Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 Text only Directory Pg. 150
Festival Opens Montague 200th on Bright Note The music was by men, women and young people from nine churches in the township. Pastors and ministers supported them by taking places in the band shell along with officials of the town, speakers and committee members. Miss Florence E. Argy served as director of the massed choirs, while Mrs. Florence F. Smith served as piano accompanist. The program was launched with the National Anthem sung by all while members of the armed services advanced the colors. Rev. Stephen R. Tucker of Turners Falls' First Congregational Church gave the Invocation, followed by the official welcome to the bicentennial by Arthur E. Burke, general chairman, who had been introduced by Wayne E. Pleasant, chairman of the evening's program. Following the first half of the program Dr. Hawkes spoke on the topic, "The 1954 Montague Watch" in which he used a watch as a symbol of Montague—its workmanship, character—and future. A bright and forceful speaker, Dr. Hawkes chose this opportunity not only to compliment the people of the town on what they have achieved in the first 200 years but to urge them to press forward with still greater accomplishments. He likened the history of the town to that of Massachusetts, which was settled by a little colony of people. From this small beginning became a great commonwealth. He cited 10 requirements of a successful town, some of which were its schools, ministry, the early commons for a drilling place and the noble character of its inhabitants. Choirs participating were St. Anne's and the A Cappella Choristers directed by Lionel Girard; Turners Falls Congregational Church Senior Choir, directed by Frank Bitzer; Turners Falls Congregational Church Girls' Choir, Miss Virginia Stoughton; Turners Falls Baptist Church, Mrs. Florence Russell; Our Lady of Czestochowa, Stanley Sojka; Millers Falls Congregational, Mrs. Wallace Stebbins and Floyd Maynard; St. John's Church, Millers Falls, Miss Margaret Bane; Montague Congregational, Mrs. Ralph Smith, and St. Mary's Senior and Junior Choirs, Miss Argy. Rev. James F. Hastings of St. Mary's Church pronounced Benediction. Montague Citizens Pay Tribute to Divine God Speaking of the Declaration of Independence, Fr. Hastings referred to it as the Magna Carta of Americanism. "In that declaration, in four separate paragraphs, the Founding Fathers gave graphic conviction that this nation must be erected under God and guided by his Divine Providence. Rev. Stephen R. Tucker, pastor of the First Congregational Church, in speaking on the subject, "Our Church-Past, Present and Future," told of the 20 church founders who kept the vision of the on-going church of Christ in their minds. Fr. Szczepaniank spoke of the Montague town fathers and their great work and of the original Polish settlers who arrived here 70 years ago and of the great sacrifices made by them. He mentioned the founding of St. Kazimier's Society 50 years ago, the society which started the Polish parish. Rev. George Burgess, vicar of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, stated: "While the church is small in size, yet it will continue to grow during the next 200 years and should become an even more important force and factor in the future history of the town of Montague. St. Anne's Church participated with an appropriate sermon and religious services.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
At St. John's Church in Millers Falls, Rev. James Verity of the Passionist Monastary in West Springfield asked God's blessing for Montague and its bicentennial celebration. He spoke of God's goodness and asked God's blessing in the future. Robert Manley, summer student assistant at the Montague Church, spoke on the process of growth. You have grown as a town, for 200 years, and I only for 23, but the questions are ageless and the need the same," "Could we have been created by God? Can we establish the Kingdom of God in Montague? Are we being judged by God? A bicentennial seems a fine time to think about our growth under God."
Lt. Gov. Whittier Gives Inspiring Address At Montague 200th Banquet by Bill Steinecke Turners Falls—The most important and awesome aspect of history is the activities of the everyday people, the small people who do not make the headlines but who nevertheless form the backbone of the nation, state and community, Lt. Gov. Sumner G. Whittier told more than 150 municipal, business and civic leaders at the Governor's Day banquet in St. Kazimier Hall last night. Whittier, who, due to a heavy schedule in Boston, arrived late for the banquet, delivered an in- spiring address as a 200th anniversary highlight. He was introduced by Selectman Raymond M. Trudel. Chr. Arthur E. Stratton served as master of ceremonies and, along with Trudel, introduced industrial and civic leaders. Stratton read letters from Sen. John Kennedy and State Sen. Ralph C. Ma-har expressing their greetings to the town on its birthday and their regrets at not being able to attend. Kennedy stated in his note that he would be represented by Chr. Daniel J. Kelleher of the Democratic Town Committee, who brought greetings from the senator. As Whittier warmed up to his subject, in a talk that lasted less than 10 minutes, he remarked on the amazing historical facts which led to the world leadership of the United States in a period which covers less than 500 years. "The story of this nation," he said, "is the story of its states, and Massachusetts is one of the foremost in the history of this land. The story of our states is the story of our cities and of our towns, and in turn the story of communities is in truth the stories of our people. And so, as the second ranking state official in this commonwealth, I am delighted and proud to come here and salute the people of this community whose men and women have played a part in the history of our commonwealth and nation."
One's Best Service Not always as Presidents or generals is one's part in history played, the state executive continued. "He serves well who is hard working and God fearing. He serves well who clears the hills, valleys, who fights the war whatever his rate or ranks—and many have left these tranquil acres to fight in every war. "He serves who farms well our arable lands and raises the agricultural products essential to life; he serves who manufactures our goods whether as management or labor; he serves who marries and brings up our children; he or she serves who is good father or good mother; he serves who teaches our children in schools, renders public service and help to others in each community. "Indeed, each individual in his way contributes and the better each individual the better and stronger is America." "In a democracy every citizen is a sentinel and each sentinel is responsible for the whole empire."
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
"And so," continued Whittier, "not just where the newspaper headlines are biggest and blackest, not where the radio or television newscast is longest or loudest, not in the marching events of major history but here, with the everyday people who are born, and live and love, and marry and bring up families, who till the soil and work in mills and factories; here where men and women and children worship God—here is history written; here has our past been built; here our present is growing; here is our future in promise bright and gleaming." He concluded: "And so I salute you of Montague, and tell you that time of effort and of work, of sacrifice and giving of challenge and of demand is not yet over. We live still in a perilous age when men die in distant places, and some of us must serve." "We live in an age of atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs but I have a faith and believe in the future of both this state and nation; for I have a faith in you, the people who have made us great and who will keep us free tomorrow and tomorrow." Governor's Councilor Bruce Crane spoke briefly to extend greetings from Gov. Christian A. Herter. Gen. Chr. Arthur E. Burke expressed thanks to all persons in the town who assisted with the planning for and are aiding in the execution of the bicentennial celebration. Members of the clergy seated at the head table were introduced by Selectman John A. Charron. They were: Rev. James F. Hastings, Rev. Joseph P. Szczepaniak, who gave Invocation, Rev. John McCormick, Rev. Albert C. Fleury, Rev. Charles Switalski, Rev. George Burgess, Rev. and Mrs. Stephen R. Tucker, Rev. T. Albert Lawrence and Rev. Henry Rohrs.
Town of Montague Historical Tableaux Turners Falls—Two hundred years of life in Montague, from the settling of its various communities through its participation in recent wars for world freedom, were portrayed in a series of 14 scenes or "Bicentennial Portraits," entitled "Remember When?" The program, devised and directed by Frederick B. Oakes, will be repeated tonight and tomorrow evening at the same time (8 p.m.) and place. There was a capacity audience for the initial performance. In a 10-minute speech prior to the opening of the program Lt. Gov. Sumner Whittier, introduced by Arthur E. Stratum of Millers Falls, chairman of the selectmen, congratulated the people of Montague for their achievements and urged them to go forward with their building of a fine community. The scene was Hunting Hills in 1726 and the picture showed Ebenezer Marsh's family eating a sumptuous[sic] dinner, perhaps at Thanksgiving or some other holiday. Religious Life, sponsored by the First Congregational Church, Trinitarian, of Montague Center, was dated 1752 and showed Rev. Judah Nash conducting a religious service at Root Tavern in Montague village. Early Montague Schools, sponsored by the Center PTA, showed a class in the district school of Montague village about 1770. In addition to the school master and pupils there was one in bright red costume perched on a high stool and wearing the traditional "dunce's cap." Beginnings of Town Government, sponsored by the Turners Falls Eagles, depicted a town meeting in 1780 conducted by the freeholders. Only men were present, save a Nanny goat tugged in by one of the villagers just before the curtain was drawn. Grout's Corner, Millers Falls, sponsored by the Congregational Church Couples Club of that 'community, showed Grout's Tavern in 1840 with Martin Grout welcoming travelers to the inn.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Development of Turners Falls Industry, sponsored by the Western Massachusetts Electric Company, was illustrated by an industrial scene which included a water wheel, circular saw, vat men and a map. The scene was Turners Falls in 1866, when Crocker and his associates envisioned industry near the falls. River Life sponsored by the Turners Falls Rod and Gun Club, Inc. showed the Connecticut 1875 when it was frequently busy with log drives. Five men in costumes generally associated with those of their craft were astride logs with poles and pikes used to guide them down the river to the mills where they were turned into lumber. This brought the first half of the program to completion. Following the cornet band concert. Lake Pleasant as a Social Center was depicted by a group of three boys and nine girls who tripped down the center aisle to the stage, where they set up a picnic. This was sponsored by the Lake young people and showed the village in 1880. The picnic presumably was near Jacob's Well. Founding of Farren Memorial Hospital, was sponsored by St. Mary's parish, was one of the most elaborate scenes. As sisters and nurses marched in from the side entrances of the auditorium a procession of priests and other people of the Catholic Church approached the stage from the center aisle to perform the ritual dedicating Farren Memorial Hospital in Montague City in 1900. Contributions from the Old World was sponsored by the St. Kazimierz Society and showed the South End in 1906 during a Polish picnic. A group of dancers in costume performed a polka while two little girls played accordions. The program was closed with a military scene sponsored by Daly-Solomon Post, VFW of Turners Falls, Coutu-Murphy, VFW of Millers Falls, and Belado-Crowley Post, American Legion of Millers Falls. The scene was of any place in Montague in the period from 1726 to 1954. The background was a large American flag with a soldier of today standing in front. At the sides were men in uniforms of various wars in American history from Indian times to the battles of Korea.
Youth Day Turners Falls—The small fry of Montague took over bicentennial celebration events today as the 200th program reached the midway mark. A crowd estimated at 3,000 jammed the Sheff Field area this morning for a parade by the town's 1,600 school children. The youngsters performed stunts and played games in organized activity prior to a free luncheon treat at 12:30 this afternoon. The largest crowds yet to attend a single feature of the Montague bicentennial thronged Sheff Memorial Field this morning for the opening of Children's Day with a colorful school children's parade under a brilliant sun. The attendance of parents, friends and visitors was estimated at 3,000 while about 1,600 children from all Montague schools participated. Highlight of the morning, second in effect only to the parade, was the surprise announcement by Supt. Arthur E. Burke that tomorrow will be a school holiday. The whistles and cheers from the students following the announcement were almost deafening. After the parade around the Crocker Avenue and High Street semicircle, lined with applauding parents and friends, the school children passed again into Sheff Field and past the reviewing stand before the bleachers. As they passed, Harold Fugere identified the units and described them. Each unit formed a solid front facing the bleachers after being reviewed. Presentations of cash and other awards by Mrs. Paul Mehrtens and Mrs. Burke for the Turners Falls Woman's Club, in appreciation of work done by the students on the club-sponsored
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
200th anniversary coloring book, followed the parade. Samuel Couture, Jr., presented Chamber of Commerce awards to winners of the poster contest.
Highlights Rotarians Dress in Costume for Weekly Dinner Turners Falls—Bicentennial activities was theme of the Rotary Club meeting in the Turners Falls High School cafeteria last night. A roast beef and turkey supper was served by Mrs. Marie DiLorenz, cafeteria manager. Five of the Rotarians, including Pres. John J. Mackin, appeared in garb befitting gentry of the early days of the town. Those who failed to wear styles of bygone days were fined a modern coin. The men with appropriate costuming later appeared in the historical tableaux. Appearing in ancient garb were, in addition to Mackin, Robert A. Cade, Lynton Hawley, Paul Fournier, Louis Murphy and Ronald M. Zschau. Dr. Warren D. Thomas and Zschau reported on the "Kids from Home" show which will play for the Rotary Club June 30 in the high school auditorium. Proceeds will be used for the club's youth fund. Zschau reported about 217 tickets sold to date. The next meeting of the club will be the annual baseball banquet at the home of Dr. Thomas Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. Committee members are: Jeremiah T. Shanahan, chairman, John Girard, Dick Murphy, Atty. Francis E. Dolan, Jr., Atty. John Dolan, Norman Plante, Dr. Raymond F. Higgins, James Humphrey, Samuel Couture, Sr., and Edward Kuklewicz. Visiting Rotarians were Donald Newhall and Ray Tenney of Greenfield and Dana Jewitt of South Deerfield. William Steinecke, Jr., was a guest of Cade.
Almost 1,000 Women Have Lipstick Permits Turners Falls—Almost 1,000 lipstick permits have been sold in the town of Montague during the bicentennial celebration to date. Local beauty shops and the Corner Book Store report the permits are selling fast and expect to go over the 1,000 mark by the end of the week. The permits, designed by Miss Marilyn Macintyre, certify that the owner has paid 25 cents and is entitled to wear lipstick at all times during the anniversary celebration. The bicentennial seal has been added to the permits to make them officially a part of the celebration. Selling permits, in addition to the Corner Book Store, are the Deluxe Beauty Salon, Marie's Beauty Salon, Venetian Beauty Shop, Silhouette Beauty Salon and the White Swan Beauty Shop in Millers Falls.
Legionnaires Urged to Join Hands, Battle to Wipe Out Communist Threat Turners Falls—"Just as we fought together in battle, so it is our obligation to fight together to wipe out the alien philosophy of communism," State Dept. Vice-Comdr. Joseph Ellinwood of Athol told 65 members and guests of Clarence W. Allen Post, American Legion, at the post's 35th anniversary banquet in the quarters. Comdr. William Steinecke, Jr. served as master of ceremonies and spoke briefly on post history. Ellinwood, a candidate for department commander, observed although the United States has always been on the winning side in the wars in which it has been forced to engage, nevertheless "we are losing the war of minds."
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Our country, and every free nation in the world, he said, is being out-thought by the communists. There can be little hope for salvation of the world's freedom and for our own safety until we learn to out-smart the communist chieftains, he said. He also noted that for many years prior to the close of World War II, the American Legion's Americanism program, which continually warned about the threat of communism, was scoffed at and sneered at by many Americans. The Legion, he recalled, was held up to scorn because it warned of the dangers of communism. "But", he added, "after World War II there came a day of reckoning and the American people have finally been made aware of this deadly threat to our freedoms." Today, Ellinwood said, the Legion is the most hated organization by Communists. He also spoke briefly on the four major programs of the Legion, other than Americanism. These are hospitalization, the Veterans administration, the battle to undo the damage of the Economy Act of 1933 and the G. I. Bill of Rights. Steinecke reminded members the post was named for Clarence W. Allen, killed at the Battle of Chateau-Thierry in July, 1918. The local post, he reported, was chartered five months after organization of the national organization in 1919. Both Ellinwood and Steinecke spoke of the valuable work by and assistance of the Legion Auxiliary in the overall Legion picture. Only charter member present for the banquet was Dana Salmon, and to him was accorded the honor to cut a large birthday cake presented the post by its auxiliary. A large bouquet of cut flowers was presented the post by Mr. and Mrs. Richard S tough ton. Introduced at the head table were Dist. 2 Senior Vice-Comdr. Charles M. Driscoll, a candidate for District commander at the June convention in Pittsfield; Mrs. Driscoll, William Steinecke, Sr., father of the commander and charter member of New York University Post 3, N. Y., and Robert T. Shepardson Post 82, Londonderry, Vt.; Mrs. Steinecke, Comdr. Ellinwood, Mrs. Ellinwood, Dist. 2 Auxiliary Pres., Beatrice Richason of Greenfield, Mrs. Helen Richotte, auxiliary president, and her husband, Alex Richotte. Past commanders introduced were Ernest Socquet, William J. Powers, Edward W. Pleasant, Arthur E. Burke, who spoke briefly, Clarence Bellemore, Harry May, Dana Salmon, Armand Berthiaume, Richard Stoughton, Wayne E. Pleasant, who served two years, Valmore E. Couture and Charles E. Bankwitz. First commander of the post was Thomas Bean who is no longer living. Chr. Arthur E. Stratton of Montague selectmen spoke briefly and also introduced were selectmen Raymond M. Trudel, a post member, and John A. Charron. Others introduced were Mr. and Mrs. Francis G. Bourdeau, Miss Mildred Call, Richard Thompson and Raymond Bender, Junior Legion baseball coach for years, Girls' State representative, Boys' State representative and oratorical contest winner, respectively.
Montague Historical Tour Has 14 Turners Falls Sites Turners Falls—Various sites on a proposed historical tour during the bicentennial week of June 6-13 were added to the agenda today as places of interest in Turners Falls, Montague City and Lake Pleasant by Chr. Harry S. DeWolf of the historical tours committee. The 14 sites in Prec. 1 proposed for the tour follow; Western Massachusetts Electric Company Dam at Turners Falls, fifth dam to be constructed in that approximate location since 1792. Cabot Station in Montague City, modern and powerful electric generating and switching station named for Philip Cabot, a former president of the Turners Falls Company, now WMEC.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Route of the old canal system from Montague City to Turners Falls, at one time the most important property in the town. Pier of the old Red Bridge which spanned the Connecticut River until it was salvaged for scrap metal during World War II. John Russell Cutlery Building, the first permanent factory to be constructed in Turners Falls after founding of the Turners Falls Company in 1867. Keith Paper Mill, oldest factory in Turners Falls in terms of continuous operation under the same name and of the same products. Montague Rod & Reel Company in Montague City, formerly the Montague City Rod Company. Montague City School, built in 1872, and oldest school building in the town of Montague still utilized for school purposes. Montague Mill, built in 1870 by Alvah Crocker and others now owned by the Keith Paper Company, but vacant for many years. Capt. William Turner Monument, located at the Gill end of the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge. Broadview Heights, location of the old ball diamond long before the days of Unity Park. Park Villa site of the renowned old trotting Park.
Touring Town Highspots Popular 200th Activity Turners Falls—Some of the county's oldest and youngest residents are being given a glimpse of Montague's 200 years in review through the windows of a bus. Covering about 30 miles of town roads, streets and dirt paths, the first of three historical tours carried more than 30 persons around a specially laid out route Sunday. With Chr. Harry DeWolf of the tour committee at the public address system microphone, as in the accompanying photo, and Chr. George Chapin of the transportation committee behind the wheel, the load of tourists sat back and looked and listened to the sights and secrets of the town's past-some old, some new. Departing from Carnegie Public Library bus stop at the scheduled 3 p.m., the tour took in sites of historical interest in all five of Montague's villages. From Montague City the route led through Turners Falls, touching Gill at the Capt. Turner Monument, back through Turners Falls, up Route 2A to the Plains, past the old Trotting Park Site at Park Villa and through Millers Falls, Lake Pleasant and Montague Center.
Plenty Of Fun Prevails At Peppy Block Dance by Ken Walker Turners Falls—The high point of gaiety and enthusiasm thus far in Montague's 200th anniversary celebration was reached at the Turners Falls block dance as 3,000 happy, noisy spectators and dancers turner out to fill Avenue A north of Fourth Street to capacity. The dancing area, which at 9 p.m. measured about 150 feet in length, was gradually reduced by the clapping, shouting throngs until 10 p.m. it measured only about 75 feet. All the police, regular and auxiliary, that the town could muster failed to hold back the pressing mass. Only about 100 persons at a time were able to dance in the area remaining after the spectators gradually closed in. Repeated entreaties over the public address system to "Move back and give 'em room" had little if any effect. Biggest applause of the evening was for the square dance group, with 14 local teenagers demonstrating the Virginia Reel and later, after a breather during which the crowd again took over the available space, various square dances.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Before the square dance group took the spotlight, Harold Fugere's Orchestra, which supplied waltz, polka and fox trot music during the first hour of the celebration, retired from the Avenue A and Fourth Street reviewing stand and were replaced by recordings played over the PA system. Recordings accompanied the square dance exhibition.
Over 1,000 Alumni Return For Turners Falls Event by Joan Wrightson Turners Falls — Upwards of 1,200 Turners Falls High School graduates formed a permanent Alumni Association and elected officers at the first reunion of the 66 classes at the high school last night. The event was Arranged in honor of the bicentennial celebration. Elected president of the Alumni Association was Dr. Warren Thomas. Vice-president is Judge Samuel Blassberg, Miss Catherine Kelley was elected corresponding secretary; Mrs. Elizabeth Bankwitz, recording secretary; Mrs. Rosemary Maddern, treasurer, and Miss Helen McGillicuddy, alumni news editor. Greetings to alumni were given by Supt. Arthur E. Burke, Prin. George F. Wrightson and Miss McGillicuddy, Alumni Night chairman. Burke stated that the enthusiastic attendance commented "everyone likes to come home." He said further that although the Alma Mater is dressed in a different attire, the same basic educational philosophy and discipline prevail. Wrightson told the group that one of his greatest thrills as high school principal was to see such a large attendance at the reunion. He then paid tribute to all the excellent teachers, past and present, who have guided students at the high school, Miss McGillicuddy expressed the hope that the occasion would mark the beginning of many reunions. A roll call of classes followed and then, a roll call of teachers, past and present. About 30 instructors, some of them also alumni, answered the roll call. Old and young alike appeared to be having the time of their lives, the former with looking on and sometimes dancing, and the latter with popcorn and balloons, provided by vendors on the street corners. Directed for the past few weeks by Joseph Paulin, the square dance group performed to the calling of Carol Scopa. Members of the group were Cathy Desautel, Maureen Hale, Pat Kelleher, Joyce Pervere, Beverly Gaudry, Elaine Gamash and Joan Beauchamp, dancing with Bud Brown, Jim Ingram, Jim Pease, John Plaza, Jim Pelletier, Jim Powers and Eddie Spence. Singing for the thousands who strained to hear from as far away as Third and Fifth Streets were: Carol Scopa and Paul Lemoine, duet of "Make Believe"; Dave Farwell, "Shortnin' Bread"; Miss Scopa, "Wanted", and Lemoine, "Young at Heart." Playing with Fugere on the drums were: Mrs. Minnie McCaffee, piano; Henry Wade, saxophone, and Joseph Koldis, trumpet.
Sell 500 Barbecue Meals, Place Concession Stands Turners Falls-About 500 tickets for the Saturday chicken barbecue, which will be prepared by the Franklin County Poultrymen's Association, have been sold to date, Concessions Chr. Russell G. Webster reported today. Some misunderstand, he reported, what they will get to eat. Some, he said, believe they will pay their money and get half a chicken. There is, however, a definite menu. In addition to the half chicken, each serving will include salad, potato chips, cranberry sauce, pickles, rolls and a choice of beverage.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Three concession stands will be in operation tomorrow night at Unity Park, where a duo of events is planned. The A Cappella Choristers will have a stand for the evening in conjunction with the baseball game between the Florence AC and the Turners Falls Aces. The Turners Falls Rod-Gun Club will have a concession booth at the Unity Park bandstand and the Franklin County Boat Club will have a booth on its grounds near the river. All three will be available during the ball game and for the river show and Turners Falls Military Band concert. Only concession booth Friday will be adjacent to the Casu Diner, operated by the diner. It will be maintained in conjunction with the block dance in front of Equi's Store on Avenue A. On Saturday, the stands at Unity Park will again be operative and, in addition, the Turners Falls High School Athletic Association will have a booth at the high school in conjunction with the drum corps and band exhibition at 2 p.m. Webster urged residents and visitors to the town to buy balloons, trinkets, ice cream, cotton candy and other items from official vendors only. They will be marked with official arm bands. Any salesman with such a band, he said, has paid either a stipulated sum or a percentage of the "take" to the town celebration.
Fireworks Please 10,000 After Barbecue, Concert Turners Falls—An hour-long display of fireworks last night at Unity Park, staged under ideal conditions by the Pearl Fireworks Company of Providence, R.I., put one of the finishing touches to a busy celebration week and sent Montague into its third century with a "bang." A throng estimated at more than 10,000 crowded onto the grounds to witness the fireworks, to hear the band concert by the Turners Falls Military, Turners Falls High School and Montague Elementary Schools Bands and to partake of the chicken barbecue served by the Franklin County Poultry-men's Association. The mass of humanity at the park waited patiently for the fireworks, scheduled to start at 9:45 but delayed to after 10 o'clock at the conclusion of the band concert. Each of the set pieces and a number of the aerial rockets drew applause from the crowd. Most popular set piece was in blue and gold and spelled out "Welcome Town of Montague 200th, 1754-1954." More than 1,600 half chickens were barbecued and served at the 5-7 o'clock program Saturday. The band concert, directed by Benjamin Weiner, was a more-than-worthwhile addition to a full program and the bands, individually and in their combined numbers, drew generous applause.
Concert, Illuminated Boat Parade on River Turners Falls—A waterborne band concert by the Turners Falls Military Band, preceded by an illuminated boat display called "The Dance of the Fireflies" by the Franklin County Boat Club, will take place Thursday evening at the boat club docks on the Connecticut River. The concert will begin about 8 p.m. and last approximately 11½ hours. Boat club activity will begin shortly after 7 and end just before the concert begins. Club members' craft will be illuminated with gaily-colored Japanese lanterns and other lights and the river bank will be appropriately decorated. The maneuverings of the lighted craft on the river promise to provide an intriguing pattern of interwoven lights.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Montague Celebration Attendance—68,600 Turners Falls—Attendance total for the entire eight-day Montague Bicentennial was estimated at 68,600 persons, with many counted several times as they attended various events. Daily attendance estimates at scheduled activities follow: June 6 ...... 1,150 June 11 ...... 3,500 June 7 ...... 850 June 12 ...... 42,000 June 8 ...... 1,150 June 13 ...... 4,150 June 9 ...... 6,800 Total ...... 68,600 June 10 ...... 6,000
Montague Brings Grand 200th Festivities to Close Turners Falls—The Town of Montague wrote a formal "finis" to its wonderful eight-day 200th anniversary Celebration Week yesterday. And in so doing the townsfolk could point to a glorious beginning for the chapter marked "Third Century." A total attendance of nearly 70,000 was recorded during the week-long festivities, highlighted by 30,000 at the Parade of the Centuries Saturday. Beautiful skies of blue provided a perfect cover for the eighth consecutive day on Sunday. Four thousand lined the banks of the Connecticut River for a water show unanimously acclaimed the best this area has seen. Meanwhile, a smaller but just as happy group was gathered at Montague Center School for a reunion of students and teachers of the old Montague High School, which was closed in 1911. These were the final events of Celebration Week. This community took on the appearance of a mammoth carnival midway Saturday. Twenty-seven musical units and hundreds of persons marched along Montague City Road, Avenue A and Second Street in Montague's biggest parade. The first spectators had lined up as early as 7 a.m. and by 9 more than 10,000 were seated on the curbstones or strolling through display-decked streets. And the crowds continued throughout the day, capped by a long fireworks display which attracted 10,000. More than 1,000 dined at a chicken barbecue at Unity Park while hundreds of others "ate out." The anniversary theme was even carried over into Montague's First Congregational Church, where the choir and many parishioners wore old-fashioned clothes Sunday. A smaller version of the Saturday parade was presented Sunday afternoon in Millers Falls, where the new $380,000 Veterans Memorial Bridge was dedicated. Not an official part of the Bicentennial program, the ceremony nevertheless attracted 500 spectators and a dozen parade units. Although officially ended, however, the celebration program will be kept alive for a long, long time. For the many committees which have been working on the festivities for months, there is still more work. Money must be counted; bills paid. Final reports must be drawn up and submitted. With Gen. Chr. Arthur E. Burke, under whose direction the program moved smoothly and expertly all week, sub-committees will collar loose ends before long for preliminary reports. For the thousands and thousands of Montague folks, former residents, neighbors and visitors, the celebration will live long also . . . in souvenirs, photos, newspaper clippings and, most important, in their memories.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Dedicate Vets Memorial Bridge In Millers Falls Millers Falls—The Montague-Erving Veterans Memorial Bridge was officially opened and dedicated Sunday afternoon before an estimated 500 persons. Fr. McCormick, former pastor of St. John's Church, was speaker of the day. He opened his talk by noting: "It is great to be home." The theme of his talk was "Unity" between towns, country and nations. "This bridge is a symbol of unity, for example," he said. "As a flag passes, we uncover our heads or salute, as not a piece of material but, because it is a symbol of everything in this great country of ours. The flag represents all of which we are proud in this great country that we love. "This bridge," he continued, "represents the unity of the two towns, Montague and Erving, and as long as we forget the bridge divides the towns and there is this bond of unity between lesser things. America will stand and will always be the United States of America, the country we love." Selectmen Stratton and McLaughlin cut the ribbon and the bridge was officially opened. A salute was fired by a firing squad. Mr. Lawrence, pastor of the First Congregational Church, gave Benediction and a silent prayer for those who gave their lives in the wars of the country. The new bridge over Millers River has been under construction for the past 11 months by D. O'Connell's Sons of Holyoke, whose bid to the state DPW was $383,844. In contrast to the 15-foot wide plank deck of White Bridge, which it replaces, the new structure has a 40-foot roadway with seven-foot sidewalks on both sides and a deck of reinforced concrete with bituminous concrete on top for a wearing surface.
Five Villages—One Town Most towns, whether in New England or elsewhere, are founded, named, grow, expand, age and ripen into maturity and retain the original names throughout. Montague, however, was different-unique. Confusing to the uninitiated are the five villages which are the single town of Montague. The village names of Montague City, Turners Falls, Millers Falls and Lake Pleasant are readily explained.1 But why the town should have been named Montague in the first place can only be conjectured. The town itself and the village, site of the first settlement in the town, was named after Capt. William Montague, an English sea captain. Capt. Montague was commander of the ship "Mermaid" at the first capture of Louisburg in 1745, seven years prior to the incorporation and naming of the town and 27 years after the first settlers arrived in Montague. The Montague for whom the town was named made his fame during the French & Indian Wars. There seems to be no reason why the town was named for him, unless it might be the fact that his father, Richard Montague, was one of 59 settlers of the town of Hadley, from which Sunderland, and later, Montague, sprang. Edward Richard Montague, the Viscount of Hinchenbroke and lord lieutenant of the County of Huntingdon, England, was a grandson of Edward, the third earl of Sandwich. He was a descendant of Norman Drago de-Monteacuto, a nobleman during the era of William the Conqueror. One of Capt. Montague's brothers, Peter, was in the famous Falls Fight in 1676, as was Richard's son-in-law, Martha's husband, who was killed. Peter represented Hadley in the General Court four terms.
1 Montague Center must be included in the villages. e.g.
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Another of William's brothers, John, was engaged in the battle to drive the Pocumtuck Indians from Deerfield in 1704. Thus it can be seen the Montagues were a hardy pioneer family and known widely through the area. Perhaps it was to honor the family and for no other reason that the town of Montague derived its name. Montague City, the second of the villages to be settled, was named after the mother town. "City" was added by a band of Germans who settled in that location when a system of canals was proposed by the proprietors of the Upper Locks & Canals. The residents were so certain the canal would mean a tremendously steady economy they believed their small settlement would in a short time develop into a city. That, as history records, never came to pass. Millers Falls, known as Grout's Corner for a number of years, gained its present name when the Millers Falls Company settled there in 1868. The original name, Grout's Corner, was derived from the first settler, Benjamin Grout, who built a home there about 1850. Turners Falls, largest of the villages today, was settled first in 1867, with the river and attendant system of canals and locks the prize attraction. It was not, however, until a few men realized the value of water power harnessed to turn machines that the place was settled. Rev. E. Hitchcock is said to have given the village its name2, after Capt. William Turner, leader of the colonists who destroyed hundreds of Pocumtuck Indians at the site of the rapids, now the location of the Western Massachusetts Electric Company dam on the Connecticut River. Over the years the apostrophe, which was intended to make the name Turner's Falls, was dropped and the village has been known as Turners Falls since. Last of the villages to be settled was Lake Pleasant. About 1870, it was not designed as a settlement but as a resort area. First attention was drawn to the lake area when George W. Potter of Greenfield acquired land near the present railroad station and established a crude picnic area. Potter's picnic grounds were located in a quiet grove of shade trees and the first formal gathering was for an old folks group from Greenfield. Within the next four years the settlement of "Pleasant Lake" became a place for political and temperance conventions, as well as for holiday outings. The site gained considerable importance after Potter sold to the railroad in 1872. The railroad constructed a dancing pavilion and railroad station. For purposes of advertising, the railroad reversed the name of the spot from Pleasant Lake to Lake Pleasant. And so came about the settlement of five villages within the town, each settled for a definite purpose and each separate from all other villages—and yet, each a part of a whole.
Five Others Named Montague Montague is one of six towns in the United States known by that name. All six are small towns but this town is the oldest. The Montague farthest afield is in sunny California. Other Montagues are in Michigan, Montana, Texas and Virginia. Of Montague Village names, Turners Falls is the only Turners Falls3 recorded, although there is one Turners, Maine. Village names not used anywhere else are Millers Falls and Montague City. There is one other Lake Pleasant in addition to the one in Montague—in up-state New York.
2 Hitchcock visited the falls area on numerous occasions to gather information in regard to his geological studies. Around 1823 during one of his geological forays, he named the falls (Turners Falls) for Captain William Turner. 3 A Turners Falls Park, is located at Honey Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains in south central Oklahoma.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Indians First Settled In Area.4 According to the annals of early history, the last in the line of Pocumtuck Indian chiefs drank himself to an inglorious death in 1771 with settler's rum. Prior to 1664 the Pocumtuck Nation ruled the lands throughout what is now Franklin and Hampshire Counties. In the town of Montague, Pocumtucks were the most prominent tribe, but there were some Norwottucks. They were, for the most part, a peaceful group of Algonquin stock, as were most of the New England Indians. These Redmen, who spent much of their time fishing along the banks of the Connecticut or "Long" River, were stirred to deeds of ferocity and cruelty by French leaders during the French & Indian War. Chief among these was the Canadian scoundrel, Sieur Simblui. The Pocumtuck tribe itself was one of those in the Pocumtuck Federation—tribes which has associated themselves with Pocumtucks for protection (and as a means of escaping annihilation themselves) since the Pocumtucks were the most feared tribe in the area. It was 95 years after the famous Falls Fight that Chief Wattawolunskin, a man of middle years, died. He was succeeded by his brother, Mashalisk, who, it is recorded, sold to John Pynchon of Springfield all of the lands of the Pocumtuck, including islands in the Quinetuk River (Connecticut River), all of what is now Sunderland and Montague and other tracts. Wattawolunskin obtained money from Pynchon, proceeded to get drunk and had to borrow more money. To pay the debts, Mashalisk sold the land for almost nothing. Thus it is that the name of John Pynchon of Springfield so often appears in transfers of land in the early years of Franklin County and that Pynchon is so often named a "committee" for many parishes of the county. It was Pynchon who acted as a sponsor for settlers of Swarnpfield, later Sunderland. This young chief, Wattawolunskin, took to drink years after the Pocumtucks were destroyed as a nation by the Mohawks, who invaded from New York State. A Mohawk emissary had been slain in Pocumtuck land and the New York tribe was bent on revenge. In 1664 they attacked the Potumtucks and destroyed their villages. Included in these was Corraheagan (Montague City), Mattampash (along Sawmill River in Montague Center) and a settlement on what came to be called Smead's Island.5 The Pocumtucks were ruled in the confederation by the great and wily leader, King Philip. Philip was born a Wampanoag but became a Pokanoket chief, assuming leadership from his father, Massasoit. His principal aim was to win back for the Indians their land. Whatever vestiges of authority remained with the Pocumtuck Tribe after their ill-fated war with the Mohawks was destroyed in the slaughter of hundreds of braves by Capt. William Turner and his ragged force at the site of the falls in 1676. The Indians of Montague utilized blood root, catnip, tansy, black walnuts, liverwort and jamson as curative herbs. These were applied when needed by the shaman, or medicine man. Pocumtucks were famed for their fishing skill, a fact of no surprise since they inhabited lands with such abundance of waters. They used bone or clamshell hooks and twisted fiber lines, weirs and nets, fish traps and spears.
4 Be it noted that two books “Memory Lands” and “Our Beloved Kin” both published in 2018, make an attempt at revisionist history. Extensive research and self interpretation of factual evidences, however, cannot alter what has been recorded by ancestors of those that have a first-hand grasp. . . written history of the goings-on of the Indian war(s) and colonial period(s) in and about the New England area . . . Indians have oral history . . . easily misconstrued. 5 Smead Island is located on the west side of Rock Dam in Turners Falls. It is shown on numerous topographic maps as Rawson Island . . . a misnomer.
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That as many as 300 Indians were camped at the falls on the fateful day of May 16, 1676, was not in itself unusual since the Indians of New England often fished and hunted in forces of that number. Nor should the impression be created that they were at all times a warlike people. Much of their antagonism toward the early settlers was the result of French prodding. Nor was the settler lily white in his treatment of and dealings with the Red Man. It is recorded by the historian, Hyatt Verrille, that King Philip, promised fair treatment if he gave himself up, was brutally drawn and quartered and his head hung high on a post for years. His wife and children were sold into slavery by the White Men to Bermuda. Philip's capture in a Rhode Island swamp brought to an end the era of the Indian in this area and removed the final vestige of Indian authority.
Falls Fight of 16796 One of Earliest Massacres With fire in their eyes and vengeance in their hearts, 160 men, some only lads in their teens, rode out from the town of Hatfield on May 17, 1676. Within 24 hours they were to participate in the bloody massacre of Pocumtuck Indians at a site on the Gill side of Connecticut River near where the great Western Massachusetts Electric Company dam is now located. Leader of the bold, ragged appearing group was Capt. William Turner. Capt. Samuel Holyoke of Springfield was second in command. The force marched through the night across what is now Greenfield Meadow, along the Picomegan (Green River), forded the Mill Brook and followed Cherry Rum Brook to the high plain near Factory Hollow. The men stole silently through the early morning dusk to within 50 feet of an Indian camp on the river bank. Along the march the force passed Bloody Brook, site of an earlier and terrible Indian massacre, and past the silent and charred ruins of Deerfield. The force set out from Hatfield after three months of an uncomfortable peace with the Red Men, It was the spring planting and fishing season and no large-scale attack from Indians was anticipated. It was in this setting that an escaped captive reported a large band of King Philip's Pocumtuck warriors were situated at the rapids on the river. At the first signs of dawn, usually the time when the Indians themselves attacked an enemy, Capt. Turner's men were placed strategically about the Indian camp. The Indians, in savage fashion, had glutted themselves the night before and were deep in slumber. There were no guards. The early morning was still. The sun's first rays glinted on the swiftly flowing water when the crash of 160 muskets rent the air. Some of the attackers were so struck on vengeance they were waiting the signal to fire with gun muzzles pointed through wigwam flaps. The Pocumtucks, in a state of shock from the sudden attack and many in stupor, shouted "Mohawks! Mohawks!" believing their powerful red enemies to be perpetrators of the attack. Those not instantly slain attempted to flee in canoes but were tossed about and smashed to death as the water splashed in rapids past huge boulders. Others were drowned and more shot as they attempted to swim for safety. In all it was estimated more than 300 of Philip's braves met their death. In the meantime, the attacking band lost only one man. But because of Capt. Turner's ineffectual leadership and the jittery nerves of the men after release of their feelings of hatred were spent in the attack, tragedy was to strike.
6 Should read 1676.
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Ironically, the panic which was to result in the death of 40 men, including Capt. Turner himself, was created by a captive who escaped the Indians during the massacre. His name unknown to history, he cried out that Philip was on his way to the scene with 1,000 men. Immediately, Turner's force split into several smaller groups. In the meantime groups of Indians converged on the trail of the retreating white men from Smead's Island (below the powerhouse in Montague City)7 and from east of the falls battle site. A thick morass on the party's left flank, from the high plain near the Factory Hollow to the Picomegan River, provided an excellent cover for the savages. Capt. Turner met death while crossing Picomegan River, near the site of Nash's Mill. A guide, Hinsdell, whose father and three brothers were killed in earlier Indian battles, also met death during the calamitous retreat. Some of those killed did not succumb in actual battle but were captured and put to death by burning at the stake. Capt. Holyoke, the actual hero of the battle, repaired the damage as best he could, restored some semblance of order and the heartsore[sic] and weary group straggled back to the friendly palisades at Hatfield.
Portrait of a Town by William Steinecke, Jr. Great-granddaughter of the town of Hadley, her infant years were trying ones. She was, like all infants, eager to learn, to mature, to compete on equal terms with others her own age and older. The town of Montague, born 200 years ago from the Mother Town of Sunderland, suffered acute growing pains. Her offspring branched this way and that, testing this type of settlement here, that type somewhere else, but always within her bounds. She has mothered thousands of men and women. Some of them remained within the shadow of her maternal bosom and revered her through the years; others waited only the opportunity to escape her indulgent clutches. She has brought tragedy to some, fame and fortune to others; but to most she has brought a comfortable way of life. As a restless child, she developed five distinct personalities. Yet each, when the need arose, has been loyal to that one encompassing pair of arms extended with a mother's love and understanding. She is a proud town, Montague—sometimes haughty, often humble. She was born when the country was young and raw, when living was difficult. That she survived her infancy is a tribute to her great strength. This is the tale of her formative years and how she came to be . . . This monument to Capt. William Turner, leader of the famed Falls Fight and for whom Turners Falls was named, stands on a small "common" in Riverside, Gill, just east of the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge. It reads: "Captain William Turner with 142 men surprised and destroyed over 300 Indians encamped at this place May 19, 1676. Many eons before human habitation, this area was the home of the great dinosaur and other forms of animal life which became extinct even before the great northern glaciers inched slowly from the Polar regions to cover the land as far south as Virginia.
7 Smead Island is north (at Rock Dam) above the power house at Montague City (Cabot Station. No.2 Power House)
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
From whence came the Indians who inhabited the land when the White Man arrived, history does not record. That they were here hundreds of years before the White Man, however, is fact. Prior to 1673, that portion of land now known as Sunderland was part of a vast, rugged territory into which few white men had ventured. While no recording is made in historical data, it is reasonable to assume that some hardy huntsmen drifted into the area on brief expeditions. But for the most part, because of the warlike attitudes of the Indians, few men strayed far from the comparative safety of their small settlements into the Indians' hunting ground. In 1673, several petitioners from the town of Hadley beseeched the General Court to grant them land in what was then called Swampfield, later to become the town of Sunderland. The petitioners were granted a territory of six square miles, but this first attempt at settlement, in what one day was to become Montague, ended in disaster. The small area was settled by only a few of the hardiest pioneers. And some of these were killed by the bloody fighting of King Philip's War and the French & Indian Wars. After this brief attempt at settlement, the few remaining whites retreated to fortified Hadley. Not until 40 years later was a second attempt at settlement made. In 1713, a second small group of men petitioned to settle in Swampfield. The petition was readily granted and by 1718 the proprietors were able to report there was sufficient development, according to terms of the petition, to incorporate the infant village into a town. It was thus that on Nov. 12, 1718, Swampfield, her name now changed to Sunderland, was incorporated. Two years prior to Sunderland's incorporation, five Northampton men were granted privileges of a stream called Saw-Mill Brook. These men, Benjamin Munn, Edward Ailing, Daniel Beamon, Nathaniel Frary and Edward Ailing, Jr., were aware of the value of the brook, now known as Sawmill River, and had plans to erect a sawmill on that site. Their petition was approved March 23, 1716, and a short time after a crude sawmill was thrown up. These men were granted free privileges of the timber in Swampfield on the north side of the brook, with the condition they sell "bords" to inhabitants of Swampfield at a price not to exceed 20 shillings per thousand. The grant was given for only as long as the mill should operate. And so it was that the first settlers of Hunting Hills, the name given to that portion of Swampfield north of Saw-Mill Brook—which one day was to become the leading industrial town in Franklin County—were themselves men of business. Their mill was situated at approximately the site of Billings' sawmill of today. Included in the privileges of the five lumbermen was a stipulation that they not hamper operations of a "corn" mill on the river and it was a few years later that a grist mill was built. The name of its owner has been lost in the maze of confused historical data available. It was in 1726 that Ebenezer Marsh built a small one room hut from rough logs at the foot of what is now known as Taylor Hill, named for Samuel Taylor, another of the early settlers. But the earli- est record of a deed of land is from Samuel Partridge and John Pynchon, a "committee" for Swampfield, to Richard Scott. This was for 10 acres in Hunting Hills, dated 1727. Among other early grants, of which there were many, were those to William Allis, Feb. 20, 1732; Hebediah Allis, March 6, 1731; Capt. Ebenezer and Joseph Smith, 25 acres, Feb. 4, 1746; and Deacon Samuel Gunn, 51 acres, March 3, 1730. With the coming of these hardy individuals and their families, the community slowly forged itself into a village. A second sawmill was built early in the 1750's by Asa Orcutt, who made shingles. Later there sprang up a general store, called the Old Red Shop, a scythe mill and the Isaac Chenery Store. The Red Shop was one day to become site of the furniture factory of George F. Richardson
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& Company, later a thriving concern in Greenfield. But the times were tremulous ones. The French & Indian Wars raged and settlers of Hunting Hills went about their labors with muskets under their arms or near at hand in the shops. By night they slept in fear and by day they maintained a constant vigil lest the savages, spurred by the sly Frenchman, Sieur Simblui, attack and raze the settlement. And yet, Hunting Hills never suffered a full-scale Indian attack. There were momentary scares, but always some signal from Providence diverted the Red Men elsewhere or otherwise changed their plan. Twice the young settlement was in imminent danger. On Oct. 19, 1747, a group of 40 Canadian Indians appeared near the mouth of the Millers River and killed and scalped the old Deerfield scout, John Smead, who even then was on his way to Hunting Hills to give warning to the inhabitants. But fate took a hand and the treacherous Simblui was wounded and captured in Northfield. The Indian party returned to Quebec for new instructions, confused without their leader. The second major threat to Hunting Hills, by then called Montague, was in 1755, a year after the date of incorporation and four years after it was declared a parish in the town of Sunderland. In that year Greenfield, which had been incorporated in 1753, sent word to the General Court in Boston that men were urgently needed to provide safety for the town. By 1756 there were only 43 men left in Greenfield. But at the darkest hour relief was dispatched from Boston. Had Greenfield fallen, Montague would have been the next logical step for attack by the Indian natives. Thirty-eight years—of toil, of watching loved ones wracked by tortures of incurable diseases, of literally grubbing an existence from the soil—were to pass before the incorporation of this infant Montague town was to be legalized, As she grew and developed, so grew the desire to gain independence from the Mother Town. Upon petition of the inhabitants of the northerly part of Sunderland it was ordered in the House of Representatives on June 17, 1751, that North Sunderland be declared a separate parish or precinct within the town of Sunderland. With partial independence freeholders met July 29, 1751. Only those who were of the Congregational faith were eligible to be freeholders. Men of other faiths, largest of which was the Anabaptist, later known as Baptists, were without a franchise. Deacon Newton was chosen moderator and Joseph Root, clerk, a position he was to fill for 10 years. A committee to give notice of future warrants was voted: Newton, Eliphalet Allis, Samuel Bardwell and Simeon King. Only other vote in that first meeting was to "have preaching among us." Newton was authorized to engage a preacher and to raise "200 pounds, old tenor." To assess voters, a committee of Josiah Alvord, Allis and Samuel Smead was named. Collectors chosen were Enoch Bardwell and Ephraim Marsh. On Nov. 22/1752, there rode into the parish a hawk-nosed, lanky individual, seated perilously aboard a scraggly brown steed. This was the young Rev. Judah Nash, 23 at the time. He was to remain as the town's preacher for the next 52 years. The first meetinghouse, started in 1753, was not completed until seven years later. Early sermons were delivered in the home of Joseph Root. Mother Sunderland bid a final farewell to this scrappy young child Jan. 25, 1754, when an act incorporating the parish into the District of Montague was passed in the General Court. She was named Montague after Capt. William Montague, a Naval hero who commanded the Mermaid at the first capture of Louisburg—during the battle of Cape Breton in 1745. The
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 name Montague is synonomous[sic] with the founding of Holyoke, Hadley and others in Pioneer Valley. She remained the district of Montague until she was made a town by act of the General Court Aug. 23, 1775, the same year that Greenfield was promoted from a district to a town. It was a day of jubilation, but that was shortlived.[sic] There was no time for revelry. With independence came new problems. Money to run the town had to be raised, there was crime, there were new problems in the church, there was dissension. But mostly there was the same hard work to gain a livelihood. There was still fear of Indians and that the unpredictable weather would destroy crops and necessitate long, lean, hungry winters. But there was also something else. There was a determined faith and powerful will. There were men of foresight, men capable of dreaming great dreams. Armed with these formidable weapons, the town grew. Even these men of high spirit and dreams, however, could not envision that in little more than another century the center of Montague's activity would be shifted from their beloved spot to a rocky place several miles distant. Having provided for a preacher to bring the Word of God, the people realized the need for education of the smaller children. The first log schoolhouse was voted in 1757, but this vote was never followed. The first school was kept in the Widow Smith's house four months each year. On Dec. 17, 1759, it was voted to buy John Scott's house for a school building. Among early teachers were Mrs. Azakeal Gunn, whose husband received her pay from the town, and Oliver Root. By 1836 there were 11 school districts in Montague. Less than 20 years after her incorporation, Montague was to become involved in her first great war, voters of 1773 chose a committee of correspondence with Moses Gunn, Elisha Allis, Stephen Little, Judah Wright, Nathaniel Gunn, Jr., and Moses Harvey as members. His horse matted with sweat, a tired rider with stern features and slumped shoulders galloped into the center of the peaceful village April 20, 1775. Taking no time to dismount he informed the villagers of the British attack on Lexington two days before. Almost immediately a company of Montague men volunteered. In all, Montague sent more than 160 of her men off to do battle with the Redcoats. The women, inured to the loneliness of the home when their men had to be in the fields or at business for incredibly long hours, now resigned themselves to being alone for long weeks, months and years. Some were never to see their menfolk again. Five more times in the past 180 years the town's women have watched their men march off. Only during the unpopular War of 1812 did the men fail to participate with a will. In that time of dull diplomacy and unwarranted haughty attitudes, only one man, Chester Taylor, volunteered for service. Fifteen men were drafted into the state militia. For seven long, hard years, the women went about their duties. They sewed for the Army, baked their daily bread, did the chores the men were not there to do but which nevertheless had to be done. They complained about the conduct of the war, about the "intolerable" rise in prices. But they conducted themselves admirably, just as generations of Montague women have since when their men were called to engage in eternally fatal stupid wars. In the meantime, as Montague Center itself tensed muscles for the struggle of survival, another village had been settled a few miles distant. Benjamin Grout came to what is now Millers Falls about the mid-18th century. There a settlement was started and slowly developed—a part of the municipality of Montague, but separate
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 from the old town. From the time of his coming until 1868, when the Millers Falls Company opened a factory in Ervingside, there, the village was known as Grout's Corner. A third settlement within the town, also miles from the site of the original village, sprang up a few years before the turn of the century. A colony of Germans attracted by canal planning in that area, settled in Corroheagan (Montague City) in 1794. Dame Montague saw her figure once again altered when these industrious people built their houses in the vicinity of the river. Certain that one day their little settlement would become a great city, they gave their name of Montague City to their village. They could not know then that 70 years later a man named Alvah Crocker would take an interest in Montague, nor that through his herculean efforts a sprawling industrial giant would be born a mile north of their "proposed" city. Neither Montague nor her 906 souls of that day realized the tremendous effect the incorporation of the Upper Locks and Canals in 1792 was to have on the town. From the turn of the century until the mid 1800's the canal was to play an important role in community life. Its system of locks was a vital link in 300 uninterrupted miles of navigation from Wells River, Vt., to Hartford, Conn. Connecticut River development brought a boisterous group of rough and tough "river rats" to the town. They ferried barges laden with varied cargo; they floated logs, first in great masses and later by a system of rafts. It was a time of growth, of tavern brawls, of steamboats plying the river, of new homes, new churches. The old canal ran from the river at Montague City out through the fields south of the present Montague Rod & Reel Company, followed for a short distance the present line of the Boston & Maine Railroad tracks, crossed the site of those tracks at a site opposite the 11th Street Bridge and joined the canal's present location in the South End and northward. Through this system of canals went boats of 25 and 40 tons, the latter only as far as Montague City and Cheapside. The original corporation was to become the powerful Turners Falls Company, for which Col. Crocker provided the chief impetus. With the advent of the Turners Falls Company, Montague witnessed another alteration in her being. She must have viewed herself with great amazement at the astounding change she was to make in the next few years. But there is more to the story before the incorporation of the Turners Falls Company and the founding of Turners Falls. She was, after 1800, able to enjoy some of the niceties of life. Some of her girls attended fashionable finishing schools. There were outings, her children were reasonably well schooled, such as education was then; there were building bees, additional acres of land were tilled and she grew. Her growth at first had been slow and by 1860 she had a total population of less than 1,600, only 900 more persons than in 1790. Before she was to assume her proud role as a great industrial center of Franklin County, Montague was once again to send her men forth in the most heinous of all wars, that which pits brother against brother, family against family. Her contribution to the Civil War was 120 men. She raised or appropriated $8,500, which was contributed to state aid for families of volunteers. One bright day shortly after the war a stranger came to her. A man of sharp features with a small goatee and a brilliant mind; a man with endless energy and ideas. By now her canals were no longer being utilized, except for occasional journeys by sightseers or small shipments of cargo. The coming of the railroad in 1846 had been the start of the end for boating on the river. But this man who rode the railroad from Fitchburg was to produce from the canal business a thousandfold[sic] what it had been in the first half century.
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By the 1860's the canals and locks were in disrepair.8 In 1866, Col. Crocker and his associates purchased all stock of the Upper Locks and Canals Proprietorship and incorporated the Turners Falls Company, forerunner of the gigantic Western Massachusetts Electric Company. Capital of the new company was $200,000 with privileges to increase to a million dollars. With a particular ability that few men possess, to make a success in all they endeavor, Col. Crocker, first president of the Turners Falls Company, in a few years had planned and saw in operation the industrial birth of Montague in a place named Turners Falls. This fourth village was the namesake of Capt. William Turner, whose bold but ill-planned attack at the site of the falls in 1676 had smashed the final power of the Indian Pocumtuck nation. Mother Montague, like Crocker's associates and contemporaries, must have looked on with utter astonishment. In 1858, only eight years before the advent of the famous colonel, there were in Turners Falls only two private residences, the oldest a brick home near the river and at the foot of Ferry Road, built by Merrill Taft, a hotel, buildings of the canal company, a little one room school house and a sawmill on the site which was to house the great John Russell Cutlery Company.
