History of Shelburne Massachusetts

History and Tradition of Shelburne, Massachusetts is the result of a long community effort to assemble a permanent written record of the town’s past. The project began on July 19, 1944, when Mrs. Kate Orr Anderson Payne invited a group of Shelburne women to her summer home to discuss the possibility of preparing a printed town history. From that meeting emerged an interim committee, followed by formal action at the annual town meeting in February 1945, when funds were first appropriated for the work.

Over the following years, the undertaking proceeded in stages. Committees were appointed by the selectmen, editors were engaged, and chapter outlines were developed. Responsibility for editing and coordination passed through several hands as circumstances changed, including relocations and health limitations. Periods of steady progress were followed by intervals of inactivity, until a reconstituted committee in the mid-1950s revived the project and brought it to completion. In 1957 the town appropriated funds specifically for publication, leading to the appearance of the volume in 1958.

From the outset, the committee chose the title History and Tradition of Shelburne, using the word “tradition” both in the sense of inherited culture and values and in the sense of information preserved by memory and oral account. The work was intentionally compiled as a topical history rather than a genealogical study, with the latter reserved for a possible separate publication. As a result, the volume focuses on the physical setting, economic life, institutions, cultural development, military service, architecture, and notable residents of the town.

The book is organized into nine major parts, beginning with geology and topography and extending through early settlement, agriculture and industry, public utilities, religious and cultural life, participation in wars, early homes, and biographical sketches. An appendix preserves supplementary materials and sources. Because the chapters were written by many contributors over a long period, some overlap and variation in style are unavoidable. Together, however, they provide a broad and detailed account of Shelburne’s development and character, drawn from records, recollection, and local experience, and intended as a reference for present and future readers interested in the town’s history.

History and tradition of Shelburne, Massachusetts

Table of Contents

Foreword ………………………………………………………… 3

Part I. Our Hills and Valleys

1. Geology ………………………………………………………… 5
2. Topography ……………………………………………………… 5

Part II. Our Early Days

3. Our First Settlers ……………………………………………… 8

• A Pioneer Adventure ……………………………………………. 8

3. Excerpts from Town Meeting Records ………………………. 9

Part III. We Earn Our Living

5. Shelburne Agriculture ………………………………………. 15
6. Shelburne Industries ……………………………………….. 18

• The Flood of 1869 …………………………………………….. 24

5. Business Section ……………………………………………. 26

• South Side ……………………………………………………. 27
• North Side ……………………………………………………. 30

5. Banks ………………………………………………………… 34
6. The Sweetheart Tea House ………………………………… 40
7. Post Offices …………………………………………………. 41
   • Stage Drivers ……………………………………………….. 43
   • OPA, Nothing New ………………………………………….. 43

Part IV. We Organize Our Facilities

11. Water Supply and Fire Protection ………………………….. 44
    • The Tower on Mt. Massaemet ………………………………. 47
12. Shelburne Falls and the Railroads …………………………. 48
13. The Shelburne Falls–Colrain Trolley ……………………….. 49
14. Telephone …………………………………………………… 49
    • Light and Power …………………………………………….. 50
15. Health Conditions ………………………………………….. 50

Part V. Our Religious Heritage

16. Churches
    • Shelburne Center ……………………………………………. 52
    • Shelburne Falls ……………………………………………… 56
    • Town Clock ………………………………………………….. 59
17. Missionaries ………………………………………………… 66
18. Cemeteries ………………………………………………….. 69
    • Plea for Old Cemetery ………………………………………. 69

Part VI. Our Cultural Heritage

19. Our Schools …………………………………………………. 71
20. Libraries …………………………………………………….. 88
21. Shelburne Falls Military Band ……………………………… 91

Part VI. Continued

22. The Shelburne Falls Woman’s Club ………………………… 91
    • The Bridge of Flowers ………………………………………. 93
    • The Shelburne Falls Art Center …………………………….. 93
23. Other Civic and Social Organizations ………………………. 94

Part VII. Our Part in the Wars

24. The French and Indian Wars ……………………………… 107
25. The Revolution …………………………………………….. 107
26. Shays’ Rebellion ………………………………………….. 112
    • War of 1812 ……………………………………………….. 113
    • The Mexican War ………………………………………….. 114
27. The War Between the States ……………………………… 114
    • The Soldiers’ Monument …………………………………… 118
28. The Spanish War …………………………………………. 119
29. First World War …………………………………………… 120
30. Second World War ………………………………………. 124
31. The Korean “Police Action” ……………………………….. 133
32. Military Organizations …………………………………….. 134

Part VIII. Our Early Homes

33. Old Frame Houses in Rural Shelburne …………………… 137
34. Taverns of Rural Shelburne ………………………………. 164
35. Successors to Old Frame Houses in Rural Shelburne ….. 169
36. Old Brick Houses of Shelburne ……………………………. 176
37. Old Houses of Shelburne Falls ……………………………. 179

Part IX. Our Well-Known Citizens

38. Martin Severance ………………………………………….. 186
39. Lawyers and Legislators ……………………………………. 187
40. Resident Physicians of Shelburne ………………………….. 192
41. Other Well-Known Citizens …………………………………. 201
42. Shreds and Patches ………………………………………… 213
    • Martin Severance, 1718–1810 (A Poem) …………………… 215

List of Contributors ……………………………………………… 217
Acknowledgement of Gifts ……………………………………… 218

Appendix

• Seven Lost Years ……………………………………………….. 219
• Census Figures …………………………………………………… 219
• A Charming Affair ……………………………………………….. 219
• Old Home Week …………………………………………………. 219
• Sources of Information, As Given ………………………………. 220
• Rhymes on the Shelburne Falls Military Band ………………….. 221
• Addenda ………………………………………………………… 221

Source

Burnham, Mrs. Walter E.; Ware, Mrs. Herbert P.; Taylor, Mrs. Elliot H.; Watkins, Mr. Thomas W.; History and tradition of Shelburne, Massachusetts, Springfield, Massachusetts : Pond-Ekberg Company, 1958.