Daniel Holbrook Jr. on the Turnpike

This article concludes the history of the four properties that became known as Wessonville. However, the lack of legal documentation and Holbrook’s early death leaves many unanswered early historical questions of this property.

 When the Worcester Turnpike of 1810 was opened, it became more than a direct route for freight haulers, stagecoach travelers and the pony express from Boston to Worcester. The new road‘s five-mile route through Westborough created an opportunity to develop the area for additional farm land, the building of homes, real estate investors and business entrepreneurs. At the time there were only two farms, the Warren and Forbush farms, situated directly on the road. But, by 1835 a dozen new farms had been built on the Turnpike.

However, it wasn’t until Silas Wesson had a vision to establish a residential village along the newly constructed Turnpike that the area took on the name Wessonville. Daniel Wesson was a property owner in Grafton and for several years the inn keeper of the Forbush Tavern where he established Westborough’s first post office. In 1818 Wesson bought two acres of land situated on the Turnpike and built a new home. Then in 1822 he purchased the 80-acre Powder Hill Farm and built the Wesson Tavern at his former home site. The new tavern/inn would become the primary gathering point for travelers and teamsters, and the mail would be delivered to the North Westborough Post Office located at the tavern.

 Several years later, Nathan A. Fisher of Franklin, Joseph Lothrop and Daniel Holbrook Jr., recognizing an opportunity to capitalize on real estate ventures, purchased land in the immediate area and built fine Federal style homes on the Turnpike. Fisher and Lothrop became partners and, like their predecessor Silas Wesson, began purchasing properties along the Turnpike and the road from Westborough to Northborough.

  DANIEL HOLBROOK JR. on the Turnpike

 Daniel Holbrook Jr., was born in 1795 in Acworth, N.H., the son of Daniel Holbrook and Molly Bowman Holbrook. Daniel married Susan Grout, born 1797 in Winchendon, MA, a daughter of Seth Grout Esq. and Susanna Haskell Grout. The Holbrook’s were married in Northborough in 1821. It is recorded in Congregational Society records that a child named Charles Grout Holbrook was born to Daniel and Susan on September 8, 1821.

 Although Daniel Holbrook was involved in many real estate transactions with Charles Parkman, he was primarily a merchant at his father-in-law‘s store in downtown Westborough. He never experienced the real estate failures that his neighbors on the Turnpike Silas Wesson, Nathan Fisher and Joseph Lothrop were involved in that forced them to sell their properties and leave Westborough.

 In 1827 Holbrook purchased a tract of 40 rods with a dwelling on South Street from Levi Smith for $150.00 and in 1829, Smith sold an adjacent tract to Holbrook and George H. Lowe, a joint partnership in trade for $100. The lot was a ¼ acre of unimproved land downtown adjacent to Elijah Brigham’s Store.

 Also in 1827 a law suit was awarded to Holbrook by the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court at Worcester against Levi Bowman in the amount of $435.22 Bowman had defaulted on a land purchase that Holbrook had financed. 

 Holbrook’s first and only significant recorded real estate transaction on the Turnpike was in September 1828 when he purchased at auction the tract known as the Boyden property. The property was located on the north side of the Turnpike and bordered on the west by the Fisher/Lothrop property and the old county road (Oak Street) on the north.

 From 1821 to 1831 and again from 1833 to 1835 Holbrook was a Westborough selectman. Holbrook was named interim postmaster in August 1835 until the position was permanently filled by Charles Parkman.

 In 1831, Susan G. Holbrook’s father, Seth Grout Esq. of Northborough died and willed to the Holbrook’s Grout’s house and store on a half acre tract in downtown Westborough, formerly the Elijah Brigham Store which Grout had purchased in 1821 for $2,000. The store became known as Holbrook’s store and was located at the corner of Main and South streets. 

 In 1834 Holbrook purchased a lot of land in the center of town for $1,000 from Horatio Warren. The building and land, consisting of 126 rods along South Street, was adjacent to land owned by Holbrook. 

 The Federal style home above is noted on the 1830-37 Westborough map as Daniel Holbrook on the Turnpike next to Joseph Lothrop (Bergson’s 1790 House) and opposite Nathan Fisher and Silas Wesson Tavern. It is the final home built as part of the original area designated as Wessonville.  

 The map also indicates Daniel Holbrook’s house and store, formerly Grout’s Store, at the corner of Main and South streets. However, there is no recorded deed that clearly specified that Holbrook owned/built the Turnpike property until an 1866 recorded deed of the sale of the property belonging to Daniel Holbrook Jr. on the Turnpike.     