Montague Village Had Start in 1716 as Hunting Hills
From Small Community Grew Four Other 'Towns by Bertha Dewolf Montague—What is a town but a succession of neighborhoods, overlapping and entangling one into the other to form a large "neighborhood." The story of Montague village is just that . . . a pattern of spiraling[sic] neighborhoods which have circled ever outward. This village, like the pebble thrown into a pond, has remained the smaller inner circle while its outward "circles" spread to form four other communities, two of them much bigger than Montague and two not much smaller. Long before the white man's neighborhoods began forming, however, the 16,520 acres which constitute Montague today were inhabited. Montague has existed as a formally organized town for "only" 200 years. . . . for centuries before it was a wilderness but still a home for someone . . . for something. As in all American pioneer communities, Indians played a large part in the early history. Montague was no exception. In fact, its first white man's name, "Hunting Hills," given when this town was a part of Sunderland, provides sound indication of why Indians lived in this area. Indians implements, such as stone axes and points of arrows, are still being found in fields being plowed along the river banks here. The question may be asked, "How did the Indians know of the existence of these ponds and the most practical route between them?" It is thought that after the destruction of the Pocumtucks by the Mohawks, about 1664, a remnant of the tribe joined the Stockbridge tribe. It may not be unreasonable to suppose that these Indians were descendants of those expatriates and had retained some knowledge of the home of their ancestors. On the Dobie place, from the time when its last occupant was burned :n the early 1860's, just north of the pass under the CVRR, the old garden was being plowed one day when a fine stone pestle, about 22 inches long, was uncovered. The old garden had been under cultivation for possibly a century and it was thought remarkable that such a stone could have escaped discovery for so long a time.
8 The last boat to pass through the 1798 barge canal was in 1856. Some have it in 1858.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
It has also been suggested that this was the site of an Indian burial place and that through long cultivation, and the action of the elements, the surface had become lowered so the plow, running a little deeper, struck into an ancient grave. Just east of this plot on the terrace that rises north of the brook, according to tradition, was the largest permanent settlement of Indians in this vicinity. It is beyond question that a trail existed from this point to Wicket Pond. This route was on an old cart road and came out by the Grover place, then to Wicket Pond by the highway near the old Dry Hill School. The road today is passable only by foot or on horseback. There are a number of places throughout the village where arrowheads have been found. But Hunting Hills was never, in fact, disturbed by any serious attack. Intermittent raids up and down the valley, under influence of the French from 1722 to 1726, and again from 1744 to 1748, justly gave the inhabitants alarm. But no serious harm resulted. The first man to settle permanently was Ebenezer Marsh, who built for himself a crude cabin in 1726 at the southerly foot of Taylor Hill, opposite the home of Joseph Belunas. Among other early settlers were Taylor, Ellis, Root, Harvey, Montague, King, Tuttle, Bartlett, Benjamin, Burnham, Wright, Rowe, Taft, Green and Clapp. Although the district was incorporated in 1754, there is no record of a town meeting earlier than 1756. Elisha Root was the first child born in the settlement-1739. The town was the scene of one of those accidents so common in the settlement of the country, in which human life was sacrificed to the excitement of sport. Ebenezer Tuttle and his father, on a hunting expedition, separated to speed their pursuit. When the son later saw the bushes move, apparently by a bear, he shot and killed his father. In 1781, it was voted that selectmen give their security to soldiers for a payment in behalf of the town and, further, that security be given, payable in wheat and rye, figured at 10 bushels of wheat or li/3 bushels of rye per month, exclusive of bounty in silver. On Jan. 24, 1781, the town voted to give as a bounty to each soldier who enlisted from the town in the Continental Army, 20 yearling heifers or steers per year. Two-year-old meat cattle were given for two years' service and 20 three-year old meat cattle for three years' service. In April, 1775, town meeting voted to send a wagon with provisions for the use of the Army. To transport this wagonload to the Army at Cambridge, the district paid Elijah Smith seven pounds, ten shillings, and nine pence. About $21 in today's money. In July, 1812, a town meeting recorded its condemnation of the war declared against Great Britain and voted to send a memorial to the President and Congress, praying that war might cease. It is, however, certain that the town furnished 16 men for the service. Fifteen were drafted and one, Chester Taylor, volunteered. In 1751, a meeting of the north parish of Sunderland was conducted at the Root Tavern here to establish a meeting house, which was built in 1753. In December, 1755, the district voted to pay for having a bridge built over Sawmill River. In the same year the presence of a band of counterfeiters was recorded in town. A committee was appointed to inquire into the conduct of certain persons suspected of making the money and authorized to deal with them "as prudence shall direct." Thirty-three persons attempting to settle in town without having obtained consent were warned to depart in 1790. (This was a normal action in cases where persons were in danger of being town charges.)
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Montague Center was noted for its thriving manufacturing and agriculture in the early days. But local fires and the tremendous water supply at Turners Falls little by little drove or lured the industries from the center. Today, agriculture is the chief interest. A short history would not be completed without mentioning the steamboat and ferry. Montague had a section of the first boat canal system in the United States. On the Connecticut River, the first steamboat was launched by Capt. Samuel Morey of Oxford, N.H., in 1792 or '93. In 1826, the steamer, "Barnet," named for the town in Vermont, was intended to be the head of the stream navigating force. A run was made between Hartford and Montague City, landing on the bank at the Field farm here. Business was continued until about 1850, soon after the railroads came into existence. To get to any of the surrounding towns, Montague citizens found it necessary to cross the Connecticut River so ferries were put into use. From the Center to the west was a ferry run by David Bal-lard in 1766. This was passed down by several men and when the last ferry crossed the river in 1917, it was known as the Rice Ferry. Ten cents was the fee for a single team to cross on the ferry.
Quiet Village Today, Montague is the name of five villages yoked under the one title . . . and it is also a quiet, peaceful village which sits happily, restfully in the sun, like an old farmer who knows he had done a good day's work. Montague Center knows that it has done a good two centuries' work in establishing a leading county town. For the present, at least, it is sitting back, as it were, providing an agricultural community and a suburban residential section. What its future will be no one can accurately predict. But this is certain: when the time comes for Montague Center to play an important part in the area's development, its citizens, like those of the 18th Century, will be ready to do their part.
Industrious Villagers Have Made Almost Everything Through the decades, industrious Montague citizens have tried their hand at about everything—from hat manufacturing to quarrying, from lumbering to candy making, from wagon building to soap manufacturing. The first industry in Montague was lumbering. It was in 1715, long before Montague was Montague, that five men with pioneer spirit sought land along Sawmill River here. Edward Ailing and son, Edward, Jr., with Benjamin Munn, Daniel Bea-mon and Nathaniel Frary, petitioned the General Court for land on the river banks for a sawmill. The General Court approved their petition, provided, erection of a lumber mill would not interfere with other businesses which might petition to utilize the swiftly flowing Sawmill River. The men were permitted free privileges of timber in Sunderland, on the north side of the "brook," provided they sold "bord" to inhabitants for 20 shillings per thousand ($2.80 today). Billings' Mill today is near the site of the first sawmill, built about 1715. From the eastern boundary of the town down Sawmill River, towards the center, is the site of a sawmill opposite what is now the Stockwell place. This mill was built and operated by Norris Henry and son, Leon. Just below still stands a shop, originally a carpet mill. It is now the home of John R. Range and family.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
The next sawmill was built by a Mr. Boutwell, who added a sash and blind department. When this mill burned, a second was constructed on the site and later sold to Myron Maynard. It is now the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Seaman. Just above Billings' Mill was a cornmill. The old stone, now reposing on the bed of the river, is believed to be the oldest mark, in existence, of the hand of civilized man in Montague. Billings' was used as a sawmill and grist mill and for manufacturing boxes and furniture. Some of the old patterns are still to be seen. Following the curve of the river, one finds a mill site where Federal Street formerly met North Leverett Road, just below the DeWolf residence. There a sawmill was built by Asa Orcutt, who made shingles. In 1837 it was sold to Silas Lamson, who made scythe snaths, a business continued by Erastus and Joseph Clapp from 1838 to 1842. On Sawmill River toward the center of town was a rake shop, operated by Amos Rugg in 1830. He later moved to the location near the site of the present Warren Welch home. The Rugg Manufacturing Company was responsible for Montague's historic fire of 1889, when this plant and half of one side of the village street was burned. Rugg reestablished his business in Greenfield and a printing establishment was built on the old factory site, this finally giving way to wood-working once more. First mention of the famous Dyke Shop is made in records of 1810. The building then housed the village blacksmith shop. A still older building was moved and made into a residence on the site of the present Cobb home on Main Street. In 1832, Joseph Kilburn bought the Dyke Mill property, planning to start a cotton mill. Meeting with opposition, he finally abandoned the plan. In 1854, furniture was being manufactured by George B. Richardson. Later, Agustus Dike had a grist mill there. For a long time this mill stood idle, until Carl Rollins fitted it up for printing. It is now the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Rollins. The present Martin Machine Company mill, built in 1834, was operated then by Alvah Stone as a grist mill. There was an older mill on the site, dating from the I8th century. Below the grist mill, apparently in the 1820's or '30's, Col. Cephas Lawrence built a sawmill and carding mill and another, smaller mill near the old bridge above the present iron bridge. This mill was converted into a dwelling by Norman Potter. The main plant was operated by Thomas F. Harrington many years for the manufacture of fig boxes and for beating carpets and sawing lumber. It is now owned and operated by George Thurber. Later, Harrington established an electric light plant, the first in town. In 1860, the Red Shop was utilized by Melvin Bancroft, who made saw frames. George F. Richardson started a furniture business in 1861 at the Red Shop, moving from the Dyke's Mill. In 1902, Edward P. Pressey opened the Village Shop, a handicraft place, and, in addition, a printing shop. There he printed "Handicraft," a magazine at one time published in Boston. By 1837, a palm leaf hat firm was doing a $3,000 annual business and the same year the scythe snath9 mill, $6,000. The population here at this time was 1,260. The palm leaves were given out to many of the women in town, who would braid and sew them. When completed they would be shaped at the shop located at the house now owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Pierce of Central Street. There were a number of other small shops scattered over the town in the 19th Century. Carriages and wagons were made by Avery Clapp in 1837 in Morse's shop opposite the old town hall. When the new Hall was constructed in 1858, Clapp moved to the old hall, adding a brick basement for a shop. This is now the residence of Mrs. Lena Kuczynski and her granddaughter, In
9 Snath is the handle for a scythe.
Transcribed with notes and observations by 23 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 the past 50 years, the basement has served as a barber shop, market, store and second hand shop until James Manning moved out in 1953. In 1870, Emil Weissbrod started a pocketbook factory in the old school house on the Common after the brick school was built on the site where the present one now is located. Weissbrod came here from Bernardston mainly to be near the railroad to Boston. He moved this business to Greenfield in 1887. Three candy factories once operated here: J. Ward's in the Henry Holton place, recently purchased by Winfred Marsh; T. E. Searles', now the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Hartley; and Jock Ward's, in the house of Lee Sawin on Court Square. Montague also boasted a fine cooperative creamery which, history records, won two medals for its products at the Paris Exposition in 1890. It died out soon after when several partners "no longer felt cooperative." In the house on South Main Street of William Dixon, shoes were made. The Masonic Building was first used as a boot shop in 1856. Later, furniture was painted there. It was put to further use by a knitting firm which made stockings by machines. They were not equipped to make the toes and heels so this work was given out to women of the village to finish. About 1896, Jason Mann operated a soap shop north of where the Bert Fisk family lives. It is said Mann traveled over the countryside gathering wood ashes for the soap. (Some have said it was strong enough to take the hide off a rhinoceros.) A more pleasant industry was the making of bayberry candles. Dip candles were made in different sixes and packed in attractive boxes. They were of pleasing color and gave off a nice fragrance. Made of pure dark bayberry wax only, they were priced according to the length. The average price was 12 cents each, or $1 a dozen. B. F. Miner had a Toiletine company on Swamp Road in 1893. This industry, also moved to Greenfield, is located on Hope Street there now. It is noteworthy that there was a granite quarry on Dry Hill. The granite steps of the town hall and Congregational Church and a number of house foundations in the center were obtained from this quarry. Some of the granite was shipped on the Central Vermont Railroad to other places and some used for abutments on the railroad. Mica was once mined on the property of the DeWolf family, perhaps in the late 1800's. Bricks were made in different places, especially near the north end of the Mile Swamp on the old County Road. Ward and Lenois did a good deal of this business. Many brick buildings here were made of bricks manufactured in this district. Mrs. Lote Rice once operated a millinery shop in part of the town hall. There was a so- called tin shop which also sold stoves in the building where Graves' Red and White Store is operated, now, by Albert Graves. During the past 207 years, many cider mills have been in operation. Where water power was not available, horses were used to turn the mill. One of the last mills in town is Field's, which has been in operation since 1872. Today, the industries are all but gone. There is the Martin Machine Company, the engraving establishment of Raymond J. George. Billings' sawmill and Fields' cider mill. That's all there is of a once busy industrial place.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
First Town Meeting in 1755 Solved Common Problems of Day Faded Pages Tell Story of Pioneers' Decisions The first town meeting of the District of Montague, according to the only and most official records available, was on Dec. 1, 1755.10 On that cold winter's day a small group of hardy pioneers gathered in the bleak meetinghouse in what is now called Montague Center and voted Lieutenant Clapp moderator "to lead the meeting." The only record of that first meeting is in the handwriting of Joseph Root, who was named clerk. The pages on which it is transcribed are worn with age and faded and the handwriting of the clerk defies translation in places. Root's report of that first meeting 198 years ago follows, exactly as written: Voted that we pay for the building of a bridge across the Sawmill River on the road across the mill swamp from Ensign King's to M. Taylor's to be paid equille with other highway work which is at 15 cents pr. summer day and 12 cents for week end day. . . . that in consideration of their being a number of persons enlisted in the service of the war and are absent at the time of making the list for the making the route. To pay the Reverend Mr. Nash luxury that we Elow to Mr. Nash for this precinct year a luxury euquille to what its wants have been; provided such souls had not been absent that we Elow David Bullard four pounds, five shillings for money if he paid Ebnz Harvey for rum and that we Elow Jo Root, Ensign King, M. Taylor and Aaron Taylor each of them five shillings for money that they paid on the sum accompanying. That we will have five windows on the backside of the meetinghouse two of which shall be on the backside of the pulpit and that we will plum the bord to cover the backside of the meetinghouse. That we will give any number of men a liberty to build a pew for their own use in the meetinghouse provided they apply themselves to Deck Keet, L. Harvey, Dn Root who are a commity appointed by the District to give liberty for and determine a place where they may be and each person or persons who build a pew or pews shall enjoy the same till such time as this District shall furnish the meetinghouse w7ith such and then to return to the District who are to Elow proper pay for the same; that we will hire Asahall Gun(n) to take care of the meetinghouse and sweep it. that we will hire a shell Blown by Lieut. Clapp for a sygnal on the Sabbath Day. that we chuse Lieut. Clap and T. Alvord a commity to gather with Lev. (Mec'd) to better comply with the difficult treasary. That we will hire a school four months this winter and if we give those people a liberty to keep a school (that look on Province Land yon the District chargue) so long as their proportion of and money will Elow according to what they pay in the town and that we make this offer Harvey David Ballard and Ebenezer Marsh to hire a school and provide a place for the same to be kept. that we will appoint a commity to procure the Revernd Mr. Nash's wood who are to give the inhabitants notice thereof if they may bring the same and in case of failure the commity are to make report to the selectmen who are to rais money suficient to pay for the same. that we make choice of Deekn Root and Nathan Smith as a commity to notifie the people to bring in wood and that we chose Lieut. Clap, Nathan Smith and M. Taylor a commity to prise the wood that shall be broat for the Rev. Nash, that the prise of wood be 15 cents per load.
10 Language is 18th Century vernacular.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
that we Elow Azakeal Gun (n) what was due for his wife's keeping school which money was expected to be paid by the town. that we Elow Nathan Tuttle five pounds for the use of his bull in the summer past. that we pay the bills due from the several persons after named from this District for the charges of the year past are as followeth: (Note: Figures are in pounds and shillings.) Nathan Tuttle bill for his bull 6-00 David Ballard bill for work & money paid to Harvey 7-11 Joseph Root bill for keeping school &: for work & for assessing and being treasurer 30-2 Levi Smead bill for filings 09-00 to pay John Scott for what is due for land 10-00 Asahkel Gun for his Wife's keeping school 3-2 Z. Allis for the use of his Bull 8-0 Lieut. Clapp for work 6-7 Model Taylor, bill for work 5-7 Joseph Alvord Bill for work 3-4 Daniel .Baker's bill for work 4-4 Samuel Prysons bill for food for the pound 1-5 (There were numerous other bills of this type with the total to be paid 191 pounds, 1 shilling. In terms of present day dollars that would be about $550, a not modest sum in 1755.)
Here's How 1887 Vote Set Up Three Precincts The original vote of 1887 setting up Montague precinct lines follows: Prec. 1—Beginning at the bank of the Connecticut River at a stone monument at the southwest corner of the farm of Frank H. Oakman thence easterly on said Oakman south line to the highway from Montague to Greenfield crossing said highway at the fork in the road south of the house of B. R. Thomas thence easterly and by a straight line to the cross-roads on the south side of Wills Hill on Montague plain crossing the highway from Montague to Turners Falls south of the house of H. C. Lynde thence from said cross-roads northerly and by a straight line over Wills Hill to the reser- voir of the Turners Falls Fire District thence continuing in the same line northerly to the Connecticut River, thence on said river to the place of beginning. This District to be known as the Turners Fall[sic] Precinct. Prec. 2—Beginning on the Connecticut River at the northeast corner of Prec. 1 thence southerly on the line of said precinct to the reservoir before named and to the cross-roads on the south side of Wills Hill thence easterly and by a straight line to a stone monument on the east side of the highway from Montague to Millers Falls and on the corner of land of the town and Widow Shehan, formerly the Fay place and south of the house of said Mrs. Shehan continuing easterly and by a straight line to the cemetery on Dry Hill leaving all the inhabitants on the highway from Montague over Dry Hill to Wendell south of said line thence from said cemetery southeasterly and by a straight line to the line of the town of Wendell at a point where said line crosses the highway from Millers Falls to Wendell south of the house now or formerly of S. D. Bardwell thence on said town line to Millers River thence on said river to Connecticut River thence on said river to place of beginning. This District to be known as the Millers Falls Precinct. Prec. 3—All the residue and remainder of the town of Montague bounded on the north by Frees. 1 and 2, on the east by the town of Wendell, on the south by the towns of Leverett and Sunderland and on the west by the Connecticut River. This district to be known as the Montague Centre Precinct.
Transcribed with notes and observations by 26 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Only One Town Boundary Change In the 200 years since incorporation, Montague's boundary lines with her neighbors have been altered only once. By act of the General Court on Feb. 28, 1803, a small strip o£ land was taken from Montague and annexed to the town of Wendell. The legislative move fixed the Montague-Wendell bound on a line with the center of the Millers River and removed from Montague a gore, or triangular piece of land, involving only a few miles. Chapter 91 of the Acts of 1802-3, an act to set off part of the town of Montague and a gore of land lying between Montague and Wendell and to annex both tracts to Wendell, stated: "All the lands lying within the bounds herein described, together with the inhabitants thereon and their polls and estates, be and hereby are annexed to the town of Wendell-viz. beginning at the southeast corner of Montague at the Wendell line; thence running westerly one mile on the south line of said town of Montague; thence north 13 degrees, 30 minutes east until it shall intersect the Great Brook (so-called); thence by and with the said brook to the Millers River, including a gore of land lying between the said towns of Montague and Wendell." Contained in the town archives is this report by Elisha Root, who surveyed the property in question; "Be it remembered that on the 19th day of May, 1804, by the request of the selectmen of the towns of Montague and Wendell I run a line from a stake and stones standing on the north line of the town of Leverett and begins the center or middle of the Two Mile Addition north 13 degrees and 30 minutes east until said, line intersects the Great Brook, so-called and caused the same to be marked and Nathan Brewer and Martin Root, one selectman of each of said towns measured the same and declared it to be two miles and 196 rods which is the boundary line of said towns of Montague and Wendell agreeable to an act of the General Court of this Commonwealth passed Feb. 28, 1803." Great Brook is now known as Lyons Brook, which runs between the towns of Montague and Wendell. It was also once known as Wicket Brook. "Two Mile Addition" was a part of Sunderland and was not originally included in the land that is now Montague. However, when Montague was incorporated as a town, the two miles was included within its bounds. The addition is in the area of Dry, Chestnut and Country Hills. At a special town meeting Dec. 6, 1802, Montague voters approved an article to protest to the legislature against the ceding of any of its land to Wendell. The protest was evidently in vain. No reason has been found for the General Court's action in the change of ownership of the land described. A very minor alteration was effected on March 14, 1805, when the General Court annexed to the town of Gill the Great Island, so-called. This is the large island located in the center of the Connecticut River below the Western Massachusetts Electric Company dam.
Varied, Interesting Geography Marks Town Many thousands of years ago the plains area of the town of Montague, where today residential expansion is booming, was a vast body of water. Huge ice glaciers during the Second Ice Age covered the entire area and the town's two largest bodies of water, Lake Pleasant and Green Pond, were formed by that body of ice. Both are kettle-hole lakes created by the crushing weight of the ice and filled when the ice melted. During this formative stage, what is now known as Wills Hill, a rise opposite the Turners Falls Airport, was an island. Wills Hill today is location of the Turners Falls Fire District reservoir. Lake Pleasant supplies drinking water and Green Pond is an auxiliary supply to the lake.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
In many respects Montague's terrain lives up to the phrase most often applied to New England's topography—rugged. Most residents are familiar with the commonplace geographical features of the town's makeup but few are aware that in their town is a small desert. This fact was discerned by Harold R. Fugere of Hillcrest Homes, Turners Falls, and others doing graduate work at the University of Massachusetts. Fugere has the most detailed information on the town's geographical structure available. His research, and that of his cohorts, explains the manner in which the town is located on four terraces of soil, also formed thousands of years ago. The desert referred to is an area located about two miles north of Montague Center west of Montague Road. Once a fertile valley, sand dunes, created by relentless erosion, can now be seen there. Three major rivers partially bound the town, the Connecticut, Millers and Sawmill. The former is source of the tremendous power which was responsible for the birth and growth of Turners Falls and the latter provided power when the first settlers came early in the 18th century. There are many small brooks. Notable among these are Hatchery Brook, which runs from the Montague fish hatchery into Connecticut River; Spaulding Brook, which originates on Chestnut Hill in Montague and enters Sawmill River; Goddard Brook, which has its source on Dry Hill and enters Sawmill River; Hannigan Brook, also with a source on Dry Hill and which empties into Lake Pleasant; Lyons Brook in Montague, Cranberry Pond Brook, near the Sunderland border, and Pond Brook, which winds its way from Lake Pleasant to Sawmill River. The two largest bodies of water, Lake Pleasant and Green Pond, cover areas of 54 and 36 acres, respectively. There are smaller ponds, including Field's Pond and Clapp's Pond, both in Montague Center. Montague has no mountains but has several well-known hills—Taylor, Chestnut, Dry, Wills and Country Hills, all in Montague and Millers Falls. The town has about 175 farms with 8,634 acres of farmland. Her only state forest is a small portion of the Wendell State Forest, located adjacent to the Wendell town line.
Over 2,400 Have Served In Armed Forces During Two Centuries—79 Lost Lives Form GAR Post The first meeting of Civil War veterans of the town of Montague to discuss formation of a Grand Army of the Republic Post was Sept. 28, 1881. On Oct. 10, a post was organized with J. F. Bartlett, president; T. F. Harrington, first, and R. L. Atherton, second, vice-presidents; John Mead, secretary, and George Holden, treasurer. With a single exception, Montague men have always rallied to the colors of their country and in the 207 years since incorporation of the town, at least 2,433 men have answered the call to arms. Of this number, 79 lost their lives in combat. The actual number of Montague men who died or were killed in service may be even greater—but accurate figures are not available for the Revolutionary War. Montague's military history has its beginning in April, 1773, when a committee of correspondence was chosen to keep townspeople informed of activities of the British and as a connecting link with area towns. Named to that important committee were Moses Gunn, Elisha Allis, Stephen Tuttle, Judah Wright, Nathaniel Gunn, Jr., and Moses Harvey. Ironically, Harvey, one of the key men in the
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 fight against the British during the Revolution, later became an "insurgent" during Shay's Rebellion five years after the war. The same month, townspeople pledged themselves to suspend all commercial dealings with England after Aug. 1, 1773. Since Montague did little actual trading with England, this was more of a token act of disapprobation for the British than anything else. Word of the British attack at Lexington on April 19, 1775, reached here the following day through the committees of correspondence and a few men immediately enlisted. Two days later, a company which included 19 Montague men, under command of Capt. Robert Oliver of Conway, marched off to battle. In the meantime the town kept busy. As history records, it became increasingly difficult to gain volunteers for the Continental Army. Pay was low, if collected at all. Supplies of arms and material, including proper clothing, were short. The hardships endured by the combat troops were almost unbelievable. That there were many deserters and only a few volunteers is not surprising. Nor was there a 100 per cent war effort, for the Tories, a powerful group, bent every effort to dis- courage enlistments and belittle the Colonial cause. Since there was no central government and no state authority, the Army had to be made up entirely of volunteers. Every township was required to provide what it could toward the common good and on Sept. 20, 1774, Montague voted to procure as a town arsenal 56 pounds of powder and 112 pounds of lead and flints. Six pounds (about $16.80 today) was appropriated to organize a militia of Minutemen who were to receive six-pence (seven cents) for each half day's training. As inducement to volunteers, Montague offered small pittances. Heifers and land, when service should be completed, and similar "stock" goods were also promised. But throughout the difficulties of sending men to the Army and doing its share toward the war effort, Montague men in responsible position remained steadfast and loyal to the herculean task. When the last ball had been fired, this town had sent 160 men into battle. Some returned, others did not, but it was often not determined whether a man had been killed in action or had, while in service, decided to settle elsewhere and never returned for that reason. Records were poorly kept because so many men never took the trouble to report their doings. Much less enthusiastically received was word of the declaration of war in 1812. Upon hearing of the American action, a special town meeting was called July 13, 1812, with Benjamin S. Wells presiding. A hearty disapprobation of the war was voted. Only one Montague man enlisted. Fifteen others were drafted into the state militia. During the war between the states, Montague raised a total of $22,825 for the war effort, either for bounties to volunteers, bonuses for men in service or for aid of veterans' families. Half the town's able-bodied men, 120, saw service and of this number, 23 were killed. On May 2, 1861 the town voted to supply uniforms for men volunteering for service and to pay $10 a month to wives—plus $3 for each child and $3 for aged dependent mothers. It was also voted to allow the town hall for use as a drill hall. A $1,000 appropriation was made. But nine days later this vote was rescinded and it was decided to pay men $1 for each half day of drill, for which the town borrowed $500. On Nov. 4, 1861, first mention of relief for families of soldiers is mentioned in records. At a special town meeting that day, it was voted to appropriate $500 for aid of volunteers' families and to open the town hall for all war work. Women of the town sewed for the Army here. The town's first veterans' post, Manton E. Taft Post, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized shortly after close o£ the war. It was named for one of the heroic men who died in the common cause.
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Pres. William McKinley's call for volunteers at the outbreak of war with Spain in 1898 resulted in the enlistment of 26 Montague men who served between that date and 1902. Of that number, four are living today, two in the town, one in Pennsylvania and one in Hadley. According to a list compiled by Timothy J. Murphy of Dell Street, Turners Falls, one of the four living veterans of that conflict, other survivors are Harry Watson of Montague City, William Murphy of Hadley and William Riley of Pennsylvania. Others, who were killed in action or have since died, include: Lt. Charles Field, the first local man to die in the conflict, Gilbert Bangs, Thomas Buslin, James Buslin, Peter Campbell, Clayton Golin, Harry Hall, William Howard, Leslie Maynard, John Morrison, William O'Connell, Frank Paul, August Ungrich, John Thyne, Jerry Sullivan, Harry Wise, Otto Zeigler, Ralph Dean, William Kelleher and Lewis P. Councilman. The "war to end all wars" found Montague a thriving community in 1916, especially in industrialized Turners Falls. Its mills turned to war work wherever possible. Its people were appalled by reports of German atrocities and deeply shocked at the sinking of the Lusitania and the resultant loss of 1,198 lives on May 7, 1915. On April 6, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson reported to the nation that the United States was in a state of war with Germany. From that date until signing of the Armistice a year and a half later, 411 Montague men saw service, some stateside and others with the American Expeditionary Force. The 13 Montague men killed in World War I were: Clarence W. Allen, Peter E. Belado, Edward L. Callahan, Edward A. Colombe, William D. Crowley, William L. Daly, Alfred A. Farwell, Richard P. Hastings, Fred A. Inkster, Harold F. Jacobus, Edward S. McCarthy, William A. Schweitzer and Frank R. Stiles. Many others were wounded in combat and some bear permanent scars of battle, both physical and mental. The holocaust of World War II, which was similar to that earlier conflict, embroiled the United States on Dec. 7, 1941. Called into service were 1,400 Montague men, of whom 42 gave up their lives. Hundreds were wounded or suffered injury. Listed as having died in the global conflict were: Walter J. Aldrich, Russell F. Bourdeau, Charles D. DeWolf, Ernest W. Dion, Edward H. Dubreuil, Norman E. Emond, Ernest D. Gelinas, Robert M. Gillette, Edwin F. Grogan, James A. Gunn, Jr., James H. Guy, Charles T. Hillman, Paul D. Jablonski. Henry M. Jalicki, Stephen J. Krejmas, Edward A. Kulis, Arthur L. LaMountain, Raymond J. LeBeau, Francis L. Lapinski, Edwin L. Marvel, Rudolf F. Masek, Charles F. Molongoski, Edmund F. Molongoski, Raymond J. Morin, Edward A. Osowski, George E. Pierce, Joseph A. A. Richotte, Henry J. Roscoe. Karl E. Schuhle, Joseph J. Sheff, Edward P. Sicard, Edward L. Simanski,11 Edwin J. Sojka, Max Solomon, Frederick H. Stanley, Charles E. Stenard, Jr., Elwyn L. Taber, Leon J. Venskowski, Marcel V. Viens, Edwin R. Welcome, Clayton V. Whiteman and Harry W. Woodin, Jr. One of Montague's sons was listed as missing in the ill-fated Korean conflict. Capt. Jeremiah D. Shanahan was reported shot down on a flight over Korea July 30, 1951. In all, some 300 Montague men served during hostilities in that Asiatic nation between 1950 and 1953. But the draft of men marches on, necessitated by conditions in a war-torn world. The revolting process of war requires manpower. Montague can be proud of her record and of the
11 “Edju” was 18 when he was killed at the Iwo Jima landing. He was my uncle; my mother’s brother. e.g.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 deeds accomplished at home and abroad by her sons and daughters. She can be equally proud of those who have remained at home—for to them fell the most difficult task—waiting.
State Guard Active in World War II Activity of the Massachusetts State Guard unit which drilled in Turners Falls and at the Greenfield Armory during World War II is all but forgotten, except by those who were part of it. But during its four-year existence, one lasting contribution was made by men of Montague Com- pany 102—the rifle range beneath Turners Falls High School. Work on that space, burrowed out by men of the company, was completed in December, 1943, a year and a half after organization of the company. Capt. Arthur E. Burke, the town's superintendent of schools, was commander. First meeting of the company was June 9, 1942, seven months after Pearl Harbor. Twenty applicants were accepted and the men received physical examinations from Drs. Kenneth W. B. Jacobus and Frederick Cassidy. Forty-five additional men enlisted Aug. 1, 1942. On Aug. 17 strength of the unit was 56 men and one officer and an official inspection was made by Capt. Harold Flower of Company L, National Guard. By Dec. 31, there were 61 men and one officer. The federal government issued green winter uniforms but men raised funds to purchase khaki summer outfits. In December, 1943, the company was expanded to 70 men and three officers. The latter were Burke, commanding and tactics; Lt. Wayne E. Pleasant, camouflage, and Lt. John A. Charron, weapons. On Dec. 1, 1943, the rifle company became the 25th Company of the 22nd Infantry Division. Twice during 1944 the company was called to aid in town emergencies. On May 6 and 7, men of the unit battled a Wills Hill blaze. Then, Sept. 14 and 15, the homefront soldiers were ordered to duty to do hurricane patrol. By December 1945, shortly before the life of the company expired there were 50 men and three officers. In 1946 the unit was dissolved. Burke later rose to lieutenant colonel in higher echelon.
Town Has No Town Hall Montague is a town without a town hall. Some figure this is a problem. But Montague has two buildings called "town hall" and another called the "town office." Many people figure this is a problem, too. At any rate, there is no single building in the town which deserves the title and all it implies— center of municipal government — in today's five-village set-up. When the town was young, the town hall in Montague Center was just that. The building remains on the Common there and still has the title "town hall." But it is not used as such. Turners Falls has a building on Fourth Street bearing that title also. But it has been many years since it was used for other than police and district court functions. Montague has utilized Hibernian Hall, built by the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Turners Falls, as a town hall. Turners Falls High School Auditorium is used as a town hall at town meeting time. Town offices are located in the Grand Trunk Building on Avenue A, Turners Falls. Some are upstairs, most downstairs. The quarters are cramped and storage space is inadequate. At the annual town meeting in 1945, a committee was named to study the possibility of constructing a town hall. Raymond M. Welsh of Montague City was chairman and serving with him were Charles W. Higinbotham, Mrs. Elizabeth R. Bankwitz, Robert Mills, Arthur Martineau and Albert L. Saulnier.
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That committee, with the latter addition of Samuel H. Couture and Mrs. Ceclia M. Piecuch, who was named secretary, studied for four years and came up with a final report at a special town meeting May 4, 1949. As a result of the committee's investigations the town purchased a piece of land in the square surrounded by Sixth, Seventh and J Streets and Avenue A. Costs of the property was $8,400. In the meantime, Architect Bernhard Dirks was paid $18,000 to draw plans and specifications, money provided by the Federal Works Administration. The town hall was to include space for all town offices and the police department, a site for American Legion quarters, a gymnasium and other facilities. In its final report the committee recommended that the hall not be built until the federal government provides matching funds, estimated cost was about a million dollars then. Chief consideration, however, was the enabling act which permitted study of the project. This was designed, and FWA established, as a sort of advance WPA program. If the time should come when, similar to the 1930's, a public works program is necessary to keep men working, the town will be prepared to launch a project guaranteeing employment. No one looks forward to such a prospect but theory behind the program was preparedness for future emergency. Unprepared, a town—and a nation—could go months, perhaps years, before swinging into a full-scale relief program. Rather than dole out welfare pittances, the government figured, the men can earn their income and at the same time perform constructive work. If and when Montague should decide to construct a town hall, and if the plans provided by Dirks a few years ago are used in any way, it will be necessary for the town, according to the agree- ment with FWA to repay the $18,000 or a portion, depending upon government contribution for construction. Meantime, the town pays Plotkin Brothers of Athol, owners of the Grand Trunk, $2,640 in annual rental for the town offices. This site has been utilized as town office space since 1926 and over $80,000 has been paid out in rent during that time. Prior to moving the offices to the Grand Trunk, they were on the second floor of that building in a small space and in the building which is now the Krol residence on Second Street.
Town Hall Only Municipally-Owned Building Montague—The town hall is the only municipally-owned building in this village. The brick building of today is referred to as the new town hall. The place first used as town hall and later a carriage shop is the home of Mrs. Lena Kuczynski of Main Street. The "new" hall was built in 1858, a substantial brick structure, with stone trimmings. Bricks used in the construction of this building were made from clay dug from the banks at the rear of the Lynton Hawley home. The large slabs of granite which form the steps were obtained from a quarry on Dry Hill. The original appropriation was $5,000, to which $2,000 was added, but today it would cost many times more than $7,000 to construct. Besides the main hall on the second floor, the hall furnishes space fore the public library and a vacant room on respective sides. The vacant room at one time was used as a postoffice and later as a voting room and for Boy Scout meetings. In the rear of the building was another small room where GAR and Grange meetings were conducted. The south wall of this room was removed to enlarge the library. The town hall has been the scene of many hot debates, one occurring when the question was raised of transferring annual town meetings from Montague to Turners Falls. Montague was
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 four villages besides the center—Turners Falls, Millers Falls, Lake Pleasant and Montague City, and village competition had been running high in Montague's municipal affairs. When it was learned an attempt would be made to change the annual meeting site, a scramble for votes began that would have done credit to the hottest Bowery ward. The meeting lasted until almost daybreak and scarcely an able-bodied voter was left in town who was not there and there to the finish. When the vote was taken it was found that Turners Falls had won.
Over 150 Have Been Selectmen Montague has had nearly as many selectmen as it has had years of formal organization . . . a total of 156 "town fathers" during 200 years, to be exact. The scope of the board's activities has increased greatly during that time yet, conversely, the number of selectmen has decreased. The first board was made up of five men while only three have served as a unit for many years. The first members served only one year but for many years now only one three-year term is vacant annually. Most of the first selectmen had a title of some sort. On the first board, elected in 1756, were Capt. Joseph Root, Sgt. Samuel Bardwell, Ensign Simeon King, Clark J. Alvord and Sgt. Samuel Smead. Granddaddy of all town fathers was R. N. Oakman, who served a total of 22 years a century ago. He was elected from 1850 to 1852, 1856 to 1863, 1865 to 1873 and 1887 to 1888, a period spanning 38 years. Longest continuous stretch was held by the Late Robert G. Allen of Millers Falls, 1926-45, 20 years. Deacon Israel Gunn served 18 years beginning in 1878; Medad Montague, 15 years from 1792 and Dr. Moses Gunn, 14 years from 1761. Capt. Root, first selectman, was in office a dozen years. John A. Charron, chairman of the present board, completed eight years' service last March. Serving with him are Atty. Raymond M. Trudel, elected in 1952, and Arthur E. Stratton, named in 1953. The following have served in the past 50 years: Fred E. Field, 1900-02, 1905-07; Frank Gerald, 1900-03, 1909; D. F. Daley, 1903-04, 1906-08; Richard L. Clapp, 1904; John S. Hunt, 1904; Martin Neipp, 1907-08; G. M. Stratton, 1908; L. T. Bartlett, 1909-11, 1914-16; Napoleon L. Cote,. 1909-11; Austin M. Lawrence, 1910-11; Michael J. Carey, 1912-22; Fred C. Haigis, 1912- 18; Henry M. Goff, 1912; Darwin M. Smith, 1913; Henry E. Beaumier, 1917, 1919-24; Danforth F. Ripley, 1918-21; Jerome I. Shea, 1922, 1925-28. Edward W. Bitzer, 1923-30; William J. Parsons, 1923-24; Philias Brunelle, 1925; Robert' G. Allen, 1926-45; Frank G. Roeder, 1929-31; George F. Martin, Jr., 1931-34; James F. Ryan, 1932-33; Erwin G. Haigis, 1934, 1938-41; Arthur Beaubien, 1940-45; Clovis N. B. Fournier, 1941- 45; Albert L. Saulnier, 1945-52; Daniel J. Kelleher, 1945-47; Charron, 1945-54; Chester J. Sokolosky, 1947-53; Trudel, 1952-54; Stratton, 1953-54.
Judge Blassberg, John Haigis Have Longest Moderator Records Two of Franklin County's most respected citizens, John W. Haigis of Greenfield and Judge Samuel Blassberg of Turners Falls, hold the records for the longest service as Montague town moderators.
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A list of all town moderators through the years follows: Eliphalet Allis, J756; Simeon King, 1757; John Clapp, 1758-60, 1764, 1768-69; Clark Alvord, 1761; Joseph Root, 1762-63; 1765, 1770-73, 1781-82; John Gunn, 1766-67, 1774, 1776-78, 1780, 1785-86; Jeduthan Sawyer, 1775; Moses Gunn, 1779. Elisha Root, 1783-84, 1787; Israel Gunn, 1788-91, 1793-94, 1797-98, 1800-01, 1804, 1806; Caleb Kinsley, 1792, 1796, 1802; Samuel Bardwell, 1795, 1807, 1809, 1814, 1817-18, 1820, 1823; Jonathan Root, 1799; Martin Root, 1803- 05; Medad Montague,1808, 1810, 1811; Moses Severance, 1811; B. S. Wells, 1812, 1815-16; Joseph Gunn, 1819, 1821-22, 1827. Nathan Chenery, 1824; Jonathan Hartwell, 1825; Rodolphus Bardwell, 1826, 1828-31, 1833-34; Salmon Root, 1832; Ephraim Stearns, 1835; Solomon C. Wells, 1836-37, 1867; Martin Grout, 1838-39, 1841-43; Benjamin Henry, 1840; S. D. Bardwell, 1844, 1846-47, 1851-52, 1854; Alpheus Moore, 1848, 1862, 1875-76, 1878-83; Augustus L. Taft, 1845, 1849-50, 1853; C. W. Parker, 1855, 1859, 1861, 1864, 1866; R. N. Oakman, 1856; Isaac Chenery, 1863, 1865, 1871-74, 1877; J. H. Root, 1857-58. Richard Clapp, 1860; W. A. Bancroft, 1868; Edwin Desmond, 1869-70; Maurice O'Keefe, 1884; C. W. Hazelton, 1885-88, 1891-92, 1894-99; John McIlverne, 1889-90; Lucas J. March, 1893; J. F. Bartlett, 1895, 1897, 1901-02, 1906-07; M. B. Collins, 1896; Timothy J. Carroll, 1898; W. S. Dana, 1900; Alfred J. Nims, 1903, 1923; E. M. Alden, 1904-05, 1908. John W. Haigis, 1909-22; Anthony J. Crean, 1924-25; Arthur H. Porter, 1926-33; Samuel Blass-berg, 1934-40, 1942-52; Joseph W. Long, 1941; Francis E. Dolan, Jr., 1953-1961.
Charles Andrews Left Teaching to Become Governor Montague—Among Montague's best known citizens was Charles B. Andrews, 35th governor of Connecticut, 1878 to 1881, and chief justice of the state. Born in North Sunderland Nov. 4, 1836, son of Erastus and Almira (Bartlett) Andrews, his branch of the Andrews family traced its descent in this country from William Andrews, who emigrated from England about 1630 and settled in Watertown. His father was a Baptist minister and pastor of the North Sunderland Church. His parents had 11 children. Charles studied at Franklin Academy at Shelburne Falls, supporting himself by labor in the summer vacation and teaching school in the winter. He taught in Montague at one of the district schools, most likely on Dry Hill. He was graduated from Amherst College in 1858 and went to Sherman, Conn., to teach while studying law. Admitted to the bar in 1861 in the town of Kent, Andrews moved to Litchfield in 1863. He was a member of the state senate, 1868-1869, member of the lower house in 1878 and chairman of the judiciary committee. He was governor of the state, 1878-1880 supported by Republicans. He was judge of the superior court in 1882 and was appointed chief justice of the supreme court of errors in 1889, reappointed in 1897. This court was first constituted in 1806. Andrews is the only one who has been chief justice and also governor of Connecticut.
This Town Has Sent 44 to State Legislature A total of 44 Montague men have served as state representatives in the General Court, almost half of them, 21, in the years when each town had its own delegate. Since 1857, Montague has been in various districts, remaining in the Third Franklin District for nearly 70 years since its organization in 1886.
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From 1774, when Moses Gunn was the first to be elected representative, until 1857, when Montague was placed in a district with other towns, the town sent its own representative to the State House. Since then, men from various other towns in the district have also been elected, although in the past 68 years Montague men have served about 30 years. Not until 1774 was the population of the town sufficient to entitle it to a representative in the General Court. First man to achieve that honor was Moses Gunn. From that date until 1857, when Montague became part of the Sixth Franklin District, 20 others followed in Gunn's footsteps. Other towns in Dist. 6 in addition to Montague were Erving and Northfield. In 1857's election, 167 votes were cast by the district and Solomon Wells of Montague was elected representative, receiving 133 votes. Since that time 15 others have been elected, two from the Sixth District, six from the Second District and seven from the Third Franklin District, of which it is now a part. The town remained in the Sixth District until 1867, when it became a part of the Second Franklin District, which included the towns of Montague, Sunderland, Leverett, Shutesbury and Wendell. In 1886, the town was made part of the Third District, which included Gill, Northfield and Wendell and later Deerfield and Whately. Other towns with Montague in the Third Franklin District at present are Erving, Gill, New Salem, Orange, Shutesbury, Warwick and Wendell. Representatives from Montague only, beginning in 1774, follow, dates of service unavailable: Moses Gunn, Joseph Root, Moses Harvey, Caleb Kinsley, Henry Wells, Martin Root, Nathan Chenery, Medad Montague, Helaz Alvord, Jonathan Hartwell, Martin H. Clapp. Elisha Lefingwell, Elihu P. Thayer, Nathan Hosmer, Joseph Clapp, Jr., Alpheus Moore, Erastus Andrews, R. N. Oakman, Zenas Clapp, George Clapp and Calvin Russell. Serving from here as Sixth District representatives were: Solomon Wells, 1857; L. G. Pratt, 1859, and Erastus T. Lyman, 1859. Second District: Joseph Root, 1871; William G. Whitmore, 1876; Joseph L. Bartlett,- 1878; James A. Gunn, Sr., 1881; Franklin I. Webster, 1882; and Charles W. Hazelton, 1883-84. Greenfield is now the only town in the Second Franklin District. Montague was transferred to the Third Franklin in 1886 and the following local men have been elected by the eight-town district: Felix McCabe, 1868; Joseph L. Bartlett, 1887; Samuel E. Ripley, 1890; Henry H. Bardwell, 1891; Erastus C. Coy, 1893; Benjamin W. Mayo, 1895-96; John E. Kavanaugh, 1898-99; George H. Goddard, 1900. James A. Gunn, Sr., 1906; John W. Haigis, 1909-11; Fred C. Haigis, 1918-20; James A. Gunn, Jr., 1932-34; George F. Martin, Jr., 1944-48; and Olaf Hoff, Jr., 1950-56; Walter T. Kostanski, Jr., 1956-.
Town Accountant Established in '27 Last year, in 1953, $1,133,005.07 in municipal transactions of the town of Montague were processed through the town accountant, an infant department in terms of years. Prior to 1927, accounts of the town were handled by the clerk to the board of selectmen. A three-man board of auditors checked the clerk's figures. Not until 1927 was the modern and more efficient method of transacting the town's business adopted. In that year, William H. Sauter was appointed the first town accountant. He served two years before leaving to take a position he still holds with the state division of accounts.
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Sauter was succeeded by the present accountant, Francis E. Dolan, who was appointed April 30, 1930. Dolan has completed 24 years in the important office. It is the accountant's job to be sure all bills are correct prior to their appearance on the town warrant, which must be approved by selectmen each week.
Policemen on Job Since 1878 Look at the badge of a Montague police officer and you will observe the words: "Turners Falls Police." This is a holdover from the first police department, inaugurated in 1878. Prior to that, the town annually authorized selectmen to name one or more constables and for several year terms. Although there were officers for Turners Falls, there was none for Millers Falls, Montague, Montague City and Lake Pleasant. Turners Falls police did not have authority in the other villages. No mention of a constable is made in the records of the town until 1773, when Elijah Gunn and Ebenezer Marsh were appointed constables. The only law prior to that time, in addition to the belief of every man unto himself, was represented by a county sheriff, who for a number of years commencing in 1761 was Judah Wright, Montague resident. In 1779 three constables were named—Ebenezer Marsh, Samuel Wilson and Ezra Smead, but 10 years later there was only one, Stephen Sarrab. By 1873, 10 constables were appointed. Two who later became Turners Falls police officers were George P. Dunbar, a one-armed Civil War veteran, and John J. Morrison. During the 1880's, police officers were Maurice O'Keefe and D. W. Bugbee. Also during that period starting in 1878 were Dunbar and Joseph Lamfromboise. Dunbar and Joseph Rosberry were appointed in 1891, while Morrison's appointment was made in 1885. Early in the 1880's town meeting each year voted $1,500 for police and authorized selectmen to appoint them for the three precincts as they deemed necessary. The 1878 vote was for police in Turners Falls and $1,000 was provided. There were, in the early part of this century, two regular officers. Night duty was voted by the town in March, 1880, and in that year it was voted to provide a lockup at the present Fourth Street site in Turners Falls. The two officers gave 24-hour service with assistance of special officers. One worked days and the other nights. One of the best known officers was Danforth Ripley, a member of the department for many years. Of later years there is less official record of appointments. Ripley was the first chief the department had. On April 18, 1932, the town accepted state laws which placed the police chief on civil service. But there was legal entanglement and the act had to be revoted[sic] on March 11, 1933. Other officers in the department were placed on civil service about 1940, James P. McHugh, who has been a member of the force 32 years, longer than any now in service, was at one time the lone motorcycle cop on the beat. At the 1941 town meeting it was voted to sell the motorcycle for not less than $30. Walter P. Casey succeeded William J. Callahan as chief Jan. 20, 1945. During the 20-year period when the latter was department head, three full-time officers served with Callahan. Among them over this span were Joseph (Dollar) Thaler, Casper March, Francis W. Passino, Edward W. Hughes, and McHugh. Appointed a few years later when the force was increased to six men, including the chief, were Matthew F. (Mike) Variest and Richard H. Cade. On March 24, 1953, two more men,
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Gerald L. Couture and John Zebrowski were added, giving Montague an eight-man force. With the exception of Thaler and March, all of these men were still serving in 1953. Prior to being placed under civil service, officers had one day off a month. With acceptance of civil service came the six-day week. On April 6, 1953, the 40-hour week was inaugurated in the department. Town meeting in March, 1951, voted that one of the two cruisers of the department be equipped as a cruiser-ambulance. This vehicle has been called numerous times to transport injured and sick to the hospital. The town's system of obtaining an officer in case of emergency is not modern, although adopted Aug. 5, 1948. Residents who call the station and receive no answer must dial the operator, who in turn flicks on special lights, which are placed on poles throughout town. When an officer sees the light, he proceeds to the station, flicks off the light and calls the operator. But despite the fact the police department has had jurisdiction over all three precincts for 73 years, the official badge still harks back to that earlier day—"Turners Falls Police."
Highway Department Town's Third Largest Now the third largest department in Montague's municipal government, the highway department has advanced more in the past half century than any other. Prior to the 20th Century, and until his retirement in 1915, Chester P. Davis was superintendent of streets. But little work was required on a full-time basis so Davis operated one of the area's most successful ice businesses. The department now employs as many as 70 full time men at a time, expending nearly $170,000 in the last fiscal year. With 154 miles of roads, 125 of them locally owned and the remainder state controlled, Montague has nearly twice as many as any other Franklin County town. Only the school and welfare departments expended more money annually than the highway division. In this comparatively rapid rise to prominence, many changes—notable because of the motor vehicle—have resulted. The teams of horses, once hired at $2.50 for a nine-hour day, have been replaced by trucks. Gone are the former methods of plowing, when snow was packed on the streets so horses and sleigh teams could have easy passage. Indeed, when the old covered bridge spanned the Connecticut River at Montague City, one of Davis' duties was to see that sufficient snow was hauled to the bridge deck so sleighs would have ready access. Men who worked for the town then received $1 a day, often working 10 or more hours each day. The annual department budget might run from $7,000 to $10,000. Expended on highway work in 1954 is a departmental budget of $106,000, plus special articles for certain projects and equipment which increase that total to $170,000. Salaries range from $75 a week to $44. There is one superintendent and an assistant. Superintendent for many years was the late John Casey, succeeded by incumbent Andrew J. Rastallis. Highway equipment is housed in a garage built several years ago on Avenue A Extension, Turners Falls. The town owns several dump trucks, a pickup truck, snow loader, grader, sidewalk plow, rubbish truck, payloader and other equipment and has a regular force of about 18 men. Hours worked by the men are set at 44 weekly, but during winter months this climbs to as many as 70 and more, depending on severity of storms. At the first signs of snow or sleet, highway men are called from their beds to direct the battle against the onslaught of nature and keep roads open. Gone are the days of "waiting out" the storm.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Included in work performed by the department is construction of streets, sewers and sidewalks, as well as erection of cable fences, all types of road and bridge maintenance work and collection of rubbish in Free. 1.
Nurses, Veterans Agent, Welfare Department Assist Sick and Needy During her long history the Town of Montague has witnessed a slow growth of charitable agencies and with that growth a complete reversal of the theory of welfare grants. For many years recipients of charitable grants had their names printed in the annual town report under the listing of paupers. The town first provided district nursing service in 1915 and veterans' relief service in 1945, when a district center was located in Turners Falls. In conjunction with its welfare program, Montague for many years operated a poor farm on Route 63, Montague. It was there that the less fortunate or those who had little ambition were "farmed out" to earn their keep. The poor farm was supervised for many years by Maurice H. O'Connell. The "farmers" produce was sold and in most years was sufficient to pay for operation of the farm. In its boom year, the farm realized a net profit of $15,000 for expenses of a little over $5,000. First move to sell the poor farm, or town infirmary, as it was also known, came March 28, 1946, when the welfare board turned over authority of the farm to selectmen. The property was sold on Feb. 4, 1947, for $6,500, with the provision that it be made into apartments for veterans. The property today is used as an apartment building, although occupancy is not restricted to veterans. In 1927 the welfare name and system was revised for the purpose of receiving state aid for welfare payments. The monicker[sic] of "overseers of the poor" was abandoned in favor of "welfare department." In its early years the office of the overseers was located in Turners Falls' Grand Trunk building across the hall from the present location of the nurses' and assessors' office. First welfare agents were William E. Porter. He was succeeded by Joseph Sicard but later returned as agent. Philias Brunelle served as agent for a number of years and the present agent, Albert J. McCarthy, assumed that office in June, 1940. In terms of longevity of service, Bernard J. Cadran is at the top of the list with over 24 years. He started work with the department Dec. 7, 1936. Two clerks are employed in the office, which has been at its present site in the Grand Trunk building since February, 1937. In 1909, welfare payments here totaled $8,487.39, compared to 1953 expenditures of $210,247.72. The former figure would not cover costs of a single month's old age assistance today. At the time the department was renamed, total annual welfare expenditure was $14,500. The town has offered nursing service for 39 years. Mrs. Alice N. Brown, the first district nurse, served in that capacity 30 years. It was on March 8, 1915, that the town voted to hire a nurse and $700 was appropriated for the purpose. In some years the department has had full-time nurses. In 1953 it was operating with one full-time nurse, Miss Phyllis Rosewarne, and a part-time assistant. Other full time nurses have been Mrs. Julia Dunham, Mrs. Julianna (Sivik) Samoriski and Mrs. Isabelle (Martineau) McCarthy, and Mrs. Thelma Borthwick. Until 1952 all nursing services were free, but in that year a program of charging in cases where persons are able to pay was inaugurated.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
The veterans' service center, also located in the Grand Trunk building, was authorized by seven county towns as a district office on March 19, 1945. Homer L. Gamelin, a veteran of World War II, has served as service director since his initial appointment March 24 that year. The center was set up after authorization, to provide such service, was made state law. A multitude of problems pertaining to veterans' affairs are processed by the state each year. Among these are payments of relief to veterans and their families who are in need. Among the many services provided by the office include recording of discharges, maintenance of records and problems of entitlement under provisions of veterans' legislation.
