of wagons made was 7,000, valued at $8,500, the value of velocipedes. made, $1,200. In 1855, the number of wagons and sleds manufactured was 74,900, valued at $14,985, the amount of capital engaged, $2,800, the number of employes, 18. In 1865, there were three establishments in town devoted to the manufacture of this line of goods; the number of children's carriages and sleds made was 17,750, valued at $18,000, the capital invested, $2,000; the number of employes, 12.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURES.- -"BURNHAM'S MILLS."-WOOD-WORK

ING ESTABLISHMENTS.-FAUCETS.

TANNERIES.-BRICK-MAKING.

-AMERICAN BUTTON COMPANY. BONNET-MAKING.—LESSER

INDUSTRIES.

Many branches of wood-working industry have been conducted in Amherst. Among the most important were the various enterprises carried on at "Burnham's Mills" at East Amherst. In view of Mr. Burnham's prominence as a manufacturer in Amherst, a brief sketch of his career is here presented. George Burnham, Jr. was born in East Hartford. Conn., Jan. 28, 1817. He received a common school education and served an apprenticeship at bench plane making in New Hartford, Conn. Completing his apprenticeship, he removed to Amherst, April 10, 1841, taking a position as journeyman plane maker with Luther Fox then carrying on a bench plane business near the river in the eastern part of the town. In the course of a year, a company was formed of Hiram Fox, Benoni Thayer, Aaron Ferry and George Burnham, they buying the business from Luther Fox and carrying it on for about two years. The business was then bought and continued by George Burnham for a number of years, being finally sold to a company in Middletown, Conn. to which place it was removed. Mr. Burnham then equipped his shop with presses for pressing straw hats, and for some time did a general pressing business, pressing hats for L. M. Hills and others through the Connecticut Valley. Later a partnership was formed with Stephen W. Gilbert for the manufacture of axe and other handles, this partnership terminating with the new year, Mr. Burnham continuing the business alone. In 1855, axe-handles were manufactured to the value of $30,000; the capital invested was $12,000, the number of employes ten. July 22, 1858, one of the buildings being struck by light

M:

Later a

ning during a hard shower, the entire plant was destroyed by fire. Burnham immediately rebuilt and continued the handle business. run of stone for grinding corn was added and he did a general milling business. Still later a steam plant and saw-mill were added to the business. In the fall of 1868, he formed a parthership with E. B. Fitts for manufacturing pumps, which business was carried on for some time, the whole works being disposed of to Mr. Fitts. They manufactured an "anti-freezing glass cylinder pump," owning a patent on a new process for boring logs. In the spring of 1871, Mr. Burnham removed to Worcester and was engaged in various kinds of business in that city. He died in Worcester July 11, 1893.

In 1863, Asahel Dwight and William Dickinson conducted a factory at South Amherst on the site now occupied by Merrick's saw mill and cider-mill. They manufactured wooden pumps, shingles and broomhandles. In 1870, the business was removed to Mill Valley, where it was conducted by Asahel Dwight and his brother Nathaniel until 1878. Many of the pumps they manufactured were sold in Hadley, and a few in Connecticut. Asahel Dwight has continued the manufacture of pumps up to the present time, his shop being located at Mill Valley.

Sometime in the '60s, Charles H. Bangs and George E. Howes formed a partnership for the manufacture of doors, sashes, blinds and tobaccoboxes. The business was conducted in a building which stood on the site now occupied by A. W. Hall's carriage-shop, which they bought of Elijah Gibbs. In 1869, Charles H. Bangs sold out his interest to Dwight Graves, and the firm of Dwight Graves & Co. was organized, consisting of Dwight Graves, B. F. Kellogg and George E. Howes. In 1876, Mr. Howes disposed of his interest to O. C. Bangs. When Cushman's paper mill was burned at "Factory Hollow," Dwight Graves & Co. bought the water privilege and built a new mill in 1880, which they now occupy, doing sawing, planing and matching of lumber, and also manufacturing door and window-screens.

In 1866, S. E. Harrington came to Amherst and bought of Messrs. Church and White a mill which had been built some two or three years before by Edward Graves, who had used it for dressing lumber. Mr. Harrington bought from Greenfield machinery for the manufacture of seedsowers and cultivators, making this line of work a specialty for several years, but at the same time carrying on a general business in wood-working. In 1881, his son, F. W. Harrington, became associated with him under the firm name of S. E. Harrington & Son. The business as carried on at present embraces the dressing of lumber, and the manufacture of mouldings, brackets, window-frames, blinds, screens, etc. Most of the product of the mill is used by Amherst builders.

In 1872, Levi E. Dickinson bought from Jonathan Cowls a saw-mill at North Amherst where he engaged in a general line of job work. The following year he engaged in box-making. In 1879, he removed to the center village, and built the factory he has since occupied, below the tracks of the New London Northern railway. In 1882, he began the manufacture of boys' tool-chests, which has since become an important feature of his business. The factory is equipped with machinery of the latest pattern, but little work being done by hand. Mr. Dickinson works up about one million feet of lumber annually, nearly all pine and of native growth. About 40,000 boys' tool-chests are made each year, being sold to jobbers in New York. Several hundred carpenters' and machinists' chests also form a part of the annual product, and a good business is done in the manufacture of creamery butter-boxes from whitewood. The average number of hands employed is fifteen.

Early in the present century, Eli Dickinson began the manufacture of wooden faucets in a little shop at South Amherst on the site of the house now occupied by his grandson, Edwin E. Dickinson. His friend, "'Squire " Rood, drove an old horse hitched to a lumber wagon about the town, gathering up old boots and shoes to be used by Dickinson in the manufacture of his faucets. He made them by a process on which he had secured a patent. His factory contained a turning lathe and a few other

His lathe was turned by horse-power. He had several boys, who assisted their father at his work when not in school. His principal market was Baltimore, where he went once a year to dispose of his wares. It took him from two to three weeks to make the trip. He moved his business to Plainville but remained there only a short time. Later on, two brothers, Luther and Dexter Fox, engaged in the same line of business, making competition so sharp that Dickinson gave up work and sold his shop in 1835 to James Kellogg.

