The following history of West Boylston was originally published in the Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal, vol. II, No. 4, Aug, 1826, pp. 193-204. It was written by Rev. Charles C. P. Crosby and provides a brief history of the town paying special attention to the early religious history.
In presenting to the public a history of this town, we shall have no occasion to record any of those sanguinary scenes which distinguish the annals of many of our neighboring towns, arising from the incursions of a savage foe.
No predatory warfare has ever stained the soil or crimsoned the streams with the blood of white men. Scarcely an incident, aside from the general course of human affairs, has transpired within any recollection or is entered upon any record. So that the chief interest in the history of this town comes from what it now is, rather than from what it has been.
Within a few years, the town has obtained an importance on account of the facilities for manufacturing purposes, little expected by its early inhabitants. And it is but a limited stretch of prophetic genius to predict that within a few years, this town will be the theatre of extensive manufacturing and mechanical operations.
This town was settled as early as 1720 by several families from Marlborough, being then included in the grant of land called Shrewsbury. Among the first settlers were Benjamin Hinds, Isaac Temple, Edward Goodale, William Whitney, Bixby, and Holt. These inhabitants suffered much from the want of dwellings but were seldom, if ever, molested by the Indians. They toiled for their posterity as well as for themselves, and the descendants of these families are now numerous and respectable in town, several of them residing on their paternal possessions.
The history of this town as a corporation extends no farther back than 1808, being then merged in that of Boylston and Sterling, and earlier in that of Shrewsbury and Lancaster. The northern part of this town is a portion of that tract called Shrewsbury Leg; the southern part was identified with the north parish of that town, now Boylston, so called in honor of a distinguished family of the name, and incorporated in 1786. The Leg was set off to the west parish in Lancaster, now Sterling, in 1768; this was done to accommodate the inhabitants with meetings, etc., as they were 10 or 12 miles distant from Shrewsbury. When this town was incorporated, a part of the first-named tract, say about half, was included in the act. In 1796, the present town was erected into a precinct, and in 1808, enjoyed the benefit of an act of incorporation.
In obtaining these privileges, the inhabitants suffered much perplexity from their neighbors on every side, but by perseverance, they obtained their wishes.
In 1792, sundry inhabitants of Boylston, Sterling, Holden, and Worcester assembled to consider the expediency of forming a new town or parish. They agreed to build a meeting house for their accommodation the next year. They then formed themselves into a society, and chose Mr. David Goodale clerk, and elected a parish committee.
The meeting house was raised in 1793, being 58 by 46 feet, with a cupola, in which a good bell was placed by Ward N. Boylston, Esq., and in eighteen months it was finished by the enterprise and public spirit of Ezra Beaman, Esq., “who proposed that for the proceeds of the pews already sold on the place, and for those remaining unsold, he would finish the house.”
“This he did,” says the record, “in a very decent and faithful manner, and at an expense far exceeding any compensation he can expect or hope to receive in future.”
In 1794, the inhabitants applied to several clergymen in the vicinity to meet and consult on the propriety of forming a church and hiring a preacher. Their result was against forming a church but recommended “occasional worship in the house they had erected.”
Why these gentlemen did not recommend constant worship is difficult to imagine. The meeting house was dedicated on January 1, 1795, by a sermon from Rev. Daniel Grosvenor of Paxton. In the same month, a petition was sent to the General Court for an act of incorporation as a town, signed by 43 inhabitants of Boylston, 24 of Sterling, 18 of Holden, and 3 of Worcester.
This petition had a hearing in 1796, but being strenuously opposed by the representatives from each town where the petitioners resided, they only had leave to withdraw their petition. Soon after, they petitioned for an act to form themselves into a precinct, by the name of the Second Precinct in Boylston, Sterling, and Holden. This also was as strongly opposed as the other, but in June 1796, an act was passed granting the prayer of the petitioners. Accordingly, the first meeting for the choice of precinct officers was held on August 22, 1796, under the warrant of John Sprague, Esq.