Montague Has Long Provided Excellent Schools First Town in U. S. to Consolidate By Bill Steinecke Montague has recognized the need for schools almost since it became a town. Montague is 200 years old and the school system has been in continuous operation for 198 years. While the early years of education would hardly be recognized as such today, they were forerunner of the modern educational system, with its consolidation, extra curriculum events, more qualified teachers and better advantages for children. Indeed, at the first town meeting, schools was[sic] one of the few topics voted on. The vote Dec. 1, 1755, was that "we will hire a school four months this winter." And they did. Harvey Bullard and Ebenezer Marsh were actually the first school committee, although they were not known by that name then. They were appointed to find a location for a school and to hire a teacher, Asabel Gunn's wife, to teach in her home. And the town voted to "pay the money to Asabel Gunn for what is due for his wife's keeping school." The settlers decided that as tuition each family which sent children should send wood and pile it where the master should direct. Town meeting in 1757 authorized a school 16 by 18 feet but for some reason it never was built. In 1759 the town purchased a building from one John Scott which became the first formal school building. The first school house to be built came in 1766. There were several "Dame" schools by 1765 and subjects included Latin, numbers and reading. Only the very young attended school since boys of a medium age were required to help with the home chores. Among early teachers were John Gunn, Jr., Oliver Root, Zebediah Allis, Abigail Carver, Lieutenant Clapp, Ebenezer March and Aaron Estabrooke. The records tell little of Montague's educational facilities between 1766 and 1836 and it must be presumed that by and large they remained basically the same. Crude buildings, poorly lighted, big pot-bellied stove in the center and strict teachers—usually men and some as crude as the buildings in which they taught. By 1836 there were 11 school houses in Montague—Center, South, West, East Center, Northwest, Montague City, North, Dry Hill, Southeast, Lafayette and Turners Falls. The latter was a small shack on the site of the present Grand Trunk Building, Avenue A, and housed only a few pupils, children of canal company employees. Of these buildings, Dry Hill School saw the greatest length of service. It was not closed until 1918. By 1860 the town was divided into 11 school districts, some the same as the 1836 schools and others changed in name and site. Average attendance ranged from 13 to 31 in the summer and 12 to 35 in the winter. Some schools, such as Montague City, had classes for eight months, five in the summer and three in the winter. Average attendance was 64.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Center School senior department teachers in I860 were Miss Amelia Baker, summer, and F. J. Carver, winter. Miss Baker received $20 per month and Carver, $35. She taught 3½ months and he, 214 months. An average of 31 pupils attended the summer session and 35 the winter session. In the primary department, teacher was Miss Hattie A. Ward, who got $18 a month and had 38 pupils. In addition to the school committee there were various prudential committees for each district. By 1868, considerable friction had developed between the two. The school board could hire and fire but prudential committees wanted that authority. The latter were organized to provide board for teachers, to insure that each school had fuel and that necessary repairs were made. But the same year, 1868, the state department of education ruled that districts were to be abolished. Any towns which did not give up the district system would lose state aid. In Montague's case, this few hundred dollars was a considerable part of the overall budget so it was voted to end the districts, which meant no more prudential committees. The first mention of new schools after 1836 is made in the school report for 1872, when Montague voted $5,587.97 for a building at Montague City—the building now in use—and $2,400 for a building at Millers Falls, since replaced. The committee was faced with a new problem in 1872 and observed in its report: "Owing to the rapid growth of Turners Falls, a new house will be required there immediately." The committee also reported a new school building was needed in Montague Center because the one in existence was inadequate. The committee in 1872 suggested a nine-month school year. Children attended only six months at the time. The following year, 1873, saw three new schools constructed: Montague Center, cost $12,264.51 and which burned to the ground in 1945; South District, $907, and Oakrnan School, Turners Falls, $14,494.39. Oakman School burned down shortly after it was built but was reconstructed by 1874 at a cost of $13,754.40. Built by R. L. Goss, local contractor, the building was named in honor of the first member to serve on a Montague school committee, 1849. First high school courses were inaugurated in 1873 with 50 pupils attending, most from Montague village. Miss J. M. Rawley taught all subjects. It was not until 1884 that a high school was inaugurated at Turners Falls in part of the Oakman building. Prin. Bailey in 1872 recommended the town transport pupils to the Center High School if they lived a long distance from school. In the following year it was voted to transport pupils and several teams and drivers were hired. By 1876, Montague had 17 school buildings—one high school and grammar school in Montague Center, three grammar and intermediate schools, two intermediate schools, seven primary schools and three ungraded schools. There were 25 teachers for three terms of 10 weeks each except in the high school, which had three terms of 12 weeks each. The average teacher's pay was $9 a week. In 1876, pupils at Lafayette School were sent as tuition pupils to the town of Leverett. The following year they were sent to Center Grammar School. Parents had to supply all the school books at that time but this law was soon altered and the town provided texts. In the meantime, Turners Falls continued growing and in 1877 a new room in the Oakman building was fitted for classroom purposes. By 1880 there were 20 schools valued at $40,000, more than 1,000 pupils and an annual appropriation of $8,000. Transportation costs for high school pupils going to the Center was $355 per year. In 1884 the school committee ruled that teachers in each of the primary schools should use a standardized curriculum. Prior to that, despite the school consolidation move in 1880,
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 primary teachers used a curriculum set up by them and not by the town. Only 5 per cent of the pupils who graduated from the primary grades entered high school. Montague's high schools, both the first in Montague Center and Turners Falls High, were, until 1926, three-year schools. Ninth grade was in the grammar school and there was for a number of years a sub-freshman class. High school pupils of 1874 studied fascinating subjects like, arithmetic, philosophy, physiology, geology, "How Plants Grow," Latin grammar, Greek, French, and geometry. Physiology was the only science taught until 1886, when chemistry was introduced into the system. Major courses offered were termed classical, English and Latin scientific. By 1898 these schools were in use: Oakman Street, high and grammar; Montague High; New Eighth Street, Grades 5-8; Old Eighth Street, 3-5; Central Street, 1 and 2; South End, 1, 2 and 4; Montague Center, 1-8; Millers Falls, 1-8; Montague City, 1-8; and Chestnut Hill and Dry Hill, ungraded. The latter two were the final remnants of the old district system. Location of these schools showed effects of the consolidation system—only five buildings in Montague village and Millers Falls, whereas at one time there had been 17! It was in 1898, too, that the first move toward extra curricular activities started. Mrs. T. R. Humeston was appointed supervisor of music and Lena S. Stratton, supervisor of drawing. One factor has remained steadfast in the educational process of Montague: there has always been a problem of classroom space. Even in 1953 a long range advisory school planning committee was named to study future needs and to recommend a building program. It is still at work. In the past few years classes have been shifted, seventh and eighth graders from all schools transported to the Crocker Avenue Grammar School. A fifth grade from the Grammar School was transferred in 1953 to the South End School because of overcrowded conditions. This action to utilize every bit of space available is nothing new, however. In 1902, because of the small number of pupils in Grade 4 at South End School, pupils were transferred to New Eighth Street. The-most classic of all educational wrangles in the history of Montague had its beginnings 51 years ago. In 1903, Supt. F. P. Davison urged that a high school be built in Turners Falls. He pointed out 80 high school pupils were crowded into one room in the Oakman Building that had a normal capacity of 45. Charles M. Burnett, Joseph F. Bartlett and Rev. Dorr A. Hudson, appointed to study high school plans, at a meeting in 1904, were prepared to recommend the town accept a large lot in the plains area from the Turners Falls Company on which to build the high school. They maintained when their appointment was made they were given full authority to contract for a site of land. However, others had different ideas. The debate was loud, long and bitter. A group of men headed by F. E. Allen maintained the high school should be located on Ninth Street, between K Street and Avenue A. A motion was made to this effect by Allen with provision that the town borrow $5,000 for land purchase at that site. The motion passed 49-33, whereupon the three committee members promptly resigned. Proponents of erecting a school in "no man's land" on the plains then were called dreamers and schemers. But less than a month after the meeting, that vote was rescinded and it was voted 80 to 30 to accept the land on the plains from the Turners Falls Company and to erect the high school there. A happy move for Montague this proved to be. When the high school was built in 1904 it was the only building in the area. Today it is surrounded on all sides by a vast residential area. Two major changes were made in the next few years. Montague High School was reestablished as Montague Agricultural School. It was opened in 1907 and included in its
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 curriculum academic as well as agricultural subjects. The school was conducted under supervision of the state board of education and continued in that capacity until 1911. In 1908, Chestnut Hill School was closed and the pupils sent to Millers Falls. First trustees of the agricultural school were William H. Nims of Montague, Frank P. Davison of Turners Falls, Rev. Charles Clark of Millers Falls, Edgar L. Bartlett and Florence W. Rockwell of Montague. On July 14, 1911, trustees voted to close the school because only 17 pupils had signified intention of enrolling for the fall term and because a state regulation of that year provided only vocational subjects could be taught. That year two rooms on the third floor of the Oakman building were condemned by the state as a fire hazard. In 1925 came construction o£ the present Crocker Avenue Grammar School for $140,-000, including $20,000 for furnishings. By 1933 there was a serious overcrowding in the new high school and it became necessary to institute a two-session per day plan. The school's Class A rating was threatened in 1934 when the state department of education warned that if the two platoon system continued the rating would be lowered. By unanimous vote of the 1935 town meeting it was voted to add eight rooms plus a gym- nasium and auditorium. Total cost was $184,500, of which the Works Progress Administration (WPA) paid $76,950. The assembly hall of the old building was made into the present library and study hall. Teachers' 6 per cent was restored to them in 1937. There was more shifting of classes in 1941 when the school committee closed the Old Eighth Street School. The fifth and sixth grades were transferred to Crocker Avenue. The endless procession of youngsters still marches to school. There are the same problems in 1962 as there were over 100 years ago . . . not enough room . . . too much homework . . . not enough homework . . . too much extra curricular activity . . . not enough of it. . . long school day . . . short school day. Pressing problems these—along with many others. But, Montague citizens serving on school committees, special committees and at town meetings, get them solved. Looking back at 200 years of progress, Montague can well afford to be proud of the sound educational opportunity she has afforded her youth. Today's facilities rank with the finest-excellent educational plants, teachers and administrators.
Eight Schools Served Pioneer Children Montague—Center School alone serves the village of Montague today but two centuries ago, when the village constituted the entire town of Montague, eight school buildings were in use. It wasn't so much that there were more children—for there weren't—but that transportation to a central building presented a major problem. History o£ the schools and their development through the centuries is an interesting study. On March 7, 1757, town meeting voted to build a school 16 by 18 feet "of hewed or sawed logs" near Mile Swamp. Benjamin Barrett, Reuben Scott and Samuel Harvey were named to the building committee. This building soon burned and a house was bought from John Scott. It, too, burned in 1762. So within five years two schools were demolished by fire. Meanwhile, it was voted Dec. 5, 1757, to have a "four months school" in Joseph Root's corn house. A school had been maintained from house to house for several years before this. In 1765, released from the fear of Indians, the districts began extending the area covered by summer, or "dame," schools. They were at Sergeant Harvey's (Country Road); Moss Taylor's (North West); and at Dr. Gunn's (South).
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
On Dec. 2, 1765, it was voted to pay John Gunn, Jr., one pound, 12 shillings a month to "keep" school for three months. The Little Brown Schoolhouse, provided by vote in 1766, was built on the site of the present brick church. Birch bark was used for slates. For their writing desks the "scholars" had a table similar to long kitchen tables. The "writing scholars" used pens made from quills plucked from goose's wing and ink from the bark of the maple tree. School was operated for several years in the old meeting house north of the Common. The meeting house was destroyed by a mob in 1834. Part of the old school house was moved to the Dr. Cobb place for a wagon shed. The other part was moved to North Street and built into the Everett Scott house in 1842. In 1837 a two-story school was built. High school classes met on the second floor and the elementary classes downstairs. This building was sold to Emil Weissbord in 1873 for use as a pocketbook factory. This building is now owned by Arthur K. Sennott and four families are living in it. Among district schools was Chestnut Hill School, built in the late 1700's. In the early 1800's it was moved by a Dr. Fiske and part of it is still standing. The rest part is the barn owned by Mrs. Edith Baxter of North Leverett. Another school, built on this lot in 1868, continued to about 1914, when the school was closed. But when families began to settle on abandoned [arms, the school was reopened in 1922. Sessions continued till 1932. Mrs. Helen (Chudzik) Mayhew was the last teacher at this school, which had only six pupils. The children were then transported to the Old Grammar School. The school house stood idle for a few years then was purchased for a summer camp. In 1947 it was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Antone Cimler, who made it into their year-round home. Dry Hill School, also built in the late 1700's, was much used. Many local young women taught there. Last teacher was Cynthia Smith, in 1914. The building, which was in very poor condition, was closed for the last time and was left to rot. The third district covered North West School built in 1815. South of the present home of Mrs. Sadie Shirtcliff on Montague City Road. A landmark for boatmen, the school was closed when the consolidation went into effect in 1880. In 1821, a brick school was built on Federal Street for $429.50 by evangelist D. L. Moody's father, The masonry has a tapestry pattern of which there are very few today. It was first built with only one story but as the class became too large a second story was added. All labor and material were furnished by parents of children who would be attending the school. They received 75 cents a day in the summer and 50 cents a day in the winter. Old desks still remain in the attic of the school. Curiously, the second story was removed when the school was closed in 1880. The pupils were transferred to the Old Grammar School in the village. William Marsh, who lives in the next house from the Federal Street School, remembers when he attended school there. The school, now owned by Ray P. Pierce, who bought the property in 1918, has been turned into a shop and is in very good repair. West School, built in 1828, was located on Meadow Road. This area was referred to as District No. 4. Although it is not known why it was necessary to build another school, a new building was erected in 1854. Alvan Felton of Deerfield agreed to build the school for $700. When the building was completed, the committee felt it had not been finished according to the contract so would not pay Felton. After bickering, Felton lost $50. After the schools were consolidated there was no need for this school so in 1899 it was sold for $28.-96 to Fred E. Field, who moved it to his farm on Greenfield Road. He placed it outside the cider mill and within a few years it burned.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
South District School, on the south side of Taylor Hill, was built in 1823 of brick. This structure is located on the Elmer Hall property. The school was dormant after consolidation in 1875. The structure was later used to house pigs and later was torn down. The last district school to be built was Lafayette School, in 1862. This little school had a comparatively short life, only 32 years, because only a few attended classes. As far as can be found the largest number of pupils was 10. This building was at Gunn's Brook southeast of Harvey Hill, at the hollow by Lucien Ripley's. During the winter of 1836, the town hall was rented for $5.83 a quarter for a "select school," which seems 'to have been the forerunner of Montague High School. On Jan. 20, 1871, a group proposed establishing a high school at the center. They recommended $10,000 for a building to accommodate high, intermediate and primary grades but because of the pressing need for a school at Millers Falls town meeting voted to postpone building a high school. In 1872, $10,000 was appropriated with proceeds of the old school to Weissbrod to erect a new building at the center. The plan of transporting children from the outlying districts was first adopted in 1875. Seymour Rockwell was responsible for this move, first of its kind in the country. So in '75, all grades, including the high school, were in session in the new brick building on School Street. In 1893 an extension was added for $300 and a heating plant for $2,000. Exercises for the last graduating class of Montague High School were in 1911. The following fall the students were transported to Turners Falls High School, where they still attend. The local building was destroyed by fire Dec. 22, 1945, the day after the 160 pupils had closed their books for the Christmas vacation. Estimated damage was in excess of $100,000 and lost were many irreplaceable articles, such as records and rare books. Pupils were taken to Millers Falls until the present building was completed. The children were able to resume their classes here in September, 1949, in a $267,000 seven-room school. The opportunity class remained at Millers Falls because there was not room for it at the new school. As classes became larger and a kindergarten class was begun in 1951, it was necessary to send two classes to Turners Falls seventh and eighth grades. At present, six grades and a kin- dergarten are run here. But the school is about to burst a few more seams. It was voted at the 1954 town meeting to complete an unfinished room in the building. Some of the children today ride over 10 miles to reach the seventh and eighth grades. But for all its changes, education today is better for Montague youngsters.
Network of Roads Built to Every Village Corner Montague—When the first settlers came to Montague, then Hunting Hills, the low land which lies beyond South Main Street and to Swamp Road was one large swamp, often completely covered with water. People often spoke of the three ponds, located at Lake Pleasant and the northern part of Federal Street. They were known as Little Pond (Green Pond), Great Pond (Lake Pleasant) and Grassy Pond, which was the area of land above the town farm near where the Central Vermont Railroad ran over what is now Federal Street. Hannagan's Brook now runs through the area known as Grassy Pond, which was drained by the early settlers into Great Pond. On March 8, 1756, it was resolved to discontinue and alter the road "lying on the west side of the low swamp in Hunting Hills field, beginning at Jonathan Root's lot, and bearing more to the east than the old road was laid, and then crossing the low swamp in Judah Wright's land, and
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 coming into the path on the line between Judah Wright's land and Enos Marsh's, on the east side of the low swamp." This is known as South Main Street. One of the earliest roads laid out in the district is supposed to have been the one beginning at the west side of Mt. Toby, extending east and then north to Northfield, passing about half a mile east of the center. This would be about where Federal Street is now. The main highway from Swampfield (Sunderland) went by the Gunn home (now Stanley Pod-lenski's) on to Old Sunderland Road. This road went through the middle of the South Cemetery, which today is encircled by a stone wall and came out on the present North Sunderland Road, running to the top of the hill over the north side of Taylor Hill, across the present easterly and westerly road, down a lane to the Fred Lyman place, fording the Sawmill River. It continued northeasterly past the present railroad station, considerably south of it. Going west of the new graveyard, it ran along the present road and over Dry Hill to Millers Falls. Contemporary with this line of road from Sunderland by way of Taylor Hill was a road from the Back Street, leaving it where the road ran to Deacon Marsh's, northeast of the Gunn Tavern. It continued easterly across Leverett Road to the Billings mill. This was a terminus for persons going to the sawmill and grist mills provided for the people of Sunderland. It stretched north across Sawmill River near the southeast corner of Gunn's sugar orchard not far west of Billings' mill. Bearing to the right, it ran just north on high ground and entered Federal Street by the "Jew Place" (now the DeWolf home) and along Federal Street to the top of Goddard's Hill. Federal Street was first called County Road. Today it is also Route 63, the Amherst-Millers Falls highway. Another well-traveled road in the early days was that known as County Road over Dry Hill. This was the only through road for more than 50 miles in the valley until a road at Grout's Corner (Millers Falls) at junction of County Road at Severance's Tavern, (now the site of Joseph Yablonski's home) was built. This road was quite thickly settled in the early days. Highland Avenue was first known as Domer Lane, named for Capt. Domer of the Revolu- tionary War. He was a train band captain. The plot of land in front of his house, about where the Central Vermont Railroad runs, was used as a parade ground for the annual training. The first turnpike in Montague was known as the road of the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike Corporation, passing from Greenfield to Athol by way of Montague. This turnpike was built in 1799 as a new route to Boston. In 1762, a road was laid out around Harvey's Hill to Gunn's Brook. Twenty-five pounds ($71.75 today) was raised in 1764 for repairs on highways that year. In 1766, a road was sought to "David Ballard's Ferry," a route to Deerfield. About 1794, there was a road which went from the center along what is now Turners Falls Road to Bernardston. Briefly, there were also roads from the steamboat landing through the yard of Franklin Field's over the plains to the so-called Boston Post Road and much-traveled way over Harvey Hill. Roads have greatly improved in the past 25 years, thanks to increased vehicular traffic. Most of the roads are passable during all seasons of the year, quite a change from the old days.
Nine Bridges Span Sole River Through Montague Montague—Sawmill River, the main stream which passes through this village, is marked by nine bridges maintained by the town and state, The first is on the river just below the Leverett line near the Stockwell place and the second just under the hill, best known as Ripley's. One of more recent bridges over the river is on Route 63, cared for by the state and built in 1935.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
The fourth is where Federal Street formerly joined Leverett Road. This bridge had been neglected by the town and was impassable for three years when, at a town meeting, a request for repairs at town expense caused considerable notoriety. It was then referred to as "The One Man Bridge." But it was repaired by the town the following year and is used a great deal. It is better known as DeWolf Bridge. Hale's at South Main Street and Tolan's at Central Street also cross the river. It was in 1895 that the so-called iron bridge was erected to replace an old covered bridge. This was done at a cost of $1,000 for labor and material. On one of the main routes into the center of town, but removed within the past few years, was the swinging bridge erected by Thomas Harrington below the new iron bridge. Harrington put up this bridge as a short way to his mill, just across the river. It was very picturesque and was also an attraction for the children. Many of the older folks today played on the swinging bridge as youngsters. The next bridge is at the beginning of Meadow Road and the last span across the river is just below the house of Paul Klepacki.
Pioneer Settler, Joseph Root, Built Home Which Today, At 200 Years, Is Montague's Oldest House Montague—Joseph Root was a boy of 15 when his father died and he inherited a tract of land called "Hunting Hill Field," one of the largest estates filed in then Hampshire County. As a young man he was among the first settlers of the town of Montague, then known as Hunting Hill. He built at Hunting Hill Field a great house of over 20 rooms, situated above the village of Montague on the west road to Sunderland. Before the American Revolution it was an inn on the King's Highway, then a travelled route between Boston and Old Deerfield. The house is, today, the oldest house in the township and one of the best preserved examples of New England architecture in this region. Except for the removal of the south wing with a ballroom after the Civil War, the house remained unchanged for two centuries. It is extraordinarily massive and solid in its construction with a large central chimney and is representative of the earliest colonial style. Eight of its important rooms are 20 feet long and the walls are sheathed or panelled[sic] with virgin pine 20 LO 30 inches wide. The wide board floors and H-L hinges and latches have never been replaced. Rooms on the second floor have doors bearing the original number of the room, painted in black and white like the numbers on pew doors. The front doorway with its broken pediment is characteristic of the early workmanship of the neighboring towns of Hadley, Hatfield and Deerfield. It is a distinctive type of door found only in the Connecticut River Valley and nowhere else in the United States. The house remained in the possession of the Root family until the early 19th Century. Since before the Civil War it was the home of the Pierce family until Mrs. L. S. Hall of Boston bought the property from the Pierce estate. The house is now owned by Mrs. Hall's daughter, Miss Ardelia R. Hall, who has been actively interested in the preservation of American historic architecture. She is a graduate of Smith College and the arts and monuments advisor of .the department of state. The Montague house is not "family" property. The early houses of the Hall family in Duxbury and Marshfield are also owned and still retained in the family. However, Mrs. Hall and her two daughters have been identified in their warm interest with the community for many years. Joseph Root, one of the founders of the church and town, came from a family that were pioneer settlers of the Connecticut Valley. Before he came to Montague in the 1730's, four
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 generations before him had lived in the valley. Three hundred years ago, an ancestor of Joseph Root was one of the settlers of Northampton. This ancestor had come from Northampton, England, in 1637 and joined Thomas Hooker in Hartford. He fought in the Pequot Wars. One of the Root sons from Northampton was killed in an attack on Deerfield in 1677, The Joseph of the next generation settled Northfield in 1685, but, following an Indian massacre, the survivors abandoned the settlement. Joseph returned to Northampton but died soon after when only 26. His son, Joseph, who settled at Sunder-land in 1717, was a famous Indian scout. He founded and taught the first school in Sunderland. But he, too, died w:hen about 40 years old. It was his son, Joseph, who was the settler of Montague, who became a great patriot of the Massachusetts Colony. He fought at the Battle of Louisburg when it was captured in 1745. He was among the famous Connecticut Valley Indian fighters who were renowned in that day throughout the American colonies. On their return home, they renamed Hunting Hill after the dashing English hero of the Battle of Louisburg, Capt. William Montague of the Neptune. Joseph Root was later a captain in the regiment of Col. Isreal Williams, which fought with Gen. Amherst at Ticonderoga and Crown Point in 1759. These battles brought to an end the long century of wars with the French and Indians. It is a remarkable achievement that a pioneer settler, like Joseph Root, should build a house of such permanence and beauty in such perilous times and in a forest wilderness that stretched unbroken to the north to Canada. It was such valiant and courageous men who have founded our nation, our churches and our towns and our schools and our colleges. And 200 years ago they had to fight to preserve them every step of the way. The house which Joseph Root built is a memorial to their energy, their skilled craftsmanship and their fine taste. It is also a memorial of their way of life—its generosity and independence. Families like the Root family have been honored by their distinguished descendants. The late Elihu Root was an American statesman worthy of the heritage.
Constructed In 1821 . . . Historic Coffman House Montague—Rich in treasurers of a past era is the 12-room frame home of the Common, believed to have been built in 1821. Although not the oldest residence in the old "mother" town, the summer home of the late Atty. Paul Coffman and Mrs. Coffman, now Mrs. George Van Horn Moseley of Washington, B.C., is one of the most authentically furnished for its period. It is recorded that Hollis and Louisa Chenery purchased the home from one Edmund Chenery in 1837. The late colonial period home features four large pillars in front and a spiral staircase inside the front door, Many furnishings are of the Victorian period, including some of the wallpapers which are amazing for their preserved appearance. They are of designs not seen in this day and age. The Coffmans acquired the property four years ago and now use it as a summer residence. Coffman, now a practicing attorney, was in the Marine Corps for 20 years, retiring as a lieutenant- colonel. Louisa Chenery was originally from Hatfield. Following its ownership by the Chenerys, the home passed into the hands of Mrs. Harriet W. Clark and thence to a Miss Experience Morgan, Mrs. Clark's companion, who, although not an owner of the home, was willed it as a place to reside for as long as she lived. Hollis and Louisa Chenery had one child, Harriette, who died when in her late teens.
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The parlor and living room each boast a large fireplace, both entering into the same flue and, of course, with one chimney for both. The fireplaces are in separate rooms but back to back. The original brick work was covered over in the past with a stone-like substance. The parlor is furnished in the Gothic design popular in the Victorian era and the furniture itself was purchased and placed in the room in 1873. It is of solid walnut and includes six chairs and a sofa. The purchase price in 1873 was $175. One of the most valuable pieces is located in the dining room, also furnished in walnut. This is a sideboard owned by Hollis Chenery's mother, Sophia Chenery, who lived from 1782 to 1825. The sideboard is believed to be an 18th Century piece. It is in remarkably good condition. In 1872, many old bills in the family file show considerable work was done to the house. One shows that 4,000 shingles were purchased for $24. Carpeting on the floors was purchased in 1878 at a cost of $1 a yard. Water is supplied by a well beneath the porch. The latter has been considerably enlarged in recent years. The house throughout retains the wide floorboards and the ceilings are high. Anyone interested in living in a glorious era gone by can catch a quick glimpse in a visit to the Coffman home. Portraits of the Chenerys on the walls lend a far more intimate touch than can be found in many old homes. Mrs. Coffman, a direct descendant of the Chenerys, has in her possession file after file of letters, bills and other papers and documents which tell a complete story of what living was like in the past century.
One of Five Taverns Has Survived In Two Centuries; History Colorful Montague—In its 207 years' existence, Montague has had five taverns, although none is running today in that capacity. The only former tavern building in existence is the Hall home, better known as the Root Tavern. The Gunn Tavern, now site of the Stanley Podlenski home, was operated by Nathaniel Gunn. According to legend, because way-faring Baptist ministers always stopped there, it came to be known as the Baptist Tavern. Opened in 1739, it was moved from the foundation to another location about 1763. Robt's Tavern, one of the oldest buildings in town, is on Old Sunderland Road and is now the home of Miss Ardelia R. Hall. The old sign, dated 1785, now in Memorial Hall at Deerfield, used to swing from the original Joseph Root house. It is supposed to have invited the weary traveller to a good dinner and a plentiful supply of "flip" and new rum. It was here the first corporate meeting of the new church parish was conducted July 29, 1751. Severance's Tavern on the east side of Country Road (Federal Street) was just south of Dry Hill Road. This tavern was used often by those traveling to Boston. Joseph Jablonski, Jr., lives in a new house on the same site. Severance's Tavern was built by Col. Moses Severance in 1776. In 1942, while the Jablonskis lived there, it was burned to the ground. Kinsley's Tavern, on the west side of the Main Street in the village, later known as Hive Martin's Hotel, was covered with signs and legends making conspicuous its policies as a temperance hotel. General location of this hotel was about where E. E. Buckmaster's Store is now. It is said Kinsley's Tavern was somewhat shortlived,[sic] being in existence shortly before the passing of the Root Tavern and closing shortly after the coming of Col. Ferry at the historic Montague Tavern. Montague Tavern was built by Col. Aretas Ferry in 1830. Col. Ferry is legendary as a shrewd, affable Yankee storekeeper, who, boasting one day his accomplishments in the trade, sad
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 he could "do up" a pound of tea in a smaller bundle than any other man in the county. "Yes," quickly answered a customer, "and you can put a pint of rum in the smallest bottle." At 2 a.m. on March 10, 1953, the 132 year-old historic landmark was destroyed by fire. Then known as Montague Inn, the two-story structure had 18 rooms. It was the last tavern or inn in Montague Center. It was noted for its spring ballroom floor, few of which remain in the country, The inn, once used for town meetings, was the scene of Unitarian and Episcopal Sunday services in 1834. These taverns were nothing like what there is today, with their vices and their savor of poetry and romance. The old time tavern was a social center, a men's club of sorts. There was no conscience anywhere in the community against drinking so every man, from the parson and the colonel down to the tinker, dropped in to take a glass. Liquor is still sold here but the bars and package stores today offer none of this setting which featured "taverns."
Montague Ladies Have Written Outstanding Record In 111 Years Montague—One of the oldest organizations in the town of Montague is the Ladies Benevolent Society of the First Congregational Church. Actually, the society is the off-spring of a community sewing society which existed in the early 1800's but no record of its activities has been found. On May 24, 1843, the minister Rev. James H. Merrill, and deacons of the church met with women of the parish and organized the Ladies Benevolent Society. The preamble reads as follows: "Considering it the duty of everyone as a social and accountable being, to do all in their power for the good of others, and the duly of all in the Christian community to extend the blessings they enjoy to those who have them not, we, the subscribers, agree to form ourselves into a society. . ." Men became honorary members at 25 cents a year and often served on committees. First president was Mrs. Merriil, wife of the minister. Mrs. Ebenezer Deane, wife of Dr. Deane, was first secretary, serving for many years. The society at first functioned largely as a community welfare agency, giving aid where needed and sewing for the poor of tow7n, even in Turners Falls when a church was started there. Members were fined five cents for non-attendance then five cents for taking their own work and 10 cents for each offense if anyone served more than bread and butter and one kind of cake at a meeting. The first deviation from this rule occurred at Deacon Clapp's home, where maple syrup was served extra. The secretary recorded that "it was nice but naughty." At first, each member took her own cup and tea and, later, mugs were taken. During the Civil War, meetings were discontinued and all women worked together for the soldiers. The church finished off a room on the east side of the basement for a vestry. But this room was so dark and damp it was given up and 'A room was hired in the north end of the town hall (now a part of the library). Furnished by the society, it was used as a church vestry and community room. The Grange, incidentally, organized there. After the society's reorganization May 9, 1866, meeting dates were announced from the pulpit for the first time, the society being publicly acknowledged as a part of the church. Doing this, it was recorded, would "make the meetings seem less like parties for pleasure and more for benevolent purposes." At this time it was voted that the church be the main object of the society, instead of being simply a community activity.
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To understand this, one must recognize that church affairs were run wholly by the men. In the records, no mention is made of women until 1881, even though the Ladies Benevolent Society had earned much money and used it for church purposes. But in 1881, the men voted the women the "privilege" of repairing the parsonage, and, later, of putting a roof on the north side of the church. Since then the "privilege" of helping financially has become chronic. In the first 40 years the society had given for church needs $2,756.15 and for community benevolence 51,069.31. How? In the early days there was a stocking knitting mill here, but it hadn't the machinery for doing the heels and the toes. Ladies Benevolent Society women took that work home to do. Many worked in the pocketbook factory, others in the rake shop. As long as the palm leaf hat business flourished, women braided many hundred hats a year. Their monthly penny or five- cent socials, and later the sale of quilts, public suppers and fairs helped to fill the treasury. These activities still continue. When the chapel was built on the east end of the Congregational Church in 1887-88, the society, as usual, gave most generously. The keys were given to the society, which has done much to renovate the chapel from time to time. In 1931 "The Ladies" started a kitchen fund into which went one-tenth of what the society earned. In a few years, this fund and other money went to pay the church debt. They started again. Using this fund and borrowing the rest, they paid for the new dining room under the church. This was finished in time for the 200th anniversary of the church in 1951. Although the Ladies Benevolent Society has only about 40 members it has assumed as its latest project making over the old kitchen into a modern and convenient place in which to work. Its members give every indication of continuing the tremendous record of the past.
Congregational Church Older Than Montague Montague—It may not be so expansive as the town of Montague's, but the history of the First Congregational Church goes back further in time. In its 210 years, this church has not been confined to those of the Congregational faith. Various Protestant groups figure in the two centuries' history. All told, however, the church has an unbroken record of service to man, to the community,—and to God. On July 12, 1751, soon after Montague became a separate parish, Jonathan Root was required, in his majesty's name, to notify the freeholders to meet July 29 in the Joseph Root Tavern on "King's Highway." This meeting voted to "have preaching with us." Root's Tavern continued to play a leading part. When Judah Nash was ordained Nov. 22, 1752, and came to settle as the town's first pastor, the tavern became the church meeting room. On Dec. 22, 1753, the north parish of Swampfield became the town of Montague and construction of the first meeting house, not called a church until 1834, was started. The windows were not in place until 1755 and not until 1757 was the two-story building complete. Seating in the meeting house was interesting. Those Puritan aristocrats insisted upon deference being paid to their titles and to their wealth. The minister's family came first, then those of military rank and then the deacons, all followed by the different ranks of wealth. People without property and boys over 10 years of age were seated in the gallery. Old records show that some of these early settlers dearly "loved the chief seats in the synagog"[sic] and fought to keep them. Men were allowed to keep their hats on, except in business meetings when they wished to address the moderator.
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Call to worship was sounded on a "shell." The shell was purchased in 1763 from Lt. Clapp for one pound and 10 shillings. About $4.20 today. This shell is still in the custody of the Clapp family. Church going was a routine which could not be broken without paying a fine, usually wood to heat the building or grain. Pastor Nash built a house, now occupied by W. S. Marsh. It took a great deal of wood to heat both the meeting house and parsonage but he never had much trouble getting wood. During his pastorate, he used $300 worth of candlewood and upwards of 3,500 loads of firewood, "sawed, split and ready for burning," according to records of the parish. The residents of Federal Street, including the pastor, had to go to church by way of the south swamp. The parson on his saddle and Madam on a blue pillion behind him were a familiar sight. There were two horse blocks north of the meeting house, one for the "old Parson and his missus," the other for "common" people. After these early years of peace and harmony, church life and much of the life of the community guided by the gracious rule of Judah Nash, carne 30 years of strife and disharmony. There was no organized resistance until 1768, when the District of Montague, which was actually the church, brought suit against the Baptists for refusing to attend church regularly or to pay fines for non-attendance. The Baptists had been considered a "thorn in the flesh" almost from the beginning. At first the town would not give them permission to settle there and tried to drive them out, but they kept returning. The Baptists would not allow a "lawful minister to baptize them but persisted in baptizing by immersion, which was a great sorrow to the truly orthodox," one report said. Finally, the Baptists left to join their brethren in the church in North Leverett. Installation of a belfry and bell in 1801 were important events. In 1826, the Congregational Society was established in Montague, This took the church from under town domination for the first time in its 75 years. In 1834, violence had entered the picture and the old meetinghouse was torn down. Meeting once again in a tavern (Montague Inn), church members voted construction of the present building, erected by Henry and Zebina Taylor. Total expense was $4,173.41. The church was dedicated to the "worship and service of God" on November 19, 1834. The walls of the church were built of brick made of clay dug from the land back of the house now owned by Lynton Hawley and died in a kiln on the old Clapp homestead, owned by Eliphet Clapp. The town hall was built of the same fine quality of dark red brick. The heavy timbers of the roof and spire of the church and the skillful framing are said to be well worth the climb to view them. From the outside, the building resembled the present one, only it was not so long by the space occupied by the last windows and wall toward the east. Location of the pulpit was the same but the choir sat in the gallery and the records say the choir was there was no organ. One historian says the music was led by a small orchestra consisting of two violins and a bass viol housed in Deacon Clapp's home. The church also had a seraphine, for ordered to "tune or get tuned that seraphine." Later it had a melodeon. The pipe organ made by Johnson Organ Company of Westfield, was installed in 1856. It was first placed in the gallery, where it stayed till the new chapel was built and a place made for the organ where it now stands. Perhaps not everyone realizes the real value of this organ. John V. Elsworth of Watertown, N. Y., known as the "organ man who knows what he is talking about," places small Johnson organs now in existence as second best on the list. It has, according to him, "a great beauty of tone" and a
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
"beautifully silvery brilliance" and is a "work of art and craftsmanship," a "treasure," a "little gem." It could not be bought today for less than $58,000. While the choir and the organ were in the gallery, it was customary for the congregation to turn and face the choir while singing. Miss M. A. Deane once recalled an incident to show how strong habit is sometimes. After the choir and organ were moved to their present positions, many of the congregation, as they started to sing, turned as usual and faced the rear, much to the amuse- ment of the others. When preaching services were given in Montague Inn it was customary to have two sermons on Sunday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The records say that "between prayer" the minister, followed by the deacons and the rest of the men, would repair to the taproom for liquid refreshments of "grog" or "flip." After a time, the minister would leave, followed by the deacons, one of whom would call out: "Come on, boys. Time to go." This custom of two sermons continued till 1873. The church, that year, was too poor to raise the customary salary for the minister so he agreed to stay, for $100 less, if he preached only one sermon on Sunday. Later, there were sermons Sunday nights, until the young people's organizations took charge of evening services. In those days, the sexton's job went to the lowest bidder, but sometimes he received as much as 14 pounds a year. His duties were simple. He was ordered to "turn the key in the door before and after each meeting." He was also to build a fire in time to warm the room, and to sweep and dust at least three times between April 1 and Oct. 1 or forfeit his salary. The society once bought him a feather duster, for which it paid $1.20. Sunday School, organized in 1826, has continued down through the years. The men of the church society in the 1840's voted to give the women the "privilege" of repairing the parsonage. Since then, the "privilege" has become a main objective of the Ladies Benevolent Society. In 1854, the church building was again lengthened. Twenty more pews were added, giving three aisles and doors as at present. It was refinished and decorated by Henry Root. The ceiling was painted to represent the sky at night with dark blue and golden stars. Bible quotations decorated the east wall. The bell, in very poor condition, was replaced by a new one in 1870. The chapel was built in 1887 and 1888, using a gift of $500 from Eunice Clapp and the aid of the Ladies' Society. In 1815, Martin Root presented a silver tankard and six drinking cups to the church. These were used until individual cups were purchased by the society in 1905. In October, 1839, money was given to buy or purchase a parsonage. The second house south of the church and the barn was bought in 1852 for $1,056. The house was always in need of repairs, which were mostly paid for by the Ladies' Society. Finally, during the pastorate of student ministers, when there was no settled pastor, the house was sold. Mrs. Lucy Delano gave $500 to purchase the chandelier. This replaced the old one with oil lamps which fell and set fire to the carpet. No damage was done to the church. Mrs. Delano also gave money to establish a trust fund for the poor and needy "without regard to sex, name or denomination, if he (or she) does not use intoxicating liquors." DeWitt Clinton Clapp gave to the church $5,000 from which it purchased a clock. The clock still occupies a position in the church steeple. This was given to the church in appreciation for the influence it had on his young life. Mrs. Dora Dickinson gave the cross and candlesticks which are used in the church. Of recent years, the Ladies Society completed two large projects. In June, 1949, the dining hall was dedicated. This was constructed under the church in a dark, dirt-bottom cellar which was
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 used only for a wood-burning furnace. Second project, completed early in 1954, was remodeling of the kitchen. In its two centuries of existence, the church has had 28 ministers. During 11 years, seven ministers were students. Rev. Judah Nash, the first minister, served from Nov. 22, 1752 to Feb. 19, 1805; the present pastor, Rev. Henry J. Rohrs, came to preach May 19, 1946.
The Old Unitarian Church On March 18, 1887, nine men and five women met in the GAR Room in the town hall and organized Montague Grange No. 141. First officers were Charles Raymond, master; George H. Goddard, overseer; Charles W. Clapp, lecturer; George Payne, steward; Herbert Root, assistant steward; Washburn H. Ripley, chaplain; Frederick Rist, treasurer; Edgar L. Bartlett, secretary; W. H. Wetherbee, gatekeeper; Mrs. Myra Ripley, Pomona; Mrs. Addie Bartlett, Flora; Mrs. Vesta Payne, Ceres, and Mrs. Julia Goddard, lady assistant steward. Mrs. Mary Rist held no office but was a charter member.
St. Mary's Mission Looks Forward To Own Church Montague—The idea, tor establishment of a Roman Catholic mission parish in Montague Center came into being in the fall of 1950. Rev. James F. Hastings, then pastor of St. Mary's Parish, Turners Falls, having in mind the need of Catholic Mass in Montague Center, called upon Mrs. Mary Bender and Mrs. Mary Graves to assist him in determining the number of families who would avail themselves of the privilege of hearing Mass on Sunday in Montague Center. The two women called on all the Catholic families in Montague and got their signatures to a petition asking permission to establish a Station of St. Mary. They turned over to Fr. Hastings a petition signed by about 60 families willing to support such a venture. A meeting in Grange Hall of the faithful and Fr. Hastings took place soon after and on Feb. 11, 1951, the first Mass was read in Grange Hall. A portable altar was donated by a good friend in Turners Falls and kneeling benches and altar rail benches were built by one of the parishioners. The weekly attendance at Sunday Mass numbers 75 to 100 and during the summer there have been as many as 135. Sunday School classes are conducted after Mass for about 35 children ranging from first to eighth grade levels. A Christian Doctrine class for high school pupils is also conducted after Mass on Sundays with the attending priest giving instructions. The fine cooperation of the congregation has made possible establishment of a building fund and it is the hope of the pastor and all the parishioners that, in the not too distant future, a church to be known as the Mission of the Infant of Prague will be erected here.
Firsts in Montague Nash, Wells, Root, Hartwell, Gunn, Wright, Marsh—these typical old New England names constitute the roll of honor of firsts in the town of Montague. Records show: Rev. Judah Nash, first minister. William Wells, first physician. Jonathan Hartwell, first attorney. Moses Root, first blacksmith. Martin Gunn, first postmaster. Elisha Root, first child born in the town. Judah Wright, first sheriff from the town. Elijah Gunn and Ebenezer Marsh, first constables.
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Once Privately Owned Town Water System Came Under District In 1953 The water supply and distribution system in Montague village, now owned and operated by the Montague Center Water District, originally was a private water company established shortly after the turn of the century by the late Edgar Bartlett. It was first designed to supply water to the farm and dwelling of Bartlett on Central Street. In later years, both the farm and the water works were owned and operated by Bartlett's son, Richard, who now resides in Millers Falls. At the onset the source of water supply was West Pond, a spring fed body of water in the southerly part of the village. Through the use of hydraulic rams, the water was raised into and stored in a cypress wood tank of approximately 4,500 gallons capacity, located on a ledge near West Pond. This tank is still in use but the rams were discontinued 10 or more years ago when a gravel packed well was constructed near West Pond, designed for the use of an electric pump. Now this well water is the source of supply for the village. The water from the well is more than adequate and has always been of the highest quality. Soon after the original pipeline was laid to the Bartlett farm, residents of the village began to avail themselves of the chance to have their homes connected to the lines upon payment of an annual water rent charge. Gradually the pipelines were extended throughout the village, thereby increasing the original mile and one-half of mains to approximately six miles of pipe now being used. Later in the summer of 1952, village inhabitants learned the water works operated by Richard Bartlett would not continue to furnish service after Jan, 1, 1953, and that the farm and water supply system were for sale. This development caused much concern to the 100 or more families[sic] dependent upon it for their water. A group of interested residents, called together by Raymond George, held several public meetings to discuss the matter. At the first meeting in the fall of f952 a committee of five was selected and requested to investigate the situation and make recommendations at a subsequent meeting. This committee consisted of George Lombard, Gilbert Whitney, Walter Eddy, Albert Clark and Atty. John Moseley. They recommended formation of a district, securing of funds by a bond issue, purchase of the Bartlett water works and operation from revenue rather than from funds to be raised by taxation. The committee was directed to proceed with establishment of a district. In December, 1952, the committee filed a petition and a bill in the Massachusetts General Court requesting approval of legislation to establish a water district about the same time, a member of the committee, Whitney, purchased the water works from Bartlett, agreeing to hold and operate it until the district was able to assume ownership. With the active assistance of Rep. Olaf Hoff, Jr., of Turners Falls, Atty. Moseley, as chairman of the committee, was able to secure legislative ap- proval of the bill effective Feb. 25, 1953. Acceptance of the act was voted at a meeting March 25, 1953, and the district formally organized. Elected at this meeting and reelected at the annual meeting in April, 1954, were: Alice E. Gunn, clerk; Alvin F. Newton, treasurer, and Atty. Moseley, Albert L. Graves and George Gunn, water commissioners. Since formation of the district, many improvements and repairs have been made to the works and when and if the distribution lines can be put in first class order a new pump and tank facilities are contemplated. At present the district has 115 service connections. In addition to six miles of mains the district owns a 10-acre tract upon which is located West Pond, the well and pumphouse,[sic] and the storage tank.
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Fire Department Has Offered Good Service Montague Center, though 200 years old, was lacking fire protection until the early 1900's, when a few interested persons got together and purchased a Model T Ford truck and equipped it as a fire engine. It was housed at the old town hall, now the home of Mrs. Lena Kuczynski. Merritt Bartlett was in charge of the engine. There was no volunteer department at this time. In 1925, James Hartley had a Packard which he converted into a second fire engine with Oscar Hapgood, making any necessary parts that were needed. Hartley used the pumper from the old engine. In sole charge of the vehicle, he went to many fires and housed the engine at his own expense. Several years later, Richard Bartlett purchased Hartley's interest in the fire truck and took it to his place, where it soon "retired" behind his barn. Then, after many years of no fire protection, several Montague Center citizens, headed by Donald J. Newton, made an exhaustive study of the needs of a fire district in this village of the town. In 1941, after considerable effort, they were successful in getting an act passed through the Massachusetts legislature establishing the Montague Center Fire District. The meeting to form the district was in Grange Hall March 9, 1942. Mrs. Annie Bardwell was chosen moderator and Dana C. Salmon, clerk. The legislation was accepted and the district formed. Three members of the prudential committee were elected: Walter H. Eddy, chairman, for three years; Frank Kuzmeskus, two years, and Stephen M. Richardson, one year. Franklin Field was elected treasurer, and Salmon, clerk. Townspeople were enthusiastic about the newly formed district. Lester Pierce was appointed chief; Everett S. Martin, assistant, and Harry S. DeWolf, Hugh Brown and Robert Ripley, lieutenants. These men worked long and hard to make an efficient fire-fighting force. They gave up a great deal of their spare time in attending fire school under Chief Herbert Ferris and his assistants of the Greenfield department. The prudential committee had difficulty procuring apparatus and hose because of war shortages but on March 30. 1944, a new truck and hose arrived. Grange Hall on School Street was purchased by the district in 1943. The ground floor was made over to house the fire truck and equipment and the second floor renovated for firemen's meetings and recreation. In 1954 the Montague Center Fire District had a well-trained unit of men, led and directed by Chief Pierce, who has served 12 years. Others who have helped make the department a success since 1942 are Asst. Chief Martin, Lts. DeWolf and Brown and Firemen George Gunn, Albert Graves, Roger Newton, George Chapin, Stanley Rastallis and Chester Zukowski, all of whom were members of the original crew. Of present officers of the district—Chr. Raymond Trudel, George M. Lombard and Stephen M. Richardson of the prudential committee, Franklin Field, treasurer, and Atty. John R. Moseley, clerk, Field and Richardson have served since 1942. An up-to-date, well-equipped piece of fire apparatus maintained by trained volunteers is at the call of the people. Many fires in private homes have been extinguished in early stages by prompt and efficient response. Notable among these were at the homes of Donald Bray and Stephen Richardson in 1951 fires. The two largest blazes were the burning of Montague School in 1945 and Montague Inn 1953. The district is a sort of "unit within a unit" for all persons residing within the district must pay an annual tax in addition to their real estate taxes. Annual meetings, like town meetings, take place each year.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
The old adages. "Better late than never" and "Last but not least", apply well to Montague's department. It took nearly two centuries to get adequate firefighting service here but residents are proud and happy that it is here now to stay.
School Addition Contract Award; Major 1924 Issue Montague—An addition to Center School here was constructed in 1924 but not until after municipal fireworks. The building committee, headed by Mrs. Anna H. Bardwell, awarded the contract to the highest bidder, Thomas Brothers, overlooking the lowest bidder, George H. Reed. A citizens' group obtained a court injunction ordering work halted until town meeting could decide on the committee's action. In one of Montague's biggest town meetings, attended by an estimated 1,000 persons at Hibernian Hall, Turners Falls, the committee was upheld, 508 to 271. Principals in the action included Town Counsel James J. Leary, Chr. Henry E. Beaumier of selectmen, Atty. (now judge) Timothy M. Hayes, counsel for Reed, Mrs. Bardwell, Atty. William A. Davenport, committee counsel, and Atty. Thomas R. Hickey, Northampton counsel for the citizens group.'
Hatchery Opened In 1917 The Montague state fish hatchery is one o£ six stations operated by the division of fisheries and game to propagate game fish for stocking open waters within the commonwealth. History of the hatchery dates back to 1917, when a small rearing station was established on Cold Brook, part way between Turners Falls and Montague Center. Travel in those days was by team and during any warm summer day it was quite natural for a driver to stop for a cold drink of water, giving it a name. The upper springs of Cold Brook are close to the main road. Most sur- prising, of course, is to find such a permanent supply of available water from dry surroundings. It was the late Lyman E. Ruberg of Greenfield, local fish and game warden, who first interested commission members at Boston in Cold Brook. In 1917, when an expansion program was undertaken in Western Massachusetts, Cold Brook was selected as one of the sites for an experimental hatchery. Water rights and land were optioned from the late Joseph Fournier and John Bitzer and construction was started that spring. The building program, undertaken by the late Otis Monroe, then superintendent of the Palmer state fish hatchery, lasted well into summer, and consisted of clearing the grounds of wood, limbs and stumps for construction of a water supply pond and space for setting up 32 wooden tanks 16 by 3 feet and 15 inches deep. Set up in tier fashion, they served as rearing facilities in the following years. The original hatching building at Palmer was transferred here during the third year of operations to check the water supply in relation to hatching trout eggs. Because of excellent results, the entire properties were taken over by the commonwealth. In the years to follow, the rearing of trout to fingerling size was gradually shifted from wooden tanks to natural rearing ponds constructed above the supply pond. Previous to 1917, stocking was done by the planting of trout fry, but as the fishing pressure increased the demands on fish hatcheries consisted of planting fingerling size. This era was not to last long, however, because fishermen were increasing in numbers faster than Mother Nature could provide the necessary food for the fingerling fish to reach legal size. The only alternative was to rear trout to legal size or over.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
With the ever-increasing need of more and larger fish for stocking purposes in 1926, and the fact that there were possibilities for more ponds at Montague, the first big expansion program was sparked by Dr. A. D. Pierce of Greenfield, then president of the Greenfield Rod and Gun Club. The doctor was assisted by the late Jacob Haigis of Shelburne Falls, then president of the Franklin County League of Sportsmen's Clubs, and many other interested fishermen and clubs in Franklin, Worcester and Berkshire Counties. A total of over $2,000 was realized from that drive, not only providing the cash for clearing the entire lower section of stumps and wood, but construction of many of the original ponds in that area. In the following years, a gas shovel was engaged to dig out larger ponds below the previous construction. These units have a carrying capacity of from 10,000 to 25,000 fish as against the usual 3,000 to 4,000 for the smaller rectangular ponds. While this activity extended the system, and increased the output many times, the final expansion to the railroad tracks was undertaken by the PWA and WPA agencies under supervision of Joseph Cullen and the active cooperation of the late John (Jack) Casey of Montague's highway department. Annual output runs around 60,000 pounds of live trout scattered throughout the state, with some concentration in the western area. Distribution through the years has changed from the ordi- nary milk cans to large tanks on trucks using a circulatory water system, The native brook trout species has now been joined by the rainbow and brown, the latter two being more resourceful to the changed environmental conditions of today. Since all rainbow and brown trout are reared to two years and up to 12 inches for planting, sardines are very helpful in producing quality fish for stocking. The food supply is important in rearing trout but so is the water resource, and whether or not the flow is constant, the temperature gradual and the oxygen count around 12 parts per million. Reforestation has and will continue to safeguard these most vital assets. All of the fish cultural stations of the division are open to visitors and each year many groups of school pupils visit them. Of course, the youngsters are always welcome with their parents, and usually one visit leads to another so, as the years pass, and many become followers of the Izaak Walton sport for recreation, they too return and ask the same familiar question: "Why don't you propagate more and larger fish?" The hatchery here is doing pretty well at answering that question. (The above story was written through the excellent cooperation of Ralph Bitzer, in charge of the hatchery.)
