^V *0j. o o * # Author Title 74: Imprint. '^^^^r:^;^^^-^ NORTHAMPTON HISTORICAL LOCALITIES ILLUSTRATED 1654 ^ ^ at 1904 < ^ a, o u _ HISTORICAL LOCALITIES NORTHAMPTON COMPILED BY THE COMMITTEE ON HISTORICAL LOCALITIES Celebration of the 2Soth Anniversary of the Settlement of the Town, June sth, oth and 7th, 1Q04. ''1 H■dc^i^ Committee on Historical Localities. Henry S. Gere, Chairman. A. Lyman Williston, Joseph Marsh, George L, Wright, Chauncey E. Parsons, Henry R. Hinckley, David B. Whitcomb, Luther J. Warner, Joseph C. Williams, Charles H. Dickinson, Merritt Clark. Benjamin E. Cook, Sidney B. Bridgman, Oscar Edwards, Watson L, Smith, Luther C. Wright, Lewis D. Parsons. ' 'y^'f^/" Gazette Printing Co., Northampton, Mass, V Brief Descriptions of Historical Localities. I. Northampton was first settled by white people in the spring of 1654, but its territory had been examined as a desirable place for a settlement several years before. It was then known only by the Indian name of Nonotuck. In May, 1653, (a year before the actual settlement.) twenty- four men petitioned the General Court for liberty to " plant, possess and inhabit" the place. All of these men were res- idents of Connecticut, most of them of Hartford, Windsor and Farmington. John Pynchon, Eliznr Holyoke and Samuel Chapin of Springfield also petitioned to the same effect at the same time. The General Court appointed Pynchon, Holyoke and Chapin commissioners to lay out the bounds of the proposed settlement, which they did, fix- ing the line to run from the Hadley falls ten miles north on the west side of the Connecticut river and westward from the Connecticut "nine miles into the woods." This included all the territory within the present limits of Northampton, Easthampton, Southampton and Westhamp- ton, and parts of Hatfield and Montgomery. The land was bought of the Indians by John Pynchon Sept. 23, 1653, and on Jan. 16, 1662, he turned it over to the inhabitants of Northampton, who allotted it among themselves, reserv- ing a large portion to be given to new-comers. The meadow lands were the most desirable and each settler was given a certain amount (usually about twenty acres,) with a liberal quantity of upland. The town took its name from North- ampton in England, and, though the Indian name was always Nonotuck, that name was never used by the set- tlers. The exact day on which the first settlers arrived 6 here is not known, nor is it known exactly where the first houses were built, but it is certain that the first arrivals were early in May, and it is presumed that they located their homes near "meeting-house hill." Nearly all the inhabitants of the town remained near the center for more than one hundred years. This was from fear of the Indians. After the close of the French and Indian war, in 17G0, the outer districts began to be settled. The first settlement at South Farms was made in 1GS7, but what is now Florence and North Farms was not settled until 1759. Roberts Meadow and West Farms were settled soon after, and " Rail Hill " (now Leeds) in 1790. Those sections were then covered with dense forests. The first settlers located on King, Pleasant, Market and Hawley streets. The sections next settled were Bridge, West and Elm streets. It was five years after the first set- tlers arrived before there was a house built as far west as the site of President Seelye's residence. For a great many years there were no streets here. What we now call streets were simply foot-paths from house to house. The farms were large and the houses were considerable distances apart. There was little of travel and what there was was either on foot or on horseback. The center of the settle- ment contained but a few buildings. Meeting-house hill was almost bare. Aside from the meeting-house there were for a long period of time no buildings nearer to it tlian the court-house and school-house at the junction of Main and King streets and the minister's house on the corner of Pleasant street. To the west there were after a time build- ings on the west corner of South street, where Ithamar Strong lived, and on Main street, opposite South street, where Gen. Seth Pomeroy lived. There was no building north of the meeting-house on or near the hill for a long time. The meeting-house stood there alone, like a city on a hill. The ground around it was all highway. There was a large open space at the junction of King and Pleasant streets with Main street, which was called "school house common." 2. The first "meeting house," used for religious ser- vices, town meetings and schools, stood on the easterly side of " meeting-house hill," near the southeasterly corner of the present court-house lot. It was built of logs and was twenty-six feet long and eighteen feet wide, and was erected in the first year of the town's settlement. It was in use for religious meetings seven years. The second meeting-house was built in 1661, and was located on the top of "meeting-house hill," directly in front of the west- erly half of the present First Church and the entrance to Center street, that being the apex of the hill. Meeting- house hill was then several feet higher than it is now, and the ground at its base was several feet lower. The meeting- house was approached from all sides. A ravine ran around the hill from the west side, back of the present Mansion House, to King street, and thence across Main street to Pleasant street and in the rear of Shop Row to Mill river, below the old South street bridge. There have been five meeting-houses built on this hill — the first in 1654, a log house, 26 by 18 feet ; the second, in 1661, 42 feet square, pyramid roof, with a turret on top ; the third, in 1737, 70 by 46 feet ; the fourth, known to the present generation as the " Old Church," in 1812 ; the fifth in 1876 ; the latter was damaged by fire in 1888 and immediately rebuilt, without essential change of plan. 3- The first court house, erected in 17;^7, stood near the easterly corner of the present court house lot, south of and about opposite the present court house fountain. The present court house is the fourth building erected on that lot for court uses. 4. The first school house, used exclusively for school purposes, stood on the easterly portion of meeting-house hill, easterly of the site of the present court house and farther down the hill, near the corner of court-house lot. 5. The first store on Shop Row stood on the site of the present drug stores of C. B. Kingsley and L. S. Davis, built in 1769 by Dr. Ebenezer Hunt for a drug store. 