In 1796, a Congregational church was gathered and received into fellowship by the Rev. Messrs. Sumner, Avery, and Holcomb, consisting of thirty-two members. In March 1797, the precinct voted to concur with the church in calling Mr. William Nash, A.M., to settle as a minister of the gospel, and at a subsequent meeting, they voted to give him £100 lawful money as an annual salary. In addition, they made a subscription for his benefit of about £200. In June following, Mr. Nash returned an affirmative answer, in which he regrets the “want of an entire unanimity in the call,” and on October 11, he was ordained over the parish.
In 1801, the parish made a grant of $800 to Mr. Nash, on certain conditions, to aid him in building a house.
In 1804, the manufacture of cotton was commenced here for the first time in the county of Worcester, but through inexperience, little progress was made for several years.
In 1808, the inhabitants succeeded in obtaining an act of incorporation for a town, by the name of West Boylston, bounded as follows: viz. on the north by Sterling, east by Boylston, south by Worcester, and west by Holden, being about four by five miles in extent and lying near the center of the county of Worcester.
In all these transactions, Ezra Beaman, Esq., was a very active man, and to his perseverance, influence, and wealth, the town is indebted for many of its present privileges. After its incorporation, he was successively chosen to represent the citizens in the State Legislature.
Soon after the town was incorporated, they remonstrated against the embargo laid by Mr. Jefferson, declaring it to be ruinous to the country, but their remonstrances did no good, and the embargo caused little injury to them.
In 1810, the Baptists first began to hold occasional meetings in town.
In 1812, an attempt was made to dismiss Mr. Nash, but it proved abortive. Also, a remonstrance was sent to Mr. Madison against the war declared with Great Britain.
In 1813, the Baptists formed themselves into a distinct body and held preaching about half the time in a schoolhouse. In 1818, the Baptist meeting house was built.
In 1815, the pastoral connection between Mr. Nash and the parish was amicably and honorably dissolved, at his request, on account of ill health.
In 1816, Mr. Samuel Clark of Princeton was invited to preach as a candidate.
In 1818, Mr. Osgood, now of Sterling, preached a few Sabbaths in town.
In 1820, Mr. Shedd of Acton received a call to settle, which he declined; and in December of the same year, Mr. John Boardman received a call to settle, with a salary of $500. The votes were 65 to 28, though many present declined acting. (Several other gentlemen supplied the pulpit as candidates for a short time, whose names are not mentioned on record.)
In January 1821, Mr. Boardman gave his answer in the affirmative, stating his intention of exchanging with all the neighboring ministers who had been regularly inducted into office; and accordingly, he was ordained on February 28.
In 1819, a Baptist church was organized with about fifty members who had been dismissed from the church in Holden. In 1821, they had constant preaching by Rev. Nicholas Branch.
Thus far, we have followed the history of the town in a connected series of events; we shall now attend to those particulars not connected with its general history.
Face of the Country, Soil, and Productions. — The face of the country is uneven, with very little champaign land in town. The Nashua River runs nearly through the whole town, from west to east, and the land rises on both sides, nearly as far as the boundary lines. There is no very important elevation, except Maiden Hill, situated in the southwest part. From its summit, a very pleasant and extensive prospect is afforded, fully sufficient to compensate for the trouble of a ride to the top.
On the river, some of the best interval land in the county is found, in a high state of cultivation. Nothing in the natural world can exceed the rich and luxuriant appearance of the great meadow in front of Beaman’s Tavern and the adjoining factory, extending down into the limits of Boylston.
The meanderings of the river, the canal for the factory, and the artificial pond raised above the surface of the waving fields of grass, English grain, and yellow corn, bounded by rising woodlands, unite to show what the industry of man and the bounty of the Creator can do in beautifying and adorning what was an unsightly and dismal swamp when Ephraim and Ezra Beaman commenced on this tract.
The soil is good and fertile, without exception, easily cultivated, and productive, and well-watered by streams and springs.
There are no swamps or bogs in town, and in some parts, there is a deficiency of stone to enclose farms with suitable fences. Our farmers have good pastures for neat stock and sheep; and by cultivation, they produce good hay, corn, rye, oats, potatoes, some wheat, barley, and cider sufficient for their own use. The dairies in this town are not large but are excellent for butter.