And Never Nabbed Thief The Montague Horse Thief Detecting Society, in well over 100 years of existence, provided its members with a sociable annual meeting and attempted to put the fear of God and the law into any and all Montague horse thieves, none of whom, however, was ever captured. Founded in 1840 as a challenge and a warning to horse thieves, who existed in large enough numbers to cause concern, the society slowly lost its purpose as fewer and fewer young criminals turned their attentions to livestock as a livelihood. In the 1940's, meetings were abandoned altogether. Members of the organization in the early 1900's blamed the automobile's advent for their group's lack of activity. The scope of the group was limited as early as 1873, at which time it was decided the society should exist only for mutual aid in recovering stolen horses belonging to members.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
For years the society met annually at the Montague Inn. In 1916, the meeting there was at- tended by 70 members, including C. P. Rollins, then president and Miss Kate Armstrong, secretary. At the 1916 meeting, Miss Armstrong pointed out that records of the group only went back to 1867 but that the actual history pre-dated the Civil War, as proved by a society poster dated in the early 1840's. The poster was given to the Montague City Library. Only four other such societies are known to have existed. These were at Bernardston, where the group was formed seven years before the local society, Dedham, Norton and Gilbertville. Officers of the local group in 1938 were Arthur L. Davis, president; Thomas Bean, vice- president; L. S. Field, secretary, and H. P. Dunbar, chief purser. In 1940, also at Montague Inn, the following were elected: Joseph Hyland, president; George Lombard, vice-president; Lucius S. Field, treasurer. Other members then included Mrs. Hyland, Mrs. Lombard, Harold A. Moody, Gottlieb Koch, William J. Morgan, Leon Billings, Dr. Dean P. Taggart, E. L. Bartlett, Albert R. Smith, Wallace B. Marston, George Friedebach, W. L. Salmon, Robert L. Bartlett, Theodore and Norman Farwell and W. M. Stebbins. Oldest living member in 1940 was Edgar L. Bartlett, who then celebrated his 60th anniversary as a member of the society.
Only One Cider Mill Remains Montague—In the early 1800's, many cider mills dotted this town's hills. The mills were run by horse power because of a lack of water power. Today, only one mill remains. Field's Cider Mill, located on Greenfield Road, one mile from Montague Center, has been making cider as one of its chief operations for 82 years. A dam built on Cold Brook in 1872 has furnished power for the cider mill, grinding corn and wood sawing as well as for electricity for the house and barn. Many years ago this mill sold cider to farmers for many miles around. Men would bring in a load of apples by team and, because they were so far from home, the men would stay overnight at the farm. The next morning they would load their wagons with barrels of cider for the long trip home. About 75 per cent of the cider was sold by the barrel, very little by the jug. Today it has turned about and there is very little barrel trade. During a normal season, the Fields purchase about 80 to 90 tons of apples, from which cider and vinegar are prepared for local consumption.
Lake Pleasant Opened as Summer Resort in 1870: George Potter Opened Grove by Helen Wells and Ken Walker The history of Lake Pleasant Is the story of a naturally magnificent summer resort which enjoyed astoundingly rapid growth and increasing popularity for 35 years, but which never fully recovered from a disastrous fire which almost wiped it from the map in 1907. The village soared in size and reputation from 1872 until the fire, with an average of three new dwellings built here each year during that period. At present there are 125 residences at the Lake; just before the fire there were 196. Formerly only a relatively few families lived at the lake the year-round; the largest influx was during the summer months. Now it is a year round site of homes. Before Lake Pleasant became a village, this part of Montague was virgin woodland. Some called the body of water here Great Pond; some called it Otter Lake.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
In 1870, George W. Potter of Greenfield, sometimes referred to as the founder of Lake Pleasant, purchased part of the land surrounding the lake, including the old grove, had it cleared and set up a few picnic benches. He then invited about 50 Greenfield people, including the editor of the Franklin County Times, to a picnic. Thus was Lake Pleasant opened to the public. During the next four years, political and temperance conventions and mammoth Fourth of July parties enlivened the lake shore and spread the resort's name. Midway in those four years, J. J. Richardson of Greenfield and Henry A. Budding-ton and Harvey Lyman of Springfield, members of the Spiritualist movement, became interested in the site. These three pioneers interested the Fitchburg Railroad Co. of Boston in developing the area further and in 1872 the railroad bought Potter's land and other property surrounding the lake. The company built the pavilion, bandstand, rostrum and a depot and drove wells in several spots in the grove. None proved of especial merit except Jacob's Well, named by a Mrs. Lizzie Lincoln of Boston. For the next two years Lake Pleasant was the center of summer attraction along the Connecticut Valley and much of New England. Accompanied by reams of high-flown advertising prose, the railroad brought in Grange parties, Odd Fellow and Masonic outings, private groups and Sunday School picnics. One of the railroad ads during this period described "an elegant and commodious pavilion, 40 by 75 feet, furnishes shelter and accommodation to dancing parties. Seats sufficient to accommodate 2,000 persons and a bandstand have been built in a perfectly shaded grove by the lake side. An experienced caterer will furnish, from the saloon on the grounds, refreshments at moderate prices to parties giving notice at the refreshment saloons in Greenfield Depot." Richardson had an interest in the catering and refreshment business, both in Greenfield and Lake Pleasant. In 1874, Buddington and Dr. Joseph Beals were leaders in organization of a Spiritualist group which still meets annually at the lake, the New England Spiritualists Camp Meeting Association. That August, there were no dwellings at the lake but 75 tents were pitched on the bluff. Five years later the association was incorporated. Under its sanction, H. L. Barnard in 1880 built a three-story hotel. That year, 90 cottages had been built and the 50 acres surrounding the lake were divided into camping lots. Two thousand persons jammed the area in August. The hotel opened June 21, 1881, with music by the 20-piece Fitchburg Band setting the mood. These were the years when mediums from all over the country and from foreign nations flocked to Lake Pleasant to set up summer, if not year-round, residences. The Scalpers were organized; steamboats were run about the lake and more than a little pleasure was combined with the religious aims which drew the crowds. From the opening of the hotel to the destruction of it and half the village by fire in 1907 was just a quarter of a century. Rebuilding started immediately on almost all the sites where cottages had burned. The valuation of the community, indeed, rose instead of falling after the fire, from $37,125 in January, 1907, to $46,365 in 1908. The present home of Mr. and Mrs. William Baxter of Broadway Street was one of the first rebuilt. Trolly[sic] tracks were laid from Greenfield through Turners Falls to Lake Pleasant and Millers Falls. Water piping systems were installed by Jack Cavanaugh of Millers Falls, the streets were brightened by electricity in 1914 under contract between the Franklin Electric Light Co. and the Lake Pleasant Water Supply District and the community continued to prosper. The number of dwellings at the lake nearly doubled after the fire, but never exceeded the pre-fire mark of 196 houses and cottages.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
The trolly[sic] tracks were removed in 1923, leaving residents dependent on train service and autos. The Temple Tea Room, established in 1912 with George P. Albee in charge, came under the management of Mrs. Florence Knowles and her daughter, Augusta, in 1920 and was closed and razed in 1937, as were many other buildings. The late 1930's saw the decline of the community size and popularity. In the decade between 1934 and 1944, 34 cottages fell into decay and were torn down. The old Country Store and adjoining dining room, with booths overlooking the lake, closed during this period. It was taken over by the water commissioners in 1949. At present there are three stores at the lake: Felton's Grocery Store, Frannie's Store on the Highlands side and Wells' Country Store. Ownership of the village of Lake Pleasant is a knotty problem at present, with privately owned lots and buildings competing with general ownership of the roadways and much surrounding property by the New England Spiritualists Camp Meeting Association. Municipal services, such as most street repairs, cannot be provided by the town of Montague since the streets are not municipally owned, and the association is not in a position to do the job. Most streets, never intended for modern traffic, are quite narrow and because of the location of cottages in close proximity on either side, cannot be widened effectively. The following figures concerning Lake Pleasant are from the records in the assessor's office for the town of Montague and show, in the center the number of dwellings and cottages in this community from 1884 to the present; in the right-hand column, assessors' valuation of the association holdings here:
1884 137 0 1894 150 $12,000 1904 183 $ 8,000 1907 (pre fire) 196 $ 3,000 1908 (pre fire) 101 $ 3,300 1914 151 $ 5,575 1924 163 $ 5,175 1934 169 $ 4,775 1944 135 $ 2,475 1954 125 $ 1,875
Mohawk Riding Club Has Hall, Meetings Here From small beginnings 10 years ago, through a crest of activity in 1948 and 1949 to the present lull, the Mohawk Riding Club, Inc., has sponsored many and varied activities but has kept horses and riding its main interest. About 12 interested horse-owners were at the organizational meeting at the home of Harry Williams in Turners Falls in November, 1944. From that time through the next year or so, the group met in other homes and then in The Recorder-Gazette office in Greenfield. A milestone in the club's progress was the- purchase early in 1946 of the print and lithography shop of Frank Jones in this town on the road to Turners Falls. This building is the present riding club structure, 1½ stories tall, 50 by 25 feet in dimensions. With it the club bought 30 acres of land on the western side of the street, directly opposite the former site of the main gate into Lake Pleasant, where the old trolley used to stop.
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Working on the project in their spare time, club members soon constructed a half-mile oval horse track. The number of members then was approximately 30. Shows at the Franklin County Fair preceded opening of their own grounds here. A yearly feature was the gymkhana, games on horseback, somewhat like a Western rodeo, the name coming from an American Indian word. On June 13, 1946, the club applied for incorporation. Charter members were George F. Patnode, president, Betty Graves, secretary-treasurer, Earl Murdock, David Sedgwick, Billy Waite, James A. MacCauley, George W. Chapin, Harry W. Baker, Arthur J. Brown, Joseph Williams, Clifford Graves, Ethan V. Howard, Jr., Frank S. Fuller and Edwin Damon. In 1954 the club had 35 members, about half of whom still own horses. Officers were Chapin, president; Patnode, vice-president; Frank S. Fuller, secretary-treasurer. The club house is rented out for auctions and other public affairs. Dances are scheduled about every other week, mostly square dances. Activities include pool, shuffleboard and occasional rides.
Scalpers Lodge in Seventh Decade Lake Pleasant—The Independent Order of Scalpers, Miscoluspi Lodge, a fraternal unit devoted to fellowship and mutual aid, was 60 years old in February, 1954. Beginnings of the group were on Lake Pleasant soil, where three young men, one of whom was 17, decided to perpetuate their friendship and incorporate others into the circle. Indian folklore and language were drawn on heavily for customs, decorations, celebrations and names of many members. With blood—curdling war—whoops and snake dances from the Highlands to the lake shore, the Scalpers both before and after the turn of the century celebrated holidays during the warmer months with revelry and merrymaking unsurpassed in this village. In recent years, although meetings of the group are increasingly infrequent and the center of membership seems to be moving toward Springfield, membership has been numerically on the increase. Founders were J. Russell Bickford, of Medford; his brother, the late Charles M. Bickford, first high chief, and Charles Barron, of this town who winters in Florida. Friends since they were youngsters, the three founders, in 1893, vowed to form a fraternal group and keep their association alive. In the early years, the membership came almost wholly from Lake Pleasant-Montague- Greenfield area, but later Springfield friends of members were invited to join. One of the most memorable of the past annual gatherings of the order was the 1905 celebration at the Highlands, where many "palefaces" were brought into membership. A former high chief of the Scalpers is Roger D. Billings of West Springfield, a native of South Deerfield. The home encampment building here is a lodge-type structure about a mile from the center of the community, called "the Old Plantation," where members may spend the pleasant months of the year free of charge. If they are willing to provide the heat, they may stay here for the winter as well. Members of the lodge still meet on holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day and frequently the sessions take place at the Highlands.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Woman's Club Made Children's Aid Its Goal The personal interests and recreation of children outside school hours were the fields in which the Lake Pleasant Woman's Club chose to work from its inception Oct. 2; 1941. Members' objective has always been to work in the children's interest. Mrs. Harry Matherson, Mrs. Paul Councilman and Mrs. Grace Tomkins Wilson met at the latter's home to form the club. First president was Mrs. Councilman, with Mrs. Shirley Whicher, vice-president; Mrs. Wilson, secretary, and Mrs. Matherson, treasurer. First guests were Mrs. Olaf Hoff, Jr., and Mrs. Doris Yarmac, who spoke respectively on the State Federation of Women's Clubs and the Turners Falls club. Through the courtesy of the National Spiritual Alliance, a hall was obtained for future meetings. Charter members in addition to those named were Mrs. John Cossett, Mrs. William Duke, Mrs. Walter Braman and Mrs. William Russell. During its first year, the club sponsored parties once a month for local children, sewing classes, a skating rink, a Sunday School and piano lessons for all interested. A patchwork quilt made by Mrs. Elliott Sloper, first chairman of the ways and means committee, Mrs. Jennie Kendrick and Mrs. Blanche Schultz was raffled off for $68. In January, 1942, the club visited the Turners Falls club. The first local yearbook was printed in 1943-44. Over the years, the club has sponsored the Thread and Needle 4-H Club, a Bible club, Cub Scouts and several children's parties annually and maintained a library. Club motto is, "What sort of a club would my club be if every member was just like me?" Colors are blue and white; club flower is the forsythia and club bird, bluejay. The local club was admitted to the state federation in 1941 and to the general federation in 1951. Presidents after Mrs. Councilman through 1952 were Mrs. John Cossett, Mrs. Richard Wilson, Mrs. Dorrace Graves, Mrs. Earl Mosher, Mrs. Francis Gleason, Miss Eva Stoneman and Mrs. George Gray. Officers were Mrs. Mosher, president; Mrs. Richard Miller, first vice-president; Mrs. Andrew Saczawa, second vice-president; Mrs. Gleason, secretary, and Mrs. Graves, treasurer.
Ladies Soc. Big Help to Community The exact year the Ladies Improvement Society was organized is not known, though mentioned in the "History of The New England Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association" by H. A. Buddington, published in 1907. To those interested in statistics, the following figures will give some idea of the important part played by the society in the welfare of the community. These sums will inevitably bring to mind how times have changed. Colonel Ingersoll and the Ladies Improvement Society paid for the Temple. The net proceeds of Col. Ingersoll's lectures for the two seasons he spoke at Lake Pleasant were $1,800 plus $1,200 from the society for the $3,000 cost of the Temple. During the years they have done much for the betterment of the community. In early years of camp, they were responsible for building two long flights of stairs to facilitate passing up and down the steep banks to the lake, thereby allowing older residents easy access to the paths around the water, one located by Jacob's Well, the other at the Highland end of the bridge. The minutes of an August 1915 meeting state "a motion was made and carried we pay $2.50 for signs at entrance of grounds." In 1919 they appropriated $225 for a new deck for the bridge.
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In 1921 they donated S250 for repairs to Temple and furnishings for the Inn; in 1922 they gave $100 toward insurance on association property; in 1923 they voted $300 for necessary repairs to the Inn; during 1925, $300 was donated to help refurnish the Inn. And so through the years to the present time, they have given generously to needed improvements. Money was raised through dances, card parties and each year, during the month of August, the annual fair which has been tradition. In 1953 the fair was most successful combined with the afternoon card party and Silver Tea. 1954 officers were Mrs. Paul Councilman, president; Mrs. Rose Niles, vice-president; Mrs. Helen Wells, secretary, and Mrs. Luisette Terrill, treasurer.
1907 Fire Razed 130 Homes "This village will arise from its ashes, more beautiful than ever," promised R. F. Churchill, president of the New England Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association, after surveying the ruins of the ] 30 cottages which were destroyed here in a wind-driven holocaust on the morning of April 25, 1907. But rebuilding depended greatly on insurance coverage and only about one third of the cottages were insured. The overall loss was estimated conservatively at $100,000. Churchill was not the only one who dreamed of a greater and more glorious Lake Pleasant before the ashes of the resort were cool. The universal sentiment of the day was that the settlement would grow even larger, but less crowded, on the Highlands on the west shore of the lake. Although many cottages have since been built in this area, the present village cannot compare with that which existed before the disaster. The fire began in a way quite similar to that of the great Chicago fire, except that no cow was involved. About 4:40 a:m., George F. McKinney, an employee of the Millers Falls Co. living in a cottage on the bluff, left a lighted lamp on a shelf while he fetched some kindling wood. While he was gone he heard a small explosion and in a moment the cottage was afire. A high wind was blowing from the south. McKinney had barely enough time to awaken his two daughters, who escaped partly dressed from the blazing building. As the cottages were built very close together (because the lots were originally laid out for tents), the fire spread quickly. In about an hour, according to accounts of the time, about half the buildings in the settlement were wiped out. About 35 families were living at the lake at the time. These people did their best to fight the fire, as did the quickly summoned Millers Falls and Turners Falls fire departments, but with little effect. There were no hydrants to which to attach the firemen's hoses, nor pumps capable of bringing water from the lake. Lines of sweating bucket men formed near the bridge when the flames threatened it. The span crossed what was then a very deep gully. The bucket brigade drenched many o-f the homes with water in the path of the flames. The fire did not cross the ravine. It was halted on the west side of the park grounds. Along the green and toward the old livery stable west of Park Square a row of 52 houses was saved, as well as the 50 on the other side of the ravine and the Temple. Six acres were burned over in all. The association's hotel was completely burned, at a loss of 525,000, including the dance pavilion, bandstand and tank house. Insurance was $8,000. Cost of the cottages ranged from $200 to $2,000, and averaged about $600. Churchill arrived at the lake the day after the fire to see that all were being cared for. Some residents went to the town farm in Montague temporarily; others were taken in by those whose cottages had been saved.
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Many whose summer residence had been ruined, however, returned in the summer to live in tents, as they had done in the beginning of the village. Money was raised for those burned out, by band concerts and such activities at the lake. Considering the amount of damage the settlement sustained, the rebuilding actually done was remarkable. Most of this was due to a deep-seated love for the place on the part of those who had lost their homes and a faith as great as Churchill's that the village would rise again.
Carey First Postmaster 67 Years Ago The village postoffice,[sic] now and for more than half a century on the corner of Owasso and Montague Streets—beside the lake which gives the town its name—was set up by the federal government Feb. 18, 1887, with Augustus C. Carey as postmaster. Carey, who served six years, was succeeded Nov. 13, 1893, by Norris S. Henry, who remained just under eight years, followed by William P. Kenibbs on Oct. 19, 1901. On Oct. 31, 1902, for no apparent reason other than that the summer season was over and few year-round residents remained, the office was discontinued. It was reestablished, however, on March 25, 1903, with Herbert S. Streeter, now of Greenfield, called the "mayor of Lake Pleasant" because of his many activities here, as postmaster. Streeter was succeeded Jan. 22, 1907, by Leon E. Henry, who held the post more than 22 years, longer than any other. Next was J. Leon Roby, appointed Oct. 1, 1929. He was followed by James L. Wells on March 6, 1935, in turn succeeded by Charles R. Finlayson Nov. 22, 1941. The postmaster in 1953 was Mrs. Helen A. Wells, who was appointed Jan. 22, 1944. Her 10 years in the office place her second in length of service and she expects to continue for some time. The postoffice[sic] occupies half the front of the Wells home, along with a general store. From decades ago up until April, 1905, the office would alternate its location depending on the season from the present site to the "summer store" on Lake Shore Street. It was at the latter from May to September.
L. P. District Supplies Water, Other Services Incorporated in 1908 on petition of a group led by Frank C. Bryant of Turners Falls, the Lake Pleasant Water Supply District lost no time in taking on other responsibilities and has been fulfilling a variety of civic services ever since. In the earliest days of the organization, persons using the water were obliged to furnish their own pipe, connections and fixtures. The district's source of supply was a pipe conveniently connected to the pipe of the Turners Falls Fire District at the top of Green Pond Hill. Water was sold by the season, rather than by the gallon, because the heaviest use was mostly confined to camp meeting time in August. However, a limit was set up to safeguard the district, by 1909 vote, a fee of "four dollars a season" was charged to all users, with a limit of 3,000 gallons. All over that figure was assessed in addition. First water commissioners were Bryant, Frank A. Bickford and Leon E. Henry. Henry served four years; the others served five. The district's first meeting was May II, 1908, in the Temple. In 1914, the state legislature authorized the district to contract for the "lighting of the streets, ways, and public buildings of said district by electricity, "authorizing the district further to levy taxes for this service. The district accepted the bill, and voted $300 from taxes for the lights.
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It was voted in 1916 that in the future any 10 Lake Pleasant property holders could call for a meeting of the district and commissioners. District duties through the years have strayed far from the sole purpose its name implies— supplying water. In fact, the district operates virtually as a general utilities and maintenance department. It has been paying for street plowing for several decades. In 1934, it even footed a $40 bill for thawing pipes. Electric lights have been supplied for many years also, although one clerk's records indicate the district did not feel obliged to perform this task. He noted the district voted lights "if the Camp Meeting Association fails to do so," The district has also provided some fire fighting service. In 1939, the bell atop Alliance Temple was accepted as a means of warning but the following year, when a rope had yet to be attached to facilitate warning, the district ordered the commissioners to perform the task at once. Two years later two sirens were purchased, not only for fire alarms but as a Civil Defense warning system. Records do not indicate whether the rope was ever attached to the Alliance bell. In 1944 the district entered another field, assuming responsibility for maintenance of the village's only bridge when the NESCMA reported its funds too low to allow continuance of this project. Next year, however, the district decided to rescind its vote when it was determined the body might be held liable for injury or damage acquired on the structure. Maintenance on a yearly basis was authorized, however. Like any "family group," district voters have had their spats and their upsetting moments. There was the time in 1940, and years before also, when someone challenged the district's right to pay assessors and a tax collector for their services. General opinion favored paying them rather than a legal bill for proving the district could forego this minor expense. Water commissioners since the original trio, in order of their taking office, have been F. C. French, F. A. Bickford, Earle Guilford, Edward E. Whitney, J. J. Fremont, Robert A. Connick, Elvin Finlayson, F. B. Morse, William Jones, Harry Carlisle, Walter Braman, Roy Newton, Lionel Bordeaux, Arnold Madern and Leslie Smith. In the 44 years since 1910, the salary of the district clerk has tripled. Then it was $5; now it is $15. Other costs and services have increased proportionately. In 1953 2,644,640 gallons of water were bought by the district, of which 879,731 gallons were used for flushing, fires or waste. Cash on hand at both the start and close of 1953 was a little over $3,200. Appropriations for 1954 totalled[sic] $1,860.20. Owned by the district are four hose carts, 600 feet of 21/9 inch hose and 400 feet of 1½inch hose. Although 1953 was without a major fire in Lake Pleasant the district stands ready to write a totally different ending to a blaze like the great fire of 1907, if history should attempt to repeat itself.
What Happened To Phoebe Burnham? What happened to Phoebe Burnham? The question has not been asked for many years now but today, even as it was a half-dozen decades ago, the mystery remains. Wife of Cephas Burnham, who, according to rumor, "purchased" her from another husband, Phoebe Burnham was last seen a few hours before a fire destroyed the cottage in which she and her husband lived. Those on the scene immediately wondered about Phoebe's absence and when the ashes had cooled, the cottage was searched. Her body was not found. Lake Pleasant and Green Pond were dredged several times but no trace was discovered.
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Millers Falls residents, the next spring, complained about the taste of the water, which they drew then, as now, from Green Pond. Although some swore the taste was caused by the decaying Phoebe, no proof of this was ever found. Cephas, incidentally, died a brutal, if not mysterious, death several years later. Employed at the ice house here, he was crushed when a large cake shook loose its hooks and rumbled down a shoot. Cephas Burnham, who had remained faithful to Phoebe, never learned why—or how—his wife left their little cottage.
Camp Meeting 1885 Rules The following is a copy of the "Rules of the New England Spiritualists' Camp Meeting Association," ordered posted in a conspicuous place in every cottage and tent about 70 years ago: Cleanliness and Good Order are to be observed on all the grounds. No Pleasure Driving or Hitching of Horses will be allowed inside the gate. All Garbage and Slops must be deposited in the proper place. Campers will be in their quarters at 10 o'clock P.M., their lights extinguished, and refrain from loud talking at 101½ o'clock P.M. No Peddling of any kind will be allowed before 6 o'clock A.M. No Smoking, Loud Talking or Traveling about near the Speaker's Stand, will be allowed during the Service. Every Cottage will place two, and every Tent one bucket of water outside and in front of their Cottage or Tent, before retiring for the night. Persons refusing to comply with the above Rules will forfeit their right to these Grounds. The Laws of the Commonwealth against Gambling, Selling Liquors and other nuisances, and for the Protection of Camp Meetings, will be strictly enforced. Per order of Police and Sanitary Committee.
Lake Pleasant Has One Stone, No Bodies This village has no graveyard of its own. The closest thing to a gravestone to be seen, which is often mistaken for one, is a simple memorial stone, under which no one is buried. Standing at the entrance to the grounds in a small landscaped plot, the stone reads: "In Memory of Deborah A. Burt and Monroe S. Burt, 1933." It was erected about 20 years ago by the couple's son and daughter-in-law. The Burts, from Long Island, were members of the New England Spiritualists Camp Meeting Association. But was a director in the association in 1922.
Montague City Settled By Germans In 1792 by Bill Steinecke The "City" is a small village, but is a vital part of that whole of five villages which constitute the town of Montague. Settled in 1792 by a group of Industrious Germans, Montague City is the second oldest of the Montague villages. It is, peculiarly, the furthest distance from the original settlement, but closest to Greenfield's center of business activity, and is situated on the Connecticut River. The Germans, a thrifty tribe, settled at the site near Cheapside and named their settlement Montague City with the belief that with the river traffic which would doubtless pour through the series of locks and canals under construction, the village would soon grow to great proportions. However, this was never to come to pass.
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The city is noted chiefly for the location there of Cabot Station and switching power yard, Farren Memorial Hospital and the Montague Rod & Reel Company, the Rod Shop settling there nearly 100 years after founding of the village and the others more than 100 years later. A series of locks was built at Montague City, which along with the Montague Canal constructed by the company of Proprietors of the Upper Locks and Canals, forged an important link in the chain of navigational waters from Hartford to Vermont. There were six locks12 and a large pond formed above the fifth lock, known as the "tying up place." It was here that wharves were located and boats loaded and unloaded cargo. And, as with all towns along the river, Montague City provided comforts for the boatman, primarily various portions of spirits and grog such as put a man in trim for a good day's work or, perhaps, a good night's sleep. There was the River Tavern, operated for many years in the Abercrombie family, and Bardwell's Tavern, owned by Moses Bardwell. This later became the Farren Homestead which was located not far from where Farren Memorial Hospital stands today. In these taverns developed some of the liveliest brawls, coarse oaths and happiest times for the boatmen. The Allen & Root wharf was the chief lading spot. As the village grew, so grew the need for the general services which are attendant to such growth. C. A. Clapp operated Wild's Hotel and A. F. Wilds ran a livery stable. There were D. W. and R. L. Goss and Thomas Brothers, who manufactured brick, and the shop of B. F. Pond, tanner and manufacturer of upper leather, as well as E. Ripley & Company, which provided lumber and shingles. C. S. Clapp had a blacksmith shop and when the railroad came in the middle of the past century, G. W. White became the first station agent for the Central Vermont and New London Northern Railroads. In 1872 came the need for a new school to replace one built in the very early days of the settlement. For many years Montague City could proudly boast as being the only town in the country which had a railroad track spanning the top of a covered bridge. This was the old wooden covered bridge, conducted so many years as a toll bridge, with Obdiah Skiff as first tollkeeper.[sic] A new industry came to the village in 1885 when the Montague City Rod Company settled there in 1885, largely through the manipulations of Charles W. Hazelton. In 1953 Montague Rod & Reel Company, employed about 200 and turned out bamboo and glass rods. Among the early physicians were Dr. E. C. Coy, who resided in Montague City, Dr. E. A. Deane of Montague Center, and Dr. C. A. Wilson, physician and druggist whose office was at the corner of Third and L Streets in Turners Falls, but who lived in Montague City. In 1900, through the efforts of Barney Farren, Farren Memorial Hospital was built and has tendered to the needs of county residents since. The third major modern industry at the City is Cabot Station and the electric switching yard, property of the Western Massachusetts Electric Company. For a number of years mail headed for Turners Falls was sent via Montague City's postoffice,[sic] since there was no office in Turners Falls. The post-office today is located in the store of Carl Koch, where it has been situated for many years, and where Koch has served as postmaster as well as storekeeper. Thus, although the village never grew to be a city, it has grown up with Montague to be one of the most important factors of her industrial and cultural segments.
12 The “Barge” canal had 10 locks. Ref. “Turners Falls Canal; History and Description” Ed Gregory 2006.
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Rod Shop Has Made Town Name Well-Known, Established in '85, Montague City Firm Sent Bamboo, Glass Rods Around World The first split bamboo fishing rods manufactured in Montague City were made in a tiny building, property of the Montague City Rod Company. Few workmen participated in this initial venture in 1885 when the company was organized by L. L. Bartlett, Bernard Farren, builder of the Farren House, Farren Memorial Hospital and savior of the Hoosac13 construction, and Charles W. Hazelton, an engineer and another top- ranking industrialist of Turners Falls. Machines for the manufacture of the first rods were made in the same tiny plant. Competitors from all over the world later copied the general mechanism of these machines for their use. When L. L. Bartlett opened the Montague City plant, his brother, Eugene, had been making rods in Pelham for several years. After a short time Eugene joined the Montague City shop and the Pelham business was absorbed. The company was the first to use nickel plating on ferrules, and each Saturday William J. Eva, who was to serve the company for more than 60 years, took the passenger train from Montague City Station to Waterbury with a satchel of parts to be nickel-plated. These parts supplied the nickel-plating division of the firm with 15 minutes production and were used on the week's supply of the best quality rods. Later the company effected changes and did its own nickel and chrome plating. Now in its 69th year, the company is in a period of flux caused by the complete change- over in the fishing rod industry from bamboo to synthetic products of glass and plastic. Gone are the days of large volume manufacture of the split-bamboo rod. The firm which has employed as many as 450 at one time, including periods of war production, currently employs[sic] about 200. In 1934 the controlling interest in the company was sold by W, Bruce Pirnie of Greenfield and two New York and Boston banks to Paul J. Johnson, who at that time was secretary and treasurer of the Ocean City Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia. During World War II the Rod Shop manufactured brass cartridge cases for the government. The Korean outbreak resulted in war contracts for steel primers. While engaged in the war work the shop continued its production of fish rods. The company gained control of the Industrial Plastics Corporation of Gardena, Calif., in 1949, acquired for the production of hollow glass blanks. In 1953 it acquired the Rava Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wis. Equipment of the latter was transferred to the Montague City plant for the production of glass blanks. The company's outstanding success in the manufacture of bamboo rods was achieved by its superior hand workmanship and expert assembly procedures. Glass rods are relatively new and create entirely novel and different problems in manufacture from the bamboo process. Soon after 1954 publication the “Rod Shop” closed the city plant and moved its assets to its Philadelphia plant.
Farren Built Hospital Montague City—Farren Memorial Hospital was built by Bernard N. (Barney) Farren, pioneer railroad builder and one of the chief architects in the developments of Turners Falls, as a memorial to his only son, B. Frank Farren, who died in early manhood.
13 Hoosac Tunnel.
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Dedication day, Oct. 23, 1900, was one of the most notable events in the history of the town of Montague. It was important in the history of Franklin County, too, for the sick from all towns are given kind and tender care by the nurses and Sisters of Providence who manage the institution. Formal presentation was made by Bishop Corrigan of New York, a personal friend of the donor. Farren, who had given generously to Catholic organizations during his stay in Turners Falls, died in his native Philadelphia Jan. 20, 1912. The hospital, at time of the dedication, was completely equipped—but was not endowed. By Farren's choice, management was given over to the Sisters of Providence. The first staff was four sisters and their work hours were long and arduous. In 1902 the hospital cared for 217 patients. Its tremendous growth is evidenced by the fact that nearly 5,000 patients were treated in 1953. A training school for nurses, opened in 1905, continued successfully until 1941, when it became necessary to suspend it. In 1919 a small cottage adjacent to the hospital on Main Street was purchased as a residence for the chaplain and intern. A large and well-equipped laundry was installed in 1925 but a few years ago it was moved from its original site in the north wing to other quarters. A modern dispensary is now located where the laundry was. Up to 1928 the hospital had a bed capacity of 36 but this was more than doubled with completion of the new south wing that year. In 1954 the hospital had 75 beds and eight bassinets. This wing alone houses a complete surgery with operating rooms, a pharmacy, x-ray department and physiotherapy department. Fourteen years after it was opened the hospital became possessor of its first automobile ambulance. The shiny vehicle was purchased at a cost of $3,300. Two years ago the Rotary Clubs of Franklin County, under direction of the Turners Falls Rotary Club, raised $8,000 for a new ambulance. The first regular staff was organized in 1921. It comprised Drs. W. H. Pierce, P. F. Leary, R. A. McGillicuddy, C. L. Upton and F. J. Barnard, surgeons; and Drs. J. C. O'Brien, H. M. Kemp, F. W. Doyle, E. H. Hughes and W. J. Pelletier, physicians. At present the staff numbers 39. In 1935 the hospital made its first public appeal for funds. In 1943 the Turners Falls Woman's Club adopted as an annual drive the "Farren Memorial Hospital Donation Day," and on the 10th anniversary in 1953 registered one of the most successful of these fund and supply raising drives. The most serious calamity to hit the institution in its 54 years was a $12,000 nurses home blaze in 1942. On May 6, 1948, a drive was started for an elevator fund, and by the time the new elevator was installed Feb. 7, 1949, more than $12,000 had been raised. Officers of the hospital (1954) were Most Rev. Christopher J. Weldon, bishop of the Springfield Diocese, president; Rev. James W. Casey of Greenfield, vice-president, and Sister Superior Mary Ignacius, secretary-treasurer.
Did City Maples Inspire "Trees" The stately and almost perfectly formed maple trees which stand guard over Farren Memorial Hospital are, according to popular legend, the trees which inspired the famed poet, Joyce Kilmer, to pen his renowned poem, "Trees."
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Prior to entering the service Kilmer often visited the hospital here and, according to tale, is quoted as stating that one day he would write a poem about those maples. Other towns, however, also claim "Kilmer Trees." From whence the inspiration for the poem actually came will never be known but the magnificence and power of those 10 lines will never be lost.
Ladies Industrial Society Successor of Old Guild This is the history of the Ladies Industrial Society of Montague City. If it reads like a history of the Montague City Library, it is only because the latter was the direct result of the efforts of the society. The library is unique in this area in that it was constructed entirely through the efforts of a group of women in the community who banded together with establishment of a library as one of their original aims. The Ladies Industrial Society is the outgrowth of the old Ladies Guild of Farren Memorial Hospital. On Feb. 24, 1911, the few surviving members of the Guild, already legally disbanded, met to decide what to do with the small amount of money remaining in the treasury, At that meeting, one member suggested forming a society for sociability. Accordingly, an invitation was extended to all Montague City women, 24 of whom responded. The Ladies Industrial Society was formed as a result and incorporated June 24, 1911, to unite local women in mutual companionship and work toward establishment of a library and a place for social meetings. Charter members included Ella Hazelton, Jennie Howe, Ada Gilman, Flora Burnham, Flora Graves, Elena Gemmell, Mary Sawyer, Alice Schuler, Emily Ingham, Carrie Belle Burnham, Emma Lashier, Cora Roberts, Eunice Savage, May Starkweather, Fannie Humiston, Anna Haeussler, Ida Sargent, Olive Snow, Sadie Hill, Hattie Atkins, Katie Rehaume, Grace Webster, Aleda St. Germain, Belle Tanner, Amy Crossley, Nettie Ross, Evangeline Simons, Harriet Elliot and Mary Varney. Red Cross work was taken up during World War I. The society observed the library's 25th anniversary Dec. 3, 1937. Other projects have been scrapbooks for hospitalized children, sewing for Farren Memorial Hospital, parties for Montague City children and sponsoring Extension Service courses here.
Only Half Dozen Postmasters in Past 88 Years Being postmaster in this village at the southwestern tip of Turners Falls is apparently an enjoyable job. During the 88 years since a post office was established, the village has had only six permanent postmasters. In the past 58 years, only two men have served. Incumbent Karl F. Koch, appointed Nov. 6, 1922, has by far the longest record, nearing 32 years. His predecessor William A. Burnham, served 26 years. As each postmaster was named, it seems, the length of service increased. Rector L. Goss, appointed when the office was opened July 9, 1866, served five years until succeeded by Daniel Wilder Aug. 22, 1871. Goss, incidentally, left to open the office at the new young village of Turners Falls in 1871. Wilder served nearly five years also, being succeeded Jan. 11, 1876 by Ephraim Rugg. Ephraim, who served seven years, was followed by Frank W. Rugg, who racked up a 121/j-year record begin- ning Aug. 10, 1883.
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William Bernham was appointed Feb. 14, 1896 and served until 1922. On Oct. 2 that year, Walter E. Burnham was named acting postmaster until Koch was appointed Nov. 6. Walter was the City's only acting postmaster. The office operates with boxes only, having no delivery system. Located in Koch's store just north of Farren Memorial Hospital, the postoffice[sic] does a fair business with local patrons but gets its biggest boost from the hospital.
Cabot Station Among State Leaders in Field Although Montague City never became a city as its founders had foreseen it would, this Montague village nevertheless is a vital cog to all of Western Massachusetts for here is located the largest hydroelectric generating plant in Massachusetts. Located at the end of a two-mile long canal leading from a 1,000-foot wide dam across the Connecticut River at Turners Falls, Cabot Station draws water from a drainage area of 7,138 square miles. Construction on Cabot Station was started in 1914 and five of its six generators had been installed by the close of 1915. The final one was installed in 1917 and started operating the following year.14 The station has a maximum kilowatt capability of 53,000 and during 1952 net kilowatt hours produced totaled[sic] 246,039,600. A new concrete dam, extension of the canal from a half-mile, length to two miles and erection of the station were all part of one gigantic project of the Turners Falls Power 8c Electric Company from 1914 to 1918. The work involved excavation of about one million cubic yards of earth and rock, placing of 250,000 cubic yards of material in dikes forming a forebay between the end of the canal and the generating station, placing of 60,000 cubic yards of concrete and the building as well as equipping of the power plant. A force of 1,500 workmen was engaged in these immense operations. The station is named for Philip Cabot, president of the Turners Falls Power &: Electric Company, under whose guiding hand it was planned and constructed.
Oldest School in Montague at This Village The Montague City School, oldest school building now in use in Montague town, has opened its doors to City children for 82 years. Built in 1872 at a cost of $5,587.97, the two-story brick building had minor additions in 1930, when it was modernized. For many years pupils of all eight grades attended there but when the junior high school system was inaugurated two years ago, seventh and eighth graders were transferred to the Crocker Avenue Grammar School in Turners Falls. The building has four classrooms, an enrollment of 72 and capacity of 140. During the school's early years and through the *90's, water was supplied by the Montague City Aqueduct Company. In a tropical year, 1895, cost to the town for this service was $9. There are no principals listed for the school's history until 1906, when Miss Frances Amsden was named. Others to serve since have been: Mrs. Adah Harvey, 1908-1909; Miss Winifred Field, 1909-1910; Miss Mary Haley, 1910-1912; Miss M. Evelyn Dowding, 1912-1913;
14 Cabot Station began generating electricity on February 16, 1916.
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Miss Mary Foster, 1913-1920; Miss Elizabeth Ramage, 1920-1951. The principal in 1954 was Miss Lenita Clark. Josiah Hall taught 64 pupils in the winter course in the Montague City District School in 1860 and Miss Amelia White taught the summer session.
Baptists Once Active In 57-Year Old Chapel The little chapel nearly opposite Karl Koch's Grocery Store, and which today serves as a Sunday School site for "City" children, was at the time of dedication 57 years ago authorized by the Massachusetts Baptist Convention. The chapel was dedicated March 30, 1897, in a program led by R. M. Snow. Among speakers were R. M. Glazier, Rev. Jerome Wood, Rev. Harry C. Adams and W. A. Roth. The key address was delivered by Stephen Moore, president of the Massachusetts Baptist Sunday School Association. Others taking part were J. P. Stebbins, Rev. R. H. Carey and Rev. Brown E. Smith, who also gave an address. A little more than 25 years late the chapel was turned over to a group of local residents who incorporated themselves as the First Union Church Society of Montague City. Purpose of this group was to maintain a church and Sunday School. Members of the corporation were George A. Andrews, Charles W. Hazelton, John P. Stebbins, Henry S. Gilman, Lissie S. Stebbins, Grace E. Hazelton, Eugenia M. Stoughton, Calvin C. McGoon, Charles W. Schuler and Nettie L. Roth. As these persons passed from the scene, interest slowly died, and by 1930 the chapel was seldom used. But on Feb. 11, 1937, the little building had a rebirth and it has since been used as a Sunday School and for no other purpose. At present about 25 youngsters attend each Sunday, although in past years there have been more, just as there may be more in years to come. When the building was turned over to the Sunday School group, Mrs. Eugenia S tough ton was superintendent, Mrs. Amy Braun, assistant, and Mrs. Karl Koch, secretary and treasurer, an office she continued to hold.
Library Founded, Maintained Through Interest of Society As a result of the long applied efforts of women of this community, Library Hall was built on School Street in 1912. Behind the construction, ending years of well-planned work, was the Ladies Industrial Society, formed with the ultimate aim of a library early in 1911, Almost two years later, on Dec. 12, 1912, the library was opened to the public. Complete furnishings were donated by Ella and Edward Hazelton. Mrs. Flora Graves was first librarian, serving from 1912 to 1920 and later from 1933 to 1939. At that time, Mrs. Cora Tibbetts was appointed. Robert Pray contracted for George H. Reed to be in charge of construction work on the building. The building lot was donated by the late L. L. Bartlett. Money for the work was raised by gifts and subscriptions totalling[sic] about $1,000. The stone foundation was given by G. W. Hazelton, brick for the chimney by Thomas Fitzgerald, shades for the main floor by Henry Harlow of the L. A. Tupper Co., Turners Falls, and the chairs and shades for the basement by men of the community. Two former Village Improvement Societies which had disbanded years before gave $29.85 toward the work. Total cost of the building was $3,517.23. A mortgage was assumed by the Ladies Industrial Society, which paid $100 annually until 1926, when an anonymous resident closed out the note with a gift of $500.
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In 1949 and 1950 the library was redecorated and drapes made for the upstairs windows. Since then the activities of the library have been limited to the continual loaning of the hundreds of volumes now amassed in the relatively small room which houses the stacks. As the ladies of the society will admit, most of their activities are aimed at the preservation and improvement of the village library.
The Story of Millers Falls by Lena Maclntyre Second in size among Montague's five villages, Millers Falls owes its comparatively large population and growth to an industry. Like Turners Falls, which outgrew the parent Montague town because of its industrial growth, establishment of the Millers Falls Company in this village15 pushed the importance of the community into a spotlight brighter than that which the parent town could demand. But arrival of the tool manufacturing firm in the twin village in Ervingside came comparatively recently. First overture for Millers Falls' establishment was made in 1685, nearly two centuries before the Millers Falls Company built a plant here. The first attempt at a settlement is noted on the records of the governor and company of Massachusetts Bay, dated June 4, 1685, and in part follows:16 "In answer to a petition of Major Jno. Pynchon, Mr. Wm. Avery and Mr. Hezekiah Usher, humbly craving the favor of this Court that having binn at much pains and costs in searching for to find metals[sic] and having found a hill near to Millers River above Dearefield and near ye great river in which are stones encouraging by some small trials and being willing to be at further cost to improve it and considering there will be need of some land for the inhabitants to improve it, to grant them one thousand acres of land near to ye place where they can find it, the Court judgeth it meet to grant their request provided the land granted be taken up within two miles of the Hill above mentioned on the side of the Connecticut River and be improved by settling some inhabitants there on with in the space of twelve years next coming, for the ends proposed." Nothing more can be found concerning these petitioners. An examination of Mt. Mineral has shown many seamy ledges that have been pried apart and broken with levers and heavy hammer, which may be still seen. It is not known what "Mettal" was looked for, although traces of iron have been found on Mt. Mineral. There is no account of any settlement at that time on the 1,000 acres. However, today's village of Millers Falls is only a mile from the Connecticut River and borders on Mt. Mineral so it is safe to assume that the 1,000 acres granted in 1685 bordered the whole of what is now this village. Several tracts of land were later given to John Erving and Judge Oliver Wendell of Boston and it was for them that the neighboring towns of Erving and Wendell were named. That part of Millers Falls lying on the north side of the Millers River is a part of Erving's Grant, now the town of Erving. The next date definitely stated in history is 1824, when a second settlement of Millers Falls was made. Up until then the village was simply known as the northerly part of the township of Montague.
15 The Millers Falls Company is on the Erving-side of the Millers River. 16 The quoted paragraph is given verbatim.
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Although there may have been no real settlement on the 1,000 acres, there was certainly an attempt at settlement which, considered historically, makes Millers Falls one of the oldest settlements in this vicinity. It is recorded in Pressey's "History of Montague" that "in 1824 there were three stages a week between Boston and Greenfield and that Martin Grout kept tavern at Millers River for many years on the turnpike road." Because it was not recorded how long before this that Grout first located in the old tavern, 1824 is the established date of the settling of the village. No record gives the exact date when the name Grout's Corner was adopted but that was the village's title until 1868, when Ervingside welcomed the works of the Millers Falls Company. In 1835, John Brooks sold to Martin Grout 200 acres of land with buildings. This tract of land began at Millers River and ran westerly over the level tract where the freight yard is now, up what was then called County Hill and then northerly until it joined the line at Cuff's Crossing, (the crossing is now closed) near St. Stainslaus Hall. This 200 acres is now a large section of the southerly part of the village, beginning at Wen- dell Road and extending down South Prospect Street. This part of the village was known to earlier residents as Grout's Pasture. This was later surveyed into building lots and on it many houses were built. Since the turn of the century, Millers Falls has improved and modernized but growth has come slowly. Establishment of area paper mills and other factories in Erving and Montague has found a ready labor market in this community. During the past half century, however, Millers Falls has settled down to a pace equivalent to the pattern formed before the Millers Falls Company's arrival here. Built in a valley area dipping down to the important river waters, the community rests contentedly in its pocket as Montague's eastern entrance.
Millers Falls Is In Montague— And Erving, Too The geographical and corporate structure of Millers Falls can be more than confusing to an outsider. Village residents just seem to understand it but explaining it is not so easy. First off, picture the large (geographically) towns of Montague and Erving, laying side by side. At the western end of Erving and the eastern end of Montague, the towns are divided by the Millers River. At this point is the village of Millers Falls, sprawling over the banks on both sides. Half is in Montague—where residents pay their taxes, vote and are legal residents—and the other half in Erving. The village itself—Millers Falls, that is — has boundaries, just as the incorporated municipalities. Within this boundary, residents are members and taxpayers in the Millers Falls Fire District. But that's another story . . .
First House In Millers Constructed By Grout The first house in this village (Montague side) was built by Martin Grout in 1829 or 30 on what is now South Prospect Street. This house remained in the Grout family many years. On the death of Martin Grout it went to his son, Alden, who was born there in 1832. He died in the same house in 1905. Grout was a farmer and his cultivated fields are now the South Prospect Street section of the village. Alden Grout was a man who did much to assist all projects for the betterment of the community. At his death the building went to his daughter, Laura Grout Giles, who later sold it to Augustus B. Ross. In 1906, Ross sold the property to the
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Congregational Church, which used it as a parsonage. It was later sold to Ozra D. Baker. Mrs. Baker and her son, Andrew, still reside there. Because Martin Grout was the first postmaster here, the postoffice[sic] was in his home. The First Congregational Church was organized there also. Two of the oldest buildings in Millers Falls are the Ross houses on Grand Avenue, built by Augusta B. and Dennis Ross, brothers. Built about 1863, the structures were exactly alike. Today, the first on the avenue is owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Abram Rosberry. This house, with a few minor changes, is the same as when built. The wood finish inside is mahogany, material furnished by the Estey Organ Co. of Brattleboro. There are fireplaces made of stone brought from Italy. The second house of A. B. Ross is now owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Peter Yarmac. Mrs. Yarrnac is a granddaughter of Ross. This building has been completely remodeled[sic] but is still a beautiful house. Another very old house, owned and occupied by Mrs. J. Henry Leonard, is at Main and Federal Streets. John Hayes, Mrs. Leonard's grandfather, came to Grout's Corner and was employed in construction of the railroad. He purchased 17 acres of land from the estate of Abel Drury. This land extended up Greenfield Hill, around a section of what is now Main Street and back to Federal Street, including New Street and that section. The 17 acres cost Hayes $450. He occupied the house at the corner and lived there with his wife and three daughters the rest of his life. This house is at least 90 years old and has seen very few changes. Foundation walls and a stone wall in the yard are of stones from Grout's land. Mr. Hayes, a stone mason, cut and laid this foundation as well as many of the original houses here. Among other old buildings here are the homes of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Dykes, built by Austin Drake; of Mrs. Charles Barber, built by her father, Mr. Palmer, and of Mr. and Mrs. John Mackin, built by Edward Lester, first superintendent of the Millers Falls Company. These were built at least 75 years ago and all are on Grand Avenue. On Main Street, the houses occupied by Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Ward and by Mrs. Sarah Sampson are around the same age. The house owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Collins was built by Warren Bardwell about 1848. It was later bought by I. O. Luey, Mrs. Collins' grandfather.
Old Durkee's Tavern Gained Fame on Stagecoach Line as Pleasant Stop Durkee's Tavern! Ah, a volume could be written about that famous lodging house and gathering place for the early villagers of Millers Falls. Situated on a flat piece of land where the Millers and Connecticut Rivers unite, the tavern was one of the first buildings erected when the young community began its growth in the 19th century. The first proprietor was a man about whom nothing was apparently recorded but all authorities agree Thomas Durkee was the second. After several years' tenure, his son, Jeremiah, inherited the business and the younger Durkee brought the emporium its greatest fame. During a long career as owner and manager, Jerry Durkee's genial administration made his tavern known far afield as a fine place to stop.
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At the site, the stagecoach from Hartford to Brattleboro stopped for a change of horses. With river traffic at its peak, and the stage the only public means of surface transportation, the tavern, as one can readily see, was very much a center of activity. Solomon Caswell, manager during the later days of the tavern, considered one of his most outstanding memories a snowstorm which halted traffic for several days. The Hartford stage was stuck at the tavern with its load of passengers. For two days and nights snow fell, blocking all roads. Caswell told of three women sleeping in a bed, men burrowing into the hayloft and of his settling down on the bar, "derned glad to get even that." It was more than a week before everyone finally departed; some without happiness because they had to leave. "It seemed like one great happy family," Caswell recalled. Dependent for most of its itinerant trade upon river travel, taverns along the great Connecticut began to close. Although business was cut sharply, Durkee's continued as a village gathering place until fire destroyed the building in 1880. Ah, Durkee's. There'll never be another.
Squakheag Road (To Northfield) Led All Others There were few roads in this community in 1794, as shown on a map of Elisha Root. The original map cannot be located but a copy is found in Pressey's History of Montague. Among the first roads to be laid out was the road to Northfield, "Squakheag" as it was first called. A part of this road is still used, crossing the plains west of Lake Pleasant, going by the old cemetery near Rhythm Inn on to the bridge at the mouth of the Millers River and through North- field Farms. The Second Massachusetts Turnpike began in Greenfield and ended in Athol. Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike is shown on Root's map as New County Road, running from Mon- tague City to Wendell Depot. In December, 1815, Montague voted to join with other towns for a mail route from Hartford to Walpole, N. H. The mail was carried by stages. The stage road, on Northfield Road, passed Durkee's Tavern, crossed the mouth of the river bridge and went on to Northfield. This road on its original location is still in use, passing under French King Bridge.
Postoffice Has Colorful Record The first postoffice[sic] here was established at Grout's Corner July 22, 1847, with Joab C. Bartlett as postmaster. Humphrey Stevens was appointed postmaster July 24, 1850; Washington A. Clement, Jan. 7, 1851; Cyrus Clement, Feb. 28, 1854, and Asael M. Webster, Aug. 1, 1854. On March 2, 1855, the postoffice[sic] was discontinued but was reestablished April 17, 1855. Martin Grout was appointed master and the office was in his home on South Prospect Street, now occupied by Mrs. Ozra Barker. The office remained there until Jan. 10, 1866, when John Creagh was appointed postmaster and the office was moved to his home on what is now Creagh Avenue. Clarence C. Cogswell was postmaster from March 14, to May 16, 1870. Edward E. Conant was postmaster from May 16, 1870, to Feb. 14, 1878, when Edward Lester received the appointment. During these years the office was in a small building. The site is now a vacant lot next to Elmer's Hardware Store. Thomas B. Stratton served as postmaster from Sept. 2, 1885, until July 5, 1890. Mrs. Ella M. Ward then received the appointment and was postmaster until Dec. 12, 1895.
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On Oct. 30, 1895, a fire totally destroyed the building. The mail and small property in the office were saved. The office was moved across the street to the building, where Mayhew's Barber shop and Zschau's Insurance Office now is. Mrs. Miriam A. Amidon was appointed postmaster Dec. 12, 1895, and the office was soon moved to the new building where the Polish Cooperative Store is now. Mrs. Amidon served until Dec. 8, 1899, when Mrs. Ward was reappointed and the office was moved to the Ward Block. Mrs. Ward remained in office until March 4, 1916, when John S. Powers was appointed postmaster and the office was moved to the Powers Block, where Carroll's Market now is. He served until July 19, 1919, when Michael J. Griffin was made acting postmaster. On March 9, 1920, Raymond Gould, a veteran of World War I, received the appointment and the office was moved to where Elmer's Hardware Store is. After a short time there, the office was moved to its present location at the Ward Block on Main Street. Gould served as postmaster until June 3, 1936. John J. Mackin, Jr., received the appointment and when he entered the service Aug. 6, 1942, Miss Helen T. Zayac (now Mrs. Edwin Prondecki) was appointed acting postmaster. On March 31, 1946, Mackin returned and resumed his duties. He was still serving in 1954. Francis Leonard, appointed mail carrier Dec. 10, 1923, was the first carrier here. He retired Dec. 31, 1952. Robert Baine, appointed then was serving in 1954. During Mackin's term in the Army, with the exception of Leonard as mail carrier, the post- office staff was made up of all women: Miss Zayac, postmaster; Miss Mary Noga, assistant, and Mrs. Lucy Ratcliff, who carried the mail to and from the station. Miss Peggy Merriott was substitute clerk.
Love That Water Derring-do on fast-running water is not limited to younger men or to more recent days. Oldtimer[sic] in Millers Falls tells the story about Caleb White of Dry Hill, Montague, who went over the old Millers Falls dam when it had a four-foot crest. On a $10 bet, "Cale," by then an old man, pushed his boat straight over the dam and came away unharmed.