6. Jonathan Edwards preached here in two meeting- houses : he was settled in 1727, and the first house in which he preached was replaced by the one shown in the picture THE JONATHAN EDWARDS MEETING HOUSE. In which he preached. Built in 1737. Torn down 1812. in 1737. This house stood in Main street, opposite the westerly half of the present First church and entrance to Center street. It faced toward Bridge street. There were 10 three entrances, one in front (east) and one on each side (south and west). There were three aisles running north and south, and one on each end running east and west. The pulpit was- in the center on the north side, with a single stairway to it on the west side. Hanging over the pulpit was a large " sounding-board," which bore the date " 1735," denoting the date of the first vote to build. Two stairways led to the gallery, in the easterly and westerly corners. There was a tall steeple, with an open belfry, resting on eight posts. Surmounting the steeple was a weather vane, representing a rooster. A tower clock was put in soon after the house was erected. The house was torn down in 1812. This Jonathan Edwards meeting-house was built while the old meeting-house was still standing, showing that they did not occupy the same spot ; but they were near each other. The old house was torn down in 1738, the year after the new house was occupied. The accompanying picture of the second meeting-house in which Jonathan Ed wards preached is believed to be accurate. It was made from a sketch drawn by Architect William F. Pratt about thirty years ago. The dimensions of the house and the belfry are matters of town record, as are also the porches. The rooster weather vane on the top of the steeple is shown just as it was when Edwards thundered forth his mighty appeals from the pulpit within, and the semi-circular stepstone is seen in front just as it was when placed there 167 years ago. The house was similar in form to the Congregational meeting-houses built in that period ; there is one much like it still standing in West Springfield. Mr. Pratt was aided in his drawing by some of the citizens of the town who were familiar with the appearance of the house in their youth, and they pronounced the sketch cor- rect. It corresponds with the plan of seating the meeting- house given in Trumbull's History. There can be no doubt that when you look at this picture you see the meeting- house just as it a]ipeared when Jonathan Edwards and Major Joseph Hawley entered its portals and walked through its broad aisle. 12 7- The house of the first minister of the town, Rev. Eleazar Mather, stood on the Avest corner of Main and Pleasant streets, and fronted on Pleasant street. Mr. Mather owned all the land now covered by Shop Row as far west as Merritt Clark's store. 8. The first town house (used also for the courts) stood on the present court house lot, erected 1737. g. The first post-office (1792) was kept in the store of Robert Breck & Son, on the corner of Main and King streets, where the First National Bank now stands. Col. John Breck, son of Robert Breck, was the first postmaster. 10. The first newspaper, the Hampshire Gazette, was printed (1786) in the back part of Benjamin Prescott's house, on the west corner of Main and Pleasant streets. 11. The first bookstore in town was opened in 1797 by Simeon Butler, on Shop Row, where S. E. Bridgman & Co.'s bookstore now stands, and there has been a bookstore on that spot ever since. 12. The site of the store of Phelps & Gare, jewelers, on Shop Row, was in 1785 occupied by Samuel Stiles, a gold- smith, and there has been a goldsmith's shop on that spot ever since. The late General Benjamin E. Cook was in business there from Jan. 10, 1827, until his death, Feb. 25, 1900, more than seventy-three years. 13. The first bank in town, the Northampton Bank, was opened in 1803, on the site of Merritt Clark's store on Shop Row. It was succeeded in 1813 by the Hampshire Bank. 14. The first ferry between Northampton and Hadley was established in 1661, when Hadley was settled. This ferry connected Hadley at the lower end of Front street with " Old Rainbow," and for many years it was known as "Goodman's ferr3^" 15. The first bridge over the Connecticut river here was built in 1808. The present county -bridge (the fifth) was built in 1878. 13 i6. The first Edwards church (1833) stood on the east- erly corner of Main and South streets, where Columbian block now stands. It was destroyed by fire in 1870. 17. The first taverns were called "ordinaries." There was a tavern on the site of the present Mansion House kept by Col. Seth Pomeroy, and after him by his son, Asahel Pomeroy, and a tavern has been kept there ever since. There was a tavern, known as the "Red Tavern," on the site of the present Catholic church. Also, one on Hawley EAST CORNER MAIN AND KING STREETS, 1855. street, east side, where the Washburn house now stands, kept by Capt. Samuel Clarke ; one on the southerly corner of Pleasant and River streets, called the "American House ; " one on South street, on the site of the present Col. Calvin Strong house, corner of South and Fort streets ; rone on the west corner of North Elm street and the street leading to the car-barns, kept by Abner Hunt)^ one in Flor- ence, opposite the present Florence hotel, kept by Paul Strong, and known as " Paul Strong's ;" one about a mile 14 to the west, on the road to Williamsburg, kept by Solomon Warner, known as "Sol Warner's ;" one farther ou, half a mile east of Haydenville, on the old road to Northamp- ton, kept by Capt. Samuel Fairfield ; one at Roberts Meadow, on the turnpike road to Pittsfield, kept by Nathan- iel Edwards, who took the turnpike tolls ; and a number of others of lesser note in different parts of the town. RESIDENCE OF HENRY R. HINCKLEY, PROSPECT ST. Part of this house was built b}' Rev. Solomon Stoddard in 1684, and a part by his son, Col. John Stoddard. i8. Rev. Solomon Stoddard, minister of the town from 1(j72 to 1729, (fifty-seven years,) lived on Prospect street, where Henry R. Hinckley now lives. His son. Col. John Stoddard, succeeded him in occupying that place. Mr. Stoddard, Senior, built in 1684 the ell part of Mr. Hinck- ley's house as it now stands, and Col. John Stoddard built the main part. This is one of the oldest houses in town, as it dates back about 200 years, and a part of it 220 years. A liome lot was granted by tlie town to Rev. Solomon Stoddard in 1681. It contained four acres of land, and was situated on the east side of Round Hill, in