fitchburg-hometown
Pearl Hill Road used to be the principal mail route from Fitchburg north
to Amherst, N.H. before the advent of the railroad in 1845.

(here on page 30 of the manuscript is a lovely drawing of an old train
station.  The caption reads, "The abandoned train station at West Fitchburg
and the nearby Wachusett Depot symbolize the passing of an era.")

By 1820, all of Fitchburg's cotton mills employed child labor who worked a
fourteen-hour day at a wage of two to three dollars per week.  Local mill
owners opposed any labor reform and one insisted that "the morals of small
workers will suffer if long absent from the wholesome discipline of factory
life,"

In May, 1830, Joe Palmer was attacked by four men outside the Fitchburg
Hotel.  They attempted to shave off his beard, in an age when beards were
considered heretical.  When he tried to defend himself with a knife, he was
arrested and put in jail for more than a year.  He is buried in the
Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster where his monument bears his likeness
complete with a flowing beard and the inscription: "Persecuted for Wearing 
the Beard."

In 1880, Fitchburg's first Telephone Exchange began with sixty-two
subscribers.  The first telephone was installed in the home of Dr. Frederick
H. Thompson at 3 Pleasant Street.

The first Catholic Church in Fitchburg was built from the wooden boards of
old shacks by the railroad tracks.  It was called the "Shanty Cathedral",
and was located in the vicinity of St. Bernard's Church.

Fitchburg is fortunate in that it has several small mountains in the
vicinity.  Mt. Watatic, elv. 1832 feet, straddles the Ashby-Ashburnham line
ten miles northwest of the city.  It is a year-round vacation spot, with
skiing in the winter and hiking the remainder of the year.  It is probably
most crowded in August, when the summit's delicious bluberries yield their
fruit to the delight of climbers.  Hang-gliding, fast becoming a major
American sport, is frequently practiced on the cleared slopes of the
mountain's north side.  Watatic's accessibility is due to the fact that the
Wapack Trail, laid out more than fifty years ago, crosses over the mountain.
The exhilarating climb is well worth the effort, because the view extends
for more than seventy miles in all directions.  Boston's skyline, fifty
miles distant, is visible even on cloudy days, while the Berkshires of
Massachusetts and the Green Mtns. of Vermont provide an impressive backdrop
to the west.  Allow about half an hour for the climb as it's quite steep and
rocky.

>From Fitchburg, there are two main routes to Mt. Watatic.  The first is by
going north on Ashby State rd. (Rte. 31) past Green's Pond.  In about five
miles, you will come to Sheldon Bridge at the junctrion with Rte. 119.  Keep
going straight through on the main road, which from here on is Rte 119
westbound.  Ashby common is a mile and a half farther up, and is a
delightful village with its well-tended green.  Numberous 18th and 19th
century homes line the village stret.  Keep on Rte. 119 west for about three
and a half miles, passing the junction with Rte. 101.  Proceed for three
quarters of a mile and park you car in a clearing where the telephone poles
lead directly up the mountain.  This is the Wapack Trail.

>From West Fitchburg, Ashburnham St. (Rte. 12 north) provides another
interesting, yet direct, route to Mt. Watatic.  Built as the Keene stage
road in 1793, Ashburnahbm St. provides us with a cross-section of period
homes.  The cluster of brick Greek Revival houses at the start of the road
bespeaks Fitchburg's former prosperity as a mill town.  Phillips Brook
traverses this area, and Rte. 12 follows the stream to Ashburnham, amidst a
serene and pastoral landscape.  At the center of Ashburnham, take a right
onto Rte. 101 north and continue to Rte. 119. Turn left onto Rte. 119 for
three-quarters of a mile at the clearing where cars may be parked for the
hike up the Wapack Trail. 

(to be continued)