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If it were weren’t for Elias Howe, born in Spencer, MA, where would Diane Furstenberg, Gloria Vanderbilt, Anne Klein or even Calvin Klein be today? Where would the garment industry be and where would J.C. Penney or even Theodore Wear Bear be today? To be responsible for improving the lot in life of multitudes is a lovely gift. This gifted inventor, Elias Howe, had a love for machinery as a grew up on his dad’s farm on the south side of Spencer. Actually, at the time most of Spencer’s inhabitants were involved in agriculture except for the few woolen and grist mills scattered through the town, . Later in the 19th century Spencer became the boot capital of the state. Elias’s era could be epitomized by the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” If a farmer or any person needed a tool to accomplish a job, they just designed, made the tool, and took care of whatever tasks needed to be done. “Elias,” “suggested a friend,“ anyone who invented the machine that could take over the tedious, sometimes onerous task of sewing could make a fortune!“ Elias smiled, and being the modern forward thinker that he was, he moved to Lowell, Mass. and worked to develop his dream machine. Success ensued and the machine was patented September 10, 1846. “Watch the dollars come pouring in, Elias!” Right! Wrong! As the saying goes, a prophet is not loved in his own country. Elias’s, invention was largely ignored in America. So he moved his family to England, where he sold his idea for $1250. Years of hard work and creativity, and Elias still did not make his fortune. Eventually, he moved back to the U.S. where he found his invention much in use. Well, not a man to stand by and be overrun, he spent many years in litigation, and was successful most often. From 1854 when his rights were established to 1867, when his patent expired, he receive royalties on all the sewing machines that had been manufactured in this country. Elias died a rich man October, 1867 in Brooklyn, New York. William Howe Elias Howe lived in a time of change and also came from a family that greeted change. Elias‘s uncle was William Howe, who was also born in Spencer, Mass, May 12, 1803. William farmed until 1838 when he was commissioned to build a bridge in Warren, Massachusetts, for the Boston and Albany railroad. He pioneered the development of the “Truss Bridge“ useful in spanning broad areas. The truss bridge contained wooden diagonal members and iron vertical ties. In 1840 he received two patents for the Howe Truss Bridge. After building a bridge across the Connecticut river in Springfield he became primarily a bridge builder. A drawing of the Howe Family homestead where Elias Howe, Jr., the inventor of the sewing machine, and his Uncles, Tyler Howe, inventor of the Spring Bed, and William Howe, inventor of the Truss Bridge, were born. The monument above stands where the house stood.

Article originally published in the Summer 1993 edition of the Sturbridge Shopper Sturbridge-During one of Country Curtains periodic informative sessions Penny Halloway, archivist at Old Sturbridge Village, lectured about the history of the Lincoln House Before the lecture began a portrait fell and the staff of Country Curtains smiled at each other and said to Penny, “Mrs. Lincoln is welcoming you.“ Later we learned that Mrs. Lincoln‘s first name was also Penny, short for Penelope. Mrs. Lincoln also welcomed Abraham Lincoln, for he was a distant cousin to her husband, Levy Lincoln, Jr. Honest Abe was entertained in the house when he attended a Whig Convention in 1848. Apparently Penelope‘s cooking was very memorable, for 15 years later, while a guest at the White House, Levy Jr.heard the President reminisce about the greatness of the meal he had at his house in Worcester. Levy Lincoln Jr. was one of ten children born to Levy Lincoln who settled in Worcester in 1775. Levy Lincoln, Sr. served as a state senator and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. Both he and his son Levy, Jr., were graduates of Harvard University. Levy Jr. And Penelope moved into their first house in Worcester in September of 1824. What followed were many prosperous years. Levy Jr. became a state senator and an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. He was then governor from 1825 to 1832. During those years many famous visitors came to call, including Daniel Webster, John Adams and Henry Clay. Influenced by the rapid growth of the city (and possibly annoyed by the bells from the newly constructed Railroad nearby), the Lincolns decided to move into the Lincoln House, which was then situated on Elm Street in Worcester. The house that we now call the Lincoln House had been built by Auburn-born architect Elia Carter, who also built many other fine Worcester homes as well as the Leicester Academy and the Brimfield Congregational Church. The side hall of the new house had Greek revival elements (the Greek revival style flourished from 1820 to 1860). In keeping with the Greek revival style, the Lincoln House had columns, sidelights, high ceilings on the first floor and a low pitched pyramid-shaped roof. Initially, nine people occupied the house, including four servants. One of the Lincoln’s sons died in the war with Mexico. Levy Jr. became the first mayor of Worcester in 1848 and until the time of his death at age 85 in 1868, he was a member of the Worcester Agricultural Society; Vice President of the American Antiquarian Society; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; member of the Massachusetts Historical Society and an overseer at Harvard. Penelopes ancestry dates back to the pilgrims at Plymouth, and before that to the Saxon kings of England. She had seven children who survived infancy and was known as a wonderfully resourceful person. One anecdote about her relates how she handled a troop of unexpected dinner guests. . According to the tale, har husband invited the captain of a local militia troop to dinner. But as a dinner hour approached, the sound of marching feet outside drew the family’s attention. “The fool has brought his entire troop!“ her husband said, to which Penelope supposedly replied with a laugh, “Just give me a half an hour and I’ll feed them all.“ And she did. Her gracious spirit is still noted in the house she ran with such warmth until 1872. In 1950 Waldo Lincoln sold the house to the Worcester Mutual Fire Insurance Co., which planned to demolish it. At this point, it was purchased by Albert Wells for his four year young Old Sturbridge Village. However, it was never located in the village property as the house was deemed too stylistic and fancy for Sturbridge. The house was disassembled and measured drawings of each marked piece was done. The pieces were then placed in a setback field off route 20. The original plans called for it to be closer to Route 20 but for some unfathomable reason, the project stalled and the pieces sat outside for three years, during which time the markings disappeared. Reassembling it was like working on a giant jigsaw puzzle and was accomplished only buy matching nail holes. The building was once graced by statemen, including William H Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Great Britain ambassador Viscount James Bryce and Everett Hale. Since moving to Sturbridge, it has housed Old Sturbridge Village offices, a restaurant and been used for public square dances. In addition, in 1968 it housed the L.H.Fabric Shop and in 1973 was headquarters for the Pearl McGowan Rug Hooking Co. Since 1980 County Curtains (and unseren others) have occupied it. The ambience is still hospitable and lovely (perhaps Penelope is still looking after it?) Tales of pranks played or help given by two by friendly spirits abound amongst the staff of Country Curtains that lead them to believe the Lincolns might still live there. Note: Country Curtains is no longer in Lincoln House and it is now occupied by Lake Road Living and Hydrangea Home Decor.

