History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

At the present time (1879) there are eleven
public schools in the town, and ten school-houses.
These, with one exception, have been built since
tlie repeal in 1869 of the law relating to school-
districts.
The schools are kept for eight months in the
year. The number of scholars between five and
fifteen years of age, May 1, 1878, was three hun-
dred and nine. The amount of money raised for
the support of schools, March, 1879, was §3,000.
Manufacture.^. — The leading industry from the
beginning has been agriculture. In the early years
little else was done ; but gradually, as the people
made progress, they gave attention to the manufac-
turing of such articles as they needed. The abun-
dant water-power in tlie town gave them facilities
which they carefully used. The chief stream is the
Stony Brook, the outlet of Forge Pond, which runs
through the town from the southwest to the north-
east. The descent from the mouth of the pond to
the point where it empties into the Merrimack is
nearly one hundred feet. At Forge Village the
fall is fourteen feet, at Graniteville twenty, at
Westford Station eight feet, and at Brookside it
is about ten feet. In Allen's Hhtory of Chelimforcl
there is no mention of any mill on Stony Brook
except at its mouth. It is probable, however, that
the water-power at Brookside was improved at an
early date. In the first tax-list, 1730, the name
of William Chandler appears, who, it is probable,
was the first to establish the business of dressing
cloth. His mill stood at Brookside, and the work
was carried on by successive proprietors until 1863,
when the building was used for the manufacture of
of the improvement of the water-power at that
place. " Previous to the erection of Prescott's
mills," continues Mr. Butler, " an Indian by the
name of Andrew sold his weir at Stony Brook, as
appears by the following record :
' The twenty shil-
lings due to Andrew, the Indian, from the town
for his tcarre at Stony Brook, assigned by said
Indian to Richard Blood, the said Richard Blood
assigns it over to Lieutenant James Parker.' " The
date of the grant to Jonas Prescott by the town of
Groton was June 15, 1680. The territory which
WESTFORD. 485
1730. But prior to the last date Jonas Prescott
had " greatly enlarged and improved the works on
Stony Brook, by erecting forges for manufacturing
iron from the ore, as well as other purposes."
It is difficult to fix the precise date of the build-
ing of the forges, but it was probably as early as
1700 ; for the language of Butler implies that the
works were set up before Captain Prescott enlarged
them. He was born in 1678, and was "of age"
in 1699. It is just, therefore, to suppose that his
active business life began as early as 1710. This
enterprise of working iron was the third or fourth
of the kind established in this country. The busi-
ness was carried on until the year 1865, wlien the
Forge Company ceased to exist. During this long
period of one hundred and sixty or seventy years
the Prescotts, descendants of Jonas, of Groton, helda
controlling interest in the company, and managed
its aftairs, except during the last few years of its
existence. Jonas, who died in 1870, five years after
the forging ceased, was the owner of forty shares
in 1863, and was the last of the name who worked
at the business.
January 5, 1865, the Forge Village Horse Nail
Company was formed. It succeeded to the fran-
chise of the forge company, used the water-
power and the buildings of that company, and
put in machinery for making nails. The capital
stock was .? 30,000, with the right to increase it
to §100,000. The officers were: John T.Daly,
president ; John F. Haskins, secretary ; and Alex-
ander H. Caryl, treasurer. The capital was increased
to $100,000 in 1868. For a few years the busi-
ness was prosperous, but it gradually declined
woollen yarn.
until 1877, when it came to an end.
Hon. Caleb Butler, in his History of Groton, In 1854 Charles G. Sargent came to Granite-
says " : After King Philip's War and the re-settleville and entered into partnership with Francis A.
ment of the town, Jonas Prescott built a mill at Calvert, under the firm name of Calvert and Sar-
Stony Brook near its issue from Forge Pond, now gent. They bought of Solomon Richardson his
in Westford." This is the first account we have farm, and his saw and grist mill. These buildings
were converted into shops for the manufacture of
woollen machinery. They were burned in December,
1855, and then what is now Mill No. 1 —
a two-story building, 185x52 feet, with a con-
necting L, 32 X 40 feet — was erected. Trto years
later tiiey built Mill No. 2, of the same dimen-
sions. A partnership was formed in 1857, with
John W. P. Abbot, for the manufacture of worsted
yarns ; but being unable to attend to so much
business, Mr. Sargent sold his interest to Allan
Cameron in 1857. In 1862 Mr. Sargent bought
tlieu belonged to Groton was annexed to Westford in his partner's interest, and continued the business