe}- began business in 1865, on Union street. In 1879 ^^^ took his son as partner, the firm now being known as J. L. Libbey & Son. Mr. Libbey has always done a large business. Hill & Lothrop began business in 1869. In 187 1 352 SKETCHES OF LVNX Robert Bartlett & Son took the business, and car- ried it on till 1878, when the son retired, and Mr. Bartlett senior continued the business. His present location is in the basement of Bubier's Block, on the west side of Market street. Lothrop & Bowen began business near the close of 1872, on Union street. They soon after removed to their present location in Haskell's Block, oppo- site. Their trade has steadily increased, and they now do a large business. Walter S. Dickson began business in 1873. His trade increased rapidly, and in 1879 ^^^ removed to his new block, at the east end of the triangle between Willow street and Central avenue. Charles E. Harwood began business as a sole cut- ter in 1S67, in connection with the sale of heels, and the cutting of stiffenings, etc. He cuts, chiefly, soles of a cheaper grade. His present place of business is on Union street, opposite Sweetser's Block. W. W. George began business in 1879. ^^ ^^ doing a large and increasing business. Charles H. Libbey & Son began business in 1879, on Union street, near the head of Washington street. Rufus E. Hilliard began business the present} ear (1880) in the basement of Sweetser's Block, cor- ner of Oxford street and Central avenue. His THE TRANSITION PKRIOD. SOLE-CUTTING. 353 trade has rapidl}' increased, and he is now doing a large business. T. W. Tyler & Co. have lately taken up the busi- ness of cutting a cheap grade of soles, in connection with their business as dealers in rubber goods. Besides the business done by those who confine themselves to this branch of trade exclusively, there are thousands of pairs cut and "sold annually b}^ some of our large shoe manufacturers, besides those needed for their own use. Some of these, whose business requires a heavy grade of soles, accumu- late a stock of a lighter grade. These they sell. Others, whose trade is in a cheapen kind of shoe, have a surplus of high-priced soles which the}- dis- pose of. This business is almost exclusively a Lynn in- dustry. Very few soles are cut — to sell — else- where. Haverhill does something in this line ; but her trade, as compared witli that of Lynn, is in- significant. The trade of our citv in cut leather reaches all over the country, and it is estimated that from one-third to one-half of the entire product is sold to dealers in other places. As already mentioned in the " General Review " the first sole-cutting machine used in Lynn was in- vented by Richard Richards, of Lynn, in 1844-. Shortly after, George Foster made some improve- ments in this machine : and still later John Thomp- son, of Marblehead. added some new features, 45 354 SKETCHES OF LYNN. which were patented. These machines had two revolving knives, each bhide turning and cutting" one side of the sole alternately. One or two other machines, acting on ditlerent principles, were used tor a short time. In i860 David Knox, an ingenious mechanic of Lynn, made a radical improvement in the machines in use, for which he obtained a patent. The pecul- iarity consisted in the reciprocal motion of the two knives, which, playing on a short arm, cut alter- nately each side of the sole, as each blade descended by turns into the same groove of the cutting block. This machine soon superseded all others in use. To illustrate the economy of labor which this ma- chine brought about, it is only necessary to say that the old-time cutter, standing at the "leather-board," could cut by hand — if smart — ten middling sized sides of leather a day. An active man, with one of these machines, can cut two Jmndred andjifty sides, after they have been cut into strips by the " strip- per," as described in a previous chapter. These machines have been generally run bv steam power in the large es<^^ablishments since 1872. This does not mvich accelerate the movement ; but it saves the strength of the operative, and especially the muscles of the right leg, upon which there was a constant strain wdien the machine was run b}' "foot power;" and it goes, besides, with a steadi- THE TRANSITION I'1<;RI0D. SOLE-CUTTING. 0^:5 ness of motion that saves the wear and tear of the machine. In the "General Review" — page 19 — the "strip- per" w^as mentioned ?i^ preceding the "sole cutter." Its use was nearly simultaneous, or followed im- mediately. The following figures, from a statement prepared by George W. Mudg;e, who is authoritv on all mat- ters relating to this branch of trade, will give some idea of the magnitude of this business : " During the past year there has lieen cut four hundred and eight thousand seven hundred and twenty (4087,20) sides, weighing six milHons seven hundred and forty- three thousand eight hunched and eighty (6,743,880) pounds, being a weekly average of seven thousand eight hundred and sixty (7,860) sides, weighing one hun- (hx'd and twenty-nine thousand six hundred and ninety (129.690) pounds. The estimated number of pairs of soles, embracing men's, women's, misses' and children's, is fifteen millions five hunched and tliirtv-one thousand three hundred and sixty (15,531,360) pairs, being a weekly average of two hundred and ninetv-eight thou- sand six hunch'ed and eighty (398,680) pairs. The value of this leather before cuttiiip; is esti- mated at about $1,900,000. These figures were obtained in 1879. ^"^^ ^^""^ trade has larfjelv increased since. 356 SKETCHES OB' LYNN. The amount of business now done (1880) is esti- mated at about $3,000,000. As ah-eady hinted in a preceding chapter, the outcome of all this is a more perfect product. The work done in Lynn, in every branch of the shoe business, was never so good as at present. The law of adaptation is recognized, and guides ever}- process. There is little waste, and that little is becoming less. Everything is utilized. In short, scientific exactness takes the place of guess- work, and systematic economy the place of wasteful methods. THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. The first act relating to public instruction, accord- ing to Lewis' History ot'Lynn, was an act passed by the Court, October, 1647, as follows: *• That every town containing fifty families should have a school for reading and writing ; and that all towns con- taining one hundred families should maintain a grammar school." The first mention made in the town records of any matter pertaining to schools in Lynn was in January of the year 1695 — the present records going back only to 1690. The earlier records were lost or destroyed. The following extracts from these records are believed to contain every signifi- cant vote passed by the town upon the subject of public instruction, from the first settlement of the place — so far as known — down to near a period when published reports make known the condition of our schools in all their details : January, 1696. — '' The Selectmen agreed with Air. Normenton to be the schoolmaster for the town for said 6y SKETCHES OK LYNN. year ensuing, and the Town is to give him five pounds for his hibors, and the Town is to pay twenty-fiye shil- lings towards the hire of Nathan Newhall's house for a year to keep school in, and that said Mr. Normenton hire said house." Noyember 5, 1701 : — Voted, '■' To haye a grammar schoolmaster to keep school ; " and. at the same meet- ing, it was yoted, "■ That thirty pounds money for the maintenance of a grammar schoolmaster for one year, beginning when such schoolmaster shall be settled in the town, to teach such as shall l)c sent to him. Latin, or to write, cipher and read; " and it was also yoted, "That Theophilus Burrill shall take care to procure a school- master forthwith, or as soon as may be." At a December meeting of the same year it was yoted, " That the school for the year ensuing shall be a free school for the town, and so be kept In the schoolmaster, as other free schools are." It was also yoted, " That the rate granted to maintain the school shall be paid at or before the first day of June next ensuing. March 1, 1702: — Voted, ''That all such that shall be sent to the schoolmaster for the present year to learn to read shall pay him three-pence a week, and all such as shall be sent to him to learn to write and cipher shall pay four-pence a week." December 14, 1702: — The vote passed, "•That ten pounds of money for part of the maintenance of a gram- mar schoolmaster, cjualified according to law, for the year beginning wdien such schoolmaster shall be settled in the school to teach such as shall be sent to him to read, write and cipher, and to learn Latin ; and such master to have over and above the said ten pounds, two-pence THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 359 per week for such as are sent to read, t'nree-peuce per week for them that are sent to write and cipher, and six- pence per week for them that are sent to learn Latin; to be paid by the parents and masters that send their children or servants to learn as aforesaid. January, 1703: — Voted, " That ten pounds money in addition to the ten pounds granted in December 14, 170-- for part of the maintenance of a grammar schoolmaster, as expressed in said vote ; and declared the Selectmen should obtain a schoolmaster for this present year as cheap as they can." April 19, 1703: — Voted. "That the Selectmen shall take care to build a convenient house for the town to keep school in, and to get it done as cheap as they can. and the town to pav for the same ; and to stand in some convenient place betwixt the meeting house and the burying place as shall be set out by Sergeant John Dinon, Henry Collins and John Breed — or any two of them agreeing thereto." This house was not built this year. February 13, 1704: — Voted, ■• That Mr. Jerry Cormin should keep a grammar school in the town and teach such as are sent to him to read, write and cipher, and Latin for two months next after his year is up ; and the Selectmen to agree with him for the same." November 15, 1706: — Voted, " To hire a grammar schoolmaster to keep school in the town for three months, viz : January, February, March next follow'ing." At the same meeting it was voted, '' Thirty pounds money to pav the schoolmaster, and other town debts." March 5, 1710: — Voted, •' To have a grammar school- master to keep school in said town for the year ensuing, 360 SKETCHES OF LYNN. and to hv paid by the town, the Selectmen to obtain and settle said school in such state and places in the town as they shall judge best to promote learning." March 3, 171 1 : — Voted, *■' That Capt. Johnson, Capt. Bancroft, Henry Collins, Jr., and William Merriam be chosen to obtain a schoolmaster, and agree witli him, and to settle the schools as shall be judged best." March 17, 1 71 3: — Voted, '•'•That twenty pounds be assessed on the town to pay for the schoolmaster, and to defray the necessary charges arising in the town, and to be paid in bills of credit." Bills of credit to the amount of fifty thousand pounds were issued by the General Court, to be distributed to the towns, in proportion to the taxes, to be repaid at a specified time. The following description of one of these bills is o-iven in Drake's History of Boston : '•'■ No. (916.) 20s. This indented Bill of Twenty shillings, due from the Massachusetts Colony to the possessor, shall be in value equal to money, and shall be accordingly accepted by the Treasurer and receiver sub- ordinate to him, in all Public payments, and for any Stock at any time in the Treasury. Boston, New Eng- land, February the third, 1690. By order of the General Court : — Elisha Hutchinson, John Walley, Tim. Thornton, Comitee." March 7, 1714: — Voted. ''That the Selectmen obtain a schoolmaster, and agree with him. and settle said schools as shall be judged best by them." the; first schools of i.ynn. 361 March 5. 1715 '■ — Voted. " That ninety pounds be jjaid to the town, and no more, for the providing a school- master, according to hiw, and the remainder to be made [up] by said schollars, as the committee shall order; and Left. John Hawkes and John Ivory were chosen by the town to provide a schoolmaster in manner as above described for the year ensuing." " That the committee that was chosen at our last annual March meeting should provide a schoolmaster for the town for the provision that the town had made last March meeting as long as they can." October 17. I'Ji^: — Voted. "'That ninety pounds be raised to pay the schoolmaster ; and the necessary charges arising in the town are to be assessed as the law directs." October 5, i 716, Voted, " At the request of the present schoolmaster, Mr. Bishop, that he be dismissed when the quarter i-s up : also, that Lieutenant Breed, Ensign Mansfield and Mr. John ILiwkes be a committee to ob- tain a schoolmaster, qualified according to law, to keep school till next March meeting." March 3, 1717: — Voted, "That Daniel Hitchings. Ebenezer Burrill, Lieutenant James Peai^son, Lieutenant Potter and William Ballard be a committee to obtain a schoolmaster, agree with him, and settle the school as shall be judged best by them, and in their agreeing with him to have relation to some help for Mr. Shepard in preaching." March 2, 171S : — Voted, " That the Selectmen obtain a schoolmaster, and agree with him, the school to be kept in four parts of the town, viz : The bodv of the town ; over the bridge ; the Woodend. and the new por- tion, as near as mav be in proportion to each part's big- 46 362 SKETCHES OF LYNN. ncss, as shall be ordered by the Selectmen ; having re- gard for some help for the Rev. Mr. Shepard in preach- ing." (Ictober 10, 1730: — Voted, '' To raise seventy pounds to pay for the school, and all proper town debts, and to be assessed by the Selectmen." At the same meeting, '^ That the Selectmen have charge of the schools." May 16, 1732: — The following petition was offered: " In that Ebenezer Barker [or Baker] was to be school- master, provided he answer the law in that case — we, the subscribers, desire that our dissent may be enforced against the vote that is past for Mr. Ebenezer Barker for schoolmaster, for we think he is not qualified according to law. Signed, Capt. John Breed, Capt. Benjamin Potter, Daniel Mansfield, Jun., and eighteen others." At the same meeting it was voted, "■ That John Hawkes, Thomas Cheever, Left. Farrington, Left. James Pearson, Samuel Collins, William Curtis and Thomas Norwood should be a committee to order the school in the several parts of the town, as they shall see best." It seems that this petition did n't amount to much, as we find the following vote, passed March i, 17-3^ '' That Ebenezer Barker shall have forty pounds for his keeping- school this year, which will be up the fourteenth of May next ensuing." In May of the same year it was voted, " That Eben- ezer Barker be schoolmaster for the year ensuing, pro- vided the committee could agree with him upon reason- able terms, and that the same committee regulate the school this year that was last year." May 15, 1734 : — The record says : " There was granted fortv shillings to William Ballard, according to his re- THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 363 quest, for keepine^ school fifteen days ; " and at the same meeting it was voted, " That Left. James Pearson, Mr. Ebenezer Burrill, Ensign Richard Mower, Daniel Mans- field, Jan.. Mr. William Curtis be a committee to pbtain a schoolmaster for the year ensuing." In May, 1726, it was voted, "That Ebenezer Baker be chosen schoolmaster for the year ensuing, and to have forty-four pounds for his service for the year ; the school to be kept in the several parts of the town as the last year, and the same committee that ordered it the last year; and the same committee to order the school into what part, first, second, third and fourth, as they may deem most convenient." May 15, 1727: -Voted, "That Mr. Ebenezer Baker be chosen a schoolmaster for the year ensuing, and to have forty pounds for his service for keeping the school the year, and Mr. Ebenezer Burrill, Capt. Potter, Daniel Mansfield, Mr. Ebenezer Mcrriam and George Messard be chosen a committee to order the school, and proportion it in several parts of the town, as in times past has been.". March 28, 1738: — Voted, " That the Selectmen shall take care to procure a grammar schoolmaster, and consider what allowance may be made to the North precinct for their part of the school." Voted, " That the school shall not be moved this year, and the Selectmen to look [up] a convenient place for to set up a school house on." This part of Reading was formerly a part of Lynn. In the History of Reading it is stated that — " In 1713 it was enacted that so much of the territory of the town as lies north of Ipswich river, together with 364 SKETCHES OF LYNN. vSaddler's Neck — so called — be set oiT as a distinct Parish, by the name of the North Precinct." May 15, 1737: — Voted, "That a committee to con- sider what may be proper to be done about building a school house or houses, and to make report to the Select- men what they think convenient to be done about it, so that .Selectmen may call a town meeting, if they think it proper." '' Said committee was chosen, wdio are as follows, to wit: Lieut, Ebenezer-Burrill, Capt. Benjamin Potter, Ebenezer Merriam, William Collins, Robert Edmonds, John Burrige and Richard Johnson." October 21, 1728 : — Voted, '' That the North precinct shall not be rated to building a school house or houses in the town." At the same meeting it was voted, *■' That there shall be two school houses builded in the town : the one betwixt Richard Johnson's house and Godfree Tarbox's house, the other on the west'crlv side of Mower's Hill — so called — near [where] the house stood [where] Samuel Mower formerly lived." At the same meeting- it was voted, " That the town will sell that piece of land upon the eastward of the County Road above William Pi^octor's house, near Henry Collins' house ; and the same committee that was appointed to consider about building the school houses shall view said land, and any other piece or corner of land that may be sold, and con- sider the value of the same, and who will purchase the same ; and consider what bigness the said school house should be, and make their report to the Selectmen, that they may call a meeting that so the said committee may make their report to the town." November S, 172S : — Voted, "■ That the several pieces THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 365 or strips of land that the committee have viewed and made report upon shall be disposed of by the committee according to the prices the said committee hath agreed upon." Voted, " That the same committee that was appointed to make the sale of the land for building the school house shall take care and order the building of the school houses." March 3, 1729 : — Voted, ''•That the committee appoint- ed to sell land to build the school houses hath full power to sell any other piece or pieces of land as they shall think convenient to finish said houses." According to the record, these were the first school houses built in the town. Mr. Lewis, in his History, makes mention of but one — that which was located in " Laighton's lane," now Franklin street. The other — as is shown by the record — w^as built " westerly of Mower's hill." October 16, 17:29 :— Voted, " That the North precinct shall have seven pounds paid to them to fence in their burying place ; and that said precinct shall have their proportion of money that belongs to them for tlie school paid to them to pay for the keeping a school or schools amongst them for the year past." April 5, 1730 : — Voted, " That the North precinct shall have their proportion of tiic schools kept among them- selves." At a meeting of the Selectmen, held Mav 3, 1831 : *' It was agreed by all the Selectmen that the North precinct shall have the school kept there three months, beginning the eighth dav of this month ; autl the schools hath been ;^66 . SKETCHES OF LYNN. kept from the eighth tlay of January hist until the eif^hth day of this May in the west end of the town, and tl^ere- fore, when the North precinct hath had theirs three months, tlie school is to be kept in the easterly end of the town four months : and then to l:)e kept in the North precinct until they have their proportion of the school." June 30, 1731 '■ — Voted, "•* Tliat one of the school houses shall be removed to " Mill Hill " (Water Hill.) It was also voted, '■ That the Selectmen shall take care and get the said school house removetl and convenient for to keep school in." May iS, 1733: — V^oted, "That the North precinct shall have their part <^f the schools in schooling for the time past what is due to them, and the Selectmen to pro- portion and order the same." vSeptember 16, 1734 = — Voted, '•'That Ebenezer Bur- rill, Esc[., and Captain William Collins shall have full power for and in liehalf of the town to petition the Gen- eral Court for a tract of Province land to help support the schools in said town." Also, "• That Richard John- son, for and in behalf of the committee appointed by the town to sell several pieces of common land to build school houses, made an account of the money they re- ceived and the cost of the school houses, and that there remained in his hands oVer and above what they had ex- pended upon said houses one pound one shilling and eleven pence ; upon which said Johnson was discharged and ordered to keep such money in his hands until the further order of the town." September 15, 1735 : — '' The town ordered Richard Johnson to put the above-mentioned one pound one shil- THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LVNN. 367 ling and eleven pence into the town's money to pav the town's debts, tiie which the said Johnson hath done." •^ Lynn, Sept. 14, 1740. — Whereas the town gave liberty to the Selectmen to sell the town's house that was built for a school house beyond the hill beyond Jacob Ne\vliairs, in observance of that order I have sold the house to Nathaniel Townsend for eighteen pounds, and I have received eighteen pounds Province bills of said Townsend for the use of the town. Richard Johnson, Town Treasurer." May 4, 1752 : — •' A meeting was called to see if the town will remove the school house at Mill Hill to the place where it formerlv stood, and choose a committee to regulate the school. Likewise, to see if the town will sell or let all their common lands excepting that which lies between tlie old meetinghouse and the burying place, and appropriate the proceeds to maintain the school in the town — [or] otherwise, as they shall see cause ; and to choose a committee to manage said affairs — further, to see if the town will give unto Jacob Tarbox the school house which he now lives in, or to let [it] stand for the use of the poor." In 17^3 it was voted, "That the Third Parish have their proportionate part of the school kept in said Parish." Voted, '' To move the school house to the place where it formerly stood ; also, it was put to vote to choose a committee to regulate the school. It was passed in the negative." November 13. 