History of Rhodesville
There were many families in the vicinity worthy of notice if space
permitted. Noah Perrin, Sr., the Methodist class leader, had now succeeded
to the ownership of the Perrin farm, and his numerous sons and daughters
were much in demand for teaching school in the surrounding region, their
united service amounting to some sixty-seven terms. Captain Joseph Buck, a
mile east on the Providence road, was a much respected citizen, chorister
at the West Thompson Methodist church, the model head of a most worthy and
promising family. South on the Pomfret road another large and promising
family was growing up in the household of Mr. Abel Dunn. Near them lived
the Sawyers, one of the old Pomfret families, with the blind brother with
such marvelous instinct and aptitudes. Their neighbors, the Gilberts,
Halls and Garys, had all large families, growing up to be useful men and
women in widely separated fields. Another noted family in that
neighborhood was that of Captain Alfred Holmes, whose children it is said
were all well educated and gifted, their home the center of a `brilliant
social circle." Captain Eleazer Keith, old Deacon Deamon, Mr. Darius
Seamans, were well known residents upon the mountain road northward.
These various families, remote from the centers of the three towns in
which they dwelt, were drawn in many ways to Pomfret Factory and more or
less identified with its interests. In the social life of this pioneer "
factory village " there was much that was pleasant and enjoyable. The
owner and master was a life-time resident, dwelling among his own people,
having a personal interest in all their affairs. A bond of common interest
and reciprocal regard united employers and employed as one great
family-its central hearth the delightful home of Mr. Wilkinson. Probably
no house in the three converging towns entertained so much company. Its
hospitable doors were always open, and rich and poor alike, county gentry
and village operative, received the same cordial welcome.. The noble and
lovely wife of Mr. Wilkinson was indeed the " mother of the village." In
health and in sickness, in weal and woe, all were sure of the warmest
sympathy and aid.
The Rhodesville enterprise began with the division of the Bundy privilege
at the Upper Falls, which was surveyed and laid out in four divisions of
about twenty acres each by Simon Davis, Esq., in 1827. These divisions
were then apportioned by lot among the several owners, Abram and Isaac
Wilkinson and James Rhodes drawing the two lower privileges, William and
Smith Wilkinson the two upper privileges. At this date there were but two
houses upon the estate, one on the east side of the river, occupied by
Hezekiah Converse, the other on the west side, by the Glasko family. A new
dam was soon built and the brick factory completed and ready for work in
1830; Stephen Erwin, of Rhode Island, manager. A row of tenement houses
and store building were also constructed; James Bugbee, store-keeper. The
operatives were all American. In 1834, the mill narrowly escaped
destruction by fire. In 1836, Mr. Nehemiah T. Adams was appointed resident
agent and Mr. Leonard Thompson had charge of the store, and was in turn
succeeded by Mr. Chauncey Hammett. In 1837, Rhodesville had become so
populous that it was constituted school district No. 17, of Thompson, and
a school house was built by the company. In the spring of 1841, prosperity
was suddenly checked by the burning of the factory building; supposed to
be the work of an incendiary. About a hundred persons were then employed
by the establishment. The mill was rebuilt under the supervision of Mr. N.
T. Adams. The death of Mr. James Rhodes the following year made further
changes, and after temporary depression the village entered upon a career
of greatly extended prosperity.
In 1835 a road was laid out from Simeon Allen's brick works on the Boston
turnpike to the Quinebaug, over the Rhodesville bridge and on east through
the South Neighborhood, intersecting the old Woodstock and Thompson
turnpike near Sawyer's store, which greatly facilitated the transportation
of cotton from Providence. Yet with all the shrewdness and enterprise of
the two companies and their managers, the supply of cotton was limited and
business operations could not be largely extended. Keen eyes watched with
eager interest the experiments in new methods of transportation. Windham
county manufacturers noted and encouraged the various schemes for
accommodating their own valley, and were prominent among the stockholders
of the Norwich & Worcester Railroad Company. The actual opening of the
railroad in November, 1839, was joyfully welcomed by business men, though
little foreseeing the revolution it would accomplish. The first depot
master at the Pomfret Factory was Mr. John O. Fox, removing thither from
West Thompson. Amasa Carpenter, from North Woodstock, occupied part of the
building, carrying on with Mr. Fox a thriving business in grain and
groceries.
Slowly at first business came to the valley. For a year or two there was
little apparent movement, and then the tide turned from the hill towns.
