Hare & Rabbit Club Clambake, 1954

Middleborough Mill History Published

Michael J. Maddigan, Middleborough historian and author of the popular “Recollecting Nemasket” column in the Middleboro Gazette, has published his fifth book of local history, Star Mill: History & Architecture. Star Mill is published by Recollecting Nemasket, a new local history press devoted to publishing and selling histories related to Middleborough and Lakeville.

This new history illustrated with images of the mill and its workers tells the story of Middleborough’s historic Star Mill which is a history of contradictions. Though during the decades following the Civil War the Star Mill was Middleborough’s largest employer and heaviest taxpayer, the town was better known industrially for its manufacture of boots and shoes. The Star Mill was a relatively paternalistic employer providing for the safety and accommodation of its workers, but its wages were among the lowest in the state and its successor, the Nemasket Worsted Company, collapsed partially as a result of a protracted labor strike. And while in retrospect the manufacture of woolen cloth is considered to have been a successful enterprise during the period in which it was carried out in Middleborough (1864-1924), the industry was plagued by periods of inactivity when the sagging fortunes of the woolen market forced periods of idleness upon the mill.

Though textiles are no longer produced in Middleborough, the Star Mill remains. As the oldest surviving woolen mill complex in southeastern Massachusetts, the Star Mill reflects the era when Middleborough was evolving rapidly from Plymouth County’s leading agricultural town into an important center of manufacturing. Star Mill: History & Architecture documents the previously untold story of Middleborough’s woolen industry, the building that housed it and the people who lived it.

Mike’s other books include Images of America: Middleborough, South Middleborough: A History, Elysian Fields: A History of the Rock Cemetery and Lakeville’s King Philip Tavern. Future books from Recollecting Nemasket include Representatives of the Great Cause: Middleborough Soldiers and Their Letters from the First World War scheduled to be released this November.

Star Mill :History & Architecture will be available for purchase on August 3 and 4 at the Krazy Days street fair in downtown Middleborough. Look for the Recollecting Nemasket booth between Honey Dew Donuts and Sovereign Bank. Mike will be present to autograph his new work. Copies of his previous books will be available at that time as well. Books may also be purchased at any time by visiting www.recollectingnemasket.blogspot.com

Nelson's Grove

Early Development

Undoubtedly, the pine grove at Stony Point on the western shore of Lake Assawompsett that would later become known as Nelson's Grove provided a refuge for members of the Nelson family during summer months. The point (named for the abundance of stones located at the site) was accessed by a narrow roadway or driveway which ran southeastwards from Main Street to the shore of the pond and then for a short distance parallel with the shore to the tip of the point. It was on either side of this roadway that Nelson would begin leasing lots.

The small Nelson’s Grove summer community originated in earlier camps which were established along Lake Assawompsett in the 1870s. Harry C. Atwood of Taunton recalled in 1931 that the first such camp was started on the opposite shore of the lake in a grove owned by Sidney Nelson in 1875 by a group of Taunton boys. The following summer, these boys who included Harry (“Barney”) Caswell, Fred Sears, the Carpenter brothers, the Howe brothers and Charles Atwood, relocated to the western shore of the lake to Stony Point in John H. Nelson’s grove. At the same time, younger Taunton boys – among them J. Fremont Dean, Randall Dean, Walter Deane, the Bryant brothers and Harry C. Atwood established camp nearby at Green Point Grove, owned by Miller Sampson. The Green Point camp lasted but a year following which it was abandoned with J. Fremont Dean joining the older boys at Nelson’s Grove in 1877. Notably, the Middleboro Gazette in July, 1876, remarked on the “several parties … camping in tents on the shores of Assawampsett”.

The boys camped in tents throughout the summer, and went fishing and swimming in the lake. The camps were restocked with provisions which were brought from their homes in Taunton by parents or relatives. “In those days, there were no steam trains that stopped near the lakes, no electric cars, nor automobiles, the only way to get to the lake was to drive over with a horse or walk,” recalled Atwood. One who did “drive over” frequently in order to reprovision the Nelson’s Grove camp was Joseph Dean, father of J. Fremont and Randall Dean. “He became so charmed with the spot,” wrote Atwood, “that in the summer of 1878 he had a cottage built at Nelson’s Grove.”