1752: — A meeting was called, ''To see if the town will remove the school house from where it now stands to either of the places mentioned in a re 368 SKETCHES OF LYNN. quest of thirteen of the inhabitants, or to louilcl a new school liouse, and g-rant money to defray the charge that may thereby arise." It was voted, '' That the school house be removed from the place where it now stands, that is in Laton's [Laighton's] lane, so called, to a knoll in the middle of the Common, between Pappoon land and Capt. Benjamin Newhall's land, and the charge to be borne out of the town's money granted this year." March 4, 1754: — '' It was put to vote to see if the town would order the grammar school to be kept in the body of the town for the future ; and it was passed in the negative." May II, 1759: — A meeting was held to consider, among other things, " Whether the town will settle a school in the body of the town to be statedly kept through the year, and allow the North and West Parishes to draw their proportion of money they shall pay towards the support of said schools upon their providing schools among themselves at such seasons of the year as will best suit them, to the amount of said sum. Likewise, to see whether the town will choose a committee to provide a schoolmaster, and visit the schools, in order to see what progress the children and youth have or shall make in their learning from time to time, and in all regards to regulate the school as may best serve the public interest, which we apprehend has been very much neglected in years past, agreeably to a petition preferred to the Select- men." Signed by sixteen freeholders. On these two propositions the town voted in the negative. A careful examination of the town records fails to show that the town took anv action relatinjj to THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 369 schools during- the preceding six years. This, probably, was what gave rise to the above petition. The principal legislation seems to have been di- rected, during these years, to ordering ofF people who had lately come into town. March ^, 1764: — A meeting was called, '^ To see if the town will order the scliools to be kept in the First Parish in said town, and pay the Second and Third Parishes proportionable parts of what money said schools shall cost, agreeable to a petition of fifteen of the inhab- itants of said town, it was voted the schools shall be statedly kept in the old Parisli, and that the other two Parishes should draw their proportionable part of the money the schools shall cost, provided the said two Parislies improve the money they draw for schooling." In May, 1772, it was voted, " That fifteen pounds be given to the North Parisli to enalile them to build a school house in said Parish." Also, "Fifteen pounds to said West Parish toward the charge of building a school house in said Parish." September. 177S: — Voted, " To sell Samuel Collins, and others, of the Qiiaker Society, a piece of land to set a school house on, they paying four pounds." March I, I 7S4 : — Voted, " To choose a committee of three men to settle the clause in the notification respect- ing the schools." This committee reported on the fifteenth of the same month, as follows: "• We, vour committee chosen by the town to regulate the school, and likewise [wdiether] the Friends draw their proportionable part of the school money, are of the 47 370 SKETCHES OF LYNN. opinion that it is liest tor this town to keep two schools^ one in tlie body of the town all the year, and the other in West end of the town and amon<^st the Friends in pro- portion as they pay taxes. And we further recommend to the said town to choose a committee or committeeii to visit them c[uarterly. By order of the committee, Sylvanus Hussey, Chairman." On this report it was voted, at an adjourned meeting, March 11^, '* To choose a committee of nine persons t(r have the whole care and direction of the schools in said town, viz : Three for each Parish, and three among Friends; for the East Parisli. John Flagg, Esq., Col. John Mansfield antl Daniel Newhall, Jun. ; for the West Parish, Aimer Chcever, Thomas .Stocker and William Sweetser ; for the Friends' vSociety, S^dvanus Hussey, Samuel Collins and Daniel Newhall ; and said committee to visit the schools quarterly." February 33, 1793 : — A meeting was called at which it was voted, '• To see if the town will grant to the Methodist vSociety their proportion of the moneys that the town may grant for the support of schools, to be made use of as the Society may think proper." It \vas voted, ''That the Methodists do not draw their part of the school money back." The absence of all legislation pertaining to schools between 1784 and 1792 is probabl}' to be accounted for, in part, by the impoverisiied condition of the town, in common with all sections of the countr}-, in the years immediately following the revolution- THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 37 1 ary war. Schools were probably kept during this interval — as well as at other times when no hint of the fact is given in the record — but, evidently, little was done to meet the wants of an increasing population. At a ^hu■ch meeting- held in 1794 it was voted, '"To choose a committee of two from each of the four Wards to take into consideration the matter of making some new regulations for the schools ; and Ben)amiii Johnson, Micajah Newhall, Col. Frederic Breed, fames Robert- son, Samuel Collins, Henry Oliver, Col. Ebenezer Stocker and Col. Abner Cheever were chosen that com- mittee. They reported at an atl)ourned meeting in A])ril as follows : •' That there l)e four sciiool Wards in the town, divid- ed anti determined as follows : First Ward — The First Ward shall begin at the west corner of the Methodist meeting house, and rim to the entrance of Trevet's lane, (now Laighton street, then extending through Maple street, to Chestnut street, whose west end was then called Mansfield's lane,) including the west side of the road, thence shall include Mansfield's lane, thence including the Great Road, (Boston street, which then run rouncl what is now called North ]?end,) to the brook, between John Willis' and Robert Mansfield's, and shall include all the inhabitants to the south and westward of said line to the line that divides the west Parish from old Parish : that the said west Parish (now Saugus) shall be the Sec- ond Ward. Third Ward — The Society of the Friends in the sev- eral parts of the town shall be the Third Ward ; agrce- ablv to a resolution of the town ; anv thing herein con- tained including [said] inhabitants notwithstanding. 372 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Fourth Ward — Tliat the Fourth Ward shall inchide all the inhabitants on the road from the Black Marsh to the Methodist meeting- house, thence to the east side of road to the entrance of Trevet's lane, also beginning at the lane between Willis' and Mansfield's, above-men- tioned, and including all the inhabitants in the town that jyeth north and east of said line, to Lvnnfield, Danvers and Salem line. That the old school house be sold to the highest bidder, anel the proceetls thereof appropriated to the building a new school house. That the grammar school be kept in the First Ward, and that the town [build] provide a suital)le liousc for the purp(xse. That the town grant forty pounds ($133.33) toward building a school house for the South [Fourth.'^] Ward, and that the First WartI, and the South Wards, make up the sum that may be wanted to complete the same. That the town grant the sum of two hundred pounds, annually, ($666.66) for the support of its schools, and that the grammar school draw annualh' out of the above grant fourteen pounds. (46.66,) and that the remainder of the grant be divided to the four Wards in proportion as thev severally pav taxes. vSigned, Sami'KL Collins. Per order of the town." At the same meeting it was voted : — *• That two hun- dred poiuuls 1k' assessed on the inhabitants to supjDort their schools the current vear." Voted: — " To choose a committee to see what the cost of building a new school house, and report in May what they can have it for." Voted : — '• That Col. John Manstield, William New- THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 373 hall, Jr., and Benjamin Allcv be a conmiittcc for that purpose." Voted : — '' To sell the old school house at this time at vendue." •' Sold the old house for sixteen pounds to Samuel Johnson." This was the old scIkjoI house built on Franklin street, 1728, (then called Laighton street,) and afterward moved to the Common, where it stood until the date above given. This seems to have been the first mention of a division of the town into Wards. Prior to this time the different sections were designated by the term parish, district or precitict. The language of the record, showing that '' a committee of two from each of the four Wards " be chosen, would seem to imply that these Ward boundaries were already in exist- ence ; but there is nothing in the records to sustain this view. The use of the words " four Wards " instead of sections — or an equivalent word — seems to have been an inadvertence, and simply foreshad- owed what was to be. By this new arrangement of Ward boundaries the entire eastern and north-eastern section of the town, from Market street — and including that street — thence following the shore — and including Nahant — to the Salem line ; thence following the line dividing Salem and Danvers (now Peabody) from Lynn, back to the old Boston road — and in- 374 SKETCHES OF LYNN. eluding" all the inhabitants on the east side of said road — through Maple and Franklin streets to the old Methodist meeting house, constituted Ward Four. The Friends. \vhere\'er located, made up Ward Three. The inhabitants of Sangus and Lvnntield constituted Ward Two ; and all others located between these boundaries, (Friends ex- cejited.) beginning with Market street on the east, and including a large part of what is now Ward Five, all of Wards Six and Seven, and a part of Ward Two, constituted Ward One. It was in this W^ard that the principal, or grammar, school — as it was called by way of distinction — was located, and which received the largest appropriation made tc)r the support of schools ; and it \\ as here where the first two school houses were built. At the next meeting the committee reported as folk)WS : '' That thc\' liave consulted several carpenters who estimate the cost from four hundred to four hundred and fiftv dollars in cash ; hut did not care to untlcrtake them- selves to do the job. Your committee have examined the cost of the Proprietors' school house, which was one hundred and eighty pounds, ($6(:;0.) exclusive of shovel, tongs, desk, chair, ink-stand and little liouse. Thev have also met the proprietors of the a]K>\e school liouse to kno\v the least thev will take for said house, which they find to he foui" hundred dollars, to he paid in town orders. (ientlemen: Your committee, considering the abate- ment of f)ne hundred and fifty dollars, [and] on accoinit of its elegance, the ditlereuce of advancing' cash and THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 375 paving of orders, uiul being obliged to pa}- rent for seven or eight months, till a new one can be built, are unanimoush' of opinion that it is better to pnrchase tlian to bnild ; which we herebv submit to the wisdom of the town. Signed, John Mansfield, WlLLL\M NeWHALL, Jr.. Benjamin Alley." Voted: — •• That the Selectmen be a committee to purchase tlie al^ove-mcntioncd school house of the own- ers, and take a deed of the same, and pay the owners in town orders, agreeable to the committee's report." It will be seen by the j")receding records that the first school established b}- the order of the town was in January, 1696. Whether th^^e was any school kept prior to this time, and subsequent to the order of the Court — October, 1647 — before* quoted, cannot be definitely known, as there are no town records coverino- this period. As this act of the Court did not make the estab- lishment of a school compulsory upon any town until the population should reach " one hundred families," it is i')robable that no public school was kept until the time mentioned in the record — 1696. During the nearly seventy years between the settle- ment of the town in 1629, and this date, private in- struction was. doubtless, provided tor those children whose parents could afford it : but it is not likely that the proportion of such was large in the section 376 SKpyrCHES OF LYNN. comprised within the limits of Lynn. It has been remarked that the immediate descendants of the Pilgrims — most of whom were persons of educa- tion, and possessed wealth — were better instructed than the few succeeding generations. This is unquestionably true. Other things being equal, the pecuniary resources of a people deter- mine the educational standard that prevails. The early settlers of Lynn did as well as they were able, doubtless, in this respect. The few unfertile acres, half tilled by the unskillful husbandry of those early times, yielded barelv the common necessaries of life ; and they probably made greater sacrifices to give their children the luxury of the little learn- ing afforded by the common schools, than were made to gain any other end. As shown by the record, no school house was erected by the town until 1728, when two were built; one in Laighton's lane — now Franklin street — the other on a lot of land some distance west of" Mower's Hill." This was a hill lying be- tween Tower Hill and East Saugus, on the old Bos- ton road. This school house was used but a short time, as the record shows it was sold in 1740 to Nathaniel I'ownsend for fourteen pounds. From this date the only school house in town for thirty- two vears was that built on Laighton's lane. Upon what part of Franklin street this first-named school THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 377 house was built the writer has not been able to ascertain. As seen by the record, the town voted in 1772 to give fifteen pounds to build a school house in the North Parish, (Lvnnlield,) ;ind the same sum to the West Parish, (Saugus,) for a like purpose. These were probably the first school houses built in these districts. In 1777 the Friends considered the question at their " preparative meeting " of setting up a school of their own. After some months' deliberation the plan was settled, and in 1778 the town voted: " To sell to Samuel Collins, and others of the (Quaker Society, a piece of land to set a school house on : they pavin<^ four pounds." i.\ccording to the "statement" prepared by the late Samuel Boyce, for Parsons Cooke's "Centuries." this school house stood on Broad street, on the Union Store lot. It was afterward removed to the lot now making the southwest corner of Market and Summer streets, near the site of the present post office. This house was sold, and another ob- tained and placed upon the original lot on Broad street. This building was sold about the year 1810 to Moses A. Tucker, who removed it to a lot on the turnpike in Gravesend — now Glenmere — and changed it into a dwelling house. This Friends' school, referred to in the record, 48 37^S SKETCHES OF LYNN. thouL,rh supported in part by the town's money, was a sectarian school, to which none but the children of Friends were admitted, except in tew instances, and in those cases by an act of grace. As '' schools " are frequently mentioned in the records of this period, the question has arisen whether there were more schools than one kept at the same time — except in those years above- named — within the limits of the town prior to the year 1794, when the school house was built at the corner of Collins and Fayette streets, and when the school house, >vhich stood at the west end of the Common, was purchased from certain parties by the town. It seems quite clear, from the language of these records, that, with the exception of the short period of twelve years subsequent to the building of the two school houses erected in 1728, there was but one school kept in the town — not including Saugus and Lynntield within the territory — until 1778^ when the Friends built their school house, as above stated. The "school'* of these days, it seems, was a movable institution, kept at ditferent times, in ditferent parts of the town, for the accommodation of the sparsely settled and widely-spread population ; and that prior to 1764, when the town voted to ex- empt the Second and Third Parishes, (Saugus and L^nntield,) from the payment of their part of the school tax — " provided the said two parishes im- THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 379 prove the money they draw for schooHng " — the children from these districts came down to the old school house built in 1728, located, first on Frank- lin street, then on Water Hill, (1731,) then again on Franklin street, (1752,) then — in the same year — moved to the Common, where it stood until 1794, when it was sold at auction to Samuel John- son for sixteen pounds. Stephen N. Breed informed the writer that when his father went to the school on the Common — between 1775 and 1780 — the scholars came from both sections, east and \\est. The boys from the easterlv section were called " gulls," and those from the westerly section " alewives." Persons now living remember to have heard old people relate, as among their bo\" experiences, the story of coming all the way from Woodend with a stout stick of wood on their shoulder as their con- tribution to the winter's lire, built in the capacious fire-place, long before stoves were thought of in this section. The building designated as the " Proprietors' " school house, stood till 1826, at the west end of the Common, just outside of the enclosure, as now boimded, and as shown by the records, was bought b}' the town in 1794- It was then, probably, nearly new, as its ''elegance" was mentioned by the com- mittee who bought it. From the best information obtainable it w as built 380 ' SKETCH lis OF LYNN. by the following individuals — and perhaps others — and used tor a short time as a private school : Frederic Breed, Col. James Robinson, John Carver, x\mos Rhodes, Aaron Breed, Joel Newhall, Daniel A. B. Newhall, Col. John Mansheld and William Farrington. There seems to be a strange lack ot' explicitness and discrimination in the record re- specting the school house built at the same time on Chestnut street, near where — afterward — Collins street entered it. The report of the school committee for the year 1800 — quoted hereafter — seems to clear up the obscurity. This report alludes to this school house as having been built by an appropriation from the town, and by money contributed by the First and FourtJi Wards. As the sums mentioned corre- spond to those voted by the tow^n, as shown by the record, for the year 1794, there is hardly a doubt that tliis school house was built in Ward Three at that time ; but the singular fact about it is, that no notice is taken of the building of this school house, and no allusion to it whatever appears in the rec- ords, while details of the purchase of the other are given, down to a specification of shovel, tongs, ink- stand, etc. May 6, 1795 : — Voted, " Tliat three hundred pounds be appropriated to the support of schools." May 10, 1796: — Voted, "Three hiuulred pounds for THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNX. 381 the support of schools the ensuhig year. At the same meeting it was voted, •• That thirty pounds more be granted for the support of schools." Also, *' To choose a committee to join with the Selectmen to view the West End school house, and report to the town their opinion." May 29, 1796: — "That the vote that thirty pounds more be added to the support of schools be reconsidered." Voted, •" To recommit the West End school house peti- tion, with the addition of one man." In jNlarch, 1797, the committee on the West End school house report. "That they have attended to the business assigned them, and find the said house in its present situation will not accommodate the youth — the committee, willing to place the inhabitants of said Ward upon a footing of equality with the rest of the town re- specting the education of the youth, present the following report to the town for their acceptance — that the town direct the agents of said Ward to draw from the Treasurer the sum of one hundred dollars to be appropriated to the purpose of enlarging, repairing or erecting a school house for the accommodation of said Ward ; " when this re- port was accepted it was with this addition, that the monev should be drawn out of the tax for 1797. This was probably the school house buill for the West Parish, in 1764. April 3, 1797 : — Voted, " That $1 ,000 be assessed for the support of schools." In ]March, 1799, it was voted, "To choose a school committee of one trom each school W ard. Voted, 382 SKETCHES OF LYNN. '' That Jacob Iiigalls, Ilcnrv Oliver. Aaron Breed and Thomas Mansfield, Jun., l)e the school committee. The committee chosen at tliis meeting reported as fol- lows : '^ The committee, to whom was referred the article in the Notification tor town meeting respecting schools, having considered the subject, and ofier the following re- port for the town's acceptance : That it will be expedi- ent for the town to choose a superintending committee, to consist of one member at large from each school Ward : the duty of this committee to institute general regulation for all the schools in town ; to view, with the district committee and others, each school ever\- quarter of a year, and to make such, and an\-. ol)ser\'ation and inqui- ries of the instructor and pupils as thev shall think best. They shall report to the town at an annual meeting the amount of monev expended in each school, for each vear. They shall have authority to remove from otiice an\ in- structor who shall want the necessarv qualilication. That there be chosen annuallv l^v the to\vn. district school committees consisting of three members in each district, to present a list of nomination for said committee. It shall be the dutv of each of these committees to select and contract with a suitable instructor for their several districts. They shall, with the voice of the superintend- ing meml)ers of their districts, allot a suitable part of the instructor's time for the educaticMi of females in their sev- eral districts. They shall furnish their instructors with such particu- lar regulation for their school as shall be deemed neces- sar\- for the good government of the same, and direct the instructor to comph' on their part, and entbree a com- pliance on the part of each pupil, and in case of aggriev- ance in either part it shall he decided by the superin- tending committee. Thev shall \isit their respective schools once everv month in the \ear. Thev shall fur- THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 383 nisli wood Tor. ami make all necessary repairs in their respective school liouses, and present their account an- nually for the Selectmen for allowance. With respect to tlie petition of Timothy Johnson, antl others, it is the opinion of the committee that at present it would be very inconvenient to i^iake anv alterations in the districts of schools. Sio^ned, John L. Johnson. Samuel Collins, Jux.. James Gardner, James Robertson. Jacob Ingalls, Henry Olivp:r, Aaron Breed, TIlo^L\s jSIansfield, JifN." In April, of the same year, a meeting was called, "To act on the petition of twentv-one of the inhabitants of the town requesting the town to adopt any method for the better accommodation of the petitioners in regard to schools now in the town, they being sensible of many inconveniences, wish that they might share a part with the rest of their neighlK)rs in the privilege of the schools .now kept in the town." In Mav, iSoo. a committee appointed to take into con- sideration the condition of the schools, reported as fol- lows : "• Ward One. — Though they have a comfortable school house, vet the accommodations are not more than suf- ficient for the male children that usually attend. Males and females are admitted at certain times. Ward Two. — Have a small school house, built partly at the expense of the town, and partly at their own ex- pense. The\' have also had a grant of the town t>f $100, 3S4 SKETCHES OF LYNN. which now lies unappropriated. Male antl female vouth are indiscriminatelv admitted into said house. Ward Three. — Are comtbrtablv accommodated at their own expense. Is open for both sexes. Ward Four. — Their school is open for children of both sexes at different stated periods. Tlie house comfortable, and suliiciently commodious. The expenses of said house was $333-33i of which the town paid $133.33, ^^^^^ the remainder \vas made up by the ^\'ards Number One and Number Four. Respectiui^ the petition from the inhalMtants of the Second Ward, for a finthei^ <4rant of mone\- to enable them to build a new school house, after did\' considering the foregoing statement, we beg leave to offer, as our opinion, that it cannot be reasonably expected that the town, under all circumstances, shoukl make any further grant to them at piesent for this purpose ; yet, if they, after using the money in their own power, should find themsehes unable to accommodate themsehes \yith a comfortable school house without being too great a bur- den, on due representation thereof it will be the duty of the town to relieye them — all of wdiich we submit to the town. Signed, P'red'k Breed, Henry Oliyeu, Lynn. May iS. 1800. Jacob Ingalls. ^Vt a meeting held in March, 1S02. it was yoted, '' That the petition for more money to be granted to the vSecond and Fourth Wards, and also the petition for another school in the north part of the old Parish, be referred to the same committee to report at the ^Vpril meeting. This committee reported as follows: •' It is the opinion of the committee that at the present it is not expedient for the town to establish any other THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 385 Ward of schools, liut they heg leave to suggest the propriety of increasing the school grant from one thou- sand to thirteen hundred, to be distributed in the same proportion as heretofore divided among the several Wards. Timothy Munkoe, Committee. This report was accepted, and thirteen hundred dol- lars were appropriated for schools for 1S03. For the next six years there seems to have been a dearth of school legislation. In May, 1S04, it was voted, " Not to make a new school Ward, nor purchase a new school house." In March, 1805, the report of the committee was ac- cepted to recommend the town to establish a new school Ward out of the First, Second and Third Wards already established, including all the inhabitants between the farm of John Batts and the Chelsea line. In August, 1S09, the town voted, " To choose a com- mittee for a new arrangement of schools." This com- mittee reported in March, iSio, as follows: "Firstly. — They have taken the whole number of families in town, which they think is accurate, and find them to amount to about seven hundred families : of which there are in the west Parish, (Saugus,) including a few families eastward of the great bridge, (at Saugus river,) one hundred and twenty-five; families belonging to the Friends' school, one hundred and twenty-five ; and the remaining four hundred and fifty are very nearly- divided by this arrangement between the First and Fourth Wards. Therefore, in the opinion of your committee, there is an obvious necessity of establishing a new Ward, to be taken off the First and Fourth Wards. 