the vicinity of the junction of Henshaw avenue and Crescent street. Mr. Stoddard never built on it, but three years later he bought another lot, a little south of the grant, and there he built. He and his descendants occupied this house for more than a century. The central portion of the house as it now stands, is all that remains of the home of Rev. Sol- omon Stoddard. The large gambrel-roofed building, in front of and adjoining this, was built by his son. Col. John Stoddard. The rear part of the house, built by Rev. Solo- mon Stoddard, was removed by Dr. Barrett, and made into the barn now on the place. Dr. Barrett also built the ell in the rear of the present building. Close to the central chimney of the ancient house was a large open space, under the floor of the second story, which, tradition has it, was used as a hiding place from the Indians. Tliis place no longer exists. In May, 1S09, this house was sold to Seth Wright of Boston, and it de- scended to his son, Theodore Wright. It was jnirchased in 18:57 by Charles C. Nichols of Boston. In 1845, it was bought by Dr. Benjamin Barrett and is now occu])ie(l by his daughter and her husband, Henry R. Hinckley. The accompanying picture presents a tine view of the house as it stands to-day. Col. Stoddard was one of the most prominent men of the town, and wealthy for his times. This accounts for the size and elegance of the main structure. The house stands on one of the most command- ing residence sites in the town, and is a treasure, both for the beauty of its location and for its historical associations. ig. Rev. Dr. Gordon Hall, pastor Edwards church twenty-eight j^ears, lived in the brick house on the South side of Elm street, o|)posite entrance to Prospect street, now occupied by Miss Tucker, No. 84. This house was owned and occupied in 1780 by Gen. William Lyman, a Revolutionary ofhcer and member of congress. 16 20. Rev. Solomon Williams, fifth minister, 1778 to 1834, (fifty-six years,) lived on King street, where his son. Dea- con Eliphalet Williams, lived. This was also the residence of Rev. John Hooker, fourth minister of the town. 21. Judge Joseph Lyman lived on Main street, where the Carr block and Carr bakery now stand. House was built in 1792, succeeding one that stood there and was burned in that year and occupied by Col. William Lyman. %' RESIDENCE OF JUDGE JOSEPH LYMAN, MAIN STREET. Built 1792. Burned 1870. Stood where Carr block now stands. 22. Gov. Caleb Strong (Governor eleven years and U. S. Senator) lived on Main street, where the Hampshire House now stands ; his gambrel-roofed house was removed to Pleasant street in 1844, where it was occupied by his son, Hon. Lewis Strong ; now No. 40. 23. Judge Samuel Henshaw lived on Elm street, in the gambrel-roofed house lately owned and occupied by Sidney E. Bridgman and now owned by Bishop F. D. Huntington. n 24. The " Warner House," one of the leading historical places of the town, was for several generations the princi- pal tavern. Gen. Seth Pomeroy lived there atid kept an inn. His son, Asahel Pomeroy, one of the prominent men of his times, succeeded him. In 1792 he erected the house which for two generations was one of the most familiar objects in town. The old house that stood on the same spot was destroyed by fire, Oct. 12, 1792. Mr. Pomeroy imme- diately rebuilt. In 1821 he sold the house to Oliver War- ner, who had kept a tavern on the Bridge road, half a mile ^ ti\ gl jl gl ^1 J i r^'J k' J J Biinl J WARNER HOUSE. Built by Asahel Pomeroy, 1792. Destroyed by fire, 1870. west of Florence, where Seth S. Warner now lives. Mr. Warner owned and conducted the tavern twenty-four years, until his death in 1853. From him the house took its name. Next to the "Old Church" and the court house, the "Warner House" was the most famous structure in town. There, many public gatherings were held ; there, the judges, lawyers and jurors stopped when the courts were in session ; there, travellers from far and near found a congenial home ; and there, the villagers repaired from 18 time to time to gather the news brought in by the stage- drivers and the guests of the house. 25. "Fort hill," off South street, takes its name from the building of an Indian fort there prior to 1670. The exact location of this fort is not known. " Dwight's Trav- els "says it was located "in the heart of the town, at a distance perhaps of thirty rods from the most populous street." This would locate it on Fort street, on the brow of the hill. Trumbull's History locates it "back of the Starkweather place." It was abandoned as a fort in 1670. The Indians who built it were friendly, and were given permission to build the fort by the town. 26. Gen. Seth Pomeroy, besides keeping a tavern, was a blacksmith, and his blacksmith shop stood between his house and the corner of Main and Center streets. 27. Dr. Sylvester (xraham, originator of the Graham dietic system, lived on Pleasant street, in the brick house, west side, now No. 61. Hon. Eli P. Ashraun, U. S. Sena- tor, lived in that house before Dr. Graham. 28. Erastus Hopkins, ten years a representative in the state legislature, lived on King street, house next north of the French Catholic church. 29. Tliomas Napier lived on Elm street, in the house that now forms a part of the Mary A. Burnham classical school for girls. Another building used by this school is the Colonial-front house on Prospect street, built by Judge Samuel Howe and in which he lived. 30. Samuel Whitmarsh built the house on Fort hill, since owned and occupied as a summer residence by Ed- ward H. R. Lyman and his son, Frank Lyman. His brother, Thomas Whitmarsh, built the house lately owned and occupied by Lucien B. Williams and now by his son, Col. H. L. Williams. 31. John Clarke, founder of Clarke Institute for Deaf Mutes, lived on Bridge street ; house now forms a part of Norwood hotel. 19 32. Rev. Jonathan Edwards lived on King street, where the brick house built by Josiah D. Whitney now stands, and the large elm tree that stands in front is one of two elms set by him and long known as the "Jonathan Ed- wards elms." A picture of one of these elms is given herewith. THE JONATHAN EDWARDS ELM. Set by Rev. Jonathan Edwards, 1730. House of Josiah D. Whitney on the right stands on site of the Edwards house. 33. " Bartlett's gate," at the foot of Pleasant street, in use when the meadows were fenced in, was near the pres- ent Harlow house. 20 34- Judge Charles A. Dewey, judge of Mass. supreme court, lived on College liill, where President Seelj^e's house now stands ; house was moved back and converted into a dormitory, and is now known as the "Dewey House." 