Connecticut Historical Collections

The first settlement in the town was conmienced in the south part, : by persons by the naiTie of Foot and Carrier, who were from Colches- f ter: these settlers located themselves between two and three miles *. south of the meeting house. The tradition is, that the first person wiio • located himself in the limits of the town was Mr. Carrier, who con- -^ structed a kind of log hut on the land now owned by Mr. Gelston. , Carrier, who came up from Colchester to make a clearing for a settle- ment, having got detained from some cause, was obliged to stay in his < hut over night, and was attacked by a party of Indians, eight or ten in • , number. Carrier, who was a strong atliletic man, defended himself ' with such effect that he killed nearly the whole number with his axe, as they attempted to force themselves into his cahin. j The New London and Hartford turnpike passes through the center I of this town. After ascending the mountain which forms the eastern t boundary of the valley of the Connecticut, about twelve niiles from Hart- j ford, the road passes through what is called " tJie darlc /tollou\" This j place is on the mountain, near the western boundary of ftlarlborough. I Large masses of rocks are thrown about in great disorder, giving the j place a wild and savage aspect. In the vicinity of this place, westerly ■: from the turnpike, an English gentleman, It is said, who had married 1 the daughter of one of the governors of Connecticut, resided for some j time with his family, at the period of the first settlement of the cr)untry, j S I I\I S B U R Y . The ancient name of Simsbury was JSlassncoc. The land was pur- chased of the Indians, and settlements began under the town of Wind- sor, of which it was then considered as part. In the session of the General Court, May, 1()70, it was enacted, that Massacoe should be a distinct town, by the name of Simsbury; the limits granted were ten miles northward from the north boimds of Farminf;ton, and ten miles westward fiom the western bounds of Windsor. Ahout six years after , the settlement, the inhabitants, numbering about foity families, were so ^ alarmed at the hostility of the Indians, that they buried their cftects afld . went back to Windsor. The settlement being des«|-ted, the Indians 9 destroyed the houses which had been erected, by burning them, and blotted out almost every vestige of improvement which distinguished the new born settlement from the surrounding wilderness ; so that when the settlers returned, they could not find the place where their goods s I M s B u n y , 101 were secreted. This was in the spring of 1G7G, at which time Sims- bury wns a iVonlier settlement, althongh but about ten miles from Con- necticut river. This township is seven miles in length, and about five and a half miles in breadlli, upon an average estimate. It is bounded N. by Granby, e. by Windsor and Bloon)field, s. by Avon, and w. by Canton. It is stiikingly diversified, being intersected by the Farmington river, and embracing the ranu;L' of tlie greenstone mountain, wliich here is elevated and lofty. The New Haven and Northampton Canal passes- through this town, running parallel with the river. South IK II of 'Tat il] nlle, m Simslnu i/. Tariffville, a flourishing village, is situated at the northeastern ex- tremity of this town, on tlie west bank of the Farmington river, which at this place passes south, at the base of a range of mountains, which divides this part of the State from the great valley of Connecticut river. The accompanying view shows the appearance of the village from the heights vvhlcl) rise immediately south. The river passes between the buildings represented and the 'precipitous heights seen on the right in the engraving. Tliere is in the village a post ofhce, called the Tarifi- ville post oflice, and two taverns, both of which are seen in the engrav- ing; one is seen on the extreme left, the other south of the Stone Fac- tory, (the buildingr with a cupola,) before which a large tree is standing in the street. This place is a carpet manufacturing village, owned prin- cipally by a company called the " New England Carjiet Company ;" they employ 175 hands, and manufiicture yearly about 132,000 yards of carpeting. This flourishing village is between three and four miles south of Newgate or Simsbury mines, near the New Haven and North- ampton Canal, and twelve miles from Hartford. The following extracts are from a publication entitled "the History of my own times," by the Rev. Daniel Barber, A. M. printed at Wash- ington, 1827. 1 02 S I M S B U Jl V , "In the commencement of Pliillji's war In New Englantl, in 1675,? this town (Simsbiiiy) was bnint by the Indians. Connected with wlilch event, cnrrent tradition lias pieseived and handed down the foUowing singular and extraordinary fact: that, very shortly before this attack by the Indians, early one Sunday morning, as Lieut. Robe's father was walking over the plain not from his house, he very plainly and dis- tinctly heard the report of a small arm, which much surprised him, it being the Sabbath. He found on returning to Iiis house, that his fam- ily also heard it. On going to meeting, at which the inhabitants from all parts of the town were assembled, it was ascertained that the rej)ort was heard at the same hour in every quarter. It was, on fiu-tlier exam- ination, found to have been heard as far south as Saybrook, (fifty miles,) and as far north as Northfield, at that time the extent of the English settlements to the north. The report of this gun alarmed all Connec- ticut. The Governor summoned a council of war to meet at Hartford ; and the council issued an order fur the inhabitants of Simsbury, one and all, immediately to withdraw themselves to Hartford, the then cap- ital. This order was punctually obeyed. The fearful apprehension of being suddenly murdered by savages, put in motion, and hastened along, whole bands of women and children, with men in the rear, with sheep, cattle, and such utensils and conveniences as their short notice and hasty flight would permit. Hartfoid was twelve miles distant. Their heavy articles, such as pots, kcliles, and plough irons, were secreted in the bottoms of swamps and wells. "The father of the first (Jovernor "Wolcott and his family, were ■among those who fled from Simsbury. Old INIr. ^Volcott filled up a large brass kettle with his pewter cups, basins, platters, &:c. and then «unk the kettle with its contents in the deep mud of the swamp, but was never able to find it afterwards. •" After the inhabitants had spent a day or two in their retreat, the men under arms were sent back, tor the purpose of looking about and making discoveries. They came to the bigbt'st eiuinencee in the road cast of Simsbury river, from wliieh, at one view, they could take a sur- vey of the principal part of their liabitatiuns, which, to their surprise and sorrow, were become a desolation, and every house burnt to ashes. They saw no Indians, but plenty of Indian tracks and trails in the sand. "I have recorded the story as a matter of fact, having very often I heard it related as such in my infant years, and also from the children I of those who were both witnesses and personal suHerers. " My father's name was Daniel Barber. He was the son of Sergeant Thomas Barber, who was the grandson of Lieut. Thomas Barber, who commanded under Captain Westover, in the first militaiy company in said Simsbury. He was one of the original proprietors of that town- ship, as appears from his name being still on the original charter. It is also reported of him, that at a time when the savages were surrounding the town with a determination to destroy its inhabitants in the darkness of the night, that by means of his military skill and sagacity, he pre- vented their attack ; that the next morning, the wind being fair, he as- cended the roof of his house, in the place called Hop Meadow, and /• SIMSBUllY. 103 beat an alarm on bis drum. The beat was beard and understood at VVindsor, seven or eiglit miles olF. The militia took the alarm, and a company under arms made their appearance in the afternoon at Sims- bury." The following is from Mr. Barber's pamphlet from wbicli the prece- ding was taken.