49 '^86 SKETCHES OF LYNN. They therefore i^ecomniend to the town to establish a Sixth Ward, as follows : Beginning at the cross road between Abner Alley's and James Breed's, and running northward to include Nathaniel Alley's house, (this house was on a hill — since leveled — between the East- ern railroad bed and Union street, about half wa}^ be- tween Exchange and Silsbee streets,) thence to run on a line to the brook between John Willis' and Robert Mans- field's, thence on the Boston road to include the Jeremiah I^ulfinch estate, (this northwestern boundary was a little north of the entrance to the cemetery,) thence miming a direct line to the north corner of Micajah Newhall's land at the entrance of Witt's lane, (Shepard street.) Also, to include said Witt's lane, and the families, excepting Friends on Nahant. They do also recommend to annex the families from the top of the hill by John Hawkes' to said great bridge to the South Ward in the West Parish, denominated the Fifth Ward. The First Ward to ex- tend westward to said line on Hawkes' Hill, and east- ward to the line designated for the western [limit] of said Sixth Ward ; and their report was accepted." From the boundaries described in this report the new Sixth Ward embraced the western part of what is now Ward Four, nearly all of Ward Five, and a part of Ward Two. It was doubtless ow'ing to the necessities which called for this new arrangement that also made it necessary to build the school house — already mentioned — which stood at the east end of the Common, near the junction of Franklin and North Common streets. This was THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 387 for the school afterward kept by Master Oliver, as mentioned in the report for 181 2. The writer was not able to lind any order in the town records authorizing the building of this school house ; but the committee appointed to examine the accounts of the town officers for that year include the expense of this building among the items given. The following seems to be the first school report made to the town : April 14, 1812 : — " Your school committee, who were chosen to superintend the several schools in the town of Lynn, beg leave to report that they have visited all the schools in said town, except Ward Number Two, which was omitted on account of Master Swain's indisposition at the time of visiting it. Your committee found in Ward One sixty-eight pres- ent ; whole number said to be one hundred and three. Ward Two not visited, for reasons befoi'e offered. Ward Three, Friends' school, number present were sixty-five ; whole number ninety living in the above Ward. There is a division of males and females, and two schools kept. Ward Four, Woodend, scholars present, seventy-one ; whole number of subjects one hundred ; besides an extra school for misses. Ward Five — Mrs. Derby's school — found sixty schol- ars present; whole number, seventy. Ward Six — Master Oliver — scholars present, eighty- seven ; whole number, one hundred and sixty. Your committee also visited Nahant ; found nine pres- ent. Also the school at Nathan Hawkes' ; present twelve. Also, John Phillips ; number fifteen subjects. All the schools visited were in good order. Your committee beg leave to report that Ward One draws from the town $390 antl $50 for the grammar. 3S8 SKETCHES OF LYNN. total $440, which is $50 dollars more than any other school in town ; and as we find said school to be smaller than some others in town, we I'ecommend that the above allowance for Ward One be the same as that for Wards Three, Four and Six, which is $340. We further rec- ommend that Nathan Hawkcs, and others, draw $10, and the citizens of Nahant $10, in addition to their pres- ent allowance. All which is respectfully submitted. Joseph Johnson, Oliver Fuller, Ezra Mudge, John Mudge, Jr." April 9, 1S13 : — '"Your committee, appointed to ex- amine into the state of all the schools in town, in order to ascertain the number of subjects of male and female from the age of four years to fourteen years, have at- tended [to] that service, and ask leave to make the fol- lowing report : Wards. Males. Fehiales. Total. In W^ard i 154 4^ ss 14S no 136 41 Si 146 53 72 290 S3 166 In Ward 2 In Ward 3 In Ward 4 . . . . • In Ward 5 294 103 1S2 In Ward 6 Totals 5S9 5^9 i,iiS THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 389 May 6, 1S15 : — Voted, " To see if the town will estab- lish another school Ward, agreeable to a petition of Robert Mansfield, and others. May 15, 1S15 : — Voted, '' That the petition of Robert Mansfield, and others, be accepted, and that John Pratt, James Gardner and Aaron Breed be a committee to act on the business to set ofi' said Ward, and report at next meeting." This committee reported in July as follows, and their report was accepted : " The committee appointed by the town to set ofl' a school Ward at Gravesend, and agreeable to a petition of Robert Mansfield, and others, report they have set off the same, viz : Beginning at the mile stone near William Whitney's old house, formerly John Collins', continuing on both sides of the way, or road, to what is called the Point of Rocks, near, and north, of John Batts' house, thence northeasterly till it comes to Danvers line, thence on said line to Salem old road, tlience by Salem old road to Bolt-hill pasture, thence westerly, so as to include the house of Jabez Wait, and the house of William Clarriage, to the mile stone aforesaid. Your committee further recommend that the town grant said Ward $133.33 to assist said Ward in erecting a suitable house for their accommodation, and when they shall have provided themselves with said house they shall be entitled to the above sum and their proportion of the annual grant of the town for the support of schools. All of which we submit. John Pratt, James Gardner. Aaron Breed, Lynn, July 25,1815. Committee. At the same meeting it was voted, '' To choose a com- mittee of seven persons to make a new arrangement of 390 SKETCHES OF LYNN. schools, and report at the next March meeting. The fol- lowing were the committee : James Gardner, Aaron Breed, John Pratt, Nathan Mudge, Jr., Thompson Bur- rill, Eleazer C. Richardson and Joseph Fuller." They reported as follows : "The committee hnd, by a careful and accurate enu- meration of all subjects of schools in the town, that there are between the ages of five and fourteen years a total of eight hundred and seventy-two children, exclusive of the children on Nahant, and at John Lindsay's. That of tliis number the — First Ward contains 215 Second Ward contains 133 Third Ward contains 200 Fourth Ward contains 167 Fifth Ward contains 76 Sixth Ward contains ^o Families on, and west, of General's (Tower) Hill 41 Making a total to be provided for in schools of . S72 The committee, as tlieir report of their deliberations, are fully of the opinion that some alteration on a large scale might be made for the convenience and benefit of the rising generation ; but when they consider the pres- sure of the times, and the embarrassed situation of the town in its pecuniary concerns, they do not think it ex- pedient for the town at present to create any new school Wards; nor make any alteration in the old ones, except- ing in the First Ward, which embraces part of the former Fifth Ward. Owing to the separation of the town of THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 39I SaugLis, the committee recommend that the families, in- cluding Ezekiel J. Rand, Caleb Lewis, and all the fam- ilies to the westward of them, be for the present con- sidered a separate District. The committee further recommend to the town to grant the sum of $i,c)00 for the support of schools, and six per cent, on the same for wood, and that the same be apportioned among the Wards and Districts in the fol- lowing proportions, and expended for the object of the grant, to wit : To the First Ward the sum of $418 To the Second Ward, Friends' 317 To the Third Ward, Woodend 380 To the Fourth Ward, east end of the Common 360 To the Fifth Ward, Gravesend 170 To the Sixth Ward, Swampscott 135 To the West District 85 To Nahant 40 To John Lindsay's 5 Making the total $1,900 School committee report for 1816 : — '' Tlie superintending committee of schools of the town of Lynn, for 1S16, having attended to the duty assigned them through the year for which they were chosen, ask leave to report that in visiting the several schools the committee are happy to say that the money so liberally granted by the town for schools has been faithfully ap- plied to the instruction of the rising generation ; that the schools generally appear in a state of progressive im- provement. Your committee i-ecommend to the town to be very liberal in their next school grant, especially as 392 SKETCHES OF LYNN. knowledge is the mainspring of all republican govern- ment, and ignorance the greatest in despotic states. Per order of J. Gardner. In November, iSiS, it was voted, " To accept the re- port of the committee recommending the appropriation of $60 for a school house on Nahant." In the same year it was voted, " To have seven mem- bers to serve on the committee at large, besides one from "each Ward and District — fifteen in all." In May, 1820, it was voted, " To choose a committee to take an account of the number of subjects in each school Ward, from five to fourteen years of age, and re- turn the same to the Selectmen within sixty days, and they to make such a distribution of the money granted for schools as they may judge most equitable and proper. James Gardner, for Ward i ; Stephen Smith, Jr., for Ward 3 ; John Ireson, for Ward 3 ; Josiah Newhall, for Ward 4; Eleazer C. Richardson, for Ward 5; William Mansfield, for Ward 6 ; Thompson Burrill, for Ward 7 ; Jesse Rice, for Ward S. April, 1820: — Voted, "To accept the following re- port, excepting that part relating to the grammar school : " " The committee have repeatedly visited and examined the several schools supported by the tow^n ; they can re- mark, generally, that the money so liberally granted bv the town for this object has been faithfully applied in the several Wards ; but the committee, though with regret, must observe that there appears more or less defect in almost every school in town. In some, a want of energy in the teacher seems to retard the progress of improve- ment. In some, certain contingencies not within the THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 393 control of the instructors, have operated to the prejudice of the school. In others, a great deficiency in hooks, ink, quills and paper is apparent, and very detrimental to the general progress of the scholars ; a great propor- tion of the children in some of the scliools are wholly des- titute of books, and those which they have are so various and difterent the instructors are unable to form them into proper classes. These evils the committee attribute to indifierence in the parents, want of attention in the im- mediate committees, and want of energy in the teachers. In several of the schools the number of children is so great that the instructors have only one minute and a fraction of a minute to devote to each scholar in half a day. To obviate this great hindrance to improvement the committee are decidedly of the opinion that a per- petual grammar school in town is necessary. This, under proper instruction and good regulations, would draw ofi'a number of subjects from each Ward, and re- lieve them from the great burden. In this school lads and young men might acquire knowledge competent to fit them for business without the expense of sending them abroad to academies. Such an establishment is dictated by motives of interest, convenience and sound policy. The committee recommend to their successors in office to call a meeting of the several Ward committees, and agree on a uniform system of education, and a new selec- tion of books; and if need be, alter the territorial limits of some of the Wartls. so as to equalize the numbers. James Gardner, Per order." January, 1821 : — Voted, " That the town be districted anew, as it respects the several schools, without any re- gard to anv particular religious society." Since 1794, as has been seen, the Friends, where- 50 394 SKETCHES OF LYNN. ever located, constituted one Ward. This arrange- ment ended from this date. It was voted, '"■ That a committee be appointed, of one person to each Ward, in addition to the Selectmen, to district the several Wards in town, and report at the next town meeting. For Ward One, John Lnmmus ; Ward Two, Abel Hougliton ; Wartl Three, Nathan Mudge, Jr. ; Ward Four, John L. Moidton ; Ward Five, James F. Lewis ; Ward Six, Ebenezer Weeks ; Ward Seven, John Bnrrill." March, 1S21 : — Voted, " To dispense with the super- intending school committee." The committe chosen in Januar}' reported as follows: '' That the Wards be numbered in future in the fol- lowing ortler : Ward Six to lie calletl Ward One ; Ward Three to be called Ward Two ; Ward Five to be called Ward Three ; Ward Two to be called Ward Four ; Ward Four to be called Ward Five ; Ward One to be called Ward Six ; Ward Seven to be called Ward Seven ; Nahant to be called Ward Eiglit. d'hey have determined the boundaries of the Wards in the following manner, each Ward to comprise all tlie iidiabitants living within the described limits, and beginning at the easterly part of the town and proceeding westerly in numerical order, viz : Ward One to begin at King's brook, near the beach, and running westerly as far as the southern corner of Ebenezer Burrill's field, thence northeasterly to the Salem line, thence following this line to the sea. ■ Ward Two to begin at King's beach, as aforesaid, and running westerlv to the town pump, near Charles Chase's, tlience northwesterly to the gate of Friend's pasture, in THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 395 Estes' lane, tlieiicc northerly to a bridge in Fresh Marsh lane, near William Canages's [Clarriage] house, thence northeasterly to the Salem line, and following this line till it meets the limits of Ward One. Ward Three to begin at the aforesaid l»ridge. near William Canage's house, thence running to Samuel Lar- rabee's, on the Salem turnpike, thence to the house of Edmond Nourse. (on the Whitmore place,) thence northerly to the Lynnfield line, and to include all the in- hai)itants north of the limits of Ward Two. Ward Four to begin at the town pump, near Charles Chase's, and running south as far as the easterly end of Long Beach, thence northwesterly to the bridge near Moulton and Alley's store, (at the southwest end of Broad street, near the site of the brick block facing Market street,) thence northerly to the magazine in the Rocks' pasture, (just in the rear of the present residence of Theodore Attwill, on Essex street,) thence easterlv till it meets the boundaries of Ward Two. Ward Five to begin at the bridge, near IVIoulton and Alley's store, and including all the houses on the west of the road leading to the old wharf, and from said wharf running westerly to Kimball Ramsdell's house, thence to, and including, the house of Micafah Newhall, thence northerly to the house of Capt. [Christopher] Bubier, thence easterly to the limits of Ward Three, and to com- prise all the inhabitants living between the aforesaid de- scribed bounds and those of Wards Two, Three and Four Ward Six to begin at the old meeting house, (on the Common,) and nnniing south to John Mudge's wharf, thence running westerly to Chase's mills, thence follow^- ing the stream northerly to the bridge at the foot of Gen- eral's Hill, thence to the Downing road, thence easterly to the limits of Ward Five. Ward Seven to include all the inhabitants living west of the bridge, at the foot of General's Hill, between the limits of Ward Six and the town of Sausfus. 396 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Ward Eight. The inhabitants of Nahant to constitute a Ward to be designated the Eighth Ward. vStepiien Smith, Chairman of Committee." These boundaries remained the same until the territory now comprising Ward One was set off from Ward Two, March 19, 1836, making another school District, known as Ward Nine. This arrangement continued until Swampscott was in- corporated as a town in 1852, when Ward Nine became Ward One in place of Swampscott. The next year Nahant became a separate town, and Ward Eight w^as no longer known. At this time Wards Two and Three exchanged mnnbers, and the circle was complete as it now stands. The first printed school report published by the town appeared some fifteen years after the latest date here given ; and, as appears under another head, was probably written about 1838 by the Rev. Samuel D. Robbins, pastor of the Unitarian church. For several years prior to this time the school report was published in the newspapers of the town. From this time onward these reports make known all the essential facts respecting our schools and school houses. In copying the above records the writer has not faithfully followed the orthography that con- fronted him in these time-worn documents. It was too miscellaneous. It was far more unique than THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF LYNN. 397 antique, and conformed to no standard known among men. It has been allowed to stand w^hen, by so doing, the sense was made clear ; and, though an occasional deviation from grammar has been permitted to go unchallenged, no pains has been taken to copy obvious errors. SKETCHES OF THE CHURCHES OF LYNN. The first church in L3'nn was organized in 1632. First pastor, Rev. Samuel Whiting; installed No- vember 8, 1636. Died December 11, 1679. Rev. Tiiomas Cobbet, (colleague,) installed July, 1637 ; remained till 1656. Rev. Jeremiah Shepard, or- dained October 6, 1680. Died June 3, 1720. Rev. Joseph Whiting, (colleague,) ordained October 6, 1680; remained till 1681. Rev. Nathaniel Hench- men, ordained December, 1720. Died December 23, 1761. Rev. John Treadwell, ordained March 2, 1763 ; remained till 1782. Rev. Obadiah Par- sons, installed February 4, 1784; remained till July 16, 1792. Rev. Thomas C. Thacher, ordained August 13, 1794; remained till February 3, 1813. Rev. Isaac Hurd, ordained September 15, 1813 : remained till May 22, 1816. Rev. Otis Rock- wood, ordained July i, 1818 ; remained till May 12, 1832. Rev. David Peabody, ordained Novem- ber 15, 1832 : remained till April 22, 1835. Rev. Parsons Cooke, installed May 4, 1836. Died Feb- CIIITRCIIES OF LYNN. 399 ruary 12, 1864. Rev. James M. Whiton, ordained May 10, 1865 ; remained till April 3, 1869. Rev. Stephen R. Dennen, installed November 13, 1872 ; remained till March 29, 1875. Rev. Walter Bar- ton, installed Februarv 24, 1876. Mr. Barton is still the pastor. CHURCHES. The tirst house of worship built in Lynn was in 1632. Mr. Lewis tells us " it was a small plain building, without bell or cupola, and stood on the northeastern corner of Shepard and Summer streets. It was placed in a small hollow, that it might be better sheltered from the winds, and w-as partly sunk into the earth ; being entered by descending several steps." (The porch of this building is still in existence, and makes part of a house now on Harbor street.) This was occupied by the society until 1682, when it was removed to the Common, nearlv opposite Whiting street, and rebuilt. Its dimensions, as given by Mr. Lewis, were tifty feet in length, by forty-three feet in width. It had a small bell, which hung in the belfry until 1816, when a new one, cast by Paul Revere, was put up. It was generall}' known as the " Old Tunnel Meet- ing House," from the supposed resemblance of its roof to an inverted tunnel. This church was re- moved from the Common in 1827 to the corner ot 400 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Commercial and South Common streets, and to a considerable extent rebuilt. It served the society until 1837, when the new church, built the year before, was dedicated on the first day of February. This stood upon the site of the present church, on the corner of Vine and South Common streets. It w^as burned on Christmas night, 1870. On the 10th day of the following May the corner stone of their present fine brick structure was laid, and an address delivered by Rev. E. S. Attwood, of Salem. It was dedicated August 29, 1872. The sermon on the occasion was preached by the pastor-elect. Rev. Stephen R. Dennen. friends' society. According to the sketch of the history of the Friends in Lynn, prepared by Samuel Boyce for Parsons Cooke's "Centuries," the first meeting of Friends in Lynn was held in a house on the old road to Salem, near the Lynn Mineral Spring Farm. Such, says Mr. Boyce, was the tradition, based upon a statement in '' Neal's History," that about this time (1658) as many as twenty were taken at once from a meeting held at the house of Nicholas Phelps, " about five miles from Salem," and that Nicholas Phelps' house was about five miles from Salem. The charcre for which thev were " taken " from CHURCHES OF LYNN. 4OI this house is not stated. This is a mistake. The Historical Collection of the Essex Institute shows that the estate of Phelps was near the farms of Robert Moulton and Thomas James, in Salon, now West Peabody. A notice of a meeting held there June, 1658, is found in " Felt's Annals of Salem." " At a monthly meeting held in Salem, the 3Sth