Montague: Labor and Leisure

By Kyle J. Scott

Montague, a picturesque New England town, was once a hub of manufacturing. This uniquely planned community was established in an area that was well suited to both labor and leisure. The Great Falls offered the power to cover the energy needs for the countless factories along the river's edge as well as its man-made power canal. The newly planned village of Turners Falls and the pleasant living conditions of Montague's other villages led to a growth in population at the beginning of the twentieth century. Immigrants from all over the globe added to the diversity of Montague. The historical photographs in Montague Labor and Leisure show one hundred thirty-five years of captivating history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Aug 31, 2005
• ISBN: 9781439632406

Kyle J. Scott

Historian Kyle J. Scott, coauthor of Arcadia Publishing's Montague and Deerfield, has once again compiled a wealth of compelling photographs of Montague. Through new images and greater detail, this volume shows the businesses, industry, and leisure activities of all the villages.

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INTRODUCTION

Montague, Massachusetts, was incorporated on December 22, 1753, and given the name of Montague in honor of Capt. William Montague. Captain Montague was the hero at the taking of Cape Breton, where he commanded the Mermaid. While the town was legally incorporated in the year 1753, there is no record of its government until 1756, when a town meeting was held and recorded. Montague is a town comprised of five villages within its borders. The villages are Turners Falls, Millers Falls, Lake Pleasant, Montague Center, and Montague City. The village present when the town was founded was Montague Center. The rivers running throughout the town’s villages played a significant role in the development of the town as a whole, as well as its villages. Industrial sites developed along the banks of the Connecticut and Millers Falls Rivers. Native Americans were found in this region. The plentiful resources offered by the rivers made the area that is now Turners Falls and the Riverside section of Gill a popular fishing and camping site. Before the construction of dams on the rivers, salmon fishing provided the staple food in the Native Americans’ diet. The natives traveled on the waterways fishing, hunting, and trading various goods. Later, the Connecticut River permitted the travel of large riverboats and barges. River traffic slowly declined and almost came to a stop due to the expansion of the railroad heading north from Northampton.

In the early 1860s, Col. Alvah Crocker of Fitchburg came to Montague and the area of Turners Falls with the idea of developing a modern planned community. In 1867, the first water rights were purchased by the Turners Falls Lumber Company, located in Gill on the shores of the Connecticut River. Alvah Crocker’s plan for the development of Turners Falls was to attract industry to the area. The hope was that these industries would settle in town and purchase mill sites as well as water rights. The workers coming to the newly planned community would then purchase residential lots for homes. The planning of the village of Turners Falls was well thought out. Alvah Crocker sent to the village his brother, William Crocker, a young civil engineer, and his then 19-year-old assistant, Charles W. Hazelton. Together both young men planned the streets and laid out Turners Falls.

Colonel Crocker’s vision for industry in the community became a realization when a major business moved into the village. In 1868, the John Russell Cutlery Company relocated its operations from Greenfield to Turners Falls. The cutlery purchased the first planned mill site that was laid out. The company became known worldwide for its quality cutlery. The John Russell Cutlery Company provided jobs for over one-third of the village’s residents. The next major site to be developed was the location of the Montague Paper Company. The other companies that followed the path to Turners Falls were the Keith Paper Company, the Turners Falls Cotton Mill, and Marshall Paper Company (later renamed the Esleeck Manufacturing Company). The Turners Falls Paper Company also built a mill site in the area.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, log drives began moving downstream on the Connecticut River. Some of the logs were sent down south to be milled, while others were milled and processed by the Turners Falls Lumber Company. The Millers Falls Tool Company realized the benefits of a river location, and in 1900, it constructed a site along the Millers Falls River. The great tool company was located on the Erving side of the river, and it continued its operations as one of the world’s leading tool companies until August 2000. Montague Center, the town’s first village, became known as a location for great farming and agricultural interests. Montague City saw many businesses and industries over its history, including the Farren Memorial Hospital, the Montague City Rod Company, and various brickyards. The bricks manufactured in this village were used in most of the