35. Judge Samuel F. Lyman, judge of Probate court, lived on College hill, where the principal college building now stands ; house was moved to Canal street, and is now No. 35. 36. Major Joseph Hawley lived on Hawley street, on site of house now No. 104, known as the "Burrows place." His house was a low building ; the front door was fastened with a wooden latch and a leather latch-string hung out- side. 37. Isaac C. Bates, U. S. senator, lived on Bridge street, where the J. Stebbins Lathrop house now stands ; his house was removed to Noith street, and is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Henry Roberts. 38. Samuel Bartlett built a grist-mill in lOiJT on the west side of Manhan river in what is now Easthampton, and Joseph Parsons had a saw-mill on the opposite shore. There have been grist and saw mills there ever since. 39. Halligan and Dailey were hung, June 5, 180G, on " Gallows Plain," now Hospital Hill, in presence of 15,000 people ; Gen. Ebenezer Mattoon of Amherst, high sheriff, officiated, 40. Tlie "pound," for impounding stray animals, was at the lower end of Pleasant street, and is still owned by the city, though not used in the last fifty years. 41. The semi-circular stepstone used at the front en- trance to the meeting-house in which Jonathan Edwards preached, is now in use at the front entrance to Christo- pher Clarke's house, No. 40, Hawley street. 42. Stocks for punishing criminals stood at the junction of Main and King streets. They were not much used. 21 43- Gnide-boards, set in triangular form on three posts, stood in the fork of the roads at the junction of Main and King- streets, and a little north of these guide-boards were two large elm trees, underneath which were for many years a set of hay-scales for public use. 44. Just below the old South street bridge over Mill river there was a crossing on the bed of the river, called the "Lickingwater crossing." The banks of the river on either side sloped gently to the edges of the stream, and this was the principal public watering place in town for about two hundred years. It was closed to the public when the dike was built in 185G. OLD MANSION HOUSE, ON COLLEGE HILL, As it appeared when kept by Capt. Jonathan Brewster, 1840. 45. The "Oxbow," known in later years as the "Old Bed," was until 1840 the route of the Connecticut river. In that year, the high water in a spring freshet cut across the narrow neck east of the railroad and formed the pres- ent channel of the river. In going four and a half miles by a direct line the river by the " Oxbow" route ran nearly eleven miles. 22 46. The storehouse for frei^i^lit sent and received on the New Haven and Northampton canal is still standing and is nsed by Warren's livery stable. The canal ran under Main street beneath an arched stone bridge and came close to this storeliouse. The shed now seen on the east side was not there when the canal was in use. The three iron hooks under the eaves used for hoisting and lowering freight are there now. 47. This canal was carried across Mill river by means of an aqueduct, and ran along the side of the hill west of South street. The canal was opened for business in 1836, and closed in 1847. It cost 1980,000, all of which was a total loss. 48. The first jail in town was built in 1707 and stood on the corner of Main and South streets, near where Rahar's Inn now stands. It was sold in 1760, aud for twelve years there was no jail here. In 1773 a jail was built of logs on Pleasant street. The notorious Stephen Burroughs of Pel- ham was confined there in 1786 and was chained to the floor after attempting to break out. In 1801, a new jail, built of stone, was erected on the site of the old one, and in 1853 the present jail on Union street was comi)leted. 49- Shepherd's Island in the Connecticut river below "OKI Rainbow " began to form about 1729. In 1754 it con- tained six or seven acres, about half of which was fit for cultivation. It was formed by accumulations of soil and sand brought down by the spring freshets. It was sold at "public vendue" in 1770 by order of the legislature and purchased by Solomon Stoddard for 100 pounds. In 1803, Levi Shepherd, Jr., bought it for $1200, and it has since been known as "Shepherd's Island." It now contains about fifteen acres and is owned by the Mt. Tom Lumber Co. The money paid for it in 1803 went to the county and was used to build a bridge in Ware. 50. The first mill in town was a grist-mill, built in 1658 ; it stood on the north bank of Mill river, just west of the gas-works. 23 51. The '' Hunt house," a fine old gambrel-roofed struc- ture, stood on Main street, east of the first Edwards church, where the Hampshire County Bank building now stands. It was built by Deacon Ebenezer Hunt in 1770 and stood exactly one hundred years, being destroyed by fire in 1870. In it lived three generations of Hunts — Deacon Ebenezer Hunt, Dr. Ebenezer Hunt, and Dr. David Hunt. HUNT HOUSE AND EDWARDS CHURCH. House biiilt 1770, burned 1870. Church Built 1833, burned 1870. 52. Mill river originally ran around Fort hill and emp- tied into " Danks's pond," near the lower end of South street. It was changed to run from lower Pleasant street directly to the Connecticut river in 1710. In digging wells in Maple street, near the round house built by Seth Strong, large logs were found at a depth of twelve to fifteen feet and bright gravel, showing that the river once ran at that place. 24 53' El well's Island, just above the Connecticut river bridges, took its name from Levi Elwell, who lived near it. It began to form about seventy years ago, and for some years was only a sand-bar. Mr. Elwell used to put willow twigs in the edges of the banks on the upper side and that caused the sand-bar to enlarge. He was the first man to plant anything on this island. It now contains about twenty-five acres of land suitable for cultivation, most of which is in grass. A ferry-boat is used to convey teams and the crops by means of a wire. The island is owned by Frank R. Elwell and Spencer Clark. 54. A small park, oblong in shape, about 125 by 40 feet, was made in Main street in 1844, of soil taken from the Governor Strong lot when the Connecticut river railroad was built. Elm and maple trees were set in it, a low rail- ing inclosed it, and a flag-staff stood in the middle. Its center was opposite the west entrance to the old savings bank. It was made by the contributions of the Shop Row merchants and others. In 1867, the town having outgrown its presence, it was removed by order of the selectmen. 