of the twelfth month, 16SS, it was concluded to have a meet- ing once a month settled at Lynn, for the ease of those Friends who are inhal)itants there." By the records of these meetings the first monthl}- meeting held in Lynn met at the house of Samuel Collins, May iS, 1689, when the following-named persons were present : Thomas Made, Daniel South- wick, John Blothen, William Williams, Samuel Gas- kin, Jr., Samuel Collins, Thomas Graves, Edward Gaskin and James Goodridge. Mr. Boyce says : " By referring to the records of the meeting, it appears that Friends in Lynn suf- fered severely for many years by having their property taken from them by distraint for priests' wages, repairing meeting houses, and for military fines. Much of the propert}' taken for priests' wages was for Jeremiah Shepard." The numbers of Friends increasing in Lynn, thev built (1678) a meeting house on what is now Broad street, on a spot then known as Wolf Hill. This house stood a few rods east of Silsbee street, and 51 402 SKETCHES OF LYNN. occupied the land — until 1723 — in front of the pres- ent Friends' burying ground. The next was built near the front line of that enclosure, the front ex- tending to the present road bed. Its dimensions were, forty feet in length, and thirty in width, be- sides an extension on the northeast side, used by the women of the society to transact their part of the business of the organization, according to the usages of this body. This house served the pur- poses of the society for ninety-three years, or until 1816, when, having outgrown its too narrow lim- its, a new house was built by the society, on the lot used by them as a burying ground, a few rods — in the rear — from the site of the old meetinof house. It stood on this spot until 1S52, when it was moved a short distance to its present location on Silsbee street. The old meeting house was bought by Thomas Rich, and moved a few rods to the westward, and used by him several years as a warehouse for the sale of shoe stock. About 1830 it was used by Samuel Boyce as a shoe manufactory ; and about five years later it was bought by James Breed, and moved near to his wharf, to be used as a lumber warehouse. It now stands on the same spot, at the corner of Broad and Beach streets, and is owned by Stephen N. Breed, son of James, above-named, who succeeded to his father's business. Thoup-h it is now a hundred and fifty-seven years old, its stout CHURCHES OF LYNN. 403 oaken frame has kept its s\-mmetry intact ; while oc- casional repairs, and the art of the painter, have con- cealed its marks of age. The "extension" was boug-ht bv Nathan Allev, and moved to Exchange street, opposite Exchange Block, and used by him as a dwelling. It now stands on Fayette street, opposite the school house, near Collins street. In 1835 there were about one hundred families belonging to the society in Lynn ; and there was but little change during the next twentv years. At present their numbers are somewhat less. THE FIRST M. E. CHURCH. The first Methodist Society in Lynn was formed February 20, 1791, by Rev. Jesse Lee. The first meetings were held in the house of Benjamin John- son, Sr. , near the corner of Essex and Market streets. This place proving too small for the growing num- bers the society held its meetings for a few months in Mr. Johnson's barn, situated in the rear of the house. On the 14th of June, 1791, the societv began to build the church which stood until 18 12 on land directly in front of the old churcli now standing opposite City Hall. This little church was 34 by 44 feet, and such was the expedition with which it was built, that on the twelfth day from the beirinnincr of the work, it was dedicated. 404 SKETCHES OF LYNN. It was not lathed nor plastered, and the record tells us, ''it had no front entrance in order to prevent, as much as possible, the intrusion of the north-east wind " — stoves not being then in use. It had a door on each side toward the east and west, and the rear of the church extended about eight feet beyond the curb stones into what is now the road bed, and its front was within eight feet of the (now) old church when that was built in 181 2. The first church stood until the second was finished . It was then removed to West Lynn. The new church had old-fashioned high-backed square pews, and a ves- try in the rear of the " singers' " seats. The dedi- catory sermon was preached by the Rev. Joshua Soule — afterward Bishop — on the third day ot^June. In the year 1824 the steeple was lowered sixteen feet, as the ringing of the bell was thought to en- danger the edifice. In 1834 the house was raised three feet, and a vestry finished underneath, the old pews were changed to the modern style, a new pulpit took the place of the old one, and the vestry was converted into an orchestra. In 1S53 several other changes were made, the floor of the galleries was altered to give a greater inclination, the steps at the entrance of the church were removed from the outside to the inside, the pews were cushioned, and the floor carpeted. In 1857 the iron fence was built in front of the church by the ladies' sewing circle, at a cost of $Soo. In 1858 the church was CHURCHES OF I.YNN. 4O5 enlarged, making- room for two hundred and fifty additional sittings, and the interior remodeled. A fine organ, costing ^2000, was also purchased. The vestry at this time was enlarged, making it capable of seating five hundred persons. On the 14th of November, 1877, the corner stone of a new church was laid, on North Common street, opposite the Soldiers' Monument. A valuable his- torical address was delivered by George D. Sar- geant, and the ceremonies were of an unusually in- teresting character. The church was nearly completed during the next 3-ear, and on the 28th of February, 1879, was dedicated ; Bishop Randolph S. Foster preaching the sermon. The building measures one hundred and twenty-three feet in length, and seventy-three in width. It has a chapel adjoining, ninety-one feet in length, and sevent}'-three feet in width. It is a very fine structure, and an ornament to the city. In 1816, Alonzo Lewis formed a Sunday School of sixty scholars in the school house which stood on the north end of the Common. Mr. Lewis thinks this was the second Sunday School formed in the State. The school assembled in the morning, and at the close of the session marched in procession to the church, where most of the parents attended. A few of the scholars attended the Congregational Church. 406 SKETCHES OF LYNN. The first parsonage was built in 1S03, on the cor- ner of Market and South Common streets. It was, used as such until 181 7, when it was sold to Rev. Enoch Mudge. In 1S33 the second parsonage was built on Franklin street, near Hanover. The pres- ent parsonage was built in 1858, on Hanover street. PASTORS. 1791, John Bloodgood, Daniel Smith ; 1792, Men- zies Raynor ; 1793, Jordan Rexford ; 1794, Evan Rogers; 1795, George Pickering; 1796, James Covel ; 1797, John Broadhead ; 1798, Ralph Willis- ton ; 1799, Andrew Nichols ; 1800, Joshua Wells ; 1801, George Pickerino-, T. F. Sargent: 1802, Thomas Lyell, John Bloodgood ; 1803, Peter Jay ne ; 1805-6, Daniel Webb ; 1807, Nehemiah Coye ; 1808, Daniel Young; 1809-10, William Stevens; 1811, Asa Kent, Greenlief R. Norris ; 1812, Joshua Soule, Daniel Webb; 1813, Daniel Webb, Elijah Hed- ding ; 1814, Elijah Hedding, Leonard Frost; 1815, George Pickering, Solomon Sias ; 1S16, George Pickering, B. F. Lambord ; 1817, W. Marsh, 6. Hinds ; 1818, Elijah Hedding, James B. Andrews : 1819, Elijah Hedding, Enoch Mudge ; 1820, Enoch Mudge ; 182 1-2, Phineas Peck ; 1823-4, Daniel Fil- more ; 1825, John F. Adams; 1827, Daniel Fil- more ; 1829, Abraham D. Merrill ; 1830, Abraham D.Merrill; 1831, Bartholomew Otheman, Selah CHURCHES OF LYNN. 4O7 Stocking; 1832, Bartholomew Otheman ; 1833, David Kilburn ; 1834, Jotham Horton ; 1836, Thomas C. Pierce ; 1838, Charles P. True ; 1840, Charles Adams; 1841, Jefferson Hascall, Lester James; 1842, James Porter: 1844, Loranus Crowell ; 1846, John W. Merrill ; 1848, Lorenzo R. Thayer; 1850, Augustus Adams; 1852, Henry V. Degen ; 1854, William Butler; 1856, Charles N. Smith; 1858, William R. Clark: 1860-61, George M. Steele; 1862-3, W. F. Mallalieu ; 1864-5, J. H. Twombly ; 1866-8, J. W. F. Barnes : 1869-70, David H. Ela : 1871-2, Fales H. New- hall; 1873-5, Samuel F. Upham ; 1876-9, C. D. Hills ; 1880, Oliver A. Brown. ST. Paul's m. e. church. The Eastern (now St. Paul's) M. E. Church was built in 181 1, and dedicated by Elijah R. Sabin November 27111 of the same j-ear. It was the first Methodist church in Massachusetts that was built with a steeple ; $200 was paid for the lot, (one fourth of an acre,) the meeting house cost about $3000. The audience room was on the first floor, and galleries on three sides. There were sixty-six pews in the auditorium, and twenty in the galler}-. In 1 8 13, on the request of ninety-three petitioners, it was incorporated as a parish. A stove was in- 408 SKETCHES OF LYNN. troduced in 1S31 — there having been no fire in the church before this time. A small bell was obtained in 1834 ' ^^^ '"^^^o a clock made by Wil- lard, of New Bedford. A larger bell was hung the next year. In 1846 a floor was built across the house on a level with the galleries, making an audience room above, and a vestry and parsonage below. In 1849 '^" organ, worth $500, was pur- chased by subscription. The present parsonage was built in 1859. "^^^^ church was destroyed by fire on the night of November 20th, 1859. ^ ^^^' bell was ordered in ten days ; within a month a committee on plans and estimates for a new church was appointed, and in forty-five days from the fire the plan of the present house was adopted. The vestry, with a seating capacity for five hundred persons, w^as ready for occupanc}^ in March, 1861. On the 1st of August (1861) the church itself was completed. The dedication sermon was preached by Rev. L. D. Barrows, D. D. The Female Benev- olent Society was formed in 182 1, and the Young Ladies' Sewing Circle in October, 1858. From 1815 till 1827 a school was held on Satur- day afternoon, superintended by the pastors, hav- ing the characteristics of a modern Sunday school, but did not become a Sunday school until the latter year, (1827) when it was permanently established. Shadrach Ramsdell was the first superintendent. The pulpit was supplied fi-om the dedication until CHURCHES OF LYNN. 4O9 June, 181 2, l)y Epaphras Kibby, a local preacher. The lirst .stationed preacher from Conference was Daniel Webb, in 1812-13, followed by, 1814, Leonard Frost; 1815-16, Solomon Sias ; 1817, Orlando Hines ; 181S, James Ambler: 1819, Eli- jah Hedding- ; 1820-1, Timothy Merritt : 1822-3, Shipley W. Wilson ; 1824, Elijah Spear ; 1825-6-7, Epaphras Kibby ; 1828-9, Joseph A. Merrill ; 1830, Ephraim Wiley; 1831, Shipley W. Wilson; 1832-3, John Lovejoy ; 1834-5, Isaac Bonney ; 1836, Daniel Filmore ; 1837, John Parker; 1838-9, A. D. Sargent : 1840-1. William Smith ; 1842-3, Jacob Sanborn; 1844, Samuel A. Gushing: 1845, Phineas Crandall ; 1846-7, Joseph Dennison ; 1848, A. D. Merrill : 1849-50, Stephen Gushing : 1851-2, Ghester Field ; 1853, Nelson Stetson: 1854-5, N. D. George: 1856, D. L. Gear ; 1857-8, John H. Manstield ; 1859-60, Wm. A. Braman ; 1861-2, Henry W. Warren ; 1863, William G. High ; 1864, A. McKeown; 1865, B. W. Gorham ; 1866-7-8, R. W. Allen: 1869-70-1. John G. Smith: 1872- 3-4, D. G. Knowles : 1875-6-7, Daniel Steele: 1878-9, David Sherman. THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. This church was organized March 17, 1816, with a membership of twenty-tive persons, a majority of 52 4IO SKETCHES OF LYNN. whom came by letter from the church in Salem. Not one of this number is now living. The first house used by this society was the old Methodist church, which stood till 1S12 at the east end of the Common, directly in front of the spot upon which the second church was built in the above-named year. It was purchased by Jonathan Bacheller, and moved to a lot situated a few rods east of the residence of Mark Healey. It was occupied by the society till the close of 1S32. The second structure was upon the site of the present church. It was dedicated in February, 1833. Its cost was something less than ^6,000, and contained four hundred and eighty sittings. It was removed in the summer of 1866. The present editice was begun in August of the same vear, and was dedi- cated in June, 1867. It cost $30,000, and its seat- ing capacity was about seven hundred. It was en- larged in 1869 at a cost of $6,000. After this en- largement it would accommodate about one thou- sand persons. A tornado, on the 8th of September of the same year, wrenched off the spire, and other- wise damaged the building to the amount of $7,000 ; so that the entire cost was estimated at about $50,000. The church has had eleven pastors : George Phippen, from March, 1816, to August, iSiS ; Ebenezer Nelson, Jr., from July, 1820, to August, 1827 ; Daniel Chessman, from January, 1830, to FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, LYNN. MASS. CHURCHES OF LYNN. 411 May, 1833 : Lucius S. Bolles, from November, 1833, to October. 1836: Joel S. Bacon, from Octo- ber, 1837, to December, 1839: Iliram A. Graves, from February, 1840, to July, 1842 ; Thomas vDriver, from April, 1843, to March, 1847 ; William C. Richards, from May, 1849, to August, 1864; Thomas E. Vassar, from February, 1865, to No- vember, 1872 : John B. Brackett, from April, 1873, to February, 1878 ; Norman C. Mallory, from December, 1878, and remains the present (1880) pastor. THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL (UNITARIAN) CHURCH. The Second Congregational Society was organ- ized April 5, 1822, by the choice of William Chad- well, Moderator; James Homer, Secretary, and William Chadwell, Samuel Brimblecom and Henry A. Breed, as Standing Committee. An act of in- corporation was obtained, and a lot on South Com- mon street — the present site — w^as soon after secured for a church. The corner stone was laid on the 5th of November. The ceremonies w^ere conducted by Rev. Henry Coleman, and Rev. Joseph Tuckerman delivered the address. On the 30th of April, 1823, the house was dedicated. Rev. Mr. Coleman preaching the sermon. James D. 412 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Green was the first minister. He was ordained November 3, 1824. A few years after, a Sunday School was estab- lished, mainly through the efforts of Dr. Edward Coffin — assisted by two or three young ladies. Amos Rhodes afterward rendered great service in the school as teacher, superintendent and libra- rian. In. 1828 Mr. Green resigned his charge. David H. Barlow was the next pastor. He was ordained December 9, 1829, and remained until February 2, 1833. In the Fall of the same year Samuel D. Robbins accepted the pastorate, and his ordination took place November 3. Mr. Robbins took great in- terest in our public schools. In a letter he after- ward wrote to friends in Lynn, he says : " I think I wrote the first printed report sent from Lynn to the State." Mr. Robbins resigned in 1839, ^'^^^ William Gray Swett was invited to become the pastor of the society. He accepted, and was in- stalled January i, 1840. Mr. Swett was a great favorite, and the society flourished under his care ; but his health failed him, and after a pastorate of three years, he died February 15, 1843. Mr. Swett was the grandson of the well-known William Gray — commonly called Billy Gray — a native of Lynn. The next pastor was John Pierpont, Jr., who was ordained October 11, 1S43. An incident worth CHURCHES OF LYNN. 4I3 mentioning is recorded of this ordination. The venerable Dr. Pierce, of Brookline, was present, who remarked that " this was the ninety-fourth ordi- nation that he had attended, and it was the first one where intoxicating drinks were not used ; and the first ordination dinner at which ladies were present." Mr. Pierpont resigned April 29, 1846, on account of ill health. Charles C. Shackford was Mr. Pierpont's suc- cessor. He was installed December 6, 1846. Mr. Shackford's pastorate extended through nearly eighteen years, and he was so well known, not only to the present generation of his fellow citizens in this city, but elsewhere, that an omission to recog- nize his talents and services would hardly be justi- fied. He was specially devoted to the interests of our public schools, and was several times Chairman of the Board of School Committee. With a few others, he was largely instrumental in establishing our High School : and in the broader field of public instruction, by lectures, by his labors to establish our Free Public Library, and by his interest in all educational and reform movements, our community has felt the influence of his cultured mind, and his generous, tolerant spirit. During his pastorate — in the summer of 1852 — the church edifice was enlarged and remodelled. In 1864 — April 25 — Mr. Shackford resigned his 414 SKETCHES OF LYNN. charge to accept the professorship of modern litera- ture in Cornell University. Rev. Samuel B. Stewart, the present pastor, was installed October 4, 1864, having had, with the ex- ception of his predecessor, the longest pastorate over the church since its orcjanization. SOUTH STREET M. E. CHURCH. The South Street Methodist Episcopal Church was organized from the Common Street Church, August 23, 1830, embracing one hundred mem- bers — thirty-six males and sixty-four females. It w^as partly the result of a great religious awaken- ing the year before (1829) under the labors of Rev. Abraham D. Merrill, assisted b}- Rev. Charles Noble. The meeting house was erected in 1830. It was originall}^ a plain substantial edifice, without a steeple, with two doors in Iront, and a vestibule running the whole length of the house. Over this was the singing gallery, and between the entry doors, the pulpit. The house remained in this state until 1 85 1, when a steeple was built, which greatly added to its beauty. Afterward, duiing the pas- torate of Rev. Sanford B. Sweetser, it was again remodeled and frescoed. At present it is one of the neatest church edifices in the city. The church has had the following pastors : 1830, CHURCHES OF LYNN. 415 Riifiis Spaulding- ; 1831, Selah Stocking; 1832-3, Isaac Bonny ; 1834, Sanford Benton; 1835, Amos Binney ; 1836-7, Timothy Merritt ; 1838, Frederick P.Tracy; 1839-40, Mark Staples; 1841-2, Ed- mund M. Beebe ; 1843-4, John B. Husted ; 1845-6, Charles S. Macreading ; 1847-8, John Clark; 1849, William Rice ; 1850, Simon Putman ; 185 1-2, George Dunbar ; 1853-4, Daniel Steele ; 1855-6, Isaac Smith ; 1857-8, Fales H. Newhall ; 1859-60, Jeremiah L. Hannaford ; 1861-2, Daniel Richards : 1863-4, Samuel Kelley ; 1865-6, Solomon Chapin ; 1867-8-9, Sanford B. Sweetser ; 1870-1 , Edward A. Manning; 1872-3, William H. Hatch ; 1874-5-6, George F. Eaton ; 1877-8-9, Varnum A. Cooper ; present pastor, Alfred A. Wright. THE FIRST UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY. Universalism was first preached in Lynn by the Rev. Edwin Turner, then of Salem, in the year 1811. In 1818 Rev. Joshua Flagg preached in the Lynn Academy, on South Common street, near Vine street. There is no record of any other move- ment in this direction until 1831, when Rev. Syl- vanus Cobb, of Maiden, preached a few times, on alternate Sunday evenings, at Swampscott. These services created much interest, and after a few Sundays' preaching in Swampscott the meet- ings were held in Woodend, where a series of lee- 4l6 SKETCHES OF LYNN. tures, on alternate Sunday evenings, were delivered. This resulted in the formation of a society, the settle- ment of a pastor, and the establishment of regular meetings every Sabbath at the Town Hall. The First Universalist Society was orfjanized March 25, 1833, in the Town Hall. George Todd was chosen Moderator, and James M. Sargent, Clerk. The Rev. Tosiah C. Waldo was encrasfed as pastor. In 1835 the society built a church on Union street — near Silsbee street — which was dedicated December 10. The dedicatory sermon was preached by the Rev. Thomas F. King — father of the late Thomas Starr King — of Charlestown. In the afternoon Rev. J. C. Waldo was installed as pastor, and remained with the societ}' until 1838. On the 15th of May, 1839, t^i^ Rev. Lemuel Willis was installed as his successor. Mr. Willis remained with the society till September, 1842. Rev. Hor- ace G. Smith, of Berlin, Conn., the next pastor, was installed May 18, 1843. He remained until February, 1844. Rev. Merritt Sanford was the next pastor. He began his labors January 19, 1845, and remained until the summer of 1848. Rev. Darwin Mott took charge of the society in July, 1848. Installed Jul}- 23. He resigned after a pastorate of two years. In the summer of 1850 the meeting house was enlarged, and re-dedicated August 26. The Rev. Elbridge G. Brooks was next installed as pastor. FIRST I'XIVEKSAUST LIURLH. LYNN, .MASS. CHURCHES OF LYNN. 417 November, 1850, and remained in charge of the societ}' until October 30, 1S59. Rtiv. Sumner ElHs next took charge of the society March 13, i860. Installed June 13. He remained until August, 1862. Rev. Cliarles Wesley Diddle, of Newark, New Jersey, next took charge of tlie society December, 1862, and was installed February 5, 1863. Near the close of the year the church was remodeled, and re-dedicated March, 1864. The corner stone of the Nahant street church was laid May 27, 1872. The church was dedicated September 18, 1873. The dedicatory sermon was preached by the Rev. Elbridge G. Brooks. The cost of the church and site was $140,000. It is one of the finest church structures in New Eng- land. The old church was sold to the East Baptist Society. Both societies worshipped here until the new church on Nahant street was dedicated. In January, 1880, Mr. Biddle resigned his charge, and John C. Adams accepted a call from the society. The Sunday School of this church was organized about 1833. Edwin Thompson was chosen its first superintendent, and held tlie otfice about two years. At tlie present time the Sunday School is the largest in the denomination, numbering upward of seven hundred. 