CHAPTER XXX.

HOUSATONIC AND ITS INDUSTRIES.

At the village of Housatonic bordering on Stockbridge and West Stockbridge, in the extreme north part of the town, no settlements were made earlier than 1809, nor had much been done at that time, towards clearing off the forest which spread over that section. At this place the Housatonic River flowing along the western base of Monument Mountain, furnishes an abundant water power, and three-fourths of a mile below, where the mountain recedes from the river, other valuable mill sites are obtained. Until within a few years past this, then small, village was limited entirely to the western side of the river, but it has latterly crossed the stream and now spreads over a large area.

The village is not ancient, for it has grown up entirely within the memory of persons still living, and its early history is confined to that part which lies west of the river. The lands on both sides of the river at Housatonic, are a part of the so called, Equalizing land, which the proprietors of the township decreed, in 1749, should be laid out in such a manner as to equalize the home lots originally set out to the several settlers. But these lands were not divided until 1770. In making the division there was allotted to the original right of John Burghardt, alias De Bruer, a tract of twenty-three and one-half acres bounding east, forty-two rods on the river, and extending west on the town line one hundred ..and two rods. This tract includes the north-easterly section of the village, and the upper water privilege.

This land as early as 1794, was in possession of Andrew Burghardt, who in that year conveyed it to Captain Ezekiel Stone, who then lived about threefourths of a mile north of the town line, in the town of West Stockbridge. It was upon this tract that the first improvements made at Housatonic, fifteen years later, were undertaken. Aside from the immediate farm improvements of the dwellers along the North Plain, the lands between it and the Housatonic river had not to much extent been innovated upon previous to 1809, and although we have a tradition of a cart path penetrating that section, no public road had as yet been opened through it. It is related that about 1807, a daughter of William Turner-then seven or eight years old-wandered from her home, on the late Zalmon T. Bradley place, into the woods, and was lost. Search was made for her during the day and the succeeding night, and she was found the next morning reclining against a tree near the river bank, a short distance above the "Dry Bridge," near the present village of Housatonic.

In 1808, Captain Stone was the owner not only of the Burghardt lot but apparently of other land adjoining it on the south. The first step taken towards a settlement at Housatonic was in a purchase made December 8, 1808, of Captain Stone, by Stephen Sibley, the clock-maker, and Abel Sherman from Rhode Island, who had resided a short time in this town, and who was an uncle of our late townsman of the same name. Captain Stone owned the land in Stockbridge, immediately north of the town line, and the purchase made by Sibley & Sherman, eleven rods in width at its north end, extended seven rods and nine links north into Stockbridge, bounded east on the river, and its west line ran southerly thirty-five rods and fifteen links to a white oak tree on the edge of the river. This tract, between two and three acres, included "the mill seat adjoining," and was known as the "Mill Yard." It embraced the upper water privilege of the Monument Mills and the ground on which their upper mills stand.

Mr. Sibley at the same time bought of Captain Stone two other pieces, of three and one half and six

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acres each, lying west and south of the Mill Yard, with a three rod strip between them, "which is contemplated for a public road." This strip is that part of the Main street of the village, which lies between the office of the Monument Mills and the dwelling of Harvey H. B. Turner. Mr. Sherman at the same time purchased eleven acres lying south of the tracts bought by Mr. Sibley. These several purchases included a large part of the village as it was a few years ago, and all the water power on the west side of the river.

Sibley & Sherman erected a dam, where the upper dam of the Monument Mills now stands, and a sawmill a little distance below it. The dam and mill are supposed to have been built in 1809. They were standing in May, 1811. Captain Jabez Turner is reputed to have built the dam, and Elnathan J. Barnes and the late Abel Sherman worked upon it.

At about the same time with the building of these works, Mr. Sherman erected the first dwelling house in the village. This house is still standing, next west, of the Congregational church. The works we have mentioned, together with "a shop" standing in 1813,. constituted all the improvements made by Sibley & Sherman.

