Connecticut western news., 1875-03-26
HISTORICAL.
By J. H. L.l "Reminiscences of Ashley Falls.
lCoEcluded.l
By J. H. L

e1AhAHhSCGuCe0 Ox A8mu0Y E0uI0s
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 We mentioned in our former article the old grist mill which stood on the east side If the lower dam. In 1888, after the new mill was built, q stone SAW mill was put up n this old mill by Messrs Pease and Ashley. They sawed stone for fre-plsces. window caps, deer sills, sec. The stone for the Academy built at Salisbury, now occupied by the CONN. WESTERN NEWS, was cut in this mill. The stone were taken from quarry opened on the land thn o~ u,d by John Tease, just east of the present depot, in the edge of the grove. This mill was destroyed by freshet in ls4s, and never repaired. In 1916, the cold season, as it was called, an early frost cut off all the fall crops. The corn was iu ear but entirely destroyed, SO there was not in the town of Sheffield enough corn. for seed the next year. It is said this year the pork was SO thin and lean on account of having no corn to feed hogs. they did not use any gambrela to hang it up, but when they butchered their hogs they threw them over 6 pole like pair of saddle bags, and which was known as the saddle bag pork" The first blacksmith shop which Vt have mentioned AS standing where the store of MT. Leroy now is, was built by David Lockwood About the same time there was an old shop occupied by Stephen Lockwood standing on the commons, as then called, but now the park ln front of Ferr,s' Hotel. This shop was a mere shed. and the neighbors geese used to sit under there during the night, which Lockwood did not like. One morning he cut some small pieces of iron about the size of grains of corn, and heated them on the fire red hot, then threw them out with handful of corn for the geese to pick up, which they did, and the hot iron burned right through their throats. How effective the remedy proved I have not learned. There was a blacksmith shop built by Mir. Ashley on the south side of the road just across the bridge, near the VIII A0IA A0StOIys AuAS was dItGT WAEU8 removed to the north side of the road, as they feared the sparks from the forge might fire the nail factory. When this building became untenantable, a new shop was built at the east end of the bridge, now occupied by George Barnum as @ wagon shop. Grove Griffeth afterwards built a blacksmith shop on his land, in which he carried on the trade few years. It is now occupied by Wm. Dunbar.
 William Ashley then put up the shop near the old red school house, now owned and occupied by MT. Fowler. The shop now occupied by Wells Meacham, was build by Miles M. Foot in ls4o. The first tailor who opened shop here was Robert $. Brush. He came from Sheffield in 1928, and commenced business in 8 small building owned by MT. Pease, stand ing near where the Thurston store is. In ls4l he was succeeded by Horace Hubbard He died two years afterwards. At the present time no one representing the craft is engaged in business here. The cheap ready-made clothing has almost ruined the trade in small villages.
 James Gardner opened the first harness shop in l843. He commenced business in the same building occupied by Brush. He was succeeded by 8 MT. Arnold, who occupied the upper room in what is now known as Dr. Scoville's tenant house, opposite Taft's store, In 1859 Thomas Heaton opened a harness shop in part of the Hayes building, or railroad store as it was called. Two years after he purchased and removed to the building where his business is now continued. The Thurston store was built in lS49. MT Thurston commenced business first in the old mill house, on the east side of the mill pond. Then removed to the Hayes store, which was afterwards sold to Capt. Archibald Taft, andI Thu-stOn removed his goods for a few months while his store was building, into the old shop which we have already mentioned as tailor shop &c sc. The place has been visited by fires, aside from the one mentioned in the former article, as follows: Mir. Bortles' dwelling which stood near where Mir. George Lee now resides was destroyed ny fire on Sunday, Nov. 26, ls43. The fire is supposed to have origina- ted, by little girl taking candle and the fire tongs to look for dead kitten between tie ceiling under the roof of the back stoop. When first discovered the roof was all in flames, and the fire spread SO rapidly the family barely escaped. This same build ing was struck with lightning in l799 and 8 son of Mir. Elisha Ensign was killed. Nov. llth, 1858, when Newton Kasson lived on the Laffargue place, his barn, COW shed, horse barn and sranary, together with a horse barn on the Bates place adjoining, were destroyed by fire. This was thought to be the work of an incendia- ry. When first discovered, two boards were found removed from the barn, and the straw in one of the stables where the boards were removed all Tn flames. The entire crop hay and grain, were lost. In July 1859 the Pease barn, as it was called, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. It was occupied by W. Wickwire who had span of horses burned at the same time. It stood near the residence now occupied by MT. Abbott.
 In August 1862. 3 l-2 story building put up by Anson Holden, and occupied at the time by Jacob Maddox, who had a cooper shop on the ground floor and his family occupied the rooms above, and which stood between the store of Mir. Thurston and J. Pease's barn. The adjoin.