4l8 SKETCHES OF LYNN. ST. STEPHENS CHURCH. In 1819 a few persons attempted the formation of an Episcopal Church in Lynn. Their meetings were held in the Academy for about two years ; most of the time under the pastoral care of the Rev. Asa Eaton, D. D., of Boston. The difficulty in obtaining clerical supplies — and other obstacles — led to a discontinuance of the service. No further attempt to establish the Episcopal Church was made here until 1834. One or two persons of that belief attended church in Salem or Marblehead. This circumstance attracting the attention of parties in- terested, led to the offer from Bishop Griswold to supply the people here for a time — if a place of meeting could be obtained. The offer was accepted, and a meeting called. In October, 1834, ^^^ gentlemen, viz. : Edward S. Davis, John Bowler, Alonzo Lewis, Richard A. Fleming, and James Whittaker, met and resolved themselves into a com- mittee for the purpose of sustaining public worship accordino- to the rites and usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Their first service was held in the First Methodist Church, at which the Rev. William H. Lewis, of Marblehead, ofliciated ; the second at the Town Hall, the Rev. John A. Vaughan, of Salem, offici- ating ; the third at the Lynn Academy — all before CHURCHES OF LYNN, 419 the close of 1834. Regular service was begun on the first Sunday in January, 1835, ^^ Liberty Hall, and continued with little interruption to nearly the end of the year, being served by various clergy- men, as they could be obtained, when the place of worship was removed to what had been Masonic Hall, which was fitted up for their use. In January, 1836, the Rev. Milton Ward, M. D., became the first minister, and the church was regu- larly organized under the name of Christ Church, Lynn, its officers chosen, and a church edifice w^as erected during the year. It was built on North Common street, nearly opposite Church street. • It was consecrated July 20, 1837. In consequence of the burning of Masonic Hall the Church was occu- pied some weeks before consecration. Mr. Ward remained until March, 1837, ^vhen the Rev. George Waters took his place. He remained until October, 1839, and was succeeded by the Rev. F. W. I. Pollard, who resigned after one year's service, William A. White, a candidate for orders, acting as lay reader until 1841, when the difficulty of ob- taining a clergyman, and also in securing funds, led the Missionary Association, by whom the clergyman was partly supported, to suspend the services for a time, although the organization was kept up. Efforts were made to resuscitate the church which were not successful until 1844, when several indi- 420 SKETCHES OF LYNN. viduals, who had Lately become residents ot^ the town, joining with those who were left of the former church, thought best to reorganize under another name, and from September 20, 1844, this organi- zation has been known as St. Stephen's Church, Lynn. The church edifice built in 1837 was bought by the new organization. The names of the corpo- rators were, Edward S. Davis, William H. Hub- bard, Robert Farley, George M. Dexter, Edward D. Peters, Benjamin T. Reed, Edward S. Rand, William Foster Otis, Edward Codman, Robert Appleton and J. C. Brodhead. Services w^ere iniTnediately commenced. The Rev. George D. Wildes was rector from December, 1844, ^^ Sep- tember, 1845 : Rev. Isaac W. Hallam, from Feb- ruar}', 1846, to April, i860; Rev. E. H. True, from June, i860, to x\pril, 1863 ; Rev. George S. Paine, from July, 1863, to July, 1864 ; Rev. Gordon M. Bradley, from January, 1865, to December, 1867 ; Rev. Benjamin W. iVttwell, from April, 1868, to December, 1S69 : Rev. Edward L. Drowm, from July, 1870, to July, 1875, ^"^1 Rev. Louis DeCormis became rector in January, 1876, who is now in charge. A new and stately edifice for this church is now in process of erection, for which the church is indebted to the liberality of Enoch R. Mudge, who builds it as a memorial to his departed children. cnrRciii:s of i>ynn. 421 It will, doublless, be one of the lliiest churches in the city. ST. MARV'S CHURCH. In the year 1835 the Rev. Mr. Wiley, who was located in Salem, tinding that there were some Catholics in Lvnn, had them meet togcether for divine service and instruction at the house of Lawrence Birney — at that time called the Castle — and mass was said for the tirst time in Lynn at that place. It still stands on the corner of Water Hill and May streets. From that time mass was said there, or at Michael McMann's, on Boston street, or at Peter Murphy's, on Church street, down to 1845. In those days, as the Catholics were much scattered, and priests very few, divine service and instruction was only monthly, or at such times as would be convenient. Rev. Mr. Wiley w^as succeeded by Rev. J. Brady, who in turn was succeeded by Rev. J. A. Strain. After him came Rev. Dr. O'Flagherty, who, in 1845, made application for the Town House, which then stood at the head of Blossom street. The selectmen granted the use of the Town Hall free of cost. Benjamin Mudge uas the chairman, and the Catholics, to this day, recollect with pride the kind- ness then shown to them. Rev. Dr. O'Flagherty was followed by Rev. J. Byrnes, Rev. Mr. Kidigan, 422 SKETCHES OF LYNN. and Rev. J. O'Brien. Yet all this time — for some thirteen years — no effort was made for the estab- lishment of a church. But this was due to the necessities of other places where Catholics were more numerous, and requirements of churches more needed. It was in the year 1848 that Rev. Charles Smith was appointed to the charge of Chelsea and L3mn. He secured the little school house near the Arcade, by the residence of Mark Healey, and fitted it up for church purposes. He was succeeded in January, 1S51, by Rev. P. Strain, the present rector of St. Mary's Church, who, in the year 1854, enlarged the church. This church was burned on the night of the 28th of May, 1859, ^^^ "^"^^s the work of an incendiary. The old Lyceum Hall, which stood on the corner of Summer and Market streets, was then used for Catholic services until the year 1861, at which time the present St. Mary's Church edifice was built. This was the finest church structure in Lynn at that time. CHRISTIAN CHURCH. This church was organized November 5, 1835. The first church was built in 1835, on the south side of Silsbee street, next to the railroad bridge. It was occupied but a short time by the society. In 1840 the present church was built — nearly oppo- site — and dedicated. During the present year CHURCHES OF LYNN. 423 (1880) a tower has been added, the structure par- tially remodeled, and otherwise improved. The following pastors have served the society : 1835, Philemon R. Russell; 1841, Josiah Knight; 1842, David Knowlton ; 1842, Elihu Noyes ; 1843, Warren Lincoln; 1851, Nicholas S. Chadwick ; 1853, Seth Hinckley ; 1854, William Miller ; i860, John Burden ; 1862, Joseph Whitney ; 1862, John O. Goss to 1869 ; H. C. Guilford and J. W. Larry, 1869 ; A.J.Hancock, 1870; J. W. Larry, 1870; Charles T. Camps, 1871 ; William Haight, 1872; Charles T. Camps, 1873 ; Mrs. Gustin, 1874. Pulpit sup- plies for the year ending June, 1876 — D. L. Crafts, 1876 ; W. W. Williams, 1877, and is now the pastor. SECOND UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY. The Second Universalist was organized March 9, 1836. March 26, 1837, Rev. Dunbar B. Harris was chosen to preach every alternate Sabbath. On the 2d of October, 1838, the society was reorgan- ized, and Rev. William H. Taylor chosen to preach for three months. On the 13th of March, 1839, voted to purchase the church (formerly the Old Tunnel) which had been owned and used by the Christian Baptist Society. In 1869 the church was remodeled and thoroughly repaired. The following is the list of pastors : May 19, 1839, Rev. E. N. Harris chosen pastor; May 424 SKETCHES OF LYNN. 3, 1840, Rev. Henry Jewell; December 25, 1S42, Rev. John Nichols: July 27, 1845, Rev. O. H. Tillotson ; 1848, Rev. John Moore; February 17, 1850, Rev. J. R. Johnson ; June 13, 1852, Rev. E. W. Reynolds; April 22, 1855, Rev. Henry Jewell, second time ; 1859, Rev. W. P. Payne ; March 15, 1863, Rev. N. R. Wright; November 14, 1869, Rev. G. W. Payne: 1873, Rev. E. A. Drew, died October, 1874: March, 1875, Rev. Q^ H. Shinn : October, 1877, Rev. Richard Eddy, D. D., chosen to supply for one year; 1879, Rev. F. M. Hough- ton engaged to supply, and he has charge of the society at the present time, (1880.) THIRD BAPTIST SOCIETY WYOMA. In the autumn of 1858 the citizens of Wyoma held preliminary meetings for the purpose of form- ing themselves into a religious society. The organ- ization was legally effected October 27, 1858, with John C. Blaney, Moderator. The name assumed was the Third Baptist Society. The officers were a Moderator, Treasurer, Collector, Assessor and five standincj committees. Measures were imme- diately taken to secure a lot of land upon which to erect a church edifice, and solicit funds for the house. The land was given and deeded to the society by Upton J. Peabod}'. The house was erected on the north side of Boston street, a few CHURCHES OF LYNN. 4^5 rods east of the square, and dedicated in i860. Great credit is due to the kite J. C. Bacheller for the liberal support whicii he gave to this enter- prise. He contributed largely to its funds, and while a resident of W}'oma manifested a commend- able interest in its prosperity. The Sunday School was orfjanized and sustained as a mission interest, largely throuirh the efficient labors of John C. Blaney. In 1859 '^^ ^^'*^s united to the Salem Baptist Sunday School Convention. The church was organized June 18, 1861, under the auspices of Rev. W. C. Richards, then pastor of the First Baptist Church, of Lynn, with eight constituent members who were dismissed from the First Church. The ciiurch was publicly recognized as a Baptist church by ten Baptist churches of the Salem Association, December 27, 1861. The following pastors have served the church : Rev. C. H. Cole, 1861 to 1864 : Rev. J. P. Farrar, 1865 to 1867 ; Rev. W. P. Elsdon, 1868 to 1869; Rev. C. H. Cole, 1870 to 1874 ' R^^. C. C. Bur- roughs, 1874 '^o 1876. Since the last date the church has been served by supplies. THE CENTRAL CHURCH. A small beginning of the religious work out of which the Central Church ultimately grew, was made as early as the year 1847, when a Sabbath ' 54 "^ 426 SKETCHES OF LYNN. School, numbering- about a dozen scholars, was gathered in a private school room connected with the residence of the late Isaiah Breed, on Broad street. This little Sunday School, soon out- growing their accommodations, was moved, first to the Friends' school house on Silsbee street, then to a school house on Newhall street, which had been formerly a railroad depot, and finally back to Silsbee street, to the old Freewill Baptist Chapel. This Sun- day School was the original nucleus around which the Central Church and society were formed. In con- junction with the Sabbath School, occasional preach- ing services were held in the evening. Parsons Cooke, of the First Church, generally officiating. For the better accommodation of the 2;rowin<^ numbers that came to these services, the old chapel, above referred to, was purchased in the Spring of 1849 of the society of Freewill Baptists, then about disbanding, moved on to the ground where the present church edifice stands, and fitted up for a place of worship. The Sabbath School and the congregation so rapidly increased that in the au- tumn of 1849 it was thought best that some one should be permanently emplo3'ed to serve as pastor. Rev. A. R. Baker, of West Needham, now Welles- ley, was engaged for three months, with a view to determining wdiether a permanent ministry could be sustained. The chapel was soon found to be too small for the people who attended there ; and CHURCHES OF I.YNN. 427 the project of building a larger and more suitable place of worship was at once begun. The Society vvas organized under the name of the Central Congregational Society on the 13th of May, 1850, by the choice of Oliver B. Coolidge as clerk, and a Parish committee consisting of Isaiah Breed, Joshua Patch, Samuel M. Bubier, William Boynton, James Patch, J. E. F. Marsh, Bartlett B. Breed and Edwin Patch. Isaiah Breed gave the lot on Silsbee street, the present site of the church. Mr. Breed also gave generously for the erection of the building, as did also Samuel M. Bubier. Joined with these were Joshua Patch, William Boynton, and others. Through their energy and liberality an elegant structure of wood was erected, and dedicated De- cember II, 1S50. The cost, including the furnish- ing, was about $14,000. On the da}' of dedication the Central Church was formally organized by an Ecclesiastical Council convoked for the purpose, and Rev. A. R. Baker took charge of the society. Thirty-six persons, according to the church rec- ord, constituted the original church. Mr. Baker, who was not formally installed until a year later, remained pastor until August 15, 1854. His suc- cessor was Rev. J. B. Sevvall, who was installed Februar}- 28, 1855. Mr. Sewall's ministry with the church continued until the close of 1864, when. 428 SKETCHES OF LYNN. having been elected Professor of Ancient Lan- guages in Bowdoin College, he resigned. Near the close of his pastorate it was found neces- sar}' to enlarge and partially rebuild the church — which was done at such a liberal expense ($18,000) that it was made one of the most tasteful, commo- dious and attractive churches in the city. It was re-dedicated in the Fall of 1864. The sermon was preached by its retiring pastor. Mr. Sewall was succeeded, with only a brief interval, by Rev. A. H. Currier, installed May 17, 1865. Mr. Currier had been settled over the Society but little more than a year, when the church editice was destroyed by fire, September 9, 1866. The Society set at once upon the work of rebuilding, and by the en- ergy and munificence of its members the present structure of brick and stone, surpassing the one lost in size and convenience, was completed at a cost of upward of $40,000, and dedicated June 17, 186S. Mr. Currier is still the pastor of this church. BOSTON STREET M. E. CHURCH. The beo^inning of the movement to establish this society was in 1850, James Pool, Jr., being chief among the leaders in this work. It was finally decided to build a church on Boston street, and in 1852 a lot was purchased. The new society was organized May 20, 1853. CHURCHES OF LYNN. 429 Loranus Crowell was the first pastor. The original members were from the First Methodist and South Street churches. In the spring of 1853 the church was begun and completed, and on tiie 9th of June it was dedicated, the sermon being preached by Rev. Miner Ray- mond. A Sunday School was at once organized, with James Pool, Jr., as Superintendent. Soon after an organ was bought, and a parsonage secured. In 1859 '^" addition of twenty feet was made to the church ; and in 1870 other alterations, making room for the organ in the rear. The following is the list of pastors : Loranus Crowell, 1853 ; Isaac S. Cushman, 1854-5 ; E. A. Manning, 1856-7; H. E. Hempstead, 1858-9; Aaron D. Sargeant, 1860-1 ; C. L. McCurdy, 1862 ; A. F. Herrick, 1863-4 ; Frederick Woods, 1865- 6-7 : no settled pastor in 1868 ; John W. Lindsay, 1869-70-1 ; George Whitaker, 1872 ; Angelo Canoll, 1873-4; Charles S. Rogers, 1875-6-7; Charles N. Smith, 1878-9-80. THE MAPLE STREET METHODIST SOCIETY. Organized on the first Sunday in March, 1851, by x\mos Benney, Presiding Elder of the Charles- town district. Religious services, in connection with a Sunday School, had, however, been held in 430 SKETCHES OF LYNN. the neighborhood since 1829. In the Letter part of the year 1850 the building now known as the "Old Chapel " was purchased of the New Central Con- gregational Society, then worshipping in Silsbee street, and removed to Maple street, being drawn by oxen through Union and Chestnut streets, to its present location. As this little chapel has a " history " as serving the need of several religious societies in the day of small things, and as it has traveled more miles, and presented its front more ways than any building known among us, a brief sketch of its checkered experiences is here given. The tirst use of this building was as a pottery establishment in South Danvers. It was subse- quently bought by the South Danvers Methodist Society, and used by them till they purchased the old Congregational house of worship, when the Freewill Baptist Society of this cit}^ bought it and removed it to Lynn, to the corner of Summer and Pleasant streets. This society finally vacated it, when the New Central Orthodox Society obtained it. Under the auspices of the Maple Street Society the house was opened lor public services December 27, 1850, the sermon being preached by the Rev. John W. Lindsay. In the month of October following, it was found necessary to enlarge the edilice to accommodate the people. This was done by opening the build- CHURCHES OF LYNN. 43I ing at the ridge-pole and widening as well as lengthening it, thereby doubling its seating capac- ity, and affording sittings for two hundred and fifty people. In this form it was occupied till the completion of the vestry' of the new edifice in 1872. This old chapel was bought by the society for $400, and the site it occupies was obtained for $18, one- third of its value, the other two-thirds being given by Mrs. Betsey Batchelder, of Marblehead. The new church, located on the corner of Chest- nut and Maple streets, was begun in the spring of 1871, and was dedicated February 15, 1872. It has sittings for one thousand, including both ves- tries, and cost some $27,000. The main audi- torium will seat six hundred persons. The following pastors have served the society : 1851, Mark Staples ; 1852, Daniel Richards ; 1854, Abraham D. Merrill ; 1856, How^ard C. Dunham ; 1858, Oliver S. Howe; 1859, Jarvis A. Ames; 1861, Abraham M. Osgood; 1863, John S. Day; 1865, Nathan D. George ; 1S66-7, Ichabod Marcy ; 1869, Franklin G. Morris; 1870-1-2, John A. Lansing ; 1873-4, Albert Gould ; 1875-6, Garrett C. Beekman ; 1877, Loranus Crowell ; 1878-9-80, Edward A. Manning, the present incumbent. THE WASHINGTON STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. The rapid increase of population in the eastern 43'-2 SKETCHES OF LYNN. part of the city was thought to necessitate the form- ation of a new Baptist Society for the better accom- modation of those in that section. Accordingly preaching was begun and a Sunda}' School was established in 1851, in Union Hall, a small hall over a grocer}^ store on Union street. " Seven brethren," the clerk notes in his record, " agreed to support, with what aid they could obtain trom others, a Baptist meeting in this part of the city." These seven were, Amos Lewis, Amos Austin, Georcre K. Pevear, Thomas Roberts, J. C. Blaney, Henrv A. Pevear and C. A. York. These seven persons afterward constituted the legal organization of the Second Baptist Society of Lynn. In October, 1852, Rev. J. H. Tilton was invited to become the pastor. In 1854 ^ council, duly con- vened, recognized thirty-nine persons, seven men and thirty-two women, as the Second Baptist Church of Lynn. In 1858 the church on High street was built, and on the 7th of October of the same year the church was dedicated. Rev. Alfred Owen was installed as pastor on the evening of the same day. Mr. Owen resigned his pastorate Jan- uary, 1S67, and in May, Rev. J. S. Holmes ac- cepted a call of the church, and was ordained June iS. During his ministry a Sunday School was organized in Swampscott, and in 1872 fifteen with- drew to tbrm the Baptist church in that town. In the same \ ear a Mission School was oro^anized in i WASHINGTON STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. LYNN. MASS. CHURCHES OF LYNN. 433 Providence Hall, Ward Three, and prayer meet- ings and preaching services were held. The church on High street, having outgrown its accom- modations, the fine edifice on the corner of Wash- ington and Essex streets was begun in 1873, and dedicated June, 1874. While the new church was in course of erection ninety members withdrew to form the East Baptist Church, and most of the Providence Hall school, numbering one hundred and fifty teachers and scholars, joined the Sunday School of the new society. The church from this time was known as the Washington Street Baptist Church. In May, 1874, ^^- Holmes closed his pastorate, and in Februar3% 1875, Re^'- D. W. Faunce accepted the call of the church, and is now its pastor. CHESTNUT STREET CHURCH. This society was organized Februar}' 16, 1857. Its first meetings were held in Brimblecom Hall, corner of Lewis and Breed streets. The Rev. Daniel L. Gear was the first minister. The church was built in 1857, and dedicated January i, 1858. Mr. Gear remained till i860, and was succeeded by the Rev. John Moore, who was pastor until 1864. He was followed by Edwin Smith, who remained till 1870. Webster Patterson was the next pastor. He remained until his death, in 1874. Willard A. 55 434 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Spaiilding was the next pastor, serving until 1879. John T. Blades took charge of the society June, 1879, and is still the pastor. THE NORTH CHURCH. This church was organized by sevent3'-four mem- bers from the First Church, Lynn, Ma}' 6, 1869, and a call extended to Rev. James M. Whiton on the i8th. After occupying temporary places of wor- ship for awhile, the society built the present church on Laighton street. Its dimensions are forty-five feet by eighty. It was dedicated January 15, 187 1. Mr. Whiton was installed the first pastor February 13, 1872. His pastorate closed March 14, 1875. James L. Hill was Mr. Whiton's successor. He began his labors in June, 1875, '^"^ ^s still (1880) the pastor. FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH. The Union Street Freewill Baptist Church was organized September 7, 187 1, with thirty-two mem- bers. Rev. J. Burnham Davis was installed as pastor on the 8th, and after about one year of suc- cessful ministry resigned and went to another field. In April, 1874, Rev. A. J. Kirkland was elected pastor, and satisfactorily served the church till his resignation in September, 1875. ^^ February, CHURCHES OF LYNN. 435 1876, Rev. H. S. Kimball was called to the pastor- ate, but at the expiration of a year resigned on ac- count of ill health. The present pastor, Rev. A. P. Tracy, came to the church July i, 1877. In 1876 the society sold its house of worship on Union street, and in 1877 purchased that on High street. There they began to worship in June, 1877. Before taking full possession of the property, the church was re-organized, becoming a corporate body, under the name of High Street Freewill Baptist Church. Forty-one have been added to the church since July i, 1877, '^"f^ its present num- ber is one hundred and thirty-one. It has a grow- ing congregation, and a Sabbath School number- inp- over two hundred. THE EAST OR FOURTH BAPTIST SOCIETY. This church was organized April 21, 1874, ^^ which time seventy-five persons presented letters of dismission and recommendation, sixty-four of whom were from the High Street Church, Lynn. A call was extended to the Rev. John S. Holmes to be- come their pastor. The name of the church, and the church covenant, were adopted April 24. The first public service was held April 26. The Sab- bath School was organized at the close of this ser- vice, with an attendance of sixty-six. On the 5th of May, 1874, ^^ ^'^^^^ voted to call a 436 SKETCHES OF LYNN. council of the churches comprising the Salem Bap- tist Association, together with the Baptist churches in West Bridgewater and South Boston, for the purpose of recognizing the society as an independ- ent Baptist church, and on the 14th of May the council met and passed the vote of recognition, and on the 19th the public service of recognition took place, the Rev. Wayland Hoyt preaching the ser- mon. On the 5th of July Rev. John S. Holmes ac- cepted the call extended to him, and entered upon the duties of pastor. On the nth of October it was voted to purchase the church property of the Free Baptist Society on Union street, conditionally, and on the ist of No- vember, 1875, '^^ ^^'"^^ voted to purchase the property at a cost of $18,000. On the 7th of July, 1875, Mr. Holmes resigned his charge. On the nth of August, 1878, Rev. Henry Hinckley, of Cambridgeport, accepted a call of the society, and is still (1880) the pastor. TRINITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. This church was organized May 7, 1873, under the labors of Rev. Alonzo Sanderson, who was ap- pointed to the then "Tower Hill Mission" by Bishop Wiley, at the session of the New England Con- ference held in Lynn that 3'ear. Previous to this time this field was occupied by the First Congre- "SSiET^"^ iniiiiiiiiiiiiiii -A ST. Joseph's (catholic) churcii, lynn, mass. CHURCHES OK I.YNN. 437 g'ational Society as a mission, chiefly under the care of Rev. Mr. Ilohnes. The society held its first meetings in the little chapel — near the site of the present church — before occupied by the " Mis- sion " societ}'. During the first year of Mr. Sanderson's pastor- ate the society began to build the present church near the corner of Boston and Ashland streets. It was dedicated February, 1S74. Mr. Sanderson is still the pastor, after an unusual service of nearly seven years. The church has a membership of over one hund- red, and a Sunday School of over one hundred and fifty. ST. Joseph's church. St. Joseph's Church, Union street, was built in 1875. The Parish having been formed in June, 1874, and Rev. J. C. Harrington appointed pastor. The census of this Parish showed that there were two thousand five hundred Catholics within this district, including those in Swampscott. Divine services were first conducted in the Christian church on Silsbee street. The corner