 Daniel Holbrook Jr. died suddenly on October 17, 1835. He was 40 years old and a Westborough selectman at the time. However, there is no death certificate. On November 9, a special town meeting was called to replace Selectman Holbrook. When Holbrook died, his wife Susan inherited all the Holbrook properties, but it wasn’t until 1845 that Susan and Nahum Fisher Esq. were designated as the executors of Holbrook’s will. Resource: Congregational Society records, Westboro Vital Records

Susan Holbrook Gale

On February 16, 1852 a contract (pre-nuptial) was signed with Cyrus Gale of Northborough that specified that Susan Holbrook’s ownership of several Westborough properties would remain solely her property and not part of a dower. On February 17, 1852 Susan Holbrook married Cyrus Gale Sr. of Northborough.

The contract specified that:

1, The corner lot opposite the hotel kept by Dexter Brigham, bounded on the east by the road to Upton, on the north by the county road to Grafton, westerly to Dr. Pond‘s house to the town house 1 ½ acre with dwelling and barn occupied by Otis Vinton, an old store used as a dwelling and bakery.

 2. One half a small estate, with house, known as the Boyden Place located on the Turnpike, owned in common by Susan Holbrook and the heirs of the late George Denny. Bounded on north by county road (Oak St) on the west (former Fisher House) by heirs of George Denny, on the south and east by Luther Maynard.

 3. Twelve shares of Framingham Bank, 15 shares Citizens Bank of Worcester, 5 shares of Quinsigamond Bank, 6 shares of the Boston & Worcester Railroad.

 In 1852 upon her marriage to Cyrus Gale, Susan donated her house on South Street to the Baptist Society for a parsonage and moved to Northborough. In addition to the existing Westborough property inherited by Susan, she continued to buy and sell property that would later become anchor properties of the C.S. Henry and Central Blocks in Westborough Center.  Resource: Some Old Houses in Westborough.

 In 1866 Susan and Cyrus Gale sold half of the Daniel Holbrook Jr. real estate on the Turnpike to Daniel W. Aldrich for $480.25. The remaining half owned by the heirs of George Denny was sold to Aldrich for $481.25. Aldrich then sold the property, no building mentioned to Hannah Paine of Randolph for $800. In 1867 George O. Brigham purchased a certain lot of land of Hannah Paine of Randolph for $800. 

 George O. Brigham

 Brigham was a prominent Westborough businessman and was very active in town affairs. In 1852 he became the director of the Westboro Milk Co. organized in 1840. He was the head cashier of the First National Bank of Westborough, then the first treasurer of the Westborough Savings Bank at its founding in 1869. From 1869 until 1891 Brigham was the town treasurer.

 Brigham was directly involved in the building of several downtown buildings: The Post Office block on West Main Street in 1869; the Central and C.S. Henry block on South Street in 1873 and the fire station in 1888. He was president of the Village Improvement society in 1878 and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1878-79. He was elected trustee of the newly formed Westborough Park Association, formerly the Thief Detection Society. It is doubtful that Brigham ever resided here as he was primarily a real estate owner and broker. 

 Burhoe Family 

The 1870 map indicates that William and Helen Hudson at the Turnpike location is location. Hudson bought the property from Brigham in 1876 for $1,200. In February 1894, Helen Hudson sold the property, 40 square rods with buildings to John T. Burhoe. The Burhoe Family owned the property from 1894 until 1967. 

 In July 1930 two homes on the Turnpike owned by Margaret Ord (Bergson’s 1790 House) and Minnie Burhoe were situated 25 feet within the new right of way of the proposed new Boston & Worcester Turnpike. Both homes were lifted and moved 50 feet back from the edge of the new right of way and placed on new foundations.

 The state purchased 12,530 square feet of Minnie Burhoe’s front yard and reimbursed her $626, plus the cost of relocating the buildings on new concrete foundations. In 1931 the state also bargained for a land transfer from Margaret Ord to Minnie Burhoe to satisfy a square footage lot requirement.

 In 1967, Walter Burhoe executor of the Minnie Burhoe estate, sold the property to Thomas Moroney for $15,000. At that time the parcel consisted of 18,623 square feet or 68.40 sq rods. Since that time the building has undergone a significant reduction of square footage. The connector building and the barn were removed as well as an addition on the east side of the main building. Although the building remained a residence, it was rezoned as a commercial office building. The building has lost its historical status after many years, and owners had renovated the interior for office use and vinyl sided it. Recent owners have included a real estate office and a mortgage company. 

 by: Glenn R. Parker

 Resources and references are found in the original document available at the history room of the Westborough Library