History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

HISTORY OF AMESBURY. 365
Rev. W. Williams was elected rector of St. James church,
and continued till 1852.
Mr. J. H. Davis having erected a commodious school room
at the Mills on Friend street, removed his school from the
Academy to his new room, where he continued to labor with
abundant success for many years.
The society of Friends having disposed of their old meeting-
house and lot, purchased a lot of Eliphalet Barnard, on Friend
street, and built the present convenient house this year.
The population of the town by the census taken this year,
is 3>!43-
1851.
In 1836 Thomas Bailey built a mill for grinding and other
purposes south of the road near the Merrimac Hat factory, as
now located, and the road was changed over the hill, running
close by the north side of the mill, where a heavy dam was
built. A second dam was built a little north of the house of
Ira Miles, which formed the large meadow into a reservoir con-
taining a large body of water. Early this spring (April 2d) a
sudden heavy rain swelled the pond to an unusual height, when
the second dam gave way, precipitating the water against the
first one near the river, and mill and dam were washed into
the Merrimac. The road was restored to its ancient location,
where it has since remained.
The question of calling a convention to revise the constitution
was acted upon at the November meeting and decided in the
negative by a vote of two hundred and one yeas and two hund-
red and ninety-eight nays.
The road located at West Amesbury by the selectmen, from
Humphrey Nichols' past the wheel factory to the new
highway, and, also, one at South Amesbury, from the house
of Ephraim Goodwin to that of Charles L. Rowell, were
accepted by the town and became public highways. Also,
one other road from near the house of William H. Haskell
on Main street to the last mentioned street.
On the 1 6th of April a storm raged from the north-east,
which caused a heavy freshet in the river and the shores