stone of the new church was laid July 4, 1875, and services were held in the vestry on the following Christmas. The church, when finished, will be one of the finest in the city. It is seventy-four by one hund- 438 SKETCHES OF LYNN. red and forty-six feet, with a seating- capacit}' of nine hundred in the basement, and one thousand two hundred in the auditorium of the church. It was designed by James Murphy, of Providence, R. I. Tlie style is Gothic, with o-rained ceibni^i and will cost $75,000 when finished. There are six hundred children attending the Sunday School, directed by a Superintendent, Secretary and sev^enty teachers, with six hundred volumes in the Sunda}' School librar}'. St. Joseph's Cemetery, Wyoma, belongs to this church, and was consecrated October i6th, by Archbishop Williams, assisted by several clergy- men. THE AFRICAN M. E. CHURCH. This church was organized in 1856, and their house — on Mailey street — was built in 1857. The following is the list of pastors : Joseph P. Turner, 1S57 ; Ebenezer Williams, 1858 ; Edward B. Davis, i860; William Chase, 1861 ; John Brown, 1864: Daniel Mason, 1865 ; Joseph S. Smith, 1866; Wil- liam W. Johnson, 1868 ; John T. Hayslett, 1869 ; William J. Laws, 1871 ; James H. Madison, 1873 ; Stephen V. Douglass, 1875 ; Perry L. Stanford, 1877 ; Horace Talbot, 1879. BIOGRAPHIES ALONZO LEWIS. The following is intended simply as a sketch of the life of Alonzo Lewis. A more complete biog- raphy has been written by an appreciative friend — James R. Newhall — his successor in his historical labors. That biography appears in the last edition of the History of Lynn. The reader of this sketch will discover the ground of the writer's presumption in attempting to recall events, and to revive remin- iscences that will carry many now living back to the days of their childhood, and enable them to live over again scenes which, however brief in their duration, mankind cherish as the dearest treasures garnered in the storehouse of memory. The chief value of this record will be, that it is based upon the writer's personal knowledge of the man, and runs back to that period when, as children in school, we sustain to the teacher the nearest, and often the dearest, relation found beyond the domestic circle. The writer's recollection of Mr. Lewis dates back to the 3'ear 1833, soon after Mr. Lewis took charge 440 SKETCHES OF LYNN. of the grammar school in Ward Four. He had just pubhshed a new edition of his poems, and the writer remembers with what pride and satisfaction he received, as a member of the first class, a copy from the hands of the author. As a teacher, Mr. Lewis stood high, as the current testimony of those times shows, as well as the reports of school com- mittees through a series of years. Though not a collegiate, he had more learning than a half-dozen often met with laying claim to that distinction. But he had a higher qualification for this responsible trust than even this. He was a man of fine sensi- bilities ; and in those times, when flogging in school was the common order of things, he never indulged in it as a pastime. Often disgusted with what seemed to him the too IVequent occasions for corpo- ral punishment, he would announce to his pupils a determination to try the milder expedients of per- suasion, and an appeal to their sense of right. This would be followed by the abolition of all the terri- fying emblems of authority. Accordingly, straps, sticks and rulers were burnt, or banished from the school-room until some exigency arose, some ex- ample of insubordination, or mutterings of threat- ened rebellion, when chronological difficulties stood in the way of a settlement by a lecture on ethics, or a reference to a court of arbitration. Then there was no time to take up the purely psychological aspects of the question at issue, or dilate upon the BIOGRAPHIES. 44I transcendent attractions of moral esthetics, and so a return to the old routine seemed inevitable. While Mr. Lewis had, doubtless, a love for his profession beyond that of most men, it must have been equally true that he found much that was irksome and repulsive in the daily tasks set before him. His nervous, poetical temperament was keenly alive to the jarring discords of the school-room ; and the drudgery inevitable in a school such as he taught, must have been like heavy chains about his feet. Let us glance for a moment at a school-room in those days. A hundred pupils, more or less, ranging in age from eight to sixteen years, con- fined in a close, unpainted, ill-ventilated apart- ment, not larij^e enouijh for one-half that number. Eight or ten are crowded upon a bench extending from the side of the building to the single aisle in the center, affording an excellent chance to skulk, to pinch one another, pull hair and carry on a miscellaneous conversation upon the current news of the day. Goose-quills are to be made into pens for those who w^ite, and pens are to be mended. There is but little classification of pupils, for the mixed-up condition of things admits of nothing more. A. score or more of recitations, including the jerky and spasmodic efforts of the small boy reading his short sentences, and the most advanced learners struggling with the mysteries of algebraic symbols, and all between these extremes are to be heard 56 44-2 SKETCHES OF LYNN. each day. And all this without the aid of any assistant to lighten his labors. It is not to be sup- posed that a man of his sensitive nature could re- main unmoved amid the petty annoyances too tri- fling- to be noticed, but too aggravating to be borne without a struggle. It is still less likely that he could preserve the " soul's calm sunshine," when some juvenile rebel tore down the barriers of order, and possibly of decency, by committing an offence too heinous to be winked out of sight. Poetry and fiction furnish us with some examples of men who have reached sublime heiirhts of self- c> control and serene equanimity of temper. Blow high or blow low ; let the weather be of any sort ever known in moral meteorology, no matter, there they are. But these, for the most part, never kept school. Most of the romance writers were, and are, too wise to include a case like that, and so Mr. Lewis, tried beyond human endurance, would occasionally flog a boy. The writer does not wish to lay any stress upon the fact that he w^as taught and thrashed by the most talented man in town — the teaching largely predominating over the thrash- ings. The problem has been suggested to his mind, but with no attempt at solution, whether the scales would n't have turned the other way had the teacher, looking down the vista of time, foreseen his pupil at work upon this record, walking with a feeble gait, and at an immeasurable distance behind his master BIOGRAPHIES. 443 in his endeavors to revive and keep alive something worthy to make part of the history of Lynn. He has nothing to complain of in the administration of Mr. Lewis, and only regrets that, as he had an early " call " to go to " work," he could not remain to reap the benefits of a tuition such as a teacher so gifted as his could impart. It is not surprising, then, that under the extreme trials which are the lot, in some degree, of every teacher — but which in those days were experienced in a much higher degree — Mr. Lewis was not always serene. He had certain constitutional traits and peculiarities of temperament, for which he was no more responsible than for the color of his hair, or the size of his foot. These, to some extent, doubtless, tinged the stream of his existence ; but, for the most part, they were only ripples upon its surface, disturbing its even flow for a while, but no more determining its course or measuring its volume than the drift-wood floating on the river gauges the value of the commerce it bears to the sea. But even those who are disposed to take the most rose-colored view of this picture of early times, will hardly claim that the atmosphere of such a school- room was ethereal enough, whether considered as a material medium or a moral force, to float the delicate music from a poet's lyre, or inspire the imagination to ascend Alpine heights of song. But when the arduous and often tormentiuir labor 444 SKETCHES OF LYNN. of the day was over, Mr. Lewis did refresh his tired spirits as he listened to the music of the sea he loved so well, or, as a night watcher and wor- shiper among the "templed hills," caught "glimpses that made him less forlorn " and melted earth's heaviest fetters in the crucible of a poefs fancy. Health and manly vigor and high hopes of the future were his invincible allies, inspiring him with courage to work and wait ; and so he girded him- self and went forward. In spite of the drudgery of his daily toil, these were, doubtless, the happiest days of his life. Mr. Lewis left his profession as teacher in 1835, having taught in our public schools some twelve years. He first taught (in 1823) the grammar school in Ward Five, afterward one of the same grade in Ward Three, and lastly the school in Ward Four. It is a remarkable fact that during these 3^ears of arduous school labor he did a large part of the literar}' work of his life. His first volume of poems appeared in 1823. This volume contained some of his juvenile productions, a tew of them written as early as 1810. Six editions of his poems, with revisions and additions, were subsequently published, and gained for their author a wide repu- tation. Mr. Lewis must have been one of the most indus- trious of men. As one looks at the literary work which he had accomplished even at this early age, BIOGRAPHIES. 445 and this, too, in spite of the exacting demands and harassing cares of a most exhausting profession, he will find an illustration of the truth of Buflbn's definition of genius — ability to work. In 1829 he published the first edition of the History of Lynn in numbers, a work costing him years of patient in- vestigation, the explorer where none had been before him, a pioneer cutting out a path for those who should come alter. The inexperienced in a task like this know nothing of the difficulties to be encountered. Delving among old records, hunt- ing up almost forgotten manuscripts without indexes or references to guide his way, with only an obscure hint or an uncertain clew to follow, which costs days or weeks of labor, ending often in a fruitless search — these are a few of the obstacles to be met with by one who attempts for the first time to tell the story of the past, and record the experiences of generations who have left behind them only the scattered remnants of their history. This w^ork, which passed through two editions, was the chief literary labor of his life. During all this time, and subsequently, he wrote for the press. He was the first editor of the Record^ a paper first published in 1830. Owing to a .misunderstanding concerning the policy to be pursued in the manage- ment of the paper, Mr. Lewis resigned his editorial charge at the close of the first six weeks. Lynn owes a debt to Mr. Lewis which she can 446 SKETCHES OF LYNN. never repay. To him more than to any other man she is indebted for her growth and prosperity. One looking only at the surface of things might call in question the soundness of this estimate of Mr. Lewis' work and influence. This work did not show itself at once in spacious factories or extensive w^arehouses, or magniiicent public buildings — but it made all these things possible, and led the way to their realization. It was his gifted pen that first called the attention of strangers to the unrivaled beauty of her shores, and the grandeur of her scenery, and invested Nature's wondrous handi- work with unfading charms. Caves and grottoes, secluded glen and silvery lake, reflecting the glories of the rising sun or mirroring by moonlight the grand amphitheater of pine-clad hills, calling to mind Whittier's magnificent picture — " When the joung archer, Morn, shall break His arrows on the mountain pines, And, golden-sandaled, walk the lake " — all these were set forth in the poet's melodious verse, or immortalized by his descriptions in prose that rivaled in genius the finest productions of the writers of romance. To him, mainly, is she in- debted for the lighthouse on her coast, and for the protection of her beaches. No work of public im- provement escaped his notice. It seems almost wonderful that a man of his poetical genius, given. BIOGRAPHIES. 447 as many suppose, to reveries and abstractions, should be so constantly engaged in the solution of the most practical questions of every-day experi- ence. In this respect he had a rare combination, which is the highest evidence of his (jenius. Like Benjamin Franklin, a smoky chimney, or a bung- ling shoe that pinched the foot of the wearer, did not escape his notice, and he went to work for a remedy. In a Director}^ which he published, he presented a diagram showing how lasts could be made that recognized the anatomy of the human foot, instead of the old barbarous methods that gave more than ample room where it was least required, and cramped the toes and distorted the foot by con- tracting the space where it was most needed ; and all this in obedience to an idiotic fashion. At the present time the best English, French and Ameri- can shoes conform substantially to the plan sug- gested by Mr. Lewis. But it was not the various questions affecting the material interests of the town that alone engagred the attention of Mr. Lewis. He was one of the first to engage in the anti-slavery movement, just then beginning to assume a special significance under the organizing hand of Garrison. Even before this his protest found utterance in the follow- ing language : " The political system of our nation is probably the best which was ever devised by man for the common good ; but it practically embraces 448 SKETCHES OF LYNN. one evil too obvious to be disregarded. While it advances the principle that all men have by nature the same civil rights, it retains, with strange incon- sistency, one-sixth of the whole population in a state of abject bodily and mental servitude. On its own principles, our government has no right to en- slave an}' portion of its subjects ; and I am con- strained in the name of God and truth to say that they must be free. Christianity and political ex- pediency both demand their emancipation, nor will they always remain unheard. * * * * Where are the ministers of our holv religcion that their prayers are not preferred for the liberation and en- lightenment of men w'ith souls as immortal as their owm? Where are the Senators and Representa- tives of our free States that their voices are not heard in behalf of this most injured race? " In the following sentence he gives wider scope to his benevolent impulses : " I trust the time will come when on the annals of our countr}^ will be inscribed the abolition of slavery — when the in- human custom of war shall be viewed with abhor- rence — when humanity shall no longer be out- raged by the exhibition of capital punishment — when the one great principle of love shall pervade all classes — when the poor shall be furnished with employment and ample remuneration — wiien men shall unite their exertions for the promotion of those plans which embrace the welfare of the whole — BIOGRAPHIES. 449 that the unquahfied approbation of Heaven may be secured to our country, and that ' glory may dwell in our land.' " Mr. Lewis' practice was consistent with his pre- cepts. He was among the first to organize an anti- slavery societ}^ in town, and one of the sixteen who assembled in Boston at the second anti-slavery meeting called by Garrison. He was one of those who organized the first temperance society in town, and assisted in establishing the first Sunday School in Lynn. The following extract from a letter writ- ten by Mr. Garrison to Mr. Lewis illustrates the state of the anti-slavery movement in the " day of small things," and shows how closely the latter was identified with it in its earliest stages. The date of the letter is March 12, 1831. After alluding to the general aspect of the cause, Mr. Garrison writes — " Do any of the good people of Lynn wish to hear a couple of addresses on slavery? If a hall can easily and gratuitously be obtained, and if as many will attend as honored friend Lundy with their pi"esence, (twenty ac- cording to one of your correspondents,) it will give me pleasure to address them on Saturday and Sunday even- ings next, (19th and 20th inst.,) at 7 o'clock. T will cheerfully pay for lighting the hall, etc. The first lec- ture will be a defence of the doctrine of inimediate abo- lition, and a reply to the popular objections of the day. The other will be an examination of the merits of the American Colonization Society. I am willing to give SI 450 SKETCHES OF LYNN. you a little trouble because I know you will gladly incur it, but you must not be put to the expense of a farthing in procuring a place. On this condition alone can I consent to come." But he not only had a deep sympathy with Mr. Garrison in his great work ; he had also a high appreciation of his intellectual talents and his moral fitness for the grand movement which was soon to rock the nation on the stormy waves of conflicting opinion, and finally break the fetters of the slave by the shock of battle. The following sonnet shows how accurately he took the measure of the slave's great champion, whose self-sacrificing life, just closed by a triumphing death, built for him a monu- ment more endurino; than brass : TO WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON. Thy God has cast thee in a noble mould, And poured thy fabric full of living soul, That fills, informs, and animates the whole, As if we saw a vision form unroll ; And thou goest forward with Ithurial's spear To combat with the evils of the world ; And thy keen polished shafts on high are hurled To fill Oppression with a dreadful fear. And drive him from his hold in Freedom's land. Where he has marshaled forth a mail-clad band. Armed with the scourge of torture. Like a knight, Who battled for the Cross in days of old. With truth thy shield, go forward, and be bold. And may God aid thee in the glorious fight. BIOGRAPHIES. 45 1 MR. LEWIS AS A POET. Mr. Lewis began to write verse at an early age. That he wrote well, the high praise he received from competent judges fully proves. In a notice of his poetical writings, the Sheffield Iris. (Eng.,) edited by the poet James Montgomery, alluded to a volume of his " poems," just then published, in the following complimentary terms : " In many of tlie moral and religious effusions of our American brethren there is an expressed weariness of life and a longing to be rid of its cares and woes, which we cannot but reprehend, inasmuch as these things in the hands of Providence are elements of that salutary discipline which is no doubt intended to perfect our edu- cation for immortality. In the poems of Mr. Lewis we rejoice to see the manifestations of a healthier and more comprehensive spirit. * * « * Many passages of exceeding beauty will be found in the poem of Love as well as in the minor pieces which are appended, the majority of them being characterized by high moral views, with great sweetness of versification. Of these a specimen will be found in our Poet's Corner, wliich, if carefully read, cannot but prompt the wisli that the ex- quisite little volume from which it was taken may have as extensive a circulation in the old country as in the new." The Norwich (Eng.) Gazette published the fol- lowiuiT hiirh commendation : 452 SKETCHES OF LYNN. " We think our readers will agree with us, that this is as mellifluous verse as ever Campbell or Rogers wrote." The poem alluded to by the Sheffield Iris opens as follows : A purer theme than ever mortal sung, A sweeter word hangs on mj trembling tongue; Angels have listened to its voice divine, And seraphs bowed before its holy shrine. O, thou, fair Truth, Avhose form arrayed in light, Glows by thy throne of heaven forever bright, .Send thy pure rays into thy poet's heart. And holy strength to my glad mind impart; That I may trace the origin of Love, And teach mankind to seek her fount above. The following lines from the same poem present a line picture of a starry night — Benignant Power, how fair thy works appear! How full thy glories in each burning sphere : The Northern Harp with strings of twinkling gold. Pours forth its constant harmony untold ; There his bright lamp Arcturus holds on high, Filling with light the ch;?mbers of the sky; While in a shining group the gentle band Of sister Pleiads hold each others' hand, And dance all night along the spangled plain. To the rich music of the heavenly strain. Though humor was not a marked trait in his writings, Mr. Lewis could write humorously, as his " Ode to the Sea Serpent " shows. KioGKAPniEs. 453 The poetry of Mr. Lewis reveals no inlimate knowledge of the world, nor a deep insight into the manifold workings of human natin-e. He has w^-itten none of those immortal lines that haunt the memory, and are transmitted from age to age, the imperishable dower that genius bequeaths to the sons of men. He was a student of nature rather than of character. He loved the music of tlie sea, as its gentle ripples in the sheltered harbor played beneath the windows of his cottage, or as its stormy waves broke in fury on the beach a few rods distant, sounding their everlasting dirges in the watches of the night. And he loved the solitude of the woods. The waving of the pines, and the sighing of the winds beneath the " fretted vault " of heaven were to him grander than swinging censers and the subli- mest strains of cathedral anthem. He was a great admirer of Wordsworth, to whom he alludes in one of his finest stanzas — Thou, fit to stand where Shakspeare stood of old, And see the secrets of the Muse unfold ; To lie reclined upon the hallowed sod, And be the priest of Nature and of God. But meritorious as some of Mr. Lewis' poetical productions are, he holds a higher rank as a writer of prose. His style is always easy and graceful, and often elegant ; while some of his descriptions manifest a high degree of literary art. Passages 454 SKETCHES OF LYNN. can be found in the introduction to his History that are scarcely excelled by any modern writer. This is the more remarkable in view of the fact that he must have written under the pressure of circum- stances that gave him little leisure for that pruning and careful revision found so essential even to those most skilled in the art of expression. His writings abound in classical allusions, and his frequent ref- erence to the great masters of English speech show the wide extent of his erudition. Mr. Lewis was born in Lynn, on the 28th of August, 1794, and died January 21, 1861, at the age of sixty-seven. W^ILLIAM D. THOMPSON. William Diamond Thompson was born in 1787 in the rocky town of Marblehead. He moved to Lynn about ten years later, where he lived until his death, in 1875. ^^^- Thompson was what might be called an original character ; but his orig- inality did not run in those eccentric channels that often call for a large amount of charity and patience in following their windings. On the contrary, Mr. Thompson was always genial, always hopeful, and just as ready to say " good morning " to a boy as to BIOGRAPHIES. 