The manufacturing establishments provide encouragement to the agriculturalists by affording a ready market for all their surplus produce. The farmer here, as in other parts of the county, needs only industry and economy to gather from his fields and employment the full harvests of wealth and happiness.
Rivers. — Quinnepoxet River from Holden and Stillwater River from Sterling enter this town on the north and west sides and unite their waters just below the Upper Factory, forming what is called the Nashua River, which continues its course easterly until it enters Boylston. Besides these, there are three or four brooks in various parts of the town, which fertilize the land and carry some light machinery during part of the year.
Roads and Bridges. — There is no turnpike road intersecting this town; but the county road from Worcester to Lancaster and Groton, and also those to Princeton, Templeton, Sterling, Leominster, and Fitchburg, pass through the town from south to north. These are all post roads for the U.S. Mail, which passes every day of the week except Sunday, opening a direct communication to Boston, New York, Providence, and Vermont.
The roads are generally in good repair and easy for traveling, connecting with all the adjacent towns.
There are four wooden bridges for public use, each costing about five hundred dollars. These roads and bridges are maintained through a tax of about four hundred dollars per annum.
Education and Schools. — There are five districts in this town, each with a brick schoolhouse. They contain about 315 scholars, who are taught by masters in the winter and by females in the summer. The schools in this town are under the inspection of an active committee and are kept about five months each year at the public expense. The school tax for 1826 was four hundred dollars. Additionally, private schools are held every year in nearly all the districts.
Although this town has never been considered high in a literary view, a large proportion of its native citizens have received the honors of college. The list is as follows:
- Thomas Moore, 1786, D.U. Clergyman, Settled in Virginia.
- Alexander Lovell, 1793, Clergyman, Settled in Vermont.
- Hosea Hildreth, 1805, H.U. Clergyman, Settled in Gloucester, Me.
- Ephraim Hinds, 1805 H.U. Attorney, Settled in Harvard.
- Elisha Hinds, 1805, Attorney.
- Jonathan Bigelow, 1816, Clergyman.
- David L. Childs, 1817, H.U. Attorney, Settled in Boston.
- Nathaniel Wood, 1821, H.U. Attorney, Settled in Boston.
- Seneca White, 1819, Clergyman, Bath, Me.
- Sylvanus Morse, now, in Brown University,
- John Childs, Cadet, West Point.
Business and Trade. — There are in town five stores for retailing goods; two houses of entertainment, one of them known for nearly a century as “Beaman’s,” now kept by the third generation of that name; a Post Office; four blacksmith shops; a trip hammer; a scythe factory; a tan yard; a cabinet maker; a wheelwright; six shoemakers; a bookbinder; two grist mills (one running three pair of stones); three sawmills; a clothing works; and a carding machine. Baskets are manufactured to a considerable extent in this town from white oak timber.
Additionally, there are two practicing physicians, two clergymen, and three magistrates. These professionals are not overwhelmed with business, as there is little litigation in town and no attorney at law. The current justices of the peace are Joseph Hinds, Barnabas Davis, and R. B. Thomas, Esqrs. The latter is the author of the Farmer’s Almanac, which has been published for thirty-four consecutive years. Over 36,000 copies have been issued in a single year, with a total of 1,800,000 copies sold since its inception.
Manufactories. — The water power in this town is quite extensive but is currently only partially utilized, leaving ample capacity to employ a large capital advantageously.
The oldest and largest establishment was commenced in 1804 near Maj. Beaman’s and is known as the Lower Factory, its operations being exclusively with cotton. In 1809, this property came into the hands of Mr. Robert Parkinson of England, and in 1812, it was purchased by the present owners, now operating under the firm of John Slater & Co. The establishment has been gradually enlarged, and at present, they run 2,000 spindles, producing about 7,000 yards of cloth per week, primarily No. 16 sheetings.
