History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

February 20, the city council instructed the rep-
resentatives to the General Court to oppose the
annexation to Lowell of that part of Dracut called
Centralville. The Central Bridge Company ob-
tained an act authorizing it to rebuild tiie bridge
across Merrimack River, and it was accepted, April
5, by the city council. Foot-tolls were abolished
on tliis bridge, — an inducement for people em-
ployed in Lowell to reside in Dracut.
February 5, 184'4, the Prescott Manufactur-
ing Company was incorporated, with a capital of
$800,000. The persons named in the Act were
Nathan Appleton, William Sturgis, and Patrick T.
Jackson. Homer Bartlett, the agent until LS49,
was succeeded by Frank F.- Battles from IS 1-9 to
1856, and in LS56 by William Brown. Mr. Brown
died October 18, 1875, and was succeeded by Eras-
tus Boyden, who is the present superintendent.
The Prescott was united to the Massachusetts Com-
pany, in December, 18-t6, and they are now one
company.
The city council, February 19, appointed a joint
special committee to take into consideration the
subject of establishing a city school-library. May
20, an ordinance was passed establishing the City
School-Library in Lowell, and the sum of S2,0U0
was appropriated, to be added to §1,215 received
from the state for that purpose. During the thirty-
five years since the establishment of the library, end-
ing January 1, 1879, there has been appro])riated,
including § 1,215 from the state, by the city council
the sum of $51,150.95, which, with the receipts
from various sources (S21,470.94), makes an ag-
gregate of §72,621.89. It is estimated that the
number of volumes in the library, including all
works of reference, is about twenty-four thou-
sand.
The Lowell Machine-Shop was organized as a
corporation, at a meeting held in Boston March 12,
18-15, by the ciioice of Kirk Boott clerk, seven
directors, John A. Lowell president, and J. Thomas
Stevenson treasurer. S3()0,000 was fixed for the
capital stock, and had been previously .subscribed
for by fifty-five subscribers. The par value of the
shares was fixed at § 500. The office of the treas-
urer has always been in Boston. At a meeting of
the directors on the same day, William A. Burke
was appointed superintendent at Lowell.
The Lowell Machine-Shop having bought of the
Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on Merrimack
Eiver their macliine-shops and foundry, with all
the tools and machinery in them, also the tenement
79
houses and land belonging to them, on the first day
of April, 1845, conunenced making cotton machin-
ery, mill-gearing, and castings. At the present time
(1879) the authorized capital is §1,000,000, and
the capital stock, as voted by the stockholders and
paid in, is §600,000.
The Proprietors of the Locks and Canals, pre-
vious to 1845, built and equipped with machinery
all the cotton-mills, with the exception of two,
then in operation in Lowell ; but since then nearly
all the- machinery, turbine water-wheels, and millgearing
have been furnished by the Lowell Ma-
chine-Shop. The Locks and Canals Company were
among the first in this country to build locomo-
tives, and the Lowell Machine-Shop continued the
manufacture to some extent ; they also made steam-
!
engines, boilers, and machinists' tools. This class
of machinery was discontiimed a few years since.
Li 1858 the shop began building paper machinery
of the difl"erent kinds in use, and it is now one of
the departments of its manufacture. Besides the
machinery made for the cotton-mills in Lowell, very
large quantities liave been and are furnished to
other mills in the New England States, and to quite
a number of the smaller mills in the Southern
States.
J. Huntington Wolcott, Esq., is president of tlie
corporation ; J. Thomas Stevenson, Esq., was the
treasurer from the first, till his death in August,
1876. To the strictest integrity in all his dealings
lie joined a rare ability as a business man.
May 5, the city council authorized the purchase
of land for two commons. TJie South Common
contains about twenty acres, and cost §17,954.98.
The North Common contains about ten acres, and
cost §12,857.59.
A new grammar-school house, on the corner of
Middlesex and Branch Streets, was built tliis year,
and was called the Franklin.
Pentucket Lodge of Masons, organized in 1807,
after a checkered experience, in j\Iarch, 1834, held
the last " recorded" meeting. " The charter, jewels,
and property of tiie lodge were surrendered to the
Grand Lodge, the furniture divided among the
brethren, or sold at auction, and a long, dark night
settled down upon masonry in Lowell." Li 1845
this was succeeded by brighter promises. A meet-
ing was held July 14, at which measures were taken
to resuscitate the lodge, and " September 10, Jesse
Phelps, Daniel Balch, Joshua Swan, Colburn
Blood, Jr., Eansom Keed, Jeff'erson Bancroft, and
Joel Adams petitioned the Grand Lodge for a