455 a full-grown man. Soon after coming to Lynn he worked a while at the "old craft," and then learned the art of cuttincj shoes. He manufactured shoes for a time in a small way, and afterward engaged in cutting shoes for his brother-in-law, Joseph B. Breed. In 1827 or '28 he obtained a position in the factory of Nathan Breed, and for many years, till near the time of his death, he was manager of Mr. Breed's large business. Mr. Thompson was an admirable salesman. He could tell more stories and sell more shoes in the same length of time than almost any man living in these parts. These were the days when slavery was in full blast, and when our shoe business, which at first was confined entirely to New England, had ex- tended to the South until that section became our chief customer. Mr. Thompson was a stalwart abolitionist from the first. He had an instinctive hatred of slavery, and was one of the small num- ber ready to welcome Garrison and his few co- workers at the very start of their great mission. His home was ever open to welcome the great champion, and it was not many years before Lynn became known as the " hot-bed " of abolitionism. As a matter of course, Southern dealers came on here once or twice a year to purchase shoes : and as might be supposed, these dealers had little sym- pathy with abolition views. It was a performance worth studying to see Mr. Thompson handle one 456 SKETCHES OF LYNN. of these customers. First he would tell a story, called out by some remark, or by something that was passing in the street. Then, as if it were an incident of the occasion, he would call attention to a particular style of shoe as just the thing for the Southern market. Then, as if makinor a casual remark, he would say — " Here 's something we 've got up specially for your section ; extra wide, sevens to elevens." (Most folks called these nigger shoes. ) So he would lead his customer on, going from one thing to another by an easy transition, man}' of the topics brought forward not having apparently the remotest bearing upon any style of shoes then known. But they all did have an important bear- ing. His customer concluded he was the man to trade with, and in spite of his abolitionism — for Mr. Thompson took no pains to conceal his views — the most fiery defender of slavery from the South was often seen in the salesroom cracking jokes with Mr. Thompson, as though he had known him from his youth up. It was amusing to hear Mr. Thompson talk Marblehead. As he was a Marbleheader himself, he claimed a large liberty in this direction. He was pretty sure to imitate some of the peculiarities of speech that used to prevail in that ancient town whenever any of its inhabitants, workmen or bind- ers, happened to be present. Brief notes, written on paper as miscellaneous in its size, quality and BIOGRAPHIES. ^57 shape as their contents were miscelhineoiis in their character, were sent by workmen and binders Hv- ing in Marblehead. These notes were usually called " dockets." One day the expressman called and handed Mr. Thompson a budget of these " dockets." The writer happened to be present. Mr. Thompson took one and began to read aloud so that all present might hear — " Mr. Thompson, I want another set of lasts ; four can't work on one set." He read this as Dickens read his Wellerisms, broadening the vowels and rendering every part with scrupulous faithfulness. He then took up another. " Here 's a fellow who thinks he makes ' French.' I told him to make the edges a little thinner, and he wants a rise in his price." This allusion to " French " will be quite clear to the old "jours," but to the uninitiated an explanation will be needed. About this time, the style called " French " shoes came into fashion, so called from their supposed resemblance to the imported article. The uppers w'ere usually of light French kid, (when it was not American,) sometimes of white satin, and occasionally of other light and delicate material. The soles were cut from the best of light leather, and in " rounding on " were " feather-edged " down to the " grain," so that the edge, when finished, was about as thick as a ten-cent piece. Some of these native productions imitated the French article. Some of them did n't. A wag remarked that some 58 45^ SKETCHES OF LYNN. of these shoes furnished a sufficient reason for a declaration of war on the part of France. Mr. Thompson was popular with the workmen. He was very liberal in furnishing " findings " for them, such as rosin, paste-flour, bees-wax — for making channel-wax, as well as for binders' use. There was a good deal of difference in the practice of manufacturers in this particular, some of them supplying little or none of these things, while others furnished all that were needed. In this list, paste- flour held the first rank. A prominent manufac- turer told the writer the following story — plus the names : '^ Uncle Somebody worked for a boss who found paste-flour. Uncle used a good deal of paste-flour. It was hinted that it was not all used for adhesive purposes, but was made to serve as the staff of life. Not to put too fine a point upon it, he had it made into cakes. The boss got wind of this. He also got wind of the fact that Uncle ex- pected company when an unusual quantity of paste- flour would be needed. Uncle called for a supply of flour and the boss had some already — nicely mixed with pulverized rosin. The rosin, not act- ing in the least like baking-powders or yeast w^hen baked, made a compound such as was never seen on sea or land. Bread being the main article in an old times bill of fare, and good bread being the chief delight of a thrifty housewife, especially when company was to judge of its quality, this unlooked- BIOGRAPHIES. 459 for result came upon Uncle's family circle like a domestic Waterloo." As already intimated, he had an inexhaustible fund of stories and reminiscences. One day a workman from Marblehead entered the factory ; as he had put in an appearance a few days before, Mr. Thompson said — "How's this? You were here a day or two ago." '' Well, I had a chance to come over." "Ah, how's that Joe?" "Well, you see Tom Roundey was going to w^alk over, and I came over with him." The rarity of such a "chance" as this made Mr. Thompson smile audibly. A Qiiaker, well-known in the neighborhood, called one day and inquired of Nathan — as Mr. Breed was usually called — if he did n't want a basket of good apples. The price being satisfac- tory, Nathan told him that he might leave a basket. Mr. Thompson said he would have a basket of the same kind. In due time the apples were brought. The Quaker pointed to one, and with special em- phasis, remarked — " That basket, Nathan, is thine ; the other, William, is thine." Mr. Thompson mused within himself, " Of course these two baskets of ap- ples are just alike — same kind, the same price. I '11 send Nathan's basket down to m}- house ; " and they were delivered accordingly. A short time after, the Qiiaker made his appearance again in Nathan's factory. Nathan was present : so \yas 460 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Mr. Thompson. " How did thee like thy apples, Nathan? " asked the Quaker. " Pooi- things ; foor things!" said Nathan, in his crisp and emphatic manner. Mr. Thompson poised himself for the oc- casion — "Mine were excellent, excellent!" As the case was sufficiently elucidated, no further com- ment was made. During the anti-Masonic controversy of 1830, and the few years following, Mr. Thompson was known as a stanch anti-Mason. In short, he was never anything but stanch in the support of any opinion he saw reason to hold. Mr. Thompson was also one of the earliest among the temperance reformers. In all the earlier stages of the movement, through the years preceding the Washingtonian reform, he was a thorough, con- sistent temperance man, who never preached be- yond his practice ; and he was among the very first that stood on the total abstinence platform. Skeptics might assail the soundness of his philosophy, but they never attempted to cast doubt on the sincerity of his convictions, or the consistency of his practice. As might have been expected, Mr. Thompson entered the Washingtonian movement with his whole soul. He combined the zeal of the new convert with the steadfastness of the veteran. The few aged men now living among us, whose life took on a new meaning from the date of that great mQral upheaval, remember, and will never forget, BIOGRAPHIES. 461 the friend whose counsel and money were never wanting when poverty and the besetments of a drunkard's appetite stood in their path like an Apol- lyon ready to slay and devour them. Though outspoken in his denunciation of those who he believed were wilfully following the wrong, and setting snares for the feet of the young and un- wary, there was no tinge of the cynic in his nature, and no moroseness nor misanthropy in his character. He took a cheerful view of things, and his general philosophy smoothed his way over the rough places of life. He believed there was no evil in the world except what man made for himself. In the few last years of his life, when too old to attend to business, he would be seen, on pleasant days, about the railroad station, or in some favorite stopping-place, ready to tell, with a clear recollec- tion, anything that happened in Lynn, or vicinity, during the last fifty or seventy-five years. He could begin with the " embargo," and what Marblehead people thought of it; of the war of 1812, when a good many people from that town moved over to Lynn ; of the hard times of the war, and of the years following : and what they did n't have for breakfast in those days ; what relation the Saugus Newhalls were to the Pudding-Hill Newhalls ; or any other event of public or local importance that might be brought to his mind. 462 SKETCHES OF LYNN. HENRY A. BREED. One of our best known, and in some respects most remarkable men, was born in 1798, being the son of Thomas A. and Hannah N. Breed. In April, 1800, his family removed to Salem ; later, in 181 1, to Mount Vernon, N. H. ; and again, in 181 2, returned to Lynn, residing at the Lynn Hotel. Here an old merchant boarder became in- terested in him, and wdien peace returned, in 181 5, procured him a situation in the employ of Skinner & Hurd, of Charlestown, then considered one of the very foremost grocery houses in the country. Here Mr. Breed remained till his majority, and then, April 21, 181 9, he returned to Lynn and opened a grocery of his own. At this early period he had conceived the idea, as the purpose of his life, " to see what he could do for his native town."' Fie at once engaged in all the. reformatory enterprises that could be suggested. One of the first of these was the effort to have a stove placed in the Old Tunnel Church. Against much opposition this was done, and, of course, highly approved of afterward. This was in 1819. It was followed by a movement for setting shade- trees along most of the streets, to which he largely contributed. The old Lynn Mechanics Bank, first started in 181 4, had thus far only a very imperfect system of business ; this Mr. Breed undertook the BIOGRAPHIES. 463 correction of, and gave it the first regular and satis- factory form it had ever had. At this time neither mutual insurance nor savings banks were known in the town ; he set himself to create both, taking the agency of the Mutual Company, and writing the first policy of insurance ever made in the place. To develop the capacity of Lynn he also began the erection of dwellings, and other buildings, selling them to the people on very favorable terms ; and in sixteen years he had thus increased the number of habitable structures in Lynn by the number of four hundred and sixteen. But in 1836 he found that the unsettled state of public aflfairs would not further admit of operations on as generous a scale as he had proposed. The final result was that he became bankrupt for the sum of $900,000. Considering the causes that led to this indebtedness, and its very existence at such a time and among such a people, this failure must stand as a very remarkable case. It involved many others in its consequences ; Nahant Bank went down for $150,000, and the Union Insurance Com- pany for $50,000, Mr. Breed owning a fifth interest in each of these companies. Thus, in the sixteen years business, he had lost the sum of $42,000 ; but he claims, no doubt with reason, that in that time he had created here $750,000 of new value, which was equal to the 464 SKETCHES OF LYNN. whole town valuation for taxable purposes, when he came home in 1819. After this, and a great variety of minor services in which he sought to benetit his native place, and doubtless did so, and after he had gone through with the paintul " Eastern Land Speculation," losing some $200,000 thereby, a company of Boston mer- chants invited him to take charge of a new enter- prise, which was the building of a new city and naval station at Brunswick, Ga. He went thither with a large force, opened a heavy trade in lumber, and during his stay of three years completed all, or most, of the company's design, which included a canal from the Altamaha to the Turtle river, a rail- road from Brunswick to Tallahassee, or more than two hundred miles, a saw mill with $75,000 capital, and a hotel costing $50,000, as well as many lesser things. During this time he was always engaged in set- tling up the ruins of his earlier misfortune. It was no small nor pleasant work. Six years were ex- pired before a termination was at last afforded him, and then only by the United States bankrupt law. Mr. Breed then resolved on trying the standard business of Lynn, and accordingly commenced the shoe business, locating himself in the old Lynn Hotel building. A variable fortune attended this effort ; he had good success for a time, but ulti- BIOGRAPHIES. 465 mately failed, yet with enougii saved to settle in full with all the workmen employed. By this time the memorable year of 1849 had arrived, and he was solicited by Boston parties to go into business in California. Having agreed, he arrived in San Francisco December ist, when things were in their lowest condition. He had been made consignee of three ships' cargoes, and more than one strong man was ready to bid him welcome. By the courtesy and assistance of the late Thomas O. Larkin, he was introduced to General Valejo, at Benicia, after consulting with whom, both returned to San Francisco and formed a partnership for gen- eral merchandise and land business. Mr. Larkin furnishing $100,000 capital. This firm showed great enterprise ; they built stores, planked the streets, constructed wharves, and dug canals. The town of Sutterville owes its origin to them. But they soon met their reverses. Six large fires con- sumed their property to an estimated value of sev- eral millions ; and, though Mr. Breed considers his realized profits in California worth more than $500,000, his losses ran up to above $1,000,000, and he found it advisable to relinquish further effort in that direction. On the 30th of May, 1857, Mr. Breed returned to Lynn with so little left him as only to reckon himself a poor man. For a time he looked to his horticultural skill, in which he held always a high 59 466 SKETCHES OF LYNN. rank, for his daily living. But in 1858 the territory now called the " Highlands " began to attract notice, and he again adventured in the development and sale of lands. His movements in this cost him almost $10,000, rewarded only by the present dis- covery that the land would not sell. He was forced to leave it idle, where it lay for more than ten years. Meantime the business of quartz milling was be- coming of interest to the merchants of Boston, and Mr. Breed was invited to undertake the manufac- ture and management of a new machine for that purpose. He took hold of the affair, and formed a company with $150,000, which pursued the work for two 3^ears, and made $20,000. With this suc- cess he again started in Lynn in 1864, and formed a home company with $200,000, for the same busi- ness, to which was incidentally added the prepara- tion of raw-bone fertilizers. It was this business that led to the erection of the laro-e mill at the cor- ner of Western avenue and Federal street. He went on successfully in this for a time, till 1866, but his old misfortune seemed to find him out, the company failed, and all the stock was lost, the building in- cluded. In 1868 he attain g-ave his attention to his Hiorh- land property, the popularity of which had con- siderably advanced. Since then he has made ex- tensive improvements therein, laying out streets, investigating titles and erecting buildings, by which BIOGRAPHIES. 467 the taxable value of the premises has been greatly increased ; yet, at the present time, he intimates that he is more than likely to meet reverses that may undermine his entire possession. Such is a very rapid sketch of the long career of one of the most remarkable of the business men of Lynn. At the age of eighty-two he is still among us in full health and vigor, with memory stocked with the notable things of the past, and a library of reference to the local historian. One of the most unselfish of men, he has never been lax in his efforts, so early commenced, for the good of his native place ; yet it is not pleasant to have to add that none of these enterprises seem to have resulted in much good to him, though always well for others. As an example may be mentioned his founding the Lynn Mechanics Institute, about 1845, that built the block known as Exchange Hall, and was to provide a most worthy class of facilities I^or free education. Like so many more of his plans, it missed its specific mark but ripened into profit in a different way. Mr. Breed was one of the original members and founders of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, surrounded by a circle of genial spirits, of whom he is now almost a sole survivor. In similar associa- tions he has always found his great delight, and to- day realizes that his books and his garden have yielded him a surer return of happiness than the 468 SKETCHES OF LYNN. absorbing pursuits of mankind that have so much drawn him away from their full enjoyment. JOHN B. ALLEY. John Bassett Alley was born in Lynn in 1817. He had onh' the small advantages of the public schools, and at the early age of fourteen years was apprenticed to Pelatiah Purinton to learn the shoe- maker's trade. Mr. Purinton, a worthy member of the Society of Friends, had many apprentices, but declared that John was the best of them all, and he made a practical recognition of his faithful service by giving his apprentice his time when he was nine- teen years old. Mr. Alley early developed those traits which marked his future life — industrj', per- severance, a thirst for knowledge, and great busi- ness capacity. His love of reading ran in the direc- tion of history and biography, and especially those branches relating to the political history of America, and the career of our public men. At an early age he had laid up an unusual store of information, and an extraordinary memory, especially of dates, placed at his command whatever his industry had gathered. Having obtained his freedom he at once em- barked in business. He bought a stock of goods BIOGRAPHIES. 469 and sought a market for liis venture in the West, then beginning that marvelous development hitherto without parallel in the world. His journey — part of it on the Mississippi — was beset with difficulties and dangers, but despite youth and inexperience, his first effort was a success. lie now entered the shoe business, and soon after established himself in Boston as a dealer in shoe stock, and more especially sole leather. He soon became noted for those business qualities which marked his subse- quent life. His intimate acquaintance with the principles of trade, and the soundness of his judg- ment, brought their sure results. His success as a merchant was soon manifest, and he took his place among the leading business men of the State. From youth Mr. Alley showed an interest in the anti-slaver}' movement, and throughout his whole life has maintained a steady, consistent course in all his acts and utterances touching this, the greatest question of the time. He cast his first vote at a presidential election for the candidates of the Liberty Party. He was one of the organizers of the Free Soil Party, and was a candidate for presidential elector in 1848. He early turned his attention to public afiairs, and in the year 1850 — when the cit}- government was established — was a member of the Board of Aldermen. In 185 1 he was one of the Governor's Council, and in 1852 a member of the State Senate. 470 ■ SKETCHES OF LYNN. He was chosen a member of the State Constitutional Convention held in 1853. In 1S58 he was chosen Representative to Con- gress, the first and only native of Lynn who has held that high position. He served eight years, through the Thirty-sixth, Thirty-seventh, Thirty- eighth and Thirty-ninth Congress. He was a member of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads through his entire term of service ; was made Chairman of the Committee in the Thirt}'- eighth and Thirty-ninth Congress, and did very efficient work in behalf of those important interests. He was also a member of the Committee on the Bankrupt Law. In 1866 he was a delegate to the Philadelphia Loyalists' Convention. Mr. Alley has twice visited Europe ; the first time in i860, as the representative of important mercantile interests, and again in 1869, making the acquaintance of prominent men in political and commercial circles. For the last fourteen \^ears Mr. Alley has held no public office ; but his unabated interest in public affairs has divided his attention with the demands of an extensive business, and the pleasing duties of a large hospitality ; his fine mansion, near the sea- shore, being the stopping place of many distin- guished guests- Mr. Alley's career as a public man and a promi- nent merchant has brought him in intimate relations BIOGRAPHIES. 47I With nearly all the leading statesmen of the country, and with the foremost business men in commercial circles. Few men have a wider and more exact knowledge of the questions relating to the develop- ment of our material resources. The great rail- road enterprises of the last twenty years engaged his special attention, and his large knowledge and practical judgment have made him an authority on these and kindred questions. Few men are better qualitied than he to furnish a book of reminiscences of the events of the last fifty years. His extensive acquaintance with public men, and his large business experience, combined with a memory unusually tenacious, place at his command materials too valuable to be lost. Espec- ially minute is his knowledge of the social and in- dustrial progress of our city ; and a volume such as he could write would be an invaluable contribution to our local history. THE VOTE OF LYNN SINCE 1788. The following table shows the vote of Lynn — so far as recorded — for Governor and Presidential Electors, beginning in 1788, when the first presi- dential election was held, and ending with that of 1876, thus representing the vote in both State and National elections in each presidential year. In the years when no electors were chosen — or no vote recorded — the ballots cast for Representative to Congress have been given — so far as recorded — to represent the National vote of Lynn : April 7, 17SS. For Governor — John Hancock .... 62 Benjamin Lincoln . . 59 No vote for Electors recorded. April 2, 1792. For Governor — John Hancock .... 46 Francis Dana .... 6 No record of Electors this year. April 4, 1796. For Governor — Increase Sumner ... 76 Samuel Adams ... 53 November 7, 1796. Elector — John Norris 55 But one chosen according to the record. March 3, iSoo. Representative to Congress — Nathan Read .... 30S Jacob Crowninshield . 112 No vote for Electors recoi'ded. April 7, 1800. For Governor — Caleb Strong . . . .113 Elbridge Gerrv . . . 6S VOTE OP LYNN SINCE 1 788. 473 For Electors at large — David Cobb, (Me.) . . 173 OliverWendell, (Mass.) 173 April 7, 1S04. For Governor — James Sullivan .... 272 Caleb Strong .... 145 April 4, 1808. For Governor — James Sullivan .... 418 Christopher Gore . . 273 There is no record of any elec- tion of Electors this year. Representative to Congress — Daniel Kilham .... 375 Benjamin Pickman . . 265 November 12, 1S12. Electors at large — Harrison G. Otis . . 247 Nathan Dane .... 247 The record notes — not any for the Republicans. April 6, 1812. For Governor — Elbridge Gerry . Caleb Strong . , Thomas Witl . . 488 321 . 41S . 2(36 April I, 1816. For Governor — Samuel Dexter . John Brooks Representative to Congress — Thomas Stephens . . 