55. The first burials in town were made on "meeting- house hill," and in 1662 the burial-ground was established on the " Plain" near Bridge street, where it has remained ever since. 56. The present Main street along Shop Row did not begin to assume its present shape until ITtj'J. The princi- pal road to tlie top of " meeting-liouse hill" was on the northerly side, in the rear of the present court-house. The hill was quite abrupt on the easterly side. 57. Judge Forbes had his office and living rooms on the third floor of Judge Sterling's block, next west of the First church, over the banking rooms of the Northampton bank and Northampton Institution for Savings. 58. In September, 1675, two men were shot and scalped by Indians near their homes in Paradise while chopping wood. 25 59- 111 the early years of the town's settlement the meadows were fenced in and used in the late season as a " common field " for pasturing. The fence ran from the present Connecticat river bridge along the bluffs off Bridge street to South street bridge, and thence to the outlet of Manhan river at the base of Mt. Tom. 00. The high school for boys stood where the present Center street grammar school house now stands. For many years it was the only building on the ground between Main and Park streets and Gothic and State sti'eets. THE GREAT ELM IREE In Middle Meadow, its trunk i:!! feet in circumference. 6i. In October of the year 1675 a body of Indians attacked seven or eight men who were at work in Pynchon meadow ; the men escaped and one Indian was shot and killed. The Indians then attacked the settlers on South street, bnrning four houses and four barns. These houses stood on what is now known as the Starkweather place, the two home-lots to. the south, and one on the opposite side of the road. 26 62. At the foot of Pleasant street, on the northerly side of the road, a little west of the railroad, stood the freight- house of Capt, David Strong. Freight was brought up Mill river in times of high water. When the water was low the freight came to Hockanum ferry, and there was a freight-house on the west bank. David Strong and his son, David Strong, Jr., were the captains. Most of the freight to Northampton came by boat from Boston to Hart- ford, thence up the Connecticut river, through the canal at South Hadley Falls. This boating business disappeared about 1840. The old freight-house on Pleasant street re- mained there many years afterward. It was a long, low wooden building, facing lengthwise to the street, and stood close to the street. 63. The bank robbers, Robert Scott and James Dunlap, used the attic of one of the two one-story brick school houses that stood near the Bridge street entrance to the. cemetery, as their rendezvous while planning the robbery of the Northampton National Bank in January, 1876, On the night of the 26th they entered the house of Cashier John Whittelsey on Ehn street, now No. 184, bound and gagged the inmates and tortured the cat^hipr. The bank which they robbed of securities valued at I? 1,500, 000, was in Judge Sterling's block, on the west corner of Main and Center streets. The plunder from the bank was secreted in the school-house, where it remained about two weeks, when the robbers returned and carried it off by way of Amherst. 64. In 1677 the meeting-house was ordered to be forti- fied, and it was surrounded with a line of palisades similar to that which inclosed the central part of the town. 65. Southampton was the first part of the original town of Northampton to be set off. It was incorporated as the " First Precinct " in 1741. Its first minister was Rev. Jon- athan Judd, settled in 1743, died in 1803, after a pastorate of sixty years. The first meeting-house was erected in 1752, and stood thirty-six years. 27 66. Westhampton was incorporated as a town in 1778. The first minister was Rev. Enoch Hale, settled in 1778; he died in 1837, in the fifty-eighth year of his pastorate. The first meeting-house was erected in 1784. 67. Easthampton became a town in 1785, Its first min- ister was Rev. Pay son Williston, settled in 1789, retired in 1833 after a ministry of fortj^-four years, and died in 185(3, aged ninety-two years. The first church was organized in 1785, and the first meeting-house erected the same year ; the house stood fifty-one 3^ears. Williston seminary was opened in 1841, and the first button factory in town was built in 1818. EDWIN KINGSLEY HOUSE AND BLACKSMITH SHOP. House built 1793, torn down 1850. 68. The first bridge over Mill river at the "Licking- water " crossing was built in 1673. It was repaired and im- proved in 1G98 and a new bridge built in 1794. In 1842 a covered bridge was erected. This bridge remained in use until the new boulevard bridge was built in 1891, when it went to decay and was partly consumed by an incendiary fire ou the night preceding a fourth of July. 28 69. On May 13, 1704, occurred the great massacre at Pascomniuck. Early in the morning a body of Frencli and Indians attacked the settlement of five families between Mt. Tom and the Manhan river near its outlet into the Connecticut. The inhabitants of the hamlet were easily overpowered and thirty-seven of them were taken captive. Capt. John Taylor, who with a troop of horsemen pursued the Indians, overtook them a few miles to the south on their way to Westfield. The Indians then killed all but half a dozen of the captives. Capt. Taylor w^as shot and killed. He left a wife and eleven children. His house was on the lot afterward occupied by the Judge Joseph Lyman homestead on our Main street. 70. A palisade, made of strong stakes driven into the ground, was erected about the most thickly settled part of the town in 1075, for protection against the Indians. This palisade was assaulted a few months after it was built. At daybreak on the morning of March 13, 1G7(J, a body of In- dians, estimated to number 500, fell upon the settlement from the north. They broke through the palisade at lower Pleasant street. One house was burned within the fortifi- cations and four houses outside. There was a garrison of seventy-eight men inside, and such resistance was made that the Indians soon retreated. Four settlers and a girl were killed, and fifteen to twenty Indians. 