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Page 25
Judge Gill was a very benevolent and enterprising man, and did much to
advance the welfare of the town in its infancy. During the first thirty
years of its existence, it increased rapidly in wealth and population,
having in 1790 one thousand and sixteen inhabitants. For the next
half-century it increased slowly, having in 1840 thirteen hundred and
forty-seven inhabitants. Since then, like all our beautiful New-England
farming-towns, it has fallen off in population, having at the present
time but little over one thousand people dwelling within its limits. Yet
neither the town nor the character of the people has degenerated in the
last century. Persevering industry has brought into existence in this
town some of the most beautiful farms in New England, and in 1875 the
value of farm products was nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
Manufacturing has never been carried on to any great extent in this
town. "In Princeton there are four grist mills, five saw mills, and one
fulling mill and clothiers' works," says Whitney in 1793. Now lumber and
chair-stock are the principal manufactured products, and in 1875 the
value of these, together with the products of other smaller
manufacturing industries, was nearly seventy thousand dollars.
Princeton is the birthplace of several men who have become well known,
among whom may be mentioned Edward Savage (1761-1817), noted as a
skilful portrait-painter; David Everett (1770-1813), the journalist, and
author of those familiar schoolboy verses beginning:--
"You'd scarce expect one of my age
To speak in public on the stage";
and Leonard Woods, D.D., the eminent theologian.
This locality derives additional interest from the fact that Mrs.
Rowlandson, in her book entitled Twenty Removes, designates it as the
place where King Philip released her from captivity in the spring of
1676. Tradition still points out the spot where this release took place,
in a meadow near a large bowlder at the eastern base of the mountain.
The bowlder is known to this day as "Redemption Rock." It is quite near
the margin of Wachusett Lake, a beautiful sheet of water covering over
one hundred acres. This is a favorite place for picnic parties from
neighboring towns, and the several excellent hotels and boarding-houses
in the immediate vicinity afford accommodations for summer visitors, who
frequent this locality in large numbers.
The Indian history of this region is brief, but what there is of it is
interesting to us on account of King Philip's connection with it. At the
outbreak of the Narragansett War, in 1675, the Wachusetts, in spite of
their solemn compact with the colonists, joined King Philip, and, after
his defeat, "the lands about the Wachusetts" became one of his
headquarters, and he was frequently in that region. For many years their
wigwams were scattered about the base of the mountain and along the
border of the lake, and tradition informs us that on a large flat rock
near the lake their council-fires were often lighted.
Until 1751, but three families had settled in the Wachusett tract. In
May of that year Robert Keyes, a noted hunter, settled there with his
family, upon the eastern slope of the mountain, near where the present
carriage-road to the summit begins. On April 14, 1755, a child of his
named Lucy, about five years old, strayed away, presumably to follow
her sisters who had gone to the lake, about a mile distant. She was
never heard of again, though the woods were diligently searched for
weeks. Whitney speaks of this incident, and concludes that "she was
taken by the Indians and carried into their country, and soon forgot
her relations, lost her native language, and became as one of the
aborigines." In 1765 Keyes petitioned the General Court to grant him "ye
easterly half of said Wachusett hill" in consideration of the loss of
"100 pounds lawful money" incurred by him in seeking for his lost child.
This petition was endorsed "negatived" in the handwriting of the
secretary. With this one exception the early settlers of Princeton seem
to have suffered very little at the hands of the Indians.
Princeton, in common with its neighbors, underwent much religious
controversy during the first half-century of its existence. The first
meeting-house, "50 foots long and 40 foots wide," was erected in 1762
"on the highest part of the land, near three pine trees, being near a
large flat rock." This edifice was taken down in 1796, and replaced by a
more "elegant" building, which in turn was removed in 1838. The three
pine trees are now no more, but the flat rock remains, and on account of
the fine sunset view obtained from it has been named "Sunset Rock."
The first minister in Princeton was the Reverend Timothy Fuller, settled
in 1767. In 1768 the General Court granted him Wachusett Mountain to
compensate him for his settlement over "a heavily burdened people in a
wilderness country." It was certainly at that time neither a profitable
nor useful gift, and it was a pity to have this grand old pile pass into
private hands. Mr. Fuller continued as pastor until 1776. His successors
were the Reverend Thomas Crafts, the Reverend Joseph Russell, and the
Reverend James Murdock, D.D. At the time when Dr. Murdock left, in 1815,
Unitarian sentiments had developed extensively, and "the town and a
minority of the church" called the Reverend Samuel Clarke, who had been
a pupil of Dr. Channing. The call was accepted and, as a result, a
portion of the church seceded and built a small house of worship; but in
1836 the church and society reunited and have remained so ever since.
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