History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

on the farm now owned by Colonel S. P. Shattuck.
Upon the decease of his wife, about three years
after, he abandoned the school and left town.
A female boarding-scliool was commenced in
1852, in the house now Mrs. Hutchinson's, and
for several years was quite a success under the
management of Mrs. A. E. Conant and lier two
daughters.
A public library was established by the town in
1877. It now luimbers over 3,000 volumes, and
is very generously patroin'zed by the public.
Industrial. —: In the petition to be set off as a
parish, tiie territory of Pepperell was not inaptly
described as " good land well situated." Tiie sur-
face is undulating, in the western part decidedly
hilly. The town is noted for its beautiful scenery
and fine drives, and attracts duruig the summer
months many visitors from the cities. Along tiie
Nashua Eiver are several fine intervales. The soil
is generally good, and well adapted to fruit-culture,
to which considerable attention is paid.
During tlie earlier liistory of the town the prin-
cipal industry was farming, almost every farm-house
being supplemented by a cooper's sliop, wherein the
enforced leisure of winter was improved in making
barrels for the Boston market. Farming is still
the chief business, although the cooper-shops have
nearly all disappeared.
For many years the Centre, with its meeting-
house, post-office, and stores, to say nothing of the
tavern, was the principal village. Two miles north
of this is the North Village, a cluster of about
a dozen houses, on the Nissitisset River, a small
stream affording here a privilege, which has, from
time to time, furnished the power for a saw and
grist mill, a carding and clothier's mill, a shoddy-
mill, and now a paper-mill. About one and a
PEPPERELL. 269
quarter iriiles below, on the same stream, is the with a capacity for furnishing employment to five
East Village, which in earlier times rejoiced in hundred persons.
the name of the Lower Store, and later, in the
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possession of a large tavern, and still later, a post-
office, which has been removed to the Depot Village.
Here are the grain and lumber mills, and also the
machine-shops of Blake Brothers, manufacturers
of the Blake turbine water-wheel. Some hundred
rods below this are the Nissitisset Mills, owned by
H. A. Parker & Co., who maimfacture batting,
wrapping-paper, and leather board ; and have also
an extensive lumber-mill and grain-mill. A paper-
mill was located here as early as 1S20.
xVbout 183i Jlr. And Emerson built a paper-
mill at Babbitasset Falls, on the Nashua. This
privilege, one of the best on the river, had hereto-
fore been utilized for a clothing and carding mill,
and was known as The Forge. Two paper mills
were burned, and the property passed through sev-
eral ownerships, with varied success or want of it,
until in 1863 Mr. H. M. Clark obtained possession
of the whole property, and immediately commenced
to develop its capacities. There are now, owned
by S. D. Warren & Co., two first-class mills,
which employ about one hundred and twenty-five
hands, at a monthly pay-roll of §4,000, and make
one hundred and fifty tons of paper per month.
In the manufacture of tinted paper they claim es-
pecial excellence.
Babbitasset Village in 1833 contained six houses,
and upon the territory now occupied by the Depot
Village, on the opposite side of the river, there was
in 1847 one house. The two villages now form
one, which, with over one hundred and twenty
dwellings, has become the business part of the
town. Much of its prosperity is due to the enter-
prise and success of Mr. Frank Leighton, shoe
manufacturer. His factory having been destroyed
by fire in March, 1879, a new one, with all the
modem improvements, has already been comjDleted,