71. A saw-mill was built in Leeds, then calletl the " Rail Hill district," in 1800. In 1808 a cotton-mill took its place. In 1812 Col. James Shepherd erected a woolen-mill below the cotton-mill and the latter was soon connected with it. The place was then for forty years known as "Shepherd's Hollow." The Northampton Woolen Mfg. Co. succeeded and Stephen Brewer and Thomas Musgrave were success- ively its agents. Henry Clay stopped at this mill when he visited Northampton in 1833 and was presented with a roll of broadcloth made by this company as a sample of the product of American industry. Leeds is now one of the centers of the Nonotuck Silk Mfg. Co.'s industries. 29 72. In IfiSO tlie town ordered the palisades to be repaired and in 1G89 they were enlarged. The town ordered that married persons should build three rods of palisade each and single persons two rods. The western line of this for- tification ran from the rear of the principal college build- ing and President Seelye's house to Miss Tucker's (formerly Rev. Gordon Hall's), thence to Henshaw avenue, and thence to the west of H. R. Hinckley's house on Prospect street. It probably inclosed West street and extended east- erly as far as the burial-ground. Its length was over two miles. OLD WRIGHT HOUSE On Bridi^e street, built IBoS, the oldest house in town. 73, The house shown in the above picture is believed to be the oldest house now standing in Northampton. It has been altered since it was built by the addition of two side wings and a change in the roof in the rear, which origi- nally sloped nearly to the ground. It stands on what was a part of the home lot of Cornet Joseph Parsons, which embraced all the laud between Bridge and Market streets that fronted on Bridge street on the south. It was built in 1658 by Mr. Parsons soon after his arrival in town, and it is supposed that he kept an inn there, as he was licensed to keep a house of entertainment. It was hekl in the Par- sons family until 1807, when it passed into the possession of Dauiel Wright and his wife, Chloe Lyman, and has re- mained in possession of their descendants ever since. Dau- iel Wright was postmaster of the town twenty-five years, aud his son, Ferdinand Hunt Wright, who succeeded his father in occupying the house, also served as postmaster and was the first cashier of the Hampshire Bank. His daughter, Miss Anna Wright, now occupies the house. 74. The streets of the town did not bear their present names until 1826, when they were named by a committee appointed by tlie town. Some of them had been desigua- ted by the name of some prominent resident on the street, and others bore nicknames. Hawley street went by the name of ''Pudding lane;"' Elm street was called "New Boston ; " West street to Hospital hill bore the name of '■' Welch End ;" Pleasant street bore the name of the gate- keeper, "BartletL's lane ;" South street was called " Lick- ingwater;'' and Park street "Stoddard's lane." Other localities were known by such names as these: — North Elm street as " Abner Hunt's;" Florence as "Paul Strong's ; " fork of the roads to Leeds and Williamsburg as " Sol Warner's ;" near Williamsburg line east of Hay- denville as " Cap'n Fairfield's ;" Roberts Meadow as " Nat Edwards's;" Leeds as "Shepherd's Hollow," and before that as "Rail Hill." 75. A grist-mill was built on the east side of Mill river, where Maynard's hoe-shop now stands, in 1677, and a road opened to it. This was called the "Upper mill," and the mill below was called the "Lower mill." These names were in common use for two hundred years. Some years later a grist-mill and a saw-mill were built on the west bank of the " Upper mill " water-fall aud a bridge leading to them was built below the dam. 31 76. The house of Chauiicey E. Parsons, shown in the picture, stands on the westerly side of Bridge street, facing the common, and was built by Isaac Parsons in 1744, the year of his marriage. It has been occupied by Isaac Par- sons, Josiah Parsons, Lyman Parsons, and Chauncey E. Parsons. There has been no material change in the house since its erection 160 years ago, and only descendants of the builder and first occupant have ever lived in it. It stands on what was originally a part of the farm of Cornet Joseph THE CHAUNCEY E. PARSONS HOUSE On Bridge street, built 1744, occupied by the Parsons family 160 years. Parsons, purchased by him in 1074, and extended fi-om Bridge street to Market street. The farm has been owned and occupied by Parsons families 230 years. 77. The town was without a bell in the meeting-house for thirty-six years. Meetings had been announced by the use of a drum or trumpet. 32 78. In the years arouDd 1850 the water-cure treatment was much in vogue here. Dr. Charles Munde had a water- cure establishment in Florence, west of Mill river, opposite the Brush factory ; he was preceded there by Dr. David Ruggles, a blind colored man, who opened the establish- ment in 1845 and died in 1849. The water-cure buildings were destroyed by fire Nov. 7, 1865. Dr. Halsted had an extensive water cure on Round hill, occupying all of the then existing buildings north of the Clarke Institute build- ings ; and Dr. Edward E. Denniston had a large establish- ment on the west corner of North Elm street, at the junc- tion with Prospect street, where Abner Hunt lived seventy- five years ago. 79. The first paper mill in town, which was the first manufactory here of any importance, was built by William Butler, founder of the Hampshire Gazette. It was loca- ted where the Wood cutlery works now stand, at the west- erly end of Vernon street, in what has since been known as "Paper-mill Village." Mr. Butler made there by hand all the paper used in printing the Gazette. As the publi- cation of the Gazette was begun Sept. 0, 17SG, it is proba- ble that the paper-mill was started at about the same time. In 1817 Mr. Butler sold the mill to his brother, Daniel But- ler, who kept a store under the printing ofUce. He carried on the mill until his death in 1840, when it passed into tlie control of William Clark, who, with his sons William and Lucius, run it many years, doing a large and profitable business. William Butler erected a two-story building for his printing ofiice on the east side of Pleasant street. That building still stands, much as it was built one hundred and eighteen j^ears ago. It stands directly opposite Cook's block, now occupied by the Warner Furniture Co. 80. On the east side of Bridge street, just north of the Josiah Parsons house, stood a small brick powder h(nise. It was built by John Clarke and other merchants who sold powder and used for storing that dangerous commodity. It was not much in use after 1850. , 33 8i. The picture of the Parsons house