Connecticut western news., 1875-03-19
HISTORICAL. EsenAInisceRcse4of Ashley E0lIs.
By J. U. L.l

earliest settlement of Southern Sheffield, or what Is now known as 4 shley Falls.
 The towns of Sheffield and Burlington were originally purchased by company of men of the Indians.
 This fact however huv" given me :by a surviving link of the past ntration, viz,
 As early as l73G Left James Smith, ono of the origiu"! purchasers of the town, built log hous" on the sand hi south side of the road leading to the Ashley bridge across the Housatonic river, which was probaly the first Leuse built h Ashley Falls. Ills right of commonage in the original purchase was 5s6 acres. Afterwards he built & small farm house that stood near the present Pease residence. It was taken down hy John Pease Aug. Sd, 1872.
 In l769, Daniel Rathburn came up from Canaan, Conn.,, and purchased the proper. ty of James Smith, where Mir. John Pease now resides, which house Rathburn built the same year. At that time there were two mill dams on the Konkepot river. one where the railroad bridge now crosses the stream. and the other where the present dam lR. The lower dam, as it was called, was the first built in the town of Sheffield At the west end of the upper dam was a carding mill, the first ore built in Bsrk- shire County, built by one Scofeld of PittSfeld, on the east end was a fulling mill, built by Daniel Rathburn. which was the first mill of that kind built in Berkshire County. There was also saw mill below the carding mill on the west side of the stream, At the lower dam on the east side of the stream stood an old grist mill which was burned down, and in one hundred days after, a new mill was built on the old foundation. On the north side of this grist mill stood nail factory, built in 1911 byMajor William Ashley. This building..was afterwards used for plaster mill. On the south side of the grist mill was kkiln dry for drying corn, which after being ground was taken by teams to Hudson and shipped to the West India Isles. In l797, Allen Pease came from sharon. Conn.,, and purchased the Rathburn .property. At that time there was all old forge standing ou the west side of the lower dam, where they made what was known as bloom iron The old forge was carried away by freshet and never rebuilt. The present saw mill was built on the site of the old forge. The upper dam flowed back over the low grounds north of the rail aI> nk 1.- timbered, but which was cut off during the winter and brought down on the ice to the saw mill. So many of the trees died z nd decayed in the water, that it caused pond fcvers to prevail to such an extent that many families were afraid to settle In this part of the town, on account of which, the upper dam was taken away In 1901 by Messrs Pease and Ashley, and @ water privilege purchase d'of M:. Ashley by Pease at the lower dam. and the clothing works moved down and placed nearly where the old forge stood. This was in 1872. The clothing works were afterwards used as a cabinet shop by MT. silas Crippen, and in l848 the clothing mill was burnt, together with the saw mill, which was attached to 1t, aud which stood on the same site of the present saw mill. A saw mill was first built on the Konkepot, in 1911 near where Taft's clay works now are, and the next year removed to near where the present grist mill stands, and was owned by Mir. Ashley The present grist mill was built in nls27 by John Bristol, mill wright, land Luther Westover. carpen- ter. MT. Asahel Ingraham attended this mill two years after it was built. He acci- dentally fell in the wheel pit, and received injuries from which he died. In 1902 c turnpike was built through '' Ashley Vile" Gas then called, from Canaan Conn, to the old Albany and Hartford turnpike, which passed north of the village. A part of the old carding mill was moved to position about a mile north of the village, on the road to Sheffield, and near the present bridge over the Housatonic river, and made into gate-houfe. Gideon Post was the first gate keeper.
 The first school kept in this part of the town was on the west side of the Housa- tonic, in what is now known as the Andrus district. It was taught by a man named Smith, who recieved the name of ''Razor" Smith, because of his sharpness in dealing. He is distinctly remembered by this fact He punished the scholars for their disobedience, by leading them around the school room by the nose. with the Are tongs. The first school kept at Ashley Vile, was in . part of tho cloth room belonging to MT. Allen Pease, and was taught by Caroline Bennett. An old build