First School in Town Was Near Route 63 Bridge The first school building in Millers Falls was located in the vicinity of the bridge over the railroad tracks on Route 63. No official record of this building can be found. By the records of April 8, 1871, it was voted to appropriate $2,500 for a school building in the village. A. W. Grout, Charles Amidon and Edward Conant were appointed to investigate the need and select a location. It was built on the main road to Turners Falls on the site of the present Highland School. About the same time there was a small school on Dry Hill for pupils in that section. This school was discontinued in 1916 and the children transferred to Highland School. The present Highland School was erected in 1920, replacing the school of 1871. A wing was added in 1929, making it a modern eight-room building. Principals of Highland School have included: Mrs. P. M. Lacasse, now of Orange, from 1891 to 1912; Mrs. J. Augusta (O'Connell) Flynn, deceased, 1912 to 1915; Mrs. Martha Stebbins, now of Erving, 1915-36; Miss Beatrice Alber, 1936 and still serving in 1954. On Sept. 2, 1893, it was voted to transport pupils to Montague High School by team and to award the contract to J. A. Taggart. In 1895 it was voted for them to go by train, the town to pay
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 the fare. Later transportation was by electric cars. Around 1910, secondary pupils were transferred to Turners Falls High School.
Roll Call Among pupils at the old Highland School in 1892 were: James S. Hamilton, Mary McCue, Annie French, Deane P. Taggert, Frank Kervick, Arthur Vivier, Mae Waite, Mabel Ward, Margaret Breslin, Bessie Kervick-Holly, Henry Ryther, Daniel C. Donahue and John Alden.
Only Memories Of Once Frequented Taverns Remain Ready transportation to social events and television, radio and daily newspapers in the home make today's world one with few places where one must go to exchange the day's news. Time was, however, when a tavern or similar gathering place was a real necessity if one was to be well-informed. During its early history, Millers Falls had taverns which now are recalled only in legends and in tales handed down from father to son. The first tavern mentioned in early records is the once famous Durkee Tavern at the mouth of the Millers River. The year of its opening is not certain but it was about 1798. A deed dated 1803 shows parcels of land at the mouth of the Millers River were sold to Nathaniel Smith and in one deed is a stipulation that the parcel might be selected "where it will be best accommodated for privileges of the tavern." That places the tavern established there in 1803. The first known landlord was Thomas Durkee, who purchased the property from Milus M. Campbell in 1839. After Durkee's day, his son, Jerry, managed the hotel for many years. Business dwindled and although there were many landlords after, the tavern closed and the building was used as a dwelling house. In 1888 the old house was totally destroyed by fire. Little is known of Taft's Tavern. It was located on the Montague to Northfield Road a few rods north of the old cemetery. About 1878 it was torn down. Grout's Tavern was situated in the vicinity of the present freight house near the station of the B 8c M Railroad. A tavern in those days was a meeting place for everything going on in the area. It is not known just when Martin Grout first located in the tavern but he was well-established by 1824. The tavern was on the first floor, with a hall on the second. This hall was used for religious purposes as well as a general gathering place for social activities. A writer giving a history of the church in early Grout's Corner said: "The first meetings were held in the hall at Grout's Tavern where little disturbance was suffered save that at times the beat of the toddy stick in the barroom below, beat an accompaniment to the sacred songs in the hall above." It is not known when Grout disposed of his interest in the tavern, nor who took over. The house was destroyed by fire and the barn torn down. For several years before the fire, the name of the old tavern was the Lake House. The name was converted soon after the name of the village was changed to Millers Falls. In 1897, Thomas O'Keefe erected the four-story building on Main Street known for many years as the Millers Falls Inn. The inn did a flourishing business for many years. Meals served there were known for miles around. Travelling men, before the days of automobiles, would arrange to have stopovers here instead of at the larger places nearby. Like the Lake House and other taverns, O'Keefe's was a meeting place. But along came World War I, in which Philip O'Keefe, son of Thomas, served his country. Prohibition cut into the business and then Mr. O'Keefe died.
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Mrs. O'Keefe soon after sold the building to a real estate firm which remodeled[sic] the inn for apartments. Mrs. O'Keefe and her daughters, Anna, Mary, Kathleen and Helen, moved to Springfield. In 1948, the building was bought by the Mackin Corporation and it is now used on the first floor by the Mackin Fuel and Trucking Co. as the Millers Falls office. The upper floors are apartments. The building is now known as the Mackin Block.
First Library In 1897 Known simply as "The Village Library," the collection of books which eventually turned into the present Millers Falls Library was begun in 1897 in two rented rooms. It struggled along for six years before being taken over by the town and has seen three changes of location since. First acting librarian was Mrs. Arthur Leucott. Books were mostly donated by interested townsfolk. Directors chosen for the first year were Mr. and Mrs. George Nims, Arthur Gordon, Herbert J. Ward and Webster. A subscription paper circulated in Millers Falls raised $25 which paid the first installment on the rent. At this time the library was open three evenings a week. For the first five years and part of the sixth, money to support the library was raised by suppers, subscriptions and minstrel shows. An annual minstrel show was the chief support in the first few years, with about $125 cleared each spring. First regular librarian was Mrs. Jessie Johnson. In 1903 the town of Montague took over, appropriating $200 at town meeting for the library's support. In 1938 the appropriation was five times as great; last year it had risen to $2,801. Shortly after the town took over, the library was moved into the Powers Block and Mrs. Edward Lawrence appointed librarian. She held the post until her death, one month before completion of her 25th year. In 1928, the quarters were moved to the rooms formerly occupied by the Millers Falls Men's Club. In 1932, following the death of Mrs. Lawrence, Mrs. Anne Marvel was appointed librarian. She has held the post since. Supervision of the library is by trustees elected by voters of Montague. During the winter of 1934, two library clubs were formed by Miss Agnes Styles as instructor—a stamp club for boys and a knitting club for girls. In September, 1940, the library moved to its present quarters in the Ross Block. During the move, the books were not available to the public for two weeks. Successful vacation reading programs are carried on each summer vacation. The programs are closed with a party for the participants and awards given. In 1952, a "baseball" reading club was conducted in the library with 36 children receiving diplomas. In 1953 the theme was "space travelers," 40 children participating. The annual flower show of the Garden Club is in the library each year. Special displays are shown from time to time and exhibits of books in season are shown.
Brattleboro-Fitchburg First Railroad Here Railroads had much to do with early Grout's Corners. The "Roads" were incorporated and put in operation as follows: The Brattleboro and Fitchburg Railroad Company by a Vermont Legislative act in 1843; Vermont and Massachusetts R. R. Co., chartered by the Massachusetts legislature March 15, 1844.
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Work commenced in September 1845, opening in different stages until it reached Montague in December, 1848, and to Brattleboro in February, 1849. These two railroads finally became the Boston & Maine and the Central Vermont. It is not known when the New London Northern Railroad extended its lines as far as Millers Falls, but it was before 1868. That is now the C. V. Millers Falls was and is a central shipping point, having railroad lines in all directions. Martin Grout sold the lands to the railroad for tracks and the station. Engines in those days used wood for fuel and Millers Falls was a "wood up" station. For many years there was a shed beside the tracks, about 100 feet long, and in this the wood was stored. This shed was later used for a warming hut at a skating rink and finally was burned.
Coutu-Murphy VFW Now Has Three Units Coutu-Murphy Post 2827, VFW, was organized May 27, 1933. The post is named for Lionel Coutu, who was serving on the USS Cyclops which was lost at sea during World War I, and for Frederick Murphy, who was the first man to die here after being discharged from service in World War I. The post has quarters in the block owned and operated by the Veterans' Club, Inc., on Main Street. An auxiliary was formed soon after 1933 and is still active.
Millers Men in Spanish Conflict Spanish War veterans from here were: Thomas, James and Frank Breslin, Hugh Crowe, John Keating, Timothy Kiley (still living here), Guy Lawson, Patrick Lunney, Leslie Maynard, Ned McCue and Nelson Spring. These men were members of 2nd Mass. Regiment under Gen. Frederick Price, then captain of Co. L., Greenfield.
Legion Post Honors Two War I Dead Belado-Crowley Post, American Legion, organized in 1922, was named for two Millers Falls men, Pfc. Peter Belado and Pfc. William D. Crowley, who were killed while serving in France in World War I. Belado was in Co. L, 104th Infantry, 26th Division, and was killed in action in Belleau Woods in July, 1918. His body is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Turners Falls. Crowley was in Co. C, 306th Infantry, 77th Division and was killed in action in the Meuse-Argonne offensive Sept. 26, 1918. He is buried in France. Raymond Gould, now in California, was the first Legion commander, There were a number of living charter members in 1954, among them George Crowley, Gould, Daniel Maclntyre, Ernest Nadeau, Joseph Ouellette, Clarence Prouty, Matt Strom and Julius Traversari. The post takes an active part in Memorial Day, July 4th and other activities. It sponsored the first Bugle and Drum Corps here. It now boasts 75 members. The Legion sends a local boy of high scholastic ability to Boys' State each year.
Millers Falls is Name Famous in World of Industry Millers Falls Paper Company The village of Millers Falls would undoubtedly exist today, even if there were no industry here. But, unquestionably, the size of the two-town community would not be so large if there were
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 no Millers Falls paper and tool industries. Today, the name "Millers Falls" in either field signifies the best. Although both plants are on the Erving side of the community, Montague residents of Millers Falls depend greatly upon their existence. Here are the stories of the two major industries in Millers Falls. In the 1860's, Levi J. Gunn and Charles Ami-don decided there was a profitable future in the manufacture of clothes wringers. They set up a plant at Nash's Mills in Greenfield with Cherry Rum Brook as a source of water power. In 1865, William Barber joined Gunn and Amidon. With him came an idea for an iron bit brace which was manufactured at the Cherry Rum Brook plant. This was the beginning of the Millers Falls Co. The plant was destroyed or damaged by fire three times. The company operated for a time in a section of the Greenfield Tool Co., but flames once again proved its downfall. But these men, having firm faith in their products and backed by Henry L. Pratt, a lumber dealer, came to Millers Falls where a brick building was constructed. This building, with an upper story now added, still stands among the many buildings since added to the plant. This concern, known as the Millers Falls Manufacturing Company from 1868 to 1872, made a substantial name in the small tools field. Hand drills, breast drills, bit braces and tool holders got their start at this plant. In 1872, the Millers Falls Manufacturing Co., was merged with The Backus Vise Co. of Windsor, Vt., and the name changed to the Millers Falls Company. In 1916, the company purchased the Fort Auger Bit Co., of Holyoke and moved the equipment and some employees here. A complete line of auger bits was produced. In 1946 the auger bit line was sold and the manufacturing of the product was discontinued here. Later in 1920, the West Haven (Conn.) Mfg. Company, which for many years manufactured universal hacksaw blades, was purchased. Then the National Machine Company of Brattleboro, where truck and car jacks were manufactured, was added. This line was discontinued in 1932. In 1926 the company purchased the Accurate Level Company of Detroit. In this same year, electric tools were added and this line has expanded so rapidly that it features one of the major groups of items turned out by the company today. The following year, a full line of planes was added. The biggest advancement made by the Millers Falls Company was in 1931, when it acquired the Goodell-Pratt Company in Greenfield. The company operates both plants in their original locations. World War II brought the biggest increase in production and employees in the history of the company. Since the war a new boiler plant has been built at the Millers Falls plant, where the number of buildings has increased from the original one to 12. An extension has been added to the electric drill department. In Greenfield, where all tools are shipped out, a new shipping building has been added. The officers in 1954'were: Philip Rogers, president; John W. Smead and Clarence W. Otto, vice-presidents; Earl D. Holtby, treasurer and clerk; Earle A. Brown, assistant treasurer; Rogers, Smead, Otto, Kenneth H. Saunders, Holtby, Joseph T. Bartlett, Donald B. Swain and William H. Shortell, directors. The Millers Falls Paper Company was originally established in 1902 by Holyoke paper interests because of the excellent water facilities offered by the Millers River. The principal products of this company feature a well-rounded line of cotton content papers. One of the earliest mill brand papers established and still the largest selling paper in its
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 field is Old Deerfield Bond. This well known bond paper is used for quality letterheads by many leading business firms from coast to coast. New and modern papers have been added to the Millers Falls lines in recent years, including a complete range of cotton content onionskin and opaque and "Ezerase" papers. Ezerase is manufactured under patent and is a particularly interesting paper because typewritten letters and figures can be erased with only the use of an ordinary pencil eraser. The Millers Falls line also includes blueprint, chart, tracing and other technical papers which were supplied in large quantities during World War II and the Korean War to the armed forces. Today the complete line of Millers Falls papers are sold by distributors in every paper center in the United States and many foreign countries. The Millers Falls mill has been kept modernized over the years so that today its equipment represents the finest in the mechanical requirements for the manufacture of high quality papers. Millers Falls executives included: R. Farley Chapin, president and general manager; Walker J. Hosmer, vice-president and treasurer; Joseph A. Constance, plant manager, and Harold H. Affhauser, assistant treasurer.
The Great Fire Of 1895 This community has been swept by many major fires in the past century but all of them dwindle in importance when considered in comparison with the Great Fire of 1895. In that conflagration, only one building in the downtown business district escaped destruction. When dawn came on Oct. 31, smoke spiraled[sic] upward from the ashes of a score of buildings, including the church, postoffice[sic] and all except one store. A total of 15 business offices and stores were destroyed. On Oct. 30, 1895, fire broke out in a small building in the rear of what is now Hawley's Drug Store. As the building was of wood, the flames spread rapidly. Alarm was sounded from the bell of the Congregational Church by the late John Bane. Help was called from Erving's Franklin Engine Co., from Greenfield and from Northampton. The only water supply for fighting fires was the river so not much could be done to control the fire. Following is a list of business places and homes that were in ruins on the morning of Oct. 31: Carpenter Shop and Block, owned by S. H. Amidon and occupied by Amidon; E. M. Partridge, druggist; J. H. Sears, groceries, and Dr. G. M. Cook; a dwelling house and two barns owned by Michael Moran (Mrs. Sophie Vincek's location); long shed and postoffice building owned by F. H. King and occupied by Mrs. Ella M. Ward as a postoffice; small store, livery stable and house owned and occupied by King (Mrs. Irene Thompson's residential location). Congregational Church; brick block owned by the Millers Falls Company (now Equi's corner) and occupied by T. B. Stratton, groceries, and Jenks and Mooney, dry goods, with a large hall upstairs; O'Keefe Hotel (Mackin Block location), two barns connected with the hotel and a meat market operated by A. J. and R. Reed, all owned by Thomas O'Keefe. A building owned by M. B. Smith with a millinery store and a dwelling upstairs; building owned by H. M. Slate and occupied by William Mayhew, barber; C. L. Cook, general store, and L. D. Elmer, news room. Buckman's Tin Shop, located where Mayhew's Barbershop and Zschau's insurance office now are, was the only building remaining on the little littered Main Street. As soon as possible, business resumed in crowded quarters and new buildings were soon being erected.
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On Thursday, March 3, 1949, the First Congregational Church was again destroyed by fire. This building was erected soon after the fire in 1895 and was the second structure lost in flames. This fire, which started near the heating plant, w:as discovered at 1:40 a.m. but nothing could be done to save the upper part of the building. By daylight, only a small part of the basement, the spire and the front of the building remained standing. On Sept. 8, 1883, fire started in a barn owned by Luther Cole. From there it went to a larger barn and then to a large tenement house, also owned by Cole. This place was located where the Warsauski property now is on Main Street. The fire spread to the small house of Mary Arnold (Mrs. William Lucy's house location), totally destroying it, and continued to Stratton's house and barns. The houses on the opposite side of the street were saved by hanging wet blankets, quilts and other articles against the walls and keeping them wet. Wells were the chief water supply and water was carried in pails. During this fire, a man appeared with a small flower sprayer and vigorously watered a bush on a lawn. He was told in no uncertain terms to leave the water pails alone—(he house was more important than the shrubs. On May 18, 1890, the Lake House, the old hotel in the area of the freight house, was destroyed by fire. The building was old and dry and little could be done to save it. The fire company concentrated on saving the freight house and coal shed. This property was then owned by S. D. Bowker.
Congregational Church Started As Montague Mission Unit In 1867 Millers Falls—The First Congregational Church here originated as a mission school in 1867. The school was conducted by William F. Root, James A. Gunn, Deacon Richard Clapp and his daughter, Miss Cornelia Clapp, at, the First Congregational Church in Montague. About this time, Pastor Edward Norton of Montague came here every two weeks and conducted a prayer meeting. In 1869, Eli Moody, visiting in Montague, gave in connection with Sunday School an occasional sermon. In 1870 Rev. Mr. Merryfield, a Methodist minister, preached alternate sermons with Moody. In 1871, Frederick A. Hand, a licentiate, was hired and he made arrangements for formation of a local church. The church was organized Jan. 25, 1872, with 31 members. Meetings were in the old Lake House and later in the Grout House on South Prospect Street. In 1873, Albert Livermore, a licentiate, was hired as pastor. In November, 1874, he was ordained an Evangelist and remained as pastor. Rev. Harvey Stone was next pastor, coming in 1875 and remaining a year. Rev. Leonard S. Parker took over in 1876 and remained six years. During his pastorate the first church was erected by the people, aided by the Congregational Building Society and the generosity of other churches and individuals. This church was dedicated in November, 1881, On Nov. 12, 1893, Rev. Dorr A. Hudson began his labors in the church and remained until May, 1904. In the big fire Oct. 30, 1895, this building was totally destroyed. Two weeks later work was started to rebuild and the new church was dedicated Nov. 11, 1896. Rev. Charles Clark was pastor from 1904 to 1912. Rev. A. A. Bronsdon served from 1913 to 1917, when he left to enter the service of his country as religious instructor. The work of the church was then taken over by Rev. A. A. Thompson of Northfield, who served from 1917 to 1920. Rev. Louis Ruge was the next pastor. Rev. E. S. Lyons was a more recent pastor having been called to Townsend in November, 1948. On March 3, 1949, this church was again totally destroyed by fire.
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Plans were soon being made to rebuild and the new church was dedicated in June, 1950. The bell from the second church was saved and is now in the belfry of this church. Rev. T. Albert Lawrence was the first pastor appointed for the new church.
Fire Destroys Two Churches, Not Records Twice the First Congregational Church has lost its main buildings of worship by fire but, remarkably, church records are intact and in good condition. The records note that on March 9, 1872, a Communion set was presented the church by Mrs. S. S. Holton and Mrs. H. Rowe of Montague. The tray is still being used. A pitcher and two cups are still in the church. The set was recently polished through the kindness of Lunt Silversmiths of Greenfield.
St. Mary's United Millers Catholics In the earliest days of Millers Falls, this village was a mission responsibility of St. Mary's Church in Turners Falls. The pastor, Rev. P. L. Quaille, looked after the spiritual welfare of Roman Catholics here. Masses were first said in Goodale Hall at Ervingside and later in Union Hall, until it was destroyed in the big fire. Services were then in Curtis Hall, Ervingside. On May 9, 1897, in a general discussion of the advisability of erecting a church here, a committee was appointed to arrange for purchasing land and make all the necessary arrangements for the construction of a Catholic Church. The building committee was made up of Rev. P. L. Quaile, John D. Lynch, William H. Crowley, John S. Powers, William H. Shea, John E. Kavanaugh, Thomas O'Keefe, and John C. Carroll. What was known as the Nichols lot was procured and on Aug. 30, 1897, ground was broken for the foundation. The contract was awarded to S. D. Munroe Co. of Orange Sept. 7, and the church was completed fan. 26, 1898. The church was dedicated May 30, 1898, as the parish of St. John the Evangelist. First pastor was Rev. John S. Nelligan. Pastors succeeding Fr. Nelligan have been Revs. John Lunney, James Kirby, Michael P. Cavanaugh, P. F. Carey, James Mitchell, James Kennedy, Henry J. McCormick and William T. Lee, who was serving in 1954. During Fr. Cavanaugh's pastorate a curate was assigned to the parish and there have been curates since that time. Rev. Charles Switalski is the present curate. Priests of this parish also serve St. Patrick's of Northfield. A rectory was added to the church property during Fr. Nelligan's pastorate. An addition was built on the church by Fr. Carey.
Boy Scouts Band Of 1920's Forerunner Of Millers Falls Bugle And Drum Corps The Millers Falls Bugle and Drum Corps may be traced back to 1926, when Ray Gould, now of California, felt some musical unit was needed for young people of the village. With the help of such men as the late Herbert Leland and Herbert Ward, Gould formed a corps using Boy Scouts only. This corps was active for four years, until 1930, when the American Legion took over sponsorship, still using boys only. The corps was gradually enlarged, using boys and girls. Legionnaires working with the corps were Philip Elmer, Carl Fowler, Gus Hooke, Whitfield
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Moretti, John McLaughlin, Louis Parda, Julius Traversari, Urson Smith, Ernest Nadeau, Louis Lambert, Frank Cole, Ray Robinson and Francis Leonard. Through the efforts of Elmer and Carl Partridge, Philip LaCasse of Orange was procured as instructor. He remained with the corps until health made it compulsory to ease up on traveling. Many of the marches played by the unit were written by LaCasse. The Legion Corps was rated high in state and national convention work. In 1940 the group was disbanded, due to lack of interest, and for the first and only time in history, Millers Falls was without a musical unit. In October, 1945, Wesley Felton, now of Provincetown, undertook the work of reorganizing, Ray Eartlett, the present manager, was called in as an assistant. The results were amazing. At the first meeting 50 young people attended. LaCasse, again called into action, agreed to be musical instructor. By June, 1946, a commendable corps was in operation. Both 1946 and 1947 were successful years, the unit taking part in victory and welcome home parades. The corps changed from a straight marching unit to marching and drilling corps. Mr. and Mrs. Felton were musical instructors for a year following LaCasse's resignation. Justin Gould is now musical instructor and most of the pieces the corps uses today are written by him. George Felton, drilling instructor, has been assisted by Mgr. Bartlett, Michael Marynok, Henry Mathey and Edward Dorsey. The uniforms have changed from Boy Scouts' to blue trousers, white shirts and berets; then to Legion blue and to the present gold and blue, originally chosen by Elmer and Partridge. New uniforms purchased last spring are the same color, the style changed very little, excepting a shako in place of the chrome World War I helmets. Majors and majorettes during the years have been: Moretti, Jr., George Felton, Clara Hart, Sally Lapinski, Irene Cole (Maseau), Robert Bois-sey, Helen Conway, Richard Boissey, Nancy Podlenski and Cynthia Zimnoski, still serving. The corps is self supporting, not being sponsored by any order, group or concern. Officers in 1954 were: Bartlett, manager; Justin Gould, assistant; George Felton, drill master, and Michael Marynok, assistant. Quarters are in the Gunn Street Hall through the generosity of Michael Carroll.
Village Made Light Power This village once supplied power for its own streetlights. A state legislative act in 1903 authorized the Millers Falls Water District to furnish electricity for light and power. A station was constructed and equipped that year on the site of the present fire station. The district was shortlived,[sic] however. In 1912 the district signed a contract with the Franklin Electric Co. to supply power for street and domestic lighting and the district's plant was discontinued.
Millers Has "Grown" Up With Musical Groups Mr. and Mrs. Millers Falls—and all the kids, too— have always had a tune to which they could tap their feet. The name Millers is synonymous with music throughout the Connecticut Valley for hardly a year has gone by in the 80 years when there has not been a musical organization of some kind representing the town.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Back in the 1870's and 1880's, every town, however small, had its own band. John Taggart once observed: "The band was a town institution and the town swore by it—and perhaps a few swore at them." First brass band and orchestra in Millers' Falls' history was formed in 1878, its players dressed in blue broadcloth and gold braid. Not long after it folded, another unit, under direction of Johnny St. Clair, struck up a tune. Trained in an English regimental band, St. Clair was an expert musician and leader. Under his direction the band soon built up a reputation as the most accomplished unit in the county. This band prospered for several years but when St. Clair, the indispensable man, left town, the group was disbanded. Under leadership of Henry Colburn, an orchestra flourished here from the 1870's until he left town in 1890. In 1879 the Moulder's Orchestra, so named because its members performed that occupation, was organized. It later became Tag-gar t's Orchestra, continuing successfully for many years. This group boasted there wasn't a public hall or theater within 50 miles in which they had not played. The unit was disbanded in 1896. William Day, an active music teacher in that period, then made a stab at leading a band but it existed only briefly. In Taggart's Orchestra were: Taggart, first violin; S. H. Amidon, second; A. H. Powers, viola; S. J. Appleton, clarinet; F. S. Alstrom, flute; C. L. Cook, cornet; E. L. Stockwell, trombone; H. B. Clark, bassoon; Miss L. M. Perry, pianist; H. B. Clark, George W. Jenks and A. Deitz, prompters, and Stockwell, manager.
Dr. Woodbury Attended Generations In Millers "So much to do; so little done," is a quotation frequently used by Dr. Stillman P. Woodbury, physician here for half a century was a patient at Pine Rest Nursing Home in Northampton. Most of the generations he has treated, however, would argue that he has done a very great deal. Dr. Woodbury celebrated his 96th birthday in 1953, after taking down his office sign on Nov. 1, 1937 after 50 years' practice. During his period in Millers Falls, the village saw about 20 other physicians come and go. He was the first school physician in the village, a post he held from about 1905 until 1940, three years after he gave up general practice. He was also surgeon for the Central Vermont Railway between Brattleboro and Palmer for many years, medical examiner for about 25 insurance firms, a staff member of both Farren Memorial and Franklin County Public Hospitals, town physician for Frees. 2 and 3 and a member of the Franklin District and the Massachusetts Medical Societies. A descendant of William Woodbury, who settled in Beverly in 1628, Dr. Woodbury was born in Grafton, son of Rev. Joseph and Mary Ann Wood-bury. He attended Dartmouth one year, transferred to New York University and from there to Long Island College of Medicine. At college, he had "crackers and milk for breakfast and milk and crackers for supper." He ate a 15- cent noon meal at a restaurant. In September, 1887, he came to Millers Falls and was married Nov. 1 the same year after having made 13 calls on patients before 7 a.m. the same day. That evening he took his bride to her new home, which she had never seen, left her sitting in front of the living room stove and departed to make more calls. Charge for house calls from 1887 to 1917 was $1. Office calls were 50 cents. "Doc" Woodbury covered a wide area with his horse-drawn carriage. "These fellows today with their patients assembled in hospitals don't cover as much ground with automobiles as T used to do with
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 horses," Dr. Wood-bury would say in his later years. His first car was a 1910 Buick, the first four- cylinder in town, but he kept his horses for bad travelling conditions until 1920. The highest compliment the townfolks[sic] could pay the old country doctor is their assertion that during the first 25 years of his practice he never refused a call for aid, regardless of the hour, distance to be travelled or the possibility of non-payment. He felt it his duty to go if called.
"T. R." Paid Visit In 1901 Dec. 2, 1901, was a gala day in this village. At 9 a.m., President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a brief address from the rear platform of his special railroad car. The President was introduced by John E. Kavanaugh, an ex-representative. Company I, of the National Guard served as honor guard and many among those present were veterans of the Civil War and members of Taft-Manning Post, GAR. The Germania Cornet Band was on hand to add to the color and excitement. Special trolleys, loaded to capacity, carried folks from Greenfield and Turners Falls to hear the President. Many arrived just in time to witness the great man waving a goodbye to the town as the train disappeared around a curve. But they, as well as those who were hours early waiting for the big moment, were able to say they had personally seen the President.
Fire Dept. Goes Back 72 Years Although Montague, with no municipal fire department, provides no protection here, the Millers Falls Fire and Water Supply District is responsible for maintaining a department. The present modern fire-fighting crew can trace its "ancestry" back 72 years. The first meeting of Franklin Engine Co. No. 2 was called May 13, 1882. This unit, made up of men from Ervingside of Millers Falls, provided the only fire protection the village had from 1882 until 1886. Engine Co. 2 retired from active service April 11, 1904. It was this company which fought the big fire Oct. 31, 1895. Wheeler Hose Company was organized in 1896, about the time the present water system was installed. Covering the Montague side of the village only, this company consisted of 25 men and officers. For fire-fighting equipment they had one Jumper Hose Cart carrying 600 feet of 2 I/a inch hose. First officers were: Herman D. Wheeler, chief; Andrew Kervich, first assistant chief, and Thomas Bernard, second assistant. Local chiefs have been; Wheeler 1896-97; Thomas Berard, 1898-1923; Donald E. Matthewson, 1923-1943; Francis Carroll, 1943 to 1954. In 1903 the Franklin Hose Company, consisting of 25 men from Ervingside, was organized. They were equipped with a jumper cart carrying 600 feet of 2½ inch hose. This cart was kept and the company meetings were in a building on the site o£ the present fire station. The two companies were eventually combined and in 1912 a hand-drawn ladder truck was added to the department. In 1925, the first motor-driven fire apparatus was added; a combustion chemical and ladder truck. In 1927 the Gamewell fire alarm system was installed. In 1924 the first pumper fire truck (500-gallon) was purchased and in 1947 the second pumper, also 500-gallons, was added.
Youth Published Town Newspaper In 1880's William Lester Strong was publisher of this community's only newspaper, the Millers Falls News, which appeared between 1884 and 1887.
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Young Strong died at the age of 28, but even then he had reached a position seldom obtained by men twice that age. He was well respected throughout 'the area and was considered a man of extraordinary intelligence. Born in Erving Jan. 25, 1874, he published his first newspaper, the Erving Gazette, before his 10th birthday. This continued until a year later, Willie bought out the Millers Falls News. Moving to Millers Falls in November, 1885, William continued to attend public schools. He also served as Millers Falls correspondent for the Gazette and Courier, predecessor of the Greenfield Recorder-Gazette, and for the Orange Enterprise. Strong was graduated from Powers Institute in Bernardston in 1892. He continued schooling at Hinman's Business College in Worcester, graduating in 1893, and rose in the ranks of the Boston Sc Maine and Albany Railroad. When he died on Jan. 10, 1902, Willie Strong was with the freight office at Troy, N. Y.
First Burying Grounds On East Mineral Road On the old stage road which crossed Montague Plain about a mile west of the village, now called East Mineral Road, is a cemetery which is the last resting place of the earliest settlers. This cemetery never belonged to the town but was a sort of private plot to the early settlers. Such early settlers as the Stowell family and the Durkees are buried here. A fairly good history of the early days here could be read from its stones.
Dollar Religion In May, 1758, Stephen Corbin was fined one pound "for his neglect of attending public worship on the Lord's Day." The money ($2.80 today) went for the benefit of poor of the district.
WRC Moved To M. F. From Montague Seventy-five years ago, in 1887, women of the village met in the town hall in Montague Center and formed an auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic—Armstrong Post 92, Women's Relief Corps. The corps met in Montague until 1916, when quarters were found in Curtis Hall in Ervingside. On Aug. 8, 1934, the meeting place was changed to the American Legion Rooms in the Amidon Block on the Montague side. Later, the corps moved to the VFW rooms on Main Street, where it still meets twice a month. First president was Mrs. Lulu Mann. Membership grew from an original 25 to the highest, 100. At present, membership is again 25. Main object of the corps has always been to help the needy and assist in emergencies of all kinds —in war and in peace. The 75th anniversary of the founding of WRC was in Boston in 1954. The local unit sent the president and one delegate. Among past presidents active in the corps are Mrs. Mabel Barber, Mrs. Cecelia Zbikowski, Mrs. Lena Davis and Mrs. Sybil Flood. Armstrong Corps may be listed as Millers Falls' oldest and most active organization. Present officers are: Mrs. Leone Smith, president; Mrs. Zbikowski, senior, and Mrs. Rose Dauphinais, junior, vice-president; Mrs. Barber, chaplain; Mrs. Flood, conductor; Mrs. Florence Comins, assistant; Mrs. Marjorie Bartlett, secretary, and Mrs. Ruth Tooley, treasurer.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Sportsmen's League Helps Establish Laws By Bob Dolan Trials and tribulations of hunting, fishing and trapping are not always in the field and stream-some of the most bothersome occur in the legislative chambers of government. Established to protect sportsmen in the area by advocating favorable legislation, as well as to promote stocking of fish and game, the Franklin County League of Sportsmen's Clubs came into being April 9, 1931. Nine clubs were the nucleus for the body, which has 21 member clubs today—representing approximately 4,000 men, women and children. The league carries area problems in its fields to the state Council of Sportsmen's Clubs, which in turn promotes legislation to help the cause. I. F. Haigis of Shelburne Falls was elected president at the 1931 meeting at the Mansion House, Greenfield. Others named were Tom Ward, vice-president, and Leroy Houghton, secretary-treasurer. For some time the body met in Greenfield's assessors' office, but in August, 1933, it was incorporated while meeting at GTD. Horatio duMont, later appointed director of the state division of fisheries and game, was initial president of the corporation. Thomas Geary was vice-president and Raymond Houghton, secretary - treasurer. The other two corporators[sic] were Franklin Judge and Gilbert Barker. Pride and joy of the league is Sportsmen's Field here, scene of the annual field day as well as weekly trap and skeet shooting. The first field day, with Geary as chairman, was conducted despite rain and sleet in October, 1934, at what is now Turners Falls Airport. The following year, Joe Deane of Millers Falls, chairman of field days since that time, was named with Houghton ton, Fred Macker and Tom Ward to prepare the event. This was such a success that the league desired its own field, and member clubs donated $10 each towards purchase. Tom Ryan and Warden Tom McShane were named by duMont to seek out a field. A 45-acre tract costing $800 was purchased Sept. 21, 1937. Past-moving action bowed before the ravages of Mother Nature, however. Newly- constructed skeet houses and several trees were damaged in the hurricane in November, 1938. Responsible for building and rebuilding were such men as Otto Jurek, Fred Deane, Macker and Guy Hosely. It was in that year that Greenfield Rifle Club joined the league and established a 50-yard smallbore[sic] pistol range at the field under direction of Walter H. Smith. A new club house was completed the following year and in 1940 the league added to its skeet and trap houses. Because of the war, nothing was accomplished. From 1943 to 1946, when gas was rationed and ammunition was scarce. Fire played havoc in 1947, when the main building was destroyed, but it was restored by volunteer workers by July, 1949, and electricity was installed. At present, the 29-acre field has the club house, pavilion to seat 500 for outings, three skeet houses, rifle and pistol range, trap area, cook house and flush toilets. Several area organizations rent the field in warm weather for outings, either through Joe Deane or Sec. George Tereshko of South Deerfield. Member clubs when the league was organized in 1931 was the Ashfield Rod and Gun, Millers Falls Sportsmen, Northfield Fish and Game, Greenfield Rod and Gun, Turners Falls Rod and Gun, Catamount Sportsmen, Orange Gun and Turners Falls Schuetzen Verein Athletic Association.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Turners Falls
Turners Falls Grew Fast, Dwarfing Montague By Bill Steinecke Third of Dame Montague's five children, Turners Falls, today enjoys the wisdom that comes with middle age, yet fidgets in the uneasiness which must accompany it. Looking back on its younger years, when the village grew fast into maturity and became a giant among contemporaries, Turners Falls today can reflect on the mistakes of omission, and of commission, and on the bitter blows which fate fashions through the days and the nights that pile up year after year into centuries. Still ranked as Franklin County's second largest community, Turners Falls has not lived up to the promise it showed as a powerful industrial giant nearly 100 years ago. Yet this community, snuggled up in the curve of the Connecticut River's flowing waters, has much to remember . . . much to remember. Its future depends upon today's men. Can they match the efforts and the abilities of the men who covered its hills and valleys with life's bustling activity? Turners Falls, as it was in 1954, for the most part, is the work and inspiration of the famed Alvah Crocker. First settled in the late 18th Century, it was nearly 100 years before Crocker came to the village and set his sights on establishing here another City of Holyoke. To recognize how tremendous was his undertaking, one must understand the conditions which prevailed in 186617 when Crocker viewed the Connecticut River falls for the first time. What there was had been slow in developing. As the northwestern most section of the town of Montague, Turners Falls was just an isolated village during Montague's first decades. In 1792 the Proprietors of the Upper Locks & Canals was chartered by the state to operate a series of locks and canals on the river, forging a link for uninterrupted traffic between Hartford, Conn., and Wells River, Vt. It was six years before the devices were used and another 20 before, in 1818, the first permanent residence, the Taft home, a brick structure at the foot of Ferry Road, was constructed. During the next half-century the canals became most important but Turners Falls grew only moderately. Then came the railroad—and apparently the end of this town's importance. The locks and canals lay crumbling into ruin the day in 1866[sic] when Alvah Crocker visited the Falls. That was probably the most important day in the village's history. His imagination stirred, Crocker formed the Turners Falls Company, forerunner of today's giant Western Massachusetts Electric Company. Among the men Crocker gathered around him in this bold scheme were George F. Fay, Wallace and Otis T. Ruggles of Fitchburg; Benjamin S. Butler, J. C. Ayer and George W. Nesmith of Lowell; Moses Stevens of Andover; Charles A. Stevens of Ware, Thomas Talbot of Billerica; Alexander H. Rice of Boston; Oliver and Oakes A. Ames of North Easton, Edwin Bulkley and William C. Dunton of New York and B. N. Farren and R. N. Oakman of Montague. Of these, Butler, Talbot, Rice and Oakes Ames were later to become governors of Massachusetts. Crocker's first move was to construct a bulkhead at the dam site, at a cost of $24,000. On March 20, 186718, a crib dam was completed. This wood and stone darn had to be dynamited out of existence when the new dam was constructed in 1913. That first solid dam, actually the fourth to have been built at the shore to shore, had a fall of 30 feet with power equal to 30,000 horses.
17 Crocker arrived ‘here’ in 1864. 18 The dam was completed in 1866.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
In 1867, the Turners Falls Lumber Company,19 located on the Gill shore between the old Red Bridge20 abutment and the dam, purchased the first water rights from the Turners Falls Company. Thirty-six years later the lumber firm, which played so vital a part in the rise of Turners Falls, burned to the ground, creating an incalculable loss to the community. It was Crocker's plan to interest industrialists to settle in Turners Falls and to purchase water rights from his company. In 186921, the John Russell Manufacturing Company came from Greenfield, where it had located in 1826 on the Wells River22. The company eventually employed as many as 700.23 In the meantime, the Turners Falls Company made preparations to lay out the "City of Turners Falls." William P. Crocker, Alvah's brother and a civil engineer, and Charles W. Hazelton started laying out proposed streets and a route for a canal, generally following the route of the original canal. The company had many acres of land to sell and in 1868 the first auction sale of building lots was conducted. Col. Crocker proudly announced to the crowd that this was the start of a great city. The first lots were sold on Third Street, midway between Avenue A and L Street.
From Foreign Lands . . . Many Nationalities Earliest settlers of the village were from Maine, hard-headed New England Yankees. Following them came a general divergence of nationalities. There were the French, who came as experienced rock men, for drilling then was done by hand and excavation of the canal was largely rock. These included the Nadeaus, Viviers, Desautels, Lapeans and Moreaus. With the arrival of the railroad came the O'Neils, O'Connells, O'Briens, Shanahans, O'Learys, McAllisters and Murphys and the Yankees from Conway and Ashfield; Germans, including the Sauters, Jacobuses, Yetters, Milkeys, Marches, Haigises and Luippolds; and the English, the Smiths and Jacksons and Howards; and Bohemians, Lithuanians and Poles.24 Commencing in 1912 the Greenfield Electric Light & Power Company, largely through the efforts of Pres. Charles T. Crocker, grandson of Alvah, and Treas. Charles W. Hazelton recognized need for additional power output and, accordingly, plans were approved for a 1,000- foot extension of the canal as well as construction of a new dam to replace the 1867 crib structure. In 1914 the company name was changed to the Turners Falls Power &: Electric Company, following a merger with the Amherst Power Company. Philip Cabot succeeded Crocker as president and was instrumental in supervising and pushing for construction of Cabot Station in Montague City, which directors named for him in 1919. During the roaring '20's the village continued to expand. Its industry, which had manufactured for war purposes in 1917 and '18, returned to normal production, brushed off the brief 1923 recession and bustled into even greater production until the calamitous depression of 1920 struck. With that economic catastrophe, Turners Falls lost the International Paper Company and John Russell Cutlery Company25 and services of both the Boston & Maine26 and New York New Haven & Hartford Railroads. Two years previous to the 1929 crash, Mother Nature went on a
19 The first company to purchase water rights from Alvah Crocker’s Turners Falls Company. 20 The Upper Suspension Bridge. Opened in 1878. Was removed in 1942 to recover materials for WWII. 21 Russell came from Greenfield in 1868. 22 Russell was on the Green River. 23 John Russell Cutlery Co. built its Turners Falls plant to accommodate up to 1200. At its height it employed 600. 24 Italians were here as laborers during the widening and extension of the power canal. 25 The Russell Cutlery Company moved to Southbridge, MA. shortly after the 1936 flood. 26 The B&M continued a spur line to the Esleeck and Keith/Strathmore paper mills up to 1993.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 rampage and poured 171,000 cubic feet of water per second over the Turners Falls Dam, well above flood stage. Seven years later came the most devasting[sic] flood ever to strike the village. Water poured over the dam at the tremendous rate of 238,000 cfs, inundating the lower floors of the power station, smashing several bridges and creating damage into the millions of dollars. In 1932 the Kendall Company settled in old Griswold Building. Twenty years later Kendall closed its doors. The Griswold Building is occupied by the Rockdale Company, a subsidiary of Ethan Ames Company of New Bedford, clothing manufacturers. With the growth of Turners Falls, population of the town of Montague shifted from Montague village to the upstart. Later came the high school, the town offices, municipal records and overall headquarters for all municipal departments. Turners Falls and Montague City combined for almost three fourths of the town's entire population. The Great Depression slapped a damper on industrial expansion from which it has never fully recovered. In the meantime, however, the past five years have witnessed the greatest building boom in Montague's entire history, with scores of homes being built on the plains. So long as Turners Falls' people retain that kind of faith in Montague as a town, it will hold its own.
The Last Pioneer27 Last survivor among the prominent founders of Turners Falls was Charles W. Hazelton, whose career closely mirrored the growth of the town. Born in Plymouth, N.H., Oct. 31, 1848, he came to Turners Falls in 1867 with William Crocker as assistant engineer on the project of constructing the power dam and canal, fie was treasurer and clerk of the Turner Falls Co. until 1912. Shortly after their arrival, he and Crocker laid out the town. The present streets follow the plan devised by them. Hazelton was an engineer on the Hoosac Tunnel job with B. N. Farren and had a successful contracting firm of his own. He built the old Montague Paper Co. and some of the Northfield School's first buildings. At one time or another, he was school committeeman, selectman, county commissioner, first Turners Falls fire chief, state representative and state senator. With Eugene Bartlett, he formed the Montague City Rod Co., forerunner of the rod shop, and was president of the Franklin Electric Co. when the first power was supplied to Turners Falls. He died here Sept. 29, 1937, at the age of 88.
In The Late 1860's The first schoolhouse was a two-story structure which now houses Herman Sons Hall on Second Street, built in the I870's. And the men who planned Turners Falls were busy. Masons were piling brick upon brick to erect the large tenement buildings on Third Street, hammers were flying, surveys were made for a railroad and it was planned to run the tracks up what is now Park Street. The name of that street was to have been Railroad Street. The branch tracks of the V&MRR were laid in 1869. W. G. Potter of Greenfield was first station agent.
27 Ref.: American Society of Civil Engineers Founded November 5, 1852 Memoirs: Charles William Hazelton. Ref.: Charles W. Hazelton, in his 1926 address to the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, remembers the “Early Days of Turners Falls”.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
The nearest Post Office was located in Montague City in the store of R. L. Goss, who was also postmaster. Mail came to Turners Falls via the milk wagon or by friend, unless residents of the "new" Turners Falls trotted the team to Montague City to collect it. Frank W. Rugg obliged often by toting the mail from the "city." In 1874, a local office was opened. B. N. Farren rounded up some of his cohorts in 1872 and organized the Farren Hotel Company, which financed construction of the Farren House, now the Grand Trunk Building on Avenue A. Col. N. P. Bower of Pennsylvania was the first manager. Not long afterward the Crocker National and Crocker Savings Banks were instituted, with Crocker president of both. They were located in the space of the Grand Trunk Building which now houses the town office. During these formative years, a fire department was organized with Nathaniel Gilmore as first chief. A second-hand steamer was purchased from the city of Fitchburg and was christened the "Alvah Crocker." Turners Falls Company provided the first water supply system of aqueducts running from the river, splashed through the system by force pump. This was not adequate to supply the few homes on the hill and residents depended upon cisterns and rainwater for their supply, it was not until 1886 that a permanent water supply system, with pure water from Lake Pleasant, was introduced. Dr. Erastus C. Coy landed in town from Worthington in 1871 and was for many years family physician to most of the village's people. He was followed by the first attorney, George L. Barton. The well-known William S. Dana was second. In 1871 the Turners Falls Pulp Company was started and on Aug. 29, 1872, the Keith Paper Company, oldest of the town's manufacturing industries now, was started by a brash young Worcester salesman, John Keith. His mill burned to the ground a few years later, but Keith had it rebuilt and operating within six months. That was the biggest fire in the history of the village, but Keith's ebullient spirit brushed off discouragement. Joseph Griswold came down from Colrain in 1873 and, manufacturing his own brand of brick, erected the Griswold Manufacturing Company in what is now the Rockdale Company building. But between 1866 and 1872, times were lean for Crocker. The only major industry he interested in coming to Turners Falls was the cutlery company. So, in his way of doing things, he started the Montague Paper Company in 1870 with an air of "Looksee, fellows, if you won't come and build in this wonderful spot, let me show you how." And, with Edwin Bulkley as co-financier, he did show them. The old Montague Paper Company building now owned by the Keith Company, has been idle for many years and stands today gaunt and bare. By 1879, 12 years after Crocker's start in the village, there was a population of 2,000. The cutlery company, employing 500 men, was the largest business of its kind in the country. Manufactured in the village were water wheels, saws, rotary pumps and leatherette—the only plant of its kind in the country. Two handsome schools; a steam fire company with 18 members, a weekly newspaper, several brick business blocks, numerous stores, a public library and many "elegant" private residences attested to the community's growth. The village was a terminus of the Fitchburg Railroad. There were two modern bridges connecting with Gill and Greenfield. The early history of Turners Falls is an industrial history, however, for in these years of rapid growth there was little time for other things, There were no child labor laws, and boys left school early to work in the mills and help support the family, The Turners Falls Paper Company settled in 1879 and continued operation until it and the Pulp Mill were bought out by the International Paper Company in 1898. On the southwest side of
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 the Turners Falls Bridge, visitors today can see the remains of the I. P. building. The factory, seriously damaged by a fire in 1932, was never rebuilt. Actually the industrial might that was Turners Falls' at this time was the work of a few men. Over and over again in formation of the various companies appeared the names of Crocker, Bulkley, Farren, Hazelton. In 1885, the latter two were instrumental in organizing the Montague City Rod Company. Electric Power came to the village in 1886, when the Franklin Electric Company, with Hazelton as the prime investor, was founded. Service at first was on a part-time basis and the number of customers the company could serve was restricted. This firm merged with the Greenfield Light & Power Company soon after the turn of the century, consolidated with the Amherst Power Company in 1914 to form the Turners Falls Power &: Electric Company and in 1942 became a part of the Western Massachusetts Electric Company. The Clark Chapman28 Machine Company later became the Turners Falls Machine Company and moved to the lower end of Avenue A Extension. It is now the Montague Machine Company. In 1874 Marie Colle constructed Colle Hall, more popularly known as the Opera House. For many years after there was developed an ever widening scope of activity in the village. Denis J. Shea, a natural-born showman and promoter, appeared on the scene and gave to Turners Falls things for which it will be long remembered: basketball and boxing matches in Hibernian Hall and the five-cent movies with a thrill a minute. Joe Lapchick, now coach of the New York Knickerbockers, and Nat Holman, long time CCNY coach, often pranced the boards of Hibernian Hall in their youth, competing against the best Turners could offer. There were races at the Trotting Park29 and great revelry among the logmen[sic]—and plenty of taverns in which to tip a tankard or two. Clovis Fournier took a bike ride to Montreal and back and wasn't gone from home too long, at that. The year 1898 saw men of the village called into their first conflict with a foreign power. They marched off to do battle in Cuba and the Philippines. Six years earlier William Marshall, long identified with the paper industry, organized the Marshall Paper Company,30 which existed only a few years. And, in 1898, the electric car inaugurated daily runs to Greenfield and Montague. Last vestiges of the old tracks were removed from Avenue A in 1952.31 In 1900 A. W. Esleeck purchased the Marshall building and founded the Esleeck Manufacturing Company, which since its founding has been synonymous with the finest in the onionskin and manifold papers. In 1907 the Wells Forge Shop was started in the present location of the GTD Forge Shop, Plant 7. The GTD purchased that site in 1916.
Old Logging Days Rich in Legend Let's roll lads, the sticks are waitin'! That was the cry of the "crumb boss" as he roused river men and loggers at 3 in the morning to start the day's work of guiding logs down the Connecticut River.
28 Clark and Chapman 29 The Trotting Park was located where the Park Villa Drive-In Theater occupied space. Presently the Park Villa Apartments. 30 Marshall Paper Co.: 1895 construction – 1898 bankruptcy. 31 The final section of trolley tracks were torn-up in front of the Carnegie Library, south to the Polish Church stairway.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Less than 50 years ago the river was still being utilized as the chief means of transporting logs from northern forest to the Turners Falls Lumber Company at Riverside and the Connecticut Valley Lumber Company at Mt. Tom in Northampton. The river men, most of them drifters, were a rough, tough crowd. They annually shoved 16 million feet or more of board lumber down the Connecticut from northern tributaries. Starting in late spring and continuing until early fall, the log drive ran incessantly. The trees were felled in New Hampshire and Vermont during the winter. Each was marked, those of the Turners Falls company with a diamond and the Connecticut Valley company with an arrow. Fearless men with tremendous strength guided the loose logs over the waters and through the rapids. As they approached Turners Falls' wooden dam, 30 feet high at a point at the rear of the present concrete dam, they were halted by two giant booms, One on the Gill side, owned by the Turners Falls Lumber Company, was a mile from the mill while the other, property of the CVLC32, was a shorter distance from the dam. At the bare crack of dawn, the crumb boss roused the men, fed them a hearty breakfast and then into their bateaux they clambered to race to the booms. The bateau was a boat pointed at both ends, making it a simple matter to drive it against the shore for safe docking. The men lived in shacks called wannegans. Once at the boom, most rugged and skilled job was that of the "logger," whose task it was to guide the logs on either side of the center boom so the logs of each company entered the proper side of the river. He manipulated his feet on the logs as they passed beneath him until he found the mark which told where the log was headed, then guided it into the proper channel. At 9:30 a.m. the first of two dinners was brought out and work was called off. The meal was laid out on the ground and the loggers pitched in with gusto. Again at 12:30 p.m. a meal was served, the last until dinner after work. Old timers will tell you about the times logs were so thick on the river one could walk across without fear of getting even the soles of his shoes damp. Tragic fire at the Turners Falls Lumber Company, which started New Year's Eve, 1904,33 and continued through the next day, marked finis to the colorful era of the "river rat." That disastrous blaze claimed the life of the night watchman, George Hamilton. Workers were not paid off until the conclusion of the log drive. When the last log was safely stacked away, the men scrubbed themselves, bought a new suit of clothes and headed for one of the area taverns. They might arrive in considerable numbers at bars at the Howard House, Farren House, Jacobus Brothers' on Second Street, American House, Hibernian Saloon, Booker Saloon on Third Street, Schneider Saloon on K Street or John Nagle's on Third Street. When they "dropped in," the more genteel folk inevitably gave ground. They were ready to do battle for any cause, but most brawls were between the loggers themselves. Near the end of the log drives hefty work horses, three teams to a sledge, were used to haul logs from the banks, where they had become imbedded on the rush downstream, back into the river. Often the teams worked up to their stomachs in cold water. With this phase of the work done, the teams were hitched to small, two-wheeled dories with a driver perched precariously atop a bag of oats and a bale of hay, and they headed back to headquarters at Littleton, N.H., 12 days' journey.
32 Connecticut Valley Lumber Co. 33 The T.F. Lumber Co. fire was first discovered at 3 a.m. on December 3, 1903.
Transcribed with notes and observations by 95 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
No one who ever saw the loggers in operation will ever forget the colorful sight. Tavern merrymaking today is tame in comparison with these carefree men of a past era. They were spendthrifts and some were broke two days after pay day-several months' pay "blown" in 48 hours. Their money spent, they headed north for the logging areas to start hewing trees for the next drive.
River Has Claimed Lives of Many The silent and powerful Connecticut River, to which Turners Falls is indebted entirely for its founding and growth, has also played the role of a treacherous monster. Those who know the river best have the greatest respect for its wily tricks. On May 7, 1905, three young men, Daniel Shea, Eugene Bourdeau and Alcide Belmore, took their small craft dangerously close to the dam. Their final frantic efforts to prevent the light craft from being plunged over the great dam were in vain and all three were, in one terrible moment, swept to instant deaths. In that month, eight-year old John Kane of the South End was playing near the rock dam when he lost his footing and the quietly lapping waters immediately claimed him. Earlier, June 20, 1901, Gilbert Moreau, 6, was happily leaping across the thick jumble of logs above the dam. He slipped, made one futile attempt to regain his balance and slithered off the wet wood. He was rapidly swept into the silent depths to his death. Years later, a boat with four men in it overturned in the narrows and Joseph DeVandreuil, Jr., was drowned. Three companions, A. P. Bourdeau, Fred Bourdeau and Joseph MacDonald, were saved from a similar death by Fred Klaiber and John Murphy. Harper Savage, 81, and his 19-year old grandson, Howard Wyman, were fishing from a boat April 18, 1933. The boat became caught in the deceptively swift current, overturning it and tossing the two into the cold water. Wyman grabbed his grandfather and held on for a few moments but lost his grip. He valiantly made an attempt to reach the island at the center of the dam, missed by a few agonizing feet and was crushed on the rocks below. On May 25, 1951, the water claimed another young victim. Kenneth Howard, 4½ and another tiny tot were playing in boats docked along the river when the youth fell overboard. These are but a few of the many incidents in which the very young, who are often not aware of the dangers of the water, and those who are older but flaunt the authority of the river, paid for their innocent mistakes with their lives.