on South street, near the old bridge, shows one of the oldest houses in town. It was built in 1755 by Noah Parsons, Jr., son of Noah Parsons, who settled there in 1712. The house is now about as it was when built 149 years ago. There have been none but members of the Parsons family living on this homestead for 192 years. First was Noah Parsons, then successively Noah Parsons, Jr., Justus Parsons, Lewis Par- THE LEWIS PARSONS HOUSE, On South street, built in 1755, and occupied by its builder and his descendants 149 years. sons, and the present occupant, Lewis D. Parsons. The stately elm that stands in front of the house was set in 1755, the year of his marriage and the year that the house was built, by Noah Parsons, Jr. It has stood there 149 years. Originally there was quite a ravine running in front of this house just west of the elm tree and leading to 3 34 the river ; this ravine was partly filled when the dike was built in 1856 and entirely filled and the common graded in 1883. 82. The lead mines in the west part of the town, near Loudville, were discovered in 1078 by Robert Lyman, a hunter. These mines created considerable interest in town for many years, and many votes relating to them are on the town records. A mining company was formed in 1670 ; two Boston men became interested and something was done in working the mines, but they never yielded any profit. In 1863 the mines came into the control of Thomas E. Hastings and C. W. Elton, who made considerable stir there for about two years, ending in failure and bank- ruptcy, 83. The first railroad to this town, the Connecticut River road, was opened in December, 1815. For one year cars were run only to Northampton ; the next year the road was opened to Greenfield, and in 1849 the road was extended to the Vermont line. The second railroad to this town, " the Canal road," was opened in 1855. The branch line to Williamsburg was opened in 1867. The Massachu- setts Central road was opened in 1887. 84. There was a brick cannon house near the school houses on Bridge street, used for storing the cannon be- longing to the Northampton artillery company. It stood a little to the west of the Bridge street entrance to the ceme- tery. It was there in 1840 and 1850. 85. The first brickyard in town was west of King street and between Court and Park streets, opened in 1658. Another brickyard was opened in 1684 at the southerly end of South street, near where there is one now. 86. The first inn-keeper in town was John Webb, a blacksmith, hunter and land speculator. His house stood on the west corner of Main and South streets. 87. The first court here was held March 24, 1658. Reg- ular sessions began in 1661. 35 88. The present city hall was completed in 1850. The gas-works were ready for business in 185G. The water- works were constructed in 1871. The Northampton dike, inclosing Maple and Fruit streets, was built in 185G. The first street railway was opened here in 1866. The Hamp- shire, Franklin and Hampden Agricultural Society was organized Jan. 22, 1818, and the first cattle show held Oct. 14 and 15 of the same year. The building of the North- ampton Lunatic Hospital was begun in 1856 and completed in 1858. The Smith Charities were established by the will OLD TOWN HALL. On Court House park, built 1814, torn down 1870. of Oliver Smith of Hatfield in 1845. The Clarke Institu- tion for Deaf Mutes was established by John Clarke in 1867. The first public library in town was begun in 1839 with the formation of a " Book club," and from that have grown the two great libraries founded by John Clarke and Judge Forbes. The first savings bank in town, the North- ampton Institution for Savings, was organized Oct. 1, 1842. The Round Hill school for boys was established by George 36 Bancroft and Joseph G. Cogswell in 1823 and continned in existence fifteen years, having at one time two hundred pupils. A law school was opened here in 1823 by Elijah H. Mills and Judge Samuel Howe, in the Lyman block, next west of the Warner House, continuing six or seven years. General Louis Kossuth, the distinguished Hunga- rian exile, visited this town in April, 1852, and was given a reception in the Old Church ; Hon. Lewis Strong pre- sided and the church was crowded. Jenny Lind, the noted singer from Sweden, came here in 1851 and gave a concert in the Old Church on the night before the 4th of July. Again, after her marriage in 1852, she visited Northampton and gave a concert in the town hall, the proceeds of $937 going to various local objects. 89. The first stage to this town began to run in August, 1792, when the post-office was established. The line ran from Springfield to Dartmouth, N. H. The stage going north came once a week, arriving here Monday eV/Cning, going as far as Brattleboro, where it met a stage line from Dartmouth ; exchanging passengers the stage to Springfield arrived here on Thursday. A stage line to and from Bos- ton was established in July, 1793. 90. Round Hill received its name from its shape. The first house built on its summit was erected by Thomas Shepherd, and soon afterward his brother, Levi Shepherd, erected the house next to the north. The fourth house was built by Col. James Shepherd. These four houses stood there in 1823, when they were sold to Joseph G. Cogswell and George Bancroft for their Round Hill School for boys. 91. The Tontine building was in its day a structure of note. It stood on the easterly corner of Bridge and Haw- ley streets, fronted two hundred feet on Bridge street and one hundred on Hawley, and was three stories high. It was used as shops for various mechanics and had a dancing hall in the third story. It was erected in 1786. There must have been a " high old time " when the frame was 37 raised, judging by the supplies furnished. There were eighteen gallons of rum, four gallons of brandy, thirty pounds of loaf sugar, three pounds of brown sugar, ninety- nine pounds of beef, thirty-six pounds of veal, Capt. Clarke's bill of five pounds eight shillings (probably for more rum, as he kept a tavern in the Washburn house close by), and cake and cheese. The building was burned in 1816. 92. Sylvester Judd, antiquarian, historian, compiler of the Judd manuscripts, editor of Hampshire Gazette, lived on the west corner of Elm street and Paradise road. SYLVESTER JUDD. Whose historical researches have greatly contributed to the success of this celebration. 