In 1865, a man named Gardner manufactured lucifer matches in a shop at East Amherst that had been built by Oliver Clapp. These matches. had not long been in use and were commonly known as "Loco Foco" matches. The business was small, and was continued only for a short time.

David Watson came from Spencer to Amherst in the early part of the present century and started a tannery near the house now occupied by Oscar F. Morse, where he continued in business until his death in 1815. In 1827, his son Oliver, having served an apprenticeship to the trade in Hadley, started in the tanners' business on the same site where his father had located. Meeting with good success he continued the business until about 1832, when he sold out to William B. Caswell who carried it on for

a number of years. For several years before and after 1827, Enoch Whiting conducted a tannery near the premises now occupied by John M. Hyde it was from the location of this tannery that the name “Tan Brook" was derived. Statistics for 1837 show there was one tannery in operation in Amherst; the number of hides tanned was 1,200, the value of leather $2,500, the capital invested $1,000, the number of hands employed two. In 1845, there was one tannery; the number of hides tanned was 650, the value of leather tanned and curried $1,600, capital invested $1,500, number of employes two.

When Oliver Watson sold out his tannery in 1832, he engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes at East Amherst. In this he was very

successful, soon acquiring a handsome competence. The boots and shoes he manufactured were honest goods, commanding a ready sale wherever introduced. Statistics for 1837 show that during the preceding year 1,150 pairs of boots and 3,000 pairs of shoes were manufactured, valued at $8,550; the number of males employed was 11, of females three. In 1845, the factory turned out 918 pairs of boots and 2,833 pairs of shoes, valued at $5,870: the number of males employed was 18, of females four. In 1855, there were manufactured 3,650 pairs of boots and 2.700 pairs of shoes, valued at $13,500; the number of employes was 29. In 1865, 1,400 pairs of boots and 250 pairs of shoes were manufactured, valued at $11,000; the capital invested was $10,000, the number of employes 12.

Roswell D. Howard began the manufacture of brick at Hadley in 1820. In 1836, he removed to Amherst and started a brick-yard in the east part of the town in what is known as Kelloggville. He continued in business until his death in 1889. In 1869, the product of his yard was upwards of 700,000 brick, that sold from seven to ten dollars a thousand. In 1830, Hervey Gilbert advertised for sale a good brick yard about one and one-half miles south of Amherst College. In 1887, C. L. Alexander & Co. leased land of W. F. Williams at South Amherst and engaged in the manufacture of brick, on a large scale. They became insolvent in 1892, and the property passed into the hands of Marcy & Gardner who have since conducted the business. The average number of brick made at the yard in the course of a year is from three to four million, the average number of employes is from 35 to 40. Most of the product is sold in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Statistics for 1845 show the number of brick manufactured in Amherst the preceding year to have been 85,000, valued at $225; the number of employes was two. In 1855, 250,000 brick were made valued at $1,125; the number of employes was

ten.

In the early '60s, the American Button company was organized, composed mainly of Amherst men, for the manufacture of a patent button. The following paragraph, quoted from the Hampshire Express under date of May 3, 1866, gives a good idea of the beginning and nature of the enterprise:

"A new enterprise has been developed by the business men in this vicinity within the past few days. Mr. I. F. Palmer of Springfield has invented a patent button which is attached to any kind of clothing without sewing. The shank and cap of the button are made separate. The cloth is pierced with a bodkin and the shank, which has a cap upon the under side, inserted. The button then fits on to the shank and is fastened in its place with a spring, and can only be removed by cutting the cloth. This patent was assigned by Mr. Palmer to Rev. George Cooke, J. S. & C. Adams, and W. H. Keith, president of the Waltham Watch Co. They have organized a joint stock company, with a capital stock of $100,000, to promote the manufacture. All of the stock was taken in a week's time, and a large portion of it in this vicinity. Parties are now offering 10 per cent premium for it. Although the company is not yet organized, yet the proprietors of the patent have machinery already manufacturing, and have made contracts for the manufacture of the button until they shall have established a factory of their own. The location of the factory is not yet decided upon. The button has been patented in England, France and Belgium.”

The factory was situated a little south of the New London Northern railway depot. A notice of the annual meeting held in Boston in May, 1868, gives the following list of officers: President, Henry F. Hills; clerk and treasurer, E. A. Kingsley; directors, J. S. Adams and W. M. Cutler of Amherst, Charles Roberts of Boston, Hon. Edward Southworth of Springfield, L. N. Granger of North Hadley; general agent, Edward Kingsley. The company met with little success in its enterprise, and a notice in the Amherst Record under date of Nov. 19, 1868, announced that the Button company had disposed of half its machinery, tools and fixtures at private sale, but had not disposed of its patents.

David Mack engaged in the business of manufacturing ladies' hats sometime between the years 1835 and 1840. The business was carried on in a block built by him on the site now occupied by Cook's block. His son Samuel E. was associated in business with him. They employed about 100 hands, on an average, sometimes, in the busy season, as many as 140. These employes were nearly all girls and women, only about ten men being engaged in the business. They used foreign straw, bought in New York, and carried on the complete business of hat manufacture. The goods were sold in New York, Philadelphia and New Orleans. The business was sold out in 1848 to Joseph Payson of Easthampton, who conducted it until 1852 or '53, when it was given up. David Mack died in Amherst in 1854. Samuel E. Mack removed in 1848 to St. Louis, Mo., where he died in 186