The Coming of Crocker This upstart community was a result of the industrial revolution, which caused machines to replace hand craftsmen. It was a result, too, of the fierce competitive spirit of Crocker, and John Keith, and Joseph Griswold, and others of a similar nature. And it was the result of the river and canal, monsters of immense power, whispering to man of its potential might. But its boast went unheeded until the arrival of this Fitchburg magnet. Mother Montague watched breathlessly as, in rapid succession, these industries were founded; Turner Falls Lumber Company, 1867; Millers Falls Company, Millers Falls, 1868; John Russell Cutlery Company, 1868; Montague Paper Company, 1874;34 Griswoldville Manufacturing Company, 1879; Montague Rod & Reel Company, Montague City, 1885; Franklin Electric Company, 1886.
34 Montague Paper Co. was making paper in 1872. Also: Keith Paper Company 1872.
Transcribed with notes and observations by 96 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Some failed, notably the Marshall Paper Company, started late in the 19th century. Its building was purchased in 1900 by William Esleeck, who founded the Esleeck Manufacturing Company. It was in this Victorian period, too, that the town assumed her place in the sun as a resort area and that her social life assumed prominence in the area. There was the famed Farren House, later the Grand Trunk Hotel and Colle Hall, built at a cost of $22,000 in 1874. It was here that the newest revues and shows, some mighty spicy, were shown. There were vaudeville, concerts by the Montague City German Band, major banquets. Parties came from Greenfield by horsedrawn[sic] stage until the advent of the electric trolley in 1895. The 20th Century has witnessed many changes in Montague. Under the charmed spell of the Crockers and Keiths and Farrens and Hazeltons and Abercrombies, and of others, the town grew, mostly in upstart Turners Falls. The transportation and business growth was much like a giant pair of spiders. The female spider eventually kills the male, and so it was with modes of transportation in Montague. The railroad carne in 1846 to destroy the trade of the canals; the electric trolley came in 1895 to destroy the railroad; the automobile came later to doom the trolley. The early 1900's was[sic] a busy time. Montague was thriving and she was to continue her growth until the great depression of the 1930's, when her business boom came to a sudden halt, wavered and then appreciably decreased.
Connecticut River, Canals Had Major Role in Transportation For 200 years the Connecticut River was the major transportation route from Hartford to lands far to the north. As many as 50 Indian canoes frequently drifted silently down the stately river, carrying rnaize, fish and other items of trade to the south. Along this entire 300-mile route there were several series of rapids, over which river travelers[sic] were obliged to haul their crafts overland. Longest of these was at the Great Fishing Falls, now Turners Falls, where the river dropped 60 feet in 2½ miles. To alleviate this break in the chain of river activity, the Massachusetts General Court by a special act on Feb. 23, 1792, incorporated the "Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on the Connecticut River for the purpose of rendering the Connecticut River passable for boats and other things from the mouth of the Chickopee[sic] River northward throughout the Commonwealth which will be of great utility." Two years later, the General Court split the original corporation into the Proprietors of the Upper Locks and Canals on the Connecticut River in the County of Hampshire and the Proprietors of the Lower Locks and Canals in Holyoke. Benjamin Prescott directed building of the Montague Canal in 1793, starting from a point opposite the mouth of the Deerfield River, entering the Connecticut and at Cheapside passing through a series of five locks raising the water 35 feet. Located at this spot was the famous tavern of Moses Bardwell, later the Farren homestead.35 The sixth, seventh and eighth locks36 were at a point in Montague City behind the Thomas Brickyard, approximately at the site of the residence of Dr. Warren D. Thomas. The ninth lock
35 The Farren Homestead was located about ¼-mile north of the Bardwell Tavern. It’s evident today as the white house at the beginning of Farren Ave., opposite the Farren Memorial Hospital. 36 Sixth lock was located, where today, the entrance to “Rabbit Hill” from Montague City Rd. is located. The seventh and eighth locks were located, where today, the 7th green of the Thomas Memorial Golf Course is laid. The ninth lock was at the mouth of the canal, where today, the canal gatehouse regulates flow to the canal. Source: Survey of Lands Belonging to Proprietors of the Upper Locks and Canals made by O. Roberts drawn by J. Deane 1838.
Transcribed with notes and observations by 97 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 was at the head of the canal above the dam across the Great Falls. The locks were constructed by H. King of Northfield. It was on Oct. 6, 179637, that directors voted to build a dam across the river at Great Fishing Falls, one of sufficient height to overcome the rapids above.38 This first dam, at approximately the same location on the river as the present concrete dam, was 1,000 feet long and 28 feet high, built of solid timbers and supported by heavy cross timbers. It was situated at a place formerly called Great Bar where two large rocks in the channel were used, one to support the dam and the other to connect the Montague and Gill sides. The dam served a twofold purpose—to deaden the rapids between Great Falls and the Millers River and to supply water to the canal. When the dam was used for navigation, floods, ice and freshlets39[sic] caused extensive damage. In 1816 and 1824 it was necessary to rebuild the entire dam. Rates aboard the first flatboats to utilize the locks and canals, transporting mainly rum, sugar and molasses were five shillings, (about 75 cents today) six pence per ton weight; two shillings, six pence (35 cents) for each 1,000 feet of lumber and an additional shilling for every ton the boat was capable of carrying, paid by the shipper whether the craft was loaded or not. A weatherbeaten[sic] old riverman,[sic] Capt. Abadiah Skiff, whose name was indeed appropriate, was appointed first toll gatherer. During meal times and at night, when the captain went off to lunch and to sleep, the boats were tied up. As many as 100 boats were often lined up waiting their turn to proceed through the canal. Pine boats, built in the Wells River District of Vermont, had a 25-ton capacity, carting mostly potash and shingles. There was no quarter for crews and when it was necessary to tie up for any time the men were obliged to find lodging and board ashore. The Oak boats were larger, providing quarters for captain and crew and carrying a cook. These boats, with capacity of 35 to 40 tons, were 75 feet long and 12 feet wide at the mast, 10 feet wide at the bow and eight at the stern. The boats were forced up river by the bowmen via a system of oars, men on each side walking from bow to mast with the oar. Rafts, as well as boats, plied the river. Pilot's wages aboard these dinky craft ranged from $1.25 to $1.50 per day. The first river steamboat, the Barnet, built in New York, appeared at Cheapside Dec. 2, 1826. The second steamer was the Vermont, arriving Aug. 3, 1829. In 1844 annual tolls for the use of the canal were $10,500, but by 1853 they had dwindled to $400, while expenses were $1,600. The final blow to the canal company came with advent of the railroad. The owners had not expanded their holdings to capitalize on the advent of the steamboat. It was no help at all when a tremendous freshet caused considerable damage to the dam in 1841. Eight years later a committee of stockholders was appointed to consider selling the entire property. But finding a buyer was another problem. In 1864 certain sections of the original chartering act were amended to permit the company to sell water for power purposes but it was impossible to find capital with which to undertake the proposed plan. Just when it appeared the property would have to be auctioned, shortly after close
37 Newspaper account from the Gazette & Courier (Greenfield) September 6, 1869. “And it was about this time that the Canal around the rapids, from Turners Falls to a point just below this bridge was completed, the dam at the Falls having been built by Capt. E. Mack in 1793.” 38 The rapids above would be the French King rapids; from the Millers River to the F.K. Rock, and a bit more north. 39 Freshet. A small sudden flood or rise in the level of a river, caused by heavy rainfall or a rapid thaw. Each spring season freshet(s) are evident at the Turners Falls Dam.
Transcribed with notes and observations by 98 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 of the Civil War, Col. Alvah Crocker appeared and purchased the entire works. The last boat had passed through the locks in 1856. By 1866, half of the old dam had been carried away by the vicious current and the remainder, including the locks, was greatly dilapidated. In that year the name of the firm was changed to the Turners Falls Company, A. Crocker, president. A new dam, 23 feet high and 900 feet long was constructed of timber and stone. The part of the old dam still standing was from the island to the Gill shore, diverting water to the Montague side. To take advantage of this condition the new dam on the Gill side was built a short distance below the old. On Oct. 31, 1866, a freshet washed out the substructure to bed rock for a distance of 110 feet. But on March 22, 1867, the dam was completed. At the same time a new canal, which ran approximately the same course as the original, was dug for a distance of 600 feet. The John Russell Cutlery Company was first to settle on a canal site but the Turners Falls Lumber Company, located on the Gill shore, was first to purchase power from the Turners Falls Company. Later the canal was extended about 1,500 feet and the Keith Paper Company and Griswold Cotton Mill, built plants on the canal. The canal— 50 feet wide and 10 feet deep was blasted out of rock about 150 feet below the dam—but parallel with the river. After Crocker came the era of the log drivers, which continued unabated until a disastrous fire at the Turners Falls Lumber Company on New Year's Eve, 1903. The Connecticut Valley Lumber Company continued operations until about 1915. The Crocker dam included sluiceways through which logs passed on their way downstream. In 1912 work was started again widening and deepening the canal and on construction of the present concrete dam by Bates-Rogers Construction Company of Chicago. The Montague side of the dam, 645 feet in length, was constructed in 1912 and 1913 close to the downstream face of the old dam. The Gill side was built in 1915. Entire length of the dam is 1,035 feet. It varies in height from five to 35 feet, has 12 inteinal flood gates, six on each side which have a total capacity of 22,000 cubic feet per second. Flash- boards seven feet, four inches in height, are carried on top of the dam and bend when there is ex- cessive water. During this period the canal was extended another mile and a half to make possible a power station at Montague City, where Cabot Station is situated, With the great use of the river flow for electric power, no water passes over or through the dam until the flow reaches 15,000 cfs. Because of the scientifically designed downstream face of the darn, the roar of falling water is not as loud as with the old dam. It is said old timers could accurately determine the amount of flow by the sound of falling water. The great dam today, in addition to making possible a tremendous amount of power, provides at freshet or flood stage a spectacular and fascinating sight which draws large crowds of spectators. It is one of Franklin County's chief landmarks and a source of unparalleled power in the area. The canals, likewise, exist today for power. Gone are the commercial boating activities.
Means Of Travel Improve With Passing Time Not so many years ago the chap who wanted to pay a visit to the neighboring town of Greenfield was obliged to clamber into the slow, high-wheeled stagecoach or to hire himself a team and surrey from the grand livery stable of Frank Gerald. Earliest methods of transporting oneself, when Dame Montague was in the initial throes of detaching herself from Mother Sunderland, was via shanks rnare, crudely built wagons or on
Transcribed with notes and observations by 99 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 horseback. Since little travel was necessary, such inconvenience as this may have caused—was felt by a comparative few. But as the county developed, transportation needs grew. And so it was that the era of the stagecoach and the business of operation of the livery stable grew. Coaches ran regularly from Turners Falls to Greenfield and from other Montague Villages to the Tap Town. Often the coaches were loaded with Greenfield folk traveling to Turners Falls to view the show at Colle's Opera House. Frank Gerald, for many years a constable in Turners Falls, operated a livery stable in the Grand Trunk building, and it was said he had "the finest teams for hire." The livery business suffered a telling blow and Dobbin was started on the way out when, on a sunny afternoon, June 23, 1895, the first open-sided trolley left Clay Hill in Greenfield for a trip to Millers Falls, via Montague City and Turners Falls. Last vestiges of the era of the trolley, which saw boom and bust, war and peace, a quiet pace of comfortable living and a racehorse pace of "go-go-go," disappeared from the public view when Avenue A was resurfaced in the fall of 1952. At that time the tracks, which had then been unused for 22 years, were removed. "Old Number 4" was what old timers called this New Haven and Northampton Railroad engine that ran to Turners Falls. The picture was taken about 1880, later owned by William R. Andrus ol Greenfield, who retired 16 years ago after 4f: years' railroading. Later called No. 24, the engine was power for trains on which Andrus' father was conductor and Andrus rode in the cab many times From left to right are baggageman[sic] Charles Short, later of Providence, and in 1938 the only member of the group living; Brakeman George Lidle, Conductor Frank Smith and Engineer George Baldwin Pres. Frank E. Lowe and Supt. Harry C. Garfield found it necessary to alight several times and shovel excess sand from the tracks. After a brief visit in Millers Falls, the cars ran to Lake Pleasant, where a sumptuous banquet was served 150 persons. Among the dignitaries aboard were Rev. P. V. Finch, H. C. Parsons, who was toastrnaster at Lake Pleasant; E. P. Shaw, state treasurer; E. A. Hali of Greenfield, Charles Jones, chairman of the Deerfield board of selectmen; R. N. Oakrnan of Montague City, C. M. Burnett of Turners Falls, S. H. Amidon of Millers Falls, Chr. Hosmer of Montague selectmen and J. F. Bartlett, and E. B. Blake, Greenfield selectmen. Ah, but that June 23 was a gala occasion. The Germania Cornet Band of Montague City offered a concert along the tracks, distinguished guests rode the first car, adults and small fry alike turned out by the thousands to witness the heralded run. Things went well until the car arrived at the Montague City Bridge and there the party had to disembark, walk across the old covered bridge and remount the steel and wood charger on the Montague City side—the tracks had not been completed over the bridge. With as much grandilo- quence as it could muster, the car rumbled down Turners Falls' Avenue A, made the turn onto Third Street and grumbled to the top of the hill. Across the sandy plains and into Millers Falls it groaned. There were minor incidents. The car carrying H. L. Pierce, manager of the Pierce Construction Company of Leominster, which did the construction work, was derailed in Turners Falls but was nuzzled back onto the track within a half hour. The cars ran every half-hour with special rates for mill workers. These rates were effective only during the usual hours of work. On opening day, the cars carried 5,122 passengers and took in $156.10. It cost 10 cents to go from Turners Falls to Millers Falls or Lake Pleasant and a nickel from Montague City to Turners Falls.
Transcribed with notes and observations by 100 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
In 1905 the gross annual take of the road was $120,000 and by 1919 this was increased to $280,-000. But heavy maintenance costs during World War I spelled doom for the Greenfield Street Railway Company and the Montague Street Railway Company. Two years later, the two went into receivership. It was then that the Greenfield Chamber of Commerce and Turners Falls Board of Trade combined to effect emergence of the Greenfield-Montague Transportation Area, with Greenfield putting up $70,000 and Montague $30,000. The property of the two lines was purchased for $62,000 Aug. 1, 1924. Remainder of the S100, 000 was turned over to the trustees for working capital and rehabilitation of the property. The area's first trustees were Chr. George W. Gary and James B. Kennedy of Greenfield, execu- tive officer and treasurer; and Stuart Winch and the late Charles F. Mosher of Turners Falls, vice- chairman and secretary. Frederick A. Persons, appointed superintendent-manager, serves in that capacity today. Frank L. Lape of Greenfield was named master mechanic. Winch is still serving, his current term scheduled for expiration in 1955, while Charles E. Bankwitz was recently appointed to another two-year term. Each town has two representative trustees. First announcement of the change from trolleys to gas-driven buses was made Jan. 30, 1934, and on July 7, 1934, the last trolley ran from Turners Falls to Greenfield. But troubles of the new municipal service did not end with the advent of the bus. The flood of 1936 washed out two bridges, caused havoc in the bus garage in Greenfield. Today buses run on a steady schedule, offering service between Greenfield and Turners Falls. Gone is the ride to Montague and Millers Falls, although a route operated on a twice daily basis runs to Montague from Greenfield. But the town's transportation history had its infancy on steel wheels long before anyone thought of building a trolley. Col. Alvah C. Crocker's organization of the Turners Falls Company and the resultant industrial boom necessitated rail service. Thus it was that, through the colonel's efforts, the Fitchburg Railroad, of which he had been president, opened a Turners Falls branch in the mid-1800's. Its chief function was to transport men to and from Greenfield for work in the John Russell Cutlery Company, Rail travel spread and the New London Northern Railroad operated a line into Millers Falls, the Vermont and Massachusetts branch of the Fitchburg Railroad operated through Montague and later to that village came the Boston & Maine Railroad. In 1869, the Boston &: Maine Railroad opened a spur line from Greenfield and took over transportation of workers to the cutlery company in Turners Falls. Its passenger service was suspended when the company moved from Turner Falls to South-bridge. The B & M continues to operate over the New York New Haven and Hartford Company's tracks for freight service to the town. A depot is maintained adjacent to Avenue A below Seventh Street. A station stop is located in Lake Pleasant. The New Haven Railroad started operating into Turners Falls about 1876. This line provided passenger service from Turners Falls to South Deerfield and was noted for its no-change trip from Turners Falls to New York City. The roundhouse for the engines was located east of the Turners Falls Machine Company, where the Western Massachusetts gate house is now situated. The station was opposite the GTD Forge Shop off Avenue A. John T. Quinn of 18 Prospect Street, Turners Falls, was at different times employed by both roads and for many years served as station agent with the B & M in the Power Town. Tracks
Transcribed with notes and observations by 101 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 of the B & M were laid adjacent to the NY NH & H tracks, which remain. The latter's trade name through here was the "Canal Run." Service of both roads ended here after it was determined there was not sufficient business to warrant the expense of running trains into the town. Effects of the great depression were, no doubt, one of the complicated economic factors which led to the decision. The gasoline driven auto came to Montague early but it was not until well after the turn of the century that they were observed making the rounds in any substantial numbers. The town has had brief flings with commercial air flight but never for a sustained period.
Bridges Have Played Major Roles Until 1802 the only entryway into Montague City and what is now Turners Falls was via boat through a series of five locks in the Montague Canal, property of the Proprietors of the Upper Locks and Canals, or from Gill by way of ferry. Bridges have done the work since. Bridge construction in Turners Falls and Montague City has cost more than two million dollars, with many more thousands of dollars required for maintenance and flood reconstruction. The first bridge over the Connecticut River at Montague City was built by the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike Corporation as a connecting link from Greenfield and Athol on the Old Post Road. It marked a third entryway into that portion of Montague which includes Turners Falls and Montague City, with both the ferry at Turners Falls and canal remaining in considerable use. Twenty-two years later, in 1824, the original bridge was destroyed by flood waters. Again in 1836 and 1842 extensive damage was done to the rebuilt bridge by rampaging waters. In 1868, after purchase of the holdings of the Proprietors by Alvah Crocker and his associates, a new covered bridge was built. This defied high waters and winds until the unprecedented flood of 1936. Later were to come the White, or Lower Suspension Bridge, which linked Turners Falls and Greenfield over Route 2A, and the Red, or Upper Suspension Bridge, which linked Turners Falls with Riverside at the site of the ferry. In turn came the 2A, the magnificent Turners Falls-Gill Bridge and the new steel bridge at Montague City. The covered structure, operated as a toll bridge, was one of the most peculiar bridges ever built. It was the only covered bridge which ever boasted a railroad spanned over its roof. It was the longest covered bridge in Massachusetts, and possibly in New England, stretching 863 feet across the Connecticut. It was the only covered bridge built with wooden trusses and laminated arches in the country. So unusual was it that in 1935, by happy chance, every possible measurement of it was made by James A. Britton of Greenfield, member of the Historical American Building Survey, and the information forwarded to the Library of Congress in Washington, O.C. A year later would have been too late to obtain the information for the grand old structure had no chance when a flood struck in March, 1936. Aaron Wright of Greenfield was the contractor for the bridge. The arches were added in 1901 to strengthen it when the Boston 8c Maine Railroad tracks were laid atop the roof. For 20 years boisterous engines with their clanking lines of cars rumbled across the elevated and it has been said a requisition for a dray horse or steed was one that would not balk when the lower portion of the bridge was filled with the unearthly rumble and roar of the trains. In 1921 the bridge was declared unsafe for trains. Mrs. Fannie Kingsley, grandmother of Mrs. Wallace B. Marston of Marshall Street, was toll collector for many years. No tolls were charged on Sunday but during the week these were the prevailing charges: footman, three cents; horseman, eight cents; chaises, 20 cents; coaches, 50 cents; gigs, 16 cents; one-horse wagon 12½ cents; pleasure sleigh, 10 cents.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Eight lanterns, hung within the structure each night, were admirable targets for slingshot artists. The bridge boasted its own janitor. Barrels of water were stored on the roof in case of fire but they never had to be used. After the bridge was washed out in 1936 there was no method to travel by car from Greenfield to Turners Falls via that route until completion of the new concrete bridge in 1948. After the John Russell Cutlery Company built a mill on the canal and the Montague Mill was erected, agitation became strong for a bridge to connect with Greenfield. Thus it was that on Nov. 16, 1871, work was started on the White Bridge, completed the following spring. The White Bridge spanned the Connecticut where the narrow concrete bridge now crosses adjacent to the Esleeck Manufacturing Company. White Bridge, costing $36,000, was 445 feet long. First to cross it were L. G. Barton and William Keith, Greenfield selectmen, riding in a chaise on May 13, 1872. Charles MacDonald was the contractor. The steel and concrete replacement for White Bridge, erected in 1936 after the great flood, cost $115,000 and was built by T. Stuart & Son of Boston. More than 3,500 tons of concrete were used on the bridge and its five abutments. The deck was yellow pine parking.40 Piers are 50 feet high and the structure is 450 feet long, 20 feet wide, with a four-foot sidewalk. It was built as a priority project because its condition at the time it was replaced was perilous, with rusted strands and cables which turned to powder when workmen made attempts to repair them. Need for a new bridge became imperative after the flood because, for a time, the White Bridge was the only route open to outside towns. The Red Bridge was built in 1878 at the site over which ferry41 boats had run for more than a century. With construction of the bridge the ferry became inoperative. This 563-foot long structure, costing $42,000, was completed in 1878. It was damaged by the flood of 193642 but not washed out. It was taken down during World War II and the metal sold for war manufacture. In the meantime, on Sept. 10, 1938, what was then the longest bridge in the state, spanning the Connecticut between Turners Falls and Gill,43 was dedicated. Built at a cost of more than one million dollars, the gigantic and imposing structure is slung majestically above the great power dam, far out of reach of flood waters. This magnificent structure was built by D. O'Connell's Sons, Holyoke. Building of the bridge marked a rare occurrence for such a big task, for not one workman was fatally injured during the 16 months of construction44. Ten years later the new Montague City Bridge was completed at a cost of $903,914.20 replacing the old covered bridge. J. F. Fitzgerald Company of Boston completed the bridge in 194845. It is 636 feet long and has a 26-foot roadway. Montague's new modern bridges have been situated out of danger of the rampaging river. But in spite of the great power reflected in the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge and the imposing view of the Montague City Bridge, the old covered bridge will never be forgotten. It is impossible to imagine any of the present bridges being washed away by flood waters. When the old 1868 covered structure was smashed into surging waters in 1936, it took with it the old trolley bridge, the New Haven Railroad Bridge and the Sunderland Bridge.
40 The deck was steel & asphalt. 41 The Bissell Ferry. 42 I find no evidence of the Upper or “Red” Suspension Bridge being damaged by the ’36 flood. 43 The correct & proper name is the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge. No other name should be substituted for the structure. 44 May of 1937. Dedicated in September, 1938. 45 The date on the concrete end abutments reads 1947.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
And that completes an unabridged tale of the village's bridges.
Airport Has Seen Busy Times In Past 24 Years This is the story of the Turners Falls Airport, located near the imaginary line which divides Millers Falls and Turners Falls off Route 2A. Within a mile of the Connecticut River, at one time the chief commercial artery of Franklin County, is the spacious airfield of Franklin County Airways, Inc. Turners Falls Airport was created in 1930 when Sec. of State Frederick H. Cook authorized a corporation be formed, with a total capitalization of $100,000 and with Charles Mosher, Albert R. Smith and Walter C. Cassidy, all of Turners Falls, as incorporators. The corporation selected for its site the White Coal Farm, an experimental irrigation project employing river water pumped from the Connecticut River far below. The farm experienced financial reversals following the 1929 crash and in 1930 corporation stock was sold to Montague residents so land could be purchased and runways constructed. The land, flat when the farm was started, had been rolled still flatter for agricultural purposes. By April, 1930, the airport comprised 116 acres and an east-west runway. A north-south runway was in the planning stages. By the following summer Greenfield Tap & Die Corp, had constructed a hangar for a plane maintained there for its executives. First commercial use of the field came in 1931 when Reliance Flying Service of Watertown, Conn., announced regular passenger service between Turners Falls and Springfield and Hartford. But public reception to this service was slow and Reliance soon gave up the flights. The port was again utilized tor operation of planes for joy-riding purposes. During the summer of 1930, 3,000 were to witness the first full-scale air show in Franklin County's history. But the air show proved to be just another bit of entertainment for county folk, for interest in the port lagged more than ever. The port was leased in the summer of 1931 to Balboni Flying Service of Worcester. But public apathy continued and in 1936 the corporation sold the field, which had been improved by WPA funds, to the town of Montague. Official records show land purchased from the Quinnhetuk Company cost $1,250; a Vladish interest, $100; John Kosik,46 $100; Henry Day, $200; and George Andrews, $125. The port had 185 acres and was one of the largest, area-wise, in the state. With aid of federal money through the WPA, one dirt runway had been constructed, 600 feet in length, long enough to permit a medium bomber to land and take off. Shortly afterward an interest in flying started to revive and a flying school was inaugurated. Both the interest and the school were to suffer immeasurably; however, when on June 12, 1939, the port witnessed its only fatal accident. Four Greenfield persons, including the pilot, Lester Hodgen, lost their lives. Hodgen had been one of the area's leading proponents of air travel and in 1940 a Lester Hodgen Memorial Hangar was dedicated. In August, 1939, the field was transferred to a new group headed by Pete Whitman and Steve Shaw. In October of that year, Whitman organized a flying club. In 1940, the Civil Aeronautics Authority opened a school to train high ranking students at no cost to students. Twenty-five pilots were qualified during this period. There were, at one time during that era, 33 ships on the field. Greatest activity in the history of the port was to come following lease of the field March 26, 1942, to Dr. Joseph L. Levy, who operated Bridgeport Flying Service, Inc. Dr. Levy brought a
46 Kozik.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 total of 17 planes to the field and hired Huber Tandy as an instructor. During his tenure as head of the port, more than 1,000 pilots received training under the government's civilian training program preparing men for the service. Field expansion was proposed in 1946 to gain interest of Northeast Airlines to utilize the port as one of its New England stops. At a special town meeting, $1,000 was appropriated for a survey, made by J. R. Worcester Company of Boston. In the meantime, on April 10 that year, an airport commission had been appointed by Selectmen. Serving on that board were Arthur L. Davis, Edward W. Pleasant, Henry Waidlich, Frank Kuzmeskus and Dr. Levy. In that year the United States Department of Agriculture signed a contract for five years to house a C-47 at the field. For this the town received $100 a year. The USDA, which based the plane in the area for spraying purposes, shifted its operation to Oklahoma in May, 1952. The first opportunity for substantial improvement to the port was provided Jan, 10, 1947, when the CAA47 approved funds for work. The propose landing strips were to be 150 feet wide and 3,700 feet long. Total cost of this program was to be $125,000, and of that amount the CAA agree to provide $62,600, leaving the town's share a $62,400. An effort was made to determine whether the state would pay one fourth of the cost. Montague representatives conferred with officials from Greenfield in an attempt to devise plan whereby the two towns could operate the port and could pay, jointly, for the costs of modernization. When no agreement with Greenfield could be reached, Montague gave up the project. Officials of both towns made statements that they were nevertheless, still interested in the port. In September, 1947, George Lake of Orange proprietor of the Lake Flying Service, offered limited service through the local port, connecting with Springfield, Boston, Pittsfield, Fitchburg and Orange. Persons desiring service were to call the port which, in turn, would notify Lake. He did not stop here unless such service was requested Lake's twin-engine Cessna was called on only rarely and the service soon was suspended. Franklin County Airways, Inc., was founded Feb. 3, 1948, when a group of 15 county men purchased port facilities from Levy for $40,000. Firs officers of that group were Peter Mackin, president; Ronald M. Zschau, clerk, and Lambert, treasurer. Mackin and Zschau were from Millers Fall: and Lambert, Turners Falls. Directors were Atty. Samuel Blassberg, Frederick W. Macker, Samuel H. Couture, Walter M. Garbiel, Henry A. Wasieleski and John C. Krowczyk of the town of Montague, Robert W. Peno, Dr Rosario C. Charron, James P. Mackin, Clinton W Bernard and Carl J. Kurtgis of Greenfield and Alec M. Vickowski of Sunderland. Early in 1950, Wiggins Airways inaugurated; flight through here, linking Boston and Albany On Jan. 27 the first shipment of mail, 63 pounds left for Boston. On April 17, 1951, air express was inaugurated but in mid-1953 Wiggins lost its certificate to operate. Actual operations had been suspended long before that date. Among considerations by the CAA was evident lack of interest in the Service. The town's second opportunity to gain federal aid came Feb. 15, 1950, when the CAA proposed a $155,000 project, with half the costs to be borne by the federal government, one fourth by the state and a fourth by one or more towns in Franklin County. This would have meant expenditure of $38,750 locally. However, neither Montague nor Greenfield officials expressed genuine interest in the proposal and it was withdrawn by CAA.
47 Civil Aeronautics Administration / Civil Aviation Act.
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When that plan was proposed, John Bushway, then port manager, suggested a $75,000 runway be constructed, with cost to the town at $30,000. This plan was not considered. In July, 1952, Roland Arsenault was named manager. For the past several years the port has been utilized chiefly for giving private instruction and as a base for the Civil Air Patrol. A group of South American students was trained there two years ago. Port facilities are inoperative during the winter. Again, at a period of low ebb, the natural airport site remains little used. In spite of lethargy of the towns, a few men who believe firmly in air travel cling firmly to their investment, Montague Airways. One fact remains certain—air travel nationally is here to stay and perhaps one day Montague's airport site will be fully utilized for commercial transportation.
Telephone Service, In 70th Year, Now Taking Biggest Step Forward Telephone service, taken more or less completely for granted in Montague's villages today, is only slightly older than the Biblical lifespan of threescore years and ten. It has grown in its 77 years from a luxury within reach of business firms only to a commonplace and a necessity today. And before this year is over, the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co., which operates the three exchanges serving the town of Montague, expects to add what they term extended area coverage which will link all of Montague and many other nearby towns in a no-toll network of dial operation. The Greenfield area exchange was initiated in 1882 and included all of Montague and Greenfield as well as Bernardston and South Deerfield. There were 42 customers in the exchange, mostly business establishments. All of Montague was part of the Greenfield exchange until 1895, when Turners Falls’ exchange was opened. This was enlarged in 1895, 1907, and 1915. Part of the Turners Falls operations was taken over in 1900 by the Millers Falls Telephone Company. Magneto hand crank sets were in use in the Millers Falls exchange until Feb. 28, 1940. That exchange was run by an independent firm until June 1, 1930, when it joined the NET & T.48 Dial service was begun in May, 1940. Prior to 1930, Millers Falls' exchange was owned by Edward M. Partridge. When NET &: T bought it that year, Mrs. Nellie Fowler was made chief operator, a position she held until her death a few years later, succeeded by the late Miss Mary Crowley, chief operator until conversion to dial system in 1940. In 1930, the present Millers Falls VFW Hall was the central office, beside Hawley's Drug Store. The present community dial building is on Crescent Street in the center of town. It was built in 1940 by Thomas J. Gass, Inc., of Greenfield, as was the Turners Falls building. There are about 400 telephones in Millers Falls and about 3½ miles of cable, ranging from 26-pair cable to 600-pair. First central office in Turners Falls was at Avenue A and Second Street, opened in 1895. In 1915, it was moved upstairs over John Haigis' Corner Bookstore there and became a two-position switchboard. In 1930 it became three-position with a move to the second floor above Koch's Grocery Store and later expanded there to a six-position board. Chief Turners Falls operator in the 193()'s was Gladys Burrows, succeeded in 1936 by Agnes Legendre, now Mrs. Edmund Landry of Greenfield. She remained until conversion to dials in 1940.
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An addition to the Turners Falls community dial exchange was made in 1950. Now there are about 1,200 telephones in Turners Falls, connected by 14 miles of many-size cable. The extended area coverage program will see an additional 6½ miles of cable laid in Turners Falls this year. The portion of the Greenfield exchange serving Montague has 562 phones and five miles of cables. Lake Pleasant is at present in the unenviable position of receiving service from, all three ex- changes—Greenfield, Turners Falls and Millers Falls. The Turners Falls exchange includes Turners Falls and part of Lake Pleasant; the Millers Falls exchange includes that village and part of Lake Pleasant and the Greenfield exchange takes in Montague Center, Montague City and the remainder of Lake Pleasant. This set-up makes it necessary for persons to pay for a toll call when they telephone a neighbor in some parts of Lake Pleasant, crossing from one exchange into another although the telephones may not be half a mile apart. The extended area coverage planned by NET &: T this year will bring an end to this situation, as well as allowing non-toll calls between, for instance, Lake Pleasant and Montague City. Subscribers in Montague will be able to dial numbers in Greenfield, South Deerfield, Turners Falls and Millers Falls, and vice-versa. All toll services operate out of the company's main office on Church Street, Greenfield. The Millers Falls and Turners Falls exchanges have unattended automatic local dial offices. 1954 capital investments in the physical plants of the three exchanges serving Montague, along with the increased investment planned for the coming extended area coverage, are as follows: Greenfield: $387,000; planned, $51,000. Turners Falls: $70,000; planned, $2,000. Millers Falls: $20,000; planned, $12,700. These figures include only the investment in central office equipment and do not cover such items as wires, poles and cables.
_____The first religious service conducted in the village of Turners Falls was in a boarding house run by a Mrs. Julia Horrigan for men employed in the construction of the canal. This was a 10 o'clock Mass said one Sunday morning in 1868 by Rev. Fr. Robinson of Greenfield._____
Baptist Church 82 Years Old In June 1954 The First Baptist Church of Turners Falls was 82 years old in 1954 and came into being through the efforts of laymen from Holyoke and Springfield who saw Turners Falls as the embryo of a second Holyoke. Funds totalling[sic] $3,000 were secured through the Baptist Social Union of Western Massachusetts. The building was dedicated June 11, 1872, with pledges of $1,750 made by the attending congregation. Local Baptists were organized into a provisional church June 30 with 17 constituent members. Fred W. Lewis was elected clerk and that evening the first baptism took place. Baptized was Mrs. Caroline Berard, mother of Mrs. Amanda Chapman. Later that year, J. A. Tupper was elected sexton and George W. Bailey, treasurer and collector. In December, the church was recognized as such by the council. There were 20 members at that time. A church society was organized in connection with the young parish Jan. 4, 1873, including more non-Baptists than otherwise.
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The church was built by Tristam Rirker of Clinton, Me., one of the workers on the dam and mills. The building as it is today is the result of remodeling in 1897, when the structure was moved back from the street 10 feet and done over at a cost of more than 53,000. As early as 1880 the church had voted "that we proceed to build a parsonage, provided we can raise the money, not to exceed $2,000." But it was not until 1917 that Porter Farwell bought the Eddy house on Maple Street as a parsonage, "for resale to the society on easy terms." There have been only two ordinations in church history, those being Rev. Peter McClelland, in 1949 and of Rev. Harry B. Rankin in 1891. Present Pastor is Rev. William J. Bednar. Pastors from the beginning in order of service have been: Revs. E. A. Wyman, Ford, John Shepardson, Thomas A. Batson (the latter two serving Greenfield and Montague City respectively, also), C. T. Douglas, Rankin, John Clark, Brown E. Smith, G. A. Martell, Edgar R. Hyde, A. R. Mills, J. B. Robinson, theological student Fred W. French, Revs. Harlan P. Smith, R. G. Greengrass, H. E. Buffam and W. I. Coburn. William C. R. Vinten left in 1923 and there was no resident pastor until arrival of Rev. George N. Mott in 1925. Revs. H. B. Jamison, W. A. Knight, Edward C. Page, John C. Cook and Mr. McClelland, who came here in 1948, followed. In 1904, a new electric organ was installed, the gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Ward. Societies are the Ladies Industrial Society, one of the oldest, and the Missionary Society. Longest memberships in 1954 were those of Mrs. Julia Kennedy, Mrs. Abbie Batten, and Mrs. Edith McCrea. Two of the present deacons, Edwin Pearce and William Jenkin, were elected in 1917 and ordained in 1921. In 1951 the Philathea Group was organized and has now more or less taken over the social activities of the parish.
Unitarian Church There are two German societies at Turner Falls, the one which started some years ago being divided and both parishes, the German Methodist and German Evangelical, having churches. They are conducted by the pastors of the corresponding churches at Greenfield.
Unitarian Church There are two German societies at Turners Falls, the one which started some years ago being divided, and both parishes, the German Methodist and German Evangelical, having churches. They are conducted by the pastors of the corresponding churches of Greenfield.
German Methodist Church For 83 years, through a change in name and two relocations of the church itself, parishioners of Grace Methodist Church have struggled with increasing success for the growth and well-being of their own house of worship. The church was originally the German Methodist Episcopal Church and until 1913 services were conducted in the German language. Down through the years the list of pastors who have-served the parish has steadily increased as the custom has been to secure a new clergyman about every three years. Early beginnings of the parish were set in motion much earlier than the founding of the church itself. During 1871, Rev. Charles Reuss, preaching in Shelburne Falls, heard of Turners Falls and decided to visit the town.
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He was disappointed to find so few houses and so much woodland but proceeded to find Rev. W. G. Leonard, minister of the English Methodist Church, then located on Fifth Street in the present TFAC building. Mr. Leonard was living in one of the rooms of the church building. He took Mr. Reuss through the John Russell Cutlery Co. and the International Paper Co. so that he might become acquainted with some of the German residents of the town. It was arranged that Mr. Reuss would preach at the English Methodist Church Nov. 19, 1871, while the regular pastor was in Boston. He conducted the morning service in English and the afternoon service in German. The latter congregation filled the church. After the service, about 50 interested persons remained. Another service was planned for Dec. 10. This was one of the most memorable days in Mr. Reuss' life, for it was the day on which he was invited to remain in Turners Falls. The first baptism on record was that of Herman Seiler, baptized that day by Rev. F. W. Oinger. On the afternoon of Dec. 24, 1871, Mr. Reuss preached his first sermon as pastor. That year there was a Christmas program and tree for the children. On Jan. 10, 1872, the church was officially organized and on Jan. 14 the Sunday School was begun. Similar work in Greenfield was soon started. The two parishes were served by the same pastor and both churches belonged to the East German Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On June 16, 1872, several members were received on probation. The following Jan. 12 these persons were received and constituted charter members of the church: Casper Maerz, Elisabeth Sauter, Magdalena Schemp, Anna Wolf, Barbara Haigis, Margaretha Kehr, Charles and Elizabeth Reuni, Andrew and Lizzie Schieding and William Wissenborn. Later the congregation met for services in what was then a schoolhouse and is now Herman Sons Hall on Second Street. On July 3, 1874, the church purchased the lot at K and School Streets. Construction of a new church progressed rapidly. On Nov. 8 that year, the church building was dedicated with an impressive service. Mr. Reuss served as pastor until March, 1875, It was the practice of the Methodist Church to change the ministers once in three years or sooner. Most of the pastors appointed by the conference served about that length of time. In 1913, the German Methodist Church in Greenfield was closed and the pastor serving the two parishes transferred. The Turner Falls church then engaged Rev. Julius B. Robinson, a former Baptist minister. He and all succeeding ministers have conducted services in English. In 1930 the name of the church was legally changed to Grace Methodist Episcopal Church and later, when the Methodist Episcopal Church dropped the word "Episcopal," the local church did likewise. In 1949, excavation of the church cellar was begun. Members and interested friends volunteered to help in the project. Plans were formulated for a large room, kitchen and two rest rooms. Much difficulty was encountered in the excavation because of heavy ledge. At present, most of the work has been completed. Rev. William A. Knight, pastor, began his pastorate Dec. 21, 1941. He retired several years ago. He also served as pastor of the Leyden Methodist Church. The two churches belong to the Springfield District of the New England Conference of Methodist Churches.
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Congregational Church A placid and satisfactory existence, following a busy and tumultuous beginning, marks the history of the First Congregational Church of Turners Falls, at least up until several years ago, when something of the old activity in official business returned. In the beginning, in 1875, individual men and women of the Congregational faith were talking about a church of their own in their own town. This led through a series of meetings and votes, to the dedication of the church building, then as now at the corner of L and Seventh Streets, in September, 1881. From then to 1952, barring one change in name, the life of the church was serene. No action requiring official record was taken; no disasters struck the church edifice; nothing disturbed the steadily growing parish. The first legal meeting was Feb. 11, 1875, at the home of C. Q. Gilman, who lived at the lower end of Seventh Street. This meeting was called to order by R. N. Oakman, who was a justice of the peace, and the moderator was the local deputy sheriff, Nathan D. Allen, who was for many years warden of Charlestown State Prison and who was at that time in business here as well as being deputy sheriff, At this meeting a vote was taken to make an effort to hire the German Methodist Church. A month later, the first regular meeting was in the store of Clapp and Co. at Seventh Street and Avenue A, now known as the Clapp Block and owned by the St. Kazimierz society. The church had its inception at Riverside, where the services were first conducted in a hall, and then a meeting having in view the formation of a church was at the home of George Bennett on March 9, 1875. At this meeting a committee was appointed to prepare articles of faith and a church covenant. Those who held church membership elsewhere were asked to transfer to the church to be formed, to be known as the Congregational Church of Turners Falls and Riverside. On May 4, 1875, an ecclesiastical council of Congregational Churches met in the German Methodist Church here and the new church was organized. Services were on both sides of the river, in the morning at Turners Falls and in the afternoon at Riverside. At the annual parish meeting in March, 1877, it was voted to instruct assessors to collect funds for a church edifice. Progress along this line was slow, however, and it was not until two years later in the parish meeting of 1879 that the assessors were directed to procure a church site. The annual parish meeting in 1880 was an important one. It was then voted to construct a church and to appoint a planning committee for that purpose. Chosen were Richard N. Oakman, Judge William S. Dana and Thomas F. Harrington. This committee selected Oremill C. Hitchcock as general contractor. No record exists on paper, yet witnesses bear testimony that the church was officially dedicated Sept. 19, 1881, the day President Garfield died. The church proper still remains as it was originally, although modernization and improvements have been made from time to time. On May 15, 1882, the annual meeting of the Congregational Society, which included both church members and interested non - members, voted to build a parsonage and barn on the church lot at a cost not to exceed $2,500. By vote of the church Feb. 1, 1884, the name was changed from the Congregational Church of Turners Falls and Riverside to the First Congregational Church of Turners Falls. Pastors through the years, averaging five years each, have numbered 15. They were, in order of succession: Revs. H. R. Howes, L. S. Parker, H. W. Eldridge, I, H. Angier, Jay Clizbe, H. C. Adams, F. N. Merriam, J. E. LeBosquet, J. H. Morley, A. E. Martin, Thomas Vincent, W.
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Frederick Addison, Herbert B. Morrell, William T. Thistle and Stephen R. Tucker, pastor in 1954. Pastor in 1962 was Rev. Alvin F. Desterhaft. The most recent burst of official business activity came at the annual meeting Jan. 15, 1952, when it was voted to appoint a committee to investigate the problem of uniting the First Congregational Church and the First Congregational Society. Named were Austin J. Blood, Charles Bankwitz, Mrs. Neal Allis and Mrs. Helen Miller. At the 1953 annual meeting the committee was given until last January to make its final report and submit bylaws for incorporation. At the 1953 meeting, Mrs. Miller was excused from the committee at her request and Mrs. Charles Higinbotham appointed in her place. The 1954 annual meeting unanimously accepted the code of bylaws. The legal part of the incorporation was taken care of through the untiring efforts of Atty. Raymond Trudel, who donated much of his time and talent. On Feb. 15, 1954, the church was incorporated under the name of the First Congregational Church of Turners Falls, making it one of the older organizations in the village and at the same time one of the very youngest corporations.
St. Andrews "Young" A comparatively "young" church in Montague's history, St. Andrew's Episcopal of Turners Falls can boast a progressive congregation, one which has much pride in its many accomplishments. Since the days near the end of World War I when a small group sought a place in which to worship together, Episcopalians have established a firm parish here. St. Andrew's Church had its first service on St. Andrew's Day, Nov. 30, 1921, in the brand new building at Prospect and Seventh Streets, built at a cost of close to $12,000 with the generous aid of the diocese. A few years before, Turners Falls Episcopalians did not even own the land. Credit for securing the property is mainly due Rev. George Burgess, then a young clergyman and now vicar of St. Andrews. Within the memory of persons now living, services have been conducted in Good Templars Hall in the Goodnow Block on Fourth Street (1872), in Rugg's Hall in Montague City, in the Baptist Church building (1874), in the German Methodist and Lutheran Churches and the Congregational Church, and finally 1915-1921 in Foresters Hall in the present Trudel Block on Avenue A. When Mr. Burgess helped secure the present church land, he was a missionary for the diocese under Rt. Rev, Thomas Frederick Davies, the second bishop of Western Massachusetts. When the church was built, the Turners Falls mission was under charge of Rev. George Stockwell and all the missions in Franklin County were under the care of St. James' Church in Greenfield. The first full liturgical service was on Christmas Eve, 1921, in the new church. St. Mary's Catholic Church loaned enough old seats and pews so all could have seats at the first Holy Eucharist in the new building. Sidewalks and fence were built by the men of the parish in 1922. A new organ purchased by the congregation was dedicated Feb. 24, 1924, On Feb. 2, 1930, while Mr. Stockwell was vicar, the church was freed of debt. Bishop Davies consecrated the edifice on Oct. 12, 1930. Mr. Burgess was assigned as vicar during World War II and has retained that position since. At present there are more than 200 baptized members of the church and a Sunday School enrollment of 45. In 1954 officers were James Guy, warden; George McClary, clerk; Mrs. John Mas-ley, treasurer; and Richard O. Guy, keyman and delegate to the Diocese Convention.
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The executive board was; Richard Guy, John Casley, Mrs. Ernest Hilliard, Mrs. Raymond McClary, Mrs. Joseph Pryor, Harry Escott, James Guy, George McClary, Mrs. Casley and Mr. Burgess. The church remains a mission, however, not a self-supporting parish, and is under the direct control of the bishop of Western Massachusetts. Vicar after Mr. Burgess death was Rt. Rev. Henry Hean Daniels, retired bishop of Montana; two years until his death in 1956; Rev. Donald I,. Garfield, two years. Vicar in 1962 was Rev. William Barnes.
Hebrew Congregation Founded 75 Years Ago The Hebrew congregation of Turners Falls, now considered by some to be more or less a part of the Greenfield congregation, nevertheless maintain a synagog on K Street and remembers the days when the local group had its own rabbis and religious teachers. Now the synagog is used only on high holy days and for other special occasions. At other times, the congregation travels to Greenfield and joins the worship of the group led by Rabbi Harold B. Konovitch. Called the B'rith Abraham congregation, the Turners Falls group was begun about 75 years ago by Abraham Smith, one of the first Jewish settlers in that town. The synagog was originally on the top floor of his home, now the St. Kazimierz Society hall at Seventh Street. Later the congregation met in Hibernian Hall on high holy days and in a room in the Hibernian building for regular services. A room above the present Cone Shop on Avenue A was also used from time to time. The first local Jewish spiritual leader to carry the title of rabbi was Rabbi Ben Leve, who came to Turners Falls about 1920 and left five years later. He was followed immediately by Rabbi 1. Schneider, who remained for two or three years. There have been no other full-time rabbis in the town. In the years when Jewish people in Turners Falls had their own rabbi, their congregation was about the same size as that in Greenfield. Others among the first Jewish settlers who followed Smith were Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Blassberg, parents of Atty. Samuel Blassberg, Mr. and Mrs. A. Marvin and Mr. and Mrs. Morris Titelbaum, who ran a tailor shop where Kuklewitz tailor shop is now. In the spring of 1937, the former German Lutheran Society church on K Street was purchased for use as a synagog. The church was completely modernized and redecorated in oaken paneling, the delicate scrollwork of oak coming from Vermont. The vestry was done over and the bell tower taken down because it had been declared unsafe. A stipulation in the purchase of the land provides that it always be used as a place of worship. The officers of the community organization in 1954 were Samuel Blassberg, president; Myer Rubin, vice-president; Julius Blassberg, secretary; Bob Silver, treasurer; these four and Jacob Blassberg, board of trustees. The congregation now has about 12 families. When the church was purchased for a synagog, the following were active: Joseph, Jacob M., Julius, Samuel, William and A. Eugene Blassberg, Myron and Henry Miller, Robert Silver, Samuel and Myer Rubin, Max Baker, Max Brodkin, Israel L. Krainson, Wolf W. Cotton, Dave Solomon, Harry K. Cohen and James Morrison. In World War II, 12 men of the Turners Falls Jewish community served, one dying and one severely wounded. Dead is Lt. Max Solomon, one of the two for whom Daly-Solomon Post, American Legion was named.
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St. Mary's Church Formed 82 Years Ago, In 1954 Had 2,500 Parishioners The history of 82-year old St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church is a story of hardworking priests and enthusiastic parishioners who combined to build (.he impressive structure which stands today. Members now number 2500, a far cry from the humble beginning in 1870. The first Mass in the town of Montague was really celebrated in 1868 in the Maurice Harrigan Boarding House, located near the river bank where the Rockdale Company now stands. Rev. Henry L. Robinson, then a Greenfield pastor, was celebrant. Fr. Robinson then constructed a temporary church, a one-story wooden building, painted white and located on L Street in the rear of the present rectory, in 1870. St. Mary's was made a parish in 1872 with Millers Falls, Northfield, Orange, Wendell, Warwick and Erving as outlying missions. Rev. Patrick L. Quaille, who had been Father Robinson's curate, was named the first resident pastor and served for 25 years. In 1878, as town population increased, he saw the need for a new church and began work on the Gothic structure that is St. Mary's Church today. The basement was ready for service in 1892. The church is of brick with granite trimming. Its spire and four-faced clock, which rise 200 feet from the ground, have become a town landmark. The church will seat 1,000 and is situated on a corner where four streets converge at Seventh and L Streets. A brick rectory adjoins it. When the church was dedicated in the spring of 1902, Rev. Dr. John McCoy, principal speaker at dedication services, referred to it as the "Queen Gem of the Connecticut Valley." Fr. Quaille said the first Mass in Erving in 1872 and in Orange in 1873. Ten years later he inaugurated the first Mass in Wendell. He was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Purcell in 1898, who with his brother, Rev. Luke J. Purcell, the next pastor, directed the church for 16 years. In 1917, Rev. Phillip J. Lee was named pastor. He was founder of the Catholic Women's Council. During his pastorate, the interior of the church was redecorated. On the 50th anniversary of the founding of the parish, 1922, the mortgage was burned and that same year the parish donated the clock for the spire. Fr. Lee served for 14 years and was followed in 1931 by Rev. James McGrath who headed St. Mary's for the next five years. Rev. John Freel, pastor at Annunciation Church in Florence, was the next pastor and worked long and hard for the following 10 years. He replaced the stained glass windows in the church during his pastorate. In 1946, Fr. Freel was succeeded by Rev. James F. Hastings. Pastor the past few years has been Rev. Paul E. O'Dea. Through the efforts of Fr. Hastings, the church was re-roofed with green tile and the church steeple covered with copper. The Holy Name Society has been re-activated during his pastorate. Great improvements have been made recently at St. Mary's Cemetery. The land was graded and seeded and a hard surface road added. In addition, part of the main church interior has been redecorated and the rectory renovated. The old Temperance Society of St. Mary's parish had headquarters on Fifth Street in a building known as St. Mary's Temperance Society Hall. With the dissolution of the organization, the members gave the hall to the church to be sold and the money received to be used to build the road at the cemetery. The hall is now the property of the Turners Falls Athletic Club. A Mission at Montague Center, St. Mary's Station, was started Feb. 11, 1951. Mass is celebrated in the Grange Hall each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. Montague parishioners are currently working to obtain funds to build their own church. Curates at St. Mary's included Rev. Joseph Gagan, now a pastor in Cheshire, Rev. Donald F. Mullen, Rev. John W. Curtin and the present curate, Rev. Julius Jutt. Present parish sextons are
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Michael S. O'Leary, senior sexton with over 50 years of service, John Quinn and Michael J. Conway. French Catholic Church And Parochial Residence St. Anne's Parish was established here 70 years ago because the French Canadians wanted to practice their faith in their own tongue. Mary's was then the only Roman Catholic Church in Turners Falls. After seven decades the parish is still known in town as the "French Church" because French is still its "tongue." St. Mary' priests in 1874 were very sympathetic, giving the Canadians a special 9 a.m. Sunday Mass with their own choristers but still the need of a French parish was growing almost daily with an increase in the French-speaking population. This idea was sponsored by some of the members of the St. Jean Baptiste Society, such as J. B. Daignault, Cyril Lachapelle, Liboire Hamelin, C. T. Robert and Charles Sicard, who made several appeals to their bishop for a French priest and for the erection of a parish. To prove their earnestness they bought the site on which the present church stands at Fifth and J Streets, and they immediately began the foundation of the proposed church. On July 16, 1884, Rev. Fr. Perreault became the first pastor of St. Anne's Church. He found the work quite well-organized with plenty of willing hearts to support his undertaking. Father's first Mass was offered at the home of C. T. Robert on Fifth Street. The following Sundays until autumn, church services were held in the skating rink49 on K Street. Under direction of John Lapointe and Louis Cloutier, construction of both church and rectory proceeded rapidly and in 1885 Rev. J. Gagne of Springfield blessed the cornerstone. There was still much to do. The interior remained to be completed. St. Joseph's altar was donated by the newly established society of L'Union Canadienne; Our Lady's altar, by Godfrey Fisette; and the statue of St. Anne by Liboire Hamelin. The solemn opening of St. Anne's Church took place at Midnight Mass on Christmas, 1885. The need of a cemetery was realized by F. X. Robert's grant of land. To complete his work, Fr. Perreault's greatest wish was to provide for the Christian education of youth by establishing a bilingual school. As Fr. Perreault was transferred to Worcester, it remained for Rev, J. C. Allard to undertake the project. The contract was given to M. T. Martineau and C. Rivard. By 1896, St. Anne's School opened its classes under direction of the Sisters of St. Anne. Boys and girls are trained not only in the science of the three R's but also in character formation through religious instruction, as well as in the responsibilities of good citizenship by the practice of civic virtues. The knowledge of two languages opens many and varied opportunities for advancement, church authorities feel. It was while Fr. Allard was pastor that the organ was donated by J. M. Farren and that the last mortgage on the church property was cancelled. Rev. J. E. Gratton administered St. Anne's Parish from 1907 to 1909, being succeeded by Rev. J. W. Casey, later transferred to the Holy Trinity Church of Greenfield. During his 24 years of devoted and capable administration, the parish continued to prosper. Three church bells were added and the O'Keefe house on Fifth street was bought for a convent for the Sisters of St. Anne.
49 Roller skating was a wide-spread novelty pastime during this period.
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Rev. George Trottier spent 11 years laboring as pastor and was followed by the present pastor, Rev. Albert C. Fleury, who is carrying on the work of his predecessors.