John O. Fox and Martin Leach were among the first to build dwelling houses
on the east side of the street, near the depot. In 1844 a building for
stores was erected by Mr. Asa Cutler in the same locality, and first
occupied by Lewis K. Perrin, assisted by his brother Charles. The land
east of the depot was purchased from Mr. Tully Dorrance, whose wife, Mrs.
Sally Dorrance, inherited in the Pomfret Manufacturing Company the right
of her deceased father, James Rhodes. Mr. Dorrance therefore owned much
valuable land, and also carried on manufacturing in the first old mill
built by Mr. Wilkinson. Other Rhode Island manufacturers were now on the
field, looking up eligible privileges for prospective enterprises. Hosea
Ballou. Allen & Nightingale, M. S. Morse & Co., won the prizes at
Rhodesville and soon broke ground for three large factories. With the
advent of their masons and carpenters a boom set briskly in. Lafayette
Waters, stone mason, who had the charge of much of the stone work in the
three mills, bought land in the vicinity and sold out a number of building
lots. Houses for dwellings and stores sprang up in various quarters where
eligible sites could be procured. Young men from the hill towns engaged in
trade or professional work in the two villages.
The first physician on the ground was Doctor H. W. Hough, who removed his
practice from Killingly hill to Pomfret Factory in 1846, buying the first
building lot sold by Mr. Smith Wilkinson, on which he soon erected his
present residence. He was soon followed by Doctor Thomas Perry, who
remained a few years. The first lawyer to open an office was Mr. Harrison
Johnson, of Killingly. One of the first merchants was Nathan Williams, of
Pomfret, associated for a time with Ely, of Killingly. Manning & Plimpton
soon followed on the east side of the river. Both these stores were
largely patronized by residents of the hill towns, and business grew and
multiplied in true Western style. Doctor Plimpton also engaged in medical
practice. Doctor Benjamin Segur opened a drug shop opposite Perrin's
store, near the railway crossing. Jeremiah Shumway's tailor shop stood
next to Perrin's store, across an alley, and the first saloon, kept by
Cyrus Thornton, occupied Perrin's basement. Three churches meanwhile were
pushing their way along, striving for precedence and building lots.
The opening of the three great factories in Rhodesville in 1846-47 added
some hundreds to the population and gave additional impetus to the growth
of the villages. Mr. Wilkinson, now advanced in years, foresaw the future
importance of this business center, but did not care to engage in new
enterprises. For some years he was much occupied in settling the affairs
of the Pomfret Manufacturing Company, making division of its large assets
among its few claimants. The general business of the company was now
managed by Mr. Edmond Wilkinson, who was also deeply interested in the
development of his native valley. Much land was now thrown into market and
bought up by eager customers. Mr. Asa Cutler, a shrewd business man and
successful marnufacturer, was very prominent in this connection, buying
land and building many houses. In 1848 he associated with Thomas Dike,
John O. Fox and Newton Clark in building a large brick block for stores,
with a fine hall above for public purposes. Lafayette Waters had charge of
building this block, using 220,000 bricks in its construction. "Quinebaug
Hall" was soon followed by a fine new "Quinebaug House," built by Mr.
Abraham Perrin, the occupant of another pleasant Perrin farm " on the road
to Pomfret.
Several new roads were needed for the accommodation of builders and
travelers. One of especial importance-the present Elm street-was laid out
by Thompson selectmen in 1847. upon petition from Tully Dorrance and
others, viz., "Beginning south side the present road at Rhodesville,"
thence partly by a bank: wall to the southwest corner of the porch of the
school house, thence to a corner of the wall east side North Meadow
street, thence to a corner of a barnyard belonging to Smith Wilkinson,
thence to a post in the corner of a fence, thence to a point where it
intersected the Pomfret Factory road. This road brought many new building
lots into market, and served as an important link in bringing the villages
together. The last road laid out by the Thompson selectmen was the present
School street, in 1854, beginning on the south side of the road leading to
Thompson, near the hew school house, thence n land of Edmond Wilkinson,
crossing a corner of Henry Thurber's lot, by land of Martin Leach and Asa
Cutler, to the southeast corner of Doctor Henry Hough's lot, on the north
side of the Killingly road. But it was found very difficult to procure all
the accommodations needed in this rapid development. People were pouring
in on every side; new stores and business operations were constantly set
in motion, and demand kept pace with expansion.
Back to: Putnam, Windham County,
Connecticut History
Source: History of Windham County, Connecticut,
Bayles, Richard M.; New York: W.W. Preston, 1889 Back to: Windham County, Connecticut
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