The factory building is of wood, approximately 160 feet long and three stories high. The village associated with the factory houses about 200 inhabitants, and the company employs between 90 and 100 people.
The establishment also includes a chemical bleaching operation, a grist mill, a sawmill, and a large farm. The canal used to conduct water to and from the factory spans nearly one and a half miles. If the business remains profitable, the company plans to expand its operations at this site.
The next establishment, called the Upper Factory, is located two miles upstream from the Lower Factory, on the Stillwater River.
The West Boylston Cotton and Wire Manufactory was incorporated in 1813, with a capital of $140,000, although only a small portion of this was initially invested. Due to a lack of experience, the wire business saw little success and was soon abandoned. The manufacture of cotton has since become the primary focus of the company.
The establishment includes two large buildings for machinery. One is a four-story brick structure, 68 feet long by 34 feet wide, containing 1,000 spindles and 32 power looms. The other is a three-story wooden building, 40 by 26 feet, used for constructing both cotton and woolen machinery under the direction of an experienced workman. Approximately fifty workers are regularly employed, and the factory produces around 6,000 yards of shirting-width cloth per week.
The village around the factory consists of about a dozen families and 120 inhabitants. The hum of the spindle and the noise of the shuttle reflect a thriving business. The water supply is abundant, as the waters of the Quinnepoxet River are directed by a canal into the factory pond, allowing for more extensive operations to be planned in the near future.
Hathorn’s Mills is another establishment on the Nashua River. It includes a grist mill, a sawmill, a trip hammer, a manufactory of cotton batting and yarn, a clothier’s shop, and a carding machine. These facilities are owned by different individuals and are located between the other factories. The grist mill here experiences heavy business. Approximately two hundred dozen scythes and various edge tools are produced annually. Cotton manufacturing is conducted on a smaller scale by an individual proprietor. These works, however, often suffer from a limited water supply. Plans for a new cotton manufacturing establishment are underway.
One notable aspect of these factories is the attention paid to the morals and education of the children and youth involved. From observation, it is evident that with strong principles and patient effort, factory villages can be as orderly and respectable as any other community.
Miscellaneous. — In the southern part of the town lies a picturesque and serene location known as Pleasant Valley. At some distant point in the past, it was the site of a small pond. The valley covers an area of about an acre and a half, elliptical in shape, and is encircled by a range of tree-covered hills. These hills open at the southwest end, extending in parallel ridges for about a quarter of a mile, with the path to the valley lying between them. The valley floor is a smooth, flat surface covered with lush greenery. Its quiet, untamed beauty makes it a delightful retreat for those who appreciate nature and solitude.
In 1755, the earthquake produced a remarkable phenomenon in this town. A section of land, about ten rods square, on the west bank of the Quinnepoxet River, sank approximately ten to twelve feet. This event generated significant curiosity and was visited by hundreds of people. However, over time, the river’s inundations have nearly filled the chasm.
At the Upper Factory Village, there is a mineral spring discovered while repairing the embankment of the pond. The spring flows over a bed of pyrites beneath the pond. The water is strongly impregnated with iron and slightly with sulfur, though it emits no gas.
This town holds little interest for mineralogists. Some fine specimens of schorl embedded in quartz have been found, along with some exceptionally beautiful formations of mica. Iron occasionally appears but only in small quantities.
A few traces of the area’s aboriginal inhabitants have been uncovered. In 1825, while repairing the road below the Lower Factory, a skeleton, a brass kettle, and a spoon were found. The skeleton was believed to be that of an Indian squaw. Stone chisels and arrowheads have also been discovered in local fields.
The first settlers constructed a stockade fort from square logs for defense on land now owned by Mr. John Temple. This fort stood until about forty years ago. The only signs of hostilities against it were a few bullets lodged in its timbers.
The town has a Social Library containing about 200 select volumes, owned in shares. Another society owns the Edinburgh Encyclopedia. Additionally, there are two associations dedicated to acquiring useful knowledge and discussing questions.
These institutions represent the early efforts of organizations that will continue to positively impact the promotion of literature and science. They are supported by people who might not have otherwise had access to scientific and literary resources without such collective initiatives.