St. Anne's First County School For Catholics St. Anne's Parochial School, the first Catholic school built in Franklin County and the only one in the town of Montague, was erected in 1896 at the location where it now stands, Fifth and J Streets. The school is in a two-story brick building with five classrooms and an office. Instruction is given by five teachers and a principal, all Sisters of St. Anne, to a present enrollment of 130 boys and girls in eight grades and a kindergarten. The classrooms have maple floors and are furnished with modern equipment. Although the studies given are those required by state law, a special place is reserved for the teaching of the Trench language and culture. Emphasis is also placed on moral and religious training throughout the grades. Activities include a visual aid program, plays on special days, choir singing by a group of 30 choristers and a Catholic action group called the Little Crusaders. The school began with four rooms and was quite crowded in the years around the turn of the century. Five nuns taught French and English, Latin, dramatics, singing and public speaking. About 223 students were enrolled in the four classrooms. Among the first graduates were Arthur Beaubien, Mrs. George McCarthy and Miss Eva Girard. Pastor at the time was Rev. Fr. Allard. Not long after the turn of the century, black costumes for school wear replaced ordinary street clothing in the school, but this plan was dropped after a short time and never readopted. For 58 years, St. Anne's School has imparted instruction to a part of the Catholic population of Turners Falls. Its graduates are found in every walk of life.
Love Of God Led To Poles' Forming Our Lady Church The Polish o£ Turners Falls have not always had their own church, during the years since the first immigrants arrived here about 1885, but they have always been mindful of God and of His satisfaction in their efforts. Much material wealth today is the boast of Our Lady of Czestochowa50 Church, but it can best be considered as the fruit of the early parishioners' labors. Seventy years ago, the first Polish immigrants came to the town of Montague, wearing their picturesque Polish costumes. Retaining a deep feeling for their Roman Catholic religion, they im- mediately joined St. Anne's Church, which was well established. A few years later, a new church was built in town and the Polish were requested to go to this parish: St. Mary's. In 1904, about 30 families united with the prime aim and desire of realizing a church of their own. They formed a Polish society under the name of St. Kazimierz. It was in this society that the members, small in number yet strong in their desire to hear the word of God in their native tongue, first discussed a Polish parish. The idea for the parish belonged to Ludwik Kozlowski. In 1908, with a few more members, including Ignacy Purchla, Antoni Kleszczewski, Jozef Purchela and Aleksander Mokrzewski, the dream was realized. On June 27, 1909, the first Mass was said in Polish for the Polish people in St. Mary's Church.
50 Pronounced: Chest-to-ho-va
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Rev. Francis Chalupka was the first Polish speaking priest sent to Turners Falls. The committee then acquired a Unitarian Church building and after some renovation turned it over to the Bishop of the Springfield Diocese. Services were conducted in this building thereafter. Fr. Chalupka died here in 1912. On July 11 that year, Rev. Stanislaus Zdebel was sent as second pastor. Also at this time, land was acquired on K Street for a new rectory, which was built in 1914. A new main altar of Gothic style, donated by the Holy Rosary Society, remains a gem among altars of its type in all Franklin County to this day. In 1919, with the number of parishioners up to 911, Fr. Zdebel was transferred to Holy Trinity Church in Hatfield. On April 1, 1919, the third pastor arrived. He was Fr. Andrew A. Lekarczyk. The fourth pastor, Rev, A. A. Skoniecki, remained from Jan. 20, 1925, until Feb. 22, 1948. It was during his pastorate that the church on L Street was partially destroyed by fire, on April 13, 1928. While the church was being renovated, Masses were said in St. Mary's. It was in 1938 that members of the parish made known their desire to erect a new edifice in line with St. Anne's and St. Mary's Churches. A committee of 18 was selected and its members visited parishioners for donations. On June 23, 1929, the new church building on K Street was begun and finished the same year. When Fr. Skoniecki was transferred to S. S, Peter and Paul parish in Three Rivers in February, 1948, he was succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. Joseph P. Szczepaniak. In 1954, Our Lady of Czestochowa Church had 688 parishioners. Activities and organizations are numerous, including such societies as St. Kazimierz, St. Stanislaus, Polish Veterans', St. Anne's, Holy Rosary and St. Cecilia Choir.
Library Here Since 1874 Although Turners Falls is the next to youngest of the five villages which comprise the town of Montague, it was the second to arrange for library facilities, making that move only six years after a library had been started in Montague Center. The town's first library came in 1868 in Montague Center and in 1874 it was voted to establish a library in Turners Falls at such time as $500 "shall have been privately subscribed." The first library was opened in the Colle Building in 1876 with 1,000 books on the shelves. The town appropriated small sums for the purpose from time to time, but the Turners Falls Branch was not voted until 1887. It was in this year that both the Montague and Turners Falls Libraries were made free institutions. H. P. Far-well was librarian at the time. It was in 1903 that Andrew Carnegie presented the town with $12,500 for a building, provided the town would issue bonds in an equal amount and would agree to appropriate $1,250 annually for maintenance. In 1906 Carnegie gave an additional $1,000 with a proviso that the town chip in an added $100 annually for support. The Carnegie Public Library was opened to the public in 1905. But the building was not erected until there had been the customary argumentation and debate that is part of every building program. At a special town meeting Jan. 5, 1904, a special library committee recommended a lot on the corner of Seventh and Prospect Streets for a building site, but voters preferred the site on Avenue A where the library is situated and the land was purchased from the Turners Falls Company. Members of that committee were W. H. P. Gilmore, C. M. Burnett, C. W. Schuler and later, Norman P. Farwell. Prior to opening of the building the library had been situated in the Clapp Block, now St. Kazimierz Hall, and the Colle Building.
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The building is of Roman buff brick, manufactured in Wallesville, Ohio, with terra cotta trim, granite approaches and interior of quartered oak. The upper portion is now used as a storeroom, but was for years meeting place of various groups, including the Turners Falls Woman's Club. A collection of stones, antiques and seldom used books are kept there now. The main floor has the book stacks, stockroom, children's room and adult reading room. Miss Edith Baker of Bernardston was librarian for a longer period than any other in that position, serving from 1925 to the time of her death in 1951. Part time assistants have included Mrs. Richard Stoughton, Miss Anna Vladish, Miss Minnie Reen, Miss Flora Bitzer, Miss Adeline Bastarache and Mrs. Louise Flaro, Mrs. Olive Pease was appointed librarian in 1952. Mrs. Edward Conway was named librarian in 1958. In addition to town funds for library support are the Starbuck and Stoughton and Elisabeth Voetsch Funds. Total circulation during 1953 was 28,928 volumes. The town's three libraries, Montague, Carnegie and the Millers Falls Branch, organized in 1903, are supervised by a nine-man board of trustees elected three each year for three-year terms. Chester M. Delf is current chairman.
Several Weekly Papers Have Had Good Records In hopes of filling man's seemingly unquenchable thirst for news, many an upstart journalist has started up a newspaper in the town of Montague. But down through the years has come a record of slow starting and fast folding papers as pied as the type many a printer has had to reset. The record of Montague's news chroniclers cannot be reset but it seems likely that no one would have it changed if he could. Like many another phase fallen by the wayside of progress, the thin weekly newspaper, of which Montague has had many, is no longer adequate for the tastes of modern day residents, accustomed to getting news of world-shaking events almost as they occur. Although no record can be found today, no doubt the early 19th Century residents of the town had one or more newspapers. It was in the late part of that century, however, that papers were being started up almost as quickly as someone could get money and plans together. First known newspaper was the Turners Falls Reporter & Franklin County Patriot, started July 3, 1872, by Addington D. Welch in the old Good-now Building on Fourth Street, known now as the Harlow Block. Welch was joined by Joseph B. Weston about two weeks later but the partnership was dissolved Oct. 3, 1872. Soon after the famed and funny Cecil T. Bagnall arrived for his first effort in a career that was to stretch to 46 years. Welch left soon after Bagnall's arrival. Chief among Bagnall's co-workers was Miss Antonia Stemple, now residing in St. Petersburg, Fla. He had moved the newspaper office to the present Franklin County Press plant on Avenue A soon after Welch's departure and there it remained, its name shortened to Turners Falls Reporter. In 1881 Bagnall took a stab at publishing the Lake Pleasant Morning News, which folded after a short period. After Bagnall's death about 1918, the paper was sold to William P. Luippold, who ran the Turners Falls Advertiser. The Reporter was purchased in 1922 by the Greenfield Daily Recorder, forerunner of the Greenfield Recorder-Gazette. Two other weekly newspapers have served Turners Falls. In 1933 when the Turners Falls Advertiser was practically dormant, Denis J. Shea of the Shea Theater and Harold E. LeVanway, formerly of The Recorder-Gazette's Turners Falls office, founded the Turners Falls Enterprise.
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The new paper was barely under way when the bank holiday occurred. With business at a low ebb, and with the paper being forced to have its printing done out of town, Enterprise owners were easily persuaded by businessmen to merge with The Advertiser. Shea stepped out of the picture and LeVanway continued to write and edit the paper for about three months. He then returned to The Recorder-Gazette and Luippold assumed all duties. The depression, among other factors, soon spelled death of The Advertiser. But just as poor times caused this weekly downfall, so did end of the depression bring about new hope for a new venture. Joseph Cotton, an energetic and skilled newsman, began the weekly Turners Falls Herald, which met with moderate success in its one year of operation. The editor's draft call in 1942 sounded death knell of the Herald, however. Lake Pleasant and Millers Falls have also had short-lived weekly papers, the former's sponsored by the New England Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association in the 1880's and '90's and the latter published by a youngster in his teens.
American Legion Post, Auxiliary Long Active Clarence W. Allen Post, American Legion, named for a native son killed at the Battle of Chateau Thiery July, 1918, was chartered in August, 1919, five months after the American Legion was organized in France. The unit was originally chartered as "Turners Falls Post" but this name was changed several months later in honor of Allen. Thomas Bean was first commander. Through its 35 years the post has been active in community service and Americanism work, as well as guarding the rights of all veterans, many of them won through the national organization. Charter members, along with Bean, were Samuel Baxter, Edward Bitzer, Henry Heureaux, John J. Haigis, Dana Salmon, Daniel Delehanty, Norbet Klaiber, Jerome Shea, Henry Dube, William J. North, Arthur J. Courtois, Charles Stotz and Chester Richason. First meeting place was in a room in the Baker Block on Third Street. Among first activities was sponsorship of a basketball team. Funds were raised by sponsoring carnivals and bazaars. In 1925 the post moved its quarters to the second floor of the Crocker Bank Building, where they are still located. Early in the 1930's members combined their efforts to build a home for Paul Klepacki of Montague, whose residence had been razed by fire. During the flood of 1927, the post sent provisions to Northern Vermont. In 1936 the post turned out to assist in evacuation of families from the South End and Montague City. From 1936 to 1940 a Boy Scout troop was sponsored. The Sons of Legion program and junior firing squad were also sponsored. With the assistance of its auxiliary, the post raised $1,000 to erect a World War I Memorial in 1939. During World War II, a temporary honor roll was placed near Neipp's Shoe Store, Avenue A. Members manned an aircraft spotting post on Wills Hill while auxiliary members staffed a warning post at the fire station 24 hours a day. In 1943 the Legion and auxiliary presented citations to Gold Star mothers. The organization has received national citations for community service work and Americanism, the most recent in April. Since about 1940 the post has sponsored numerous programs in conjunction with the national Legion programs, including sending high school youths to Boys' State each year. The post has sponsored Junior Legion baseball clubs, candidates for the Legion oratorical contest annually
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 and American history medal to an outstanding student of history at Turners Falls High School each year. This year the unit inaugurated a plan to provide a boy and girl Americanism medals each June. The post is also geared to provide service to its members with problems and in its early history, before the Veterans Administration, many claims were handled by Legion men for their fellow veterans. The post has had three men serve as Dist. 2 commanders: Dana Salmon, Edward Treml and Francis Aubrey. The American Legion Auxiliary was organized in 1922 under authority of Legion Post Corndr. Frank C. Keegan with 13 interested women at the first meeting. First officers were Mrs. Elizabeth A. Farwell, president; Mrs. Mary Argy, succeeded by Mrs. Sarah Ducharme, first vice-president; Mrs. Lillian M. Thomas, second vice-president; Mrs. Evangeline S. Bean, secretary; Miss Margaret E. Shea, treasurer; Mrs. Beatrice B. Lemaire, chaplain; Mrs. Richard Stoughton, historian, and Mrs. Mildred H. Ross, sergeant-at-arms. One year later, the unit made its first paper poppies. The practice was continued until 1929, when the group began purchasing veteran-made poppies. During World War II, members of the auxiliary, led by Mrs. Stoughton, were at the draft office, giving departing servicemen coffee and doughnuts, candy, cigarettes and the Legion booklet, "Fall In." The auxiliary has sponsored dances and other entertainment at Leeds Hospital in Northampton, Christmas parties for children of members, the local warning center, first aid classes and Girls' State representatives.
VFW Auxiliary, Formed After Second War, Has Bright Record Founded soon after the post bearing the same name, Daly-Solomon Auxiliary 923, Veterans of Foreign Wars, has had an active schedule of events since its formation July 2, 1945. Mrs. Barbara (Baker) Nagle, veteran of World War II Women's Marine Corps service, was first president. Installation was Aug. 12 with Dept. Pres. Agnes Morrison in charge. Fifty-four charter members were instituted. Quarters were maintained on Second Street until July 3, 1947, when the post and auxiliary moved to Hibernian Hall. Community service is one of the unit's biggest projects. It gave to the Sheff Memorial Field plaque and to the Leeds Chapel fund. Poppy Ladies visit Leeds Hospital several times monthly. They are Mrs. Alice Bouchard, Mrs. Gertrude Woodard, Mrs. Maxine G. Day, Mrs. Ruby Clough, Mrs. Stella Barker, Mrs. Elizabeth Geraghty and Mrs. Muriel Kuklewicz. Two members have served on higher levels, Mrs. Bouchard and Mrs. Woodward as county council presidents and the latter as district president. National Pres. Ethel G. Griffith of Indiana conducted a state conference in Turners Falls March 23, 1952, highlight of the auxiliary history. Past presidents are: Mrs. Nagle, Mrs. Bouchard, Mrs. Woodard, Mrs. Doris Bannach, Mrs. Day, Mrs. Dorothy Bogusz, Mrs. Alice Urgiel and Mrs. Kuklewicz. Mrs. Geraghty is currently serving. Sports Main Aim Of Temperance Groups Two of the most popular and spirited athletic organizations of recent Turners Falls history, peculiar though it may seem, were chartered with not the slightest thought in mind that they would ever have anything to do with the world of sports. Yet such was the development of the town's two temperance societies, Father Matthew's and St. Mary's, that before their years were half done they
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 were the proud possessors of two of the finest reputations in the east, for basketball prowess particularly and sporting excellence in general. The societies were begun by the Catholic Church as links in a chain of temperance societies all over the country. St. Mary's Catholic Total Abstinence Benevolent Literary Society, started in the summer of 1882, was incorporated under state law six years later. The purposes for which these organizations were chartered did not include sports, nor did they include other activities such as St. Mary's Cadet Companies and the drum corps of both which later contributed to their fame. The original purpose, as stated in the St. Mary's charter, was: "For the purpose of encouraging and promoting total abstinence, providing for each other's temporal welfare by affording relief in case of sickness and aiding in the burial of deceased members, and affording opportunities for improvement by literary exercises." The first names on record as members of St. Mary's were James Thomas, John Keen, Lawrence Killeley, father of town clerk Lawrence M. Kilielea), D. W. Murphy, Alphonce Sansoucie, Jerey Moroney, Michael Maguire, D. Casey, Jerey B. Shehan and Louis Lucett. All these men signed the original membership and pledge book in the first three months of the society's life. Following them on Sept. 18, 1882, were William Sullivan, James Callannan, Patrick Desmond, Joseph Revett, Dines O'Leary, John Fitzgibbons, William O'Neil, Jr., T. D. Reen, M, H. Burke and James O'Neil. Listed as charter members when the society was chartered by Secretary of the Commonwealth Henry B. Peirce Nov. 1, 1888, were Daniel O' Leary, John F. Carroll, James O'Niell, Michael Dooly, Thomas Ducharme, John Murphy, Daniel Shanahan, Timothy J. Carroll, Patsey and Michael McCarthy and Maurice Carroll. Fr. Matthew's, the younger of the two societies, featured a cracker-jack baseball team for many years, sometimes to the exclusion of other sports. St. Mary's had a basketball team which in 1903 trounced Fr. Matthew's and the town team for the local championship, and the younger age group—"Climbers"—who went in for baseball, basketball and track. St. Mary's acquired the former Methodist Church on Fifth Street shortly after the society was formed and remained there until disbanding at the beginning of the present decade. Fr. Matthew's moved around more, having been quartered in what is now the second floor of the town hall, on the third floor of the Crocker Building on Avenue A, in the Hibernian Block and finally on Third Street in what is now Baker's Furniture Store. The "Literary" portion of the St. Mary's full name refers to a portion of society activity not to be overlooked. Parliamentary procedure was used invariably at meetings of both societies and woe to the youth who was "out of order" through ignorance of the proper conduct at a meeting. Also among society activities were debates, mock trials, plays and minstrel shows, some of which attracted hundreds of townsfolk. St. Mary's Cadet Company, formed, disbanded and reformed several times, was one of the sharpest drill teams in local history. Many persons living today can recall the day St. Mary's walked off with a silk banner after whipping the Turners Falls Cadet Company in a contest at the Trotting Park. Just before the turn of the century, St. Mary's Cadets were frequently seen in exhibition drills, contests and all town parades whatever the occasion. Music in both societies took the form of drum corps, of which there were several from time to time. These groups did not feature the bugle, as the drum corps of today are likely to do, but stuck to drums, fifes and cymbals. When the drums went bang and the cymbals clanged and
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 the horns they blared away in Turners Falls, there was no mistaking the corps. Average membership was 25 to 30. The pride of Fr. Matthew's, however, was always the basketball team. It is recorded that this team defeated the Newport (N.H.) Athletics, 36 to 25, whipped Brattleboro 52 to 32 and trounced the Ware Professionals 49 to 11, all in the space of less than two weeks. In the last named game, in which the pros were so badly beaten, the game was played half by pro rules and the other half, amateur. Average attendance at these games was 400. Dues of both societies were nominal, and real services were provided. A group of members was delegated at intervals to visit sick members, a payment of $4 was made weekly to sick members and a substantial sum was contributed toward the funeral expenses of deceased brothers. The societies provided youths with a wholesome outlet for their energies, time and talents, capitalizing on the close-knit community feeling of brotherhood which has slowly decreased over the years. It was a large scale activity between them, the two societies had between 500 and 600 members at their peak, St. Mary's the largest. What killed the temperance societies? Local patriarchs are agreed prohibition was to blame. "Before prohibition, no one wanted to drink," they say. "Decent girls wouldn't be caught with a fellow with liquor on his breath. But when prohibition came, everybody started drinking some outlandish variety of home brew just because they were forbidden to drink." But whatever the cause, their passing took a chunk of life never replaced.
Keith's Mill Has Longest Record Founded over 90 years ago, the Keith Paper Company represents the oldest continuously operated manufacturing firm in Turners Falls. The company was named for its founder, John Keith. A salesman in Worcester and later affiliated with Valley Paper Company in Holyoke, he lacked capital to start an industry. But with keen vision and great courage, Keith interested several financial magnates in his plan for a paper mill, which he envisioned as the finest in the area. Among these were Alvah Crocker, Edwin Bulkley, Wendell T. Davis, William C. Dunton and B. N. Farren—all of whom played an important role in the development of Turners Falls. Keith was elected first president and treasurer on Aug. 29, 1871. The company was the third major industry to settle along the canal and purchase power from Crocker's Turners Falls Company. Located here earlier were the John Russell Cutlery Company, 1869, and the Montague Paper Company of George Marshall, 1870. The former is now located in Southbridge and the latter went out of business before the turn of the century. Keith accepted major responsibility for his mill. He secured the necessary financial support, decided the location and what papers should be manufactured and rounded up the skilled help. In addition to serving as president and treasurer, he went on the road as a salesman. Five years after the mill was built, it burned to the ground. But within a year the indefatigable Keith supervised its reconstruction. The original mill was geared for production with two machines but in 1893-96 two additional machines were installed, doubling output. Keith did not live to see the capacity doubled. He died in 1886 and active operation of the mill was assumed by Charles M. Burnett, who had been associated with the company since its founding. He served as treasurer and general manager until retirement in 1908. James F. Bush was manager until 1912 when, Albert R. Smith assumed command. Smith retired from active management in 1936, when L, E. Maglathlin took over the reins. In 1938 the company was reorganized with Paul L. Hodgdon as president. Hodgdon held control until he sold to Aaron Krock of Worcester on Feb. 11, 1953. Krock sold the mill to Strathmore Paper Company of West Springfield on Nov. 4, 1953.
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In 1916 the original power plant, seven flumes and water wheels were torn out and a modern and efficient hydro-electric plant installed. Further modernization was accomplished in 1935 and again in 1952, when several new machines were installed. In addition to high grade ledger, index, bond and thin papers the company produces a variety of specialties. Its products have spread throughout the world. Thousands of reams of paper are supplied to China, Ecuador, Argentina, as well as markets in this country and others abroad. The company provides employment for 200. Officers in 1954 were: F. Nelson Bridgham, president; C. M. Bryan, vice-president; Paul A. Wilkes, treasurer and clerk; Kenneth A. Sheridan, assistant treasurer and mill manager, and James H. Sweet, sales manager. Sweet served as an officer under the Hodgdon regime. Directors are Bridgham, Bryan, Harry E. Riggs, Laurence W. Shattuck and Wilkes. The mill has a capacity of 40 tons of paper per day, or 20 million pounds a year. During World War II, paper for much of the occupation money used by American troops abroad was manufactured by the Keith Company. Its recent acquisition by the Strathmore Paper Com- pany, one of the most stable of New England paper concerns, assures for this Turners Falls pioneer mill a continued vigorous part in the activities and prosperity of the town.
March Of Progress In Power From little acorns mighty timbers grow! It was 169 years ago that Gov. John Hancock signed the charter incorporating the Proprietors of the Locks &: Canals of the Connecticut River. Two years later, 1794, the Proprietors of the Upper Locks &: Canals was incorporated and this navigation company remained in business for the next 65 years, although it was not active after 1840. That original company, founded to provide an uninterrupted transportation route along the Connecticut River for boats, was purchased in 1864 by Col. Alvah Crocker. Within two years Crocker had constructed a new log dam across the Connecticut River and the name of the Proprietors concern was changed to the Turners Falls company. First purpose of that business was to provide water for power to industries and a series of canals, along with the dam, were built for that purpose. From these meager beginnings grew the great Turners Falls Power &: Electric Company, which in 1927 merged with several other Western Massachusetts concerns to form the Western Massachusetts Companies, largest of which is the Western Massachusetts Electric Company. Not until 1886 was water power used at Turners Falls to generate electricity through lease of water. In that year water was leased six hours each night to provide power to A. S. Clark of the Clark Machine Company. In the same year a small company, capitalized for $5,000, was formed by public spirited citizens and called the Franklin Electric Company. It purchased Clark's power for lighting purposes during the next 19 years. The first big step to turn to substantial power output for the purpose of manufacture of electricity came in 1904 when Charles W. Hazelton, treasurer of the Turners Falls Company, proposed to Charles T. Crocker, then president, and son of Alvah, that they adopt a plan allowing for greater use of the normal flow of the Connecticut River by widening, deepening and extending the power canal with provisions plant of 5,000 kilowatt capacity. Hazelton also deemed it necessary to construct a hydro-electric plant at a site a little north of where the old transportation canal entered the river, now the site of Cabot Station. He proposed that station output be 20,000 kw. With first things to come first, directors approved the former plan at once, and work was inaugurated to extend the old headgate house of 1866, widen and deepen the old 50 foot canal to
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125 foot width and 15 foot depth and extend it 1,000 feet to what is now No. 1 station. In 1907 a wooden pole line of 23,000 kw was erected from Amherst by the Connecticut River Transmission Company, which had previously been a customer of the steam plant of the Amherst Gas Company. The line was built because the water developed current was far cheaper than the steam method. In that same year the Greenfield Electric Light 8c Power Company, under management of George W. Lawrence, built a wooden pole line over Rocky Mountain to tie in with the hydro- electric plant at Turners Falls. Shortly thereafter Crocker refused reelection as president of the Turners Falls Company due to age. At about the same time Hazelton also asked to be relieved of his duties. It was then that Philip Cabot, a Boston financier and businessman, became president of the company. He named Lawrence of the Greenfield company as vice president and general manager of the Turners Falls Company and general manager of the Amherst and Easthampton Companies of which he, Cabot, was president. Cabot was also vice-president of the Greenfield company, and thus a close alliance between the three was effected. Cabot proposed that a 36,000 kw capacity hydroelectric station be built where Cabot Station is today and that to make this possible the canal be extended 1% miles and that the old 1866 crib dam be replaced by a concrete dam three feet higher than the old one. In July, 1914, the Amherst Power Company and Turners Falls Company consolidated and became the Turners Falls Power & Electric Company. Previous to this consolidation the tremendous area of land owned by the Turners Falls Company was deeded to a corporation called the Montague Company, formed as a land development enterprise and now known as the Quinnehtuk Company. The new dam and canal and Cabot Station projects were completed in 1916, with the latter specifications altered to provide 42,000 kwr. Cabot stepped down as president in May, 1919, and was succeeded by Lawrence, The No. 2 Station, was, as its name indicates, named after Cabot. In 1923 a high extension double circuit line, extending 37 miles, was built to Pittsfield. The next big step in development of the companies came in 1927 when directors of the Turners Falls Power &: Electric Company provided for organization of a voluntary trust called Western Massachusetts Companies. Lawrence was made president of the new association. By the end of that year a large majority of the common stocks of the following companies had been acquired by the association: Greenfield Electric Light &: Power Company, Amherst Gas Company and Easthampton Gas Company, Agawam Electric Company, Ludlow Electric Company, Pitts-field Electric Company and United Electric Company. As the company's electrical load increased, switching facilities at Cabot Station became inadequate and accordingly a new switchyard was constructed in 1933 at a cost of $690,000. The new yard provided for transmission of 115,000 volts. The Quinnehtuk Company was organized in 1929 and in 1933, with both it and the Montague Company performing the same function, the latter's assets were acquired by the former and the Montague Company was liquidated. Lawrence died May 28, 1939, and was succeeded by Fred C. Abercrombie. On Dec. 31, 1942, consolidation of the Western Massachusetts Electric Company, Pittsfield Electric Company, Turners Falls Power & Electric Company and United Electric Company was effected. After this consolidation subsidiary companies of the Western Massachusetts Company were the Western Massachusetts Electric Company and the Quinnehtuk Company. The maximum capability at Cabot Station is 53,000 kw per year and Turners Falls Station, 6,100 kw.
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Thus in 1954, 68 years after the first water was leased for electrical power purposes six hours per night, the Turners Falls Company has expanded into one of the largest public utilities in the country. The company today is headed by Howard J. Cadwell, who succeeded to that position after the death of Abercrombie Dec. 26, 1945.
Esleeck Biggest Name In Its Paper Making Field Youngest of the town's paper mills is the Esleeck Manufacturing Company, the only mill in the Country to specialize in the manufacture of onionskin and manifold papers. In 1895, Frank J. Marshall, inventor of the Marshall refining engine, which was used throughout the world, founded the Marshall Paper Company in a building located on the river bank west of the canal between the Turners Falls and Keith Paper Companies. The Marshall company was in business only four years.51 In 1900 Augustine W. Esleeck, who had been a bookkeeper with the Valley Paper Company of Holyoke, same firm for which John Keith had at one time been employed, and for 10 years treasurer of the Beebe fc Holbrook Company of Holyoke, founded the Esleeck Manufacturing Company in the Marshall building. Esleeck first manufactured copying tissues. About that time loose leaf and vertical filing systems came into use and letter copying books were gradually discarded. The result was a constantly decreasing demand for copying tissues. However, owing to the substitution of the loose leaf filing systems, a demand was created for a light weight, strong, durable paper that could be used in making duplicate forms so necessary in the affairs of modern business. From that time the Esleeck company has specialized in the manufacture of high grade rag content onionskin and manifold papers. Esleeck products, accepted as standards, are marketed exclusively through wholesale paper merchants located in all important distribution centers throughout the United States and Canada. Output today is 15,000 pounds per day, an increase of 2,000 pounds daily from 12 years ago. The mill is modern in every respect and no expense has been spared in installing most efficient equipment capable of producing the highest grade papers. Sixty-two of the company's 200 employes[sic] have been with the firm for more than 25 years and two, Miss Elizabeth Howard and Louis Strahan, for more than 50 years. The company instituted a retirement plan for all employes[sic] in August of 1953. Officers in 1954 were: F. Raymond Andrews, president; Donald B. Weston, vice- president; Rudolph H. Blanker, treasurer, and Irving N. Esleeck, Jr., secretary. Directors are those four officers and Martha R. Esleeck and John W. Haigis.
Montague Machines In the earliest days of Turners Falls a tiny business fluorished where the gatehouse for the great Western Massachusetts Electric Company dam is located today. The Clark Machine Company, later Clark-Chapman Machine Company, did jobbing work for area sawmills. This little business was later taken over by the Turners Falls Machine Company, whose chief product was the Crocker Hydraulic Turbine, invented by a Fitchburg organist, W. O. Crocker. From that small start has emerged the Montague Machine Company, manufacturer of the most important pulp grinders in the world as well as a diversified line of other machine tools. Originally a machine shop for the exclusive production of machinery for International Paper
51 1895-1898
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Company, of which it is a subsidiary, Montague Machine today produces about 25 per cent of its total output for IP and 75 per cent for other markets. The Turners Falls Machine Company failed in 1907 and the following year its assets were purchased by IP. By 1920, machines produced by Montague Machine were in demand by other industrialists, notably the Great Northern Pulp grinder, designed in collaboration with the Great Northern Paper Company and made at the Montague factory. Since the first Great Northern Pulp grinder was manufactured, an additional 150 have been turned out. In addition, the company recently inaugurated manufacture of the Great Northern Waterous grinder which has an overall weight of 171,000 pounds. This machine is larger than its predecessor. Montague Machine Company utilizes 1,500 tons of metal per year in its manufacture. When IP bought out the Turners Falls Machine Company, a two-story building was constructed at the southern approach to where the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge now stands. A small building adjacent to it was leased from the Turners Falls Power & Electric Company as foundry. The two major lines of manufacture at first were hydraulic turbines and rotary fire pumps. The company's products are shipped to all parts of the world, including Canada, Australia, India, Mexico, Italy and Brazil. Eighty per cent of its grinders have been marketed in this country. Also manufactured are the Cowan centrifugal pulp screens, which weigh five tons apiece. The company in 1954 employed 100 men, compared to 30 in 1908. Philip T. Dodge, president of IP in 1907, was its first president. William Argy was the first plant manager. The present building at the end of Avenue A Extension was built in 1920 and additional manufacturing space and modern offices were added last year. Its employees are members of the International Association of Machinists, Montague Lodge 1803. The company provides for group insurance, nursing service, medical service and hospitalization and retirement. James E. Waterhouse of Deerfield is president, a position he was elevated to several years ago. He has been with the company over 30 years. George Wallenius of Turners Falls is vice-presi- dent; C. S. Volk of New York, treasurer; W. A. Hanway of New York, secretary; R. D. Buckley of Turners Falls, agent; Hermon Demon of Turners Falls, shop foreman, and Oliver Edmund of Turners Falls, assistant shop foreman. Other members of the official family are Matthew Podlenski, foundry foreman; Everett Rogers, foundry technician; James F. Ryan, traffic foreman, and Mrs. Gertrude Hood, plant nurse.
The Turners Falls Cotton Mills In another portion of this work are shown the mills at Griswoldville of the Griswoldville Manufacturing Company. These and the large mills at Turners Falls are the fruit of the enterprise of Joseph Griswold and his sons and all are under control of the same company. The Turners Falls mills were built by the father and a portion of the machinery put in before his death, while under the direction of the sons they have been filled with the latest improved machinery and are now among the best equipped factories in the State. The building is 250 feet long, 72 feet wide, and four stories high, with an ell 100x50 feet, three stories high. It contains 12,000 ring spindles and 324 looms, employs about 200 hands, and produces annually six million yards. Its 400-horse power is furnished by two "Hunt" horizontal wheels. The goods are sold by the Griswoldville Manufacturing Company, at 51 Leonard Street, New York. The corporations' officers are E. D. Griswold, president, who assisted by his son, Frank D. Griswold, attends to the business in New York; Joseph Griswold, treasurer and manager of the Turners Falls mills; Lorenzo Griswold, agent and, assisted by a nephew, James C. Deane, manager of the two mills in Colrain. The company has seven and a half acres of land at Turners Falls, upon a portion of which are located the mill and twenty houses, with room and power sufficient for future expansion.
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In 1868, Alvah Crocker and others who were interested in developing the great resources of Turners Falls as a manufacturing center induced the cutlery company of Greenfield, which had been cramped for room and power, to purchase a mill site in the "budding city," and soon after the work of building the extensive shops was commenced. Mr. Russell at this time was quite advanced in years and retired from active business, but Matthew Chapman, who had long been associated with him, still remained as the superintendent and manager of the works. His early training as a cutler was in the shops of Sheffield, England. Coming to this country in 1840, he entered the employ of Mr. Russell in 1841. Many of the improvements in designs and machinery introduced from time to time originated with Mr. Chapman. He retired from the cutlery in 1874. It was in 1870 that the works were moved to Turners Falls, and many of the employes[sic] went with it and were among the first to find settlement in the rapidly growing village. The shops had been built on a very extensive scale, with a view to providing for any future demands in the growth of the business. The buildings had a running length of 2000 feet, and were erected in the form of a parallelogram,52 enclosing a yard with another building across the center. The two larger buildings were 600 by 50 feet, two and four stories high. It required 675 horse-power to run the machinery and the works furnished employment to upwards of 700 people, who used up over 700 tons of steel per year. In 1873 the company was reorganized under the name of the John Russell Cutlery Company, with a capital of $450,000. Richard N. Oakman, Jr., then became the manager and was succeeded in a few years by W. P. Dustin, under whose direction the concern greatly prospered. Some idea of the extent of the business can be realized when it is stated that there were upwards of 2500 varieties of the cutlery produced. The cutlery moved to Southbridge, Mass, and merged with the American Optical Co. of that town.
TFAC Active Sports Club 20 Years As the town of Montague celebrates its 200th anniversary, the Turners Falls Athletic Club prepares to celebrate its 20th. This club of 500 men from all over Franklin County has survived many hard days and is today not only the sole athletic club in the town but the only one in the county. Because of a small group of men who decided to form a club in 1934, the Turners Falls Athletic Club has reached the position it holds today. They were such men as Joseph I. Trudel, Albert (Newt) Guilbault, Samuel Couture, James Guy, Harvey Welcome, Charles Mosher, Judge R.H.P. Jacobus, Raoul Guilbault, Bernard Cadran, Denis Shea, Francis Guilbault and Fred Abercrombie. The motto these men chose, "Our Youth," has stood with the club through the years. First club quarters were a set of rooms in the Opera House Block, owned by Shea. A set of showers was located in the old Opera House dressing rooms. While in these quarters the club sponsored summer baseball teams and for three years around 1937 the A.C. backed a football team that was considered one of the best in the area. In 1940, still located in these first rooms, the club voted to award jackets to the Turners Falls High School football squad. This has been an annual event since. During the summer a town carnival was sponsored by the club.
52 A two-dimensional geometric figure formed of four sides in which both pairs of opposite sides are parallel and of equal length, and the opposite angles are equal
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During World War II, the Old Guard kept the club going. Soon after the armistice it was voted to move to larger quarters on Fourth Street, including a larger meeting room, kitchen and shower room. During the early months of the club's stay there the treasury grew to a sound status. In 1946 the A.C. voted to award $250 in scholarships annually to a deserving TFHS graduate. Since that time, eight local youths have been given starts in college by the club. Following the war, basketball was at its greatest. A.C. sponsored Aces entered the semi-pro Tri-State League and often had the high school gym packed to the doors. The club has many trophies to prove what it has accomplished in the sporting field. Thus far the club has sponsored baseball, basketball, football, bowling and softball. James Guy has served as baseball manager since the formation of the club. In 1950, the TFAC purchased from St. Mary's Church the hall on Fifth Street, formerly the home of St. Mary's Temperance Society. Also included in the sale was the land adjoining the building. With labor contributed by club members and funds raised through donations, the TFAC rebuilt and renovated the building, turning it into one of the finest halls and clubrooms in town.
Trotting Park Was Scene Of Heavy Betting Horse and bicycle races, boxing bouts and baseball games once drew thousands from all over New England to the brushland acres of the Montague Plains site of the famed Falls Trotting Park, now known as Park Villa. Small fortunes were made and lost as thousands of dollars were wagered on a single race in the 20 years just before the turn of the century. Special trains sped crowds from all over New England to the park on one day in the 1880's when the Turners Falls baseball team played an exhibition with the "Bostons." Turners lost the game, but not before Bill Hall hit a home run, one of the few hits made by the locals. G. F. Milkey, a retired Montague city jeweler, once drove his trotting mare, Flora M., in a half-mile race against Alfred Davey of Greenfield on a bicycle. The bicycle won in a close finish. This was in the day when harness racing was at its peak in this country and jockey racing was for the rich only. Around the paddock and stables of the Trotting Park sauntered the over-dressed men who were the jaunty ancestors of the present-day race track touts. At the Trotting Park were arranged the secret cock-fights which took place at dawn in pits on Rocky Mountain, a little illegal and frowned on by the authorities. Many anecdotes have been told of the dishonesty of certain drivers and the crooked races often run at the park, in which winning drivers would sell out just before the final heat was run, often buying up bets on the field against their own horse. One summer a circus came to the Trotting Park and three shell-game operators fleeced most of the wise money men of Turners Falls. Clovis N. B. Fournier, retired Turners Falls druggist and selectman, now 78 years old, recalls that the day the circus played here only one elephant at a time was allowed to cross the old White Bridge across the Connecticut River on Route 2A and that even at that the structure threatened to give way. Only the wind in the brush and a few old men still tell of the glorious days of the Trotting Park, now the site of the Park Villa Drive-In Theater. An occasional rusty horseshoe is found from time to time among the leaves.
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Colle Opera House Mecca For Entertainment A special train with every seat taken and the aisles jammed clickety-clacked over the rails from Greenfield to Turners Falls on June 24, 1874, to attend the gala dedication of the Colle Opera House. Situated at Third Street and Avenue A, the $22,000 structure, which had a seating capacity of 1,000, was the tops in entertainment halls in the area. Feature of the opening night was a concert by the 16-piece Greenfield Amateur Orchestra. Fred Colle, owner of the hall, had spared no expense to bring to Turners Falls, at the time a rapidly growing community, the finest entertainment place in the county. In later years, the hall was to come into the hands of a lighthearted Irish immigrant whose name was to be linked with the entertainment field of Turners Falls for 40 years and who will be remembered for generations to come. In its 87 years as a village, Turners Falls has seen only one Denis J. Shea. From the date of its dedication until the death of Colle in 1912 there trouped across the spacious second floor stage shapely burlesque queens, black-faced comedians and animal shows. There were melodramas and minstrels, including the famous Guy Brothers Minstrels. Colle Hall had a frontage of 42 feet and space area 48 by 90 feet. Included in the building were, in addition to the 46 by 74 foot hall, two ante rooms, two office suites, two tenements, two stores on the ground floor and two basement stores. Colle operated a drug store on one of the ground floor shops. The hall itself was lighted by five huge and magnificent chandeliers. The hall boasted 25 large windows. Grand entrance on the avenue featured a six-foot wide stairway which opened on a 15-foot landing on the second floor. C. E. Gardner of Springfield was the architect. The contract work was by George A. Peabody. Others with a hand in the construction were John Short, masonry; Bartlett Brothers, masonry supplies; Campbell & Hazelton, plaster, and D. S. Kidder, wiring. The hall even boasted its own waterworks, consisting of tank capable of holding 20 barrels and supplied by a force pump. In addition to operating the Opera House, Colle also had a drug store in Lake Pleasant, a profitable venture since the Lake at that time was scene of outings and a leading resort site. But the grand era of entertainment in Turners Falls was not to reach fruition until Shea, whose heart and soul were in show business, came along. "Banisher" Shea they called him. He earned the nickname when, as a youth, in order to rid hens of lice he experimented with fire to do the trick and burned down the hen house, with resultant destruction of the poultry within. He had banished the lice—hen and all. Employed in his early years at the John Russell Cutlery Company and Wells Brothers Tool Company in Greenfield, Shea later became an insurance salesman. It was while engaged in this work that he scraped together all his assets, along with a lot of courage, and leased the old hall from Mrs. Christian Colle, with option to renew. That was in 1914. For the next 80 years the town was to roar through some tremendous entertainment-keen wit, pathos, humor, drama, revues, and—after 1914—the 10-cent movie. During his sports tenure in Turners Falls, Shea proved himself a promoter par excellence. He organized baseball and basketball teams and promoted boxing matches, the latter in Hibernian Hall. His basketball promotions were often followed by dances and while "Dinny" is chiefly re- membered for entertainment in the theater world, his athletic promotions were equally adept and well-timed.
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Included on the first bill at the Opera House after Shea assumed control was an 18-chapter serial play "The Million Dollar Mystery," featuring Sidney Bracy, James Cruze and Florence Labodie. Shea was great with the kids. Many's[sic] the afternoon the small fry from Third Street and the avenue jammed into the theater to shriek and cavort along with the hero and heroine as they flicked and danced across the screen to the accompaniment of a grand piano. When the Shea Theater was built in 1927, the Opera House was for some time used by clubs and amateur groups. It was used as. a miniature golf course for a short time and after that fad ebbed away, the hall became the headquarters of the Turners Falls Athletic Club. In recent years, the Opera House Block has undergone considerable change. In the street- floor location, Joseph I. Trudel moved his well-known Opera House Pharmacy (and changed the name) to another Avenue A block. Upstairs the old hall has been converted into eight bowling alleys operated under the name of Shea's Bowladrome. Max (Mickey) Zallen of West Newton bought the property, including the theater next door, on April 1, 1947. He later sold the theater, retaining the Opera House Block. Today's entertainment seeking public, when it can be drawn away from its television sets, has many places to go. Turners Falls abounds in public halls today. It isn't like the early days when the Opera House was just fine entertainment. But then, lots of things are different today. The old Opera House remains only as a happy memory—gone but not forgotten.
Sheff Field Named In Honor Of Coach-Hero Shelf Memorial Field, playground and ball park for the games of Turners Falls High School, has come a long and sometimes winding way from the days when the school was built in 1904. At that time, few games of any kind were played there because of the uneven ground and underbrush. Most of the present field was not school property then. About 20 years later, ball games of sorts were played in the well-trampled area behind the school but the field was nothing to brag about. By the late 1920's, the field had been abandoned when its surface condition because what school officials called "a menace to the players." For the next few years, all school game were played down at the foot of the hill in Unity Park, which was inconvenient. Players were obliged to run up and down to change their uniforms. In 1933 the field, which became Pvt. Joseph J. Sheff Memorial Field only 51/2 years ago, came in for construction work under the town's depression relief program. By October, 1935, four inches of loam had been spread evenly over its entire surface and the scrub oak and underbrush which had made it almost impossible to play baseball were cut down. Hillocks were scraped away and the spoil used to fill the many depressions. On Aug. 3, 1937, a new baseball diamond was completed, with construction under supervision of the late Street Supt. John Casey. The 1946 town meeting appropriated $23,500 to improve the field's facilities and to expand the field geographically. Part of this money bought the present bleachers. On Nov. 20 that year, Supt. Arthur Burke released a master plan of the playing fields almost as they are today. Sheff Field today has its football field in the south side and the baseball diamond in the northeast corner. A parking lot which will accommodate several hundred vehicles lines the south side, near Montague Street, while a high, strong wire fence surrounds the entire area. Several ticket booths are set up at the entrances for athletic events. The high school plays all its home football and baseball schedules here.
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At the west side, freshman girls studying home economics for the past few years have sold refreshments during football games. Closeness of the field to the high school permits the young athletes to change and shower in the school building, only a few hundred feet from either playing area. All during these years, the field was simply called the high school athletic field. But on a Saturday slightly more than three years after the end of World War II, Sept 11, 1918, Daly-Solomon VFW Post and other veterans' organizations met for impressive dedication ceremonies on the field. Present were the widow, mother and sister of the soldier, Joe Sheff, killed in action while serving in Italy. Pvt. Sheff had left a coaching position with Turners Falls High School for the Army in Sep- tember, 1943. He was killed about eight months later. On a petition of the local VFW post, the town voted in June, 1948, to name the athletic field for Sheff, whose body was returned from an overseas grave the same year and buried in a national cemetery on Long Island, N.Y. "This man is worthy of greater recognition than words or markers," said Chr. Joseph V. Kosewicz of the VFW committee. Also attending were American Legion representatives, town selectmen, a three-man firing squad and the TFHS band. Louis Bush of Greenfield, former Army captain and life long friend of Sheff, called the deceased "an example of what this town can produce." He recalled when Sheff played ball on the field which was to bear his name and recounted his pre-college career. In the Army in Italy, Bush continued, "I found him with a reconnaissance unit. It was like old home week. They had nicknamed him Pop because he was the oldest (35) man in his unit." "We were separated in the large-scale operations which took place in the next few days," Bash continued. "When I returned, I found Joe was unaccounted for, This field will represent the spirit of Joe Sheff." The dedication speech ended with a quotation from Theodore Roosevelt: "What a man does for himself dies with him; but what he does for his community lives long, long, long after he dies." After the dedication, a bronze plaque bearing the name of Joseph Sheff was erected by the VFW, which purchased it. The full dedication to be read on the plaque follows; "In Memoriam . . . Joseph J. Sheff, Pvt., Co. L. 180th Inf. Regt, 45th Division. Born July 30, 1908; killed at Anzio, Italy, May 28, 1944. This tablet erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Daly-Solomon Post 23 in recognition of his services to the community. A fraternal tribute to his estimable qualities. Sept. 11, 1948." The VFW still makes an annual visitation to the plaque for a short ceremony. One of the finest features of Sheff Field is the modern and completely weather-proof press box purchased shortly after the bleachers were added. Like the bleachers, it is collapsible and is stored during the winter. Among the best examples of what a press box can be in the area, it has a glass-windowed front with a wide visual angle and a full roof. As the school and the town continue to keep Sheff Field one of the outstanding sports areas in the state, it will be with the remembrance of the efforts made during his lifetime by him for whom it was named — Joe Sheff, public spirited citizen and soldier.
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Unity Park Fine Spot For Playing by Ken Walker Once the site of a swampy pond beside Route 2A, Unity Park entered its fourth decade in 1954. This favorite sports field and children's playground was 31 years old in 1954. The field on which the park was established in the fall of 1923 was not being used for anything in particular then, mainly because of its tendency to become a small lake during rainy weather. A relatively short period of filling and grading preceded the park's dedication. In the first year of Unity Park life, two bandstands and two tennis courts were constructed from town park funds. Of the overall town of Montague park and recreation budget, totalling[sic] $10,000 that first year, $7,500 went into Unity Park. Through its "childhood" and until it was 14 years old Unity Park was the scene of all Turners Falls athletic events. Town teams played there, as did high school groups and younger children. High school ball games stayed at Unity until the late 1930's, when the school opened its own area, later to become Sheff Field. Even after this, until the last few years, the high school participated in the town's field days at Unity Park. The field days were (and still are) occasions for exuberant excitement for the town's children. All the school kids able to walk form up for a mass parade through the town to Unity Park, led by the school bands. On arrival at the park, gymnastics and many other kinds of exercise are gone through until the children are tired, the parents properly proud and the day completely spent. In recent years, the scene has shifted to Sheff Field. In the second year of Unity Park's existence, two skating rinks and a toboggan chute were added. These were provided for by a special 1924 town appropriation. In 1925, things had begun to fall into place in the park program and Unity ceased to take more than 50 per cent of the entire town's appropriation. That year, Unity got $3,500 of the $8,500 voted for playgrounds. In the early years of the park's life and well up into recent years, fireworks were an annual magic calling card at Unity. The display of pyrotechnics was second to none, and July 4 was a circled date on every calendar. In 1931, Unity Park broke its attendance record when 20,000 persons from all over Franklin County turned up on the Fourth of July-Independence Day celebrations have been all-day affairs here. Races, baseball games, and fireworks were the main attraction. So important have the occasions been that articles were regularly inserted in the town meeting warrant to provide necessary funds. Crowds up to 15,000 were at the big parades, river shows and fireworks in both 1950 and 1951. The land on which Unity Park began was given the town by the Unitarian Society and lay entirely between Second and Third Streets. Now, Unity Park is bigger than ever and still growing. Last year, land on the northeast side of Second Street was leased from the Western Massachusetts Electric Company, This strip, about 200 feet wide, -500 feet long, extends the park area almost to the Connecticut River beyond First Street. Improvements are planned, including playing areas on the new land. In length, the park extends about 800 feet, including some of the foot of the hill not ordinarily considered part of the park. Several playing fields, bandstand and other improvements are all between Second and Third Street, the bandstand having been moved from its old location on Second Street and Avenue A. In bygone years, the Turners Falls Rotary Club staged a public Christmas party each year at the park, providing apples, candy and more durable presents for the town's children. The park has also seen the performance of an Olympic skating team member, Mrs. Mirable Vinson, who exhibited her talents at Unity Park when just 14 years of age.
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The park's wading pool (swimming pool to children under three feet tall) was constructed in 1934 and later enlarged to accommodate older youngsters. Now the park features swimming in the summer, with services of a life-guard, and occasionally skating in the winter. Band concerts take up summer evenings once a week and grownups play Softball and tennis until dusk. Toilets and showers were installed under the bandstand in 1949 and are open to the public. In April 1953, construction was begun on the Unity Park fieldhouse by A. &: R. Builders, Inc., of Montague City, lowest of seven bidders with $14,981. The town meeting the month before had appropriated $16,500 for the job. Work was completed in July. East of the First Street wading pool, the new building replaced the old one near the Third Street park entrance. The town of Montague and the village of Turners Falls may be proud of the progress made toward providing better recreational facilities through the years, chiefly at Unity Park. Playground supervisors hired by the town through the park commission have been men who later became well-known members of this and other communities. They included Louis Bush, now Greenfield High School instructor and Greenfield playground supervisor; Albert A. (Newt) Guilbeault, secretary of the Montague park commission for about 20 years; Frannie Reil, former high school star here; Eddie Bourdeau, now an assistant coach at the high school, and George Bush, younger brother to Louis, who has held the post for the past two years.
TFHS Boasts Outstanding Record In Sports by Ken Walker Adam Krynzel, the Riel twins, Lou Bush, Red Hughes, Billy Prohovich . . . the Cadrans, the Croteaus, the Georges . . . Baldy Pervere, Walt Kostanski, Willie LaFrance . . . Artie Burke, Jr., Hennick Welcome . . . the Farwells, Ed Kachinski, the Prondeckis . . . Earl Lorden. Only three touchdowns were scored against this team all season while it piled up a record 297 points against its victims. Among the shining lights of the season and the final game were Big Rill Prohovich, who tossed a touchdown pass and scored the other against GHS53 on a plunge; Jerry Cadran, a spirited guard who spoiled many an opposition play, and Henry Skrypeck, star of the offensive work. Turners Falls was Valley League and Western Mass, football champ that year. Up through the years the names have been added to the list. Today, the former stars of sports at Turners Falls High School stand in varied positions—some as legends, some as colorful characters, some as forgotten athletes. Traditionally known as the Indians, the boys (and girls) who have represented TFHS on the gridiron, the diamond, track, tennis court, ski trails, basketball court, hockey rink and the other playing surfaces of interscholastic events have enjoyed periods of fame (locally, at least) and have suffered through the miseries of lack of interest. An important part in community life today, Turners Falls High School athletics have not always been cast in that role. At the turn of the century, sports were not centered at the high school by any means. It was not until 1905 that the first written mention of sports at the high school was made in a principal's report, a vague allusion to the "athletic organization" of the school. Kings in the local sporting world were the town teams and the two temperance societies. But as time passed, the center of emphasis and of records set and surpassed, shifted to the school, where it seems destined to remain for some time.
53 Greenfield High School.
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It was hard at first. In 1910, Principal A. C. Monahan pleaded in his annual report to the town tor "more adequate recognition of High School athletics." Receipts from all tickets to all athletic contests at the high school for that entire year were only $600. In 1911, athletic field development was begun with a town appropriation of $500 for construction of a "high school oval" for sports—what is now Sheff Memorial Field. This was the first year the school committee effectively recognized the need for expanded playground facilities. In 1914, an athletic board was formed by the school committee. The first intramural football team was organized in 1916, with William K. Schuster as coach, although a variety of football or rugby had been played with area schools in previous years. Track came to the school in 1922, 10 years after baseball, the first truly "organized" sport. First track coach was Arthur E. Burke, present superintendent of schools. Tennis was added in 1929, then faded out. It has been revived during the past three years. Latest sport to receive official recognition is skiing. The present boy's ski team was begun in 1948. And the end of the list, the pupils and townsfolk hope, is not in sight. The school and the town are proud of the records of their children and are confident new records will continually be set. Helping the athletic program at the school grow is the strong encouragement of Supt. Burke, Prin. George F. Wrightson and the school committee, along with the undying spirit of a long, long list of athletes from the Power Town. State Pennant In 1942 Among Diamond Laurels Earned By Turners Falls High Baseball Teams
Tennis Again Enjoying Popularity Tennis at Turners Falls High School, was first recognized as a school sport in 1929, saw a heyday with speedy Lloyd Starbuck in 1930 and simmered along under a variety of coaches until 1937, when it joined the Valley League under Coach Carl Walz. Then it came to the foreground of interest, where it remained until 1942, lapsing at that time until three years ago. Under Christopher Garrahan, coach for the past three years, the tennis team in 1953 came in second in the Valley League, equalling[sic] the record of the former series of teams. In 1939, before the game lapsed, TFHS took its first runner-up spot in the Valley League. Never a major sport, tennis nevertheless has had its share of fans at Turners and is growing in popularity each year. One of the most successful pre-Valley League seasons was 1932, when Charles B. Alarston, team captain, and Francis Cowan were stars. Defeats were handed Orange, Bay Path of Springfield, Brattleboro, St. Michael's of Northampton and Commerce of Springfield. The team that year had nine members. In 1937, the first year in the Valley League, Turners' rookie team took over strong Green- field, Athol and Chicopee teams, with [oseph Foley and B. Cotton outstanding. Other pre-World War II tennis greats and near greats include Robert Foley, Ray Parenteau, Ed Shea, Bob Wattles, Tom Murley, the Hoff brothers, Warren Gingras and Stuart Smith. Latest name meriting inclusion is that of Jessie J. Aldrich, who played increasingly fine tennis for the past three years, graduating in 1953.