175 Nathaniel Silsbee . . 23,^ No vote for Electors recorded. 1820 For Governor — John Brooks 174 William Eustis . . . .141 Electors at large — William Phillips ... 54 60 William Gray .... 51 B. W. Crowninshield . 71 Levi Lincoln .... 71 1824. For Governor — William Eustis . . . 626 Samuel Lathrop . . . 283 Electors at large — William Gray .... 259 Levi Lincoln . . . 259 William Baylies ... 20 William Reed .... 20 1828. Fof Governor — Levi Lincoln . . . .116 Harrison Gray Otis . 4 Electors at large — Thomas L. Winthrop . 346 Samuel Lathrop . . . 347 Nathan Willis . . .25 Harrison G. Otis . . 5 William Prescott ... 5 1S32. For Governor — Samuel Lathrop . Levi Lincoln . . Marcus Morton . Electors at large — John D. Williams Charles Jackson . Nathan Willis . . 1836. For Governor — Marcus Morton . Edward Everett . Electors at large — Nathan Willis . . Seth Whitniarsh . Nathaniel Silsbee Edward A. Newton 1840. For Governor — Marcus Morton . 212 197 47S 225 123 708 424 628 62S 440 440 902 474 SKETCHES OF LYNN. John Davis SSS George W. Johnson . S Electors at large — William P^ Walker . . 916 Ebenezer Fisher . . . 916 Isaac C. Bates . . , . SS7 Peleg Sprague , . . . S87 Jesse Wheaton . Sylvester Jiidd . 1S44. For Governor — George Bancroft . . . 9S0 George N. Briggs . . S90 Samuel E. Sewell . . 103 Electors at large — Gayton P. Osgood . •958 Samuel C. Allen . . •958 Abbott Lawrence . . S72 Lewis Strong , . . .S72 Joel Havden .... . 114 John G."Whittier . . . 114 184S. For Governor — Caleb Gushing . . . • 454 Stephen C. Phillips . S91 George N. Briggs . • 575 Frederic Robinson . . 160 Electors at large — Charles G. Greene . 728 Henry H. Childs . . 728 Levi Lincoln . . . • 530 Edmund Dwight . . • 530 Samuel Hoar . . . •S95 William Jackson . . S95 1852. For Governor — John H. Cliftbrd ... 924 Horace Mann .... 677 Henry W. Bishop . . 493 David Henshaw ... 44 Electors at large — Robert C. Winthrop . 799 George Bliss .... 801 Charles G. Greene . . 6S7 James S. Whitney . . 829 Stephen C. Phillips . 630 James Fowler .... 630 1S56. For Governor — Henry J. Gardner . 1,691 Erasmus D. Beach . 530 George W. Gordon . 161 Electors at large — Julius Rockwell . . 1,774 "Thomas Colt . . . . 1,796 Nathaniel J. Lord . 523 Whiting Griswold . 525 William Appleton . 353 Chas. D. Stockbridge 252 i860. For Governor — John A. Andrew . . 1,572 Erasmus D. Beach . 712 Amos A. Lawrence . 475 Electors at large — George Morey . . . 1,591 Reuben A. Chapman. 1,591 Isaac Davis .... 733 Charles Heebner . . 732 Levi Lincoln .... 343 Marshall P. Wilder . 343 1S64. For Governor — John A. Andrew . . 2,017 Henry W. Paine . . 546 Electors at large — Edward Everett . . 2,030 Whiting Griswold . 2,030 Robert C. Winthrop 541 Erasmus D. Beach . 541 1 868. For Governor — William Claflin . . 2,461 John Qiiincy Adams. 1,041 VOTE OF LYNN SINCE 1 788. 475 Electors at large — David Sears . . John li. Clifford Josiah G. Abbott John R. Briggs ^.735 -'73- 921 921 1S72. For Governor — Wm. B. Washburn . 2,819 Francis W. Bird . . 1,422 Electors at large — Ebenezer R. Hoar . 2,778 John M. Forbes . . 2,778 Chester W. Chapin Josiah G. Abbott , 1^395 1.395 1876. For Governor — Alexander H. Rice . 2,520 Chas. Francis Adams 2,107 John I. Baker Electors at large — Thomas Talbot . Stephen Salsbury William Gaston . Edward Avery . . 361 ->773 2:775 2,235 2.266 SHOE FACTORIES OF LYNN. The following- table gives a list of most of the larger shoe factories which have been built upon the spot where they now stand within the last half century. The date when these were erected can be ascertained with a good degree of certainty. This list does not include several large establish- ments, composite in their character, and uncertain in their history. These have reached their present proportions by the enlargement of smaller build- ings, with the necessary remodelling to tit them to meet the requirements of the present day. Some of these are made up of two old factories joined to- gether, and reconstructed to keep pace with the revolution that has taken place within the last twenty years. When it is understood that one of these modern factories has a capacity of some twenty of the old-time establishments, an explana- tion wall be found to the fact that the number of these factories does not correspond with the great increase of the shoe business of our city. Most of these are from four to six stories in height, and MODERN SHOE FACTORY, LYNN, MASS. SHOE FACTORIES OF LYNN. 477 cover an area of from 4000 to 10,000 feet of land. Those marked (b) denote brick, and (\v) those constructed of wood. It will be seen that during the last ten years most of these structures were built of brick. Of the first seven given in this list only that built by Nathan Breed is now used as a shoe factory : George Johnson, (w) North Common street, i833 Nathan Breed, (w) Broad street, built in 1835 David Taylor, (b) corner of Commercial and Elm streets, . 1S35 Josiah Clough, (b) Centre street, 1S36 Nathan D. Chase, (b) Broad street, 1836 Christopher Robinson, (b) South Common street, .... 1S4S Pratt & Bojce, (b) Broad street, 1S50 John Wooldredge, (b) corner of Exchange and Mt. Vernon streets, 1851 S. M. Bubier's block, (w) corner of Oxford and Market streets, 1855 John Wooldredge, block extension (b) Mt. Vernon street, . 1858-9 Lucian Newhall's block, (w) cor. Exchange and Spring sts. . 1859 B. B. Breed's block, (w) i860 Haskell's block. Union street, 1S61 P. A. Chase's block, (w) Spring street, ." . 1862 Thomas Stacv, (w) Exchange street, enlarged 1S63 B. F. Spinney's block, (w) — moved from Union street to rear — built in . 1S64 Breed & Abbott's building, (b) corner of State and Brown streets, 1S65 J. E. F. Marsh, (b) Market street, 1865 Theodore Attwill's block, (w) Munroe street, 1865 Exchange block, (b) Exchange street, 1867 John M. Newhall, (w) Union street, 1868 Brown Brothers, (b, stone front,) Union street, near Ex- change street, 1868 478 SKETCHES OF LYNN. Frazier's block, (b) corner of Market and Summer streets, built in 185S, burned in 1868, re-built in 1869 Johnson, Nichols & Ingalls, (b) Munroe street, 1869 Bubier's block, west side of Market street, built in 1S66, burned in 1S68, and re-built in 1S69 Bubier's block, (b) east side of Market street, ..*•... 1870 Dore's block, (w) Washington street, near Railroad .... 1870 Hussej&Musso's building, (w) Exchange street, remodeled, 1S71 Spinney's block, (av) — west end, — Almont street, .... 1871 Patrick Lennox, (b) Market street, 1S71 Spinney & Caldwell, Oxford street, 1871 Proctor & Ingalls' block, (w) Union street 1S71 Isaac Attwill, (w) built 1857, enlarged 1872 S. S. Ireson, (w) Munroe street, 1872 Breed & Sweetser's block, (b) between Railroad avenue and Union street, 1872 D. B. Moulton's block, Union street, 1872 Bennett & Barnard's block, (w) Willow street, 1872 Mower Brothers' block, (w) Willow street 1872 J. N. Smith's block, (w) Union street, 1872 Breed & Dole, (w) Oxford street, remodelled, 1872 Keene Brothers' block, (b) corner of Willow and Oxford streets, 1872-3 Jerome Ingalls' block, (b) Union street, 1874 John Mahon & Son, (b) 1874 John B. Johnson & Son's, (w) Central Avenue and Wash- ington street, 1875 Lucian Newhall (w) Oxford street, between Willow street and Central avenue, 1875 Keene Brothers' block, (b) — north — Oxford street, . . 1875-6 A. F. Smith, (w) Oxford street, 1876 John Wooldredge, (b) Mount Vernon street, 1876 Sweetser's block, (b) corner of Oxford street and Central avenue, 1S77 Fuller's block, (b) corner of Central and Railroad avenues . 1877 Bancroft's building, (w) Oxford street, 1877 D. H. Sweetser, (b) Willow street, near Liberty street, . . 1877 POPULATION OF LYNN. 479 John Mahon & Son, (b) near Liberty street, 1877 A. B. Martin's block, (b) Market street, 1S79 Valpey & Anthony's block, tb) corner of Central avenue and Liberty street, 1S79 T. P. Richardson & Co., (b) Central avenue, 1S79 P. Sherry's block, (b) Munroe street, iS79 B. F. Spinney's block, (b) Union street, 18S0 C. B. Tebbett's block, (I1) Willow street, 1880 POPULATION OF LYNN. 1830- 1880. A better understanding of the gain made between the years 1850 and i860 will be obtained by men- tion of the fact that Swampscott was set off from Lynn in 1852, and Nahant in 1853. 1830, 6,138 1840, 9,367 1850, 14,357 i860, 19,083 1S70, 28.233 1875, 32,600 1880 (estimated), 40,000 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 1S25 — Charles F. Lummiis published the first newspaper (The Ljnn Mirror') printed in Lynn. It appeared September 3. 1S26 — The Lynn Institution for Savings was incorporated June 20. 1S2S — -The Lynn Mutual Fire Insurance Company was organized. The Lynn Lyceum was established December zt^. 1S29 — The first complete map of Lynn was made by Alonzo Lewis from a special survey. 1S30 — The Lynn Recordvf^?, started by Alonzo Lewis January 23. Railroad house, head of Market street, built by John B. Alley. 1S31 — The Essex Democrat, the third newspaper in Lynn, was published by Benjamin Mudge. Coal first brought into Lynn by Henry A. Breed. 1S32 — The Weekly Messenger, the fourth newspaper published in Lynn, was first issued April 14. The Lynn Anti-Slavery Society was organized April 25. The Lynn Mechanics Fire and Marine Insurance Company incorporated. Nahant Bank established. Great anti-nullification meeting held in the Town Hall December 25. 1833 — Friction matches introduced. 1S34 — Meetings of Mount Carmel Lodge discontinued. 1835 — George Thompson, the noted abolitionist, visited Lynn. Old Mechanics Bank, Broad street, built. 1S3S — Eastern Railroad opened for travel August 18. ODD FELLOWS HALL. LYNN. MASS. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 481 1S3S— The fifth newspaper, with the title of The Lynn Freeman. was issued November 10. 1S39— Great storm, beginning December 15, and lasting three daj'S, did immense damage, especially along the coast. Twenty vessels were wrecked at Swampscott, and seven- teen dead bodies were found on the beach. 1840 — The Puritan, a religious newspaper, was started this vear in Lynn, with Rev. Parsons Cooke as editor. 1841 — Lyceum Hall built, corner of Market and Summer streets. First daguerreotype picture taken in Lynn, bv James R. Newhall. 1S4:! — Robert Trevett, a noted lawyer of Lynn, died yanuar\- 13. aged 53. The Essex County Washimj^fonian. a temperance paper, was started March 16. Christopher Robinson was pro- prietor. 1844 — The Essex County ff '///>, a weekly newspaper, was begun this year. 1845 — Mount Carmel Lodge of Free Masons, discontinued in 1834, was this year reorganized. 1S46 — The old Lynn Light Infantrji-, organized in 1812, was dis- banded. The Essex County Agricultural Society held its cattle show October 8. 1847 — The Essex County Agricultural Fair was again lield in Lynn September 29. 1848 — Carriage road over harbor side of Long Beach built. George Gray, the Lynn hermit, died February, aged 71. 1S49 — Lynn Police Court established, 1850 — Lynn adopts a citv form of government. Pine Grove Cemetery consecrated July 24. Ten hour system adopted. Bells ring at 6 P. M. 1S51 — Hiram Marble begins the excavation of Dungeon Rock. 1852 — Louis Kossuth visits Lynn May 6. Swampscott incorporated as a separate town. 1853 — Nahant incorporated March 29. Illuminating gas first used in L_\nn Jaiuiar_\- 13. 61 482 SKETCHES OF LYNN. 1S53 — Cars began to run over the Saiigiis branch raih-oacl. 1855 — City Charter amended, and tlie municipal year liegins the first day in January. 1856 — Sagamore Hotel built. Egg Rock lighthouse first lighted September 15. 1857 — Bark Federal wrecked — all on board lost — Januar\ 18. 1S58 — Telegraphic communication between Lynn and other places opened. Catholic Cemetery consecrated November 4. 1859 — Bark Vernon came ashore on Long Beach February 2. i860 — Shoemakers' strike begun in February. First horse railroad cars run November 29. Market street first lighted with gas December 7. 1861 — Nahant Hotel burned September 12. Lynn Light Infantry and Lynn City Guards start for the seat of war April 16, four days after the attack on Sumter. 1862 — Great war meeting held on the Common August 31. Soldiers' burial lot laid out in Pine Grove Cemetery. 1863 — Boston and Lynn Horse Railroad Company began to run cars to Chelsea beach June i. 1864 — Frederic Tudor died February 6, aged So. Free, delivery of letters from the post office. First steam fire engine arrived in Lynn August 11. 1865 — Corner stone of City Hall laid November 28. 1867 — City Hall dedicated November 30. 1868 — Great fire on Market street December 25 : Frazier's and Bubier's blocks destroyed. Five Cents Savings Bank building, Market Street, l>uilt. 1S69 — Factory of Edwin H. Johnson, and other buildings on Mun- roe street, destroyed by fire January 25. Ireson street school-house built. Shepard school-house built. Tornado swept through Lynn September 8. doing much damage. 1870 — Music Hall, on Central avenue, built. 1871 — Young Men's Christian Association incorporated. Electric fire-alarm introduced. c'HR()N"OLO(;icAi. rAiii.j';. 483 1S71 — Eastern railroad acciclciit at Roxerc; 33 lives lost — 11 from Lvnn — aiui some 60 woimdeti. 187J — Cobbett school-house dedicated. Ingalls school-house dedicated. Bell placed in tower of City Hall. Odd Fellows" Hall dedicated October 7. Eastern railroad station. Central square, built. Epizootic prevailed aniont; horses in the latter ]iart of the year; but few horses were able to travel. Reser\()ir 011 Pine Hill built. 1873 — Soldiers' monument. Park square, dedicated September 17. Concrete crossings first laid. Birch pond made by building dam across Birch brook. Friends' Biennial Conference held in Nahant street Uni- versalist church November 19. 1874 — Home for aged women incorporatetl Fobruarv 6. Academy of Music. Market street, built. Horse railroad extended to I'pper .Swampscott and Oak- land Grove. 1S75 — United States Conference of Universalists held October 20. 1876 — Engine house, on P^ederal street, built- Centennial of the nation observed by ser\ices in the old Methodist church. 1 878 — Engine house built on Broad street. Fence around the Park built. 1879 — Horse railroad extended to Cemetery. Two himdred and fiftieth anniversar\ of the settlement of Lynn. 1879-80 — Boj'den's block (b), Union street, built. 1880 — Young Men's Christian Association building, ccjrner ot' Market and Liberty streets, built. Horse railroad opened through Summer street to Central .Station and Long Beach. IN DEX PAGE. Adams Association 23S Alley, John B 46S Alexander 36 Anti-Masons 1 36 Anti- slavery movement just begun in 1S30 126 Athenian Club 353 Argand burner 9 Arkwright 30 Awls, breaking 59, 62 " Barvel," a name given to the slioemaker's apron 3S Beating-out machine invented by Joseph R. Johnson 20 Bells in Lynn 2S6, 40S Binding shoes 336-340 Black-strap 45. 4'^ '35. 136 Blanchard, Natlianiel (Cap'n Natty) 130 Books in shops 6 Boston 2,3 Boston Gazette of 1764 13 Boys in shops 39, 44 Boys' wardrobe in old times 76, Si Breed, Henry A 463 Bridges, Edward 12 Galvanism j 6 Campaign of 1S40 174-193 Cash paid by a fe%v bosses in old times 119, 120 Catechism 5 Christian Association 253 Chronological table 4S0-483 Clnirches of Lynn 438 Clam banks S Clothing, patclied 10, 77 Cobbler 4 INDEX. 485 PAGE. Common, Lynn 290-303 Common, buildins^s on the Common in 1S25 2qc>-^02 Common, trees on 201-206 Contrast between fifty years ago and now i_] i Congress boot first made iig Congress boot, patent tor granted to Charles Winslow ■>■>(, Co''dials 54,' 55 Credit in old times 103, 104 Crispin . Curtin, Knoch 267, 26S Dagyr, John Adams ] 7 Democratic Pavilion of 1S40 'S7-193 Discussions in shoemakers' shops r Downing, Klijah 1 - Drunkenness, other names given to 4- Eastern Railroaii Company began operations irS Emigration from New England i iS Engine Companies of Lynn 260-2S9 Engine, first drafting, used in I^ynn 27: Electric telegraph - Engines, trials of. 2SS, 2S9 Engines, trials of at fires 277, 27S Everett Debating Club 255 Exploring Circle 237 Factory system introduced 16 Factory system revolutionizes business 341 Fall River 3 Farming in 1S30 2, ^ Fashions fifty years ago 7'-S5 Financial measures of Congress in 1S37 i-i Fires, frequency of false alarms of 3S7 Fish mess at Naliant 4S Franklin Club , 235 Franklin Club, members of. 2^5 Friends' school established 377 Friends' Society 400-403 Gardening, a good deal done in 1S37 162, 163 Garrison, Wm. L 7 George's Banks 4 Gnomologian .Society 33S Grahamism 222-229 486 skp:tches of lynn. I'AGE. Grand Banks j Grindstone, turning the loo (jrog, origin of the term 46 Hair cutting hardly a decorative art ^y " Heeling " first made a specialty ^41 Houses, few tenements in Lynn in iS,v> 7 Houses generally owned bv workmen 131, 122 Hogs commonly kept S Howe, Klias, inventor of sewing machine 16 Instep leatlier, how used 5-2 Ireson, Benjamin 100, no Ireson & Ingalls loS Irish Literary Association 254 Jackson, President, visits Lynn 1 1 r Kertland, Phillip, one of the first shoemakers of Lynn 12 Kneeboards [, Kit improved 332, ^^^ Kit 6 Kit, list of shoL'niaker's 3' 1 33 > Kit, high value set upon certain pieces of. -52 Kit passed round the sliop 3- Labor, division in factories 343- i4S Lamps, Japanned used in old times o Land, low price of in 1830 121 Lawrence ^ Lasts, improvements in 333, 334 Lasts, block ^34 Lasts, Kimball lasts hrst used 335 Lewis, Alonzo 439-454 Library Association 252, 253 Library, Free Public 1 1 Literary Societies in Lynn 234-255 " Locofoco," wlien first used 90 Log cabin and hard cider campaign 174-1S7 Lowell, cotton, maiiutactnre of 2, 3 Luxuries fifty years ago g McKay machine introduced into Lvnii in 1S02 by William Porter 19 McKay machine introduced 342 McKay machine first run by foot-power 343 Marblchead, commerce of 3 INDKX. jSy I'AGF.. M;irket street, (icscriptioii ot in iSw ^no, ^lo Market street, names of those doing business on in iSy 31^ Market street, buildings on in 1S31 311, 313 Mechanics' store 104-106 Missions, foreign just established j Morocco business since ]S6o 129-331 Morocco business, amount done at present 331 Morocco business, amount done in 1S60 338 Morocco business of Lynn in old times 320-33S Morocco dressing carried on secretly in old times 331 Moulton, Joseph, his knowledge of the morocco business 330 Moulton, John T 320 Mudge, Benjamin n; Musical instruments, pianos, parlor organs and melodeoiis not in use in 1S30 9 Nahant incorporated — see chronological tabic 481 Nantucket in 1830 j New Bedford 2, 3 New fingland rum 53, ii;^ New England, seaports of 3 Newspaper, daily not seen as early as 1S30 7 Newspapers, weekly often found in the shops 7 Nullification in 1830 7 Orders given as early as iSio S7 Order stores of West Lynn 117, 118 Order system S6-1 32 Order system an improvement ujion barter S9 Orders used as currency 102 Panic of 1S37 146-173 Paper boxes unknown in old times 1^ Paper boxes first made by Abner Jones about 1S40 15 Paper shoe boxes 15, 16 Patterns, tin first used 17 Patterns, upper, machine for cutting 30, 21 Perkins, Uncle 66-70 Pig killing — a pig chase 55~SS Population of Lynn in iSio 13 Population of Lynn, 1S30 — 1880 >, 470 Potatoes the chief garden crop in 1S30 7 Prices, high, during the jianic of 1S37 164, 165 Public Libraries 356-359 Public Libraries, Free 11 Railroads 7 488 SKETCHES OF LYNN. PAGE. Railroads, negro cars on 231, 232 Religious societies in Lynn in 1S30 5 Revolution in shoe business 16-22 Rights and lefts 81-85 Rubber boot 10 Rum, Jamaica 107, toS Rum, New England S3-'>7 Salem 2 Salem, commerce of. 3 Salt phrases used in shops 3S-4S Saturday afternoon a half holiday 101 Schools, first of Lynn 357-397 School, one kept in different parts of the town 37S Schools, statistics of. 3SS, 390, 391 School houses, first 364-3S4 School houses fifty years ago 10 Schools ungraded fifty years ago 10,441 Schools crowded fifty years ago 10, 441 School report first made to the town 387 School report first printed 396 " Scrod," what Daniel Webster said of it 51 Scrapers, sharpening, a nice job 35 Shoulder-stick, cutting 35 Sermon discussed in shoemakers' shops 6 Sewing machine first used in Lynn 1S52 16,340 Shanks of very uncertain widths in old times 17, iS Shoe boxes made by Elijah Downing in 1S25 15 Shoe boxes did not come into general use till 1S30 to 1S40 15 Shoe business in 1S30 3 Shoe business, early history of la-iS Shoemaking carried on in old times in chimney corner 14 Shoemakers' shops in old times 14 Shoemaker's shop a school 4 Shoemakers, some of them " salt " 3S-4S Shoemaking in 1S30 2 Shoemaking in olden time 23-70 Shoemaker's shop — its history 14, 23-66 Shoemaker's shop, berth in 24 Shoemaker's shop, coal used in 26 Shoemaker's shop, garret ot 23, 24 Shoemaker's shop, fire places in 25 Shoemaker's shop, stoves in 25, 26 Shoemaker's shop, building fire in 27 Shoemaker's shop, singing in 6 INDEX. 489 I'AGE. Slioemiikers' shops put to other uses j^i Slioemaker's shop, despotism sometimes seen in 65, 66 Shoes, how packed ir, id Slioes sent out of town to be bound ^ Shoes taken to market 1 - Shoes, wide-toed the style between 1S32 and \Si,~ 16S, i6g Shop-tub, what made of 3 . Shop-tub, shifting ^, Silsbee Street Debating Club, report of deliate in 225-239 Silsbee Street Debating Club, political complexion of 199-209 Silsbee Street Debating Club 194-333 Silsbee Street Debating Club, names of members 195 Silsbee Street Debating Club, questions discussed in 196 Snuffers. 39 Social Union 3^6 Social Union, members of 336 Sole-leather, dealers in cut 34S~3S6 Sole-leather, statistics of cut 355 Sole-cutter invented by Richard Richards, of Lynn, patented 1S44 19 Sole-cutting 345-356 Sole-cutting machines; 353, 354 Sole-leather wasted in old times iS, 19 Speculation between the years 1S33 -'"d 1S37 120 Speculation in land, Eastern and Western 146-140 Stage coach 15 Stamp Act 13 Statistics of the population and products ofthe West in 1S30-40 146-153 Stirrup 62-64 Stock, wetting 34 Stock, neck, worn in old times j6 Streets of I.ynn fifty years ago 304~3I9 Streets, number of in Lynn 319 Streets, when opened 3'3-3'7 Styles of boots worn — took the name from great men 73 Swampscott incorporated — see chronological table 4S1 Tallow candles'used in 1830 9 Taunton in 1830 3 Taylor, David, President of Whig Club 17S Telegraphic fire-alarm 3Sg Telephone 11 Thompson, William D 452-461 Tinder-box, flint and steel used fifty years ago 2- Town Hall, the old "23-145 Town meeting, incidents of 125-14^ 62 490 SKETCHES OF LYNN. PAGK. Trees, fruit, not much cultivated in 1S30 S Trees, an association formed for setting out 295 Trees destroyed by tornado of September S, 1S69 296 Union Store orders 9'~9S Union Store, goods carried home from in " little cart " 93 Village House 106 Wages between 1S20 and 1S30 S9 Ward boundaries first establislied 371 Wards newly defined 3S5, 3S6, 394,395 Wax-making, art of 33 Webster, Daniel, at Log Cabin 1S4 West of 1S30 I iS Whigs, utter deieat of in 1S40 193 Wood, William, did much to improve the Common 393 Woodend fifty years ago 106-115 Woodend shoe manufacturers 1 1 i-i 13 W^ooldredge, John, first introduced sewing machines into LynniS52.... 16 Young Men's Debating Society 239-243 Young Men's Debating Society, debate in 243-252 Young Men's Debating Society, members of. 339, 240 NOTE. The tollowins^ errors esc;iped the attention of the proofreader, or when found in the copy, were not discovered until too late to make the needful correction in its proper place. On page 9, referring to the introduction of pianos, read scarcely in place of not. On page 133, giving dimensions of Town Hall, re-.iA Jifty-ci'ffht in length in place of one hundred, -.xnA forty-four in place of sixty. On page 239, insert the name of Nallianiel y. IJolden among the founders of tlie Voung Men's Debating Society. On page 303, eighth line from bottom, read tlirce in place of two. On page 379, seventh line from bottom, re.ad 1S25 in place of 1S26. In chronological table, page 4S0, under date 1830, read John Alley in place of John B. .\IIey. W' LIBRARY OF CONGRESS |i|ii||ii! II III III 11)11 III 014 077 778 A