535 swine. Grain , potatoes, apples, butter, cheese and cloth were the
predominant products.
Industry teamed with a variety of shops and craftsmen. There were 2
sawmills near the hamlet and one in East McDonough. The Geneganselet powered
2 tanneries, a foundry and machine shop, a gristmill, leather manufacturer
and a woolen mill. Craftsmen were abundant with 3 blacksmiths in the hamlet
and 2 more in East McDonough. There were tinsmiths, coopers, a cobbler,
harness makers, and a cabinet and cheese box shop.
There was also no lack for professionals and residents could easily
access a doctor, lawyer, photographer and undertaker.
The hamlet bustled with general merchantiles, two post offices, a shoe
shop, a tailor shop, a millinery shop, a feed store, an eye glasses shop, 2
hotels and another in East McDonough. Three churches provided Sunday
services in the hamlet with another in East McDonough. Nine school districts
taught approximately 200 students. The town was so sophisticated that it
even had 4 constables and animal control officers with pounds to contain
wondering pets and livestock.
Jacob Hill, wealthy merchant and postmaster, built Hill House
in the 1830s.
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Spee’s Spa, a sulfur spring located off
State Route 220 on the way to Smithville Flats had a small hotel for
guests that arrived and left weekly by stagecoach.
So, what
happened to all this prosperity?
Around the turn of the century the town was devastated. There were
two floods. The first destroyed many of the mills located along the
Geneganselet; the second in the 1930s did equal damage. The large Union
hotel at the crossroads to the hamlet burned. A second, the Phoenix,
replaced it, but also perished by fire. The fires also destroyed other
nearby buildings.
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By the early 1900s there was one sawmill, a battery box factory and two
general stores. Emerson’s store also housed a telephone exchange and post
office. Tucker’s likewise housed a tinsmith in the upper story and the post
office for a time A third store provided feed and dry goods.
From 1919 – 1979, Ford Factory Homes provided a solid economic base for
the dwindling community. It was the first in the country to manufacture
prefabricated housing and continued to lead the field for decades.
