History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

called upon to participate in the management of
affairs. It is not strange, therefore, that there
should be occasionally a wide divergence of opinion,
resulting, not in a feeling of hostility to tlie pecun-
iary interests of the companies, but in a desire to
carry out and perfect what the companies had so
generously begun. On the part of the agents, the
desire of directing and controlling all matters in-
volving the expenditure of money may have been
prompted by prudential motives, as the companies
were the heaviest and almost the only possessors
of taxable property. By them, therefore, all pub-
lic burdens would have to be borne. It is neces-
sary to keep this fact in view.
At the first town-meeting, March 6, 1S26, Oliver
M. Whipple, Warren Colburn, Henry Coburn, Jr.,
Nathaniel Wright, and John Fisher were appointed
a committee to divide the town into school and
highway districts. The committee reported at the
next meeting, April 3, proposing its division into
five school districts. The school-houses were located
as follows : District No. 1, wliere the new
Green School-house now stands ; No. 2, at the
Falls, near the hospital ; No. -3, near the pound
No. 4, near Hale's mills, called the Red School-
house; and No. 5, on Central Street, south of
Kurd Street. At this meeting (April 3) Theo-
dore Edson, Warren Colburn, Samuel Batchelder,
Jolm 0. Green, and Elisha Huntington were elected
school committee ; and the town appropriated
$1,000 for the support of the schools. Dr. Ed-
son says : " One of the districts, No. 3, was very
small, not comprising more than about sixteen
pupils. In 1823, the year previous to the incor-
poration of Lowell, the town of Chelmsford ap-
propriated for schools in this whole region, which
was reckoned one district, the sum of $113. 50."
At the town-meeting. May 8, a proposition was
made and carried, that the school-money be dis-
tributed in proportion to the taxes paid from each
district, provided that where the sum for any dis-
trict amounted to less than $112, it be made up to
that sum.
The establishment of schools on a more liberal
foundation, and their regulation, became a matter
of heated controversy between the new town
authorities and the representatives of the mill corporations,
who opposed large expenditures for new
school-houses and for their maintenance, the bur-
den of which would fall chiefly upon their corpora-
tions, and from wliich they would derive little direct
benefit. A long struggle terminated in a vote of
;
LOWELL. 65
the town to build two new school-houses, at a cost
of §20,000.
Early in 182G a stage line was established be-
tween Middlesex Village and Boston, to ruu three
times a week. April 10, a stage ran from Lowell
to Boston daily. June 30, Kurd's mill (woollen
factory) and machine-shop were destroyed by fire.
December 15, Central Bridge, across the Merrimack
River, was finished so as to be passable. Its length,
500 feet; span of centre arch, 180 feet; two outer
arches, 160 feet each. Luke S. Rand was architect
and builder.
February 9, 1827, the postmaster-general estab-
lished a daily mail between Lowell and Boston,
and one every other day from Salem, Newburyport,
Worcester, and Concord, N. H.
March 1, the first savings-bank originated with
the Merrimack Company. All persons in the em-
ployment of the company could, if they chose, al-
low their wages to remain ; and on the amount so
remaining they were allowed interest at six per cent
per annum, payable semi-annually. The company's
pay-day was the Saturday before the 16th of each
month; all sums left were to go on interest the
16th. Books received at the counting-room were
vouchers. The deposits were not to exceed SlOO
at any one time, and the whole received on any one
name not over $1,000. Payments were made at
all times. The interest on money deposited ceased
wlien the depositor left the employment of the com -
pany, and did not draw the principal. The rules
allowed tlie company to demand one week's notice.
This plan was suspended July 7, 1829. According
to Samuel Batchelder, the Hamilton Company tried
this experiment : " After one of the Hamilton Mills
was in operation, I found that those in our employ
suffered such frequent loss of their money by having
in their boardiug-houses no safe place to keep it,
that I allowed them to deposit it with the company
on interest, and opened books for the purpose, on
the plan of a sa\-ings-bank. After a time, Mr.
Nathan Appleton suggested that it might be doubt-
ful whether our charter would authorize this ; I
accordingly prepared a petition to the legislature
for the incorporation of a savings-bank. On re-
ceiving the charter, I notified a meeting, at my office,
of the petitioners and any others that felt an inter-
est in the subject, to take measures for the acceptance
of the act of incorporation. According to my
recollection, there were only five persons present
Mr. Colburn, Mr. Carney, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Beard,
and mvscLf. It was suggested that if so little
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