An interesting anomaly in the town’s history involves a group of men who have lived in five incorporated towns and two parishes, yet have never resided off the farms where they were born. This is due to the frequent reassignment of the tract called the “leg” to different towns.
The town boasts at least one hundred feet of water fall, along with two or three excellent sites for manufacturing establishments. Given its potential as a significant manufacturing hub, it is conceivable that the Blackstone or Massachusetts Canal will eventually be extended to this location.
Inhabitants. — The population at the last census was 987, but it has since increased to about 1,100, with 178 families and 260 rateable polls. The population grows by approximately 35 net gains per year. In 1821, there were 210 polls, showing an increase of 50 over five years.
The growth of manufacturing interests is expected to drive a significant increase in the town’s population in the coming years.
There is a general equality among them, as none can boast of the distinctions which great wealth, family, or honors confer on the few who are the favorites of fortune. Industry and economy are prominent traits in the character of our citizens; Agriculture or Manufactures claim their chief attention. They live easily and comfortably, unless an evil spirit, residing in taverns or grogshops, happens to draw them away from home, to the sorrow and distress of their families.
List of Taxes.
— For Schools, $400 per annum.
— Highways, $400.
— Support of the poor, $400 on an average.
— Incidental expenses, $200.
— Support of the Gospel, $1000 per annum.
Total of necessary taxes, $2400.
Deaths.
1798 — 8
1800 — 10
1810 — 10
1820 — 18
1825 — 16
Religious.
The people in this town are of various denominations, viz., Congregationalists (both Orthodox and Unitarians), Baptists, Universalists, a few Methodists, and one family of Quakers.
The Congregationalists were the first, and are now the most numerous sect in this town, there being about 160 rateable polls in the parish. They have a Meeting House built thirty years since, before the parish was set off. It is situated near the center of the town and has a pleasant location, with a beautiful level common and good sheds in the rear. The church and parish were in a harmonious state as long as Mr. Nash remained their pastor; since his dismission, they have been divided, and occasionally some controversies have arisen between the parties, chiefly respecting their minister. (Rev. Mr. Nash still resides in town, in easy circumstances. Mr. Nash removed from Williamsburg, Mass., and was graduated from Yale College in 1791.)
After Mr. Nash resigned the pastoral office, several gentlemen were invited to supply the pulpit, but none could be found who had the happiness to unite all parties.
In 1820, the present pastor, Rev. John Boardman, A.M., of Dartmouth College, was settled. In this measure, the Unitarians and Universalists never concurred, and afterward a very respectable minority seceded from the parish, alleging that their feelings had not been sufficiently regarded in a transaction of such importance.
When the town was incorporated, parochial powers were not included in the act (although, until this time, they had been exercised). Those who declined Mr. Boardman’s ministry refused to pay a tax for the support of the gospel, which they considered illegal. This induced the friends of Mr. Boardman to petition the Legislature to pass an act or resolution empowering them to revive the old precinct formed in 1796 and re-organize it in such a manner as to enable them, as a parish, to support a minister. Notwithstanding a remonstrance was presented against the petition, the Legislature, in 1823, authorized the re-organization of the ancient precinct. Since this, they have gone on their own way, rejoicing under the ministry of their own selection. They have a fund of about $2000 for the support of Mr. Boardman. The church, when gathered, consisted of 32 members; since then, 135 have been added to it, and the total number now is about 90.
The Baptists follow next in order, having first held their meetings in 1810, being then members of the church in Holden. In 1812, they were organized as a society by law and had preaching part of the time by Elders Goddard and Marshall. In 1817, the members of Holden church residing in this town were set off as a branch, and in 1819, were recognized as a distinct church, which consisted of about 50 members. The preceding year, they had erected a meeting house, 44 by 36 ft., on a piece of land given them by Robert B. Thomas, Esq. This house is now finished and stands about two miles north of the center of the town at the Upper Factory. It is exclusively the property of the church, who rent the pews annually towards the support of their pastor.
