History of the Town of Fitchburg Rufus Torey 1836


In a few years after the incorporation of the town, several
roads were opened, and a considerable sum was expended upon
bridges.  The road from South Fitchburg (leading over the
arched bridge, and so by the dwelling-house of Alonzo
P. Goodridge, to the Old City) was opened in 1765.  The road
from Pearl Hill by the swelling-houses of Isaiah Putnam and
Amnos Wheeler, till it come into the old road to Lunenburg,
was accepted in 1766.  It is worthy of remark that in these
and in many other instances, the land which was needed for
the roads, was given by the owners thereof.  They asked for
no jury to decide upon the amount of damage which they
sustained by these improvements.  In the spring of 1770, the
town found it necessary to rebuild the bridges carried away
by the "late freshet". But they did not rebuild them
sufficiengtly high from the water, for in 1771 the records
say that it voted "to rebuild the bridges carried away and
'damnified' by the flooks."  The town also very
magnanimously "voted to pay for the RUM expended at the
bridges."

The good people of Fitchburg being vexed by the intrusion of
"cattel" belonging to persons having no "interest' in the
town, they promptly forbade the entrance of all such
"cattel," and proceeded to build a "pound with logs."  It
was enjoined "that every person in town come and work at
said pound, or pay his proportion."  It was a common
practice for them, however, to vote that their own "Hoaggs
Go at Large lawfully Yokt and Ringd," -- as the erudite Town
Clerk has recorded it.

It is well known that, at this period, the disputes and
difficulties between Breat Britain and her Colonies were
fast approaching a crisis.  Soon after the French power in
Canada had been crushed in 1759, the British Ministry began
to turn their thoughts towards raising a revenue in America.
Their first step in this proceeding was to direct the
collector for the port of Boston to apply to the civil
authority for "Writs of Assistance," to command the aid of
all sheriff and constables in breaking open houses, stores,
ships, and packages of all sorts, to search for articles
prohibited by the "Acts of Trade," -- a series of acts which
had been passed to favor the West India merchants, and which
had nearly annihilated the commerce of the Colonies.  These
acts had been mostly evaded by non-importation and
smuggling.

(to be continued ==>)

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