In the spring of 1810, the first roads in Housatonic were laid out by the town. These were in part relocated the next year. The road, as a whole, ran from the saw-mill westerly through the present Main street and over the hill to the North Plain. From this road, by the residence of H. H. B. Turner, a branch ran northerly to the town line, where it joined a road previously established by the town of West Stockbridge.

In 1813, the late Eber Stone-son of Captain Ezekiel Stone-built the second dwelling house in the place; the same in which H. H. B. Turner now resides. Eber Stone was a maker of spinning wheels. These for a time he made by hand in a shop near his house. The fourth house-erected about 1827-was built by James C. Hyde, upon the site of the new dwelling of Cyrus R. Crane. At the raising of this house the place received the first of the three distinctive names by which it has since been known. When the raising

was completed, Peter French mounted the frame, and from a lofty perch, threw the customary bottle of rum, at the same time proclaiming "I name this place Babylon;" and Babylon it was called for the space of ten years.

In 1814, Mr. Sherman sold his interest in the lands and improvements at Housatonic to Ezekiel and Eber Stone, and two years later Mr. Sibley conveyed his to the State of Connecticut, presumably exchanging it for lands in Ohio, whither he soon after removed. Eventually the property owned by Sibley & Sherman came into the possession of the legal representatives of Captain Stone.

Previous to this, in 1811, Captain Stone purchased of Mr. Sibley, a small piece of ground, eighteen by thirty feet, between the saw-mill and dam, with certain rights to water. But we have no evidence that he utilized this purchase. This he conveyed, in 1818, to Eber Stone and Milton Ball, who built upon it a shop for the manufacture of spinning wheels, which they together or separately carried on for several years. The saw-mill and wheel shop constituted all the improvements of the water power made previous to 1825, and there appear to have been but two dwellings in the village at that time.

In 1824, October 26, Eber Stone, John Crissey, and James C. Hyde, sold to Ransom Whitmore—a machinist from East Haddam, Conn.--three acres of land, including the saw-mill, dam, and water power. Mr. Whitmore, with the intention of engaging in the manufacture of cotton goods, erected a building for that purpose-probably in 1825-6, but put in no machinery. Not succeeding so well as he had anticipated, Ransom Whitmore abandoned his project, and in April, 1827, sold his property, including a dwelling house which he had built, to his brother, Perley D. Whitmore—a machinist and Sprowell Dean, a manufacturer from Springfield. These gentlemen, with the aid of machinists tools, which they introduced, soon fitted the building with machinery, and began the manufacture of cotton goods. Dean & Whitmore built a row of tenements along the west side of the street by the

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river, a store which stood opposite their factory, and gathered about them a small population of operatives. Simultaneously with these improvements, the village assumed the name of Deansville, and the road along the river, leading from Van Deusenville to Glendale, was opened.

Dean & Whitmore continued the business until 1835, when the Housatonic Manufacturing Company was organized, and purchased the property. Mr. Dean disposing of his interest in the business removed from town in 1836. P. D. Whitmore and Wells Laflin became the business managers of the corporation, and ultimately the owners of nearly all of its capital stock. This company engaged in the manufacture of printing cloths which it continued to the autumn of 1848, when it made a disastrous failure. With the advent of the Housatonic Manufacturing Company, the village received the name of Housatonicville, later abbreviated to Housatonic.

During the thirteen years of its existence, the Housatonic Manufacturing Company made material additions to its works, real estate and dwellings. In time, under the auspices of this corporation, and with the aid of new enterprises, introduced by others, Housatonic became a thriving village, notable for the morality, sobriety, and industry of its inhabitants. A Congregational society was formed, and a church erected in 1842, and a minister, at the same time, was settled.

The wheel shop of Eber Stone and Milton Ball, which has been mentioned, was purchased in the spring of 1830, by Edward and William Selkirk, brothers, from Haddam, Conn., who introduced the manufacture of shoe lasts, which became an important industry in the village. This shop was removed in 1836, and a brick building erected upon its site, in which William Selkirk for many years carried on last making. This also was eventually taken down by Mr. Selkirk, and he put up in its place another building, which having done a few years' service as a grist mill, passed into the possession of the Monument Mills and now forms a part of their works.

Until 1829 the lower water privilege remained un

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