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Basketball Has Had Its Ups And Downs Basketball has progressed mightily since the first season, I927-'28, in which 18 games were played, none too brilliantly, but progress has been erratic, The season of '28-'29 was studded with victories, including wins over Commerce, Alumni, Rosary and Orange High Schools and Northampton Commercial. TFHS went into February with no losses and landed in second place in the Massachusetts State (College) Basketball Contest. In 1932, Power Town boys were back, again in second place, bowing only to Williamstown before a crowd of 3,700, which is a little bit of all right for basketball of 20 years ago. This crackerjack team was sparked by the twins Fran and Fred Kiel, John Bush, Adam. Krynzel and Bernie Golonka, who did not confine their athletic talents to any single sport. After a memorable loss to Williamstown at UM that year, Fred Riel was given a medal as the best center in the tournament. In a tremendous upset, the Indians were eliminated from the 1934 Small Schools Tourney in the first game, edged 23-21 by Smith Academy. Some consolation was gained in the defeat of rival Greenfield that year in two games, 41-25 and 29-22. Some of the largest crowds ever to witness basketball in Turners Falls had to be turned away from Hibernian Hall during the season. Another memorable season was that ending in 1942, with 13 victories and nine losses in the regular season, placing the Indians third in the Valley League. Art Burke, Jr., paced the scorers with an average of 15.5 points per game in league competition, followed by Eli Shapiro and Tanny Bourdeau, Henick Welcome and Walt Kostanski did well on guard and backboard work, respectively. The name of Joel Lorden stands out in 1945. He was chosen that year for the Western Massachusetts Basketball and tourney all-teams. Eddie Kerswig remained from the prior year's top team to take high scorer title. Other later high scorers included Bebe Parenteau and Eddie Milkey.
Many Champs On TFHS Track Teams One of the sweetest laurels in the sporting crowns of Turners Falls High School is the dominance by which it virtually vanquished Greenfield High from the annual track meet at the county fair. The meet ended four years ago, after Turners Falls had won 13 years in a row. At many times the track team boasted more members than any other group except the football squads. It even edged out the baseball boys in sheer numbers. In 1922, the first year of the annual Franklin County Fair meet, track coach was Arthur E. Burke, present superintendent of schools. On that team were such stars as Ed Sullivan, a great 100 yd. dash man and Elliot Stoughton of Riverside, a good half miler. Roland O'Keefe and Slip Campbell were also frequent point winners. He was succeeded by Earl Lorden, who in 1937 let the sport fall onto the shoulders of Joe Sheff, his assistant. When Sheff went into the service, Ed Prondecki coached for a time, followed by present coach, Richard Putnam, in 1945. Early championships at the fair, not only over Greenfield but all other area schools, were garnered in 1934 and 1936. In 1939, in addition to the fair meet, the Indians won the Northampton Twin-County Fair meet. About the best overall track team was that of 1940, in which top honors were taken in six of seven track meets, the team placing a close second in the seventh. There were 39 boys on the team; added that year were the javelin and pole vault events. War interrupted the schedule of the 1942 track team, headed for almost certain state recognition. Since then, the team has tried as hard but not risen quite as far as formerly. A little of the old zip was shown last year, when the Valley League title was won.
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Stars in track events are the boys who set records. Present record-holders in each event, on records kept by Coach Putnam for the-past 10 years, are as follows: Chet Koscinski, hurdles (1952); Paul Bourdeau, 100-yard dash (1946); 220-yard (1948); Tom Matusz, 440-yard dash (1947); H. Green, 880-yard run (1950); E. Wilberg, mile (1952); Ed Zewinski, high jump (1952); Don Gelinas, broad jump, (1951); Chet Koscinski, shot-put (1952); Henry Martin, discus (1946); Bill Gay, javelin throw (1952); Walt Cygan, pole vault (1948), and Bill Swain, George Reil, Fran Roswarne and W. Welcome, 880-yard relay (1950).
Lassies Find Outlets For Energy Girls can be sports, too. They've been proving it for years at Turners Falls High by playing basketball, leading some of the loudest cheers ever heard and cavorting on and off the ground as tumblers. Now the school has varsity and JV basketball, the Twirlers (drum majorettes), tumblers and cheerleaders. In 1928, cheerleaders consisted of two boys, Roderick Smith and Clayton Herrick. Now the girls even have junior varsity cheerleaders! The girls' basketball team has played a regular schedule since 1929. In 1931-32, the team had 19 members. In addition, the girls had a 26-mem-ber field hockey team. Coach for most girls' activities was Miss Gladys Townsley. In 1934, the field hockey team under Miss Townsley starred Marion Welcome, Thelma Pierce and Nellie Wozniak, supported by Anna Pervere, Viola Sivik, Kathleen Delpha, Regina Walichowski, Josephine Waraksa and Clara Ross. The same year, Miss Townsley began a girls' tennis team, with Mary Treml, Phyllis Gunri, Helen Humphries, Janet Aiken, Marion Welcome and Blanche Golec. In 1935, starring Marion Welcome on both teams, Coach Townsley restricted herself to basketball and hockey teams. The next year saw the hockey club vanish but the cheerleaders, composed of three boys and three girls, were formed. Drum majorettes, called "The Powertown Ponies of 1936," appeared. They included Betsy Bankwit?, Betsy St. Germain, Kathleen Curie and Barbette Davis. Field hockey was sporadic through the late 1930's, but basketball successes under Miss Towns-ley continued. In 1940 she put forth one of her best teams, which came in second for the Hampshire League statuette with seven wins and five losses. Forwards on this team were Verna Buckmaster, Madeline Neveu, Marilyn Couture and Mary Dresser; guards were Valera Couture, Cecile and Celina Paulin, Lillian Eddy, Marion Cunniff and Jennie Bakula. The 1941 season was the best for the girls' basketball team, split between two good coaches. Miss Townsley, who left as the new Mrs. Frost, was succeeded by Mrs. Helen Reidy, present coach and leader of the Tumblers. The club had a 10-1 record, winning the Hampshire League Cup. High scorer, with 127 points for the season, was Capt. Marilyn Couture, a senior. In 1942 the drum majorettes outnumbered the cheerleaders, of whom only two were then boys. The closing year of the war, a 24-girl military drill team was organized for the first time. From 1942 on, the Tumblers have been one of the features of the annual school Field Day, under direction of Mrs. Reidy, the girls learned the difficult "Flying Angels," cartwheels, somersaults and delicate pyramids. The Tumblers also take part in the annual variety show. In 1949, the girls took over cheerleading completely for the first time with a group of eight. The same year, the Tumblers went TV, with the formation of the Tumblerettes. For the past few years, the girls have been enjoying more successful seasons than some of the boys in their own sports. Under Mrs. Reidy's capable direction, each new crop of students
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 produces lovers of girls' sports. The boys claim they can't understand it, but the girls get as many black eyes as the boys and still call it fun.
Town Government Fifty-three elective offices must be filled to operate the general government and another 50- odd to operate the districts. The general government has over 130 appointive officers. A taxpayer in Montague Center, for example, receives his annual bill with special levies for the town of Montague and the Montague (village) Light, Water and Fire Districts. Lake Pleasant has a Water Supply District and Turners Falls, a fire district. In Millers Falls there is the Fire and Water District, which actually takes in parts of Montague and Erving. The assessors and tax collector of the town of Montague traditionally serve in these positions for the six districts. Each must be elected, but custom has dictated the town's elected officials to double in the districts, because of the convenience of single assessment and tax records. Titular head of the town is the three-man board of selectmen, but they have no jurisdiction over activities of other elective officials or the districts. Within their province are administration of the highway and nursing departments, town office and police departments. Selectmen are empowered to approve various types of licenses, including those for Sunday entertainment and erection of and location of utility poles (in Free. 1 only). It is their responsibility to oversee street repair and upkeep, to lay out new streets and to handle the myriad problems, routine and otherwise which are part and parcel of making the wheels of a municipality turn. The board meets every Tuesday night in the town office. Montague's town office is located in a space in the old Farren House, later renamed and still known as the Grant Truck. The office site was at one lime occupied by the Crocker National Bank. Office space is generally small and the building itself is in a general state of disrepair. Housed in the same set of rooms are the offices of the treasurer, tax collector, town clerk, town accountant, town nurses and assessors. Located in the same building, but several doors distant from the town office, are officers of the welfare department and veterans' service center. The license commission, a three man elective body which approves liquor licenses, common victualer's,[sic] picnic and other licenses, meets periodically in the welfare office. Assessors and the nurses have offices on the second floor. The nine-man school committee, which supervises the spending of nearly one half of the town appropriation or nearly half a million dollars annually, meets bimonthly in a conference room at Turners Falls High School. Authority vested in this group by state law is virtually supreme and the board, although morally responsible to the town, is legally responsible to the state. Headquarters for Montague's police force are in the old town hall building on Fourth Street. There are eight regular officers, including the chief. The department has two cruisers, one an ambulance type. There are no desk officers and only manner of reaching police in an emergency when no one is in the office is to call the telephone operator and have her turn on special police lights. These are located throughout the town. When officers observe a light burning they return to the police station and call the operator, who in turn connects them with the party making the call. A small lockup in the station has several cells, but is utilized only as a temporary measure, generally no longer than overnight. In addition to the regular police force there are 40 special offi- cers, subject to call at any time, and two constables, both of whom are policemen elected to one year terms. The school's truant officer is also a police officer. The board of health, a three-man elective body, meets in the welfare office periodically and has under its jurisdiction supervision of garbage collection in Prec. 1 and garbage and refuse
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 collection in Precs. 2 and 3. Refuse in Prec. 1 is collected by the highway department. To this board also falls a general supervision of health rules and regulations and check of communicable diseases. A new town garage was constructed several years ago on Avenue A Extension near the Montague Machine Company. In this modern structure are housed all highway equipment and the office of the superintendent of streets. A gas pump is maintained to provide fuel for town vehicles. The town has three libraries, one in each precinct, with Carnegie Public Library in Turners Falls the largest. Others are in Millers Falls and Montague Center. In 1953 the three had a total of 39,320 volumes. A three-man elective playground commission meets periodically either in Hibernian Hall or, during the summer season, at the field house at Unity Park in Turners Falls. The board supervises playground activities in all precincts. The Unity Park field house was erected in 1953. The Montague Housing Authority is a relatively new body, need for which arose after World War II when homes were scarce and living quarters at a premium. The board's duty at present is to supervise the 30-unit housing development known as Hillcrest Homes in Turners Falls. Largest of the districts is the Turners Falls Fire District, which in 1953 appropriated $126,995 for operation of the fire and water departments and cost of street lighting. The fire station is on Third Street and equipment is modern. Although a small department, it is highly efficient and well organized. Chief Charles G. Earley resides on Fourth Street and a call to the station results in a simultaneous call to his home. A fire whistle is maintained in order to call men to duty in case of box alarms. Office of the water department is on Fourth Street and is headed by Michael S. O'Leary, its clerk. The present accounting system, records system and general manner of bookkeeping and accounting in the office were developed by O'Leary, who has been on the job daily for so many years that he has become an accepted part of that office. The prudential committee, a board of three, meets once a month, usually the fourth Monday, in the fire station to conduct business of the district, with exception of the water department, which directs its own business. The Millers Falls Fire and Water District, located at 33 Bridge Street, has a function similar to th;it of the Turners Falls Fire District. Its operating expenditures for 1953 was $6,995.53. Three separate districts, one organized in 1953, operate in the village of Montague. These are the Light, Water and Fire Districts. Largest of these, moneywise, is the Montague Fire District, which in 1953 appropriated 53,475. The district operates only the fire department, made up of volunteer firemen. The district has a station house and modern fire fighting equipment. Formed in 1953, the Montague Water District has appropriated no funds. Facilities of the district were purchased from Gilbert Whitney, who had operated it a short time after having purchased it from R. H. Bartlett. Bartlett owned the water works for many years after inheriting it from his father. The Lake Pleasant Water Supply District operates in that village, a part of Free. 3, and in 1953 appropriated $1,775.20. Thus it is that much of Montague's government authority is broken down into small bodies, each a complete authority unto itself. Taxpayers of Prec. 1 pay levies to the general town government and the Turners Falls Fire District, but do not support any of the other districts. And,
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954 in similar fashion, taxpayers of the other precincts pay levies to the town government and to the districts from which they receive service.
Five Postoffices Give Montague Distinction Among "Small" Towns Offhand, how many towns can you think of that have five postoffices?[sic] Montague, Mass., is one of the few that can claim that distinction. For each of its villages has postal service of its own. All were established durng the 19th century, over a 72-year span. Dates of the postoffices' openings in this town are a pretty fair gage of when the villages themselves were established. Montague Center was the first with a government office, set up in 1815. Then came Millers Falls, 1847; Montague City, 1866; Turners Falls, 1871, and Lake Pleasant, 1887. From the days of uncertain and unreliable service, these postoffices have come a long way. Today, any complaints the departments receive can almost be considered compliments. Residents are so accustomed to prompt delivery of incoming mail and efficient service for outgoing material that they are disturbed when there is a minor delay, no matter how justified. Growth of the offices from small, part-time services performed by tavern-keepers and store operators to today's efficient full or near-full time jobs has kept pace with the great gain of the town itself.
Streets Recall Famous Men The early founders of Turners Falls are well remembered by streets named for them. There's Crocker Avenue for Col. Alvah, Keith Street for John of paper mill fame, Charron Street for Dr. Joe, Marshall Street for old George of the Montague Mill, and Turner Avenue for Capt. William of 1676 vintage. Then, too, Farren Avenue for Bernard N., Oakman Street for R. N., Davis Street for Wendell T. and Griswold Street for Joseph of Colrain. Latest addition is Wentworth Avenue, monickered[sic] for Winslow C.
25 Have Served As Town Clerks During the past two centuries, 25 men have served as town clerks—but only eight of them account for 166 years. Dean of Montague town clerks was the late H. D. Bardwell, who served a total of 42 years between 1895 and 1936. Moses Gunn and Joseph Root, Jr., the latter following in his father's footsteps, served 22 years each during the 18th century. Next in line of service come Jonothan Hartwell, 19 years; J. H. Root, 18, and the present town clerk, Lawrence M. Killelea, who has served 17 years. Nine of the 25 were named Root. A list of town clerks and the years in which they served follows: Joseph Root, 1756-61 'Moses Gunn, 1761-70; '71-'81; '82 ElishaRoot, 1770 Caleb Kinsley, 1781 Joseph Root, Jr., 1783-1805 Moses Severance, 1805-09 Elisha Root, Jr., 1809-11; '12
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Salmon Gunn, 1811 Selah Root, 1813-18 Cephas Root, 1818-20 Isaac Chenery, 1820 Salmon Root 1821 Solomon Root, 1822 Helaz Alvord, 1823-27 Jonothan Hartwell, 1827-35; '42-52 Lathrop Delano, 1835-37 E. W. Chenery, 1837-42 J. C. Bangs, 1852-62 C. P.Wright, 1862-67 J. H. Root, 1867-84 William P. Crocker, 1884 W. S. Dana, 1885-95 H. D. Bardwell, 1895-1936 Fred C. Haigis, 1936 Lawrence M. Killelea, 1937
First "Super " Alfred R. Turner was appointed the first superintendent of schools in 1898. He came to Montague after having served as superintendent in Rutland, Vt., for three years. His office was located in Turners Falls' Farren House where the assessor's office is today. He maintained office hours from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday and Friday and 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Friday. School committee meetings were the last Monday of the month, a practice that is still followed.
Water Department Formed Over 60 Years Ago The Turners Falls water department celebrated its 68th birthday in 1954. On Aug. 25, 1886, work was begun on a system designed to eliminate the practice of using river water. Up to that time all water used by householders for drinking, washing, cooking and other purposes was pumped from the river via a system of aqueducts and force pumps. Cost of installing the system, including a pumping station at Lake Pleasant, reservoir and necessary piping to Turners Falls, was $113,411.17. It was completed in September, 1887, and during the first full year pumped 89,982,150 gallons. Commissioners at the time of construction were J. F. Bartlett, M. A. Ward and Willard E. Everett. The pumping station was severely damaged by fire in 1891, but service was restored within six days. In 1889 an addition was built to the pumping station and a new two-million gallon capacity pump installed, doubling the old capacity. Cost of these additions was $16,000. Within the past few years an entirely new set of pumps has been installed at a cost of $30,000. Pumped through the system in 1953 were 436,295,000. The charter of the water department, granted in June, 1886, permits it to take water from Lake Pleasant, Green Pond and the Connecticut River, if necessary. For more than 35 years, Michael S. O'Leary has served as clerk to the department as well as water commissioner.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
District Court In 58th Year The Turners Falls district court, one of the older and at the same time lesser known local institutions, was constituted by an act of the state legislature in 1896. Through the years and today it is used only infrequently, last year about every other Monday. Located in a room over the old lock-up in the Fourth Street town hall, the courtroom has never changed its location. Less than a year after the legislature brought the court into existence, the room was remodelled[sic] as a district court. Benches were set up for the scores of spectators expected and bookcases were erected along the walls. Planned seating capacity was 50 to 75. The Massachusetts governor appointed Samuel D. Conant first associate justice to sit at the new court. Henry Field of Greenfield, appointed district court judge in the first decade of the century, also sat in the local court. The county paid Turners Falls a token rate for the use of the room to make it an official county court branch. After Judge Field came Judge James J. Leary of Turners Falls, succeeded by Judge Roland H. P. Jacobus, appointed in December, 1930. He died in 1942. Since then, Associate Justices Samuel Blassberg of Turners Falls and William J. Barry of Springfield have presided. Both men's service here antedated Jacobus' death. Timothy Hayes of Greenfield, now probate court judge, sat here frequently until a few years ago. Principal use of the court today is for auto cases or any matter which involves local people in minor offenses for which they have been detained. No civil charges are tried here.
True Prediction "The large track of wilderness between the two villages (Turners Falls and Millers Falls) may yet blossom like the rose," said the Greenfield Gazette and Courier on the occasion of the building of a new house on the plains by A. B. Ross in 1897. Today this is the fastest developing section in the town of Montague.
Turners Noted 50th In 1923 "Yesterday marked an epoch in the history of Turners Falls." This was the opening sentence in the Greenfield Recorder's story of the 50th anniversary celebration of Turners Falls on July 4, 1923. The idea, sprung on the public through the newspaper only a few weeks before, was snatched up by Turners Falls' happy, active citizens of 31 years ago. Within days a giant program had been scheduled and hundreds of residents were busy planning their part in it. Indeed, it was one of the community's biggest days. "Turners Falls never does things by halves," said The Recorder. A bonfire and cannon roar at midnight July 3 opened the festivities. By early morning Avenue A and the main streets were crawling with people and vehicles and when the 60 float parade shoved off, an estimated 15,000 lined the route. The Recorder proudly and unquestioningly called the parade "the finest ever viewed in Western Massachusetts." The hundreds of marchers walked from the north end of Avenue A and over Seventh, Park, Ferry Road, Prospect and Seventh again to return to the Avenue. They counter-marched then to Second Street and down to Unity Park which, incidentally, was dedicated that day. The Montague City Rod Company's float, a gondola surrounded by thousands of water lilies, won first prize. St. Kazimierz Society took top honors for organizations.
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Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
At the park, 5,000 gathered for exercises which included Polish folk dancing, dedication of the park, music and an address by Charles Fairhurst of Greenfield, now a state supreme court[sic] justice. In an afternoon sports program, witnessed by 6,000, the Knights of Kosciuszko edged the Turners Falls A. A., 2-1. Miss Rita Lapalme won the girls' doll carriage event. The largest attendance of all — 17,000 — was on hand for the evening show. It featured fireworks as a grand finale but included a drill by the Bingville (East Greenfield) volunteer firemen and concert by the Turners Falls Military Band. General chairman of the celebration, sponsored by the Community Service of Turners Falls, was Henry J. Kellogg. In charge of various events were: Elwyn Taber, finance; Charles E. Bankwitz, parade; Mrs. Julia Broderick, refreshments; Philip S. Sayles, athletics; Andrew Lekarczyk, Unity Park morning program, and Anthony J. Crean, fireworks.
Population Ups And Downs Official census figures for Montague from 1790, supplied by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census, follow: 1790...... 906 1800...... 1,222 1810...... 934 1820...... 1,074 1830...... 1,152 1840...... 1,255 1850...... 1,518 1860...... 1,593 1870...... 2,224 1880...... 4,875 1890...... 6,296 1900...... 6,150 1910...... 6,866 1920...... 7,675 1930...... 8,081 1940...... 7,582 1950...... 7,812
Civilian Defense Growing The rumbling overtones of a precarious peace, commonly referred to as that but actually a series of undeclared wars, led in 1951 to authorization of one of Montague's youngest municipal departments — the civil defense agency. With full-scale war in Korea and with Russian designs toward war or peace unsure, provisions for organization of a civil defense agency were voted at the 1951 town meeting, when $2,000 was appropriated. Raymond J. George of Montague was appointed by selectmen as CD director and later, Mrs. Elaine Gavin of Turners Falls was named secretary. In the three years since the agency was authorized, George has directed a flurry of activity designed to build a thorough agency for protection of the public in the event of attack from an enemy, CD can also assume responsibility in the event of one of Mother Nature's rampages.
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George has directed many first aid classes. Numerous divisions have been organized— communications, rescue squads and auxiliary fire and police bodies. Emergency housing has been arranged, a medical division is set up and a Ground Observer Corps, headed by Bernard Fournier, formed. For the latter purpose the control tower atop the Turners Falls airport hangar is utilized. CD headquarters are in the veterans' service center on Avenue A, Turners Falls. Deputy directors are Donald Bray of Montague Center and George Vaughn of Millers Falls. Young men constantly entering the armed forces and steady work by the civil defense agency are constant reminders to Montague that all is not well with the world.
Knights Of Columbus Over 50 Years Old Turners Falls Council, Knights of Columbus, was founded Feb. 22, 1903, in Pawtucket Hall. In its heyday the council owned its own mansion and boasted 222 members. First officers were John Fitzgerald, grand knight, and John C. Short, financial secretary. Meetings were conducted in GAR Hall in the Bank Block. Many third degree initiations were conducted in Hibernian Hall. More than 600 Knights attended the first meeting when the local council was formed. State Deputy Grand Knight Pelletier conducted the meeting. The council purchased the Rist Mansion on Ferry Road but after a number of years was forced to sell the property. After that, interest continued to decline until finally the council became entirely inactive. Earlier in 1954 it was reactivated and on April 21 a class of 30 candidates went through the first degree. Present officers are Edward Treml, grand knight, and Francis E. Dolan, financial secretary.
St. Kazimier Society Major Polish Group From a small group of young Polish-American men to a large, thriving organization in 50 years is the capsule record of St. Kazimier Society. Founded in 1904, the society's first meetings were in members' homes. As plans formulated and membership increased, meetings were transferred to quarters above the Crocker Institution for Savings, then to Hibernian Hall, Bohemian Hall on K Street and finally to the present large, modern structure at Seventh Street and Avenue A. Charter officers were: Joseph Purchla, president; Mariel Grygo, vice-president; Anthony Kleszczewski, recording secretary; Andrew Putala, financial secretary, and Alexander Mokrzecki, treasurer. Purchla and Stanley Wojtasiewicz were overseers of finance; John Walichowski, marshal, and Jacob Pawlasek, flag bearer. No charter members survive but oldest members are Stanislaw Tuminski and Fred Zak, both active since 1906. They recall the popular weekly picnics which provided a main source of income. St. Kazimier Hall on Avenue A was purchased from C. W. Clapp. Remodeling and addition of a ballroom and banquet hall were completed in 1951 at a cost of $56,500. Membership now totals 300 men of Polish extraction. Present officers are: Theodore Waidlich, vice-president; John Dziubak, recording secretary; Andrew Sojka, financial secretary; Edmund Piaseci, treasurer; Stanley Kestyn, Chester Waryas and Albert Zewinski, overseers of finance; John Kowalczyk, marshal; Frank Ptak, Sigmund Podlenski and Walter Sojka, trustees; Albert Dlugosz, American flag bearer; Alexander Garanin, Polish flag bearer, and Alexander Mileski and Fred Traceski, club stewards.
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Odd Fellows Began Meeting In '86 Valley Lodge 109, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which now has about 100 members and owns the block at Avenue A and Second Street, was begun by a group of only 16 men more than 68 years ago. The lodge was instituted April 14, 1886, with the following charter members: T. W. Prentice, William A. Butman, H. M. Harlow, H. E. Morton, M. B. Smith, William J. Tibbetts, C. A. Peck, H. D. Bardwell, H. D. Wheeler, F. A. Woodman, Joseph H. Starbuck, G. H. Sherman, C, A. Martin, C. E. Owen, J. H. May and E. F. Thompson. Lodge meetings for the first two months were in Temple of Honor Hall in the Crocker Block. Then Clapp's Hall at Avenue A and Seventh Street was secured. First officers were Prentice, noble grand; Wheeler, vice grand; Owen, secretary, and Bardwell, treasurer. In September, 1895, the lodge signed a five-year lease on the hall in the Schuler Block opposite the Farren House, which it now owns. The lodge grew and prospered steadily, and at its peak boasted about 200 members. Present officers are: Robert M. Ripley, noble grand; Richard Bassett, vice grand; Earle R. Hill, recording secretary; Ralph Lillie, financial secretary, and Harry W. Rugg, treasurer.
Harugari54 Lodge Traces History Back To 1872 Gustav Adolph Lodge, No. 229, of the Deutschen Order der Harugari von Massachusetts, was formed Nov.12, 1872, as a social organization for immigrants from Germany. First meeting place was the Schuler Block, now Odd Fellows Hall, at Avenue A and Second Street In 1889 a death benefit fund was started by the Grand Lodge and in the past 65 years the local lodge has paid more than 180 claims. Because of the small size of the original quarters, the lodge constructed its own meeting place in 1894 at the lower end of Third Street and in 1895 moved into its new home, known as Harugari Hall. Until about 30 years ago, when the last few horses and buggies were succeeded by automobiles, the order sponsored annual summer picnics in the local woodland known as Goddard's Grove. Each year for a few decades following the turn of the century the lodge also ran a masquerade ball, one of the community's major social events. With a decline in membership, the lodge building was sold in 1943 to the Polish-American Veterans Club. Since then, the lodge, has met in Herman Sons Hall. Present officers are John L. Bitzer, O.B.; Christian Schick, U.B.; Edward Bitzer, secretary, and Anton Yobst, treasurer.
Rebekahs Instituted 50 Years Ago Valley Queen Rebekah Lodge, No. 123, under jurisdiction of the" Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of the state of Massachusetts, was instituted at Odd Fellows Hall April 18, 1904, by Grand Master Summer B. Lawrence and staff. The following had petitioned for a charter: J. Frank Bates, Amanda Chapman, Blanche A. Thompson, Emma Hill, Elizabeth Richason, Verne Sprague, Nellie Wiswall, Caroline Seiler, Mattie B. Seiler, Nellie Housman, Harry Jackson, Hannah Grouse and Joseph Grouse.
54 The word harugari refers to worshipers in a sacred grove, or haruc, and demonstrates the founders' inspiration in Germanic paganism.
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First officers were: Amanda Chapman, noble grand; Verne Sprague, vice-grand; Blanche A. Thompson, recording secretary; Nellie Wiswall, financial secretary; Mattie B. Seiler, treasurer. Mrs. Susan B. Embury of Sylvan Lodge, Greenfield, was the special deputy of the grand master. In the evening at Pawturket Hall (now the office of Western Massachusetts Electric Company) 76 candidates were initiated for membership. The work of the Rebekah Lodge is charitable and social. Meetings are in IOOF Hall, Avenue A, on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of each month. In 1954, Valley Queen Rebekah Lodge celebrated its 50th anniversary. Present officers are: Joan Lanfair, noble grand; Gertrude Woodard, vice-grand; Gertrude E. Schneider, recording secretary; Valda Gillette, financial secretary; and Anna Fritz, treasurer. Mrs. Elizabeth Richason Flagg is the only living charter member.
Evening Circle Aids Community The Evening Circle of the First Congregational church, a social group devoted to aiding the church and community, was formed Oct. 17, 1946, as the Girls' Club with a dozen members. The name was changed Nov. 21, 1946, now there are 37 members. Profits from sales and plays go to local and national charitable organizations. Missionary work is aided with boxes of used clothing and toys sent. The Sunday School has been one of the Circle's biggest projects. Each year the Circle sends a girl to a religious conference and takes charge of one of the Lenten suppers. Other projects are the church's weekly bulletins, the coffee urn in the kitchen, special decorations in the church, music for the girls' choir and candles for the altar. Masonic Lodge 54 Years Old Population of the village of Turners Falls was only 2,000 when Mechanics Lodge of Masons first met in the settlement. There was not even a trolley line into town as yet. Now, the village is somewhat larger and the lodge has kept the pace. First meeting of the lodge was Feb. 12, 1878. About 30 Masons, members of Bay State Lodge of Montague, Republican Lodge of Greenfield and other more distant units, got together, with their prime consideration the fact that transportation was a definite problem, the only way to reach the surrounding villages being by team, On Jan. 14, a month before the local lodge was formed, a letter was read before Bay State Lodge asking permission to start a lodge in Turners Falls. Permission was granted. The first meeting was in the Clapp Building at Avenue A and Seventh Street. At that time, Richard N. Oakman, Jr., was elected first master. The lodge altar and the first batons used were manufactured by the John Russell Cutlery Co. In 1910, the lodge moved into the third floor of the bank block owned by the Crocker Institution for Savings, where it has since remained. During the 50th anniversary year of 1928, Rolland J. Ross was master. The anniversary was celebrated May 18 the Turners Falls Inn. In 1952, the lodge rooms were renovated under guidance of William F. Patterson, master at the time. In 1953, with Oiva A. Terio as master, the lodge celebrated its 75th anniversary. Masters for the past 25 years, in addition to Terio and Patterson, have been Charles W. Higginbotham, Donald R. Smith, Winslow C. Wentworth, Herbert M. Alvord, Neal M. Allis, Joseph L. Hyland, Marvin J. Haigis, Austin J. Blood, Walter R. Marsh and William E. Koch, present master.
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Eastern Star Active Social Group 32 Years Turners Falls Chapter, Order of Eastern Star, became a chartered unit in the Grand Order of Massachusetts Dec. 15, 1922. At the first meeting early that year at the home of Mrs. W. H. Gilmore of High Street, Mrs. Elinor McClintock was appointed chairman and Miss Elizabeth Howard, secretary. On April 29, 1922, the Eastern Star was instituted with Arcana Chapter of Greenfield assisting. Forty-six persons, 10 of them former Greenfield members, signed the petition seeking formulation of the organization here. Officers conferred the degrees upon Mrs. Julia S. Kennedy and Charles W. Higginbotham. Names suggested for the order, in addition to the one finally selected, were Waterfall and Peskeompskut. Mrs. McClintock was the first matron and T. Harold Reynolds, first patron. The first regalia was presented by Arcana Chapter. Chapter members have filled state offices: Mrs. Ruth S. Gunn, deputy matron; Mrs. Edith M. Higinbotham, deputy marshal; Marion Fish Clark, Esther; Marion M. Escott, deputy matron; Mrs. Dorothy F. Sowell, deputy marshal; Mrs. Anna D. Squires, Adah; Miss Patricia Allis, deputy matron; Mrs. Priscilla Pierce, deputy marshal, and Earle F. Squires, associate patron in 1950 and patron in 1951. The organization has 125 members.
St. Cecile Society Founded In 1902 Founded April 10, 1902, St. Cecile Society of Turners Falls in its 52 years of activity has paid out $5,600 in insurance benefits in addition to $16,-916.44 in sick benefits to its members. Four of the organization's charter members, Mrs. Eva Daignault, Mrs. Alice Godin, Mrs. Anna Charron and Miss Eva Girard, are still living. Of these Miss Girard is serving in her 45th year as recording secretary. Mrs. Aglaie Martineau, first president, served for seven years. The 1954 roster shows 117 members. The society has purchased $6,500 in war and Liberty bonds. Meetings and discussion are conducted in the French language.
Brotherhood Outgrowth Of 1911 YMCA Millers Falls-The Brotherhood of the First Congregational Church came as an outgrowth of parish work done by the local YMCA, which was, however, mainly interested in the young. Under guidance of Rev. Charles Clark, pastor, the Brotherhood was organized in October, 1911. First officers were H. L. Towne, president; P. R. Stebbins and F. L. Pomeroy, vice-presidents; L. C. Clifford, Jr., secretary, and F. E. Mann, treasurer. There were 33 charter members. The Brotherhood meets monthly, has an annual father and son banquet and a Ladies Night. It also aids church work, One of its yearly projects is to conduct the Every-Member canvass. Presidents have been: Towne, George H. Smith, L. T. Bartlett, A. J. Stremble, J. A. Taggart, J. Hodgen, W. M. Stebbins, Earle H. Brown, Whitfield Morretti, Charles H. Haskell, Lawrence A. Comins, Robert Mills, Floyd Maynard, Perry Stebbins, Rev. E. S. Lyon, Lovell Brown, Wesley Felton, Robert Washer and Perley Felton. Current officers are: Malcolm Rice, president; George Felton, first vice-president; Lawrence King, second vice-president; Lovell Brown, treasurer, and Wallace Stebbins, secretary.
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St. Joseph's Men Preceded Union, Formed In 1887 One of the first societies in the nation to enroll in Union St. Jean Baptiste d'Amerique when that organization was formed in 1901, Council St. Joseph No. 9 was already 14 years old then. Founded May 1, 1887, it was then called the L' Union Canaclienne. Charter officers were: Alcide Brazeau, president; Lucien Godin, vice-president; Wilfrid J. Hamelin, secretary, and Isai Forest, treasurer. Until 1922, when Si. Jean's Hall, more properly known as St. Jean Baptiste Hall, on Third Street, was purchased by the society, the group met in the Allen Block, Crocker Building and other halls. Present officers include: Aurelle Tardif, past president; Joseph Girard, deacon; Rev. Albert C. Fleury, chaplain, and Leon Momaney, president.
Ladies' Guild Formed By Merger Of Two Groups Millers Falls—The Ladies Guild of the First Congregational church is a comparatively new organization. It was founded by the merging of the King's Daughters and the Diakonia Sisters, both of which had served the church long and well. The newly formed society had its first meeting Jan. 2, 1946. Installed were: Mrs. Blanche Stebbins, president; Mrs. Betty Johnson, vice-president; Mrs. Sally Dykes Eastman, secretary, and Mrs. Doris Green, treasurer. Object of this group is to promote Christian fellowship, and to serve the church, community and world. Guild suppers are looked forward to and tickets are always sold out. The work of the cheer committee is endless—flowers, cards and other remembrances go out constantly to all those in the community who need comfort or cheer or help of any kind. The missionary work of the Guild has reached into far places and all of the worthwhile causes of the nation have benefited by contribu- tions from the Guild. Probably the greatest effort expended by the organization went into procuring carpet, draperies and the many other things to beautify the new church as well as raising a large sum of money for the building fund. There are now approximately 110 members. Officers are: Miss Ethel Clayton, president; Mrs. Mary Thompson, vice-president; Miss Doris Traversari, secretary, and Mrs. Marjorie Bassett, treasurer.
Four Presidents In 39 Years For St. Elizabeth's Only four presidents in 39 years is the boast of Council St. Elizabeth of the Union St. fean the Baptist of America. Instituted March 30, 1915, by then national Pres. Henri T. Tedoux of Nashua, the council was organized by Joseph Beaubien and Armond A. Berthiaume with 15 members. They elected Mrs. Virginia Berthiaume, president; Mrs. Josephine St. Germain, vice- president; Miss Lillian Hamelin, secretary; Miss Yvonne Hamelin, financial secretary, and Miss Marie L. Beaubien, treasurer. The latter three are still members. Three members have been honored with national decorations for long service: Yvonne Hamelin, financial secretary, 35 years; Miss Mary J. Miner, treasurer, 27 years, and Mrs. Alice T. Bonnette, secretary. 25 years. In addition to Mrs. Berthiaume, presidents were Mrs. Gertrude Hamelin, Mrs. Aurore (Courte-manche) Emery and Miss Rose Eva Courtemanche.
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Among present officers are: Rev. Albert C. Fleury, chaplain; Mrs. Aglore Bordeaux, dean; Mrs. Gladys Nadeau, past president; Mrs. Bernadette Chagnon, vice-president; Mrs. Bonnette, secretary; and Mrs. Valeda Tardif, treasurer.
Masons Formed Here Sept. 12, 1872 Montague—For years prior to 1872 a number of Masons living in Montague and Millers Falls were members of Republican Lodge of Greenfield, Harmony Lodge of Northfield and lodges in Vermont. That year local Masons decided to form a lodge in Montague. On Sept. 12, 1872, these Masons were granted a dispensation by the grand master. A charter was granted Sept. 10, 1873 for Bay State Lodge. The building in the rear of the town hall, originally used for a wagon shop and later for wallet shop, was fitted up with a lodge room on the second floor and rented at $100 a year. First master was C. Orville Sawyer. In the early days, officers would often work two degrees in one evening, closing as late as 11:45. As the membership increased, Jt was found necessary to obtain a larger building. "The old shoe shop" was purchased from George A. Clapp for $1,000 and furnished. On Nov. 19, 1884, the building was dedicated by officers from Grand Lodge. This is the present Masonic Hall. In 1906, it was voted to rent the basement to Armstrong Post, GAR, for $1 a meeting, allowing the Woman's Relief Corps to meet in the same rooms the same day without extra charge. At the first Past Master's Night in 1908, C. Orville Sawyer, the first master, presided. In 1920 $3,600 was raised by contributions for renovating the lodge rooms and building. The 50th anniversary was observed May 15, 1922, with Grand Master Arthur D. Prince and suite present. Visitations in these days were attended by as many as 360. In 1942 and 1943 three active members died: Arthur D. Smith, secretary from 1909 to 1942; Austin M. Lawrence, chaplain for 21 years, and John A. Taggart, remembered as the "Grand Old Man of Bay State Lodge." Several members have been Masons for over 50 years. On May 2, 1947, the 75th Anniversary of the lodge was observed with Samuel H. Wragg and other grand officers present. The present membership is 168. The following are officers: Wallace C. Stebbins, master; George P. Felton, senior warden; Sherrman W. Sadler, junior warden; Walter Eddy, treasurer; Lewis H. Haskins, secretary; F. Leslie Dalton, chaplain; Everett S. Martin, marshal; Clifford H. Flinn, senior deacon; Allen O. Fiske, junior deacon; John R. Watson, senior steward; Elmer Hall, junior steward; Robert L. Ross, inner sentinel, and Lester M. Pierce, tyler.[sic]
Self Starters Maintain Grange Hall Montague—The women of Montague Grange, called together by Mrs. Marion Newton, formed an auxiliary Feb. 12, 1932, and agreed on the name of Sell' Starters: "For the purpose of looking after the needs of Grange Hall." Mrs. Marion Newton was organizer and the first officers were: Mrs. Kate Hayden, president; Mrs. Newton, vice-president, and Mrs. Ida Clark, secretary and treasurer. Mrs. Nellie (Hemenway) Newton, who was 91 years old on Oct. 11, 1953, is the oldest of several charter members now living. Membership has averaged about 24 through the years. Community service includes a drinking fountain on the Common presented to the village; 100 wreaths each made for several years to decorate soldiers' graves on Memorial Day, and greeting cards at Christmas time to all men and women in the armed service from Montague.
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Rotarians Live Up To Motto The Rotary Club, which has operated for 32 years under the motto, "He profits most who serves best," has demonstrated in its home town of Turners Falls and throughout the area that its members believe and live up to this motto. It is one of the community's most active men's group, meeting weekly year-round. Outings feature summer activities and (.luring the other months the men meet indoors. In recent years they have dined weekly at the American House but for many years the club met at Turners Falls Inn. The club was founded through the efforts of Rob Barrett, former Turners Falls resident and member of the Holyoke Rotary Club, and Fred McLane, local charter member. In the year 1892 a group of six people, all beginners on one musical instrument or another, organized under Oscar Milde and took the name o£ the Germania Cornet Band. From this group grew the Turners Falls Military Band. Milde resigned in 1897 and was succeeded by Walter Clapp of Springfield. Meanwhile a small group of employes[sic] at the Montague Paper Co. organized a musical group known as the Paper Makers Band. The two voted to merge in 1902. In 1903, the composite result, the Turners Falls Military Band, had its first meeting. John W. Haigis was elected manager and Albert C. Reum, band director. Band directors since have included: Cullen Hamilton, Axel Zandin, Emil Schlegel, Frank Lizotte, George Mayo, T. V. Short, Amilcar Cerboneschi, Leonard Bemis, Charles M. Bickford, Gustav Kosspiel, Noe Regali and Benjamin Weiner, incumbent. Managers since Haigis have been Wallace Harrington, Claude McClintock, Harry Maddern, Herbert Grueling, William Baker and Jacob L. Alber, incumbent. In the early days of the group, shortly after 1903, concerts were played from the old wooden stand at Avenue A and Second Street, present location of the Elite Shoppe. In 1904, in addition to regular weekly concerts, the band played its first two concerts in Lake Pleasant.
Montague Grange The first class was taken in June, 1887, with Clarence and Addie Newton participating. In October, 1890, the first Pomona met here, Franklin Worcester Union, so-called. Montague Grange often won cups and prizes for athletic events at Pomona picnics in those days. Growth was slow but lasting. The first class of young people was 1896. Frank Eddy, Marietta Johnson, Harold Clapp, Hattie Goddard, Gertrude Rist, Edith Nims and Minnie Ball were the new members. The 10th anniversary was celebrated at a chicken pie supper with charter members as the committee in charge. On Feb. 16, 1900, a class of 11 young people set to work immediately on a program of entertainment. And in 1901 the first ladies degree team was founded. The Grange met for 22 years in the GAR Room, which eventually was taken by the town to be enlarged for the library. As a result the Grange purchased the Joseph Clapp shop on School Street for $400. The first meeting in the new home was on Feb. 5, 1909. An association was formed to do business and it provided a hall, kitchen and dining hall facilities with shrubs planted outside. With labor and money contributions, with good cooperation of members and very little from the treasury, the major project was accomplished. The dining room and kitchen were rented for use of the Agricultural School and the second grade, which was taught by Margaret Lyman. In 1912, attendance at meeting was large, averaging at times 40. There were 100 members and 50 visitors at one session.
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In March, 1912, on its 25th anniversary, the Grange received a gift, now one of its most prized possessions. Presented was a group photograph hanging now on the wall of the then surviving eight charter members of the Grange. Single photographs of the six deceased members were given also. December, 1913, the mortgage was burned on the altar by E. L. Bartlett, charter member. In 1915, horse sheds were built in the rear of the School Street hall at the cost of $400. The Dramatic Club was very active at one time, putting on plays here and in other towns, and members were generous with the proceeds. A drinking fountain on the common was presented to the village in the name of the Grange by the club. A swimming pool destroyed by flood, was reconstructed and a bubbler installed on the playground. In 1932, the 45th anniversary was observed. E. L. Bartlett was the only living charter member then. He and 18 others received their 25-year pins.
The History of the Catholic Women's Council of St. Mary's Parish in Turners Falls, Mass. One month after the close of World War I, on December 16, 1918, a small group oi' women 1'rom St. Mary's Parish, who had been meeting in the church basement to sew and knit i'or the Reel Cross, organized the Catholic Women's Council with Mrs. William P. Argy as their first president. The aims of this organization were to unite the women of the parish in welfare, civic and parish work, and to give financial assistance to the pastor for church purposes. Food sales, suppers and card parties had been annual projects, the proceeds from which has enabled the Council to contribute annually to the many civic and charitable drives. In addition to the contributions to the charitable drives, the Council has equipped the church kitchen with cafeteria utensils and tableware. Among their contributions to the church there are such items as stained glass windows, cushioned kneelers, brass railings and tabernacles for the altars in memoriam. They are still active in sponsoring the breakfast to the First Communion class and they give gifts and candy to the children at the annual Christmas parties. Mrs. James H. Thomas and Mrs. William P. Argy, who for thirty years had spent one day a week sewing for the Sisters at the Farren Memorial Hospital, were probably the inaugurators of the sewing group which had become a regular part of Council work. As a major project they have financed the services of the Sisters who visit twice a week to teach the religious classes to the pupils of elementary school age.
A list of Presidents since 1918 is as follows: Mrs. Mary E. Argy Mrs. Eileen Parks Mrs. Catherine Coleman Miss Helen McGillicuddy Mrs. Catherine Daly Mrs. Edith Cadran Mrs. Julia Broderick Miss Blondena J. Argy Mrs. Sarah Ducharme Mrs. Marguerite Variest Mrs. Mary Foley Spiritual Advisors-1918-1954: Mrs. Mary Guilbault Rev. Phillip J. Lee Mrs. Ella Early Rev. James McGrath Mrs. Nellie Shanahan Rev. John Freel Mrs. Katherine North Rev. James Hastings
-end-
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Directory
Festival Opens Montague 200th on Bright Note 1 Montague Citizens Pay Tribute to Divine God 1 Lt. Gov. Whittier Gives Inspiring Address at Montague 200th Banquet 2 One's Best Service 2 Town of Montague - Historical Tableaux 3 Youth Day 4 Highlights Rotarians Dress in Costume for Weekly Dinner 5 Almost 1,000 Women Have Lipstick Permits 5 Legionnaires Urged to Join Hands, Battle to Wipe Out Communist Threat 5 Montague Historical Tour Has 14 Turners Falls Sites 6 Touring Town Highspots Popular 200th Activity 7 Plenty of Fun Prevails at Peppy Block Dance 7 Over 1,000 Alumni Return for Turners Falls Event 8 Sell 500 Barbecue Meals, Place Concession Stands 8 Fireworks Please 10,000 After Barbecue, Concert 9 Concert, Illuminated Boat Parade on River 9 Montague Celebration Attendance—68,600 10 Montague Brings Grand 200th Festivities to Close 10 Dedicate Vets Memorial Bridge in Millers Falls 11 Five Villages—One Town 11 Five Others Named Montague 12 Indians First Settled in Area 13 Falls Fight of 1679 One of Earliest Massacres 14 Portrait of a Town 15 Montague Village Had Start in 1716 as Hunting Hills 20 From Small Community Grew Four Other 'Towns 20 Quiet Village 22 Industrious Villagers Have Made Almost Everything 22 First Town Meeting in 1755 Solved Common Problems of Day 25 Faded Pages Tell Story of Pioneers' Decisions 25 Here's How 1887 Vote Set Up Three Precinct 26 Only One Town Boundary Change 27 Varied, Interesting Geography Marks Town 27 Over 2,400 Have Served In Armed Forces 28 During Two Centuries—79 Lost Lives 28 Form GAR Post 28 State Guard Active in World War II 31 Town Has No Town Hall 31 Town Hall Only Municipally-Owned Building 32 Over 150 Have Been Selectmen 33 Judge Blassberg, John Haigis Have Longest Moderator Records 33 Charles Andrews Left Teaching to Become Governor 34 This Town Has Sent 44 to State Legislature 34 Town Accountant Established in '27 35 Policemen on Job Since 1878 36
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Highway Department Town's Third Largest 37 Nurses, Veterans Agent, Welfare Department Assist Sick and Needy 38 Montague Has Long Provided Excellent Schools: First Town in U. S. to Consolidate 39 Eight Schools Served Pioneer Children 42 Network of Roads Built to Every Village Corner 44 Nine Bridges Span Sole River Through Montague 45 Pioneer Settler, Joseph Root, Built Home Which Today at 200 Years, is Montague's Oldest House 46 Constructed In 1821 . . . Historic Coffman House 47 One of Five Taverns Has Survived in Two Centuries; History Colorful 48 Montague Ladies Have Written Outstanding Record in 111 Years 49 Congregational Church Older Than Montague 50 The Old Unitarian Church 53 St. Mary's Mission Looks Forward To Own Church 53 Firsts in Montague 53 Once Privately Owned Town Water System Came Under District in 1953 54 Fire Department has Offered Good Service 55 School Addition Contract Award; Major 1924 Issue 56 Hatchery Opened in 1917 56 And Never Nabbed Thief 57 Only One Cider Mill Remains 58 Lake Pleasant Opened as Summer Resort in 1870: George Potter Opened Grove 58 Mohawk Riding Club Has Hall, Meetings Here 60 Scalpers Lodge in Seventh Decade 61 Woman's Club Made Children's Aid its Goal 62 Ladies Soc. Big Help to Community 62 1907 Fire Razed 130 Homes 63 Carey First Postmaster 67 Years Ago 64 L. P. District Supplies Water, Other Services 64 What Happened To Phoebe Burnham? 65 Camp Meeting 1885 Rules 66 Lake Pleasant Has One Stone, No Bodies 66 Montague City Settled by Germans in 1792 66 Rod Shop Has Made Town Name Well-Known, Established In '85, Montague City Firm Sent Bamboo, Glass Rods Around World 68 Farren Built Hospital 68 Did City Maples Inspire "Trees" 69 Ladies Industrial Society Successor of Old Guild 70 Only Half Dozen Postmasters in Past 88 Years 70 Cabot Station Among State Leaders in Field 71 Oldest School in Montague at This Village 71 Baptists Once Active in 57-Year Old Chapel 72 Library Founded, Maintained Through Interest of Society 72 The Story of Millers Falls 73 Millers Falls is in Montague—And Erving, Too 74 First House in Millers Constructed by Grout 74 Old Durkee's Tavern Gained Fame on Stagecoach Line as Pleasant Stop 75
Transcribed with notes and observations by 151 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Squakheag Road (To Northfield) Led All Others 76 Postoffice Has Colorful Record 76 Love That Water 77 First School in Town Was Near Route 63 Bridge 77 Roll Call 78 Only Memories of Once Frequented Taverns Remain 78 First Library in 1897 79 Brattleboro-Fitchburg First Railroad Here 79 Coutu-Murphy VFW Now Has Three Units 80 Millers Men in Spanish Conflict 80 Legion Post Honors Two War I Dead 80 Millers Falls is Name Famous in World of Industry Millers Falls Paper Company 80 The Great Fire of 1895 82 Congregational Church Started as Montague Mission Unit in 1867 83 Fire Destroys Two Churches, Not Records 84 St. Mary's United Millers Catholics 84 Boy Scouts Band of 1920's Forerunner of Millers Falls Bugle and Drum Corps 84 Village Made Light Power 85 Millers Has "Grown" Up With Musical Groups 85 Dr. Woodbury Attended Generations in Millers 86 "T. R." Paid Visit in 1901 87 Fire Dept. Goes Back 72 Years 87 Youth Published Town Newspaper in 1880's 87 First Burying Grounds on East Mineral Road 88 Dollar Religion 88 WRC Moved To M. F. From Montague 88 Sportsmen's League Helps Establish Laws 89 Turners Falls 90 Turners Falls Grew Fast, Dwarfing Montague 90 From Foreign Lands . . . Many Nationalities 91 The Last Pioneer 92 In The Late 1860's 92 Old Logging Days Rich in Legend 94 River Has Claimed Lives of Many 96 The Coming of Crocker 96 Connecticut River, Canals Had Major Role in Transportation 97 Means of Travel Improve With Passing Time 99 Bridges Have Played Major Roles 102 Airport Has Seen Busy Times in Past 24 Years 104 Telephone Service, in 70th Year, Now Taking Biggest Step Forward 106 Baptist Church 82 Years Old in June 1954 107 Unitarian Church 108 German Methodist Church 108 Congregational Church 110 St. Andrews "Young" 111 Hebrew Congregation Founded 75 Years Ago 112 St. Mary's Church Formed 82 Years Ago, in 1954 Had 2,500 Parishioners 113
Transcribed with notes and observations by 152 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
French Catholic Church and Parochial Residence 114 St. Anne's First County School For Catholics 115 Love of God Led to Poles' Forming Our Lady Church 115 Library Here Since 1874 116 Several Weekly Papers Have Had Good Records 117 American Legion Post, Auxiliary Long Active 118 VFW Auxiliary, Formed After Second War, Has Bright Record 119 Sports Main Aim of Temperance Groups 119 Keith's Mill Has Longest Record 121 March of Progress in Power 122 Esleeck Biggest Name in its Paper Making Field 124 Montague Machines 124 The Turners Falls Cotton Mills 125 TFAC Active Sports Club 20 Years 126 Trotting Park Was Scene of Heavy Betting 127 Colle Opera House Mecca for Entertainment 128 Sheff Field Named in Honor of Coach-Hero 129 Unity Park Fine Spot for Playing 130 TFHS Boasts Outstanding Record in Sports 132 Tennis Again Enjoying Popularity 133 Basketball Has Had its Ups and Downs 134 Many Champs on TFHS Track Teams 134 Lassies Find Outlets for Energy 135 Town Government 136 Five Postoffices Give Montague Distinction Among "Small" Towns 138 Streets Recall Famous Men 138 25 Have Served as Town Clerks 138 First "Super" 139 Water Department Formed Over 60 Years Ago 139 District Court in 58th Year 140 True Prediction 140 Turners Noted 50th in 1923 140 Population Ups and Downs 141 Civilian Defense Growing 141 Knights of Columbus Over 50 Years Old 142 St. Kazimier Society Major Polish Group 142 Odd Fellows Began Meeting In '86 143 Harugari Lodge Traces History Back to 1872 143 Rebekahs Instituted 50 Years Ago 143 Evening Circle Aids Community 144 Eastern Star Active Social Group 32 Years 145 St. Cecile Society Founded in 1902 145 Brotherhood Outgrowth of 1911 YMCA 145 St. Joseph's Men Preceded Union, Formed in 1887 146 Ladies' Guild Formed by Merger of Two Groups 146 Four Presidents in 39 Years for St. Elizabeth's 146 Masons Formed Here Sept. 12, 1872 147
Transcribed with notes and observations by 153 Ed Gregory July, 2019
Turners Falls Bicentennial 1754-1954
Self Starters Maintain Grange Hall 147 Rotarians Live Up to Motto 148 Montague Grange 148 The History of the Catholic Women's Council of St. Mary's Parish in Turners Falls, Mass. 149
Transcribed with notes and observations by 154 Ed Gregory July, 2019