Concurrent with this development, was Nelson’s own improvements at Stony Point which were designed to enhance the scenic properties of the site and to make it attractive as a location for summer functions. In the summer of 1877, Nelson is recorded as having begun opening up “magnificent” views of the lake at Stony Point, and it is at this time that the development of first Stony Point and later Nelson’s Grove appears to have commenced, making it the earliest development on Lake Assawompsett. Nelson let the site for use by various organizations for events such as picnics, lake outings, excursions and the like, advertising the site as Stony Point Grove. “There were a good many picnics, excursions and sports held at the lake during the seventies and eighties. Almost every ‘Fourth of July,’ there were sail-boat races, clambakes and fire works in the evening,” remembered Atwood. One large poster surviving from the Independence Day celebrations of 1884 terms the location “Nelson’s Stony Point Grove” and advertises a clam bake, grand scull race, tub race, rowing match, a sailing regatta, music and fireworks. Nelson’s Grove became a particular stop for the steamers Pioneer and Assawampsett which were operated by John B. Lebaron from Wareham Street in Middleborough and which plied the lake throughout this period.

Cottages

The construction of the Dean cottage (113 Nelson’s Grove Road) in 1878 was the impetus for the development of Nelson’s Grove as a summer lakeside community. “Mr. Dean’s was the first summer cottage erected on the shores of Lake Assawampsett; then gradually, year after year cottage after cottage was added in the grove; it finally had quite a Taunton colony. Mr. [A. C.] Place, Mr. [Stephen G.] Beers and Alfred Sproat all had cottages there.”

It is not recorded when John H. Nelson first began leasing lots at his grove to those who sought lakeshore property, but one of his earliest deeds in 1886 indicates that the Gibbs cottage at Stony Point was already standing, as well as the Gibbs stable.

Leases were made for a 99 year period, and annual rents were set at either $8 or $10. Later deeds were adamant “specially that no malt or spirituous liquors shall be kept and exposed for sale” on the leased premises. (Isaac Vaughan, the developer of lakeside on the northern shore of the same lake placed similar restrictions in his own deeds).

While Nelson did permit lessees to sublet the properties, the requirement that they do so for no “less price than nine dollars per week” essentially mooted this privilege. Otherwise, Nelson appears to have been little concerned as to the nature of development which occurred on the land. Unlike elsewhere, he did not stipulate the manner of cottage to be built, permitting either “a cottage or tent”. Realistically, he also permitted the construction of stables to house lessees’ horses, as well as “such other buildings necessary for private use” – essentially barns and privies.

Access

Approach to Nelson’s Grove was down the dirt lane which would become known as Nelson’s Grove Road. The road was a narrow dirt path until the summer of 1906 when it was “materially improved.” To control access to the site, Nelson established gates along the road, and was particular that his lessees maintain them. Nelson required that the gates and bars “be shut and put up every time said lessee, or the occupants of said premises, shall pass through, if found closed on their approach.” In June, 1906, “an automobilist, who miscalculated the distance, banged into one of the patent gates leading to Nelson’s grove … and demolished it.”

The road through the grove was a mere path, though deeds describe it as a “road”, a “driveway” and even an “avenue”. As an informal pathway, it varied in width anywhere from fifteen feet to sixteen and a half.

Water

Originally water appears to have been available communally at a well which was located within the Grove in the vicinity of the southwest and northwest corners of the Keith and Place lots. There are several mentions of the common well in the deeds of the area.

Later, summer residents appear to have sought their own sources, and in several deeds Nelson permitted the laying of pipes across the roadway and the erection of windmills in order to pump water from the lake directly into the cottages. Certainly the Beers cottage was mentioned as having a windmill at the back of its lot as early as with pipes running to Lake Assawompsett.

Residents

Residents were initially drawn from throughout southeastern Massachusetts (and largely from Taunton and Brockton), and were a representative sampling of men of prominence in the communities in which they lived.

In its early days, Nelson’s Grove was heavily populated by Taunton residents, though in time, their proportion would diminish. “The Taunton colony at ‘Nelson’s Stony Point Grove,’ has now all gone, owing to deaths, changes and the lake becoming a water supply for Taunton; but the good times will never be forgotten,” wrote Harry C. Atwood in 1931.