by Sandy Gibson-Quigley “NEW LIBRARY. Building Dedicated In Sturbridge Today”. From the Worcester Evening Gazette, Last Edition (5 PM), Thursday, July 22, 1897 It’s interesting to speculate on which part of the above is more interesting – the opening of the new Library, or the fact that a complete report of the event was available in the Worcester Gazette published 4 hours later. This was not the Town’s first library. The Proprietor’s Social Library whose members paid for subscriptions was established in 1804. In 1850 The Quinebaug Library Association was formed, open to men, and eventually women, who paid for subscriptions. The Library’s books were housed in various locations around the Common. In 1873 the Association voted to offer the library's nearly 500 volumes to the Town for the establishment of a public library. One of the members of the Quinebaug Library Association, and of the Town Library Committee was Julia Hyde, niece of George B. Hyde, and granddaughter of Joshua Hyde. Perhaps she made her uncle aware of the need for library space. The Hyde Family The Hydes are clearly important in the story of our Library. In 1894 Sturbridge was notified of George Hyde’s bequest of $20,000 for a library to be named for his father – $10,000 to build the library, and $10,000 to be used in perpetuity for books, etc. George B. Hyde (1811-1889) was a longtime Boston teacher, head of school, and School Committee member. His father, Joshua Hyde (1762-1838) was a local farmer and Revolutionary War Veteran. He recognized the value of a sound education and, despite not having had such advantages himself, he “cheerfully bestowed them upon his children.” Julia Hyde, her brother Henry, and his son Henry, served for many years as Trustees of the Joshua Hyde Library. [Note: George Hyde’s portrait by noted local artist William Willard is located across from the circulation desk, as is his personal “best 8-day clock”.] The Haynes Sisters Another local family was vital to the JHPL throughout nearly three quarters of the 20th century – the Haynes sisters (no, not the singing duo in “White Christmas”). The Haynes’ homes/workshops are located diagonally across the street from the Library – 5 Haynes St., 307 and 315 Main St. Two sisters – Emily and Susan were librarians, and their sister-in-law Harriet was a member and chair of the Board of Trustees for 55 years, retiring in 1979. Emily Haynes was librarian from 1898-through1902. She was educated at Drexel, and went on to a distinguished career at the WPI Library, returning to help out in Sturbridge when she retired. Susan Haynes was the librarian at Joshua Hyde for 50 years, from 1908 through 1958. Some interesting items from Miss Haynes tenure: From 1897 through 1955 a messenger was employed to circulate books both to homes and stores (Blackington Building in Fiskdale) 1915, two branches opened, one in Westville at the home of Mrs. C.C. French, and one at the Four Corners in the southern part of Town (Mrs. Phipps) 1935 Miss Haynes noted the redecorating and painting of the exterior of the building by the E.R.A. workmen (Emergency Relief Administration, part of the New Deal) 1942 The Library was collecting books for the Victory Book Campaign to supply books for libraries in the soldiers’ camps. 1946 New lights installed in the Reading Room 1948 Installation of the oil heater “which not only adds to the comfort of our patrons but to the safety of the building and its contents” 1958 Miss Susan Haynes retired [Note: Miss Emily Haynes had been acting Librarian for the year as Susan was not in good health] Library Expansion In the early 1960s, as the population of the Town was growing, the Trustee yearly noted the need for more space – shelving, work space, and program space. Not until 1988 did the Town approve the building of an addition with the support of a $300,000 gift from Catherine Shumacher. The JHPL Addition was dedicated May 21, 1989. Friends of the Library Founded in 1986, the Friends of the Library is a major contributor to the fiscal operation of the library. They are a dedicated group of volunteers working to support and strengthen library services. [For a full account of the JHPL, see the book Joshua Hyde Public Library: Centennial, 1897-1997, A Century of Progress, by Charles F. Burns. Available in the Library.]