The peace and harmony of this church and society have never been disturbed since its organization. The increase has been gradual, and there are now 80 rateable polls belonging to the society, residing in this town and the adjacent parts of Sterling and Holden. Various preachers were employed for a short time until the church was organized. Since then, the Rev. Nicholas Branch preached about three years but was never pastor. After he removed, the church, in 1823, chose Rev. Alling Hough, A.M., of Brown University, as their pastor. He accepted the call and continued in office about eighteen months, when he was called away by death from his labors on earth. “He lived respected, and beloved by his people,” and died at the age of 32.
In December 1824, the church invited their present pastor, Charles C. P. Crosby, to preach as a candidate, and in March following, the church and society gave him a unanimous call to settle, with a salary of $270 per annum and four Sabbaths for his own benefit. The call being accepted, he was ordained on April 13, 1825.
On the settlement of Mr. Crosby, the society immediately began to build a parsonage for the convenience of their minister, to cost them, when finished, about $1500. Since the institution of the church, 70 have been baptized, 34 received by letter, and the church now contains 134 members.
There is no Unitarian or Universalist Society in town, but there have been persons of those persuasions for many years. They did not dissent from the old parish until 1823, when a legal tax for the support of Mr. Boardman was about to be laid on them. About thirty joined the Restoration Society in Shrewsbury, and about fifteen joined Dr. Bancroft’s Society in Worcester and Mr. Osgood’s in Sterling. The Restoration people have preaching about once in two months in the center schoolhouse.
PLEASANT VALLEY
The following notice of the beautiful little spot mentioned in the preceding memoir, with the accompanying lines, is copied from the American (Boston) Traveller of July 14.
On leaving the road, you enter a grove of oaks and maples between two declivities, and continuing down this avenue that winds along through the shrub oaks, at once opens to the view a plain of three or four acres of an oval form, surrounded on every side, excepting only the narrow pass by which you enter, by high and almost perpendicular banks, whose sides are covered by the birch and the shrub oak, and whose tops are surmounted by trees of the largest size. The plain is more level and smooth than art could make it; no remains of ancient trees, no stone, not even a stray branch of the neighboring grove mar the scene. A fine short grass covers the whole area and presents to the eye an enchanting fairy green. The stillness of death reigns, undisturbed by the noise of the world. It is a place for contemplation, where man can turn his thoughts home to his own breast and meditate on the follies of the world, or where he can upturn them to Him, the supreme architect of nature.
Sweet vale of West Boylston! how calm a retreat,
From the sorrows and cares of this cold world of woe;
With thy thick-covered banks, where the wildflowers meet,
And thy serpentine paths where the evergreens grow.
Oh here, the war trumpet shall never be heard,
Here, the banners of foemen shall ne’er be unfurled;
At the tramp of the war horse, thy paths shall be barred,
And Peace with her wand bid him back to the world.
Thy carpet so green, ‘neath the blue sky outspread,
Shall never be soiled by the foot of dishonor—
Here, the children of nature by truth shall be led,
And fear not th’ intrusion of care or of sorrow.
Be this the retreat of the votaries of Love,
For the friends of the heart—be it Piety’s fane,
Where their vows and their prayers shall ascend—and above
Shall be heard, and Heaven grant they be heard not in vain.
Oh here, have I roved with the friend of my heart,
When the last rays of sunshine were gilding the spot—
And the thoughts of that hour, they shall never depart,
And the friends that were there shall ne’er be forgot.
Further Research:
- Historical memorandum and genealogical register of the town of West Boylston, Massachusetts
This brief Historical Memorandum and Genealogical Register covers the period up to 1868, marking fifty years since the town of West Boylston was established and 138 years since its earliest settlement. - Manual of the Congregational Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts
The manual of the West Boylston Congregational Church can serve as a brief genealogical glimpse into the lives of its early members. This book provides a chronological list of members in which brief genealogical details of early members can be found. - Thomas Keyes of West Boylston, Massachusetts
A brief genealogical sketch of Thomas Keyes of West Boylston, Massachusetts. - Images of America, West Boylston