Among the earliest was Emery M. Low of Brockton who would later serve as mayor of that city in 1899.

Relocating for the Summer

Relocating to Nelson’s Grove each summer was a toilsome task requiring much preparation and planning. For the families that owned homes at the grove, mothers and children would remove there for the summer, while husbands commuted back and forth between the lake and their jobs in the nearby cities.

At least for Taunton residents, the task was made somewhat easier when in 1908 the Old Colony Street Railway “arranged that trunks and other express matter going to the grove [to] be sent through direct from Taunton by the trolley express.” Additionally in that same year, it was arranged that cars for Taunton would leave from what was termed “Nelson’s Station” at Main Street and Nelson’s Grove Road, rather than from the Lakeville Town House – a change which eliminated the long walk grove residents were formerly required to make.

Winter at the Grove

Though Nelson’s Grove was intended primarily as a summer resort, winter activities did take place, principally skating at Stony Point.

New Residents

Because Nelson retained title to the properties at the grove, lessees could not sell the real estate. Instead, leases were assigned to new lessees who purchased the personal property on the lot, that is the cottage, stable and other structures that might be standing. Throughout the period, new residents would take the place of old, and increasingly a larger proportion was represented by Middleborough residents.

Following the death of John Hiram Nelson, one-third of the grove property was inherited by his widow, Mary D. W. Nelson, while the remaining two-thirds was split among his five children: Hannah K. Nelson, Lucy A. Salsbery, Mary L. Nelson, Fannie B. Gibbs and Chester W. Nelson.

In 1950 and 1951, Barbara E. Kelley acquired the Nelson property, and became the new leaseholder. In December, 1951, the holding was acquired by Frank G. and Sylvia T. Mello of Lakeville.

With the original Nelson leases due to expire beginning in 1986, the Mellos decided to sell the properties outright to the leaseholders themselves.

Illustrations:
"Nelson's Grove, Lakeville, Mass.", postcard, John H. Frank, Middleborough, MA, publisher, early 20th century
Postcard views of Nelson's Grove were popular following the turn of the last century when the summer colony was at its height.

View of Nelson's Grove, real photo postcard, early 20th century
This view, likely taken by Walter L. Beals of Middleborough, looks southward through the grove towards Lake Assawompsett.  The Beers cottage, now 122 Nelson's Grove Road, appears at the right.  It is little changed in appearance today.

Lakeville Town Pound

The following brief article was written by James Creedon and appeared in an editon of the Brockton Enterprise in early January, 1904.  It tells the tell of the remaining town pound which was situated on Highland Road near Shockley Hill and was built probably about the time Lakeville was incorporated as a separate town.

A town pound was once a common sight in the towns about Middleboro, but today few are left.  One of these is located in Lakeville, not a great distance from Shockleys hill.  It was built about 1853.

The pound is by the side of the road and comprises a lot about 25 feet square, surrounded by a stone wall about five feet high.  A wooden gate closes a five-foot opening at the front of the inclosure.

In the early days of the town cattle were allowed to run freely along the roads, and frequently they strolled on another man's land.  If the cattle belonged to a friendly neighbor it was usually all right, but if there happened to be bad feeling between the men, a field driver was summoned, and the animals were taken to the pound.  There they were placed in charge of the poundkeeper, who fed and cared for them.  The owner of the cattle was notified, and when he appeared for them he had to pay 50 cents per head and expenses.

The first pound keeper was Abram Shaw.  He was in charge for several years.  He was followed by John Shaw who continued as keeper as long a the pound was in use.

The oldest field driver now living is John Townsend, who resides near the Bell schoolhouse.

Townsend resided on Lakeside Avenue.

Illustration:
Lakeville Town Pound, Highland Road, Brockton Enterprise, January, 1905

Source:
Brockton Enterprise, January, 1905, clipping in the collection of the Middleborough Publc Library

Middleborough Responds to the Attack upon Senator Sumner, 1856

On May 22, 1856, Representative Preston S. Brooks of South Carolina brutally assaulted Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner in the Senate chamber. Prompted by a recent anti-slavery speech by Sumner which was harshly critical of the South, Brooks mercilessly beat Sumner into unconsciousness with a gutta percha cane. The shocking brutality of the action further polarized the nation which at the time was riven by the controversy over whether to admit Kansas as a free or slave state, as well as the overall debate on slavery which was becoming increasingly violent.  While lauded as a hero in the South, Brooks was villified in the North. 