93. In 1825 General Lafayette came to Northampton and was given a royal reception. He came from Pittsfield over the mountains and was met at Roberts Meadow by Hon. Joseph Lyman, sheriff; of the county, and a commit- tee of citizens, a body of cavalry, and a number of citi- zens, and escorted to upper Elm street, where several mili- tary companies were ready to greet him. The procession came into town amid the noise of cannon and a demonstra- tion of joy rarely witnessed. The General alighted at the 38 Warner House, where he was introduced to the selectmen. Then followed a general reception in Main street by the people of the town. The school children were out to greet him and flowers were strewn in his pathway. Then he stopped at the meeting-house, where he was introduced to a large number of ladies. Then came a reception and din- ner at the Warner House, Elijah H. Mills presiding. At 2 o'clock the General started for Boston, being escorted to the Connecticut river by the same procession that escorted him into town. 94. These names were given to sections of the meadows by the first settlers : — " Old Rainbow " and " Young Rain- bow "to the section along the Connecticut river west of Shepherd's island; "Walnut Trees," south of "Young Rainbow ; " "Venturer's Field," from " Walnut Trees" to Pomeroy Terrace; above "Venturer's Field" up to the bridge was called " Last Division ; " on the river opposite Shepherd's island was "Bark Wigwam;" following the Connecticut to the mouth of Mill river was "Middle Meadow;" between "Middle Meadow " on the south and "Walnut Trees" and "Venturer's Field" on the north were "First," "Second" and "Third Squares;" " Man- han Meadow," named from Manhan river, embraced all now bounded by Mill river on the east, the " Old Bed" on the south, and Fort hill on the west ; "Hog's Bladder" lay south of the "Old Bed;" " Pynchon's Meadow" (120 acres) was north of Hulbert's (since known as Danks's) Pond. These names are still retained in common use. 95. Henry Clay visited Northampton in 1833. He was then a U. S. senator from Kentucky and came here with his wife on a tour of the country. He was met in Spring- field by a committee from Northampton, headed by Hon. Isaac C. Bates, and escorted into town by a cavalcade of citizens. They stopped at the Mansion House and' Mr. Clay attended the services in the "Old Church" on Sun- day morning and at the Unitarian church in the afternoon. The next morning he started for Pittsfield, passing through 39 "Shepherd's Hollow/' where the operatives in the woolen mill were drawn up in line to greet him. Thence on through Roberts Meadow, past "Nat Edwardses," over the turnpike, through Worthington, Peru and Pittsfield, to Albany. 96. Florence has had a surprising growth. The first settler there was Joseph Warner, near the fork of the road to the great bridge, and none but Warners have ever lived there. In 1812 there were only seven houses in the place, and as late as 1847 the number had increased to only about a dozen. The manufacture of silk was one of the first enterprises in the place, and to that industry Florence owes its prosperity. The mulberry speculation of 1835 to 1845 was not without good results, as it created Florence. The then hamlet was one vast mulberry field ; 400 to 500 acres of land were devoted to mulberry culture, under the lead of Samuel Whitmarsh. The bubble burst, but its germ lived, and one of the most flourishing of New England villages is the result. 97. Cider-mills were common after apple-trees came into general cultivation. There was one in 1840 at the entrance to Paradise road, owned by Ansel Jewett. The last of these mills near the center was at the south end of South street, run by Curtis W. Braman. 98. Smith College, though not an ancient historical in- stitution, deserves mention here. It stands on historical ground of great interest, where Lieutenant William Clark built his log house in 1659. It was founded by Miss Sophia Smith of Hatfield in 1870, with an endowment of $386,608, to which the town of Northampton added $25,000. The college was dedicated July 14, 1875. The first enter- ing class numbered thirteen. The college has grown with astonishing rapidity until the present number of students is upward of eleven hundred. Financially, also, the col- lege has been remarkably successful, and that with only a few gifts from appreciative friends. President L. Clark Seelye has been the head of the institution from the begin- 40 ning, and to liis superior coiirise], far-seein,<>' wisdom and rare executive abilities the college owes very much of its remarkable prosperity. 99. The " Old Church." There have been twenty meet- ing-houses built in Northampton, four of which have been destroyed by fire, but no one of them has taken so deep a hold of the hearts of the people as the "Old Church" of 1812-1876. That old meeting-house became a part of the life of the town. It was the center around which all else revolved. It was affectionately called the "Old Church." No other building in town was so much admired, none other so much loved. It was a beautiful specimen of arch- itecture, and many and sad were the hearts that witnessed its destruction in the afternoon of June 27, 187G. 100. In the last sixty years the center of the town has been almost wholly changed. Hardly a building remains just as it was in 1844. With three or four exceptions, every church edifice, every public building, every store and shop, and every house, on Main street, have been entirely rebuilt, and enlarged, or altered so as to lose their old-time appearance. The exceptions are the Holley house and barn, canal store-house, Dr. Higbee's house, and Butler's old printing-office and store building on the east side of Pleasant street. Dr. Higbee's house has been modernized in its appearance so that George Bennett, its old-time occu- pant, would hardly recognize it, and an addition has been made to the east side of the canal store-house. George Bancroft, the historian and founder of the Round Hill school, should he walk these streets again, would not know where he was. The old landmarks, once so familiar to him, have disappeared ; and the people, his associates in the years of his prime, who listened with so much pleasure to the charm of his eloquence, they also are gone. The date of the erection of the Whitney building, given under the frontispiece as " 1815, "" is wrong. The building was erected in 1810, by Josiah D. Whitney, who kept a store there. On page four, the name " Sidney B. Bridgman" should be Sidney E. Bridgman, our well-known bookseller, and the longest in service here of all our business men — sixty consecutive years on one spot.