In Middleborough, the attack upon Sumner was roundly condemned. Both the Young Men's Literary Union (Y. M. L. U.) and the Philomathean Society passed resolutions concerning the assault and slavery in general.  The Y. M. L. U. "Resolved, That the recent and cowardly assault upon our beloved Senator, at Washington, reflects lasting infamy upon the country, its institutions and people."  It passed a further resolution that "American Slavery totally violates every law of the United States enacted for the peace and prosperity of the Union, is the quintessence of all abuse, and that those who uphold and sanction it are guilty of the blackest treason."

Less literary minded individuals hung Brooks in effigy on School Street, an action which prompted the following letter to the Namasket Gazette:

MR. EDITOR: - Passing up School street last Tuesday morning, I saw suspended from the branch of one of the trees in the Grove, an image in a complete suit of clothes, which a group of "Young Americans" were stoning with great zeal. On inquiring, I ascertained that this was an effigy of Preston S. Brooks, and certainly it looked mean enough to personify the late outrage committed by that dastard. About noon, as I repassed the same spot, a lad flung a stone with such violence as to break the rope, and it had scarcely touched the ground before many "violent hands" were laid upon it, and ere long it was reduced to ashes.

If this treatment of the effigy denoted disapprobation of the conduct of the Slave Power, as exhibited in the assault by Brooks, I have no objection to make to it. But I am doubtful as to the propriety of such demonstrations in reference to individuals. Please solve these doubts, and oblige.

A FRIEND OF FREEDOM

The unknown writer, in fact, was not to be obliged. Editor Stillman Pratt who was also a minister and who was not surprsingly anti-slavery himself, responded that the burning of the School Street effigy was hardly improper when compared to the attack upon Sumner, and was but a weak response to a graver issue.

We do not think that pelting and burning an effigy is so barbarous as the beating of a real live man and still we think there are more effective modes of rebuking sin.

The trouble is that this mode of expressing disapprobation places the wrong doer on an equality with the virtuous.  It is just as easy to hang the effigy of Sumner as that of Brooks.  A change of label on the one alluded to above would make it tell in the opposite direction.

The reason why the bludgeon was applied to the head of our Senator, was because the truths uttered were extremely cutting, and the argument was at the same time unanswerable.  It is hoped that the Slave Oligarchy will be rebuked more effectually for making chattels of God's image, and the beating of men for insisting on "the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," than can be done by hanging, pelting and burning bags of straw.

Illustrations:
"Southern Chivalry", lithograph, John L. Magee, 1856.
Magee's lithograph depicting Brooks' attack upon Senator Sumner was widely circulated and created an indelible impression in the north where the assault was widely condemned.

Senator Charles Sumner (1811-74) of Massachusetts, photograph, c. 1860.

Sources:
Namasket Gazette, May and June, 1856

Testa's South Middleborough Sunoco

During the writing and subsequent promotion of South Middleborough: A History I have had the opportunity to encounter a number of wonderful people who have generously shared stories and images of their community as they knew it.  Among them was Bob Testa who grew up in South Middleborough, and whose father Theo Testa over 50 years ago operated the Sunoco filling station just south of the site of the former Alpine Motel.  Unfortunately, due to length restrictions set by the publisher, stories such as Testa's Sunoco could not be included in the published history, so I share it here, along with photographs courteously provided by Mr. Testa.

The South Middleborough Sunoco station operated during the 1940s through the 1960s, and held the distinct advantage of being the first filling station encountered on the north-bound side of Route 28 at South Middleborough which then served as one of the two principal routes linking Boston with the summer resorts of Cape Cod.  Associated with the Sun Oil Company (Sunoco), the station was sold in the summer of 1951 to Theodore J. Testa by then-owner Francis McMahon who went to Buzzards Bay to reside.  Testa operated the station until the early 1960s when he too sold it, yet another victim of the prospective opening of the Route 28 by-pass, today known as Route 495.  Mrs. Testa was long involved with the local Methodist Church, at one time serving as president of the Women's Society of Christian Service (W. S. C. S.).

The image depicts the South Middleborough Sunoco station in late 1951 shortly after it was acquired by Theo Testa.

The small size and wood-frame construction of the station is readily apparent in this wintertime view.  While such structures would be considered unusual today and would fail to meet modern safety codes for fire-proof construction, they were common at the time and allowed individuals to own their own businesses without requiring a heavy investment.  Consequently, numerous filling stations sprung up along Route 28 in Middleborough, catering to the need of the thousands of motorists who passed through during the summer.

This view shows both the well-kept station with shade trees, as well as the adjoining Smith House.  The properties occupied what are now 609 and 611 Wareham Streets, though only the house remains today.  In December, 1964, Testa sold the filling station property to Patrick O'Connor and it was eventually razed.  The attractive cement benches and bird baths seen in front of the station were made by Theo Testa and sold to patrons, passersby and local residents.  Prior to operating the station, Testa had been engaged as a mason, and the lawn ornaments he created sold well.

South Middleborough has always retained a strong sense of community, with neighbors working together and finding occasion to socialize.  Here Veronica L. Hawkins joins Harry and Cathy Smith at the Testa home for an informal summer get together which included bottled Cokes.  Miss Hawkins (1907-96) served as the fourth grade teacher at South Middleborough between 1953 and 1966, and favored a hairstyle which according to Bob Testa was "unmistakable".

Illustrations:
Courtesy of Bob Testa.

The Stories in the Stones: The Bennet Family

The following post is offered courtesy of Jeff Stevens and the Friends of Middleborough Cemeteries as part of an ongoing series The Stories in the Stones.

THE STORIES IN THE STONES - The Bennet Family

Jeff Stevens - Friends of Middleborough Cemeteries

The Burial Ground at the Church on the Green contains a treasure of historic grave stones. The most significant events in the lives of our ancestors are cut into this local slate with the names, dates, and brief details of long or often too short lives. The sweep of generations can be seen in a handful of stones from just one family. Reading the details is a quick look through a family's tragedies or the celebration of the lives of its distinguished patriarchs and beloved mothers.

The Bennet family (also written as Bennett) is an example. They lived in Middleboro from its earliest colonial days. Deacon John Bennet came originally from England, landed in Virginia, moved to Salem and then to Middleboro. His stone tells us he died on March 21, 1718, at 76 years. His wife, Deborah, died the next day. Deacon John was a selectman and served as town clerk for 13 years, according to the Weston history of Middleboro.

Markers show that Ebenezer Bennet and his wife Esther buried three "stillborn" children, a son in 1741, and two daughters, one in 1744 and the second in 1746. In 1743, another daughter, Lydia, lived for less than a month. Another stone tells us that at least one daughter, Patience, lived to adulthood, dying in 1781 at age 44. Ebenezer himself is listed on his stone as "Died in the Bay of Hondorieas August 26th, 1751". Esther lived to be 70 and died in 1776.

Another stone lists "Mrs. Mary Bennett widow of Mr. Nehemiah Bennett who died January 26th 1790 Aged 27 years 1 month & 20 days. Her infant lies buried by her side." Life and death were always closely associated in colonial Middleboro.

Not all Bennets died early. Mercy Bennett was Deacon John's daughter-in-law and lived to be 99 years, 10 months, and 20 days old. She was born in 1699 and died in 1799. The Middleboro history lists her as a woman of "unusual intelligence" and tells that she walked all the way to Plymouth with two other girls during a great snowstorm "to attend public service."

Other Bennets served in the American Revolution and the Civil War. Their stones are marked with SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) or GAR (Grand Army of the Republic for the Civil War) markers.

One family plot shows us triumphs and tragedies, heroes and housewives, early settlers and dedicated public servants. All this and more can be seen at our local burial ground. Hundreds of stones tell of these everyday heroes and heroines who lived through difficult and historic times. A walk through the rows of stones lets a person piece together the stories and follow the lives and deaths of these early citizens of our town.

Sadly, these pictures of past lives and local history are rapidly falling apart. Many of the stones are badly damaged and weathering of the stones is destroying these wonderful works of art, making it difficult or impossible to read the inscriptions.

Illustration:
Bennet Family Stone, Cemetery at the Green, Middleborough, MA, photograph 2011 by Jeff Stevens.